Elias was frightened by the ethereal voice spoken into his head but was distracted by the howls he heard again. Elias gathered himself and calmed his mind. Erik, who had gone back to sleep, was already snoring still oblivious to the howl coming from outside.
Elias looked at the ring, which had stopped glowing. Elias had heard a voice and seen the ring shine. A loud howl sounded outside of the tent again, but Elias was calm the calming aura from before let him collect himself. Elias looked at his father, snoring in his bed with annoyance, but he realized his father was teaching him a lesson. His father wanted him to take over as chief when he died, and how could a weakling be chief. Elias rolled onto his back, looking at the top of the tent, thinking about everything that had happened to today.
Elias had heard about the beastmen before in passing, but hearing their howls himself woke him up to reality. Supernatural beings existed in this world. Elias wondered if he was supernatural. His father had always told him he could not play with the other village children because they were weaker than him. Elias wasn't stupid; he knew he was different from the other children in the village. Whenever he saw his reflection, he knew he was different. He had delicate features and platinum hair and eyes instead of the blue and brown eyes of other children.
Elias did not have to ask his parents to know he was adopted, but they had told him anyway when he was young. Elias's parents had also told him it didn't matter to them. They were unable to have children themselves, and so they had adopted him when his mother's friend Ester found him abandoned in the snow. Elias drifted off into sleep, thinking of the mysterious Ester.
The morning sun rose, touching Elias's sleeping face and Eriks Vibrant's red hair. Sin lay curled in front of the door, protecting his master. Ansel walked to the entrance of the tent and saw Sin raise his head to look at him to which Ansel smiled. Sin seemed to acknowledge Ansel's friendly presence and went back to sleep.
Ansel walked into the tent and watched the boy and his friend Erik sleep. Ansel had spent the whole night helped his tribes wolves through the transition. Ansel himself could not be more grateful for the moon ring that Esther had made him years ago. The ring was the only thing that kept the curse away. Ansel sat on a bench next to the metal cage and admired the ring Elias had noticed the other day.
Ansel had initially come to wake Erik and Elias but had pity on them and let them sleep. Ansel's own eyes began to droop after being awake for so long. It was midday when Erik And Elias woke and left the cage. Erik and Ansel, along with other elder Werewolves, truly began negotiations. Erik made Elias sit in on the talks Erik hoped it would be a learning opportunity for Elias.
Ansel and Erik sat on the opposite ends of a table that was circled by the werewolf Elite. Elias, who sat next to Erik, looked anxious in the tense environment. Erik gave him a look, and Elias stopped squirming and tried to look tough like his father.
Ansel began the peace talks, "So Erik the strong, what do offer for peace between our peoples. From where I stand, we are stronger faster and more numerous than in your village."
Erik coughs a little at the brazen way Ansel starts the peace talks. Regaining his composure and calming his anger, he said. "what you say is true that as individuals you beastmen are stronger faster and more numerous than our village..."
Ansel, confused by this confession, interrupts, "so what do you offer."
Erik shows a little of his anger, "let me finish! While you are all those things individually, there is no telling who would win a battle between us. We have between equipment fashioned with Felt Iron. Felt Iron is something that your smiths are too unskilled in using correctly. Besides this, we also have attack formation while you beastmen fight like a pack of wild animals. We have an overwhelming military advantage, and you know it, but we don't have to be enemies.
I propose that we join together and become one village one that has the best elements of both of our tribes, human and beastmen. Let us combine your fighting prowess with our tools and formations."
The beastmen present in their room had their faces changed several times during Erik's rant. They did not want to war with the humans they had done enough of that and had lost many clansmen.
One handsome man with green eyes and Black eyes thought differently than Erik. Ballack was a werewolf that had yet to see war but was power-hungry and ambitious nevertheless. The Elders seemed to nod in agreement with Erik, but Ballack's expression soured when he heard the human trying to join beastmen and humans. They belong to separate races.
Ansel smiled at Erik's speech and said, "I think we should call a vote."
Just as the voting began, Ballack frowned, speaking up, "How can we even be considering this."
Ansel raised a hand and silenced him, causing Ballack to frown. Ansel glanced at him and then ignored it.
"Let the voting begin," Ansel shouted, "all those in favor of joining the beastmen and Human villages say aye,"
Every Elder said Aye Except for Ballack, and so the Beastman and Human Chiefs began to talk terms. In the end, The beastmen agreed to allow 50 humans into their tribe, and the Erik decided to have 55 beastmen enter his tribe. When the negotiations ended, Erik prepared to Take Elias home.
Erik and Elias were packing their horses when Erik asked Elias, "So what did you learn,"
Elias looked at Erik and gave him a pure smile and said, "Be angry and passionate about everything, and people will agree with you more."
Erik gave Elias a surprised look and began to laugh, sincerely, "that right, my boy."
Erik gave Ansel one last clasp before climbing on to his horse, "see you, Ansel, hopefully soon My son seems to take a liking to this place we might come again for the next full moon."
Ellias almost barfed, hearing what Erik said but managed to keep it down. The father and son pair turn their horses into the forest as a pair of green eyes looked on. Ballack, who was still angry about the vote, left the other Elders and walked back to where his squadron was resting. The soldier saluted him when they met him. Ballack called Ander- forebear his lieutenant to his tent. Ander was a brute that stood 6 feet tall and was very stocky. He and the lieutenant sat and drank his lieutenants amber eyes looked at him curiously.
Ander finally couldn't the silence anymore and asked, "so sir, what seems to be the problem."
Ballack looked at Ander and said, "We have officially become one with the human tribe,"
Ander suddenly understood his master was scared of change. Right now, he had a position of military power where he could pretty much do whatever he wanted because of the threat of Erik's village. With the new treaty, Ballack would be stripped of the ill-begotten power he held now. Ballack had inherited his position when his father had died in the war, but the war ended shortly after that, so Ballack had never gotten military experience.
Ander looked a little worried. He usually could trample the beastmen villagers however he likes. If he no longer had Ballack's backing, he would lose his power along with the mates he had attracted with it. Ander became determined, "Don't worry, sir, just tell me what I have to do to fix the problem."
Ballack looked at Ander and smiled, making Ander think he had just made a terrible mistake.