When Arzhen returned, she happened to see the little wolves nibbling on some small animals. She guessed that her mother must have had to go out to hunt since she had been gone for too long. However seeing as they were all in good shape she couldn't help but relax. The result of that was the pain that riddled her body attacked at one time causing her to let out an uncontrollable groan, which alerted the three little wolves inside.
At first they were very happy to learn Arzhen was back, but when they saw that she had such terrible injuries, they knew how serious the situation was. As the oldest, Lida calmed Sedraa and Rin. She knew that Arzhen needed to recuperate, and she couldn't let anyone in the tribe know that the injuries had affected her so badly.
Although these injuries weren't something any regular person could handle, it revealed that she wasn't invulnerable as they thought. If that knowledge spread out, the resentment of the tribe would start to cause some thoughtful people to move their minds. She mustn't allow them to have this chance.
After explaining to the two other little wolves, they were terrified by the conjecture Lida had. Unfortunately they both knew that what she said was not alarmist. Just thinking of the way they talked about Arzhen was enough to see how deep their hatred for her was. Especially Rin, who walked back and forth between the valley and the tribe saw how they spoke of the 'monster' in the valley. It was this constant stream of insults laced with hatred and fear that led to her biased assumption about Arzhen. Although Arzhen isn't innocent, and one of the three had really suffered at the first meeting, but after spending months together, even Sedraa has lost the resentment and fear she once had. She knew that it was thanks to having company around that soothed her weary self, otherwise with such a black wolf that rarely speaks, she wouldn't understand Arzhen's personality, and her hatred would continue to grow. So for this, she could only thank Lida, who was like the embodiment of kindness.
Arzhen laid down and was instantly surrounded. She didn't say anything because the energy that she had been forcing outside instantly disappeared when she reached the safety of her home. She just wanted to rest, but she knew that she had to keep up appearances. If she didn't go out to hunt in the morning like usual, the scouts would report their doubts to the tribe. She couldn't allow them to have any suspicion. Those complicated thoughts were soon relieved as she felt the three little wolves trying to comfort her. She opened her tired eyes to see them licking her wounds. She didn't know if their saliva had any medicinal properties, but she certainly felt better while receiving the gentle treatment. Before she dozed off she made sure to say.
"Wake me when it's time to hunt".
The three of them knew why she said that, but they couldn't help feeling distressed. They continued to treat the wounded and tired black wolf with their extremely gentle method, before cuddling around Arzhen, whispering to the peacefully sleeping giant.
"Welcome home Arzhen".
The chieftain looked at the wolves that had managed to make it back. All of them seemed to be on the brink of death. The moment they made it past the border they collapsed. They've been unconscious for the whole day. He asked some of the female wolves that had been taking care of them, just to know how tragic their wounds were. Not only were they suffering from hunger and starting to show signs of dehydration. The exhaustion and injuries were only able to be withstood because of their original strength. If they were not the strongest warriors the tribe had, they would definitely have succumbed to their wounds.
Gazing upon the unconscious wolves, he knew that although the plan succeeded, the cost was heavy. The wolves need time to rest. They can't fight any difficult battles in the near future.
The other wolves of the tribe saw their strongest warriors all seriously injured, and the other warriors remembered how the monster still had more than enough strength to assist them in the subsequent attack, and return to the valley without hurry. They were appalled by how such a being could exist.
Their voices could be heard by the others of the tribe, and the chieftain wondered if that was true. He saw that the monster participated in the attack, as if nothing could phase her, but was she as unharmed as she looked? He didn't truly believe it. However he had no way to disprove it, and there was not much reason to do so at this point. She is still a necessary ally, but he will definitely keep an eye out to see if she shows any problems.
The night of the wolf tribe passed by with different thoughts of the events of the day, but they were not the only one's that were speaking about the attack on the lions. Word had been spread throughout the tribes of what the wolves had done. Most were shocked by the wolves recklessness, but it was true that they were victorious in this battle. The once almighty lions had lost their king, and reports say that the prince had gone to the wolves territory as an envoy to ask about the hyena tribe. It wasn't hard to guess that the lion tribe had lost their successor as well.
They knew that the wolves had severely damaged the lions. Now with the tribes of the Plains that had been kept at bay by them knew of the battle, they would definitely not let the lions go. They could only wait and see how much more the lions would lose from these tribes.
However what made them uneasy was the mention of a huge wolf that was responsible for killing the lion king. They didn't know when the wolf tribe had hidden such a beast, but they knew they had to re-evaluate their thoughts towards the wolves. They couldn't be as brazen as they were before, otherwise they may become the next hyenas.