Page 83 of Oath of Revenge

When they finally turned to walk to the raised dais at the end of the room, Scarlet leaned closer.

“Brody didn’t treat them too badly, did he?”

Wulfric shook his head and led her to the empty seats beside the Elders. “No, a few of my loyal supporters were knocked around. Two of the females were fighting over him, but no one was killed, which I’m relieved about.”

They sat and several people brought food. Soup, ale, venison, potatoes, and gravy. Wulfric nearly inhaled everything that was set in front of him. After days going without, he was famished.

Scarlet ate all the soup, but pushed the venison to the side to eat the rest of her food.

Wulfric leaned back and waved to the head server. When the man came closer, he said softly, “No venison or rabbit for my mate. Is there any other meat for her?”

The server paled, glancing at her horns and ears, then nodded and spun on his heel.

Elva looked at him from around Scarlet and nodded her approval. Then she pointed her head toward the crowd.

He wiped his mouth and leaned back in his chair while Elva stood. The chattering crowd quieted as she spoke.

“Last night, the alpha challenge question was settled. Wulfric is the uncontested alpha of the tribe. Are there any other challengers?”

The crowd remained silent, and the server brought Scarlet an entire roasted chicken with savory mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, and herbs.

He crossed his arms and said, “Alright, does anyone want to represent Brody’s faction and actually discuss the problems and solutions?”

The chatter in the room died almost instantly. No one moved for a few precious seconds. Elva elbowed him, and he sighed, raking his hand through his hair.

“Look, I know this tribe has always been ruled by the Alpha and the Elders. But I meant what I said. We’re a family, and families talk about these things. So please, if we’re going to move forward as one, we need to work through this. Why did Brody say I was a bad alpha? If I’ve done something that led any of you to think that, please come forward now so I can be better.”

He let his words ring through the room before he continued. “There are a lot of changes and more to come. I know it can be scary, especially since I’m going to propose a treaty with the dragon king to the north, but—“

The gasps from the crowd rose, and Elva stood, staff in hand. “Alright, before we get into what to do for our future, I feel that we must settle what happened with our past, both the turned and the natural born.”

Several people squirmed in their seats, but the murmurs rose quietly. Elva raised her staff, which glowed green before a green image flashed in the center of the room. It showed their camp, but somehow he knew it was from years ago.

“Long ago, Growlers lived in harmony with the land in the forest. We were friends with the druids, the dragons, and the forest spirits. We worked in harmony to protect the forest, each bringing skills and magic to support one another and honor the gods, who still walked the land and seas.”

Nomani stood and raised her own staff, the purple glow adding to the image in the center of the room. The image changed even as her voice rose.

“When the dragon war ripped through the land, we worked with the druids to protect the forest at all costs. The magic of the forest changed, becoming more dangerous to those the forest didn’t recognize as its own.”

“Growlers were only born then,” Barley said as he stood, the image in the fire shifting as he added his own blue magic to it. “Then came the years of storms after the dragon war ended. The tribe was almost wiped out before the goddess heard our prayers. The goddess gave us a way to offer healing to desperate humans who braved the dangers of the forest. We could only interpret the instructions with the help of the druids though.”

Elva said, “The first turned Growlers had a side-effect. They lost all memories of their previous life. The Elders at the time went back to the goddess to find a solution. Instead, a prophecy was delivered.”

Nomani said, “When dragons ride once more, Growlers will regain what they’ve lost. Only when the dragons, Growlers, and druids unite will they be able to defeat the evil one and stop the next ice age.”

The crowd grew louder as the colors swirled in the room, showing a ball of black sweeping over the forest and turning it all to ice.

Barley snorted, “See? It’s already starting. Haven’t you felt the colder winter? It’s not letting up as it should.”

Nomani continued. “Several of the turned regained their memories when the dragon king of the north claimed his rightful place.”

“Rightful?” someone cried out.

“This is our forest, not his!” someone else shouted.

Elva slammed her staff to the ground. “His parents were the dragon kings of this forest before we were ever created by the gods. It is time we worked with the dragons and druids.”

Barley sniffed. “Brody swayed many of you with talk of regaining your place in society, of leaving the woods.”

---