publicity.

“What shall we do with the prisoners, my lord?” asked Fangs, he was gleaming with happiness.

“Release the lower ranks. Keep the knights and nobles” he ordered.

“It shall be done my lord” replied Fangs.

Baltar looked at the sword in his hand; it had been changed since he had first obtained it. He had the quillon changed; it now held the symbols of his own family rather than the nobles. One side had an almost coin image of himself, whilst the other side had an image of a pair of canines, not necessarily wolves.

The lower ranks of the conquered army began to file out and head towards the river, the long journey home ahead of them. Baltar spotted a random man glance an eye at him, and Baltar spotted the man he wanted for a simple task.

“You!” Baltar exclaimed, the man and a couple others gave an eye towards him, “Yes you!” Baltar said as he approached him.

“I’ve got something I need you to deliver too your Lord” Baltar said, producing a pouch from under his tunic.

“Tell him he should give it too its rightful owners” said Baltar as he handed it too the man. The man was a bit bewildered at his being singled out.

As Baltar walked away, the man opened the pouch and looked at what was in it. He pulled it out for a better look and saw a quillon of a sword; it had symbols on it that represented a family with noble heritage.

Chapter 3

Two days later, Nenana Castle

“You offer something that you cannot give complete assurance on” said Sharp Claw, a wolf pack leader, he and over a dozen other leaders were sitting around a court. He was starting to reach an age were his wisdom of years usually decided for him, his ambition had started waning from his age.  

Baltar had just returned from his victory and had called, before his departure for battle, a war council of the wolf packs. They had of course been waiting for the news of his victory or demise, too decide whether to come or not. They chose too come after his victory.

“You are right Sharp Claw, I can’t assure anything, but with all of your packs support, I can!” said Baltar, confident in his words.

“You wish to declare a war that would have serious consequences for our kind, regardless if we are victorious or not” stated Sharp Caw

“And what are the consequences if we do nothing? Death and destruction of our, homes, our lands, and our own kind would await us. If we don’t show our people that we can stand and fight, then we shall be like a tree in the wind. We shall be pushed from side to side until we fall!”, “If we at least defend ourselves, we can show them we are still a strong people that can survive anything the human’s God can throw at us” said Baltar.

“How can we sustain a war against an empire with military and economic might that has gone unmatched for twenty years?” asked another pack leader, with nods coming from everyone around the court, it was apparent there were many skeptics amongst the pack leaders.

Baltar arose from his seat and walked into the center of the court.

“You all forget that we were all born in this land. Our fathers were born here, and all those generations before them have been born here. They all have lived and died here as we do. We know the land as much as any human or canine, maybe even more so. Why should we let the legacy of our forefathers, be cut short and erased from history just because we are born from a species that human’s don’t understand? Why should we give up our land, the land that our fathers gave to us, to them just because they think we’re demons? Why should I be hunted down and skinned because I’m different from a human or their canine concubines?” Baltar knew he had some thoughts stirring in his guests minds.  

“If my mother came from a family that has been on this world for over a hundred generations, why should I have too give up what they strived to give their descendants?” said Baltar, knowing that some could make the argument that he was only half wolf, and half canine. Thus being a “concubine of the human’s” as he called canines.

“So? Who shall join me in a war council?” he asked, hoping he’d made a good impression.

A moment of silence passed before anyone spoke. “I shall join you war council!” said a young wolf, he had Great Spirit in his devotion for wolf freedom.

“So shall I!” declared another leader

“The Socians shall join” said another; “My warriors will join you” said a middle aged wolf.

Surprisingly, six of the fourteen leaders joined immediately.

 “What do you say Sharp Claw?” asked Baltar, knowing Claw had a very big influence amongst the skeptics.

Sharp Claw saw he was Baltar’s only real obstacle at the moment, not too mention his only hope, too a unified Alliance of packs. He took a moment to think, “No matter what my decision is, I will lose my head to human reprisals be it by your defeat or by spiteful human’s. I wish I had lived a few more years, but I’m afraid destiny has other plans for me. I will join your war council.” said Sharp Claws.  

“Thank you Sharp Claws” Baltar nodded in acknowledgment.

“However, you will need more than just our support and your reputation. You will need a hero too give our people hope of a wolf victory. Do you know any heroes Baltar?” asked Sharp Claws.

Baltar saw he had jus been cut out of an entire hero’s glory by the clever old schemer, “He is as devious as he is intelligent” thought Baltar. He mauled over the thought of a hero that could replace the image of himself being . However, he couldn’t think of anyone too take the position, not to mention anyone who was already a hero.

And then it hit him, the hero he needed, the thought caused him to smile. He looked back at Sharp Claws, “I know one!” Baltar replied.

At this Sharp Claws rose from his chair and said “Then you have my pack's full support”

Several of the remaining leaders immediately pledged their support; the few remaining gave their support without hesitation.

“Then, my fellow pack leaders, to make this war council official: who votes we go to war with the Alaskan Empire?” asked Baltar, raising his own paw. All the other members raised their paws.

“Then it is a war we shall have!” responded Baltar. Going through his mind were thoughts of how he was going to convince his new hero too end a tyranny that had lasted far too long.

Too be continued…