Sye-nitch listened as Tjukubb, a newly appointed pack leader, put on a confident face before Tolga, following a competition to pick new recruits.  All of them had trained in pack-fighting, so the prospects were promising.

That was his thought, as suddenly the tavern door swung open, and Bug-toe, the dim-bulb, walked right up to Tolga.

“I need a new pack!” he demanded.

Tolga, taken aback for just a moment at his foolishness, darkly shot back, “You ain’t a pack-leader no more.”

“Hah!  I fought my way to lead that Wander-pack you stuck me with, and with another made an attack on that human woman.  Give me three packs to take against her!

“I know she’ll be back.  She’s only got five fighters.”

“Really?” came a voice from farther back in the tavern.

Sye-nitch joined everyone else, to look at Croll, as he slowly stood.  He wondered how bright the flush of fear would shine on Bug-toe’s cheeks, as the commander stalked to within arm’s length of him.

“You let so many of us be seen, and lost two packs in a fight?” Croll growled.  “To only six humans?  And you’ve got the rocks to come in here and ask for more?”

“I’ll get revenge!” Bug-toe declared.

Sye-nitch nearly laughed at the hollow words.

“I know what the woman looks like!” he added.

“You got eyes in the back of yer head?!” Croll asked.  “’Cuz she sure knows what you look like, running away!”

“You could stop the tribe’s losses if you – “

Like a drawn bow-string, Croll suddenly leapt upon Bug-toe, knocking him to the ground, and pounding him with his fists.

Like a cornered animal, the fool fought back, and did himself a bit proud at the end.  But Croll’s advantage was too great, and soon Bug-toe’s split brain-pan was oozing its warm contents across the cold stone floor.

Unlike most contests, no one cheered the victor.  He slowly rose, and silently surveyed the room.

Sye-nitch knew Croll did not like weaker lookouts like him coming around where the leaders gathered.  So far he had come into this tavern because he had gotten away with it.  Now, with his bloodlust not sated, Croll’s eyes settled on him.

“Yer another survivor of that human wench, ain’t’cha, Sye-nitch?  You worth anything?”

“I saved fighters’ lives,” he whispered, unable to stand up to those three burning orbs, “and did not tell when they passed by.”

If Croll had been vicious in rubbing out Bug-toe, Sye-nitch saw himself quickly coming to a worse end, thanks to his foolish admission.

Fortunately, the shock of his first statement gave Croll enough pause for the crafty lookout to think of something better to say.

“If she finds nothing to fight in our territory,” he said, slowly gaining confidence, “then she can go to the Blister-foot territory, and kill them instead.”

He was taking an awful chance, just mentioning the hated rival tribe, but he had to make Croll think of killing someone besides him.

Surprisingly, the incited light in Croll’s eyes glowed a little less fiercely.  His murderous mood calmed for a moment, as he scratched his chin.

“Alright, boys.  Since the Oolar won’t let us go up with enough fighters at a time – “

“You mean he lets the Daghaivan pull his strings,” Tolga cut in ruefully.

“Watch that!” Croll snapped, his anger flaring again.

Sye-nitch watched to see if Tolga’s brains would join Bug-toe’s.

The blowhard restrained himself, though, and said, “This lot is a pack of bounty hunters.  They’re ringers.  We’ll use Sye-nitch’s idea.”

Sye-nitch blinked.  His idea?  What was his idea?

“And let’em go past.”

Sye-nitch vaguely heard Tolga start to protest, only to be shouted down by Croll again.  He looked around the room for any disagreement, but in his heart knew none would be coming.

If the fighters all agreed it was his idea, he would get the blame if it went wrong.

“Another thing, Sye-nitch!”

He quickly snapped his eyes back to his commander.

“If anyone among the lookouts blabs about this, you’ll answer for it!”