GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?

This unseen and unknown white bitch that Xigger has been hearing about can also kill him permanently. Something that can rile up the self-proclaimed Supreme can not be taken lightly by him. So he has to be very careful. 

The warnings from the voice in his head come in handy for that. Now he knows that the wood elves are already acting against him. He can prepare to either avoid them or fight them.

If not for the rantings and the feeling of having an unwanted visitor in his mind who can read his thoughts, then his boss would be close to perfect. The usefulness of the warnings overshadows the occasional ranting and intrusive thoughts so he will ignore them for now.

Xigger spent the bulk of the night skulking around the mountain range for prey. He was very disappointed. Most of the mountain range has been commandeered by the iron fur pack. He can see the boundary of their territory in his vision. It is a line that he can sense by smell and can ascertain by the occasional piles of skulls used as warnings to intruders. 

Sauron has not invited him into his territory so the territory of the iron fur pack is hostile ground. He will alert Sauron immediately if he dares to step into the hostile territory. Then there will be a repeat of yesternight's unfortunate events.

"Goddamn it." He yelled and punched a nearby rock in anger.

The unfortunate target of his anger exploded into shards and dust. Xigger is angry because he can't find prey. He can sense a lot of prey past the boundary but he can't touch them or risk the ire of their protector. He doesn't want to fight Sauron again because another death will only weaken him further instead of strengthening him. That's the opposite of what he aims to achieve.

"Sauron has almost taken over the entire mountain range completely. How did this happen in just 100 years? Is that Sauron so great?" He asked in anger.

Now he knows why Sauron is so strong. He still can't believe it though. He was gone for 100 years and so much has changed. He was a pack leader for more than 200 years and he didn't achieve the amount of success that Sauron has achieved. It makes him feel inadequate and also very angry.

Sauron's success is definitely extraordinary. It is something that can only be achieved through extraordinary means. He would like to know how Sauron achieved it. Unfortunately, no one will answer his question. His fledglings remained quiet and as unmoving as statues. They don't know the answer to his question. This is their first time in the core of the mountain range. 

"Fine. Let's keep moving." Xigger ordered with a resigned bark.

He looked at the ice-capped mountains with a determined gaze. "Sauron can't have annexed the entire mountain range. I refuse to believe it. There must be somewhere his grubby paws haven't touched."

They kept looking around the mountain range for more targets on the mountain range. He kept to the edge of the mountain range and avoided the core. Xigger is hoping to find a large pack or at least a park that has established itself, not some roaming packs of Warrogs. Such a target will provide a lot of food for him. 

His search bore little fruit because large packs don't live at the edge of the mountain range. Only struggling packs live there. He had to return to the core of the mountain range and he roamed around the entire boundary of the Iron Fur territory. His search didn't disappoint him because he came upon the last bastion of resistance against Sauron's tyranny. He found the Iron Nail pack.

His eyes lit up with greed when he saw the palatable prey. The fledglings behind him also sensed the teeming life within the settlement. The scent of blood and life appealed to them. They wanted to rush forward and indulge themselves but they held back. They didn't let their bloodlust cloud their judgment. Xigger's presence is very instrumental to their willpower. Without him here to help them keep a leash on their instincts, they will be no different from rabid animals.

"So there is one last place present on this forsaken mountain range that Sauron hasn't claimed as his. This is good. They will be able to hold out against the dishonorable Sauron well enough." He complimented the iron nail pack.

The Iron Nail Park is well-defended. They are holed up within a mountain that was hollowed out by the pack Leaders working together. It is clear that this pack is very careful and cautious. They don't let the fact that they have several pack leaders go to their heads. Having several Mana entities is good. It should deter Sauron. But what if it doesn't? 

The Iron Nail pack has the answer to that question. Things will be very bad if Sauron is not deterred. Their Mana entities are threats to other Alphas and Betas. But they are no threat to Sauron. So Sauron can attack them alone. They outnumber him and can surely resist him but he will be able to escape if he wants. 

That means Sauron can come and kill some of them before escaping. He can whittle down their numbers with time until they break. So they dug into a mountain to avoid that. They will be able to defend themselves easily with a literal mountain around them. 

There is only one entrance and one exit into the mountain settlement. The entrance is well camouflaged so it wouldn't be easily identified. Xigger would have missed the settlement had he not sensed the scouts and guards posted outside and the sound of hearts beating within the mountain. 

"Take out the guards silently. I will gain access to the mountain and go straight for the pack leaders. Kill the rest. You have permission to feed as much as you want after we have gained access to the mountain range. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Count Xigger." They replied.