A cruel cackle met the silence as Niah finished answering, "You gave up your aid in hopes that these people might fulfill a promise that may not be in their power to grant?! And I thought my people were smarter than that."

Niah's cheeks went a bright red as she lowered her eyes and stared hard at the ground in front of her.

"We don't expect your help for free," Acharya replied calmly. "We are prepared to make concessions for the help of your people."

The Matriarch paused hearing this. She turned back to the male alpha. "And just what exactly is a broken pack, from a broken City able to offer us?"

Acharya answered calmly, "We offer our friendship and aid when needed."

"So basically nothing," The Matriarch sneered. "Don't try to play me, boy. I've been on this earth far longer than generations of your longest lived werewolves." She moved down the nearest set of stairs to join the group in the pit of the room.

Acharya watched the elderly woman move. Her legs must have been just as developed and muscular as her arms and shoulders because he could now see a dancer's grace and fluidity in her movements. Even if she was as old as she said, she seemed like she would be a match for any of them, maybe more than any one of them.

Acharya said, "we can offer ourselves, to live in this city and serve you as emissaries from the Mountain, to be used by you as you see fit."

The Matriarch stepped close to Acharya as she trailed a single finger along his shoulder, a smile on her lips, "That's a good start, and one I would be interested in accepting. But a single pack? You'll have to do better than that."

Acharya responded smoothly, "I speak with the authority of the Mountain. My people will abide by any agreement we make here today."

"Excellent." The Matriarch beamed as she leaned in close, her nose only inches away from Acharya's, a predatory smile pursed her full lips, "I want the Whyte Plain."

How did the Bultungin know about the Whyte Plain? Could the Bultungin even enter the Whyte Plain on their own? Would a Sage have to be available for Bultungin use at all times? Acharya's mind smoothly asked all these questions as he answered, "I would offer free usage of the Whyte Plain…"

"But…?" The Matriarch asked.

"First, I'm not sure the Bultungin can use the Whyte Plain. Teaching anyone other than werewolves to enter and traverse the Whyte Plain is not something we ever considered. Second, and more pressing, the Whyte Plain isn't safe."

"You mean your people still haven't dealt with that shadow infestation yet?"

Acharya kept his face passive, holding his expressionless poker face.

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"By your silence I assume that answer is no," The Matriarch said.

"You have me at a disadvantage, Matriarch. Clearly you know more about us and ours, then we do about you and yours." Acharya replied.

The Matriarch smiled again as she gestured innocently, "Why, my dear werewolf, you say that as if you suspected me of doing something unethical, like spying or something."

"Not at all, only that you seem to know a great deal about us," Acharya said.

The matriarch stepped back and looked around the circular room quietly, "When you have been through as much as my people have, when you have seen as much as I have, you make it a practice to ensure that you know more than the other person."

"A wise practice," Acharya replied.

Turning back to the male werewolf, the Matriarch looked at him evenly, "I don't know how to enter the Whyte plain, nor do I know if any one of us Bultungin could stand against these shadows on our own." She let the words hang in the air for a moment, "And because you can't guarantee my terms, I will make another demand that I know you can honor. We will have free access to the werewolf cities around the world, and there will be representatives of my people permanently stationed in each."

Acharya regarded the woman, and came to fully understand the shrewdness of her negotiation style and prowess. She knew that she had what the werewolves wanted. But, in order to get that, the Bultungin were going to get everything they could. Acharya smiled.

"The werewolf cities around the world are governed by their own elder packs, who determine what happens in each. I can only vouch for the City Under the Mountain at this time. Your people would have to abide by our laws while residing in our cities, and obey the words of the elder pack as law, just as they would obey your words. The City elder pack would retain the right to expel those of your people who are found to be non-compliant with our laws in exchange for another candidate. And there would be no more than six Bultungin permanently stationed in each city at any given time, to consist as a pack of your own with equal rights and privileges of a werewolf pack."

The Matriarch replied, "I want werewolf escorts when we travel through the Whyte Plain, for protection against the shadows of that place."

Acharya countered, "your people's request will be considered by the Elder pack of the city at the time of the request."

"Considered but then not answered," the Matriarch spat.

"Any request made by our new Bultungin allies will be considered as gravely as if the request were made by fellow werewolves. In exchange, two hundred Bultungin fighters will be at our disposal for our fight against the Vampires. For our current crisis and for any future crisis which may arise, against vampires, or other threats," Acharya said.

"Two hundred is a lot of my people to put in harm's way for you werewolves," the Matriarch said. "I'll promise one hundred."

"One hundred and fifty of your finest fighters," Acharya countered smoothly, "to be deployed to any werewolf city that is in need of your people's aid."

The Matriarch stared hard at Acharya. The minutes slipped by as she regarded the werewolves and the other Bultungin in the group, weighing the possibilities of such a bargain.

Acharya held the Matriarch's gaze. He stood easily as he focused entirely on the infinitely deep brown eyes of the woman standing in front of him.

After an unknown amount of time, maybe minutes, maybe hours, the Matriarch's lips softly turned up into a smile. "I will agree to your terms as a sort of down payment. I expect to have the full weight of my request honored by the werewolf community as a whole, sooner rather than later. That includes all werewolf cities having a Bultungin presence in them, our full use of all werewolf cities in times of need, and access to the Whyte Plain."

Acharya reached calmly forward with his outstretched hand towards the Matriarch. The Matriarch took his hand firmly in hers and squeezed with a strength that matched her physical build.

"We have come to terms."

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