Huan Li was standing, in the center of the golden dome of the City under the Sand. The room looked exactly as it had months ago, when he first came to petition the aid of their brethren. The Elder's looked down on him, in their respective human born and werewolf forms.

"Elder Huan Li, you come to us demanding that we offer you aid now, at your choosing, with little say from us. And then to add to that insult, you say also that we need endure the filth of Bultungin; creatures that haven't been seen in centuries, as they defile our home with their permanent presence here."

"You do not rule here, as you do with your City under the Mountain," one of the werewolves spoke, "Tell us why we shouldn't kill you where you stand for this insult?"

Huan Li didn't twitch, or even blink at the threat, "If the Shape shifters from the City under the Mountain had been given a warmer reception and greater offer for aid in our time of need, then perhaps we would not have had to go looking for allies all around the world. As such, the Bultungin deserve a say in what we do, and their presence here will only strengthen your position. You can look to them for aid and support instantly, which is something that you sited as being a major reason as to why you half turned your back on us in the first place."

Huan saw anger flash in the features of every Elder in the room. Huan knew he had struck a nerve. He also knew he walked a razor's edge, one that would result in his death if he strayed off the path.

"You dare to speak of our affairs and position as if you have lived here your entire life," The Elder Alpha spat. "You know nothing and will, in the future, speak of only what you know."

Huan Li gazed straight at the Elder Alpha, "I know that if you balk at our request for help the City under the Rock will turn on you and we will have a civil war, that I assume none of us want. I won't hesitate to bring the full weight of the City under the Rock, and all our new found allies against you and see you all buried in the ground. I would rather see this City burn and all you dead, than continue to deal with you who place yourselves above the needs of your brethren and are corrupt yourselves. We are supposed to be the guiding example for humanity to be civilized and uphold justice and decency, not give in to selfishness and vanity whenever it suits us."

The entire pack of Elder's bristled at the rebuke. Huan Li started contemplating just how many minutes he had to live and how to escape before any of them could reach him in the center of the room.

The Elder Alpha stared hard at Huan. Rage flushed over his features in waves, but he did not speak. The other Elder's shifted their gaze between their Alpha and Huan Li. Huan saw some of their claws flex and fists clench.

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Seconds ticked by, then minutes. No one moved, no one spoke, Huan Li watched emotions and unspoken retorts, curses, and declarations pass over the features of the Elder Alpha in a kaleidoscope of expressions that was at once terrifying and also strangely hypnotic.

The Elder finally spoke, in little more than a hushed whisper, "You dare to insult us here? What gives you the right to even think you capable of judging us, let alone qualified to do such?"

"I have traveled around the world in the last several months, confronting demons and creatures out of legend to see justice done. I have sent what few remain of my people to do the same. I judge you because I know that none of you have left your territory in an age, and when help was asked, by your own kin, you balked. Are you all cowards, that you cannot leave your warm beds to fight? Have the citizens of the City under the Sand become so weak and feeble that you are incapable of fighting, choosing instead to hide in your golden domes?"

The Alpha jumped to his feet and, almost too fast to see, shifted and flew towards Huan on all fours. Huan Li shifted and jumped to the side, shoving the charge off course and to the side of the circular room.

The rest of the Elder's stayed seated, not one of them stood up, but choosing instead to calmly watch the fight. Huan Li knew that everything, not just the support of the City under the Sand, but the Bultungin support as well, rode on this fight. If Huan Li failed, then everything that had happened over the last few months would have been for nothing.

Huan Li locked claws with the Sand Elder as they pushed against each other. There was a time when Huan Li may have won such a contest, but after fighting with the Bear clan berserkers he had been reminded there were always those who were stronger. And that blind strength wasn't everything.

Huan bent backwards with the force of the Sand Elder and yanked him off his feet throwing him behind him. The Sand elder flew through the air and landed hard on his back. The thud reverberated off the walls and the dome overhead. It took a few seconds for the Sand Elder to find his feet again and he threw himself at Huan Li with a barrage of vicious claw swipes, kicks, and punches.

Huan Li was reminded that Efraim, the City under the Mountain's fight master, originally come from this place. And though the Sand Elder wasn't as good as Efraim, Huan had to admit he was better than he was.

They fought savagely, circling each other. The Sand Elder grappling and brawling with little to no technique at all. Huan was older and he was pulling out every stop he knew to combat the younger and stronger Elder. Huan was caught with a kick to his mid-section that drove the air from his lungs and his head was slammed down to the marble floor. His vision exploded and his body went numb.

It took a little while for him to understand that the sound of drums that suddenly came from all around him, wasn't drums at all but hind claws kicking repeatedly into his ribs and stomach. He felt cold and wet as his sweat suddenly broke out all around him. A few more kicks later and he was brought to the painful realization that it wasn't sweat, and he wasn't cold, but it was blood that was free flowing from his broken snout.

Drawing into himself he stopped hearing the sounds of his bones breaking, his teeth rattling, and his body bouncing off the solid marble floor. He held on to his core self, waiting for the beating to end, if it ever did.

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