Captain Tash:

  The blizzard was... blinding, deafening, overwhelming...

  The Wolf's limbs were slowly losing their flexibility. Her joints became rustier by the second. The Saniya that coursed through her veins was delaying the process, but she knew it wouldn't last long.

  Now, if only she could put her finger on her location...

  Her mind was pulled out from concentration, and her energy sensing was compromised. A flickering signature popped in and out from her mind radar, appearing at different corners. However, it was no less reliable than her eyes, which took in the white sea of powerful winds and swirling snow. Her ears were ringing with the sheer potency of the storm, and no voice broke through the fog.

  Her comrade was turned into a block of ice right before her eyes when she pounced. She defiled the natural balance and brought forth a deadly winter in the middle of spring. She wondered if the Squad had fallen victim to her as well...

  Her name? Tash... wasn't sure anymore. Perhaps a desired outcome for the ice wielder. The captain's desperation crept into her brain as a layer of ice impeding her neurons to communicate with one another.

  In a desperate act of defiance, she channeled her electricity through her pores, crackling and raging against the storm. She shaped it back into an aura of fire, a blaze in which warmth was the Wolf's blessing and the Yūrei's demise.

  Yes... The memories were slowly defrosting... The flickering Saniya became more prominent in her mind...

  She was right behind her...

  Tash spun around, and her paw gripped tightly on an icy kunai. "Nice to meet you..." Her eyes narrowed with quiet rage. "Yuki-onna..."

  The weapon sizzled, losing its edge until its blade broke in two. The pale hand who held it retreated to the blizzard, a humanoid shape visible through the raging snow.

  "The captain knows me?" She bowed. "I am flattered and honored."

  The Wolf grimaced in discomfort, not consenting to this telepathic conversation. "The Ice Sorceress stooped so low as to join a terrorist cult?!" She snarled. "By your reputation, I'd think you would be better than that!"

  The woman shook her head. "I am merely a concerned civilian, unsatisfied with this government's recent policy changes." She stepped closer, revealing more of herself. Her blue kimono swirled gracefully, in harmony with the climatic chaos of her making. "I am afraid the Dragon's Guard does not work for our best interests anymore..."

  Tash's fiery outer skin remained steady and bright, only tingling when touching her fur. She had become the only candle of hope to escape alive, fueled by the desire to see her daughter again.

  Lien would not lose a second parent...

  The captain pounced on the pale sorceress, threatening her life with burning claws of justice! Each strike momentarily broke the air currents and melted the downpouring snowflakes. However, they missed their target, who dodged with her unorthodox movements as if her body's flexibility wasn't limited by her joints. To worsen the situation, she countered the Wolf with another kunai, produced only in a few seconds, narrowingly missing the mark, if only scrapping a few strands of fur, before melting.

  Tash jumped back a few meters, impressed and worried by her opponent's close combat skill. The Yūrei were known for their poor strength and endurance, however. So, a single, decisive strike was all she needed, as proven by her two victories against Hari-onagu.

  The captain channeled a portion of her aura into her paws and then shot it at their target in a smoldering stream! However, Yuki-onna hastily and gracefully swung her hands and body, willing the cold currents to protect her and fizzle the fire away.

  "I do not command just ice, Captain Tash." The ghastly Monoke adjusted her hair. "I am winter personified."

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  Tash's fur bristled as a chill coursed through her bones. However, her resolve wasn't flickering just yet. On her wrists and ankles, a second layer of crackling electricity covered and spread through her arms and legs. The distance gap was closed in the blink of an eye, overwhelming the Ice Sorceress with fast, devastating blows, shattering the kunai the Yūrei held in each hand.

  It was Yuki-onna's time to strategically retreat. She joined the hilts of her broken weapons and fused them into a lengthier one. Then, she touched the hand where a blade should be and, followed by a mesmerizing light blue glimmer from her fingers, slowly forged the missing component with her magic. When she had finished, a shining, crystal-clear katana was conjured in her hands. She swung the sword in a circular motion, cutting through the thick, raging winds and dispersing them.

  "I wonder if you are better skilled at that thing than the kunai." Tash grinned. "For your sake, I hope you are." She positioned herself for combat, pointing her burning, natural weapons at her target.

  "Trust me." Yuki-onna pointed the blade at her. "You will not be disappointed. At my myself, that is..."

  The battle resumed. Fire, lightning, and ice clashed together in an awe-inspiring spectacle! Unfortunately, Tash was not gaining the upper hand as she hoped. The Ice Sorceress' movements were swift, elegant, and calculating like hers. The pale woman did not waste any movement, completely contrasting her hairy cohort. The ever-regenerating katana's edges glimmered in the moonlight, its smooth surface briefly reflecting the captain's frown and gritted teeth back at her in silent mockery.

  That was what Tash hoped to not admit to herself. The lifespan between a Wolf and a Yūrei was vast. By the time one of her kind was born, grown, and died, Yuki-onna would not change an inch and wouldn't for a very long time, being able to live through 10,000 years under the best of circumstances. No matter how much of her life was dedicated to her duty and combat training, her experience paled compared to her opponent, who fought in the Human-Monoke War long before her great-great-great parents were an idea on their parents' minds.

  However, a heavy sensation slithered through her body, connecting it all to her brain. It was different than the cold, however. It didn't seem to hinder her movements. The captain promptly perished the thought before the Yūrei capitalized on the distraction.

  The Wolf lunged forward, aiming for a damaging slash with her right paw, only for her left one to move instead. As her heart sank with dread and her mind was overwhelmed with questions, she was struck by the solid ice hilt, making her reel for a couple of meters and fall on her back!

  Captain Tash breathed heavily as her arms and legs did anything but her desired motion. They flailed and stretched as if they belonged to a newborn pup, fueling her pounding heart with dread.

  Yuki-onna slowly stepped toward the pathetic canine. An amused grin played on her shrunk lips.

  "Difficulties getting up?" The Yūrei pressed one foot on her chest. "Keep it that way." Lifting the katana to the sky, the pale woman descended it, impaling the captain's torso with its cold blade! The Wolf howled in pain, unsure if anyone could hear her cries.

  "THAT was for the hole you tore on my friend." She left the sword lodged in the captain. Gradually, the overbearing agony was dulled by the temperature. In time, every inch of the Wolf would follow suit.

  "I will leave the eye-piercing for the Human..." Yuki-onna turned away and walked.

  Tash gathered all her energy, fighting through her stagnant muscles. "B-But..." She gasped. "The girl didn't blind your friend..."

  Yuki-onna stopped. Her head slowly turned towards the fallen guard. The devious glint on her bulging was everything the Wolf needed to understand her meaning...

  "Your reputation has reached my ears, Captain." She spoke while Tash's eyelids grew heavier. "And I am not referring only to your combat prowess..."

  What was the wench babbling about...?

  "You experienced the pain these vile creatures bring us unconditionally." Yuki-onna's eyes flickered between seriousness and... genuine compassion. "You still have a daughter, walking around inches from a Human as we speak. Why are you putting up with this farce? For your career? Are you afraid of defying the queen?"

  Tash's mind was hanging by a thread, but the Yūrei's words reverberated in her head perfectly clear. Why did these Humans have to invade her home and reopen a wound still too fresh? It wasn't fair...

  The Ice Sorceress knelt beside her. "The Tizohi's Chosen fight for a safer Sayama, wiped clean from Humanity's filthy touch." The pale maiden leaned closer, locking eyes with her. "Your daughter deserves this."

  The captain's head throbbed with conflict. Her hatred and resentment for Humanity clashed with her aversion to these terrorists, alongside... her daughter. What would Lien think if she killed her packmate? Hell, the pup once slipped up that Stella was her best friend...

  Damn it. Damn it! DAMN IT ALL!!!

  Yuki-onna pressed her cold, bony finger on the guard's lips. "Do not answer. I know you are conflicted." She stood up. "Meet me at the border between Chikukei and Pantsti. Bring the girl, dead or alive."

  Tash was not feeling anything anymore. Her vision blurred until her eyelids glued together as a sign of surrender to the undeniable storm. Her thoughts on the Yūrei's offer were... inconclusive.

  "Do not worry, my dear. The devil's guardian will be taken care of."