His voice a low, smooth growl that vibrated through the stone beneath their feet. "You sold our young cubs to the shadow-wolf clan as mining slaves. You let our western granaries burn so the people would starve and look to your gold for survival. I am not murdering an elder tonight. I am executing a thief."
"Lies! Every word is a lie!" Elder Shen turned his head frantically toward the rows of lesser chiefs. "Are you all just going to sit there? Look at his warriors! He has brought a rebellion to our very hearth! Kill him! Whoever takes his head will receive half of the northern treasury!"
A few of the older chiefs, greedy for the promised gold and deeply loyal to Elder Shen's coin, let out fierce roars.
They drew their heavy iron axes, their bodies expanding as they tapped into their mid-tier beast transformations, their fur bristling with raw energy.
"Protect the elder!" a large, one-eyed chief bellowed, lunging forward from the side row with his axe raised high above his head.
