The death of that dwarf still unsettled Frostine so much she couldn’t savor her paltry lunch of deliciously salty chicken jerky, and chicken jerky was second to chicken soup to tummy yummy perfection, and yet … no, she mustn’t sip any of the chicken soup from her canteen … for now.

As the most powerful snow vixen witch here in this squad, she got to sit on the most comfortable boulder, of course, and it was the very same boulder, amazingly flat and smooth yet cupping her furry butt perfectly, and more than low enough to be cozy, despite below her knees being like the hindquarters of a large fox, and it was the same boulder that the now dead dwarf had been seated on, staring off at …

Uh huh.

That really towering high and craggy mountain off in the awfully blue distance … as blue as too many called her own eyes, and ugh, she almost hated blue because of that.

Almost.

Strange how that lone mountain was just there. In the middle of that thick murky forest full of steep craggy cliffs and even more jagged boulders, and so many wild vicious tigermites that held no allegiance to anyone, even the Dragon Lords, but once this Dirlop Mountain was conquered, they’d join the Dragon Lords and continue the conquest, since this Dirlop Mountain was right in the middle of a critical trade route for the whole continent.

But still, where all these jagged boulders came from … la sigh.

None of her business. Once her time as a witch trooper was over, she could look into it. Later. The Dragon Lords had libraries like human farms had chickens and cows.

She even leaned back some, let the smell of that vanquished dwarf … the thick smell of bison that wasn’t bison, but actual real dwarf, the scent lingered up throughout her whole entire snout, but as a beast elf of the snow vixen variety, her ice and lightning magic was second to none, so freezing that dwarf, shattering him into nothingness before he had a chance to strike.

Perfect first kill.

Yes.

Perfect. Her twin sis Pearl would be so proud of her too.

Yet her heart still thunked so fast so far after the danger was passed … her foxy tail limped so sad over the back of this rock … even her ears didn’t perk up as high, and her fox ears loved to perk up from the slightest bit of an excuse.

Like how proud she should be. Her strike was so good, there was no chance of that dwarf even got the chance to see who killed him. And that was despite how the boulders surrounding this nice cozy seat of a boulder were easier to climb from the outside in than from the inside out.

It would also become the perfect trap–for later.

With her white fur coat, she blended in halfway well with some of the lighter gray boulders too, even if it was kinda hot, her magical powers kept her comfy and amazingly clean, despite the crazy amount of dust every which where. But right now, she better be wary of how easy it would be for some enemy dwarf to sneak up on her here. How many times had Drakoth, her dragon instructor, sneaked up her and he was several times bigger than the biggest stallion?

But here, and now, Frostine was far from alone.

So she even leaned back and la sighed again. Trying to relax some before the coming battle.

But the foxy scent of her companions … especially the red fox boy standing behind her, standing slim but wiry, and in black slacks that matched his red fox fur perfectly, and his own black iron claw extenders. He didn’t even let Frostine know his name. Yet.

He just stood tall and silent behind her. Ready, just like the guard she had sent on a secret mission.

She crossed her legs nice and sexy for her remaining bodyguard guy. Just like Pearl would of done, he-he. Both bodyguards were slim yet muscular fox elf guys, but her other guard was away, inside the mountain, executing another plan of hers.

But any fox boy would definitely of appreciated a vixen girl like her. All her forms were humanoid, like most beast elves, and those who had full beast forms, they often were trained as scouts and so on, not as witches or guards.

So to be ready for battle, Frostine stayed in her vixen form, of course, so below her knees, like the hindquarters of a canine, and her hands, well, better keep them with their deadly claws out fully.

It was what Pearl always did, and Drakoth never managed to surprise Pearl like he did Frostine. Pearl always claimed it was because her long lush hair was so platinum pink rather than pale sunny golden like Frostine’s, and dragons so loved golden hair of any color that … la sigh.

No, that couldn’t be it.

Lucky them even received real armor, thanks to Drakoth. Both sets of armor were made out of the thick, pale blue bones of their own gigantic venomous snake. A pair of snakes that Drakoth himself caught and killed. One snake for each snow vixen student.

Her snake’s skull was forged into her helm, and fit snug and perfect. It even had extra slits for her pointy ears to move around. Her waist long hair was neatly tucked underneath the helm but over the spine that connected it to the rest of the suit, including ribs that protected her chest, and her biggest weak point, her heart, but wow, did the extra-large size of her chest make that extra beefy and warthog-faced orc of an alchemist smith grumble at how much he needed to “adjust” those chest ribs.

Pearl had cackled so much at that grumbling … Frostine even ended up giggling some too but …

That alchemist orc even admitted to removing some ribs below their chest armor for material, and exposing more than their tummies should be. Far more, and that was with big red Drakoth watching over and ready to provide the extra powerful flames needed to forge both armors. The alchemist smith had even shortened the skirt, also made of ribs, but they were now far too short. Those ribs barely covered her down to the middle of her thighs.

Pearl loved showing off her figure, but she had a more than a few boys trying to snag her as their alpha mate already. Frostine was too busy to even notice if … well, of course, a few did try to date her, but no time for dates.

Not with all that training. How Pearl managed to find the time …

So no wonder her tail was so limp, but nothing she could do about it. Not now.

Sure, Frostine had regenerative healing, like all beast elves, but this pale blue armor of bone reduced it drastically, all so that she could receive a big boost in magical power. More than enough to shatter the dwarven battlements with bolts of lightning, and have plenty left over to ravage their small army just by herself. Make Drakoth proud.

When the time came … Pearl would be ready to strike from behind, the opposite side of the mountain.

Both Frostine and Pearl better be ready to freeze those inevitable waves of dwarven warriors into blocks of snazzy vixen-shaped ice.

Shatter that sexy shaped ice into naughty nothingness.

Something Pearl even loved to practice on the rodents scampering around at night. Like Pearl always told her, they both were six feet of deadly beauty, so better be proud of it and … la sigh.

Pearl, even more so, with that lovely pink hair.

At least Frostine wasn’t alone here. Or even the only vixen, even if she was the only snow vixen in this squad. Pearl was leading her own squad from behind Dirlop Mountain.

Instead, Frostine had Rubica and Sapphira, who were amazingly talented scarlet vixens, like red fox versions of a snow vixen, so their magic was all fire based but unlucky for them, no armor. Just black short skirts and short cowled bra tops.

Along with, of course, black iron claw extenders.

Just because Drakoth gave them some training, it wasn’t nearly as much as Frostine and Pearl received.

Frostine had cute but sinister claw extenders too. Strapped to her waist, opposite of her pale blue pouch and its precious contents. Her claw extenders could hook onto her claws and could extend them for over a few more deadly razor feet.

They both were made from the same pale-blue bone of her serpent skeleton armor. She could also yank the fangs from her helm to use as throwing daggers, and the fangs would regrow and could be thrown again and again, as long as she didn’t use up too much of her stamina. Something Pearl still struggled with. She just loooved to throwing her helm’s daggers too much. La sigh.

All that training from Drakoth … all for this first battle.

And many to come.

Pearl had been so excited and eager to do her part in this upcoming battle. She had wanted to do the frontal assault, but no, Drakoth chose Frostine to lead the frontal assault, and Pearl to lead the assault from behind.

A pincher attack, of sorts.

Even if their orc armies were contained entirely in a monster card deck. These were no ordinary monster cards. They could truly fight living people. Kill living people. It was a deck forged from countless orcs killed by those awful lightlings, and now giving their spirits a chance to avenge their own deaths.

How great was that!

Yet she … she’d need to kill far more dwarfs than the one she already took out.

And without hesitation.

Without a laugh, giggle, or … the witty comments Pearl always had ready.

Now strutting in front of her now, Rubica and Saphira, her two scarlet vixen elves, and clearly all ready to back her up, as their duty required.

Ready to die to protect her.

Rubica tsked, grinning wide, with her white fangs shining in the blazing sun. Huffing her small but cute chest out at one of her silent guards. Clearly testing the last guard’s resolve not to be distracted by his sexy vixen wards.

“It’s almost time,” Rubica said, “Drano, at noon–”

Frostine huffed an extra loud la sigh. The scent of that fox boy … his interest wasn’t in vixens, or girls of any sort.

(Figures.)

“Rubica,” Frostine said, “I am quite capable to leading this battle, no?”

“I …” Rubica said, “That dwarf. We all saw how he took a toll on you. As your first kill.”

Saphira flicked her long flowing cherry hair to the side, and huffed her chubby chest out and strutted tall and cocky over, right beside Rubica. Saphira was build slim but amazingly busty. Eye catching, and Drano, by his foxy smell, wow, he clearly enjoyed her presence.

So maybe he did enjoy both genders … in that way.

“You trained so much,” Saphira said, “You never had the chance to–”

Frostine huffed even louder. “So? I vill kill as I must. Zee dwarf is dead. Soon the rest vill join him. At highest noon I shall blast the battlements, no? Wipe out the first few waves of–”

“No!” Rubica said, and even grabbed Frostine’s snout shut?

La sigh. Drakoth never taught them to respect their captain. Did Pearl have the same trouble with her scarlet vixens? Only the snow vixens held the orc decks. Only they had enough magic and stamina to wield the cards all at once.

Saphira even grumbled, hands on overnice hips. Her bright violet gaze so … intense. Too much like Pearl’s, even if Pearl’s was as blue as Frostine’s.

“Leave the first waves of dwarfs to us,” Saphira said, “We’re vixen witches too. Lower ranked, but we’re a team, remember? Just because you’re the captain … with the orc deck …”

Rubica nodded? Flicked her short wavy amber hair aside.

“Captain Frostine,” Rubica said, “Don’t try to do it all by yourself. Please. Leave some for the rest of us. Especially the orcs. They’ll be so … upset if you take out too many at first. They want their revenge, right? Right.”

Frostine jerked her snout out of Rubica’s grip, but … as their leader … doing everything … la sigh. She did read dime dreadfuls of both sides, as naughty as that sounded, and leaders who do too much …

“Fine,” Frostine said, “I shall first destroy zee battlements. Our orcs shall then invade and vee shall follow up in zee rear. Sound good?”

Both Rubica and Saphira nodded. Perking up too.

Phew.

Frostine let herself grin a touch. “And I shall expose myself zee whole time. Attack here and there. Force zee dwarfs to come for me, no? Perfect way to–”

Saphira cackled all wicked.

“Exactly!” she said, “With us to help you, the dwarfs will have to focus on us, not the orc horde. Perfect!”

Her fox guard cleared his throat.

“My protection order only extends to the snow vixen,” Drano said, “If the dwarfs reach us, then you both must be ready to die to protect Frostine as well. If Frostine dies, the deck and its orcs shall be vanquished, and we all are as good as dead, if not worse.”

Worse … as in material to be forged into talismans.

Both Rubica and Saphira nodded anyway. Even if Saphira seemed a touch annoyed by it, and the sour touch to her foxy scent confirming it.

Yet Saphira spoke first?

“I. am. ready,” Saphira said, “These dwarfs … they call us monsters but they, they used both my sisters! Like, like as material to forge magical blades! They … my sisters were just cublings and …”

That scent? Such serious anger. Oh no.

Frostine hopped up and hugged Saphira. Anger would get her killed. Drakoth always defeated them when any of them got too angry.

Angry like that.

“They’ll pay,” Frostine said, “Zee arts of monster carding and alchemy shall be no more. Just like zee lightlings vill be.”

Saphira hugged her back. “I know … I know … my sisters, even if they live, they aren’t … what they could of been. They’re just … just …”

“Ooo, my third guard, Ramsel,” Frostine said, “is already inside, posing as a vood elf, of course, and ready to … he-he, guess what … you won’t believe it.”

Both her scarlet vixens gasped at what she said next. Drano to chuckle nice and sinister.

And proud.

Those dwarves … he-he. It even made Saphira hug her back extra snuggly.

Make Drano smell a touch sour from jealousy?

Now Frostine didn’t have anything personal against these dwarfs–except they’d no doubt come after her, Pearl, and any other vixen given the chance. Turn them into monster cards or, worse, material for their dwarven alchemy. They already proved they’d go after scarlet vixens like Saphira and her little identical cubling sisters.

And for that, they had to die. Die before they killed Frostine and any more of her beloved beast elves.

Before the monster races were wiped out …

The only way was for the dwarves to become livestock for dragon kind, as they deserved–for making her Saphira so … furiously sad.

And … for slaving the identical sister Frostine and Pearl would never know, except by name: Azura … for the stunningly gorgeous sky-blue hair she was born with …

And monster carded for.