C10

AZEL WHITMORE POV

"Azel is becoming more and more irritable, brother. This is so great! I mean, I am so sorry. I did not realize you would mind sleeping in these basic quarters. I just assumed you would follow the arena council's direct rules and stay inside the perimeter with the rest of our pack."

"He does not need to use that nasty tone with you, Nyra. If you do not want to sleep inside this outpost, Azel, you can shift and sleep in the dirt. There is absolutely no reason to bite Nyra's head off like this."

"When did I ever say I hated this outpost or refused to follow the arena rules, Darius? I was simply speaking my mind and telling your little helper not to make choices for my inner wolf. If you want to protect your favorite sibling, go ahead, but do not twist my words around. Your voice is not the pack law here, and this mountain is not the Whitmore Moonkeep. No one in this arena has to bow down to you or Nyra."

"Well said, rogue! No one in this wild sector is obligated to serve your little family pack."

"So what exactly are you whining about, Azel?"

"Look at that bed frame, Darius. It is made of raw wooden planks. There is no soft moss mattress and no warm fur blankets. How is any wolf supposed to rest their bones on that? You and your precious brother can act tough and sleep on bare timber for three weeks, but my body is not made of rock. That is why I told him not to speak for me. I want to talk to the director and get proper sleeping furs for the pack."

"I cannot even stand sleeping on bare wood for one single night, let alone three whole weeks."

"Yes! I cannot do it either. Sleeping on bare timber makes my back feel so bad and sore the next morning. It is super easy for you to talk, Nyra, when you do not think about the cold night air."

"My inner wolf would completely break down after three days on that wood. This is not about being a soft palace wolf; it is just a super bad idea."

"I am so sorry. I forgot to check for blankets just now. I only meant that if the big alpha males can handle this basic den, we omegas can do it too. I did not mean to cause a big fight."

"You grew up pampered like a little prince in the Moonkeep, Nyra. It is totally normal that you forgot about the bedding."

"I did not even raise my voice, Nyra, but your eyes are already full of tears like I bit your tail. I am just telling the truth, so stop playing the victim card with me."

"Is that malicious rogue going too far? He is totally bullying our little white wolf!"

"Exactly! He made the sweet little prince cry on live stream!"

"Nyra grew up totally pampered, so it is normal he did not notice the bed. Does Azel have to be so mean and keep picking on him?"

"Azel is so shameless! Who is he to say he won't cater to Darius? He has a tiny rank!"

"I think your little prince is a total hypocrite. He tried to make Azel look bad, and now he is acting all sad because he got caught being silly."

"Growing up rich is not an excuse for being foolish!"

"Azel is just saying the truth. How is that bullying? The bed is literally just hard wood!"

"Stop crying, Nyra! I love Azel so much because he is genuine and straightforward."

"Did you forget to pack the bedding accessories for this trial, Director Jonah? Even if we track into the village to trade with the local commoners, it is way too late. They do not have extra furs to give us anyway."

"Azel is speaking the absolute truth for all of us right now."

"We are not asking for much, Director. Just one set of sleeping furs for each scout. Oh wait, Nyra and Darius said they love the hard wood, so we only need six sets."

"Why are you leaving us out, Ronan?"

"You said you could handle the raw wild, remember? I thought you were too tough for blankets. I cannot believe you are changing your tune so fast."

"See what you guys can do about the furs, Jonah."

"Of course the production team can provide the sleeping blankets. But it will not be for free. You have to earn your furs, or it ruins the whole theme of the survival trial."

"So what is the condition, Director?"

"It is super simple. You must each prepare one cooked meat dish for the crew during dinner tonight. One dish from each wolf, and you get your blankets."

"Should the meat be raw or cooked?"

"Cooked, of course."

"I am a terrible cook, Jonah. Do I have to burn the meat myself, or can another wolf do it for me? I just do not want the crew to get sick from my terrible cooking."

"The kitchen has pots, pans, and spices, but we do not have any raw ingredients. It is two o'clock now, so you have plenty of time to go hunt or buy meat in the village. Now, we only have four dens here, so you must share a room with another scout. Do you want to pick your roommates, or should we draw names from a hat?"

"We will choose our own teams. I do not want to share a den with any annoying troublemakers."

"The pot calling the kettle black! I do not want to stay with a loudmouth like you either, Ronan."

"That is great."

"Want to be roommates, Solomon?"

"Sure, Ronan."

"So we will share a den, Ezekiel?"

"Sure, Darius."

"So we will be roommates, Nyra?"

"Sure, Zinnia."

"That means it is just the two of us left, Azel. Want to share the last room?"

"Sure, Keira."

"Let the ladies take the first choice."

"Take the room next to the living area, Nyra."

"We will take the room near the courtyard entrance, Solomon."

"I wanted that room! Now we are stuck with the room right next to the hot kitchen, Ezekiel."