In Love Through War - Book 3

Part 109

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"You ran."

"..."

"And you're hiding."

"Any other obvious things you want to point out, Jena?"

"You are pretty boring that way."

"Meaning?"

"You always try to do that. Run away and hide. From problems. From me. From what you feel you don't deserve."

"And you think you know me pretty well now, don't you?"

"Except you didn't run earlier. When it counted.

You always man up when it is about others. When you could save someone.

Every time I'm in trouble, you show up."

"Seems I also fail at running away."

"Or when E was in trouble."

"There was no real choice about that."

"When the East faced annihilation."

"That... I... I didn't plan to. I mean I just had an idea.

You and the others were supposed to lead!

I was sure someone else would have come up with better ideas; or found fault with mine and dismiss it.

I only wanted to contribute a little, to get you guys started.

I mean Conall is a fcuking Master at Arms! He should know everything there is about tactics and combat and all that!"

"You realize everything changed when you taught us the war-form."

"I taught Vi the war-form. You guys did the rest by yourselves. And I'm sorry I affected your way of life and how you conduct your battles because of something that started out of me wanting to help."

"Then you're the only idiot that is sorry about that, Al'Aeen! And you are also only fooling yourself if you think any of the people that matter to you, to us, don't realize it was you that started that, including Vi!"

"You relied on something like leading a war... OK, fine, not a war. A battle. The decisive battle!

On me!

ME, for FCUK's SAKE!

You know how much experience I have in leading anything?

Zero!

Zilch!

Nothing!

Nada!

Should I go on?"

"I'll assume all those Earth words mean the same thing."

"Yeah. They mean none."

"Sorry to inform you, buddy, but it didn't look like it! You brought the war-form into play. You used it in ways we would never have thought of. You took charge..."

"Oh, don't even get me started on that! You charged ahead like a mad woman, running away from your bodyguard, cause I saw the fellow fight, we were side by side in the end with you and quite a few of the others I personally knew, and there is no way he would have let your back open to an attack. I suspect somehow you also colluded with your Healer friend so I had to take over, for fear of you being too injured to continue!"

"If you still pretend to not understand things after noticing all that, I'm going to smack you!

And shut up! I wasn't done!

So you took charge. And we won! Can't you get that?

You didn't run, you led and we won!

Everyone is grateful to you! Everyone!"

"Yeah? At what cost? What about all our losses?"

"Minimal losses! There was no way you could have done any better and nobody else could have done even half as good!"

"Guess we'll never know since you tricked me into doing it!"

"Umani once told me that a good kick in the butt means at least one step forward."

"I won't comment on what the crazy coyote says, but I don't see how losing 318 irregulars, 82 warriors, 14 coyotes and 3 cats can be called minimal loses."

"Compared to losing everyone? Because without the war-form, that is what would have happened."

"You can't know that!"

"Oh, I know that! I'm the Alpha. I know everything."