"We demand immediate vengeance!" bellowed Patriarch Strahlfang, his tiger markings pulsing with purple enhanced fury. "My eldest son has been murdered by that damned old usurper's lackeys!"
The patriarch's transformation was incomplete but visible, emotional stress triggering partial manifestation. His fingernails had sharpened into claws that scraped against the stone table, leaving deep gouges in the marble surface.
"And I deeply regret that," Kharzan responded with forced patience, though his own beasts stirred restlessly beneath his skin. "But you insisted on sending him, and perhaps it was an accident. Understand that we must consider the timing. That same old Ashenway woman you're complaining about is already mobilizing forces at the border... this is exactly what she wants!"
"And what does that matter? All of Yino are our allies!"
