The roar that went up through the crowd was deafening, even if it did follow a few moments of silence as everyone watched in almost utter disbelief at what they'd just witnessed. Janette ran down to the edge of the pit where she immediately jumped down into the sand where she sprinted over to Gregory to fling herself at him. Having not expected another attack so soon, and from such a source, she succeeded where quite a few war packs hadn't and managed to completely tackle him to the ground.

“What have I told you about crazy ideas that will get you killed!?" She yelled at him whilst coming to straddle his hips and poking an accusatory finger against the end of his nose.

“Er... Stop acting on them?"

“Right! So what the fuck was that!?" She stopped poking for a moment to flail her arm toward the spot where his shield was embedded in the sand. "If he'd have sneezed or something and moved a half inch to the right you'd have been crushed!"

“Well if it makes you feel any better I've been practicing that move all week, with Algra." He smiled when he saw his mate appear over

Janette's shoulder.

“Oh so that makes it alright? What about that other crazy shit with charging head first into them all!? I thought we'd put a big hell no stamp over ever trying that idea again!?"

“We did. I wasn't going to Let Rolk or any of those guys get a clear shot at my head. I don't like the idea of my skull getting turned into a slushy any more than you do. We just needed them to charge close together if the plan was going to work. I didn't want them getting any ideas and spreading out to isolate us. I know Rolk only really values strength so I put who he'd think were the weakest of us right in the middle so he and his buddies would try to cut us in half. Algra, you played your part perfectly by the way.”

“OF course I did." Algra nodded without a hint of modesty.

"Oh? You were involved in this!? Couldn't you maybe have let me in on the whole thing before I had a fucking coronary?" Janette remained straddling Gregory whilst turning to narrow her gaze accusingly at

Algra.

“Algra's little speech at the start of all this wasn't really for anyone's benefit but Rolk's." Gregory spoke up whilst Algra herself managed to look suitably chastised by Janette's anger.

“We wanted to get him angry and focused on me so he'd charge without thinking. I mean, I didn't think it'd take much for that to happen, but it never hurts to make something a sure thing."

“And I wanted all to know that I would be joining my mate's pack,"

Algra added with a hint of stubbornness.

“That too." Gregory nodded.

“So this whole thing was planned out?" Janette turned to look around at the assembled Runts.

“Of course it was. I might have risked a clout on the head with Duraz, but I knew his guys wouldn't try to seriously hurt me. Just put me out of the match. But you didn't think I'd just charge head first into a maniac Like Rolk without a plan, did you?"

In response, she swatted him across the side of the head. "Of course I did, you idiot! You do batshit insane stuff like that all the damn time."

"Oh." He blinked a few times with dawning comprehension. "Oh! Wow, Jan.