As explosions tore through the city, I yet again cursed the day I stepped into the Peace Palace.

I thought I was so smart about it too.

Ever since the fighting stopped and the UN imposed ceasefire lines, our war with Latveria had been frozen solid. Now both our countries were stagnant backwaters that had been forgotten by the world.

We didn't forget though. Year after year, we jostled with each other for some military advantage, some way to obtain that final victory. But we were always evenly matched, both sides straining at the perpetual stalemate.

Compound X changed everything.

When the time came to strike, we had been meticulous in covering ourselves legally. Our government and military lawyers had pored through every source of international law - the Geneva Conventions, the Rome Statute, UN resolutions, ICC and ICJ decisions and advisory opinions... even those bloody panel of experts guidelines.

Compound X was carefully refined to suppress the werewolf's irrational and predatory instincts while retaining the size, stamina and strength that allowed them to dominate on the battlefield. Months of work was done to ensure that the werewolf's bite was sterile, with no chance of transmission.

We crafted the perfect provocation, taking lessons from the Japanese and the Russians. When we attacked, our operations were ruthless but surgical. The werewolves were controlled and trained to abide by the laws of war. Military units and bases were obliterated, while cities and villages were left untouched - not that any civilian dared to try anything that would draw the attention of what they saw as slavering, ferocious beasts.

And when the ICJ inevitably came calling, I was ready. For each potential violation of international humanitarian law, I had an answer. I had all the evidence to prove these werewolves obeyed orders, committed no atrocities against civilians, and inflicted no unnecessary suffering on other combatants.

So of course we won. There was no case. The way we took our hated enemy down was superhuman, yes, but not illegal.

Unfortunately, the world didn't seem to agree. You'd think that with generations raised on Twilight, Harry Potter and X-Men, they would be a bit more accepting, but I guess the fear runs deep.

It took all of two months for almost every country to sign onto the Latverian Protocol on the Prohibition of Augmented Canine Combatants. Unbelievably fast for such a fractious and plodding bunch, but probably irrelevant now that the werewolves are mostly dead at the hands of the UN multinational force.

I suppose it is some achievement to the be the target of the first fully-supported UN police action. It was a Russian initiative too! The day after the ruling, they signed an immediate and unconditional ceasefire with Ukraine, and trotted up with a draft resolution to the Security Council ready to go and backed by every European member of the Council.

The Germans are the ones in charge of the multinational force though. Fascinating to see how motivated they are to fight us over here given how much they've dragged their feet about the clusterfuck on their own continent. Less fascinating was the discovery that all of their small arms used silver bullets. Almost like they've done this before...

In any case, now that the werewolf army is gone, Ruritania is just another tinpot dictatorship. I'll probably get the firing squad for this, but hey at least I'll never have to set foot in that bloody court again.

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Cheers to Famous-Olive-7868 for the inspiration