Howling Thunder Ch. 10: Ready for the Stage

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“I’m gonna be honest, these rats smell like ass. Don’t mind me, I’ll just be puking over there.”

A year and some has gone by like it was nothing. The pups we grew up with all left after the naming ritual. My siblings and I remained in the den with mother. She’s still training her replacement while we get stronger. Something about keeping us safe from the politics of the capitol, whatever those are.

Looking over at the countless dire rat corpses scattered about the forest floor...who taught Maug to count?

“Hey Mutt, what happened to you taking the fifteen on the left and me getting the fifteen on the right?”

A large black wolf with yellow eyes clamps down on the neck of one that was still breathing.

He looks at me with a chuckle, blood dripping from his maw, “It was an estimation.”

...there has to be nearly a hundred here.

My damn spear broke too, that's the second one this week. The wood splinters and blackens whenever I charge it with my sparks.

“Whatever I’ve been holding it forever, damn endless rats.”

I walk over to the tree in front of me and loosen my belt. Maug walks over to the same tree and lifts a leg…. Does he forget that he’s not a real wolf?

“Hey Mutt.”

“You know my name Fuzzy toy!”

“Ya, hey what is twelve plus eighteen.”

“Piss off.”

“Oh I am, look, I don’t even have to lift a leg.”

He cackles, “So you piss like a bitch.”

I turn towards him, “You wanna fight Doggy?!”

He hops away with a growl, “Watch your aim!”

Ha! Oh, I am.

I hear a noise of wood cracking in the distance and turn a little more, I may be intentionally aiming for the flea bag still.

He dodges again, “You! Put that thing away before I tear if off.”

Closing up my pants, “Gross, the only mouth getting near here is Miss Ulfa.”

He makes a lunge at me but passes right through me in a tuft of black fog, “Hey, I hear something over there.”

As he rounds to attack he stops as the sound of wagons becomes clear.

We jump up to the nearest branch leaving black whips from our tails. A large caravan is heading towards the direction of the den, all females guarding and driving.

“It’s the next batch of mothers and guards, I’m going ahead to the den, you take care of this rotten mess.”

He growls and hops down as I leap to the next branch and race home, it’s a few hours from here.

I’m not as fast on the ground as Walther but in the trees, this almost counts as flying. Running on all fours after changing my hands to claws to better grip the bark. Tuffs of fog flit through the air behind me like a black arrow shrouded in smoke.

Approaching the den walls I spot Walther sitting on the roof of the guard tower, focusing on his ice coated sword in his hands.

It’s been hard for him to figure out how to use the ice trait in our bloodline in a way that suits him. As a result he’s fallen a bit behind. The only one’s taller than me in the den now are sister and mother.

I don’t like the cold, aunt frowns and fusses. I clearly have talent towards magic but I refuse anything related to ice.

Walt merely glances my way as I hop from the walls to the armory, along the smithy, food storage, and with another hop to the second floor of the main house.

Creeping to a large window to Mother’s study I peek inside.

Mother is seated with her back to me, drinking while watching Akane try to control balls of black flame floating around herself.

I can’t help but crack a laugh, Aka’s face looks like she’s trying to hold in a fart.

Mother calls out, “Get in here pup.”

Slipping the window opening like a black mist I roll over mother's desk and reform next to my sister facing Mother. Her cup of sake in my hand, I take a drink before setting back on the desk.

I like the warm feeling, “The caravan should be arrive by dinner Mother. We spotted them after finishing with the rats. And I’m not a pup anymore.”

She raises a brow at the empty cup, “Oh, so where is your mate then, do you have a job?”

My sharp ear twitched slightly, “You sent Asta away, remember?”

Mother smiles, “She’s not your mate yet pup, you’ll have a nice surprise later tonight. Now have you made any progress with fire yet?”

Akane had stopped making her black flames rotate at the mention of me having a mate.

Reaching towards her I grab one of the balls. It snuffs right out but remains a ball of black smoke resting just above my hand.

“This is what I got.”

I make the smoke expand, it circles up around my head like a snake then grows into something monstrous. My eye twitches in concentration as a flicker of red light sparks from my tail and the fearsome black smoke beast gains two red glows for eyes.

Mother asks, “Can you see through it?”

“Not yet, I can sense its surroundings but with smoke my range isn’t so great yet compared to the fog.”

She smiles with a proud grin and after pouring herself another drink she blows towards me, my smoke and Aka’s fire both fade away.

With a fake sigh, “My pups are each so difficult, the oldest only cares about his sword and hunting. The middle has ridiculous talent but just likes to play, and my darling little girl is a brute.”

I grin, “Older brother had a nice coat of ice on that sword of his as I passed him a bit ago.”

While mother smiles Akane pouts and looks at me, “What about me? You’ve nothing to say in my defense?”

“Nope, brute sounds about right.”

Akane lashes out with a flaming punch.

“Oh!” She nearly trips as she passes right through me.

I admit that is really funny to watch no matter who it is.

Ulfa’s sultry voice comes up from the couch near the fireplace, “You know pup, it would be wise not to do that anymore. Once we arrive in the capitol you’ll have to worry about assassins, it's good to keep a few cards in your sleeve.”

She always says things so I can understand. Indeed anyone trying to attack me would be at disadvantage if all they had was a blade or arrow.

Thinking back to earlier, “Hey, Ulfa. Who taught Maug to count?”

She sits up and looks at me with a scowl over the back rest, “Darling tries his best, Mistress has never felt the need to formally teach us such things.”

I wouldn’t bother either.

Mother laughs, “Go clean up, then go fetch your brother and help Ptah prepare for the caravan.”

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Ptah has crates stacked up in the smithy, next to them are barrels of ore.

I ask, “Sending all this back to Yoden?”

He stretches his back and looks at me before smirking, I’m taller than him now.

“You broke another spear pup?”

Tsk, I should have grabbed one from the armory before walking in here.

He cuts me off, “Don’t worry about it, you’d be replacing it tonight anyway. You’ll have some toys to pick from coming in today's caravan. Can’t have you arrive in Yoden with a stick after all.”

“....We’re leaving?!”

With a laugh Ptah tosses a box of daggers for me to catch… it passes through me and crashes on the floor.

“We’re really leaving?!”

Frowning at the mess he looks at me, ignoring the snort that leaked from Walt at the entrance, “Ya pup, we’re leaving, you royal brats, me, the Inari, we’re all leaving in the morning. Now pick them up and help me get ready, one of my wife’s apprentices will be taking over here.”

As the light fades from the cave and the torches light along the walls the sound of the gate being opened reaches me.

I poke my head out the smithy and hop to the roof to watch the wagons roll in.

The women guards greet each other, the shifting of the guard means the ones that have been here will be happily going home to Yoden. The younger pups help the expecting mothers move their stuff into the main house while some guide the oxen to the stable. Some pups stop to look at the pile of rats off to the side.

Ptah and Walt walk out, the old blacksmith looks at me before grinning at a young woman running over from a cart.

She’s cute, short and glossy black hair with streaks of golden blond, her black tail has short fur and a gold tip just like Ptah. Her chest is pretty nice, it’s tightly wrapped by green silk, her arms are covered by leather sleeves connected at her back by straps. she’s wearing a green silk sarong and leather sandals.

She jumps and hugs Ptah, “Hello daddy!”

He laughs, “Hey little troublemaker.”

Back on the ground she politely bows at Walt before looking up at me sitting on the roof.

Those bright green eyes trigger a small wag in my tail.

She calls up, “Hey evil looking black pup, get down here and carry your wife’s stuff.”

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