Road to Lindum, The Kingdom of Ederath- Late Winter 15 years AR

Jon walked alongside the caravan to stretch his legs. Ser Afgheir and a few other knights from Lindum walked alongside while 212 of the former slaves walked behind them. Not only was that more than he expected, but many of the rest had also put in for work in Vanheim to raise money to get their families before making the trip.

In total, there would be over 500 people settling his lands, if he included the Inari. Whether they stayed or attempted to get home, he wasn’t sure. Luckily through miming, few words, and ear placement, they had at least established that the Inari wouldn’t attack them. As long as Sunada spoke with them first. Though he suspected the woman was worried about how her people would react to lycans. She’d managed to get across that Tira shouldn’t take her lycan form, with a little help from Andrew’s help.

The two of them had become inseparable. Constantly taking notes or pointing at things to learn what it was called in the other language. They’d only been on the road for a day before she was saying full sentences in common and he was saying full sentences in whatever her language was called. They were simple, rough sentences, like ‘give food’ or ‘go tree’… that meant going to relieve herself. It honestly sounded a bit like Tira when Jon first met her but it was progress.

“GOOD to be fucking home!” Afgheir shouted out from ahead. Jon crested the hill and saw a moderately sized city in the distance. If he had to compare it to another, it would be Sentia but far less grand.

“That’s the beautiful city you were talking about?” Aethred asked as the Caravan’s crested the hill as well.

“Watch your tongue boy or I’ll introduce you to my favorite window! I never said Lindum was beautiful,” Afgheir barked, just not literally, at Aethred.

“But you said there was a beauty to behold here,” Erin said, looking on as well.

“And there is! It’s just not the fucking city. Lindum’s home but the beauty is inside,” Afgheir said with a happy grin, “Short fuck, I catch you near my wife I’ll hang you by your toes and toss you through the window… The rest of you? Eh, I can’t tell four of ya what to do anyways.”

Two of those three were Jon and Erin, she wasn’t technically a Thane but she was the heir to a Thanedom. Jon looked back at his friends, “Who?”

“You’re married?” Erin asked with surprise. Jon could have asked that but he already knew yet, he thought Afgheir’s wife was with the legion.

“Poor woman.”

“Yes! I’m married. You, your sister and the two furry lasses, and shitstick I’m serious… fucking window!” Afgheir answered each and had pointed to Tira and Sunada when he answered Jon’s. Seeing the confusion, Afgheir clarified, “The little furry lass is the closest we’ve got to a diplomat with another kingdom. The nearly naked furry lass is courting you, as long as your together, she falls under your banner.”

“I not nearly naked, there people dressed like me in Vanheim!” Tira called out.

“In the pub maybe but you’re the only one walking around outside without clothes at this time of year. You don’t even have your fur!” he exclaimed.

Tira just stared at him and moved to take her breastband off but shifted instead before sticking out her tongue at him. It wasn’t as cute and playful when she did it in her lycan form. She looked like a goofy puppy trying to look happy and stifle a yawn at the same time. Sunada giggled, catching Tira’s attention. She seemed to have gotten an idea though. She looked over at Andrew and tugged on his tunic and pointing after a while he got it and whispered it into her ear.

“Give.. tu...tunic?” She smiled awkwardly with her ears up high. Jon understood immediately, she realized they were talking about clothes and was asking if one of them would give her some northern style clothing, her own Inari tunic and skirt were a little worse for wear after weeks of travel and enslavement.

“I buy for her,” Tira immediately volunteered with a grin, “Tira give Sunada tunic.”

Everyone looked a little apprehensive at that thought, Tira dressing up a foreign diplomat but there was nothing to be done about it. Tira and Sunada, along with Andrew to translate her ears, started talking about different styles of garments. They kept telling her to get a breastband but she kept on saying no.

That was until Willow lifted her shirt to show her own. Erin continued the demonstration while they tried to tell her that nearly all women wore them but most weren’t borderline nudists like Tira, most wore something over it. Granted only a fraction of that seemed to get through but they’d figure it out.

They got to the city an hour later, Afgheir turned and held out his hand which Jon took, “On your own from here on lad. Just make sure you come back to the city a month before you turn 16. Shouldn’t be hard to find someone willing to kick the shit out of ya to make sure you're still right in the head.”

“You’re not coming to meet the Inari?”

“Do I look like a diplomat to you? Sure the Prince'll send someone along, tell then you got this. I’ve got things to do anyways,” He looked like he was bout to sprint off into the city, “Spent four years down on the mainland and was only up here a couple weeks before we went south. I’ve got some work to catch up on before I head back to the legions this summer. You see a redheaded Elvanni walking bowlegged, say hi, and keep your short friend on a leash.”

“Bowlegged?” Jon asked, he’d immediately thought of someone that rode constantly on horseback but-

“Gods, boy! It means I’m gonn… You know what, never fucking mind, you’ll figure it out eventually,” Afgheir said and with a wave turned to go into the city.

“So, what now?” Aethred asked looking around.

“Don’t know about you boys but…” Willow walked up to Sunada and took her by the arm, “but we’ve got to get Sunada some new clothes.”

**********

They’d spent a good part of three hours shopping for clothes and after feeling a little guilty about being the only ones with coin to spend, ordered casks of ale to be sent to the encampment that their group was setting up outside the gates. They also bought items for the expedition, like a bestiary of local wildlife and an index of native plants that detailed which were toxic, medicinal, edible, or had any other uses.

After that was done, they spent the bulk of the next hour trying to convince Sunada that it was completely normal to be naked in a bathhouse. At first, Erin thought it would be the same as her first trip to the baths but the Inari woman took shyness to a whole new level. Even in the warm water, she sunk down low and Erin could see that she was covering up her private parts.

She assumed it must be a cultural thing because from what she could see a naked Inari wasn’t that different than a naked lycan. Sunada did draw some attention because she was a lighter build, closer to a normal human in size, and was near as top-heavy as Willow but it wasn’t like she had an extra pair of nipples or different lower bits.

“Oi, where too next?” Willow swam over and asked sitting on a higher bench that lifted her upper half out of the water.

“What is there?” Tira asked while sitting on the edge of the pool, giving the entire room a clear view of everything but her feet and lower calves that were in the water. Tira had no problem with her bare body. Erin was honestly a little jealous, she wished she could have that confidence. Granted Tira only had it because she had lost a part of herself from her short time under the influence of the beastmind.

“Not much, I asked while you lot were still undressin’. No majestic waterfalls, giant monuments, no academy, and the closest thing they have to an arena is a fighting pit,” Erin pursed her lips in thought at Willows revelation. They’d been through plenty of towns and small cities like Lindum. They were always the worst, even worse than in the wild. At least there she got to see a beautiful lake, giant trees, and amazing wildlife.

“Fight’s good,” Tira replied with a shrug, “Can we build arena in Jon’s land?”

“Ughhh,” Erin let out in frustration when she heard Tira’s words. Which spooked an already nervous Sunada. Erin had to gesture to show her it was alright.

“What? No arena?”

“No, we really need a name. We can’t keep calling it Jon’s land!” Erin told them what her issue was. It was stupid, they’d bounced around ideas but they still hadn’t figured out anything that fits.

There were plenty of options that they could use but Erin thought it should sound like a village in Ederath, they just couldn’t call it Newtown or West Shore.

The closest they’d gotten was Halladsonheim but that was a mouthful. Or Grevlin, which was in an ancient language from where the lycans migrated from on the mainland, the same one where -heim came from. It meant badger but really? Grevlin. Afgheir translated a few words but nothing worked or was already taken.

“Isn’t it your brother’s right to name his main settlement?” Willow asked.

“He’s not naming it,” Erin said sternly, she had her reasons. After seeing Willows stare she let those reasons out. She crossed to of her fingers into, well, a cross, “What is this? A cross right? What shape is a CROSSbow… or that string toy he made, the one with the two wheels that go up and down, remember what it’s called?”

“The string wheeled toy? It's not... I like Jon but is bad name,” Tira said.

Willow hung her head and shook it back and forth slowly. She took a deep breath, “Yup, your brother isn’t allowed to name anythin’.”

“Exactly!! Oh, sorry…” Erin turned red, she’d yelled it out and got shushed by a few other patrons but at least Willow and Tira got it now. She continued in a calmer voice, “If it wasn’t for the fact that its name had been around for centuries, I’d swear he named the Forest of Dain. A forest in the kingdom of Dain…”

“I’m pretty sure it’s the other way around. The kingdom was named after the forest…” Willow pointed out, “That’s not much better, I know.”

“What does Sunada call it?” Tira asked bringing the other two's attention to the lone Inari that had finally stopped shielding herself with her arms. Although when she heard her name and noticed them looking she slowly covered herself. Erin waved her hands and made an exaggerated showing of looking away so Sunada could enjoy the bath.

“Her people are already there, they’d have to call it somethin’ but even if we can get her to say it, we have no ideas what it means,” Willow said after turning the same as Erin, “Tira!”

Tira didn’t look away until Willow called her out on it. She had been listening though, “Right, they could use name that sound good but bad meaning.”

“They were shipwrecked, not exactly a pleasant experience. Wouldn’t want to name a village only to find out it something like what ‘Hel’s Taint’ means to us. If we did that we may as well just go with Aethred’s idea, Willow Mounds.”

“Ha, or what was it? The Erinasses Flats!” Willow laughed out as Erin stood up quickly and turned around to show everyone her buns.

“My ass is not flat!” Erin blurted out, running her hand over her backside. She got another round of more forceful shushes and sat back down, “Sorry!”

“Let’s go,” Tira said and started to get up without the other's agreement, not that Erin intended to argue. They signaled Sunada to come with them, she got out covering herself meekly with her tail straight down. Erin looked at her when she dripped and turned away from the exit.

“Where are you goin’?”

“Dry sauna…” Erin stated and nodded her head at Sunada. Her fur was soaked, it was only slightly above water freezing outside, and she already didn't like the cold. They’d need to sit and let her dry off before they could leave.

*********

“Vestrondin or Vestrond or Vestrondheim? Jon asked the people around them. They were trying to name the settlement, so Jon found a book that had translations of the old tongue. Vest was west Strondin was shore. They were hoping to figure out a combination of the words that sounded pleasing to the ear.

“Nope! Drop the ‘Vest’.” Aethred said.

“Strondin?” Andrew asked.

“No, Strondheim,” Aethred corrected him. Jon said a few times silently. It sounded strong but wasn’t as rough on the tongue as others. It fit his land and wasn’t insanely long either. He liked it! He wasn’t the only one either.

“That could work!”

“I agree, that’s got a good ring to it, dun it?”

“Gods… It’s good enough. Still think ya ought to go with Vesthofn.”

“Yeah but west-harbor? We talked about this, that only works if we can actually build a fucking harbor!”

“Could save it for the harbor if ones built. You know a second settlement?”

Jon was sitting with what was becoming the inner circle of the camp, at least the ones that weren’t still in the baths. Andrew, Aethred, Gertrude, Karli, and Roland. It amounted to the ‘subjects’ Jon had dealt with the most but he would likely have to include others once they got to his lands and started building Strondheim.

They had spent most of the day pitching tents, buying supplies, converting each wagon and caravan into sleighs. All that was left to do was get some sleep and leave at first light. Well, he hoped the girls would get back soon. Besides sharing the new name and spending time with Tira, he hoped Erin could show their new guard force a few tricks with the spears he’d bought.

Ermooooo!

“Quite down, Erin!” Aethred yelled out at the cow that just didn’t want to be quiet. Aethred had named it Erin. Jon sighed, it didn’t take the gods to know how that was going to turn out but he let it go.

“What? I didn’t say anything. You shut up, Aethred!” Jon turned to the voice and spotted Erin and the others walking up, huddling around a bundle of walking blankets.

“I was talking to the cow!” Aethred said and in perfect timing...

MOOO!

“Was that Sunada?” Jon asked in an attempt to head Erin off. Tira, Willow, and the bundle of blankets had gone to the women’s caravan.

“Yeah, her furs still a little wet but they were closing for the day,” Erin explained, “They're going to get the stove warmed up for her and we’ll keep her in there until she can move about without freezing to death.”

“Gods damn it, I said shut up you stupid cow!” Aethred turned towards to bovine to admonished it for Erin talking. She glared at him and walked around the fire slowly and came to a stop in front of him with her arms crossed. When he turned to look at her with a grin, she kicked the leg of the stool he was sitting on and he crashed to the ground.

“Oh, guess what Miss Erin, we figured out a name!” Karli said as Willow walked up to join them around the fire.

“Really? We were tryin’ to figure one out too. No luck on our end,” Willow said while looking Erin knowingly in the eye. Jon caught the look and they both glanced at him, he didn't get why.

“Strondheim!” Karli shouted happily. Gertrude slapped the girl's leg and pointed at Jon. He waved her off, he didn’t care that he wasn’t the one that got to tell them.

“Which means??” Jon noticed the anxious sound in his sister's voice when she asked.

“Shore home,” Jon was the one that got to tell her that. It was better than wolf-home or friend-home… which was Vanheim, shortened from Vanneheim.

She stared at him for a second and rolled her eyes, “Uggh!”

“It’s not that bad, least it’s not in common,” Willow laughed at Erin’s reaction, “Strondheim… I like it.”

**********

Saena, City in the Kingdom of Stilyra- Late Winter 15 years AR

A week after Jon left Lindum, Jaes walked to the room next door and opened it without knocking. She looked to see the top bunk occupied and the bottom empty. She naturally climbed up in the top and plopped down next to Freya who didn’t say a word.

“How’d you do?” Freya asked after a few minutes.

“Pretty sure even with Ederath paying for it, they’re going to toss me out the front gate. You?” Jaes spoke softly. Her head hurt too much otherwise.

“I’m pretty sure I just got demoted from a Cadet-Magus to a Legionnaire-Recruit. How do you think the others did?”

“Arn, Dani, and Cara… All fine. Stoki? Probably waiting for Afgheir to show up and throw him through a window,” Jaes said flatly.

They along with all the other students in the one-year program had just finished their second to last examination. It wasn’t just showing off their magic, which Jaesmin actually felt she did well with. There was a written component to it. Theories and proven facts concerning essence manipulation, essence wells, pathways, interference with wild magic, effects on mundane objects, basic enchanting, basic alchemy, history of the academy, historical application of magic, and fucking math…

“What’d you get for an essay question?” Frey asked

“We’re not supposed to tell anyone..” Jaes responded. They lay there for a few more minutes, “How could one increase the temperature of pyromantic spells through manipulation of the spell's inherent structure without spell failure or loss of duration. Pretty sure I got that one though, you need to decrease the speed if you increase intensity and maintain duration, Vaes triangle theory... You?”

“Explain Magus Promton’s theory of essence relativity in regards to essence well structure,” Freya said and sighed, “I forgot... I know it’s something to do why essence can only naturally form... shit! It forms outside but can only naturally accumulate in a well with any meaningful density! Why didn't I remember that when I actually needed it!" She let out a frustrated groan before continuing, "I wrote the wrong thing. My essay was already a bunch of bullshit and repeated the same things in different ways to reach the minimum length, but it was the wrong bullshit!... When are results posted again?” She calmed down to ask the question but she was still banging the back of her head against the pillow.

“When post-exam break ends next week.”

“Wanna go get drunk till next week?”

“Yup! Velona?”

“Yep!”

They got out of the bed and headed out the door, they spotted Stoki sitting in the snow under a tree. Freya just had to snap her fingers and mime drinking to get him on his feet.

*pop*

“Hi Solara,” Jaes looked up at her fae friend. The fairy spun around and landed on her head. Jaes had no idea where she went and Solara wouldn’t tell her but she still somehow knew when Jaes was heading to a Tavern. She’d show up as they walked there and sometimes other fairies would show up and drink.

There were only a few taverns they could go to because of that, but the ones they were allowed in didn’t mind one bit. Jaes suspected it was because they’d realized none of the fae that drank with Jaes and her friends were mean drunks. They were fun drunks and maybe a little scandalous, or at least they liked to dance around naked with Solara stripping off her dress by her second thimble.

The place they were headed to even gave them a free round whenever they showed up. It was in a rougher neighborhood and the less than law-abiding customers would leave when the Solara showed up. None of the criminals wanted to fight the shield-maiden backed by a group of Academy mages, but they were extra cautious with the fae.

“Fuck, bridge is closed again,” Freya pointed out. Jaesmin looked down the highway to see a crowd of people standing near the northern end of the bridge but no one was crossing. She had thought they were unlucky the first time she came to Saena but after moving to the city she realized it was a surprisingly regular occurrence. Freya turned to a nearby onlooker, “What is it this time?”

“War refugees from the south, heard they have a pox. So the Duke won't let them in. That fool of a count should have had them wait outside the gate,” Jaes listened to the explanation. It was the same as usual. In Saena it was the Count's fault. In Velona it was the Duke's fault. She could almost hear the Velonans complaining about the dastardly Duke giving up his honor by refusing the poor refugees. She did learn it wasn’t actual outrage but a strange tradition and was only one part of the Saena-Velona rivalry.

“I heard it was refugees from the mainland but yeah, pox. Nasty stuff, especially with all those children!”

“What children?”

“Go down to the river and look. Bunch of brats. Hundreds of 'em but heard they came from the south, not the mainland. Probably beggars, thieves, and spies. Leave it to the Count to let Ravennan spies in during a war.”

“It’s not spies, you fool! It’s a pox spreading through the refugees,” a city guard informed the random citizens putting an end to the debate, “Our wise Duke shut down the bridge before a single one crossed.”

So it was some sort of disease spreading. Jaesmin could only believe the guard, they were at least a little informed on what was going on. If it was a normal disease it meant it would take a week till the bridge was opened again. Most of the time would be negotiating with and organizing healers. There wasn’t a healers guild to handle such things.

But if it was a disease resistant to magic… she probably wouldn’t be able to go to Velona until well into spring. Diseases often treated with magic would occasionally get a new variant that was resistant to it, no one knew exactly why but they did exist. They could only be treated with mundane measures but that meant that they’d have to make tonics to treat symptoms and wait for it to burn itself out. There were of course a few ailments that had known cures but they’d have to identify exactly what disease it was and get lucky.

It was something that wasn’t common knowledge and she only knew of it from being a healer herself. She had to study the history of various plagues, magical and mundane… The thought of magical plagues made her think of a question on the exam that concerned them. One that she knew she got right but still, the exam.

“Why now?” Jaes groaned because their favorite watering hole was on the other side of the river and she wanted to have fun after probably failing!

“Eagle head?” Stoki asked and turned to head there without waiting for a response. Jaesmin and Freya did the same. They ended up going a roundabout way to see the river. Sure enough, there was an encampment along the riverfront and docks on the far side while the riverboats were anchored far away from shore.

She could even see a large group of orphans staring longingly at them as they walked. There were hundreds of them, which normally would be surprising but with the war on the mainland increasing in intensity and Ravenna invading Stilyra there was bound to be an uptick in parentless children. It was strange they all appeared to be her age but that made her feel sad and look away. The only reason she could think of to cause that was the pox had taken the younger ones.

Jaes felt sorry for them but there wasn’t anything she could do. The best she could think of was to send word to Jon and see if he’d take in some of them into his lands. They looked close enough to adulthood to help build up the area and not be a burden once they were settled in.

“Huh? Must really be a nasty pox. Only way riverboat captains would turn down coin was if it put ‘em in danger,” Freya said pointing at the galleys various captains and merchants used to move up and down the river. Now, the only way for anyone to reach them from Velona was to find a boat or swim, with the latter being a fatal task with the near-freezing water.

They made it to the tavern to find Cara and Arn already there. A quick stop at the bar to order a round and some food and they were all seated.

“Where’s Dani?” Freya asked. Jaesmin could only notice the cringe that crossed her boyfriend's face.

“She went shopping in Velona… She wasn’t back before they locked down the bridge,” Cara informed them of Dani’s bad luck, “We’ve already told someone at the Academy but for now she’ll just have to wait it out. They’ll arrange to get her things to her if the Duke won’t let her cross.”

Freya half groaned half laughed at the news, “Well, it’s not like she’ll fall too far behind in her studies. She's already ahead… speakin’ of which, what was your essay?”

**********

Fortress of the second army-under construction, The Kingdom of Stilyra- Late Winter 15 years AR

Leofrith walked back into his cell with a yawn. It had been a long day but at least it had been a few days since he had to fight. They were along a small, shallow river running through the woodlands along the Salesari pass which was conveniently surrounded by large limestone boulders.

“Tower’s goin' up quicker than I thought? It gonna stand though? Heard it's gonna be 50 feet high.”

“The top two floors will be built of wood, were just building the base of the tower now,” Leo answered Mason, he wasn’t going to fault him for a stupid question that time. Even the more learned of the army had no idea what to think of their progress. The only one that did was the Count of Nola who had accused Leo of stealing from him.

Leo smiled at that, it had turned around on the Count the moment the Duke of Ebrus, who was in command of the army realized that his subordinate had held back vital information. Especially so when Leo revealed he was the former Magistrate of Terra where concrete had been rediscovered and the Count had bought the process from Leo’s former subject. The Duke only then recognized Leo as someone he'd met before, his father having been a low-level noble in the Duchy of Ebrus.

The Count was reprimanded and Leo was rewarded, along with his entire cell. He knew that it was an attempt to buy loyalty as the Duke had them being the ones to process the limestone into concrete. He was doing the same as the count, taking the valuable information and attempting to keep it secret for his own gain.

“This is at least a bit better than fightin’” Vonus said, sitting on his padded bedroll with a bowl of warm stew. Their entire cell had changed a lot. Rather than trying not to freeze behind open bars, it was now lined with thick canvass and they had a ceramic stove with a chimney that went through the ceiling for warmth. With the addition of actual bedrolls, better blankets, and an increase in rations, they all were more comfortable.

“Did you see that new lot that came in today?” their resident rapist asked. Knowing his personality Leo knew what was coming, “Lotta good looking lasses in that bunch. Little young for me but it feels no differe-”

Leo threw his spoon at the man and then sighed as he got up to retrieve it. It made him uncomfortable the way the man viewed women. Leo could appreciate a pretty woman, Cara or Erin for example, but he didn’t view them as a piece of meat to be devoured to the bone then tossed aside. He was the de facto leader of his cell, so he wouldn’t tolerate it. The fact that even the murderers viewed the rapist as scum meant his ruling was quickly accepted.

“Will you just shut it, you’d have a better chance of fucking one of the Duke's hounds than getting a piece of any of them,” the gang member/murder snapped at him, “And if you start yankin’ yourself again, I swear to the gods if I can't cut it off I’ll stomp it to mush.”

“Gonna crack a few eggs?” Mason laughed.

“Fuck crackin’ em, if he does that again I’ll ‘old ‘im down and you can shove a few ‘ot embers on them when you’re done. Scramble them yolks.”

“Heard one of the guards say they came up from Ravenna,” Daoud got the conversation away from crushing and cooking testicles, “Bunch of kids, not an adult among them. Orphans from Oranis, or so they claimed. Done said a monster took out their caretakers in the forest. But with that, they admitted they didn’t come up the road...”

“So they’re being enslaved as spies?” One of them pointed out the obvious. There were already a few citizens of Ravenna that tried to avoid the roads to travel north, most of them merchants. Any that had been caught trying to bypass the checkpoints were named suspected spies and sentenced to ten years of hard labor.

Aroooaooaooo!

Leo jumped up with his eyes wide open!

“The fuck was that, wolves this close to camp?”

“Maybe dire wolves?”

“Ah… Leo, does that mean something? That’s a lycan, wadn’t it?” Daoud was one of the only ones to take notice of Leo's reaction to the sound, “They coming to get you?”

Aroohooaooo! Aooahooo!

Leo didn’t answer. The lycan language was hard to translate into common at times. It was more primitive, less complex, and howling only conveyed general thoughts or feelings. The first howl was a challenge of sorts. The second was a howl of anger that demanded the death of their enemies followed by a howl to start the hunt.

Now every set of eyes was on him. If it was a lycan, they would have howled something similar to how they did in the Dain. An announcement of approaching packmates.

Afgheir said it was the norm in the legions to make sure a new recruit didn’t accidentally attack a lycan returning to camp. Even though they weren’t in a legion camp, there were enough legion veterans to interpret the howl. He also doubted the lycans would howl such violent messages. Which meant one thing.

“That wasn’t a lycan howl,” Leo said bluntly, finally answering Daoud’s question.

The door to the cell was unlocked a moment later. A guard ran in and grabbed a compliant Leo by the collar with keys in her hand. She started trying the keys to unlock it, “You run, you still have the mark and parchment showing you’re a slave.”

“What’s going on?”

“His fucking demented cousins just came running outta the woods!” She shouted in panic as she finally found the right key. Leo didn’t wait for orders, he knew what was expected of him. If werewolves were attacking the camp, they may as well sacrifice their only lycan. The other criminals were right behind as they ran and threw back the canvas that covered their gear. Leo threw on his enchanted armor and picked up his sword. He could only smile as for the first time in months he shifted.

His cellmate's eyes grew big as he took his lycan form and picked up his helmet. He took a deep breath and…

AAAAAHOOOOOOO!

And he issued a challenge of his own.