After a minute or two on the bench I honestly feel kinda silly threatening people who seemingly don’t exist.

Whatever, looking around the square, there really isn’t much left here. Actually, all these burnt and broken shacks look the same, is that all there really is to this village?

I hop down and walk towards the disturbing statue; it’s taller than the nearby shacks.

Calling back to the wagon, “Maug and Walt, take a quick walk nearby, see if you can sniff out a survivor or any proof of these people planning against Yoden. Girls, be on guard and keep the horses relaxed.”

I focus charge the head of my trident and climb a bit up the statue. One sweep and I cut the statue’s head clean off like butter.

Climbing the rest the way up I can now see over the shacks, I don’t really see anything but more burnt homes till I look north.

Well damn, “Looks like grandma was a little off calling this a village, there’s a river north of here. Across it and up a hill is a decent sized fort, guess we’ll pay it a visit.”

Hopping down I take a last look at the shitty statue. If I wasn’t pretty sure I’d never actually want for wealth in my life I would break it down for scrap here and now.

Sure would make me feel better about all this.

Walt and Maug walk back over, looks like they found nothing more than what we could already smell.

Getting back in the wagon, we head north. The river looks to be about fifty yards wide. Strange the sole bridge seems completely unguarded. The old stone doesn’t seem to be falling apart anytime soon so should be safe to cross.

As we get closer I feel like the fort might be a bit bigger than I had guessed. In fact, I guess this is what a small castle looks like, entirely stone, high wall, single tower overlooking the river, a solid defensible position.

Honestly, I hope no one is home.

My first mission from the capitol and I'm to threaten a lord within their own castle. I’ll be dead by sundown.

Looking down into the water, I wonder how many bodies have been washed away in this darkness.

Ah, I may have an idea, I pull one of the simple dark cotton traveling cloaks from my bag.

“Maug, hide in my tail.”

“…..No”

Really this shit now?

“Common you’re our grand back up plan, make yourself useful.” I'm really trying to encourage this prick.

“I’ve been pretty useful already without needing to hide in that fuzzy abomination.”

“Oh? Like when you showed off your counting skills?” he has no excuse, I know he can see just as fine as me in the night.

He growls a little, “Watch it pup.”

“I'm just saying I'm not even two years old yet and I have no issue." My voice is raising to a shout in anger, " ...Tell me, what’s five plus twelve? Here’s a hint, not eight or nine!”

I can’t control it, a dark red spark spikes out of my tail and catches one of the horses’ tails on fire.

We fly across the remainder of the bridge. I can only hope this old wagon holds together on this uneven stone.

Lupa climbs out the back and forward, jumping onto the hurt horse she releases her aura.

After a few seconds into a field of weeds near the castle, the horses finally stop. Lupa shoots me a pissed look.

… “I’m not getting any tonight, am I?”

“Just shut up Nox.” The fur on her tail is standing on end; I'm guessing she didn’t think that was fun.

“Yes dear.” That’s right I'm whipped worse than the damn horses.

Lupa looks at Maug, “please just get on with this, I miss my bath.”

I will just pretend she didn’t refer to mother’s special bath right now.

Walt looks like he might point this out. I flick his ear and try to speak with my eyes, pleading him to stay silent like normal.

Maug is grinning at me from ear to ear.

Freki, I swear, I'm one straw away from reenacting the shitty statue.

Interestingly Maug seems to suddenly sit at attention. He whines a little then takes a mist form and clouds into my tail.

Thank you Mistress Freki, my glorious goddess. Praise those perfect legs and marvelous sacred ...Lupa is staring at me waiting for the rest of the plan.

“Right, well the plan is simple. We are going right in the front door, if no one’s home we come out and work on burning everything to the ground while searching for anything useful. If they are home, we question them, and then burn everything to the ground.”

I realize I am once again standing on the seat like an ass and sit back down.

Lupa seems a tad unsure, but Walt just nods and the twins seem fine with it as long as he is. This town is still technically our enemy until proven otherwise.

The horses are not all too pleased to listen to me so Walt takes back over driving with Asta.

As we get closer I can see there’s no one on the walls. Coming up to within a few yards I can finally make out a pair of guards at the gate.

The first time I’ve ever seen a human.

Neither are heavily armored, just some shoddy plate mail and spears...they’re barely as tall as me.

We finally arrive and Asta puts on her best act. “Is the lord of this fort at home, Alpha Walther of Yoden, wishes to speak with them.”

“The duchess is in the main hall. Get on with it if ya must, damn dirty mutts.”

Really?! I step out of the wagon.

“Oy, Give me one reason not to kill you where you stand?”

I have had enough of this place already.

“OH no reason your flea baggedness, but I feel it would be a waste of your time. I'm sure you have other important matters today, like licking your own dick clean from your buddy’s asshole.”

Well that about summed up all I need to know.

I charge my trident and show the other guard what I did to the shitty statue.

The remaining guard takes off running into the fort.

Asta snipes his head off with an ice sickle before he makes it halfway to the tower.

I take my trident and change my hand holding it into fog with it then place it into my other sleeve like the elders would occasionally back in the den. It’s my turn to act as well.

We left the wagon in the empty courtyard and approach the wood front door of the tower. No one is around and I didn’t see anyone else run to inform of our arrival. Is this really how this is supposed to work?

“Whatever, we aren’t here to make friends.”

From under my cloak I take a deep breath and blast the old wooden doors open.

Walt hesitates a second, not good I just announced us.

I get us going with some whispered orders, “Walt front center, be the Alpha, Asta, Sassa at his sides, Lupa and I will follow, now get your tail in there!”

Walt stands proud and strides into the hall.

As we walk through the small entry way I whisper to Maug, “Spread thin; find what we came here for.”

The main hall isn’t very big, a long dining table for maybe twenty off to one side, wooden beams lining the room.

Five grizzly looking guards are seated at a large table.

In the back center a decent sized, normal looking chair I assume is some excuse for a throne. On it is something I wasn’t expecting, a frail pregnant woman.

She has a wild look to her. Uneven red hair down to her waist, She's wearing a blue dress that’s in tatters. There are singe marks and blood stains on the shredded sleeves. Her face has several scars around the eyes.

As she looks at us I can see the left eye is blind.

She isn’t even looking at us as she speaks, the one good eye lost in the rafters, “So, what brings the dogs to my doorstep? I’ve plenty of bones lately if that’s what you want.”

Yup, I don’t like her, but something about her feels off.

It’s the smell, aside from the fact I don’t think this woman has bathed in over a month, the men at the table smell like the vodlaks. I would not have noticed outside where smell of the burning village clouds everything.

Asta steps up, “Why is the town burnt? The stench reaches for miles.”

She's grinning, this time looking off to our right, “Oh it’s a funny story really, I woke up and it was like that.”

Asta will not be fooled with, “Have you gone mad woman?”

This incites the laughter of the men at the table.

The woman’s tone changes unevenly as she speaks, “Oh dear no pretty doggy, I am Duchess Zenazla, by rights I should be mad, but I will hold this fort till my dearest fucking husband returns.”

No, she is certainly mad...and angry?

Asta yells at her, “No I do believe you are quite mad, why else would you set everything ablaze yourself?”

Bold tactic Asta, I like it.

A rage is building in this hag, “Come now it’s hardly any of your business, I’m not even from this disgusting pile of ash.”

Sassa takes a turn, “Madam, why are there so few men about the fort?”

Now she seems to have hit a nerve, “Because you killed them didn’t you, you killed them and the townspeople, at least that’s what I’ll tell my husband.”

Sassa seems a tad nervous now; this is definitely going over poorly. “Why on earth would you claim that?”

She locks both eyes on us, twitching back and forth between the twins, “Do you know where that prick is now? Hrmm?”

Walther will not tolerate any such looks towards his girls, “Speak your part already woman!”

“Ah big doggy has had enough has he? Fine, that man is in Yoden this very moment, left a week ago he did. Has a grand plan he does, going to secure the rights to farm the pines and trade wood west to the other kingdoms. The piece of shit, rat… ” She's trailing off in a huff.

Walt talt points at his sword hilt over his shoulder, “Get to the point or meet the one on my sword.”

Oh nice little brother.

The guards stand but don’t move at the woman’s raised hand.

Zenazla sighs, “Mmmm no fun, very well, that man and I come from the west. After my father refused to give me to him, the prick raped me in front of my family before killing them. Then he came out here to this village. He killed the local elder and had this fort built quickly. Now he’s left for his schemes and left me unwatched, I bet he thought I was completely broken.”

He wouldn’t be wrong.

She continues, “Now I have burnt his precious town with the aid of my families remaining loyal guards and will pin the blame on the very dogs he’s looking to make a deal with. Of course, some silly god doesn’t seem happy but it’s not my concern, in fact I’ll gladly give in to the blood thirst once I have spun my tale for my dearest prick.”

Guess that’s all there is too it.

Maug has returned, “Fuzzy pup, there is nothing save for this bat’s word.”

Shit, I need her alive then, not that I really wanted to kill a pregnant woman.

Well, if I'm going to capture her then there's really no need to keep up the act.

I step forward placing a hand on Walt’s shoulder, “I’m pleased to inform you Madam Zenazla that you will never be seeing your husband again, you will instead accompany us, wait till your child’s birth, then die.”

She pouts, the guards draw their swords, “Such a dark future you paint, tell me what happens to the prick in this future you detail?”

“He will regain order in this area, and he too, will be executed your child is of suitable age to rule.”

She stands, wobbly but still she stands and glares at me, “Really, now who are you to decide such a thing?”

Honestly I’d love a nice line here but nothing comes to mind so I just grin at the woman before bursting into a black fog that quickly fills the entire hall.

I can’t touch the woman without hurting the child, I will have to leave her to Asta and Sassa.

The guards in their shoddy iron armor make them easy prey.

I materialize on top of the table behind them and slam my trident down like a hammer on the back of the closest guard.

The lightning penetrates the gaps and cracks and cooks him where he stands.

Now he’s a smoking black husk in a singed black iron casket.

Jumping from the table I land on the fallen man’s head causing it to break into ashes.

I smile at the other guards, compounding their fear.

They stand still, not sure what to do.

It’s not me but Walt that provides them an answer, beheading two of them before they can turn around.

While they look at their now headless companions, I use a short trident beam to finish the remaining two.

Walt and I move to the sides of the door which must lead into the rest the fort.

We each take the head of a guard as they run in. A single neckline strike from the side, they probably didn’t even see us.

“Maug, clear the room, you and Walt find any more in the fort.”

As the fog clears I see the twins have indeed accomplished their task without needing to be told.

Stuck in between two large Ice pillars is a semi transformed vodlak.

Its barely noon, I'm surprised she could change at all. Her arms are in the pillars and her feet frozen to the stone floor. She has claws on all four limbs, patchy red fur here and there, massive fangs, and a single fierce orange eye.

She howls, the sound echoes up the tower.

Lupa states the obvious, “That can’t be good.”

Maug and Walt run into the room from a stair well.

Walt walks up and with a solid right hook knocks the mad duchess out cold.

Maug barks, “There are about thirty guards pouring from the tree line and headed this way, they’ll be up the hill in ten minutes.”

Greeeaaat, “Asta, Sassa, bind the crazy lady to her chair and barricade the door after we get the horses inside here, Walt, Maug and I will fight in the courtyard. Lupa, standby in the front gate house to lock it shut behind them. Then sneak your way along the wall back into this tower with the twins.”

Running out the hall to the wagon, I unhitch the horses. Walt leads them in while I use my fog to get up on the wall.

I peak through the battlement and down the hill, “Dammit Maug!”

What must be nearly a hundred soldiers are running up the hill. I jump down, once again using fog to negate the landing.

I quickly hide in the wagon; looks like Walt pushed it to the far side of the courtyard between the tower and the gate.

“Maug, soon as Lupa lets down the gate behind them we’re bursting out to cover her and Walt….and really Maug, thirty?”

Maug whines, “Mistress never taught us to count ok.”

Frankly I'm not surprised at all, they are her pets after all.

“It’s fine guess, but now what are we gonna do against almost hundred men?” silence, no ideas.

I got nothing this time, great…

Walt speaks up, he’s looking at my trident, “brother, a hurricane, like the one the naga used that mother told us about.”

I can't help but laugh, “You’re crazy little brother, but sure, why the hell not? Maug, do you have any wind magic?”

Maug seems clueless, “Yes, I can control breeze enough to better move my fog.”

“Ok, Walt is going to go out playing lone warrior while building up his wind enhancement in a cyclone and were going to boost it up into as grand a storm as we can.”

Maug cracks a grin, he knows crazy when he hears it.

Walt works on swirling his wind, I know he’s always been using it but I bet this is the first time he’s tried to exert this much control over it aside from pure instinct.

It doesn’t look to be going very well, the grass shows it’s a stuttering breeze.

I can actually play big brother once and awhile, “Little brother, you’re trying too hard. Think of why you can use the wind at all, trust in that goddess and relax. We’re beasts, just follow your instinct like you did when we were little, but with a different goal. …however please hurry, they’re starting to come in the gate.”

I watch under the edge of the wagon canvas as the first wave of men reach the tower door and begin to pound on it. It is a wall of sheer ice by this point and several feet thick I’d wager.

I hope we can pull off this plan and take care of the guards before crazy lady wakes up. The guards themselves are actually barely armored, most seem to be wearing whatever they could find once they woke up this morning, having hunted as werewolves all night.

Maug paws at me. He’s got his stupid grin, “Mistress says just go for it, this should be fun!”

Help is appreciated.

Walt steps from behind the wagon, I can see the grass lying in a circle around him and the occasional bit of dust flying up. Looks like we’re ready to whip up one hell of a show.

Thinking about it, I should be able to do this by myself one day. Walt as well, though I assume his will be an icy version.

I start feeding the black fog into the whirlwind, “Ready Maug?”

He nods, tail wagging.

“Right, Walt don’t move at top speed, you can’t let the eye of the storm lose you or it will fall apart. When the gate slams, let it howl Walt.”

I barely finished that statement when the Iron bars slammed down with a loud bang.

Walt let loose a howl that could be heard for miles, the moment all the heads turn to him, Maug and I cloudburst into his vortex.

While not as big as I had envisioned we still created a black gale taller than the castle tower, crackling with a golden lightning.

If I had to describe the feeling right now, it’s a sense of accomplishment and I'm having fun.

Down below I can see Walt almost casually walking around the grassy courtyard. You’d think he was just going for a stroll if he wasn’t constantly hacking off the heads of stumbling, blinded, and burnt guardsmen.

Every time Walt makes a dash through a row of men, the storm lurches along with him creating a trail of destruction in its wake.

He seems to kill at least five with every swing as my lighting arcs and crawls along his blade increasing its reach.

Outside the storm, men are shielding their eyes from the incredibly bright gold flashes as they scurry about in a panic.

Lupa had completely destroyed the gate controls gears and the entry way was too narrow for enough men to lift the heavy, iron, gate from a single side. They are trapped waiting for their turn to have their head separated by Walt’s heavy saber.

After seven or so minutes of Walt dashing about like a berserker we seem to have the majority either dead or injured and the rest in a complete state of panic.

Maug and I separate from Walt and simply spread out across the yard. Once enough ground is covered I release a series of shocks to stun anyone still standing.

I reform in the wagon, I'm extremely tired. I look out at the field I can see barely more than ten men still standing as the girls come out the tower to support Walt in finishing the last of them.

Actually at this moment I spot a man hiding under the edge of the wagon.

Charging the trident, I spike it into the ground where his neck is, now was, located.

I peek under and around the wagon, no one else dumb enough to hide here.

Walt walks over, climbs in and collapses on a pile of blankets. No fair I wanted that spot.

The girls and Maug walk over, he jumps up to join Walt.

“Right guess it’s us boys nap time, hook the horses back up and pull us in front of the tower entrance, that way we can watch the courtyard and the crazy lady. In a couple hours wake up Maug to watch Zenazla and we’ll rotate out sleeping from there. We’re going to have to hang out at least a few days to a week to watch for any more werewolves.”

With that I climb into the wagon and pass out on some blankets next to the other two.

------------------------

Hmm I know this pillow, Lupa is leaning against the inside of the wagon with my head in her lap.

It must just be a few hours later, the sun is still awhile from setting behind the distant mountains. I bury my face further in and take a small nip of the cloth between her legs.

Lupa tugs on my ear, “Hey, who said you boys could pass out and leave the work to us.”

“Is that not how the world works?”

She flicks my forehead and I can only smile.

She's giving me her best pout face. “I’ll make you into a proper husband one day, you’ll see.”

“I wish you luck dear, in the meantime, I'm starving. Did you girls make dinner yet? ... Ouch”

This time she bent down and bit my lip before giving me a kiss.

That night, no more than five vodlaks showed up. I didn't bother getting down from the tower. I charged my weapon and fired off their heads from the roof.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Five days later, nothing else has come out the woods.

I'm concerned about us having enough food to make it back at this rate. We went a little over board in our post battle feast of whatever the dust from our storm didn’t get into.

A little earlier I sent Walt off to find more food in the fort. Asta is napping, Sassa is on the roof, and Lupa is boiling some water in a pot in case Walt finds anything. We’ve basically made a camp site of the fort’s main hall.

I'm sitting at one end of the big table looking down at Maug on the other end. We tied up Zenazla on top of the table at his request. He’d been hovering around her on guard since the first night.

He is currently lying with his front legs crossed on top of her chest. Absolutely silly, she doesn’t even have decent breasts to make a pillow.

If I don’t ask, I won’t know, “Soooo, what the hell are you doing any way?”

He lets loose one of his cackles, “Surely you’ve wondered why she's been asleep this entire time?”

“Walt’s got a mean arm?” I don’t know she looked ready to die from exhaustion when we got here anyway.

“I am keeping her trapped in a dreamless sleep. I could give her sweet dreams, nightmares, even wet dreams.”

Yup, now he’s got my interest.

“So does sitting on her chest help?”

I’ll take any excuse to rest my head on Lupa’s Glorious, sacred, …oh she's looking my way.

He grins as if reading my mind, well we’re both wargs of a sort, “It makes it easier for creatures like me to maintain the spell for a prolonged period. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to do something like it. Ask your mother when we get back. Her tribe has similar magic you should be able to adapt.”

Asta walks in from her nap with a bit of meat to toss in the pot at least. She’ll eat a bit then go swap with her sister. After her is Walt, then me.

Walt walks in; he’s got a crate in one arm and a barrel in the other.

He sets the crate on the stone floor near the pot and smashes it open with his fist. Easy brother, do you even know what was in it?

I take a peek, potatoes, well stew it is. We open the barrel up a bit. It’s a dark amber liquid and smells strong.

“Brother, this is alcohol.” I really don’t think our first drinks while mother isn’t watching should be while we're on an important mission for Yoden…

“Was there no other food or drink left in here?”

He shakes his head.

Basically we’re in a bit of a tight spot now. At this point if we don’t find some prey on the way home we’ll go the last two days of the trip without food. The vodlaks killed everything around here.

“Screw it, I'm sick of this fort anyway. Have Sassa come down, we’ll leave tomorrow.” And with that I take my first swig of human alcohol…..shit, it burns!

With a cough, “How does mother down this stuff all day?”

Now Lupa walks over and takes a drink, downs it, then fills her mug and walks back over to the pot.

She looks back, “Man up darling.”

Walt nods, fills a mug and downs it… nothing, no reaction. I will not be out done by my little brother!

Asta and Sassa return and begin to help Lupa and mind Walt’s cup.

Maug whines “Let me get some of that mead.”

“Maug, if you weren’t currently astride a horrible cursed hag I would hand you a mug, but I can only be so irresponsible.” I’d hate to find myself torn to shreds by a werewolf in the night.

Now then, “Let’s eat, and see who falls first little brother.”

For the first hour Lupa, Asta, Walt and I keep at it, mug for mug and enjoying the simple stew.

At the second hour I grab Lupa into my lap use her glorious chest for a head rest in my heroic quest to out drink Walt.

Walt himself is getting a tad openly frisky with the twins. Sassa, who was done with the first mug, slaps him when he grabbed her by the waist and nipped her chest.

After three hours Walt’s face hits the table.

“HA, I win!” maybe, I'm out a second later into Lupa’s tits.

---------------------

The morning comes and I am once again greeted by my Lupa’s wonderful thighs, I roll further into them. Unfortunately, before I can even enjoy this small bit of heaven I feel like my head was stepped on by a horse.

“How the hell does mother live like this?” I can feel the stew in the back of my throat.

“Well darling you may just need to grow up a little more. I won by the way, with Asta a close second. The two of us even managed to haul you boys to bed with Sassa before deciding a winner.”

What is this nonsense?

“My mother has been giving me alcohol since we started classes as pups. She said it’s the easy way to start building resistance to toxins before the actual thing. Any way, you two losers should get up and prep us to leave.”

I get up to kiss her but she stops me, I don’t blame her, my breath must be rancid.

We had loaded up the wagon with all the usable food stores and a couple better conditioned items from the armory.

I’ll be honest here, it takes Walt and I a solid few hours more than it should have to get ready. Every ten odd minutes or so one of us would be found leaning against a wall. In fact, we barely get the wagon a few yards before Walt and I have to get off and walk instead.

Asta and Sassa opened the front gate by creating a dense ice pillar in the middle then freezing it up long enough to just barely make it through.

The mad duchess is tied up in the back with Maug still on her chest. Lupa is sitting near him using her aura to help him replenish his energy. The last thing we want is for her to wake up and figure the way to the den.

I walked till we crossed the bridge. I had hoped to get past the village before the sun could worsen the smell. I’m definitely paying for the drinking.

I vent my frustration on the shitty statue as we pass through the town, superheating it till it melts into an amorphous red hot blob.

Asta uses ice to super cool and shatter it for good measure.

The travel is slow going. Two days in, once we reach the point where we will separate from the road tomorrow, we decide to wake the woman.

While it gives Maug time to rest, she wasn’t very cooperative the first time we did this apparently, I was on watch so I missed it.

Maug told us that if she wasn’t pregnant this wouldn’t be necessary. The person under the spell is virtually frozen in time, the child however still needs nourishment.

She’s smiling and giving a death glare to a tree on my left, “Doggies want to feed me like a pet again is it? So you can put me right back to sleep is it? You Fools, I'd sooner see this child and I die.”

I’ve no patience for this, I begin shoving bread mashed with veggies and mixed with water, into her mouth. I’m wearing gloves, last time she almost took Walt's finger off. It’s not fun and takes a solid hour, where she not bound I'm sure she’d force herself to throw it back up.

I force a mug of mead down her throat before securing her to the back of the wagon. Last time she relieved herself right in her chair back at the fort. A cloth gag keeps her from alerting any nearby beasts or waking Maug.

Once night comes Maug wakes up and puts her back to sleep. Walt takes over driving and I finally get some rest with Lupa.

The next few days into the woods were fairly uneventful.

There was a single crazed squirrel the size of Maug that swooped from the trees at us. With little patience left I immediately blasted it from the sky with my trident. Over kill, but I really don’t care at this point.

I miss my Lupa filled bed sheets. Also we now have fried squirrel for the last two days.

Finally we start to enter familiar territory and my mood improves.

The twins also had been snappy the last couple days, even to Walther. I’m sure he hopes Sassa doesn’t tell our Aunt about his drinking behavior. Poor little brother, they tell her everything.

As the cave and wall finally comes into view I give a sigh of relief and wake everyone up. I didn’t realize how much I love this den till I’ve spent nearly a month dealing with monsters and lunatics. Sadly I'm sure this fate will continue to haunt me as I serve my pack in the future.

Lupa gets up on the seat next to me and stretches.

She then takes my hand and gazes into my eyes with love and excitement, tail wagging, “Were finally home, I can use my bath, and you my darling Fuzzy can get your mother to teach you to drink like a real man!”

….Hey!