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The Surrender of Pest

When we arrived at Pest, there was no question at all as to whether we would prevail or not. Victory was assured, the only thing up in the air was as to how we would achieve it, either through the quill or the sword. I was greatly in favor of the former but Emir, being the wolf behind the walls of the city itself, would be the one who would make the final decision.

With my army finally united and having delivered a crushing blow to the nomads forces, there was nothing stopping us from marching to Pest. A few skirmishers and scouts would occasionally appear on the horizon only to retreat upon catching wind of us. The fennec light cavalry caught several of them and we learned a few important things from them and the wolven chieftain we captured at Balaton.

Balaton was indeed a trap, one that Galip was unaware of, but the nomads had heard of my obsession with the wolf and decided to use him as bait with some of the servants in the palace trying to burn me alive as well.

Also that they were so confident that they could cut the head of the snake off and deliver a crushing blow that we could not recover from, that they sent a good chunk of their forces to make sure the job was done one way or another.

There were not enough nomads left in Carpathia to effectively resist us. We won.

Of course, we could not get careless. The wolves had no reason to be honest with us after all and who could blame them? Getting humiliated makes lesser beings spiteful and we had humbled the mighty wolves greatly.

Spite was only natural.

A few villages were being raided by stragglers whose clans had been shattered. The brief chaos they caused was exactly what I needed to establish control over the area. Marco had returned once again to save Carpathia and protect its foxes from rampaging wolves.

I almost felt obliged to spare the wolves who survived our counter-raids, they had done me a great service and the people cheered my name when I brought them into the village squares with their paws bound.

But the people, fox and wolf alike in the villages, did not want mercy. They wanted justice.

And so their heads and tails decorated the entrances of the villages. A bloody symbol of my liberation of the basin.

Pest was a welcome sight for sore eyes. The Danube snaked in between the castle and the city, with its ancient buildings. It had looked much the same as I had left it, only this time I had a far larger army.

There was not so much as a single arrow fired at us when we surrounded it. I trusted Livio with a squadron to secure the western bank around the castle, while Vito and I divided forces between the entrances into the city on the east. Guards watched us from the walls, an uncomfortable mixture of fox and wolf, neither of which seemed particularly spirited about the prospect of facing yet another siege.

We sent no message to the city yet, save for us felling trees and building equipment for the siege using some foxes that had some experience working under that prick Ekrem. Let that be our message and let the leadership stew in their own fear while contemplating what to do.

Wolves had to keep up their dignity, especially self-proclaimed Alphas, so I didn't expect a reply that evening. Hell, I didn't expect a reply in the morning, so I was a little surprised and annoyed to be woken up from my slumber with Taj, Galip, and Folu; and just about pulled from my tent by Vito with only enough time to slap on my armor.

"They've sent an emissary to negotiate," Vito announced as I groggily followed him through the rows of tents.

The sky was a dismal gray with the light of day having just begun to grace us with its presence.

"Couldn't have done it at a more decent hour?" I muttered. "Haven't even had breakfast yet."

"Food will be served at the parlay."

"Will it now?" I smiled and grabbed a nearby soldier who lowered his gaze shyly. "You! Retrieve my slave, Galip, I want him at the meeting and on the service staff, posthaste!"

"As you will, Marshal!"

Saluting, the fox sped off with his brush trailing behind.

"I sense a lesson in psychological warfare coming," Vito smirked.

"Actually, I just really want to show off my trophy," I laughed, "but sure, lets call it a lesson. Having their Alpha's bastard brother naked and serving snacks while we negotiate their surrender sounds like a good way to make them whimper and ponder just what I'm capable of."

"Or outrage them into a pointless and time-consuming resistance to avenge his brother's honor."

"You might have a point there, Vito," I paused, rubbing at my chin and swishing my tail in thought, "but I'm willing to take the risk even if our only reward is smelling the raw humiliation oozing from the wolves when they see him. Agreed?"

"You seem to understand what makes the wolves tick more than me, I will defer to you."

"Very good."

Entering the curtained-off clearing reserved for meetings, I saw a familiar brown wolf with graying fur sitting across from Luce.

"Tulo, was it?" I asked, catching the faint scent of sewage.

"Never thought I'd meet you again," the wolf sighed and tugged at his blue sleeves.

"I take it you're no longer a Sanitation Minister?" I sniffed again, obviously the scent of dung would take awhile to leave him or perhaps the wolf always smelled a little shitty.

"PrimeBetaof the Free Kingdom of Carpathia, appointed by the grace of his most glorious Alpha Emir, first of his name."

Me and Vito quietly sat down in our chairs while the wolf tilted his head in thought.

"As you can see, I still deal in shit, any way you slice it."

I smiled. Not only had he agreed to meet in our campsite, rather than neutral ground, Tulo was cynical and opportunistic enough to do anything to save his hide, including collaborating with foxes.

This was even better than I had hoped.

"Noble masters," Galip whispered as he emerged from a curtain and bowed, holding out a tray with wooden platters of salted meats along with cheese and bread drizzled with flavored olive oil. He was wearing an especially exotic outfit today, with iron bracelets on his wrists that had golden chains running along his arms towards a leather chest harness. His cream sheathe was bulging, the tip of his cock peeking out slightly.

"Ah, so you're still doing that little game, hm?" Tulo patted Galip on the head and scuffed his fur. "Shall I slip my tail between my legs and raise my hackles at the thought of some fox that smells of urine, fucking the brother of our Noble Alpha?"

Luce cast me a glare, clearly she was thinking about making some cutting comment towards me and my bedroom activities but refrained for the sake of the negotiation.

"Because I could walk in on Alpha Emir himself getting his favorite horse's cock up his ass and I wouldn't blink twice before giving him today's itinerary," Tulo kicked off his boots and planted his feet on the table, scratching at the wood with his toe claws. "Shame does not exist in the Free Kingdoms and to have it is a weakness. We've bent over for the nomads and let them cause havoc, but we didn't do it for free, they didn't so much as scratch Pest itself and we were safe and sound in relative luxury."

"While the countryside burned," I added.

"Hence why we're here," Tulo flexed his black pads on his foot, "you've destroyed the nomads, the greatest threat to the countryside, and we've lost most of our army. What we do control though, is Pest, and I'll tell you this much: we've sealed up the tunnel you used last time, so don't expect divine intervention again!"

"Unconditional surrender," Luceoffered, "and we will be merciful, you can count on that."

"Mercy...is a very flexible term," Tulo yawned, "when you're trying to decide between skinning someone alive or slitting their throat, the latter can be interpreted as mercy. We've heard you've taken to decorating some of the villages on the way with wolven skulls and tails from captive nomads, is that mercy?"

"They're hardly innocent and would have done the same to us," I objected.

"Exactly my point! Were things switched around, I would have offered the same thing as you, but I would be respectful enough to realize that a conditional surrender with very agreeable terms would be preferable for all!"

"You're not in any position to give conditions," Vito leaned forward on the table, "we will win this siege sooner or later."

"We have a hefty stockpile of food, we can wait for you to make your move. You'll beat us, that's for sure, but we'll make you hurt and delay your chances at marching on Vulpezzia, that's what you really want, right? Do you really want to waste time gathering enough food for the campaign and quelling unrest here? Wouldn't you rather we work together?"

I grabbed a hunk of salt pork from Galip's plate and chomped on it, "Go on, this should be entertaining."

"First of all, full immunity for all of the Alpha's ministers, including myself. We are to keep all of our wealth and property we've been entitled with."

I sniffed at the air, "I smell embezzlement."

Ignoring me, Tulo continued, "Alpha Emir is to be demoted to the rank of Duke and given an estate in rural Transylvania where he will live a quiet life in retirement."

"Unthinkable," I interjected, "we don't have Dukes in the Republic, wolf, and even if we did, Emir is probably the last person I'd give the title. Exile is the furthest mercy I'm willing to give him."

Tulo frowned and twitched his nose, "Exile...would be ill-advised. Emir would not be safe in either the Alphate or the Republic, considering his mild...treason...in seizing Carpathia for himself."

"All the more reason we can't trust him with our backs turned," said Vito.

"I sympathize, really! If it were up to me, we wouldn't even consider any concessions towards him. I am more than willing to betray him and secure my own safety, but the fact is, if he finds out his life and luxury is not guaranteed, he's going to throw a tantrum and we'll be back to the siege again. He also has a team set up in the food stores to burn them down if your scent so much as drifts beyond the walls, so don't even think that you can steal those vital supplies without making a deal today. Either we come to a deal or you're gonna have to wait to march on Vulpezzia."

Tulo's words had a silencing effect at the negotiation table. It was so silent that you could hear the twitch of our ears.

"Guard!" I called out.

There was a moment of weakness in Tulo as I caught his hackles raising, a quick draft of fear in the air as two guards flanked him.

"We'd like a moment to discuss the deal, please escort the Prime Minister away."

"It's a good deal, Marco," Tulo said calmly as he willingly left the area, disappearing behind the curtains.

I snatched a piece of bread from Galip's plate, spread some cheese and ham atop it, and tossed it into my maw. I let Vito and Luce guess my intentions while I savored the delicate flavors of the food.

"Marco," Luce whispered, "I must advise against any rash actions here. Tulo has a point and we might need to consider agreeing to-"

"All of his terms," I interrupted.

Both of them hung their maws open and their eyes went wide. This was a rare look for both of them, especially Luce. They must have thought I went mad.

"Marshal, uh..." Vito's right ear folded back, "...I'd suggest negotiating down to something softer, especially regarding Emir."

"Why shouldn't we honor the noble Alpha of the Free Kingdom?" I asked with a flippant wave of my paw. "He deserves a cozy retirement as a Duke, doesn't he?"

"Earlier, you..." Luce shook her head, "...what the hell is going on, Marco?"

"Why, Luce, I thought you'd be in favor of this?" I smirked. "You've always been saying I act too rashly, isn't it a good thing I'm willing to swallow my pride and accept these terms?"

"Laurent!" Vito called out. "Get in here!"

The red fox slipped in from the other end of the curtains, having been sitting out there the whole time.

"Laurent, did you get all that?" Vito asked.

"Yes, General," Laurent bowed and then turned to me, "Emir is widely despised. Giving him no punishment and a retirement palace will turn the populace against you."

I leaned back in my chair so I could get a better look at Galip, who was still kneeling down in the dirt, "Slave!"

Galip shook the platter and looked over at me, "Yes, Master?"

"Tulo just said that your brother is liable to burn down the provisions store if he doesn't get what he wants, is that within his character?"

Biting his lip, Galip peered downward before answering, "Yes, he has a habit of throwing tantrums like that, Master. He once smashed a jeweled ale glass I bought because it looked nicer than the one Father gave him."

"So he was a bit of a spoiled cub, hm?"

"That was last month, Master."

I waved my paw at my advisors, "You see? We're dealing with someone more than willing to shit all over our plans in the face of punishment. I want those provisions and we're going to need them if we want to campaign immediately."

Laurent snarled, "Are you going to let that asshole get off the hook!? Just slap him on the shoulder and send him on his way!? What the fuck is wrong with you!?"

"Calm your fucking tongue, Laurent," I growled, "just trust me. I have a plan and it's going to be a fun one."

I winked at Vito.

"You're going to get a lesson in psychological warfare after all."

And so, once again, I had stolen Pest and all of Carpathia away from the oppression of wolfkind. This time in a far different form, but it still resulted in the gates being flung open for us. Who could argue that a surrender, even with those terms, was not preferable when not a single life was lost?

The citizenry cheered their savior once more as we entered the city, my own troops addressing and mingling with the wolven enemy to officially switch over peacefully.

We were still on guard just in case there was some kind of trap or a last minute change of heart from Emir, whom I had heard nothing but bad things about, but when the local vixens were throwing themselves at our soldiers and all but offering to rut in thanks for liberating them, it would have been clear that public opinion had turned against him, if he ever had it to begin with.

Upon entering the palace gates, we greeted Emir who sat atop a white horse. A cloak made of feral fox fur hung from his shoulders and across the butt of his horse, while a gilded crown sat atop his head bejeweled with colored glass. He looked like what a kit imagined a King would be, it would be funny if it weren't so sad.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Marshal Marco!" Emir swung off his horse and bounded up to me, his square face grinning wildly. He was clearly relieved that I was saving him from a future uprising and giving him a cozy life with none of the responsibility of ruling.

"Duke Emir," I smiled. Luce and Vito sat atop their horses, similarly smiling now that I had convinced them of the genius of my plan, "you have signed the documents?"

"Yes, yes!" the wolf passed me a scroll which I handed over to Luce. "I must say, I had my doubts about you, uh, you've made some enemies in the noble Pesht-Kutlar clan, as you can imagine. But I think there shall be peace between us now!"

"Indeed, why concern ourselves with the past?"

"Imagine, a fox granting us the honor of our rightful position as Duke of Transylvania! It is a small part of what our family once owned, before that scoundrel Romulus put that blasted human in charge, but it is a definite victory for my family!"

There was a crinkle of paper as Luce furled up the scroll again, "It is signed," she announced.

"Very good!" I smiled to all the knights a courtiers surrounding us.

Emir and I put our paws on each other's shoulders and we pressed our noses into our necks and sniffed. Applause rang out around us as I caught a trace of rosewater on his scent, just like his half-brother, though I couldn't possibly imagine Emir was aroused like Galip was when that scent came out, merely happy.

"Shall we get you on your way?" I said, smiling into his eyes as we pulled back from the embrace.

"Please! I cannot wait a minute longer!"

We mounted our horses and I led the way back into the city with Emir following close behind my horse's right flank. Although he had a larger, pure-bred horse and was taller than me, being a wolf, there was something about the position that made him look like a prisoner put on display during a triumph.

Indeed, the cheers began again when I waved to the people of Pest, but they were followed by jeers shortly after when Emir made his gray face visible. Rotten fruit and the occasional cobblestone flung past him but the wolf had uncanny luck and not a single missile hit him

He also seemed to be blissfully aware of his own unpopularity and joked about how I was going to have a hard time governing the place when he was gone. The wolf who held a kingdom for less than a year had the audacity to lecture me about good governance!

But I was not angry, merely amused and laughed.

It was around the time we reached the city gates that Emir noticed that the crowd were not content to merely stand on the sidewalk and watch, but were trailing behind us and following. Emir got a little nervous seeing a mob of foxes and wolves staring at him and trotted his horse up next to me and tapped me on the shoulder.

"They're following us," he whispered.

"Don't worry," I smiled back at him, "I had some of my soldiers spread the word about a little event on the outskirts of town to celebrate peace."

"Ah, how delightful!"

"Indeed it shall be."

After clearing the gate I led my horse towards my camp and its many rows of beige tents. Cheerful music was floating in the air and flower blossoms were being tossed to the winds.

"I noticed, Duke Emir," I cleared my throat, "you didn't once inquire about the health of Galip."

"Oh, yes..."

"Nor did you try and secure his release?"

"Father can take care of that if he wishes, Galip is his bastard cub, I couldn't give a shit about him," Emir chuckled. "Father tried to make a wolf out of him by sending him to war but instead he turned into a bitch. If some fox takes him captive and won't let him go, well, that's on you, isn't it?"

"I've treated him very well."

"I'm sure you have!" Emir pointed to a rope knot holding his cloak in place with a lewd grin.

"He's going to play a big role in today's festivities, you know," I said as we entered the threshold of the camp.

"What do you mean?"

The wolf's eyes went wide as he followed me into a clearing in the camp where all the noise was coming from.

Oh, if only I could have read Emir's thoughts when he saw the orange, flowing robes of the Priestess of Vulpa as she stood beneath an arch weaved with wildflowers. But no doubt he was even more heartbroken to see Galip, his bastard brother whom he dismissed so carelessly just a minute ago, kneeling in the dirt and wearing nothing except for a steel collar around his neck.

"This is..." Emir tried to utter the words but they were stolen by his throat closing up.

"I wanted to bless my paramour in the eyes of Vulpa, Canis, and your family," I slapped Emir on the shoulder, "all I need is for you to give your brother away."

"I will not be humiliated in such a-"

Emir peered behind but upon noticing that his way was blocked by a crowd, did not beckon his horse to move. Highborn and lowborn, wolf and fox, all were here to witness the Pesht-Kutlars sign over Galip's rights to me. To have this wretched cadet branch of the Kutlars forever have selling a bastard cub to a fox as a stain on their reputation.

"Tulo! Tulo!" Emir cried out as the brown wolf edged his way past the crowd. "Did you know of this!?"

"It's a lovely surprise to me as well!" the wolf grinned wildly and helped pull an old wolf from the crowd who carried a scroll and a box for writing tools. "I brought your family chronicler! We want to get this in the annuls of history, don't we?"

"Yes-yes," the old wolf nodded rapidly, his eyes were dull and he was not quite aware of what was going on.

Emir flashed his snout towards me and opened his mouth to object, but I cut him off and grabbed him gently by the shoulder.

"Before you raise a fuss," I whispered into his ear, "it will either be recorded you gave Galip away willingly or that I took him from you while you sat there and did nothing. I would suggest accepting the latter humiliation, it will be much cleaner for both of us."

"You bastard, I will not suf-"

"I could use another wolf to share my bed with," I hissed very slowly, "a lot can happen to disobedient wolves on the way to Transylvania. It is so easy to break wolves when they're alone, so very easy."

Emir said nothing. He would not, he was too proud, but I could tell he knew how to play ball.

"I'll need a dowry as well, I already gave you land, I think your horse will be generous enough."

Fangs emerged from under Emir's lips but he quickly sheathed them and willingly dismounted.

"Good wolf."

I hopped off of my horse and stepped down towards the altar, taking my place across from Galip and nodding at the priestess to begin.

"We are gathered here to bless the concubinage of Galip Pesht-Kutlar to Marco of Carpathia..."

The ceremony went as well as I expected. Emir, upon being called upon by the priestess to give his family's blessing to the union did so without fuss. He was not used to Vulpa traditions and so had to be guided a bit.

Brushing the base of his tail alongside his brother's, he then did the same for me with some hesitation, but a chilling grin from me was more than enough to persuade him to continue and embrace the priestess, wrapping our combined scents with hers, as tribute to Vulpa's gift of love.

"In Vulpa's name, may this union remain unbroken for all eternity."

Galip stood, lowering his head and walked into my embrace. My nostrils were flooded with his ever-delightful scent of rosewater and I could not deny that I was projecting my own happiness via my smell. The wolf was mine, legally recognized by the eyes of the gods and his family. There would be no more talk of ransoming or releasing, Galip was where he belonged, at my side.

Now, of course, you might be wondering why I chose a Priestess of Vulpa, rather than one of Lupa'sclergy? Having Emir be forced to take part in an exclusively foxen ritual was no doubt fun as is, but it was what came next that was the real crowning joy.

Vulpa was so much more explicit and sensual about marriage than Lupa. While Lupawould have the family observe the two mates sleep in bed together, Vulpa celebrated without shame the emotions of both love and lust. The celebration is not complete until a raw expression of both is performed.

There was still some degree of privacy. The priestess beckoned us into a large tent with colorful cushions lining the ground. Two layfoxes of the temple stood there with large paper fans, while another sat at the head of the bed, a temple prostitute who was there to assist in case the new mates needed or desired it.

We did not need any assistance. Galip had clearly kept his rear loose in the year I was without him and only require a little bit of olive oil for the tip of my cock to pierce it. The wolf loudly whined with joy as my hips slammed against his rear.

His bushy tail was wagging and slapped me in the snout, I grabbed it by the base, forcing a howl, and leaned into him, biting him on the back of his neck.

The entire tent filled up with the scent of rosewater and now it was time for the final part of the ceremony.

A breeze picked up, followed by the flapping of paper fans. The temple prostitute went to the entrance and flapped the tent entrance to allow our combined scents to escape.

This was the real reason I picked Vulpa: I wanted Emir and every citizen in the area around Pest to have this scent imprinted on their brains. The smell of me taking and dominating the tyrant's brother in public while he could do nothing but stand there and watch, fuming with humiliation.

Emir and his ministers could retire in peace, so long as they cause no trouble. Pest would be mine and I would get the provisions as promised.

But this was not me caving into his demands or letting him off the hook and everyone in Pest knew it now. I had sent him into a cushy prison with one final gift of humiliation. He would never be respected or feared again.

All of this without a single drop of blood spilled.