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By the light...

Chapter 12

Running with the ruff...

Note: Chapter 12 of By the light, written by RuthofPern

A week later...

"The first scout reports from the South are in," Purrsimon said, dropping into a sphinx like resting position on the guest pad in the Alpha hut.

"Good news or bad?" Balthazar asked, sighing.

"Bit of both to be honest," the Werecat answered with a half-smile.

"Go on," Helewys prompted.

"Well the bad news is... without the troops from the ships, we are looking at an army of around two thousand five hundred, give or take a skirmishing group or two. The good news is, half of them are mounted... which means they are neither use nor ornament in our location, and are likely to be unskilled and clumsy when on the ground," Purrsimon replied, his half smile still in place.

Balthazar tilted his head on one side, "They still outnumber us by at least ten to one then?"

"Yes... Which on an open field would be a disaster... But I think we should be able to take out at least fifteen of them from concealment, before they score on any one of us."

"What are their archer levels?" Helewys asked.

"Limited... around two hundred and fifty at best estimate, which we can play to our advantages. They are all armoured, so getting on target is more important than ever. I would say that the best plan of action is to let them encroach into the territory, and then take out all their archers on a first strike from behind. One hundred, canopy hidden Cats, can shoot down that number before they can string their bows."

"And they would then be massacred by the pike men and ground troops as they tried to escape," Balthazar pointed out, "It would be incredibly stupid to sacrifice that number to remove the least dangerous of our foes."

Purrsimon shook his head, "Loss would be minimal. As the swarm of bolts is released, you Wolves would attack by arrow from the front, while we pepper the rest of the army from everywhere there is a strong tree and a branch path available for escape. I would hope to create a mass panic. Play it right, and they lose fifty percent of their able men in our first strike, while we lose five to ten percent. Attack lasts for no longer than a quarter mark, and then we retreat."

"You cats have this all planned, don't you?" Helewys asked, "Are we just the muscle, acting as pawns to you?"

Purrsimon looked hurt, "Of course not... We will be the ones taking all the risks on the first strike. With no archers, no one will reach your leading edge... or they shouldn't if you are on target. There is no denying that if and when it does come to ground combat, you are the only real option. We have the advantage of speed and grace, but power and reach fall to your paws."

"What about cunning, guile... and why are we not being included in the attack planning?" Balthazar pressed.

"Are we not including you now?" Purrsimon asked.

"No... you are telling us what you have agreed we are to do. That is something entirely different. We work this out together as a union, or not at all." The black wolf stated.

Purrsimon blinked slowly, "So what had you come up with?"

"Traps," Helewys replied, with a grin, "After all," she held up her scarred foreleg, "Even we fall for them occasionally. It would not be too hard for your smiths to reproduce something similar to the one that got me."

"We have limited metal supplies..." Purrsimon started.

"Had..." Balthazar interrupted, "There are currently six ox carts of iron ore being driven towards here by Tashir and a few of the youngsters. The humans sent a wagon train out from Geresby with only a token guard. It was too good a chance to pass up, and the cats with him in the canopy agreed. No human survived last night, and they were left as warning on the roadside, naked and torn up as we agreed. We have plenty of metal now. The trail is being carefully covered behind them."

"Why were we not consulted on this?" Purrsimon asked, "That is a direct breach of the no intervention rule that we agreed on."

"We were not consulted on this either... but Tashir used his own judgement when the opportunity occurred... There was no time, and your scouts voted yes as well when he broached the idea, so the decision was not just made by wolves. If we do not give our scouts a certain amount of autonomy, the humans will have all the advantages," Helewys pointed out.

"Why have our scouts not reported into the camp?" Purrsimon queried, "And yet you know already?"

Balthazar chuckled, "Tashir was training four pups... he sent Ruthie back ahead of the rest of them. She reported in full about five minutes before you arrived... We can cover rather a lot more ground in a shorter amount of time than you... which is why we do the ranging."

"True I suppose... but I cannot have seen an approval going through the clan conclave. The humans will know now, that we know about them..."

Balthazar snorted, "Either their commanders are incredibly stupid, or they deem to consider us to be just animals. It is not easy to ignore an army forming on your doorstep. They are now short on iron, we are not. Call it the first spoil of the war we did not want."

Purrsimon shrugged, "Well it is done now... Would you have sanctioned a first strike attack like this if you were on the border patrol?"

Balthazar nodded, "In retrospect... yes," He stood, beginning to pace, "You, Purrsimon, and all the others of your clan have a huge disadvantage over Helewys, Tashir, Simeon, Alice and I...We know from first hand, personal experience just how cruel humans are. No clan member alive has ever lived amongst them, as one of them. I would quite happily see the last human alive on their knees, hamstrung and begging for my teeth for what they did to me alone... But... And this is a big but... I would never have sanctioned war. No person or Were should be forced to suffer how we have, on behalf of us... That is why I wanted to avoid this... But now it is here, and I cannot live the rest of my life, sleeping, eating and shagging until the final shadow beckons me... So I will try and make sure that before that call comes, I will have saved the innocents from the scourge, and I have taken as many of the bastards with me as I can."

The Werecat just stared at him in silence, his eyes fixed on Balthazar's pacing body while the speech dropped from his lips, "I think the conclave made the right choice in coming South to you, rather than North to the other packs," he said after a minute. "What other plans were you thinking of?"

Helewys cocked her head on one side, "Well I did say traps... as in the plural. A couple of drop traps can be dug and concealed... snares can be placed. As far as we know, the humans do not know where we are exactly. There is more than one blind vale on this side of the mountains... we are currently laying false trails into at least one of them which has a weak limestone cliff. Are you familiar with saltpetre?"

Purrsimon looked up sharply, "Where can you get that?"

"There are several bat caves in our territory. I know how to refine it, and make it burn fast and hot... I used it to harden timbers when building boats in my human village. I propose to seed the weak cliff, and then fire it when we have some of the bastards in the vale... they would have little warning," Balthazar stated.

"Felinius... they would have no chance..." Purrsimon remarked.

"Mercy and compassion cannot be shown in war Purrsimon, only after it..." Helewys started.

"...They brought the fight to us... and it ends here, one way or the other." Balthazar completed.

"I will have to discuss this with the conclave," Purrsimon said, standing.

"Ask the smiths if they can build mantraps, now they have the iron. I would say we should also consider firing the whole of Garddetownne as well with fire-arrows in the night, once the first strike you propose has been made. We have a tar pit to the extreme West of the territory. The forest is far too wet to burn, so they cannot return the favour. Make them miserable, take the thatch from above their heads... Remove the reason they want our lands..."

"What of the women and children?" Purrsimon asked, sitting again, slightly shaken by the idea.

Balthazar just stared steadily at him for a second, "What women and children? The arrows would fall on the roofs... they have time to get out. You know as well as I do Purrsimon, if they reach the clan fields, or the village here... every kitten and pup from the womb upwards will be slaughtered and left to lie for the Corvids to pick over. There will be collateral damage, it is inevitable in war... I just want to make sure that it is not on our side."

Purrsimon swallowed hard, "I am beginning to think that we cats have chosen to ride a reluctant bitch or queen... And that the only way we can survive the encounter is to try and steer with her ruff in our mouths."

Helewys chuckled, baring her teeth, "You may try... but you will find that the bitch you have chosen lives for the pain when she feels the hot breath caressing her ears. You may not be able to herd cats Purrsimon... But you sure as hell cannot stop a pack of wolves from trying!"

Purrsimon nodded, standing again and walking towards the door, before pausing and looking over his shoulder, "Do you agree not to do anything major without our co-operation?" he asked.

"As long as you agree to reciprocate... but I remind you again, we are not pawns. You outnumber us, and you could kill us all before we could stop you... But now we are working together, the together part of the agreement must be firmly both ways. You are bringing numbers, stealth and weapons to the table... We will bring the guile, strength and experienced insight. One without the other will not work, and you know it." Balthazar stated.

Purrsimon nodded, "I will go and discuss with the conclave... and propose we slow our plans until you can both be included in our rings of discussion."

Balthazar nodded, "I agree... but I will have Simeon, Benedict and, if he will help, Furdinand begin refining the saltpetre crystals with wood ash and water, as it needs a steady paw. We will need a lot, and I do not know how much time we will have now the troops from the ships are here. I cannot understand why they are remaining in Geresby at the moment, and that worries me."

Purrsimon just smiled, "Would you move out into a rough camp before absolutely required if you were an officer, when you have a city at your beck and call? I will put money on them being on the move within six marks of Tashir's strike being discovered... you mark my words."

Helewys chuckled as the cat's retreating tail vanished from view, "He does for once, have a perfectly sensible point!"

~~~~

"Simeon love, we have a problem developing," Ysmay said, snuggling next to him in the late summer evening. They had sneaked out of the hut to spend some quality time together, something that they had been sorely missing. Now they were lying side by side in the last rays of the waning sunlight, up on the lookout rock.

"Oh?" Simeon queried, nuzzling her.

"Henry... I know he is not technically yours, but to bother Balthazar over it would just invite troubles."

"In what way is Henry causing a problem... he is not lying with his littermates, is he?" Simeon asked, "I have not noticed any unusual behaviour."

Ysmay smiled a half smile, "No... he is not lying with his littermates... He is doing something far worse than that. Something that I am afraid to stop if I have my suspicions confirmed... but for that, I need you to confront the other party, as we have never shared eye to eye."

Simeon tilted his head on one side, "Well it can't be a Werecat... after all, you are allowing the informal liaison between Amalie and Furdinand to continue."

"That is against my better judgement as well... But we know there is no sex going on there. Henry is coming home stinking of sex, as his partner is not cleaning him properly."

"Well who is she then?" Simeon asked.

"Sometimes love I think you are too busy to see past your own nose," Ysmay chuckled. "I assume that you have noticed Henry slipping out early in the mornings, even before any of the others?"

"I had noted that, but I assumed he was heading for further training up on the Werecat fields, like Herald is with his archery. Lucinda noted me of that the other day while we were talking, so I confronted him over it. Furrn has confirmed that she has been sacrificing her rest-time to ensure that he becomes the best archer the pack has. Are you saying that Henry has not been going up there for more training?"

Ysmay shook her head, "One other in our hut has been rising early, and slipping away for a few hours each day. She is also a lot less depressed than she used to be... whistling a little as she prepares concoctions alongside Benedict and you..."

"Gussalen? But she has been on gathering runs in the mornings..." Simeon ground to a halt as he realized the absurdity of his words.

"With one leg? How is she coming back with the quantity that she is, in the time she is missing...? No... she has been having help, and I have a feeling that the help is Henry. In return I will bet she has been paying him with her favours... It would explain the fact that he is never clean, as a human tongue can only do so much..."

"Oh..." Simeon replied, "You sure of this?"

"As sure as a mother's instincts can be. I think Henry has been shagging Gussalen senseless in the mornings, and in return has been acting like her pony, ferrying her about." Ysmay stated.

Simeon looked at his Mate, "And if he has, is it a problem? I mean, she has rather been neglected in that fashion, and my nose has told me on more than one occasion that she has been using some of the preparation implements as relief for herself. She was a whore after all... hell I would probably have lost my virginity with her if I had been in the village for much longer."

"I can't believe you just said that..."

"Why? I mean, really why?" Simeon protested.

"She is a fucking human, for Lupinius' sake!" Ysmay exclaimed.

"Doesn't change what she was... There is no money here in the pack, so she is probably trading her body for the use of Henry as a helper in the mornings. Her collecting has been successful, and is just more proof of the fact that she is ready for me to sign off her scrolls. I have no idea how she will continue to supply herself though when she leaves us. I know the woodwrights up in the clan village are making her a new leg, but it may not be ready before she has to leave. You know as well as I do after Tashir's action that time is getting closer and closer." Simeon sighed, "Does it really matter if he has a fling with her, she will be gone soon?"

"It is unnatural," Ysmay stated.

"So is Amalie blowing Furdinand's top whenever they get the chance to be alone..."

"At least he is a Were," Ysmay countered.

"True... but the problem will be gone soon if we can find a volunteer to carry her South. I will have a word with Gussalen anyhow... ask her to back off if you really want me too."

"Please... I just don't want to see him hurt. There are too many rumours going around amongst the bitches and pups already. He is deviating from the proper Were path as it is, actually turning down liaisons with other bitches and males that he has been offered openly," she paused for a second, "Come to think of it, the same rumours are surrounding Herald as well... and a couple of the other pups that are not either of ours."

"Herald is refusing advances from others?" Simeon asked.

"Ah ha... And Henry, as I said. Pups should play around until they settle... if they ever settle. Builds etiquette, politics, friendships... that is what the tail is for..." Ysmay mused.

"Not in the human society..." Simeon countered.

"But we are Weres... they are Weres... Human society has nothing to do with it."

"The cats are more restrained... could the pups be learning from the kittens maybe? The two societies rubbing off on each other?" Simeon asked.

"Henry it seems has bugger all to do with the cats... though he has not been avoiding his lessons up there, it would have been reported to me by now. He will make a passable archer it seems, and his paw to hand combat is better than most."

"How is he doing in the ring? You know I have not been able to take any of my offspring there because of my other duties making me too busy."

"He ain't ever going to be challenging for Alpha, unless he is an idiot... But he isn't going to be killed either. Like you, he is arguing with his mouth before his teeth and claws."

"Is that not the better way... really? I mean, I would love to have a day where someone didn't either limp in, or get carried in to practice upon... Especially with all this saltpetre refining Balthazar has conned me into doing."

Ysmay wrinkled her nose, "That stuff fucking stinks the whole hut out... I mean it reeks of human play, using that in war..."

"If he believes it will give us an advantage, then I see no harm in it love. Rather that, than we all die," Simeon stated.

Ysmay shook her head, "I still don't like it..."

"Neither do the cats... but they were quick to see just what we could do with it. I mean, in the two weeks since Balthazar came to me an Furdinand with the instructions, we have refined over five hundred weight of the stuff, which has been poured into every available crevasse of that cliff. I just hope it holds off storming before the trap can be sprung, as if it gets too wet, it will be all for naught."

"Depends how fast the humans move then... my weather nose tells me we have maybe a moon before autumn hits in earnest."

"The humans will not want to fight in winter... I have a feeling in my gut that they will attack sooner rather than later, especially after what Tashir did. They sure moved the port soldiers up quick enough when that pre-attack was noticed." Simeon pointed out.

"We got any of their scouts yet?" Ysmay asked.

"I have heard rumours. It seems that I am being slightly excluded from this conclave at the moment, due to how busy I am. All I am hearing is coming from Furdinand, and a few of the others that have been on ground patrol out on the Southern borders... the ones that have come in with strains etc. Thankfully no weapon wounds yet."

"Well is one thing to be thankful for I suppose... Now are you going to have a word with Gussalen?" Ysmay asked, bringing the subject back around again.

Simeon grinned, "I said I would, though she is a free woman. I will also be having a word with Herald over his tight tail, if you are sure there are rumours spreading about him as well."

"Oh there are... but only because the bitches all want at him, because they can't have you! You are all mine!" Ysmay confirmed, playfully.

Simeon chuckled, "That is just the way I prefer it as well," he nuzzled against her cheek, but she nipped his nose and stood, turning away from him, before raising her tail.

"If you are going to nuzzle anything, you know what I want nuzzling," she said over her shoulder, "We have had so little time to do this together recently!"

Simeon smiled and leaned forwards on his haunches until he caressed the offering being presented to him with his tongue, "That my love, is all too true!"

~~~~

"No."

"Pardon?" Simeon asked

"I said no," Gussalen reiterated.

"But..."

"But nothing... I am surprised it took you this long to work it out actually. Yes Henry and I are in a relationship... yes it is one of mutual returns. However, it is more than that. He knows of our plans, and he offered to leave the pack and run with me to stop them happening... however, I talked him out of it. Pointed out that his and I's happiness, are second to the pack's survival. In that way he is immature, in every other... well he is a more considerate lover than I have ever had, even though I have had to teach him things!"

"Ysmay is not going to like this..." Simeon muttered, "She thought you were just having a fling, and asked me to get you to back off. How serious is this now?"

Gussalen grinned, "Serious enough that I think I am happy for the first time in my life... and serious enough that I have something to live for now. Oh don't look so shocked Simeon... I could have bailed out with him as I said, but I didn't. I will leave for the South as soon as you say the word. The ruse will not be broken... I will join the human army as a healer."

"What will he do?" Simeon asked quietly, "When you go?"

Gussalen looked him straight in the eyes, "Who do you think will be the volunteer?"

"Oh Lupinius no! Ysmay will not allow it!"

"Ysmay will have no choice. The day the pack starts to muster, we will be gone before the call for a volunteer put out. As for what happens when he drops me behind the lines, I have no idea. I assume he will return here to fight until the war is over, and then we will live together until age takes me... That is of course if we both survive." Gussalen shrugged her shoulders, "I just wish things were different... but then again, if they were, he and I would never have met."

"You are treading a dangerous line Gussalen... I cannot protect you from Ysmay's jaws if she finds out your plans," Simeon warned.

"Then you had better ensure that she doesn't find out... What have we got anyhow? Half a moon?"

Simeon shook his head, "That I have no idea of... could be a moon, could be tomorrow."

"Then what will happen, will happen. Sign off my scrolls, let me pack a full knap of pre-prepared medicines... and jolly on the clan's woodwrights. With luck we never need confront her."

"I cannot prevent her from following..."

"By that time, she will be too busy with preparing for the fighting, to worry about following. Look Simeon, I am an adult, I know what I am doing. I just hope he is spared the heartbreak if I do not make it..."

"What of your heart?" Simeon whispered.

"My heart?"

"If we do not make it... if we lose. What if you come across his body...?"

Gussalen turned her head away, "Then I will lie with him, and die by whatever killed him, be that arrow or blade."

Simeon nodded, "That is all I needed to hear... I will cover for you. Let us hope that Lupinius smiles upon us all then. Go... work on some more of that confounded saltpetre... I will go and have a word with Herald, whom has also been acting strangely. Just do me a favour... tell Henry to get under the tail of a few bitches please... it may lift the pressure off him if Ysmay hears of it."

Gussalen grinned, "Do you fancy getting under my tail too?"

Simeon laughed out loud, "Now that would ensure you were skinned by Ysmay!"

~~~~

"Felinius!" Furrn cried aloud from where she and Herald were hidden in a thicket, just off the archery field.

"I didn't hurt you love, did I?" Herald asked, panting as his knot throbbed, just outside her nether lips.

"No... I mean yes, but you do take getting use to!" she replied looking down on him, her breathing infused with purrs as her hand-paws kneaded his chest reflexively.

It had taken some tentative experimentation, but doing it any way other than him being flat on his back in a submissive position, was the only way that their mutual needs could be accommodated. Her smaller feline body was just not able to take his efforts when he mounted her. If you were to ask Herald his opinion on the matter privately... well the thrill of having his throat exposed, and being totally helpless from the point of inception to climax, just added to the thrill of the liaisons!

"Rubbing the right spots again then?" he asked, a lopsided grin on his face as she bent down and stretched her neck out to kiss him.

"You could say that!" she replied, licking at the underside of his chin with her sandpapery tongue.

Lupinius... that felt good when it was working him over... so different from a bitch's. She rarely consented to it though... the one taboo of cat-ness that she was not apt to let go off just yet... Though she hardly complained when he cleaned her up though. It was a good thing he was flexible, and not worried about his own tastes... He would never enter his Dam's hut stinking of sex... or unanswerable questions would be asked.

"Want to continue?" he asked, his shaft still throbbing with need within her, though he knew she had already climaxed twice.

Furrn chuckled, "I am going to get that knot of yours in me for the first time, if it is the last thing I do! You may be the best ride I have ever had in my years love, but I know that you have never truly been satisfied by me!" she raised her hindquarters again until his tip barely graced her entrance that was running with her satisfaction.

Herald's eyes widened, "You don't have to! I mean... I want to, but it was just too painful for you..." he stuttered to a stop as she slammed down onto his crotch, her whole weight almost making his pelvis creak as his bushy tail was entangled with her more flexible one.

"I do!" she screeched, grinding against him, "For Felinius' sake, grind against me... please!" she rose again, half his length slurping free...

He closed his eyes, waiting for the decent to begin afresh, before he hooked his wolf legs over her back, and thrust to meet her drop. She yowled, every muscle in her body going rigid as he hammered himself upwards in the totally unnatural position the best he could, his superior muscle mass hugging her tight to him as her vulva tore slightly, the addition of the flush of mist-hot blood being just enough for his knot to vanish within her, her pelvis groaning as his tip pushed inches through her cervix, and deep into the hallowed chamber of her womb.

His eyes opened again as hot salty liquid dropped onto his neck, her body shaking and shivering, convulsing around his ever swelling knot as it fought for space in her ridiculously tight body. The tears were running from her scrunched up eyes, dripping in steady streams to fall upon him as he lay helplessly entrapped as her breaths formed shallow, staccato purrs, their puff dispersing in the cool of the mist laden, morning air.

"I can't stop it now love..." he panted, his instincts shifting compressed hips slightly, moving him as little as he could within her as every pulse of his rod seemed to hurt her more.

"Don't!" she breathed, "Please don't try... I wanted this!" Her eyes opened then, slightly bloodshot, "It will be better the next time... It was worse than losing my hymen, all those years ago... But oh so much more satisfying to do it with one worth doing it for..."

"Maybe we should have done it in human form, this first full tie..." Herald suggested, his legs gripping her tightly as his own conclusion drew close.

Furrn shook her head, "That would have been un-Were...It had to be this way, or not at all. Now stop thinking of me for once, and think of yourself! That way you can get your bloody knot out of me before we are discovered!"

Herald chuckled, closing his eyes with her as he switched his hips a few final times as she gritted her teeth. His balls drew up as tightly as they had ever been in the past, and with a final huge throb, he twitched, and his essence flooded her chamber, her yowl of triumph stuttering the air... through the claws that were gripping her throat... as his howl coughed out... through the jaws that had closed tightly around his...

****

Earlier...

"I am going out early this morning..." Simeon whispered to Ysmay so as not to disturb the sleeping pups.

Ysmay cocked her head at him, "Why? Going to try and catch Gussalen and Henry when they slip out?"

"No... and I told you, that much has been confirmed, and I am allowing it... The extra herb gathering has been much appreciated, trust me. I am not stopping them from having their fun love, but you know as well as I do that Henry has been a little more generous with himself recently, and the rumours have been quieted by that."

"Then why leave before dawn?" Ysmay queried, a frown passing across her face, as she really did not approve of any fun being allowed.

"Because I think that it is time to find out what my eldest son is up to... he has been lying to me and his Dam, but I am not sure why."

"Herald?"

"Yes... His tail has not become any looser since I spoke to him about it, and others have also been up on the archery field in the pre-dawn light... but they do not recall seeing him or Furrn there. There is something going on... and I dread to think of the consequences if it what I fear it could be."

Ysmay's eyes opened wide, "You don't mean...?"

"I do... Which is why Furdinand is coming with me. If it is as I fear, it cannot get back to Balthazar, or the conclave."

"What will you do? I mean, if it is as you fear?"

"I will do my duty... and end it. Furdinand will do his. I discussed the possibility of this last night with him," Simeon replied seriously.

"You will take your son to the circle?"

"I will..."

"Yet you wouldn't stop Gussalen..."

"Gussalen is different," Simeon growled, "And if you would get over your prejudices for just a moment, you would see it as well. Nothing can come of their relationship that could harm our chances of survival. If Herald is shagging Furrn though, it could split the pack and clan asunder."

Ysmay growled back angrily, "What will Furdinand do with Furrn?"

"It cannot be kept from the conclave... He thinks she will be banished back to the mountains. They may make an example of her though..."

"You mean?"

"Yes... they have been known to execute their traitors in the past. Furdinand fears that she may be viewed as such. Though he has admitted to knowing about Gussalen and Henry for long before you told me..."

"Why that sneaky..."

"Allie... Who thought that exposing the issue would just cause more trouble than it was worth... Plus he is happy at the concession I have given them... Even he though sees the problems an actual real relationship could cause between a Werecat and a Werewolf..."

"Says the cat that allows Amalie to blow him on every occasion... and has gone nose down under her tail..."

"Says the cat who has repeatedly told her, in my hearing and yours that he is allowing it for mutual reasons only, and that no relationship is possible other than friends..." Simeon sighed, "She isn't exactly holding her tail free for him love, she is as bad as Fel when it comes to fur-piling. I would be very surprised if she is still a virgin when Balthazar takes her publically."

Ysmay looked up at him sharply, "You must stop that... you know what that would mean..."

"Both Lucinda and I have firmly drummed into her the consequences if that proves the case... but well... She told us both that this generation of bitches are almost taking the attitude that they may never lose their virginities... before an arrow or blade takes their lives. The males are having all the fun they want, so why can't they... was her argument."

"Does Helewys know?" Ysmay asked, shocked, looking over at the almost mature pups.

"I can't imagine she doesn't... and she does have a point. Would you have wanted to face a war when you did not see yourself as truly an adult?" Simeon asked quietly.

Ysmay looked away for a second, "Probably not, though I would have gone to the Alpha and demanded relief in my first heat rather than my Dam... It would have been my duty..."

"Even if the humans stall, which they won't... War will come before their first heat..."

"You are not sanctioning Amalie's behaviour, are you?" Ysmay asked, shocked.

"How could I? She is my daughter... but I can understand her point of view. I have a feeling that there may be a rebellion from them when the humans begin to advance."

Ysmay swallowed hard, "I shall go talk to my Dam about this... it is against everything I have taught, or been taught..."

"So is war..." Simeon glanced at the doorframe where Furdinand was sitting silently in the shadows, "Now I must go love, or I will lose Herald's trail in the misty air."

Ysmay nodded, "Go then... I will approach Helewys at first light... Good hunting, though I really hope it isn't... for your sake."

Simeon swallowed hard, "So do I... I do not want to have to injure or kill my own son..."

****

"Whhhhhhaaaaa!?"

"Think very, very carefully on your next words son," Simeon growled, not letting his grip loose from around Herald's throat, "Or it ends now!"

Furrn's eyes were wild, rolling in her head as her body clamped tightly around Herald's spasming cock, and Furdinand's hands threatened to end her life around her throat, "I would say scout, that you should think very carefully as well... Or should I say traitor...?"

"How long have you been spying on us?" Herald choked out.

Simeon coughed in amusement, "What no apology? If I were Balthazar, your brain would be riding your final orgasm out as your throat bled your life's blood into the moss," Simeon released his hold and sat up, nodding towards Furdinand, "Release her, not like either can go anywhere for at least half a mark."

Herald just glared up at him, "So why am I not dead?"

"Because pup/Queen, it is obvious from the way you have been talking for the last mark, you are both as guilty of treason as the other," Furdinand growled, "You Herald, are almost excusable as a pup, but for Felinius' sake Furrn, you are more than old enough to know better!"

"And you are not, Furdinand? Getting blown by your pet wolf?" Furrn spat, her ruff up and back arched, even as her belly swelled with Herald's continued pumping.

"Mutual play is something entirely different Furrn, and you bloody know it. I heard you talking, just like Simeon did. This is not play, this is love. That is species treachery," Furdinand snarled back, striking her across the face with retracted claws.

"What were you thinking of Son?" Simeon asked quietly, "This could terminate the alliance. It could mean the extinction of the pack unless I make an example out of you..."

Herald swallowed hard, "I didn't think... it just happened between us. If I have to die, I will... but what of Furrn?"

Simeon glanced up at Furdinand, "Going on clan history, she could be strapped to one of her own targets..." the Werecat answered darkly.

Herald drew in a deep breath, as all the fight dropped from Furrn, "I... I thought banishment at the worst..." she whispered, "For him too..."

"Banishment is for disgrace only, Queen. What you are guilty of is treason..."

"Then rather than shoot me, I would die with him in the circle instead. I made this choice, and it was a conscious one, Healer. If I have to, I will die by it," Furrn replied flatly, tears in her eyes.

"That is for the conclave to decide," Furdinand replied gravely.

"We will leave you now... I was hoping to find an innocent reason for Herald's lies. Complete your tie, and then report to the clan buildings Furrn... Herald, I will see you at the Alpha hut. If either of you are not there in one mark, you will both be outcast... and we will hunt you down." Simeon turned, stalking out of the thicket, with tears in his eyes, Furdinand following with a switching tail.

"What do we do?" Furrn whispered, as she collapsed on his chest.

"There is nothing we can do, but to die with honour, if we both value our relatives. Better go to our Gods, knowing that the clan and pack have a chance together, rather than running for our own pleasures..." Herald replied, licking her face. There was a lewd slurp, as finally her womb and passage could hold no more and his essence began squirting out around his very swollen knot.

Furrn smiled weakly, "That is one thing you wolves have, that us cats don't... honour and loyalty to a fault. Promise me this lover... if they do not grant me my wish of death in the circle with you, you will escape and run to me, to take my throat before the bows can be drawn..."

"I promise love... I promise to do my best... to honour my Queen's wishes..." Herald breathed back quietly, as they waited for possibly their final parting in the silence that enveloped them....