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Norteim

Ten years earlier

For the third time that week I took up my sword and shield and stood proud and strong against a foul beast. It roared and snarled at me, the creature's foul smelling breath nearly knocking me over. The beast was a demon of some kind, with rust-brown skin and large black wings that spanned twice my height. It ran at me, and I quickly thrust my sword up into his neck and slayed it.

I heard loud cheers behind me and grunted as a weight tackled me from behind. I rolled over and smiled as I was hugged by a blond-haired human teenager. With a groan I stood up and set my sword and shield to the ground beside me. I held the boy to me, rubbing his back as I began to walk towards a doorway.

"What happened this time James?" I asked, ruffling his hair with my free paw, "Did that bastard husband of yours tell you another scary story?"

The boy looked down and nodded. I sighed planting a kiss on his forehead.

"Come on," I began, "Let me get you in bed."

"He said if I had any more nightmares he'd beat me," James began, "They go away when you grow up right?"

I chuckled as I walked into a small but cozy carpeted bedroom.

"How old do you think I am?" I asked, laying him down on the small bed.

"I don't know," He replied with a smirk, "40?"

"Try younger," I chuckled, "Remember my kind ages differently from yours."

"25?" James began, "I don't know how you wolves are."

I sat on his bed stretching out. He chuckled and poked me.

"So tell me," He began, getting under the covers, "I honestly want to know."

"I'm 13," I replied, poking him back, "Same as you."

I lay down on top of the covers and started to close my eyes. He shook me and pouted, sitting up in bed. I chuckled, rolling over on my side to look at him.

"So if we're the same age," He began, "Why don't you ever you know, do anything with me?"

I snorted, sitting up and chuckling nervously.

"It's uh different," I began, "You and uh me, urm can't happen."

James frowned.

"Why not?" He replied, "I mean you and I have shared a bed for like the past month."

"I don't think we should," I said as I nonchalantly rubbed his arm, "I wouldn't feel right taking advantage of you like that."

"It wouldn't be that way though," James replied, "I mean I want it too."

"Just drop it James," I snapped, my ears immediately lowering as I saw the hurt look on the human's face.

"Alright," James said, looking down and away from me.

I sighed and got up from the bed, starting to walk towards the doorway. James sighed and rolled over looking away from me. I stopped in the doorway and turned back to look over him. I watched him flinch at a loud noise that seemed to reverberate throughout the small room. He whimpered and I sighed, getting in bed with him and holding him tightly.

"Why did this have to happen to me?" James asked, starting to cry, "Why did they make me marry him?"

I held him tighter.

"Sometimes the world isn't fair," I replied, rubbing his back, "Sometimes, things just happen to you before you're ready."

He looked up at me.

"Is that what happened to you?" He asked, "Is that why you're here with me?"

I sighed and looked down.

"I'm here because you needed me," I replied, kissing his forehead, "These things happen to everyone James."

"Death too?" He asked.

"Especially death," I replied with a snort, "You aren't a kid anymore James, you need to try and grow up if you want to make it through this."

"I-I know," James began, "I just wish you were here with me and not just in my dreams."

"I know James," I said, kissing his forehead, "Just remember that I am with you whenever you need me."

The human nodded and kissed my nose.

"Now come on, let's get to bed," I began with a yawn, "I'm really quite tired."

We shared a silence after that. He began to rub my arms and pulled himself closer to me. I rubbed his back, kissing his cheek before laying my head over his. I felt him shift against me, his legs opening slightly to allow mine to rest between them.

"What are you doing?" I asked, moving back to look down at him.

"Does it feel better when you're older?" He asked, looking down at my crotch.

I blinked, not sure what he was asking.

"Does what feel better?" I began, starting to feel uncomfortable.

"You know mating," James replied, "The king said it would once I did it with him a few times, but it hasn't yet."

I barely managed to stifle a growl and quell the rising anger within me. If I could, I would rip the bastard's throat out if he even thought of treating James the way he did. I cleared my throat and sighed, holding him close.

"You need to be older," I explained, "Sure you could probably bed someone, just, not the way that your husband does it with you."

"Would it feel better with you?" He asked, "You should know, I'm sure you've mated lots before."

I blushed and looked down, trying to hide my embarrassment from the human.

"I-I never got the chance to," I began, slowly regaining my composure.

James looked at me quizzically, lifting my head up to look me in the eyes. I sighed and nuzzled him, squeezing him tightly against me.

"There's no reason why you can't with me," He began, moving his hand down to rub my chest, "The king taught me some things, and I bet you would like it. I mean he seems to like it a lot."

I looked over the human in my arms and sighed, giving him another kiss on the cheek. The blankets over us shifted as I rolled myself on top of him. He looked up at me wide-eyed and shrunk away from me. I sighed and let him up, feeling sick to my stomach.

"Maybe later," I began, looking down and away from him.

"I-I'm sorry," James began, getting back in my arms, "Why can't you have sex with someone from your home?"

I bit my lip, trying to think of a sufficient lie to explain my predicament to the human. I held him tightly and sighed.

"Cause," I began, "Because I just can't."

James nodded and cuddled up to me, holding my paws tightly. I smiled, nuzzling him as I started to fall asleep.

"Hey," He said quietly, "Can you tell me your name?"

"It's Norteim," I replied, "Now come on and rest."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

James

I awoke slowly, feeling the life return to my limbs. I sat up with a groan and stretched. As I did so, I looked down at my body and saw that I had even more bandages covering me. Suori mewled quietly beside me, curling his body tighter around mine. I gasped loudly, quickly remembering what happened to me.

"What is it?" Suori roared as he jumped up, "Danger? Enemies?"

I chuckled.

"None of the above," I replied, petting his back softly, "I just remembered how I got here."

Suori frowned and nuzzled my side.

"You should rest," He began, "I'll go and do a patrol."

"No I should patrol," I replied, making the tiger stop in his tracks and growl.

"You will do no such thing," Suori countered, turning around, "You will stay in that bed until you are all better."

"What if I don't want to?" I asked with a smirk, starting to get up from the bed.

Suori pounced on to the bed, quickly laying himself down on top of me. I feigned a groan of pain and big cat immediately jumped off me. He sat beside me, licking over my face and whining. I coughed and sputtered, trying to get away from the tiger.

"I'm sorry," He began, his head hung low, "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Oh you didn't," I replied, playfully batting his ears with my uninjured arm.

The big cat growled and pounced on me the same as before. I chuckled and rubbed over the wound on his head gingerly. I sighed, hugging him tightly.

"You were really brave," I began, rubbing his neck, "I don't know what would have happened if you didn't stand up for me like that."

Suori purred and nuzzled up to my hand, his tail swaying happily.

"It wasn't all me you know," He replied, "That wolf did a lot of the work too."

I sat up immediately and cried out in pain as I jostled my arm. Suori jumped up as well, looking at me concernedly.

"Where's that wolf?" I asked as I got up.

I was in a small, one room log cabin with a loft. It was modestly furnished and had only one bed. There was no fire in the fireplace, and no sign of any other living thing except for me and Suori. I staggered up to the loft and immediately collapsed into the sofa out there. I began to look out the window and sighed.

"He's gone," I said to no one in particular.

Suori followed me up the stairs and sat on the floor in front of the sofa.

"He said he had to work," The tiger replied, "He left right after he got us to the cabin."

I sighed.

"Did you catch his name?" I asked, putting my head in my hands.

The tiger shook his head.

"He led us here and left," Suori replied, "He was in a big hurry though."

"Well maybe I can do something to thank him," I began, slowly making my way downstairs, "Do you know where he keeps his food?"

Suori chuckled and directed me to the table downstairs with his nose. There was some fruit, cheese and sausage on a wooden plate and a loaf of rye bread lying beside it. I blinked, looking down at the tiger.

"So what," I began, "Is this all the food he has?"

Suori nodded.

"I looked too," The tiger began, "He set this out for you when he left."

"Well when will he be back?" I asked, "I mean that's maybe two meals at the most."

The tiger looked out the window and churred.

"I'll hunt if he's not back by tomorrow," Suori began with a rumble, "There's lots of naïve prey in these woods."

I rolled my eyes and sat down, starting to eat the loaf of rye bread. It was homemade and tasted amazing. I quickly finished it off and sat down, content. I felt sleep begin to creep in on me again and stood up. Suori looked at me and frowned.

"You shouldn't be walking about so much," My mount began, "You should sit down and rest."

"I need to find out more about my rescuer," I replied, beginning to look around the small cabin, "That way I know what I can do for him."

I began to look through drawers, but aside from a few knick-knacks and odds and ends, they were empty. I went back to the bed I was sleeping in and found an open letter laying out in the open on a nightstand. After a quick personal debate, I sat on the bed and looked over it. Suori came in with a large bird in his mouth and began to eat it on the floor.

"Suori come on," I began, looking at him with disgust, "There's gonna be blood all over the floor now."

The big cat snorted.

"Well you should be thanking me," He replied, "I gave you something to do to pay the wolf back."

I rolled my eyes and started to read the letter. After a few loud gulps and sounds of ripping flesh, Suori got up in the bed with me and looked over the aged parchment in my hands.

"What is that?" The tiger asked, "Is it a letter?"

I looked up from it and nodded.

"I figured I could use it to figure out his name," I began, reading through it, "Huh, it says here that his name is Tane Stoneclaw."

"Do you recognize the name?" The tiger asked, putting his bloodied maw on my lap.

"It's a royal family that used to live across the sea," I began, "I think they're further north than we are though."

The tiger rolled his eyes, clearly bored of the conversation already. I smirked and continued talking to spite him.

"Yeah they ruled for about 40 years until a royal family of polar bears executed the king and queen," I continued, "He must be one of the last ones left."

"What's the letter about?" Suori asked, stifling a yawn.

I read over it more closely.

"It's from his brother," I began, "He was sick."

"Is he ok?" Suori asked, his ears perking up at a sound I could not hear.

"It doesn't say," I replied, looking up at him, "What is it?"

"Drums," he replied as he moved to the window, "And singing, mournful singing."

As I set the letter down a picture fell out. I picked it up and moved to the window. I chuckled seeing that it was a funeral procession. A large group of furs and humans walked down the road near the cabin, carrying the body of a large bear atop a makeshift bed. I snorted.

"Maybe Adbar died after I stuck him," I began, "Serves the bastard right."

I looked down at the picture in my hand and saw two nearly identical black wolves. I couldn't help but shake the feeling that the other one was familiar to me. Regardless, they were dressed in the coat of arms of their family, and looked happy. Suori nudged me hard and I gasped in surprise.

"What is it?" I asked, "And why the hell did you have to hit me so hard?"

"Look," The tiger began, his eyes wide.

I humored him and gasped. As the procession moved forward, I was able to get a clearer look at the body being carrying. Laying in the bed was my husband, dressed in his finest armor. He looked like he was merely sleeping, but this was one sleep that he would never wake from. I spat out the window, and stepped back.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tane Stoneclaw

Two days earlier

I felt bad leaving the human alone, but I needed the money. The actual job came to me as I was lying in bed in Hywood, with a gorgeous she-wolf sleeping beside me. I groaned as I read over it and got out of bed. The job was back in the town of Hirivik, the town where I had just came from. I threw a gold pouch on the bed and left, quietly collecting my things and moving stealthily out of town.

It took me the remainder of the day and all night to travel to the city's stone gates. I sighed, seeing my friend the captain of the guard, standing at morning watch. I pulled out my bow and notched a crudely made arrow to it as I hid in a bush. This was the worst part of my job.

My job was killing royals for money. I was very good at it too and was responsible for the majority of the assassinations for the last ten years in the continent of Ondel. My bounty was the bear king, Gudli, who had managed to anger a neighboring family of royal canines. The underhanded dealings of the nobility who paid me to do these things never bothered me. After all it's better that one fat king dies instead of legions of his people.

"I'm sorry my friend," I began quietly as I loosed my arrow.

I had been told to make it look like a bandit raid, and the best way to do that was to kill a multitude of guards. I killed three more guards after the captain before silently slinking into the city. It was still quiet, which allowed me to walk most of the way to the palace. Just as I was about to reach the front door the alarm began to sound and guards swarmed the entryway.

"Go back to your home citizen," The guard stated as he brandished his battle-axe at me, "The palace is on lockdown until we figure out what is happening."

I cursed under my breath walked around the corner, hiding behind a house. This simple assassination had turned into something much more complicated. I now had to find another way into the castle without being hacked to death by palace guards. The only surefire way to enter would be through the sewers, but I really did not want to go that route.

The palace was in the center of the town and had buildings along all sides of it. I began to walk around the perimeter, looking for any sort of entry way. At the rear end of the palace I found one, a small opened window on the ground level. After making sure the coast was clear, I crouched down and slowly made my way up to the window.

I looked inside and saw a barren empty hallway. I left my bow and quiver outside and hid them well against the wall. I sighed and entered through the window. I was alone in the servant's quarters, and was able to straighten up and walk through them normally. Suddenly, I heard a quiet voice call out behind me.

"Are you a guard?" It asked.

I turned around to see a half-naked and busty husky girl looking over me. I turned and smiled at her, looking her over as I pushed my chest out.

"Yes ma'am," I replied, "Now why are you out and about?"

She looked down and blushed.

"I needed to bathe sir," She replied, "Surely that wasn't bad right?"

I looked deep in thought, putting my paw under my chin and looking down. She whined, slowly backing away from me.

"No," I began, "No I suppose it is ok."

She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at me. I chuckled.

"You are very pretty," I continued, giving her my best smile, "Can a pretty girl like you do a favor for a guy like me?"

She blushed and smiled again, tittering nervously.

"Well I don't know if my master would like that," She began, looking down and away, "I suppose it would depend on what that favor was."

"Is there a secret way to the king's chambers?" I asked, moving in close to her.

"Are you an assassin?" She asked me, her eyes widening as she put her back to the wall.

I sighed and didn't answer me.

"If you are," She continued, "Promise me that you will kill Adbar as well."

I blinked and coughed.

"Pardon me miss but I'm not sure that I heard that correctly," I replied.

"You did," She began, getting in close to me, "If you do that, I promise that I will do anything that you desire of me."

"Of course," I lied, "Just tell me where to go and I'll make sure it's done."

She smiled and kissed my cheek. I smirked and kissed her back on the lips, holding her tightly. With a blush she grabbed my paw and started to lead me to the entrance. We came to a hallway sealed by a brick wall. She pushed a pattern of bricks in to reveal a door.

"Good luck," She began, rubbing my chest, "I'll be ready for you when he's dead."

I smirked and gave her another kiss goodbye before turning and walking into the dark hallway. It was well-maintained and clean, although it smelled of more than a few trysts. I saw the outline of an exit in the distance, hidden behind a tapestry. I knelt down and stopped to listen. I saw the crowned king, standing in the center of the room.

"I don't care how long it takes," I heard the king shout, "You bring that insolent brat's head back to me or else."

"But brother," Another voice began, "Perhaps it is best to let him go. You could then turn your attentions to other issues, such as the war that is just outside your borders."

The king scoffed.

"The war that those filthy dogs want me to be involved in," He growled, "I hope they are all wiped out."

"Your ignorance is too much for me brother," The other voice replied, "I am going to get a drink."

I smirked as I heard the king's brother's footstep's diminish in volume. I stepped out from behind the tapestry and pulled out a knife. I lunged forward and stabbed the king twice in the chest, the blade rebounding uselessly off of his concealed armor. He coughed and shoved me off of him. He laughed.

"You stupid boy," The king taunted as he pulled out a sword, "I was told that you were coming."

I growled, brandishing my knife as the king's brother entered with two guards. I stood my ground, waiting to fight to the death. The king's brother looked at me and snarled, stabbing his sword under his brother's arm. The guards gasped and cried out in pain as the bear took his sword to their necks as well. I gasped as one of their decapitated heads rolled to a stop at my feet.

"I am Adbar," The other bear began, "I presume that you are the assassin sent by the Aetheri Family?"

I nodded, still taken aback by the act of fratricide I had just witnessed.

"I have need of you," The bear continued, "Can you perhaps do some work for me?"

I looked up.

"That depends on the nature of the work," I replied.

Adbar chuckled and patted me on the back. He turned and took the bloodstained crown off of his dead brother's brow. With a smirk he put it on and turned to look at me, drops of blood starting to run down the side of his face.

"I need you to bring me someone," Adbar said, sheathing his sword, "A human who has done a grievous harm to me and my late brother."

"I don't do that," I replied, "I only kill royals for royals, nothing else."

"Then your services are no longer needed," The new king continued with a smirk, "You will get what is coming to you in time."

I nodded, gathering my things and starting to go back down the way I had come. As the connotations of the words said by the new king dawned on me, I began to sprint. The female servant looked up at me hopefully and sighed as I ran past her. She screamed out an alarm as I quickly jumped out the small window and collected my things. I walked as nonchalantly as I could away from the palace and was soon back under the cover of houses.

I was quickly swept up by a mob of people rushing towards the palace. They were chanting and crying, pushing me fervently ahead with them to the palace grounds. Adbar was standing at the palace steps, still wearing his brother's bloodstained crown. I ducked down and moved through the crowd quietly as he began to give a speech. As I came to the front gate, I saw a train of people carrying the king's body aloft.

I moved into the rear of the column, bowing my head and moving slowly with the rest of the citizens. The guards didn't pay us any mind, and allowed everyone through the city gates without hesitation. It was slow going, but in little time at all we were in the forest surrounding my home. I growled and tried to free myself from the procession, but was gripped from behind by a pair of arms.

"Going somewhere?" A female's voice growled.

I sighed.

"Just let me go Malia," I began, "I need to get out of here."

"You need to come back and marry me," The collie replied, "I'm pregnant and you're the father."

I rolled my eyes.

"Like you possibly know that," I said angrily, "Now get out of my way."

I whined as the procession went past my house. Malia pushed something sharp into my back, the tip pricking the skin. I growled.

"Let go of me or I'll make you regret this," I growled, my paws going to my own dagger.

All of a sudden, a loud screech pierced the air. I ducked my head down as I pair of sharp claws descended from the sky and shredded the poor soul's back in front of me.

"Gryphon!" A guard shouted as he loosed an arrow in the creature's direction.

I took the chance to run into the woods and hide as the gryphon turned and took off a guard's head. After an hour the entire funeral procession was slaughtered. I sighed and shook my head, walking back up the road to my house. I blushed as I walked, realizing that the human would probably be awake when I got back. As I got to my door, I felt my heart start to dance in my chest.

Suddenly, I was taken to the ground by a massive headache. I gasped in pain, gripping my head with both paws. I heard a voice rumble in my head angrily.

PROTECT HIM. KEEP HIM SAFE.

As quickly as it started, the headache was gone. I sighed, slowly rising to my feet.

"I need to get him out of here," I said to myself, before walking into my cabin.