Primal (Part 1)
#2 of The Gwyd Chronicles
A wolf challenges one of the most popular thief in his guild, things don't turn out exactly as planned.
This is a continuation of my story The Basilisk. I suggest you go read that before reading this chapter, it is nsfw so reader discretion is advised. Thank you for reading!
Badum dadum darum, chipper, excited. That was the melody running through a wolf's mind. He nodded his head according to the rhythm. La da dum dadum darum. It was one of those tunes that sticks all day, ever persistent. Made one sway their shoulders while imagining an audience clapping along. The wolf wasn't certain where he had heard the melody, it was possibly a bard song he heard on the way to the hideout. That made sense, damn birds were always coming up with new and catchy songs.
"Arno!" The wolf was snapped out of his thoughts, the song in his head still lingered but he was no longer ignoring his comrades at the table. He glanced over to the rat that had called his attention. "There he is, where were you just now? Looked as if you were having yer prick sucked by a fine bitch!" The surrounding companions laughed, but immediately silenced themselves after they saw Arno bring down his knuckle on the rat's skull.
"What the hell, Arno!" said the rat rubbing his head.
"You were being annoying, Delbi" said the wolf as he brought his attention to his mug of ale. The bitter taste brought back some clarity, even though it had caused his hangover in the first place.
"S'not my fault ye decided to drink yerself stupid last night," said the rat rubbing the spot he was struck on. "I'm gonna have Verdugo look at me and I swear if ye did some damage I'm gonna sick Elov on you." Arno simply rolled his eyes at the mention of Elov, just then as if on cue he saw the slender ferret walk past the group. Gently striding with a book in his hand.
"Leave me out of it pups," said Elov as he walked by. "I'm not your caretaker nor am I anyone's bodyguard." He continued walking down the large room of the hideout that was repurposed as a dining hall. There was no denying that Arno had an intense distaste for the arrogant ferret. The entire guild held him in high esteem and he barely did any work. Meanwhile Arno and all the "underlings" were scrounging coins and purses every day to earn their keep. Elov comes in one day with a big flower made of jewels and suddenly everyone cheers for him. Then he spends the next few days lounging about like a fat ermine monarch. All because he used "gwyd". The guild appeared to revere everyone who used gwyd. Elov, Verdugo, Antheia, everyone loved them even though they didn't exactly go out of their way to talk to everyone. Elov always stayed out of sight and read his books, Antheia was rarely ever in the hideout and Verdugo while quite sociable, only wanted to have a quick romp with anyone that was willing.
Arno was convinced that these gwydions looked down on everyone, placed themselves at a much higher stature than those who didn't possess their talent. That was why he worked his body so hard, confident that his sheer size and strength alone could down any gwydion he wanted. Of course he had never had the chance to fight one, a thief rarely ever ran into them. He could do it though, right?
"Has anyone seen Elov or Verdugo fight?" Said Arno, the question caught the group at the table off guard. The wolf's rat friend beamed up after seconds of thought.
"Ye, don't you read the papers?" Arno shook his head at Delbi's question. He didn't know how to read, but he wasn't open about that fact. "Heard they took out an entire squad of guards and tied them up in nothing but their skeevies!" The surrounding companions at the table released hearty laughs at that brief story. They asked for another one. "Oh, let me tell ya. Heard a story about them stealing the viscount's treasured gold carnation pin. Challenged the Basilisk on the spot and I shite ye not, two seconds after the challenge Elov springs up with his mask on, swipes it and runs off!" That story earned another round of laughter at the table.
"But have you actually seen them fight?" Prodded the wolf, all this dancing around the topic was aggravating him, he could feel the ebony fur on his head and back spike out. No one really spoke up. "Isn't that strange for you? Everyone loved them to death but no one see's if they've actually done what the stories say they do."
"W-Well Elov's a charmer ya see," said the rat. "No one's supposed to see what he does. He confounds 'em and does his whole velvet thing."
"I think he's just lucky," said Arno. "I bet the weasel has Verdugo do most of the fighting for him. Can't handle a single guard without help." They saw the ferret walk past them once again, casually striding towards the bedrooms of the hideout.
"He didn't mean it Elov!" called out Delbi to the ferret.
"You act as if I give a fuck of what the pup says," said Elov, stopping for just a moment. "I know when I'm not wanted, however. So I'll go some place with less tension." The ferret left the group and waved as he made his way out. At that moment Arno felt an intense hatred for the ferret.
"Dammit Arno!" said the Rat as he shoved the massive wolf, only sparking his anger even more. "Ye gotta go apologize to him!"
"...Yeah," said Arno, still fuming. "I think I'll go do that right now." The wolf stomped away, his lumbering form emitting more malice than usual.
"I think we should go get Verdugo," said Delbi to the group.
Elov sat in his room, it was exactly the same as every other "room" in the hideout. It connected into underground catacombs that once housed the withered corpses of the long deceased. The rooms consisted of just enough space for someone's belongings and an alcove large enough for most races to use as a bed. It was a very convenient place to sleep, if you could get over the fact that someone dead used to be there. That was a time before Elov, before Lutra was even the capital. Generations of having it occupied by the thieves guild did a good job of removing the unsettling atmosphere. In addition, the corpses were all burned according to records so any chance of grave fiends might as well be nonexistent. Elov sighed as he read his book by candlelight, settling into his padded alcove and removing his shirt to cool off. He read a few paragraphs from his book before igniting his velvet, sending out waves of energy in all directions.
Right on time, thought the ferret as he sensed an aggressive presence approaching his door. Elov sensed a fuming desire to inflict bodily harm, however it was still under control. He wanted to be safe though, so he went ahead and diminished that emotion. The wolf was lingering by the door, not knocking, just standing there. Elov could hear his breathing across the wood, it was slowing down. A bit of a good and bad thing, the last thing he wanted was to give the wolf a reason to hit him, however angry people were easier to influence. Elov decided to not wait any longer and threw the door open. He caught the wolf off guard, he looked down at the ferret with a surprised expression.
"Arno," saluted Elov as he leaned on the door frame. The massive wolf straightened, elov could sense him searching for the right words.
"You knew I was here?" Asked the wolf.
"Velvet lets you sense the projection of thoughts even at a distance, which allows you to..." Elov stopped himself. "Why am I telling you this? You obviously don't care." The ferret tugged at the wolf's anger slightly as well as his pride. He planted a thought, that Elov thought he was of a lesser intellect. Which wasn't completely incorrect, but there was much more to it than that. Arno was quick to get to conclusions, however. Granted, Elov was pushing towards said conclusions with his velvet.
"Awfully confident when you're filled with velvet," said the wolf. Elov found the way his muscles tensed up when he was angry to be quite alluring. Such a shame Arno preferred women, it didn't stop Elov from planting the thought that the ferret looked attractive without a shirt on. He tried his luck and slipped in the thought of Elov not wearing anything at all. The wolf responded by shaking his head of the thought. It took everything Elov had to not chuckle. All his teasing did have a purpose, however. Arno was still not aware that he was being influenced, which was bad considering that he wanted to fight a charmer. It was good for something else that the ferret had in mind.
"Well that and my dashing good looks seem to help," said Elov with a smile. "But I can tell that's not what you're interested in. You don't like Gwydions. Why is that?"
"None of your damn business," snarled Arno. Elov decided to investigate further. Apparently he held the exact reason closely guarded, even on a subconscious level. If the ferret would try to enter that thought then the wolf would definitely know of the intrusion. Elov knew well enough to respect people on that level, there were sometimes a few lines even a charmer won't cross. Any charmer that isn't a complete prick that is. He wasn't done with the wolf, however.
"So why are you bothering me?" Asked Elov. "You call me a buggering coward and now you disturb my reading. You should know that I'm not above disciplining misbehaving pups." That would have driven the wolf over the edge if Elov hadn't shoved down Arno's rage with velvet. The ferret acted quickly and elevated his sense of pride, honor, and desire to humiliate the charmer before him.
"I'd like to see you try, runt," Arno narrowed his eyes. "Fight me in front of the whole guild. Let's see if your precious velvet can stand against a real fighter."
Jackpot. Thought the ferret, before he could respond however, he sensed another presence quickly approaching. This one's anger paled in comparison to the wolf's. Elov ignited his velvet and immediately sent out a thought to the presence. "Don't attack him I have everything where I want it." Time slowed down as he waited for a response. Verdugo wasn't known for rationality when provoked.
"...Are you certain?" Verdugo's thoughts came to Elov.
"Yes, trust me on this." Replied Elov.
"I'm still coming to make sure he doesn't do anything." Verdugo's "mental" voice was fairly stoic. Elov knew him enough to know that wasn't a good sign.
"I accept!" Said Elov with a grin. "My gwyd against your muscle I presume?"
"Yeah," Arno smiled at his own confidence.
"The stakes?"
"No stakes," said the wolf. "If I win everyone will know you're nothing without your gwyd."
"And if I win people will simply be reassured that I'm amazing," Elov rolled his eyes and gave a half shrug. "I need something to make it worthwhile. How about, a romp in the baths and you do whatever I say afterwards?" Arno was taken aback by the offer.
"And what? Turn me into your slave or something?" He growled.
"Only for the remainder of the night," said Elov. "I don't see why it's so ridiculous. If you're as confident as you seem about your abilities then it should be a non issue." The wolf snorted in frustration.
"Fine," said Arno. "Then I'll see--"
"What have we here?" Verdugo suddenly appeared before the group. It cause both the wolf and ferret to jump. The snake's "natural" hood was extended slightly more than usual, something that Elov picked up on. He would normally only have it out to any degree when he was ready to fight someone. "Arno didn't know you and Elov were on speaking terms." Verdugo's smile and cheerful disposition was obviously a facade, at least Elov was certain of it. He needed to get the Wolf out of here before there would be a brawl in front of his room.
"I was just--"
"Yes! Arno I'll see you tonight," interrupted Elov. "May the best man win and all that nonsense." Arno nodded to the ferret, then at Verdugo. He made his way out of the sleeping quarters, back towards the dining hall. Verdugo waited until the wolf was away from reasonable hearing distance.
"And what was that about?" Asked the Snake sternly.
"I really hate it when you get all 'motherly doctor' on me." Said Elov as he crossed his arms. "I can handle my own battles."
"That's not answering the question," prodded Verdugo.
"Oh, I just accepted his challenge to fight him tonight." Verdugo's eyes widened in response. "You should get Antheia, she'll want to see this."
"What are you planning, Elov?"
"I'll tell you once Antheia is here," the ferret winked. Verdugo sighed, and shook his head as he slithered away. "I'll need some velvet and azure as well, two of each!"
Word of the fight began to spread relatively quickly. Members of the guild began to swarm into the hideout, everyone looking into the "rumor" of the Basilisk being challenged into a fight. Even members that rarely visited the hideout had come to see what the commotion was about. The dining hall had its tables moved, some of the smaller races had used them to be able to look over the crowd. It was admittedly surprising for Arno, he had not expected so many to show up. Even as he stood in the room packed with thieves, information brokers, and con artists, it was all very hard to believe. There was a chalk board by the end of the room where written down was the current pot for what everyone was wagering. It was all chaos, he had never seen the guild this excited over something.
It all died down once Elov showed up. The ferret walked in, with Verdugo behind him. Everyone began to immediately spread out making room for the fight. Smaller beings sat on the shoulders of their larger companions, cheering on the fight. Arno felt several people pat him on the shoulder as he moved over to take his position. The wolf's rat friend showed up by his side, while Arno wouldn't admit it he was happy to have him. Verdugo gestured Elov to come closer to him and then began to look into his eyes, then into his mouth. Elov stuck his tongue out.
"What's he doing?" Asked Arno to Delbi.
"Checking to make sure he doesn't have any gwyd in his system," said the rat. "Since he'll be taking three vials before the fight he won't want him to overdose." Moments later Verdugo nodded to the ferret and gave him three vials. Two red ones and a blue one. Elov downed the three vials like shots of whiskey, grimacing at the after taste they left behind. Immediately after being consumed, lines began to appear on the ferret's face. Curse marks. They were very noticeable around his eyes, but less so where he had thicker fur. Elov stepped into the ring and removed his shirt, standing bare chested in front of the crowd. His hands were wrapped in bandages just like Arno's, it took a moment to realize that the curse marks on the ferret were also partially visible on his chest and back.
Something else caught the wolf's gaze as well. Off in the audience, by the entrance, he saw a slender figure staring at him. A bat. She seemed excited, yet composed. She was not paying much attention to Elov however, just Arno specifically. He knew her of course, or more like he knew of her. It as the third gwydion of the guild, Antheia. Why was she staring at him? It made the wolf uncomfortable to say the least. He saw her flick her ears and move her mouth. She was saying something to him.
"Good luck," at least that's what Arno thought she said. The wolf averted his gaze, he brought his focus back to the fight. He saw Elov moving towards the center as well as Verdugo. Arno got up and began to move.
"Quiet!" Called out Verdugo with a booming voice. He released a small hiss while spreading out his hood. The crowd quickly died down. "Alright, let me go over the rules. We're only going for punches, so no claws, and no biting. Elov is allow to use the gwyd he has at his disposal, so long as it is non lethal. We're going for three rounds consisting of three minutes or until one of you is knocked out. I will be forced to intervene if any of you go overboard. Are these rules understood?"
"Yes," said Elov with his usual nonchalance. Despite himself, Arno could feel the adrenalin pumping. He began to do his best to relax his nerves, he remembered the song swimming in his head earlier that day. Badum dadum darum, chipper, excited. He inhaled and exhaled.
"I understand the rules," said Arno. Without further delay, Verdugo backed into the crowd, deflating his hood back into his body. The two fighters took their positions. They raised their paws. Arno making fists and assuming his offensive stance. Meanwhile Elov kept his fingers spread out. One might have mistook it for him readying his claws, but the wolf knew that it was more of a defensive stance. They both waited for Verdugo's signal.
"Round one," began the snake. "FIGHT!"
Elov charged in, it caught the wolf off guard. Someone so small, at least compared to him, should not go for the direct approach. It was suicide. The wolf decided to reward his arrogance and decided to deliver a quick jab. The punch connected, it sent the ferret back, but something was wrong. Horribly wrong. As soon as the ferret hit the ground his image vanished, as if nothing was there to begin with.
What? Thought the wolf, staring into the spot where the ferret was. How did--
Arno quickly discovered where the ferret actually was. He felt a small foot stomp down the pit of his knee, forcing him to a lower height. The intense pain was increased tenfold as he felt an elbow crash into the back of his skull. The wolf's form came down against the cold, stone floor. The areas struck throbbed with a sharp sting, spreading out in tandem with his heartbeat. Arno grunted in pain as he pushed himself off the floor. He was on his knees as he saw the ferret allowing him to get back up.
"You could have kept hitting me," growled Arno, feeling his rage build up.
"And where's the fun in that?" replied Elov. "Your move, pup."
"Don't call me pup!" said Arno as he rushed in, launching a flurry of jabs. This time Elov did not vanish, however he did turn out to be a slippery one. He easily evaded the attacks coming his way, only adding to the wolf's frustration. In an effort to finish the match in one blow he delivered a sweeping kick. By all accounts the ferret should have not been able to dodge it, it would have been too fast. He would needed to predict his movements. But he did dodge, he leaped into the air, higher than anyone could realistically jump. It was as if he were launched. What came next was the ferret's open palm colliding into his muzzle. One two, one two. The attack sent the wolf back, falling on his rear.
He was dumbfounded, befuddled, flabbergasted. He didn't even know what flabbergasted meant but he was certain that he was feeling it. The attack shouldn't have been enough to knock him down, to add to his confusion the room began to spin. The bright oil lamps brought forth a blinding incandescence. The audience was a jumbled mess of color and sound. All of his senses were being assaulted, as if they could be attacked in a literal sense. It almost became too much for him, until--
"Round over!" The cacophony stopped, he was back in the ring, sitting next to Delbi.
"Feeling okay?" Asked the Rat as he handed a mug of water to the wolf.
"I don't remember walking back here," said Arno, trying to relax.
"Ah shite!" said Delbi. "Elov's already in yer head!"
"Then how do I beat him?!" Arno's anger was back in full swing.
"I dunno!" shrugged the rat. "Don't trust what you see."
"How am I supposed to fight him if I can't see him?" The wolf was beginning to panic now. He was beginning to see the ferret's power, how much power he had over him. How was he certain that what he was seeing now was real? Was the round really over or did he just have him standing aimlessly as the ferret continued to strike him? Everything felt wrong.
"Round two," Called out Verdugo. "Fight!" As soon as Elov began to approach, he multiplied. Again and again and again. Soon the entire ring was filled with cocky ferrets. All of them smiling as they advanced. Arno kept his guard up, then they attacked. Distress began to overwhelm the wolf as he held up his arms to fend off attacks there were probably not there to begin with. They felt real however, he could feel the punches connecting. How could they all possibly be fake? How could he hope to beat Elov? One punch connected and drove him back while he felt a kick that pushed him back into the fray. His guard dropped momentarily, enough to see the crowd before him, to see the girl that had been staring at him. Antheia. She began to mouth something at him, he could almost hear what she was saying. He could make it out.
"Behind you."
Arno moved quickly, he didn't even think about it. He had a direction and he acted. He spun, flailing his arm in a wide sweeping motion. He hit something, something small, frail. The images vanished. What was left was the thin form of Elov being launched across the ring, rolling through the ground. The crowd went silent. Elov remained there, on the floor. His thin frame resting as if sleeping, a steady stream of blood beginning to pour from above his eye. Murmuring stirred within the crowd. Was he knocked out? Was he dead? For a brief moment, Arno thought he really did kill the ferret, until from the floor Elov started laughing. It was a weak chuckle, but he was still conscious, the fight was still going. The crowd began to cheer again.
Elov began to push himself off the floor, only managing to get on his knees. Arno approached, cautiously. The ferret would still not get back up, he just remained kneeling on the floor, not moving a single inch. The wolf gave a quick glance to Antheia, she was gone. Suddenly Elov was in front of him, moving so quick the wolf barely had time to react. The ferret launched himself into the air, drawing the wolf's gaze upward. Then he vanished. Arno then felt the full force of something colliding into his jaw. It was no punch, it felt like stone. The impact was so immense that it cause the wolf to fly upwards slightly before crashing down on the floor. The ferret was in front of him standing with a fist covered in stone that began to crumble to the floor. The ferret walked up to the wolf and knelt down.
"Badum dadum darum," said Elov. "Chipper, excited." Then everything went black.
Arno woke up to a flash of golden light, finding Verdugo and Delbi above him.
"You okay, Arno?" Asked Delbi. Verdugo helped the wolf get back up on his feet, strangely enough there wasn't much pain. Maybe a small bit of soreness but the only real thing that ached was his pride. Elov stood there, crossing his arms with his face half covered in blood. He stared at the ferret, not quite sure what to feel for him. Verdugo noticed the Wolf's silence.
"Elov and I will be going to the changing room by the baths." Said Verdugo, a tad stoic. "We'll see you there, I suppose." The snake began to slither way, Elov lead him away to the deeper areas of the hideout. Arno still wasn't sure what to feel. Humiliation, rage, depression. It wasn't really any of those things. He wanted to know what happened. What exactly Elov did to deliver such a powerful attack. It all just seemed too impossible. Was that really the power of gwyd?
Regardless, the ferret had won. Despite all the excruciating training, how much he pushed his body, how many years he had spent exercising. The small, lanky ferret had won. And now, he needed to meet him in the baths.
"Arno?" Delbi looked up at his friend, trying to determine what was going through his mind.
"I'll see you later, Delbi," Said the wolf before heading out of the dining hall.
The baths were a fairly recent addition to the hideout. A former guild leader had added them about fifty years ago. He was tired of having his guild smell like sewage so he made it a custom to have everyone bathe at the very least once a week. It was a tradition that the guild upheld since then. Of course it was a tradition Elov took advantage of whenever he could, he was not about to start smelling like the common beggar. He may be a thief but he was a thief with class. There was also the benefit of the occasional romp in the baths every now and then. Hell, that was the main reason why everyone else enjoyed them so much. It didn't matter how dirty people would get in there, they could always get clean afterwards.
"You're damn lucky," hissed Verdugo as he channeled filigree into Elov's wounds. The mild sting from the wound began to vanish as the flesh stitched itself back together. "Wolf got you good."
"No," said Elov calmly. "If he had really gotten me then I wouldn't have come back up. It was the best he could do under all the pressure I was putting on him, still impressive." Just then Arno entered the changing room, finding Verdugo gently holding Elov's face. Faint golden light escaped the snakes fingertips, and what used to be a large bleeding scratch was now a completely restored patch of smooth skin. Verdugo could encourage the growth of fur but that would take too much filigree. "Good to see you here," said Elov to the wolf, completely dropping the condescending tone. He was much warmer now, and it caught the wolf off guard.
Now that the ferret was properly healed, Verdugo slithered over to where the baskets were kept in the dressing room. These were where one could put their clothes while they were bathing. He gathered several towels as well and brought them to the group. He gave a basket to Elov and the ferret started undressing, placing his clothes into the basket. Arno began to do the same. Finally Verdugo removed his shirt and the sash he tied over his slit.
"You go ahead," said Elov to the snake. "We'll catch up." Verdugo nodded and took everyone's baskets, placing them back into their respective alcoves. Elov was now alone with Arno, the ferret had no shame in gawking at the wolf's muscular form. "You fought well," said Elov as he approached Arno. He didn't reply. Elov still had quite a bit of velvet left so he decided to see what exactly the wolf was feeling. Mostly discomfort, mainly towards being naked in front of Elov. "Something on your mind, Arno?" Elov tugged at the wolf's forwardness, and brought down his discomfort.
"I've," the wolf grumbled. "Never really done it with a man before. I prefer women you see." Elov drew closer and placed his hands on the wolf's arms, thanks to velvet Arno did not feel uneasy from it.
"Well we can take things slow," said Elov. "And it doesn't matter if it's not your usual preference. When with a charmer anything can be your preference." Elov began to make his way into the baths, making sure to spark a sense of desire in the wolf. The wolf was catching on quick, within a few moments he had already closed the distance between him and the ferret. His hands began to caress Elov's form, treating him like any other woman.
This will be fun, thought Elov.