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Prologue

Wolves are often considered somewhat odd by other furs, most of whom have never set a paw outside a major city. I like most, never really questioned it, simply accepting their oddities as any other quirk of the many different species, each with its own idiosyncrasies. Wolves as it turns out however, have a rather larger share of these than even I realized, as I found out over the course of my time among them.

Although it is well known that a great number of wolves spend much if not all of their time in the cities along with most of the rest of us, the truth is that the majority of them have never seen a city, and live entirely in large camps and caves scattered along the edge of the great desert. I knew this from the orientation I received upon my acceptance into the expedition program, though I remember being somewhat perplexed by it at the time. Because no wolves were allowed to join the program, and after what I had seen and written down on my last expedition, I decided the next step in my investigation should be to seek visitation to one of the wolf pack camps. This was of course much easier said than done, as few packs allow visitation by outsiders aside from equines, who have a somewhat curious relationship with them, which to this day I still do not fully comprehend. There was also the matter of secrecy to which I was sworn, and the constant surveillance by the expeditionary organization which I will not name here. Still with much care and many attempts over the course of several months, I eventually managed to find a contact.

His name was Sol, or Solstice Rain as I later learned, named for the monsoon in the desert on the day he was born. He was a gray old wolf with tired yellow eyes and many scars, who, for reasons he was reluctant to mention, had recently taken to spending more and more time away from his pack. Through my contact I had been able to arrange a meeting with him, and shared with him the part of the story I had discovered. Once he had heard it he agreed to help me, though not without careful consideration and many warnings of how the visitation of an otter like myeself was likely to be received. It was difficult for me to read how serious any difficulties might be for me from his tone, but I assured him after what I had experienced I could not rest until I knew the rest of the story.

My journey to Sol's pack had been a long one, made longer due to the secrecy with which I was forced to travel. After many days hike on my own with nothing but a backpack and the crudely sketched map Sol had drawn for me, I finally arrived at a small collection of makeshift shacks as indicated on the map. It was near sunset when I arrived, and the dilapidated and seemingly abandoned structures were barely noticeable amidst the stones and scrubby trees. At first I was quite concerned that the area seemed deserted, though this concern was quickly replaced by another as a few steps closer three well-crafted spears landed in unison inches in front of my footpaws, their strange blue pointed tips sizzling as they sank into the sand before me. I froze and waited as I had been instructed, and soon the shadowy forms of the wolves began to appear from their places of concealment one by one. They were each clothed in simple tribal attire which I had never seen before, consisting of loincloths and armbands, with little else aside from small decorative cords tied in knots around their long headfur. Eventually I was relieved to see Sol emerge from one of the small structures, and with a wave of his paw the rest of the wolves seemed to lose interest in me, each wandering off to return to whatever they must have been doing before I arrived. I nervously approached Sol, stepping carefully around the spears as he stood and waited for me. The large old wolf stood facing me as I walked up to him, and reached out his right paw to place it on my shoulder, bending forward slightly due to our height difference and looking me in the eyes. "My name is Solstice Rain," he said evenly, "and you are welcome here." "Thank you," I said, squirming slightly and not really knowing what to say. He nodded in response and lifted his paw from my shoulder, placing it against his broad bare chest. "Come then, it is nearly time," he said, turning and leading me through the small shanty village.

That first evening Sol gave me a short tour of the camp, and explained that this was only one of several temporary homes his pack used in their travels between larger settlements, just as they had long ago as they were forced to frequently relocate in order to avoid drawing the attention of the machines. The inside of the small structures were nothing like what I had expected from the outside however. Beneath the buildings were a series of tunnels which connected several of them together to form large dens, which apparently served as storage and sleeping areas. These had no electrical lights or technology of any kind that I could see, but had been carefully carved from the hard stone and looked to me as refined as any building I had been in.

After stowing away my things I followed Sol out to a large fire pit, where other wolves were starting to gather around an already growing fire. I expected to see a considerably larger number of wolves present given the size of the underground den, the tunnels of which had seemed to extend a considerable distance in every direction. There were only about two dozen wolves if I had to guess however, all seeming quite relaxed at this time as they lounged about. Sol guided me to an empty space, and we sat down together and got comfortable as he explained to me that there would be a story. Wolves were very fond of stories he explained, and kept no written records outside of the cities. It seemed he had arranged for the stories he felt I would most want to hear to be told over the course of my visit. For this I thanked him sincerely, feeling great excitement and relief at the understanding of our shared past their telling would surely bring at long last.

I.

Genesis

As the light faded from the sky, a hooded figure in a dark robe approached the fire, stopping all conversation and drawing all attention to her. The wolfess lifted her hood and let the heavy robe fall from her shoulders, revealing a single contoured piece of sheer white cloth wrapped about her body as the veil of night falls away to reveal the fullness of the moon. I watched wide eyed as the sensuous female with the thin strip of cloth draped down from her shoulders to her footpaws, began to move slowly and gracefully around the fire in the center of the circle of wolves. As she walked she began the story, looking out among the audience and moving her body as if to act out the words she spoke.

"Long ago in the time before, only the great machines lived upon this land. They traveled far and built great cities, but they were without spirit, and could feel no joy or sorrow, no pleasure or pain. And so it was that the great machines created from the earth furs of many kinds, giving each kind a spirit which they themselves lacked. They looked upon each of their creations in turn, and saw the rage of the lions, the curiosity of the raccoons, the lust of the foxes, and judged these things to be good. When at last they came to the wolves, they looked upon us and found that the freedom of the wolves was the strongest spirit of all. This threatened the machines, and they began to grow jealous of the spirits of their creations, and sought to control them. But the spirit of the wolves was strong, and just as today no one can control the desires of a wolf to be free.

This angered the machines, for they had learned from us of anger, and they darkened the sky and shook the land with their rage. And so the mountains and the night were made, and the cities the machines had made crumbled and sank into the dust. Many of the furs were afraid, but the wolves loved the night and their love became the moon. This angered the machines all the more, for they realized their mistake and sought to strike down their creations and return them to the earth. But the spirit of the wolves was strong, and the wolves fought back against the enraged machines, and that was the beginning of the war.

It was in that time in the dark of night, under the light of the moon that the white wolf was born. Some stories said she was born of the moon itself, for her fur was pure white, and moonlight forever radiated from her body. Others said she was born to a dead mother, whose love kept her safe even as her body burned away on her funeral pyre, leaving her white as a bone in the black ashes that remained. I only know that she was the most beautiful, and that her spirit was filled with the love of us all. When she grew and took a mate, it was that love that made the sun that now lights the world, and the sons born to her were the brothers for whom the prophecy was written; Echo, and Eclipse."

As the wolfess ended her story she knelt down, turning in place to face toward the fire with her legs crossed and arms wrapped around herself. There was no applause or response of any kind from those gathered around to listen. They all just seemed to stare at the fire for a long while, and look up to the moon and the stars as if remembering. When finally a few of the wolves began to stand, Sol brought me with him inside to a bed in his den which had been prepared for me, and I fell quickly into a strange dream filled sleep.

II.

First Steps

The next day I woke to find the wolves already preparing to leave. Much effort was being spent in packing up supplies, and Sol explained he and others had recently returned from the cities with many of the things the wolves needed, which were to be delivered to a larger group who resided somewhere even further from civilization. After a simple breakfast of mostly familiar foods we departed, the wolves seeming in good spirits, joking and teasing one another in a playful manner which quite surprised me. Sol began pointing his companions out to me, and calling them over to make introductions as we walked. The process was rather formal it seemed, as it had been with Sol the day before, but I did my best to play along, having to repeat my name of Lucius more than once to several of them, as it seemed they had never heard such a name before.

I listened to the wolves conversing around me as we travelled, and noted many frequent references to furs and events I was unfamiliar with. One in particular I asked Sol about when I saw one wolf helping another to lift a heavy bundle over a fallen branch, which caused both to fall as its weight tipped to the far side and dropped to the ground. The names Echo and Eclipse were mentioned as they laughed and picked themselves back up, which is what caught my attention.

Sol smiled at my inquiry and called one of the pair of wolves over, whose name I had learned the day before was Summer Shadow, to explain the story to me. The young dark furred wolf seemed to find it humorous that I did not know the reference, and said this was one of the first stories young wolves learn to help them get along with one another and stay out of trouble. As we continued on our way he began the story.

"One day when Echo and Eclipse were pups they were playing near a beautiful fountain near their home. They wrestled and played in the grass under the sun, but they were too small to see over the edge of the old fountain to look down into the water. Eclipse challenged his brother and each tried to climb up, but their claws could not grip the smooth stone, and the edge was high out of reach of their small paws. But Echo was smarter than Eclipse, and told his brother they had to cooperate if they wanted to see into the fountain. Eclipse lifted Echo up on his shoulders and let him climb up onto the edge of the fountain, but when Echo reached back to lift up his brother to join him, both lost their balance and fell into the fountain with a splash. The water of the fountain was deep and the two might have drowned, but their mother had been watching and lifted the two young wolves out, congratulating them on their cooperation, but chastising them for their carelessness."

He laughed again as he finished and I laughed with him, now understanding why the earlier incident. "We have many stories," Sol told me as the young wolf hurried off to help move the bundles, "you will not hear them all, as that would take many years, but I will make sure you hear the ones that you need, and you will have a chance to tell your story as well." I thanked him again for that, and lightheartedly continued along the trail, enjoying the pleasant company of the wolves.

III.

Hunting and Hiding

Late in the day we came upon an empty campground, which seemed to have seen recent use. There were no standing structures, but there was a circle of stones around a similar fire pit to the one I had sat by the night before, and there were several clearings that seemed good places for tents to be set. The wolves set about unpacking what they needed and started a fire going to cook something to eat. I sat down to watch, and thankfully give my tired footpaws a rest. Though I was no stranger to long walks, the wolves pace had been rather brisk, and I had already travelled quite a long way before finally reaching them the day before.

How the wolves set up their temporary camp was rather intriguing to watch, their movements well practiced and almost ritualistic in a way. I also noticed that there were a few females among them, none of which I had paid close enough attention to notice the previous night, aside from the storyteller I recognized from among them. Though the ratio of females to males was no surprise as the overwhelming bias toward the male gender is of course common throughout the cities as well, these females seemed to be especially well cared for. They had carried nothing on our day's journey, even though several of the males seemed overburdened. Their attire too was quite different from the males, consisting of long dark cloth wrapped about their bodies and tied on with white cords, which were wrapped around and crisscrossed in front and behind in several places. As various things were unpacked, blankets were laid out for the females near the fire pit and they laid down on them, relaxing or talking quietly together as the males prepared the rest of the camp. I asked Sol about this, but he seemed to have little to say on the matter, telling me only that this was how female wolves were treated, respectfully and with reverence.

Tents, as I had assumed, were also set up in the places that seemed to have been cleared for them. These were small and simply constructed of a rope tied between two short stakes or nearby trees, over which a heavy brown cloth was thrown, with extended corners which came together when resting across the rope. This gave the tents a sort of oblong shape with a sort of door at each end, which could be closed by placing a set of wooden pegs tied by thin cord to one side of the entry through loops of the same cord on the opposite side. Once the task of assembling the tents ready was completed, the remainder of the wolves gathered around the fire over which a foldable cooking vessel had been placed, within which I could see boiling what I assumed to be some form of thick soup. Sol soon brought a bowl of it over to me along with one for himself, and we sat by the fire as the sun set in the southwest to eat. I did not care much for the soup, though it was not so overly objectionable that I could not eat it. This was a traditional food Sol explained when I asked him, though he neglected to tell me what exactly it was made from. It seemed to me such sustenance food would be unnecessary these days, as the wolves were quite capable of attaining more usual sorts of food from the cities, and did in fact, as food items it seemed were a large part of what they were transporting. Instead this meal must have some cultural significance I thought, as the wolves seemed overall to have forsaken many of the readily available conveniences which would have made their lives easier.

Once again as the sky darkened a storyteller emerged, drawing silence from the assembled wolves. This was not the same one as the night before I noted, as the heavy robe fell from her body, leaving her fully exposed beneath only a sheer white cloth which, glowed with the flickering light of the fire, its edge shimmering as it tapered down to points only slightly below her waist between her legs in front and to either side of her tail behind. I sighed contentedly and sat back to listen as she started to circle the fire and began to tell her story.

"The first days were hard, in that time when the machines had turned against us. The others wanted to run and hide, for they feared the machines power, but we would not run, for wolves are not afraid. The only equines stood with us in those days. They were not hunters, but they too were strong, and became the great protectors of that place we called our first home. It was a shining beacon of light, the place where the first of us were born, and where many of us would die.

In the light of the day under the bright shining sun we went out to hunt the machines, using what weapons we could find and make from their bodies and their bones. Eclipse and his brother Echo were the greatest hunters in those days. They taught us to lay traps, and trick the machines to lure them into places where they were not able to escape. For a long time the hunt was good to us, and our first home had peace in the night, but we know now that the peace only lasts for a time, and the machines will always come, so we have to be ready.

It was on one peaceful night that the machines came. Echo and Eclipse woke with a start at the sound of the machines crashing and clawing at the walls and the doors. The largest of them was as tall as a mountain, and thought it could crush our home and kill us all in our sleep. Eclipse was not afraid, and he ran here and there, around and between until he got to its leg. Without even a weapon he climbed all the way up the giant machine, crawling into its belly and clawing and biting its insides.

Echo stayed on the ground. He was never so fast or so strong as his brother, but he guided the others to fight back, using their great weapons of lightning and fire. Slowly they pushed back the machines, and when the largest of them crashed to the ground and lay silent, those that remained retreated into the darkness, taking with them all they could carry of the ones we had struck down. When all the fighting was done many furs lay dead, and many more had been injured, even Echo who it is said lost an eye and broke both of his legs.

Before the first light of dawn the bodies were burned, and the light of the spirits of the ones we had lost became the brightest of new stars in the sky. The injured too were gathered, and treated in the ways we knew back then, which could heal almost any hurt. It was then that Echo met Night Wind, the one who would become his mate. Her fur was dark and beautiful, and she cared for him many days until he could walk again, after which they spent much of their time together under the sun, and the moon, and the stars."

The storyteller ended her story kneeling toward the fire just as before, and after a long while the other wolves began to stir, and I was led by Sol to his tent for some much needed sleep. As we walked I noticed that some of the males had approached the females laying on their blankets rather than making their way to their tents. Each female then knelt and nuzzled at the male's legs, while slipping free the knot of his loincloth as he placed his right paw on her head. They all acted so similarly that I assumed this ritual act must be well practiced, but I noted Sol did not turn his head to look on it as we made our way to his tent. As we passed through the flaps of the opening of the tent to enter, I took a last look as each male knelt too, and untied their female's cords to let the single wrapped piece of cloth dark cloth slip from their bodies. Although I saw no more once I stepped into the tent, I listened to the sounds of their mating long into the night as I struggled to allow myself to sleep.

IV.

Two Stones

The next morning I was slow to rise, haunted by the events of the night before. It took one of the young wolves shaking me awake to finally rouse me from bed, so that he could begin taking down the tent in which I slept. As I got up I noted that the wolves were already nearly prepared to depart again, with nearly everything once again packed into sacks and bundles with each of the males carrying one or more, while the burdenless females followed behind them.

At about mid-day it seemed some form of disagreement was taking place, though over what exactly I did not overhear. It sounded quite harsh from what I gathered however, as there was much growling and shouting up at the front of the long line of wolves traversing the narrow path. Sol told me to wait as he was consulted and made his way up to the front of the line, apparently to help mediate the dispute in some way. I waited for a short while, but my curiosity soon got the better of me and I worked my way along behind him so that I could see where the argument had been taking place. I saw there two of the young male wolves, their bundles scattered around them, facing one another and glaring angrily as Sol approached them. Sol removed two small stones, one black and one white, from the bundle he had been carrying, and behind his back took one in each paw. He then held his closed paws in front of himself, looking back and forth between the two wolves and speaking softly words that I could not hear. After a short time the two turned away from each other and picked up their bundles, separating and returning to the trail.

Sol waited beside the trail as the wolves got moving again, and noticed me right away where I had been standing nearby to watch. Sol placed the two stones back in his bundle and continued on the path when I reached him as if nothing had happened. "What was that about?" I asked Sol, though he seemed somewhat displeased with me for having watched uninvited. "We solve our problems in simple ways" he said, answering but in fact telling me very little as was his usual way. "What are the two stones?" I prodded, unsure how much I could get him to reveal. "When there is a disagreement, the one who holds the stones decides," he said, taking the stones back out and showing them to me. "To challenge the decision one chooses a paw, and if it holds the white stone the decision is changed. If it holds the black stone, there is a price to be paid." I peered at the stones in his paws and looked up at him quizzically at his statement. "What price?" I asked, somewhat nervously based on the tone Sol had taken. He only shook his head in response, withdrawing his paw and placing the stones back in his bundle.

We walked in silence for a long while after that, until sometime around midafternoon we arrived at our destination. There were wolves standing guard at a large set of open metal doors along crudely built wall the end of the path, carrying large, strange looking mechanical objects that must have been some form of weapons, though their design was not remotely similar to anything I had seen before. The encampment itself could nearly have been considered a city, with sprawling paths winding through a mix of tents and more permanent structures, which seemed to be made primarily from salvaged materials taken from ruins in the desert. These sprawled out for what seemed a great distance, encircled by the outer wall. Our group dispersed as we passed through the large open doorway and entered onto what I supposed was the main thoroughfare of the encampment, a wide well-trodden dirt path with open windowed buildings two or three stories tall to either side.

Sol placed his paw on my shoulder and we stopped to watch for a moment as wolves passed us by, moving about much as in any city I had seen. It was strange to me however to see only wolves, as such a number of furs in the cities would have been much more diverse, even in districts which favored one species or another. Sol explained to me as we watched that this was only one of many such places, spread far out over a great distance along the edge of the great desert, each one being largely independent, and almost entirely self-sustaining. It seemed since the machines had not been seen in such a long time that the wolf population had increased dramatically, forcing them to settle down from their formerly nomadic lifestyle to some extent, and create these permanent shanty towns to house what I had to guess must have been well into the thousands of wolves.

I had many questions, but Sol promised me a tour later, and took me first to his home, a modest accommodation set in a culdesac of other small buildings which formed a small courtyard between them. As we approached I recognized several of the wolves milling about who had traveled with us, and was even welcomed warmly by a few of them who seemed excessively pleased I would be joining them. The reason for this soon became apparent as once I had set down my pack I was immediately bombarded by questions about my life in the outside world. Many of these wolves had lived their entire lives outside the cities and had never seen an otter before, although other visitors had been allowed from time to time they explained with great enthusiasm, each one counting off the number of other species they had seen. Sol left me to the company of these wolves for a time, as he left to concern himself with some arrangements elsewhere, but I was in no hurry and quite enjoyed the attention as I in return questioned the wolves about their lives in this strange place.

It was when I mentioned the machines that their expressions grew concerned, and their voices dropped to a low whisper as they huddled together with me to explain. They said that in what they considered ancient history this city had fallen multiple times in terrible battles with the machines, but that it was always rebuilt once they were pushed back, due largely to the deeds of Echo and Eclipse of which I had already heard multiple stories. The machines were gone now they said, their great mother was killed and there would be no more of them, a fact which my own experience had been quite at odds with, though I thought it best not to reveal that to them at the time. Their lives now seemed peaceful and more or less regular aside from their shunning of technological convenience, though they made frequent references to unfamiliar rituals and ceremonies, and mentioned some cosmological event they seemed to be awaiting, though their description of it was too obscure for me to fully understand. I took note to ask Sol about it later, but it turned out that would take quite some time, as whatever arrangements he had been making took far longer than what I had expected.

V.

Exile

It was dusk by the time Sol returned, and those wolves who were keeping me company had already accommodated me to take a meal with them in his absence. As soon as he arrived he called to me that it was time for the storytelling, and with that we set off. He led me along with several of the wolves who had been talking with me from his home down several of the smaller winding paths to an opening in the buildings, between which was a familiarly set fire pit. This one was far larger than the ones at the previous camps and clearly showed signs of frequent use. The earth was piled up around the circle in tiered terraces, upon which were placed many ornate woven blankets and cushions where a great many wolves were already seated. There were many more female wolves too here I noted. Some were seated on blankets at the footpaws of a male, though most lay alone on blankets of their own, and were for the most part left undisturbed and given wide births as the males moved around them to find a seat.

Things slowly calmed down, and the crowd soon became completely silent as a robed wolfess stepped into the circle, and made her way up to the large roaring fire in the center. With well-practiced movements she stood with legs wide apart as she slid her paws up along her body and lifted the hood from her head, smoothly allowing it to slide along with the rest of the robe down her back and onto the ground around her footpaws, revealing her naked form, adorned only by a thin sheer cloth draped loosely about her well-groomed body. Her fur turned from black through gray to white as it transitioned from a dark stripe down her back and along her tail, around either side of her body to a white patch which extended up her neck under her muzzle and down the front of her body to her inner thighs. I couldn't help but notice too, the glistening wetness of the fur between her legs as her hips started to rock and gyrate. Slowly the wolfess began to take slow deliberate steps as she moved around the fire, lifting each leg high with perfect balance as she walked with the grace of a dancer around the high burning fire. Once she had made a complete circle, ensuring that every eye was focused on her, she began to tell her story.

"Long ago we all had one home, far away from here. There we were born, we lived, and we died among the other furs. It was a place of wonder the stories say, that shining first home with its fountains of clear water. It kept us warm when we were cold, and cooled us when we were hot. It gave us food when we were hungry, a place to sleep when we were tired, and a place to heal when we were hurt, but it could not protect us from the machines.

When the machines came we hunted them, and the great protectors defended our home. For a while that was enough, but the machines grew bigger and stronger, and more full of rage and hate, until eventually they became too strong for us. That was when the lights went out, and the beacon of light that had been our first home faded into darkness. So it was with much sorrow we left that place behind, never again to have the warmth and joy we had there. We were exiled to wander the wasteland, finding shelter where we could, and doing what had to be done to survive.

For a long time we wandered, thinking we found a place now and then, in the old ruins of the broken cities from the time before, but the machines always found us and drove us out. Even when we stopped trying to use fire and light they found us, attracted by the heat of our bodies in the dark of the night when the sand goes cold and only the stars and the moon light our way. It was a time of great hardship and despair, scavenging what little we could from the ruins of the old cities, but always moving on, away from where the machines had come, dying of thirst and starvation on the long path.

So now we look back, and we remember that time long ago. We remember the places our ancestors walked, and where none may ever walk again. Here we have been safe in a home of our own, but the desert is still there, and the desert is still coming. Now we remember the prophecy, and we wait."

Just as before there was a long silence as the storyteller turned and knelt before the fire, her chest heaving from exertion after her energetic portrayal of the story she had told. I asked Sol about this prophecy when the wolves started to stand and move about, but he asked that I wait for tomorrow, as he apparently already had made arrangements pertaining to it once it was light again. As the ritual courtship again began I couldn't help but observe as each female took her place on her knees. Here I noticed that some of those females who had been paired with a male since before the telling of the story had drawn much more attention however, and were apparently being shared between several of the attending males. The cloths were soon stripped from their bodies and hidden from my sight as they quickly became surrounded by those males eagerly gathered about them. The other females however, who had lain by themselves on the blankets to listen to the storyteller's tale, for the most part seemed to invite only a single partner, including a few who had been watching from quite near to where I sat with Sol, timidly observing their shameless display.

I took special note to see what had happened to the storyteller herself this time as well, and observed that she was standing once again and without replacing her cloak was conversing with several of the males who had approached her, and were now gently caressing various parts of her body with their paws. "What is that about?" I asked Sol, gesturing toward the storyteller. "She is choosing," he said with what might have been a slight smile, "Some have already chosen or have been offered by their mate, others have not yet decided." I looked again over the assembly of wolves, nearly all of which remained were engaged in a passionate embrace of one position or another, or standing close by and awaiting their turn, as ever there were far more males than females available. "Do.. you not have one?" I asked him timidly as I looked upon his distant expression. "Not anymore.. we should go," he answered, turning away and rising to his footpaws.

And so we departed, leaving the lustful moans and howls behind as we returned to Sol's home. There I unpacked a few of my things, most importantly a small bioluminescent light for which I had packed several pellets, and one of my notebooks, in which I began to transcribe as much as I could remember of what I had seen for later review. Sol made no objection and laid himself down on a worn blanket to sleep. I too soon retired, having yet again ended the day satisfied by such an overwhelming experience, and yet also with so many more unanswered questions that morning almost could not come soon enough.

VI.

Visions

I woke rather early the next morning, and finding Sol still asleep, stepped outside to look around a bit on my own. Much as the previous day there were many wolves about, standing about talking, carrying various objects here and there, or walking through the many footpaw paths between buildings. I even noted more than a few females among them, walking with one or several males, or alone as they traversed the streets. I found that this pleased me, as I had heard other isolated cultures treated their females in far less liberal a fashion. Seeing none of the wolves I immediately recognized, I took it upon myself to venture down one or two of the nearby paths, and observed that the goings on were much as one would expect of any city.

Most of the buildings and tents seemed to be residences, with wolves coming and going as they went about whatever business they had in mind. Though the dirt of the paths did make things rather dusty, they were otherwise cleaner than the cities I was familiar with, being completely clear of refuse, and offering frequent, if rather public biodegrading toilets set at somewhat regular intervals to the sides of most of the larger paths. Down one of the broad paths I noted several carts and stalls in a row with the wolves nearby seeming to be engaged in some manner of trade, with items of one sort or another changing paws, though no form of currency was readily apparent. It was as I meandered down this path that I began to hear the sound of raised voices nearby, which I followed around a long building and through a narrow path between tents, where I came upon the source of the sound.

What I saw was a long wooden platform shaded by an awning, facing out toward a large open square which another of the major paths passed by. As I walked around to the front of it, I could see that the source of the sounds was a long line of female wolves, spaced evenly apart along the platform, each on her own thick blanket, and partaking in much the same ritual coupling I had seen on previous nights after the telling of the stories. There were well over a dozen of them I counted, though as they finished it seemed they were constantly being replaced by others watching nearby. As one wolfess would grow tired, sometimes after several males, she would collect herself and stand to leave to leave with her most recent partner, while another waiting in the square would step up and take her place, kneeling on the blanket and gesturing with her paw to one of the nearby males to come and join her. She would then nuzzle between his thighs while removing his loincloth and use her muzzle to bring him to arousal, before being stripped of her clothing and mounted in the way of the male's choosing, as he used his paws to position her.

I watched this fascinated for quite some time, and jolted in surprise when I felt the sudden weight of a large paw on my shoulder. Looking up I was relieved to see Sol's face, though he shook his head at me and gestured for me to follow. I asked him about what I had seen, inquiring if this were some form of prostitution, however he informed me instead that this was how female wolves chose their mates. As the practice went, from the time of her first heat she was expected to submit herself to the stage as often as she was able, so that she might be introduced to a male who she found suitable to make her mate. In the past this was also a way to ensure that females would become pregnant, as the population of wolves in ages past had been decimated repeatedly in the long war with the machines. This practice hardly seemed necessary any longer I remarked, as the wolf population was obviously under no immediate threat, but Sol replied that this practice was found agreeable to all concerned, and that contraceptive measures were now readily available to females who wished them, making rampant population increase no longer a concern.

As Sol promised in the hours that followed he gave me a brief tour of the makeshift city, showing me new buildings in progress, places where young wolf pups played together, and ending at what seemed to be a temple of some sort. Carved stone steps led up to a set of thick columns and a large pointed canvas roof, tied down with ropes to all sides, giving the structure the appearance of both a tent and a solid structure. There were an assortment of images of wolves and other things carved into the stone pillars, and I asked Sol if we could go inside, but it seemed again he had other plans for me. He directed me then back along the way we had come and out to a smaller door in the outer wall at edge of the city, facing the open desert. Two more of our companions from the day before joined us there, carrying several containers of water and some food for the journey, as Sol informed me we would be heading out into the desert.

It was not such a long walk as I feared as it turned out, and in only a couple of hours we arrived at a large rock which marked the entrance to a series of caves, which were mostly now filled with sand. Sol pointed me to some markings on the rock, and I could see carved into the stone, many of the same markings I had seen just before cut into the stone of the temple pillars. "Our home used to be here," Sol said, waving his paw across the broad dunes of sand which surrounded us. It made little sense to me as I looked back over the distance we had crossed from the city of wolves, which was situated at the very edge of the desert. "The great desert comes a little closer every year, and each year we move back away from it a little further" he said, picking up a pawful of sand and letting it drain back out through his digits. "One day the whole world will be like this and so we have to leave it before that happens." I shook my head confused, "Leave?" I asked him, shading my eyes from the sun as I looked up at his face. "She will tell you" Sol said, raising a flask to take a long drink of water, before offering it to me and turning around to start back toward the wolves' city.

When we finally made it back, we each thanked our companions and went to sit for a while back on the steps of the temple, where I compared the symbols to those I had seen marked on the stone in the desert. There was no mistaking their similarity, and even their order seemed the same in places. I wondered how many years it had taken the desert to advance so far, and how many more years we might have left before it began overtaking the outlying cities where many other furs lived, including myself.

Once we had sufficiently rested and brushed the sand from our fur, Sol led me into the temple. It was far more simply adorned inside than I had expected based on its exterior, consisting of a large cavernous room with a floor of uneven stone bricks, lit only by a large opening in the center of the tent roof which let in the midafternoon sunlight. Placed in the center of the room under the opening was a large round pool of water set into the floor. The tiled floor of the basin seemed colorful and reflective, and the light from it danced back up against the interior of the canvas roof above, creating a somewhat surreal effect in the quiet of the large empty room. There were a few other wolves present, mostly sitting by themselves or in small groups on the stone floor. Some had brought blankets, while others sat or lay upon the bare stone, seeming unbothered by the hard uncomfortable surface.

As we made our way further into the temple, I noted a curtain at the back of the room, with a carpeted walk leading up to it from the pool of water in the center. We stepped around the pool and Sol led me back to the curtain, which he pulled aside for me, letting me pass through it and up a small set of stone steps to a much smaller room, enclosed by wooden walls with its own opening in the ceiling high above for light. Within this room stood a beautiful figure, which I mistook for a statue at first in the dimply lit room until she started to move. The wolfess' fur was a pale gray and she was completely nude, standing over narrow waist high pedestal within which was placed a large reflective metal bowl of water. She smiled and nodded in approval as I slowly approached, and stepped around the pedestal to greet me, extending her paws forward from her chest with her pawpads toward me. I looked to Sol and he nodded, and so I presented my paws the same way, pressing my pawpads to hers as I stood, trying not to stare at the beautiful form of the nude female wolf. She seemed to notice, and I blushed as she asked me my name, keeping perfectly still as I nervously answered. "I am the oracle," she said, and withdrew her paws from mine, placing one instead on the center of my chest. I was uncomfortable with this at first, though I was still wearing a shirt, but her smile soothed me, and she soon stepped aside, greeting Sol in similar manner.

After an affectionate greeting, and a slight rub against the large wolf as she returned to her place at the pedestal, she began to inquire about my story. "You have come a very long way to tell your story haven't you little one?" she asked with another smile, gesturing for me to step closer to the pedestal. "Yes," I nodded slowly, "I still don't understand all I saw, I have so many questions." I sighed and bowed my head, looking down at the water in the bowl, feeling somehow guilty for my demanding thirst for answers. "We remember many things," she said, lifting my chin with her paw, "and we too have many things yet to learn." I considered this for a moment and looked to Sol, but he had gone, leaving me alone in the small room with the oracle. "Would you like me to tell you?" I asked, growing nervous again at finding myself now alone with a beautiful naked female. "If you are ready," she said calmly with another smile, dipping her paw into the water and swirling it around in the bowl, causing the light reflected in it to shift and flutter around the room.

And so I began to tell the oracle my story, having already practiced it many times in an abbreviated form, which left out a few of the more questionable details in favor of focusing on the important events. When I had finished I added how I had come to learn this story, and made mention of the machines I had encountered along the way, and that it was far from the first time I had seen them in the deep desert, further out than I imagined any wolf could have traveled without the aid of aerial transportation. As seemed customary, she waited in silence a long while after the conclusion of my story, and only after the long pause began speaking once again. "Thank you for bringing us this story Lucius," she said with a nod, "very little is known about the time before, and over the long years much has been forgotten. Though almost nothing remains of the memory of the one who was the mate of the white wolf, we believe your story, because the oldest of the carvings depict his missing arm." "Is that why you let me come here?" I asked curiously. She nodded and stroked her paw along one of my ears, making me blush. "We knew the place of which you spoke, our stories call it the cave of legends, and it is there it is said that the visions of the time before could be found there in days long past." This suddenly brought to me the realization that the reason the recordings had been in recent memory on the console, had been because someone must have viewed them in the time between when the recordings were taken, and when I unhooked the damaged console from the central power grid to activate it from my own portable power source.

"It isn't quite the same as the stories I have heard on the way here," I said, slightly uncomfortable with the idea of undermining what were obviously highly significant and well-rehearsed stories. "Many of our stories are for the benefit of those who listen little one," she said with a slight smile. I nodded in response, understanding that perhaps historical accuracy was not entirely the point. "And what may we tell you?" she asked, arching her back and tilting her head to the side as she looked me over. "There was a.. something about a prophecy?" I asked, nervously watching as her eyes traced up and down my body. She nodded again and dipped both her paws in the bowl of water, splashing it over her face and chest as she leaned forward over it and began to speak.

VII.

Prophecy

"The prophecy was first whispered long ago in the days of our first home, when the machines turned against us and all seemed without hope. None who live now remember the name of the one who first spoke it, for it was not spoken by the tongue of a wolf. 'This is not the end, it is only the beginning. The power here will protect us for now, and when the darkness falls, the sons of the white wolf will silence the machines, and rise to change the stars.' Soon after that, two sons were born to the one called the white wolf, and they were named Echo and Eclipse. It was they who watched over us, who led us from our first home when the darkness fell, and whose courage we looked to as we drove back the machines.

And so perhaps the first part of the prophecy is complete, for the sound of the machines has not been heard in the northern desert for many years now. Yet rumors tell us that in far reaches of the wasteland the machines still survive, that perhaps these past years have given them time to rebuild their strength, and that a day may come when we once again hear their sounds of doom and slaughter.

Strange too is the last line of a change in the stars. While it has always been our custom to burn the bodies of those who have died so that the light of their spirits may ascend to join the stars in the sky, the changing of the stars must mean something else entirely. And so the last part of the prophecy remains mysterious and unfulfilled, and has remained so for many generations."

I stood a long while waiting for her to continue, but she did not, instead smiling with a sigh and turning to look down at the bowl of water, dipping her paw into it again and stirring it around. "Is there no more?" I asked softly, looking up at her confused. "There is" she said, looking me over again, "and I think you should stay with us to hear it little one." She laughed softly as she apparently caught me continuing to stare blankly. "We will make sure that you may stay as long as you need to hear all you wish to learn." "And," she said with a sultry smile, stepping out from behind the pedestal, exposing the full nakedness of her body before me with a swish of her tail, "if there is anything more we can do for you, you may make arrangements to see us again." She then leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine, lingering a long while and stroking her paw along my cheek before slowly withdrawing, smiling again at my expression. I thanked her gratefully, and after a last longing look at the beautiful wolfess, finally turned to leave back down the stone steps and through the heavy curtain.

Sol had been waiting for me, standing near the pool of water at the center of the room. He looked up to me as I timidly emerged from behind the curtain and approached him, and together we walked back outside into the light of the setting sun. Slowly we made our way back to the fire pit, where we had listened to the story the night before. There were few wolves present when we arrived since it was still early, and the sun had not yet fully disappeared behind the distant mountains across the sand, but I was glad of this as it left us time talk.

I started to tell Sol what the oracle had said, but he stopped me and said that her words were intended for me alone. He had already known it seemed, that it was her intent to allow me to extend my stay, and I hastily agreed to remain as long as I could in order to uncover as much of the truth about our past, and possibly our future as I could. He would make more comfortable arrangements for me for the duration of my stay he said, and tomorrow would see about a storyteller who could fill in some of the parts I might miss, which were not often told around the fire pits. I was rather curious about this, but thought it better not to ask as he then went on to say that there would be much more for me to see and do in the coming days, though he was not at all specific about what.

By this time more wolves were beginning to gather, and I noted more females than the night before were present, some of which I even recognized from the stage earlier. One in particular, a slender wolfess with tan and gray fur and bright green eyes seemed to flash me a smile as she lay alone on a thick black blanket nearby. I blushed and quickly looked away, quite surprised by her attention as few of the wolves up to now had paid much attention to me aside from Sol and our traveling companions, and of course the oracle we had just visited. Considering this for a moment, I reached my paw up to my cheek where the oracle had touched it, and noted small flakes of red on my pawpads, which I looked over curiously. "She must have liked you," Sol said with what seemed a knowing smile. "I.. guess so," I answered nervously, wiping my paw on my leg and looking around more carefully, noting several wolves glancing now and then in my direction.

"What is this?" I asked him, turning my cheek towards him and gesturing with my paw. "It means you are welcome here," he said, taking on a rather serious tone and placing a paw upon my shoulder. "While you wear that mark, you will be treated as any member of another pack who has been invited to stay here with us as a guest." I looked up at him confused, having already felt quite welcome in his company. "It is rare enough," he explained, "for one such as you to be granted even limited visitation, but far less often does the oracle grant a visitor her mark, allowing one who is not a wolf to be treated as one of us." I considered this carefully as I looked up at the old wolf. It was hard for me to imagine why the oracle would make such a special allowance for me, after all I had already told her all I knew, and there was little if anything I had said that she seemed not to already know. Still I supposed that few others might visit for such academic reasons, and that perhaps my small stature and non-threatening appearance would at least show no reason I should need to be immediately sent away. I couldn't forget the way she looked at me though, as if she knew something, or expected something of me I was not even aware of myself. "You will do fine" Sol said, apparently observing my thoughtfulness as he patted my shoulder with his paw and gestured up toward the fire.

VIII.

Love

I thought it strange how natural it was starting to feel, sitting among a crowd of wolves gathered around a blazing fire as the light of the sun faded from the sky, leaving only the stars and the moon shining down from above as we awaited the arrival of the storyteller. For countless years this must have gone on, completely overlooked by the thousands of furs living normal lives safe in their cities with their computers and their cars. Did such things still await me on my return I wondered? Perhaps I was starting to understand why so many wolves stayed out here in this mystical place on the edge of the wasteland, awaiting some sign of a prophecy, the fulfillment of which seemed uncertain even to them.

Just as before, the shuffling and murmuring of the audience died down as a dark robed figure entered the circle. The storyteller walked smoothly, nearly gliding over the ground, moving silently through the audience gathered around until finally coming to a stop before the blazing fire. There was a pause then, longer than usual I noted as we all sat in silence while the motionless storyteller gazed into the flickering flames, her gleaming yellow eyes reflecting the firelight from beneath the black hood of her thick robe as she stood motionless as a stone. Then all at once the heavy robe fell away, the figure's arms lifting up in one swift motion to cast the cloth away, revealing the beautiful form of the wolfess within. Her paws lifted up to the sky and her head tilted back, while her right leg slowly extended out in front of her, the single narrow strip of sheer white cloth wrapped around the back of her neck over each shoulder and lightly tied about her waist, accentuating the curvature of her voluptuous breasts and providing only the briefest of skirts, which did nothing to obscure her glistening sex from the onlooking audience.

Her fur was an unusual pattern of black and white markings, in unnatural rings and jagged lines which wrapped about her body and drew attention to her sensuality. Slowly she lowered one paw and then the other, sliding each one down across her body, leaving both at her thighs as she started to walk in long graceful steps around the fire. As she walked her back arched and her tail raised, her mouth opening with a gasp at each step while her paws slid up and down over her thighs, lifting the loosely tied skirt higher on her hips with each movement to bare her sensitive flesh from beneath the sheer cloth. By the time she had made her full circle about the fire I was certain not an eye could be focused anywhere else except for on her, a fact of which she seemed fully aware as she let a slight smile show on her muzzle as she spread her legs wide apart, and gave her feminine sex a single slow upward stroke with her paw while beginning her story.

"Love is both the greatest of pleasures, and the greatest of sorrows. We above all know to love deeply and truly, but love cannot always be returned. It was true even of Eclipse in the days after the exile, when he walked the desert with his brother Echo and his new mate who was named Night Wind, for her fur was as dark as a moonless night, and her spirit was as gentle as the soft evening breeze. Though she was mate to Echo, whom she had cared for and loved since the time when his eye had been lost, Eclipse greatly desired her, and her kindness forbid her to refuse Eclipse his desires.

Echo and Eclipse at that time had already endured much together, and each had saved the other's life more times than could be remembered. Yet the love between brothers made their jealousy of one another all the worse, for Night Wind loved them both, and so neither could possess her completely.

Eclipse did all he could to find other ways to sate his burning desire. His passion and strength were such that few would refuse him, and he indulged his lust often with both female and male, and with every kind of fur, though ever his desire was for Night Wind, and he could seldom go long before returning to the gentleness of her embrace and the heat of her body. But Echo wished only for her, and through days and nights she remained by his side or awaited his return, ever faithful to the one to whom she was gladly bound.

Just as any branch may break when the wind blows too strong, so too did Eclipse see the strain begin to bend his brother Echo. And so one day Eclipse departed, leaving behind all those who loved him for the sake of the love he had for his brother. Long did he wander alone through the wasteland, scavenging what he needed from the ruins and evading the machines while he searched for himself. He would not find himself there among the rocks and the sand, but in time he would find hope for all of us."

The beautifully striped storyteller finished her tale with a slow pirouette which she ended on her knees before the fire, her head bowed low and her paws clasped below her chest. Her depiction of every word had been superb, her body writhing and twisting with the rhythm of her speech as the story was told. It was a strange feeling in the silence that followed, as I looked to the dancing flame and the warm glow of its light across the tips of the storyteller's fur, and the single sheer white garment that she wore. A long while passed before I noticed the wolves around me beginning to move, and eventually the storyteller herself rose to her footpaws and made her way to a nearby blanket. There she sensuously greeted the first male who approached her with a warm embrace and a long lingering kiss, followed by slowly sliding down against his body as she sank down to her knees, where a quick tug of her paw effortlessly released his loincloth, allowing her muzzle the access she so clearly desired to his already quite evident arousal. I blushed at the heat as I looked on, soon realizing that this scene was again starting to play out all around me, and with even more fervor than the night before. I did not find this surprising given the content of the story, and the notably larger number of females present tonight. In fact I found I wasn't even all that uncomfortable anymore, as I felt myself becoming somewhat used to these rituals.

What I did find surprising however as I looked around myself at the many parings of wolves, was the slender female I had noticed before, once again smiling at me from where she lay. She was already surrounded by multiple eager males, who for now politely kept their distance, just as it seemed most of the other females had attracted varying numbers of interested males as well. Several had already selected one or more of their suitors for their first round, and were already in the tender process of being disrobed by them. I blinked in surprise as the wolfess slowly lifted her paw toward me and extended her tongue to lick her lips. I turned to Sol worried, but he only shrugged and nodded to me, as if granting me permission to partake. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, and could not ignore that I felt a very strong desire to accept her offer, but I thought of my wife, and my young son awaiting me at home, and with an apologetic look, shook my head to her, pulling my knees up to my chest with a sigh. She gracefully tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes as she courteously bowed her head, and then raised her paw, offering it to of one of the nearby males, who took it and stepped onto the blanket with her and guided her paw to his loincloth.

I sighed again with a slight shiver as she freed cord and allowed the small patch of cloth that had been covering the wolf's sheath to fall to the blanket in front of her knees, her eyes darting back toward me a moment as she opened her muzzle, and began licking along the male's soft fur as she nuzzled against his thigh. She must have been very well practiced I thought, soon bringing the male to full arousal as she slid his length along her tongue and into her mouth. Not long after that he moved around behind her and knelt down with her, pressing himself against her body. With gentle precise movements of his paws he unfastened the knots by which the single long white cord held the dark piece of midnight blue cloth to her body. As each knot was untied her garment loosened and slowly fell away, inch by inch revealing her body to my view in the cool night air. As the cloth wrapped about her fell away completely, she once again looked over and smiled at me, lifting her tail as she was guided by the male down onto all fours and slowly mounted. Her back arched and I could hear her voice cry out among many others as his length sank into her, causing me to squirm in place as I intently watched the passionate display.

"Let's go," said Sol, slowly rising to stand and breaking my focus. I nodded, somewhat embarrassed as I also stood myself up, adjusting the obvious bulge in my pants hoping it would go unnoticed. I looked around again as we moved out through the ascending rows of the circle, noting that some of the females had apparently had enough already, while others who had attended with their mates, were clearly being shared, or instructed to serve other males who had taken interest in them. The whole practice was very strange I thought again, though that feeling it seemed was becoming more and more distant. I took a last look at the female who had beckoned to me, and saw that she was now lost in the lust of the large male behind her, with her eyes closed, her mouth open and panting, and her hips rocking back to meet his every thrust.

It was especially difficult to get to sleep that night. Sol set me out a tent of my own, for which I was very grateful at no longer having to intrude on his modest home. Even after laying out my sleeping pad on the cloth covered ground and undressing myself to curl up under my blanket however, I could not shake the day's images from my mind. The beautiful oracle, the enchanting storyteller, and most especially the lascivious female who had offered herself to me. I somehow eventually managed to calm down enough to sleep, but my dreams were so vivid and explicit that I could hardly call the night restful.

IX.

Green

I awoke the next morning in a sticky mess. The night before it turned out had been entirely too much for me, and it had been days since I had enjoyed the comfort of my wife. Normally on an expedition this would not be such a problem, however a normal expedition would not have included the festivities of the previous night. I groaned as I got up, using a flask of water to clean myself as best I could as I wished for a bath, or at least a good shower. On expeditions I was normally used to having to do without these things, though this place made me feel exceedingly unclean, and spending my days mostly among strangers I felt the lack of cleanliness more urgently distressing than usual. When I finally dressed and unfastened the loops to exit my tent, I saw Sol was waiting for me. It was already late morning but I was still tired, feeling I had not at all slept well even though my body in some ways seemed to disagree.

Some of the other wolves laughed at me a bit as I emerged from my tent, and touched their cheeks in a teasing way, reminding me of the mark I worn since the previous day. "There is more to see, if you are ready," Sol said, looking me up and down as I approached. "What is it today?" I asked, trying to act confident as if I felt everything were normal. "Come along and see," he said, standing up from his seat on a nearby rock, and turning to start off down the nearby path. I hurried to catch up, and then followed along as Sol led me down several footpaw paths, through a district we had not visited on previous days. The path led past the stage and to the far side of the temple, where there stood a long building with a partial second floor in the center, which was the only section with windows. Under these was a large metal sliding door that must have been scavenged from somewhere in the ruins.

Sol opened the door and entered without knocking, and I followed him inside into a comforting interior with thick ornate carpeting, many giant pillows, and a back wall which seemed to be on sliding rails. The back wall opened into a small yard with a high wooden fence surrounded by more buildings, within which was curiously set a small fire pit. As we stepped inside a young gray female wolf hastily got up from one of the pillows and greeted us. She was dressed as most females were in a dark wrapped cloth covering her from chest to ankles, tied on by a white cord that crossed over and back around her small body. Standing up straight she was still shorter than I was, with her legs together and her paws held out in front of her, pawpads facing toward us much as I had seen with other wolves before. Sol hunched down to meet her, and pressed his paws to hers, listening with a smile as she introduced herself. "My name is Bramblethorn Blossom," she said in a welcoming melodic tone, "What is your name?" "My name is Solstice Rain," the large old wolf said, seemingly pleased with the young one's manners, "and this is.." "No!" she nearly shouted, withdrawing her paws and hurrying over to me to offer them the same way. "Lucius" I said, lifting my paws to hers. "Umm, why does he only have one name?" she asked, turning to Sol. The old wolf laughed and gestured toward me. "This is an otter," he said, directing her to look back toward me, "They don't remember names like we do." She tilted her head and seemed to puzzle over this a moment, before withdrawing her paws and turning back to look up at Sol.

"One name?" I asked, looking up to Sol as well. The large wolf straightened himself and nodded to the young female. "Why don't you explain to Lucius about our names Bramble?" he said, as more of an instruction than a request. "Blossom!" she insisted, stomping her small footpaw indignantly. "Blossom," he corrected himself with a smile, stepping back and folding his arms expectantly. "Well," she began, crossing her wrists at her waist in front of her and rocking back and forth, "I think they only have one name in the stories. Wolves got to have all different names so we can remember them. Oracle gives them to us, when we're old enough." "You remember all the names?" I asked curiously. "Not me, oracle does, she remembers all the stories and all the names of all the wolves that ever were." The young wolfess smiled proudly and Sol nodded to her. "Very good," he said, giving her an approving nod. "Where are the others?" Sol asked, taking a brief look around the room. "Getting water, and doing washing, and practice," she said, again rocking back and forth on her footpaws in a way I found rather cute. "What is the practice today?" Sol asked her, causing her to blush and look down at the floor. "Muzzle," she said with a sigh. "Is it so bad?" Sol lightly chuckled at the young female's response. "I bite," she half whispered, rubbing her legs together. "Then you should practice," Sol said, seeming to me to be trying to sound serious. "But it's my turn to be greeter!" she answered quite contentiously, trying to stand up straight again. "Take us to the practice then, greeter," Sol instructed, holding out his paw to the young girl.

Slowly she nodded, and turned to walk to the left, leading us through an opening in a hanging curtain into a windowless room lit by several angled openings in the ceiling near the walls. In the room were young wolf girls, seemingly of various ages due to their difference in height. They were standing or kneeling in different positions, paired off with one partner holding a green fruit of some sort in her mouth, while the other poked and prodded at her to try and make her lose her balance. I put a paw to my muzzle and tried not to laugh at the sight, as I did not wish to disrupt what seemed a rather odd practice, though the girls all seemed to be taking it quite seriously. There were three adult females present, paying special attention to the youngest as they struggled the most with the exercise. Blossom it seemed was among the oldest, as I compared her size to the other young females present when we entered the room together. She walked up beside one of the adults and waited patiently for a few moments until she was given the adult female's attention. She then pointed us out, and the adult wolfess stood to greet us, waving her paw to one of the other young ones, who left her partner precariously balanced on one footpaw with a fruit in her mouth to take Blossom's place at the entrance.

"Thank you for your visit," nodded the adult wolfess, whose fur was a mix of dark and light gray, with the lighter parts toward the center of her chest and neck and the insides of her arms and legs. "This one will be staying with us a while," Sol said, gesturing to me, "Which are the best practiced in the stories?" The wolfess looked to me and reached out a paw to touch my cheek, giving me a warm smile and approving nod. "Of course," she said, stepping back and looking over the young ones. "Will you wait in the yard?" she asked. Sol nodded and thanked her, and I followed him as we made our way back out toward the front door, past the young greeter and into the yard where we sat down near the small fire pit.

At first I thought I knew what Sol had in mind, but it turned out I was somewhat mistaken. The adult wolfess soon emerged through the doorway, followed by three short young robed figures. She stood by and guided the first up to the unlit pile of firewood in the center of the circle. In the same fashion as the storytellers I had previously observed, the robed figure pulled back the heavy hood and let the black robe fall from her shoulders, revealing the small slender body of a young brown and black female wolf, whose only article of clothing was now a single long piece of flowing sheer white cloth. This did not have quite the same effect in the light of day that it had in the darkness with the flickering golden light of the fire, but the sight was impressive all the same, and she moved with a smooth steady grace as she made her circle around the unlit pile of firewood. Her steps were perhaps not as fluid and finely perfected as those of the adult storytellers, but it was clear she had been well prepared for this as she completed her circle and paused to be inspected, the delicate form of her young body fully on display beneath the thin material of her immodest clothing. The adult wolfess then gestured to her with a flick of her paw, and the young one moved close to me and sank down to her knees, giving me a little smile before bowing her head and lowering her eyes to the ground.

Without hesitation the next of the young girls stepped up to the center of the fire pit, letting her robe fall from her body as well, revealing her creamy white colored fur with black tufts on her ears and around her paw digits, along with a darker off-white strip down the center of her chest and along her belly. In like fashion she too began stepping lightly around the pile of fire wood, keeping herself lifted on the very tips of her footpaw pads as she turned and took slow balanced strides, lifting her legs high with each precise step. She wavered slightly at one point, and a look of panic briefly flashed across her muzzle, but she quickly regained her composure and visibly sighed in relief as she completed her circle, and stopped once again back where she had started. With another sharp gesture from the adult wolfess the second young one soon joined the first, kneeling down near my footpaws and panting softly as she too looked down at the ground dutifully waiting.

As soon as the third robe fell away I recognized the girl who had greeted us on our way in. She was much more exposed now however, in nothing but a sheer white cloth draped over one shoulder and across her slender form. She exaggerated the slight curves of her young body by bending her knees as she lifted her footpaws and arching her back as she set them back down, her body smoothly flowing around the fire pit as her snuck a glance over to me, seeming surprised. As she was completing her circle she let out a sharp yelp, at which I opened my eyes wide in surprise. Clumsily she lifted her footpaw and briskly pawed at it for a moment to dislodge whatever she had stepped on, before seemingly remembering her place, and quickly taking up her posture again, though limping slightly as she finished her circle and froze in place where she had started as she awaited permission to move. The adult wolfess hung her shoulders and made another gesture, causing a dejected look from the young girl as she too approached me to kneel. As she did so she looked to me and I gave her a smile and reassuring nod, which seemed to calm her slightly as she took her place next to the other two, all three now waiting patiently and looking down to the ground at my footpaws.

"Which would you prefer?" the adult wolfess asked me, holding her arm out toward the three girls. I looked to Sol confused, but he simply nodded toward the girls, and I gave each one another looking over. It was odd I thought that I should have to choose a storyteller without hearing any of their stories, but their practice it seemed must have been quite extensive, and I expected that certainly all of them were expected to have their stories well memorized. The third girl snuck another look up at me, though it was clear she was not supposed to as when I turned my head in her direction she quickly dropped her eyes back down again. Her eyes were a pale blue I noted, seeing them now in the sunlight, and though each girl was quite pretty in her own way, I was starting to find this one's missteps and slight disobediences amusing.

"May I?" I asked, leaning forward toward the girls and raising a paw below the first one's muzzle. "Please" said the adult wolfess, stepping closer to observe. Gently I lifted each girl's muzzle so that she could look up at me, the first seeming quite eager, nuzzling my paw affectionately with a smile, while the second followed the motion of my paw with perfect obedience, letting me slowly guide and position her muzzle level with mine as I looked her over more closely, finding a calm satisfaction in her yellow eyes. The third as I expected, tensed and whimpered at my touch, seeming quite nervous as I guided her muzzle upwards to let her look at me. She gave an uncertain half smile, and squirmed in place slightly, venturing a quick look up to the adult female wolf before focusing her pale blue eyes back on me once more.

"This one I think," I said, pointing to the third young wolfess. "Really?" she said excitedly, blinking in surprise for a moment, but a glare and a cough from the adult female caused her to fold her ears down and look back down at the ground. "Are you sure?" The adult wolfess asked me with a little half smile. The expressions of the other two changed only slightly, but I could tell they were both disappointed not to be chosen. "It is a very hard decision, but I think so for now," I said, giving a smile and a nod to the other two girls. "She will be ready for you by tonight" the adult wolfess said, gesturing upward with her paw for the three young wolf girls to rise to their footpaws. "May we hear one now?" Sol asked from beside me. "Now?" the wolfess questioned in reply, looking up at the sky for a moment and then back down to Sol again. "Well yes of course," she said, gesturing for the third girl to stay before withdrawing with the other two.

The young wolfess seemed to sigh in relief as the others left, but Sol quickly corrected her. "Bramblethorn Blossom isn't it?" He said in a gruff tone which straightened her posture back up, her small barely covered breasts pushing forward as her back arched. "Yes" Blossom nodded, lifting her eyes to Sol expectantly. I considered for a moment as I looked over her again, that I had barely noticed her practical nudity, having by now apparently grown accustom to it as part of the local culture, even for one so young. She would grow to be a beautiful wolfess I thought, looking over her slight curves and slender form as Sol continued. "Do you know of Eclipse and the green path?" he asked her, seeming pleased when she nodded in response. "Go on then," he encouraged her, leaning back to watch. "You don't have to get up," I suggested as she started to rise to her footpaws. She shook her head though, and placed a paw in my lap, stroking it down along my thigh as she stood up, quite surprising me. Slowly she turned away, and once again approached the pile of firewood in the center of the circle, taking up a provocative starting position to begin the story.

"Eclipse walked with a heavy spirit as he wandered through the desert. He had left everything behind to protect Echo from what he felt, but doing the right thing is sometimes hard. All alone he walked for many days, in danger from the machines, and having to scavenge everything he needed for himself. But Eclipse was a great hunter, and he was strong and clever, and had many times gone alone into the wasteland, and he was not afraid.

In his wandering he made his way far to the north, through ruins and canyons, and across the open desert. After many days he noticed a change in the land. Some stories say he grew so sad that he cried so many tears that the land around him started to change to comfort him. Others say that land he found was different all by itself, and it was his fate to find it, a faraway place unlike anyplace else in the desert.

The ground there was green, and there was dirt instead of sand. He found trees too with fruit, and springs of water like the fountains of our first home. It was there on the soft grass under the cool shade of the trees he remembered how much he was needed, and why he with his brother had led the others out into the vast desert, and the dangers they faced without him.

Eclipse then gathered what he could and turned to go back, remembering well the way back down the path that he took. He wanted nothing more than to see the others he cared for again, and to help lead them here, where they could find rest and comfort, and maybe even a new home."

Blossom turned herself about and lowered herself to the ground, kneeling in front of the wood pile. I could tell she was breathing heavily from the effort as she had energetically performed the story, perhaps with somewhat less eloquence and grace than I was sure she would later learn, but I was still quite pleased. I waited, watching her quietly for a few moments as was customary at the end of a story until finally she got up and returned to me, kneeling once again at my footpaws and looking to Sol and to me for approval. "You may go now," Sol said with a wave of his paw. At first she seemed hurt, folding down her ears and furling her brow. "It was very good," I added quickly, trying to sound encouraging. She smiled a little at this, and seemed to brighten up. "Thank you," she said politely with a little smile, before getting herself up again and turning to hurry back inside.

X.

The Great Battle

"Do they all learn to do that?" I asked, turning to Sol as he started to stand. "They learn many things," he nodded, offering me a paw and helping me to get up along with him. "What about the males?" I asked as we walked back inside, and then out the front door with a young greeter politely thanking us again for our visit. "I will show you tomorrow if you like," Sol said as we once again took to walking down the series of footpaw paths leading back through the wolf city. I enthusiastically agreed, and the two of us soon returned to Sol's home where the two of us took a meal together, along with a few of the other wolves who lived nearby. They seemed quite entertained by the marking the oracle had given me, and asked several times what I would like, or if there was anything they could do for me. I found these offers particularly suggestive from two females that were present, who seemed quite shameless about their offers. I assured them I was doing well however, and that my primary interest lay in the stories I had heard, and what more they might reveal to me about our shared history. This they all seemed to take quite seriously, with several making suggestions to Sol of names of stories I should hear.

"He will hear them," Sol said, lifting his paw to quiet the incessant suggestions, "I have arranged for all he needs." "At least change his clothes if he will stay," said one of the younger males, pawing at my shirt with a laugh. I peered up at Sol curiously as he looked me over and slowly nodded. "Perhaps tomorrow," he said with a slightly mischievous smile which I found somewhat unsettling. Suddenly a clamorous metallic clang rung out from somewhere far off in the city, and several of the wolves looked up in surprise. "What is that?" I asked as the shimmering rattle that followed slowly faded away. "Come and see!" one of the younger wolves suggested as he leapt up and grabbed my paw, dragging me along as several of the others hurried out and along one of the broad paths with Sol following behind, seeming in no great hurry. Many other wolves joined as a crowd quickly formed, all moving in unison toward the source of the sound, which I gathered had come from one of the main entrances into the wolf city. As we got near our destination, the crowd began to part down the center of the path ahead of us, and soon the tall wolves in front of me were no longer obstructing my view, and I could see clearly a group of large stallions steadily plodding toward me.

The wolf who had taken my paw quickly pulled me aside as well, and I watched in awe as the stallions walked past, their massive hooves stomping heavily and leaving impressions in the hard packed dirt path. Like the male wolves they were also shirtless, but instead of short narrow loincloths, they wore brightly patterned full heavy cloth kilts, which came nearly down to their knees. These were complemented by similar bands tied about their arms, and large numbers of small reflective colored beads woven into their manes and tails, which shined brightly in the afternoon sun. This wasn't so very different I thought from the attire of horses I had seen on rare previous occasions, although I found the excessive colorization and strange unfamiliar patterns of their design quite unusual. I was no expert however, and had no idea whether there was much contact between equines who lived in the civilized cities, and those who did not.

I counted eight in all, walking two abreast, and in their huge arms they each seemed to be carrying large pieces of salvaged metallic scrap. I immediately recognized some of the shapes, as these were items obviously recovered from one of the many ruined and partially buried cities scattered about the desert. Some were partially broken and had wiring hanging from their openings, and showed pitting from the exposure to the blowing sand, but still they must have been quite important for these stallions to have carried them all this way. Of all the expeditions I had been a part of we had never brought back with us more than a few small pieces of ancient technology, as we had very little success finding any practical use for them, and instead relegated them to display pieces in some of what few museums there were, or boxed them away in some dusty warehouse to be forgotten.

Once the stallions had passed the crowd closed again behind them, with many wolves straining to see and following along as they continued on their way. Sol managed to catch up with me as the crowd eventually began to disperse, and I immediately started questioning him about what I had just seen. "First they will go to the temple to receive the blessing of the oracle." Sol said, pointing up toward the tall familiar structure rising up over the nearby buildings. "Once they will deliver what they have gathered to the armory, they will be given what food they need and be gone before nightfall." "Aren't they tired? Why don't they stay? Where do they live? Why.." I flooded the old wolf with questions but he placed his large paws on my shoulders and leaned down to look me in the eye. "The story starts soon," he said, and turned me to face back toward the path as we began to make our way back toward the large fire pit where the stories of the previous nights had been told.

Along the way we passed by a stage like the one I had discovered when I had gone wandering on my own previously. This one was different I could tell, as I was fairly certain we were in a different part of the city, and nothing nearby looked overly familiar to me. The stage itself was similar from what I could tell however, a long raised platform along one side of an open square courtyard, which was set off to one side of the pathway we were walking along. This left ample room for wolves to stand about watching the explicit display, as one female after another took the few steps up to one of several evenly spaced partitions under a cloth awning, and knelt to select her partners. Not every slot was filled I noted, as a few of the blankets sat unused, and the number of males watching too seemed somewhat small, perhaps less than fifty I guessed as the hour was becoming somewhat late. Though I was no stranger to public sexual displays in daily city life before I had visited the wolves, I still thought it odd how acclimated I had become, that I now felt no strangeness or discomfort as I casually walked by along the path.

As I continued walking along with Sol, I glanced only briefly at each of the couples passionately embracing together, their bodies rocking and thrusting to the sound of moans and cries that could be heard above the bustling noise of the foot traffic moving up and down the path. As my eyes passed over each partition I spotted her, and quickly looked back with surprise at what I saw. Nervously, and escorted by an older wolfess, a young wolf girl was being led up to one of the empty blankets near the center of the stage, which had only recently been left vacant by a lovely dark furred female, whose partner had finally been able to free his knot and take her away with him. As the previous female re-dressed herself, the young one was guided by the paw of the adult wolfess escorting her up onto the platform, where she looked out over the audience and slowly sank down to her knees on the blanket. What had caught my eyes were the dark tufts of fur on the young female's creamy white ears, and as I looked closer I was sure I recognized her from earlier in the day. I pointed this out to Sol and he nodded, allowing us to stop a moment as he explained. It seemed to be felt that it was easiest for a young one's first time to be either early or late in the day, when there would not be as many males watching and waiting to take their turns with them, and that these times were generally understood to be less rigorous than closer to mid-day.

The young wolfess took her time looking out over the audience, but eventually lifted a paw to indicate her first partner. He was also young I could tell, though tall and athletic, his soft gray fur rippling as he bounded up onto the stage to give the young girl's headfur a stroke as he stepped up close beside her muzzle. It was hard to read her expression, but slowly she began obediently to nuzzle his leg, her paws lifting to caress his thighs and begin to work at the strap of his loincloth, which was already beginning to bulge with his arousal. When the cloth fell away and left him exposed, his eager length was already filling out from his sheath, leaving very little work for the young wolfess to do with her paws and her muzzle to prepare him for what would come next. He seemed to enjoy her attention immensely however, as his hips rocked seemingly of their own accord as the passive young female allowed him to use her muzzle for his pleasure. To my surprise his head soon tilted back and he let out a howl, causing the kneeling girl to pull back in surprise as his pulsing shaft began to soak her face and chest.

"Sometimes the young ones have a difficult time," Sol said indifferently as we stood and watched the display. I was too shocked to inquire further as the first flustered male's climax soon came to an end and he abashedly picked up his loincloth and stepped down from the stage. Another young male of darker fur and slightly smaller proportions took his place at the young female's side afterward, leaving her little time to recover as he reached down and guided her paw up to his waist. She seemed reluctant to comply, but soon had him disrobed as well, letting the second male's length sink into her waiting muzzle. The second young male's length was somewhat larger than the first to my surprise, to spite his smaller stature. He seemed more able to control himself as well, though he did not take long to become fully aroused, and quickly moved to loosing the knots which held the dark wrap of cloth to the young wolfess' body. Little by little her fur was exposed, and I found myself nearly panting in anticipation as once again the young girl's body was fully revealed to me. Her partner wasted no time, and as soon as she was undressed, guided her down onto her back with her legs spread wide for him, as he moved into position above her prone body.

From their position I could see clearly the male's length as it spread the lips of the young girl's sex, sinking in slowly as he lowered his hips down toward hers with a lustful groan. He did this several times, seeming to have difficulty, his partner beginning to thrash about and push her paws up against his chest as her legs flailed to either side of him. I cringed slightly at the sight as a small trickle of blood started to run down between the wolf girl's creamy thighs, the male's thrusts slowly becoming deeper. "Are you going to need a turn?" Sol asked me as the young wolfess began to calm down and allow her partner to pick up his pace. I blushed and tried to adjust the obvious bulge in my pants, shaking my head uncomfortably. "Let's go then," Sol said, and turned back to the path to keep moving. Reluctantly I turned to follow, taking a last look as we passed out of view to see the young wolfess' legs starting to wrap around her partner as his pace steadily increased, as their bodies moved rhythmically together.

It took me nearly until we arrived at the fire pit before I was able to recover enough from the sight to resume walking comfortably, and I found the now familiar setting a more than welcome reprieve from the day's activities as the sun drew low in the sky. Sol and I took our seats together in his usual place, but said very little as we again waited for the storyteller to arrive. There was still so much I didn't understand, and yet I thought this was a place I was really starting to feel at home, even though at times it still managed to surprise me. I wondered how I would feel once I returned to my real home. How would I be able to go back to my daily life after all this? It didn't matter for now, and I looked out over the seating area at the few other wolves already present, a few females with their mates, but mostly males sitting alone or in small groups, or still standing around talking and laughing as the sky began to grow dark. The fire had already been burning, and young wolves now and then tended to it, adding wood and keeping it evenly burning so that it would last all through the story once it started without interruption.

As the seating area continued to fill, I tried to count how many of the wolves I now recognized. There were a few who lived near Sol who had become a regular sight, though I could never seem to keep their names straight since they were all some form of natural occurrence or object, all in all too similar for me to remember. There were others I recognized as well, from here and there around the makeshift city, or from previous nights gathered here around the fire. A pair the females I noted had been the storytellers from previous nights, and were now laying close to the fire, each on her own blanket, where they would no doubt have the best view of the storyteller and the gracefully seductive dance with which she delivered her tale.

Another female I noted too as she arrived, one who had held my attention long into the previous night. She looked over in my direction and approached taking a place on a blanket in front of me, even closer than she had been on the day before. She smiled at me as she sat down, then turned to lay on her belly as she turned to face the fire. Her footpaws slowly lifted behind her, as did her tail which spread the folds of her loosely wrapped dress, tied as with all females, with a long white cord in a crossing pattern between the waist and the chest. This left the lower part of the dress unrestricted so that the tail was not held back by the fabric, instead parting it from behind and leaving an opening the bushy fur usually covered. In this position however the open back was quite intentionally exaggerated by the parting of the females legs, and the lifting of her fluffy tail, leaving her nude body beneath in full view to me behind her. Though the light was quickly fading, from my point of view her sex was clearly visible, and she was moving in a slow suggestive way, gyrating her hips so slightly that I don't think any fur would have noticed had they not been as transfixed as I was.

I wasn't sure how long I watched her, but eventually a hush fell over the nearby audience, and I turned to look up toward a black robed figure, standing once again before the fire. Slowly a pair of white paws rose from the wide thick sleeves, and then all at once the robe was thrown back, in an instant revealing a stunning gray wolfess, with white fur down her chest and belly, and along her inner thighs and under arms, ending in pure white at all four of her paws, along with a white tuft at the end of her long swaying tail. Her pose was fixed with one leg forward and her arms outstretched behind her, as her back arched to let her muzzle lift up toward the evening sky. After a long pause the slow motion of her tail started to shift forward, and the female's hips started to move, followed by the lowering of her arms and the beginnings of a first step, as she began her circle about the blazing fire.

Her remaining clothing I noted was unusually cut. Though made from the same sheer white fabric which left nothing to the imagination, it was made from two parts, one unevenly tapered over her shoulders which draped down over her breasts, while the other similarly tapered from her waist to the opposite side. The lower fabric made up an uneven sort of skirt, which was less than a paw digit in width on one hip, while it hung down nearly to her knees on the other. This sort of asymmetry was not something I had noted before in any of the wolves' clothing I had seen before, and I might have wondered if it could have some special significance if I was not so entranced by the wolfess wearing it. Time seemed to nearly stand still as she continued her way around the fire, though after what seemed an eternity her footpaws came to rest at the places where they had begun, and she looked out over the audience, giving a nod to a nearby male who smiled back at her approvingly before beginning her story.

"In the time when the brothers Echo and Eclipse had been separated, the machines which had increased in strength in the secret places of the wasteland at last began to gather. Echo knew that they were coming, and in what time remained took us to an old city, one of many places where in those days there was power enough for food, and many ancient buildings left for shelter. In that time of need the power was turned to weapons, and every fur was made to help prepare as best they could, setting traps for the machines and keeping watch as the impending storm marched closer.

It was on the third day that the first of the machines arrived, each one freshly prepared, and stronger than ever before from the feeding on the remnants of our first home, and the many other ruins which were no longer safe. Some of us fell to despair, but Echo reassured them that all would not be lost, for the preparations they had made were well chosen, and practiced over many years of hunting the machines. The machines then came into the city, and the beginning of the fighting started, using the nets of lightning and the sticks of fire, which in those days could fell even the largest and the strongest of the machines. These had been just the first however, and in the time they had been silenced, many more had arrived. Those that came after, though fewer in number were larger in size, and could not be silenced so easily.

When the second attack came it lasted long into the night, and many ancient buildings were collapsed, crushing machines under their weight, and trapping them within the rubble so that they might be more easily destroyed. But few wolves remained uninjured, and many others too had been hurt or killed, with so little time to keep count as the machines closed in from all around.

When hope was nearly lost in that hour of darkness, with the beloved moon shining down from above, the machines at last withdrew, lacking the power of the sun to sustain them for as long as the night would last. Though the threat of our destruction momentarily subsided, there was no time for grief, and all through the night none slept, for there was too much to be done if there was to be any small hope of our survival. It was in those hours the white wolf spoke, and we remember her words. "Do not be afraid. We are together. Our love protects us. And machines do not love."

When the sun arose it seemed all preparations had been in vain, for more machines had arrived in the night, and there were now a number beyond counting. Though to most all looked hopeless, Echo distributed among those who remained a bundle of spears which he had made in the night. Though those he had made were few, he spoke of how he had crafted them from the very bodies of the destroyed machines, and how their own teeth and claws would be their destruction when next they came.

Echo did not have long to wait, as in the light the machines again began their advance, filling all the pathways of the city with their churning bodies. The spears were soon put to work, and Echo was proven clever once again, as the machines fell in great numbers. It was hardly enough however, as the spears were few and the machines were many, and those left who could use them were falling one by one. Not a fur was then idle, as all fought to survive. The females and the males, the weak and the strong, none were spared, and none that day refused to fight, for Echo urged them on, and though gravely injured, leaned on his spear and would not rest until again the day turned to night, and the last of the machines were gone at last.

No more preparations were made after that day, as the machines that remained slipped away and departed during the night, scuttling back to their distant lairs hidden by the vast expanse of endless sand. But the battle had been terrible, and more now lay dead than were still living, and more were injured than were not. It took days to burn the bodies, and at that time even those furs who were not wolves were burned, so that their spirits might join the stars in the sky, for they too had paid a heavy cost, and given all they had so that we all might survive. So now when we look up at the sky we remember our own, and yet we remember too those who gave their lives for us in that, the first great battle against the machines. Without their sacrifice we could not be here, and so until the changing of the stars their story too will be told."

The pause which followed the ending of the story was long and seemed full of memory, as the many gathered wolves sat together in pristine silence, the only remaining sound the crackling of the fire and the soft blowing of the night wind. When finally some did start to move they were quiet, and got up slowly so as not to disturb the others, as many waited a good while longer before stirring from their seats. The storyteller was perhaps the last to move, having stood frozen in her kneeling position facing toward the fire until all those around her had ended the silence, and were either dispersing or seeking out their partner for what followed. How such a troubling story could entice any of them toward a passionate encounter puzzled me, but though the wolves around me began to engage in the ritualized practice more solemnly than on previous nights, it seemed the performance itself and the practice of gathering around the fire to listen to a story told in this way, was still more than enough for them to be drawn together after it had finished.

Sol soon turned away, telling me he had something to take care of before he returned home, and I thanked him again for his assistance as he stood and departed from the circle. As I turned back to look toward the fire I found it difficult to look past the wolfess in front of me, who had turned to face toward me and was now kneeling with a smile across her beautiful muzzle. It was enough even for me to be roused from the somber state the events of the story had left me in, and I smiled back to her. She invitingly lifted a paw from her lap and extended it a short way toward me and I looked around nervously, becoming very aware that she was gesturing to me as Sol had gone, and that there were no other wolves immediately nearby. I began to squirm in my seat, my body demanding I accept and stand to approach her, but I was still troubled by my home far away, and the family that waited for my return. I bit my lip and slowly shook my head, though there was clearly no way to hide my interest. The wolfess tilted her head to the side and narrowed her yellow eyes, giving a flick of her tail as she slowly looked around at some of the other males who had approached her.

After another brief glance toward me to be sure, she lifted her paw further and turned it toward the next available male, a large dark furred wolf who wasted no time stepping up to her side, allowing her paws to reach his loincloth while her muzzle already went to work caressing the insides of his thighs. Though I could have easily stood to leave the wolves to their pleasure, I did not even think of it at the time, instead sitting mesmerized, as nearly within arm's reach the beautiful female freed the male's loincloth and extended her tongue to expertly bring her partner to full arousal. The heavy scent of sex filled my nose, and I realized she must be experiencing as much of the intensity of the experience as I was, as even through the thick cloth that she still wore, her scent was unmistakable. That cloth did not remain in place for much longer however, as once the dark furred male's impressively large shaft had completely filled out, he knelt by her side and moved on his knees behind her, where his paws groped over her slender form and began tugging at the knots in the cord which held the cloth to her. With obviously well practiced technique the male wolf soon had each knot free, and little by little let the dark fabric slip from the female's form to eventually fall crumpled at her knees.

The sleek naked body of the wolfess was even more beautiful than I remembered as she knelt completely exposed in the flickering fire light, with the large paws of a powerful male roaming over her soft fur. I found myself wishing more with each passing moment that I had accepted her offer, but for now all I could do was watch as she slowly sank forward facing toward me, bringing her yet even closer to me as her partner behind her put her on all fours, and positioned himself over her back. The wolfess licked her lips, and smiled up at me as her chest sank down to the ground just before me, followed swiftly by a hard thrust which buried the male's shaft between the folds of her sex, causing her to cry out as her body was pressed forward even closer between my footpaws. My eyes went wide and I squirmed back a little as the pair began to move together, the female's hips rocking in well-practiced gyrations as the male made long hard thrusts at an already building pace.

I glanced around myself a moment, too nervous to move, but saw that all around me the scene had ascended to a passionate expression of lustful desires, where not a disapproving eye could be found. The female nuzzled my leg and I gasped slightly as I looked back down, again tracing my eyes over the two wolves in their passionate embrace before me. It felt now only natural, and somehow even right that wolves should express their loves and passions in such a way, and that I was in fact overwhelmingly fortunate to have been offered inclusion into something most furs would never know or feel. The wolfess nuzzled at my other leg and I did not recoil, only leaning back slightly and propping myself up with my arms as I eased back against a cushion from where I sat. The rough coupling seemed to be driving the female forward, and bit by bit, each thrust brought their bodies closer, allowing the female's curious muzzle to slide up between my knees, the hot breath of her panting now warming my body further through my clothes.

Before she got much closer her partner tied with her, letting out a dominant growl as he gripped her hips in his strong paws, and pulled her back in one hard stroke, to bring her hips back to meet his. She cried out as well, and then moaned at the sensations. Her back arched and her eyes closed as she pawed at the blanket beneath her, while her entire body writhed and thrashed with pleasure. The male wasn't finished, and continued his hard thrusting, driving his partner on further as her escalating voice joined with others all around, each engaged in their own lustful pairings. Eventually with a resounding howl the male wolf climaxed, his body clearly shuddering as he held his partner close back against him, filling her as deeply as he could as she melted back into his strong embrace. The pair then collapsed down before me, the male leaning back and extending his legs forward to either side of the female, as she slid further forward toward me, her hips still gently grinding down against her partner's lap.

From here her yellow eyes again looked up at me, and she brushed a few stray stands of her headfur from her face with a satisfied smile, before again giving my body a gentle nuzzle. The pair would not be separating for quite some time I knew well from experience, but that seemed to do little to dissuade the eager wolfess, who now had moved close enough to rub her nose directly against the prominent bulge in the front of my pants. I moaned softly without thinking, and my hips slowly started to move on their own as the persistent attentions of the beautiful naked female were far more than I could continue to resist. Slowly but surely her paws joined her muzzle, and with expert dexterity, began carefully working open the fastenings of my pants. I did nothing to stop her, but began to pant heavily in anticipation, my mind swimming with heat at the intensity of her tantalizing pace. I opened my eyes and gasped sharply, as my clothing at last went loose about my hips, and all at once my warm sensitive flesh was exposed to the cool air and the immediately engulfed by the smooth warmth of the wolfess' muzzle. The experience was like nothing I could begin to describe. All the erotic experiences of my time with the wolves flooded through my mind, along with the intense pleasure of this amazing female's tongue as it worked within her mouth to wrap around my throbbing length, completely overwhelming my senses and making me feel as if I had somehow dispersed from my own body into a saturated point of raw energy of limitless passion, which compressed and intensified until suddenly exploding in a blinding wave of cleansing pure light.

Though the moment seemed an eternity at the time, it must have in reality have been quite brief, because when I again managed to open my eyes things were much as I remembered them. It took some time for me to realize again who I was, and where I was, as my trembling body slowly and fully relaxed, leaving me nearly unable to move. I looked down again to see the wolfess smiling and licking her lips, as she gently finished refastening my pants, still tied with her partner and moving slowly against his body. I could think of nothing to say, and could only lay my head back and sigh as I turned and looked over the other wolves around me, none of whom seemed to have noticed in the slightest what I had just experienced. The female wolf continued lovingly nuzzling my body, and I thoughtlessly moved a paw down between my legs to stroke her soft ears as I looked out to see various pairs and trios of wolves, relaxing in the afterglow or continuing in their lustful passions. Multiple females now had moved on to taking two or even three males at once, as the ones who had not grown too tired gathered most of the remaining attention. This included the storyteller I noted, whose sheer garments had long been discarded, her previously pristine fur showing many spots of wetness as she now thrust her hips down in the lap of one male while she took a second under her tail from behind, and her muzzle pleasured a third in a way he seemed to be very gratefully enjoying.

The wolfess was still nuzzling my body, and I suddenly became aware that I was already becoming very aroused once again, though completely to my surprise after how brief my reprieve had been. I looked down toward the beautiful slender wolfess to see her lift slowly from her partner, who rose again to his knees behind her, and with some effort pulled himself back, causing both to wince as he finally pulled himself free with a wet splattering of fluids that soaked into the blanket beneath them. Without a word he departed, retrieving his nearby loincloth and tying it back around himself as he slowly walked off. "Shall we?" the wolfess said, in a smooth calming voice as she once again knelt and extended her paw. "Umm.. maybe next time," I said as I slowly rose to my footpaws, though I immediately regretted inadvertently leading the affectionate wolfess on. "I'll be waiting," she said, slowly standing as well and turning away. My eyes remained fixed on her as she bent down at the waist to take her clothes, brushing her tail out of the way as she leaned down low to show me the glistening wetness of her well-used sex, and the soaked fur that extended down far along her inner thighs. She looked over her shoulder at me with a little smile as she replaced her cloth, tying it loosely back on with the thick braided white cord before slowly sauntering off, her hips and tail swaying suggestively as she departed from the circle.

I sighed heavily and shook my head, walking on wobbly legs and still able to think of nothing but lust as I awkwardly made my way back to my tent, where I hoped I would somehow be able to lull myself to sleep. I unsteadily approached my tent and fumbled with the fastenings, only bothering with two toward the bottom so that I could crawl my way inside. As I slunk into my dark tent and refastened the door flap, I heard a sudden rustling and jumped up to my footpaws in surprise, tripping over my backpack and nearly falling over. "Who is that?!" I called, backing against the fabric of the closed door flap of the tent. From somewhere in the nearby darkness a small timid voice whimpered out in reply, "It's me, Blossom."

XI.

Companionship

"Blossom?" I asked in surprise, though lowering my voice as I felt around and slowly knelt down to remove the light from my backpack. She squinted and turned her face away when I switched on the light, and I quickly adjusted down the dial so that it glowed only dimly with just enough light to see clearly the inside of the tent. "What are you doing here?" I asked with a somewhat relieved sigh as the light revealed the young girl curled up in my synthetic blanket, which lay on the light decompressed foam pad that served as my bed. "I'm keeping your bed warm?" she said confused, as if I should know. "Why aren't you in your own bed?" I asked in reply, taking a seat on the cloth covered floor of the tent next to her and setting the light aside. "You.. chose me," she said with concern, slowly sitting up and letting the blanket fall from her shoulders, revealing her nude body.

I opened my eyes wide in surprise and reached out a paw to lift the corner of the blanket back up over her chest. "Umm, yes but that was.. I thought.. what exactly did I choose for?" I stammered, shifting about unsteadily as I tried to conceal my still prominent state of arousal. "Well," Blossom said with a little smile, shifting closer to me and hugging the blanket to her chest, "I get out of practice as long as you're here, to be your attendant." "What exactly does that mean?" I asked slowly, unsure I wanted to hear the answer. "Oh lots of stuff," the young wolfess replied enthusiastically. "Show you around, tell you stories, keep you company, whatever you need really." She shrugged casually and gave me a strange look, as my expression must have been quite dumbfounded. "That is all very nice of you, but you really don't have to do all that," I said, somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of a serving girl. She giggled in response and leaned forward toward me. "And anything else you might.. need," she said, in a soft seductive voice while sliding her paw up along my thigh.

"I.. think the stories will be quite enough," I told her, placing my paw on hers and shifting back away from her slightly. "But I have to do a good job," she whined, suddenly reminding me she was after all just a young girl. "If I don't do it all right I'll be in trouble.. again," she added with a roll of her eyes. I laughed and moved to sit beside her on the bed, moving the light closer within reach. "Well don't worry," I said, "I'll be sure and tell everyone you've done a wonderful job." She smiled at this and snuggled against my shoulder, yawning softly as the hour was quite late. "Sorry to wake you," I said, ruffling the young wolfess' headfur with my paw, "you should go back to sleep." "Are you coming to bed?" she asked, as I started to stand up. I considered this for a moment, I couldn't very well send her away, and the modest tent left no other option for sleeping arrangements. "Well I guess I'm stuck with you aren't I?" I said, placing my paws on my hips with a teasing sigh. She giggled again and nodded hiding her nose cutely behind the blanket which she held up in front of her with her paws.

I worked my footpaws free of my boots and sat down on the bed again, and was surprised by the feeling of the young girl's paws as she started to reach around my waist. "I think that is enough," I said nervously, trying to slowly guide Blossom's paws away from the still obvious bulge in the front of my pants. "You don't undress for bed?" she asked curiously, tilting her head to the side as she slowly let me lift her paws from my lap. "Well yes, I mean.. no, not for tonight," I said uncomfortably, as I couldn't help but glance back over the nude blanket covered girl. "I'm very warm," she said with a little smile, lifting a paw up to stroke along my cheek and down the side of my neck. I tilted my head back and shuddered at the touch of her warm pawpads, quickly slipping back into thoughts of earlier in the night, from which I had to shake my head to return back to the present. "Just.. lay down," I said, slowly moving alongside her and struggling not to look too long at her naked body as she lifted the blanket to allow me to lay down with her under the it. "Goodnight," I said softly, reaching an arm over her to switch off the light as she snuggled up softly against my chest.

Unfortunately getting to sleep was not nearly as easy as I would have liked. I was still uncomfortably aroused from events earlier in the evening, and the feel of the young wolfess pressing against me wasn't helping one bit. In addition, it seemed she was quite unable to get comfortable and keep still, the biggest reason for this I later learned, that she was most used to sleeping alone, and that the practice she had undertaken in sharing a bed with another girl had been yet another of her troublesome experiences. The reason didn't matter so much at the time however, as Blossom squirmed and rubbed against the front of my body as I tried alternatively to either hold her close and keep her still, or slide her back to let her move. Either way she continued wiggling about, doing nothing to help me curb my state of arousal. At the same time the heat was also beginning to get to me. I did normally sleep without clothing of course, especially outdoors with a proper tent like this in a rather warm summer, and the body of the wolfess with me under the warm blanket increased the temperature far more than I found comfortable.

I did my best not to think about my discomfort for a while, going back over parts of the various stories I had heard, and what I remembered of the recordings I had seen in that cave deep in the desert, which had ultimately led me here. I couldn't keep this up for long however and soon found myself opening my eyes and trying see in the near total darkness. Blossom rubbed up against me again and I sighed, trying briefly to push off the blanket but finding I couldn't easily without also uncovering her on the narrow bed. Finally I gave up, and resolved at least to remove my shirt, rolling onto my back a moment and pulling it up and over my head and off. I immediately felt much better, but then Blossom rolled over to lay on top of me, again snuggling against the now exposed fur of my chest. I set my shirt aside and laid my head back against the bed with another sigh, again trying to relax with the warmth of the young wolfess squirming against me. She was still wiggling of course, which was more than a little distracting, especially now that our bodies were in such close contact. I shuddered as I felt her warm breath across my fur, her small bare breasts pressing down on my chest, and her legs straddling mine as she continued her almost constant back and forth movement.

I wondered if she was also still awake, and though I didn't want to disturb her, it seemed I might have little choice if I wanted to get any sleep. Slowly and carefully I slid my paws down along her body, stroking lightly over the girl's soft fur as she lay pressed against me. She did not seem to respond, except by continuing to squirm, one of her legs now pressing between my own and grinding against the bulge in my pants with each tiny frequent motion that she made. My paws slid lower and very gently I pressed at her hips to slowly slide her off to my side. Her legs squeezed around mine, and she let out a soft whimper as I managed to move her off, turning myself again onto my side facing her. As I tried to withdraw my paw it slid up between her legs, and I heard her gasp softly, her legs clenching together before I could pull away. I could feel she was soaked, and I too started to squirm as her muzzle rubbed up under my chin affectionately.

"Are you awake?" I softly whispered, opening my eyes again and blinking in the darkness. "I can't sleep," Blossom whimpered back, her leg muscles trembling as she squeezed them around my trapped paw. "Could you let go?" I asked embarrassed, closing my paw between her legs as she slowly relaxed and allowed me to withdraw it. "Sorry," she whispered, then instead moving her own paw to rub against the bulge in my pants. My body responded, and I couldn't deny how I felt, the heat and arousal merging together into an overwhelming need as the female against me massaged my sensitive flesh through the fabric, and began to slide her small form down lower against my body. "What are you doing?" I asked nervously, unable to bring myself to stop her. "I.. promise I won't bite," she said in a soft shaky voice, seeming a bit nervous herself as she slid the blanket off completely, and moved her muzzle down to where she could nuzzle against my thigh. "You.. shouldn't do that," I said a bit louder as she began working her paws to unfasten my pants. "Really, I can do it," she answered back insistently, and before I could object further she had my pants open and for the second time that night I felt the smooth sensual tongue of a wolfess stroking along my throbbing shaft.

My head tossed to the side and I let out a spontaneous moan, unable to control myself as the satisfying stimulation again coursed through my body. To spite her promise I did feel teeth, and shuddered as she tried to take my otter length fully into her muzzle. Though she was obviously not as practiced as the wolfess I had felt earlier, I was still uncontrollably writhing, completely absorbed by the amazing sensations. Then all of a sudden she stopped, pulling back and leaving my length throbbing upright in the open air. "Are you ready?" she asked, as I slowly opened my eyes again and tried to look up at her. I could barely make out her naked form in the darkness as she got up on her knees and slowly turned around, crinkling the sleeping pad as she got into position on all fours, looking back toward me over her shoulder with her tail raised high. "It will be good," she added as she straddled my legs and slowly started to ease back toward me. I froze in a slight panic, completely unsure what to say. My mind raced and I panted, breathing in the female's heavy scent, with the heat from my body and my nervousness escalating out of control. I tried to think of my home and my family, my life before I had come to this place, but all I could think of were the visions of wolves, writhing, panting, and moaning as their bodies thrust against one another. Not all of the wolves I recognized, and for a brief flash I even saw the white wolf whose nude pure white image I had only ever seen on the ancient recordings.

Blossom continued to sink backward and suddenly my mind returned to the present as the slick hot lips of her sex gently touched the tip of my shaft. In that instant something snapped, and I swiftly sat up, lifting the young girl's hips and climbing out from under her. "Bend over," I nearly growled, pushing the girl's small body back down to all fours again as I kicked my pants off and positioned myself behind her. I guided my length between her legs, and without any delay, roughly grabbed her by the hips and thrust forward, pulling her back against me with all my strength at the same time. She yelped sharply and began to whimper, drawing to my attention that I had just taken the young girl's virginity. I would have thought that I would have shown some restraint, that I would be gentle and compassionate in such a delicate situation, if such an unthinkable thing as this could have ever happened at all, but I had no restraint left as I harshly pounded into the young wolfess' formerly virgin sex. She did not quiet down for a long while, but I was lost in the use of her body to satisfy my desire. I pressed her face and chest down and spread her legs wide, enjoying the wet pounding of our bodies together as I thrust as deeply into her as I could in the darkness of the tent.

Eventually she seemed to get into a rhythm, the tone of her voice changing to a lower pitch as I continued to control the motion of her body, pulling her hips back hard with each thrust as I passionately mounted her. I even noticed one of her paws rubbing herself as I continued to thrust forward and felt her digits pressed between her legs. Not that it mattered much to me at the time, as somehow I had become completely lost in the lustful act of taking what I desired. This seemed to go on longer than any sexual experience I had ever taken the pleasure of enjoying before, the girl's voice rising and crying out and falling again several times as her tight warm slit clenched around my steadily thrusting shaft. Finally, nearing exhaustion, my intensity finally reached its peak, erupting in a flood of warmth as I held the wolfess' hips tight against mine, our voices both moaning out together as our coupling finally ended, with both of us collapsing together on the bed where I almost immediately passed out to sleep.

I awoke the next morning and found myself alone. I wondered if it all had been a dream, as my mind was still clouded with dreamlike images that seemed to blend with my memories of the night before. I sat up and got dressed, picking up the light that I had left next to my bed and partially starting to remember the events of the previous evening. I rubbed my eyes and shook my head, drinking some water from a flask and splashing a bit over my face before dressing and replacing the light in my backpack, and exiting from the tent to face the day. Several wolves were about having breakfast, and I easily found Sol among them sitting in his usual place on a large stone. Taking a few of the more easily identifiable food items from what I had come to understand was a buffet table, I sat down next to him and let him finish eating before inquiring about the activities of the day. Meal times for the wolves were somewhat strange to me. They did not seem to eat on any fixed daily schedule, and at times had only light snacks, often consumed as they went about their business without even sitting down, only occasionally taking the time to enjoy a larger meal. This was one of the full meals, which Sol explained to me were catered to at the appropriate times, though one could always visit the kitchens if in need of something to eat. It was best, I had discovered, not to interrupt a wolf when sitting down for a meal, as they maintained a very diligent focus on their food, and did not seem at all to enjoy being disturbed.

Before Sol had finished however, I saw Blossom emerge from the nearby path, dressed in the same dark dress wrapped by a white cord I had seen her in when we first met, and carrying a small bundle in her paws. I blushed as I realized to my embarrassment the events of the previous night had clearly not been a dream, as the young girl bounded up to me with a smile, placing the bundle in my lap before getting herself something to eat. The bundle seemed wrapped with a long silken cord, which tied together a soft brown cloth containing some hard rounded objects inside. Though I was curious, I set it aside for a moment, choosing to do as the wolves and finish what I was eating before moving on to other things. Blossom knelt at my footpaws to eat, making me feel even more uncomfortable as I did my best to hurry with my food. Once the three of us were finished Sol stood up, turning to me with an approving nod. "I need to go away," he said solemnly, gesturing to the two of us with his paw. "She will show you what you need, and tend to you while I am gone. I will be back in a few days." I was puzzled by this, but Blossom only nodded in response, rising to her footpaws and picking up the bundle she had brought to me. I asked him if everything was alright, sensing something different in the old wolf's mood, but he assured me it was a personal matter, and that he would return once it was taken care of. I was confident I would be alright without him, and told him not to worry, though I couldn't help but be a bit curious as to the nature of the old wolf's errand.

Sol soon departed, taking nothing with him and leaving me more or less alone with Blossom, the other wolves also slowly dispersing once they had finished with their breakfast. "Come on," Blossom said to me with a smile, giving me the package once again and tugging at my paw. I began to follow her, as without any further explanation, she began her way down the large path and off through several smaller ones, before we arrived at what resembled a large metal shack. The pieces of the walls and roofing were cobbled together from various bits of different metals, obviously scavenged from the ruins the way many of the city buildings were, however it was of significant size and clearly different design, being rather tall and wide, but showing no sign of a second floor. Wolves were constantly streaming in and out of the open front doorway, which did not seem to have any way of closing. Soon Blossom led me inside, following along with the other wolves around a sharp bend and through a set of flaps similar those attached to tents, and then into a large open room.

Looking around inside, I discovered we had arrived at some kind of sauna, crowded with many wolves of both genders, most completely undressed as they washed themselves with washcloths and bowls of water, or lazed about on the many rounded wooden benches which adorned the room. There was very little light, as it only filtered in along open panels low to the ground, reflected in by polished bits of metal adjacent to the openings, but it was enough to see by as Blossom picked up a large carved wooden bowl from a stack near the entrance, and led me further into the room. At a specific place along the wall, Blossom pulled on a rope which dangled down through a small hole, and water began rushing out of an opening just below it into the waiting bowl she held. Once she had filled the bowl, she guided me off to one side of the room, near one of the open panels in the wall which provided ample light. Blossom then set the bowl down and began undressing me. I started to feel nervous at first, but as all the wolves around me were already nude I soon started to relax, though I couldn't completely shake the feeling of arousal as the young wolfess knelt down before me and began unfastening my pants. I knew my state was quite evident as my pants were removed and set aside, along with my shirt and my boots, but there was not much to do about it as I stood nude and shifted back and forth while the young wolfess knelt expectantly in front of me.

"Here," she said, lifting her head and tilting it to the side as she lifted up on her knees toward me. I soon realized what she meant, and just as I had seen now on many occasions, I reached down and with some effort released the knots holding the cord around her dress, slowly relieving her of her clothing as well. The knots were slightly tricky to work out, but I imagined I had an easier time with them than a wolf would, with my much smaller paws and dexterous digits. As the cord became loose, the dark blue cloth simply fell from her body, no longer held up and, splitting from an opening along the back as it parted and slid to the floor as a single nearly square piece of crumpled cloth. It was tapered slightly in the back to allow room for the tail to remain uncovered, but other than that the garment was rather simple, though I had not taken the chance to examine one so closely before. As I was doing this, Blossom took the small bundle from me and untied it, revealing several small objects which looked to be containers of some sort, along with some small bits of thick cloth.

With obviously routine expertise, Blossom wetted the larger of the pieces of cloth in the bowl, and stood next to me, starting from my head to wipe down along my body. The water was cold and I shivered at first, but wasn't bothered too much as I was quite fond of outdoor swimming, and the hot day and hotter air of the steam-filled building, made the temperature difference a welcome one. Other wolves were doing much the same I noted, with many other males washing themselves, while the few other females present cleaned themselves as well as the males they were with, in much the same way Blossom was doing for me. I felt rather privileged, and somewhat guilty to have such an attendant, though it no longer stuck me as strange, as I watched the other nude females performing the same caring task. When Blossom had reached my footpaws, she knelt and rinsed the cloth in the bowl, and twisted open one of the small round containers, pouring some liquid over the cloth and again standing to go over my fur again. The liquid felt oily, and had a strangely strong scent, like an herb or spice of some sort, which thankfully grew less pungent as Blossom's gentle paws worked the liquid into my fur.

As I waited for Blossom to finish, I heard a whine and a small bit of laughter as several wolves seemed to crowd around nearby. I looked over and saw an athletic gray wolfess leaning back from a male who was slowly and deliberately moving his paw over her breast. She seemed to try to ignore him, continuing to wash herself, but made no effort to halt his advance as he moved closer, and ran his paw slowly back and forth from one breast to the other. "What is going on?" I asked Blossom softly, nodding toward the scene as she rinsed the cloth off again and stood to begin washing herself. Blossom peered over and folded her ears back, shaking her head. "She must have got him started," the young wolfess said as she turned back away and resumed her washing. "Isn't he her mate?" I asked confused, as I watched the female continue to be teased, with several other males now watching intently. Blossom shook her head and gestured toward another couple. "No, you can tell," she said, drawing my attention to another male and female pair who seemed almost to be moving in slow motion compared to the rest of the room. They stood face to face, looking into each other's eyes as the female's paws with a damp cloth lovingly traced along every crevice of her mate's passive body.

I wondered at this, looking at each of the females around the room and finding Blossom quite correct, there was a stark difference between the demeanor of some couples, and that of others. Of what few there were, most were acting quite casually, much as blossom had with me, though I had of course quite enjoyed her gentle and expert attention. What was going on with the mated pairs of wolves though was something else completely, and something I found I hardly recognized. The closest I could recall was the feeling I got when the oracle looked at me, the way she moved and spoke, the way she kissed me as if I were the most important thing in the world. The female being teased now let out another whimper however, and was drawing ever more attention as a second and a third male also laid their paws on her, stroking up and down her body and teasing tantalizingly close between her legs.

Blossom had opened up another of the small round containers and poured some into the cloth, which she was rubbing down her own fur with as I continued to watch, puzzled by what was happening and unable to turn away. The wolfess was now nearly surrounded, and I could hear little yips and moans escaping her as the males around her passed her naked body between them, seeming to greatly enjoy teasing and stimulating her with their paws. To my surprise with a final needful moan she finally gave in, sinking down to her knees in front of the male who had first started with her, and allowing him to begin using her muzzle to stimulate his already evident arousal. The nearby males seemed quite pleased with this by the sounds of their voices, and stepped back to watch as the cycle I was now quite familiar with began, a female kneeling before a male and using her mouth and tongue to prepare him for what would come next. I noticed a couple of the other females in the room back away, though most paid little attention, and I caught a few sneaking periodic glances at what was going on as they continued washing themselves and the males they were with. Notably the females clearly present with their mates seemed completely disinterested, each of their focus remaining steady and constant, as they seemed even to breath in tandem with their partners, loving them with each gentle caress of their paws in a transcendent way that is difficult to put into words.

What was happening with the wolfess on her knees however, was nothing like that. The lustful tension was almost intoxicating as I watched her somewhat uncertain anticipation, as her partner withdrew from her muzzle and moved to kneel down behind her, guiding her down onto all fours and swiftly mounting her on the spot. I was reminded all too much of the previous night as I watched them, becoming ever more aroused myself as it seemed I was much less adept at controlling my desires than the male wolves around me, who were for the most part simply enjoying the display while continuing their grooming. Blossom soon finished up herself, and then approached me again holding another container. She smelled wonderful, the oil in her fur giving off a sweet soothing scent that made it hard not to wrap my arms around her and bury my nose in her fur. I thought better of it however given my current state, and the already lustful atmosphere the room was taking on, and instead kept still and watched curiously as she looked me over, seeming to consider what to do.

I was about to ask her when she finally opened the container and dipped a pawpad into it, withdrawing it dripping with a red sticky liquid. She began with my ears, pinching the tips with one at a time, and then drew a line down my chest, going over it multiple times with more of the red liquid to draw a tapering path over my belly and to the top of my sheath. She took great care not to touch me in a sexual way, which I realized she had deftly avoided the entire time we were here, something I found somewhat odd after the previous night, when she had seemed anything but shy. Still, wolves did have an odd thing about priorities. When something was seen as important it was often respected, much like taking a meal, and so I decided to simply accept it without inquiry. She then finished by applying more of the liquid to her paw and pressing it to the side of my face. I realized then that this was what the oracle had done, though with a somewhat more intimate technique, and that Blossom was dutifully replacing the red mark she had made, indicating, as I understood it, that I was a welcome guest. The girl was very well trained I thought to myself, and I was glad to have her guidance, as especially without Sol I would have no idea how to function in this environment.

Blossom seemed finished, and knelt to wash her paw again, giving me a chance to briefly look back over at the athletic wolfess, who now was in the full midst of lustful engagement with what I now saw were three different males, the first who was now positioned beneath her, gripping and moving her hips with his paws, as another behind her was thrusting steadily up under her tail. A third male, and sometimes a fourth were sharing her muzzle, as she did her best to keep up between a steady stream of panting moans as her body was taken full advantage of. Some of the other females were glancing more frequently now as well, and I saw one of the younger looking ones even seem to get caught, the male she was washing noticing her distraction as she slowed her washing of his fur. Her eyes went wide as she realized he had noticed her watching, and returned quickly to rubbing him down, though it now seemed the male now had other ideas. He got behind her and guided her muzzle with his paw so she would continue to look, as his body pressed against her back, his hips already rocking suggestively against hers.

My attention was again distracted however, as Blossom had apparently now finished, and was tying something tightly about my waist. I looked down and saw that the smaller piece of cloth from the bundle she carried had in fact been a loincloth, of the same type the wolves wore, only proportioned more to fit me. Blossom's paws worked quite quickly, and soon the single short narrow piece of cloth was hanging down against my aroused length, with a light silky cord wrapped around my waist and above my tail, being tied at my left hip. Seeming satisfied with this, blossom went to empty the bowl of water onto a pile of black stones on a sunken platform in the center of the room from which a cloud of steam arose. She then returned and dressed herself, and gathering up my clothes along with the empty containers, tying them all together into the bundle she had brought. She then stood and offered me her paw and I nodded at her suggestion, taking her paw in mine and following her back toward the door. On our way we passed very close to the wolfess I had been watching, who was in much the same position I had observed previously, though now she had been joined by the second female who had been caught watching her. The male that had caught her had guided her closer with his body pressing up behind hers, and was now awaiting her attention, as she too slowly knelt to offer her muzzle to him, with doubtlessly more to follow.

I noticed Blossom's tail was tucked down as we made our way back through the cloth flap and, stepped blinking back out into the bright sunlight. She gave me the bundle which included my clothes and, tried not to look at me as she again began leading me back the way we had come. "Thank you for that," I said, catching up to her and trying to make conversation. She didn't respond and kept up a brisk pace as we moved together along a busy footpaw path between buildings. "Are you alright?" I asked her, placing a paw on her shoulder. To my surprise she turned and hugged me tightly to her, nuzzling warmly against my chest as we came to a complete stop in the middle of the busy path. I slowly wrapped my arms around her as well, unsure what else to do, but I did manage to ask her again if everything was alright. "Let's not stop," she said, and with that let go of me and began back along the path again. I struggled to keep up, nearly losing the small girl in the crowd of much larger wolves several times as she hurriedly padded along her way. I managed to stay close enough though, and carrying my bundled up clothes I followed along, eventually making it all the way back to my tent, which she opened for me so that I could put the bundle down inside.

I was glad to get off of the sun scorched ground, as I was entirely too used to boots to be going around with my footpaws bare, burning my pawpads as I walked. Once she had followed into the tent behind me, Blossom quickly refastened the door flap. Once I set the bundle down and turned around, I found her kneeling on the floor before me. "Oh please," she said, lifting her paws up and tugging free the knots of my loincloth which fell uselessly to the floor. I gasped in surprise, finding myself suddenly naked again as the wolfess' muzzle began to rub along my still bulging sheath. It didn't take much, and before I could respond she was able to push my sheath back and begin taking my shaft into her mouth. My hips began to rock, and I realized the display in the wash room must have affected her as much as it had me, as she hungrily lapped at my shaft, quickly bringing me to full arousal. I reached my paw down and stroked her ear and, she looked up at me with wide seductive eyes, helping to guide me down to kneel on the floor of the tent next to her, where I began almost without thinking to untie the knotted cord around her.

Once again the young girl's nude body was slowly revealed, but I found she expected something quite different from earlier, as she wrapped her legs around me and had me sit back on the floor of the tent with my legs out in front of me. She then guided the tip of my shaft to her sex and sank down against my hips, with a combined moan from both of us as I once again felt the hot pleasure of her young body. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I put my arms around her as well, holding her close as she started to rock her hips, setting a slow steady rhythm as I held her in the intimate embrace. Her head tilted back, and she closed her eyes, beginning to pant as already I could feel her wetness increasing. Since she obviously needed this as much as I did I helped to rock my hips with hers, moving my paws to caress her small breasts as I began to nuzzle at the side of her neck. She seemed to quite enjoy this, as before long her voice picked up along with the pace of her rocking, as she pressed down hard against my hips with each thrust. I was getting very close as well, and I almost climaxed along with her the first time her body started to spasm, her sex pulsing and soaking the fur between my legs. I managed to control myself however, and once she had relaxed I slowly eased her onto her back, spreading her legs wide and continuing to rock my hips as I thrust into her.

Her eyes slowly opened and her mouth hung open as she looked up at me, lifting her paws again to my shoulders and stroking over them and along my chest. I lowered my body down against hers and kissed her as she pressed against me, her legs and arms wrapping around my back to hold me close as I slowly increased my pace. I couldn't last much longer, and soon I too tilted my head back and began to moan, letting her know I was getting close. Suddenly I felt her paws pushing against my chest, and looked down at her again. "I want it in my muzzle," she said, releasing her legs and slowly starting to sit up. I obliged and slowly withdrew from her, easing back up to my knees as she bent down and once again took my length in her mouth, while also working it with her paw. She still was having trouble with her teeth I found, as I winced several times from the scraping sensation, but she kept up a rapid pace as she tried to help me finish. Her free paw went to work between her own legs as well, as she had obviously denied herself another climax by having me pull out. This gave me an idea and I gently used my paw to guide her, as I lay myself down with her, moving my head between her soaked thighs and beginning to use my tongue on her, while she continued to rub herself and do the same for me. I found her much more responsive with the extra stimulation, and her writhing and moaning soon were enough to bring me over the edge, my body tensing as my throbbing length filled her muzzle. She managed to climax too soon after, with her soaked pawpads quickly moving over her sensitive flesh as I held her tightly against my body.

XII.

Reunion and Departure

We relaxed and moved onto the bed together, laying together leisurely for a long while. I asked her if she had liked the scene at the washing room, and she blushingly admitted she had, and explained to me the peculiar etiquette that was expected there. Among wolves, sexual expression was generally permitted only at the request, or at least consent of a female. Even for a male to make advances toward such encounters had a number of subtle rules, though Blossom would not directly answer my inquiry as to what happened to those who violated them. In the washing room, or water grooming house as she called it, females were expected to behave discreetly, as it would be impolite for a nude female to tease a room densely packed with likewise nude males, though at other times such subtle sexual teasing was expected, and perhaps even encouraged as a form of affection.

If a female did misbehave however, and cause a male to become aroused, he was allowed to do the same to her with as much latitude as she would allow him. This depended it seemed on whether she acknowledged her wrongdoing, and took responsibility for having caused the male discomfort. If she did not, she could simply growl at him and he was expected to stop, but if she did not she would then endure whatever teasing he wanted to inflict on her in return until she finished washing. If the teasing got to be too much for her, she could give in and let the male have his way with her, but this would invite every other male in the room who wished to have their way with her body as well for as long as she stayed. This often meant females who submitted to their sexual desires while washing ended up trapped in the room for the entire day, as males came and went frequently enough that there were always more waiting to help punish an overly lustful female for her indiscretion.

Blossom of course had behaved quite properly, though it was obvious from our encounter afterward she had been experiencing more difficulty than she showed at the time. I guessed that some of the other females I had seen were also quite turned on from their frequent glances at what had transpired, though all but one had managed not to get caught up in it, at least by the time we had departed. There was more too, Blossom said, but insisted we should get up, as there were things Sol had told her to show me while he was gone, and we would need to be finished before the evening story. I slowly got up with her, and hugged the small naked wolfess to me once more before helping her to dress, only just realizing now her request to let her use her muzzle when I climaxed was likely since we would be going out again and, that it might be inappropriate for her to have my scent on her. As it was I could only smell that she was wet in addition to her perfumed fur oil, though based the other female wolves I had met, this was not at all unusual. I sorted out putting the small loincloth back on as well, with a little of Blossom's help to advise me on the knot. There was a specific style used for both the loincloth and the white cords used to tie the female dresses on, in which a small loop was made to be pushed through, which would allow the tie to quickly come loose for easy removal while also being unlikely to accidentally come undone.

Once we were both once again dressed we exited the tent, my footpaws again feeling discomfort at the heat of the sunburnt ground. Now that I was no longer carrying the bundle of my usual clothes, I was somewhat more conscious wearing only the small strip of cloth hanging down from my waist. Blossom giggled at this as I adjusted it and looked around uncomfortably, but we soon set off once again. As we walked I made sidelong glances at various other males in the same state of dress, which started to reassure me that this was in fact a better way for me to fit in than continuing to wear my usual clothes. We returned to one of the main paths which led toward the temple near the center of the sprawling collection of tents and makeshift buildings, and then turned off in the opposite direction from the way to the school, if it could be called that, where I had met Blossom. As we turned toward a district I had not yet seen, we found ourselves travelling down a long and twisting path, which wove between several small buildings and eventually opened up into a large courtyard, in which many very young wolves were running about.

It looked like some sort of play ground or obstacle course to me from the collected junk arranged in strange ways, through which young wolves carrying poles and nets were scurrying and climbing. Some I noted had even been made up to take on the shapes of machines, though they were clearly constructed of salvaged scraps that in no way resembled the metal scales and bladed appendages of the horrible monstrosities themselves. These facsimiles were poked at with sticks, and tossed over with nets, in a way that might be perhaps how wolves had dealt with such machines in their long history of doing battle with them, though I wasn't sure exactly how they had managed with such simple implements. Blossom led me around the edge of the bustling courtyard, and together we approached a large tent which was set apart from the buildings around it at one corner. The door flaps were tied open, and we stepped inside to find an old male wolf, sitting on a cushion in a circle with several much younger males around a small fire, as a young female danced between them in the white sheer attire of a storyteller, apparently just coming to the end of one of their stories.

"... and Dawn Cloud whose mother was Summer Twilight, and Black Paw who was strong and slept only during the day, before the day had ended. On the following day the others gathered them up, and burned their bodies together so that their stars would never be far apart. And we remember them until the stars are changed."

The young storyteller knelt in the center of the circle of cushions, and the wolves young and old sat quietly for a time, before one at a time standing up, most departing from the tent. The wolfess who had told the story and Blossom exchanged a look, as the she picked up and drew a heavy robe about her shoulders, pulling the hood over her head before also departing from the room. The old wolf was the last to get up, and looked me up and down with suspicion before turning to Blossom. "Bramble Blossom is it not?" he said with a gruff terse voice. She gulped and nodded without correcting him, keeping otherwise perfectly still as he stepped around her, inspecting her body. "Are you back for the pole, or are you ready for the stocks this time?" he asked with a disturbing smile, as he leaned forward to sniff her neck. "Solstice Rain asked me to bring him so that he could see and learn. He wears the oracle's mark, and Golden Leaf allowed him the choice of one who could be his attendant for the telling of the stories." Blossom said in a rather shaky voice. The old wolf narrowed his eyes, glancing again at me only briefly before turning back to her again. "I think I shall take her tomorrow then, and if I do not like what I hear about you, I will be expecting you back once he is done with you." He sniffed at her again, bending down this time blow her waist. "And since it seems you are ready," he continued as he straightened himself back up, "I think I will put you in the stocks and break you in properly here myself." Blossom folded her ears down and looked down at the floor, nodding timidly to the old wolf as he smiled at her with clearly lustful intent. "Go on then," he said, lifting his paw with a dismissive gesture and moving back to sit down, as more young male wolves started to filter into the tent. Blossom quickly turned away, and I followed her back out of the tent, seeing her sigh heavily once she was out of sight of the old wolf. "What was that all about?" I asked as we began to slowly walk again along the edge of the courtyard. She wouldn't tell me, but did promise to show me what he meant.

As once we reached the opposite corner of the courtyard, we came upon another strange sight. In contrast to the cobbled together obstacles, there were a row of what appeared finely crafted metallic contraptions of multiple different types, spaced equally apart, each attached to its own metal platform anchored to the hard packed ground. A few of the strange devices, of which there were several, had wolves they were restraining, tied to them with ropes attached to metal rings on the devices, positioned them in varying ways that all seemed to lewdly expose the wolf that they held. The 'pole' Blossom pointed out, was one of these devices, consisting of two long knee cushions set to either side of a small metal pole, which stood up at an angle facing forward between them from a small box built onto the center of the platform. The purpose of this I immediately recognized, given the multiple bulbous shapes stacked one after the other in increasing sizes from the tip to some distance down the length of the pole. The metal box the pole extended upward from seemed to have two rounded pedal switches at the front of it between the cushions. When I tried stepping on one, the pressure of my footpaw made a clicking sound inside the box, which extended the pole slightly upward and toward me, which I observed would have slightly increased the pressure under the tail of a fur who would be tied kneeling over the box facing me. Blossom whimpered and fidgeted as she watched, so I stepped back from the device and assented to continuing on down the row.

I paused when we reached the first of the restrained wolves, extremely puzzled by what I saw. While I had initially thought all of those wolves restrained would be females, as were those I had first noticed, this one was apparently a male from what I could see of him from behind. He was positioned facing away from me with his neck and wrists passing through holes in a long metal bar at about knee height, which forced him to kneel on the platform. His tail was tucked down between his legs covering himself, though wet patches on his body already showed clear signs of recent use. As I inspected him a young wolf stepped up nearby and removed his loincloth, revealing his obvious arousal before moving between the legs of one of the restrained females and burying his length in her sex. "To keep them focused on their training," Blossom said, though evidently still none too comfortable. "They always need some here, it makes their training easier, and they also use it for.. punishment." I slowly nodded in understanding, and looked again down the line, inspecting each restrained wolf more carefully. One in particular caught my eye, and I approached with uncertainty for a closer look. This one too was a male, though his body was slim and light. He was held in a reclining position with his legs tied to panels which ran most of the length of his legs, and were positioned wide apart, while another supported his back, causing him to have to lean back and present his unsupported hips with his tail swishing nervously below him. What I had really been surprised by however was what was between his legs. Instead of the typical male parts I had expected, was a wet, widely spread feminine sex.

I stared at the wolf for a long time, though he kept his gaze away and refused to acknowledge me. He was clearly male in all ways but one, and if he had worn a loincloth I would not have noted anything unusual about him had we passed walking down one of the many footpaw paths. I questioned Blossom about this, and she explained this was another sort of punishment the wolves observed. "Do you know the two stones?" she asked me uncomfortably, showing a twinge of nervousness as she too looked over the restrained wolf. I told her that I did, as it was one of the first things I remembered Sol teaching me along the way here, though I now understood why he might have been reluctant to explain this punishment to me. This apparently was what happened if a male chose the wrong stone, as Blossom explained. The wolf who had chosen would be taken to one of the cities where they would undergo the process, which was a relatively common practice for criminal behavior I was familiar with in the cities as well, though usually the process was completed leaving the subject fully female. The wolves however seemed to prefer this partial change, as females were well respected on the whole, and given many liberties males were not allowed. For this reason many wolves sent to the cities never returned, instead choosing not to undergo the process, and instead live as outcasts among other furs.

Wolves went to the cities for different reasons too of course, and from what Blossom told me often came back less cooperative and willing to adhere to social courtesies than they had been before. Apparently this was the cause of some concern, as their overall culture was widely accepted to be somewhat in a state of decline, being corroded by the attitudes and influences of the cities, which in recent years had made outsiders less and less welcome. This helped me to understand the welcome I had received when I first arrived to meet with Sol at his camp, and I found it disturbing that the wolves now perhaps were on their way to becoming even more insular and cut off than they had been already.

"You can try him if you want," Blossom offered as I mulled this over. I looked up at her surprised and then back to the bound wolf, whose legs were spread invitingly before me, whether he wanted them that way or not. I slowly moved closer and ventured to place my paw between his legs, slowly moving my pawpad along the lips of his feminine sex. He was very wet I could feel, as I rubbed my pawpads together and took in a long breath of his scent, finding it very much female, which caused me to quickly become aroused. "I think I would rather try you," I said to Blossom teasingly, as I backed away and withdrew my paw from between the wolf's legs. Blossom nodded and started to kneel down, but I stopped her and shook my head. I was surprised by her offer to accommodate my desire right there on the spot, and though not unappreciative, I felt it best not to subject her to that in such a public place. "Not right now," I said, giving her a gentle hug, feeling much more comfortable simply embracing her than I would have been using the formerly male wolf.

We continued on together around the courtyard, and arrived at a solid looking open front building, with thick walls of salvaged metal and a dark slanted roof. Inside were several tables which looked to be workbenches of some sort, with various unusual tools I did not recognize scattered about. A few adult male wolves were moving between them, seeming to be repairing or constructing small intricate mechanical parts, though of what I could not say. A tall russet chested wolf with a broad smile among them noticed us, and quickly came bounding over, holding one of the small objects in his paw. "Well hello you two!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, causing me to hop back in surprise. "Sorry," he laughed, "It's not often we get visitors around here. I haven't seen an otter in.. tailfluff, how long has it been? Anyway it's good to see a new face stopping by, and umm, what was your name?" I blinked in surprise as the wolf moved the object to his left paw and held his right paw out toward me, intent on shaking my paw in greeting. Blossom coughed and shook her head, looking up at the boisterous male disapprovingly. "Right, sorry," he laughed again, wiggling his shoulders comically as he straightened himself up to place his paw instead on my right shoulder. "My name is Broken Stone," he said in a not so serious tone. "What is your name?" he then asked with a smile. "Lucius" I answered uncomfortably, trying to reach my paw up to his shoulder in the same way. He laughed and leaned down so that I could, and nodded at me in approval.

"And what is your name little girl?" he asked teasingly, as he turned back to Blossom and reached both his paws out with his pawpads upturned toward her. "Bramblethorn Blossom" she said courteously, lifting her smaller paws to press against his while looking up at his dark eyes. "Well it is very nice to meet you both," he said happily, gesturing us to come along as he stepped back inside the long building. He walked up to a bench and laid out several pieces in front of us, with Blossom and myself both looking quite perplexed as to the meaning of it all. "There now, this is how it all goes together, we start at this end," he said, pointing to the smallest set of pieces, "and by the time we put all these together, we end up with this." With that he picked up a pointed black object, not much longer than his paw in size. He offered it to me and I took it in my paw carefully, making sure not to cut myself as the edge of the smooth double bladed object seemed quite sharp. It wasn't quite black I saw, as the light reflected a subtle shade of blue across the metallic surface. There was also a narrow groove along it, and I could see there was something inside that the surface of the blade did not fully reveal.

"What is it?" I asked, looking back up at him curiously. "Right!" he said, shaking his head and walking to the back of the room. I set the thing down on the table and followed him, to where he had picked up one of several long poles leaning against the back wall of the open room. He offered it to me and I took it in both paws, unsteadily balancing it to get a feel for the weight. It was heavier than it appeared, and the black surface of the pole was cool to the touch, more so than I felt it perhaps should be given the warm afternoon temperature outside. On one end was another of the objects the wolf had shown me, while the other had only a small ring around its base. The spear, such as it was, immediately drew to my memory the day I had arrived at Sol's camp, when multiple spears landing near my footpaws had warned me of approaching any closer without permission. Those spears however had sizzled and their tips had glowed blue as they sank into the sandy ground, something I had wondered at but neglected to ask until now. "Here, try this," the wolf offered, picking up a piece of scrap metal and holding it out to his side. Carefully as I could I lowered the point of the spear toward the piece of metal, and gently touched the tip against it, applying very little pressure at first. In an instant the spear tip came to life, sparking and crackling as it immediately bit into the metal, with slightly more pressure causing it to pass all the way through it and out the other side. I was quite shocked by the display, and carefully pulled the spear back through, looking up toward the tip again, which now seemed to take on a faint blue glow.

"What was that?" I asked, nervously giving the spear back to the wolf. "That, is what we're doing here," he said, gesturing with his paw to the rest of the workshop. "Not really much call for it anymore to be honest, but more pups born every year, and they wouldn't stand to be without them. There's more too of course, but these days it's not much use making anything else. To tell the truth there probably isn't a wolf alive who's ever had to use one of these against a real machine. There haven't been more than a pawful of sightings of machines since the third great battle, and that was a long time ago." I tilted my head curiously, not sure I completely understood, but he only laughed at my expression and placed his paw on my shoulder again. "But that's just me yapping on again, nothing you should have to worry about. To tell the truth I don't really think we need to keep up with all this anymore, may as well go back and enjoy life in civilization if you ask me, though my mate still doesn't agree." He sighed and shook his head again, looking outside over the obstacles, which had fewer young wolves running around them as their shadows grew long. "Starting to get late," he said, "I think I'll go take care of a thing or two before my mate wants me home. You two are more than welcome to come along if you want, you especially," he said turning to Blossom and looking her small body up and down with a wink.

"We are going to the story tonight," Blossom said, folding her arms across her chest resentfully. "Too bad, suit yourself I guess," the wolf said as he started to walk off with a shrug, "I'll just have to mention how uncooperative you were." Blossom's ears folded down and she whimpered, hesitating for a moment before starting to chase after him. "Wait," she called out softly as she caught up, causing him to turn back to her with a smile. "Change your mind little bitch?" he said lustfully, rubbing himself suggestively through his loincloth and keeping his voice down so that others wouldn't overhear. Blossom tucked her tail down and shook her head, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. "Can it.. wait until tomorrow?" she asked with a pleading expression, "I have to attend him at the story or I'll be in trouble." He looked at me and then back to her, considering for a moment before nodding. "Alright" he said confidently, "I'll find another tail to lift tonight, but I want my turn with yours first thing in the morning, and if you're really good maybe I'll let you groom me after, rather than leaving you up on the stage to be mounted over and over." Then he turned away and walked off, as if nothing had happened, leaving Blossom staring after him in disbelief.

We set out back toward my tent, as Blossom said there would be a meal waiting for us there before it was time for the evening story. She wouldn't talk much about what had just happened along the way, though she did say she would like to go and talk with Golden Leaf, which was apparently the name of one of her teachers, if I wouldn't mind going to the story alone. I told her I wouldn't mind, and offered to help in any way I could, feeling quite sorry for the young girl's apparent predicament. She declined however, and said it would be better for me not to get involved, since apparently this had started several weeks ago when she had managed to get herself into trouble and ended up bound on the pole, much to the enjoyment of the two wolves we had spoken to, as well as several others. Since she had been so young they had kept her out of the stocks, but now that she had been given to me as an attendant, apparently they assumed she was ready for more.

There was some truth to that of course I realized, as I thought of the time spent intimately enjoying the young girl's body, but I still didn't think that justified what they each wanted to do with her, especially since it was my understanding female wolves were supposed to have the right to choose their sexual partners. I questioned Blossom on this point, and she explained this was due to subtle unspoken rules of propriety and expectations of the role of females in wolf culture. Apparently although a female could not truly be forced to submit to a male's wishes, she was expected to be receptive, and being too picky or seeming uninterested was highly looked down upon, sometimes even leading to measures of reformative training, or medicinal application, both of which were meant to heighten a female's desire. I imagined time in the stocks and other such things were perhaps a part of this, yet young females apparently were largely spared this discipline until around Blossom's age, when they started to come into their first heat and would leave the safety of the practice hall to find bedding with whatever male would prefer to have her, if only for a night.

Females it seemed did not keep homes of their own, and instead slept with whatever male she favored until she took a steady mate and settled down with him. Unmated females for this reason, were expected to visit the stages or otherwise frequently change partners, so that they did not let one male grow too attached that she did not mean to make her mate. A male met on the stage whom a female favored would often take her to be groomed, and thereafter would allow her to spend the night with him, where they would get to know one another and potentially begin the path to becoming mates. This process was apparently quite complicated, as Blossom said further explanation would have to wait for another day, though I found I was quite curious, though the matter had little to do with the purpose of my visit. I found myself becoming ever more intrigued by virtually everything I was learning about the wolves, as I myself became increasingly integrated into their culture. I wondered if I would be able to reacquaint myself with my own culture when I returned to my home, which now seemed more distant than ever.

I hoped Blossom would not have to go through with either the stocks or the stage, but it seemed I had very little choice in the matter, as we soon arrived back at my tent where a table of food was waiting with several wolves gathered around. I looked for Sol out of habit, but realized he would likely not be back yet, and took a few items of food to my tent along with Blossom, so that I could take notes and question her further about some things. My writing over food seemed to puzzle her greatly, as it was understandably her expectation that food be eaten without distraction. I told her it was important though, and asked her to elaborate on the way young wolves were raised. "When we are born," she said, "Our mothers keep us until we are able to eat normal food, and then after our name day we go to live in the hall of practice, where we learn what we need until we are old enough to be on our own. Boys go other places, like that place we went today, but I don't really know so much about that. They teach us stuff, and make us practice every day until we go into heat. For boys there is some test, but I don't know what it is, they do it out in the desert and it's sort of a secret." I read a few things back to her from previous days for clarification, and she helped me make some small corrections, though all too soon it was time for her to leave to visit her teacher. I ruffled her headfur and told her everything would be fine as she headed out from my tent, though I really had no idea, and felt rather helpless in this unfamiliar situation.

Since the sun was going down, I decided to make my way over to the fire pit, where no doubt the wolves would be gathering to listen to the story of the night. I wondered if I would see the wolfess again, who had shown such interest in me on previous nights, and what the storyteller would look like, swaying and dancing practically naked in her sheer white clothing with the oranges and reds of the fire showing through and brightening the colors of her fur. As I arrived and sat down in Sol's usual place, I saw there were indeed many wolves present, though perhaps fewer than the night before. There were as ever a small number of females among them, some of which I even was starting to recognize. I found with the much smaller population of female wolves, it was easier to remember them than to pick out a male I had seen before out of the very many that there were. Their faces weren't the only things I recognized of course, as I smiled to myself at the thought of seeing them stripped and mounted before the night was over. For now though they mostly sat quietly, while some of the males still talked and joked, enjoying what seemed to me another normal evening. Even the realization of this no longer seemed strange, as I seemed to have practically forgotten what a normal evening used to be like for me.

Soon the fire was lit and as the evening sun dimmed, slowly sinking behind the shifting dunes to the southwest, and giving rise to the stars which shown down like a thousand shining spirits. When the storyteller appeared the crowd again grew quiet, expecting what had gone on for what must have been generations beyond counting. I felt my heart beat faster as the robed figure stepped up to the fire, taking up a position facing toward me, with her legs wide apart and her paws on her breasts. In an instant she tossed her head back and loosed the robe back from her body, letting it fall away behind her, leaving her completely exposed, adorned only by the thin white cloth draped over her chest and wrapped around her hips. I recognized her immediately, and she even gave me a little smile as she then began her circle, taking long high steps that showed off her perfect balance as she enticingly made her way around the blazing fire. It was of course the slender wolfess whose muzzle had given me the strongest climax of my life the night before, and who was now preparing for quite a different purpose, to retell one of the tales of her ancestors, and perhaps even mine. When she finished making her circle she faced me once again, and began acting out her story.

"It took many days of searching before Eclipse at last returned to his brother Echo. He had travelled a long way through the desert, but found those he left behind had moved on from where he left them. And so had to track them down the long and desperate path they had taken, to discover along the way, place of the first great battle. The sight caused him tremendous pain, for he felt the weight of the ashes of the burned bodies, as he knew he could have saved many of them if he had not selfishly set out on his own. Though the dead clearly were many and his grief was difficult to bear, he knew all was not lost as some at least must have survived to burn the bodies. With a mournful spirit he again discovered the trail, leading out of the ruined city and away from the direction from which the machines must have come.

With so many still injured the going had been slow for the others, and though it had been weeks since the battle they had travelled only a short distance, and were struggling toward another small ruin in which they hoped to find supplies. It was there on the open dunes that Eclipse finally caught up with them, and though he had feared he might find himself unwelcome, it was his brother who first approached and embraced him, feeling only joy at seeing him once again. They camped there in the desert that night, and in the light of a small fire Eclipse listened with his brother to the story of the battle. The story was told by Night Wind, who had remained by Echo's side, and had also been overjoyed at the return of Eclipse, such that when the story was finished she approached them both together, and had them promise that from then on there would be no more jealousy between them. Once they did so she allowed their passions to be shared with her together, and in turn one after the other all through the night. And so it has been ever since, with the telling of stories in the warm fire light, and the free lustful exchanges which remind us never again to be divided by our desires.

The next day Eclipse told of the place he had found, and said that they should return there with him, as soon as all had time to heal enough to make the journey across the open desert. This brought hope to those still wrought with sorrow, and once again kindled thoughts of wonder and calm that had been lost with our first home. Once they all had reached the next ruins they set to work, and though they found little they could use, it would have to be enough, for a great desolate expanse of desert lay before them, and there were no further ruins to the north as far as any knew. And so it was slow going as they set out, with many of the injured still unable to walk, and thus being carried by quickly made carts and sleds which the others had to pull. Echo himself was still greatly injured, and leaned heavily on his spear as he walked ever after.

And so though it was with great difficulty and hardship, the last part of the long journey through the desert did finally come to pass. Though little is known of the journey, just as Eclipse had said, in time it ended in a living green land of grass and trees. Though all were overjoyed at their arrival, what was to be done next became a subject of concern. With the machines left far behind, many wished to make their homes in this place, and forget what danger had haunted our past. Wolves however do not forget, and we knew there could be no rest until the all the machines were finally silenced. This divide saddened the white wolf, for she knew only together would there be hope for the future. Of all the others only the horses agreed, and would make their home near the desert, where we too have lived ever since. The others continued without us, and in time would found great cities full of light and joy, but their lives are lived in forgetfulness, for they no longer remember the stories, and the danger that waits in the desert."

The slender wolfess knelt down, ending her story before the fire, her breasts heaving as she panted from the exertion she had displayed in her telling of the story. The silence was brief but total, as not a single wolf moved among the many gathered around for a long moment. Eventually one by one those around me began to stand, and either depart from the circle, or seek out a partner for what was to follow. The storyteller herself had several males already gathered around her as she turned away from the fire, giving me another suggestive glance as she passed between them and sank to her knees on a nearby blanket. Her paws went to work immediately, removing the loincloths of two of the nearby males as she knelt before them, allowing them to stand side by side as she lent a paw to each, and moved her muzzle back and forth from one to the other. I imagined how it was for Night Wind, as in her story she must have performed as such for the two brothers Echo and Eclipse, pushed apart once by the female that now brought them back together. There were of course other females who remained too, and I looked around at each of them, most now placed on their knees, using their muzzles for a male who may have been her mate, although I specifically noted some who left their mate sitting nearby as she accepted another male, perhaps in effect to show that there would be no jealousy in the sharing of lustful acts.

As I looked on, Blossom arrived, seeming still not in the best of moods by the way she slumped down beside me with a dejected sigh. "What happened?" I asked with genuine concern for the young girl, who snuggled against my shoulder for comfort. "She said I have to go tomorrow, to the stage since I said I would," she whimpered, clearly distressed by what she had been committed to. "She only said that after if I don't like him then I don't have to go home with him, but I need to pick one to go with so that I find out what it's like, since I.. well.." She trailed off and I turned to look at her confused, prodding her with my paw inquisitively. "I'm in heat," she whispered, folding her ears down and wrapping her tail around over her lap. "She told me that's what it was. I thought it was just all that's been happening, but she could tell by my scent, and said I couldn't stay at the hall of practice anymore, that it was time for me to start making myself available to a mate." "Is that bad?" I asked uncomfortably, not quite sure how to handle the circumstances. Blossom rolled her eyes at me and shook her head, curling herself up into a ball and rocking back and forth. I took that as a yes and wrapped an arm around her, trying to comfort her as best I could while the sound of lustful moans echoed from all around.

Eventually she looked to the fire and squeezed my paw in hers, seeming to slowly start to relax from the news of what was to be expected of her. "Did you like the story?" she asked when she finally looked up at me again. "It was very nice," I said as I looked over toward the storyteller, who was now naked on all fours between the two males she had invited before, moaning and writhing as they alternated their thrusts between her muzzle and her sex. "Maybe you can tell me one again soon," I suggested, stroking my paw along the young wolfess' back. "Here?" she asked nervously, following my gaze toward the storyteller, whose sheer white clothing was discarded around her while she enjoyed her passionate encounter. "Or someplace else," I offered, not wanting to further distress the poor girl, who I thought must have had quite enough for one day. She noticed my growing state of arousal however, and gently placed a paw against my bare thigh. "Do you want me now?" she offered, moving into a kneeling position and looking up at me expectantly. "We could go back to my tent," I suggested, giving her an opportunity to avoid further embarrassment, and perhaps even feeling a bit guilty myself for taking advantage of the young girl. "Tomorrow it will be in front of everyone," she reminded me, squirming slightly in place as she did. "Do you really want to right here?" I asked, looking around again at each other wolfess locked in the embrace of her partners. Blossom didn't answer, but looked around with me, and seemed to stay quite nervous as she took a long look with me at the other wolves. Those that were not presently engaged in passionate encounters themselves were also looking on, eagerly waiting for their opportunity to participate, with several glancing in Blossom's direction. Eventually the young wolfess shook her head in response, opting not to become involved in the ongoing lasciviousness, but requested I come with her in the morning, as she said she would feel better that way. I of course agreed, and after a warm embrace and slightly more intimate rubbing of bodies, we got up and retired early, returning to the privacy of my tent before fully indulging our desires.

XIII.

Moonrise

In the morning Blossom woke me rather early, causing me to resist her playfully as I hid back under my blanket until she pulled it away. Although the first morning light was barely peeking in from the door flap of my tent, she had already dressed herself, and was insistent that we leave immediately so as not to be late. I picked up my loincloth from where it had fallen the night before, when Blossom had knelt at my footpaws and removed it from me as we began our erotic encounter in the usual ritualistic fashion. I re-tied it around my waist with a bit of difficulty, as my morning arousal could have done with more attention than we apparently had time for, and followed her outside into the refreshing morning air. Few wolves it seemed were awake at this hour, as we made our way along the central path I now knew quite well. Surprisingly, nearly half those I did notice were female, as it seemed quite common perhaps that a female did not care to remain with the male with whom they had spent the previous night.

Blossom lead me to the now familiar building which served as the hall of practice for young females, the place where she had lived and grown up almost as long as she could remember. A lovely golden brown wolfess was standing just outside, apparently waiting as she greeted Blossom warmly as soon as we arrived. "You have grown up so much little Blossom," she said, hugging the girl to her chest as she happily greeted her. "Is there anything you need?" the wolfess asked, looking her up and down and stroking a paw over her headfur and ears. Blossom shook her head and the older Wolfess turned to me, smiling with a soft giggle at my appearance. "And this must be the one of whom you spoke?" She asked, stepping up close to me and holding out her paws in front of her with her in greeting. "Yes," Blossom said with a nod as I returned the gesture, placing my smaller paws to those of the wolfess, who looked into my eyes with an inviting smile. "My name is Golden Leaf," she said, "named for the leaves in the north which fall from the trees in color of my fur as the cold of winter comes. And what is your name?" I hesitated before answering, feeling somehow insignificant and out of place again like the first day I arrived at the camp of the wolves. "Lucius" I finally answered, having little else to say for myself. Golden Leaf slowly nodded and withdrew her paws, turning back to Blossom and gesturing her to follow back along the path.

"Has she been a pleasant attendant?" the wolfess asked as we began on our way. "Very much so" I said, giving Blossom a smile, "she has taught me quite a lot." "Then I am pleased," Golden Leaf said, taking Blossom's paw as we walked, "I have cared for this one since the day she learned her name, and am relieved that she has finally grown up." "What do you mean?" I asked curiously, as Blossom looked up with her nose wrinkled in disapproval. "Not all young ones find their way easily," she began, gesturing about herself to our surroundings, as we walked down the wide path between buildings and tents of varying sizes and types. "Some struggle with the practice to learn all they will need to know, others try not to grow up, resisting the life that we all must grow into when the time is right." "What if they can't?" I asked, seeing the concern on Blossom's face. "There are steps that can be taken, we ensure with all we do to give each young one the best care we can, and to prepare them in all the ways we know how. If with all our effort it still isn't enough, then it is sometimes with great sorrow that they depart from this life, and join the other furs in their great cities in the north." The wolfess' explanation somehow did sadden me, thinking of how a young wolf like that would get by leaving everything behind, though I could clearly understand the sentiment of discomfort at the thought of what was expected by this life.

Before much longer we arrived at the stage, the same long raised wooden platform shaded by a light awning, and partitioned by cloth curtains which separated each blanket from the others in a long row. There were already several males standing about, watching the display as four females so far had taken places on the stage, each one already engaged in lustful acts with their chosen partner. Among the group gathered around was Broken Stone, the smiling wolf we had met the day before making the spears, who was again grinning widely as Blossom approached the front of the stage. Golden Leaf pulled Blossom aside, kneeling down and whispering to her a while as the display continued up on the stage. I watched as one pair on the stage became tied, and obviously climaxed together in a combined series of panting and moans, while another female was just stepping up onto the stage, and knelt to select her first partner of the day. Golden Leaf eventually stood back up, placing something small in Blossom's mouth and giving her a long warm hug, before leading her over to the nearest open blanket. I watched with conflicted feelings as Blossom was guided by loving paws up onto the stage, where she moved to the center of the blanket, looking out over the crowd before slowly sinking down to her knees. She glanced over toward me for a moment and I tried to give her a smile, but it was quite obviously lacking in enthusiasm as she then turned to the large male and nodded, inviting him up to the stage with her.

Golden Leaf returned to my side, and guided me in front of Blossom's space so that I could watch with a closer view, as the male moved up to her and pressed the front of his loincloth to her nose. She was still nervous I could tell, but I had experienced much the same from her and was confident she could manage, as she soon released the tie on her partner's loincloth, and began moving her tongue along his already growing length. "She will be fine," the wolfess beside me said, apparently gauging my concern from my expression. I nodded and looked up to the tall smiling wolfess. "What was it you gave her?" I asked, a part of my concern being the small white pill that had been placed in Blossom's mouth. "Just a little something to help her along," said Golden Leaf, "It helps with the pain, and greatly increases her desire. She should tire out any male she gets ahold of for the next few days, and that should be more than enough to make sure she becomes pregnant." I blinked in surprise at this and shook my head in disbelief. "I thought they used contraceptives now," I said, remembering something Sol had told me to that effect. Golden Leaf smiled "Most do when they can, but not until after their first heat," she said, "it's good for them to have at least one when they are young."

I looked up at Blossom again, who was now being undressed by her partner as he knelt at her side, groping his paws over her small breasts as he exposed them, and slowly working his way down to her hips. "Did you?" I asked the wolfess, to which she nodded knowingly. "My mate and I have had three," she said proudly, running one of her paws over her tummy, "and we may have another soon when I come into my heat." This notion seemed so strange to me, but I thought it best not to question her further, as it seemed this was just the way of things here, though I wondered if Blossom was fully aware of it or not. "Did you meet him up there?" I asked, nodding toward the stage where now Blossom had been fully stripped and was now bent down on all fours as her partner prepared to mount her from behind. "One beautiful day like today," she said with a pleasurable sigh, looking up at the sky as if remembering. "I still go up there myself on occasion, just to feel what it was like." She trailed off, and we both watched together as Blossom's partner thrust his thick length into the young wolfess' smaller body, causing her to cry out and lurch forward as he pounded against her from behind. He took her hips in his paws and pulled her back against him, and she looked out over the audience wide eyed, clearly having drawn a large amount of attention as she had her first public sexual experience on the stage.

"Shall I find you a new attendant?" Golden Leaf asked, giving Blossom another smile as her partner picked up a steady pace. I had not thought about this, and was disturbed by the idea that this might be the last I see of Blossom if she departed with another male. "Could I have her back?" I asked hopefully, but the wolfess shook her head. "Her time with that is finished, she is now as any other female you see around you, free to do as she chooses with no more practice left for her to learn." I hoped that meant she might choose to come with me once her time on the stage was over, but from the way the large male behind her was starting to make her gasp and moan, I quickly began to doubt it. "You could come by the hall of practice and choose," the wolfess offered, seeing my distressed look, "I'm sure we can find another you will enjoy." "It doesn't matter," I said with a sigh, watching Blossom's face, her eyes closed as she rocked her hips back to meet her partner's thrusts. "Perhaps if you took a turn with one of the others," she suggested, gesturing toward another nearby couple on the platform who were slowly separating, the female going back to her kneeling position and looking out over the on looking audience for her next partner. The bulge in the front of my loincloth had likely been the reason for Golden Leaf's suggestion, but I shook my head and kept my eyes on Blossom, though from the way things were going it looked like it would be quite a while before she was finished.

The wolfess stayed by my side to observe too, as she said was customary for a young female's first time, to ensure nothing goes wrong. Nothing seemed to however, as after a long while, and from what I could tell multiple climaxes, Blossom was finally allowed to relax as her partner finished and withdrew, leaving her a panting lump in the center of the blanket. He waited for her a while, and offered her his paw to stand up, but instead she refused, shaking her head and selecting another male from the audience, one smaller and closer to her own age. Broken Stone growled, replacing his loincloth and stepping down from the platform to approach Golden Leaf. "Did you put her up to this?" he asked softly but in a rather intense tone. "Her practice is over, she may do what she likes," Golden Leaf said, folding her arms across her chest. "She is supposed to be coming with me," he said, raising his voice slightly, "looks like I'll have to let a few more at her then go back up there and remind her myself." "You had your chance with her and she declined." Said Golden Leaf sternly, standing up straight and staring back at him. "Perhaps you should try one of the others, once you are able to," the wolfess said with a smile as she looked down at the male's loincloth and back up to his face. "She'll end up in the stocks after this," he growled angrily, before turning away and stomping off. I looked up at the wolfess with a worried expression, but she just smiled at me and shook her head. "He will get over it," she said, "they have a bit of a history, but he has little cause to make her do anything as long as she keeps herself available." I nodded and turned back to Blossom, who was now well into preparing her new partner with her muzzle.

I couldn't help but recall how she had done the same for me, and felt my arousal continuing to build to spite myself, my small loincloth doing little to hide my state. "How long will she be up there?" I asked, feeling uncomfortable and also worried how much the young girl could take all at once. "She might not be able to stop for at least a few hours," the wolfess said with a knowing smile. "Once she recovers enough from what I gave her, she will pick a male and he will take her back to his home if she is lucky, where they won't likely rest until well into the night." "If she is lucky?" I asked, somewhat nervous at the implication. "He could take her to the water grooming house," she answered, "but she would likely have a hard time controlling herself, and may well end up spending the rest of the day in there, satisfying any other males who are there to get their fur clean." I shuddered at this, having seen the beginnings of what happened when a female became a bit over eager in that place. I was sure Blossom wasn't ready for that after our visit there, but now she seemed to be quite enjoying herself, seemingly uncaring of the audience watching her as she moaned and cried out, rocking her hips with her legs now spread wide as her second partner of the day thrust into her.

I was going to have a long and difficult day ahead of me I thought to myself, as it was still before noon with Blossom working on only her second partner. I couldn't very well just abandon her after all she had done for me, and how much at that moment especially I realized I cared for her. And so I stood and waited, much more uncomfortably than Golden Leaf I imagined, as she offered several more times for me to take an opportunity to relieve my arousal. By the time Blossom had gone through half a dozen more partners she sat back up and looked at me, and still panting heavily, slowly extended her paw in my direction. At first I didn't know what to make of it, and thought something was wrong, but as Golden Leaf and several others started giving me a strange look, I realized what she wanted. Without further hesitation I slowly stepped up to the platform, passing by a young athletic looking gray male who was just retying his loincloth after having just finished with Blossom. As I approached her she reached up her paws, and with a brief nervous look at the crowd, which had grown substantially since we arrived, I moved close enough for her to remove my loincloth and begin taking my already aroused length into her waiting muzzle.

I shuddered at first at the sensation, having been tormented by a near constant state of lust since I first woke up. Blossom was clearly becoming better at this, as I only slightly felt her teeth while her muzzle and her paw worked together to stimulate me to the height of arousal. This didn't take long, and when she pulled back and looked up at me, I could tell whatever Golden Leaf had given her was still in full effect. I knelt down with her and eased her onto her back, as I positioned myself between her legs and rubbed my body against her. "Are you ok?" I asked softly, as I pressed my cheek to hers, feeling the heat radiating up from her, as in response her paw reached down and guided my shaft to her waiting sex. That was all I could stand, and I pressed into her folds eliciting a soft moan from both of us as our bodies met. I started off slow, enjoying the slick hot feeling of the young girl, though she was much looser now I noticed after having spent all morning with much more well-endowed wolves. This didn't seem to bother her however, and she responded as I had become used to as I placed my arms behind her knees, and lifted her legs up so that I could thrust more deeply into her body. She moved one of her paws to rub between her legs while holding the other across her chest, quickly building her toward another climax, of which by now she had experienced more than I could guess. I rode out her waves of her pleasure, quickly reaching my peak as my own awareness of the audience slowly faded away, with my desire for the young wolfess becoming completely fulfilled. I kissed her lips and closed my eyes, feeling myself become lost in the experience as I was finally overcome by the pleasure and climaxed deep within her clenching sex.

I don't know how long I lay there with her before I opened my eyes, but once I did I found her looking up at me, her gaze meeting mine as she slowly relaxed to let me withdraw. "Take me with you," she softly whispered as I unsteadily tried to stand, finding my balance slowly with my legs still shaking. I put my loincloth on and helped her dress herself, and then taking her arm, carefully helped her step down from the stage to pass through the growing crowd. We had apparently drawn quite an audience, perhaps because Blossom was so young and desirable, and perhaps in part because it was so rare for most wolves to see an otter in such a context, but I tried not to think about them as many watched us slowly depart. Golden Leaf however I could not ignore, as she narrowed her eyes at us as we passed, and looked after us long after we had gone by, as I confirmed with a nervous glance over my shoulder once we reached the main pathway. Blossom was having a difficult time walking, but tugged at my arm when I went to turn toward my tent, asking me to instead take her to get clean. I remembered Golden Leaf's warning and asked if she was sure, but Blossom seemed quite insistent, and so I took her back along the path in the direction of the water grooming house.

The place was busy as I remembered, though fortunately today there was no lascivious behavior taking place. It seemed quite crowded today, and I noticed several more females were present than there had been on my previous visit, along with of course the majority of males. We stepped inside and found an empty space at one of the benches, where I could let Blossom sit to undress rather than having her kneel on the floor, which it seemed would have been difficult in her current state. I removed my loincloth as well, and remembering our previous visit, went to get a bowl and fill it with water so that I could help her clean up. Blossom objected of course, feeling that it was her responsibility, but as she was still barely able to walk, she eventually allowed me to perform this small task for her. The bowl and water themselves were quite easy, but I soon remembered the washcloth and oils Blossom had brought with her before, which I didn't have with me. When I brought her the bowl she directed me to a set of racks along the back wall of the large room, upon which were placed similar round containers of varying colors. She explained to me the ones to get, and after making doubly sure with her, I left her alone again to try to find what she had asked for.

Apparently unique oils were a rather important commodity among the wolves, and most made and brought their own as they preferred a special unique scent. Still there were various oils courteously provided for those who might need them, among other things I did not entirely recognize. Blossom had asked me for one of these as well, and so before I returned I gathered up two spheres of scented oil, a small washcloth, and a flaky white object somewhat resembling a long bar of soap. I had to ask one of the nearby wolves to help me as not all of the items were easy for me to reach in the busy space, but soon enough I had everything I needed, and returned to Blossom who by now had already begun to rub herself again. I did my best to dissuade her from this, though she expressed adamantly how badly she needed it, and had a difficult time stopping long enough to wash herself and apply the oil to her fur. I did the same for myself with the oil she had advised me, which smelled somewhat like burning wood, reminding me of the evening fire about which the stories were told. Blossom's oil scent was difficult to identify, but I guessed it to be some form of fruit or flower as it smelled abundantly sweet and alluring, just as I found her to be. Once this was done, Blossom took the white object and used it to cleanse her nether region, inserting it first into her sex, and then under her tail, as apparently both places had been harshly used during her time on the stage.

This lasted a bit longer than I was comfortable with, though I found it hard to avert my eyes as the young naked wolfess lay back on the bench and slid the object slowly in and out several times between her legs, moaning softly. Unfortunately I was far from the only one to take notice, as several of the nearby males also began to approach her. I suggested that perhaps we should go, but apparently it was too late, as various males began stroking her with their paws, causing her to drop the soap-like object and opened her legs invitingly. Her muzzle soon went to work on the first of many wolves as another stepped between her spread legs, and we spent the rest of the day trapped in the steamy water grooming house, as a revolving set of males penetrated Blossom in every way imaginable. Periodically I helped to wash her off, and occasionally took another turn with her when she asked me, her welcoming embrace assuring me that she was alright, and thankful that I was with her. Over the course of the day two other females had also succumb to the scene Blossom was a part of. One rather young one, with a cute strip of white fur down her belly and up under her tail, was caught dipping her paw between her legs after more than a few casual glances in Blossom's direction. Another adult gray wolfess, who it seemed looked a little too long and became distracted from grooming her mate, soon found herself being groped by him as he gave her the stimulation she was lusting after. Both of them gave in before long to the intimate touch of nearby males, and wound up on their knees, then on their backs, on all fours, and in many other positions as they too got to experience what they had been witnessing.

It was quite late before the room seemed to quiet down, each female dropping from three to two to one using them at a time, and finally starting to have breaks between them. I mounted Blossom again at her request before we left, taking her under the tail as the puffy lips of her gaping sex showed bright pink from overuse. The other females were in much the same state, the one with her mate letting him assist her to once again clean herself and redress, as one of the last males to be with the younger one did much the same for her, presumably taking her home with him afterwards in exchange for the further pleasure of her company. Blossom and I were the last to depart, as I repeated the grooming process for her as she lay exhausted, and finally helped to get her clothing back on before letting her lean on me heavily as we stood and walked out of the open doorway. The trip back to my tent was exceedingly long, but there was thankfully food waiting for us when we got there, the entire day in a sauna having given me quite an appetite. Blossom had a hard time eating, her muzzle being quite sore from the day's use, and so she limited herself primarily to the sort of traditional thick soup, of which I was familiar with but not overly fond of myself.

Once we had finished eating, although I advised against it, Blossom still insisted that even in her current state I attend the evening story. I felt I should not leave her alone again even briefly, after what had happened during her grooming, and decided to take her with me as I hoped laying quietly by the fire would not be overly uncomfortable for her, or at least no more than laying on the bed in my tent. With quite a bit of assistance I helped her up, and we got moving again, arriving a bit early to the fire pit so that there would be sufficient time to settle in before the story began. "Tonight is the full moon," Blossom pointed out, as we walked looking up at the early evening sky, though the significance of this was lost on me. "What is it about the moon?" I asked as she continued staring up at it. She smiled a little and nuzzled my shoulder. "Don't you remember? The stories say the moon was made from the love of the white wolf, whose sons were Echo and Eclipse. They say she still watches over us, waiting for the right time." "The right time for what?" I asked, not fully understanding. "We can go visit her after the story," Blossom said, looking away from the glowing moon and back to me. "Will you go with me?" she asked with pleading eyes. "If you're sure you want to," I said, looking over her again with concern as she continued to limp along. "I just need to rest a while," Blossom said, and we soon found a place for her, laying down together on one of the many blankets. It was still some time before the story would begin, and not many wolves had yet arrived. I wrapped my arms around Blossom and snuggled up with her gently, closing my eyes to rest.

I must have fallen asleep, because when I opened my eyes the sky had darkened, and many more wolves had gathered about, obviously anticipating the story. I stretched sleepily and slowly sat up, finding Blossom still awake as she moved into my lap to snuggle back against me. It was typical from what I had observed for females to sit either alone or at the feet of the male that had brought them, who was in most cases their mate, but Blossom seemed to still be feeling quite affectionate, and kept her warm body pressed against me as the robed figure soon approached the burning fire. This one was rather tall I noticed, and when she tossed away the robe to expose her scantily clad body, my eyes went wide in surprise. The wolfess standing before the fire was the most beautiful wolf, perhaps the most beautiful female I had ever seen. Her fur was the typical wolf gray-brown mix, with the darkest patch running between her shoulder blades and down her back and along to the tip of her tail, growing lighter and mottled along her sides to an almost pure white in the front. The lighter fur perfectly framed her chest, as it extended from her chin down her neck, and expanded out over her breasts, then continuing down her narrowing waist and ending with the fur between her legs and along her sex. The shape of her body was almost obscene. Her form was slight overall, showing little sign of either body fat or overly built muscle. She was quite tall for a wolfess, perhaps almost as tall as Sol, and her proportions seemed picturesque, to a degree that I was for a moment I was if what I was seeing was real. Her breasts were large, so much so that her pronounced nipples were clearly visible from where I sat, through her fur and the sheer cloth wrapped loosely about her. They would have seemed to put her off balance had it not also been for her shapely hips, which curved outward from her narrow waist to give her a perfect hourglass figure, which was completely impossible to look away from. Her long luxurious tail completed her perfect appearance, trailing behind her with the thick, well-groomed fur rippling with her slightest movement.

She paused for what seemed like forever, standing with her back arched and her legs widely parted, putting herself completely on display with her paws hooked down around her inner thighs as if holding her legs apart, and her head tilted downward and slightly to the side ever so invitingly. I felt Blossom squirm in my lap, as either she was quite turned on by the sight as well, or she was feeling my arousal as she rubbed back against me. I was somewhat glad she had decided to stay in my lap by now, as I was unsure my small loincloth could have concealed my present state. This quickly presented a different problem however, as the opening in the back of Blossom's dress allowed her to lift her tail aside and use my growing shaft to rub against her. In spite of this pleasant distraction, or perhaps increased by it, my focus never strayed from the storyteller, who with short alluring steps made her circle around the fire, swaying her hips and swishing her tail as she went. She moved with almost agonizing slowness as time seemed almost to stop each time she took another step, but eventually she arrived back where she had started, and began in a smooth silky voice to tell her story.

"It was after we had found our new home, after our long and dangerous journey through the desert was finally over, that the white wolf died. Some said she died of a broken heart, after the bitter disagreement which divided us from the others, who wished to forget about the machines and seek solace in the gentle green lands we had found. Others said that it was simply her time, that the danger had passed, and she had watched over us and guided us through it, and so her task was finished.

She called her sons to her that night, and talked with them alone for many hours, as she passed on to them the lesson of love which we will always remember. She then asked for a young female pup to be brought to her, for she wished to bestow upon her a special gift. Eclipse went among the young ones and chose one quite small, not yet having reached her name day. She had been whimpering in her sleep, and woke with a start at the gentle touch of his paw, having suffered much fear and sorrow in the many battles she had already been witness to at her young age. Her fur was black her eyes were golden, and on her face Eclipse could see the reflection of his own hopes and fears. He brought her quickly to his mother, and there in her bed the white wolf touched the young one's forehead, and the soft dark fur there turned white in the shape of a star.

The white wolf then named her Starlight, and proclaimed she would be the first oracle, and that she must be taught all she would need to watch over us when she was gone. Echo and Eclipse were greatly saddened by these words, as they knew their mother's time was at an end, but she took their paws in hers and said "Do not be afraid, I have always watched over you, and I always will, for whenever I am needed I will be with you." And then she kissed them both and closed her eyes, and was gone. The moon grew brighter in the sky that night, and though few were at her side, every wolf that night dreamed of her loving words.

Eclipse thereafter kept care of Starlight, making sure that as she grew she would learn all his mother's wisdom, and how to carry the love inside of her that would shine like the soft pure light of the moon and the stars. In the peaceful years that followed, she and many others like her grew to know love and joy, and forgot the terror that lurks beyond the far dunes to the south. It would be a long while before they discovered, that just as the lives of the ones we love, peace with the machines cannot last forever."

I felt the silence that followed more than ever as the solemn story concluded. It felt hollow and foreboding, as I with the rest of those present, sat in near perfect stillness in the light of the flickering fire. Even Blossom had settled down, and was curled up into a ball between my legs, watching the beautiful storyteller as intently as I was, as she knelt panting toward the fire. Slowly and quietly a few wolves eventually started to stir, and a few began to stand up and make their way out of the circle. I noticed that more wolves than usual seemed to be departing rather than remaining by the fire for an evening of lustful coupling. Blossom slowly got up too with some effort, and turned to extend to me her paws, inviting me to stand also. Curiously I took her paws in mine and rose to my footpaws, giving her a gentle smile as my gaze met hers. She nodded to me in response and slowly turned, leading me out from the circle and around its edge, in the direction that many of the other wolves seemed to be departing.

We passed around a small building and under an overhanging roof, and I soon found myself back out on one of the many long pathways of the city, which led in a fairly straight direction with tents and small makeshift buildings of scavenged materials on either side. I continued walking with Blossom, holding her paws in mine, and noticed several other couples doing likewise as we all moved along the path in the same direction. It was surprising to me that there were no males to be seen aside from those paired with a female, since the number of females was so slight compared with the number of males among wolves, as of course is the case with all furs for reasons I now felt I understood far better than most. Looking closer I noticed the way each couple walked together, the way they looked into each other's eyes, and how their bodies moved harmoniously in such a way that I could almost feel their spirits touching. Since I had learned to recognize this as meaning they were mated pairs, I nervously turned to Blossom who had also been looking around. She gave me a little smile back and nuzzled my nose, rubbing softly up against me as we walked. It felt right somehow, and though I wasn't a wolf, it seemed the more I shared in these rituals, the more I could feel what they felt, and understand what they were. Thoughts of my own home far away seemed strange and foreign to me now, and it was difficult to recall putting on normal clothes and driving down a street in a car.

We at last arrived at one of the many entrances to the makeshift city, where two young males holding spears stood guard. They watched quietly, leaning on their spears and longingly looking over each couple as we approached. Each pair of wolves moved over to where they waited, picking up what looked like a glowing white flower from a cloth covered table near where they stood, before continuing along the path as it led away from the city and into the sparse wilderness to the north. This was the way I had come when I first arrived I realized, though the scene was now dark, lit only by the shining full moon and the stars above. Blossom led me to the table, and picked up one of the flowers, arranging our paws together in such a way that we held it between us as we would continue to walk. It was quite a curious object I thought as my pawpads moved over its surface. It looked like a flower with four large sharply tapered petals, but it had no stem and felt light and paper-like, though with a rough organic texture I was unfamiliar with. In the center of the flower seemed to be a tiny pale glowing orb, which lit the petals from the inside, and provided a soft illumination which helped to light our way along the path ahead. How this light was accomplished I couldn't be quite sure, as it made no sound and let off no smoke as with something burning, and yet it lacked the subtle blue tint and heavy casing of the standard bioluminescent lights, which were the substitute for electrical lighting I was most familiar with for desert expeditions. Electricity I assumed was out of the question, as I had encountered none in use among the wolves previously, and knew its attractive effect upon the hated machines quite well, even if for the moment we were relatively far from the locations of the closest sightings of them in recent years.

I took a mental note to ask Sol about it later when he returned, and instead focused on the path ahead which soon branched off in a direction I had not previously followed, leading under the boughs of numerous scrubby trees, which grew with increasing regularity along the path where we walked. It was becoming harder to see as the foliage blocked out part of the light from the moon and stars, but the flower-like object Blossom and I held lit the way well enough that we could continue to follow the path, as it wound and curved through the brush for what seemed to be a considerable distance. Just how long we had been walking I couldn't be quite sure, as at many points I became lost in the tranquility of our passage, and in the softly lit features of the young wolfess' face, smiling lovingly up at me as we walked together through the wilderness. It was quite evident when we finally reached our destination, as the path opened up to a large clearing where many pairs of wolves had gathered around a tall flat white stone. On either side of the stone were two pillars, each of which was adorned with sconces holding large white globes, emitting a much brighter light than the flower-like objects we held.

Beside the stone I could see a female wolf standing. She was nude, and I immediately recognized her as the oracle, whom I had so greatly enjoyed meeting on my previous visit to the temple. She turned to each pair of wolves in turn, and I watched as one by one they approached her, and placed their flower upon the stone. They then received some sort of cloth from her, and withdrew to set it out and sit upon it together along the outskirts of the clearing. I was somewhat puzzled by this, but at the same time felt myself being drawn in, and brought to a calm peaceful acceptance, as Blossom and I too followed along with the others toward the white stone and the waiting oracle. When we reached the stone the oracle nodded to us, and Blossom and I together stepped forward, ascending a few short worn stone steps to offer our flower along with the others. As we approached the large white stone I saw an image carved into the surface of it. I thought perhaps I was imagining it at first, as I paused for a moment to stare. The features of the carved figure of a wolf were unmistakable, and I began to feel light headed and delirious as I seemed to peer through the carving itself and down a long white hall of glowing light, to where the figure of the white wolf stood, as clearly as the day I had seen her in the ancient recording. She looked at me with her lustrous blue eyes and smiled, before turning away again and suddenly being replaced with what I had at first seen, only a carved image on the face of the white stone.

I gasped audibly and blinked shaking my head, barely realizing I had helped Blossom to place the flower upon the altar as we slowly stepped back from it. I was still trying to recover as we moved to approach the oracle, but her loving gaze calmed me as she placed her paw upon my head. She smiled at me as her pawpads traced their way through my headfur and down over my cheek and along my neck, then following the red marking down the center of my chest until it disappeared behind the my loincloth. Next she turned to Blossom, smoothing a tuft of headfur from her eyes, and stroking along each of her perked ears, before leaning forward and giving her a gentle kiss on the muzzle. She then embraced us both together, her body pressing Blossom and I to her ever so gently, as a sensation of warm contentment spread through me. Stepping back again she reached down and picked up a thick roll of cloth, which she placed across our arms with a nod, her head staying bowed as we backed away and slowly withdrew. As we moved to find a place to lay out our blanket and await whatever was to come next, my gaze remained fixed on the oracle, who showed affection toward each wolf who came to her in a different way, before giving each pair a blanket and sending them along. For a moment I thought I saw a white glow to her fur, imagining her as a different wolf, in another time and another place as she showed her affection for every wolf who approached her.

Eventually I had to look away, and helped blossom to find a bare spot of ground to lay out the heavy cloth, so that we could sit down together and take a rest after our long walk. Blossom had seemed much more alright after the evening story I thought, and though our paws had been together as we walked, she no longer seemed to lean on me as much or struggle with her steps as she had earlier in the day. If anything her gait seemed more resilient, and the way in which she moved seemed smoother and more fluid as I watched the way she turned and bent down, stepping away from me on her own to help lay out the blanket. We sat down together once this was done, and looked up at the full moon, which seemed somehow nearer and brighter as it shown down on the clearing from between the scrubby trees. After a long while when every couple had been seated, the oracle stepped up in front of the stone and said, "Just as the love that shines down on us from above is to be shared, so too is the love we hold inside of us. What we freely share without pride or jealousy grows brighter, binding us together and lighting the way for others to follow." With that she crossed her arms before her chest and turned around, kneeling before the white stone much as the storytellers knelt before the fire once their stories ended.

Without further hesitation the couples around us began to move, slowly and deliberately as they took their positions to begin the ritual mating which by now I was quite familiar with. I was at first unsure Blossom would enjoy such a thing after the day she had endured, but from the way she looked at me I could tell what she expected. I placed my paws on her shoulders and rose to my footpaws, moving my paws to stroke her ears as she reached up and untied my loincloth. I took a deep breath as the cord loosened and the small piece of cloth fell away, leaving my body naked before her in the moonlight as she lifted up on her knees and began to nuzzle between my legs, keeping her eyes fixed on mine. There was something about the way she looked at me, something different about the way I felt as she ever so affectionately began using her tongue to bring me to arousal. She was so beautiful to me in that moment, that even after the long day I had with her I was soon more than ready, and knelt down to loose the knots which held the cloth to her body. I had become quite adept at this I realized as I easily slid one knot free after another, soon letting the dress fall from Blossom's body and fully exposing her lithe form to the cool night air. The young girl's nipples stood out from her small breasts, and the obviously soaked fur of her inner thighs along with her intoxicating scent more than conveyed how she was feeling as she knelt naked before me. She seemed so beautiful, so perfect, and as she looked into my eyes, before I even realized it I had eased her onto her back and pressed my hips to hers with her legs spread wide, my arousal throbbing within the needful heat of her swollen sex. Her trembling moan was exhilarating, and I pressed my lips to hers as my body began to move of its own accord, slowly and gently rocking against the young wolfess, who wrapped her arms and legs around me, the heat of her body making me begin to lose track of where my own body ended and hers began.

All the other wolves performing likewise around us seemed to melt away, as I saw and heard and felt only Blossom, our deep ragged breaths, the rhythm of our bodies, and even the beating of our hearts seeming to become one as I lost myself completely in her embrace. When I closed my eyes I saw formless shapes and colors, and felt things I still cannot put into words. It was as if my existence was transcended, and I was no longer myself but, a spirit free of body and time and space. I could see others there, and felt such a warm glow around them that I melted and coalesced into form after shapeless form, being combined and merged and split apart again over the course of aeons beyond reckoning. I don't know how long this went on in the waking world. I only remember later opening my eyes laying on my back, with Blossom's head resting on my chest, with one of her legs draped over me and her paw held gently in mine. She seemed to still be asleep as well, and so I closed my eyes again, and in strange dreams of distant imagined realities, the rest of the night slowly passed me by.

XIV.

Parting of Ways

I awoke with the first light of the morning sun as it spread across my face, somehow managing to return to the waking world after a very long night filled with inexplicable dreams. It felt like I had been asleep for years, and as I opened my eyes it took some time before I understood what I was seeing. I found I was still lying on the blanket with Blossom, looking up at the open sky from the clearing before the large stone, as slowly the scattered memories of the night before returned to me. I blinked sleepily as I slowly became fully conscious, venturing with some effort to sit up and look around. It seemed most of the wolves had already gone, and Blossom, who apparently had been awake before me, sat up as well and gave my neck a loving nuzzle. Her touch made me suddenly acutely aware that we were both still naked as we sat on the blanket rubbing up against one another, causing my body to respond. I considered taking her again right then, but looked at some of the other nearby wolves still asleep and thought better of it, gathering up our discarded clothing instead, and nodding to Blossom to get dressed. I quickly tied my loincloth and helped Blossom to tie the cord of her dress, as we both stood up together to make our way back the way we had come the night before. Blossom also rolled up the blanket we had slept on, and gave it to me to carry as we started back along the path.

Though it was quite early in the morning I somehow felt extremely refreshed, and the relaxing sights and sounds of the natural environment seemed clearer to me than ever before. I took Blossom's paw and smiled at her as we walked, saying nothing but very much enjoying her company as we made our way back to the familiar sight of the makeshift city where the wolves made their home. There were supposedly several of these I recalled, as we made our way down one of the broad footpaw paths toward my tent. I wondered if they all looked like this, and if they all might have such similar rituals as I had experienced in my time here. I didn't have much time to wonder however, as we soon arrived back at my tent. It was a welcome sight, more so than I had realized as I now very much considered it my home. I unfastened the door flap and placed the blanket inside, then turned to one of the wolves lounging about and asked if he had seen Sol. He told me that the old wolf had not yet returned, but that I should not be worried as he often made such excursions. I thanked him and turned to ask Blossom to suggest what we might do today, but was interrupted by another young wolfess who hurried up to me, stopping less than an arm length from my chest.

"Hello," she said succinctly, holding up her paws with her pawpads toward me, looking up at me expectantly. "I.. hello," I answered, shaking my head in confusion a moment before holding up my paws to hers. "My name is Silver Stream," the young girl said lifting her nose, "what is your name?" "My name is Lucius," I answered unsteadily, looking her over as I tried to compose myself. She was shorter than Blossom, and perhaps a bit younger. Her fur was gray with the darkest parts along her muzzle and ears, and around her paws and the tip of her tail. It was quite an attractive look I thought, but she seemed to carry herself quite properly, and made no suggestive gestures which might have given her away if she had any inclinations toward lasciviousness. Instead she simply withdrew her paws and held her arms down at her sides, straightening her tail behind her and continuing to look up at me with her soft brown eyes. "I was told to come here and act as your attendant while you stay with us," she added. "An attendant? But I don't need.." I started, but Blossom interrupted me. "He has me," she said, slowly approaching the other young wolfess, her hips and tail swaying as she moved to press up against my side. Silver Stream's eyes went wide and her mouth hung open slightly as she apparently found herself at a loss for words for a moment. "You aren't supposed to be here," Silver Stream said as she once again found her voice. "We attended the ceremony last night," Blossom said, smiling toward the younger girl "he is my mate."

This time it was my turn to be surprised. I blinked in confusion, unsure if I had misheard, but Blossom simply rubbed herself against me as she waited for Silver Stream's response. "I.. but you can't. He isn't even.. you can't do that." She stammered, seeming to become quite flustered. "I think I will go and find some bathing oils," Blossom said, tossing her head to the side and smiling up at me, before brushing her tail against my loincloth as she turned to walk away. I was still in shock as I turned to look after her, but she soon disappeared down the path, leaving me standing alone with the other young girl. "You can't do this, you need to send her away," said Silver Stream, stepping up to me and regaining my attention. "I.. umm.. I didn't realize," I said uncomfortably, my mind still reeling from the disquieting realization. "Well you do," she insisted, "and I'm going to be your new attendant." I shook my head, wishing Sol were back to sort things out, as it seemed I was now very much in over my head. "I'm better than she is anyway," the young wolfess continued, stepping up closer to me, "I know all the stories, and I never ever get in trouble." "You umm.. really don't have to," I said, unsure of how to handle the situation. "But I was assigned," the young wolfess stated indignantly, "you said you didn't want to choose, so I was chosen for you." "But I didn't say.. oh." I stopped, remembering my conversation with Golden Leaf the day before. "Well I didn't exactly mean that I needed one," I tried to explain, but Silver Stream refused my objections. "I was assigned," she repeated, standing right up to my chest and placing her paws on her hips as she looked up at me. "I can't just go back, I never get in trouble," she said, her voice starting to waver slightly, apparently being quite concerned at the thought of being sent away.

I sighed and placed my paw on my forehead. "Alright," I said with a sigh, "I don't want you getting in trouble, but I don't think Blossom will want to leave either." "She has to, you aren't.. you can't keep her," she said. "I know," I answered with another sigh. She was right, and not only for the reason she thought, but I didn't know how I was going to explain to Blossom. "Perhaps you would like a story?" the young wolfess suggested, taking a small step back from me and offering a slight smile. "That might be a good idea," I said with a nod, hoping the distraction could take my mind off of things. "Come with me then," she smiled, gracefully stepping out toward the path. "I think we should wait for Blossom to get back," I said as the young wolfess tried to hurry me along, apparently having quite the opposite idea. "She can find another male today," she replied, gesturing me to follow as she stood waiting on the edge of the path. "Where are you going?" came Blossom's voice as she approached around the corner holding a small bundle. "You need to leave," Silver Stream told her with a greatly displeased expression on her face. "I need to get clean," Blossom said to her with her nose raised. "And so do you," she added, turning to me and offering me the bundle. This was also a good idea I thought, after the activities of the previous day and how relaxing it would be. "Let's do that first," I said, taking the bundle from Blossom who lifted up on her toes and licked my muzzle.

"Would you like to come?" I offered, but Silver Stream shook her head. "You can't take us both," she said, scowling at Blossom's affectionate gestures. "Can you wait for us?" I asked nervously, not wanting to upset the young wolfess. "Yes," she answered curtly. "I will wait at the hall of practice," she said, turning about and walking off in a huff without waiting for an answer. When she was gone, Blossom kissed me. Her body pressed up against me and her paws slid up and down my sides as her lips pressed to mine, and her tongue moved inside my muzzle. I opened my eyes wide in surprise, but soon indulged her gesture, wrapping my arms around her and embracing her warmly as I returned the kiss. It was a long while before we parted, still looking into each other's eyes quietly for quite some time, my clouded thoughts and worries somehow melting away in the reassuring gaze of the young beautiful wolfess, who had chosen me to be her mate. "Shall we go?" she offered with a smile, and with that I followed her out to the path and along it toward the water grooming house.

Though our washing was much less eventful than on our previous visit, and only one wolfess, tall with beautiful dark fur and piercing yellow eyes seemed to have let her desires get the better of her, Blossom seemed to me to be extra affectionate today. Her eyes remained focused on mine as her paws worked up and down my body, and in a very loving way we embraced one another through the course of our washing, just as the other mated couples did, which I could now easily tell apart from those who were not on such terms with their partners. I wondered how I was going to explain things to Blossom, and what would become of her after I was gone. I had grown incredibly fond of the young girl, and felt very much attached to her, more than I perhaps should have, although given our circumstances I did not then imagine things could have turned out any other way.

Once our grooming was finished, I carried the remaining oils in the small bundle back to my tent, walking contentedly next to blossom as she gazed up at me with boundless affection. I realized I had regretfully never mentioned my former home or family to Blossom, and yet those things seemed almost imagined to me now rather than a true part of my current reality. This was where I felt I belonged now, and it was almost impossible for me to think otherwise. On arriving to our tent however, I was overjoyed to see the form of an old male wolf sitting on a nearby stone, talking with some of the others who lived nearby. I passed the small bundle off to Blossom to put away, and hurried up to him smiling broadly to welcome him back. It was only when I got close that I realized the old wolf was not Sol. Though I hadn't learned his name, I recognized him from the main tent at the training ground for the young males, and from the way he scowled at me I could tell he was no more glad to see me than I was to see him. The other wolves nearby too seemed to be eying me with disapproval. These were not wolves I thought, as I recognized none of them, and many of them bore scars I could only assume came from their harsh training.

"You defile our traditions, outsider" he growled angrily, as he stood up from the stone towering above me. I stepped back wide eyed, suddenly afraid what he might do as he stepped threateningly closer. "My daughter will not be the mate of one of your kind," he said with a snarl, bearing his fangs. I gasped as I bumped into another large male wolf behind me, as I tried to back away. I felt two paws on my shoulders, holding me in place as the ferocious old wolf stepped close and bent down toward me. "You are banished from this place. You will leave now" he said in a low growl only a paw digit length from my nose. I shrunk back from him and trembled, helpless in the grip of the paws on my shoulders. "I want to see the oracle" I protested meekly, blinking as I looked up at the terrifying sight of the angry wolf. This seemed to give him pause, as he slowly stood himself back up, looking intently on the freshly renewed marking on my cheek. "You will see her and then you will go," he said dubiously, giving a dismissive wave of his paw. I felt a hard jerk to my shoulders as I was forcibly turned around, and found myself being pushed down the path. "Wait, you can't!" I heard Blossom's distressed voice cry out from somewhere behind me. I tried to turn and look back, but I couldn't see her as I was guided along by a pair of male wolves and pushed quickly out of sight.

My mind was racing in a panic, I could only guess that Silver Stream had shared some of what she found out about Blossom and I, and that this had in some way offended the wolves. The oracle however it had seemed, made no objection to my participation in the ceremony of the previous night, and so now my only hope was that she might in some way be able to help me now. I struggled to keep up as I was forced along the path. I by now knew well the way to the temple and needed no assistance, but the wolf holding me it seemed was quite insistent, and I chose not to speak to him as I stumbled along, assuming this could only make things worse. We soon arrived at the temple, where I was ushered inside to the calm quiet of the large space, where few wolves now were present. I saw the oracle right away, kneeling with a sorrowful looking male and female and seeming to comfort them. The paws holding my shoulders released me as the oracle stood up, immediately taking note of my entry and releasing the paws of the mated pair of wolves which she held.

The beautiful nude oracle smoothly stepped up to me, offering me a warm embrace which helped to calm me far more than I would have thought under the circumstances. "You may go," she said to the wolf behind me, who softened his expression and bowed his head, before turning and walking back out of the peaceful temple. I had so many questions for her, yet I felt she could see them in my eyes as I looked up to her soothing face. We stood that way for what seemed a long while, neither speaking nor moving as time itself seemed to slow to a stop. Eventually the beautiful oracle took a long deep breath, and I found myself breathing with her as she slowly stepped back to look me over. "It has been a long journey for you," she said at last, her smooth voice relaxing me further as she spoke. "There was an old wolf, he said that I.." I started to explain, but the oracle held her paw up and touched my cheek. "You knew this day would come," she said, stroking her paw lightly over my fur. I took another deep breath and sighed. She was right of course, though it seemed I had nearly forgotten. Perhaps I just hadn't expected it so soon. "All things end," she continued, "but there is more left for you to do." I didn't understand her then, but I believed her, as she always seemed to know far more than she would say.

It was then that Blossom burst in, running up to me in tears and giving me a big hug. Her clothing was barely tied about her, and I could see wet patches on her face that were clearly from more than just tears. I held her close as she nuzzled my chest trembling while the oracle moved to touch her shoulder. "He can't go!" Blossom cried, turning to the oracle after feeling her touch. "Come," said the oracle softly, opening her arms wide, and Blossom turned and embraced her, letting the gentle female hold her in her arms. "You must be strong," the oracle said after a long while. Blossom wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up, seeming to relax slightly as she slowly stepped away to snuggle back against me. "Can I go with him?" Blossom asked, looking back up to the oracle sadly. "You will see him again," the oracle said, gesturing openly to both of us. "Though you may never again be together as male and female, your daughter will need you both." Both Blossom's and my eyes went wide and the young wolfess timidly lifted a paw to her belly. "Our daughter?" I asked confused, both at how the oracle could know such a thing, and at the suggestion that I could have made Blossom pregnant. "She is your mate," the oracle said, nodding to me with a smile. It had not occurred to me before then that parentage would be virtually impossible to establish due to the wolves' open mating practices. Which of Blossom's many partners had impregnated her it seemed was of little consequence, as a mated pair would be responsible for their pups regardless of who the biological father was.

"Go and gather his things," the oracle said to blossom, who started to cry again as she turned to look up at me. She wrapped her arms around me and gave me the most loving kiss I had ever felt, reminding me in every way of the time we had shared together. And then she stepped back, and with a last long look at me, departed and was gone. I started to cry too, but I felt the oracle's soft warm paws on my shoulders as she stepped close once again. "There is a change coming," she said, lowering her voice and looking into my eyes intently. "For too long we have grown apart in our isolation. It divides us, and the enmity that has crept in continues to grow." The room seemed to grow darker as she spoke, as if the sun passed behind a cloud. "All things end?" I asked slowly. The oracle nodded in response, and guided me to walk with her back to the entrance to the temple, where the wolf who had escorted me was waiting. She whispered something to him, at which he nodded, and then turned to me. "Share what you have learned carefully," she said, as the male wolf again placed his paws on my shoulders. I nodded back, and took a last long look at the beautiful nude oracle, her fur seeming for a moment to brighten to an almost pure white in the sunlight pouring through the temple entrance. And then she was gone, as with another rough shove I was pushed back down the pathway leading out to one of the nearby entrances to the wolf city.

I was met there by another guard who was holding my pack, sadly with Blossom nowhere to be seen. He thrust it into my paws and took up a spear from a rack along the wall where two other wolves were standing guard. The wolf who escorted me did the same, and without a word they guided me to set off down the trail, away from the city and out into the wilderness. Our journey was uneventful, my thoughts mostly still sadly of the young wolfess I was leaving behind, and what would become of her in my absence. She was a wolf though I remembered, and their courage in the face of indescribable hardship over the years gave me hope that she would find the strength she needed to endure what lay ahead. As for me, this journey back seemed like stepping back through time, to a past I had nearly forgotten ever existed. I tried to think of my real home, to remember my mate's face, and to somehow think how I would manage to explain any of this. I knew I would have to share what I had learned however, as though this journey had been unsanctioned, it had uncovered far more than I had guessed about the dangers we all face.

It was late in the afternoon when the two wolves had me stop. They told me they would be returning back, and made sure I knew the rest of the way to the nearby city on my own. They also warned me never to come back, and promised I would not survive if I tried. Then to my surprise, the wolf who had taken me to meet the oracle gave me his spear. I looked up at him confused, but he simply bowed his head, in a similar way he had done in front of the oracle, and turned with his companion to walk away the way we had come. I looked over the spear in my paw. To destroy one of the monstrous machines with such a weapon seemed to me quite unthinkable. On what rare occasions I had encountered them, I had observed only a few cases of anything but cautious avoidance or frantic evasion. In those engagements where fighting was unavoidable, vast amounts of advanced weaponry had been brought to bear in thunderous roars of explosive ferocity. And yet when all ammunition had been expended, the machines still lurched and flopped forward, slowing their advance only marginally, or at best forcing them to gathering up pieces of themselves and with back into the deep desert, where they would no doubt be reconstituted to nearly the strength they had before. It seemed there was nothing we could do, and we were seeing more of them every year. If such weapons as this could possibly be of such potent use, I was exceedingly glad to have obtained a sample of one.

I continued on alone from there, using one of the small wolf camp sites as a place to sleep when it started to get dark. I set a small fire in the fire pit, and sat by it long into the night, imagining one of the white garmented storytellers dancing about it, retelling one of the many stories of the distant past. As I looked through my pack which had thankfully been stocked with provisions, I happened across something unexpected. It was one of the orbs filled with bathing oil I had used on the occasions I had visited the water grooming house. I slid open the top, and sniffed at it curiously, and found that the oil within was the scent Blossom had used. I closed my eyes and silently thanked her, putting the orb away as I lay myself down and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Epilogue

I spent the first night back in the city in a hotel, to get a change of clothes and have a shower before returning home the following morning. My mate was glad to see me of course, as was my young son, though neither of them could have the slightest clue what my journey had been like. I decided it was best not to share the details with them, though I knew I had to forward my findings on to the expeditionary organization in some form, to spite their inevitable objections to what I had done. The information after all was far too important to our very survival, and would confirm what I had long feared, that our world is coming to an end. Whether due to the return of the machines or the slow encroachment of the great desert I cannot say, but measures must be taken if we are to survive.

In the interest of clarifying some of my notes over the next few days, I inquired with my contacts after the whereabouts of Solstice Rain, who I had hoped still might be in the city, and was the only one I could reasonably talk to about all I had seen and heard. He was in the hospital I came to find out, and sadly it seemed from what the doctors told me, he would not be able to return home again. He had been much older than I realized from what I was told, and it was hard seeing his powerful body laying enfeebled in a hospital bed. He apologized for not being there to argue against my banishment, and for all the stories I had not heard. I assured him it would be enough however, and told him of the spear I had been given upon my departure. He seemed relieved by this, as he knew as well as I now did that the continued survival of our world was at stake. We spent many long days nights together, though he slept much of the time. I even brought my family in to see him once, explaining that he was an old friend who was in need of my company.

I had his body cremated when he finally passed, as I felt he would have wanted, since it seemed none of the wolves he knew from home had any contact with him while he was here. There was nothing more to do then but compile my notes as best I could, and along with the spear I had been given, submit my findings to the expeditionary organization. I made sure my submission focused on the details that were of relevant importance, however this copy I have left unaltered with my account in its entirety as best I could recall so that my son Max will understand why I had to do what I have done. My defiance of protocol in this matter after all, I have no doubt will not be tolerated. If they ever were to find me I would be brought in for questioning and never released. As soon as I submit my findings I will have to leave. I will tell my mate I'm going on an extended expedition, and a dangerous one at that, which should leave no doubt in her mind as to my fate when I fail to return home. Max, it is to you I owe the greatest apology. No son should have to grow up without a father, and though I must take these actions for the reasons I have said, as you no doubt now know, my feelings as well urge me to return to the wolves. I hope that you can forgive me, and I hope to one day see you again, though as I now understand the oracle's meaning, if I am to return, it cannot be as a male.