FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

I saw them first on the beach.

They came from floating huts,

and walked like us to the sandy shore.

Where had they come from?

The ocean itself?

The moor was foggy. Hazy low lying clouds blanketed low lying areas as if mysteriously hiding them on purpose. The murky cloudy sky above added to the shadowy scenery. The threat of rain was constant, but never occurring. John could feel the invisible mist landing on his skin with each step over the moor's grass. He looked over at Lenape walking beside him. Her grey fur appeared adorned with gems from the accumulated droplets. Most of his mother's hair was gathered into two braids, tied by two leathery strings adorned by white feathers apiece. The rest loosely bound into typical tribal "tail" fashion. All she carried was a small pack of foodstuffs over her shoulder. She was topless and wore little else except for a simple buckskin loincloth and a necklace. But John was accustomed to the tribal dress and lack thereof. Beyond her were two cream and amber furred canines. Amytis and Azande were traveling with them too. Both she wolves were carrying small baskets of smaller items to trade. Azande caught the boy's lingering gaze.

"Can they carry the baskets again?" Azande spoke. "Or does John need to be carried again?" The young she wolf poked fun that the human had been carried a short distance at noon.

"We can carry them the rest of the way." Her mother swished her tail.

"Are you complaining again?" A male voice teased with a huff. A male brown and white marbled wolf, and a male cream and white wolf were accompanying them too. Hegeso and Tizoc were carrying pristine pelts to be traded. Azande bit back a growl and swished her tail.

"Are we close to the village?" John asked. The group of six had been traveling since sunrise to reach a certain inland village.

"Yes, we are." Lenape answered.

"I caught scent of a hunting party when we passed through the forest trail." Tizoc spoke up.

"Then we must be close to the Nanu village." Lenape nodded.

"We did all the hunting for them." Hegeso chuckled.

"A Nanu village?" The human boy questioned.

"The Nanu are a tribe south and southwest of us, all the way to the coast."

"Coast?" John didn't understand how far.

"Where the land meets the great water." Lenape explained. The boy understood that the tribal phrase 'great water' referred to the seas and ocean surrounding Hibernia.

"Where sea grasses grow." Azande spoke up. He knew that she meant sea oats and similar plants.

"Anyway..." Lenape continued. "Our village is part Nanu."

"Part Nanu?"

"Well, our village doesn't belong to a tribe like the Nanu, but our village intermarries, trades, and has ties to some Nanu villages." Lenape explained, but John didn't entirely understand. "Every spring a few of us come to this village to trade."

"To trade?"

"They hold a festival during the first full moon of the season where many nearby villages participate. Many people come to exchange things." His mother told him.

"Do you question everything?" Azande bumped into the human. John gave her a look but didn't say anything as they reached the top of a low, gently sloped hill.

"We finally made it!" Tizoc declared as huts came into sight. John looked at the expanse of clustered huts that scattered out towards a shallow gulley. Visible villagers appeared so small to the human from the distance between them. A Nanu male wolf and raccoon were standing outside the village and noticed the group. They waved and a few sharp barks were exchanged before approaching the newcomers.

"Hello!" They greeted the pair trotting up to them. John huddled behind his mother as the others briefly greeted. The raccoon's grey and black fur were in a typical pattern, with the signature black "mask" on his face. The boy had never seen a native raccoon before. Lenape told them where they were from.

"Are you all here for the festival to trade?" The wolf took notice of their belongings.

"You have good eyes." Tizoc grinned.

"Yes. We are all here to trade." Amytis directly answered. The Nanu wolf spotted John behind Lenape.

"A human?" He looked closer but the tribal loincloth baffled him. "Huh?" The canine leaned forward and smelled the boy's hair. The questioning look etched on his face deepened as he sniffed the human again. John covered his head and stepped away. The Nanu canine scratched his head curiously. "He smells like a wolf." He made Lenape laugh.

"He's my son, so he should!"

"Your son?!" The wolf's jaw fell.

"Uh, we'll lead you to a hut." The male raccoon spoke up. "Follow us, please."

"Thank you..." Hegeso sighed and walked passed the surprised Nanu wolf. Everyone else filed behind the raccoon and walked towards the Nanu village.

'Bushy tail...' John stared at the raccoon's fluffy appendage idly swaying in front of him. The raccoon directed them to a specific hut.

"If you need anything, then we will be glad to help." The Nanu male bid the group a good stay in the village. They all crouched down and entered their wooden hut to share. John's eyes adjusted to the dim surroundings. The home was a standard size, but the lack of space wasn't a hindrance. Everyone was visiting to trade for the next day, and there would be little time spent inside. Belongings were set safely aside as everyone settled in the humble dwelling. A cloud of dust and dirt from all the movement made John sneeze.

"Something in your nose?" Amytis chuckled.

'It smells... Dusty?' The human couldn't name an exact description, but the interior didn't smell the same as his hut.

"I could use a little rest." Tizoc laid back and stretched out his legs with a content sigh. Hegeso arched a brow at the other wolf.

"I'll see if a few friends here are willing to trade for a deer pelt or two." The male cream and white wolf gathered two of the deer skins.

"I'll look around for a while." Amytis followed the male outside. "I need to go rain too." She whispered to Lenape on her way out.

"There's fur left in here." Azande blew a small clump of strands out of the hut.

"The time for shedding is almost over." Tizoc spoke up. After all, nearly everyone's spring coat was fully in and their old winter coat molted into the winds. The young amber and cream furred she wolf tried looking over her shoulder where some of her dulled winter fur stubbornly remained.

"Hmm..." Lenape peered outside the open door flap. "You don't think it will rain tonight, do you?" The charcoal grey wolfess noted the overcast weather. "I want to roll out the blanket."

"No, it shouldn't rain." Tizoc stated from his reclined position without opening an eye. "It's an old blanket anyway." He didn't seem to care what happened to it.

"Let's unfold the blanket outside." Lenape nudged her son's shoulder. The boy promptly followed the grey she wolf outside.

"Here?" He pointed at the ground.

"Mmhm." She nodded. "Just hold this piece." She stepped back. They spread out two large blankets in the sparse grass in front of the hut. 'He has a lot to do at his age.' She thought as he helped her. Learning their language was only the first step of many, and there were plenty of words he had yet to understand.

"Let's sit." Lenape patted a blanket, and John sat down beside her. She raised her nose and smelled the air. 'I don't smell any humans.' Her worries were put at rest for the moment, but she knew better. For the past few years a pair or two of humans were always present during this particular Nanu village's spring festival. It would've been easier to ask a few villagers if any humans were in the village, but she didn't want John to know.

'Don't worry.' The she wolf told herself. 'Amytis is right. John won't run away if he sees a human.' Lenape fondly looked over to her son who was completely oblivious to her concerns. John was watching the quiet tribal community from his seat. The village life was similar to what he saw in his home village. At the hut across from them, a male mottled grey wolf and female raccoon were shaking the dust from old pelts together. It reminded John when he had done the same thing with his mother at the start of spring. The sounds of shaking and gently beating the furs were very familiar to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a mother nursing an infant pup by a hut's door flap. More distant sounds, usually barks or a rare howl, were never unheard. Even his nose could detect traces of food cooking in the calm air. A familiar figure suddenly stepped in front of his sight.

"Hey." Amytis approached them. The red and amber furred she wolf was carrying something in her arm.

"What are you carrying?"

"Someone gave me several carrots as a sign of generosity." She revealed the handful of long orange roots. "Do you want to eat one?"

"No thanks." Lenape waved a hand.

"Do you want to bite one?" Amytis offered the boy next. John took the rough root and bit off a piece.

'It's hard...' He chewed it only for a strong taste made his mouth contort.

"You don't like carrots do you?" Amytis chuckled.

"No." He shook his head and returned the orange vegetable.

"It's a good thing you haven't weaned yourself." Lenape grinned.

"I'll put them inside then. We packed plenty of food for the next day." She ducked and went inside. Lenape returned her gaze to John and found the human staring intently at her.

"What?" She looked at him attentively. John reached up and combed through his mother's cheek fur and withdrew with a fair amount of shed fur. "Without you I would still be a ragged furred wolf." She smiled and licked his forehead.

"Mom..." He grumbled when she continued licking over him. A hand rested on his shoulder, but she didn't cease cleaning his skin. The boy knew better than to try evading her. That would only make the entire process difficult and take longer. Azande suddenly appeared from the hut.

"What are you doing?" She gave him a funny look and chuckled at the human.

"She's... Licking me." John closed his eyes as Lenape washed over his face.

"I'm cleaning your face." She spoke before resuming.

"I'm going to look around the village. Do you want to come with me before sun fall?" The adolescent cream and amber furred wolfess asked.

"Yes!" John eagerly said. "Can I go with her, mom?" He asked. The wolfess thought for a moment.

"Ok, but only if you two stay within the village."

"Thank you!" John started to rise to his feet, but a swift hand caught him by the arm.

"Let me clean behind your ears first." Lenape pulled him into her lap. A grinning Azande covered her muzzle to keep herself from laughing.

"Stop, mom." John grumbled as she swiped behind his ears.

"I'm almost done." She promised between licks.

"Haha! My mom does that a lot!" Azande couldn't help herself. "Hey!" The adolescent sharply barked and ducked feeling someone from behind do the same to her.

"I can't let your ears go unwashed." Amytis had slipped back outside and held her feisty daughter in place.

"Ugh..." Azande cutely wrinkled her muzzle and pinned her ears back.

"There." As soon as Lenape and Amytis finished, both youths were at a safe distance from their parents' reach.

"We'll be back soon." Azande smiled and took John by his arm before departing.

"Hey, let go." John tugged his arm free from her tight grip.

"Sorry." She wiggled her nose.

"Are we walking far?"

"Nope. Just around a few huts." She smiled. "I haven't been to another village before." They passed by a few tribal dwellings. The Nanu huts were like the ones back in their village; primarily made of sticks and reeds. A few had blankets rolled up or folded in entryways, ready for use tomorrow.

"Azande, what is trading?" John asked.

"It's when someone gives you an item in return for another item." She motioned with her hands.

"Oh. Ok." He understood that very well from where he grew up.

"Adults say it when a large group has gathered in a village to exchange things." She explained a little more.

"What about... money?" John wondered.

"Mon-what?" Azande's ears preened the air as a questioning look enveloped her face.

"Money is small, round, and made of metal." He used a finger and thumb to convey the size of a coin. Azande's confused expression didn't change.

"Are you talking about shells?" But the human didn't know that word yet.

"Um... I think so." He hadn't noticed that natives didn't use coins or any system of currency like humans did. They passed a group of adults talking quietly amongst themselves.

"Did you hear that the chief of our village has retired?" A coyote spoke.

"No." A male red fox was mildly surprised. "I never would have imagined that old Yammano the dark fox would retire from his position."

"He has been through many wars in his youth." A female wolf of similar age spoke up. "His diplomacy between village has kept the Nanu out of needless wars." John looked ahead as Azande turned around a hut with him.

'Does mom and the others talk like that?' He wondered. There was plenty of the native language that the human had yet to uncover, but it didn't lessen his curiosity towards them. "Hey, Azande."

"Hmm?" She stopped and looked at him.

"What do adults talk about?"

"I don't know..." Azande thought for a moment. "They'll tell stories of when they were our age, things that their parents did, what to do the next day, and other boring stuff like that." She explained before resuming their walk around the huts. For a village preparing for a festival and trade, it was very calm and quiet.

"What are we trading?"

"Mostly deer pelts. We have plenty of forests for deer, but the Nanu do not. They herd sheep."

"Sheep?" He hadn't heard that word in the tribal tongue before.

"I'll show you." Azande took him by the arm and walked to the edge of the village. Over the flat moor John could see a small flock of sheep being tended to by a pair of canines. Distant bleating and baa sounds were audible. The female border collie and male coyote walked patiently alongside the rear of the flock, guiding them towards a desired section of grass closest to the village.

'They're herding...' John had seen something similar once before with cows and goats in a dusty plain.

"Do you understand now?" She asked.

"Mmhm." He nodded. When Azande and John turned back around, they found several pups standing behind them. They had been gathering to watch the human and wolf duo from a short distance. Curious faces were entirely focused on the human and quickly surrounded him. Excited yips and barks pierced the air as John was crowded into the center of a circle without Azande.

"A human pup!" The husky pup exclaimed in bewilderment.

"He is wearing a loincloth like us!" The young vixen teased. Someone from behind suddenly lifted his rear loincloth up.

"Hey!" John yelped and tugged his garment away.

"It's a male like me!" Another grabbed his arm roughly.

"Let go!" He wrenched himself free only to be surrounded by the young mob. Panic overcame the human. He began thrashing and struggling to escape the bodies of fur. Hands immediately grabbed onto him.

"Ow!" Teeth nipped his shoulder. All of the noise and commotion attracted adults to the pile. Strong hands plucked the human from the crowd. John suddenly found himself in the arms of his mother. "Ah!" He yelped as one of the pups tugged on his leg.

"Get away from him!" Lenape snarled and instinctively swatted at the small red wolf. The pup squealed and covered his mouth. The crowd backed away. The little red wolf's hand revealed a red cut along his muzzle.

"You hit my son!" The adult red wolf yelled.

"Why don't you teach your son not to bite!" Lenape snarled. Terrified, John clung onto his mother as she quickly carried him back to their provided hut. His eyes barely blinked as he was placed on the ground on a rolled out blanket. Everything had changed so suddenly, he didn't know what to make of it all. Gentle hands were holding his shoulders as a canine face searched his stunned reaction. A black nose smelled him before a pink tongue washed over him.

"Are you alright?" She smothered his face with licks.

"Yes, mom." He couldn't evade the constant assault of motherly protection.

"No wounds?" She paused to inspect his skin as if it were in danger of peeling off. Lenape thankfully didn't find any.

"Huh?" John could see someone over her shoulder at the entrance to their hut. Lenape turned around and her ears lowered.

"Stay here." She told him before exiting the hut. He watched until her tail disappeared through the door flap. John was alone, but he could hear arguing begin outside of the hut.

"My son wasn't hurting anyone!"

"But you hurt my pup!" An angered bark replied. John's head sunk between his knees. The boy couldn't help from feeling some guilt about the entire situation. It formed an uneasy pit in his stomach. The lonely walls encased him like the jailhouse in Wexford. His head shot up as Azande suddenly popped inside. The she wolf's ears were flat against her head. Amytis entered as well with a similar tense expression. Canine body language was like an entirely new language to learn on top of the spoken tribal language.

"Is mom outside?" John quietly asked. Two nods quickly answered.

"They're barking about how your mother hit someone's pup." Azande muttered.

"Are you alright John?" Amytis sat down beside the boy and asked.

"Mmhm." He nodded.

"Someone bit him." Azande spoke up and peered at John.

"Where?" Amytis's voice spoke with seriousness.

"Here." John pointed at his shoulder. The amber red and cream furred adult examined closely.

"You'll be fine." Her padded hand soothingly rubbed the boy's skin. "There's no wound." She smiled. The boy found her canine grin comforting, teeth and all. The door flap moved as Tizoc and Hegeso entered the hut.

"Lenape is fierce as the wind." Hegeso blinked and sat down on a pelt. "Did someone try to steal something?"

"A group of pups were being rough with John. Lenape accidentally hurt one of the Nanu pups." Amytis explained.

"A new mother is always protective..." Tizoc mumbled.

"Don't feel sad John. If there's something I know," Amytis spoke to the human boy, "is that your mother has a strong maternal drive to keep you safe."

'To keep me safe...' He couldn't help but feel guilt for what had happened. The door flap lifted. Everyone looked up as Lenape returned inside with a less than appealing expression. The charcoal grey wolf's face harbored a frown that revealed the tips of her canine teeth. The fur around her neck seemed fluffed out more than usual. Her nose flared with an exhale. All of the physical signs told John that she was upset. Brown eyes settled on her son, and a smile emerged on her muzzle seeing John safe from harm.

"So what happened out there?" Tizoc asked. "You looked ready to tear someone's throat out."

"I cut a pup's muzzle by accident." She explained what they already knew. "A group of pups were grabbing John roughly..." Lenape blew a sigh. This was not what she had expected to happen during a typical visit to a friendly village. "I received a warning from this village's chief."

"Our villages have close ties, and we are on friendly terms." Hegeso reminded the distraught charcoal grey she wolf. "I'm sure everyone needs a cool night to sleep."

"Agreed." Amytis nodded.

"I'm just happy that you're okay." Lenape softly smiled and hugged John.

"I'm sorry mom." John quietly spoke. A tongue softly licked his forehead.

"It's not your fault." She rubbed his arm reassuringly. "I got into plenty of trouble when I was your age." She admitted with a hesitant chuckle. "My family, especially my brother, always scolded me." She looked up and knew that Hegeso, Tizoc, and Amytis knew that for a fact.

"Well... As long as that's settled, let's eat something before sun fall." Tizoc handed out some of the dried meat they had packed. John had a small piece before being nursed, despite a little teasing from Azande. The fire dimmed as the sun set outside. Everyone gradually spread out a blanket or deer pelt to lay on. John found himself laying tightly packed between Azande and Lenape. The exciting day was over, but another was ready to start at sunrise. The boy held onto his mother closely and sought sleep in her warmth and comfort.

The following day was nothing like the previous one. The dampness and cloudy skies of mist were replaced by morning sunshine and blue skies with only cirrus clouds stretched thin. The drier air was refreshing to feel. A grey she wolf emerged from a hut, long hair of the same soft color spilled over her sides and shoulders to dust the ground. Her breasts hung freely as she stretched her legs in one graceful move.

"I see you have woken up, Lenape." A cream and white furred male spoke up. "Are the others still sleeping?"

"They're awake, or waking up." Lenape sat down beside him and smoothed out her facial fur. "How many have come by?"

"Two so far." He looked into the growing crowd of villagers as the early morning minutes ticked by. "We have rabbit pelts that have been scarce the past season cycle." A claw pointed.

"That's good." Lenape grinned, letting her tail flick once.

"This is the first time I have seen you without the little one beside you." Hegeso spoke. The charcoal grey female's grin bloomed into a fuller smile. Lenape very much enjoyed being a mother, and it was noticeable.

"He's very hungry." She felt the still damp skin and surrounding fur on her right breast. Hegeso half grinned.

"I haven't seen you this happy in a long time." He stood up with a deer pelt in hand. Lenape's ears perked up.

"Where are you going?"

"I know a family who wants to trade for one." Hegeso answered before leaving Lenape to take care of trading for the time being.

"Ah, this weather is a good sign from the spirits." Lenape exhaled contently. Yesterday's events were fresh on the mother's mind, and she didn't want that excitement repeated. The quiet and calm village of yesterday was now a busy and loud scene where everyone participating was seeking a good deal, listening to news, or simply talking with old friends. The door flap behind her moved as John peeked his head outside. He had eaten some cured meat with Amytis and Azande after being nursed. The boy started to crawl outside, but his eyes widened at the suddenly crowded village. Coyotes, foxes, raccoons, other canines, and of course wolves made up the mix of natives in the Nanu village. People slowly passed by their spread out goods, lingering gazes and gossiping voices hung in the air.

Clothing wasn't exactly necessary for those covered in fur, but that didn't mean what they wore could not be elaborate. Loincloths and chest cloths of so many designs, plain and extravagant, were worn by many. Tassels, beads, feathers, or the occasional carved stones decorated most including: armbands, anklets, bracelets, and necklaces. Those minor garments were made from various materials like woven grasses, wood, or even forged metals like copper. Their designs were simple, yet intricate.

"Wow. There's so many people!" John crept up to his mother, hardly able to believe what his eyes were seeing. The entire scene in the village reminded him of a busy port. 'It's just like that port city from the continent... But without any humans.' Lenape pulled the human into her lap and lowered her head to his shoulder.

"There are many from different tribes that trade during this time." She explained.

"How many are gathered here?" The boy wondered at the great quantity of species present.

"Many." Lenape chuckled. "Of course those from our village are present. The Nanu tribe has many red foxes and wolves. The villages close to ours have coyotes and wolves. The Sanada tribe has raccoons, foxes, other canines, and even a few humans in their villages." She teased by prodding her son's sides. The human giggled and tried squirming out of her lap. John settled down when the wolfess hugged him tightly.

"What tribe are we from?"

"That's not easily explained..." Lenape thought for a moment. "I told you yesterday that our village is only part Nanu."

"Mmhm." He nodded.

"We don't belong to a tribe like the Nanu villages do. It's like our village is its own tribe, but we have close ties to some around us." Lenape did her best to explain. "We're close allies with most nearby villages."

"How do I know who is from each tribe?" He asked.

"You can smell them." She sniffed the air.

"My nose can't." He tried.

"Hmm... You can see the differences too." Lenape looked out into the open market and scanned the various traders and villagers.

"Look there. Those two are from the Nanu tribe." She pointed with a grey furred finger at a coyote and red panda walking together. "And so is she." Her finger pointed to a female raccoon wearing a tasseled loincloth and chest cloth. The raccoon's silvery grey and black fur was pretty, sleek and neat from meticulous grooming.

"What differences?" John couldn't tell other than the fact that they weren't wolves like most villagers were at their home.

"Tribes often wear clothes differently too." Lenape added. "Whether it is feathers in one's hair, styles of braiding hair, armbands, colors of cloth, and even decorations on weapons." John looked around all of the decorative garments and ornaments adorning nearly everyone's clothes, adolescent to elder. The boy's eyes were unable to see the subtle differences among the blend of fur and cloth.

'The fox without braided hair?' He noticed a female red vixen chatting to someone dealing a specific type of bark. Her fiery orange hair draped freely down her back. 'The coyote...' He noticed a canine with several colorful feathers in his hair. They were all a tribal blur to his human eyes.

"The other major tribe in the area are the Sanada." Lenape pointed to a male black furred wolf standing a short distance away. "The Sanada are known to wear strips of buckskin around their ankles." She eyed the male wolf's spiral designed leather around both of his ankles. The digitigrade legs of anthropomorphic natives, canines especially, had plenty of space above and below their ankles for decor. John wanted to look around but was stuck in his mother's lap for the time being. Azande suddenly emerged from their hut with a long stretch followed by her mother, Amytis.

"It's a clear morning." Amytis deeply breathed. "A good day for a busy village."

"It is." Lenape grinned.

"Has anyone come by?"

"Two people have before Hegeso left..." Lenape explained as Azande caught the human's attention.

"I'm going to explore. Wanna come with me?" Azande offered.

"Can I mom?" John scrambled out of his mother's lap.

"Hmm... Do you need to eat first?" Lenape started looking for excuses to keep him by her side. The she wolf wouldn't be able to leave their hut if they wanted to trade any of the items they had spread out.

"I already ate." He eagerly wanted to explore the village and traders. "I want to look around!" The human could barely contain his excitement. Lenape was hesitant and kept a firm grip on him.

"I don't know..." She hesitated. Her ears fell back as she vividly remembered yesterday. 'I guess I did overreact.' Lenape thought to herself.

"Please?" He begged.

"Let him run around Lenape." Amytis insisted. "Your pup needs to walk on his own some."

"Ok, but do not leave the village and stay close to Azande." She relented.

"Okay mom!" John happily declared and hurried into the throng of activity. The charcoal wolfess watched him disappear with worry.

"Azande!" Lenape swiftly grabbed the young adolescent's tail.

"Yes?" The young adolescent spun around.

"Watch him closely!" Lenape ordered.

"Yes ma'am!" The cream and amber-red wolfess ran after the boy. Amytis shot a glare at Lenape, but didn't say anything as someone approached them to inquire about their tradable goods.

'I hope everything goes ok.' Lenape watched her son disappear into the crowded village. John slowly walked along the middle of the grass between two rows of busy huts with Azande by his side. Being a young human in tribal attire drew some extended looks, but no one approached him. But he hardly noticed. His eyes were fixated one all of the activity around him.

"Are you scared?" Azande half grinned, noticing the boy's silence.

"No." He firmly answered. "Ah-!" A sudden pinch to his side made the human jump.

"If you say so." The she wolf held up her fingers. "I'll watch out for you."

"Thanks." He rubbed his side and resumed walking with her. The activities, crowd, and noise were prevalent wherever they stepped. It reminded John of the port city he left to travel to Hibernia with his dad. A large pile of sheared wool was being haggled over between a German shepherd and border collie. By another hut there was barking.

"Fresh herbs!" A female and male couple beckoned a few over to the green spread over their blanket. Another hut had a bare chested mother wolf, like his mother, who was managing some goods while nursing her infant.

'Chickens...' John saw three freshly killed fowl with their feet tied to a pole. He had never seen any of the fowl in Hibernia before. Five shamans of varying ages, all naked to the world, were sitting in a circle and talking enthusiastically about something. John hardly noticed their lack of clothing or what they were doing among all the excitement.

"Ooh! I want to look over here." Azande approached one hut. John stood by patiently but continued to look around. One hut was trading several hand made tools; axes, daggers, and other items made from stone and wood. Someone beside it caught his eye. A young male raccoon, maybe seven or eight years of age, was staring through a peephole in a funny looking hut.

'What is he looking at?' Rather than go around and see what was going on, John approached the pup.

"Hey." He placed a hand on the youngster's shoulder. The pup looked over his shoulder only to widen his eyes.

"Ah!" The raccoon youngster jumped back in surprise.

"Hello-"

"You're that human!" He gasped causing his hackles to raise defensively.

"What's in there?" John pointed. The raccoon couldn't manage to say anything as the human stepped up to the small eye sized hole. John didn't even notice the raccoon scurry away, or that Azande had not returned.

'What was he looking at?' Curiosity piqued his interest. The boy stepped forward and looked through the discreet peephole. A surprisingly well lit interior revealed a mostly open space with an odd feature present. 'Crates?' The man made items were stacked almost like a wall, opposing some of his limited view. John could see a group of three native villagers inside speaking to someone outside of his sight. They made more gestures than actually speaking. Their arms held blankets, skins, and decorative necklaces. Before he could make out what they were saying, all three left the tent structure. John's eye darted around the peephole and found two figures standing at the other side, closer to him.

'Humans!' He could hardly believe his eyes. They wore actual shirts and pants, neither had muzzle, and both didn't have fur coats. They really were humans! John never expected to see someone like him ever again, yet his eyes were not deceiving him. An older white mustached man and a younger man with tanned skin were standing apart, talking to each other.

"I still think you could've bargained for something a little better." The younger man said aloud. John's eyes widened in even more surprise.

'They're speaking English!' He looked around before pressing his ear to the gap in the wall. He listened intently.

"You can't let up an inch when trading something important." The older man responded. "My wife gets into a barking mood when I trade a little more than I should." The younger man laughed at the remark.

"Goodness... Oh, I heard back home a group was trying to get enough people to resettle Wexford."

'Wexford...' John remembered the colonial town that he briefly lived in with his dad before it was destroyed.

"That's all talk."

"So you don't think anyone will resettle Wexford? The land is fertile and the water is full of shellfish. The Nanu traded with the settlers there, and were friendly, if a little distant."

"No." The older gent concluded. "A razed town acts like a deterrent against future settlement. I visited the area during the winter and the air had an eerie chill that I didn't like." He paused for a moment. "The Yonekohtan are feared for a reason. I can understand why there's a superstition against resettling too soon."

"Speaking of destroyed settlements, do you remember the little town of New Haven up north?" The older man shook his head after a moment of thought. "Don't be forgetful now. I know that you remember."

"Then tell me."

"A group from Nepheira, where the original settlers were from, sailed up there recently after losing all ties of contact for thirty years! They planned out a resettlement-"

"Get to the point."

"Anyway, they settled close to the ruins of the old settlement. A group of farmers found shallow graves around the abandoned walls and in the fields when farms were being sown."

"Sounds like a bad war." The older man shrugged it off.

"Don't be so cold Fabricius!" He exclaimed.

"When I grew up, Nepheira was a brutal country to live in. Dictators controlled militias until a republic finally formed. Colonies were safe havens even if they were at war with natives." He touted a bitter retort. His younger counterpart held his tongue. "New Haven was a colony founded by criminals, and run by criminals. There's no surprise that we know very little about the colony or those whose lives met their untimely demise."

'Where is New Haven?' John had difficulty following the entire story.

"Everyone fears the unknown until they reach a colony. Then there is nothing to fear, not even death." The older man spoke from experience. The younger one looked at him peculiarly before resuming his talk.

"Anyway, there are human survivors in the native villages! From the original colony at New Haven! All of the men and women are half naked and old, but-"

"I have always heard of humans joining tribes willingly." The older white mustached man dismissed his younger companion's excitement. "My wife is a vixen from the Nanu tribe, and I have seen plenty of males and females of all ages wearing little more than loincloths. It's normal."

"Even though I am a young idiot to you Fabricius, you should let me finish." The younger man grinned. "This is different than what we thought had happened. You know, everyone trying to escape the surrounding warring tribes only to become lost at sea. It seems like some were taken in after a terrible conflict."

"I'm sure there's much more to the story."

"An old human is even a chieftain in one if the villages."

"A human?" The older man looked at his friend suspiciously.

"Yes! His name is Mathew." The young man exclaimed.

'A human chief named Mathew?' John wondered. He had never heard of such a thing.

"I still think it's really amazing that over a dozen or so people survived the old New Haven colony. And it sounds like the new colony will have friendly relations with a human chieftain." The younger human concluded.

'Wow! That's incredible!' John thought. "Ah!" A hand suddenly seized his shoulder. The boy spun around and found a young she wolf before him. "What are you doing Azande? You scared me."

"I'm supposed to watch over you." The cream and amber furred canine half grinned. "What were you doing?" She looked at the peephole.

"I want to go in there!" He pointed at the funny hut.

"There?" She barely turned her head before John grabbed her shoulders.

"People are in there. Humans!" His excitement startled the adolescent. John quickly went to the front of the hut, and Azande followed. The front had a tall entrance rather than a low lying opening that most native huts had. The adolescent she wolf's nose scrunched up.

"It smells funny-" She spoke but John already went inside. Azande's ears fell back as she entered behind him. "I don't like it here." She whispered, but John didn't pick up on her canine displays of uneasiness. The boy halted before two figures who were equally surprised to see him. They weren't as tall as his mother and other natives, but they were indeed adult humans. Both were dressed in human clothing, their hair was shorter than John's, and they even wore shoes.

"Wow. A native human! Is there even such a thing this far inland?" The intrigued young man gazed at John.

"Hi. I'm John." He introduced himself in the human tongue.

"You can talk our language too! This is incredible. I'm Jericho and this guy is Fabricius." He introduced themselves.

"You speak fluent English?" The older man was skeptical.

"Yes." He eagerly nodded. "I'm not from a village."

"Where are you from?"

"Wexford." John answered. Both men looked at each other, stunned.

"Wexford?" The older man repeated. "That settlement was destroyed almost a year ago." John meekly nodded, remembering the short amount of time spent in the coastal community before it was abruptly ended.

"Are you sure that is where you are from?" The younger man asked again. "Maybe Waterford instead?"

"Waterford is a much larger town, and too far away." The older Fabricius noted. "How else would a boy know about that settlement's destruction anyway?"

"Yes, I'm from Wexford." John insisted.

"But how? You're only wearing a loincloth. Did your parents intermarry?" Despite being humans it seemed like they were from worlds apart and understanding. John didn't understand their last word, but he knew "parents" very well.

"I lived in Wexford with my dad when it was attacked, but I... haven't seen him..." His voice faded. The memory of that night still haunted the boy whenever his mind crossed it.

"I have talked to many of the survivors from Wexford." The older man spoke up. "They live in smaller settlements on the southern coasts now where it's safer... But sadly, I do not know of any father looking for their missing son."

"Oh..." John paused and looked away. It appeared definitive that his dad had not miraculously survived and lived in some remote place.

"Eh. Wha-?" The younger man's gaze suddenly lifted into one of surprise.

"Ah!" John yelped as a pair of hands lifted him off the ground and quickly held him close. Looking over, he recognized the sudden intruder. "Mom!" The grey canine's face was anything but friendly. Fangs were visible, hackles raised, and her nose was wrinkled up.

"Mom?" The two humans gawked before looking at each other.

"You are his... mother?!" Jericho spoke in the native tongue. The human could hardly believe what he had heard and stepped forward. "Is your-" Lenape growled and revealed the tips of her canine teeth. The man immediately backed off.

"Yes, he is my son! And you aren't taking him away from me." She growled and stepped back towards the hut's entrance. Normally, John would've hidden into her downy neck fur, but he didn't want to leave the other humans so suddenly.

"Wait mom! It's okay." John told her. "I was talking to them."

"Talking?" She paused and looked at the boy in her arms. "They could take you away!" She feared.

"No." John shook his head. "They won't."

"How do you know?" She couldn't hold back the biting question. Lenape didn't want any risk of losing John after trying so long to have a pup of her own. Even though he accepted her as his mother, letting go of that clinging fear was difficult.

"I just... wanted to talk to them." He quietly answered.

"Are they family?" One of the men whispered in English.

"No chest cloth... and bare skin..." The other murmured behind them. "It must be true..." Lenape's ears perked up at their human tongue, the language that John only knew when she brought him into her home.

"What are they saying?" Lenape asked John.

"Huh?" His head spun around back at them, and then her again. "They don't know if you're my mother." John told her. The mother held her temper.

"I found him," Lenape looked up at the two humans, "in a field... Days after his human village was destroyed." She firmly spoke, holding onto her son.

"I think it's great that you're caring for him." The younger man pleasantly smiled, and did his best to speak in the tribal tongue. "If you hadn't..." His voice trailed off, possibly from not knowing the tribal words. Lenape looked at the boy in her arms staring back at her. His smaller hands were holding on by two fistfuls of fur on her shoulders.

'I know that all too well...' She thought to herself.

"That makes sense." The older man agreed.

"Only talk to us in our tongue." Lenape firmly spoke.

"Ok! Sure!" The younger man readily agreed, hoping not to anger her. Fabricius likewise nodded in agreement.

"We will."

"Okay." The mother wolf reluctantly let John go. For the first time the boy was able to look at the few items they had brought to the Nanu village.

"Can we trade with them?" John insisted.

"Is there something that you want?" She sniffed the air curiously, not detecting anything of great value to her.

"I'll look." He started with the crates.

"Go ahead." Fabricius held out a hand. Lenape silently watched over everyone while an excited John looked at the items the two men had. Fabricius stood by and watched. There were little trinkets and other small items that they had likely traded for in another Nanu village: wooden carvings of different species; a small tassel meat for someone's hair were among the mix. A bundle of goose feathers, a few seal skins, eccentric animal bones, and other trade goods. The crates only contained a few skimpy potatoes and other tubers. His eyes spotted a durable piece of paper lying on a lone crate.

"Hmm?" John looked and realized it was a map. "I want this." He held up the map.

"You want... that?" Lenape pointed at the paper.

"Yes!" The boy nodded fervently.

"What... is it?" The she wolf looked at it questioningly.

"It's a copy of a map that I recently made." Jericho explained. "It tells where certain tribes live and the locations of several villages I have visited with Fabricius. Each dot represents a village." He pointed out.

"Wow." John gazed at the numerous dots.

"Why do you travel to so many villages?" Lenape inquired.

"He's a fur lover." The older human said dismissively with a hint of humor. Jericho shot him a glare.

"Says the man married to a Nanu vixen his own age..." For the first time the older man didn't retort and glanced away. "It's my dream to accurately map the entire region of Hibernia." Jericho admirably proclaimed. "To know every tribal group, human settlement, river, lake, and everything. I want it all on paper for everyone to see." John turned the paper several times.

"What does it say?" The boy stared at the written words.

"You can't read it?" The man assumed. John shook his head. "I can tell you... These." He pointed to the drawn arrows pointing down south with words on their ends. "Are different countries to sail back to. One route will take you to Marmara, another to Bretaine, another to Galatia, and that one to Nepheira... I'm sure you're from one of those countries, right?"

"Um." John blinked, suddenly finding the memory hard to retrieve from all of the excitement. "Arndock." He recalled a familiar name.

"Ah, that's a town near the coast in Marmara." Jericho lectured it out.

"A dusty town with plenty of abandoned factories where several fisherman live." Fabricius added.

"Where is the village with the human chieftain?" John searched the paper's surface.

"Somewhere around here..." A finger pointed left of a red mark and a blue square. It was far up the coast where no words indicating tribal names, rivers, or mountains were written. "The red mark means a destroyed or abandoned settlement."

"What about the blue?"

"That's harder to explain..." The man admitted. "They are... much older human areas. They're sacred and difficult to access."

'Sacred? How old?' He wondered.

"Anyway... The top reads: Map of the Wild Hibernia." The younger man pointed to the bold letters next. "East is the Hibernian Sea and here is the Sargasso Sea."

"What are they talking about John?" Lenape interrupted.

"Hibernia. That's what humans call... this land." He pieced together the phrases.

"Hibernia?" Her tribal tongue tried pronouncing the word. 'Why can't they just say land?' She wondered.

"What will you trade for the map?" Fabricius asked the grey she wolf while Jericho explained the map's contents to John. The boy was unaware of what she traded for him to have the map, but he was excited to keep it.

"Thank you mom!" John tightly hugged his mom. Lenape placed a hand on his back and softly smiled.

"Let's go John." She told him.

"Thanks for visiting." No one had expected the chance encounter to occur, or thought it was even possible.

'A human boy escaping the destruction of Wexford survives by a she wolf adopting him...' Jericho couldn't help but feel happy about it.

"Bye!" John waved with the map in hand. Lenape looked over her shoulder at the two humans.

"Bye." She raised her hand before leaving with her son. The mother wolf breathed the fresh air outside happily. Azande was standing outside the hut.

"You're both out!" She barked and wagged her tail.

"Yes, we are." She breathed with relief. "Why did you go into that hut, John?"

"I heard them talking about so much mom!" The boy began talking quickly in English without realizing it. "There's a human chief somewhere named Mathew, and there are other humans where his village is! They told a long story abut how-"

"Your tongue is twisted John!" Azande blurted aloud.

"What are you saying?" Lenape asked more calmly.

"Oh!" He suddenly felt flustered. "Um. The two humans talked about another human who was the chieftain of a village somewhere. His name was... uh. It stated with an M sound."

"I've never heard of a human being chieftain of a village." Azande said.

"But I heard them say it!"

"I'm sure a human is chieftain somewhere..." Lenape settled the issue as they passed by other huts and weaved around the groups of people. "I'm just glad that you're safe." The charcoal grey she wolf sent a prayer of thanks to the spirits. John seemed oblivious to the danger she perceived him to be in as they passed by groups where conversations were easily audible.

"He told me that the fish was this big!" A wolf of several braids and crow feathers spoke in awe and held up his arms to portray the creature's girth.

"Is this true, or merely a dream?" Another prodded at the account.

"It's true." A female raccoon nodded to the other's surprise. John wiped his face from the everlasting floating hairs hanging in the air. He received plenty of looks from the Nanu and Sanada villagers. However, pups his age steered clear of him and his protective mother.

"This is a hut I was looking at earlier." Azande's tail swished excitedly as she trotted over to it. Lenape and John followed the adolescent to where a Nanu grey vixen was seated. She had several oddities to trade laid out before her. Overly sized stone points for spears were hanging from a few poles lashed together. Hand stone axes, knives, and other smaller items were displayed too.

"A human pup?" A male silver fox standing by looked closely at John. Long black hair spilled over his sides as he bent forward some. John could see the white tip of a tail behind the male's long loincloth. The rest of his fur was ticked lightly with silver, but not his long narrow muzzle.

"Are you a wolf?" John couldn't tell. The male laughed.

"No! I am a fox. My fur is darker and has a different pattern."

"He is my son, John." A grey hand touched the boy's shoulder. His black nose smelled the air and was surprised to find their scents very similar.

"I see..." The fox scratched his head. "Well... Please look at what my mate has to offer." He gestured to the laid out blanket to the seated vixen. Her hair was long and solid grey like his mother's, but she wore a lot compared to Lenape. An anklet, armbands, a necklace, chest cloth, loincloth, and smaller adornments like feathers covered some of her body.

"Hello there." The grey fox warmly greeted the mother and son. "Take a look." She offered. John immediately saw something of interest.

"What are those?" The boy pointed at a tiny basket.

"Ah. They are shark teeth." She explained. Her armbands were decorated with the triangular points.

"Shark teeth?" John took a closer look at the set of triangular, serrated teeth.

"Yes, they're used as arrowheads that can pierce the spirit of prey." The Nanu grey fox spoke up at the youngsters' interest. "Take a closer look." She handed him one. John felt the hard tooth in his palm. It wasn't very big, but certainly larger than his own teeth.

"What are sharks?"

"Sharks are giant fish." Azande held her arms far apart. "They're scary with ugly eyes and eat fish like us." She told him with a toothy smile of her own. The Nanu vixen laid back and waited, hoping for an easy trade fueled by a pup's impulsiveness.

"Look mom, they're sharp." John held up the shark tooth.

"Yes, I can see that." She nodded.

"But you didn't touch it..."

"You already have something." Lenape told him. He quickly put it back and stayed close to her.

"Are you coming back with us Azande?" Lenape looked over her shoulder.

"No thanks. I'm still looking around." She lingered by the Nanu hut. John felt some disappointment as he walked back with his mom, but it was completely worth meeting the two humans. He looked at the rolled parchment in his hand with affirmation. They walked past a female raccoon carrying a familiar pelt in hand.

"Looks like someone traded for one of our deer pelts." Lenape smiled.

"That's good." John nodded, although he didn't know why that was a good thing. The reached their hut where Amytis was left tending to their blanket of goods.

"You're both back." The adult amber and cream she wolf looked up. "Where did he run to?"

"A hut with humans inside." Lenape calmly spoke. Her friend's face lit up only to be interrupted by a long yawn.

'She has big teeth.' John looked at the gaping narrow mouth until it closed.

"Oh? Was everything alright?" She voiced concern.

"Yes." Lenape smiled with relief. "You were right..." Amytis half grinned at the news.

"Wait. Where is Azande?" The mother wolf looked around.

"She is still looking at different huts."

"I told her not to look for anything to buy." She half frowned.

"You look tired." John spoke up.

"I need to take a nap..." Amytis mumbled.

"It isn't noon yet." Lenape glanced at the mostly clear sky.

"I know, but someone was snoring last night." She rubbed her head fur to Lenape's amusement.

"Go take a nap. We'll look after everything here."

"Alright. Tell me more about the humans later." She crawled back into the hut. Lenape and John sat down before the spread blanket where several pelts still remained.

"I didn't hear anyone snoring mom." John spoke up.

"That's because you were fast asleep beside me." She grinned as a pure white male wolf approached them. John shied away and unrolled the map that Lenape had traded for him. The untamed land he lived in looked so small on paper.

'Hibernia is an island.' His finger traced the border of land and sea. He paused when he reached the red dot marking Wexford. 'We are here... somewhere.' His finger trailed westward. The empty spot was near a river and between several large printed words. 'I wish I could read...' He stared at the writing as if spell bound. 'I'll just have to remember what he told me.' John rolled up the paper and set it aside.

"Thank you." Lenape smiled as the white furred wolf waved and departed.

"How did you find me, mom?" John turned to face her.

"Azande ran back and led me to you." She answered.

"Oh." John never realized that Azande had left him earlier. "But I mean before."

"Before?" Her brow arched curiously.

"Mmhm. When you first found me. I don't remember it." The grey she wolf rested her chin in a hand and recalled what had happened.

"I was in a field with Asawa and Amytis. They had to leave, but I stayed behind. After a while I saw a couple of birds circling the sky. I walked over and crossed a creek... That's how I found you." She smiled and brushed the unkempt hair from his forehead. He smiled back, happy that she had found him. The terrifying run away from Wexford seemed so recent in his mind.

"Ah! Mom..." John closed an eye as a wide tongue smoothly swiped over his forehead. The she wolf giggled as he wiped his skin dry.

"Hey!" Both looked up as Tizoc approached them.

"Hello Tizoc. Have you found anyone else you know to trade with us?"

"There are two humans who want to trade with us." He informed her.

"Humans? Are they the two who we met earlier?" Lenape asked. The male's brow furrowed.

"You met two humans earlier?"

"Yes. Their names were..."

"Jericho and Fabricius." John answered. Tizoc's perplexed expression remained.

"I don't remember hearing their names, but I don't think we are talking about the same humans." The brown and white marbled male spoke. "They have never been to this village and speak very little of our tongue."

"Do they have anything that we want?" Lenape looked over their spread of mostly deer pelts.

"I don't know." He shook his head. "But they want what we have, and he can help." Tizoc pointed a clawed finger at John.

"Me?" The boy blinked.

"You can talk both tongues." He reasoned. "I told them about you." Tizoc turned and left. The human suddenly felt nervous. A reassuring arm rested across his young shoulders.

"It'll be okay. If you don't want to, you don't have to." His mother promised. John remained by her side and waited. Minutes passed before they spotted two different humans. The crowd seemed to part as they walked closer. No one mingled with them, but eyes kept a close watch on their movements. Unlike Jericho and Fabricius, the two newcomers were scruffy looking. Both had longer dark hair, but it wasn't combed like natives preferred. Their clothes were visibly stained and dirty from a short distance. One carried a large pack with unknown contents. John looked back at his mom who only wore a loincloth for clothing.

'They'll stare at her chest.' The boy suddenly felt worried about it, and his mother appeared completely oblivious to the fact. "Mom!" John whispered. Lenape looked at him holding her arm. "They'll look at you." He worried.

"What?" She found the comment amusing.

"Humans stare at females there." He pointed at her uncovered chest.

"I'll be fine from their eyes." Lenape reassured her son's worries and licked his forehead. The two men gradually approached their hut to trade.

"Hello." Lenape kindly grinned and motioned a hand for them to sit.

"Hello." The older man spoke before sitting down. The younger man simply nodded and sat down. John noticed his mother's steady gaze at them. Lenape was experienced with trading, but she never directly dealt with humans before.

"Deer pelts?" The middle aged man spoke in a broken native tongue.

"Yes." Lenape nodded and they began negotiating over what was wanted, and how much. Sure enough, one of them had eyes for his mother while the other did most of the communicating.

'I knew this would happen!' John frowned, wishing he could do something to stop the leering guy.

"For two pelts? No." Lenape shook her head. The middle aged, silver haired man thought a moment.

"Hand me the field hoe." He looked over and tapped the younger man.

"Oh! Yessir." He quickly handed over the long item tied to their backpack. It was handed to Lenape to inspect. Her canine hands felt over the smooth wooden pole and the metal piece.

"What is this John?" She whispered.

"A hoe." The boy did not know if there was a tribal word for the gardening item. "It digs the ground."

"Oh." Lenape remarked. 'I know who can use this.' She thought while the men patiently waited. "Okay. I will give you two," she motioned to the deer pelts, "for these." She patted the four rabbit blankets and held up the hoe. They briefly spoke before nodding in agreement.

"Yes." The silvery haired man spoke. Lenape traded them the two pelts.

"Thank you." She waved as they stood up to leave.

"Wolves always have an odor..." The shaggy haired human muttered in English. John frowned but didn't say anything as they left. Lenape brought the goods inside the hut before returning.

"You're upset." She noted with a sympathetic expression. The boy looked up at his mother.

"One stared at you and said that you smelled bad."

"What?" Her head tilted to the side in question, but her grin was fairly amused. "Do I smell bad to you?" She tapped his nose with a padded finger.

"No." He wiggled his nose.

"What if I told you they smelled bad." She prodded him with a claw. The boy squirmed and giggled as he was pulled into his mother's lap. His cheek ended up on a breast, and without a word he latched on. Lenape smiled and held him with an arm. "Should I tell you another story about when I was your age?" She offered. The boy eagerly nodded. "Let me think... Oh. We'll have to wait." The wolfess told him as a pregnant coyote and Akita male approached their blanket.

Tizoc and Hegeso hummed a simple tune as their paws walked across the grass. In their arms were rabbit furs, a garden hoe, a basket full of a specific herb that their shamans requested, and other small items. The group had to carry everything back by hand, but there was little to complain about. Only one deer pelt was not traded. Everyone was in high spirits from the successful visit to the Nanu village, especially Hegeso and Tizoc who were carrying the much lighter pelts and goods. John was walking behind the two males, but alongside his mother and Azande. They were carrying lighter items, like a small basket in Amytis's possession.

"The weather is nice out." Amytis admired the sunshine above. "But the smell of these herbs are strong..." She wrinkled her muzzle and stuck out her tongue.

"I'm not carrying that again." Hegeso grimaced.

"Lenape?" The amber red and cream wolfess tried persuading her friend. Lenape shook her head and pinched her nose.

"Sorry, but I don't want to carry that either Amytis."

"Aww... John?" She asked the human. John looked up at the basket she was carrying. Made of woven sticks and reeds, the small vessel was very lightweight. His nose could barely detect any scent from within the small basket.

"Okay." He agreed to her surprise.

"Thank you John!" She happily handed it over. Luckily, it had a handle to carry with ease. "Your son is very nice, Lenape." Amytis smiled and wiped her hands on her loincloth.

"Keep that away from what the humans traded us." Lenape warned her son. She didn't want the smell to end up in her home.

"You bought something." Hegeso sang in a teasing voice. Lenape's tail swatted at him, lightly batting the male's side.

"I bought something that John wanted." She corrected him.

"You still bought something." He insisted.

"John had a keen eye for it, so I couldn't say no." A grin formed on the corner of the grey she wolf's mouth as she looked down at her son walking alongside Azande. 'I'm very glad that they are good friends.' The mother thought to herself.

"Sure..." Hegeso mumbled only for Lenape to swat him again with her tail.

"I liked seeing the Nanu village, mom." John spoke up.

"You like trading?" Lenape was surprised that the once shy boy took interest in the social activity.

"Mmhm." He nodded. "It was fun. I liked seeing different people, the Nanu village, and other things." His simple sentence conveyed plenty of excitement.

"That's good." Lenape smiled. "When someone is needed to go to another village. I'll ask my brother if he can send us as well."

"Alright!" John liked that a lot. The adolescent Azande spied the funny paper that he was carrying.

"What did your mom get for you?" Azande smelled the paper in the human's hand.

"I got this." John held up his map. The sturdy paper crinkled in the gentle breeze.

"What is that?" Azande asked. "A thin pelt?"

"It's a map!" He exclaimed. The two male wolves looked at each other with odd expressions.

"Map?" Azande, Hegeso, and Tizoc said in unison.

"What does that mean?"

"You draw land on here instead of the dirt." John tried explaining. Everyone looked questioningly at each other.

"How much did you bargain for that?" Tizoc whispered. Lenape flicked her tail at him. Azande peered closely at the paper as John showed it to her. The lines, scribbled letters, and directions were a great mystery to her.

"What are those?" She pointed at the red dots.

"They're abandoned human settlements." He pointed at Wexford and then a location north named New Haven. "I'm from this spot." His finger returned to Wexford's location.

"Where is that?"

"Not far?" He thought for a moment, unsure of where exactly he was on the map. "I think..."

"Mom! Where is John from?" Azande eagerly barked.

"At the end of the river where it meets the great water, right Lenape?" Amytis explained. The charcoal grey she wolf affirmed with a nod. The adolescent quickly returned her attention to the map John was holding.

"Why aren't there a lot of scratches over here?" She pointed at northern Hibernia, where the coast and land was less defined.

"I don't know... Maybe there aren't any humans there."

"No humans? Hmmm... There aren't many felines around here." Azande remarked. "Neither are some types of canines."

"Ah! We're back home!" Tizoc declared as the village came into sight.

"Aroooo!" Hegeso gave a short howl. A villager within sight howled back and waved.

"A typical welcoming party..." Tizoc half grinned with the load in his arms.

"I'll catch whatever you drop." Hegeso mused and walked past the wolf. John started to follow, but his mom was taking a slightly different turn.

"Where are you going mom?"

"Come along John. We're taking a bath in the creek." Lenape waved for him to follow.

"A bath? Why now?" He complained but tagged along anyway.

"Because I can smell you from across the village." His mother pointed to her nose. Azande laughed as they parted ways.

"Do we have to take one now?"

"Yes." She insisted. "If it's too late, then the sun will set before you can dry." Lenape led him to where a familiar pair were already in the creek bathing together. A female maned wolf, and a female cream and brown she wolf.

"Hello!" A pair of cheerful greetings and toothy smiles barked aloud.

"Hi. How are you two doing?" Lenape paused by the water's edge.

"We're healthy and not hungry." The female maned wolf chuckled.

"And I see you brought someone with you." The other wolf crooned.

"Hello." John politely spoke up.

"You've already grown up since the last time we bathed together." Inuk smiled. "Do you remember who we are?" The boy looked at the canines for a second.

"Inuk... and Nanok." John spoke.

"Ah! He remembered us!" Inuk cackled with a surprised smile.

"He has a great memory." Lenape couldn't help herself from talking proudly about her son. The charcoal grey mother set her loincloth aside. John followed suit and disrobed, but carefully placed his map underneath the basket.

"He is no longer as shy either." Nanok observed as the pair casually stepped into the water and joined them. They briefly touched noses before settling down into the cool running water.

"You two were denned up in your hut all winter. I hardly saw either of you." Inuk teased. Lenape grinned and softly chuckled.

"His skin can't handle the cold like we can in our winter fur. He had to wear a heavy blanket to go outside."

"Ohh." She understood and slowly nodded.

"How did trading go?" Nanok eagerly asked.

"Very well!" Lenape smiled. "But It's nice to sit down after walking all morning and afternoon." She poured handfuls of the cool creek's water onto herself.

"I can imagine!" The maned wolf smiled.

"I can smell something. Is it that basket?" The other she wolf asked.

"It's a bunch of herbs that our shamans wanted." Lenape explained. Uninterested in their conversation, John turned his back to the chatting females for privacy and splashed his front with water.

'Why do we have to bathe in front of everyone?' He looked around at the other villagers within sight along the village's edge. It didn't irk him like it did during the last days of summer when he was brought into the village, but it still felt odd to him. He washed over himself while his mom talked with the two villagers.

"John told me that he liked going to the Nanu village to trade." His ears picked up when she talked about him. He looked over a shoulder at his mom. She smiled at him while rubbing her sides leaving the grey fur damp and spiky. Nanok and Inuk quietly laughed. John looked away and dug his hands through the silty creek bed. A grin emerged at the cool sensation of mud. Despite the tribal lifestyle he had adjusted to, John was still a kid at heart. He lifted a hand up and watched the water pour out before the silt plopped into the creek with a splash. There was something childish and fun about smacking the water to create waves and tossing the muddy silt.

"Huh?" John stopped playing as he felt a pair of firm leathery palmed hands touch his back.

"Don't get dirty again while you're here." Lenape chided him and wiped a dash of mud from his cheek.

'Humph!' John sat still for his mother while she washed his back and sides, but only for a second. He dipped and cupped his hands and started splashing water onto himself. The grey she wolf closed an eye as stray droplets of water reached her.

"Oh, now you change your mind about bathing." She tittered and finished washing him. "Come on out so we can dry off." She told him and stood up. John turned and looked up at the solid grey she wolf. His once fluffy furred mother resembled a somewhat thinner, wet version of herself. She was naked and soaked to her skin, but happily extending a hand down to him.

"Ok." He grasped her hand and she pulled him up.

"All clean?" Nanok looked up at the standing pair.

"Guess we are too." Inuk answered. The water quietly sloshed as all four left the water and sat down in the sunny clover.

"What is it?" Lenape noticed John giving her a peculiar look.

"You look... funny mom." The boy touched her side. Nanok and Inuk laughed in loud barks. Lenape couldn't help but hold back a smile.

"Do we look funny too?" The female maned wolf chuckled. John's face remained genuinely curious, albeit a little embarrassed from their reaction of their boisterous laughter.

"Your fur is wet." He observed how several spots were spiky .

"When your... uh." Lenape paused and looked at his wet skin. "When someone's fur gets wet, they look like this." She held up her arm where everything stuck to her body.

"He asks the funniest things." Nanok laid down and stretched her limbs. Lenape and Inuk followed suit.

"It's good that he openly asks you questions." Inuk mentioned. John gradually laid down in the grass beside his mother while she talked to Inuk. The sun felt nice and warm against his skin. The sensation wasn't something he had felt often before. Not having to worry about day to day needs was a divine blessing.

'Will we go to another village soon?' He wondered. 'And will there be more humans?' It all seemed unlikely while he impatiently waited for the sun to dry his skin. The radiant presence of the sun suddenly dimmed on his face, but he could still feel it everywhere else on his naked body.

'A cloud-?' He opened his eyes only to see a creamy tan furred face looking at him nose to nose.

"Azande!" He clutched the ground feeling his heart race.

"What does this mean?" Hair brushed against his cheeks as she held the map in front of his face.

"Hey! That's my map!" He reached only for the parchment to be plucked away.

"I wanted to look at it." The playful she wolf grinned and stood up. John jumped to his feet and gave chase.

"Give it back!" He ran after the quick footed adolescent up the creek.

"Look at the little naked human running after her." Inuk couldn't help herself from laughing. Lenape turned her head and chuckled at her son chasing Azande across the field. "How far will he chase her before realizing he is nude?"

"Not far..." Lenape mused. "Oh. He stopped..." She saw John suddenly cover himself before running back to her. Azande followed him at a slower trot, holding the map up triumphantly.

Excited yips were heard from a distance in the mild air. John watched a small group of young pups, who weren't even his height, playing in the fields within sight of the village. Despite their size, they were wrestling each other in the grass. An older adolescent was sitting nearby to make sure no one was hurt. Part of John wanted to play with them, but shyness held plenty of his curiosity at bay.

'I'm bored.' He looked up at the thickening grey clouds that promised rain. Normally he did everything with his mother, but she wasn't in the village. Lenape had left early in the morning and had been gone all day to hunt in a pack. He wanted to go with her, but wasn't old enough or too small. The boy didn't exactly understand when it was explained to him. The darker clouds continued to gather in the sky while he thought. John eventually stood up with a sigh. The human didn't think he would miss having her around so much for a mere single day. It was a complete turnaround from when he has first met the wolf.

However, this didn't entirely mean he was alone for the entire day. John walked around to the front of their hut. A pure white wolfess was seated outside the hut's entrance carving fish hooks from bone. Like his mother she was topless, a nursing female, but still wore other typical tribal garments: a tasseled buckskin loincloth, the sheath of a knife, a decorative armband, and a single raven's feather adorning her long white hair. Aside from her tasks, Asawa was keeping watch over the boy for the afternoon. Although her son Kantala was away with her mate for the day, so John didn't have anyone else he knew to play with. Even Azande was in the moor to practice tracking with a small pack. Asawa paused her work and looked over at the quiet human.

"Are you hungry? I have plenty of milk." The white she wolf offered. John glanced at the female's chest where two pink nipples were very visible on her white furred breasts. He had nursed from her earlier when he was really hungry, but it felt so strange because she wasn't his mother. The practice of females helping nurse pups regardless of blood relation struck the boy as odd.

"No." He shook his head. Asawa smiled, knowing better.

"You are a quiet pup. Come sit beside me." She offered. Without anything else to do, John joined the white furred mother wolf. Even though both were sitting, the adult canine still towered over the human boy like a wall of white fur.

"Your fur is white." He reached out and touched her arm.

"Yes it is." She turned a little for him. Her long white hair was just long enough to touch the blades of grass below. She reminded him a lot of his mother Lenape, not just in her appearance but how she acted too.

"It may rain soon." She glanced up. "The clouds are darker. Sometimes you will see a spirit's arrow before you hear thunder."

"A spirit's arrow?"

"It is the big flash of light that appears in the sky for only an instant. It can be a single arrow appearing to connect the sky and ground."

'Asawa means lightning by saying spirit's arrow.' John realized. "Will it rain heavy when my mom comes back?" A noticeable smile formed on the white she wolf's muzzle when he referred to Lenape as his mother.

"Your mother should return soon." Asawa reassured him before gathering her knife and newly made fishhooks of bone.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes. You can come over to our hut if you want. My mate should have caught a few fish to cook."

"No thanks." He shook his head.

"You are always welcome at my home." Asawa placed an arm around him and affectionately brushed her furry cheek across his face. "I'll see you another day." She rose to her paws. As soon as the she wolf left, John hurried to the edge of the village overlooking part of the moor and the nearest forests.

"Uh oh." John felt something land on his head. Moments passed before the sound of rain filled his ears. The boy took cover under the edge of an adjacent hut, but didn't even think about leaving. His gaze was fixated on the open landscape before him. John crouched down and waited for his mother to return from hunting. The shower passed quickly, leaving only a lingering drizzle in the village. The drizzle gradually let up as well, and the human's patience was rewarded. He stood up seeing figures far away emerging from the forest. One by one, six wolves filed out of the woods and into the short grasses.

'White and grey... Red... Brown and white...' John's eyes quickly scanned all of the canines until he spotted one with a solid grey coat of fur. "A female." His voice rose. She was the only bare chested female in the group. The closer the wolf approached the village, the more the recognition was unmistakable. John didn't hesitate to break into a fast run through the wet grass of the moorland. His eager feet carried him with speed.

"Mom!" He called out. Her ears and head immediately perked up. "You're back!" John ran past the others and to his mother. Lenape slung her bow over a shoulder and wrapped her arms around her pup as he collided with her.

"Yes, I am!" Her tail wagged. Lenape picked up her son and carried him as she walked to the village. The boy held onto his mother closely. Her fur was a little wet from the passing shower, but still soft and warm to him.

"You caught a deer." He looked over at the pair of hunters further ahead, carrying the motionless animal tied to a sturdy pole.

"We did." She gave him a happy toothy smile. "We can have some fresh venison tomorrow."

"Mm!" John hummed.

"What did you do while I was hunting?"

"Not a lot..." He mumbled and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Asawa stayed with you, right?"

"Yes..." He quietly nodded.

"You sound sad." Lenape noted.

"I couldn't go with you."

"Well..." His mother's voice trailed off. "You're young and we travel a lot of ground."

"I'll follow..." But the grey she wolf regretfully shook her head.

"There are many silent cues you must understand."

"Cues?" John didn't understand.

"Signs." Lenape tried explaining, but he couldn't grasp what she meant. "There are certain things you must see and know. Even if you're with us to observe it's... difficult. I can't bark or tell you what to do."

"Oh..." John stared over her shoulder at the ground in dismay. Lenape's ears folded back briefly, knowing that neither of them liked being separated. However, she would be hunting more frequently now that it was springtime. To take John with her would mean using a lot of time to teach him.

'He hasn't shown any interest in hunting.' Lenape thought to herself. The grey she wolf was hesitant. Hunters frequently became warriors during war, and the last thing the new mother wanted to imagine was her son fighting a large wolf from another tribe. The boy in her arms was looking over her shoulder as they reached the edge of the village. He reached out and touched her long grey hair. It felt just like human hair, but silkier and smoother. It gave him a little comfort despite knowing that she would be hunting again in a few days. Being alone and doing nothing made the boy feel useless while waiting for her to return.

He looked over and noticed an old female skunk sitting in a patch of clover by the edge of the moor. Unlike everyone else, she was completely naked. Even though the skunk was clearly not nursing, due to all of her areolae being covered with silvery white ticked black fur, her sagging breasts were freely in the open. A loincloth was nowhere to be seen either. Despite the open nudity, she was calmly meditating with someone.

"Mom."

"Hmm?" Lenape stopped and set him down.

"Who is she?" John pointed at the silent naked female skunk staring into the hills.

"That's Kazana. She's the village's main shaman." Beside the old shaman was a stocky red panda. Despite her pudgy build she had small black furred breasts. A ringed tail patiently laid in the grass behind her. Her face was rounded and very pretty with a pristine pair of green eyes.

"Shamans?" He had heard the word many times but never received a good explanation. It reminded him about goblins and voodoo priests from fairy tales as a little kid.

"They're highly respected in villages because they understand medicine, nature, and many other things."

"What about her?" The human boy pointed to the naked figure, a female red panda, beside the nude female skunk.

"That's Amu, our second shaman."

"Why are they naked?"

"Shamans prefer not to wear clothes to be closer with nature." Lenape explained.

"No one else is naked." He pointed out.

"It's not that simple John." His mother chuckled and ruffled his hair. "You must be mindful about it."

"What does that mean?" He asked.

"Why don't you ask them? They're shamans." She encouraged him. "They can tell you." John looked at the shamans and hesitated before gazing up at his mom. "It's okay. I need to rest my legs anyway." Lenape sat down. With curiosity and the reinforcement of his mother's presence, the shy human stepped up to the seated females. The skunk had long white hair gathered into a few braids, letting the rest loosely draped down her black furred back. The red panda had a similar hairstyle arranged but only with a single feather added.

"Hi." John quietly spoke up. The red panda's fluffy ears perked up.

"Hello." She kindly grinned and turned to face him, revealing that she was completely naked. The tips of her nipples were barely visible through the black fur. She wasn't a mother, and yet her breasts were simply in the open as if the red panda was able to nurse. Even more astonishing to the human was the fact that her feet were almost like his! The only differences were four blocky toes, claws, pads, and fur of course.

"Your don't have paws!" John was completely surprised.

"My father is a human and my mother a red panda, but a panda's feet look very similar to a human's anyway." She remarked.

"Your dad is human?"

"Yes, and my mother was from a southern Nanu village close to where the land meets the great water."

"Is he in the village?"

"No..." She slowly shook her head. "My parents died when I was younger, before I came to this village."

"Oh..." He understood the sense of loss.

"Don't feel sorry for asking. What do you need?" She offered for the spot beside her to sit. The boy plopped down facing her. They touched noses cordially.

"Why are you two sitting here, and why are you naked?"

"That's a big question." Amu smiled in acknowledgement. "Where to start... She hummed. "Shamans are naked to physically feel closer to nature." She placed a hand on her chest and ruffled down the fur. "Touching the grass, feeling the wind and sunshine without any barrier."

"What is nature?"

"Nature is what connects everything together like a thread. It is everything around us. We are all a part of it, and without nature we would not exist."

"Huh?" John looked at her in confusion.

"You can't see it, but sometimes you can feel it." She softly poked the center of his chest.

'Feel...' John thought.

"It's a connection you have with the land and foliage around you. It's something you may have to experience to truly understand." Her explanation perplexed the human.

"What do shamans do?" He asked. The red panda searched her thoughts for a moment at the broad question.

"Well... Many things." She began. "Interpreting dreams, helping mothers whelp, taking care of the sick, but they tend to specialize either in the physical world of medicine and healing, or more spiritual aspects like interpreting dreams."

"Interpret dreams? Are you doing that now?"

"No." She kindly shook her head. "We're waiting for nighttime. The stars can be seen clearly in the open sky."

"Do you stare at them?"

"A little bit." Amu chuckled. "But we want to whisper a few chants to help bring that connection with nature a little closer."

"What is chanting?" John was unfamiliar with the word.

"A short song about anything, but with a purpose." The red panda answered much to the boy's confusion. "I can show you." She offered and cleared her throat to quietly sing.

When I run across the moor

there is a wind ruffling my fur,

but there is another

I can sense as well.

John stared at the shaman as she finished. The mystical words were like a riddle to him. "Have you heard a chant like that before?"

"No." He shook his head.

"Maybe I can talk more and chant for you another time." She promised. "I think your mother is ready." Amu motioned with her eyes. John looked over and saw his mother standing up now.

"Thanks. Bye." The human scrambled to his feet and over to her.

"Did they tell you about what they're doing?" Lenape placed a hand around his shoulder and walked to their hut.

"Yes! Amu told me about a connection between... everything. They're naked to feel that connection."

"Mmhm. There is a connection between us and the land." Lenape nodded. John wondered how it all made sense, but his curiosity would have to wait another day. Once back inside their hut, Lenape set her bow and quiver aside close to the entrance. The she wolf quickly started a fire. A familiar grumble caught her sensitive ears.

"Are you hungry?" Lenape asked.

"Yes." He admitted and laid down in her lap.

"Didn't Asawa nurse you?" She cradled his head with a hand and fed the fire with another.

"Mmhm." He nodded before latching onto one breast. His mouth strongly sought her milk. His mother easily took notice.

'Asawa has been nursing Kantala since his birth... You shouldn't be this hungry...' Lenape thought to herself, not that she minded. John's hunger began waning when he went to her second breast. Lenape appreciated the gentler suckling while cradling his head. The bonding moment couldn't last forever though, and the human eventually reached his full.

"Finished?" Her hand lingered before letting go.

"Mmhm." He nodded and sat up. Lenape set aside her loincloth and prepared for bed. John lingered by the low fire before going over to the hut's entrance.

"It's nighttime." His mother's voice called out from the spread out deer pelts.

"I know." He didn't plan on leaving their home when it was time to sleep. He peeked his head outside the door flap and stared. Up above the stars twinkled in the night sky like glistening droplets of dew. The entire village was aglow in the silvery light above. 'The shamans are watching the stars right now.' He wondered why they were doing that.

"Huh?" John blinked as two furry hands planted on the ground beside his own. Long grey hair spilled down beside his head. The sensation of fur covered his back like a blanket. 'Uh oh.' He backed up only to find himself underneath the charcoal grey wolfess.

"Gotcha!" The mother wolf quickly grabbed John and rolled onto the ground with him in her arms. John laughed and squirmed around in vain as a large tongue washed over his chin and neck.

"Ah-haha! Mom!" John found himself easily pinned by her strength. He endured several broad licks over his face and little nibbles to his skin. She relented for a moment and let John catch his breath. He was panting from the abrupt tussle. He looked up and found the she wolf looming over him. A sly smile told him that more was to come.

"I'll get you..." Her voice spoke in an ominous and playful tone.

"No!" He laughed and squealed simultaneously as her muzzle lowered to lick him again. John reached up and grabbed his mother's jaw, and managed to hold her open muzzle back.

"Mwahgwayuu..." Her garbled words made him laugh. A brief sense of victory was dashed in an instant. Since they were already in her mouth, Lenape licked his hands instead.

"Eww!" John pulled his spit covered hands away. Lenape chuckled and craned her head lower to resume licking his undefended face. "Mom... My face is clean." He closed an eye as her canine tongue smoothly washed over.

"Not until I say so." She spoke. John had to wait until she finished and sat up. One issue with the cold winter, cool autumn, and cool early spring was the creek's temperature. The tongue was considered a cleanly way to wash one's face until warmer weather arrived. John sat up and wiped his face and hands dry. "Ready to sleep now?" Lenape smiled. John nodded without a word and laid down on the deer pelts. He watched as she put the fire out, enshrouding the hut in darkness. Lenape laid down beside him, grinning as he snuggled up to her. "May the spirits grant you good dreams." She placed an arm around him.

'The spirits...' John wondered about what the shamans had told him before falling asleep.