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So my universe keeps expanding! As some of you know I welcome people to my word and if they want to use my universe I'm more than okay with it! Kaliko, a good friend of mine, wrote this story up and I wanted to share it with everyone here.

I hope everyone enjoys a different perspective and a view on one of the other tribes, the Full Moon. Leave comments and suggestions, and if anyone wants to get in touch with the author let me know!

-Tibs

___________

The inn was crowded tonight, just like it had been for the past month. In a matter of weeks, I had turned the place from a second-rate ale pit, to a dignified establishment that traveling merchants would actually look forward to visiting on their way in or out of the city. I wouldn't like to take all the credit, but well, who am I kidding? Since the day I came here, the owner, a burly bear with a fascination for ale, money, and wenches, had been making double the profits, and it only got better from there. While he took care of the drinks, I took care of the entertainment. Most of the patrons came here for one reason, and that was to drown away the memories of how sucky their day was. And I helped to do just that. Now, don't think I'm some sort of miracle worker. I didn't do all this with a snap of my fingers. It actually took quite a bit of work...and persuasion.

You see, out here people were not very fond of us tribals. They say we have life too easy, with the protection of our forest and all that. That we didn't have to fight for our survival. You know how it is. Grass is always greener on the other side. So when I first arrived here, dressed in my simple blue loincloth, I received all manner of stares. I had heard wolves were nobility in these parts, and that they pretty much ruled over the other species. Not only was I a wolf, but my fur was entirely white, except for one of my ears and the tip of my tail, which were both tipped in black. Apparently, I was a very rare sight, and quite exotic at that. I didn't mind this turn of events the slightest bit, naturally.

I wasn't alone. Keeping me company, and more specifically, the paws of those that got too curious off me, was a mountain of a wolf, and the beta warrior of my tribe. Siro, the alpha of the Full Moon, and my dear older brother, deemed it necessary that I bring protection along, considering the recent development involving the Emperor getting way too bold for his own good. Siro wasn't too happy with the idea of me coming all the way out here, but in time, he saw just how necessary it was. For some time now, I have been studying whatever information our scouts had brought us concerning life outside the forest. I always agreed with knowledge being power, and the greatest defense is knowing as much about the enemy as possible. Unlike my brother, I wasn't born to sit at the head of a table and give out orders. He has the patience for that, I don't. I'm not built for the warrior's caern, either. Siro has grown into a very attractive and healthy male who can take care of himself and his tribe; wise, strong, and agile, just as a leader should be. I, however, couldn't lift a basket of apples for the life of me. I'm a healthy wolf, just come of age, but because of my rank, I always had others do all the heavy lifting for me. Call me spoiled, but you don't get the body of a dancer hefting stuff around. Everyone always said I got most of my qualities from our mother. And that turned out to be as much of a curse as it was a blessing.

I have been with the mage's caern for most of my life, but I found my calling in something other than writing in the dirt and having my nose buried in books all day. The day eventually came when I decided that the information the scouts were bringing us was not enough, because there is only so much spying you can do without getting involved. So I proposed doing some infiltration work for information on the plans of Zane, leader of the Severed Moon. Mainly, to find out if it really is him, or just an impostor. For that very purpose, I had been staying at this inn for almost a month, and for all accounts, I was already a city wolf. Things were going as planned.

"Is that him? The captain of the castle guard?" I asked Jerry, the owner, who was also the bartender on busy nights. I was sitting on a stool by the bar, when a loud cackle from behind caught my attention. There he was, a gray wolf wearing a shiny chest plate with the insignia of the castle guard. He had two females, a lynx and a vixen, each sitting on either of his knees, obviously giving the male the time of his life. I had done an excellent call of judgment when I hired those two. This man was tonight's target.

"Aye, that's him. He brought a few of his boys with him too. They must've done something right, because he payed for a whole night's worth of ale," the bear muttered as he finished cleaning an empty mug with a dry cloth, "At least it is no mystery where all our tax money goes. S'all good, though, as long as it keeps making its way back to me. Heheh!" The bear's ample belly bounced as he laughed, and I wondered just how many tankards he rewarded himself for every twenty he sold.

"Even better. That means he'll be confident and feeling safe. It also means he'll be drinking a lot more." I deducted, watching the wolf, who was well over his thirtieth winter, gulping down a frothing tankard with one hand, while the other lost itself under the skirt of one of the females. The other soldiers were pretty much in a similar state, and we had just enough waitresses to keep them all company. So far, I hadn't missed a single detail. It would soon be time for the main event. The bear let out another roaring laugh, obviously seeing the potential profit in the words I said.

"The way you're always thinking and reading people gives me the creeps. You know that, right?" The bear whispered as he leaned in towards me, close enough that I could tell he had already sold more than twenty ales, but then he just released another cackle of amusement and went back to cleaning his mugs and serving the patrons beside me.

I turned around and made a mental note of each and every patron there that night. Species, probable age, level of drunkness, what company they had. Little details that could come in useful at any given time. Eventually I found my guardian, Aldo, the mountain of a wolf I had mentioned earlier. He was sitting at his usual corner, wearing his tribal garb, and with a busty female tigress on his lap, giggling and purring as he whispered things into her ear that made her cheeks flush. It's certainly not what he had come here for, but I wasn't about to deny him his fun. The warrior had more than once proven his worth, and it was only fair that I indulged his need to stick his sword into whatever sheath he fancied. The females loved him, even back at the tribe, which posed a bit of a problem for Siro. That's why he probably chose him as my guardian. Aldo was as large and bulky as was typical of the males in that caern, and the way that his black markings ran across his fur like stripes, made him look like an exotic mix of a white wolf and a white tiger. The ladies certainly found it attractive, and I on more than one occasion have seen myself regretting his attraction to females exclusively. Then again, having it otherwise would have probably complicated things needlessly.

The large, striped wolf saw me staring, lost in my own thoughts, and he gave me one of those charming, skirt-lifting smiles of his along with a wave. Good thing I was used to those at this point, or I would have melted on the spot, feeling like the luckiest wolf alive. I simply smiled and waved back, but as I did, I shifted my gaze briefly towards the guard captain, and he caught the message...then went right back to burying his nose into the female's bosom. I rolled my eyes.

The moment came, and I calmly rose from the stool. I was wearing my tribal clothes as well. You may wonder how it didn't make anyone suspicious. As a matter of fact, the guards did approach me on more than one occasion during my first days here. It seems they had been a lot less tolerant of tribals these days. It was probably due to the recent conflicts and their eagerness to infiltrate Elim Forest. So of course they found it suspicious when two wolves dressed in tribal clothes suddenly appeared. I, however, managed to convince them that we were traveling performers, and we dressed in such a way to appear exotic and attract crowds. You may ask yourself, was all that worth it? Why not just wear city clothes? Well, when you are used to a life of comfort, with your bits hanging freely under a loincloth and enjoying the tickles of windy days, the restrictive nature of city clothes feels so much less attractive! Especially at my age, when you never know when you will be needing the freedom down there. So I wear my loincloth as my preferred garment of choice, dark blue, just like the cotton mufflers I wear around my forearms and ankles. Most importantly, however, is the scarf I always have around my neck. It completes my outfit, and I'd really feel naked without it.

I made my way to the stage conveniently situated on the wall next to the bar, so I didn't have to pass through the mess of drunk soldiers and patrons. That would most likely earn some unwanted attention to my barely concealed rear. We can't have that. Not yet. So I walked around the crowd, and by the time I reached the steps to the stage, I was already reaching inside the velvet sleeve of my favorite musical instrument, which hung from my belt with the pride of a royal sword. This was my weapon of choice.

The lamps along the walls grew dim, and the entire tavern area darkened, leaving only the stage fully illuminated. It brought the attention of every single patron upon me, and once that happened, I glanced to the side and nodded my head. Behind me and to the left, Baliq, a raccoon and good friend of mine, sat behind a set of tribal drums that were neatly aligned over his lap and kept close to his body by a string that went behind his neck. I met him in the city, playing his drums on the streets for whatever measly coins he could earn. I asked Jerry to give him a job, as one of the conditions for keeping me there, along with the promise that if I disappeared one day, and I would, that he would continue to employ the raccoon. It would have devastated me to know that the day I left, Baliq would end up back in the streets. That is a life no one deserves.

When the raccoon saw my signal, his hands began to move, and the way he did it, it made me wonder how he was not part of some grand orchestra, because they seemed to move on their own, and the music that came from those drums was almost as magical as my own. It gave it a tribal feeling, we had such instruments back home, and it certainly caught the attention of the public. It was as if it could dig into your chest and and dare your heart to match its rhythm.

And then it was my turn. I brought the flute to my lips, holding it horizontally to the side with both hands. It was made of jadewood, a rare type of material that was very reactive to magic. I had chosen it for that very reason. Our mages usually crafted their staves out of this wood. So naturally, it had runes engraved along its length, like any other magical item worth its weight. When I started playing, however, things changed. The moment I first blew into the flute, my spell began. The music was simply beautiful. The notes soft and soothing. I was playing a tune with a medium tempo to match the relaxing mood of the drums. For now, I focused on setting the right atmosphere. The entire tavern had gone absolutely quiet, and only the drumming beat bouncing against the walls and the windy sounds of a calming flute could be heard. That wasn't enough, however, and I found it quite unexciting for all the things I could do once I had the crowd's attention. And yet, I had to be patient. I couldn't rush into the main part of my song without disturbing the melody, and thus, the spell. I took a brief glance towards the bar, and I could see that Jerry, the owner, was still mostly unaffected. He must have put on those earplugs I gave him. He agreed that keeping his wits about him during the show would allow him to continue serving drinks to the stupefied clients at the bar. Heck, he could probably charge them double and they wouldn't notice.

I saw the doors to the inn being pushed open to allow more customers inside, and I cursed the ineptitude of the guard that I had hired to keep the doors closed once I started my show. What I saw walking in, however, surprised me. You see, I like to calculate probabilities and odds, and this one was far too unlikely to consider. In came a wolf, and he had to be the biggest wolf I had ever seen. I had to squint my eyes to see better, because of the dimmed lights, but I could tell he was wearing little. A loincloth that probably didn't hide much, making me all kinds of curious, and a stylish bandana on his head with his ears poking out of holes in the fabric. He was very muscular, and by the way he moved, I could tell he didn't let those muscles get in the way. I deducted he was a warrior. What else could you be with that kind of build? Behind him walked another wolf, and this one was far smaller, but his stride was graceful, and he didn't miss a step, as crowded as the place was. He managed to make his way in without bumping into anyone, unlike the first wolf, and his agility revealed him to be either a scout or a strider. He also wore a loincloth, but I couldn't see much more.

And there it was. The biggest surprise of the night - literally! Right behind the slender wolf, what walked in was more akin to a golem. A black wolf, simply massive in size, somewhat taller than the first. He was pure muscle, enough that I could clearly see them even as his fur sucked in what little illumination there was. He wore a loincloth as well, just like the other two, perhaps fancier, but the pride he walked with, as if the entire world was supposed to bow to him right then and there. That wolf had the posture and dignity of kings. That wolf...I knew him!

He was Arch, alpha of the Half-Moon.

At that moment, I missed a note, giving those few seconds an awkward feeling, and I could see a few eyes in the crowd blink as if snapping into consciousness. I had to be quick, or all would be lost. I tapped my foot against the wooden floor of the stage a few times, matching the rhythm of the drums behind me. One...two...three...And I started to dance. My movements were fluid, and my hips, to which my belt hung loosely, swayed to each side. I may not have had the body of a warrior, or the speed of a strider, but what I had was something even those waitresses envied. My brother always told me my physique was worthy of a king's harem, which always made me blush and giggle like a girl, probably only managing to prove him right.

And it was working. I gazed over the crowd, and their eyes were locked on me, both male and female onlookers, they couldn't look away. They followed each buck of my hips, each flick of my tail as it slithered behind me. The music was working its magic, but that wasn't it just yet. Baliq was well trained, because he recognized the point in the song where it was his turn to quicken the pace. It was quite a bit of work, regulating my breathing so as to not let my dancing cause me to breathe faster than the flute needed to make the right notes at the right time. My eyes wandered over to the bar, and the three wolves at settled down around one of the tables, apparently dismissing whoever had been sitting that to move elsewhere. Good for them. This really complicated things, however. I had planned a spell for tonight, but it was definitely not meant for Arch. I could tell the wolves weren't being affected by the music as deeply as the rest of the patrons, probably because they only caught it halfway through. That still wouldn't save them from the main event, and at that point, I wasn't sure if I should have continued or stopped right then and there.

I couldn't stop. I had to finish what I came here to do, and whatever complications my plan had, I had to work around. So I continued playing, and the new rhythm, along with the new notes I began to play, showed their effect immediately. Aldo would definitely recognize the song, as he had heard it many times. I turned my head to search for the big striped wolf over at his usual corner, and what I saw didn't surprise me. The tigress that was with him, was now straddling his lap, and I could see her hands rummaging under his loincloth. I turned my eyes to the table next to that one, and the soldier that was there, was involved in some heavy groping with the female in his lap. Yep, the song was definitely working its magic.

I moved along the edge of the stage, spinning and shaking my hips, my tail fluidly following my movements with all its snowy, fluffy grace. It took only minutes, and I looked over the patrons again. The guard captain was just as entranced as everyone else. His lips were locked in an explicitly lustful kiss with the vixen's, and I could even see their tongues twisting around each other within their muzzles. His hands had found their way under their skirts, and I could tell that he'd even reached beneath their undergarments, if they wore any, but he certainly had both females writhing and grinding against him with the gradually spiking level of arousal that was spreading around the tavern. The hands of the waitresses had found their way into the captain's pants as well, of course, and I could see that he wasn't the slightest bit worried about the fact that his erection was poking through, visible to anyone. That little scene became a lot more popular, as the effect of the song intensified. The patrons were becoming a lot less aware of their dignity or sense of morality, and had no issues with brandishing their rock hard endowments for the waitresses to attend to.

Okay, so they weren't really waitresses when I found them. They get the job done, however, far beyond expectations. I looked back to where Aldo was, and what I saw, well okay, it was slightly surprising. The tigress was on her knees, and his loincloth was long gone. Now, when I say Aldo never carried any weapons because he didn't need them, after seeing what I saw, you would probably believe me twice over, because the monster he was sporting would have been as good as a war mace. For a moment, I felt a pang of jealousy surge within me, because that tigress seemed to really be enjoying what she was doing with her tongue, and this time, Aldo was far too lost in it to notice me staring.

And then I remembered. I had forgotten all about Arch! I spun around, making it seem like it was all part of the perfectly synchronized dance. I saw the warrior Arch had brought with him, currently locked in a passionate kiss with the strider. Then it clicked. I knew those two wolves as well. They were the gamma of the warriors and the alpha of the striders - Avalon and Slayn. They had invited us to their wedding, and it was one of the most beautiful things I had seen in a long time. And here they were, kissing just as if it had been their first. It was a heartwarming sight, but then I saw one of Avalon's large hands snaking their way down along Slayn's hips and to his rear beneath his loincloth. That was probably the flute's fault too. I had to hold back a giggle, and it wasn't so hard to do when I saw Arch.

The alpha sat there, with his eyes, those piercing golden eyes locked right on me. And if I could tell anything, it's that he was NOT amused. He had his arms folded across his massive, perfectly-sculpted chest, and his ears didn't even twitch. They stood tall and just as proud as the rest of him. As the obvious next course of action, I glanced down to his crotch, but the sight was far too limited to see that much. Just the fact that he wasn't actively groping someone would have to do for now, to conclude that the alpha was unaffected by the spell. I was far too busy observing the alpha to see what happened next.

I heard heavy panting, the kind that you can only do with your tongue hanging from your maw and dripping saliva, because that's just what that stallion was doing. One of the soldiers, a large stallion, one that was definitely male, had made his way to the stage. Apparently the one waitress he had been assigned had been insufficient. And I couldn't blame him. The thing that was jotting out from his crotch would have probably taken five waitresses! My heartbeat started beating faster against my chest, but I tried my best to continue playing as I stepped back, away from the incoming beast. I glanced towards my guardian, Aldo, but his eyes were closed and he was panting just as heavily as this horse was, and the tigress was buried throat deep into his crotch. Sheesh!

I really began to panic then. I could see the bobbing, dripping erection as long as my arm and thick as a mug of ale, pointed straight at me, resolute in its intentions. I could see the phased eyes of the stallion as he drooled just as much as his maleness was. He was far too lost to realize what he was doing, but his subconscious somehow concluded that the satisfaction to such intense lust could only be found in the source. And that, unfortunately for me, was myself. I continued to move back, hoping Aldo would notice the situation and do something, but my wait was in vain. I found my back pressed against the wall and the stallion approaching. I stopped playing, hoping he would snap out of it, but I knew that wouldn't work. It simply didn't work like that. Lust was something that couldn't simply be triggered off once it was provoked. I felt the stallion's strong hands grip my shoulders, and I cringed and closed my eyes shut. I had to think, and fast. I had options, but Siro hadn't sent me here to make an enemy out of Zane's army. I was to gain the trust of key members and discover their secrets. Biting a horse's penis off wasn't going to help with that.

And then it happened.

I watched as the chestplate the stallion was wearing, which was pretty much the only thing he still had on, began to glow, followed by a sizzling sound. The effect was immediate. The equine jumped away from me with a scream of pain, and desperately attempted to remove the armor. By the time he finally managed to peel it off and threw it to the ground, it may have as well burnt right through the stage floor. It was glowing bright red, and I could see burn marks on the stallion's hide.

"What sorcery is this!? You!" He turned to me, pointing fingers, as usual. "You did this! You brought sorcery to kill us all!" I could tell he was a very, very angry horse, but I was as confused as he was. I looked around, but apparently he had screamed loud enough from the burn, because before I had to come up with an answer, I saw the stallion's body fly through the stage floor and land all the way at the bar.

"Are you alright, Kaliko?" It was Aldo, who had given the stallion one hell of a tackle and was now looking down at me and offering me a hand. I took the hand, and then remembered where that hand probably had been, causing me to blush a little, but I quickly shook it off. There were more important things to think about right now! I nodded to his question, and looked over at the horse, who had crashed into a pile of stacked stools in the distance. He was shaking off his daze, and I acted fast. I took a few steps forward and whistled, catching the attention of a group of waitresses in the distance that had been tending to the erections of their assigned males. I signaled them towards the horse, and indeed, a whole five of them rushed towards the equine and got right down to business. The horse had all intentions to get right back up and continue the fight, but the touch of those females might as well have been as magical as my flute, because after mere seconds, the horse forgot about even standing up in the first place.

I turned back to Aldo, but apparently I was too sudden in doing so, because he almost poked my eye out.

"Ack!" I stumbled backwards, and of course, I pushed that very prestigiously sized erection out of the way, but I really just wanted to touch it.

"Ahh. Sorry about that there, pup. I guess I forgot to put on those earplugs you gave me." The large warrior scratched his head, looking down at his throbbing maleness as it stood in all its pride, and then looked at me, now blushing beyond comfort.

"Yes well, I was almost a victim of death by impalement, if it hadn't been for...Wait, what actually happened to that guard's armor? It suddenly felt as if the very sun had snuck into his chest plate." I pointed down to armor on the floor, but it seemed to be intact.

"I don't rightly know, but I bet it had something to do with him." Aldo nodded as he pointed towards Arch, who was still in his chair, looking at me. It was a very scary sight.

"Well, I don't know how he did it, but--" I was cut off as the door to the tavern slammed open, and one of the patrol guards walked in, fully armed.

"What in the hells is going on here!?" he shouted with his best impression of authority as he could. The guard was a coyote, and he had a dangerous-looking halberd in his hands. He shoved a patron out of the way as he walked inside, and what he saw was obviously not his typical bar brawl.

"By the lord's mercy! What is-Captain! Even you!? What sort of demonic magic is this!?" He spun around to face the barkeep, but he had already disappeared, I'm guessing he was simply ducking behind the bar. Safest place for now.

"That seems to be a popular question today. We should get out of here." I said as I watched the panicking guard. It was only a matter of time before more of them rushed in. I saw Arch stand from his chair, and I don't know how he did it, but before I could realize he had actually done something, the coyote was already screaming his lungs out, desperately struggling to remove his armor as it began to glow bright red.

"You are coming with me. Now." I heard Arch speak, for the first time that day, and his voice...it was so deep and powerful, that I simply couldn't say no. I had questions sure, but I didn't feel like finding out what he did to people who didn't even wear any armor. I ran towards the door, and Aldo ran to the side, probably to fetch his discarded loincloth. On the way to the door, I paused and moved to the bar, leaning over the counter to find the bear sitting on the floor, leaning back against the bar, a tankard of ale in one hand, and an erection in the other. I stared for a few seconds in desbelief. Hadn't he been wearing earplugs?

"NOW!" I heard Arch order once more, and being closer, his voice actually made my body tremble briefly, making me feel like a very bad pup for ignoring him the first time.

"Put the damages on my tab! I'll be back!" I said to the bear, who probably didn't even hear me. I slid off the counter and stopped in front of Arch, who ever so calmly turned and left the tavern. I looked around, but Avalon and Slayn were nowhere to be found. Aldo was right behind me, and he gave me a little push when he saw the coyote was starting to get up, fully naked, but with his halberd in hand, nonetheless.

"Party's over." The striped wolf said, and with that, he actually grabbed a stool and effortlessly threw it at the naked coyote, knocking him off his feet. We both walked out, and waiting for us outside, were Arch, Slayn, and Avalon. Slayn had the cutest blush on his cheeks, and Avalon kept his arm wrapped around him possessively. They were probably still feeling the effects of the spell, and Avalon felt the instinctive urge to show that Slayn was his. Even if he was being unconscious about it.

I couldn't tell if Arch was angry, or disgusted, or what. He always had that authoritative, intimidating expression, as if he knew everything you were thinking, but you couldn't catch the slightest glimpse of what was happening in his head. From up close, I could finally see him clearly. The alpha looked just as unrealistically handsome as I remembered him. His body was sculpted as if by the gods, each muscle firm and flawless, and his face matched it perfectly. His eyes spoke of wisdom and pride, like someone who always knew what he was doing, and was doing it because he could. His stance was confident and powerful, and did I mention intimidating? He was twice my size, even taller than the giants that were Avalon and Aldo. But it was the presence that he has that astonished me the most. It was unlike any other I had felt from a wolf. The way he spoke, the way he expected to be obeyed simply conveyed me to do whatever he said. Could there be such a large gap between an alpha and a beta?

We were already outside the city by the time we spoke again. Fortunately, no guards came after us, and by the time they realized what had happened, we'd be long gone. I had told Jerry, the bear, to blame everything on me in case something happened - such as this situation. I had arranged things to continue running while I was gone, and I would have to be gone for some time. The girls would continue to extract information from the patrons, and Jerry would keep making more money, although not as much as he probably made today.

"Kaliko." I heard Arch speak. My ears perked instantly, and I raised my head to face the alpha as we walked. We had entered the forest an hour ago, and any of us could have probably found our way home with our eyes closed. Such was the way its magic worked.

"You know who I am?" I asked, obviously surprised that someone like him knew of me, or would even recognize me after so long.

"Of course he remembers you. You're like a dish made to order for him. He's totally into--" Slayn had stepped in the conversation with a teasing tone, but Avalon quickly pulled him into a playful one-armed hug, silencing the strider with his powerful warrior chest, muffling the rest of that sentence. I blinked a few times in confusion before Arch spoke again.

"Your brother sent me a message. You are to come to our village and tell us everything you have learned from your...investigation. Although I question the effectiveness of your methods." He said, still in his neutral and overly serious tone. He sounded way too professional for my tastes. It was making me uncomfortable.

"You can question all you want. I have revealed far information in my seventeen winters than any of your scouts probably ever have." I scoffed, folding my arms across my chest. How dare he question my work? This guy was getting on my nerves.

"Well now. That's a mouthful. Hope you have the means to back that up." A female voice spoke from behind us. I paused my steps, and so did Aldo. The other three males, however, did not. From apparently nowhere, a female wolf landed next to me, making as little noise as she probably did the moment we entered the forest. She was studying us from a safe distance. That's what scouts do.

The female was beautiful, without a doubt. Her body was agile, but didn't lack the curves necessary to make someone like Aldo spring a stiffy instantly. And I didn't have to look to see it was there. She wore a tabard and loincloth, like we all did, and mufflers on her arms and legs, similar to mine. She even had a scarf! I really liked her choice of apparel.

"Ezia. Were we followed?" Arch asked, still walking, which made us accelerate our step to catch up to him.

"You were, but as expected, they couldn't get inside the forest. They know they'd never make it back." The tan-furred female replied, still walking to my side, as if to make sure I didn't run off. Or maybe just curious about me. I could feel her leaning in and sniffing me, making my black ear twitch sensitively. "You smell like flowers. Why?"

"The city folk like it. It helps me blend in." I replied. I glanced up at her in time to catch her flick my black ear, making it twitch more. It was kind of annoying, actually.

"How appropriate, you descending from the heavens like that." Aldo spoke with his usual suave tone of voice. I could tell he was aroused, probably because he never got to finish what he started back at the inn. Unfortunately, so could Ezia.

"Ah yes. The babysitter." She finally acknowledged the striped wolf, sizing him up briefly, at which time I spoke up again, my annoyance showing through.

"Do you treat all betas like this?" I, of course, had my own bit of respect to demand. I wasn't about to let them treat me like a runt, damn it! Ezia looked at me, blinked a few times, then simply broke out in laughter. I looked at Arch, hoping he would say something, and I swear I could see the corner of his lips curl upwards.

"You? Beta? ...And where's the rest of you?" Ezia said teasingly, and then even had to go and ruffle my headfur with her hand. "You're an adorable little runt, at least." That made me growl under my breath, but it only made it worse. I saw Avalon looking over his shoulder, holding back a chuckle, and looking to the side, I caught Aldo ogling the way Ezia's loincloth moved when she walked.

"We're here." Arch said, finally stopping for the first time, and facing the entrance to what would be the border of his village.