From Silver to Rags
The people of Galestown have only the Watchers to keep them safe from the dreaded lycanthropes. But not everyone is entirely convinced that the Watchers speak the truth, and when the Watcher Kenley's friend is infected, he has a difficult choice to make.
Note: I'm not entirely happy about the pacing of this. I had a very vague idea and worked off of that, so a lot of this is really just... Filler. But hey, enjoy~!
Above the spiked parapet surrounding Galestown, the moon rose high in the night time sky. It shone brightly through the canopy of the forest, shedding light onto the doings of both honourable and dishonourable creatures. Patrolling the walls were the Watchers; specialised soldiers trained to take on the denizens of the night with magicks and silver weapons, clad in shining armour that was ineffective against standard weapons but very useful to ward off various curses and attacks by the supernatural.
One of the guards patrolling was Kenley. He was a polecat, of Galestown stock. For anyone else, it would've been a source of pride, but Ken wasn't particularly interested in the old histories of the local area, nor their historical conflicts with neighbouring regions. His passion was more in the realm of alchemy, particularly the art of conjuration.
It was an art that was frowned upon in most of the known world. Although kings and barons employed alchemists, few of them would admit to dabbling in the darker arts, such as summoning or enthralling others, or far-sight. But for Kenley, it wasn't motivated by a desire for power, as much as a drive to understand.
For as long as he could recall, he had seen the Watchers fight off against the supernatural creatures and elements that would attack the town and roads. He had seen good, strong soldiers reduced to piles of smoke by wraiths, noblemen executed for being infected with lycanthropy, and he'd witnessed evil sorcerers fire curses at innocent merchants. He wanted to understand what drove those individuals to their deeds, and he believed alchemy held the answers.
But the only avenue out of Galestown safely was to stand with the Watchers, so for now that was what he did. It wasn't a pleasant job, but it wasn't awful either. He'd made friends with a wolf called Corin, who'd come from the distant north. They always got the same assignments, so one day he'd struck up a conversation, and realised they shared many of the same ideas and hobbies - including an interest in the alchemical arts.
Casting a glance over to one of the corner towers on the parapet, Kenley confirmed his friend's presence there. The tall wolf stood out amongst the mustelids that surrounded him, but it also made him an encouraging presence. He was a captain, so he would quite literally bark out orders, and the rest of the Watchers obeyed without a second thought.
So lost in thought was Ken, that he didn't even notice the wolf turning towards him and leaning over the side of the tower. "Kenley! It's about time for a patrol to go out, and I feel like stretching my legs a bit. Go tell Piper I'm heading out, alright?" He gave the polecat a wink before turning back to head down the stairs.
Piper was a marten that had been assigned roster duty; her job was making sure everyone were accounted for at the end of the day. Finding her was easy, as all the polecat had to do was return to the barracks. Seated behind a fine desk, the marten looked up and nodded. "Guessing our local canine is restless?"
Nodding, Ken took his helmet off and sat down on one of the beds. "I don't like him going out there. I don't like anyone going out there, but -"
"Especially not him, aye," Piper smiled warmly as she jotted down his name. "He can take care of himself. The new incantations on the armour should ward off most spirits, and we haven't had any lycans in the region for years."
With a sigh, Kenley laid down on the bed and stared up into the wooden beams above him. She was correct. No one had been attacked by lycans in the region since the days of the previous baron, but there were still bandits, and even discounting spirits, what if he disturbed a nest of fae? Despite his worries, the shift had worn him out, and Kenley soon drifted off into dreams.
A scream woke him up, followed by a rush of feet. Rolling out of bed, the polecat grasped his spear and helmet before he even opened his eyes properly. Rushing out of the door, he immediately discovered it was the height of day, and the sun was high. The plaza in front of the city hall - next to the barracks - was chaotic, and people were milling about in a panic. In the centre of it all, people had crowded around something on the ground.
As a stone sank into his gut, the polecat rushed forwards and pushed his way to the middle of the group. Five figures were laid out on the cobblestone, with the town doctor seeing to one of them. Each was covered in blood. Some were displaying gastly wounds. The stone in Kenley's gut turned to a boulder as he took in the scene.
Laid out in the middle was Corin. His face was lacerated, and half his chest armour was missing. His spear was next to him, broken in half, with the silver tip missing. As soon as he spotted Ken, he waved him over, and the obedient polecat did as he was bid, even though he felt as if he was going to throw up.
"L... Ly... Att..." Corin sputtered, trying desperately to get the words out as he fought a losing battle against passing out. "Attacked... Amb...ush..." He stammered as he slipped into a state of unconsciousness.
The doctor immediately took over. "They were ambushed by a lycanthrope. Far as I can tell, it took out Alcott and Brent before they could fight back, but the captain went into a frenzy and distracted the thing for long enough that both Gavins could get away. Left his spear in the thing, too," he gestured at the broken spear with a face of both astonishment and sadness.
"Is he...? Going to okay?"
"I know they look grotesque, but these wounds are mostly superficial. His face will scar, but he should recover. Though..." He paused.
Silence washed over the crowd around them, and the two Gavins - a pair of friends that seemed destined to be thanks to their parallel markings - shook their heads and said in unison. "An attack under a full moon is almost guaranteed to turn the victim."
He felt his world spinning. This couldn't be. But he knew it was true. All his studies, all the cases he'd read about. They all resulted in the victim turning within a cycle of the attack, often bringing more victims into their pack as they turn. There was a known and established procedure for the Watchers to deal with it.
"Then he must be executed," said one of the other Watchers present, brandishing a silver knife.
Before he could say anything, the mayor pushed his way through the crowd. He was an older fox, short of stature and with a face full of grey fur. "That is not the way we do it in Galestown! We must allow the magistrate to carry out the Ritual of Salvation, then allow the infected a choice."
It was all a show. The choice was between execution, or exile. But because they couldn't allow a lycanthrope to run wild, both inevitably ended the same way. In this case, Kenley's discipline served him well and he managed to suppress the desire to let loose a flurry of punches at the people surrounding him. Instead, he looked at the doctor. "May we relocate him to the infirmary?"
Though initially hesitant, the doctor nodded. "Alright, but we're going to need guards. Two inside, two outside. We don't need to lock him up. He's too injured to escape, anyway."
Time felt like it was moving at a snail's pace. Of course the magistrate took time to get to the town from the capital, but within a day Kenley's best friend was going to be a lycan and there was nothing he could do.
Piper was seated across from him, on another bed, and looked contemplative. "I've never been one for procedure, you know. Maybe they're wrong. Maybe you don't... lose yourself?"
"What are you on about?" the polecat almost snarled, but quieted himself again.
"You know, you hear rumours. Areas where the Watchers aren't allowed to operate. They say that lycans live alongside people. They help fend off attacks on cities, they work as guards."
The Watchers were like an iron fist wrapped around the kingdoms, but it was true that there were folks that claimed outside the kingdoms, things were different. That the Watchers hatred for the lycanthropes had less to do with their nature, and more with an ancient blood feud. But even so, it felt too dangerous to rely on a rumour.
"What do I do, Piper? What if you're right? What if he won't lose his mind? But... What if you're wrong?"
The marten shrugged and laid down on the bed. "I don't know, friend. My old da would say something like... You must follow your heart, for it speaks a language only the soul understands or some wiseness like that"
She was right. He had to follow his heart, and his heart was very unhappy with the prospect of his friend being lost to something that could potentially be prevented. He darted out of the barracks before Piper could react, and made his way across the plaza. Staying out of sight of the guards outside, the polecat dropped all of his heavier equipment so he was only in his undergarments.
Casting a glance around, he made sure no one was watching as he climbed onto the side of the doctor's house. It was too risky to enter through the groundfloor windows, so the polecat continued onto the roof, where he found a small open window. Climbing through it, he found himself in a dusty old attic, with the only light coming from a single door in the corner. Moving towards it, the polecat held his breath, listening for any noise. It was quiet.
Opening it and slipping through, he kept light on his toes. The doctor was out, and the two guards on the groundfloor seemed to be focused entirely on the front door. For once, he was thankful for his comrades being oblivious and lazy. It meant they left the second floor alone, and gave him all the time he needed to locate the room the wolf was kept in.
It was a small room, in the back of the clinic's second floor. It had no windows, and looked more like a closet than a sickroom. Inside, the unconscious captain was laid out on a makeshift bed, hands tied together in front of him. "Captain..." Ken whispered as he rushed to his side.
He slowly opened his eyes. The wounds were already healing and scarring over, no doubt thanks to the infection heightening his regenerative abilities. "K... Kenley? What are you doing here...?"
"I'm rescuing you. We're getting out of here," he gnawed over the ropes, pulling his friend into a sitting position. "Piper said the disease might not destroy you. But the Watchers will."
Kenley sensed confusion in the captain, but there was a clear desire to survive, and the wolf put his arm around the polecat's shoulder. "I feel strong enough to walk some of the way, but we'll have to hurry. You know the procedure. "
With a nod, Kenley led them both back to the roof. At first he thought it was going to be difficult getting the wolf along, but with every step he seemed to get better. As they climbed out onto the roof, the wolf spotted someone by the front gate. It was an individual wearing a long, red and gold robe. The Magistrate.
"I'm not letting that bastard give me the Salvation," Corin snarled, hands tightening into fists as he climbed onto and adjacent roof, helping his saviour along with a pull. "Come, we have to hurry. Once they discover my absence, they'll be locking down everything."
Climbing across the rooftops wasn't easy for the pair, but they managed it with only a few near-slips. As they got to the last building closest to the wall, they heard the alarm bells ringing from the plaza. Without hesitate, Corin grabbed Kenley and leapt from the rooftop and onto the parapet, immediately vaulting over the side and into the bushes outside the city walls.
It was just in time. As Ken looked behind them, he saw torches lighting up all the way around the city wall, Watchers running along and casting their sight on both sides of the wall, but seemingly not spotting the pair as they ran off into the dusk.
By the time they stopped running, the moon was already high in the sky. Panting and exhausted, the pair fell down against a large tree in a clearing. "Do you think we got away?"
"I don't think they're going to follow us this far. Thank you, Ken..." The wolf pulled his friend into his arms, evidently not even feeling the wounds he'd gotten anymore. But the polecat didn't mind - he pushed his face into his friend's fur, for once feeling as if he could actually tell him how he felt.
Yet, it seemed as if he already knew. Stroking the polecat's cheek, Corin smiled warmly at him. "I've waited for a moment to hold you for years, to see you as more than a guard working under me. I wish it hadn't been under these circumstances, but... Perhaps it is for the better?" Tilting his head, the wolf closed his eyes and kissed Kenley - who gladly accepted the kiss, rubbing a hand over the back of the larger male's head.
Wordlessly, they gave in to their passions. Helping eachother out of their rags, they laid in the moonlight, their hands exploring one another, not once breaking their kiss for more than a few seconds. As their sheaths pressed together, the wolf let out a moan, and immediately blushed. "I... Feel more sensitive... "
Smiling, the polecat wrapped his legs around his lover's waist, giving him another peck on the cheek. "We can put that sensitivity to use... Captain."
That seemed to trigger some pent up lust in the wolf, and as a shiver ran down his spine he pushed the polecat into the damp grass. His sheath was giving way to his growing member, which rubbed lazily against the polecat's rear. It only took a brief moment for the shaft to prod at the polecat's tail hole, however, which elicited a sudden gasp from the smaller male.
Corin seemed to take pleasure in teasing his partner, but was too taken by lust to really indulge it. Instead, he moved a hand down, smearing precum from his shaft onto his partner's entrance, then slowly but surely pushed his hips forward. The pair moaned in unison, as lust and longing mixed together in the forest floor.
His captain's shaft was larger than he expected, and Ken found himself biting down on his lip. He didn't have to. No one could hear them. But he instinctively did so anyway, and it seemed like his former superior liked it; he began to move his hips back and forth, his shaft pulsating with lust.
Amidst it all, the wolf began to change. It seemed the infection was reaching its critical point; the already large wolf grew in size. His hands, arms, legs, head, his whole body grew to at least twice their original size... As did the shaft that was buried within the polecat. The sudden enlargement made Kenley moan loudly, giving the lycanthropic captain pause.
"Are you... Alright, Ken?" he asked through his now twice as big muzzle. His sizeable ears were perked as he watched his partner. "Do you need me to stop?"
"A... Ah... Gods... No...!" the polecat replied, on the verge of begging as relief washed over him. He tried to push more words out, but his muzzle was blocked by the lycanthrope's suddenly as he was kissed once more.
The enlarged male began to really hump his friend; his thrusts growing in speed and power, but each one still with consideration for his partner. Every time he hilted, the polecat felt his body shiver and his own shaft twitch as his prostate was teased. Then he would pull back, leaving an absence, only to be shortly filled out once more. He couldn't tell how long the lycanthrope was keeping it up, nor did he care - he was lost in bliss.
But the bliss couldn't last forever, and the climax was yet to come. Corin's movements were growing erratic, and he suddenly put his arms around the back of the polecat, angling him as something bulbous pushed against Kenley's entrance. He moaned without cessation as the knot pushed into him, and a moment later Corin let out a loud, lustful howl into the night sky, his seed filling the polecat up to the brim, to the point where even his belly was beginning to stretch a little from the sheer volume.
Kenley's own orgasm struck the same second, and as he felt the warm seed land all over his belly and chest, the polecat closed his eyes in bliss.
As they laid together underneath the large tree in the aftermath of their loving, Kenley took a moment to stroke over his partner's chest, watching as it moved with every breath. "Your mind is still... There?"
With a grin, the lycanthrope nodded. "Far as I can tell. I even recall things that I didn't know before. Very old things. Things I shouldn't be able to recall. Buildings and cities, from eras long ago. It feels as if I was there, somehow."
Kenley perked up. The alchemist within him wanted to study it, but for now his heart and soul was quite content to just stay under the trees with his former superior. Maybe one day, they would leave the territory of the Watchers and get some answers. One day.