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Snowbreak: Fox

Professor Alden Howe, the young, shining star of Greenfield University had made many mistakes in his tenure. At one point, he might have considered his expedition to the tundra so that he might observe and document wolven culture to be one such mistake. Between nearly being frozen to death, assaulted by Sgen, and later almost...disgraced...in a very profane manner; Alden would have had all the reasons in the world to regret his choice. Indeed, just a few weeks ago, shortly after that regrettable incident in the wrestling ring, Alden would have referred to this as the biggest mistake of his life.

But now, Alden was feeling almost like everything bad that had happened were mere nightmares. Aside from a few dirty looks from the black wolf, Sgen had kept his distance and most of the other wolves did the same. The only thing that made Alden's hackles raise was whenever he got too close to Jotke, but thankfully the brown wolf knew better than to attempt anything again.

It was all thanks to Raakk, of course. Alden knew that this was all due to him being under his protection and that he was dangerously close to being nothing more than the pack Alpha's bitch. Raakk would never mistreat him, Alden knew this, and the gray wolf's strong, protective embrace at night was such a tempting, gilded cage; but the fox knew that he had to be more than that.

"With every tragedy comes ten opportunities," Sir Julian Welsh once proclaimed rather ironically, as the esteemed philosopher committed suicide after investing all his money in undertaking and funeral services during an outbreak of syphilis in Greenfield, shortly before the world's first antibiotic was discovered and cured thousands. However, in this case, Alden meant it quite unironically.

Dhen was a wolf that Alden had seen before among the pack. Alden couldn't recall if he ever laughed at him during one of his numerous embarrassments, but the incident with Jotke had gotten the wolf's attention. Dhen's white face was covered in scars, mostly from wolf claws, that he had gotten during a series of wrestling matches that went rough. He was the pack Omega before Jotke and had to fight hard to get past it.

They were a fair distance from the camp now, but the fox could catch the scent of wolf and smoke to the South if he closed his eyes and sniffed. The blizzard was waning right now but Raakk had told him, as best as he could, that it was still far too dangerous to make an attempt to go home.

Dhen suddenly stopped and smelled the air, catching something that Alden's weaker nose couldn't pick up. The white wolf smiled and patted Alden on the shoulder.

"Rabbit!" Dhen exclaimed, tongue lolling out happily. Dhen closed his eyes and flared his nostrils off to the North. "You smell? Grass, fur..."

Alden had learned more of the Wolven language in the past weeks than he ever had during the original scope of his expedition. On top of that, he was getting more used to sniffing out subtle scents and was easily able to smell, almost taste, the rabbit that was caught in a trap just a few more feet into the woods.

"Yes!" Alden smiled and the wolf praised him by giving him a lick across the face. Despite Dhen's gruff appearance he was one of the kinder wolves Alden had met, not at all like Jotke who only pretended to be.

The two bounded in the snow towards the smell, racing to see who got there first. Despite being weighed down by his great, thick winter coat, Alden only lost the race by a hair.

"I win!" Dhen proclaimed proudly as he wrapped his paw around the rabbit hanging upside-down from the snare. Dhen poked Alden in the nose sharply, but playfully. "My rabbit now!"

"Hey, I made the snare! Don't you go taking credit for it!" Alden complained in Foxen.

Despite the fact that Dhen didn't know a word of Alden's native tongue, he seemed to get what Alden was saying and shrugged. Baring his fangs in a playful smile, he said, "I taught you how."

"I caught it!" Alden switched back to Wolven.

"Funny..." Dhen said something low, a strange word exhaled by the wolves frequently and Alden didn't know what it meant yet. Dhen made sure the rabbit was already dead before taking the rope down and slinging it across his back along with a collection of other small prey. "...pack shares. Want more? Give more."

"That's what I'm trying to do," Alden muttered in Foxen.

"Trap prey is good job," Dhen proudly slapped his collection of small, dead animals along his back, "not..." Dhen peeled his lips and gave a quick growl, followed by clicking his teeth together. Whatever it was, it was beyond Aldor's understanding, "...like hunting. But necessary. Respectful."

"Hunting..." Alden whispered, swishing his tail as he thought.

Dhen exhaled that strange word again, "...no hunt. You trap, slow but sure respect. Hunt? Fail and you fucked."

That last word there, that was the funniest word Alden had picked up. Even the wolves, as distant as they were from Foxen civilization, still had a word that perfectly matched "Fuck," in all its many meanings. After the wrestling match, Alden considered that Dhen might have meant it both literally and figuratively. Screwing up a hunt could mean the entire pack might take out their aggression on him, it was the backbone of their survival after all.

Raakk would save me again, Alden repeated to himself. Grateful but also a little ashamed of his need for protection. Alden saw the way Sgen and the others were arguing with him, he still didn't know exactly what it was regarding but he knew it involved him and how much of a liability he was.

Despite still having some lingering trauma from the incident, it did not stop his mind from wandering when Raakk was holding him tight at night. Such thoughts that Alden would never have dared allow invade his mind back in Greenfield but out here, it was fair game. Most dominant of them was Alden slowly lifting his tail aside and letting that thick, knotted cock of Raakk's enter him.

Would it be so bad? Letting himself become Raakk's bitch? Perhaps not, but Alden wasn't going to let it happen that way. He wanted to stand tall in the pack and also accept Raakk's cock. Perhaps it was not possible to do so without lowering yourself in the pack, but Alden was going to try it.

"Hey!" Dhen flicked at Alden's ear. "Ear red! Keep warm or fall off!"

Alden hadn't realized his ears were burning up in a blush and sheepishly folded them back against his head to keep the inside covered.

"Thanks!"

___________________________________________________________________

It was noon by the time Alden and Dhen had arrived back at the camp. Dhen howled out triumphantly as he waved his string of rabbits, rats, and other small prey around like he had caught a prize caribou. The other wolves didn't seem to pay him much regard, they were all busy preparing for the day's hunt, most were tending to their tools such as their hunting knives and axes.

Before Alden could even catch sight of him, a gray mass collided with the fox and wrapped him in a tight hug. A wet tongue slapped across his face and the fox could not see, but he could immediately tell who it was by their scent and the feeling of their tight muscles around his small body.

"Awl-den!" Raakk exclaimed and rubbed his nose up against the fox's, sniffing intently. "You hurt?"

Before Alden could answer, Raakk began pawing at the fox's expensive coat, probing it with his eyes and nose. The wolf suddenly whimpered and pulled up the left sleeve. A small cut was there, one that Alden didn't remember getting on the trip but it had already dried up and clotted.

Despite being already partially healed, Raakk began licking at the wound, something that Alden knew did not actually help treat wounds but he couldn't say no to his favorite wolf, plus Alden had some antibiotics in his bags just in case a wound grew infected via wolf saliva or otherwise.

"Look at what we trapped!" Alden motioned towards Dhen, who shook the hanging prey once again. Raakk stuck his broad muzzle over Alden's shoulder.

"Good! Dhen good..." Raakk spat out something followed by a friendly whine.

Alden was not quite certain what Raakk had just said but Dhen quickly responded in lieu of the fox.

"Awl-den did good," Dhen rubbed his calloused paw atop the fox's head, "very good little red wolf."

"Fox," Alden cleared his throat but it went unnoticed by the others, who began to discuss something using wolven words far too complex for Alden to fully translate. All he could figure was that involved today's hunt, which Dhen was going to sit out in favor of preparing more traps.

Alden looked at the two's body language during this. Despite Dhen appearing content and happy with his position and Raakk being far from a tyrannical Alpha, Dhen winced on the rare occasion their eyes met and shrank away. Dhen might not be the lowest in the pack but he was far lower in rank than Raakk.

Being a wolf that sits out the hunts more than often, it was only natural for this to be the case, Alden figured. Bringing home rats and rabbits home was a welcome snack to these apex carnivores but it was hardly glorious. Imagine if one of the noble foxen knights of old were to come to the rescue of their fair vixen loves atop a donkey instead of a dashing stallion, that was a comparison Alden could work with. It was effective and necessary but it would not earn Dhen glory.

Even worse for Alden, being a fox. Any weakness seen in trapping rather than hunting would be doubled for him. He was earning his place in the pack on the fringes and would never get the respect he wanted this way.

"Stay, Awl-den," Raakk suddenly clapped Alden on the back and began to walk away, brushing his bushy gray tail against Alden's hips.

"Wait!" Alden suddenly exclaimed and Raakk turned around, tilting his head in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"I want to join the hunt!" Alden blurted out.

Dhen folded his ears back and looked a little concerned. Raakk on the other hand, kept a neutral expression on his face and ears while his tail slowly swung from one side to the other.

"I want earn my place!" although beginning in Wolven, Alden unconsciously switched back to his native tongue, "I'm quite ready to earn my place in the pack! I won't slow you guys down an-"

Raakk suddenly darted forward and clamped his jaws down lightly on Alden's muzzle, holding it in place. At first, Alden was a bit offended but then he felt Raakk's long tongue run along the fox's lips and he remembered, having seen the other wolves do this before.

This was a wolven kiss.

Of course, it also stopped Alden from talking and making his demands, which Raakk clearly had understood and wanted to change the subject. So Alden had to admit, once the rush of his heart had slowed down, he was in fact a little offended; though his tail swishing behind him made him seem otherwise.

"No hunt," Raakk muttered, gently licking the fox across the side of his face passionately but also a little condescendingly in Alden's view, "stay here, safe."

Alden's ear twitched as he heard a scraping of snow behind the hulking gray figure of Raakk, who suddenly broke away from the fox and stepped aside, twirling around. Alden recognised the pitch black wolf who emerged immediately, Sgen.

The second-in-command of the pack, the Beta, had a smile across his lips that looked surprisingly genuine. Of course, Jotke had managed to plaster a similar smile on his face and the bitch himself was among the group of wolves Sgen had near him.

Sgen spoke very quickly, something Alden had noticed he was doing lately, perhaps in an intentional effort to beguile the fox from translating their tongue, recognising that Alden was beginning to understand them.

"No," Raakk said simply before Sgen snapped back and the two began exchanging quick remarks. All Alden could tell was that despite the smiles on everyone's faces, something tense was going on and the fox struggled to keep up.

"...let...him...join...hunt..." Sgen's voice slowed down and cast a glance at the fox while doing this. He knew what he was saying and he wanted Alden to hear it.

What's going on?

Raakk knew that Alden had understood that, giving the fox a quick look over his shoulder with his gilded eyes before turning back to the Beta. Raakk inhaled slowly.

"Alpha!" Alden bowed his head slightly and lowered his tail like a submissive wolf. There was a time and a place for being submissive without losing respect, Alden knew that now. "Please let me join the hunt. I wish to prove myself!"

"...let...him...pull...weight..." Sgen once again said slowly before quickening his voice to the point where Alden couldn't understand a word of it. Raakk had to fire back just as quickly in order to keep up, lest he appear like he's lacking energy.

He's up to something...just like the scent training...he's up to something..._Alden kept his body and tail still and submissive, wincing the moment one of the wolves, especially Raakk dared to look him in the eye. _I'll just let him think I'm not onto his plan...whatever it might be.

Raakk clearly wanted to drop the matter but in the face of so many coming forward to demand Alden's inclusion he likely saw no point in fighting the matter.

"He will hunt," Raakk said stoically.

Sgen and the crowd of wolves broke out into victorious howls and all of them ran up in groups to Alden to welcome their new hunting brother to the pack, licking and nipping at his face. Even Jotke did it, which tensed up Alden and made fear grow in his heart the brief moment in which he approached him.

All the wolves, save for Raakk, soon left and he slowly rubbed his padded paws along Alden's shoulder. His muzzle twitched with worry as the wolf stared off into the horizon of the snowy tundra.

He's worried.

But I'll show him there's nothing to be afraid of.

I have to.

_______________________________________________________

The day of the hunt finally came, which brought about mixed emotions in Alden. He was still in a rush from asserting himself to Raakk and the pack, but some of his anxiety returned once again. Hunts back in Greenfield, which Alden never joined in on, were recreational affairs, an excuse for rich twits to ride their horses, trample crops, and use feral dogs to tear a small animal to bits. The wolves were, suffice to say, more confident and skilled than them.

However, on the other hand, the wolves were not immune to injury, though none were serious in the entire time Alden had been among the tribe. Alden was not nearly as strong as them and unlike back home, he would not be atop a tall horse and wielding a pistol that he could fire at the prey from a safe distance.

The pistol holster tied to his overcoat's chest rattled in its holster.

Well, I do have a pistol...just in case...

Instead, Alden had been given a long spear with a bone tip on it. It was clearly built for the wolven physique, feeling a bit close to a long pike that Alden had seen in history books rather than a hunting spear, but it would have to do.

Not helping matters as well was the whole pack splitting up into pairs, with Raakk taking Sgen with him, leaving Alden with a brown wolf named Khilk whom Alden had not interacted with much. Khilk was quiet for the most part, speaking only when necessary, and padded along the tundra quietly with Alden following behind as quietly as he could.

Occasionally, Alden would step on a trig or crunch his boot into the snow too loud and the wolf would glare back at him with silent contempt. Alden would tuck his tail and flatten his ears in response, as the wolves seemed to do.

Khilk clearly didn't like him and objected to his presence. He did not seem to proactively want to hurt or ruin Alden's hunt though, so the fox was merely nervous rather than terrified.

You're a proud, noble wolf now, not a scared, gekkering fox! Show some damned courage!

Alden took a confident step forward and his foot sank into a hold buried beneath the snow, trapping him up to his hip. He struggled to push himself out but his thick coat weighed him down.

Khilk stared at him with exasperation before snatching the fox up by the scruff and pulling him out of the snow. Without so much as sniffing the fox, Khilk grumbled and continued on into the tundra.

Something drifted across the cold tundra air and Alden found himself frozen, sniffing at the sky. Grass and dung, somewhere from the south, carried with the wind. Prey.

Before Alden could report it, something about the scent made him pause. The sky was cloudy but the blizzards had been letting up lately and right now there was no snowfall. The tundra stretched on for miles with nothing but snow covering the ground and occasionally leading into forests or mountains.

This area was beautiful. Alden had never truly appreciated it until now.

"Prey," Khilk suddenly spoke, breaking Alden out of his trance. The wolf had his black nose to the ground and Alden could not gloat to him about catching the scent before him.

Khilk suddenly stood up and arched his back, whistling short and sharp. He paused and then let another whistle loose.

Raakk had told Alden some of the whistle codes before the hunt.

The prey was big.

Khilk padded to the south, towards a thick patch of trees, nose constantly twitching at either the air or the ground. Alden kept his steps as quiet as he could and whether due to his increased effort or Khilk being focused on the hunt, but Alden did not get stared or growled at by the wolf.

They darted between the trees and Khilk slowed down only a few feet into the forest. The world darkened as they went deeper into the woods, with the scent of pine overpowering the scent of the prey to Alden, but it did not stop Khilk.

Soon, Alden saw why as his vision adjusted to the woods. There, in a small clearing in the trees, was a large, brown beast with great, wide horns. It was bigger than the caribou that the wolves had hunted, even larger than a warhorse at that! Its long, brought snout was snuffling at the snowbed, grazing.

Alden had seen the creature in a biology book but struggled to remember its name, but he didn't need a textbook or any wolven hunting wisdom to know that this animal could be extremely dangerous if it got spooked.

A few gray figures crept between trees in pairs, surrounding the beast. The wolves had it surrounded.

Alden and Khilk were hidden behind a stray tree and some bushes. Khilk had his eyes locked on the beast but Alden's attention was straying.

Across a clear path through the woods, on the left, was a thick cage of four tall trees. Alden looked at that, then back at the beast, and imagined it's great horns would get caught in those trees if it attempted to charge them. Far more defensible than their current position, as the bush certainly wouldn't stop it.

Poking the wolf until he turned back with a silent glare, Alden pointed towards the trees. If the wolf understood, he showed no sign of it.

Frustrated that his strategy was being ignored or misunderstood, Alden broke away from Khilk, who did not object in any visible manner and began creeping across the clearing, boots as quiet as the padded feet of the wolves. Eventually, Khilk began to follow silently.

Snap!

Alden's ear twitched to the right and his eyes went wide. The noise had come from across the clearing.

It wasn't me, it wasn't me, it wasn't me...

Frozen in place, Alden dropped his spear as he saw the great beast suddenly swerve around and charge away from the sound, right towards Alden. Its mighty hooves shaking the earth.

"No!" Raakk growled out from across the forest.

Those great horns were pointed straight at Alden and if those didn't kill him, the weight of the creature smashing into him would.

Khilk was gone but Alden could not move his legs.

His hands found themselves across the wooden grip of his pistol.

This isn't going to work.

He aimed.

It's too small, too weak.

He pulled the trigger.

An explosion rocked the forest but the beast showed no sign of stopping.

Of course not...

Alden found some feeling in his legs and tried to run, but only got a few steps before he felt the brown beast crash into him and everything went still.

At first, Alden thought he was dead for certain, but then realized he was still feeling far too much pain for it, regardless of whatever afterlife he might have found himself in. A heavy weight was pinning down his body and it felt like his bones were about to snap.

Opening his eyes, Alden found the beast was lying atop him, completely still.

Alden tried to break free, crying out, "Help!"

Raakk emerged into view and began trying to dislodge the beast, but it was clear even the powerful gray wolf needed help to carry it and he cried out for help from the pack.

A few more wolves came over and eventually the beast was shoved aside. Alden twitched his toes, which provided a lot of relief that he wasn't paralyzed, but before he could get up himself, Raakk helped him sit up and shoved his nose into Alden's chest.

Raakk undid Alden's coat and began padding over the fox's chest and prodding at it with his nose. The wolf's ears were lowered and was clearly panicking.

"Calm down, it's okay!" Alden whispered in his own language.

Eventually, Raakk stopped, breathing heavily. His ears were low and was staring at Alden with watery eyes.

Raakk sighed with relief and turned away from Alden to address the wolves.

Only with the gray wolf having stopped embracing him, did Alden notice the other wolves were surrounding them, tails tucked between their legs.

"What happened?" Raakk asked as he stood up and helped Alden to his feet.

One wolf emerged, Khilk, and he began speaking quickly and far too complex for Alden to comprehend the wolven language, but he would point at Alden a few times in a manner that seemed accusatory.

Other wolves joined in, also pointing at Alden, and the fox was confused. Hadn't he killed the beast? Did that not make him the hero of the day?

Raakk frowned and knelt down beside Alden, prodding the pistol, which Alden was still clutching to his chest, its barrel smoking.

"What this?" Raakk asked Alden.

"Pistol," Alden responded.

Raakk paused, still staring at Alden. He didn't know what a pistol was, why should he?

"Weapon!" Alden repeated in the wolven tongue, smiling.

Raakk did not smile.

Sgen stepped out through the crowd, the black wolf puffing out his chest and shouting something at Raakk.

Raakk glared at Sgen and the black wolf went silent, but did not change his posture. None of the wolves did.

When Raakk glanced back at Alden, he cleared his throat and pushed it forward.

"Safe, see?" Alden tapped the flintlock that sparks to fire the bullet. He also tried to show them that it was unloaded now that its single shot had been fired but some of the wolves began to growl and Raakk snatched the pistol.

"I will hold this," Raakk said very slowly and stared down at the pistol in his hands, black nose twitching as the smoke wafted up into his nostrils.

His curiosity sated, he addressed the wolves, pointing at the beast and they all started to move, beginning to strip the carcass and wrap it to make it easier to carry.

As this was going on, Raakk patted Alden on the shoulder, rubbing him gently.

"You did well. You are safe," Raakk said.

Alden only just noticed the blood soaking his fur and pointed to it. "I'm a bloody mess!"

Raakk replied but Alden did not understand him. They were silent on the way back, even though Raakk was walking with Alden alone. The fox wasn't quite sure what was going on and was at a loss for words and even the Alpha looked to be a bit tense.

_______________________________________________________________________

Whatever tension the Alpha had seemed to vanish after the pack returned triumphantly to the camp with Alden's hunt in tow. Howls rang out at the sight of such a massive catch and Raakk got the first cut of meat, as was his right as Alpha, but Alden could not help but notice the wolf was not putting him at a place of honor for having felled the creature and giving him the second choice of cut.

Once Raakk had his share, the other wolves descended upon the carcass in a free-for-all, with some taking cuts away to be dried and others wishing to sate their hunger.

Alden didn't dare jump into the fray as a few wolves started turning on each other and getting into fights. Sgen finally brought the chaos to order, growling at the greedy wolves until they paused and took turns as they normally did.

Raakk sat and watched the whole thing as he slowly rotated the rack of ribs he picked for himself on a spit over a campfire. He said nothing and neither did Alden, the fox feeling a bit hurt by not getting the proper honors in the pack that he deserved.

"Eat," Raakk suddenly said, breaking Alden out of a trance. He offered the ribs, which were now charred quite nicely, "your kill. Eat."

Alden reached for the ribs, winced in pain from how hot it was, and finally accepted after putting on a pair of fur-lined gloves. Smiling, the fox felt relieved that his Alpha was finally honoring him, it was enough to ignore the rest of the pack that refused to.

The rack had far too many ribs for Alden to eat, though it smelled delicious. Raakk offered Alden a hunting knife and the fox cut off three massive ribs for himself and returned the rest to Raakk.

"My Alpha," Alden felt his face flush, like he was a shy, young servant talking to his handsome master in some horrendous penny dreadful, "you have the rest."

The wolf accepted the ribs and bit into it without hesitation and Alden did the same. It was a little gamey but quite splendid, whatever the creature was, Alden was tempted to bring some jerky of it back home to impress his circle of friends.

As they ate, Raakk wrapped his tail along Alden's rear and the fox leaned against his Alpha's shoulder

_______________________________________________________________________

The pack was deathly silent in the next few days, at least for wolves. There was still the occasional howl or growl as the pack went about their business along with distant whispers, but it was a far cry from the jovial, excitable atmosphere from before.

Alden also could not help but notice the silence seemed to follow him around the camp. Wherever he went, the wolves hushed themselves in his presence. Not even Dhen wished to speak with Alden.

Since wolves never did anything alone, Alden was mostly left to himself with few duties given to him except for the occasional solitary one like chopping up firewood. None of the pack seemed particularly hard-pressed to correct this and make sure he was included in hunts or gathering.

Were it not for Raakk, Alden would have felt lonely. But all that mattered was he had his Alpha and for once, he felt like a normal member of the pack and not a silly fox from the south. With the lack of duties for Alden it meant more time with his Alpha and they spent many nights cuddled up together or Alden would read aloud from one of his books, which Raakk seemed to enjoy even if he could not understand a word of it, expression his affection with nips and licks to the fox while Alden struggled to continue telling the story.

The blizzard was still too strong to travel through but it was starting to die out. In a few weeks, Alden would have to leave and he couldn't help but ponder the possibility of staying with his Alpha.

Ah, Alden Howe, you'd be homesick for the Tangled Tail's steak and beer pie come summer!

That's what he told himself but his heart also ached at the idea. He hadn't quite done everything he wanted to do with the wolf, in fact, aside from the obvious intimate acts that he imagined, he found that he had a seemingly infinite list.

A return expedition, perhaps?

His heart fluttered at the idea but deep-down feared it would be too unrealistic. Raakk was needed here, he couldn't merely abandon his pack to go on a silly little voyage with a silly little fox.

Reality was about to strike and Alden's time with the wolves was coming to an end.

If so, I must part on good terms and express my affection to him...

________________________________________________________________________

Alden awoke one night in pitch darkness, alone.

It was not the first time this had happened. His Alpha was not exactly stealthy when getting up in the middle of the night to leave the tent and mark his territory, but this was a rare case where the wolf hadn't woken Alden up in the process.

Perfect timing!

Killing that beast had given Alden a new sense of confidence and now that he had proven himself in a hunt he wanted to move onto his next goal.

Raakk had licked and snuggled with Alden plenty of times and despite whatever difficulties they had in communication, Alden knew there was something mutual between them. Alden wanted to take that to the next level.

But there was a problem.

Not Alden's older anxieties relating to his inclinations, for Alden had spent enough time in the pack to know that there wasn't exactly a taboo regarding male relations among the wolves. Indeed, the amount of casual grinding and humping Alden had seen in passing was enough of a sign.

Instead the issue came of just how to tell the wolf.

Alden pushed the bedroom off of him and got on all fours, pointing his rear at the entrance to the tent and lifting his tail. Alden imagined his fierce Alpha tearing into the tent and mounting him, biting him on the neck and ravaging him like an animal. Yes, he was a mere prey caught by the superior predator and used like the pathetic, helpless creature that he was with nothing to offer but raw sexual pleasure brought on by heat.

No! That's too forward!

Rolling onto his back, Alden exposed his white belly and smiled towards the entrance, teasing the tip of his cock as it peaked out from his sheath. He got the inspiration from countless paintings of demure slavegirls in paintings from the Far East waiting for their masters and felt that was appropriately seductive. The Greenfield Art Gallery had hundreds of them thanks to a disgraced Prime Minister purchasing them with government money at a Sultan's bankruptcy auction.

Once Raakk would come in, Alden would whisper, "Master, you've returned!" and then, just like the sovereign in the painting, he would gently lay atop him, whisper sweet nothings and slowly slip his member into him...

Would Raakk even know what a slavegirl is? Is this too subtle?

Alden collapsed on the pelt and sighed. This was even harder than he had expected, especially as he had no wolf to talk to and ask for advice on the subject. Usually it was the dominant wolf that took initiative in the ruttings Alden had seen, it was very difficult to tell just what the submissive partner had done to let them know what they wanted.

There was a good chance it was scent-related which Alden simply could not reproduce, at least not knowingly. Had Alden not been treated with indifference by the rest of the pack, he would have been tempted to steal one of their loincloths and rub it around his genitals to see if that caught Raakk's nose.

But then, he would have identified it as another wolf's scent, wouldn't he?

Raakk clearly expressed an intense interest in Alden's scent and although Alden's nose had grown more honed since his time with the wolves, he couldn't really say just how he smelled to others.

Once again, Alden got on fours and lifted his tail. His newfound confidence was under siege from his indecisiveness but before he could agonize again, his nose twitched. He caught the scent of his Alpha outside the tent.

The flap flew open and Raakk stomped in, not even bothering to shake the snow covering his fur off.

Before Alden could so much as whisper a flirt, Raakk spoke.

"We go," Raakk whispered lowly, "now."

Alden lowered his tail. The wolf didn't even seem to notice the compromising position Alden was in or the implication.

"What's wrong?"

"Go," Raakk repeated. "We go."

Raakk's words were stilted and he ignored any objection from Alden as he rifled through the tent. The wolf wrapped Alden's fur coat around him and tossed Alden his knapsack.

"Raakk, what is going on? Please talk to me," Alden spoke in Foxen, too unnerved to use his limited Wolven.

"No," Raakk growled and grabbed Alden by the forearm."We go. Stay, killed."

Alden got to his feet and put on his knapsack. Just as Raakk was about to leave the tent, he turned around and pushed something against Alden's chest, it was his holster with the pistol still resting inside it.

Raakk stared at Alden and made an L-shape with his paw, sweeping the area around him with it.

Alden nodded, taking the pistol out and following his Alpha close behind. Was it another pack attacking them?

The camp was lit by a few dying campfires as a fresh blizzard raged. Save for Raakk's own prints, the snow had swallowed up the rest of the wolves' steps.

The wind howled and Alden caught a whiff of wolven scent off in the distance. A few pairs of green and blue lights flickered off in the darkness. They were hiding all around them and they were all familiar. Never, not until now, had Alden sensed such hostility from the pack, the same wolves he had lived among peacefully until now.

Dhen,_Alden's nose caught his scent on the wind. He was there, even if Alden could not see him, _you too?

Alden quivered, fearfully pointing the pistol at the hidden wolves as Raakk pulled him away from the tent. The gun was not loaded but the wolves surely didn't know that. They were afraid of it, possibly even more than Alden was afraid of them.

As they fled, the wolven scent followed, along with the dancing eyes, but they did not dare get too close.

"Awlden," Raakk whispered, pressing Alden against his chest quickly, "protect."

The camp disappeared behind them and the eyeshine flickered out. They were no longer following but Raakk continued to guide Alden further away from the treeline.

Alden and Raakk were alone, swallowed up by the white and black of that snowy tundra night.