FSE

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Chapter 5

It was nighttime in the forest.

Somewhere in the vicinity of Howling Grove, a procession of wolves quietly made their way among the wilderness. Among them were Elise, Rose, Anabelle and Marjorie, as well as their respective soma-bonded mates; all of them in their feral forms. Round and tiny, the Moon Stone still hung from the neck of the first one. As per her instructions, Elise hadn't taken it off since getting it from the Moon Pedestal that morning.

"So, where are we all going?" she asked at some point.

"To the village, girl," responded Marjorie.

"W-wait, the village? You don't mean we're going to St. Belaroix... do you?"

"I sure do!"

"But--but... Why? Isn't it dangerous for us to go there? W-what if they see us?"

"It'll be fine! We have a system!" proudly stated the robust gray she-wolf with a wink.

"We do this about once a month or so," explained Rose. "A few of us sneak into the village and smuggle out supplies and other such things for the grove. Or where do you think our oil lamps and stuff come from?"

"Yeah, and that reminds me: we have to get you some clothes for your human form, girl!" added Marjorie, and then she turned to the white she-wolf walking alongside them. "Anabelle, make sure you find something nice for her, yes?"

Anabelle simply nodded silently in a 'leave it to me!' kind of way.

"Um, we, uh... We've arrived," timidly announced Fleetpaw, the de facto 'runt of the litter,' as it were. It was almost comical how his soma-bonded vanni, the sturdily-built Marjorie, nearly doubled him in size. Regardless, Elise was confused. As far as she could tell, they were all still in the middle of the forest!

"We've arrived... where?" she asked, turning her head every which way.

"Over there," said Fang to her, pointing somewhere ahead of them with his canine nose. Elise followed her mate's nose with her eyes and noticed that Darkhowl and Daggerclaw had changed into their strong bipedal forms. Both of them were busy moving a sizable boulder to a side. Although it looked like it weighed at least a ton, it didn't seem like the two werewolves were having too much difficulty moving it. Indeed, lycca muscles could be exceptionally strong.

Once the boulder was moved, both males changed back to their feral forms and stood at either side of it as though they were keeping watch. Elise stepped forward and noticed that there was a hole in the ground where the boulder originally sat.

"Alright, girls. Let's move," commanded Rose, taking the lead.

"W-where are we going?" Elise asked Marjorie in whispers.

"Down that hole, of course!"

And down that hole they went.

~*~

Six she-wolves walked in a line through a very narrow underground tunnel. Elise wasn't particularly thrilled about how claustrophobic it felt, but she pushed onwards regardless. Besides, she had her friends with her. Certainly, Rose was at the front of the line, carrying a small oil lamp which hung from her mouth to provide some lighting. Behind her was a vanni Elise wasn't familiar with, then there was Marjorie, Elise herself, Anabelle (carrying a second lamp), and another vanni at the rear. The two unfamiliar vanni were carrying bags in their mouths.

"What is this tunnel?" asked the grayish brown she-wolf.

"This is how we're getting to St. Belaroix!" replied Marjorie as she kept her pace like everyone else in the line. "A bunch of women coming out of the woods at night would be far too suspicious, don't you think? Heck, even just one woman coming out of the woods once a month would raise more than a few eyebrows in town, and we definitely don't want anything like that! That's why we have this secret tunnel that goes directly into the heart of the village!"

"Okay, I see... But why is it just us girls down here?"

"Well, it's not like the boys have human forms to help them blend in, right? Also, someone has to guard the entrance while we are here. Y'know, just in case," explained the big she-wolf. "Though the main reason is simply because the ancient codes of the pack forbid them from setting foot where humans live. It's one of their core rules, in fact. That's why they had to stay behind."

"Alright... but I don't know if _I_can blend in..." said Elise, lowering her gaze somewhat. "I mean, who knows if they didn't put a price on my head for what happened with Mordrick?"

"Oh, don't you worry about that, girl! We're not going to have you showing your face in the village tonight! In fact, Rose, you and I are going to stay in the tunnels while Anabelle and the others go outside."

"Huh. Then why are there six of us here, if only three are going to be heading outside?"

"Because we'll need extra hands -- or should I say 'extra mouths' -- to help carry the supplies they're going to bring in when they come back!" helpfully explained Marjorie.

And thus, they continued their trek through the cramped space of that secret underground tunnel. Eventually, about fifteen minutes later, said tunnel opened into what seemed to be an abandoned basement of some sort. There were old wooden beams, piles of unusable bricks, dirty non-descript crates covered with cobwebs, a rusty steel drum or two, and other such things. None of it seemed like it had been touched in decades. A rat or two scampered away as the six she-wolves emerged from a crack in the wall, one at a time.

The rank smell of humid decay assaulted Elise's nose, but Rose spoke before she could even say anything.

"Well, here we are," declared the black she-wolf, setting her lamp on the very dusty floor. "Let's make it quick, ladies."

Anabelle and the two vanni Elise wasn't familiar with stepped forward, leaving the other lamp and the two bags they were carrying collectively on the floor. Then, without further ado, they proceeded to change into their human forms. Their fur, claws and tails retracted; their limbs shifting and extending as their paws morphed into human hands and feet. Finally, the transformation was complete; the three she-wolves having become three young women clad in nothing but their very naked human skin.

The two vanni whose names Elise didn't know were beautiful, although not remarkably so. Nothing truly set them apart from most other healthy women their age. Anabelle, however... That was a different story.

In front of Elise's stunned canine eyes stood an unnaturally pale nineteen-year-old girl with even paler hair and curiously pinkish eyes. But she didn't seem sickly or anything. On the contrary, the stunned she-wolf had the impression that she was beholding an angel descended from the heavens. Anabelle noticed the effect her human form was having on her friend and simply smiled.

"Yes, she is what they call an albino," said Marjorie. "You've heard of them, right?"

"Oh! Y-yes, I... I have," replied Elise, hurriedly averting her gaze in shame. "I--I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I just... I had never actually seen an albino before..."

"Couldn't blame you. They're pretty rare. But don't worry, girl; you didn't offend her. This always happens the first time anyone sees her human self. Heh, it's like her sight casts a spell on you, isn't it? Ah, but maybe that isn't the right thing to say. After all, Lord knows there are far too many ignorant, superstitious fools out there who are awfully quick to accuse albinos of consorting with the devil and whatnot."

It was at that moment when Elise realized she had actually never seen the human forms of any of her new girl friends before. Now that she had seen Anabelle's, she briefly wondered what Rose and Marjorie's human forms could look like. 'Then again, it isn't like I ever use my human form myself... except sometimes, when I'm alone with my Fang. Maybe it's the same with the others,' she thought to herself. 'I suppose our human bodies are just too weak and not at all well prepared for life in the wilderness, so we unconsciously stick to our stronger lycca forms.'

Meanwhile, Anabelle and the other two vanni had put on some clothes that they had taken from the bags they had been carrying. Anabelle in particular had even brought a hood to help conceal her very striking pale hair. Once fully dressed, the three of them stood at attention before Rose.

"Alright, you have one hour. Go," she commanded. "...and, like always, watch each other's backs."

The three women nodded and walked up a staircase that presumably led to the surface. Carefully, they made their way to the top and pulled the old door there open, then headed outside. The last one to cross that door made sure to close it shut behind her. Meanwhile, Rose took an hourglass from one of the bags and set it on the ground next to her.

"Well, now we wait," she declared, sitting down.

"What's on your mind, girl?" Marjorie asked Elise as she, too, sat down. "Still awe-struck by Anabelle's otherworldly beauty?"

"N-no, I... Well, yes. A bit," admitted the latter, sitting down as well. "I mean, I was just wondering about how her eyes could be pink as a human, but green as a lycca."

"That's probably because neither her wolf or lycca forms are albino, despite their white coat of fur," offered Rose. "Maybe her eyes would have been green as a human too, had she not been born lacking pigmentation."

"Huh, I see... And what about you two? Will you ever show me what your human selves look like?"

"I dunno. Maybe?" said the jet-black she-wolf with a disinterested shrug. "Why don't you show us yours first?"

"B-but I'll be naked!"

"Exactly. And I have no interest in being butt-naked in front of you or anyone else who isn't my Daggerclaw... And even then he has to earn it. So, yeah. Maybe some other day, when I have some clothes at hand or something."

"Yeah, same here," added Marjorie. "Though I'd rather not, to be honest. I don't really like to spend much time in my human form."

That statement caught Elise by surprise, but she tactfully chose not to press her further. Instead, after mulling about it for a few moments, she changed the subject to their current surroundings.

"W-what is this basement anyway?" she asked.

"It's only the safest, most conspicuously inconspicuous place in all of St. Belaroix!" the big gray she-wolf responded, grinning again. "You know that rundown church that sits in the middle of the village, right? Well, what if I told you that we are in it right now?"

"Wait-- T-this is that church?"

"No one suspects a church, ever!" she laughed. "Talk about 'hidden in plain sight,' right?"

"Yeah, that's right," added Rose. "The door into this basement sits at the far back of an abandoned wing that the old priest uses for storage. No one ever comes down here."

"Not even the priest?" asked Elise.

"He's an ally. In fact, he's been for decades, way before any of us three were even born. I don't know the details, but I think he owes a debt of gratitude to the lycca pack, and this is how he chose to pay it -- by granting us safe passage to and from the village through his church."

"Oh, wow, I... I never would have expected that!"

"Exactly! Nobody would! It's kind of the whole point!" exclaimed Marjorie with a good-natured laugh.

"Huh. And to think I've been here before. I mean, not here in this basement, of course, but... Well, Mom and I used to come to church every Sunday. We only stopped once she fell ill, and I just never came back after she had passed. But I remember the priest. It's just... I don't know; I can't imagine that frail old man digging that tunnel, is all."

"Like Rose said, this whole thing was already in place years before we existed. We don't know exactly how this arrangement came to be, or when. To be perfectly honest with you, we aren't even sure if the current priest is the one who did it. Maybe it was his predecessor. Some say it goes back to the founding of the village itself, or maybe even before that. Who knows?"

"Also, the priest and us have an unspoken agreement never to cross our paths if it can be helped," added Rose. "If he keeps his distance from us, he can better pretend that he isn't consorting with werewolves, which gives him some peace of mind. Not only does that make his life easier, but it also benefits us in that it makes this whole conspiracy less likely to be sniffed out. Besides, don't forget that our very existence is perverse in the eyes of the church, and that he would be hanged should this ever come to light. Just talking to him could put his life at risk in the long run, so that's why we try to avoid any contact with him as much as possible."

"Right... I see how that makes sense," assented Elise. "Well, whoever dug that tunnel, they could have made it just a little bit wider. I mean, I'm not claustrophobic, but, uh... I dunno."

"What, too cramped for you, princess?" laughed Rose. "Well, too bad! It's just wide enough to fit a wolf, which is all we need. The idea is that a human would never be able to follow us inside, should something bad ever happen."

"Y-yes, but... what if we got stuck down there or something like that?"

"Then we change into our lycca forms and claw our way out. Don't underestimate the strength and resilience of our werewolf selves, Elise. And don't forget that nature is always on our side, and that includes the very earth itself!"

"R-right, I... I'm sorry," said Elise as she lowered her nose and touched her pendant with a paw. "I guess I still have so much more to learn about being a lycca..."

"Ah, you're doing well enough so far, girl," kindly offered Marjorie, moving closer to Elise. "Everything's going to be just fine, you'll see."

"Yeah. Just remember never to take off that pendant," said Rose in turn. "Not even for mating, okay?"

"I-- I know!" sputtered Elise, mortified. "Y-you didn't need to tell me that!"

"Heh, whatever. So long as you make sure it doesn't slip off or something whenever your hunky werewolf stud plows you with his huge, throbbing--"

"Rose, geez!" exclaimed Marjorie. "Cut it out, will you?"

"What? I'm just imparting some sagely advice here," she laughed.

"Pay her no mind, Elise. She just loves to make shy girls uncomfortable. It gives her a kick."

"Y-yeah, I... noticed," said Elise, still touching her pendant. "Say, Margie... Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course! What is it, girl?"

"I was just wondering... You all had your own Moon Pendants, right? Do you still have them?"

"Oh, no, none of us have ours anymore. I think the Grand Alpha keeps them after the test, but it's hard to say. All we know for sure is that once a vanni leaves his chamber, her pendant is gone."

"T-that's another thing. That test... I wonder, must we really enter the Grand Alpha's chamber when the stone begins to glow? Can't we just ignore it so we never take that test? Or what if I hadn't even taken the stone off the pedestal's basin in the first place? Couldn't we just do that?"

Rose sighed in mild annoyance, as though the answers to those questions were so obvious she didn't think an explanation was needed at all. Regardless, she said:

"If the Moon Stone isn't claimed and worn within twenty-four hours, or if you actively ignore the gate when the pendant begins to glow -- also for twenty-four hours -- the test is automatically forfeit and you are expelled just the same as if you had failed it. That means you are transported out of the forest and erased from everyone's memories, while you yourself forget everything about the lycca pack and Howling Grove. Come on, it's written somewhere in Fleetpaw's manuscripts! Didn't you read those?"

"I did! Well, I didn't read _every_book, but..."

"Eh, never mind. Reading books is for nerds anyway. But yeah, there's no loophole to abuse here. Either you take the test and pass, or you lose it all and go back to just being a regular human girl as if Fang and you had never met."

"Don't say it like that, Rose!" scolded Marjorie. "You'll just scare her!"

"I'm simply saying it like it is. You know me, Marjorie. I'm not the coddling type. That just isn't me, alright?"

"It-- it's fine..." said Elise, trying to cool down the mood. "I was just being curious, that's all. I'm not afraid of the Grand Alpha's test anymore. Today, at the southern seashore, Fang taught me that it's silly to fear that test, and that a confident step and a proud smile is all I need to face it."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" the big gray she-wolf exclaimed, giving Elise a big hug. "Who knew that that furry mountain of hunky wolfy muscle could be so adorable? You're one lucky girl, Elise! Don't you ever let go of him, you hear?"

"I won't!"

Rose smiled despite herself.

"I'd say that's more idealistic than sweet, but... whatever. You truly love him, don't you, Elise?" she said.

"I do! He's the best thing that's ever happened to me!" confidently responded Elise with a firm nod of her canine head, smiling.

"Heh. Yeah, I suppose werewolves always are the best thing that has ever happened to all of us. The connection between vanni and lycca is simply that strong, as though we complemented and completed each other to perfection," admitted Rose. "But enough of that mushy stuff. There are more important things we could be talking about! Like, for example... How big is Fang?"

Elise's smile froze on her face.

"How... big? ...W-what do you mean?" she asked, hoping she had heard wrong.

"You know exactly what I mean," said Rose with an evil grin on her jet-black lupine face.

"ROSE!!" barked Marjorie, always the mediator.

"What? It was a legitimate question!"

The big gray she-wolf just stared silently at her. Her brow, furrowed.

"Oh, fine, I'll shut up. Killjoy."

After a few moments of awkward silence, Elise timidly spoke up:

"I, uh... I think I know what we could talk about while we wait for Anabelle and the others to come back."

"Do you, now? Eh, I bet it won't be nearly as fun as my suggestion," stated Rose somewhat dismissively.

"Y-yes, well... I just realized that you guys know how I met Fang, but I still don't know how any of you met your lycca mates yourselves."

"Hmm, that's true. It would only be fair if we told you our stories as well, I suppose."

"Oh! I could go first!" said Marjorie, already liking that idea. "It's been a while since the last time I told anyone the story of how I met my fluffball."

"Try to make it quick, Marjorie. The girls should be back in about half an hour," advised the black she-wolf.

"I know, I know, I've got this."

After clearing her throat, she began:

"Alright, then! This is the story of how I accepted Fleetpaw's Offering of the Fangs..."

To be continued...