FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 10...When needs must...

Balthazar looked up at Tashir's howl, glancing sideways at Helewys who just shook her head, "It would seem that our Healer is vindicated again," he stated, stepping out of the hut briefly, and returning a howl to give permission for the visitor to be escorted into the village.

"I don't like it Balthazar, I really don't like it. It is all very well him being the most powerful of us, strength wise...but for him now to be looked upon by the pack as an oracle...which is what will happen...well, we might as well roll over in the circle for him now as the others know your position is just a mockery," Helewys replied, as he stepped back into the hut.

Balthazar shook his head, "What makes you think that he is going to renege on our spoken agreement? He and Benedict are both run off their feet patching pups that would normally have died from infection or blood loss. The pack has lost three out of twenty nine births in five months, and those three hurt him because he couldn't save them...Without him, well, we would be lucky to have ten survivors so far. Now though we have seventeen maturing Alphas. He is not interested in the power, and I have the distinct feeling that he is really wishing that he didn't have this foreknowledge as well."

Helewys grumbled, stretching herself as she stood. Her haunches still ached a little from the continuous mating Balthazar had given her over her heat of the last few days, "More on the way too. Portia is going to breach any day with Simeon's, and young Alice is not that far off with Benedict's. I am beginning to lose track myself of exactly which pup is called what. The game levels are still holding though at the moment, aren't they? The last thing we need is to start overhunting the forest, and lose some through starvation."

Balthazar grinned, "There still seems to be a surplus. It would appear that for some reason our territory has been undergoing a youngster boom in every species. I am beginning to wonder if it because of the pack's decline. We have been under hunting for years now, and we really don't even have to try when it comes to catching things at the moment. I would hazard a guess that unless we double in numbers again from now, we will not have to extend our borders."

Helewys chuckled, "We should hunt a patch almost clear then. No point in teaching the pups to hunt when all they have to do is open their mouths and something will run into it. Bad practice I know, but they must be taught to survive if times are lean."

"Mmm...How many more bitches are there, that are still able to come into heat this year?" Balthazar asked.

Helewys scratched behind her ear at an itch, "Two of the new ones, plus Paulie and Gris."

"Three more virgins?" Balthazar asked, dipping his head to his sheath and licking at it, "I am wearing myself out..."

Helewys burst out laughing, "You could always step down..." she suggested.

Balthazar grinned back, "Yeah right...I think I can do my duty three more times...But I will definitely be taking a rest after that!"

Helewys nodded, "But not from me...I like being screwed even when I am carrying." Balthazar looked up in surprise, "Oh don't be so shocked, we seem to fit together okay. We are riding a runaway horse now, the pack is bolting for new horizons that it has never visited before. We need to stay strong as leaders, and that means standing side by side against whatever we run into. I do not like this development with the Werecats. Lupines and Felines are separate tribes, and never the twain shall meet...but if what Simeon says is true, and so far he has been right, we must. If I am to stand by your side on the battlefield, I will lie by your side on the pad from now on."

Balthazar paused for a second, "Thank you..." he said, "I don't know what else to say..."

"Don't call it love, because it isn't...and quite frankly, I know it isn't from your side either. But we must show the united front, even I really, really want to go over and rip Gussalen's throat out," she shook her head for a moment, "The bitch hasn't show her pasty face since she was escorted to Simeon and Ysmay's hut."

"Neither has Ysmay, except to take our pups out. How is she taking it?"

"I think the word is 'tolerating' it...she certainly has no love for the cripple. Simeon has fixed her up a cot in the herb room and a human drop seat over the pit out back, so at least they don't cross each other all the time. The pups all seem to be getting used to her though from what she tells me. As for the ones that end up on his workbench, well they are used to him and Benedict working on them in human form, so a third set of fingers is going to hardly be an issue when she is recovered enough from her walk and exhaustion to begin training again."

"The sooner that happens, the sooner we can be rid of her. I too think it a bad idea, the old-timers and Wereborn are furious...but they also accept the fact that as it was a foretelling, there must be a reason for her presence. Any other humans, be them child or adult will die on the borders. We cannot allow the chance of spies or scouts getting through when there is a chance of war." Balthazar stated.

"Except young females..." Helewys noted.

Balthazar shook his head, "No...I am going to rescind that order. They die as well, we have enough Alpha bitch pups to solve the issue of blood now, plus I intend on doing another pack exchange in three summers, to mix the blood a bit more...If this 'Lupinius' grants me the time."

Helewys rubbed up against him, "I am sure that he will...Now what are we going to do about our visitor?" she asked.

"The Werecat?" Helewys nodded. "It depends on what it is here for I suppose. If indeed it is here for the reason Simeon thinks...well we will have to co-operate," he noted.

"Are you going out to greet it? After all, you know some of the pack," she asked.

"That is what puzzles me...they are not a pack as such, just a community with token representatives. Trying to get cats to work together as a whole is bloody impossible, or so Purrsimon told me the last time we talked. They just sort of take group votes on things," he scratched at an itch behind his ear, "But I will go to the edge of the mountain path and await it."

"I will come with you...call it a suspicion, but I have a feeling Simeon will be there as well..."

Balthazar huffed, "It would only be natural...Come on then, we can grab a rabbit from the warren on the way."

***

"Good afternoon, Alphas," Simeon greeted as they approached him from behind on the North path.

Balthazar chuckled, "We figured you would already be here. Any pups we should be worried about at the moment?"

"Ophelia was carried in yesterday with a nasty break to her thigh, but I have her immobilized in one of the cot frames I knocked up. She is a pissed off of course, but I pointed out that she could never hope to hold a male up, or even walk straight if it heals crooked. She didn't break the skin, so with a bit of luck I can keep her infection free and she will recover," Simeon replied, moving to one side in deference so that Balthazar and Helewys could take the central position on the path.

"Infection is still going to be our biggest killer, isn't it?" Helewys remarked, dropping into a crouch.

"I am afraid so...Once it sets in, there is little I can do but hope, or ease the ending. I hate it when I lose patients. Benedict is doing very well, despite being there when I administered the overdose of painkillers to Aurelius and Oswald. Ursula was dead when I got to her, crushed under that big rock she displaced," Simeon answered, turning his head away from them.

"Aurelius was yours and Kellerie's son...how are you coping?" Helewys asked.

"I seem to be coping like a wolf does...I mourn him of course, but...well the other living ones need me more. It seems that it is just part of life here that a certain amount of pups I sire will not make it to adulthood. I don't want to lose anyone, never mind my own offspring, but neither will I ever let any being suffer. I saw the villagers lose their children to fevers which Merek couldn't cure...We as Weres seem to be of stronger constitution though."

"We do tend to throw off most things except deep flesh infections...those we are just as vulnerable to." Balthazar commented.

"I will just have to redouble my efforts to keep wounds clean, and make sure that Benedict and Gussalen follow that practice as well. It would help of course if we didn't have around three pups a day coming in looking like they have been run over by a herd of wild boar!" Simeon mused.

Helewys chuckled, "That is the nature of maturing pups...they seem to be able to cause and get into more trouble on their own in their first twelve months, than a whole pack of adults do in their entire lives."

"At least they seem to be controlling their jaws...I have had no severe bites yet, just nips and rips to deal with," Simeon replied, as the three of then looked up at the path as Tashir rounded the corner, the white wolf standing out sharply from the greenery, and the brindled feline that was following in his wake.

"Well that's odd..." Balthazar commented, "It is not Purrsimon or Purrdita."

Simeon glanced at him, "Do you know him then?"

"No...I have not met any brindles..." the Alpha replied out of the corner of his mouth as Tashir came to a stop and lowered his head in deference.

"Alpha, Ledrene," he said, "Healer...I present Furdinand from the clan Felidae."

The brindled Werecat stepped forward, "May I first apologize for intruding on your territory, Alphas," he greeted, nodding towards Helewys and Balthazar, "But it was bestowed upon me to come and pay a visit and offer my clan's aid in the future conflict by a dream," he stared at Simeon then, "A dream in which Healer Simeon there, featured heavily." He walked straight past the drop jawed Alphas and stretched his neck up to rub his cheeks against Simeon's in greeting. "I believe you and I are one and the same Healer..." he said quietly.

Simeon swallowed hard, "What do you mean?" he asked quietly.

Furdinand smiled, his ears forward upon his head, "Why...I am the Master Healer for the Werecats...and also the chosen vassal for the foretellings of Felinius, or so it seems. I can leave my duties for a period of time though, as I have one fully trained Journeycat...and three apprentices to take them on. Which is I believe why I was told to come to you, and not you to I."

"Ahem..." Balthazar cleared his throat, "Why alone and not with Purrsimon or Purrdita?" he asked, his words turning the brindle's head back towards him.

"Because they are currently trying to convince the rest of our clan to co-operate together as a whole, to do what must be done next...Alpha. You see, I have been a dreamer since I was a kitten...I have always known things...silly things like where we should hunt, when there would be a flood...who had murdered another in the night through jealousy or malice. I am respected and listened to, as I have been proven right on many occasions. Never though have I been given an insight that is as..." he paused for a second, "As catastrophic and far reaching as the one I was given a moon cycle back. Trying to get cats to work together under a leader, Alpha, is...well not really possible...We are too independent. And the whole clan is unlikely to follow me..."

"Wait!" Helewys exclaimed, "Follow you?"

Furdinand shrugged his shoulders, "Yes...follow me. What, you didn't know?" he glanced at Simeon who shook his head, "You mean to tell me that you were not told that the Werecats and Wolves were to join in order to prevail in the war?"

"Well yes...but..." Simeon started.

"Well we can hardly work together if we are in different territories." Furdinand stated, "The Werecats that can be persuaded will be following in my footsteps in around two week's time, kittens included. We will set up a camp in the clearing at the top of your falls, so as not to agitate and crowd the village itself. We are not so stupid as to not acknowledge that most of the pack would soon as try to kill us, than work with us...a feeling that trust me, is mutual."

"Simeon...we must talk about this..." Balthazar started.

"No you must not..." The Werecat interrupted, "Not if you want the pack to live. We have made our decision, and like it or not, the clan is coming. Besides, I get the distinct impression looking at the three of you, that there is only one here who has the power to make that decision." He turned and stared back at Simeon, his green eyes digging into his until he dropped his gaze. "I thought so..." he turned back to face Balthazar, "I do not know why you are standing there as Alpha, Balthazar, but it will be obvious to every one of my clan that you are not the strongest male. You must have your own reasons, but do not be surprised if they are pried out of one of you before long. You do not ever win an argument with a cat."

"What if we do not want to try and win an argument with you...Furdinand? You are here on our sufferance, by our allowance...you are our guest, and yet you have systematically insulted and decried us since you first started speaking. I should just kill you now!" Helewys growled.

The brindle shrugged, "But you couldn't...if you took one step towards me, you would die..."

"You are but the size of a Beta...you would be the one that died...What the hell do we need you for anyway?" she asked, not backing down.

Furdinand just smiled, "Ah the stubbornness of a lupine...You wouldn't know that you once had the brains of one our mutual enemies before your change from a tavern whore...Yes we know about that, we know about all the important Wolves in the pack. It is not I that would kill you..." He looked up at the trees, and yowled once. Three further Werecats, these in human form descended on vines from the canopy, each carrying a nasty little crossbow, the quarrels firmly pointed in Helewys' direction. "You see Ledrene...this is why you need us. We do not have the luxury of a temperate forest that we can but open our mouths and prey will run into them. Werecats are duplicitous...we are hunters...we are stealth operatives... and we use and make weapons in order to compensate for our lack of brute power and stamina. We are ambush predators. Hell if we could work together for more than a few cycles, we could take over the world...But we are also cats, and therefore lazy and generally form few friendships. Eat, sleep, fight and make love. Not a bad life, but hardly an exciting one."

Helewys dropped her hackles and sat with a thump, "I knew we shouldn't have trusted them..."

"Now that is where you are wrong Ledrene...We chose carefully those we trust, and once chosen, well we do not switch alliances easily. You would not need us now, and nor would we need you, if your Alpha leaders had come to us maybe ten years ago, as I could have told you then, what Simeon has worked out for you...that lack of new blood and inbreeding was ruining this pack. We didn't come to you, as there was no reason too, and a cat will never offer help where there is nothing to be gained. But, well you are now the last buffer between us and the humans to the South. We are happy where we are, and we would probably lose if we were to fight them alone."

"So you are saying you are stronger than us?" Balthazar asked, "Then why not drop from the trees and take our territory in the night?"

Furdinand shook his head sadly, "Because we are not murderers, and as stated before, we are happy in the mountain vale territory."

"What are your strengths then, apart from weapons and stealth skills?" Simeon asked.

"Ahh...the first sensible question...The clan numbers over three hundred, of which two hundred and twenty are of fighting age. That is of course if everyone chooses to fight. Those figures are at the moment of course...I do not foresee the first battles taking place for at least two summers. With better game, the queens will have more kittens, which means more cats for the war." Furdinand stated quietly.

"You would put youngsters up against humans?" Helewys queried, shocked.

"Clawd up there is fourteen months old. You do not need the toughness of a full adult to wield a crossbow or throw a dagger from a concealed position; just a good eye and a strong wrist. I imagine that we could teach you wolves to hurl spears or pull a long bow with your bigger frames and strength. We will need everyone when faced with experienced soldiers and armour."

"You want to move up to two hundred and twenty Werecats into our territory? It will not support it. We are being very careful now, as our pack is expanding, and we don't want to overhunt. There will be no game left if you do that..." Balthazar stated.

Furdinand just smiled, "You hunt the birds and squirrels then do you?" he asked "Or the big wild boar and elk?"

"Well no..."

"Then there should be nothing to worry about. Learn to use longbows and spears, and you can hunt the bigger game. It will only be for a maximum three years if my dreaming is right, and the vale territory will be open to you as well, as will our farmed supplies. The reason for the move is because we need to adapt to deep forest warfare, and you need to learn to fight from a distance in forest conditions. We have only three patches of pine woodland in our territory, which is totally different to the choked undergrowth we have here..." Furdinand gestured at the greenery around them.

"You talk about weapons that we do not have, but the humans do. We cannot go cloaked into the city under the pretence of clergy, if we are to buy weapons, we would be undone." Tashir stated, making the three wolves jump as he had remained silent so far.

Clawd chuckled from his hanging vine, "My father is the Clan's blacksmith and has already decided to come. I chose to become a hunter scout because I was never going develop his strength like my siblings have, nor the brains to design little toys like these," he indicated the miniature crossbow in his hand.

"And there you have your answers..." Furdinand stated, "Now are we going to sit here all day, or are you going to introduce us to the pack?"

Balthazar sighed and turned to Helewys who just nodded, "It seems that we have little choice."

"No, you do not. I would prefer this to be an amicable cooperation though, so if you want us to head back into our territory now, we will. And we will invite the Northern Werewolf packs into ours and work with them instead, while monitoring your annihilation. The mountains will slow the humans down a little...With luck." Furdinand turned to face Simeon, "Do you want your children to have a chance?" he asked.

"I do...I am not a dreamer like you are Furdinand, but I know what I was told when I was visited on the wind. At no point was I told though that we would win, only that we should work together if we were to have a chance," Simeon replied quietly.

"In your own way, you are the Wolves' dreamer...Colleague. But I will admit that I too have no guarantee that this will work. The clan could be dying sooner by joining with you here in the South, or we could be pushing back the threat for a number of years to come. I know that if things do go in our favour, my dreams say that your pack will expand South into the vacated territories of the dead packs," the cat said with a sigh.

"Let us head in then," Balthazar said in a resigned tone, "I have a feeling I should have let Cassius stay in charge..."

Furdinand grinned, "Do you really think that we would have approached you if that short sighted tyrant was still sitting there next to Ledrene Helewys? I am not happy that he is even still alive, as he is likely as not going to try and kill one of us to break up any allegiance. He is stupid enough to try. Come down now Clawd...oh and meet Purrcy and Furrn, the other two. I am sure you can tell by scent who is who." The other two Werecats smiled as they dropped silently to the floor with Clawd, changing back into cat form before tucking their crossbows into special quivers that rode on their backs.

Balthazar nodded, "Welcome I guess," he said as all three cats rubbed cheeks with him before walking over to Simeon, "Tashir, resume your patrol on the North border. I will go and make every Wolf angry again..."

Tashir chuckled, "Yes Alpha...Good luck," he turned and loped back off up the path without waiting for an answer.

"Clawd, Purrcy and Furrn will all build a shelter and start the advance preparations for the clan's arrival in the cliff clearing, such as latrines and workshop frames. As scouts they are trained a little in all aspects of society. I will be staying with Simeon, as it will be interesting to see if we share the same skill sets, and can probably teach each other things. The Werecats have changed no human for over fifty years, so my healing practices may be a little out of date with those of human society. It also means that I am around and about for any-wolf to ask questions of, while things settle." Furdinand stated as they all started walking back downhill towards the vale.

Helewys choked on a laugh as Balthazar's muzzle twisted in amusement at the expression on Simeon's face. "Is there a problem?" Furdinand asked.

"Only that you may be needed to heal Simeon when he tells his padwarmer that yet another stranger is going to be living with them. She nearly blew up when a human moved in, and now a Werecat! Ysmay is not going to be happy at all," Helewys commented, starting to laugh as Balthazar lost it and joined her.

"Ahh...You have a mate then. Permanent or casual like most wolves?"

"Permanent I hope, though things have been rather strained by everything that has happened to me in the last few months. You moving in might break it up..." Simeon muttered.

"I assure you that I take up little space...I am also quite happy to room with the human for the period of time it takes for an extension to be added. I am unmated, always have been. Quite celibate in fact...Though us Werecats do tend to have sex for recreation when we are younger, we all take vows when we wish for kittens with a Queen, and vice versa. I know that your bitches have little choice when in season if the Alpha wants them, and that is of course what has got the pack into such a mess when a tyrant takes that position. Do you have pups?" Furdinand asked.

"I do, but we do not..." Simeon replied.

"I am confused?" The cat responded.

"The pups that currently reside with Ysmay and I, were fathered by Balthazar, as she was a virgin, and therefore his by rights. I have many pups with other bitches in the pack, as we are extending the blood pool. As you correctly deduced, I am the strongest male in the pack, so naturally, my loins breed the strongest Weres. I have therefore been granted boon with more bitches than would be normal for a submissive male."

"Then why do you not defeat Balthazar in your ring and take his position?" Clawd asked, getting a sideways look from Furdinand that could have melted lead.

"That is an inappropriate question to ask our hosts...Kitten," the older cat snapped.

"Sorry Healer," Clawd responded, his ears flat.

"Apologies," Furdinand said, turning back to the path ahead, "Youths still have to learn when to open their mouths."

"Something we were all guilty of when young I fear," Balthazar said dryly, "But the question is a legitimate one. The answer youngster is that to have the position of Healer and Leader filled by one Were, would be both irresponsible and stupid. Simeon and I have an arrangement... one that will hold fair until I am defeated in the circle by another, hopefully his Padwarmer's brother. He will not directly challenge me, unless he believes the pack is following the wrong course. He has called me out twice already...Once over the human, and once over you. I have seen the bigger picture, and therefore directed the pack to accept the situation. There is currently no other Were capable of challenging me, so the arrangement will hold for at least another couple of summers until others reach prime...Possibly until after the war."

"If there are any Alpha candidates left after the war," Furdinand replied quietly, "Sometimes it is better to do it the cat way...life always continues then without the complications of a hierarchy."

"From what little I observed when I was visiting Purrsimon, the cat way basically involves ignoring each other where possible," Balthazar replied back, "In the pack, we all try and work for a common goal. If one is injured, they are helped. Hunting bad...Others pass on kills. A bitch dies before her pups are weaned or mature, another takes them in. The Werecat way seems to only work as long as the needing party has the ability to pay for the help in some way."

"True...I will not deny that we work in a similar way to human society, though we would not abandon kittens if a queen died in the same way that children starve in the towns if their mother's die. The main difference between us and them of course is that we follow no common leader. Wealth and wisdom are the respective powers in the clan. Power corrupts... Cassius being the perfect example of that...If the pack worked the clan way, he would have never have fathered any pups, as he was so obviously an idiot...unfortunately though, he was an idiot with strength." Furdinand sighed, "Some Werecats have tried to assume control over the clan by strength before, and they have been killed by the others in their efforts. The members of the clan that come, will come because they respect Purrsimon, Purrdita and I...and because they want to come. No one will be coerced into this joint venture, and some will undoubtedly leave before the first arrow or bolt is loosed in anger. It is just the way it is with us."

"So the whole venture could fail?" Helewys asked.

Furdinand shrugged, "Of course it could...but call it a feeling, I don't think it will."

"That I suppose depends on what friction you cause with the pack..." Balthazar added.

"I think the friction is likely to be the opposite way...we will vastly outnumber you...so it is in your interest to ensure that none of the pack starts to cause trouble with us."

"I can only issue directives," Balthazar stated.

"Agreed...but you must punish if they are not followed."

"And if a Werecat deliberately comes and starts to court trouble?" Helewys asked.

"Their family will punish them..." Furdinand replied hesitantly, "But that will not happen."

"Let us agree on something here and now then Furdinand...Should one of your clan cause trouble in the pack, they will be punished openly in view of the pack, by their family. Should one of the pack court trouble with you, they will be punished by myself or Helewys, depending on their sex in front of the clan...Each by our own laws, though I suggest death or being outcast a suitable punishment for a direct attack. I am fairly sure that you do not want a Werecat torn to pieces in the circle, and I know I don't want to come home to find reports of one of my pack members being turned into a pincushion by a Werecat... Agreed?" Balthazar asked.

Furdinand swallowed, "I cannot make a decision like that on behalf of the others..." he started.

"You can...with your persuasive influence. Either that, or our cooperation is off." Balthazar threatened.

"Then I will do what I can...that is all I can promise."

"Deal...Now let's get back to village and see if I can survive the announcement!" Balthazar stated, and increased his pace slightly downhill.

~~~~

Portia looked up from her birthing pad, her belly bulging with the pups she didn't want, but had been forced upon her. She was maybe a day from time, but she still didn't want visitors "Whoever is there...fuck off," she growled at the privacy curtain, the hint of four male paws showing underneath it, assuring her it was not one of her daughters.

A low chuckle sounded from the other side, "But I was coming to you with a mutual proposition," a low voice replied quietly.

"Cassius?" Portia asked, "What the fuck do you have that I want?"

"The same...invite me in and we will see..." he replied.

Portia considered for a second, "Enter then...but I warn you, I will take no nonsense, pregnant or not, I can still take your throat."

Cassius slipped within the hut, "I don't doubt it..."

"Well what do you want then?" Portia asked.

"I assume you have heard about the village being polluted by the stink of Werecat?" he asked.

"I can hardly miss it, can I? I have been bumping into that healer of theirs for the last couple of days every time I go out for a shit or a piss."

"And I assume you know that the situation will only get worse when the rest of their stinking clan arrives in our territory..."

"I heard the lecture from Helewys and Balthazar, even if I didn't attend it," Portia stated, "Something about a future war with the humans and all that. Accept them or die..."

Cassius nodded, "We have no need of them in a war...with a proper Alpha, we can defeat any humans in our woods as a pack..."

"Tell that to the dead ones down South..."

"Give me proof that the Southern packs are dead..." Cassius countered.

Portia sighed, "Not in the mood to discuss politics...Get out if you are going to interrupt me..."

"Apologies...But I have seen no proof, so the argument is a valid one..." Cassius stated, settling onto his haunches.

"And your point is? You think you would be the proper Alpha to lead the pack to war? Wake up Cassius; you are a has-been, a sneak and a bully who got lucky. You were a shite leader..."

"Better than a puppet leader..." Cassius interjected again.

"I dislike Balthazar as much as you do, but look outside the screen...The pack is flourishing under him. He will fall to the product of his own loins before long..."

"He is a puppet...The pack flourishes under the guidance of our own mutual enemy. Simeon alone brought about my downfall..."

"Simeon was the trigger of a situation we both know your anger and Ysmay's heat caused. Be thankful it was Balthazar that challenged you that day..." Portia growled, "You would be dead if Simeon had replied to your challenge."

"Simeon hardly knew how to talk as a wolf, never mind fight as one on that day. I would have torn him to shreds before his superior strength could overpower me. Then all this would never have happened. You could have defeated Helewys...Balthazar would not have been a puppet...You would not be carrying the pups of a rapist...There would be no Human, or Cats in the village..."

"You would still have been defeated by Balthazar over Ysmay though...as you found out," Portia commented, "You tire me...you have yet to make a point."

"Would you participate in the downfall of your rapist?" Cassius asked bluntly.

Portia laughed, "Of course I would, and I fully intend to...but despite carrying his pups, I prefer to keep my life. To move against him and Balthazar would be suicide, and you know it."

"Who said anything against us acting alone...Break up the alliance between us and the furrballs, and he will be discredited. Then the pack will all move against him for causing the problems in the first place and for being a false oracle."

"You are living in a fantasy world Cassius...How do you propose to break up the alliance? How would breaking up the alliance make him a false oracle? Hell, the fact that both the disgusting waste of air in the form of that Human showing up, and then the cursed Werecats themselves...is proof outright of his visions." Portia spat back.

"Maybe, maybe not...As for breaking up the alliance, we just kill Furdinand...If possible in a way that frames Simeon."

Portia choked on a laugh, "Mmm...I look forward to seeing you as a pincushion in the ring. I am not facing the bolts from their little toys with you. Fuck off, you are on your own for this."

"What if I promised you the position of Ledrene?" Cassius asked.

"You cannot do that, and you know it. That is for the bitches to fight over, and there are Alpha pups out there that are more capable of fighting than I am with these cursed back legs..."

"Which Simeon gave you..." Cassius interrupted.

"Which Simeon gave me in a fight I should not have started. I loathe him for it, damning me to the position of nothing but a brood bitch for the rest of my life, and hell I wish he had killed me instead...but...I am not capable of climbing to the top of the cliff for a clean death, so stuck here I am." Portia muttered.

"Would not going out in a storm of bolts in front of the pack be a way for you to die if we fail? Being martyred, as the humans call it, could in itself turn the pack against the Werecats. If we win, and you still want it, I will take your throat honourably, if that is what you declare in front of the others."

"Take it now...You will die quicker that way, and I get what I want...the peace of death."

"But you would have it without the satisfaction of revenge," Cassius stated.

"Ask Lomas what it is like to work with you...Oops...you can't, can you...?" Portia grumbled, turning on her swollen belly.

"Another innocent victim of Simeon's..."

"Ha! Innocent my fucking arse...I would have ripped his throat from him myself if I could ever have caught him!"

"He was a little careless, I suppose..." Cassius remarked. "As you are so adamant that I am a fool and incompetent..."

"As has been proven already..." Portia interrupted.

"Be that your opinion...bitch. What would you do to rid the pack of the madness?" Cassius asked.

Portia twisted the side of her muzzle up in a half smirk, "Count my swollen teats...four of them. I have never born a weak pup, even from your incompetent loins. It would be so fitting if say our Healer's downfall was wrought by his own forced offspring...yes?"

"That would be three...four summers away, at the earliest. I would not be in a fit state through age to challenge for Alpha then..." Cassius started.

"Two summers...You, I care little about...besides...I want one of these squirming bumps to be Alpha, not a snivelling coward like you. Fuck off...Get out of here now, or I will report this conversation to Helewys and Paulie when they come to birth their own fates. I only allay myself with the strongest from now on, and you most certainly are not it..."

"You will regret this...Who is going to teach them to fight?" Cassius asked, slipping towards the door.

"Oh but that is the joy of it...The Werecats. An arrow can easily go astray in the woods...I may not have the satisfaction of seeing him die in the ring, but...watching Ysmay collapse as his body is brought back to the village with an hemlock tipped arrow in his flank...Want to bet the alliance will break up before any war if he dies? My sons will stay at the back of the pack in any combat, and pick up the pieces when it is all over. I can then die revenged and fulfilled," Portia noted smugly.

"And if I blow this plan of yours wide open?" Cassius asked.

"Arrows need not strike Simeon first..." she threatened, "Besides, you are as close to an outcast as you can be...Neither Simeon nor Balthazar would believe a word you say."

"Watch your back bitch..." Cassius sniped back as he pushed the curtain to one side.

"You watch your flanks..." Portia snarled back.

~~~~

Five months later...

"I think it is time we officially taught them the other aspect of Were society," Ysmay said, nibbling at Simeon's ear in the pre-dawn light.

Simeon yawned, "Are they not a little young?" he asked.

"Polly, Amalie and Lauren, maybe...but they will be entering first heat sometime in the next couple of months...my litter with Balthazar, up to a week earlier. We might as well teach them all together."

"Well, Dumas, Adrianne and Henry have already caught us tied together often enough..." Simeon noted, nodding towards the heap of snoring fur on the other side of the room.

"You know as well as I do that is only one small aspect of Were sex. The social implications and trades and favours are just as important." She stretched, sitting up slightly, "Henry! She called sharply, his head appearing out of the heap, "Go fetch Polly and the gang...and invite Lucinda as well. Tell her it is time...she will know what I mean."

"Yes Dam," he replied, heaving himself up as his two siblings grumbled as their bodies were upset on their mat as his support was withdrawn from under them.

"Dumas...go and see if you can track down Gregor. If he is not in his hut though, scratch the curtain of whichever he is in before entering...okay?"

"Yes Dam," he responded, trotting out of the door after his brother with a half stretch.

"What the hell do you want Gregor here for?" Simeon whispered, as Adrianne sat up and stretched.

Ysmay grinned, "Got to demonstrate all aspects of Were life...I think Lucinda will act as my partner for the feminine aspect of the lesson."

"You mean?" Simeon asked.

"Ah ha...About time you and Gregor renewed your friendship. Fatherhood has driven you apart in a way as you have both been busy. Don't forget, for us to be a successful triumvirate in the future, we must all be close friends...and in the Were way, that means sharing each other..."

"Sharing in what way?" Adrianne asked sleepily.

Ysmay chuckled, "You will see shortly," she replied, as Simeon swallowed hard.

"Mind if I watch the lesson as well...from a purely medical standpoint?" Furdinand asked, sticking his brindled head around the room's frame.

Ysmay bared her teeth at him, "It is a private matter cat...don't push my tolerances..."

Furdinand shrugged his shoulders, "Not like I haven't seen under both your male and female tails before...And I too have caught you tied in the past. I was just wondering if you taught the essentials of life differently to your young. We, as Werecats have already worked out that you are far more open over sex than us."

"I have heard you queen's mrrrowling in the night when I have been near your encampment... you are not as closed over sex as you claim to be," Simeon commented.

"Sex is politics in the pack...so things are always open," Ysmay added.

"Mmm...open to the point where you effectively rape others in the ring for dominance...I know. Your encounter Simeon, with Gregor is still talked about in the huts at night. The whole idea of only the Alpha male being allowed to sire the first litters of your bitches is absurd really, and in some ways is why the pack's bloodlines were so messed up," Furdinand pointed out again.

"Werecats may be stubborn Furdinand, but don't try and change the way of us wolves, or you will find out just how stubborn we can be too..." Ysmay threatened.

Furdinand held his paws up, "I would never do that...Simeon is doing that already...after all Gussalen and I are here, aren't we?" he replied smugly.

Henry re-entered then, the avalanche consisting of Simeon's first foursome pouring in after him, followed by Lucinda with a grin on her face, "I wish I still had the exuberance of youth," she commented as she walked over and sat down on the pad between Simeon in Ysmay.

"I too, bitch," Furdinand commented, "These old bones are protesting more and more these days."

"What's the pussy doing here?" Lucinda asked, ignoring him.

"Wants to observe," Simeon replied quietly.

Lucinda just stood up and stretched, wandering over to where Furdinand remained, unfazed by her approach, "So you want to observe, do you pussy?" she asked quietly.

"I thought it only educational..." he replied as her jaws stopped a bare inch from his muzzle, I would prefer it if you did not call me a pussy."

"I think personally, as I have watched you little spies sneaking about the village in the night, that you should impart some education upon us as well...if you wish to observe of course...pussy. Lie on your back...Now," Lucinda ordered, as Simeon and Ysmay watched with dropped jaws and the pups all strained to see.

"W...W...What?" Furdinand stuttered, as Gregor came through the door and effectively blocked his retreat with Dumas.

"Let us make this simplistic then...You show us yours, and we will show you ours... Understand now, Healer?" she replied.

"What...I mean...I...Err...I am not mated...there is no unattached Queen who would agree to this..."

"Oh I know that...but knowing what a Queen looks like under their tail is not required in a situation like this...I want to take a look at you, if you want to watch us. I am fairly sure that the others agree that it only be fair...Now lie on your back...I will do the rest."

"Simeon?" Furdinand begged...looking to his opposite number for support.

Simeon just shrugged, "You started it friend...I think you should conclude it personally. After all, Lucinda does make a point..."

The Werecat sighed, "The others are never going to let me live this down..." he muttered, and strolled nonchalantly over to the pad with Lucinda in tow, before lying down on his side, his belly exposed, "Have your will then, bitch," he remarked.

Gregor settled in the middle of the pups, as the main pad was now rather crowded...watching as eagerly as them all as Lucinda dipped her snout between Furdinand's legs and began parting the fur around his fuzzy sheath line with her tongue.

Furdinand grunted, closing his eyes as he tried to imagine that it was a short sandpapery tongue that was playing with him, and not the long, wetter and smoother one that was wrapping itself around his balls and sheath. It had been a long time...far too long to be honest that a female had attended to him. For a cat to suffer the indignity of having a bitch attend him... well...he reassured himself that he was only doing it for the reason of extending his own, and the clan's medical knowledge of their fractious allies. He mewled slightly as his body responded where his mind was not willing, his very pointed tip slipping into view as Lucinda's tongue wrapped around it.

"His cock is different to yours..." Adrianne commented to Henry quietly, getting a glance from Ysmay.

"You two haven't been playing with each other, have you?" she asked as Furdinand increased his volume.

"No Dam...I have watched him take a piss often enough though...just as he has I..." Adrianne replied, contritely.

"Good...because mucking around with your littermates is not allowed...understand?"

"I understand, Dam..."

"After today, you may muck around with any other pups that have had the same lessons we are going to show you now, but you must never, ever allow a male to penetrate you until you crouch in front of the Alpha on your second or third heat...do you understand that?" Ysmay directed, looking Polly, Amalie and Lauren over as well.

"Yes Dam/Teacher," they replied in unison.

"Good...because you would be sacrificing your status, and the male's life if you did..." Ysmay threatened, as Lucinda withdrew her tongue for a second,

"You cat, are spiky," she commented as Furdinand opened his eyes into a slit.

"There is a reason that oral is practiced rarely amongst us felines," he commented, his shaft fully erect as his gripping spines flexed and fluttered in the hut's musky air.

"I can see why your Queens don't sleep around now...That must hurt," Ysmay commented, nosing at the fleshy protrusions on his shaft.

"No more than I imagine than one of your knots spreading you wide open does...A cat's spines perform a similar function, holding us in place until our seed has a chance to reach where it needs to go. No female will try and tear away from us early..." He broke off as Lucinda nosed Ysmay to one side and took his whole six inches into her jaws.

"Probably wouldn't hurt a wolf bitch too much if it were ever to happen," Gregor commented, "Unless he is hung smaller than average, he is hardly anything to boast about...Might fucking hurt if two males were to play though." He began licking at his own sheath as the air became heavier with arousal.

Furdinand stared a death stare at Gregor, replying through a swallow of concentration, "I am about average, and I'll have you know that I you scale us up to your size, we compare quite equally..." he gritted his teeth again as Lucinda rolled her tongue around to grasp him and tugged... "FFFFFUUUUCCCCRRRRROOOOOOWWWWWWLLLLLLL!" he cried out as his back arched, his fuzzy balls withdrawing and pumping Lucinda's maw full of his pent up essence.

"Not bad for a grey muzzle like me," Lucinda commented as his shaft fell limp, "You don't taste that different either."

"I...I...I...Will have to return the favour one day..." Furdinand replied panting as he sat up shakily.

Lucinda laughed, "Maybe...but you ain't putting that in me. I will stick to fellow Wolves thank you. I will be honest though, I thought you would have backed down and run from me, or I would never have offered...But you stayed put, so I did it. Simeon there will tell you I am rather old fashioned in my sexual tastes."

"I almost did, but Gregor and Dumas were blocking my exit path...and I wasn't going to hurdle them and show myself to be a coward. That would have been far worse than submitting to you in the eyes of the other Werecats."

Ysmay grinned, "It seems that our societies are not all that different then...Watch then if you wish, you have paid your entry I suppose. But if I ever catch you spying on Simeon and I's private time, I will rip your cock and balls from you before you can call for back up!"

Furdinand smiled, "Agreed...I'll stay out back with Gussalen when the house starts howling..." he yelped as Ysmay nipped at waving tail.

"No sassing us either...Now shoo...off the pad so there is room," she declared with a grin.

Furdinand scooted off, not commenting, but he wore a smile on his face.

Ysmay glanced at the light levels, "Well pups, the lesson is going to have to be foreshortened. You have all caught Simeon and I together in the past...so I will skip that part of the lesson for now...though we will demonstrate how to properly give oral to your partner of the opposite sex in the future, that demonstration from Lucinda there is actually pretty much all there is to applying oral to a male though...you just need to practice to perfect it. For now though, you young bitches are going to enter first heat soon, so Lucinda and I will show you how a bitch can relieve a bitch through oral. That you may practice as much as you wish on either sex...but try and avoid doing it with your littermates. Simeon is going to demonstrate with Gregor, that males can have fun with males as well. For some of you bitches, you will find the way they have intercourse is just as fun and satisfactory as doing it the normal way." She looked over at Simeon who just sighed.

"Henry, Dumas, Herald...Do not ever think you have to do for a male what I am about to do with Gregor...but I would try it once. It is not comfortable, but as you will see, it can be pleasurable. My time, as the gossip says, was to prove that I would follow my Alpha's orders. Do you understand?" he asked.

The three male pups nodded their heads.

"Same applies to you bitches. Try it once, but not until after you have been taken by the Alpha, and if you don't like it, never let a male force you to do it again...that would be rape," Lucinda pointed out, looking sideways at Simeon, who turned his head away sheepishly.

"Rape as you can see by Simeon's face, is permitted only when ordered by the Alphas...and sometimes, the male or female ordered to carry it out doesn't want to either. That is what happened in the case of him and Portia. It is exceedingly rare that it is ever sanctioned..." Ysmay added, nuzzling Simeon in sympathy.

Simeon nodded, "But I did my duty...as you must always do." He turned and lay on his belly tail to one side, presenting to Gregor, "As a Healer, I can tell you as long as you take it slowly and carefully, it is perfectly acceptable to enter the other port...in the cases of bitches... or the only one in the case of males. As Gregor will now demonstrate." He swallowed hard as Gregor approached him from behind, his cock dripping with need.

"As you can see pups," Gregor said, "The experience is arousing for some males like I...and if you look at Simeon's own cock, he too is turned on in anticipation..." he took Simeon's neck in a mating grip between his teeth, and with practiced ease, slipped his tip under his tail and bumped his knot against Simeon's ring in a single switch of his hips.

Simeon yipped, his tongue lolling out, "The act of mating is performed in the same way..." he panted as Gregor began to move on his back, fully aware of the numerous sets of eyes that were now locked on the activity going on beneath his tail, "And as you can see...The male knot...encounters...something with the tail hole...of another male...which..." he forced his back legs to rise a little to demonstrate that he was burstingly aroused himself, "When compressed..." he eyes were watering as Gregor rammed himself into the hilt finally, his ring expanding to take in his full knot... "Causes a mutual..." He howled, his shaft spraying cum all over the pad as Gregor released his ruff and joined him, his balls pulling tight as he released control and flooded Simeon with his essence, "Orgasm!" Simeon finally finished, collapsing with Gregor on top of him.

"Y...you...will find the tail hole is much tighter..." Gregor exclaimed out of breath, "And it will take your knot longer to go down..." he turned the tie, causing a whimpering from both as they settled tail to tail.

Ysmay licked Simeon's face, "And you will find young bitches, that you will also be stimulated with sex that way, though we do not have that same thing within us that caused Simeon to orgasm as he did." She turned to the pups, their tongues all lolling in the musk soaked air. "They will be stuck together for a while, so this is how you give oral to a bitch now," she continued as Lucinda lay down on her back.

"Take the nose to tail position...show them we two can work together with correct timing..." the older bitch suggested, as Ysmay smiled and complied, straddling her belly to belly.

"To bring another off in this way mutually, takes timing..." Ysmay said, yipping as Lucinda drove her tongue across her V, "But a male and female may approach things this way as well..." She dropped her muzzle and started licking a pattern across the older bitch's vulva.

Furdinand glanced behind him from where he was watching, his own jaw dropped at the open displays of exhibitionism going on in front of him. He own shaft was renewed, and he would have to find somewhere shortly to relieve himself again. His eyes opened wide as he caught Gussalen biting a cloth between her teeth to muffle her voice, and her eyes tight shut as her hand moved under her dress, masturbating her hidden shadow laden depths as she too was effected by the pheromone impregnated air of the Healers sanctum. An idea briefly crossed his mind, flitting like fireflies on their mating flights; before he shook it away...There was no way... no way...to for him mate with a human...no...Not he... "Puuuuurrrp!" he exclaimed as he felt something snap him back into reality as a tentative lick traced a trail up his spiny length.

"Well our teachers did say practice not on our littermates..." Amalie said, from where she had slipped between his legs, "She did not say that it only had to be with only other wolves..." her nose dipped again as his eyes met Simeon's from where he was still tied across the room. He nodded his permission and Furdinand started purring, wincing a little as inexperienced teeth snagged him, and wondering exactly who was going to be trying to change who's society structure over the coming years...