{"sf1_id":7287,"sf2_id":"Oe5yXQMe","title":"The Rogue Chapter Two","author":"Harper","words":2236,"posted_at":"2005-10-01T16:47:00.000Z","tags":["Bad Language","M/M","Medieval","Pain","Werewolf"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/7287-the-rogue-chapter-two","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/Oe5yXQMe","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=7287\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"The Rogue  \n  \nChapter Two  \n  \nBe warned, this chapter is a bit sad and tragic.  \nI'm sorry, I just have a flair for that kind of  \nwriting.  \n  \n  \n  \nHe was dreaming again. Back to his pre-teen years.  \nHe remembered the family of wolves he travelled with  \nin the lush, dense forests of lowlands in County  \nWestmeath. Those grey wolves treated him like one  \ntheir own, taking him on hunting trips, and sharing  \nthe spoils, issuing a rebuke if he stepped out of  \nline. He had made crude clothes from rabbit skin, and  \nhare skin. St night, the pack slept together to share  \nwarmth, and because he was fairly big as a child, they  \nall huddled around him, eager for warmth and wanting  \nto warm him in return. He found their scents  \nreassuring, it soothed him, and helped him sleep  \npeacefully. He always kept a spot for the alpha male,  \nwho was very gentle towards him, who was the biggest  \nand strongest wolf, and would protect Sean like one of  \nhis own cubs. The alpha would gently clean Sean's face  \nand head before or while he slept. They were a strong  \npack.  \n  \nThen came the day that Sean became aware of his  \nlycanthropy. He was out foraging for the pack, and all  \nof a sudden, his body was racked with the most intense  \npain he had ever felt. He lay on the ground writhing,  \nhe body feeling like it was splitting, he felt his  \nbones break and reform, and his muscles grow and move  \nabout. Two of the wolves from the pack, a young male  \nand his mate came running at the sound of Sean's  \nanguished cries. They barked at him, so much as to ask  \nhim what was happeneing. Then, the pain stopped. He  \nstood. He had burst from his clothes, and he looked at  \nhis body, he was furry, and the wolves were now  \ngrowling at him, their hackles raised. He could sense  \ntheir thoughts \"What have you done to the human cub?\"  \nThey thought. He spoke to them \"I am him, look\", and  \nhe endured an agonising change back to his human form,  \nand dropped to his knees. The two wolves rushed  \nforward, and licked at his face frantically, happy  \nthat he was alright.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; They got back to the cave where the pack had been  \nsleeping for the past week. They get back, and all the  \nother wolves sense something different about their  \nhuman cub. He tried changing into a normal wolf, and  \nit works. But again they growl at him. He slowly walks  \nto the alpha male, the one that has shown him so much  \nlove, companionship and tenderness with his head and  \nears lowered. The alpha bared his fangs, so Sean the  \nwolf got on his belly, and creeping forward, licked at  \nthe alpha's muzzle in order to display his  \nsubserviance. The alpha accepted this, even though  \nSean was marginally bigger, the alpha still didn't  \nview him as a threat, and as per usual, Sean kept that  \nspot for the alpha who, as per usual groomed and  \ncleaned the young wolf.  \n  \nThe alpha female died when Sean was about fifteen.  \nShe had become injured while on a hunting trip, and  \nher condition had progressively worsened, until one  \nnight while she slept, she died. Sean dug her a grave,  \nand buried her the next day. As he threw the final  \nclods of earth and dirt in onto the grave he muttered  \nin Gaelic \"Slan, a mhaithair\", which means \"Goodbye,  \nmother\". The other wolves howled and howled long into  \nthe night, each one devestated by the loss of their  \nalpha female. Sean sat at the back of the cave in his  \nwolf form, sulking, and mourning. The alpha male had  \nsuffered the greatest loss, he had lost his life-mate,  \nthe one he was to spend the rest of his days with. The  \nalpha lay on his side, wracked with grief. Sean padded  \nover to the alpha, and nudged him gently with his  \nnose. The alpha growled, but it wasn't agressive. Sean  \nlay down with the alpha, looking at the alpha with his  \nblue eyes, and whining, he licked the alpha's face in  \na way that was to show sup! port. Then he lay down in  \nthe curve of the alpha's body, his back to the alpha's  \nchest, and slept.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; As time went, the younger males of the pack got  \nolder, and left to start their own packs. One day, all  \nthat was left of the once twelve-strong pack was the  \nalpha and Sean. One day they were foraging. Sean was  \nabout seventeen in human years. The alpha was old now,  \ngrey hairs covered the end of his muzzle, and his  \nears, but his amber eyes were as bright as they had  \nalways been. They had gotten over the loss of the  \nalpha female, and had started rutting and mating, as  \nthey could find no females. They were playing in a  \nsmall demesne near where Sean had been born, tackling  \neach other and play biting. Little did Sean know that  \nhis father, the Cheiftan of his old clan was out  \nhunting. An arrow whizzed between Sean and the alpha.  \nSean looked at where it had come from, and without a  \nsecond thought, ran at the man, who got another arrow  \noff, which struck Sean in the shoulder as he leaped at  \nhis father. Sean yelped in pain, but followed through  \nwith the attack, and ripped the throat ! from his  \nfather, savouring the taste of this conceted bastard's  \nblood, chomping the flesh down. Sean changed to human,  \nand pulled the arrow from his shoulder, the wound  \nhealing quickly. The alpha mentally asked Sean who had  \nhe just killed, to which Sean replied \"My human  \nfather, I remeber seeing him kill my mother. You were  \nmore of a father than he ever was. I'm sure you're  \nhungry, have some\" He brushed affectionately up  \nagainst the alpha, who licked Sean in return. Sean  \ntook the silver dagger fropm the body of his father,  \nand left his remains. That night, he snook into the  \ncamp, and stole the armour his father had owned, along  \nwith some clothes and money, and personal effects.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; When Sean was nineteen, the alpha was very, very  \nold. They had been out hunting and enjoying each  \nothers company. When they had eaten their fill, they  \nreturned to a cave they had made home. Sean still kept  \nthe human belongings here. They played for a bit, and  \nrutted, but the alpha tired quickly these days. They  \nlay down sleep that night, and the alpha mentally  \nwished Sean good \"Good night my son. You have given me  \nso much, companionship, unfaltering love and affection  \nsince the mother wolf died. I don't know where I would  \nbe were it not for you. Now I must sleep. I'm  \ntired.....so so tired.....\". The alpha and Sean slept  \nas they always did. However, this was one sunrise the  \nalpha would never see. Like the mother wolf, he had  \nthe fortune of dying painlessly in his sleep. Sean  \nknew, the alpha had been in his dreams and told him to  \ntake care in life, and whatever he did, the alpha and  \nthe mother wolf would be forever proud. Later that  \nday, Sean carried the alpha's body to the! place were  \nthe alpha female was buried. He buried the wolf, and  \nsaid his goodbyes.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Sean woke again in the tent, his body slick with  \nsweat, and his face covered in tears. The priest was  \nthere, and noticed Sean was now awake. Sean looked  \naround sheepishly. \"You've been cryin' in yer sleep,  \nlad. Are ye ok?\" he was asked. He replied as he wiped  \nthe tears from his face \"Yeah, I'm fine. Just  \nnightmares of my past.\" The priest smiled and said \"I  \nwon't pry, it ain't my place to.\" Sean thanked him,  \nand as he lay there, he could hear this awful wailing  \nnoise carried on the wind that filled his head, made  \nhis ears feel like they were bleeding. He head felt  \nlike it as going to burst, and his body was wracked  \npainful, agonising spasms. He let out a scream of  \nagony that made the priest jump and bless himself. He  \nhurried over to Sean and held a cup of water to his  \nmouth, but Sean pushed him away, the pain in his head  \nwas so bad he thought he'd pass out. Then it stopped,  \nand Sean relaxed. He wept, the pain was so bad, and  \nnow it was gone, and he was relieved. The pain ! of  \nthe spasms and headdache still lingered. He got up,  \ngot dressed and went outside the tent to escape the  \nsuffocatingly warm atmosphere inside. It was late  \nafternoon, still a few hours of daylight to be had. He  \nnoticed his wound felt better, and removed the  \nbandage. It was almost fully healed, a small open  \nwound and some swelling. He decided it would be better  \nfor him if he exercised the arm, so he picked up his  \nhurley and sliotar, (A sliotar, which is pronounced  \n\"shlitor\", is the ball used in the Irish sport of  \nHurling), and start whacking it around the place. Sean  \nhad an absolutely devestaing right swing with a  \nhurley, and managed to pull it off, and did  \nconsidereable damage to the armoured knight that just  \ncame into view after he hit the sliotar. It hit the  \nknight's breastplate so hard that it knocked him off  \nhis feet. Sean heard the knight, cry \"My ribs, my  \nribs!\", and went over to help. \"I do apologise, sir  \nknight, had I known you were there, I would not have  \nloosed my sliot! ar. I daresay, however, had you not  \nbeen wearing your plate, it would have killed you. Let  \nme help you up. There now, I've left a sizeable dent  \nin your armour, go down to my armourer, tell him what  \nhappened, and he will fix it for free\" He bowed to the  \nknight, who walked to the armourer's tent, clutching  \nhis chest and cursing, his armour clanking and  \ncreaking. \"I should have hit him in the head, those  \nknights are pompous bastards.\" He muttered to himself.  \nHe continued hitting the sliotar around, and after a  \nfew hours he was exhausted. He headed to the beer  \ntent. He sat in a corner, alone, the way he liked it,  \nglaring at anyone that dare sit near him. After a few  \npints of cider he was still contemptuous towards  \neveryone, only a bit more relaxed now. He left the  \nbeer tent to piss, and was accosted by a man larger  \nthan he was. \"Hello Brady, what do you want? Can't I  \npiss in peace?\" Brady sneered, \"Lucky you was saved by  \ntha' rogue. I heard he's taken quite a shine t' you...  \nFound yo! urself a fella, have you?\" In the mean time,  \nSean had finished pissing and shaken the drops off,  \nand turned to face Brady head on, and muttered in a  \ncalm voice \"Hmm, it's not like you to make taunts like  \nthat unless you have your armour on to protect you.  \nTell me, does it hurt being as ugly as you are?\" Sean  \ndodged a sloppy left hook, and laughed a hollow laugh.  \nHe punched Brady in the jaw, and sent him to the  \nground. He straddled Brady's chest, and pulled his  \nface close, a wild look appearing in his eyesm and  \nwhispered \"I know you have a family; a wife and  \nchildren. I don't want to rob them of you, but heed my  \nwords, I will kill you in cold blood if you persist.  \nI've skinned people for less than this. Now I suggest  \nyou walk away while your jaw is still intact, and your  \neyes are still in their sockets.\" He got off Brady,  \nwho scrambled up as quickly as his drunken body would  \nallow, and casting Sean one last dirty look, he ran  \naway.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; It was getting a bit darker as dusk approached, so  \nhe went for a walk, putting on a heavy leine (Long  \nshirt) and his rabbit-skin and wool cloak. He walked  \nfor a while, and happened upon a dense forest. His  \nlycan senses picked something up. Feline, about a mile  \naway. And blood, he could smell blood. Foresaking his  \nown safety, he followed the smell, and fell a few  \ntimes, one such fall caused his shoulder wound to  \nre-open. He thought that he probably should have  \nlistened to the priest and stayed in the safety of the  \ncamp. He liked the priest, he had a good sense of  \nhumour. Sean shook this thought from his head, and  \npressed on. He noticed he was getting closer to his  \nquarry. After a few minutes of scrabbling through the  \nundergrowth, he could hear a stream, and the sound of  \nsomeone breathing raggedly.  \n  \nThere upon the bank of the stream lay the rogue  \nthat had saved Sean. Sean hid, and watched him. The  \nrogue collapsed upon the bank, and lay there immobile.  \nSean crept towards him, and noticed the blood in the  \ngrass, and rolled the rogue onto his side so he  \nwouldn't suffocate. He looked for a wound, and saw a  \nsmall scar on his right shoulder. Then he pulled the  \nrogue's eyelid up, and was met with that strange, but  \nalluring eye shine. Sean dragged him to the shelter  \nand shade of the nearby trees, he was safer here than  \nin the camp.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \n  \n\n"}