FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter X

A female jay tweeted in the tree overlooking the burbling creek that passed by the Massa village. A male jaw flew onto a neighboring branch catching the attention of the female. Tweeting ensued before both flew together over the village. Mathew looked overhead seeing two birds fly by towards the open moor. The rabbit fur was still wrapped around his shoulders to keep his upper body warm. The first week of spring was colder in Hibernia than Nepheira, but that was to be expected in the northern climate. Mathew sighed pacing back and forth in the grass. Instead of confining himself to a hut during a time of boredom, the human would walk around the village or let his curiosity guide him to trying something new. However, learning to use a bow by himself proved to be a tough task.

'This bow is strong.' He strained but was unable to pull the string back in a successful draw. His arm strained as his cheeks burned red in vain before letting go. "Gah! How do wolves pull this back?" He groaned aloud in frustration, but quickly reminded himself of their impressive strength. The drawstring attached to the wooden frame was impossible for him to fully bend. A black wolfess poked her head outside of her hut's door flap and spotted Mathew trying to draw back her bow. Aitu laughed as the arrow fell to his feet harmlessly. Mathew grumbled picking up the arrow.

"Do you want to learn how to use a bow?" She asked.

"If I can." He frowned.

"Of course you can." She encouraged him despite the doubting look he gave her. "Let's go to the field. This isn't the place to shoot a bow." Aitu retrieved her quiver on the ground and held his hand before walking through the village. "I think it's great that you can stay." She flicked her tail up hoping to change the subject.

"I didn't want to leave." He admitted. Her hand squeezed a little tighter, as if he might slip away form her.

"Good. I would've hunted you down if you did." She poked him with a claw.

"You would be the first one to find me." He stepped aside from another round of claw induced pokes. The cool morning was nice and refreshing, typical of any early spring day. Pups were playing outside, elders were talking of stories from long ago, and plenty of friends were helping each other with large tasks around the village. Plenty of wolves waved or said hello to the pair walking through the village. It was nice being able to wave and smile at someone rather than glare and check your gun. The edge of the field bordering the forest was used as an archery range of sorts. Fallen tree limbs, stumps, and erected targets lined the area as targets. It was far from modern, but it did the job just fine. Mathew walked closely with the wolfess. The archery range section of the field was more crowded than usual. Several wolves were lined up practicing with bows. "Are you sure it is alright?" Mathew whispered.

"You're fine. What's there to worry about?" Aitu put her arm around his shoulder.

"What is flat face doing here?" A merle coated male questioned seeing Aitu and Mathew approach.

"Shut your jaws Inonu." Aitu snapped silencing the male.

'Ee-no-new.' Mathew remembered the name.

"Boo!" One of them moaned in a low voice causing the others to chuckle. Aitu growled and threw a stone at the rude wolf, landing a solid hit on her head. "Ouch!" A brown female backed away rubbing her head. Aitu was definitely a wolf you didn't want to fight against.

"Ignore them. Shoot at those targets all you want." She patted the human's back. Mathew held up the bow and notched an arrow, but when he was unable to fully pull the string back into a full draw. The arrow harmlessly fell to his feet when he let go with an annoying thwack. Snickers were heard. Aitu glared at them all and silenced the immature wolves. "Let me show you." The black wolfess offered. "You hold it like this." She demonstrated drawing the whole bow into a beautiful arc before retracting her hands. Mathew tried again, but was unable to draw the bow back halfway for more than a second. "Haven't your parents taught you how to use a bow before?" Aitu asked shaking her head.

"No..." He looked away with dejection. Unlike most wolves of Massa, or all of Hibernia for that matter, Mathew only had one parent in his life while growing up. Mumbling nearby discouraged the human, but Aitu smiled to cheer him up.

"Follow me. I have an idea." She took him by the hand and led him across the field.

"What kind of idea?" He asked when they were out of earshot.

"Bassolenk can train you to use the bow and many other things like sparring with spears and staffs. He can teach you a few things about the spirits too!"

"Why can't you?"

"That would take a lot of time and I barely had the patience to teach you our tongue." She brought him to a wolf standing alone in the field between the forest and the village closer to the creek. He was an inch or two taller than the average wolf, and had powerful muscles to accentuate his dominant height. His fur was primarily grey with a white patch that started in the center of his chest and trailed down to his inner thighs. The same snowy white tipped his grey tail. Braids decorated his free flowing hair with a single bird feather. Leather bands were common around his ankles and upper arms. "Hi Bassolenk!" Aitu waved.

"Hello Aitu. Hello Mathew." The wolf nodded. "What brings you two to the field?"

"I have a favor to ask you." Aitu smiled wagging her tail.

"A favor?" He already seemed suspicious of her kind smile.

"Yes. I'd like you to train Mathew."

"Train him?" His eyes widened, and ears perked up in disbelief.

"He is weak in body." She snickered at his frown before smiling. "But his heart is big."

"What can I train a human in?"

"He wants to use the bow and anything else that you can teach him." Aitu smiled. "Give him a good basic understanding of all things." Bassolenk didn't appear too enthusiastic about the idea. Before the wolf could protest, Aitu sealed the deal and made a quick get away. "Take good care of him." Aitu told the grey and white wolf. "Don't worry, he isn't mean." She whispered to Mathew before leaving.

'I hope you're right.' The human looked up at the large wolf.

"Ok..." The male's nose wiggled in thought. 'Where to start?' Bassolenk though to himself. Mathew was eager, yet nervous to start. "Firstly, there are two ways of fighting: Te and Yew, or broad and flow. Te consists of powerful smooth rock like movements whereas Yew is more flowing like water without being direct. Secondly, don't expect to master either one in a day. Training to fight is a different learning experience than cooking or watching pups. However, training is also spiritual by nature so we will work on that as well." Bassolenk retrieved two staffs from the grass and handed one to Mathew. "What do I do with this?"

"Try to hit me." Bassolenk held a proper stance. The human's jaw dropped.

"I think you will break me." Mathew backed down from the challenge.

"Break you?" The wolf tilted his head in question. "It is only sparring." The wolf insisted returning to his stance. Despite his common sense screaming at him, Mathew mimicked the stance and tried striking the wolf. The attack was easily blocked and deflected. Mathew was quickly outmatched and found himself staring at the end of a staff, mere inches away from his forehead. Bassolenk relaxed. "Just as I thought... You don't know how to fight without a thunder stick." He took the staff from Mathew and set both training weapons aside.

"I never needed to-"

"You're not training with a bunch of humans." He interrupted. "Lie down." He ordered and the human quickly complied. The wolf knelt down beside Mathew and grabbed his leg to examine it. The large wolffish hands easily wrapped around the thickest part of his limb. "Hmm. Your legs should be larger." He lightly squeezed the human's thigh, feeling the muscles under the skin. "Your paws are soft and your arms resemble saplings." Bassolenk moved and tested the named areas.

"Can I do anything about that?" Mathew asked.

"You must do very basic training first. What have you practiced as a pup?"

"Uh. Nothing." He meekly replied.

"Can you lift yourself from the ground?" He asked with a hint of desperation.

"What do you mean?"

"Do this." Bassolenk performed a push up.

"Ok..." Mathew lied on the ground as he had. The human started to lift himself up, but was immediately stopped.

"No, no. You do this poorly." Mathew coughed feeling him sit on his back. "Have arms up here, and keep head still. Don't hold your neck up." The wolf tapped a clawed finger on his head.

'Sheesh.' Mathew did the push up a dozen times more before Bassolenk seemed satisfied.

"Ok. Sit up." He tapped the human's back. Mathew did so with his legs tucked neatly as any wolf. "Sit this way." The wolf's larger hands encircled Mathew's and placed them properly on the ends of his knees. "There. Control your breathing." Bassolenk patiently waited. Mathew took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Good. Your mind should resemble a still pond. Thoughts and noise ripple its surface disrupting your focus. Think about the trees, the moor, and the spirits."

'The moor... and the spirits?' Mathew's brow frowned, unable to focus on such things. His mind blanked unable to seriously concentrate about trees and nature.

"Concentrate and relax." He heard Bassolenk. Mathew gave a frustrating sigh and gave up. He expected everything to focus on increasing his strength, not thinking about what he equivocated to magical nonsense. His teacher didn't look pleased. "Having trouble?" Bassolenk asked with a sigh.

"Yes. I want to be strong enough to shoot a bow."

'This is going to be impossible just to teach him one lesson.' The wolf thought to himself. "Mathew, you don't seem very focused."

"Why do I have to sit and focus? Shouldn't I work with my body?"

"You will need to have a stronger body with endurance to many things. We will start there with spiritual exercises too so you will have proper mental focus." Bassolenk explained.

"How long will that take?"

"As long as it takes." He replied.

"Oh... Why do I need spiritual exercises? Isn't that for a shaman?" Mathew asked.

"If you think fighting, training, or hunting is only a physical practice you will do poorly at all three. There will be spiritual training to help you understand that." Mathew slouched in his seat. If there was one thing remaining that he couldn't understand about the tribe was the whole spiritual side of nature. "Wolves would not be strong without the spirits to guide them."

"How legendary are some wolves at fighting?" He asked crossing his legs. Bassolenk's ears swiveled, the wolf equivalent of a shrug.

"All of them were strong as any wolf in their youth. One by the name Huantu could kick an opponent so fast and hard that they would die instantly from such force. He was very strong in broad fighting. However, strength in itself doesn't directly make someone stronger." Bassolenk brushed his brown hair behind his shoulders.

"You can push me aside with ease."

"Me pushing you doesn't make me stronger than you. My training and experience in fighting gives birth to my strength."

"It does?" The human questioned.

"Yes." He nodded. "There is a story that a wolf by the name Ferrite lived alone on the highest mountain in a far away land to the southwest. He was twice the height of any other wolf and far larger than any wolf today. His neck was as thick as a giant oak tree!" Bassolenk proclaimed. "Every day he trained by climbing the mountain from bottom to top, breaking stones even larger than himself, and uprooting trees that touched the spirits' sky.

Some revered him as a Flower War spirit, others a mentor to physical prowess. One day Sahu, a wolf from a peaceful village, hunted at the base of Ferrite's mountain. He caught and prepared a deer, but Ferrite wouldn't allow someone to hunt on his land. The giant wolf jumped from the mountaintop to the bottom where Sahu was. The force of his paws landing caused an earthquake! When the ground stopped shaking Sahu found the wolf standing before him, snarling in rage. Ferrite bellowed, 'No one hunts on my mountain!' His voice shook the tree limbs like a gust of wind, but this didn't scare Sahu. He challenged the peaceful wolf to a fight, and Sahu accepted. Sahu knew the great wolf Ferrite would try to kill him, but not even that scared him. Spears clashed violently with such force that their teeth chattered. After an entire day of fighting Sahu emerged victorious and left with the deer he had caught."

"Why didn't he kill Ferrite?" Mathew asked.

"To teach him another lesson. Show mercy to those you have defeated in battle." Bassolenk nodded to himself. "Sahu advocated many of the lessons that I will be trying to teach you."

Heavy breathing and panting was heard along a hillside facing the Massa village. Paws softly followed the plodding feet in the grass downhill. Mathew had been training under Bassolenk's tutelage for over a week, and the human had used muscles that he didn't even know existed. Running, focusing exercises, sparring hand to hand, and practicing with weapons had been covered in some way since he began training. His teacher had been running him for over an hour this afternoon, literally.

"I feel weak!" Mathew jogged with his teacher practically nipping at his heels.

"Keep going!" Bassolenk barked behind him. Sometimes the wolf would poke the human's bare back with a claw or nip at his neck to speed him up.

"Ah!" Mathew jumped feeling claws poke his neck. The human then tripped and fell to the ground. "Ugh." Mathew rolled onto his back breathing hard.

"Are you ok?" A voice above him checked.

"I guess, but I could do better if I was a wolf." Mathew looked up at his teacher from the ground.

"Do not lie to yourself." Bassolenk knelt down and extended his hand to the human. "Deceiving yourself in such a way will cause you to lose your true identity."

"Thank you." Mathew sat up and the wolf sat down in front of him. "You're lessons remind me of Kithos a lot."

"We are brothers." He folded his arms in a discerning way.

"What?! Kithos and you are brothers!" Mathew fell back. "But you two are nothing alike." The very stoic and strict Bassolenk related to the carefree and happy Kithos seemed impossible.

"Well... We are." He flatly replied. The surprised look on the human's face put the wolf off his normal attitude. "Eh. I think it's a good time to stop training for the day." Bassolenk helped him up. "Come back in two or three days well rested."

"Thanks. I'll see you then." He patted the wolf's back before parting their separate ways. 'I have to ask Kithos.' He hurried over to the shaman's hut located at the northwestern edge of the village. An unknown wolf abruptly exited the shaman's hut when the human arrived. The mottled grey male oddly wore two raven feathers in his mane, just under his right ear. The two stared before the wolf went on his way. Mathew shrugged off the encounter and entered Kithos's hut. The odd aromas of herbs and other medicines permeated the confined air. The village's shaman was kneeling by a dormant fire. His apprentice was sitting beside a sleeping wolf on a mat designated for the sick or wounded. Both were expectedly naked. "Hello Kithos." Mathew knelt down before the wolf.

"Ah! Hello Mathew!" Kithos cradled the human's cheeks as they touched noses. The shaman was in a very happy mood!

"Who was the wolf that just left?"

"A wolf from the Sakso village to the south. You can tell because all of their male warrior wear two feathers under their right ear in their mane. Their females do the same to their left."

"You look excited." Mathew noticed the shaman's tail wagging frequently with a prominent grin splayed over his lips.

"Yes! Oshku is bleeding from the womb for her first time." Kithos explained.

"Bleeding from the womb?" Mathew didn't understand. He looked at the brown and white she wolf noticing a tiny trickle of red between her legs.

"She's becoming an adult wolf and will grow into a beautiful wolfess. I'm proud of her like a father." He smiled fondly at his apprentice. The maturing she wolf's ears pinned back shyly at the generous compliments, but the smile Oshku wore told how excited she was. "I will chant a prayer to the spirits with her parents tomorrow to mark the event."

"Won't blood mark everything?" Mathew knew how difficult washing clothes could be.

"Wolfess shamans openly bleed on the ground but they will carry something to clean with if it's too cold to wash in the creek. Those who aren't in the shamanic tradition will wear a second loincloth underneath the first to wipe anything away." That made a lot of sense why he had seen females wear a double layer of loincloths before.

"Congratulations Oshku on becoming an adult wolf." Mathew smiled and nodded to her.

"Thank you." She smiled and wagged her tail appreciatively, thumping it against the ground.

"How often does bleeding from the womb happen in female wolves?" Mathew didn't even realize that during the two warm seasons females were bleeding with only a double layered loincloth to distinguish the occurrence. Then again, the human didn't have a strong nose like a wolf did.

"Once every spring or summer, and it will last several days." Kithos explained. "Something Oshku will know." He added unable to contain his proud smile. Their chatter stirred the sleeping wolf beside Oshku.

"You're the flat face that Bassolenk is training." The injured male growled seeing Mathew.

"I told you to lie down and rest." Kithos gave a stern glare to the male wolf. He reluctantly did so after averting his gaze from the human.

"Shall I tend to his wound?" Oshku inquired.

"Lick his wound." He instructed his apprentice. The hurt male kept his lips sealed, but whined as soon as Oshku's tongue touched his wound.

"What happened to him?" Mathew peeked over at the black and grey wolf his apprentice was attending to.

"A tree branch broke out from under Yaounde while he was climbing. The first thing this proud wolf said was that he felt fine... until I checked his wound." Kithos laughed while Yaounde grumbled to himself. "So how is your training going with Bassolenk?"

"It's difficult." Mathew admitted. "Oh! Wait. Bassolenk told me that you two are brothers. Is this true?"

"Yes. We are brothers." The shaman chuckled.

"Wow." Mathew gave a blank look. "I never would've guessed."

"I suppose we have our differences." Kithos shrugged. "But what is difficult about your training? I trust he doesn't overdo any exercise."

"I have trouble with everything. I can't run fast enough, long enough. I'm shorter and weaker than him... But the hardest parts are doing the spiritual exercises. I don't understand them." His words made the shaman's ears perk forward with intrigue.

"You don't understand the spirits? Hm. I think you need to experience some spiritual guidance." He paused to think.

'More spiritual nonsense?' Mathew found that pointless.

"I know! Help Nenma and Faustus at their home or wherever they go. You don't have a home for yourself yet, so you can stay with them."

"Wait. Spiritual guidance?" Mathew couldn't believe what Kithos was telling him. "And I accomplish it by helping two wolves?"

"I think it will work perfectly for them and you. Nenma and Faustus are old and could use some help with daily chores like cooking, cleaning, and whatever else they want you to do. I visit them every other morning to check on them, so you'll be helping me out as well."

"So I am going to be a servant to you as well as them?" Mathew made the shaman frown briefly.

"Not at all! You are helping three people including yourself as a fourth. That's doing the entire tribe a great deal of help."

"I am?"

"Of course. Trust me." Kithos nodded with a positive smile.

"Uh. I'm here to help you two." He explained for the fourth time to the older wolf couple. Nenma the light grey and brown wolfess, and Faustus the mottled grey wolf seemed as confused as the human when he was told what to do at Kithos's request. Both had a good amount of white and silver on their muzzles indicating their old age.

"Yes you told us that already, but what can you do? What does your kind do?" Faustus asked tilting his head. "The only flat faces that I have seen were dead on the ground."

"Faustus." His mate murmured and nudged his side.

"What? I don't want someone dying in our home."

"Faustus!" Nenma nipped at him before turning to the human. "So Kithos wants you to stay with us and help us." Nenma clarified.

"Yes." Mathew nodded.

"Helping us wouldn't be a bad thing." Faustus grinned starting to like the idea. "Does your kind smell bad without a bath?" Faustus wiggled his nose.

"He smells fine." Nenma said after taking a deep breath.

"I know but it hasn't been warm enough outside to bathe properly." He shrugged.

"You never liked cold water." She murmured. "I think it's a nice idea though Mathew. We can figure it out starting tomorrow. There are extra pelts to sleep on." The grey and brown wolfess pointed to the wall where a few were stacked.

"I um... If it isn't too much trouble can I sleep next to either of you for a few nights?" He nervously scratched his head. "It's too cold for me even with a blanket."

"That's fine, we won't bite." Nenma couldn't help but chuckle at her words.

"I wondered how you stayed warm with Aitu." Faustus yawned letting his mate take care of the fire. "If my ears and paws are freezing after a day in the cold then you have to feel the same way." He brought out a deerskin and placed it beside the first before discarding his loincloth. With the fire extinguished Nenma and Mathew discarded theirs and laid down. The human was on his side facing Faustus, pressed against him as close as he could be.

"Sleep well." Everyone said before closing their eyes. It didn't take the wolves long to fall asleep, but Mathew stared at Faustus's light grey shoulder. He wondered what Aitu was doing. He barely had time to tell her during dinner. He hoped Nenma and Faustus cooked as well as her.

'I miss her fur.' Mathew wished the wolf's strong arms and hands were around him. The elder male suddenly turned onto his side in his sleep, unknowingly pressing his front to the human's front. Mathew grimaced feeling a sheath touch him and carefully rolled over to not wake Faustus. However, it didn't take long for the human to start shivering from the cold air. 'Why me?' He clenched his teeth to stop shivering. With a little self persuasion Mathew rolled back to Faustus to stay warm next his fur. The close proximity of facing bodies irked him once again, but Mathew didn't have any other options on hand to stay warm.

Mathew blinked awake feeling a heaviness in his eyes. Sleep in the new hut was far and few for the human last night.

'Ugh... Tired.' He looked around the new hut. It even smelled different than Aitu's. Nenma wasn't dressed yet, but her mate was as they sat around the fire.

"You don't look like you slept too well." Nenma observed the yawning human while her mate warmed a few strips of meat over the small fire.

"I had trouble falling asleep." He admitted rubbing an eye.

"Really? Faustus is a big sleeper." She nudged her mate's side chuckling. "I could kiss him and he wouldn't wake up." Nenma gave a wet smooch on the side of his muzzle. Faustus smiled and wagged his tail.

"No. I couldn't fall asleep, that's all." He crawled up to the morning fire and warmed himself. He picked out a few bites from the fire to eat.

"It smells like it rained." Faustus ate a finished piece of meat fresh from the fire.

'I'm glad I don't have to train with Bassolenk today.' Mathew grinned to himself. Slipping in patches of mud would either require multiple trips to the creek or training the whole morning and afternoon in the water.

"So Kithos wanted you to help us with whatever we needed?" Faustus asked turning to face Mathew's right.

"Yes. That's what he wants me to do." The human confirmed. The male smiled at his words.

"Good. Can you comb through my legs and find any ticks? I went through the forest and tall grass fields yesterday." Faustus stretched his legs out to Mathew. The task wasn't appealing, but Kithos wanted him to help the two elder wolves with anything. The strange anomaly that was a canine leg had his attention. The human scooted forward and placed both limbs across his lap. Both digitigrade ankles oddly dipped to the ground between his crossed legs, but Mathew was accustomed to the wolves' anatomy. "Make sure to go through my ankles twice. They like to hide there." He lifted a tan and grey dusted white leg before setting it back down. With reluctance Mathew tediously preened through the male's fur starting at his paws. He was thankful that Faustus wore a loincloth unlike the elder wolf's mate who seemed indifferent about being in the buff in her hut around a complete stranger.

'Gross.' He pulled one out of the fur. The male hummed contently enjoying his meal while Mathew searched for parasites. The human sat up and cracked his back when he finally finished. At least two dozen of the parasites were burnt ash in the fire now.

"Thank you. They're a pain to find, especially since Nenma and I aren't as flexible as we used to be." Faustus wagged his tail gratefully.

"You're welcome." Mathew sleepily replied.

"Maybe you should sleep more." He watched the human yawn for a prolonged time. "The deerskin looks nice and soft." The human didn't need to be told twice and immediately lied down without removing his loincloth. In a few minutes the human was sleeping soundly to the crackling fire. "Out like a fire at night." Faustus chuckled.

"You sleep the same way." Nenma grinned, reminding her mate. Their ears dialed hearing someone outside the hut.

"Hello!" Aitu entered through the hut's door flap.

"Hello. What spirit brings you by this early morning?" Nenma smiled.

"I came to check on Mathew." She touched noses with the elder wolves.

"Mathew is over there." Nenma flicked her tail over at the sleeping human. "He didn't sleep well beside Faustus."

"I promise I didn't bite." He chuckled.

"I certainly hope not." Aitu grinned knowing how sharp canine teeth are. "He needs to adjust to living in your home first, then he will be sleeping much better."

"That's good to hear."

"Oh, and he might need to sleep with one of you to stay warm if it's really cold." She added.

"He let us know last night." Nenma grinned. "He's very nice to us."

"Mmhm. He picked ticks from my legs." Faustus nodded.

'I didn't even ask Mathew to do that!' She thought to herself looking at the sleeping human. Her gaze softened seeing how peaceful he looked. "He does like helping others."

"I heard he watches pups whenever parents need him to."

"He does, and he is very good at it." The black wolfess grinned. The low fire crackled quietly while they talked. "Well, I wanted to check and see if he was doing alright." Aitu nodded. "I'm going to spend the day with my parents."

"You'll have a good time." Nenma wagged her tail.

"Mmhm! I guess I'll go now."

"I'll follow you out." Faustus rose to his paws. "I'm hunting in a small pack for most of the day with Kazan, his mate, and their son."

"Bye Nenma." Aitu hugged the elder wolfess before peering at the sleeping human. "Sleep well. You are in good hands." She whispered wishing him well. Nenma licked her mate's muzzle as he left with Aitu out the door flap.

Mathew awoke again in the late morning after catching up on some of his sleep. "Are you fully rested?" Nenma watched the human roll over and stretch.

"I think so. Do you mind if I sleep next to you tonight Nenma?" He asked sitting up.

"Hmm? Did Faustus snore?"

"No, it's just... I'll sleep better beside you this night." Mathew didn't want to admit that sleeping against the naked male bothered him.

"That's fine with me. Oh, and Aitu came over to check on how you were doing."

"She did?" His face brightened.

"Yes. She wanted to make sure that you stayed warm during the night, and she reminded us why you needed to sleep beside a wolf." Nenma tittered. Mathew noticed they were the only two remaining inside.

"Where did Faustus go?"

"He went to hunt in a pack somewhere. He loves hunting and does his best to do it every day." The she wolf's ear perked hearing the human's stomach grumble quietly.

"I guess I'm still hungry." He chuckled.

"Here. There's an extra piece for you." She offered the last skewered meat over the fire.

"Thank you." The human gladly accepted the offer. The warm morsel was downed with gusto. "So... What do you want me to help you with today?" He gladly finished the meat.

"Let's see." She looked around the hut. "Ah. I need to finish drying these pelts." Nenma crawled over and patted a stack of small furs.

"Where are we taking them?" He picked them up for her.

"I'll show you." She didn't bother dressing and crawled outside with the human behind her. Mathew kept the rabbit fur blanket loosely around his back. It wasn't very cold, but there was enough chill to affect his skin. "It rained for a while yesterday, so I couldn't leave them out." She grinned showing the human the line running from her hut to another. Heavy clouds were almost beyond the horizon from last night leaving blue sky and plenty of sunshine in their wake.

"Do you want me to hang them up for you?" Mathew set the pile at her paws.

"Yes please." She sat down. The wolfess was happy that she didn't need to bend her back so much just to air pelts out. Nenma handed them to the human one at a time. Nenma enjoyed the calm and cool morning. Other than a few barks or random howl, it was a peaceful morning. "Do humans have a different way of drying clothes?" She asked handing him the last few garments to hang.

"Actually we do the exact same thing in New Haven and Nepheira." The elder she wolf's ears pivoted hearing the odd names.

"New Haven?" She spoke the English words slowly, almost missing the pronunciation entirely.

"That's the name of the town, err village by the salt waters. Nepheira is where I'm from."

"Did you help your family a lot around the hut there?" She asked watching the breeze ruffle the furs and clothes. Her ears searched for a voice as the breeze calmed. "Hm?" Nenma looked over only to see a silent Mathew staring away into the meadow. A few moments passed before he shook his head.

"No." He quietly answered. The elder wolfess sensed his discomfort and didn't want to upset him any further.

"You know, I had a dream where the spirits told me that spring will arrive sooner than normal. It certainly wouldn't be a bad change." Nenma mused. "Flower buds will bloom very soon."

'Spirits...' Mathew thought about what the village shaman tried telling him. "What does Kithos mean when he talks about the spirits being everywhere and in everything?" Mathew sat down beside her.

"Hmm. I have to think about that one." She paused. "He means the natural world around us. Nature." She picked a blade of grass and held it between two fingers. "They take the shape of wolves, foxes, or badgers to communicate with us in our dreams when they want to." Mathew found it tough to believe that one would visit his dreams, leaving the human skeptical.

"Did you try to be a shaman?" He asked.

"A shaman?" Nenma's head tilted. "What makes you think that?"

"You are the third wolf I know to stay naked." Mathew nodded to her naked form.

"Oh!" Her tail flicked up as she grinned. "I don't wear anything because it hurts my hands to put something on." Nenma held up her brown hand.

"It hurts?"

"My joints ache frequently and it makes doing many things painful, especially tying a lace for cloth around my back."

"Does Kithos give you anything to help?"

"You are full of questions." Her soft wolfish chuckles sweetly filled the air around them.

"I guess I'm just curious." He grinned.

"Kithos doesn't have something that can cure it, but he helps me whenever he can." Nenma started to stand with a huff. "We can go inside while these dry." She suggested. Mathew helped the old wolf to her paws and went inside with her. "Thank you." She was able to make it inside by herself. The wolfess sat down by the dormant fire with a huff. "They should be dry by the end of the day." Not very much was said or done for the rest of the afternoon. Nenma would occasionally ask the human to retrieve something for her across the home, but it was otherwise a quiet day. At mid evening a rustling at the door flap caught their attention.

"Hello Nenma!" Two wolves, male and female, entered the hut.

"Do you mind if we visit?"

"Hello Cheshuk! Mahout!" Nenma touched noses with the two wolves that knelt in front of her. Both were around Nenma's age with white encroaching around their muzzles. Cheshuk the female had a soft brown coat with aging white, but her paws and hands were a charcoal color. Mahout, her mate, had a dark charcoal grey and black fur coat but his muzzle, face, and throat were ticked with white fur. Both of their hair were combinations of braids and tails with feathers and lesser adornments.

"This is the Mathew we've heard so much about." They looked at the human sitting idly one meter away from them.

"Hello." He quietly greeted them.

"Kithos wants him to stay and help Faustus and me for a while, maybe through most of the spring." Nenma explained while they touched noses.

"It's always good taking care of your elders." Cheshuk liked the idea dwelling on the human's unique scent.

"Is something wrong?" Nenma watched Cheshuk fiddle with the leather string holding her chest cloth up.

"There's no need for us to wear clothes around you." Mahout helped undo his mate's chest cloth while she untied her loincloth.

"But we aren't bathing in the creek." Nenma tilted her head as they undressed.

"No, no. We don't want you to feel left out." He insisted setting his loincloth aside on top of his mate's. "Besides, we're in your hut and there's no reason for me to wear a loincloth when two lovely wolfesses aren't wearing theirs."

"You're too kind to me." Her ears pinned back briefly in a wolffish blush. Mathew had no idea elder wolves were so lenient on wearing clothes, but Nenma's joint discomfort was a special case. He raised an eyebrow at the plump male hood between the wolf's thighs regardless.

"No one minds seeing your big ol' sheath." Cheshuk elbowed her mate's side. "Oh! I forgot about you Mathew!" She cackled looking at the reserved human.

"He won't mind." Nenma patted his shoulder. "He had to sleep next to Faustus last night." They laughed.

"I heard humans weren't that much different than wolves." Cheshuk motioned to her face and body. "Other than the fur, tail, ears, and face of course."

"Yes... but," he pointed between Mahout's legs offhandedly, "we're different there too."

"Ah, Ashan told me about that. Do you want us to put the loincloths back on?" He asked.

"We wanted to visit Nenma naked, but if it bothers you-"

"No, it's fine." Mathew interrupted. "I never grew up seeing another person without clothes my whole life, but after bathing with Ashan it wasn't a problem."

"Never?" Mahout cocked his head to the side in typical canine fashion. "Didn't you bathe with others in a creek or river?"

"Not where I'm from. No human does."

"So the rumor that your kind smell bad is true?" Mahout wryly smiled.

"Well... It's not safe to bathe where I'm from." The explanation surprised them.

"The rivers must be deep and have fast currents." Cheshuk murmured aloud. Mathew didn't add anything more. He didn't want to talk about how people were shot for being defenseless while attempting to bathe.

"Your fire is low, Nenma." Mahout observed and prepared to get up to retrieve some firewood.

"I'll go get some more wood." Mathew offered and quickly stood up.

"I don't think we have extra wood by the entrance." Nenma told him.

"That's fine, I'll get some from the edge of the forest." He grabbed his blanket and crawled outside to leave. The sun was dipping below the horizon leaving the village in an early dusk setting. Most wolves were heading back to the village or hanging out around a hut's entrance if they already weren't inside. "I need the fresh air." He stretched walking towards the field. Moreover, he didn't want to talk about Nepheira. Chilling memories were best left covered. Movement caught the human's eye. A pup bounded up to the human before jumping up and hugging him. A damp black nose pressed against the side of his head.

"Hi Mathew!" Mathew recognized the little one's scent and appearance.

"Hey Watambi." The human grinned at the unexpected late evening greeting and hugged the pup back. Cream and grey hair rested messily over Watambi's shoulders and back.

"What are you doing Mathew?" Watambi slipped out of the human's arms.

"Hey Watambi. I'm going to gather some firewood for Nenma and Faustus. Why are you out so late?"

"I saw you walking this way, so I wanted to follow you." He shrugged.

"Are you trying to avoid going to sleep early?" Mathew grinned.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" The cream and grey haired pup looked up at the human sheepishly.

"No. I won't."

"Thank you!" The pup practically skipped beside Mathew down the empty field. "I haven't seen you with Aitu today. Is she angry at you?"

"No, of course not! Our shaman wanted me to live with Nenma and Faustus to help them with duties in the village."

"You're pup watching adults!" Watambi laughed. "That sounds boring."

"There isn't as much playing involved."

"You should visit when grandpa Asaru visits. He always plays."

"Is he still complaining about sand in his fur?"

"No." Watambi stuck his tongue out. They both laughed at that. "Do humans care for their parents and village elders too?" Watambi asked.

"Most of them want to, but they can't."

"Why not? Do they live in different villages?"

"Uh, some might." Mathew tried giving his answer a positive spin. "Many humans don't live very long though, so they don't have many family members."

"Don't they have shamans for when they become ill?"

"No. There's too much fighting anyway." They crossed the small empty gardens by the lower creek before reaching the edge of the forest. Mathew started collecting pieces of wood that was already chopped and sticks lying about. Watambi let his tongue loll out while he jumped and hopped beside Mathew, handing the human sticks when he could. His hair and loincloth jostled with every jovial step as he hummed an occasional tune. 'Ixaki and Ensha will have trouble putting him to bed tonight.' Mathew mused.

"Why aren't other flat faces like you?" He asked handing the human a final small pile of sticks and wood. Mathew found himself at a loss for words.

"Thanks. This should be enough." Mathew picked up the load and they headed back to the village. Watambi looked up at his friend quizzically.

"So... Why are you the only one of your kind who is nice to wolves?" Watambi asked again.

"Well... It isn't easy to explain." Mathew hoped that he could explain it easily to the pup. "Have you wrestled before?"

"Yeah! It's a lot of fun with grandpa Asaru."

"Have you wrestled with Kiita?" The pups were roughly the same age.

"Yeah... She's really good." His ears folded back.

"You don't have time to talk while wrestling her, right?"

"No." The pup shook his head. "I can't cant while wrestling her, or I'll be pinned."

"Humans fight each other like wrestling. They don't have time to stop or else they'll be pinned." Mathew tried explaining. Watambi wiggled his one in thought.

"Then humans need to learn how to play other games than wrestling!" The pup smiled.

"They don't stop fighting." Mathew half mumbled to himself, but the wolf's sensitive ear easily heard.

"They should!" He barked happily.

"You're right. They should." Mathew gave the pup a bump with his hip, unable to give a quick hug with his current armload. "If your mother wondered where you were just say I was with you."

"I know!" He scampered off through the huts, loincloth flapping between his legs like a second tail.

"Sleep well!"

"Thanks! Sleep well too!" He disappeared. Mathew wore a content smile as he walked.

'If only humans could see the world through a pup's eyes.' He thought looking up at the dimming sky. Mathew walked around a neighboring hut and found Faustus gathering the furs and clothes from the line. "You're finally back." Mathew greeted the old wolf. "How did your hunt go?"

"Oh, good and bad." He shrugged. "Kazan's son caught two rabbits with a sling, but we didn't have such luck." The elder wolf's paw scuffed at the ground as he retrieved the last pelt.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine. We always have tomorrow." The wolf grinned. "Stay there. I'll help carry in the wood." He quickly ducked in to set the armful of garment and pelts inside by the entrance. The male quickly came back outside.

"Thank you." Mathew gave Faustus half of the load and entered after him. Nenma was sitting by the fire.

"You just missed Mahout and Cheshuk. They visited for a while." The she wolf said wearing a warm smile.

"I can smell that." Faustus set the wood in the pit and pointed to his nose. "What did they talk about?"

"This and that." She mused.

"Did they talk to you naked so you wouldn't feel left out?" His lips curled into a grin.

"It was nice. Those two are always kind." Her tail wagged. After a quick meal, everyone lied down to sleep. This time Mathew was lying down with his back to Nenma's front.

'At least she doesn't have a sheath.' He was content with breasts on his shoulder blades. The human stared at the primarily wooden wall of the hut. Outside, a few crickets could be heard chirping in the quiet night. Mathew wanted to fall asleep, but something nagged at him. He felt lonely without Aitu. Despite everything he had been through since setting foot in New Haven, the wolfess had his complete trust. He could even call her a friend which was something he wasn't able to call anyone for a long time. Mathew looked at his side where Nenma's arm draped loosely over his torso. The larger hand hung in front of his midsection nonchalantly where her claws barely reached the ground. Soft breathing of warm air could be felt on the back of his neck every few seconds. He carefully moved and grabbed the elder she wolf's hand and held it close to his body like Aitu would during a cold night. The pads warmed his skin instantly. The human felt reassured and closed his eyes. Minutes later the hand softly patted his chest and remained securely close.

Chapter XI

"Hello Mathew." Kithos touched noses with the human. "Is your stay with Nenma and Faustus going well?"

"I believe so." He shrugged. The human had been with the older pair for over a week helping with varying tasks. "It isn't much different than living with Aitu."

"Good! I'm glad to see someone stay with them. They can still live on their own for their remaining season cycles but you will definitely be able to help them."

"Don't they have family to help?"

"Sadly, they do not. Nenma is very infertile." Kithos slowly shook his head and pinned his ears back. "I remember being an apprentice when I was a few springs younger than you. Nenma wept every time she failed to conceive. Pahuun, the shaman before me, couldn't ease the burden and the spirits didn't act. Nenma has shown strong resilience through those times."

"I had no idea." Mathew spoke softly. The wolfess was essentially sterile, but she didn't let that depress her entire life. "She is very strong." He suddenly felt glad that he could help her.

"She is very strong." The shaman nodded in agreement. "And I admire her strength." Of course all wolves were strong to Mathew.

"I thought she wouldn't want me to stay with her because I am a human." He admitted.

"Maybe when you first arrived here, but you are more wolf than human Mathew."

"More wolf?" He questioned.

"Of course." Kithos grinned, showing his sharp teeth. "You speak like a wolf, dress like a wolf, you even smell like one." The shaman nodded.

"So I could become a shaman if I wanted to? Even though I am human?"

"I think that would be great to do." He nodded. "No one could challenge that you didn't care. Being a shaman is vital to any village. You will communicate with the spirits, interpret dreams, and know how all medicines heal."

'Kithos really has to know a lot.' Mathew thought to himself looking at the naked brindle male. Although the spiritual side of any wolf was complicated to the human.

"Do the spirits wear clothes?" He asked the shaman.

"Most do, but like any wolf it is a matter of choice."

"Then why do you have to be naked to become closer to the spirits? It all seems strange to me."

"Nature is how you physically connect to the spirits, and clothes are not naturally found in nature. It's freeing and fulfilling." He paused to close his eyes and took a deep breath. "You can feel the connection." The wolf's serene demeanor spoke volumes by itself.

"Then why doesn't everyone forgo clothes?"

"Well firstly it isn't easy during winter, and secondly you have to commit to a more spiritual life. Forgoing clothes for a day won't accomplish any goal. Besides, the life of a shaman is dedicated to helping those who are sick and in need of healing. It's a choice that one must make independently and wish to maintain." It sounded very honorable.

"Do the spirits age too?"

"Hmm. Spirits and clothes... You are thinking about something strange." Kithos mused to himself. "But no, they do not age like us. They remain constant which is true to their very nature."

"Can shamans communicate with the spirits whenever they want?"

"Shamans can communicate better with the spirits," he nodded, "but it isn't merely on a whim."

"How?" They seemed so real to the wolves, but completely unreal to the human.

"Normally through dreams. You hang a bad dream catcher to ensure bad spirits don't invade your dreams, only good ones. After that, it just comes naturally. It's similar to how a wolf never forgets their mother's scent." He explained. "Your nose is able to detect it even in the harshest conditions."

"I don't think my mother had a scent." Mathew couldn't recall such a trait.

"Even though I have a lot of medicines, I can't fix a nose that cannot smell." Kithos mused as the human felt over his nose.

"How do you stay warm in the cold without any clothes, and stay attached to the spirits?" Mathew asked the unclothed shaman.

"If I'm out long I'll wear a blanket over my shoulders. That's usually enough." He replied maintaining his stoic position.

'Oh yeah, they have a thick winter fur coat.' Mathew reminded himself. "Like my blanket?"

"A little thinner than rabbit fur." He pointed to his own fur coat. The human stared at the ground in thought. He wasn't sure how to word his next question. "Is there anything else that your wandering mind wishes to know?" Kithos grinned as if to read the human's thoughts.

"What happens if... if your sheath er male part comes up?" Mathew didn't know the name of a male's reproductive organs.

"My Tashu!" Kithos chuckled finding the question very humerous. "That happens to any male wolf." He pulled the sheath down enough to expose the tapered red tip inside. "Sometimes it means your heart likes what your eyes see, but it will go away soon." Mathew nodded slowly, but looked conflicted over the shaman's explanation. That was a big personal fear ever since he started wearing the loincloth.

"Isn't it wrong to see it?"

"Wrong?" Kithos turned his head. "How so?"

"I mean... It's-well isn't it to mate?" Mathew quietly asked as if they were hunting.

"No. Mating is something you and the one you love do privately. That can't happen while you are by yourself." Kithos explained even further, but Mathew appeared unyielding in his nervousness. "I see you are concerned, so I will tell you a story about it." The nude wolf said with his understanding grin. Kithos leaned back and stared into the sky for a minute and sat upright once more when he remembered a good story. "When I was at that time between being an adult and a pup it happened many times for no reason. It never bothered me and it never bothered anyone so the occurrence didn't cause any problems. However, my brother always took a chance to make fun of me. My brother would tell me, 'How can you hunt with that slowing you down?' In his usual manner." Kithos mimicked a stuck up look by crossing his arms and holding his nose up. "I would always sit down frustrated trying to think of a smart answer to him, but I never could. But one day it happened again when we were playing in the creek. He said the same smart remark but I stood up and told him, 'With my perfect shots from the bow, nothing can escape my slow walk!' My dad laughed and told my brother there should only be concern if you cannot have one."

They both laughed as Kithos finished. "Sometimes the spirits send an uplifting wind when you're sitting, hunting, bathing, or playing." They laughed again. Mathew felt immediate relief at the casual dismissal of a public erection. Nudity was something wolves treated as a healthy practice, and nothing shameful.

"What about a mate? Aren't shamans allowed to have a mate?"

"Oh of course we can have a mate." He smiled at the next question. "Some wolves in the tribe, shaman or not, just don't have a mate for whatever reason. It's a personal choice." Mathew nodded and stared out into the moor. Aitu chose not to be mated either. "The moor is beautiful with the snow." Kithos smiled staring out into the thinly veiled white moor. Nature always seemed to be the source of the shaman's good mood regardless of the season or weather.

"I wish it wasn't so cold." He made the wolf chuckle.

"You should stay warm rather than sit out here with me." He nodded for the human to leave. Mathew agreed and looked forward to warming himself by a fire. "But before you leave-" The shaman placed his hand on the human's side. "I want you to say a small chant when you first leave Faustus and Nenma's home every morning."

"You want me to chant like you?"

"Yes. This is what I want you to chant every morning." He cleared his throat.

Mathew quietly put on his loincloth and moccasins. A medium stone bowl contained several nuts of variation that the she wolf planned on grinding into a fine flour. He looked over at the deerskin where Nenma was still asleep. There was a faint smile on her muzzle. He had rubbed her back as soon as he woke up and encouraged the wolfess to sleep in this morning. Mathew took a deep breath and crawled outside. The air was cool and calm. He sat down in wolfish tradition in front of the hut's entrance and placed his hands on his knees. The village seemed very quiet this morning. The human could even hear the grass beneath him as he shifted. Mathew's brow furrowed tensely. He felt very self conscious about chanting, and his reddening cheeks didn't help.

'What if someone hears me?' Mathew worried. A wolf nearby exited a hut and hurried away wearing a quiver on his back. It was late enough to miss the early hunting packs, yet early enough to miss everyone else for the morning. The human mustered his courage and cleared his throat:

"The wind whispers to me,

the secrets of healing and life.

I follow the guidance,

that the spirits give me."

The village was quiet again as he finished. He didn't feel any different and looked around the empty village. 'I don't want to arrive late to the training field.' Mathew hastily stood up and quickly made his way through the huts. The grey and white wolf was waiting for him in his usual stoic pose, standing tall and still.

"Start with a focusing exercise." Bassolenk quietly instructed. Focusing meant thinking about the spirits or nature in general to calm the mind. Mathew sat down and closed his eyes.

'Focus Mathew.' He told himself and took a deep breath. The image of the moor north of Massa came to mind. The gentle rolling hills, grasses and flowers bobbing in a breeze, and the freedom that came with it. The image was very peaceful and relaxing.

"Ready?" Bassolenk asked as the human opened his eyes. He felt calmer, more focused, and ready to work with his teacher.

"I'm ready." Mathew stood up. The wolf grinned at the human's confident attitude.

"We will stretch each other's legs before we run." He nodded and pointed to the ground. Mathew lied down and the wolf lifted one leg, then the other, to stretch the muscles. He watched the wolf holding his leg to the furry body with a single large hand. His foot didn't even reach above the canine's loincloth. "Now you do the same to me." He helped Mathew up before lying down in the grass. The human lifted the large furry digitigrade leg.

'He could kick me across e field.' Bassolenk had toned muscles as any wolf, but the human was still impressed at their sheer size and length. He stepped forward to stretch the muscle but the main paw pad pressed against his chin leaving large claws in front of the human's face.

"You don't rest your chin there. Stand to the side." He smirked and shook his head.

'It's either claws at my face or my ear.' Mathew thought to himself.

"That's good. Now the other one." He instructed. The human set the large leg down and lifted the other to stretch it without the pads touching his face. "Ah. Thank you Mathew." Bassolenk grinned and the human helped the wolf up.

"Couldn't you have stretched your own legs?" Mathew asked.

"I am training you so we need to cooperate together."

"Where are we running?"

"Around the village in a big circle." He motioned. "Are you ready?" Mathew nodded. "Alright. Lets go!" They took off.

***

"HAH!" Mathew yelled throwing a spear. The weapon sailed three the air before skittering into the ground. The spear fell short of the target once again, but it was much closer than any of his previous attempts. He felt as if the wind and grass were carrying the wooden weapon further each throw since he had chanted and finished running with Bassolenk.

"Better." His teacher reassured him with a pat to the shoulder.

"But not quite there." Mathew looked at the untouched target.

"I know you have improved. Use the rest of the day to rest and stay with Nenma."

"Thanks." Mathew bade him farewell for the day. 'My arms are already sore!' The human was thankful to have a break before the wolf really wore him out. Mathew arrived at Nenma's hut and ducked through the door flap. His nose could detect the familiar scent of the elder wolf pair, albeit not on the same level as a wolf's. Nenma was sitting on a deerskin mat, looking over a blanket in her lap for broken seams. The older brown and grey she wolf's ears swiveled hearing the door flap move. After a quick check with her nose, the wolfess knew who it was without turning her head around.

"How did your morning with Bassolenk go Mathew?"

"It went better than I expected." He grinned at the improvements he had made and sat down beside her. "No clothes today?" Mathew noticed that the wolfess was openly in the buff.

"Can you find them for me?" She sniffed the air and looked around. "They always land somewhere far away." After a quick search Mathew found them hiding behind a spare blanket beside the fire pit.

"Here you go." Mathew held both articles out to her.

"Can you dress me? My joints hurt." Nenma explained motioning to her hands with a tail flick. Mathew looked at her skeptically, but her unyielding kind expression wasn't fooling him.

"Yes, I can." He picked up the loincloth and placed it over her sex so that it draped properly. The material was a soft leather like Aitu's pieces. Her garment was tied on without trouble, but her chest proved to be a unique challenge to the human. Despite her breasts sagging lack of firmness, her nipples were still hidden within a sea of brown and grey fur. Mathew picked up the bra resembling garment and devised a plan. She had moderate sagging of the breasts like older she wolves her age. However, no matter how aged they were, their nipples and areolae always faced outward and never pointed down. Nenma held her arms open and out to help him as he reached around her sides. Mathew's brow wrinkled as he tried putting on the garment. His eyes widened feeling his hand grab something soft. "Oh god they're drooping on me!" He spoke in English trying to hold each up and slip them into the bra styled fabric. The sensation reminded him of jello covered in warm fur as the breast fumbled in his hands before they fit snugly inside.

"By the spirits he acts like a young pup!" She chuckled as his fingers fumbled to tie the garment around her back.

"I'm really sorry!" He apologized with red cheeks.

"It's fine. I can't stop laughing." She laughed heartily. "You were like a nervous pup trying to act like an adolescent. I don't know what else to say!"

'It's my luck that Kithos wanted me to help old wolves.' He let his nervousness subside while Nenma laughed.

"Let's practice basket making." She snickered grabbing a half finished basket. Mathew sat across from her and was handed the beginning of a basket. Nenma had taught the human how to properly make a basket over the past days. It definitely took his mind off the she wolf's chest. The door flap rustled as a familiar naked wolf entered the hut.

"Hey Nenma. Relaxing at home?" Up the brindle wolf sat down beside her.

"Hello Kithos." Nenma smiled as he touched noses with her. "Is your day going well?"

"For the most part. Naransu's wound from a hunting accident is inflamed and swollen, but she always ignores having a wound."

"Sounds like her." Nenma mused.

"Are you doing well with Nenma Mathew?" The shaman asked the quiet human.

"Yes." He tersely answered fiddling with the basket.

"You must be working him." Kithos murmured to the she wolf, but Nenma shook her head with a grin. "Your pain must be doing better if you can dress without Faustus's help." He observed that the wolfess was dressed for once in her own home.

"Mathew helped me after some trouble."

"Ah, I see." He grinned lightly tapping his tail in amusement. "How did that go?"

"I can tell you later." She whispered with a giggle. Mathew occasionally peeked up from his basket, not entirely focused on their conversation.

"I heard that Techie's older brother is doing well since he left our village to live with his mate in the Lat village."

"Aww, that's great to hear."

"So no new problems over the past few days?" He inquired.

"No. I have the same aching joints." Her ears bowed as she lifted an arm.

"Do you want me to massage you now?" The shaman asked. Nenma thought for a moment before a wide smile erupted along her black lips.

"You don't have to. I can have Mathew do that." She whispered with a teasing grin looking over at the human patiently weaving. Kithos looked amused, but didn't see any harm in the idea.

"Ok. I'll stop by and check on you in four days, how does that sound?" He offered standing up.

"I look forward to it." She smiled and bid him farewell.

"Goodbye Nenma. Goodbye Mathew." He waved at the two before leaving.

"Bye." Mathew waved and returned to his basket.

'Maybe I should've accepted the massage.' Nenma rotated her shoulder and winced feeling the tight stiffness that plagued her. The wolf's ears perked forward remembering that Mathew was with her. "Mathew I need your help." Nenma turned to the human and extended her legs. "Remove my garments please." She requested.

'After I worked so hard on putting them on.' Mathew grumbled to himself. The wolfess watched his hands undo the tied strings before pulling both off. "Ah. Much better." She ruffled the smoothed areas of fur.

"Is that all?" Mathew set them aside.

"Ok. I need you to rub my body to help treat my stiffness." Nenma lied down on her back with a muffled growl and spread her legs a little. A hasty exhale was given as she relaxed. Mathew furrowed his brow and looked over her matured brown and grey form. She had a small layer of fat on her tummy due to age, but other than aged breasts, fur, and belly the wolfess looked healthy and slim with a good reserve of canine muscle.

"Where do I rub you?" He inquired.

"Everywhere." She smiled folding her hands underneath her head expectantly. Unlike Kithos, the human had nowhere to be in a hurry.

"Everywhere?" He glanced at her nude body before maintaining strict eye contact with her.

"Yes, and make sure to take your time. Go over everything twice if you want." The elder wolfess suggested. Her tail wagged readily, waiting for him to start. Unsure how to proceed, Mathew moved her arm and began going over the limb. The older she wolf winced feeling him treat her like a spear. "Imagine I'm made of soft molding clay." Nenma advised him. The human's rougher motions turned more fluid as he adjusted. 'Much better!' She sighed feeling his fingers do most of the work as they ruffled through her predominantly brown fur. He took his time and marveled at how soft the fur on her arms was. Softness couldn't even begin to describe the fluffy cloud resembling texture. "Your fur is really soft Nenma." He moved to her shoulders.

"You sound surprised. Fur softens with age, especially on females." She grinned at what was basic knowledge to her. His hands skipped her breasts and moved to her belly. The brown fur there was equally soft and luscious. Her skin folded and moved under his touch but a fair amount of muscle still existed beneath the fatty pouch which surprised the human. "Don't skip my chest." She opened an eye noticing that he wasn't returning to the forgotten area.

"Yes ma'am." He hesitated and hovered his palms above the area. They were just like an old female human's breasts nearly hanging off her sides, but covered in fur.

**

Mathew entered Aitu's hut with a disturbed expression on his face.

"Hello Aitu."

"Mathew!" Triangular ears perked up, excited to hear his voice. "Are your days going well with Nenma and Faustus?" The black wolfess asked seeing him enter. He plopped down beside her shaking his head.

"I don't know. I don't mind the chores very much, but her insistence on me massaging her entire body is... The entire body!" He repeated with nervous angst.

"She's putting a lot of trust into you if she lets you touch her body unrestricted. Normally one's mate is only given such permission, or a shaman for medicine."

"Yeah, well her breasts are like warm fuzzy mud." He unpleasantly stated wishing that the sensation would leave his hands already. Aitu made a loud barking laugh that startled him.

"Haha! Hot fuzzy mud!" She dissolved into cackling barks.

"It's not funny!" Mathew frowned at her laughter. 'She's laughing harder than Nenma.' He groaned internally. The wolfess gradually collected herself and sat up, but continued wearing a twinkling smile.

"Good spirits! I didn't even greet you yet!" Aitu touched noses with Mathew and breathed in his scent. Likewise, Mathew took in hers. The unique scent invigorated his olfactory. She suddenly hugged him and he didn't hesitate to return the gesture. "I haven't laughed that hard in a few seasons. That was funny!"

"Rubbing a wolf isn't what I thought Kithos meant."

"You'll probably have to help Nenma and Faustus bathe, so that won't be the only time you have to touch them."

"Don't say that." He grumbled. "I have to go back and stay there for who knows how long to have spiritual guidance. Besides, I already washed my hands in the creek twice." Aitu immediately dissolved into a bubbling flow of giggles that had his cheeks turn a shade of embarrassing red.

"Is everything else going well?" She asked containing her laughter. Mathew nodded.

"I help with small things here and there. I spend most of my time with Nenma at her home. Faustus is rarely sitting down. He's active for his age."

"All wolves are active." Aitu grinned. A brief silence passed with the two staring at each other.

"What have you been doing recently?" He looked around seeing the deerskin he normally slept on had been moved.

"Airing out some old deerskins and pelts. It's more time consuming without you."

"Sorry that I couldn't help."

"No, it's fine. You're helping Nenma and Faustus now." The hut turned quiet as both looked at each other.

"Do you want to meet by the low creek tomorrow?" Mathew rubbed the back of his neck.

"And do what?" She asked tilting her head slightly.

"We could watch clouds or something around sun high." He suggested with a shrug.

"I'd like that." She grinned warmly.

"Hello, I'm back." Mathew crawled through the door flap finding Nenma and Faustus by the fire and a cooking pot. The aromatic smell of a good meal was brewing.

"Mathew! How is Aitu doing?" Nenma inquired stirring the contents of the pot.

"She's doing well. Mmm. What are you cooking? It smells delicious." He caught a whiff of dinner and leaned towards the pot.

"Wild rabbit and potato." She murred as the tantalizing smell filled the room. Mathew pursed his lips as the old she wolf leaned forward. Her furry breasts swayed slightly reminding the human of his embarrassing encounter earlier. Nenma's eye caught his hesitation. "Do my breasts bother you that much Mathew?" Nenma was concerned about the human's skittish behavior of her chest.

"Your chest bothers him?" Faustus looked at them in confusion. Mathew could feel his cheeks warming.

"Mathew had the hardest time putting on my chest cloth this morning, and he was nervous while rubbing my front." Nenma explained.

"You're afraid of my mate's chest?" Faustus looked oddly at Mathew.

"W-wait. I'm not afraid of seeing them." He quickly defended himself feeling his cheeks redden.

"Fill a bowl and eat, then we will discuss this." Nenma held her hand up and offered Mathew to sit by the fire.

"Yes ma'am." Her mate happily ate. The three quietly enjoyed the meal, and it gave Mathew time to calm down. Nenma and Faustus weren't trying to embarrass him.

"You weren't bothered by anyone's chest when Cheshuk and Mahout visited." Nenma set her empty bowl aside, chewing through her last piece.

"Seeing a female's chest isn't the problem, but touching it is."

"Touching?" Nenma stared at her breasts in confusion.

"I understand!" Faustus declared. "He doesn't like touching a female's chest."

"That's right." Mathew sighed in relief.

"I thought so." Nenma's mate licked his lips savoring the meal's delicious taste. "I gave up the last time you wanted me to help you dress. Putting that cloth correctly around your chest is tougher than chasing two rabbits." Faustus smirked setting his empty bowl down.

"And I rarely wore a chest cloth inside since then." She reminded him.

"Mathew, if you throw two stones into the air and try catching both that is how difficult it is to dress her." The mottled grey wolf bit back a chuckle and retired to his deerskin to lie down. Mathew shook his head, but smiled at the joke.

"I haven't touched a female there before... Human or wolf." He discounted Aitu because that was an emergency.

"Why didn't you say so earlier? If it's that difficult for you to help a female dress then I can show you how." Nenma offered with a toothy smile and puffed her chest out.

"You will?"

"Why does he need to know that?" Faustus tilted his head questioningly.

"Mathew may want to find a mate one day, and she may need help with the chest cloth." Faustus shrugged seeing nothing wrong with the idea as his mate untied the string.

"Are you sure?" He watched her set the garment on her lap revealing her brown furred chest.

"It's no problem at all." She grinned flicking her tail out of the way for him to sit beside her. "All you have to do is make sure both are held inside, and you won't have trouble with them again." Mathew hesitated, but moved over to her. "You cup them like this and lift up a little from underneath." The she wolf demonstrated. "Now you try." She handed him the chest piece. He knelt behind her and peered over the wolf's shoulder. Mathew did as he was told and brought the cloth to her body before lifting up. "You need both in to work." She noted how one slipped out. Nenma grinned amusedly seeing Mathew's nervous expression when he had to check. The human quickly lifted the breast and slipped it snugly in place. He held the leather string in place before starting over. The mammaries were tricky to "scoop" into the fabric, but Mathew managed after several attempts. "It would be easier if I was younger." Nenma admitted watching him work her breasts into the garment.

"A lot of things were easier when we were younger." Faustus murred from his deerskin. Her mouth opened into a toothy grin as a few memorable ideas came to mind. "Running, hunting, and going to sleep together were my favorite." Faustus recalled wagging his tail. Nenma leaned back on her hands while Mathew practiced.

"Wait-we still sleep together." She eyed him.

"I'm forgetful." He yawned making his mate roll her eyes.

"You were always frustrated when I talked too much during a hunt."

"That always bothered me because I couldn't focus, and nothing comes to the arrow to be caught."

"But when we hunted together you always caught something with one shot." She grinned. "And you would give me a long kiss when we arrived home at the end of the day." Nenma and Faustus daydreamed for a minute.

"Hm. I think I have this mastered." Mathew put her breasts into the cloth properly with ease.

"Already?" Nenma looked down noticing both were snugly in place.

"Yes." He tied the lace securely around her back. "Does it feel normal?" The wolfess twisted her upper body.

"Mmhm. Everything feels fine." She grinned. "You learn fast."

"Thanks for teaching me." Mathew felt better about the wholes mishap from earlier.

"You're welcome. Now we can go to sleep." She undid the string with the flick of a claw letting the garment fall to the ground. Mathew removed her loincloth and the she wolf lied down beside her mate. He heard a few licking kisses before they settled down and snuggled close. Mathew took off his loincloth and chose to lie down across from Faustus. The human had enough furry breasts for one day.

The morning was cool and a light drizzle passed through the village quickly. Mathew had woken up early to practice using the bow with Faustus. No one else was out in the field where archers trained in the early morning. Faustus shot another arrow hitting the center.

"Good shot." Mathew stepped up for his turn.

"Thank you." He nodded. "I didn't know that Kithos taught you to chant every morning." Faustus watched Mathew draw the bow with a steady hand. All of Mathew's training with Bassolenk so far had paid off. He had the strength to draw back a bowstring and maintain it.

"He wants me to chant every morning when I leave your hut."

"That's good. I always quietly sing a chant outside the village right before I hunt." The experienced wolf kept a keen eye on the human's hands. "Aim with a claw, err finger if you need to." He demonstrated by pointing with the hand holding the bow. The human nodded and held the bow confidently.

"Thanks Faustus." Mathew tried as the wolf had shown him and let the arrow loose. It silently whizzed through the air before hitting the target, not far from the center. "That's close to the center!" He beamed at the accomplishment.

"You are doing well." He rested a warm padded hand on the human's shoulder. A raindrop landed on the wolf.

"Uh oh." More drops continued around them.

"I guess we are done for the day." Faustus grinned and the two headed back into the village. Other wolves were hurrying to return to their huts to avoid wet fur. "Tell my mate that I'm visiting Cheshuk and Mahout for a while." Faustus took a left and waved.

"I will." Mathew hurried feeling the cool raindrops drizzle over his body. He noticed that the clumps of fur in the grass throughout the village were more prevalent the last two days. Even Faustus had a shaggy appearance during their archery practice. The human huried into the door flap where it was dry. "Hello Nenma. I'm back." Mathew saw the naked wolfess with a small antler comb in her hand. Her loincloth and chest cloth were in their typical places, folded on a far away basket.

"Mathew!" She looked over her shoulder. "Finished practicing with the bow?" Nenma turned around in her seat on the deerskin mat.

"I'd say so." He sat down across from her hearing the passing drizzle of rain overhead. "Faustus is visiting Cheshuk and Mahout for a while."

"Faustus will probably want to hunt with Mahout one day. That one day being tomorrow." She mused folding the blanket before scratching her side with a whine.

"What's wrong?" He approached noticing the sad look on her face.

"It looks like I'm starting to shed." She frowned eyeing her handful of loose brown fur in her palm and retrieved a wooden comb. Mathew looked at Nenma's handful in surprise. He had heard of older humans going bald if they made it to an advanced age, but this was ridiculous!

"Do you lose a lot? The village is littered with fur."

"Oh, everyone loses their winter coat when spring warms up." Nenma grunted unable to reach the comb behind her back without her arm aching. Finer hairs floated around her as if to taunt her.

"Do you need help?" The wolf's ears flicked up.

"That would be wonderful Mathew! Yes, please, if you don't mind." She relaxed as the human sat behind her. "If you will, please brush out the rest of my winter coat out with this." She handed him a comb. The finely crafted tool was made from a single piece of antler. The teeth were wide enough to let fine strands pass through, but close enough to comb out loose clumps.

"Even your chest?" He couldn't help but ask looking over her aged body.

"Please!" Nenma gave him a toothy smile. "Wherever you see long winter fur." She smiled puffing out her brown front. A tuft of brown fur puffed out messily, ready to fall off. Mathew sat down beside her and went over the troubled area first with a hand and comb. The teeth and his fingers glided without tugging, releasing the winter hairs from the soft mass. "Don't let the comb catch my skin." Nenma winced feeling him nearly strike a nipple.

"Sorry." He took care and was as gentle as possible. He set clumps of fur aside as they were extricated. He had to lift the furry mammary to brush underneath but the loose brown hairs and winter fluff were gradually weeded out.

"I'm glad that you aren't so afraid of them anymore." She smiled watching him comb over the other one.

"Eh... I guess I am too." He combed his hand over her front watching fine hairs float in the air from the disturbance. It was similar to combing Aitu's hair, and he enjoyed running his hands through the soft coat. Next was her belly. The older she wolf had a little pudgy layer of fat, but even that barely concealed her core muscles underneath when he touched her.

"Eat while you comb if you want. I'm not in a hurry." Nenma pointed to a bowl of blackberries. Mathew gladly ate while he groomed the older she wolf. Nenma hummed contently and tapped her paw as the human lifted her leg and placed it in his lap.

"Doesn't Faustus normally help you with grooming?" Mathew discarded an accumulated ball of fluff.

"Faustus doesn't have the time or energy to help me every day because he prefers to hunt." She watched him finish combing through her leg. Her mate was definitely the last wolf Mathew expected to be bound at the hut during a sunny day.

"Do you know how often do wolves come into contact with humans?" Mathew picked up her other leg and placed it in his lap before starting at her thigh.

"Oh let me think... When I used to accompany a patrol or pack in the east there was always a chance of seeing your kind, but it was rare."

"Was there fighting?"

"Normally they would use their thunder sticks. Whenever a wolf was hurt or killed our chieftain would send a war band out to retaliate."

"Did it happen often?"

"Once every summer. Sometimes a season cycle would be quiet." Nenma scratched her chin thinking of a different topic to discuss. "How has you training with Bassolenk been going?" She asked watching the comb and hand gradually work down her leg.

"It is going well. The other day he had trouble teaching me to balance on my paws because my heel touches the ground."

"Your paws are different." She splayed her four toes and looked at the human foot to compare.

"Yes, and to balance is very different." He held her paw up and carefully combed out the loose hairs.

"I can imagine." She grinned openly. Mathew set her paw down and returned to her sides and back. His comb and hand hit a few rugged patches. "Don't pull anything out. The patch will fall off eventually." She noted the darker grey section on her side.

"It looks funny." The piece hung awkwardly.

"Don't worry. The fur will come out in due time. We don't want a bare patch instead." Nenma smiled and extended her leg out as he reached her hip. "Mm." She hummed as he thoroughly went through her fur. The comb's teeth massaged and scratched her skin just right. "Lower." She said through clenched teeth." Mathew followed with the comb. "Ah. Right there." Nenma tensed before sighing. Her tail wagged happily feeling him clear her back of loose fur Most of her fur was a soft brown, but her inner thighs, groin, and jawline were a light grey. Her sides were a dark grey resembling a thick stripe. "I heard a beautiful chant this morning when I woke up." Nenma smiled while he combed.

"Oh, you did?" Mathew swallowed roughly.

"Mm. Yes I did. And there is nothing wrong with that." She smiled. Mathew found himself grinning again from the she wolf's contagious attitudes a he finished combing through her mane.

"There." He set the comb down and wiped his hands. "Do you feel better? There's plenty of you around the hut." Mathew looked at all of the fur on the ground.

"I don't feel very heavy anymore!" She reached up in the air before shaking her upper body. "It feels nice!"

"You look shiny too." Mathew mused. The old she wolf's fur coat didn't look rough anymore by appearance.

"I can't thank you enough." She brought an arm around the human and hugged him. "My body hurts too much already to reach some places."

"You're welcome." He grinned feeling her nose press against his cheek. The tip of her tongue washed over his skin appreciatively. "Let me collect your fur for you." Mathew gathered the stray clumps all around them.

'Such a helper.' Nenma wagged her tail. The door flap rustled as Faustus came inside. "Hello." The mated wolves wagged their tails. The mates touched noses before Faustus crawled over to his deerskin.

"I see you groomed yourself today. Your fur looks sleek and new." He smiled at his mate.

"Mathew groomed me. I would've had a lot of trouble without him."

"He did?" Faustus titled his head. The male had patches of thick fur ready to fall out too along his sides and back.

"Do you want me to help groom out your winter coat?" Mathew asked.

"It itches..." He scratched behind his ear. "If you don't mind."

"I can get what's on your back for you." Mathew offered.

"Thank you." The wolf felt a comb start going over his back. Faustus talked about his stay with Cheshuk and Mahout for the afternoon. The mottled grey male was able to reach everywhere else, unplagued by stiffness and pain like his mate. Mathew stared at the small pile of grey, brown, and white fur that accumulated before him.

'It's everywhere.' The human noted how the fur clung to anything.

"Ahh." Faustus winced stretching his leg out, trying to keep his paw still.

"Is your paw bothering you again?" Nenma asked her mate.

"Yeah." He grumbled.

"So what is wrong with your paw?" Mathew noticed that the male's leg was stretched out to keep the paw elevated.

"My toes ache and hurt after a long day from walking or hunting. It's terrible." He whined.

"Can't Kithos help you with that?"

"He doesn't want the shaman to give him bad tasting medicine." Nenma chided the male wolf. Faustus gave his mate a look but folded his ears feeling Mathew lift his leg.

"Careful Mathew. My toe keeps cracking." The male demonstrated by snapping the joint. "Ouch!" He grabbed his paw, overdoing it. "It is very sore." The human looked at the bottom.

'Faustus could probably trim his claws as well.' Mathew thought seeing the paw up close. Faustus held the deerskin beneath him as the human splayed his four bulky toes. "Is it tender here?" He pressed between two digits.

"Yes!" Faustus growled. Mathew pretended the he was holding Nenma's paw and used his thumbs to soothe the aches. "Ooh-O-ooh!" The male made an odd chirping yowl before relaxing with a funny sigh. Nenma held back a laugh, but snorted at her mate's reaction. "Right there Mathew!" He gasped. Mathew rubbed the wolf's four bulky toes and worked out the odd kinks from walking long distances every day.

"There. Better?" He set the paw down.

"By the spirits I feel better!" The older male cheered moving his entire paw. The tongue lolling smile on his face was amusing.

"You're welcome-"

"Mathew is a great wolf." Faustus wrapped an arm around the human. "No one helps my paws for anything, not even Matzo! Do you know what he tells me? To sew leather around the whole pad as if it was my sheath to be covered." He exclaimed holding up his loincloth with the other hand.

"Ok my smiling wolf." Nenma tittered. "Help me cook up a meal for Mathew. We will eat good tonight." With that, the happy male wolf left for the storage hut.

"You don't have to cook me a large meal Nenma."

"It's fine. You're part of our family. We eat, sleep, and live together." She smiled. Faustus came back with a large slab of deer meat to cook. Everyone helped cut proportional pieces and sounds and smells of cooking soon filled the hut.

"Mm." Mathew hummed while collecting the winter fur into a pile. The smell tantalized his nose.

"Hey Mathew, what will you do with our fur?" Faustus looked at the good mound beside them.

"Hmm." He looked around in thought and spotted an empty basket. "I'll save it until I can think of something." The human reasoned before storing all the fluffy winter fur.

Chapter XII

Two wolves stepped into the shallow water of a marsh to cross. A human wasn't far behind.

"Is there anything lurking below the water?" Mathew removed his moccasins before wading after them. The murky water was cool, typical for any spring day.

"No. We will have to dry our paws in the grass though." Ikki waded ahead by the reeds and rushes. Ikki was a young black male wolf with faint red markings on his face. His tail tip, toes, ear tips, and upper back were white. "But be careful for humans." Ikki joked pretending to hide behind a tree. The wolf was eighteen, but acted half his age, sometimes one third.

"I'm behind you." Mathew poked the silly wolf.

"Ah! You'll shoot me!" He smiled running through the water, splashing his way to the other side.

"At least you won't shoot me." Ashan chuckled bumping the human's side with an elbow.

"Have you seen any humans recently Ashan?"

"I haven't seen any outside their village recently. How do they feed themselves in that wooden wall?"

"They can fish out in the endless lake and probably receive food on a boat." He remembered that rations were shipped over on the boat he was in.

"A boat?" Ashan said the human word as if it had a funny taste.

"It's like a... Well... Imagine hundreds of trees tied together resembling a hut that floats across the endless sea. On it large quantities of food can be delivered from far away."

"A giant thing brings them food across the endless lake?" The wolf couldn't comprehend the scenario.

"As long as it doesn't sink, then yes."

"Hmm. That is strange." Ashan said as they reached the other side where Ikki was waiting.

"There's a nice spot in the sun past these bushes." Ikki pointed behind the tree he was leaning against.

"Good. Are you coming Mathew?" Ashan asked the human who was staring back out across the marsh.

"I'll be there in a moment." He crouched by the water's edge. Ikki shrugged and went back with Ashan through the foliage. The human looked out across the placid water. The marsh was noisy with the quiet chirping of crickets and croaks of toads. Reeds stood still without any wind to sway them. His image was reflected like a mirror in front of his feet. The human face had longer hair tied into a wolfish styled tail. A black and white seagull feather was tied in with the leather holding his hair. His skin wasn't dusty nor greasy from bathing yesterday. It wasn't hard to imagine a muzzle, fur, or a black nose on the image. 'Am I human or wolf?' He stared at his image in the water. The question went much deeper than the shallow murky water before him. A loud sneeze from nearby directed his attention away from the still water.

"The spirits will shake the air out of you." Ashan laughed.

"Stupid pollen." Ikki muttered.

"Hey Mathew! Are you done staring at yourself in the water?" Ashan called out.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." The human stood up and found the two wolves sitting down with their digitigrade legs stretched out. Their paws were left a few inches off the ground to dry faster in the sun.

"Back from pondering life?" Ashan chuckled.

"Sure. What are you two discussing?" Mathew sat down in the warm grass.

"Ah, anything that comes to mind. Ikki was talking about how Tawashi was barking at him for stepping on a basket she had made." The multi colored brown, black, and orange furred wolfess that Mathew helped pull a splinter from her paw.

"That wolfess!" The young wolf shook his head. "My little sister was running around while I was talking to her, but you see she tripped and started to fall so I being a good brother jumped forward and caught her. The problem was that I had stepped on a basket she had just made. So her happy smile vanished and I had to bear a minute of her barking." Ikki huffed.

"Tawashi has many personalities like her fur coat." Mathew noted.

"You do know that her parents are from the Wasi village to the southwest, the furthest of the seven villages comprising of the Massanonoota." Ashan informed them.

"Everyone there is nice, but that is a strange village. They have that strange ritual shumshik." Ikki frowned.

"Shumshik?" Mathew questioned.

"It's like an initiation for a pup to become an adult. They blindfold an adolescent and take him far away from the village and make him or her find their way back without any help or removing the blindfold."

"That's ridiculous. What if something bad happens?"

"They believe that a young one can become a full wolf overnight, but that's not the case in this village."

"There are also a few males and females who have more than one mate."

"More than one? Isn't that uncommon?" Mathew hadn't seen such a thing in Massa.

"The last person who had two mates in Massa was Illukuk, but he traveled to the spirits' hunting grounds when I was a pup." Ashan recalled.

"Is having two mates rare?"

"It's rare to love two people and be able to care for them equally in a family setting, not to mention pups..." Mathew could imagine how difficult that would be. Providing enough food would be a challenge in itself without any extra help.

"And each female only has two breasts. There may not be enough if pups drink too long."

"I drank my mother's milk until I led my first hunting group at twelve autumn's old."

"That's a lot of milk!" Mathew couldn't imagine himself doing the same with his deceased mother at that age.

"I think so too, but I don't regret it. It was creamy and sweet to the last drop!" He licked his lips in remembrance. Mathew found the large wolf's expression amusing despite his age. "I remember how funny she looked when her fur grew back. Instead of pink flesh at the end of my nose there was light grey and white fur replacing them."

"If you have a mate, she'll have to keep her chest covered day and night." Ashan chuckled.

"I was twelve then, I'm almost twice that age now."

"You act like a six year old pup!" All three laughed.

***

The rest of the afternoon was lazily spent by the three before heading back to Massa. There would be plenty of hard work to make up for the spent day whether it was training for Mathew, hunting for Ashan, or caring for the family while his dad was away for Ikki.

"I can see the village." Mathew looked across the moor as they walked.

"Your eyes have the best sight of any wolf." Ashan squinted unable to see that far. A human eye wasn't as near sighted like its canine counterpart. "You can probably see night before the evening is over." A sudden realization struck the human.

"Evening already?!" Mathew noticed how the sun was no longer at its highest point in the sky.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Ashan yelled as the human suddenly ran off towards the village.

"I have to meet Bassolenk today!" Mathew waved before hurrying ahead of them, his loincloth flapping wildly between his legs.

"He sure does run fast." Ikki watched the human run. "He could be a runner in a pack." Ashan shrugged and strolled towards the village. Mathew didn't waste time and went straight towards the field where Bassolenk was waiting for him.

"I was wondering when you would show up." Bassolenk stated as the human approached him.

"Sorry. I was with Ashan and Ikki for most of the morning." Mathew apologized and caught his breath.

"Since you're already warmed up we should stretch then I will tell you a story." The great wolf pointed to the ground. They helped each other stretch their legs before sitting down and facing each other. "Now I want to tell you the story of how a wolf by the name Sadhu discovered archery by guidance of the spirits. Long ago, before clans organized into tribes..." Bassolenk began a tale concerning a small red wolf from an obscure village in a marsh. Mathew listened intently but his kind wandered to other pleasant memories. The sunny weather reminded Mathew of when he watched clouds with Aitu in the moor a few days ago. It was the same lovely weather and time of day. Aitu had combed her fur down to the last hair giving her body a beautiful sleek appearance.

"Mathew." Bassolenk interrupted his daydreaming.

"Yes!" He sat up straight and blinked.

"Do you know what happened next?" The mottled grey Bassolenk asked.

"No."

"Then listen closely. Sadhu challenged Bolla to a running contest-" The human nodded but Bassolenk's voice drummed without a bear in his ear. His mind wandered back to when he met up with Aitu a few days ago. They were laid back on a hill in the moor and watched the clouds pass in the sky for the entire afternoon. He would point out a cloud, then she would do the same-

"Mathew!"

"Huh?" The human snapped from his stupor.

"I said to listen to me, not stare out into the moor deafly." He growled.

"Sorry." He meekly grinned as the wolf shook his head causing his long hair to sway.

"Where's that stick I had?" His teacher looked around where he sat.

"Oh, right here." Mathew handed it over.

"Ah. Thank you." The wolf smiled before sternly smacking Mathew in the head.

"Ouch! What was that for!" The human rubbed his head.

"Don't become distracted while training." He stood up and retrieved two staffs of wood. The wolf handed Mathew one. "Defend yourself until you no longer can." His teacher's advice was simple enough and they began sparring. Each traded light blows and defended themselves accordingly. Mathew knew Bassolenk was not trying his hardest to hit him, but it was still a challenge for the human. Their staffs thwacked lightly as they hit. "That's a good defense." Bassolenk nodded and struck several more times at the human before finding an opening. Mathew was unprepared as the wolf tripped him with a leg causing him to fall onto his back. The wolf loomed over the human and offered his hand.

"Your entire body is a weapon." Mathew said firmly grasping his teacher's hand.

"You're confident. That's good." He helped Mathew to his feet.

"Thanks." They sparred a few more rounds, each one ending with the human disarmed or pinned. Both were panting facing each other, but Bassolenk stood back. "Am I done training for the day?" Mathew lowered his staff hopefully.

"No. Take over for me Aitu." He looked to the side and pointed at Mathew.

"What?!" The human stepped back as the wolfess hopped up from her seat. "When did you get here?" The wolfess innocently shrugged approaching him. Bassolenk handed her his staff and bade them a good day.

"I hope you have learned a lot so far Mathew." She grinned wielding the staff with ease. "I expect a good hour of sparring from you."

"You aren't fighting me seriously are you?" He stepped back as the wolfess stepped forward. A predatory grin on the she wolf's muzzle made him uneasy. The claws on her black paws dug into the ground expectantly before she pounced to engage him.

"Hiya!" She swung her staff and they collided with a loud thwack. The force nearly knocked him back, but he defended himself from a barrage of strikes in rapid succession. Mathew swung at her but the wolfess caught his staff with her hand. Aitu yanked the weapon from his grasp and tossed it aside.

"Ah!" Mathew ran around with the she wolf chasing him until the end of her staff was pointed mere inches from his face. "Stop! You got me!" Mathew held up his hands until she backed off.

"Don't stand there." She kicked up his discarded staff with her paw. "We have the rest of the day to play."

"Play?" He held up the staff as she prepared to strike again. 'With is scary with a weapon!' She disarmed him a second time, then a third, fourth, and fifth time. The human had no chance of stopping her as the hour passed. Rather than put him in a surrendering position, Aitu tossed her staff aside and prepared to wrestle the human. 'Oh no-!' Mathew locked arms with the wolfess as she grabbed his shoulders. The human was brought to his back in a swift push. The wolfess sat on his lap and pinned his arms as he tried to struggle. She loomed over him with an open grin. They were both panting, but Mathew was clearly very tired. That soft muzzle smile of hers and warm hands made him feel better. Aitu wasn't harsh like Bassolenk. "You... got me." He said between breaths. The wolfess leaned closer and licked his cheek. "Huh?" He blinked feeling the warm sensation wash over his skin. The black wolfess sat up holding his hand. Her tail was wagging.

"You have some strength left." She helped him stand before returning to a fighting stance. The human hastily held his arms up only to realize the training staff was gone. The wolfess didn't allow any time to find it and held her hands up wearing a predatory grin.

"Gah!" Mathew narrowly blocked a sparring punch only for the other hand to grab his arm. The wolfess pulled him to the side causing his legs to scramble. Mathew spun around and tried to land a single blow on her. She caught his haphazard throw before letting go, allowing his unbalanced form to stumble backwards. His arms flailed but he already began falling backwards. Aitu caught him just before he touched the ground and hugged the exhausted human to her body.

"Thanks..." Mathew panted between breaths, using her inviting furry front as a pillow.

"I'll be here to catch you." She rubbed his back soothingly. Mathew melted under her comforting touch and arched his back towards her. "Do you want to walk back to Nenma and Faustus's home? The sun is ready to disappear." Aitu glanced at the orange horizon.

"I'm... too tired." His heavy breathing was starting to subside, but he still leaned on her front just to remain standing. Her fur was nice and warm as it always was, and it helped lull him to sleep. She swiftly scooped Mathew up and carried him back to Nenma and Faustus's home.

'He's gradually becoming stronger.' Aitu smiled openly at the sleeping human in her arms. She smelled the inhabitants entering the hut. Nenma was awake and sitting beside her sleeping mate.

"Oh? What do we have here?" The older wolfess looked at the human in Aitu's arms.

"He trained very hard today." Aitu carefully laid the human down on a fur pelt. Mathew grumbled in his sleep, but didn't wake up. He was disheveled from sparring a good part of the day. Aitu brushed the hair out of his face but let her hand remain on his cheek as she watched him sleep peacefully.

"You care for him a lot don't you?" Nenma spoke up. Aitu stared at the elder wolfess's knowing smile. She looked back down at the human and smiled.

"I do." Aitu placed a hand on his chest and felt over the human's skin. It was oddly smooth like a pad on a paw, but uniquely different.

Mathew smiled wrapping his arms around Aitu. Her enshrouding midnight black fur was so warm and soft against his skin. The she wolf's comforting scent surrounded him as if to physically hold him. If he could just rub his nose into the black fur and feel the warmth on his face-

"Mmm-huh?" Mathew woke up from the pleasant dream with a yawn lying on his back. The fur mat was warm from his body heat, but the she wolf wasn't beside him. "Aitu?" He looked around remembering that he had fallen asleep in her arms, but the human found himself in Nenma and Faustus's home where the older she wolf was tending to food on the fire.

"I see you finally woke up." Nenma pulled some warmed venison off the fire. The older she wolf wasn't wearing anything yet, which was typical for her joint discomfort. "But I knew you wouldn't pass up a morning meal." She chuckled softly hearing his stomach growl hungrily.

"Sunrise already?" He sat up in a grimaced stretch feeling his muscles painfully comply.

"You look sore from training yesterday." Nenma noted his exhaustion and handed him a long strip of meat.

"Yeah. Can we rest for most of the day?" He chewed and put on his loincloth.

"Hmm. I know." She crawled over to a large woven basket. "We can mend a few garments for some of the day. How does that work?" The wolfess pulled out a few torn items.

"You'll have to teach me how." Mathew sat up feeling his muscles protest.

"Tsk. Tsk. You should know how to sew." Nenma beckoned for him to sit with her.

"I haven't seen anyone sew before I arrived here." He crawled over the mats to her.

"Everyone needs to know how to mend old clothes." Nenma handed him the small bone needle and sat behind him with her legs extended out in a V shape beside his own. Her front pressed against his back with her wolffish head hovering over his shoulder. Mathew couldn't resist and leaned back into her warmer fur enjoying the soft warmth against his skin. Nenma didn't mind in the least and patted his leg before handing him some thick fibrous thread and a torn satchel. Mathew held the needle like a knife much to Nenma's amusement. "Hold it this way." She adjusted his slim fingers. "There. That way. Now poke through this spot and draw it back through this spot." She pointed to the spots on the satchel. He tried a few times before succeeding. Sewing with the small needle was tedious. 'He reminds me of an adolescent so much.' The wolfess smiled noticing the difference in their size. She watched him sew another point before resting her hands over his. Her pads had a velvety softness that only came with age. "Your hands aren't as big as mine." Nenma spread her fingers over his, completely covering them and more. Mathew looked at her furry hand and the curved claws extending from each fingertip.

He could feel the warm pad underneath resting on his hand. "It's easier to learn sewing with a thick whisker, but they are hard to make and don't work well with thick pieces." She informed him with the fun fact.

"They break don't they?"

"Mmhm. That's right, but they're good for young one's to learn how to hold something so small. Although patience is more important." The wolfess added retracting her hand for him to continue. She watched him correctly sew the next six points. 'He's a fast learner.' Nenma watched with a smile.

"Now what do I do?" Mathew finished the last point with some string left. A claw quickly cut it.

"Tie it into a knot." He quickly followed through.

"Ok... How did I do?"

"You did perfectly." She looked over the small leather satchel. The seams were crude but effective. Nenma set the satchel aside and crossed her arms over the human's mod section. Neither wanted to move and enjoyed each other's close company.

"Do you go hunting with Faustus in a pack often?" Mathew asked.

"I can't keep up with him anymore." Nenma admitted with a half grin. "Kithos can't follow me and relieve an ache whenever it pops up anyway."

"So Kithos is the one who helps you with the soreness and pain?"

"When he can... but we can talk about me any day!" Shelley flustered from all the attention towards her and changed the subject patting his chest with a hand. "How did training go yesterday? And how did Aitu help? She didn't say too much before leaving." Nenma curiously inquired.

"She appeared out of nowhere and Bassolenk wanted her to finish sparring with me..." Mathew thought about the lick to his cheek and wondered what it meant. "It was... nice." He said with a light upbeat voice staring at the needle and thread in his hand.

"Nice?" She tilted her head.

"Oh! Well I mean it was a nice day with her showing up." He rubbed his neck. Nenma's tail wagged in amusement.

"And?" She asked expecting a long romantic story to unfold.

"Uh... She was there... and-" The door flap rustled as Faustus arrived home. 'Thank you Faustus!' Mathew breathed a sigh of relieve.

"You're back from hunting." Nenma grinned and moved to greet him.

"Hello Nenma." He briefly shared tongues with his mate. "You're finally awake Mathew." The male smiled.

"I had a tough day training with Bassolenk and Aitu." Some of the human's muscles were still sore.

"I do not doubt that. You were sleeping heavier than me!" Faustus huffed a few chuckles. His mate ran a hand through his leg fur and wasn't too pleased with what she found.

"Look at all the dirt on your paws and legs. Your sides too!"

"At least we caught what we were hunting for!" He edged over to the deerskin on the ground.

"You're dirty tail is not laying on a deerskin." A hand caught the wolf and pulled him back. "We need to wash up at the creek this morning while the sun is still shining." Nenma nodded absolutely.

"Ok! Ok!" He pleaded crawling back towards the entrance.

"Don't forget to bring a piece of soap Mathew." Nenma stated as she ushered her mate outside.

"Ok." He nodded before following the older pair. Outside it was sunny and clouds were distant from the sun. It was a perfect spring day to bathe.

"It's very nice outside." Faustus took a deep breath smelling the pleasant spring fragrances in the air.

"I need help washing my back and lower legs." She wagged her tail as Mathew untied her garments before setting them by the waters edge. Her mate's tasseled garments were set aside on the grassy bank shortly followed by his own.

"Same for me." Faustus took the first steps into the cool creek.

"Cold!" Mathew shivered stepping into the water and adjusted to the temperature.

"Did you lose your fur back there?" Faustus peeked over his shoulder and chuckled as the human sat down behind them.

"Don't distract him while he is helping us." Nenma drew her mate back with a kiss. Mathew focused on the elder wolfs' backs and washed them thoroughly with soap. The male's grey back had bits of dirt in his fur and required extra care, but Mathew took his time washing the two elder wolves. Meanwhile, the two seemed to be developing a more romantic mood.

"You are more beautiful than the crescent moon." Faustus ran a claw under her chin. Nenma smiled and brushed her muzzle over his. Soft loving licks and nibbles were exchanged while Mathew washed their backs.

'Romance at their age?' Mathew found the thought a little strange and poured water over their backs. Then again he wanted to be that happy at their age.

"Are you finished with our backs?" Nenma asked.

"Yes ma'am. I'll wash your legs next." He waded over in front of them. The water stirred suddenly.

"Legs!" Both wolves exclaimed piling the four limbs onto the human's lap. All three laughed.

Kithos puffed his long pipe before exhaling the smoke. "How are you doing with Nenma and Faustus?" The naked shaman said before setting the pipe down.

"It's different taking care of someone else, especially elders but it feels... good." Mathew grinned sitting beside the wolf. Never before did anyone care about someone else in Nepheira unless they were directly related. Life was only about survival there, and only the strongest could survive.

"Good to hear." Kithos smiled. "And I am told that they enjoy your company, but what do you mean by different to care for your elders?"

"You only care for yourself where I was born. There wasn't a family, friend, nor a village to care for anyone. You were alone yet surrounded by others. Not many grew older than you in Nepheira. Everyone was their own person, their own village, their own tribe. Very little was accomplished and that was through fear." The shaman's brow knitted together curiously at what Mathew said.

"You grew up in a land where no one was cared for, and despite this you are a very caring person... How is this so?" The shaman wondered.

"Despite all of the evil things always happening around me in Nepheira, I knew they were wrong. You could feel it here." He pointed to his stomach. "But if you showed remorse someone would kill you. In the village here I was surprised to see so many that were happy. Edessa and Hohhot caring for their pup; Aitu and her parents laughing at the fire by night; everyone... I thought wolves were more savage than humans in Nepheira, but they weren't!"

"Did you have the feeling in your stomach when you found Watambi?" Kithos asked.

"When I saw Watambi lost in the moor... I could see him as myself before I lost my mother. If I killed him I would've killed myself, but that sounds weird."

"It doesn't sound unnatural at all. Forgoing love results in a twisted fate shrouded in darkness. There is a story that the founder of our tribe was tempted by such evil things like power, strength, and immortality. An evil spirit approached the wolf in disguise as a shaman and told him false stories before tempting him with immortality and power that even spirits could not use. All the wolf had to do was leave his family and care only for himself."

"What did the wolf do?" Mathew asked.

"He thought for a while and noticed his family playing nearby in a field, laughing and enjoying a warm sunny afternoon after a successful hunt. He rejected the offer and the evil spirit turned into a dark cloud before vanishing. The wolf led a good life with occasional strain, but it was hard work... Although the story doesn't tell the moral I want to tell you." Kithos crossed his arms and looked up as if a better example would land on his lap.

"What might that be?"

"Evil is the absence of love." He smiled.

Mathew hummed the lyrics of a chant he heard Oshku sing the other day. His hands were busy organizing some of Nenma's hair into a braid. The old wolfess smiled feeling a comb occasionally itch her skin perfectly.

"Can I see the second braid?" Nenma felt him tie a small strip of leather on the bottom to hold the braid.

"Sure. How does it look to you?" He handed the hair over her shoulder.

"I like it! Thank you." Nenma let it lay over her right shoulder like the first on her left. Mathew sat back on his hands.

"I rubbed your body, groomed your fur, and combed your mane and hair. Is there anything else you want to do for the day?"

"Hmm." She ran her hand over the little pudgy part of her tummy. "You've done so much for me already Mathew." The brown and grey she wolf turned to face the human.

"I'm supposed to help out." He grinned.

"Let's walk to the forest." Nenma nudged his shoulder wearing a modest grin.

"I'd like that." He eagerly fetched her cloths and dressed the she wolf. Mathew didn't mind sitting with her all day, but her achy joints kept him home bound with her daily. The pair walked across the short field between the village and the forest where some wolves were training with wooden weapons. Further down the creek the small gardens of vegetables were being tended to by families big and small, young and old.

"The forest is beautiful isn't it?" Nenma brought an arm around his shoulder as they strolled passed the first shading trees.

"It is." He admired the scenery.

"I always used to come here when I was just a pup." She smiled feeling over a few leaves on a bush. Her finger pad trailed over the plant textured surface. "Did you have forests in Nepheira?"

"None that I would've entered. They were all on far away mountains." He recalled. Although the fear of magnet radiation stopped him from going to many places.

"I wouldn't go into the mountains either at this age." She smiled. "My aches cannot handle that." They passed a fallen tree. "One day I will travel to the spirits' hunting grounds so I want to enjoy my time here." Her calm words startled Mathew.

"What are you saying?"

"I won't be here for another forty seasons. The lesson is to take life slowly. This is no race Mathew." A disturbing silence passed through Mathew but was quickly filled with an amalgamation of emotions. He had to turn away from Nenma and stare out into the forest. His fists balled up and his gut tensed at the stress his conscience suddenly felt. Images of his deceased mom and few friends hurt his eyes. Nenma's statement was impossible for him to comprehend. How could she accept death so peacefully? Everyone in Nepheira fought with every resource to distance themselves from death no matter how little time they had left, but the she wolf didn't fight! Nenma accepted the fact that she would one day die. The elder she wolf patiently waited. Her nose could practically smell the tension inside him.

"Don't say that." He finally turned and faced her.

"Hm?" Her ears peered forward attentively.

"You're like a... a second mother to me." He bit his lip feeling happiness well inside his body for once. "I don't want to lose a mother a second time. I... I-" Nenma stepped forward and hugged the human. Mathew buried his face into her welcoming shoulder. Se was so kind to him despite being a different species. The wolf's fur absorbed the small tears that escaped his eyes. Nenma held him tight and rubbed his back soothingly.

"Sh. It's alright." Her motherly voice eased his worries.

"Thanks." He gradually gathered himself in her arms.

"Better?" She softly asked. He nodded but didn't want to undo the embrace yet. Nenma didn't mind in the slightest and patiently waited with him in her arms. A warm tongue licked his cheek making a grin sprout on the corner of his lips. He found the strength to let go. "Take my chest cloth off." She stated shimmying out of her loincloth. "We should sun ourselves here." Mathew untied it and gathered her other garment before helping her lie down in the sunny patch of grass. "Come here and lay down beside me." The wolfess rubbed the spot. He lied down in the warm grass only for Nenma to pull him closer with a sturdy arm so that his head rested on her shoulder. A breast drooped to the side his arm, but it didn't bother him anymore. Mathew could see whiskers almost touching his skin and the wolfess's muzzle within his peripherals. The pair simply lied still in the sunny patch of the forest enjoying its serenity. Birds chirping, the humming of a bee, and leaves rustling from the slightest breeze all sought to relax them. The rays warmed his skin nicely along with her warm fur on his side and cheek. It warmed deeper through his skin and helped relax his mind from fighting his inner demons.

They watched a bird hop from twig to twig before flying away in the treetops. "One feather cannot fly on its own, but many on a wing can. Everything the village does is a whole effort." Nenma softly spoke. "It's hard to imagine sometimes, but we are connected to the spirits and a part of nature as much as they are." The leaves above rustled from a gentle breeze. The scent of wild flowers passed teasing their noses with sweet fragrances.

'Connected to the spirits.' Mather gazed up wondering if what she was saying had truth to it. Everything the shaman had told him was true and founded by observation.

"Ah, this weather makes me think of a good story." She smiled staring up at the branches. "In a small village in the hills there was once a grey wolf who lived a peaceful life. The wolf wished that he could fly like a bird, but no matter how hard he tried he simply couldn't fly."

"Why would a wolf want to fly?"

"Many people want things they cannot have. Whether it is eternal life, to fall in love, or to have a family." She spoke from personal experience. "Back to the story... One day he became very ill. Every day he grew weaker, but on the ninth sunrise a todd fox and a snowy white wolfess appeared before him-"

"Who were they?"

"High King Moon Sky and Lady Evening Star."

"Are they spirits?" He turned and looked at her.

"Of course!"

"Then why are their names so different?"

"I don't know... Maybe they would think our names are different." She mused. "They wrapped their tails around him and healed his wounds instantly. When their tails parted he had changed significantly. The fur on his back was pure black with speckled silver, and his front was a blinding white. He then flew up and covered the sky, becoming the sky itself!" She proclaimed in the awe-inducing voice any story teller had in the village. "When he rolls over, we see his fur as light and dark." Nenma finished the odd short story.

"I like that story. They're great like the ones Aitu tells me."

"She is a great storyteller." Nenma sat up and looked out into the sunlit forest. Birds merrily sang in the wooded area, blessing the air with their melodious voices. The old wolfess was naked and without a care in the world. The content smile along her muzzle was an evident fact. Mathew grinned and looked out into the forest with her. The greenery was beautiful and the sweet forest sounds of birds chirping, leaves rustling, and squirrels at play warmed his heart. How could anyone not feel fulfilled at such a sight? He looked back at Nenma and found the she wolf was staring back down at him with the same content smile. "What?" He smiled back a her. The wolf's good mood was contagious. Nenma rested a hand over his abdomen and lightly rubbed his smooth skin. The light caress comforted him.

"I wish I could've had a son like you." She stopped and gazed at him with loving eyes. "Human or wolf."

"That means a lot." He held her hand closely feeling over the bulkier digits. "Thank you."

Chapter XIII

Mathew arrived at the archery range with a bow in hand and quiver on his back. The wind was calm with an occasional gust and the rolling clouds promised shade, not rain. It was the perfect day to practice with the bow. However, there was one wolf already at the archery range by the edge of the field. It was the same merle coated male that made fun of him when he first attempted archery. The human took position not too far from the wolf despite a lingering eye. Mathew remembered the chant Kithos taught him and pulled out his first arrow and notched it. The human pulled the bow back into full draw. With careful aim that only his human eye could see, Mathew released the arrow and hit the center of his target. The wolf shot an arrow onto his target close to the center as well.

'Hmm.' Mathew notched a second arrow and drew the string back before shooting. His second arrow landed beside his first. A silent contest emerged as both released every arrow in their respective quivers. When they ran out of arrows each target resembled a porcupine. Inonu's ears flattened seeing the human best his shots at the target. In fact, the human's arrows were tightly knit on a single target whereas the wolf's were scattered. A hand rested on Mathew's shoulder.

"You shoot better... Um-"

"Flat face right?" He grinned at the wolf whose ears were flat against his skull

"Sorry about that, but I didn't hear your name."

"It's Mathew. I remember you're Inonu." The wolf nodded scratching his mane.

"Do you want to join a small patrol with me? We could always use a third wolf." He offered. The human didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day anyway.

"Sure." Mathew nodded and followed the merle male into the forest west of the village. The trees were lively as ever with birds and squirrels. Inonu brought him along a path where another wolf was waiting by a fallen tree.

"Joining our small patrol?" The platinum patterned wolf pointed his nose towards Mathew. He wore various armbands and a leather belt wielding a knife. His black hair was free flowing except for the middle organized into a tail by a leather string.

"Yes, he is." Inonu nodded.

"Hello." Mathew greeted the wolf.

"I'm Keyassa. Everyone knows you're Mathew." He grinned leading the way into the shaded forest.

"So what are we going to do?" Mathew asked.

"Go to the western border and mark boundaries." Inonu explained.

"It's a boring job someone must do, and it is easier with more males." Keyassa nodded as they passed through the flat forest. Raining on a tree or specific landmark signified borders to a wolf rather than a post or written sign like a human would do. Massa's western border wasn't far from the village, but it was still a good hour or so walk through the trees. The two wolves took turns marking when needed as they followed the western border.

"I heard Bassolenk has been training you in more than just the bow." Inonu mentioned as they walked.

"He wants to train me in everything related to fighting an spiritual exercises."

"That sounds just like Bassolenk." Keyassa chuckled. "I've been hit on the head so many times with a stick that I have a headache just thinking about him."

"Why did he want to train you so suddenly? He's very picky about thing a like that."

"Aitu didn't want to frustrate herself teaching me how to use a bow." He knew firsthand how quickly the she wolf's temper could overcome her normally sweet nature. "She had plenty of trouble teaching me how to speak like a wolf and bared her fangs frequently."

"Haha! That isn't hard to imagine." Inonu laughed.

"How long did it take for you and Aitu to trust each other? Baring fangs must have been a barrier."

"It didn't take long for me. She cooked for me and let me sleep in her hut. Aitu was the first wolf I trusted."

"I'm surprised. It's hard to trust someone you can't talk to and smells bad."

"I smell bad?"

"Not anymore, but when you first arrived in the village my nose could find you without any wind." Inonu pointed to his pink nose.

"Speaking of scents we need to mark this tree again." Keyassa's tail flicked at the old maple. "I can barely tell it is one of our boundaries anymore."

"I already marked." Inonu pointed back along the trail. The two wolves looked over at Mathew expectantly.

"I'll mark it." The human stepped up to the tree and held his loincloth to the side.

"What are you doing Mathew?!" Inonu watched aghast as Mathew rained on the bottom of the tree.

"I just marked it like you told me!" He stepped back and held the rest uncomfortably as Keyassa shook his head in amusement, holding back a laugh. Inonu brought the human close to his side.

"We don't mark boundaries with walls or physical things like your kind do. We mark boundaries with scent, and scent on the ground is way down there. You would walk by without realizing it. Marking up high," he pointed to his upright sheath, "will reach the nose easily."

"What do you want me to do then?"

"Aim higher?" Inonu shrugged. "Pretend it's archery. You're good at that."

"Ok. So only males can do this?" Mathew inquired lifting his loincloth once more.

"Correct. A female will only accompany a patrol group." The human nodded and tried once more, this time successfully marking at his friend's height. "Nicely done!" Inonu patted Mathew's shoulder as they moved on. "Now everyone that passes will detect that this side belongs to our village."

"I'm kind of glad that my nose can barely smell that." Mathew didn't mind having a weak nose compared to a wolf's.

"I can't fix a broken nose. Maybe Kithos has some concoction available."

"You would know!" Keyassa snickered.

"Shut up Keyassa." He stated before bursting into a laugh.

"You broke your nose?"

"It was a few springs ago. When I stood up under an oak tree after a nap to stretch, I hit my muzzle right here." He pointed at the middle. "I thought I broke it clean in half hearing the loud whack!"

"Your underbite couldn't be any larger-Ow!" Keyassa rubbed his shoulder where Inonu punched him. Mathew marked another tree before heading back to the village in the late afternoon. Keyassa nudged Inonu and gave the merle male a signaling wink. Inonu nodded with a grin. The three approached the closest hut and stopped for a moment.

"I need to adjust my ankle strap." Inonu knelt down and fumbled with the leather piece.

"Hey Mathew. Go tell Kazan's mate that her tachusi smells good." Keyassa said while Inonu adjusted his leather ankle piece.

"Why?" He didn't know what that meant.

"She will understand. Now go tell her." Keyassa nudged him forward. Mathew shrugged and obliged. The older cream, white, and fawn colored wolfess was sitting outside her hut braiding a long strand of white hair down her front.

"Hello Mathew. How are you doing?" The wolfess looked up at the human approaching her.

"Hi Tuosa." He knelt before her and touched noses.

"What spirit brings you by to visit?" She returned to finishing her long cream hair braid.

"Well, I'm here to visit, but I need to tell you something."

"Oh? And what do you need to say?" Her light grey eyes wondered.

"That your tachusi smells nice." He smiled. The old she wolf's friendly expression dropped instantly. Tuosa stared at the human with wide eyes in disbelief.

"Mathew!" She barked pinning her ears back.

"What?" He felt confused.

"Do you even know what you just said?" She tilted her head in question.

"No." The wolfess nearly reared back and fell over. Tuosa flattened her hackles and have him a serious look.

"It means I smell good here." She explained and pointed to her loincloth where her femininity was.

'The scent of her womb?!' The look of realization on his face made the old wolfess grin and shake her head causing hair to sway. Nearby Mathew could hear cackling laughter from behind a hut.

"You've become really skilled with those hands Mathew." Nenma murred as he went past her shoulder to her chest. "My body doesn't have an ache to complain about with you."

"Thanks. I even figured out how to properly go over here." He worked on the less than appealing breast. Faustus grumbled to himself trying to take a nap on a nearby deerskin.

"You're certainly doing better than your first try." She sighed with a smile as his hands from palm to fingertip massaged the tissue. "And it feels great." The wolfess murred as he went down along her sides and hips. The fat on her front moved with his hands. Mathew quickly finished while Nenma hummed contently.

"There. Done."

"The second time over is the charm." She stretched and sat up. Her body didn't ache in the slightest after a good rub.

"He just likes touching you Nenma." Faustus grumbled trying to take a nap.

"I don't remember you barking at Mathew when he rubbed your back yesterday at your request." She sternly reminded her mate. He bit his tongue and rolled over quietly. "Always cranky from an unfinished nap. Do you have my clothes ready?"

"Right here Nenma." Mathew fit her tricky breasts into the garment before tying it around her back.

"Bar of soap?"

"Here." Mathew held the round piece in his hand.

"Then lets go!" She wagged her tail. He helped her stand before tying the loincloth around her waist.

"Don't worry Faustus, I'll work on you tonight." Mathew teased noticing the wolf's tail wag once at the news. The creek was empty for the most part when they arrived despite the nice weather. There was a loose circle of older she wolves like Nenma sitting in a shallow spot along the creek. White ticked fur around their faces and muzzles along with older bodies helped give away their age as he observed them leisurely washing and talking. Mathew untied her garments as well as his own and set them aside.

"Warm and beautiful weather for a midday bath." Nenma waded into the creek and greeted her friends.

"Nenma! I knew I smelled you nearby."

"I'm glad you brought your old tail out here." One grinned.

"Old? Who said any of us were old?" Cheshuk laughed.

"We're young. We just act old." Nenma finished touching noses with everyone.

"Nenma you're old enough to have a retainer." She giggled as Mathew helped her sit down in the creek.

"I think the male's patch of fur is cute." Kafessa looked at the naked human before he sat down behind Nenma. "Even if it is messy."

"Uh, thanks." He grinned, unaccustomed to such an odd compliment.

"He's a shy male too." The black she wolf murred across from him.

"Bathing with his female elders." Another chuckled.

"Don't make him nervous ladies. Nervousness is his big weakness." Nenma held her hand in the air. "There isn't much fur to scare off him anyway." She splashed water on her front as Mathew poured water over her back and began washing her fur thoroughly. The wolves giggled.

"I simply lost too much fur from nursing my grandchildren." One white she wolf looked at her bare areolae that were temporarily covered by wet white fur.

"I told you that it will grow back in time Illosa, not a couple of days."

"It was barely two dozen or so days to lose the fur, but it has been half a season to grow half of it back."

"You should not nurse so much at your age anyway. Didn't Kithos tell you that?"

"Our shaman told me that the more I nurse, the more I should eat." Illosa washed over an arm.

"May we know the name of your retainer?" A wolfess inquired.

"This is Mathew." She leaned to the side so everyone could see the human.

"Hello everyone." He quietly greeted himself. They smiled toothy grins in return.

"Mathew, I'm sure that you know Kafessa and Cheshuk." Nenma looked at the auburn hued black wolfess then the soft brown and white she wolf with grey streaks along her sides.

"Of course he does." Cheshuk grinned.

"Nassenka." The fiery red and orange wolfess with plenty of lighter browns in her coat.

"Manota." The quiet black and white wolfess sitting across from him nodded.

"Illosa." She pointed to the old white wolfess with naked nipples.

"It's such an old name." Illosa swirled her hand in the water.

"Really?" Kafessa looked at her. "I know someone named Illosa in Lat village."

"That village makes anyone feel like an outsider."

"And that's every old she wolf." Nenma grinned.

"There's quite an eyeful of femininity to be seen." Kafessa teased arching her back in a stretch. Her heavier breasts shifted accordingly. "Breasts that shake, and joints that ache!" Everyone laughed at that.

"Oh hush you." Cheshuk giggled and playfully swatted at her.

"Ah! Watch those claws." She splashed back.

"How has your mate's stomach doing Illosa?" Nenma asked the white wolfess.

"Pilliwni hates eating mint even when his stomach is uneasy. I put just a little in the venison soup that I made the other night, and he didn't know the difference!" He heard another conversation brewing. Mathew contently listened to the wolves while he washed Nenma. They were having a great time, admittedly, he was too.

"My legs?" She whispered between a conversation.

"One moment please." He waded to her front before lifting one leg into his lap to start on her thigh.

"I wish my mate was that interested in bathing and washing me." One she wolf cooed with a toothy smile.

"Mathew doesn't mind and enjoys helping me and Faustus." Nenma humbly replied.

"Well I hope he doesn't mind that we each have two legs." Another round of laughter went around.

"Why are you helping Nenma and Faustus Mathew?" Illosa asked.

"Why?" Mathew held Nenma's leg and thought back a season. "Kithos wanted me to experience spiritual guidance, so he asked me to help them."

"Spiritual guidance? Since when is washing an old naked wolfess considered spiritual?" Illosa mused watching him splay Nenma's four bulky toes to wash between each. A few chuckled at the comment.

"It certainly feels nice." Nenma closed her eyes and leaned back feeling his warm thumbs go over each digit.

"We can see that." Kafessa nodded. Mathew simply smiled and moved to her other leg while they talked, taking his time.

'Done.' He rubbed over her furry toes a final time for good measure.

"Please wash my back next Mathew." Cheshuk asked politely as soon as the human set Nenma's leg underwater. The soft brown and white wolfess to his right lightly drew a circle in the water. "I promise not to bite." She cheerily added hiding her fangs.

"We've lost enough teeth to give you a muzzle full!" Illosa cackled.

"Is it alright if I do?" Mathew quietly asked Nenma. The eldest she wolf grinned and nodded her head. Washing them meant more of a massage, but he would end up doing both if he agreed.

"Do what you want. We'll be sitting here for a while and you did a perfect job for me." She plainly explained. A few resounding coos and high barks of encouragement went around as the human set Nenma's leg down and stood up.

"Make your way around the circle by all means." The ladies chuckled heartily as the human went over to Cheshuk.

"Ok, I'll see if my hands can help." He smiled sitting behind the she wolf and began rubbing her upper back.

"Please do!" She sat up straight. Her primarily white hair was very soft despite being wet. The clumped beautiful strands slid through his fingers like silk while he rubbed up and down her back. "Ooh my." She moaned pleasantly as her tail wagged against his leg underwater. "Flat faces should be called soft hands instead."

"Cheshuk! You shouldn't call Mathew a flat face." Nenma scolded her friend.

"Oops." The wolfess bit a claw. "I'm sorry Mathew." Her ears lied flat on her head.

"It's alright Cheshuk." His hands helped her relax once again. "Flat face is almost a second name for me, and it isn't meant as an insult anymore."

"That was your kind's name for my whole life-"

"I understand." He grinned targeting her shoulders. The she wolf murred pleasantly under his tender touch for the next minute. "Is that better?" He asked beginning to stand up.

"Don't stop at my back please Mathew." Cheshuk held his hands until he sat back down and resumed along her sides. "This is wonderful."

"He's had plenty of practice with me." Nenma smiled.

"Are you enjoying yourself lady she wolf?" Illosa snickered.

"It's great." She sighed as his hands traveled up and down her front next.

"You have a lot of muscles underneath this." Mathew rubbed over the she wolf's chubby front. Cheshuk giggled enjoying his touch. As soon as the human finished, he had another taker.

"Ooh! I'm next." Nassenka sat up straight as he moved behind her. The red and orange she wolf was eager and hummed happily feeling him rub up and down her back. Mathew marveled at how her back fur was brown at the very base and changed into soft oranges and deep scarlet reds towards the middle and top. His gaze was too focused to notice the she wolf leaning back.

"Nassenka, your fur is-mumph-!" His voice muffled as the wolfess leaned back, covering his face with her wet mane of hair. Everyone erupted into wolffish laughter as the old she wolf apologized and sat up. They gossiped and talked about whatever crossed their minds while Mathew made his way around the circle of old she wolves and washed their backs or wherever else they wanted. Topics ranged from recipes, to funny stories from younger years, and even about themselves.

"Alright." Nassenka slowly rose from her seat in the creek. "I'm ready to lay in the grass." Others nodded except for one white wolfess.

"Wait a moment for Mathew to finish my leg." Illosa watched the human wash over her leg in his lap.

"I've washed both twice." He kindly reminded her.

"Only two times?" She stuck her tongue and giggled.

"Careful Mathew, she will have you in the water all day." Cheshuk stood up.

"Aww." Illosa feigned dismay as he lowered her leg back into the water. Mathew helped Nenma up as the other she wolves stood up in the knee high water. It sounded like a rain shower with all the water dripping from everyone's bodies. They waded out of the creek where their clothes rested, and one by one each lied down in the sunny grass. Mathew planned on lying beside Nenma, but a hand pulled him aside.

"No, you can lay with me instead." Cheshuk pulled Mathew over and rested his head on her lap. The elder wolfess's hands laid on his head and chest respectively. Fingertips lightly massaged his skin as if to thank him for the bath. The human settled down nonetheless. He couldn't see whose wet legs tangled with his own, but it didn't matter. Conversations were tossed around as fur dried until one by one, they sat up to dumb their fur. Mathew retrieved a comb and tended to Nenma's dried fur. Everyone helped comb each other's fur and lengthy hair, braiding desired strands. Others were loosely tied together using small strips of leather.

"You couldn't gift me a thousand red deer skins to be a male." Illosa chuckled. "Always marking, or holding in enough to mark a boundary is too much strain for me."

"Especially after whelping." Another added. A round of nodding ensued.

"You can always smell a boundary marker downwind."

"Mmm. And your fur wouldn't be quite as soft as it is now. Males' fur doesn't soften as much."

"She wolves are the better wolves." Everyone laughed. Lastly, they dressed themselves. The she wolves tied on their chest cloths to hold up their sagging breasts. The loincloths followed. "Thank you Mathew." Nenma felt him carefully tie the string above her tail.

"We should meet again for a bath soon." Nassenka proposed. "This was a lot of fun."

"I agree!" Cheshuk and Kafessa exclaimed at once.

"Nenma has to promise to bring Mathew." Another chuckled. Everyone agreed heartily.

"It was pleasant meeting all of you." He grinned.

"It was nice to properly meet you Mathew." Each older she wolf touched noses with him before departing their separate ways. Mathew and Nenma walked back together to her hut.

"Sorry if a bunch of old female wolves bored you with their talk Mathew." Nenma said as they walked by other huts.

"No, it was fun." He grinned.

"Even washing all of them?" She smirked as they arrived at her hut. Both ducked and entered. Faustus was sitting in front of the fire with a few pieces of deer meat cooking.

"You both returned at a good time." He lifted a a skewered piece and smelled it before taking a testing bite. "The meat is cooked."

"Thank you! I didn't prepare anything when we left for the creek." Nenma sat beside him.

"You know I'll cook any meal for you." Faustus licked his mate's muzzle. Nenma shared tongues with him for a minute before eating.

'I wonder why wolves share tongues.' Mathew thought to himself while picking up a stick of meat for himself. The three shared a good meal in good company while sharing their day's experiences. "Thank you Faustus. That was delicious." Mathew grinned.

"You're welcome. Now if you don't mind, you made a promise earlier." He smiled looking at the human.

"Oh? Ah, I did!" Mathew recalled. "I didn't think you would remember."

"Just because I'm old?" He mused.

"You are old." Nenma reminded him.

"I don't feel old. I think old." He laughed at his own joke.

"Anywhere in particular?" Mathew asked.

"Just my legs will do." He discarded his loincloth and lied down on a mat of fur. The human crawled over and knelt beside the male wolf. Mathew rubbed over Faustus's legs noting the powerful muscles underneath his fur despite the wolf's age. Little moans of approval soon followed.The grey fur ruffled under his hands with each stroke from thigh to ankle. When it came to the wolf's large paws Mathew picked up the digitigrade extremity and pressed the heel of his hand to the main fleshy brown pad before rubbing in tender circles. The male was in blissful heaven for the next ten minutes.

"I think he's asleep." Mathew heard Faustus's relaxed breathing and set his other paw down, finished.

"I would fall asleep too if you were rubbing my pads." Nenma mused undoing the strings to her clothes. The old she wolf's breasts hung naturally as she made sure enough dirt surrounded the fire pit.

"Are you letting the fire die out on its own tonight?"

"Yes." She nodded. "I'm going to sleep." Nenma crawled over to her mate.

"Can you tell a story before we sleep?" Mathew asked. The older she wolf grinned and took a moment before nodding.

"Of course I can. Come lie down beside me." Mathew didn't hesitate to join her. "Ok," Nenma huffed as she reclined, finally able to relax her entire body, "a story, a story." Her mind searched for a good one while Mathew patiently waited. "Long ago, before the moon was created, the sun remained in the sky without moving. Everyone enjoyed constant sunlight to hunt, play, travel, and anything else that needed to be done. But one day the ground shook very hard toppling many huts built along the meadows and forests. When the shaking stopped the sun started falling from the sky. A wolf nearby named Solsen jumped up witnessing the entire spectacle and ran after the falling source of light. Right before it could've hit the ground and shattered plunging the entire world into darkness, Solsen caught it!"

"So he became a sunset catcher?"

"Yes! He had to catch the sun so it wouldn't fall out of the sky."

"Then what did he do?"

"The sun was so heavy that if he stayed in one spot the ground would collapse under his paws. The wolf decided to run and never stop. He was a fast runner, so fast that he could run around the entire earth in one day without tiring. He had to run across every valley, hill, mountain, and marsh to save the whole world from plunging into darkness. Because if the sun falls from the sky, it will fall through the earth forever leaving us in constant night for eternity. Every night he knew that messing up once could leave the entire world in darkness so the spirits gave him half of every day to rest before running forever for his good deed saving the world."

"That's a big burden to carry on one's shoulders."

"But he didn't shy away from the task." Nenma chuckled finishing the story hearing Mathew yawn.

"Sleep well." She licked his cheek before rolling over to sleep with her mate.

"Sleep well." Mathew closed his eyes with a smile.

Chapter XIV

Mathew ducked through the shaman's hut finding the naked male sitting by a smoldering fire. The air inside his home always smelled wild like the forest from all of the herbs stored in pots and basket.

"Hello. You sent Oshku for me?" Mathew knelt by the shaman and touched noses with him. The wolf's long hair draped freely down his back as it always had.

"Hello Mathew." The dark brown wolf held the human's shoulder and inhaled his familiar scent. "Yes I did send Oshku for you."

"Is it important?"

"You can stay with Aitu for the next two days. I'm staying with Nenma and Faustus for the time being." He surprised Mathew.

"Is something wrong with Nenma?"

"Nothing is bad about her health." He dismissed Mathew's worries. "I'll be visiting starting tomorrow to care for her aches closely. No one else has been ill, but Oshku will still be here."

"That's good. So Oshku will experience being a shaman by herself."

"Yes." He nodded with a grin. "If it's serious then I'll be a few homes away."

"Is that all you needed to see me for?" Mathew hastily stood up, ready to return to the black wolfess.

"That is all. You may leave now." The shaman smiled with all of his teeth.

'I can live with Aitu again for a while!' Mathew left Kithos's home in a good mood and hurried to Aitu's hut. The human crouched reaching the door flap by the edge of the village. He found the wolfess sitting on a deerskin and drinking water from a small wooden bowl. Her black twitched smelling a familiar scent and her head snapped towards the entrance.

"Mathew!" The black wolf's tail wagged seeing the human enter her home. They touched noses happily. Mathew inhaled her unique scent, familiar and comforting. Aitu wiggled her nose as they parted.

"What? Do you smell Nenma and Faustus on me?"

"You do smell like them." She giggled at the distinct scent surrounding him. "So how did you get the time to visit me?"

"Kithos told me that I could stay with you for a few days again."

"Really? That's great!" Aitu hugged the human tightly. "Sorry." The wolfess lowered her ears abashedly and let him go.

"That's fine." He chuckled wiping a loose hair from his lips.

"So did the shaman change his mind about you staying with Nenma and Faustus?"

"Not that I know of. Kithos is going to stay with them for a few days so he wanted me to stay with you."

"Kithos only has to stay with them for a single afternoon to know if something is wrong." She slowly shook her head wearing a teasing grin.

"Then why did he-"

"They may want to enjoy each other's company... privately." She dropped the hint. Mathew shrugged.

"I still get to stay here with you for a while though." He added. The she wolf smiled and nodded.

"It was becoming lonely without you here." Aitu poured herself another cup of water.

"What about your brother? Doesn't he still visit?"

"Rarely. He just didn't like it when you were around me." Aitu admitted. "He thinks that you will harm me."

"I don't think I could hurt you. You're a lot stronger than me." They both chuckled.

"How have your parents been doing? I haven't seen them in a while either."

"They have been doing well. Both were wondering why your scent was so stale in here." She grinned. Human and wolf passed the time talking to each other, and catching up on what the other was doing. They missed most of spring together, and there was plenty to say through the remaining evening until the moon rose. The only light remaining was the from the fire.

"It's dark. We should sleep." Aitu noted with a sigh and poured water into the fire, extinguishing the flames. Mathew's eyes adjusted to the partial moonlight from the door flap and roof.

"What happened to your dream catcher?" He noticed that the fixture was no longer hanging from the wall.

"Oh, I accidentally broke it." She nervously laughed.

"How? It was hanging over there."

"Eh. Long story." She undid the band around her arm and loincloth. Mathew didn't press the issue any further and undressed as well. The human rested on the deerskin across the dormant fire but looked at the black wolfess. Aitu lied down and didn't close her eyes either. Human and wolf stared at each other for a while. It was the first time they had slept apart under the same roof in months. Mathew started to open his mouth, but stopped feeling oddly nervous.

'Why am I nervous about sleeping with her?' He thought to himself puzzled, but still couldn't muster the voice to talk.

"Sleep well." Aitu finally spoke.

"Sleep well." He replied.

Shoes scuffed at the wooden floorboards. A red stain marked the edges of broken glass on the floor.

'What happened here?' Mathew looked around the familiar human house where someone had broken in with inefficient means. He folded his arms and shivered. That soft creeping feeling that made his pallet dry instantly suddenly shook his core. His heart thumped loudly in its cage threatening to alert anyone. A huff of warm breath on the back of his neck made him tremble in fear. Mathew spun around but found no one behind him. The broken window remained the same with shards of glass on the floor, undisturbed. He listened to himself pant finding the interior silence more worrying than before.

"Mom?" He called out feeling an imminent danger concerning her and ran into the adjacent room. An unattended sink dripped quietly. The kitchen table had drops of blood on its surface and a bloody handprint smeared from corner to corner.

'Darren?' An image of the deceased face went through his mind. Mathew hurried through the kitchen and out the old wooden door. Hinges squeaked as he stepped outside. Not far away, a raven cawed holding a small dingy bone in its talons before flying away into the misty forebode.

'What is this place?' Mathew looked around the barren landscape. Rubble and shack houses surrounded the immediate area, but old leafless trees and crummy stone pathways led further out into a hazy fog. The forest of ruins and trees looked dark, but not because the sun had set below the horizon. It reminded Mathew of a horror story. The mix of soil and cobblestone was gray or black littered with countless burnt sticks and wooden limbs. Trees were mostly leafless with gnarled trunks and limbs. His head jerked to the side hearing a piercing howl across the landscape. Goosebumps rose up from his skin. It was low and drawn out like a wolf.

"Ai-Aitu? Is that you?" He shivered looking around the scary place. No one responded. Afraid to go back inside the human house Mathew followed the pathway as it sloped down into the fog. As the terrain steepened steps emerged along the stony pathway. Mathew looked down at the ashy texture dirt layered over some of the steps. Everything seemed so dark and dingy as he followed the windy path down to wherever it led.

"I can't see-" His shoe accidentally kicked a rock sending it tumbling down the steps. He could hear it reach the bottom with loud clattering clacks. The human slowly descended the last dozen steps through the white fog. The ground leveled off revealing a small open circle surrounded by walls of rubble.

"Hello?" Mathew started shivering as a draft chilled his skin. Movement caught his eye. Mathew gasped and covered his mouth seeing a large spiny figure crouching mere steps away from him. A head turned revealing to empty eye sockets, pitch black.

'A wolf!' He trembled as the tall creature turned to completely face him. A lack of male equipment confirmed its sex. He recognized the large triangular ears, tail, digitigrade legs, muzzle on the grey ghostly body. The canine was severely thin with her grey fur clinging to her body. Slim fingers narrowed into claws finer than needles. Her teeth were longer and thinner in the same manner. He could see every individual vertebrae in such detail it made his skin hurt. Mathew's skin formed goosebumps seeing an ornament hanging around her neck. It was a human skull hanging loosely by a string with raven feathers.

'This can't be real!' The great dull grey wolfess stalked up to him on all fours before rising onto two digitigrade legs. She was at least three heads taller than him! It approached step by step. Mathew could hear every ragged breath she produced.

'This isn't real!' His thoughts screamed, but his body remained petrified. It's mouth gaped open revealing long curved teeth, a grey tongue, and a black hole deeper in its gullet.

"AAH!" Mathew screamed waking up.

"Mathew?" Aitu softly whispered holding the shivering human in her arms. The natural darkness of night encased his vision and the soft sounds of crickets outside brought him back to reality. He was in Aitu's hut-

"Aitu!" He realized who was holding him. Mathew clung to her warm body and buried his face into her furry shoulder. The image of the ghostly wolf made the human shudder terrified. It was too real for him to comprehend.

"It's alright. I'm here." Aitu consoled him and patted his back. The secure words only made him hold her tighter. It was dark and she didn't even have her clothes on yet. "Do you want to lay down?" She softly spoke. He nodded silently, but didn't let go of her. "Ok I won't go anywhere." They lied down on his deerskin facing each other with the human in her arms, and his face in her tuft of chest fur. Her warm welcoming fur helped ease his mind. The wolfess watched the human on her arms and waited for his breathing to return to normal. "What happened? Are you ok?" Her voice was soft and comforting, easing his thoughts away from the terrible nightmare. Mathew wanted to tell her, but a nagging doubt held his tongue.

"It was just a bad dream. A scary one at that." He dismissed the occurrence despite how terrifying it was.

"That's very serious. We should visit Kithos after we eat." She told him with concern in her voice. Mathew didn't reply and looked at his hands still shaking like leaves in a storm. "Try to sleep some before the sun rises." She suggested patting his back.

"Ok." He closed his eyes seeking comfort in her warm downy neck fur.

***

"A bad dream huh? What exactly happens in your bad dream?" Kithos inquired as his apprentice finished eating. Mathew looked at Aitu's lap where she was holding his hand. With the black wolfess by his side, the human found it easier to talk about. The black wolfess looked at Mathew with concern as he searched for the right words.

"I was in a dark forest, but it wasn't really a forest..." He trailed off not entirely sure where the dream took place other than his subconscious. "It looked like a human village without any homes..."

"How so?" Kithos inquired with his serious gaze.

"There was only one home completely standing and it looked like a forest surrounded the area but... but the fog was too dense far away. There was blood on a table and a raven carried a bone away..." He trailed off.

"A raven carrying a bone." Kithos thought rubbing his chin. Oshku nudged his side.

"Could it be a bad spirit causing this Kithos?" The little wolfess asked.

"Hm. You may be right Oshku. This dream sounds ominous." Kithos spoke. "Mathew, this time when you have the nightmare don't wake up. It is very important that you figure out what is bothering you through this dream."

"Kithos, I don't think I can have the same nightmare over and over-" He was cut off by a raised hand.

"This is serious." Kithos tapped his muzzle. "You don't need to stay with Nenma and Faustus anymore. This dream will help you connect with the spirits."

"I'm living permanently with Aitu again?" Mathew's face lit up. The wolfess's ears perked up at the news as well.

"Yes, but you can visit them whenever you want." Kithos grinned. "And chew on this mint before you sleep." The shaman handed him some green leaves. "Stress hurts the stomach, and mint will help alleviate it."

***

The rest of the day went by quietly for Mathew, mostly in preparation for the night. Aitu's parents agreed with the shaman's advice, but the human was still very apprehensive. As the last trickling moment of sunlight faded in the village Mathew sat in Aitu's hut worrying. Two chewed leaves lied on the ground by the fire. The mint helped his stomach some, but it didn't ease his mind. The wolfess was sitting on her deerskin mat watching the human.

"Are you ok?" Aitu softly asked.

"Yes." His voice was stale.

"You're lying." She frowned. Mathew nodded and rubbed his arms. The wolfess placed her hands over his. The warmth from her pads and fur helped soothe him.

"Thanks." He meekly replied. A little grin formed on Aitu's muzzle as she clasped her hands around his own. They were smaller than hers and more delicate.

"My mother used to hold my hands when I was scared." She ran her thumbs over the human's skin. The caring gesture reminded him of his mother and Nenma. "You can tell me anything." She brushed her nose across the human's forehead. Mathew nodded nervously.

"Nightmares were very common for me when I was an adolescent." He admitted.

"You've had nightmares as a pup?" Aitu looked at him with concern.

"For years after my mother was murdered." He shook his head depressed. "It was the same thing over and over. That brutal bald man holding that bloody hatchet..." He shuddered. "I'll never forget a cold hearted face like that."

"That's terrible." Aitu's ears pinned back empathetically. Mathew stared at the ground sadly but a strong tongue licked his cheek. "I'll be right here when you wake up." Aitu gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Mathew gave a hopeful grin and squeezed her hand before crawling over to his deerskin mat. Aitu watched the human take off his loincloth and lay down. Even though it was dark, neither closed their eyes to sleep yet.

"Aitu?" He asked staring up at the hut's ceiling.

"Yes?" She replied without hesitation.

"Can I sleep with you?" Mathew rubbed his eyes feeling them water. He was terrified at the prospect of reliving the terrible nightmare.

"Of course you can." The black wolfess was by his side in an instant and crawled with him over to her deerskin bed. Aitu sat down beside him so that their sides pressed together snugly. Their legs were a tangled mess, but neither seemed to mind. "Are you cold?" She asked feeling him shiver.

"N-No... I'm afraid." He leaned against her and grabbed a handful of her warm black fur. Aitu wrapped him in her arms and patted his bare back.

'He hasn't been this scared since I first saw him.' The wolfess recalled to herself the first day he woke up in her hut. When his breathing calmed down Aitu lied down with him. Mathew felt her front press against his back and watched arms reach around him. A hand rested on his chest. The warmth from the large wolf hand helped comfort the nervous human.

"Thank you Aitu." He held her arm closely. Her physical presence alone soothed his fears.

"Sleep well." She whispered with empathy as his eyes closed.

"Sleep well."

'What is this place?' Mathew looked around the barren landscape. Rubble and shack houses surrounded the immediate area, but old leafless trees and crummy stone pathways led further out into a hazy fog. The forest of ruins and trees looked dark, but not because the sun had set below the horizon. It reminded Mathew of a horror story. The mix of soil and cobblestone was gray or black littered with countless burnt sticks and wooden limbs. Trees were mostly leafless with gnarled trunks and limbs. His head jerked to the side hearing a piercing howl across the landscape. Goosebumps rose up from his skin. It was low and drawn out like a wolf.

"Ai-Aitu? Is that you?" He shivered looking around the scary place. No one responded. Afraid to go back inside the human house Mathew followed the pathway as it sloped down into the fog. As the terrain steepened steps emerged along the stony pathway. Mathew looked down at the ashy texture dirt layered over some of the steps. Everything seemed so dark and dingy as he followed the windy path down to wherever it led.

"I can't-" Mathew's eyes widened dreadfully. 'This is the same dream!' He trembled at the realization. 'No way...' Mathew looked down at the same stone that would've been kicked in two steps. "Wake up!" He yelled. The eerie echo of his own voice sent chills up his spine. Mathew looked at a small tree beside the stone steps and reached out towards it. His hand touched the black bark only to send a shiver throughout his core at how real it felt. "If this really is the same dream, then..." He looked down the foggy rock steps where danger awaited. Mathew was terrified, but he mustered the courage to move. "Don't fear the unknown." He reminded himself of the tribal saying before taking a step forward. His shoe kicked a small rock. He swallowed hearing it clack over the cobblestone down to the bottom. 'Don't be afraid of the unknown.' He reminded himself of the story Aitu told him with each step he took down. Mathew reached the bottom level and cautiously stepped forward. The hair on his arm stood up hearing a low hissing growl. Movement shuffled along the ground before him. The same wolfess reared her ugly head from the ground. Gaping black hollows instead of eyes stared back at the human.

"It's just a dream!" Mathew trembled as the ghostly wolfess approached him on all fours before rising onto two digitigrade paws. Mathew pursed his lips and tensed his entire body as she stepped towards him. The snarling open mouth descended with the black of her gullet filling his vision. Mathew squinted his eyes but remained strong despite his heart thundering against his rib cage. The demonic figure suddenly burst into dust, bits of straw, and raven feathers. He looked around the dusty ground as the remaining pieces of straw were whisked away by the wind.

"Oh my..." He panted heavily feeling relief wash over him. Mathew slumped against the rock wall as his knees threatened to buckle from exhaustion. "I'm alive!" He closed his eyes taking a moment to breath.

"You are a brave human." A feminine wolfish voice made his eyes snap open. Mathew turned finding a very different wolfess standing before him. She was beautiful. Gorgeous white and black fur in a marble pattern adorned her figure with white and various grey colored hair descending from her mane.

"W-wh-who are y-you?" He mustered a normal voice the best he could to the supernatural creature. The unknown wolfess faintly grinned revealing normal healthy white teeth. Her hand stretched out to him and grasped his own. The pads on her palm were softer than anything the human had felt before. She turned around and gently pulled him through the small clearing of rocks and dead trees to what looked like a floating mirror. Instead of reflective glass the surface was a flat oily black that didn't reflect a single ray of light. The she wolf stood before the mysterious tall portal. She turned back to him and grasped his other outstretched hand. "What are you doing?" He asked as the wolf backed into the dark pool.

"Trust me." Her voice echoed as the water submerged her from back to front.

"It's dark!" He watched the inky black water ripple ominously. Her face and body quickly disappeared into the pool followed by her nose as her hands tugged him closer to the same fate. Mathew swallowed and stepped forward, embracing the cool mysterious liquid. The portal brought a very different scene to Mathew when he opened his eyes. "A forest-?" The marble patterned wolfess was sitting before him below a tree, completely barren from any clothing. Pink tips of flesh barely poked out from the forest of fur that covered her youthful breasts. Her hair was at least three times its normal length as it entirely covered the deerskin seat she was on, including part of the floor. The middle and lower sections were a mixed black and grey where the rest remained a snowy white. "U-Uh..." He stuttered.

"Sit beside me." She lifted her arm expectantly. Mathew looked cross the floor where her hair covered nearly everything leaving only empty pockets to hop across.

"Oh, sorry!" He stepped on a long lock of hair and immediately apologized. She simply grinned and continued watching him cautiously work his way down to her side. Mathew carefully sat beside the tall wolfess and made himself comfortable on the mat. An arm rested on his shoulders so her hand could lay over his stomach, pulling him closer. The wolfess's body was very warm and the fur was soft. "Who are you?" Mathew sucked in a ragged breath as he was pressed against the gorgeous goddess.

"There's no longer a need to be afraid." Her honey sweet voice oozed by his ears. Feeling something snake along his arm, Mathew looked down seeing her hair move against him like a white and grey ocean wave without receding. The canine's hair moved slowly on its own and constricted around herself and Mathew. He raised a hand and touching the moving mass. Her hair was softer than Nenma's fur as the white strands slipped between his fingers. His entire upper body was quickly covered save for his head, although he could feel a few strands along the edge of his face. The blanket of silky hair was very warm and cozy despite how restricting it was. Mathew looked at the youthful canine beside him, stunned that someone so majestic was inside a dream of his. So many questions raced through his mind at once. "You wish to know something? She sweetly smiled as if to read his mind.

"Who are you?" He managed to ask.

"I'm a spirit Mathew. A wolf spirit." The human's eyes widened as a dizzying realization overcame him.

"A... Spirit?" He stared up at her in a daze. The wolfess nodded sweetly. Mathew blinked out of his stupor feeling a soft and warm tongue bathe his forehead with one lick. "A-sorry!" His words stumbled as an embarrassing hue of red formed across his cheeks.

"You don't need to apologize." She patted his front. The dainty claws on her hand were unmarred and pristinely trimmed.

"What was that wolf back there?"

"An evil spirt trying to muddle your connection with us." Her words only served to mystify the human further.

"Connection?" He watched her hand lightly grip his chest. A sudden rush of feeling overcame him from her palm. It felt like spending an entire day in a sunny field with Aitu, no cares in the world, but as suddenly as the sensation appeared it vanished.

"What was that feeling?!" He nearly gasped looking up at her, wishing it would return. The wolfess's grin remained warm and trusting as she tenderly rubbed his chest.

"You already know what it is, but that's not entirely why I am here." Her voice easily assuaged his fears. Mathew blinked finding himself in a completely different area with the marble wolfess gone. It was a small fully lit cave with soft mosses growing along cracks in the walls.

"Where am I now?" Mathew looked up finding four figures sitting atop of a large rock before him. A male fox, coyote, and two female wolves. None were dressed in loincloths or chest cloths letting their genders be known. However, all were dressed lavishly with numerous beads, braids, dyed strings, cloths, arm bands, and feathers except for one of the she wolves. The nude wolfess to the right was the same marble one he had been sitting next to moments ago.

She grinned at the human and gave a nod for him to step forward. Mathew could barely find the strength to do so but his legs plodded forward until he stood before them.

"You're nervous." The old fox spirit spoke setting his pipe down. His deep smooth voice almost echoed in the open area.

"Y-yeah." Mathew's teeth gritted to stop from chattering as his body shivered noticeably.

"Do you know who we are?" The coyote inquired raising his brow expectantly.

"Spirits." Mathew found it impossible, but true. "Good ones." He quickly added. They all grinned at that and the white wolfess held back a chuckle.

"We are spirits." The coyote nodded.

"Are there only four spirits?"

"Goodness no! There's too many to count." The coyote exaggerated.

"Why am I here?" Mathew asked the four spirits.

"Why are you here?" The male fox grinned. "Why are you here?" He asked the human. Mathew thought for a moment.

"I left Nepheira over a year ago." He started but the memories felt as if they were from another life, not his one but a different Mathew who lived in fear his whole life. The female wolfess continued for him.

"Your curiosity and fear conflicted with each other, but that started to change when you reached the lands we reside in. You chose to spare a wolf who would've killed you. You helped a little pup rather than shoot him. You showed a kind heart when no other human would have." Mathew clearly remembered the frightening day Ashan almost succeeded in killing him and first spotting Watambi alone in the foggy moor. The pain of losing his mother to cold murder at such a young age scarred him, and living in Nepheira kept the wound open and fresh every day.

"So why are you here?" The fox asked him again.

"I am looking for a home." He remembered the intentions he had when deciding to sail to Nepheira.

"You are home. Let love guide you, not fear." The male fox answered. A light at the top of the cave brightened akin to the rising sun when he finished speaking. Mathew could feel that the dream was nearing its end.

"Wait! What happened to all the humans from ancient times? Humans did inhabit the world before an apocalypse right?" All four looked at him keenly before nodding in unison. The other female wolf spoke up first.

"Before our kind came into the world, humans inhabited nearly every corner of this one. Your kind birthed beautiful creations and wealth, but grew irresponsible with the weapons they harnessed."

"Power attracts the corruptible." The coyote spirit spoke. The others nodded in agreement. Images of large fiery explosions flashed through his mind. Each was greater in magnitude than the last. Images of suffering, great fires, violence, and floods wailed through his conscience colliding into a large cloud of dust.

"Human tribes covering vast lands ceased to exist. Truth and reason were lost and replaced by fear for survival during these difficult times." Then the dust settled. At the smoldering ruins red clouds could be seen overhead, but they too dissipated and returned to normal. Gradually plants grew from the ground turning the decimated cities and land into fields and dense forests. The more plants, the faster the magnet radiation was negated. Mathew could see a wolf in the distant vision as it began to fade.

"So that's how..." The light and images around him suddenly blurred beyond recognition. A dizziness overcame the human bringing him to his knees. "Wuh? Ugh." He couldn't even speak as a warm fuzziness wrapped around his core. It was the same feeling he had with the wolfess spirit, light, happy, and exciting all at once.

"Remember, let love guide you, not fear." The female spirit's voice echoed around him as darkness encased his vision.

It was the night after Mathew reached the spirits in his dreams. Kithos was happy to here the outcome, and told the human their message to him was clear. The human was more than surprised that the spirits actually existed, and what they had told him about the past.

Aitu keenly watched Mathew tie a thread after seeing a small section on a pelt.

"And that's the way Nenma showed me how to mend a sleeping mat." Mathew showed the renewed section that was once a torn hole.

"I never would have thought of that." She peered closely at the pelt, but to his surprise, Aitu yawned. "Ah. I am tired." The wolfess admitted.

"It's already nighttime." Mathew gave a disappointed sigh at the realization, although he looked forward to a good night's sleep. The lingering flames in the fire dimmed suddenly as the remaining bits of wood were blackened.

"I guess you're right." The wolfess untied both her garments before setting them aside with little more than the flick of her tail. Mathew took his blanket and set it aside and reached for his winter garments feeling the chilly air setting in. Aitu expectantly looked at him. "You can't wear all of that to bed." She pointed out. "It will smell and rot quickly."

"This is the beginning of summer Aitu."

"The summer can feel like winter at night." She reminded him.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine-" He was interrupted by a warm palm suddenly resting on his cheek. Aitu turned his head to face her and touched her forehead to his, holding the back of his head with a steady hand.

"Sleep over here with me." Her brown eyes beckoned for him to do so. A little tug encouraged him to abandon his winter clothes, and a quick claw unfastened his loincloth. Mathew lied down beside her without a doubt. She nudged him to his side and rolled forward filling the gap. A large furry leg wedged between his own as she pressed against his back. A warm padded paw and its toes rested over Mathew's foot. Aitu's arm furrowed under his head and neck acting like a furry pillow while her other arm clung to his front. He felt her jaw rest above his head on the fur mat, completing the close embrace. Mathew contently grinned and placed his hand over hers. The claws on her paws tapped his nails. She was very warm and soft despite the power she packed in her hidden muscles. Mathew felt a strong sense of protection with her body so close to him. "Sleeping with someone is better than extra blankets." Her soft voice helped lull him to sleep.

"You're right." Mathew nodded feeling their fingers intertwine.

"Then you won't mind sleeping with me every night?" She quietly asked.

"Not at all. Sleep well Aitu." Mathew closed his eyes, clutching her hands close.

"I am." Her tail thumped on the fur mat happily feeling her heart soar.