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A Biography of a Human

Chapter Forty-Four:

“Dominion”

Alpha Lycan I was a Great Alpha, the power that urged his father to set out on the great undertaking that led to the foundation of the current state in all its power. He slew his bothers and forced his father to vacate the Great Wolf’s seat to him. Such is the manner we wolves proclaim, the Strongest leads the pack. The Strongest leads the howl. The Strongest gets the first meat. That is the way of our Alphas.

Precisely like how we Chimera overthrew man; we wolves exemplify the same in all affairs. Heaven plucks aloft a worthy candidate to rule. Working through its mystical ways of nature and the will of consciences.

Heaven bestows and sapience receives.

Keeping up on my studies, I delved into the Lupine Canon texts. The Sayings of the First Wolf, the pack rituals, all of it. In the palace, an ancient wolf would weekly come to expound on the wolf doctrines and I made sure to attend these events from time to time for an important reason I shall divulge latter. I often was the only one listening, other members of the palace often attended to take a break from chores, as the teacher was blind and a bit hard of hearing.

“The Alpha is the progenitor of the pack, their pack treats them as their parent, with filial reverence. If the Alpha is weak or debauched, the pack has its duty to replace the Alpha for the benefit of the whole pack. If being forever loyal to one’s master was the rule of the divine and heavens, we would all still be loyal to former lords of the earth, humanity.” the elderly wolf spoke like the creaking of wood planks, seesawing upwards and downwards. I listened intently nonetheless quietly, since most attending were napping, none gave me any minor honors for my position as a middle ranking concubine of the Alpha.

“When High Alpha Ysengrim made his pack, he created nine other packs and sent them to rule under him as Alphas. Each Alpha sent in the metal of their domains and he casted nine metal figures of feral wolves that represented each of the packs and set them in a semi-circle on the pack meeting field.”

I could go on and on about what was lectured such as the specifics of the Hall of the Cosmos, the hallowed structure Reynard tried to kill all the other leaders in by setting the place alight during one of the meeting pilgrimages of the First Wolf’s commanders. How the upper section was that of the heavens and the lower section of the earth, windows and pillars that corresponded to the days of the year, months, seasons. That is all well-known though and not needed here in full.

“Noble, the great lion leader of the confederacy after the apotheosis of the First Wolf was killed when a burning, thatched dome collapsed upon him…”

The old wolf’s name… it’s been so long but I am certain it was Nulu. It was rare to be have the Inner Palace Instructor of Classics be an intact male wolf. More often it was a she-wolf or an Ursine Eunuch. But due to Nulu’s age and blindness he was permitted to teach in the harem as a retirement position after younger years of great service in the academies teaching other wolves.

I came to this session incognito; Yosef provided me his garments for this occasion. These larger lectures were for the low-ranking masses of the harem and palace staff. My new position, along with ownership of my own domicile, allowed me to invite Nulu to personally instruct me and the staff of my palace if I so desired.

Two reasons brought me here like this. First, I wished to eavesdrop on palace gossip from the wider masses of the palace, those that made up the bulk of the palace and whose support mattered when least expected. Something Gao’ao could never comprehend.

Oh, the Chen clan of hers was well known for such things. The main reason for the Chen clan’s haughtiness was their claims of descent from same group of wolves that were with the First Wolf way back even before he rose his banner of revolution. The First Wolf hailed from the far east it was said, and clans with eastern surnames such as Chen and so forth were closer to the First Wolf than those with non-eastern clan names.

“Who are you? My ancestors were shoulder to shoulder with the First Wolf!” a Chen ancestor said to his Alpha liege in the War of Many Alphas. Furthering the insult by saying his Alpha’s ancestor was but an Omega in those days.

The reason Gernan allowed the courtship of then Crown Prince Ulric and Gao’ao Chen was to appease Galba Chen and to keep the Chens satisfied with supporting him and the Kutlar Clan. It was smart and I would have done the same. Though in retrospect it did ensure I would have to deal with her.

The second reason which brought me here was to borrow a copy of the nearby palace library’s dictionary on Wolven language.

I would find myself struggling to find the correct Wolven character. I thought to myself, had I really forgotten that much in my exile? Apparently, I had, nothing immense, but I found myself forgetting words at times. Namely, on how to write them, for I knew the word but as I went to write I was at a loss. There were countless copies of the dictionary in the palace, required reading for new palace recruits that might not know how to read or write. Though I only needed a dictionary to refresh my memory.

When I found the volume I desired and flipped through it, it brought back a flood of memories of my early days after being captured. The classrooms for the newly arrived humans apart of the dorms where we all slept. All of us shouting out loud the basic words on boards pulled out by the teacher’s assistant as the lupine teacher slapped his stick against it. Then, after wards, writing down each one over and over again. I still recall what he first said.

“You are humans and slaves, but you are special slaves. Anyone can get a dog or fox captive or even a wolf who sold himself out of poverty for work. But you all, are different. You are prized and have much value as humans, especially you wild born ones,” he pointed at a few of us, myself included, before moving on.

“Having basic skills of reading and writing makes you more so, nothing suits a noble wolf than having a human dressed in silk acting as his or her personal scribe. That is why you are all here. Now take out your slate and water, and copy each word, after that you will be given paper and ink and will do the same for personal grading.”

He then left and amusingly, a human about my same age, poked me from behind, “Hey, do you think the wolves eat us when we are done with this all?”

“That’s kinda dumb, why would they make us learn this if they would eat us?” I replied.

“Well, that’s what I heard Tom say, he said that we’ll be eaten!”

“Don’t you know, Tom’s a liar!” I said louder, which caught the attention of the teacher to him.

The stodgy grammarian returned and shouted us both down for talking, “You see these ears!? I can hear you talking the room over!”

“Yes” we both said.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, master or mistress,” we repeated as he nodded happily.

“Yes, yes, you must not forget that. Some noble wolves are very strict on etiquette and it suits your betterment to learn to default onto that when you don’t know.”

That memory in particular is relevant, after all, Gao’ao is that very type of wolf the teacher was describing.

Gao’ao was confronted about her throwing out Bakti by Dillian, Acting Head Eunuch, and the Inner-Palace Auditor who took notes and presented his protest of her action. She did not even look at the kneeing Auditor nor Dillian. She made a remark about his clan standing and, and I quote, said, “I don’t need that wash wolf’s puppy anymore, soon I will have a real pup, he can eat my leftover food and sleep in the courtyard if you want me to keep him again!”

After my musing was finished, I passed by the fine, open box holding the recently circulated poems of the capital poetry circles. Stopping, I decided to page through a few of them to see what was in the creative consciousness of the current poets. You can discover a lot through the words of poems, like reading a pulse, it can give you input on current affairs.

One about the fall leaves...

A few about familial tensions and wishing for the head of the pack to settle affairs, I wondered if that was inspired on by some of the conflict of Titus and Princess Selene. It would fit and be in line with how Alpha Dowager Nu said everyone desired Ulric to return from Yalta.

Then I found one…

One that gravely alarmed me. I stuffed it in my sleeve and was going to show it to Ulric later that evening. Returning to my palace, I called for Yosef and Dillian into the inner sanctum of my dwellings. Doors shut and casting my eyes to both who looked at me in return.

“Listen to this.”

A poet retainer of Titus, her work was in my hand and I was filled with cold fury reading aloud the praising sonnet to my inner circle. I need not say the whole thing, it was a trifle, but one thing stood out was, “Grand Prime Beta of the Cosmos, he tends to the oar of state and shoots the bow of military glory, all praise him in his assistance of the Alpha’s rule!”

“These are not the proper words to describe a servant of an Alpha! These are words for a ruler!” I said as Yosef and Dillian nodded, agreeing. “What did Titus say of this?”

“Well, nothing. He neither encouraged or discouraged this style,” Dillian replied.

I then said, “Clever, I must say, that actions clear him of outright wrong, but at the same time keeps all paths clear and open. This is worrying.”

Then a scheme!

“Yosef, you need some practice writing Wolven script. Take it and copy it down onto another piece of paper-”

“Why?” he interrupted.

“Let me finish! After you are done, send it to Selene.”

“And?” Yosef further queried.

“Nothing. We let her sit with it, she knows how to fly, no need to urge her on,” Dillian looked at me slyly, knowing well what I was thinking and saw it as quite clever. As for why I needed a copy, well, the original I was going to personally show my Ulric this evening when he came over to pay me a visit.

That soon came with the setting sun and the bell of evening dinner ringing out across the palace. I had made a point to leave well before that so as to spend some time with Ulric before dinner was served to his palace. Owing to my presence there within the Alpha’s abode, my own meals were brought along with his. It was a small thing in full view, but such a little stay like this required, no, forced Ulric to make sure jealousies were not aroused. Ulric made sure to have an evening with his mother and his wife the day before. That way both felt they were not being shunned and thus focus their ire on me. I had counseled Ulric to this idea myself. He saw my view and agreed to my concerns.

Knowing I bore some bad news, I debated on when to show him what I had. I did not want to do it before dinner as anything such as Ulric not eating would result in much fuss over it by the Alpha Dowager Nu and Titus would likely harp on the chance to accuse me of entrenching the Alpha into not caring for his own health. Thus, my mind was made up to bring it up after supper was serviced.

I was becoming wary of any hint of anything that could reflect bad on me. When the food was ushered in by the palace butlers, all wolves, Ulric stood up and offered me a dish of food from his own imperial service.

Twitching my head to the lingering, but departing, butlers I saw their ears facing back, eavesdropping, and took my move to defuse any risk.

“How can I eat from the plate of the Alpha and use the utensils of the imperial throne? I am but your servant,” perplexity rose across his muzzle and brows; I watched the others soon depart at last which resulted in me exhaling loudly and relaxing my back.

“If Titus heard about me accepting food out of your dishes, he would have another reason to lobby against me. He’s already very suspicious of me since I arrived,” Ulric seemed to understand and the incident was dropped as we began eating and conversing between the small varied courses. Much of the spiced meats were for him while I took vegetables stews and broths for tonight’s meal.

Ulric brought up how the imperial warehouse got a shipment, a new spice from the wolf nomads who had recently crossed the borders into the Tigris kingdoms. The Tigris refused trade with the wolves due to tensions of power.

“I was speaking with a junior military official while supervising a review of the local corps, he spoke about the idea of a punitive campaign against the nomads which would prelude one against the Tigris.”

“The felines do bad with cooperation, of course the lions are an exception, but the Tigers I am told would fall into in-fighting over the best way respond to a strike by us. Also, he said that such a campaign might awe the nomads into swearing fealty to the Imperial Alphate.”

Dinner was finished and the time came to show Ulric, “Speaking of wars, we must defeat Titus first. You’ll be unable to work the handles of state with him leading the government.”

“I came across this… a new poem by one of Titus’ retainers… I feel it’s bordering on treason…” I handed the paper into his clawed fingers which swiftly unfolded it.

As Ulric’s eyes darted along the paper his ears fell and his hackles stood up. A loud bang snapped me from my state as he slammed his fist against the dining table. He shot up and announced his intent, rushing over to his personal desk. I followed behind, worried about what he might do and having good suspicion of what he was thinking.

“I’m dismissing him right now!” Ulric picked up a brush and pulled out some paper and was just about to start writing out the beginnings of a decree.

Lurching forward, I slapped the brush out of his hand, “YOU WILL NOT! He must remain Prime Beta!”

Grabbing the paper, I put it into a coal brazier, burning what little was already written. No evidence should be laying around giving any hint to the idea of Ulric wishing to outright oust Titus from power. Ulric, though taken aback, was outraged, and confused

“You were just saying how Uncle is power hungry and wants to control me! Now you are saying he can’t be removed, what are you going on about!?”

“Ulric…Little Wolf, dearest. He’s too powerful to remove like that. The moment you try he will leave court and arrange a coup and all our heads will be on spikes! Also, letting him know you have intent to remove him will alarm him and make him see you as a danger to himself-”

I wanted to continue on further but stopped, leaving a confused Imperial wolf behind as I darted to the doors and peeked my head outside into the hallway. Nothing.

I did the same to a window, peeking into cold night air of the outer courtyard. No one was eavesdropping. One could not be too cautious. I was assured of safely speaking. With that, I returned to Ulric, taking a lower and gentle tone while caressing his muzzle and went on with what I was saying,

“You are useful to him as is, the moment you stop being useful or start giving overt signs of wishing to remove him he will no longer see you as a worthwhile investment to keep around. As long as he thinks you are a good puppet, he will pay little heed to you.”

“Are you saying I am stuck like this forever until he croaks? I can’t stand that! If he wants power so much, I will abdicate to him for Canis’ sake!” Ulric’s ears went flat and he looked utterly dejected and hopeless.

“Little Wolf, you’re not thinking long term. We have to chip away at Titus little by little, assert yourself inch by inch. What you did to Titus a few weeks ago, standing up to him was a perfect start to that.”

“How?”

“You are giving signals that you are not totally subservient to Titus, those with wit will pick up on it and as you gradually get more assertive, they will rally to your side when you act on your own and take more courage in speaking out against Titus’ dictates.”

“Titus lied to me once before…I asked him when I could assume more duties of Alpha and he told me that once I gave birth to an issue, he said that marks official adulthood.”

“Prince Bakti, your first-born pup?”

Ulric nodded his muzzle, “Yes, he was the result of that, I sought out the first wolf lady in heat, and took her and she fell under litter soon afterward. When the birth occurred, I reminded him of what he said…he made an excuse and well, here I am still burdened with his weight on my scruff!”

He went on about how he failed Bakti as a father, how he forgot about him when he realized that his birth would not result in the much-desired freedom to rule. How his mother died some months later from a postnatal condition and how he never checked up on the pup even then.

“Now the poor pup has been abandoned by the only mother he’s gotten cause she feel’s she’s now with litter. You saw it, you told me about it first. That little puppy wandering, dumped with his belongings in the palace causeways!”

“Come, come dear, I will take care of him for you, I know it’s hard but look at me? I had a horrid existence before you came into my life and saved it. Surely, the pup won’t be affected negatively by this, he is a Kutlar, he will grow well! I can assure you, furthermore, I’ll find him a tutor, maybe one of the old-stock, let him learn the old ways, that might help him grow up well!”

Continuing on, I sought to distract the weary Ulric, “Also, we’ll go boating tomorrow, on one of the palace lakes, it will be wonderful, you will enjoy it. I have got word that the imperial lake boat just finished having its hull lacquered and refurbished!”

Ulric only hummed in response, not exactly what I hoped to hear but I felt it was still a seed to have gotten him to think on other things besides familial issues.

I sent out word for some musicians to assemble at once and with command to perform some easy music. It took longer than I would have liked, but they came eventually. Some fine string pieces were played until the bumbling fool of a lead began a somber tune! I shot a glare and got the thing aborted before it could ruin the mood anymore! Who put the depressing ‘Ballard of the Loathsome Wolf’ in the music collection for pleasant music!? Fools, the palace breeds! I can count the many fool’s head in my long years as if they were cabbages in an endless field!

Such insolence to an Imperial Alpha, outrage!

If this would have happened to me now, I would have had the whole lot flogged! I swear, my temper has worsened with age…less about that. I am a Munist Monk, where did all that training go?

The music did not help. Rather annoyed, I clapped my hands aggressively and commanded “Out! Out! All of you, out!” and they all rushed out in a frenzy, some even dropping their instruments in the process. I was not pleased and frustrated at how sour Ulric’s mood was and my inability to raise it.

Later regretting my brashness, I gave each of the trope members a bolt of fine silk and a few days break. This was the sort of behavior Gao’ao would do and I am not her, nor do I wish to be ruining the relationships with the palace staff.

Turning to my wolf, I softened my face and finally asked what was so plaguing him, “Ulric. Pardon my brashness, but there is more to this than you are telling me…care to share?”

Ulric pointed over to a memorandum attached to a tray full of scrolls and books. The books were what seemed to be random volumes of ancient history with titles focusing on human eras. Picking up the paper memorandum, I saw it was written finely with a good strong hand. I recognized it soon as Titus’ own handwriting.

“There is nothing worse than a human interested in politics, it’s unnatural. When a human speaks on affairs the pack the whole state is sent into chaos. They ruled once and made a mess of the world and that is why we now govern the planet. I feel you, my nephew, need to reread the histories of the world. Here, from the palace library, volumes on the misrule by humans.”

There was one truly egregious tale, it was about a wolf clan ruined by a human servant who proceeded to sow discord in the whole family. This resulted in the sons and daughters killing each other, his mistress to commit suicide, leaving his master destitute and at the end killed by a rival clan’s leader. The allegory was clear to behold and I was insulted so deeply I wanted to tear the thing apart. My fist clenched, nails digging into my palms.

That Titus deserved my wrath, not some palace servants like those musicians, not only for arranging Gernan’s death but now this and so much more! This was war, my war, but I wasn’t ready to attack him directly.

“You should have also heard him say things about Dillian, when he was here presenting this to me,” Ulric then quoted what his Uncle had lectured to him, mimicking his grumbly, stern voice which brought me to a chuckle.

“Also, that bear as well, I know that his ilk is necessary but neither should you entreat them to trust. I have heard they are in conjunction with humans and their malicious desires.”

“Humans and their malicious desires, huh? He speaks as if we crawled from the depths of the earth.”

Ulric responded that Titus likely does think that. To Titus, humans have a toxic touch and with Jao still in recent history he had been more paranoid than normal. I found Ulric saying that he was more paranoid funny, as I thought he was always that way and said so to Ulric.

“Well, he is, if only I had Gernan here I would have a better Prime Beta than him.”

I needed to lay low, I was clearly arousing suspicion of Titus and his cronies; I would need to think of something to appease him. A gift? No! Too suspicious, he would know I was seeking to get him feeling at ease. I would later think of something later. Maybe my, “item” from dear Alpha Dowager Nu? I wasn’t sure.

Then it hit me! I would write a book, not just any book but a moral instruction book for humans. With this, write the most servile and groveling screed imaginable, a work of pure self-flagellation on being a human. A stereotype of everything Titus wants to see. Nothing too large, a few pages, something to make him think I am a devoted human pure of thought. I’ll circulate it and he’ll no doubt read it and be convinced I am nothing.

I was busy writing away my little book, it was easier said than done. Not because it was hard for me but for the reason I found it so absurd and hilarious. I was writing absurd things such as how for a human baby, upon being born, it should placed before the master or mistresses paws to symbolically make the infant submit to their superiors. Oh, the things I was thinking of, and I knew only Titus would read it seriously while anyone of right mind, which Titus was not, would see this as nothing but lunacy.

Pulling away from my paper to take a break, I was risking my throat going hoarse from all the snickering this little project was forcing out of me. I took some warm cha and inquired about another little project I was engaging in.

“Yosef?” I called getting his attention.

“Yes sire?”

“Have you made any inroads with the humans in Titus’ manor?”

“Yes, I have, took me a while as some were convinced this was a snare for them to be baited into misbehaving and getting a caning by Titus. In the end, I got one to believe me and says she will feed us information of the actions of Titus.”

“Any worry about those other humans telling Titus that you came along on my behalf?”

“I can’t be sure of that though, but I feel they won’t due to how harsh Titus is with them.”

“Good, we’ll know if he becomes aware, till then, all is looking good,” I further asked that no other of his humans be looped in yet, it was best to keep it to one least one seeks to better themselves at my expense.

I was expecting to return back to my amusing writings but Yosef continued to stand there, clearly looking like he had more to say and hesitating about it.

“You have more to say, hmm?” Yosef nodded and said nothing, uncharacteristically of him. “Go on I am listening”

Yosef looked to the side.

“Oh, spit it out already! You know me well enough there is no need to fear!”

“The inner palace diarist…well, she’s put down that little spat you had with Siao in full. It’s a part of the inner palace logs now sire…”

Instantly, my face flustered and burned brightly as the embarrassment set in of that incident. It’s so easy to forget the background scribes tending to their secret notes, jotting down the comings and goings of the harem.

Since Siao provoked that affair during a ceremony where such scribes were always to be found in attendance it was bound to be taken down in its fullest.

“Why did that drunken fool have to do that while a ritual was going on, for everyone to see and witness! Bastard!” I was disgruntled but also hit with some confusion, how did Yosef find this out.

“How did you find this out? You know they don’t put those records in the palace archive until the end of the month?”

Yosef admitted that he saw the contents of them when he picked up some paper drafts for the record in the trash heaps and further saying that a good portion was devoted to describing me and Xiao’s spat in full.

“Well at least the dynastic annals will have some action with that little slap fight with that son of a bitch, ha!” I laughed, trying to pass off the mild embarrassment I was feeling that moment.

“Xander, it’s nothing, everyone saw and heard it, it’s not like it could be hidden. Furthermore, Siao started it, you just defended yourself admirably,” despite taking it like I was unconcerned, I was worried if the things Siao said were recorded word for word.

Only later the next month when I knew that the previous months record was compiled and made public, I requested it. Opening it, and flipping through first pages, I came to it quickly. As I had feared, it was the whole thing. Thankfully though, to my assurance, nothing was mentioned of lions and barbed cock.

[Spring, 1st Day of the 2nd Month of 4th Year of Eternal Concord.]

[Noble Human Consort Siao, and Concubine of Brilliant Countenance Iskander stood in rank file. Tension grew between them. There was then an incident between the two. The Concubine of Brilliant Countenance struck the Noble Consort, who fell to the ground. The Concubine of Brilliant Countenance berated the Noble Consort for insinuating ‘bodily treason.’ The Noble Consort got up and attempted to continue the exchange but fell again. The Imperial Mate’s arrival halted further continuances]

[The ceremony concluded and the Imperial Mate was given a report on the altercation. No discipline was ordained and she pardoned the matter. No news of this was to reach the Imperial Alpha’s ear, the Imperial Mate commanded: “His Greatness shall not be burdened by the affairs of the harem, let no word of this be said to him and weigh on his mind”]

[Concubine of Brilliant Countenance was not seen all day after he returned to the Court of the Loyal Savior. Concubine of Brilliant Countenance, through emissary, requested sutras from Gernan Temple: Approved. Attendant Yosef departed the Great Den and returned two hours later.]

[Noble Human Consort received his request of grain wine and was not seen all the rest of the day after retiring to the Domicile of Peaceful Favor. Notes on budget: Noble Consort is exhausted of funds and requests more: Denied until he visits with the Imperial Mate to discuss]

[Lady Ainu fell ill, doctor summoned. Result: No clear signs of illness. Prescription for sleep root issued.]

[Sunset normal. No clouds. The evening star shined brighter than normal; this information has been issued to the Department of Astral Affairs.]

The record keepers were much too good, it’s unnerving how much they witness and are impossible to avoid. The figures and their books are easy to forget, as being there watching and recording and during a rite such as an adoption they were more present than was usual. I let the anger get the best of me but what he said was endangering me. Just having the mention of, “bodily treason,” alone in this left me ill at ease.

I reminded myself that these books, when stored for safe-keeping, hardly are touched and most of the events in them are brief. They only collected dust until decades later when they will be looked over by historians compiling a book of the full reign of an Alpha or that of a period.

Such as myself right here, these records do help greatly with my memory and recollection of events. I don’t think I would be able to get as much as I have and will get done here without them. They refreshed my old mind of events I had never considered much in the moment. Ironic how I was worried and embarrassed then but now am thankful for this.

So, in the end, it’s helpful for this little project of mine, my “Private” and “Unofficial” autobiography. Especially since I have so much free time thanks to that one event that gave me so much time to think and write.