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Black Wolf

Chapter 8 – In Through The Backdoor

Winter had a death grip in the plains throughout the time that Black had with Honey. The snow was deep and the winds were cold and anything caught outside without a thick hide and plenty of insulating fur was likely to freeze to death. The elk and bison moved slowly in the deep snow and the Druid pack hunted successfully, but not without casualties. Fingers and toes were lost to frostbite and even the smallest gash from a horn or hoof refused to heal. Their den was half hospital, half nursery, the latter because Flame gave birth to a healthy male cub barely a cycle of the moon after Frost, and Daisy due to have two before winter was done.

Honey found it difficult to get away as she was one of the best at ministering to the wounded, but Black had plenty of time, having put up enough jerky to last the winter and more. In order to maximize their time he moved into the abandoned den on the edge of the Druid territory and only returned to his cave on the other side of the trail for supplies.

Black liked it better meeting Honey there. Not only was it warmer than the more open spots he had used during the summer and fall but it was also hidden away from the prying eyes of the gods' ravens, which seemed to follow him whenever he was outdoors.

The old den had several chambers and Black had fixed up the largest with a place for a fire and a comfortable bed of pine boughs and hides. If it wasn't for the threat of Menace or one of his sons bursting in to kill him it would be cozy. As it was Black set noise traps to provide early warning and kept his weapons close at hand at all times.

The chilly winds helped cover his tracks and those of Honey by filling them in with blowing snow shortly after they made them. In order to further disguise the location of his winter home Black also dragged a pine branch behind him when he walked about on the snow and instructed Honey to do the same once she was out of sight of her den. Fortunately, it was located in the lee of the wind near the path the game took to get to one of the warm water holes that stayed open all year so she did not need to use snow feet to get back and forth.

Returning from a supply run one clear, cold day Black was pleased to note that there was a set of recent tracks that and been obscured in such a manner. Honey had promised never to divulge the method to her father, so it meant that it was safe to go inside. It also meant several hours of cuddling and slow mating with the tender-hearted female, and Black was in the need of some tender mating.

When he got inside he bent to reset his noise traps, setting his spear and axe-club aside while he delicately balanced small stones on a lever that was attached to a cord so thin and dusty that it was all but invisible. He was just standing and turning when a new voice came from behind him.

“Hello, black wolf."

It was a deep voice, a voice used to being obeyed, like Bruiser's had been. Black reached for his spear as he straightened but a sharp poke in the back stopped him.

“You won't need that, not for what I've got in mind for you."

Weaponless, Black completed turning around as he stood and stopped when he was face-to-face with the largest member of the Druid pack that he had ever been this close to, save for the first day when Menace tried to club him to death.

The wolf had a grey coat with dark streaks through it. It had yellow, bloodshot eyes, the latter from spending the days hunting out on the snow where the sunlight reflected brutally. It was dressed in a loincloth that was rolled and tucked up around thighs as thick as tree trunks to protect the parts between them from the cold and the ice that often formed a crust on the hip deep snow. It was also wearing a vest made from a bison's winter mane. The vest would be warm while providing freedom of movement for hunting, or fighting. It did nothing to hide shoulders as wide as a bear's that all but swallowed the thick neck or the muscular arms that stuck out on each side. The chest under that vest was deep and wide and the exposed belly below rippled with muscle too.

But there was something strange about the warrior in his den. The way its chest didn't seem to taper to the abdomen, for example, or the way its waist was pinched above wider hips.

Then, there was the smell. It was not the sultry odour of Flame, or the excited scent of Daisy, or even the expectant but willing smell of Honey, but it was not the scent of a male about to make a kill either. Black was confused, especially since the intruder had not skewered him with the spear it was holding up to his chest … yet.

He ventured a question. “Who are you?"

“I'm Trapper. Flame's littermate."

“She never mentioned a litter brother."

The big wolf laughed and put up its spear. Then it reached up and undid the toggles that held its vest together. It parted to show a pair of very large breasts mounted on a muscular chest. Trapper may have been as big and as strong as any of Menace's sons, but she was most definitely female. She confirmed this by unwrapping her loin cloth and casting it aside along with her vest.

“It is cold here in the entrance. Why don't we go inside where it is warm?"

Black nodded and followed her into the main chamber, his mouth still hanging open.

Once inside Trapper sat down on the edge of the bedding with her legs crossed at the ankles, her arms resting on her knees. Obviously she is not shy, Black thought, and she probably knew how intimidating she looked naked. He could not help but suppose that with breasts that large none of the Druid cubs would go hungry once she started lactating. The thought made him thirsty, and he licked his lips unconsciously.

Trapper followed his stare and caught the gesture. She frowned and shook her head in exasperation. Black sensed that he had failed some sort of test. But why would she be testing him? He had to try to get in control of the situation.

Black sat on the opposite side of the fire on a small stump of wood that he had dragged inside last fall. He took off his loin cloth and sat with his legs spread and his parts dangling down, thinking that if she could display herself without shame so could he. He put his elbows on his knees, put his hands together in a tent and rested his muzzle on the tips of his fingers as he gazed directly at her in the manner males did when they were establishing pack hierarchy.

Neither spoke for a number of breaths but after a while Black felt that enough time had passed to allow him to talk without seeming too eager.

“Allow me to apologise and start again. Flame never mentioned a littermate."

“She wouldn't. She thinks that I am a bit strange."

Black could see why, but kept his face still. “How did you get the name Trapper?"

“When hunting bison or elk one or two wolves must lie in wait to block the escape of the prey. The chasers chase it into the trap, and the trapper closes it by keeping them in until the Alpha kills it."

“That sounds dangerous."

“It is. A small bison can trample a grown wolf if you get caught off guard and even the yearlings have horns. Only the strongest, bravest wolves are selected for this task, and I am the best Trapper in the Druid pack, hence the name is one of honour."

Black tried a little flattery. “I would have expected one of your seniority and evident status to have visited me long before this."

“I would have come first, as is my right, but I have not had any interest in mating before this."

Black suspected that she might suffer from the same lack of interest in mating that the similarly built Bruiser did. “Did your mother teach you the tricks of mating that she taught Flame?"

“She tried to, but I thought that getting stronger and learning hunting from my father was more important. With nothing but uncles, brothers and my father in the pack there was little prospect of mating anyway …. until you came along."

Trapper paused to study the strange wolf from the mountains. “I must admit that I thought you would be dead long before now, either at the hands of father, by starvation or crushed by one of the eyeless beasts. I was quite surprised that you not only survived but thrived by all accounts. I see that my sisters were not lying when they said you were, um, large … a big wolf" Her eyes flicked downward for an instant, giving her true interest away.

Black had to admit that he was no longer the skinny starving wolf of a year ago. He had gotten taller and filled out through abundant food and recent exercise. Looking down he realized that he was fully as big as Bruiser had been when he left his pack, as large as any of Menace's sons, and a match for Trapper in size and muscle. As for the rest, he had only the word of the sisters to go by, but they had told him that he compared favourably in the parts department also.

“Your brothers are all very big, I suppose." He said as he leaned back on the stump and spread his knees wider.

“If you mean big like me, yes." Then she pointed to his parts. “If you mean big like you, no. You have half a grip on them even when you are soft, like now."

It was perplexing. She was much more direct and forward than any female Black had met. He had thought that she was interested in mating but now he wondered if she had just come to gaze at the freak from the mountains. He decided to try the direct approach.

“You had no interest in mating then, you say. Has that changed since?"

“Perhaps. Seeing the others pregnant, smelling the joy coming off them, and watching them nurse their cubs …" She raised a hand to her breast and squeezed it before realizing she was doing it. She dropped her hand back to her thigh quickly. “These things have convinced me that it might be worth trying … once maybe …. or twice if it takes that long to become pregnant."

From recent experience Black knew that it would take a while before a pregnancy would be confirmed, up to a cycle of the moon, which coincided with the bleeding time. Doing it once or twice would take no more than a leisurely afternoon. He was about to explain that to her when she stood up unexpectedly and exclaimed “Well, let's get on with it then."

“Get on with what?"

“Mating of course. Why else do you think I'm here?"

“It's not exactly something you just do on demand."

“Father used to mate with mother at a mere sideways look from her. He would grin and drool and carry her into the den and ..."

“Yes, no doubt they had a few shortcuts to the mating ritual after being together so long. But once inside the den I'm sure they showed a little more tenderness toward each other before, you know, doing it."

“Oh no. Mother said that father could hardly be contained when the lust took him. She used to complain about how much it hurt at first, but as he was big like you it soon felt good for her too. Then the problem was keeping him going, especially when he got old."

“Well, I have no problem getting it going or keeping it going. But I think that my partner should enjoy it as much as I do, so I like to engage in some tender caresses and kissing, leading to more intense touching, until both of us are ready and, um, moist."

She shook her head as if he had just suggested letting the prey have a running start. “I think we can dispense with that. And don't worry about hurting me, I can take a lot of pain." She pointed to a few scars on her otherwise perfect torso as proof. “Now, where do you want me? On my knees?"

She dropped to the floor and turned her buttocks toward him with her tail held high. Black had to admit that the firm, well muscled behind was attractive, despite resembling a male's. The presence of a furry mound split down the middle helped. But not enough to make him hard.

He dropped to his knees behind her and shuffled into position. At this point Frost or Flame would have reached back between their legs and caressed his shaft. Trapper just kneeled there expectantly.

“Look, this isn't working for me." He told the big female after a few breaths. “Your litter sister told me that at first your mother had to seduce Menace into choosing her and later had to use certain techniques on him, but also on herself, to prepare her. Did your sisters not talk about any of this to you?"

“Fleet mentioned something silly about fingers and tongues." Trapper answered as she rolled over onto her back and spread her legs. “Do you want to try that?"

Looking down at her powerful thighs Black could not help but think that they were well suited for crushing bison skulls, and he was a little afraid to place his somewhat less sturdy head between them given the way her sister's squeezed when he did them that way.

“Why don't we start with something simpler." He suggested. “A little massage."

“Ah! That I do know about." She said, jumping up. “After a long hunt we massage each other to relax the muscles and loosen stiff joints. I'm very good at because I've got strong hands. Lay down and I'll show you."

“Thank you, but I'd rather massage you."

“If you insist." She tuned and lay down on his bedding with his feet toward him. Black started with them.

If he had been massaging his mother's feet after a long day chasing mule deer he would have dug his thumbs into the meat between the pads to work the muscles loose but Flame had taught him how to do a much softer, more sensuous massage. At first Trapper snorted in disgust at his week caresses, but she relaxed as he traced the ridges between the different muscles and ran his claws through the hair on her legs. He moved up to her legs, seeking the sensitive spots as he went, squeezing a calf at one moment, tracing the path of her arteries while barely touching her the next.

By the time he reached her thighs she had folded her arms under head and closed her eyes. When he traced the edges of her firm buttocks she murmured contently. When he massaged the inside of her thighs she spread her legs wider to give him room to work.

A new scent was coming from her now. Not quite the scent of desire, but it was close. More like the scent of 'I won't kill you outright if you continue'. Black ventured closer to the mound that still stood resolutely shut at the junction of her legs. His hands made circles on the inside of her thighs, getting closer with each turn.

“When my brothers tried what you are about to during an after-hunt massage I would get so angry with them that I would bite their heads off."

“It would make you angry, being your brothers and all. I'm sure you put a stop to it firmly."

“No, I really did try to bite their heads off. Most learned to keep well back, except for Stubby."

Black recalled seeing Menace talking with a wolf whose snout was noticeably shorter than the others' back when they were still actively hunting him, but he continued to rub the very top of her thighs. He was not related to her, and she had come to him, so did not believe that she would attack.

He did tense up a bit when he closed the gap and let the back of one finger brush against her mound, but she just wiggled a bit and snuggled her head further down into her arms.

Encouraged, Black let his digits press harder and more often as he continued to circle her mound. Now her scent was changing to one more familiar, one more like her sisters'. It encouraged him to draw the pad of his middle digit along the slit that was just starting to swell in response. He was rewarded with an indrawn breath and a trace of moisture.

Things escalated rapidly after that. Before long she was opening like a soft pink flower and he was dipping his digits inside her. She raised her hips, drawing her knees forward and tilting her rear to give him better access. The sight and the scent of her had already made him hard, and the feel of those soft warm petals between his fingers had brought a few drops of clear, lubricating moisture to the tip of his parts. With both of them breathing hard he shuffled up between her legs and guided his throbbing parts into her.

“Oh - my - gods!"

“That's what I said the first time too." Black said through clenched teeth.

As far as mating was concerned it was fairly straight forward after that, but it still left them both satisfied. So much so that Trapper opted to have a second and even a third go at it before leaving to return to her den.

“Ask your sisters how to tell when you are pregnant." Black advised as she departed after a bone crushing hug. And give me a few days to heal before you return, he added to himself.

* * * * *

Meili turned off her tablet and rubbed her eyes. She had been watching the videos on the wolf porn site for almost a month and was no closer to discovering the thief that had stolen her research for personal profit. The only saving grace was that the vast majority of the subscribers thought that the wolves were really actors in motion capture suits, although they praised the site for the realistic depictions.

Other than editing and dubbing in some sparse dialogue the film appeared unaltered, and that's what bothered Meili most. She was sure that there was something different about it, but she could not put her finger on it.

The shots they used were never newer than those being backed up to the Science Counsel mainframe on the sub-tachyon system, so she could neither prove nor eliminate anyone here on EOS-1. Doctor Dupuis had instituted a trace on the data stream to see if it was breached but the results had come back negative.

Meili glanced over at the computer in her room. It was linked to the one in the monitoring station. It showed the image from wolf number 302's collar as he lay on his back by the fire in his winter den. Half an hour ago it had showed the heaving chest and intense expression on the face of the Druid female known as Trapper. She had been riding the recumbent male in their third engagement that day and had appeared to be thoroughly enjoying it. Trapper would probably be featured on the wolf sex site next week, Meili thought, and she would have to take more money from her personal account to access the premium videos so she could compare them with her research footage.

She sighed. At least she didn't have to look at the site with its crude advertisements and lures anymore today. What I need to do, she thought, is get as much work done as I can before news of the site leaks back to Binks and he shuts us down on suspicion of funding the research through it.

She rewound the record and began the tedious task of interpreting the wolf language when she could not see the all-important gestures of one half of the conversation. But she had come to know 302 so well this past year that she could fill in most of his side just by the grunts and rudimentary vocalizations he made. Trapper's half of the discussion was fairly easy because the big female had no sense of subterfuge, humour or sarcasm; Meili could interpret what she was saying literally.

Meili did laugh though when Trapper mentioned her brother, Snubby. She had wondered what had happened to the wolf's nose and now she knew. Amused, she called up the file where Snubby first came back to the den after the 'accident' and was confronted by his father. With her new understanding she was able to catch nuances in Menace's berating of his son and realized that the old wolf was being sarcastic when he had told his son that in future he should keep his nose out of another wolf's business.

He was making a sex joke, she realized. I should put that in my next report on their linguistic progress.

She wanted to add the video record to the report but the Science Council logo was blocking Snubby's injured nose as he stood in front of his father with his head down. The logo was added automatically when the files were uploaded and normally she could zoom in a bit to get it off the screen but this time is was right where she wanted to focus. Damped logo, she would have to ask Chuck or Mitch for the raw imagery because ....

.... because that was the only place where one could get access to the imagery without the logo imprinted on it. And the logo was not some amateurish hidden code, it was saturated into all layers of the data and irremovable. The standard had been set thousands of years before to protect intellectual property in the FEC and had yet to be compromised.

She grabbed her tablet and turned it back on. It was still linked to the porn site and she only had to enter her password to take it out of sleep mode. She turned to the computer and began calling up file after file of 302's sexual exploits and playing them in fast mode while she queued up the pirated videos that had used the same images.

Eyes trained by years of meticulous observation spotted several instances where the Science Council logo was blocking the action because the black wolf's collar had caught a juicy bit just on the edge of the screen. It had never bothered her or the researchers on other planets because their focus was the language and interactions of the participants, not the act of mating itself. If the logo had been there when they were stolen those shots would have to have been edited out, but when she compared the two she found that they were present in both versions. The only difference was that the logo was missing from the porn site's video, and that was impossible unless ...

... unless the images were stolen from the raw archive here at EOS-1. And the only people who had access to that archive were her friends, Chuck and Mitch.

Things were falling into place in her mind rapidly now. The site had appeared shortly after Mitch had transferred to EOS-1, around the same time as he had offered to redirect drones going in and out of the complex to monitor her wolves. The early videos on the porn site had featured a number of overhead shots, but as 302 became more aware of the drones' presence and gone underground for his liaisons the opportunities to redirect them had diminished. Mitch had blamed it on the winter schedule, saying that he hoped to give her more time on them come spring “when everyone moves outdoors again".

A quick check of the record showed that most of the times when Chuck redirected drones were when the wolves were hunting or engaged on other routine activities, but when Mitch was on duty the drones only seemed to be made available when 302 was mating outdoors.

Meili was interrupted by a knock at her door. She shut off her tablet and the computer, wondering if Mitch had been monitoring her and had come to eliminate any loose ends that could tie him to the data theft, like her.

“Wh- who is it?"

A muted voice speaking mandarin came through. “It's me, your baby, my treasure"

The words Lijun had used, Baobei and Baobao, were rather corny terms of endearment, ones he had promised not to use in public even though they were the only two Mandarin speakers at EOS-1. He insisted on using them in private though.

“Just a second." Meili jumped up and ran to unlock the door. She had changed the codes on it and on her devices after discovering that Lijun had access to them. But Lijun did not have access to the archive, or the technical expertise to create the videos she had been forced to watch for the last month, and that meant he was innocent. Meili was very relieved and showed it when he stepped into the room by leaping on him and kissing him hard with her arms and legs wrapped around him.

“Woah, girl." Lijun cried in English when she almost knocked him over. “You're starting to act like one of your wolf bitches. And here I thought I was the one in the dog house."

“You're forgiven, and we only have two hours before the Chair calls for his weekly update. What do you want to do meanwhile?"

“What do your wolves say when they want to mate?"

“Generally, 'I want to mate', but they do it with gestures and facial expressions."

Lijun carried her over to her bed and lay her down on it. Then he stood at the end, made a circle with the fingers of one hand and poked the index finger of the other in and out of the circle rapidly while wiggling his eyebrows.

Meili responded by hooking a finger toward him with a lewd grin on her face.

“Fuck me." He said as he dropped down on top of her. “I learned how to speak wolf and I never knew it.

* * * * *

Black was enjoying his time with Trapper, even if she did get carried away occasionally. At least she was an expert in massaging away the cramps and bruises she gave him.

As he suspected she could not confirm her pregnancy right away because her bleeding time was three quarters of a cycle away when they first mated. But she was optimistically hopeful when the time came and there was no sign of blood.

“My sisters said I must wait for at least another quarter cycle before I can be sure." She reported.

“Will you stop coming to see me then?"

Trapper opened her mouth formed to say 'yes' but then she stopped and looked down in confusion, and perhaps a little sadness. “I suppose I should. It will be someone else's turn."

Mentally counting Black came up with nine Druid females that he had mated with. “Oh yes, Flame said that there were ten of you. Who is it that I haven't met?"

“That would be Moon Gazer, our youngest sister. She was the last cub born of Thunder before she died; the cause of her death actually. Father has never taken to her because of it. She earned her name by sitting at the den entrance each night noting the passage of the moon. She has the wisdom of the grandmothers but is still a child in body." Trapper's expression turned deadly. “You are not the kind of wolf that mates with cubs, are you?"

“By the gods, no. Moon Gazer should wait until she is full grown before even thinking about mating. And if she decides that she does not want to mate with me then that's fine to. I'm not going to force anyone to do anything they don't wat to do."

“Not like Snubby tried to do to me?"

“Never. Related or not. Where I come from wolves only mate by mutual consent, when they are attracted to each other."

“The single males too?"

“What do you mean?"

“The males that have no females. Do they not mate together in the mountains?"

“Umm, not that I'm aware of. How could they? They don't have ...." Black was about to say “holes down there" but then he realized that they did.

“Eeeuwww. Are you suggesting that ... no!"

“I'm not suggesting anything. I have seen it." She sat down beside him on the bedding. “Things are different here on the plain than in your mountains. You said that up there a wanderer may roam for a few cycles before finding a pack willing to take him in and a mate. Any longer, you said, and the wolf was likely unacceptable to all and would either become a lone wolf or attack a female and be hunted down. Here the males can go an entire lifetime with only the faintest hope of mating."

“Take our pack, the Druids. Menace has been Alpha for longer than most wolves live, and he is just starting to show signs of slowing down. It could be years before anyone works up the nerve to challenge him, and only a few stand any chance of winning. Most of the males know that they will never be Alpha here or in any of the nearby packs, and so they have made peace with the fact that they will never sire offspring, but that does not mean that they are immune to lust."

“There are other ways to tame the urge." Black gestured how so with one paw.

“Yes, and many of them employ that method exclusively. I often surprise them in the bushes and hollows while seeking a good hide to trap the prey." She laughed. “Their faces are so ridiculous as they near the end, and they get so angry when they are interrupted! But they can't run after you with their loin cloth tangled up in their parts. The others though, they get more than angry when they are found out. They get deadly serious and make threats."

“Why do they act like that?"

“Because it's a sin. Father says that the gods frown on such activity. He says that any mating for pleasure when there can be no offspring is a sin. Yet he used to pull mother into the den regularly when she was big with cubs. It's not like he could put any more in her then."

She paused and made circles in the dirt floor of the den with one toe.

“Do you want to know how they do it?"

“No!"

“Do you think it's a sin?"

“Why ask me?"

“You are chosen."

“Not by my choosing, the being chosen, that is. Anyway, I just learned of the thing. I haven't had time to consider whether it is good or bad or nothing to care about yet."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence.

“Did I tell you that Daisy had her cubs?"

“ What ... She did! How many? And what were they?"

She looked at him askew. “Two wolves. What did you expect?"

“No, were they both male, or female, or one of each, and are they healthy?"

“Ah. One of each, and very healthy. Father was quite impressed by the size of them."

Black leaned back and stared at the ceiling. But the smile that the news had brought faded quickly from his face. This did not go unnoticed by Trapper.

“What is wrong? You wanted two males?"

“No, females are good, the pack needs them too. It's just that I wish I could see them, and the others."

“That would be too dangerous, especially at this time of year. The cubs are much too young to be exposed outside the den and a female carrying cubs is an easy target for raiders and coyotes."

“Yes, I suppose you are right, still ..." Black was surprised by how hard the disappointment was hitting him. A couple of months ago he was happy and content having all the advantages of mating without any of the responsibility, but now the thought of five of his offspring growing up without him to guide them, to not even see them. It brought a rare tear to his eye.

Trapper took it all in. She was not one to be moved by pity, but the black wolf had opened a new world for her, and she should return the favour. However sneaking a stranger into the den was a lot more dangerous than sneaking out to learn the joys of mating, but perhaps he could do something for her in return.

“Black wolf, I think that I can arrange for you to see your cubs."

“You can?"

“Yes. The hunting parties need to go out more often now that there are nursing mothers to feed, and soon those cubs will need meat too. Menace and my brothers have never been busier, especially with so many of my sisters not able to participate."

“What about you? Don't they miss your presence most of all?"

Trapper flexed her muscles. “None but my father would dare make an issue of it, and I think he would secretly delight in seeing me waddling around large with cubs. Besides, my mother used to join the hunt until she got too big to get out of the den entrance, so I'll be joining them regularly as soon as I'm sure that ... you know."

She actually blushed and held her flat abdomen as if it was already big with cubs. Black found the image a little disconcerting. But she shook it off and was her old self again an instant later.

“I will know when the pack is going to be away from the den and can have one of my sisters put a marker out when it is safe to approach. But there is one thing I want you to do for me first."

Black could tell from her stance that she was not about to negotiate. “Anything. What do you want me to do?"

He was afraid that she was going to ask him to kill her father so she could take over the pack but what she wanted was much simpler, although no less distressing at first.

“I want you to consider tailhole mating."

“Wha- ..."

“Just listen to me." She slid closer to him so that their sides touched as she explained. “When I was young, just reaching mating age, I came upon one of my brothers and a male wolf from a neighbouring pack in a small clearing. They did not see me so I hid in the bushes and watched because they were acting strange. They reminded me of father and mother when they were feeling lusty. They were licking and kissing and fondling each other under their loin cloths. Soon my brother turned and bent over so the other could put his parts in his tailhole. They looked just like my parents doing it except that my brother's parts were sticking straight out and they squirted about the same time as the wolf behind him cried out. They fell to the ground and cuddled and caressed like we do for a while. Then they switched positions and my brother took the stranger from behind while reaching around to stroke his parts until they both finished."

“But what has that got to do with ..."

“Shush. I'm not finished. As I said I had just reached breeding age, but there was no one not a blood relative to mate with, and unlikely to be one as Menace was still young and in his prime then. But watching them made me wet the way you make me. While I watched them my hands went to the source of that moisture and acted on instinct. When they did it a second time I reacted the same way. It was all I could do to keep from crying out in unison with them."

“I never told my mother or sisters, because what they were doing was supposed to be a sin, and that just made things more confusing. Why should watching a sin make me feel that way? And was I not sinning also by bringing the flood to my loins the way mother said she did when father was upon her? There was no chance of offspring from either activity."

“So I stayed quiet, but I followed my brother and certain others when the look came upon them, that look of feigned innocence when one can't stop looking over their shoulder. I learned their meeting places and prepared hides to observe them, and I stocked my hides with sticks to bite down on and dry grass to clean up with."

“Well, I have to admit that there were a few times when my sisters were longing to mate when ..."

“It was more than that. They looked so happy, those males, thinking themselves alone and unobserved and free to do what they would. I was happy when they were happy, and I shook with lust when they touched one another."

She looked down at her feet and Black saw that tears were falling on them. He reached out to stroke her arm to comfort her.

“Then mother died. Father was mad with grief for many cycles of the moon, but life had to go on. The pack had to hunt, and father still wanted to have new cubs to grow the pack. He was raging because he couldn't mate with his own daughters and threatened to kill any of his brothers or sons that dared to touch one of us. Life became very tense. The only happiness and relief that I found was when my brothers found theirs."

She looked up, sniffed back a tear and carried on with a determination Black supposed she had only used when hunting the most dangerous of game before this. “Flame has told you that we used to have more brothers, but some died?" Black nodded. “They did not all die hunting. One day when my favourite brother, Star, was laying on the ground with a wolf from another pack laying on top of him my father rushed into the clearing. He had been tracking me because he thought I was mating with my brother - we both looked and smelled like it when we returned to the den after one of his liaisons - how was father to know that it was not with each other?"

“Finding Star mating with another male did nothing to lessen his anger. The stranger jumped up and fled but Star was trapped on the ground. Father had his club raised and ... and ..." Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she struggled to continue. “I rushed back to the den and pretended to have been out scouting for hides. Father came back with his club still bloody and gathered the rest of his sons and brothers in a field nearby. There was a lot of angry shouting. After that no one went to meet the others on the pack boundaries anymore, and the last of the happiness went out of our den."

Wiping her face with her arm Trapper straightened up and turned to face Black. “Happiness is coming back to the pack now, thanks to you. My sisters are content with their cubs, both those that have arrived and those expected. In truth they were already happier for mating with you. Everyone else is full of cheer and hope since the first cubs were born. Even Menace can feel it and has eased up on the rest. And it's been nice for me too, my time with you, but there is something missing for me, something that I have not felt since Star died."

“I can't bring your brother back, Trapper." And I'm not about to stick my parts in one of your other brother's tailholes so you can watch, he added to himself.

“I'm not asking you to. But there was something I felt when I watched them, something deliciously disobedient, a shared sin. Nothing that we've done since, not even that thing with your tongue, has come close to the thrill I got when I imagined a big male doing it to me like they were doing. Black wolf, I want you to do me in the tailhole."

Black considered the proposal. It was not like touching a tailhole was taboo. Flame had fingered his and he hers. Fleet had licked his and poked her tongue in it once when she was reviving him after a long session in the clearing. She had tried to stick a finger inside too but Black had pulled away and distracted her by doubling her over and licking her parts vigorously. But to stick his parts inside one? That was something he had never considered before.

“It would be very dry." He speculated.

“There was a lot of drooling and spreading of spit before penetration. After that things seemed to take care of themselves."

“You said that your brothers are not as big as me down there. What if I hurt you?"

“If it hurts, I'll tell you to stop."

“Alright," he sighed, “I … I'll try. Uhm, where do you want me? Behind you?" The irony that he sounded a lot like Trapper at their first meeting was not lost on Black, but Trapper did not seem to notice.

“We can start the way we normally do. But when I get wet you should spread it around down there."

Black started to caress her, feeling a little awkward at first, but she responded to his licks and touches as enthusiastically as always and he soon forgot the objective of this mating.

He let his hand drift down across her firm breasts where the nipples were already hard in anticipation. He drew his claws across the rippled muscles of her abdomen until they came to her thighs. She spread her legs slightly, enough for him to slide a hand between them and then she closed them again, trapping his hand against her mound. There was no way to go but inside, and he did, with one finger at first, soon followed by another.

Her mound parted and took his digits in greedily. She was already damp by the time his hand touched it but was soon sopping wet, making it easy for him to reach inside and seek the spongy pad that swelled under the tips of his fingers when he rubbed it hard. Meanwhile, he could feel the hard button of flesh at the top of her opening pressing on the pad of his palm.

Normally at this point he would spread her legs and mount her, but he had another idea. Dropping to the floor in front of her he stuck his muzzle between her thighs and added the strength of his tongue to the mix. She lay back and moaned as he inserted three fingers inside her and alternated licking and rubbing that nub of flesh with his thumb. The only digit not engaged at this point was his pinkie, so he extended it, redirecting the juices flowing out of her toward her tailhole.

When he stuck his smallest digit out it touched the raised ring of sensitive flesh below her tail and she cried out. He looked up to confirm that it was not actually a cry of pain, but her lolling tongue and her hands squeezing her breasts told him that she had enjoyed the contact. He did it again, letting the tip of his finger make little circles around her tailhole and she moaned with satisfaction again.

She was wetter now than she had ever been and Black had to withdraw his digits so he could spread that bounty around. This close, he could see how her tailhole pulsed and puckered like an earthworm searching for some food to draw in. Experimentally, he poked the claw of his little finger into it. He was surprised when it seemed to lunge for the digit and pull it in. He let if go down as far as the first knuckle and then stopped and pulled it out again.

“My gods, don't tease me wolf."

He did it again, rotating it the way he would in her parts before withdrawing it and felt her shudder with pleasure. He curled his fingers except for the long middle one and inserted it. She gasped this time, but urged him to plunge it deeper. He did, slowly at first, coming back out to moisten it often but soon it was so deep his knuckles were bumping against her.

He pumped her tailhole with his digit for a few strokes, letting the drool from his mouth drip onto it between plunges. He added a few twists and grinds to the mix and was pleased when she started begging him to put his parts in there instead. He wondered if he would be able to go through with it, but then he suddenly realized that he was already as hard as a rock. His parts were as big as they ever got and were so eager to continue that they were already dripping the clear lubricating fluid that came before penetration. They were fairly quivering in mid air in anticipation.

“Roll over." He commanded and the big female complied. But instead of laying on the ground with her buttocks raised she stood up against the wall of the den with her legs slightly parted and her tail up.

“This way." She pleaded. “Please?"

Black moved in behind her and rubbed his stiff shaft against her mound to lubricate it. He let it slide along her nub and when he pulled it back he tilted it up and let it rub against her swollen tailhole. He repeated the motion until he was wet all around and she was dripping in her own juices. Then he placed the tip of his parts against her tailhole.

Here goes nothing, he thought, and then he pushed it in.

It went in easier than he had thought, but not as deep as in her other hole, not at first. The reason was that the ring of flesh around his shaft was slower to expand, and he had to pump it with shallow strokes to get it in deeper. That in itself was driving Trapper wild and she wiggled and rocked her hips to help him. But once he was far enough for it to slide all the way in she fairly howled with pleasure. So loud that Black was glad they were underground in a den covered with snow as deep as he was tall.

Her guess that lubrication would be provided proved to be correct, much to his amazement. He was contributing his share from the stuff that leaked out of his shaft when he was excited and she seemed to be producing her own too because now that he was in he found he could pull it and push it in and out almost as easily as when they mated for cubs. The only difference was that this hole remained evenly tight and firm the whole time.

“It's … it's so tight." He grunted as he hunched over her.

“It feels … amazing." She exclaimed.

It was so closefitting that Black doubted he would last as long as he normally did, but she was showing no sign of achieving the climax of their mating, the pleasurable flood that came at the end. He recalled her description of her brother reaching around to stoke the parts of his partner so they could finish together. She had a completely different set of parts, of course, but there were some similarities. Black leaned down against her broad strong back and sought out the slit he would normally be pounding. When he found it he searched for the hard nub of flesh at its apex and began to rub it frantically in little circles.

“Oh, by the gods … yes … just like that … just like that … yes, yes … YES!"

She released a gush of hot fluid against his hand and he let go inside her an instant later, but neither of them stopped. His hips continued to rock franticly as his finger chased that nub back to its hiding place. She jittered and jerked like a deer hung to bleed out while still alive.

After what seemed like forever, they slowed to a stop, breathing as if they had run a journey's distance at one go. Trapper had the wall to hold her up and Black leaned on her, his head buried in the thick fur at the back of her neck.

“So, black wolf," she huffed, “what do you think about it now? Is it a sin?"

“Maybe," he said as his hands began to move on her again, “but hell can't get any colder for doing it more than once, could it?"

* * * * *

The wolf porn site came down two weeks after Meili reported her suspicions to Doctor Dupuis. Mitch disappeared a week later, much to the chagrin of Chuck, who was left without any backup and would have to pull double shifts until a replacement could be brought in from a nearby system.

“Where does one disappear to at EOS-1?" Meili asked Lijun.

“They don't. Either they go to one of the other stations or they get locked up until the next shuttle leaves. From what I've heard it's the latter. Any idea what he did?"

The Chair of the Science Counsel had told her to keep her cards close to her chest so Meili replied “No, no idea at all." She was only lying a little bit, she told herself. She really did not know what was going on.

Eager to find out, but unable to call the Chair directly she threw herself into the paper she was writing about the habits of 'Lupus Casanova', the first recorded incident of a male wolf with many lovers but no mates. She was astonished when she reviewed the latest footage from 302's collar camera. She had no idea that some male wolves had been engaging in homosexual practices. She would have to review the archival footage to see if Doctor Dupuis had saved the attack on Star that Trapper had described.

Then there was the black wolf's introduction to anal sex. She wondered if she should include that in her paper. She also wondered if she should tell Lijun, now that they were back together again. She might still be keeping program secrets from him but the sexual exploits of the black wolf turned them both on.

Her next call from the Chair came the day after 302's anal sex experience.

“Hello Mary, are you alone?"

“Yes, Robert." With Mitch gone the control room was often empty as Chuck had to visit other parts of the compound to adjust and repair the network devices.

“Good. I take it you saw that the site was disabled and that the technician Mitch McConnel has gone absent?"

“Yes, on both counts."

Your suspicions proved to be accurate. Moreover, by exposing him from our end we were able to keep things between us and the company that runs EOS-1. McConnel was their employee and they are liable for the theft our research material. Needless to say, with contract renewals coming up they were just as eager as I to keep this under wraps. We were able to come to a mutually beneficial settlement."

“How so?"

“We could have had McConnel prosecuted. That would have made things public and messy for both the Science Counsel and the company, but by doing so we would have been eligible to receive any funds seized as the profits of his crime. We could have sued the company for more. But instead they have fined him the equivalent amount under the terms of his contract for misuse of company assets and have fired him. He gets passage back to the planet of his choice in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement."

“How much did he make with his wolf porn?" Meili whistled when he told her. “That's quite a windfall for the company. Other than their silence, what do we get out of the deal?"

Doctor Dupuis grinned. “The company has agreed to give your project unlimited resources, within reason. They will put one drone a day at your disposal, totally under your control, and a second if anything important happens. Any period when you don't need the drone goes into a time bank that you can draw on for the extra coverage. Four helicopter missions a year have been approved. Unfortunately, I can't get more collars out to you because Binks still has an iron grip on the funds here. But I'll see if I can sneak some spare parts out to you in personal packages."

“You're the greatest, Robert."

“Oh, don't thank me. It just means that you're stuck out there for the foreseeable future. Now, how is your paper coming along?"

“Wait until you hear what 302 has in mind."

* * * * *

Two days after his anal encounter with Trapper Black was laying in the snow under a hide made from the pale chests of white-tailed deer. It blended in quite well but he was still fearful because he was just outside of the Druid den. He was trying to work up the nerve to stand up and walk right into it.

Trapper had spoken with her sisters and they had agreed that it was safe for him to visit the den to see his cubs. They would put up a marker when the hunting party was well away and post lookouts in case any of the males returned unexpectedly, but Black was still leery of entering. The image of Menace with his big club was very hard to get out of his head.

After the shadows had moved a few spans across the ground he finally got up and started walking. He carried no weapons and he did not try to hide. There was no sense sneaking in, either it was safe or it wasn't, and if it wasn't his only hope lay in outrunning the Druids until he could get back to the place of the gods. He had prepared his secret tunnel under the trail for such a contingency, not wanting to risk finding the way blocked by beasts moving nose to butt again. He could still feel the burn of the black stuff that had taken half his fur off the last time he had to slide under one.

The den was not like the ones he was familiar with in the mountains. Nor was it a simple hole dug into the relatively flat ground of the plain. The Druids had chosen a spot where ancient rivers had once flowed, cutting a channel between rounded mounds of earth. They had built walls between the mounds to force any attackers to come in one at a time and reinforced them with thorny brambles planted on the hilltops. The residences themselves were dug into the sides of the hills that surrounded a large circular space with a fire pit in its centre. There were many logs to sit on around the fire and some had the tools used in the den to prepare food and make weapons beside them.

Black froze on the edge of the circle. Several of the Druid females were sitting around the fire pit, and three of them were holding cubs.

They saw Black the same time he saw them and they looked just as startled as he did. They stared back and forth for the space of ten breaths before Daisy let out a joyous cry and rushed towards him with her babies in her arms.

“Black wolf, you came!" She cried as she tried to hug him with her arms full and kiss him at the same time. She was joined shortly after by several others all trying to do the same thing.

When they managed to untangle themselves Black found that he was with Frost, Flame, Daisy and their cubs, along with Sun, Moon and Silver, all too large to be out with the others. Fleet and Trapper had joined the hunting party while Honey and Moon Gazer, who had professed a desire to stay behind to help their sisters, were on the hilltop watching for the hunters' return. Black was a little disappointed not to have met Moon Gazer but he was compensated by being introduced to his cubs.

He marvelled at the tiny perfection of each one. Even with only two cycles of the moon between the oldest and the newborns he could see little differences in size, fur growth and activity. The youngest could do no more than grip one of his fingers, but their grip was strong, in his opinion, and the older ones could already sit up by themselves.

“They will be walking and talking in no time." He assured their mothers.

“What makes you an expert on cubs?' Flame asked with a smirk. “I had to raise my sisters after our mother died."

“There were several in my pack before I left, so my experience is more recent than yours. Besides, they all have my fur and eyes.

The females all scoffed at that, because the cubs still had blue eyes and would until they reached about four cycles of age.

“What do you call them?" Black asked.

Frost shrugged. “Nothing, yet. They never get far enough from our arms to be called back and they are a long way from developing any distinctive traits."

“I am going to call mine 'Hey, you'." Flame said.

“Not fair, that was my choice for my male." Daisy injected. “And the female is to be 'You, there'."

“Wasn't that Moon Gazer's name for almost ten winters?"

“On the rare occasions father addressed her at all."

The females fell to reminiscing and telling Black about life in the Druid pack. He drank it all in, learning more than they intended by the little comments and looks they threw at each other as they talked. He gathered that pack life was not as good here as it had been for him in the mountains. There the only thorn in his side had been his overbearing brother. Here they had to contend with the supressed tension from the lack of mating and open anger from their father after his mate died. Still, the sisters seemed to love each other and while they fought and argued at times he was sure that any of them would die to protect the others or their cubs.

Black felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked around to find Frost leaning down over him. She had passed her sleeping cubs to her litter sister, Silver.

“Come with me Black wolf. I want to show you my den."

“Yes, I'd like to see how they look inside." He said as he stood up. Behind him Flame and Daisy broke into laughter.

“She's not going to show you the inside of anything you haven't been in before." Daisy howled.

Frost scowled at her older sister as she led Black into one of the dens.

“What was she talking about? I've never been here before."

Frost pulled back a large hide that separated the main room from a low chamber fitted out with thick hides over pine boughs. She turned and embraced Black, pulling him toward the bedding. “She's just being mean because she just had cubs and can't be with you for a while."

“Frost, you just had cubs yourself. It is too early to be thinking about having more. The grandmothers in my first pack used to say that a female must wait at least six months before having another littler or the cubs would come out wrong."

“We have the same saying here, but I don't intend to have more cubs until next year at least."

“Then why are you stoking my parts?"

“Silly black wolf. You should know by now that there are ways to mate that don't involve the risk of pregnancy, or was Trapper lying?" Frost emphasized her question by poking a claw into his tailhole.

“She, uh, told you about that, did she?"

“Oh, yes. And Flame and Fleet have been going on for cycles about what they did to you, and you to them, only letting you stick it in them at the last second to catch the seed."

“I only came to see the cubs."

“So, you've seen them. And you will again when I'm done with you."

When they were done Black lay on his back while Frost made circles on his chest with her claws.

“Well, what do you think?" She asked.

“I'm going to have to come see my cubs more often."

Based on The rise of Black Wolf

Produced by National Geographic Television, © 2010 NGHT LLC