Demon Wolf

“How did you end up like this? If you don’t mind my asking,” Wolf asked once Kira stopped coughing. At least he was kind enough not to gesture at her general state; naked, choking on bacon, covered with an unwashed blanket.

The girl’s teary eyes bulged as she caught her breath.

I don’t know. She wanted to play it safe. But if she lied to Wolf, he could kill her. Besides, if he was a wandering healer, she could bring him back to the tribe, earning great merit. Matriarch might take him as a concubine. But even if she doesn’t, I think mother would be interested.

Kira’s lip twisted at the idea. “I don’t know for sure. But, they discussed leaving a trail for my mother, and they planned to feed me to the Lindworm.”

When she mentioned her mother, Kira’s thoughts strayed towards the indecent possibility of having Wolf as a stepdad. She choked on her spit, starting yet another coughing fit. Ten, kill me.

Ten left her prayer unanswered.

Meanwhile, Wolf considered the plethora of information Kira had shared. Her mother was important and unrest shook the Hare Tribe. However, that Lindworm drew his attention the most.

It shouldn’t be too far from here… He recalled Biba’s blurry life.

“How strong is that Lindworm?” Wolf asked in passing, and Kira took it for random curiosity.

“Matriarch said it’s mid-stage Blood Saturating,” she answered before continuing her story. “Mother and matriarch Ronit moved from our stronghold and established a fort near the Treasure Rift which appeared in the no-woman’s-land towards the Fox Tribe. They took their loyalists, and I think the matriarch’s younger sister staged a coup, or she plans to stage one.”

Kira described her kidnapping, sans certain details, focusing on the few words Maeve and Erin exchanged while carrying her. She even offered Wolf to join the tribe, since he was a wanderer.

I really don’t want to get dragged into your people’s problems, Wolf thought, trying his best to ignore Kira’s puppy eyes, which reminded him of his daughter begging for that extra prune, from which everyone, Sky included, knew her tummy would ache.

Reaching the Lindworm is half a day; the same goes for the return trip, and I might waste my time if it’s too strong. Wolf sighed through his nose, already recognizing where his thoughts were heading. I guess I can skip the crippled lizard and help the Hare Tribe instead.

Also, the situation of a younger sibling deposing their elder felt too similar to the Northshield incident, in which his father got injured and many people died. This naturally led to another thought, but Wolf dismissed it.

“Do you have any clothes?” he changed the topic, ignoring Kira’s invitation.

Wolf’s holdingring stored adequate female clothing. But giving Kira a garb adorned with Bear Tribe totems would raise suspicion and make her question his unaffiliated status.

As expected, the bare-butt girl shook her head.

“You stay here. I’ll scavenge what I can from your kidnappers.” He took Kira’s measures at a glance. He could pick the best match, but the less suspicious method was to strip the corpses and let Kira choose.

Wolf entered the bushes and looted the dead warriors, leaving nothing but soiled underwear. Erin’s things were too big for Kira, while Maeve’s were too small, both their leather jerkins marred in blood.

By the time Wolf returned, Kira wrapped her chest in bandages she found in Maeve’s hunting pack, and she was dexterously tying up another roll, making an impromptu thong.

Wolf watched with fascination, memorizing all the loops, knots, and twists she used to turn a length of cloth into underwear. Unfortunately, even before Kira finished her handiwork, he had forgotten everything.

“Fuck,” he cursed under his breath and approached her, carrying a handful of bloodstained hide clothing. Then he realized he was muttering obscenities, seemingly without reason.

“Ahem. The bigger one’s vest is charred and has a big hole,” he mumbled while Kira put on her homemade panties, her cheeks rosy. “It reeks, too. However, I don’t think you can fit into the other one’s jacket. Maybe if you clip the sleeves and leave it unbuttoned?”

Kira inspected Wolf’s offerings. She barely glanced at the ruined vest. Her nostrils flared at the roast-like odor of baked human, making her gag and realize she was hungry. She threw the bloody thing away and followed Wolf’s suggestion, remodeling Maeve’s coat.

Trousers were another trivial decision; Erin’s leggings would trip her and hang loose. While Maeve’s were too short, Kira trimmed them slightly, and with a pair of subtle slits converted them into capris. Sadly, Maeve’s footwear was too small, otherwise they would have completed the set. So, Kira padded her feet in cloth until Erin’s shoes fit snugly.

Wolf continued scrutinizing her moves, thinking how agile her hands were, and how horribly clumsy he was. Even though he never revealed it to a soul, he could not hammer a nail, let alone perform leatherwork on the fly.

“So, what will you do now?” he asked once her lesson in tailoring ended and its details grew fuzzy, leaving him with nothing but a vague sense of awe Kira’s skill evoked.

Kira faltered. She bought herself time, busying her hands while her mind raced. However, she failed to forge a plan. In the end, she felt pressed to act aboveboard. Beating around the bush or trying to manipulate Wolf seemed too uncertain, too suicidal.

“Can you escort me home?” She smiled like a pathetic wretch she no longer was.

Strangely, she still felt naked before Wolf’s warm gaze. Kira could not understand why. She had covered her privates and made herself attractive with tight-fitting sexy pants and a vest which revealed her wiry arms and well-sculpted abs. Despite her irresistible getup, Wolf showed no interest.

“Sure.” He answered her weak smile with a reassuring grin and a wink.

“You… will?” Kira stuttered. Right, he’s a wanderer. Spending several days within a stronghold, in warmth and safety must seem like paradise.

Wolf nodded, and Kira smiled. “Thank you! Can we go now?”

He looked her over. “Sure. If you can’t walk, I’ll carry you.”

“I can walk! I can walk!” Kira shook her head, her ears turning crimson from embarrassment. Having a male carry her was like a rider piggybacking a horse. Since the dawn of time, it was the powerful females carrying the infirm males, not the other way round.

But he’s not a weak man. He’s slightly weaker than mother.

Mired in her thoughts, Kira overestimated her mother. She stood and started walking, then tripped on her own feet after two steps. A supple hand clasped her upper arm with all the strength of the world, holding her in place.

“The— The boots are too big.” Kira’s heart fluttered.

Wolf pretended he had done nothing as he righted the girl and let go of her arm.

“You’re going the wrong way.” He pointed to Kira’s left. “Your tracks come from that direction.”

Before the young woman said anything, Wolf continued, flashing a reassuring smile. “How about I lead the way?”

Wolf and Kira started towards Hare Tribe’s stronghold. Meanwhile, Kira’s mother, Fiona Walsh, left the fortified Hare’s Burrow. A tiny red viper coiled around her arm. It flicked its forked tongue, swaying its head left and right, following Kira’s bloodtrail.

“Kira was alive when they brought her out,” Fiona said, her voice loud enough for her four lieutenants to hear.

Three women and one man jogged behind her, matching her pace. All five of them could run much faster, but then the Bloodsquirmer might lose the already stale trail.

“Warleader, this is obviously a trap,” Bridget, Fiona’s second in command, said. “The Foxes might be drawing us away from the Treasure Rift.”

“This isn’t the Foxes,” Fiona muttered. “They wouldn’t make such an obvious move.”

She gnashed her teeth, wondering which of her rivals would dare pull something like this, but came up blank.

“And even though it’s a trap, I have no choice but to follow. Having another daughter of decent aptitude might take several attempts.” Her words lacked emotion, but inside, Hare Tribe’s strategist worried about her sole daughter. Not just because of the effort she put into educating her, but because of her dead husband, whom she loved enough to remain a widow.

“Being pregnant is a hassle,” she continued. “It halves your combat power for half a year, and losing a Blood Saturating realm combatant might have grave consequences after Treasure Rifts close and pocket worlds open.”

Bridget smirked, but it was dark, and her tiny show of disrespect went unnoticed. She also had a son and a daughter. She knew children were not assets raised for the tribe. Even if you had to force them into becoming warriors, it was preferable to being laborers, albeit riskier.

She planned to send her boy to join the warrior caste once he came of age. Once he served his time, he could at least get married well, if not advance enough to become a tribe’s elder.