_Dear Caesar, my favorite brother._

	_I am ELATED to hear from you and learn of your good fortune and prosperity! I could not have imagined a better life for you. I wish so much I could be there to hold your pups. I hope I get to see them someday. I share in your sentiment of dying and going to a paradise. I was so cold that day, and then I was so numb. It sure felt like some sort of death._

_To start at the beginning. Are we talking the moment I was born or when I got off the bus? They honestly feel like the same event now. Well, since you know most of my puphood, I suppose I will start when I got off the bus. It already feels so long ago, and so very much has happened since._

_Like you, I was in a daze, and looked up to witness Nova's pack relieved and joyous to see her. The Radkials are an even bigger pack than our own was, and they already had an Alpha. His name is Jack, and at first, we didn't get along, but he's grown on me. He decided that I would become one of their livestock because they did not know how else to treat a slave. How I envied that innocence. I thought them so simple in that moment, but I've since learned how right Nova was when she told me I was full of myself. I plowed their fields because their tractor was broken, at least up until they used my rank beads to buy a new engine, but that came later. I was paired with a young man named Denver, and I’ve grown fond of him in a way I never thought possible, and I think Terra would have a lot to say about it. Together with Fern, the Head Beta, they would've made her very happy to know she was not alone in her attractions. Much as you, I did not think I'd find any joy again, but watching the 4 boys that were harassing Denver run from the sight of me looming behind them, even in a muzzle, was spectacular!_

_Soon after they got the new engine, some other boys from another pack thought to steal from it. Like you, I've a great deal of trouble sleeping, so I happened to be out and thought I would scare them off. Instead, they attacked me! I was truly ready to be beaten to death, but Veka and Nova came out and nothing would stop me from protecting them. I shifted back to scare the boys off, but in doing so, I nearly lost the very hand I'm using to write to you with! Instead, there is hardly a trace. It's still a bit stiff when I shift and as I hold this pen, but I'm willing to live with that._

_When I came to, Jack told me the pack could not reconcile considering me 'a friend and a slave in the same breath.' How I envied them that difficulty. I would have given anything for that to have been normal in our pack. He told me he would let me gain rank, though that's yet to happen. He doesn't want to let me have breeding rights, ha! Every night when I can't sleep, I find things to do that the pack is too busy to do. I even prevented Little Meadow from experiencing a fate like Terra. She's 14, and the pack was thrilled I had foiled the assault. Watching Jack bust that freak's nuts was truly satisfying, and his own brother, no less! All I could think was how much I wish it could have been like that in our pack._ 

_It thrills me to hear of Khade'grr's justice! Knowing what I know now about the Aroogar, I would expect no less from such a magnanimous leader. And to hear of Stone Fang! I was sure he had died in the attack as surly as he was. It just makes me wonder how could our people so vehemently reject their medicine and knowledge? I learn something new about them and from them each and every day._ 

_In fact, I learned something amazing just today! We have a doctor, and her name is Berry. Nova’s older sister. Have you asked Jun if she was a doctor before she was taken? She knew the kinds of things Berry knows. I am left astounded again and again. I've just learned there's lots of different blood types, and I happen to be what she called a 'Type O negative.' She says it's quite rare, and it means I can give blood to anyone, and as I write this, I happen to be attached to a very special little pup. His name is Fletcher, Denver's little brother, only just 9, and he is by far the bravest boy I have ever met. Hardly does he come past my waist, and yet he has more spirit than most of our peers could have hoped to find in themselves. He was injured saving another pup from a creature called a skaowl. It attacked him instead. I could not catch the beast. Not this time._

***


The tiny whimper beside him jerked Anubis from his letter. Leaning over, it was his smiling face that Fletcher first saw upon opening his sunken eyes. 

"Hi," Anubis said softly.

The boy blinked slowly before mumbling, "I dun feel good."

Sucking in his breath with the sharp pang in his heart, Anubis reached out and took his frigid little hand, engulfing it in warmth. "I can imagine," he replied quietly in hopes of not waking Denver, who had fallen asleep on the bench. "I wish I could make you feel better now." Glancing at the tube filled with blood that connected them, he smiled at the boy and held up his arm with the tube dangling from it. "But, I know you're going to be feeling better soon because now you have my blood, and that really does make you part _Wogtal_.”

He probably really wanted to smile. It was right there, hanging at the corners of his lips, but they were turned too far towards the ground that the boy could not find the strength to lift them. Shifting a bit, his eyes closed, and he fell back to sleep. 

With a soft sigh, Anubis turned back to his letter, pausing a moment as he collected his thoughts, listening to the steady patter of rain that had begun falling only an hour ago and stared at the flickering flame in the small lantern beside him. He longed to spill out every thought and dream and hope, but the door cracked open. Berry was brief and quiet, disconnecting their drip line and leaving him with instructions since he insisted on staying with the boy. 

Once she was gone, he leaned back in the chair with a squeak from the wood, and happened to glance at Denver only to discover the teen staring at him. "Oh. I didn't mean to wake you."

Denver looked down to the ground dejectedly. "I'm... I'm n-not really tired no more."

Brow pinching together, Anubis cocked his head. "What's the matter?"

Sighing, he sat up and hugged his knees to his chest. "W-Well, it... it's just...." Inhaling sharply, he seemed to change his mind and looked at his brother's face. "W-Well, he wouldn't be here w-without ye."

Anubis raised an unconvinced brow. "Perhaps. There's a chance he would not have thought to jump in the way if... I hadn't encouraged him.”

Denver shook his head vigorously, glancing up at him. "Oh, no! He w-woulda done that without ye, no doubt! He..." The teen swallowed hard. "H-He's a lot braver th-than-than me. I... I could never do that.”

"It's usually a good idea to be afraid of a predator," Anubis offered, but Denver was shaking his head.

"Yer not. Y-Yer not scared o' anythin'."

He blinked in surprise, then let his gaze fall to the ground. "That's not true," he admitted in a soft rumble like the distant thunder. "I... was scared most of my life. I was just too angry to notice. An animal is easy to understand. They're driven by basic needs. I knew the _skaowl_ would run from me. But, people are a lot scarier, and I lived with some of the scariest."

Whimpering, Denver appeared even more depressed. "I-I just can't even imagine what it mmmusta been like."

Anubis inhaled sharply with the stab in his chest. "It… was not exactly a happy place. Not like here. It's nice that you have the choice here. You can turn down a fight and no one in your pack will hurt you for it. It's really special to have a pack that'll back you up."

"W-We-well, yeah, sorta," he shrugged. "But, that... that's also the problem. E-Everybody else stands up for me cuz they're brave. Jack an' Fern're so strong an' n-not afraid o' nothin."

Anubis shook his head. "That's not true, at all. I know Jack's afraid of a lot of things. He's afraid of the pack starving. He's afraid of being helpless to protect his loved ones. He's afraid of me." He smirked, trying to cheer him.

Denver rolled his eyes a little. "Well, who ain't?"

He looked at the boy. "Fletcher isn't."

"That don't count," Denver waved his hand. "He-He ain't afraid o' nothin'. I-I wish I could be like that."

Anubis' brows pinched together. "Of course you could." He smiled with a little tease. "You're part _Wogtal_, too."

Though he had a small smile, he grew quiet and distant a moment before asking, "I-I wouldn't mmmake a very good _Wogtal_, would I?"

Staring into his innocent gaze, Anubis shook his head honestly. "No. You... would've been left to the will of the wilds once you began speaking. But..." he leaned forward and took his hand so that the omega looked at him, "I think that would've been a tragedy. It makes me think how many others who never made it through puphood would've been amazing people if only they'd been allowed to."

His gaze turned to Fletcher's face. "I had a friend a lot like him when I was about his age. He'd broken his toe, and no one... cared enough to fix it. I have to assume that's what it came down to, just not caring. So he limped, only a little, but it was enough that he had to try extra hard just to be included. I was ridiculed for choosing to play with him to the point that he told me to stop so that I would not be rejected."

Denver whined, his ears low. "That's just awful. Wha... uh, w-w-well I-I s'pose I'll regret askin', but wh-what happened to 'im?"

With a sigh, he continued. "He was not as lucky as your brother. He jumped in front of a young _gregin_ to save the rest of us. By the time the adults came, he was... mangled. Alive, but torn up. I don't know if he would've survived even with care, but... no one even tried. They just left him behind, and there was not but a blood stain left when I returned later to look for him."

Staring at him with wide, wet eyes, Denver let out a whine before throwing his arms around Anubis, leaning against his chest. "Every time ye talk 'bout yer past, it-it's just so awful. It makes me ache inside for ye."

Tense for a heartbeat, he allowed himself to relax and engulfed the lanky lad into his warm abyss. "You don't need to feel too bad for me. I'm here now, and I get to know you and him and everyone else. That's really important to me. I'm a lot more afraid of losing any part of this dream, so to me, it's worth any risk, even my life."

Nuzzling into the thick fur around his throat, Denver closed his eyes. Nestled warm and safe in the powerful embrace of a demi-god, he enjoyed the sensation of that deep voice rumbling through his body. "I'm real glad yer here, too," he murmured.

Gently stroking his head and neck, Anubis smiled at his attempt to stay awake. "And I think you're a lot braver than you think. You've been beside me from the start, when not even Jack wanted to be in my presence. That's quite impressive."

A little smile curled his lips and his tail wiggled. The moment he stilled, though, he was out like a light. It surprised Anubis when his eyes fluttered open, realizing he had also fallen asleep. Shifting in the chair, he groaned loud enough to cause Denver to rouse, curling up on the bench instead to go back to sleep. Stretching stiffly, he smiled down on Fletcher and, after gathering his letter, ducked out the door.

Emerging into the delightfully overcast morning, Anubis paused and smiled. Jack was sitting on a bench. The two small pups with him were the same ones Anubis had witnessed emerge from the den not so long ago. The boy giving his best, most ferocious snarl he could muster was mostly black and brown with a brown and a yellow eye. The girl in his lap, however, could have been a miniature of himself, down to the honey brown eyes that were just so big for such a little thing. Chuckling at his son's attempts to be fierce, Jack playfully returned the snarl and tickled the boy's belly, breaking his concentration so that he fell into a fit of giggles, along with his sister. 

Heading to the Great Lodge, he slipped into his seat beside Nova. She was doing her best not to wiggle too much in her chair while her tail wagged to see him. The discussion of the morning had been about Fletcher's survival and how he had facilitated it. She beamed at him through the entire meal.

After a busy day of chores, checking in on Fletcher, and surprising Nova with quick visits, he joined the pack howl after dinner, then followed after Nova to the lounge barn. As they played a table game with a ball and blockers, Denver and a few others gathered around to cheer them on equally. 

The music got turned up a little louder. Glancing up, Anubis smiled when Fern strode over and took Denver's hand. The boy blushed, pulled close onto the dance floor, but he beamed while Fern sang along with the words as they danced to the upbeat song. Their focus was so entirely on one another, almost forgetting anyone else was there.

Her tail wagging, Nova abandoned the game and dragged Anubis along to dance, as well. Obliging her, he had no hope to keep up with the others, but she was happy to just sway with him until the song changed. All the men besides Denver were promptly chased off the floor, the women doing a choreographed dance together that had all the men panting eagerly, pulling their partners into their laps when it was over.

Finally done with the night, he kissed Nova goodnight, and turned to head back to his bed when he caught the glow of eyes from a barn door. Glancing over quickly, he swore he saw someone. Sniffing the still, moist night air, it smelled like Cloud, but he saw no one when he glanced inside. With another sniff and sweep of his gaze, he continued on his way.

No matter how he rolled this way and that, he could find no rest. Sitting up, he wanted to finish his letter, but he didn't have a pen. Thinking to himself, he knew of only a few places he might find one, but even fewer would be appropriate at this hour. One such place he could think of happened to be the art barn.

Slipping inside, he found the switch for the painting area and flipped on the light. Wandering through slowly, he peered at all the various stages and talents of paintings displayed, mostly unfinished. Glancing about, he realized with no one around, the itch to paint something became unbearable. 

Nova had shown him where all the open access supplies were. She had explained how they made their paints from various items in the environment so some took more time than others to get more of. In fact, she had been waiting on more yellow, which was made with a flower that only bloomed as the snow melted. There had not been much snow so there had been fewer of the flowers this year. 

Gathering what he needed, he found the colors they had the most of; the earthy tones from clay, ash and charcoal. Once he was in front of it, however, he stared at the jars and pondered what he even felt like making. Considering it had been a while, and he did not have Nova to pose for him, he gathered a few simple items to arrange on a chair and spent the next hour in blissful solace with the paint and the canvas. The colors were not as vibrant and the paints themselves were not as smooth and high quality as he was used to, but the smells were natural, and he found that there was some advantage to the grit with his thick lines and heavy fill. 

His ear swiveled before he snapped around and blinked in mild surprise. "Oh. Good evening, Cloud. I hope it's alright I'm in here at this hour?"

"Oh, naw, it's fine," she waved her hand. "I were just wonderin' who could be in here middle o' the night. S'pose I shouldn't be s'prised it's ye."

He tilted his head curiously. "Well, I am surprised to find you awake."

"I, uh, were havin' a hard time sleepin'," she admitted softly, finding something beside her to tidy. 

With a small sigh, he turned back to his painting. "I can understand that. I have trouble sleeping most nights, myself."

He blinked, and she was beside him to peer closely at his work. It was a struggle not to just stare blatantly at the plump globes next to his face. After all, he had always been allowed to stare. She wore only a dark green wrap dress with ruffled edges that stopped above her knees, and there was plenty of her to burden the material. 

"Yer not exactly subtle." She peeked at him from the corner of her eye.

Blushing, Anubis looked back at his painting. "Uh, sorry."

"I saw ye an' Nova on the water tower the other night."

He perked and stiffened, peering back at her from the corner of his eye. "Oh?" The question was unnecessary. He already knew in her tone.

Looking back at his painting, she smirked. "She said ye were real good at paintin'." She turned back to him slyly. "Said ye were good at a lot o' other thin's, too."

His brow nearly touched his ear and the tips of his lips curled up. "Oh? She's spreading rumors about me, is she?" Then his eyes narrowed deviously. "Or, are you curious if they're true?"

The little smirk on her face was entirely too smug for how small she was beside him. "Well, I am the Alpha. I get ta decide breedin' rights o' the women, includin' Nova." She turned that smirk to him. "Perhaps ye gotta convince me."

His brow raised while he struggled with a smirk of his own. "Now, see, there's a bit of a problem with this arrangement, Alpha."

Her brow furrowed. "What?" 

Her eyes grew large and her ears laid flat, tail tucking against her leg as he rose, a great abyss in her vision with not but his shining gaze and villainous grin that etched up to his pointed ears looming over her to focus on.

"You may be my Alpha, and I will obey you always, but if you intend to ride this dick," his hand reached out to take her by the braid, tugging her close so he was touching noses with her, looking her straight in the eyes. His other hand had her by the forearm, holding her firmly against his body, "then you will submit like a good little _pet_."

Her breath shuddered. His grin got impossibly grander at the scent of her thigh fur growing damp. She stared at his chest, remembering how soft it had felt to touch when he had held her. 

She suddenly tensed in his grip. "Wha-What if... I changed my mind?"

Realizing he had come on too strong, his face softened, and he released her but didn't back away. Her hungry gaze was following the subtle lines of muscles visible through his pelt so close up. A wry, salacious little smirk pulled up his snout, and he leaned down to murmur sweetly next to her ear. "You are my Alpha. I will obey you always. But..." his hand caressed down her arm, "you can also be my good little pet. And good pets," taking her hand gently, he placed her palm against his chest so that she could feel the full resonance of his dark growl, "_please Master_."

A corner of his mouth curled up knowingly when she gasped and let out a small whine. The scent of her arousal was too strong to deny even to herself. 

"My, my, Alpha," he taunted, "you're making a mess on the floor. Why don't you let me help you with that."

It wasn't a question. Spinning them both with ease, he gave her only the slightest push, but it was enough to plop her right into the chair he had been sitting in. Not giving her the chance to protest, he knelt before her, spread her legs, and gave her spade a heavy lick. Though she put her hand between his ears, she didn’t make much effort to stop him once he started swishing his tongue back and forth on her swollen button. Her fingers dug a little deeper into his fur and hair while she panted hotly, watching his snout disappear between her legs under her dress. 

When he looked up at her, so smug and dominating, his tongue shot deep into her with purpose. A shudder made her fur fluff up while her eyes grew hazy and lidded, erotic moans escaping her. Encouraged by her sounds, he continued until her head rolled over the back of the chair and her hips bucked against his face, her walls squeezing his tongue. 

Still playing with her engorged button with his thumb, keeping her right on the verge, he grinned up at her unfocused gaze. "It seems you've been so pent up. I'm sure listening to all those rumors wasn't helping with that. Well, it is my duty to take care of the needs of my Alpha."

A gasp filled her as deeply as his fingers. Stretched and pounded, her body melted over the chair, eyes rolling back, her last vision of his devilish grin and glowing pupils. 

Enjoying the sounds of her pleasure, he let his eyes roam her shuddering body before shamelessly burying his snout into her bosom. None of the slaves had ever been so plump and full bodied, but Anubis thought to himself that if this was what he had to look forward to after Nova had a few litters, then it could only get better from here. 

Allowing her to come back to earth, he fondled her delightful globes, slipping his warm hands under the cloth to pull them free. "You know, Alpha, you keep putting these in my face, I just have to assume they need a little attention, too."

Her harsh gasp filled the quiet when his hot mouth closed on a tight nipple peeking through the fur. His fingers worked into her again, bringing her up to climax once more before he stood before her, his erection lewdly draped by the kilt. He grinned at her wide eyed expression. 

"Tell me what you want, _Alpha_," he taunted, pulling her towards him gently by her rank braid like a suggestion. "I have no rank. I'm here for your pleasure. And I deeply enjoy pleasuring my pets."

Her breath shuddered, ears off to the sides in a blush. All it took was a hand to push the material back from his gleaming shaft, thick and pulsing, a dribble of precum sliding down the hot flesh. Swallowing hard with a libidinous whimper, she leaned forward on her own, her wide gaze locked on that rod. "I-I think I want all o' that."

She didn't see how his devilish grin split his face grander than he could ever recall. "It's all yours," he chuckled. She was already tasting him, her hot mouth working him deeper until he was well lubricated. 

"You're quite good with that tongue, my dear," he purred after a bit, "but I've got other places to be... inside of you."

She gasped when he lifted her to her feet effortlessly. Stepping to a table that had several painting supplies on it, he swept them to the ground with a clatter and pressed her over it. With a grip on her tail, he rubbed his length through the moist folds of her spade, smirking at the soft moan. His free hand pressed against the table so he could lean over her to rumble near her ear.

"Tell me again, Alpha. What do you want? I just... like to know."

His drooling tip was pressing against her entrance, but he pulled away and rubbed her some more when she whimpered. Wiggling her hips against him, she panted and answered in a whine. "It... It's been so long, Anubis. I really want ye to fuck me."

With a soft snicker, Anubis leaned closer to growl into her ear. "With pleasure, pet."

Stretching her with every thrust, he groaned with how tight she was. Even as wet as she was, he could not fit himself to the sheath. 

"I-I can't take it all," she complained in a lusty little whine, squirming against his immovable body.

Placing both hands on the table, he leaned over her, pressing as far as he could until she squirmed again. "That's because you're not _submitting_." He pulled out and slowly pushed back in, just at the point she started whimpering. "It happens right... about... here. Relax. _Submit_.”

She whined when he pulled out just far enough, sliding back in slowly, his low, leisurely drawl beside her ear. "If you want to ride this dick," he slid out again, causing her to whine in desperation. With a firm thrust that made her gasp and pant, her tail twitching, he got a little deeper. Repeating it again and again, he drawled like gravel, "then _you_ will _submit_ like a _good_... _little_... _pet_."

With a soft growl, he wrapped his jaws around her neck, pinning her helplessly to the table. Her heart leapt into her throat and her body went limp. With a final, firm thrust, his knot popped into her yielding hole. Her whole body shuddered under him, then again with a breathless moan when he rumbled his approval, easing those dangerous jaws off her with a sweet nip.

"Oh, look, Alpha," he teased with a grin, "seems you could take all of me just fine. Ohh, but see, there might be a... a bit of a problem," he snickered, pulling his knot back out wetly, causing her to whine needily. "If I were to knot you...." He popped it back in, her gasp shuddering while her hips thrust back against him to try and keep it in, but he denied her. "Then you'd be stuck here, and, well," he smirked, leaning even closer, nuzzling tight against her ear, and thrusting in to his sheath, his heavy balls bouncing against her, "what if someone comes looking for you and... finds _us_." 

It was not but a harsh whisper, but it caused every strand of fur to fluff all over her body. He knew in her moan that her resistance was gone, burned up and dispersed to the ether. His willing pet, to do with as he pleased, and he gladly pleased himself, setting a pace that rolled her eyes and curled her toes, drooling onto the table.

He gave her only one chance to catch her breath, spinning her around to lay her back and jerk her legs apart. "I really want to see these bounce," he admitted, rubbing his slippery length against her twitching pussy while she panted hard, her breasts jiggling to his amusement. Getting closer, he nuzzled them as he murmured, "now tell me what you want of me, Alpha."

"Ah, ah," she panted, looking at him as she buried her fingers into his hair that had cascaded onto her, "just fuck me, Anubis. I really want that knot. 'Fore anyone comes lookin'."

One side of his muzzle pulled up further than the other in a cocky smirk, looking up at her from his spot at her breasts. "Oh? Afraid someone might see their Alpha being my little cock sleeve?"

Sliding deep once again, he didn't give her the chance to answer. Pounding her into a sloppy puddle, he delighted in her carnal melody, eventually letting her legs wrap around him so he could fondle her bouncing orbs while he took his pleasure. Just when Cloud swore she could take no more, Anubis groaned, and his knot locked him deep inside her inviting passage, feeling every hot blast that could not escape her.

Now, the only sound they could hear was the rush of their hearts and the heavy panting to regain their senses. Looking down at her, Anubis smiled smugly. Her tongue hung from her mouth, eyes unfocused and staring at nothing, body still twitching, and her tail wagged slowly side to side, softly thumping his legs.

Nuzzling her back to reality, he gave her a teasing little smirk. "Well, Alpha? Are you convinced?"

Still panting, she giggled a little. "If I said not yet, would ye do it 'gain?"

Throwing back his head, he barked out his amusement. "If we only had that kind of time, gladly, but I think I hear the morning birds. The pack'll be waking soon, and I think it's best if we're not in the showers at the same time." He nuzzled her breasts again. "I don't think I could help myself."

Agreeing with him, she glanced around and realized what a mess they had made. Smiling, Anubis gave her another reassuring nuzzle before pulling out, his seed dripping down her legs as he helped her stand. 

"Well, as Nova pointed out, since I'm the one who made the mess, I'll help clean it up. After all, I am the slave here," he teased, giving her soft rump a playful swat as she left. 

It was just before breakfast when he was done cleaning every last trace of their love making, in the barn and on his person. Strolling smugly to his seat, he was intimately aware of every glance Cloud gave him through breakfast, flashing a few of his own with the slightest curl to the corners of his mouth. Each time, she looked back to her plate and squirmed in her chair, deepening his amusement.

Glancing between them, Nova was growing suspicious. Covertly sniffing at him a few times, she pursed her lips at the scent of soap.

It wasn't until near lunch that she had the chance to find Anubis alone. Sidling up beside him, he peered down at her from the corner of his eye. She was giving him narrowed eyes and tight lips.  

"What?"

"Sooo, Omma's real happy today. Said she don't care what we do no more."

Struggling with his smirk, he did his best to appear innocent. "Is that right?"

She grew even more suspicious. "An' she says I can have my next rank 'morrow if I want."

He smiled cheekily. "That's wonderful!"

After staring at him a moment longer, she shook her head slowly. "I knew it."

"Oh?"

"C'mon now," she tsked. "I knew omma were lookin' at ye all interested."

"Well, she is the Alpha," he smirked smugly. "I am the slave. It's my duty to... oblige."

Shaking her head with a humorous snort, Nova rolled her eyes in a wide, sarcastic arc. "'Obliged' nothin'," she muttered under her breath. 

"What was that, _pet_?" he jested dangerously, leaning over her with a dastardly smirk and a hand cupped behind his ear. 

"Uhh," she started hesitantly, ears back and licked her nose. Clasping her hands in front of her to squeeze her breasts together, she gave him a sweet smile and replied with considerable cheekiness, "I'll oblige you, _Master_."

His grin aching, he couldn"t help but chuckle, ruffling her between the ears. "Oh good, that's what I thought you said."

A caw and commotion beside them caused them both to startle. One of the woolly _shep_ had broken loose and hopped away erratically, but before Anubis could react to chase after, three other men in their feral forms were in pursuit and snapped at the animal's flanks to force it to dodge away in the direction they wanted. Expertly, they guided the skittish creature back towards the pen, everyone hopping out of the way and waiting for it to pass. 

"Hey, are ye okay?"

Snapping back to the moment, Anubis realized he'd been panting heavily, his predatory gaze fixated on the chase. Licking his nose, he willed himself to relax. "I'm alright," he replied quickly, but Nova was not convinced.

Stepping closer, she slipped her hand into his, peering up at him. "Ye don't look alright."

Sucking in a deep breath, he let it out with a furrowed brow and a soft mutter. "I just... I'm a hunter. My people are hunters. I've been repressing it, but I feel so... restless. It's like a tightness in my chest that no matter how deeply I breathe, I can't make it go away."

Pursing her lips in thought, she perked with an idea that caused a devious smirk to slide up the sides of her snout until she was grinning up at him with an impishness that shot up his brow and made him recoil a little.

"Ye could hunt me."

And with that, she turned and bounded off. After a few strides, she fell to all fours and paused at the corner of a barn at the end of the hamlet to look back at him, a dainty paw held up, her tail swishing with invitation. A smug little smirk curled up the corner of her mouth.

Anubis had discovered that the _Aroogar_ used their feral forms almost as often as his own people did for all sorts of different reasons. Their coveralls were the same as his kilt, designed to give them full range of movement in both forms. He had even seen Jack shift out in the fields to chase off some would-be troublemakers he had spotted. 

But, he had never seen _her_.

His heart, lungs, and brain all forgot how to function for a moment. Trapped like a bug in amber, her spell was only broken when she had vanished around the building. Sucking in air before he fainted, a giddiness made his chest feel unbearably tight as though the corners of his mouth were pulling the strings all the way to his ears. It was his own body moving that brought him back to reality, realizing his tail had wagged so hard his hips swayed.

It took every ounce of his control to collect himself. His heart had to rush to make up for the beats it had skipped. Glancing around quickly to make sure no one had seen his outburst, he locked his gaze on the spot she had vanished with a confident smirk and sauntered his way nonchalantly to the edge of the field she had galloped through on her way to stay down wind of him. 

The moment he leaned forward in transformation and his hands touched the cool mud of the irrigation ditch, he was a hunter. His nose was full of her scent. Every fiber in his body was going to find his prey and take his prize.

He had given her plenty of time to get ahead. Stretching his legs as far as he could, he was a blur that flew over the land. Any who glanced over for the short time he was in the open before plunging into the treeline would swear he never touched the ground.

The shade of the trees along the ravine were a boon to his sight, but it was his nose that he was following now. Pausing at the mouth of the ravine, his tongue hung from his mouth and flicked a bit of spittle as he panted. Ears tall and gaze fixed, his nose quivered with her scent. She had gone down the ravine. Probably hoping to ambush him. 

With a smug smirk, he slipped along the ridge, prowling down the length of the dry creek. He expected to find her crouched in a bush and waiting for him. Her scent, however, was dissipating fast, and had gone cold by the time he got near the mouth of the creek that fed into the river.

Confused, he hopped down into the ravine and cautiously prowled his way back, every sense alert, until he came upon an opening in the crumbling ravine wall that was hidden from view anywhere from above. She had dashed the length of the creek, leaving tufts of fur along the way, and then doubled back to hide, waited for him to pass, and took off. The time it had taken for him to traverse the distance had been longer than the head start he had given her to set this time waster.

His eyes narrowed into a glare after her trail, but his mouth curled in a smirk. Yet again he had underestimated her because he thought himself so superior by his prowess alone. She was in her home territory. She knew things he did not about this area. This would not be a hunt won by his size, strength and speed. His prey was much too cunning for the physical things he was accustomed to. 

A delighted smile bared a shiny line to his ears before he took off again. Through the trees, past a shallow, azure pond where elegant birds hissed at him as though they could hope to frighten him, along a zigzagging path that smelled too strongly of the oily scrub brush for him to smell the mudhole around the next bend. It was rare for him to so completely lose his footing, but in his haste to close the gap, he slid directly into a pond of mud deep enough to go up to his chest created by a natural spring that trickled just enough throughout the dry spell. 

Stunned and panic-stricken for a moment, he flailed, splashing the slimy goo all over before lunging back at the solid ground behind him and shook opposing front and rear legs vehemently with furious growls. The sensation of the silt at the bottom oozing through his toes was still causing him to bristle. Back in the mountains, this could have meant disaster if he had any open wounds. At least it was cold mud so it felt good in the heat.

Trotting back to the pond, he snarled at the birds to make them retreat, where they threatened him from a safe distance. Leaving them with a real reason to be angry, he shook what he could from his fur and continued on his way as the silt cloud spread through the previously clear water.

Glaring around at the wallowing pool, he could distinguish many types of tracks, the local wildlife knowing this area well enough to use caution when approaching. He should have known better, since the shrubs here were taller, but the optical illusion of the area getting taller with a slight incline had made him think they were just on top of a small rise. Pursing his lips, he spied Nova's dainty tracks, spaced close together as though she were tiptoeing around the bank for him to see, leading him on to the other side. He knew better now than to run headlong, and cautiously trotted around the shrubs to continue the hunt on the other side of the dried up flood plain.

He no longer ran. Trotting along, every sense was alert. His eyes darted every which way, ears on a constant swivel. She would not make him a fool a third time. This was just how the hunt had gone before, when he had been trying to catch her to make her his slave. Every time he thought for certain he had her cornered, she pulled some trick using the lay of the land and twisted his own arrogance against him, even leading him right into a hive of stingers once because he had been too intent on his superiority, not even thinking he could lose with such a natural advantage. This was why he had wanted her even though it had almost killed him.

Coming out of the woods, there was a small cleared space along an old wooden fence line. Following his nose, he smirked at the old fox trick, running along the fence to get her scent off the ground. He was too tall for that. Following the line with his eyes, she had leapt up on a low branch... to avoid an old ventilation shaft hidden by the years of vegetation overgrowth and die off. 

Thankfully, it was just his front legs that went straight down the filthy old shaft, but he busted his face on the ground. With a groan, he pulled free and shook his head as he gathered himself. Licking at the blood on his gum, he growled in frustration. Breathing deeply, he reminded himself it had taken him a whole week to catch her last time he had hunted her and that had been life and death. This was just play. Right?

Well, after falling into two more of her well planned traps, he was led right back to town, her dainty paw prints in the mud dancing all the way back to where she was standing with her litter-sisters, giggling together. 

Hauling himself upright, he stepped behind her menacingly, glaring down at her. Moon and Luna laid back their ears, stepping back at his sudden appearance.

Turning to look up at him, she bared her teeth in a nervous but cheeky smile. "Oh, yer back! Ye look like ye could use a bath."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. Trying her very best to appear innocent, she clasped her hands behind her back, thrusting out her chest, and gave him sweet eyes. "Ye had fun, though, right?"

Sucking in a slow, deep breath, his tension dispersed, and he smiled fondly at her. "I remember why you're my favorite."

Blushing, Nova's tail wiggled. Then, her heart leapt into her throat when he grabbed her arm, leaning in close with a devious grin and gritty promise that made her quiver. "However, next time, my pet, I'll be claiming my prize before your second prank. I've no intentions of getting dirty again without doing dirty."

With that, he turned and started to head toward the communal showers. Smirking at his back, she brazenly retorted, "whatever ye say... Annie...."

The reaction was in every last fiber of his body. The way he stiffened, and the growl that bubbled from his chest, caused all three to raise their hackles. While her sisters backed away another step, Nova was frozen in his presence, her tail tucked tight to her leg, staring up at the white line he bared at her, his eyes flashing within the darkness of his face. 

In that instant, Anubis realized he could have gone the rest of his life without seeing that expression on her face and have been perfectly content. Before she could shrink any further, he did the first thing that came to his mind. Her next breath was a burst of laughter, practically falling to the ground if not for him holding her up as he tickled the spot on her ribs he had discovered could instantly turn her into a hysterically giggling lump of flailing limbs and weak snaps.

"Taunt me some more, bitch!" he growled playfully as he diabolically assaulted her until she was gasping for air and begging for mercy. Turning his sadistic attention to the twins, he grinned impishly while holding Nova like a limp, panting toy. "You saw nothing here."

Barely suppressing their smiles, the sisters glanced at each other from the corners of their eyes before shaking their heads. "Not a thing!" they piped together. "Annie..." added one as they both turned and took off with delighted laughter.

"What!" Anubis barked in a panic, but they had already hurried to the Great Lodge, and he could not catch them. "Hey! That better not get around!"

"Sorry, Nova!" Luna called back before disappearing inside.

Growling to himself, he turned his glare to her and pulled her closer. "Look what you started!"

Still panting, she gave him an innocent smile. “I have no regrets.”

Just as Anubis pursed his lips into a thin line, about to tickle her into a puddle, a small explosion caused the whole hamlet to jump with a great many yelps and screams of surprise, but one in particular was blood curdling. Peering around to find what had happened, there was a momentary cackle before it cut short.

"Fuck you, Fern! I'm fuckin' done with ye!"

White Toe rampaged out of the equipment barn through the billowing smoke, flinging the door open so hard it tore its rusted hinges. Fern was bounding after him. 

"Wait! White Toe! I'm sorry!"

Baring his teeth, he stopped and turned so suddenly that Fern nearly ran right into his snap. "I'm so fuckin' sick o' yer shit! I'm sick o' bein' yer prank boy! I been puttin' up with it all my life, an' I'm straight sick o' it! I fought in a fuckin _war_, Fern! Did ye forget that?"

Mouth falling open, his ears might as well have fallen off his head. "Shit. White Toe..." he breathed.

With an irate snarl, White Toe spun around again and stomped away. "I'm fuckin' _leaving_! I'd rather be dickin' Valley than bein' dicked 'round by _you_!"

Fern's mouth hung open, eyes wide in shock, watching his brother cursing away from him. It wasn't much unlike the rest of the pack watching the event, but there was such a dejection in how his whole body lost all its liveliness, turning into a despondent husk within seconds.

Glancing between them, Jack's mouth was wide in shock. "What... just happened?"

Hanging his head low, Fern turned away. "Oh, I fucked up. I fucked up bad."

Blinking a few times as he tried to process, Jack glanced between them again before taking off after White Toe. Silver, hanging out of a doorway to see, also took off after him. The other pack members glanced around before awkwardly returning to their business. 

Dragging himself back to his cabin, Fern paused at the door, but didn't look back at Anubis standing behind him. "I don't wanna talk 'bout it. That were a stupid idea an' White Toe's got every reason to be mad at me."

"What'd ye do?" Nova asked, poking her head out around Anubis.

Shaking his head, he dragged himself inside and shut the door. Glancing at each other grimly, Nova decided to go on her way to find her sisters. Anubis looked down the street that led to the main road, watching as Jack and Silver tried to convince White Toe to come back. Stopping at the gate, they watched him march down the road. Silver hopped on a fence post and howled after him, but Jack slapped his leg, gesturing for him to come down and follow back defeatedly. 

Dinner that night was quieter than usual, two empty seats creating a vacuum that sucked the joy out of the pack. There were no sweet glances shared between Anubis and Cloud, save for the look of a concerned mother.

Denver merely poked at his food, commenting he didn't feel like eating. Anubis, the sisters, and Long Fang all tried to cheer him up, but he didn't talk much for the rest of the night before nervously returning to the cabin. The next morning, he was already out and finishing some of his chores before Anubis even woke up. 

It was just after breakfast as the men were getting their equipment to begin a harvest of the orchard that many deep, ominous howls caused every head of the pack to turn towards the distant field it came from. Noticing lots of wolves in their far field, the men gathered quickly around Jack standing on the tractor. His ears were folded back in dismay, his expression deeply concerned.

"Ahh, fuck," he muttered more to himself, "Dawson's trynna take wash field."

Silver growled beside his Alpha. "Right 'fore harvest? That's a dick move!"

Glancing at the men around him, Jack was debating the odds. It was pretty clear by the conflict on his face that those odds were not good. 

"Jack," Anubis growled, gaining his attention, though his gaze was focused on the enemy. "I will defend this pack and its land with my life."

Head snapping around and rocking back with surprise, Jack's brow knitted together before he shook his head. "Don't even play, Anubis. Ain't no dyin' happenin' today." Glancing back at the group of  enemy men in their field, he chewed his lip for a moment before a thought made his ears perk and almost giddy. "But, ye can come along! Gonna need the element o' surprise, though."

Throwing back his head, Jack let out a summoning howl. There were many answers, the men and some of the women hurrying to his side. There were growing concerns among them looking at the invading pack. Easily outnumbered by 2 to 1, they murmured with uncertainty and outrage. 

Cloud had come to see, baring her teeth in her anger, but shaking her head with concern. "Takin' a field at harvest! That's outright contemptible! But, Jack, ye can't be serious. Ye ain't fightin, are ye?"

Whatever Jack had thought of made him smirk confidently. "Naw, an' I reckon they ain't lookin' fer a fight neither. Were thinkin' we'd back down, but I'm thinkin' this'll end just fine. An' might find out why Dawson's lost their minds!"

He turned his smirk to Anubis. "Listen, gonna need ye in yer feral form. See that rock that sticks up over there? When I say so, ye stand up, give 'em a scare. Let 'em get a good look, but there won't be no fightin' 'less I say so, got it?"

Anubis had already taken a step back to allow room to fall forward to all fours. With a nod, he slipped into the vegetation and vanished entirely. As he sat in the tractor and started the engine, Jack shook his head and muttered under his breath, "man's too intense, sometimes."

"Kinda need that, right now," Silver replied, peeking over at him from the corner of his eye, which Jack couldn't disagree with.

The group of men, and some of the women willing to fight, followed Jack to the fence line of the field. Turning off the tractor, Jack stood on it's seat, his arms crossed as the other pack fanned out. A particularly tall figure stepped forward, his black face vaguely familiar. Baring his teeth in an arrogant grin, a golden fang flashed in the sunlight.

"Well, good mornin', Jack. Sure is a nice day ta be checkin' on my new field.”

"Grr'siv! Yer the new Alpha for Dawson, are ye?" Jack looked him up and down. "Alpha not even a week, an' yer already stealin' fields? At harvest, no less? This won't be endin' well for ye."

Grr'siv chuckled pompously. "Oh, ye think? Well, I got here more men than ye've got in yer whole pack. Even had ta bring some o' yer bitches along." He winked at River, who gave him a death glare. "I'm thinkin' this'll end just fine... fer us." Casually hooking a thumb into the strap of his coveralls, he puffed his chest a little too noticeably, raising his head high even though he was already taller than just about everyone else there. "Sarry, Jack. No hard feelin's, but I got a lot mouths to feed now."

Jack pursed his lips in an irritated manner, not at all taken with his behavior. "Yeah, so do I. Got a growin' pack, lots o' pups gettin' hungry. Do ye happen ta have any idea how much it takes to feed a _Wogtal_? An' I happen ta have two. Only need one fer this, though."

Stepping up onto the rock, Anubis glared over the group with the hungry intention of a pure predator. Startled, there was a visible wave through the group. Many glanced at one another and then their Alpha in concern. Steeling himself, Grr'siv shook his head, pointing accusingly at the salivating hunter.

"He ain't allowed to be part o' this fight."

Glancing between them slowly, Jack raised a brow. "Ye sure? Now see, Khade'grr wrote real specifically that he'd be leavin' it up to me what role hungry here'd be takin' in my pack. I framed the letter an' everythin', yer welcome ta verify it. So today, I decided he's my guard dog. An' a guard dog's gotta guard."

Glancing at Anubis again, he bristled under that stare and glared back at Jack. "There's one o' 'im, an' near 50 o' us. Don't think we won't kill 'im."

Tapping his chin in thought, Jack nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah ye could kill 'im, an' ye'd be in yer right to do so. But, by the time ye were done, ye'd have a whole lot less mouths ta feed, but I woulda only lost one." He held up a finger. "By the end o' that, I reckon we'd be a little more even. Is it worth it fer a field?"

Glowering at his steady stare, Grr'siv's gaze flicked back and forth between them while he seethed inside. Two other men with Beta braids stepped to his sides. They leaned towards him to mutter urgently. His fists balled tightly, he snapped "I realize that!" at the one to his left. Gathering himself, he spat on the ground, his snout wrinkled. "Yer lucky we weren't lookin' fer a bloody mornin'."

Glancing specifically at Fern, who had dragged himself out of his cabin and was growling with his teeth clenched tight beside him, Jack responded, "So're you. But, council'll hear 'bout this. Weren't a smart move fer a fresh Alpha. Word o' advice, least wait 'til yer pack trusts yer judgment 'fore ye go pickin' fights. Ye'll stay Alpha longer that way."

Snorting bitterly, Grr'siv flipped him the bird, glaring at Anubis again before turning to follow his pack mates back to their own field. A triumphant grin split Jack's muzzle as an excited howl erupted around him, the men rushing forward to taunt the retreating pack out of their field.

"Fuck ye, Grr'siv! We ain't friends no more!" Jack was startled by Fern's outburst though most of the pack didn't hear him. "Traitorous shit licker! I'll fuck ye up if I catch ye, fuck face!"

Blinking in surprise, Jack was taken aback. "Hey, Fern. Calm down. I know yer mad 'bout White T...."

His mouth snapped shut at the feral iration in that green glare. "Who's mad? I ain't mad! Yer mad! Fuck ye! Ye dun know shit!" Whipping around with a snarl, Fern stomped away back to his cabin, hackles raised all up his back.

Letting out a deep sigh, Jack pursed his lips and shook his head, turning his attention to the black blur that was sailing away towards the woods along the opposing field. Jaw dropping, he followed the wild gallop through the vegetation for as far as he could. "Ah, shit. What the fuck, Anubis?"

"He's gotta kill somethin'." Balancing on a fence post, Silver shaded his eyes as he watched Anubis plunge into the darkness of the treeline and vanish. "Shoulda seen the look in his eyes. I asked 'im if he were alright an' off he took. Man's got the bloodlust, an' it's best if it ain't any o' us."

Sucking in a troubled breath, Jack shook his head before plopping into the seat of the tractor and starting it up to return to what he was doing. "This _Wogtal_ business'll be the death o' me," he muttered to himself, glancing out to the woods again with a bristle.








