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Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 01

By: maxd01



Welcome to my second book in my Silver Moon series. I hope everyone liked the cliff hanger and how I screwed with Dan and Pam. I hate to admit it but I am having way to much fun screwing with Dan and the other major characters in the series. This is going to pick up where the end of the story left off. I am debating on where I am going with this but it might be a bit darker than the original series. Yes I have screwed with Dan but most of it has been his personal life. I think this is going to aim more towards the political side and the repercussions of that.

As usual all sexual relationships are 18+ and if there are any sort of relationships below 18 they will be strictly boyfriend/girlfriend with no real intimacy. I am mentioning this since Paulo and Sylvia are going to be mentioned but they are both just shy of 18 in the beginning. As Dan travels around and meets the other Kitsune clans or spirit animal clans or packs other children and teens will mostly likely show up even if it is of a casual mention and nothing else.

I have said this with some of my other prefaces but I have submitted all of my chapters for the Sholan Alliance and expect them to be posted soon. I have also submitted the World of Ranicke bk2 c4 and appreciate the votes but what do I need to do for feedback/comments? Scream? Rant and rave? Break down crying heart brokenly? In all seriousness I really do want comments and especially what people like or dislike. Parts that made them cry or laugh hysterically. There is a standalone story that I am slowly editing and considering submitting. That will be down the road since I wrote it several years ago and it has some horrible spelling and grammar issues.

If you have any questions on what I am writing please feel to comment or send me a feedback form and I will answer as best possible. Enjoy!

*****

Dan was still in shock when Gettie came in and she had to snicker at Dan and his reaction. He was obviously in shock at what all had happened this morning. Then she noticed the three tails Dan had and could feel his horror over the clan bonds. She barely managed not to laugh though she did walk over and gave him a hug. "If you two will follow me to your rooms you can take a few minutes to relax and recover."

Just for good measure she tickled his ears. "You look so cute with your three tails." When he lifted a corner of his mouth and bared some teeth at her she simply smiled. Gettie walked over to Pam and smiled as well. "You have lovely ears as well Lady Pamela. If you want I can brush your tails out later to make sure they are the fluffiest possible."

Since both were rather distracted she settled for leading them out of the room and towards theirs. Once there she opened the door and showed them inside. Once the doors were closed Dan changed forms and she managed not to snicker since he was now in a human-form. He most definitely wasn't looking happy with the world. Gettie walked over and gave him a good hug. "You look really good in your mid-form. The two of you are going to definitely draw attention." She gave Pam a good hug as well.

Dan stalked off to the bathroom and after changing again looked in the mirror and growled. "Damn it I am a wolf, not a glorified Kistune." What really annoyed him was one ear was the rust color and the other white. "Lady I look utterly silly right now. My ears should be black as sin just like my fur and not different colors." After growling again he walked out to the living room.

Pam stood and walked over to him and curled her arms around him. "You look rather nice in this form." One hand came up and stroked and petted his ears. When he leaned into it she smiled even wider. "At least you have been a lycan for ages and are used to having a different form. This is totally different for me and I have to get used to it. From what I gather I have a fox form as well and darn it but a nice juicy rabbit sounds good."

Gettie brought a tray over with three cups on it and moved to the door and opened it. There was an older gentleman who had just raised his hand to knock. He looked definitely startled when the door was answered before he had even knocked. "Please come in. Dan is feeling cranky but that doesn't have anything to do with you." She moved off to one side and allowed him in.

When he walked in he had to stop and stare since both looked rather odd. Saul had included a picture of Dan in the paperwork and he knew that Dan was a lycan. Why the hell did he have ears of different colors? "Good morning Alpha Legarith. I am Auditor Arthur Johanssen and here for your annual audit." He tried not to stare at the ears but they were just so odd looking.

Dan noticed the stare and growled slightly. "The Silver Kitsune clan spirit and the..." He realized he had no idea what the other clan was called. "A rust colored spirit from the Kitsune clan that my mate Pam is related to decided to show up and have a bit of fun." There was still a growl in his voice but he stood and held a hand out. Now that he was standing his tails could be seen since they were lashing back and forth in his irritation.

Arthur had to stare at them as well and started rubbing his forehead. "This is going to be an interesting audit and I have a feeling I am going to be taking piles of notes." To be honest he wasn't sure what he was going to need to do. When Dan held his hand out Arthur took his hand and shook it.

He settled down in a chair across from them and smiled when Gettie poured some coffee for him. "Thank you." He adjusted it to his taste and took a sip and smiled. "I could get used to this. Might have to find a reason to do your next audit up here."

Pam smiled and gently pulled Dan down next to her. "Please forgive him but he has had a rather upsetting morning." She blushed a bit. "I have to say I am still trying to deal with this morning as well." She gave a light laugh. "I was human before but now I don't have any clue what I would be classified as."

Dan settled down next to her and wrapped an arm around her after sitting down. He had to adjust a tail or two as he settled down. "Please call me Dan and this is my mate Pam. If you don't mind my calling you Arthur I prefer the personal touch. It usually seems to make things go smoother. I am sure you have a vast number of questions. I am going to answer a few of them before you even start."

He took a sip of coffee as he gathered his thoughts. "Um, first I am not from your world at all and I have no idea how I ended up here. I arrived just about a year ago and took over the Alucian pack after killing the Alpha and his henchmen. Shortly after that Lord Geoff, the heir to this clan, arrived and I discovered that Mari was to be his mate. At that time she was pregnant with my pups which she just finished delivering."

"One of Geoff's advisors was a female kitsune and she is currently pregnant with my pups as well. Several weeks later I accepted two new wolves into my pack on an interim basis. At that time I discovered that my Beta's daughter, one of the two new wolves, was damaged by their previous Alpha and called Alysson for assistance in getting her healed. Sheliae had helped me heal from the loss of my previous mate and pups in the world I came from. I figured Alysson would be able to help her as well. About that time one of my older pups came to me and let me know that he had realized Sylvia was to be his mate. Sylvia is the Beta's daughter and both are under 18 which made it even more urgent that we get her help."

Dan took another sip. "While I was here I was introduced to the spirits and accepted into the clan as a lord. At the same time I had dallied with several ladies and though neither was in heat a Wolf Spirit animal became pregnant by me." Dan had to give the man a wry grin since he was alternating between making notes and rubbing his forehead.

"At the same time I somehow managed to bring my original pack over. Ben my former Beta found that Sheliae is his mate and he has taken over the packs in Alysson's country. I have released him from looking to me as his alpha. We both decided that it would cause too many complications. Alysson agreed with that and right now the three of us are in negotiations about forming a counsel of the senior alphas. This is to come up with a standard for being an alpha and running a pack."

He frowned slightly as he was trying to think of anything else. "I came up as I mentioned because Mari was getting ready to whelp. She did that two days ago and the introduction to the clan is the day after tomorrow. This morning Pam was introduced to the spirits and accepted into the clan. As Alysson was getting ready to put the tail in her hair the two spirits showed up. The rust colored spirit proclaimed that she was of the blood of his clan and wasn't going to allow her being made a member of this clan."

Dan had to grin at Pam when he said that and she punched him in the shoulder. "Anyways after being challenged by the rust spirit we had a rather enjoyable fight though he did win. As a joke, that is how I am thinking of it; the Silver Kitsune spirit touched my forehead with his nose and healed me. Later I discovered that when I changed form I now have three tails as you can see and they match Pam's. My tail of acceptance now has the three tails as well and matches hers. Her spirit told us to report to his territory within a moon."

Arthur finished the notes and leaned back and sipped on the coffee. "Why me? I should have given this to one of the junior auditors and let him have the headache." When he set his cup down Gettie refilled it. "So what you are trying to tell me is that..." He went on to repeat what Dan had told him but rephrased it from his country's point of view. "Well I think I am going to settle in my rooms and see about getting a copy of Lady Alysson's files on you." He stood up to leave the room.

Gettie turned to him. "While you are here you will have an attendant assigned to you to see to your needs. She will ensure that you have all the necessities for bathing, make sure your cloths are washed and cleaned as well as any other needs you might have. She is waiting for you in your suite. After we have lunch we are going to head down to the seamstress since Dan is going to need some robes. It has been requested that you come with since you are going to be here during the introduction of Lady Mari's babies."

~~~

"If you would like please come back for lunch which is going to be in about an hour." Gettie opened the door for him and he sighed as he left. 

He didn't need an attendant or assistant or anyone else. Right as he was going to open his door it was opened for him and he was facing what appeared to be a young lady. She was dressed smartly in a nice shirt and skirt that seemed to a sort of uniform. 

"Good morning sir and my name is Emelia and I am your attendant while you are here. Please tell me of any needs you have and I will see that they are taken care of." She was in her mid form and though she was a golden blond her ears and tail were the silvery white of the clan. "I understand you have just flown in. If you would like a shower or bath I have made sure that your bathroom has what you need." Her ears were pricked forward as she paid attention to him.

Arthur sighed. "Please just call me Arthur. I am not a sir or lord or anything else. I am simply an auditor who is going to have a headache by the time I am done dealing with Lord Alpha Dan." Since she had stepped aside he entered the rooms and took the time to really look around. The rooms were to him extremely lavish and he simply had to stare for a moment. "All I really needed was a hotel room or something like that. Not a suite suitable for a king or visiting dignitary."

Emelia tilted her head a bit in confusion. "But you are a visiting dignitary. Lady Alysson looked up your job description and you are a senior official from your country. How could we do anything less than provide rooms such as this for you?"

He rubbed his temples. "Well what I would like is something for my headache, some herbal tea, and a hot bath." Well if she was there he might as well give her something to do so she didn't feel slighted.

She gave him a sympathetic smile. "I understand and Lady Alysson tends to have headaches when Dan comes up. She likes him a great deal but something always happens when he is here." Emelia turned away. "I am going to start the bath first since it will take a few minutes to fill." She hurried to the bathroom and started the water and once she was happy with the temp she let it start filling.

After that she headed towards the kitchen and started water for the tea. "I hope you don't mind but I have pulled your cloths out and hung them up or put them in drawers as appropriate. Your files and other items you need for your audit are in a safe in your room and I will key it to you after your bath so only you have access to them." Finally she had everything ready and set a tray on the coffee table. "Here is your tea and your headache powder. I am going to check the tub and you should be able to go in and soak in a few moments."

Arthur had to give her a wry smile. "I don't feel near as bad now if Lady Alysson gets headaches as well." He had been watching her move around the suite with a bit of bemusement. He had rarely ever left his country and when he did he normally had a normal hotel room. He really wasn't sure what to make of having an attendant. "Thank you very much Emelia. The tea smells wonderful."

He dumped the powder in the cup and then poured the tea over it and lightly fixed the tea with milk and honey. Arthur was not really sure of what to make of the girl or just what he was supposed to have her do. As she was checking the tub he finally decided to treat her like he did his office assistant. He quickly finished the tea and poured another cup.

Eventually he did soak in the bath for a while and decided he would join Dan in his quarters for lunch. When he had climbed out and dried off he found a robe on a hook and pulled that on. When he walked into the bedroom he found a clean and pressed change of clothing ready for him. After getting dressed he walked out and Emelia was sitting at the table writing something down.

She looked up and smiled. "You look more relaxed. If you are still tense this evening I can give you a good back massage and then show you to the hot springs." Emelia closed the book she had been reading and stood and walked to the door and opened it. "Shall we go? Gettie informed me that Dan is about ready to start eating the table." She wrinkled her nose at him.

Arthur snorted and after clearing his throat spoke. "We wouldn't want that now would we? It is a pain picking the splinters out." He was doing his best not to laugh as he walked out and took a moment to regain his demeanor. Arthur followed her down the hallway and to Dan's suite. When he was let in he took a second look and it was even nicer than his was. "Hello Dan and hello to you as well Pam."

Dan grumbled. "Come in and have a seat. I am starving and Gettie is holding lunch till you arrive. If she doesn't hurry up I might end up chewing on someone's leg." He was still in his mid-form and looking grumpy.

As Gettie walked past she patted his head. "Lady Mari gave me strict instructions on the treatment and management of her favorite Alpha. She did mention that if you growled at me you will be getting baby food for the next meal." As she was heading towards the kitchen she heard a muffled laugh from Pam and an aborted grumble from Dan.

Arthur snorted for a moment. "So what is your job Gettie? From the sounds of it Mari is somewhat in charge of you." As he was talking he wandered over to the table and settled down across from Dan and Pam. Moments later a cup of coffee was placed in front of him by Emelia and then she stood back and slightly behind him.

Gettie smiled at him. "I am actually Mari's personal assistant. I make appointments for her, take care of finished paperwork, and fetch files she needs. I am also her personal attendant and fill much the same roles as Emelia is doing for you. Even though she is going to be mating with Geoffrey in the next couple months Dan is still her Alpha and always will be."

Arthur contemplated her answer and had to sigh again. "Dan I think you have too much time on your hands..." He flashed a smile at him before taking a sip of the coffee.

Dan snorted at him and grumbled a bit. "I did not set out to take over a pack or have my submissive stolen from me by an oversized fox. I blame it on Alysson since she sent Geoff to my manor and started all the fun." He fixed his coffee and leaned back and grinned at the snort from Gettie.

She brought the salads over and once she handed them out. "Well just think if all this hadn't happened you couldn't appreciate this." Gettie started scratching his ears and he lowered his head and from under the table a slight thumping could be felt.

Dan jerked away from her. "Gettie you are an evil woman and I am going to complain to Mari." He had to give his ears a good scratch before starting to eat. When she hit a certain spot on his ears it made his foot twitch. It was similar to when you scratched a dog in the right spot their foot would start wiggling.

Pam had to snicker at him when he scratched his ears. "But they are such cute ears and almost demand to be scratched." She pretended to lean over to scratch them and he growled at her. Pam started laughing as did Gettie. 

The lunch consisted of a salad, lots of rare roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, and carrot cake for dessert. Dan finally finished eating and leaned back in the chair. "That was darn good Gettie and thank you. I know you are going back to Mari this afternoon but I really appreciate your help. Please feel free to stop by and visit when you have time." He had to wonder who they were going to get as her replacement.

Gettie came over and gave him a hug and then Pam a hug. "I will do that while you are talking to Arthur and we can have girl time. I have enjoyed getting to know your mate." She cleaned the table and set the plates and table where next to the sink. "My replacement will be here before we are back and take care of the clean up."

Dan grinned at her. "You are enjoying being a two tail Kitsune to much I think." He stood up and looked at Arthur. "If you want to change into something more casual we can wait here till you are done. There is no reason for you to wear a suit while here." Dan was dressed in some loose shorts and a shirt with the logo of a band he enjoyed here. 

Gettie smiled at him and turned and waved her three tails around. "Not a two tail any more. When Geoff got his fourth with the birth of your children I got a third." The darn thing was itching and she had to resist the urge to give it a good scratch. That she could take care of later and maybe have Pam brush it for her.

Arthur stammered a bit. "Um, I am on official business and there are certain dress codes required." That and he would feel rather weird not wearing the suit since at some point this afternoon they would start working on the audit.

Dan winked at him. "Call this casual business dress and I promise I will make sure to tell everyone you wore your suit. Emelia take him back to his suite and ensure he has something comfortable to wear." Pam was dressed in comfortable clothing as well. She had on a light skirt as well as a fine linen shirt. Dan had to smile at her since she had been shocked when she found a reasonable number of cloths already there for her. Dan had to convince her to try some on and this was her choice and she refused to wear anything dressier. 

Emelia helped him up and walked towards the door. "Shall we Arthur? If I didn't obey Dan he might put me over his knee and spank me. I really don't feel like being spanked." She winked at Pam as Dan spit his coffee out.


Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 01



"Now there are two uppity servants who are getting complained about. I haven't threatened to spank anyone in this clan. At most I would give a punishment of tickly fingers." He turned and lunged at Gettie and wrapped his hands around her ribs and started tickling. She squealed and squeaked and finally got away from him. Dan smiled. "Punishment administered and problem resolved."

Gettie was swearing at him in Kitsune and Pam was trying not to laugh. "Oh god, I am beginning to think I am the only adult in her right now." She was still trying not to laugh as Arthur and Emelia left the suite.

"Gods this place is likely to make me go over the deep end." He groaned. "I don't even have the faintest idea how to deal with Dan since he is rather unlike any of the other Alphas I deal with." Aurthur shook his head. "A playful Alpha? How weird."

Emelia had to smile slightly. "I think he sees this place as somewhere he can come and relax. Even when the pack is with him he relaxes as well." She had seen him laying next to the pool with a couple kits and pups settled on him and he looked very content. Once in the room she pulled out some cloths and laid them on the bed. "These should work for you. I will be outside in the main living area so just come out when you are done."

Arthur looked at the cloths she had pulled out and thankfully they were pants that looked comfortable as well as a loose button up shirt. He quickly changed cloths and looked doubtfully at the soft ankle boots sitting next to the bed. He finally pulled them on and found them to be very comfortable. He finally walked out of the bedroom and she smiled.

"Those look good on you Arthur and shall we go? Dan and Pam are getting ready to head out." She opened the door for him and let him walk out first. In the hallway were the other three. "We are ready to go Lord Danilo."

He frowned at her. "I feel more tickly fingers coming on..." He checked Arthur out. "Those look very comfortable and I can tell that Helda made them. I think you will like her. She is the seamstress for the lords and ladies as well as anyone who wants to custom order something."

They walked outside and Dan smiled at the warm sun light. Autumn was coming and he was going to enjoy the warm sun while he could. "I really like this place. It might be bustling with activity but there is a sense of comfort. At home I have to be the hard lead alpha as needed but here I can relax and let my hair down."

Pam laughed and wrapped her arm around his. "And that is saying a bit since your hair is longer than mine. You don't find many males with hair down to their lower back even here." She had been fascinated by his hair since she had originally met him. It hadn't been nearly as long when she first met him but he had let it grow over the last year.

Dan leaned his head back a bit and sort of shook his hair. "I let it grow just to annoy the ladies." Gettie and Pam laughed at him as they walked into Helda's shop.

"Well Dan all you had to do was ask for new robes. You didn't need to pick a fight with the Red Kitsune clan spirit." She was grinning at him when she said it. After a quick hug for Emelia and Gettie she smiled at Arthur. "Welcome to my shop and I will do my best to make you look your best." She curled an arm around one of his. "Let's go to the back and Gettie get the door please."

Since Dan and Pam had been there they knew what to do and stepped into the changing room and stripped down. Arthur looked slightly startled when Helda took his arm and led him to the back. "What you need to do is go in and strip down to your shorts. I have the robes just for you. I can feel the colors that would look the best on you. I will be back in a few minutes."

Arthur was feeling a bit out of his depth but he did as instructed and stripped down. He could hear Gettie and Emelia quietly talking to each other. He waited for a few minutes and Helda lightly knocked.

"Would you mind stepping out so I can fit the robes?" She could tell that he was feeling uncomfortable and decided to get him dressed first. When he finally stepped out Helda gave him a warm smile. "I know you aren't very comfortable with this but it is normal. I am sure that Dan and Pam will make you as comfortable as possible. Emelia will as well." She unfolded the under robe and it was a soft pastel blue. "Put your arm in here, and now the other." She secured it at his waist.

Helda then shook out the over robe which was primarily sky blue with a soft pink edging. "Grab the sleeves of the under robe and slide your arms in here." She secured it and then tied the obi and stepped back. "Those colors look lovely on you Arthur. Take a look in the mirror and tell me what you think."

Arthur was uncomfortable till the under robe was secured and he couldn't believe just how soft it was. She slid on the over robe and it was made of a thicker material but was almost as soft. "Good gods these are pure silk aren't they?" He stepped in front of the mirror and a shy smile crossed his face. "I look totally different and the colors are lovely. Thank you ma'am."

Helda laughed. "Arthur if you call me ma'am again I will design the loin cloth incorrectly. Call me Helda please. I am not a lord or lady of the clan, just one of the seamstresses." Gettie snickered at her comment. "Okay Dan time for you to try on your new robes. They are the reverse of Lady Pam's." She shook the under robe out and it was a light brown. The over robe was predominately brown with a green trim. She secured the obi and stepped back and smiled. "Those colors look really good on you. You have changed a great deal since I first met you and you really did need new formal robes."

When Dan stepped out Arthur had to stare for a moment. He had been dealing with Alphas for many years but Dan was most definitely unlike any before. "Good god Dan how the hell do you manage not to squish your mate." 

Dan snickered at his comment. "I have been dealing with humans for years and am used to being very careful when it comes to bed play." He glanced at the room Pam was in and his face softened. "With my mates it isn't a problem because I can feel if they are feeling squished or I am using more strength than I should. It feels good to feel a mate in my mind again."

Pam could feel him starting to feel a bit pensive and after stepping into the under robe and having it secured she walked over to Dan and wrapped her arms around him. "I know Dan but I am here for you." She gave him a kiss and another squeeze before she walked back over to Helda to finish getting dressed.

Arthur was definitely curious and Dan could smell that. "In the world I came from I lost my mate and daughters in a traffic accident. Mari held me during the nights to keep my wolf from clawing his way out of the house. Sheliae did something with my spirit to help me to start healing. Alysson accepted me and the headaches I have given her and Pam has accepted my request to be my mate. All of them helped me survive long enough to start coming to terms with my loss."

"Ah, you have my sympathy Dan and I am truly sorry you lost a mate. I have seen a few wolves who have and it wasn't pretty." He lightly patted Dan on the back which was definitely odd for him. He turned and looked at Pam. "You look lovely in those colors Lady Pam. Dan is a lucky dog... I mean a lucky wolf." 

Dan mock growled at him as he opened the box with his new swords and slid them into the obi and adjusted them. "So how do I look Helda? Presentable?" Standing there he looked like a Lord of the clan since he was still in his mid-form. One thing he had noticed was as she put the robes on a hole for his tails automatically appeared.

She smiled and came over and lightly touched the swords. "They look very good on you Dan. I know my former mate made a good decision when he bequeathed them to you." There was a faint sheen of tears in her eyes.

He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a good hug. "Your mate who went before told me to give you his love and wishes for a long life for you and when you are ready a new mate to love and care for you." She tucked her head into his chest and sighed. "He also was very pleased that I accepted his swords and told me I would bring honor to them."

Pam came over and wrapped her arms around Helda as well and tried sending comforting thoughts to her. "It is never easy to lose someone we love. I hardly know Dan yet if something happened to him I would feel totally lost." They held her for a few moments before she urged them back.

"I have things to do so enough of this mushy stuff." Her voice was gruff as she spoke and waved Arthur over. "I need to check a few measurements to ensure your robes are perfect." She pulled out her measuring tape and checked a few and then sent all of them back to get changed. "They will be ready in your rooms when the pups are introduced to the cadet branches of the clan." She smiled slightly. "I know you won't have much use for them but those are yours Arthur to take with when you leave."

When he came out he looked a bit startled. "But they are worth a ransom, I couldn't take these." One hand was stroking the material and he loved the feel of it.

"Bah, I made them and I can give them away if I want. I rarely do it so Lady Alysson doesn't complain about it very much. They will be fitted for you and I rarely repurpose fitted robes like this." She had a grumpy expression on her face when she said that.

Dan had to smile slightly. "Helda as a lord of the clan you are going to come to my suite for dinner and a relaxing evening of talking. I will brook no argument about this." He looked at Arthur. "You are invited as well. We can do some general talking about other things you will need to know about." Now his smile was a bit wintery. "Now if you don't mind I am going to let Emelia show you around or whatever you wish to do. I will see you both at 6pm sharp and casual clothing. If you don't come in comfortable clothes Arthur I will order Emelia to hide those stiff and probably uncomfortable suits."

He looked at Pam. "Shall we take Gettie and deliver her to her mistress?" His eyes twinkled. "At least I didn't get her knocked up or both Mari and Alysson might have worked together to off me." When Gettie and Pam took a swack at him he danced out of range and laughed. "I also want to look in on Paulo and Sylvia and see if they are ready to come back."

They went their own ways and Dan wrapped an arm around Pam and held her close. "I will introduce you to Geoff as well since your first meeting was rather strained or was for me." The three of them walked to Geoff's suite and after knocking Dan walked in and had to smile. Mari was on the couch nursing one of his pups.

He walked over and settled down next to her and curled an arm around her. "You made some beautiful babies Mari." He lightly stroked the baby's cheek and a soft and gentle smile crossed his face. "I remember when both Allie and Ana were newborns. Even though I have seen a number of children born there is nothing like seeing yours born." 

Geoff came out of the bed room with the other pup and settled down on the sofa. "Pam please take a seat and if you would like to hold Zahria? I promise her bites aren't too bad." That was to tease Dan.

Mari growled at him. "I will let you start nursing and then see what you have to say." She looked at Gettie. "Break out the hormones so he can help." Geoff looked horrified when she said that. Gettie and Pam snickered at his reaction and Mari's comment.

Dan shook his head. "Geoff please remember we are out voted since there are more females here than males." Mari finally detached Grayson from her breast and handed him to Dan. "He needs changing so get to work." She held her arms out for the other baby and started nursing her.

Dan didn't even comment when he took Grayson and held him close for a moment. "I see that I have a stinky baby in my arms huh? I guess that means I get to change you so you aren't stinky anymore." He settled on the floor and grabbed the diaper bag and flipped the small changing pad out and laid him down on it. Wrapped up the way he was he almost looked like a baby sausage. He knew why they wrapped newborns up snuggly but it always made him smile.

Dan unwrapped him which did not please the little boy and he started fussing. "Hush little one I will be done in just a few minutes." It was obvious that Dan had dealt with babies before since his movements were smooth and economical. Just a few moments later Grayson was changed and wrapped up snuggly. Dan lifted him to his chest and had to smile when Grayson sniffed Dan and calmed down. "Yes little one daddy is here. Would you like to meet my mate?" He stood and handed him over to Pam.

She took him from Dan and held him the way Dan had and giggled when he sniffed her neck. A few moments later he fell asleep in her arms. She leaned back a bit on the sofa. "I guess I should get all the practice with babies in as I can." Pam had to smile down at the baby boy. "So am I going to have twins as well Dan?"

Mari snorted and snickered. "More babies Dan? Good thing you are mated or you might end up with half the fathers around after your hide." Eventually she finished feeding Zahria and handed her to Dan. "Another stinky present for you Dan."

Dan sighed as Mari teased him. "Yes, Pam in pregnant with my pups and since she just conceived I have no idea if she will have one or two." He took Zahria and changed her before handing her over to Pam as Geoff took Grayson from her.

They talked for a while before Dan finally stood up. "I am going to check on my other two pups before going to soak in a tub of hot water. I will talk to you later." Dan leaned over and gave Mari a light kiss before giving Geoff a good hug. "I am looking forward to the introduction to the clan." He turned and Pam was giving Gettie a good hug and he smiled. "No trading secrets you two."

He was smiling as they left the suite and he paused for a moment. Dan smiled since Paulo and Sylvia were in one of the rooms previously used for the pups. "This way Pam. Right now my other pups are in their room and I am going to say hello." Dan headed off towards the section of the house they were in.

Pam had to stop and think about the term pups it took a moment before she realized he was talking pups in pack terms. "That would be nice. I need to get to know all of the pack and let them catch my scent." There was going to be a great deal she had to learn but she had a basic idea about wolves. School had several mandatory classes on the other species in their country.

Dan smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You are learning and you are going to make a very good alpha female." She was going to hate him but he was going to turn Saul loose on her. He would make sure she was properly educated. She was most definitely going to hate him occasionally.

They wandered through the halls towards the pup's room and they were greeted by most of the staff. He could feel Pam's confusion and smiled. *You are a Lady of a clan and by mating with me you will become a Lady of this clan. They are giving us the respect they would any other Lord and Lady.*

Pam contemplated that as they finished walking to the rooms. Dan knocked and entered and smiled. The two of them were curled up on one of the sofas. Sylvia felt much better but there was still damage there. He was going to make a point of killing that bastard once things calmed down. If they didn't calm down he was going to make the time. For a brief moment he wondered if she might like a wolf rug and then shook his head.

Paulo looked up at them and a smile crossed his face. "Dan it is so good to see you. He carefully moved away from Sylvia and hurried over to Dan and gave him a good hug. The boy was no longer growing into his skin and had filled out a good deal. He still had some growing to do but it was going to slow down.

"Oooph, try not to kill your alpha with a hug son." He returned the hug and gave him a good slap on the back. "You are looking grown." Dan stepped back and gave the boy a good look. "You have matured as well Paulo. How long till you reach your maturity?"

Paulo grinned at Dan. "I don't think that would be possible, squeeze you to death that is." When Dan was giving him a look he lifted his chin but stood tall and proud. "I will be turning eighteen in three weeks and Sylvia will be turning eighteen in about a month and a half." As he was talking he glanced at Pam and gave her a shy smile. 

Dan gave him another good hug before releasing him. "Paulo and Sylvia I would like you to meet my mate. This is Lady Pamela from the Red Kitsune clan." He traded wry looks with Pam and she snickered at him. 

"But you look so cute in your mid-form." She grinned at Paulo. "You missed this morning I take it right? He managed to irritate the Red Kitsune spirit. Between the Red Spirit and Silver Spirit they had a bit of fun." Dan growled at her and she reached up and patted his head. "You will feel better in the morning I am sure."

Paulo stared at him and then wisely made the decision not to say anything. He turned to Sylvia and held his hand out to her. She shyly came over and gave Dan a smile. "Hello Alpha. It is good to see you again." She gave Pam a slight curtsy. "I am pleased to meet you again Lady Pam." She was sounding much better than she had but there were still traces of the fear in her voice and body posture.

Dan snorted at her. "You did not just call me Alpha did you? You know I gave orders that the pack is to call me Dan except for formal occasions." He reached over and gently tilted her head up till she was looking at him. "You are looking and feeling better Sylvia and your father will be pleased to know this."

Pam stepped forward and gathered Sylvia into a close hug. "Dan is right that you are looking better. Tonight we have dinner already planned. Tomorrow though we would like you to come and have a meal with us." She lightly pushed some hair behind Sylvia's ear. "I don't know about you but I am still trying to wrap my mind around this place."

Sylvia leaned into the hug and had to smile. "It took me a while to get used to it." She still was uncomfortable with all the service they received. "I do like it here though. I am working as a kitchen worker right now and enjoying it." She had taken over what Gettie had been doing and Sam was keeping a good eye on her.

"That is excellent Sylvia and I am sure that Sam is teaching you a great deal." He was starting to get the feeling that the two of them were not going to be coming back. "You have Mari and Gettie to help you as well."

Paulo waved them to another sofa in the room. "Please have a seat Dan and Pam. How is the pack doing?" He settled down next to Sylvia where they had been. Once Dan and Pam had settled down they started talking and catching up on what had been going on the last few months.

They spend a decent portion of what was left of the afternoon talking. It was very nice to see the two of them again and see that Sylvia was doing better. "When you two decided to become mates you had better send me an invite or I might have to tickle you or something." When Sylvia smiled he was pleased.

Pam grinned at the two of them. "Well we have to go. Dinner is going to be soon and I don't want to be late to our own dinner in our suite." She rolled her eyes at that. "I might go swimming tomorrow though. Dan can show me around the gardens as well while he isn't in a meeting with the auditor."

They stood and after one last set of hugs they left the room and strolled back to their room. "It was good to see them but I have a feeling they are going to be staying here. I don't think Sylvia could handle going back to a pack even mine." He sighed. "I really need to go and kill her old alpha. I am not going to challenge him, just kill him. I have enough on my plate right now."




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 01



Pam could both hear and feel his anger at what had been done to Sylvia. "I might just go with you and hold your coat while you deal with him." She didn't know exactly what had happened but if Dan was this worked up it had been bad.

Dan smiled at her and opened the door to find Gettie in the suite again. "Um, I thought we were getting a replacement for you." When they had gone to Geoff and Mari's suite he had expected Mari to take charge of her again.

"I did go to Mari's suite but she told me to keep taking care of her favorite Alpha. Seems Sam wants Mari to work with a new girl who is from a remote clan. Sam figured that since Mari is from something similar she would be a good one to work with her. I will go back to helping Mari once the two of you head back home."

Dan traded looks with Pam and he gave a wry grin. "She is probably doing this to ensure that I don't have any oopses and end up with more children." He had to make a joke of it because he wasn't looking forward to the meeting with the wolf spirit's father.

Pam frowned at him and narrowed her eyes. "No oopses with or without children being conceived." She wasn't quite as annoyed as she seemed but she wasn't going to share him with anyone.

Dan blushed. "I have no intentions of any more oopses like that. If I did at this point I would end up going bankrupt with child support payments." That was a growl and Gettie laughed as she went back to what she had been doing.

"Oh, there is clothing in the bedroom for you for dinner. I am going back to what I was doing so I don't burn dinner." Gettie moved back to the kitchen and kept cooking. Since she was used to cooking for Mari she knew how much to make.

~~~

Time for dinner had finally rolled around and both Dan and Pam were somewhat dressed up. He would call it business casual if it included tailored silk shirts and fine wool pants. "Darn it I was hoping for cut offs, flip flops, and a ratty shirt." Dan casually mentioned that as they walked out. It was just to tease Gettie.

She snorted and looked at Dan and a slight smile crossed her face and since she was in mid-form she flashed a tail towards him. When Gettie did that Dan felt a zing of power and suddenly his ears and tails were showing. "There you are now properly dressed."

Pam started laughing till Gettie zapped her as well and she changed as well. "Hey, is this needed?" She still wasn't comfortable with everything that had happened that morning.

Gettie smiled at both of them. "It is since it shows your alliances and allegiances. Dan is an Alpha hence the black tail, he is a clan lord hence the silver tail, and allied with your clan hence the red tail." She came over and stroked the tails. "Dan's wolf tail is longer due to what he is. His silver tail now has some beading showing he is a clan lord. The red tail doesn't indicating that he is mated but when it becomes formal some beading will show as well."

She turned to Pam and said essentially the same thing only in her case the Red tail was longer than the other two. "Both of you are special people and are going to change this land. I don't know what you are going to do but I can feel the road ahead of you. It will be a hard road but the end will be worth it."

Right about then there was a knock on the door and Emelia escorted both Arthur and Helda into the room. "Good evening Dan and how are you doing Pam?" He asked as Emelia headed towards the kitchen to help Gettie.

Helda glanced around and had to smile. "Spiffy digs Dan but I think I like my comfortable home as well." She wandered over to the sofa and settled down. "Come Arthur have a seat and relax." Helda could tell that he wasn't feeling comfortable with everything.

Dan and Pam settled back down on the couch they had been aiming for. "I am doing well thank you Arthur. We will see in a few months when I start showing." She gently punched Dan in the side. "I hadn't planned on getting pregnant this soon but... Mr. Super Sperm seems to have managed it."

Dan instantly turned red and growled at her. "I don't remember you screaming no. Actually it was more like..." He snickered at her starting to turn red. "I don't kiss and tell you know." He leaned over and nuzzled her neck. "My love and my life. I will never leave you." 

Gettie snickered. "Take it to the bedroom you two. Not all of us have a significant other to cuddle with." When Dan and Arthur groaned at the same time Gettie shook her head. "It is time for dinner and for a more serious discussion between the two of you. Us ladies might just sneak off to the hot springs and relax."

Arthur stood up and offered a hand to Helda and helped her up. "Smells lovely Gettie and thank you I am sure it is as good as or better than it smells." Without thinking he tucked Helda's hand in his elbow and escorted her over to the table and held a chair out for her.

Dan didn't even really think about it since he was doing the same for Pam and finally settled down. "You will be joining use ladies correct?" He had noticed the two other settings but decided to do that whole clan lord bit.

Emelia looked at bit startled and then she curtsied. "Of course milord. We will sit down once we have the food on the table." Gettie was bringing the salads out and Emelia went and collected the main course. Once they were done all the food was neatly placed next to the table on a sideboard that the two ladies could reach. "Please eat and enjoy."

Dan had to smile since his salad had bits of rabbit in it which pleased his wolf. "Thank you Gettie and I do appreciate all the work you have put into this." He started eating and was greatly enjoying the food. 

By the time dinner was over the food had been decimated and both men were looking content. Arthur couldn't help but grin. "I would offer to marry you Gettie but I have a feeling you wouldn't want to leave here." 

Helda laughed at him and leaned lightly against him. "I think Mari might have a few issues with that as well." She had been enjoying the conversation and company. Helda wouldn't admit it to Dan but she was glad he had insisted that she come to dinner. "Well time for you boys to become serious and we will clean the table and go soak."

Dan laughed at her. "Silly woman we could soak as well and have a serious conversation." He rubbed in chin though. "I have to admit that it might be distracting sitting in a tub with three lovely women. Go have fun and maybe we might join you later."

Dan walked over to the couch and pulled out a folder and dropped it on the table. "Well shall we?" The two of them started going over the documentation he had brought with. "It is going to drive me nuts knowing my mate is soaking in hot water and I am not there."

~~~

Eventually they finished and Dan leaned back. "Well that was a decent start but we probably have a few more days of fun before we get to the real meat of the audit." It was getting later and right as they were finishing up the ladies wandered in.

Dan stood and stretched. "Well I am going to take a shower and I will see you in the morning Arthur. Helda it was good to see you and actually have you over for a meal." He gave her a good hug and after wrapping an arm around Pam headed towards the bedroom. "Night all and see you in the morning."

That was an obvious dismissal and the other three quietly left the rooms. "Would you like a cup of tea Helda? After all that I feel the need to sit down with a nice cup of tea and relax." He wasn't thinking of anything other than talking a few minutes. When Helda agreed he looked at Emelia. "Make a pot of tea please and I will see you tomorrow."

~~~

The next morning Dan and Pam woke and rose to the smell of breakfast. "I would love to cuddle love but breakfast is calling." She kissed his jaw and after rolling over and stretching she sat up. On the chair next to her was a robe and she pulled it on before heading to the main living area.

Soon after they walked in and sat down at the table Arthur and Helda walked in. Dan managed to keep his face straight since Arthur had a sort of confused look and Helda looked quite content. Dan glanced at Pam and back at the two of them and suddenly his brows rose.

"Um, Arthur what is that hanging over your left ear?" Dan could see what it was but was having trouble believing it.

Arthur didn't even think when he reached up and touched the tail that was hanging down. A slightly horrified expression crossed his face as he pulled it forwards so he could look at it. It was actually two tails, one silver and one black with a white tip. Over Helda's left ear was a single black tail with a white tip.

Pam simply smiled at the two of them before going over to Helda and giving her a hug. "Congrats Helda. I am pleased for you." She had a good idea what it meant and really wanted to tease the two of them but decided not to.

Dan and Arthur traded look before Dan waved at the table. "Have a seat and some tea Arthur. After a while the shock wears off and it leaves you just confused." Dan really hoped that Arthur's life would be calmer than his was. What he was going to need to find out was how Arthur was supposed to fit in with everything else now.

Arthur rubbed his face with his hands. "I have no idea what this is going to mean for me and my job. How the heck did I get the tails and why is one of them black?" Most of the ideas that were going through his mind were not pleasant. He had greatly enjoyed last night though he hadn't intended on it but he was single and Helda wasn't anywhere in the chain of command.

Dan couldn't help but give him a wry grin. "I know what you mean. It feels like I have been stumbling from one mess to the next. By the time I figure out the meaning of the mess I have another dumped on me." He looked at Gettie. "Show him how to change forms please since I can tell he needs to. Make sure to remind him to imagine changing with clothes on as well."

He probably could have had Helda show him but Gettie was Mari's assistant and higher up in the food chain. Dan was sipping on his coffee as Gettie worked with Arthur on the changes. It took a bit of time but eventually he had the basics down and was now in his mid-form. "Well at least both of your ears are silver unlike mine."

Arthur stood there and much like Pam had was feeling his ears and tails. Even though Helda wasn't an official clan lord or lady she had four tails due to her age and skills. Arthur also had four but Dan could tell that he would still be considered subservient to him or even Pam. He had been trying to read some of the books Alysson had so kindly sent to Saul but it was taking time.

Helda was in her mid-form as well and she smiled at him. Once he was changed she had wrapped an arm around him and kissed him. "You look lovely Arthur and we will need to talk later." And depending on the answer she would need to talk to Alysson.

Eventually breakfast was done and Dan stood and sighed. "Well we might as well go and talk to Alysson about this and what it might mean." He looked at Pam with a serious expression. "As long as you are with me I am pretty sure she won't strike me down. While we are here for the rest of the time expect to have me stuck to your side."

Gettie didn't say anything but she and Emelia shared a look and after the others left the room they followed behind. A normal attendant would stay in the rooms or be available as needed. Since Dan was a clan lord unless dismissed Gettie would be by his side. The same went for Arthur now that he was a senior kitsune based on his tails.

When they did arrive at Alysson's office she didn't even bother waiting. "Get your ass in here Dan. I think I am going to limit your visits to once a year since I think I need a vacation now." She was sitting in her chair behind her desk and was definitely not looking happy.

Dan growled slightly at the way she spoke to him but in a roundabout way she had the right to. She was the leader of her country, was loosely considered his leader when it came to things kitsune, and this impacted on the clan. He did do as asked and walked in and waved Arthur and Helda up next to them and then gave her a nice smile. "Good morning Lady Alysson and it appears that there is a new kitsune for you."

Alysson narrowed her eyes at him and contemplated zapping him but decided not to. In this case it wasn't really his fault even if Arthur did come up to see him. The spirits had been so bloody active over the last year or so that in her own way she was having a bad year. She was still rather upset since this was probably going to lose their senior seamstress. "So I found out this morning shortly before you arrived."

When she turned and looked at Arthur her expression softened and she did actually smile. "Welcome to the clan Arthur and I will have the documentation ready when you head back. I will have my state department contact yours and work this out so it won't impact on you." She finally stood and walked over and gave both of them a hug. "Please have a seat and relax. There is much to discuss before you and Dan go about your day."

She walked back around her desk and looked at Dan and Pam. Her voice was mellower than when she had first spoken. "Please have a seat and relax. Sorry if I was a bit grouchy but having the clan bonds changed usually gives me a headache." Alysson turned to Helda. "The answer is yes if accepted. Let me know what is decided."

Helda grinned at her. "Yes Clan Leader I will inform you of any and all decisions made." Arthur was looking a bit concerned as well as confused and she simply patted his hand. "I will talk to you later once we are done here."

He settled for nodding since he really had no idea what the hell had happened. Last night while he was talking with Helda they had ended up cuddling and somehow, he still wasn't sure how, they had ended up in his bed. It had been very enjoyable and both of them had greatly enjoyed it. He had a feeling that at some point during the intimacy he had been given the tail though he hadn't noticed.

Dan settled down and tilted his head slightly. "Though this time I am not directly responsible if you feel the need to ask for some sort of recompense do so. Before we get to the subject of what happened to Arthur I have one other item I need to talk to you about. Is that acceptable?"

When he said that Alysson had absolutely no idea what he was going to talk about. When it came to spirit things that directly impacted on the clan, or the clan within her territory she usually had some idea. In this case it didn't feel like it was a clan item at all. "If you feel it is important enough then please ask."

Since he was now on official business he was sitting upright in the chair instead of leaning back and relaxing. "I do not think Sylvia will ever be able to really integrate back into a pack. Paulo is going to be her mate and I can tell how comfortable she is here. Sam has taken her under her wing and is doing wonderful things with her. Would it be possible for the two of them to remain? They can look to Geoff and Mari as needed. I would be their pack leader still but with your permission they would be working for the clan."

Now that definitely wasn't what she had been expecting. She had considered the two of them being assigned to one of the packs here, probably Ben's but not this. Alysson considered it for several minutes as she ran through implications and impacts on the clan. "I am going to really need to think about this as well as consult with the clan lawyers. I will say that for the time being I will accept them as part of the staff as out of country workers. That will allow them to stay here and once they are adults and mated to find a place of their own."

"Thank you Alysson and that is one problem off my shoulders for a while. I haven't talked to Maric yet but I don't see him having an issue with it. He might want to come up and talk with Sylvia but that is only to be expected." Dan was very greatfull that Alysson was willing to go that far. It might be possible that she might be able to come back eventually as long as her father was there. He wasn't going to hold his breath on that but he hoped they would.

She nodded back at him and then after several more minutes of contemplation she spoke. "Something you might not be familiar with is how the spirits normally work. When they do something there are always two sides to it, sometimes more, but usually only two." Sometimes it took years for the changes the spirits made to really see what the sides were. "The two sides are neither good nor bad but simply are. They can be made good or bad based on how we react to what they have decreed."

It almost sounded like she was preaching but she wasn't trying to. She had kept in touch with Saul so she knew how far Dan had gotten with the additional learning. This was so she could judge when she needed to step in and expand on some of the learning. "I am not trying to sound like I am preaching so please don't take it that way. You are at a spot where you need to know a bit more about the spirits. The do things for their own reason and normally they are not this active. Sometimes it can be years between major changes."

She took a sip of her tea before continuing. "I have a feeling that we are approaching a major nexus simply because they have been so active. I do not know what it might be or what prompted them." Alysson gave him a wry smile. "As I am sure with your Mistress sometimes things happen and we aren't told why. In this case you are in a way exchanging the loss of your submissive with a kit from Sheliae. In the case of Paulo and Sylvia depending on how things work out I have a feeling that what is happening with Arthur and Helda is in exchange."

For that she had to make another wry face. "I hate to use the term exchange but though we are people and have free will the spirits do their own things. When I learn more about this I will inform you."

All of them were obviously paying close attention to what she was saying. Some were looking confused but Dan and Helda weren't. "I think I understand Alysson and I have to admit I keep seeing the bonds between our clan and packs getting stronger. It does concern me since the last time, in my experience, the packs were involved was when the counsel was formed. It was an ugly time for both the supernatural and humans. I didn't see that but I know of its history in my world and it was so ugly I won't share memories of it unless my Mistress commands me to."

Both shared a worldly look and nodded at each other. Dan stood and sighed. "Well Helda why don't you take Arthur and start fitting him for clothing appropriate for his new station. Whatever jewelry and such as needed as well please. Bill it to my personal account and I will take care of it. I am going to go and see my children and then spend some time with my soon to be mate and relax." He rolled his neck. "I will see you this afternoon Arthur when you are done and take your time. I am sure that you have a number of questions Helda will be able to answer for you." He had a feeling about why Arthur received the tail but wasn't going to get involved.

~~~

As they were walking out Dan had to slump a bit. With the birth of Mari's babies he had really hoped that things would start calming down. So far it didn't look like it was going to happen in the near future and the Lady only knew what was next. He might have to go out the night before the full moon and call to her. "Pam you are going to see the special bond the Alpha's have with their Submissives. Since they don't fight unless it is to protect all wolves in my pack know that they are safe around them. I am going to her room and ask her for comfort."

Pam tensed a bit since that sounded odd and in a way it hurt since it felt like she couldn't measure up. Dan had given her a general idea of what Mari had done for him and she knew that he did love her. It wasn't the way she was loved but it almost felt like she was having to compete for her mate and that was upsetting.




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 02



All sexual relationships are 18+. Enjoy.

*****

While she was resting she felt Arthur wandering around and feeling rather confused. She didn't know why but felt he needed to talk to someone. Amariah gently nudged him in their direction since he was from Dan's country. When he was close enough she would wake Dan so he knew the man was nearby. Beyond that she was simply going to relax and enjoy the human world.

Arthur felt rather bad for leaving Helda that way but he simply had to get away for a while and think. His nice comfortable world had been tossed into a blender and for the moment he didn't know which end was up. When he had originally come here he had expected to be in a hotel, spend a few days working with the new Alpha and go back and file his report. Since there was a new Alpha he had expected some extra paperwork which was normal. They, his country, was very careful to keep track of the more dangerous non-humans and that included changes in leadership of the packs.

The first day had been okay even though he had rather expected to have a headache. Dan definitely wasn't what he had expected as a wolf and an Alpha as well. It had quickly gone down hill from there as Dan started talking about everything that was going on. It had turned into what was going to be a political nightmare for him and his country. Dan wasn't from this world, that still boggled his mind, had pups scattered everywhere, wasn't quite a lycan anymore as well as all the other lovely things he had told him.

Hell just his being a clan lord in the Silver Kitsune clan was enough to cause problems. Now he had a mate who was apparently related to the Red Kitsune clan which they had little contact with. The country the Red Kitsune clan was in was rather a mess since their politics were rather messy. Over the last fifty or so years he knew of at least three assisinations of senior officials. The country was nominally ruled by an emperor who was nothing more than a spoil brat. The kitsunes tended to stay to themselves as well. There were lycan's there but they, to the best of his knowledge, had been beaten into submission.

What sort of impact Dan was going to have going down there with his soon to be mate couldn't even be measured. Just looking back at the last few days and his experience with Dan indicated he tended to cause change standing still. If he actually managed to organize this 'counsel of wolves' he was working on it was going to change a number of things. As of now he was related or connected to two Kitsune clans, the wolf packs in two countries, and who knew what was going to happen with the wolf spirit. If Dan became any sort of senior member of that tribe that would connect him with virtually the entire west coast.

"Gods why me? I was happy where I was and doing what I was." That was most definitely a mutter since he was now a kitsune himself and was told he was probably going to be the mate of Helda. To be honest that was freaking him out more than anything else. He had been a bachelor for most of his adult life and didn't mind it. There had been a few ladies that he had spent time with but they were mostly friends.

It was about then that he was getting close to where Dan was. He didn't know Dan was near and was simply enjoying all the plant life growing around the springs. Arthur knew that it had to be maintained and groomed but it looked very natural. He had noticed others wandering as well and traded a few nods and greetings. Maybe finding one of the private or smaller springs and soaking would help since he was feeling tense at the moment.

Amariah gently nudged Dan and he started coming out of his talk with his wolf. That rather confused her since she was a spirit Kitsune. Yes she could change forms but didn't have the human side that he and the Kitsunes here had. She was still curled up on his chest and was quite comfortable at the moment.

Dan opened his eyes and stretched though he was careful not to disturb the little fox. He was still rather bemused by her having appeared and taking up residence on his chest. Dan could tell she was a spirit and not human and she was only the second spirit he had really seen. The first two he wasn't sure he could really consider as having seen them since he had been trounced by one. That and he had frankly been in shock. While laying there contemplating her he heard Arthur muttering and he didn't sound very happy. "Hey Arthur everything okay? Well other than waking up not sure who you are now?"

Arthur was surprised when he heard Dan call out since he had been heading to Lady Mari's suite to see her and their babies. "Um..." He didn't really know how to answer that. When he stopped in front of the spring Dan was apparently in he noticed it was set for privacy. "If you aren't busy would you mind if I came in? I really need to talk to someone and I have a feeling you would understand better than most."

Dan considered snorting but could tell that Arthur was being honest and really did sound like he needed to talk. "Sure come on in and if you want strip down and soak some of your problems away." He tossed a towel across his groin since he was nude at the moment and didn't want to make Arthur uncomfortable.

Arthur slowly walked in and though he noticed the little fox on Dan's chest he simply ignored it. He turned away and stripped before sliding into the water and leaned back. "How the hell do you do it Dan? Deal with all the changes that seem to keep getting tossed at you?" Frankly he felt tired and abused at the moment and it could be heard in his voice.

That Dan did snort at. "I would say by now I have become sort of numb but that isn't really the answer you are looking for. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer that I can give you." He contemplated the water and decided to join him. "Okay little one time for you to move. I am going to soak in the water." He ruffled her ears as she yawned and nipped at his finger. "Oh, I see how it is. I have to have permission to pet the ears huh?" He picked her up off his chest and settled her on the chair.

He slid into the water and leaned back and sighed. "I really am not sure how to answer that in a way that is right for you. Part of it is because I have been around for so long and seen so many changes. When I was growing up we had horses and wagons. There wasn't any such thing as electricity or computers. Hell nobody had even really considered flight at that point. Over the years I watched all that being created, fought in a number of wars, and even taking over the pack I called over." As he was talking he opened the fridge and pulled out a beer waved it at Arthur. Once he took it Dan pulled out another.

"So instead of me sitting here and speaking about things that might not have any relevance to your problem ask or tell me what is going on." He was wrapped up enough in his own issues at the moment that he really hadn't considered what might be going on with Arthur. Or a better way of putting it was in general he had since it had just been this morning he had been changed. Further implications hadn't really come to mind due to what had been happening with Dan.

Arthur listened to Dan and that sounded so strange but wolves tended to live a long time. When Dan finally finished speaking Arthur had to pause to gather his thoughts. "Well there are a number of questions I do have but Helda sort of tossed me for a loop. We did go to her place and talked." He took a sip of the beer before continuing. "Did you know that the most common reason for a non-Kitsune to receive a tail is when they mate one?" He figured Dan was smart enough to catch the hint.

Dan listened to him and then had to blink since that was so out of the blue. "Um, never really thought..." He sat up and turned and looked at Arthur as the implications hit. "Oh... Oh my that wasn't something I had really thought about or knew. I received my tail when I was introduced to the spirits. Mari I knew was going to be Geoff's mate so didn't consider that." Pam was going to be his mate as well and he had learned that before he came up.

He scratched his beard as he leaned back and tried to organize his thoughts. "Um, well crap, I am really not sure what to say about that." That definitely tossed Dan for a loop and when he tried to contact Alysson he received a feeling she was busy and not to be disturbed. He sighed and took a drink of the beer. "What do you think about it?" Dan needed a few moments to gather his thoughts.

Arthur sighed as well since he was hoping for a better answer from Dan. "I don't really know. It was completely out of the blue. You know rather like a slap in the face when you aren't expecting it. Just sort of bam and then shock." He leaned back a bit more and was glad the spring wasn't to hot so they could soak and talk for a while.

Dan couldn't help but shake his head. "Let me ask that question a bit differently. Completely ignoring all the political crap that is likely to come up due to your job what do you think of Helda?" Dan liked her as a person and enjoyed talking to her though they hadn't spent much time with each other. 

Arthur frowned. "I am going to sound so analytical when I say this. First she is a very lovely woman. I couldn't help but appreciate her looks yesterday. Second she felt comfortable to be around. I knew that I could be myself and she wouldn't judge me. Third she was very enjoyable in bed last night. It has been a while for both of us but she was very relaxed about it." He drank more of the beer. Arthur wasn't going to get drunk but it did help some.

Dan had to grin. "I don't want any sort of details but you have to admit they are very enjoyable in bed. I have had a few encounters with the Kitsunes and greatly enjoyed them." He finished his beer and pulled out another and opened it. "So as far as her potentially being your mate what are your thoughts?"

Arthur smiled but didn't say anything. It simply wasn't in his make up to comment on his encounters. "Well at least one encounter I know of and when is she due?" He had to needle Dan a bit since he felt this was somewhat his fault. If Dan hadn't flown him up this wouldn't have happened. "Totally confused. I am a bachelor and have been for ages and being mated never really crossed my mind. Not saying I was celibate but my work rather is my life. I enjoy it and meeting new people and never really noticed anything lacking in my life."

He took a sip and was glad Dan hadn't spoke when he paused. "As far as a mate every time I try and think about it my thoughts skitter away. I think there has been to much dumped on me today and my brain is overloaded. I need to think about it but I know that we have to go back in just a couple of days. That makes it more difficult since I have to deal with the audit, attend the introduction of your pups, try and deal with my being changed and accepted into the clan, and finally being told that I am probably going to be Helda's mate."

Dan contemplated what he had to say and nodded. "I do understand Arthur. I would have to suggest that you talk to Alysson and Jon first and then Helda. I wish I had a good answer for you but I don't. Nothing is set in stone since the future is mutable and this is going to require you to think about what has happened. It is a personal issue at the center and you have to make the decision on how you want to handle it." 

Arthur mentally sighed since he had known that but he had been trying to avoid thinking about it that way. "That is true though it doesn't really help me. I think I am going to go to my room, get a bit to eat and I will see you later." He climbed out of the spring and after drying off dressed and left the area.

~~~

Dan eventually headed back to the suite they had been assigned. As he was getting out of the spring the little Kitsune seemed to wake up and with a twitch of her tails she jumped into the air and vanished. He had to roll his eyes. "You are welcome for using my chest as a napping spot." Dan called out after she vanished. 

When he arrived back at the suite Pam and Gettie were there talking at the table. "Afternoon ladies and I hope you had a good nap Pam." He leaned over and gave her a good kiss before sitting down. As soon as he walked in Gettie started pulling his lunch out of the fridge and brought it over. "Oh my, that sandwich smells lovely." Dan closed his eyes and inhaled. "Pastrami, dry salami, smoked turkey, and lots of cheese. I might just take Pam up on her suggestion and kidnap you."

Pam frowned at him. "If I remember rightly I said no kidnapping her since I don't want any competition for your attention." She knew better but had to tease him. Just for good measure she lightly kicked him in the leg. "Gettie do you have an oversized fox house I can use? Someone might be sleeping outside tonight."

Gettie simply smiled as the two bantered. "I hope you enjoy the sandwich. Alysson would like to talk to you this afternoon and Paulo and Sylvia will be here for dinner." She was debating on what to make for them and was strongly considering having the kitchens make it. That was going to be a great deal of food and trying to cook it in a normal kitchen was going to be a pain.

Dan nodded. "I rather figured she would be wanting to see me but thanks." As he was eating the little kitsune appeared and sniffed in the direction of his food. Dan glowered at her. "My food and I bite." Just for good measure he took another bite and made pleased noises as he chewed it.

Pam couldn't help but smile at the little Kitsune. "Oh you are darling. Why don't you come here and I will hold you and keep you safe from the mean old wolf." Just for good measure she snitched a piece of meat that had fallen from Dan's sandwich and offered it to the fox.

Amariah sneezed in Dan's direction and padded over to Pam and hopped in her lap. When she was offered the piece of meat she delicately took it and munched it down. Just for good measure she started to bring one tail up and point it at Dan.

He growled at her. "Zap me again and I will get you. Just remember you wouldn't make a snack for my wolf." When she did try to zap him he ducked and snickered. Gettie shrieked and then called Dan names in Kitsune.

"Damn you Dan that hurt. Next time make sure she is pointing her tail in a safe direction." She was rubbing an ear and frowning at him. When she looked at Amariah she frowned as well. "And you young lady control your tails. If needed I will send you back for further lessons." When Amariah lowered her ears Gettie nodded.

Dan had to debate between laughing and feeling bad. Eventually he went with the second option. "Sorry Gettie I didn't even consider what would happen if I ducked the zap. I will do my best though why I seem to have attracted a little stinker I am not sure." He eyeballed Amariah who had settled down and was looking like she was asleep again.

Gettie chose not to say anything since it wasn't her place. "Lady Alysson might be able to give you an answer so you will need to ask her." Once Dan was done eating she stood and took the dishes. "She did say anytime would be fine." Her ear was still tingling and she was feeling a bit grumpy and snippy.

Dan rolled his eyes. "Thanks and I think I will go and see her now. Might as well get it out of the way." He stood and gave Pam a kiss. "See you later and if you see Arthur tell him I will look for him later unless he is busy." He wasn't going to mention what Arthur had told him since that was his personal business.

~~~

Since the door to her office was open Dan walked in and settled down in a chair. "What did you need to see me about Alysson? Arthur and Helda or something else?" He took the cup of coffee her assistant handed him before he had left the room and closed the door behind. Dan really hoped it wasn't anything major or he might just sneak out of the manor and go home and hide.

Alysson smiled when he walked in and settled down. "As far as Arthur and Helda that is something they need to work out before I can really say anything. What I wanted to talk to you about is the Grey Wolf Chief is going to be here shortly with his mate and daughter. He has asked to speak to you at some point today. I figure this might take a day or two and I know you need to get back before the moon. If needed you can be flown to their territory to finish the talks but since this is neutral territory as far as this goes I hope not."

Dan had to agree with that. "Great. Do you know when he is going to be here? How formal are they? Helda is working on my new robes currently and I don't want to insult them by dressing up or down too much." It was silly but appearance was very important in things like this. If you dressed one way they might think you are a snob and full of yourself. Another way and you could be seen as not taking the issue serious enough. It was also possible to indicate they weren't worth your time as well. He didn't need anything like that currently.

She shrugged slightly. "For now I would go with some nice slacks, shoes, and shirt. Wear your jewelry as well since it indicates your rank and affiliation. Have Pam do the same as well since they are going to need to meet her as well." Alysson contemplated the ceiling for a moment. "They are going to be here close to dinner time. I will have one of the small dining rooms set aside for you."

Dan sighed. "That might be for the best. In a way it would be considered neutral ground where if we met in one suite or the other it could indicate a sign of strength or weakness." He hated politics but having been Alpha for so long he wasn't to bad with them. "I will talk to you later Alysson."

~~~

Once he arrived back at the suite he settled on the couch. He could tell the ladies were in the suite and guessed they were in the bathroom based on the sounds. As he was sitting there he frowned and then groaned. "Damn it I was going to have dinner with Sylvia and Paulo. I completely forgot and am going to have to reschedule. Damn, damn, damn." 

*Paulo it is Dan. I am so sorry but something came up and Pam and I are not going to be able to eat with you this evening. Business and all that lovely stuff.* Dan even sounded ticked mentally as he contacted the boy.

Paulo paused what he was doing and shook his head. *I understand Dan though we would really enjoy having a meal with you.* He mentally sighed. *I do need to talk to you before you leave sir.* He was going to ask to be allowed to stay here. Paulo liked living here and already had a small place picked out for when they were old enough to be on their own. Mari had been very helpful in arranging that.

Dan really wasn't surprised that Paulo wanted to talk to him. *Come hell or high water I will talk to you and Sylvia before we go back. I will also ensure that we have a dinner together as well. I will have Gettie take care of the planning. Later son.* 

He stood and walked into the bathroom and he was right and wrong. He had assumed that Pam was bathing and Gettie was simply talking with her. Actually both were in the tub, one at each end, and looking quite relaxed. "Hmm, mind if I join you?" He was already stripping down and after nudging Pam slightly slid down behind her and pulled her back against his chest.

She squeaked slightly when he came into the bathroom and started to strip down. "Dan there are ladies in here." Pam winked at Gettie as well. "Granted you have seen both of our bodies but still have some respect." She did lean back against him and after a slight wiggle sighed in contentment. "I have to admit I do like having you in my life. This is so much more relaxing than bathing alone."

Gettie snickered slightly. "I see how it is, you just want to get one more look at a former lover huh?" She pretended to cover her chest up with her arms and laughed when she got growled at. "You are looking a bit tense Dan. Do you need anything?" She might be relaxing in the tub with them but she was still their assistant.




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 02



He sighed. "Yes darn it though some of it I won't tell you. Our dinner plans have changed and we are having a meal with the Grey Wolf Cheiftan and his daughter." Dan was feeling a bit tense and worried about that. He really didn't know all the lovely mating customs of the various peoples scattered around. From what he had learned was that most spirit animals didn't have a problem with random bed play since they normally could only get pregnant twice a year. The rest of the time they could play without worrying.

In the case of this girl, damn it he simply couldn't remember her name, she shouldn't have gotten pregnant. She most definitely hadn't been in heat and he had verified that before taking her to bed with him. Thank god the other girl hadn't gotten pregnant or he might not have a mate now. What her father might want in compensation didn't bear thinking about either.

Pam sighed as she felt him tense. "Fun and excitement huh? I might change my mind on liking having you in my life. This has been entirely to eventful a week." That was a definite grumble. She found she was going to be his mate, he had six babies, or would, by three different women, she had been changed, she was also pregnant, and with their luck he was going to expect to marry this person. "So what are we wearing?"

Dan tensed slightly. "Pam please don't joke about that. It scares me hearing that and I know that I couldn't deal with losing another mate." His voice was low and stressed sounding. He was healing from the loss of Nang and his family and he had a new mate and pups on the way but that scar was going to take time to completely heal. "Dressy casual clothing. Nothing really formal or fancy. We will have our jewelry on."

Pam turned and pressed a hand against his cheek. "I am so sorry Dan. I spoke without really thinking and I would never leave you." She leaned towards him and gave him a gentle kiss. "I do love you even if it was far faster than I have ever approached saying that before." She kissed him again and tucked her head into the side of his neck. "I could never leave the father of our children." 

He leaned into the kiss and curled his arms around her and simply held her. Dan knew she had been joking but it had sent a jolt through him. "I know love but it still hurts and will even though I have a lovely woman in my life. Not a comparison in any way but simply part of my junk in the trunk."

Gettie could feel his emotions and decided she needed to lighten the mood a bit. "And a very nice trunk it is. I think I am going to get out and go pick out some cloths for you. Don't stay in to long so I can take care of your hair and it will be dry or mostly dry." She stood and moved out of the bathtub and pulled a towel around her body and swished her way out.

Pam couldn't help but smile. "She is a good looking woman isn't she?" Pam didn't swing that way but she could appreciate the female form. "What do you think is going to happen Dan? Is she going to have to come home with us?"

Right about then Amariah appeared as she leapt out of the spirit realm and landed with a splash and yipped in shock. As she was struggling with the sudden shock of finding herself in bathwater Pam came to her rescue. "Well since you are wet should we give you a bath?" There was definite amusment in her voice.

Amariah changed to her mid-form and muttered a few words in kitsune though she stopped when Gettie yelled at her. "No thank you lady. I am capable of bathing myself." Both were staring at her since she was maybe two and a half feet tall but perfectly formed young woman. Her tails were rather bedraggled looking since they were soaked.

Pam had to stare at her and then shook her head. "Oh my, you are a cutie in both forms though next time you change maybe some cloths would be good." As she was talking she scooped the kitsune up and stepped out of the bathtub and grabbed a towel and wrapped it around the person.

Amariah looked confused by that. "Um, why?" She asked that as Pam was wrapping her up in the towel and curled into the warmth of it and Pam's arms. As Pam was starting to dry her off she closed her eyes and relaxed. When she got to her ears she had to giggle. "That tickles."

Pam was grinning as she walked out into the bedroom. Gettie was already dressed and smiled at the two of them. "This young they don't normally end up in the human world and spend much of their days playing in fox form. Though she might look adult, in a tiny way, she is roughly fiveish in our world. The ages don't really work out that well since spirits mature vastly differently than we do." Gettie came over and stroked her ears.

"She might sound grown up much of the time but behind that is a young mind." Gettie was pretty sure that Amariah wasn't going to appreciate the information she was giving Pam. That was tough though since she was pretty sure she had adopted Dan as her spirit leader. "If you are going to go in that form Amariah you will put clothing on. Maybe a formal robe? That would look really cute on you."

Both Pam and Dan were listening to Gettie's explanation and Dan mentally groaned. This was just not what he needed right now. He had a feeling she wasn't going to leave him alone and was going to play tricks much of the time. "Thanks Gettie and I guess it is time for us to get dressed and down to the dining room." He climbed out of the tub and grabbed a towel and walked out toweling himself off. When Pam blushed he stared at her and then realized why. "Sorry Pam habit of several centuries as a lycan."

Pam was still blushing. "It isn't that I mind seeing your body but..." She had to glance at Gettie and simply got a tail twitch in reaction. "Just not used to it though I am sure I will eventually come to terms with all the casual nudity." She turned and was getting ready to work on her hair when Gettie took over.

"Let me Pam. It is far easier to have someone else do your hair for situations like this." She was going to get three braids and since this wasn't horribly formal she was getting a minimum of hair ornaments. Once she was done Gettie helped her into her clothing and made sure she had all the correct jewelry. Once she was done she turned to Dan. "Oh my, someone gets three braids now..." She snickered at him.

Pam looked at herself in the mirror and grimaced. "I am so not used to wearing a ransom worth of jewelry. I keep waiting for someone to come out of the closet and either take it back or mug me." God this was so weird and she was still not even vaguely used to the idea of being a lady much less some Kitsune person.

Dan grumbled at Gettie though not very much. The threat of getting baby food for a meal was enough to keep him in line. He did frown while she was working on his hair and did growl when she tried to put the pink jewels in it. "Not happening and on this I will stand firm." When Pam muttered about the jewelry he gave her an evil grin. "Let them try and you won't have to worry about them anymore." He could use a good fight right now. His wolf was still worked up and the fight with the spirit had a totally different purpose.

Eventually he was dressed and ready. "Well Pam shall we? Time to go and face the firing squad. Getting shot sucks but at least it normally won't kill me." Damn it he was starting to get worked up again and it was frustrating him. He didn't want to get worked up since it would make him quick to take offense.

Dan turned and looked at Amariah and raised an eyebrow since she was now dressed in a formal Kimono. Her hair was neatly done and he could see tiny jewels in it much like he and Pam had. "Most definitely darling in those robes." As he was talking he was going through his jewelry and was startled when he pulled out what he had originally thought was a bracelet with a charm on it. He had noticed it several days ago but simply ignored it.

When he pulled it out and looked at it he realized it was actually a miniature necklace that had a small dangle on it. The dangle had some sort of symbol on it but Dan couldn't seem to focus on it. With the dangle in hand he walked over to Amariah where she was standing on the bed. "I think this belongs to you. Will you accept it?" He held the necklace out to her.

Her eyes widened and Amariah reached out and touched the dangle. A tiny tear could be seen as she nodded wordlessly. She turned around so her back was to him and she lifted her braids out of the way so he could fix it on her.

Dan did that and felt a slight surge of power when he clicked the necklace shut. He turned her around and adjusted the dangle a bit and raised an eyebrow. The medallion now showed a wolf's head with three tails dangling down just in front of one ear. "Well little one it seems that you will be going back with us."

Right about then there was another surge of power and another kitsune appeared. This was definitely male and he yipped at Amariah. She growled back and suddenly they were tussling on the bed till she yipped in pain. Immediately the fight stopped and the other kitsune was licking the ear he had bit to hard. "Sorry sis, didn't meant to hurt you." His voice was sad and he gave her a good hug when she finally sat up.

All three of the adults were staring at the two. Pam couldn't help but smile and went over and settled down next to the two and scooped up the boy. "Let me guess she is your twin sister right? Both of you look almost the same." She started stroking his ears and he leaned into her and sighed.

Amariah sat up and glowered at him. "Yah he is my little brother and a meanie." Her arms were crossed and looked totally indignant. "No biting dummy and I have a formal dinner. Not mess my hair up." Now she was sounding about as young as Gettie indicated she was.

Amarish wiggled his ears and hopped out of Pam's arms and suddenly he was in a little formal Kimono similar to his sisters. He even had two tiny swords similar to Dan's. "Can I goes with Lady?" He looked up at Pam and gave her some puppy dog eyes.

Pam laughed and tickled his ears. "Only if both of you promise to behave and be good. This is an important dinner and we need to make a good impression." She walked over to her jewelry box and found a similar necklace and put it on him. The surge felt different and she had a feeling it was because she wasn't a silver moon kitsune.

The boy looked really startled when she did that and his tiny hands lifted the medallion and he squealed and jumped at her. He wrapped his arms around her neck and gave her a huge hug. "Oh thanks you lady. I can stay with my sissy here now." Once he was done trying to strangle her he shifted so he was sitting on her shoulder with one hand gently holding her ear to keep him in place.

Gettie simply smiled as Amariah did pretty much the same thing. They looked so darling in their little formal robes and seated on their shoulders. "Well it is time to go and I have contacted Sam to have two additional plates provided." She opened the door and Dan and Pam walked out. 

For a brief moment Dan almost wished he had his formal robes and swords as well. That way they would all match up. He had also noticed that the little Kitsunes robes sort of matched his and Pam's robes. With a slight shake of his head he took Pam's arm and headed down to the dining room they were going to be using. "Well this will be interesting don't you think?"

Pam sighed. "I guess that is one way of looking at it. I am a bit concerned though about what is expected of you. With Mari and Sheliae they have mates even if they had or are going to have your pups. With this female I assume she hasn't mated yet and..." She couldn't finish that since she had a feeling Dan was going to be expected to mate with her even if in name only.

Dan sighed. "I know and I understand. I really didn't plan this in anyway and have to admit I am a bit ticked off with the spirits for doing this to us. They might think there is a good reason for what has been going on but I think they are ignoring the impact on those involved." He felt Amariah petting his ears and he had to smile.

When they walked into the room he found Alysson and Jon there as well as the young woman and what he assumed was her father. He was older and looked more than a bit irritated. Both were dressed nicely though somehow their cloths had an impression of Native American style to them. 

Alysson glanced at Dan and Pam and had to smile. The two little spirit kitsunes looked so cute though she knew they were going to be a handful. "Chief Joseph this is Lord Alpha Danilo and his soon to be mate Lady Alpha Pamela." She turned to Dan and Pam. "Lord, lady this is Chief Joseph and his daughter Nara. I am going to leave you to talk over dinner. Your privacy is assured by me and the wards on the doors." She bowed slightly to the two groups and silently left the room. *Dan keep the yelling down and no killing your babies grandfather.*

Dan ignored that comment and stared at the man for a moment before giving him a slight bow as well. "Good evening Chief Joseph. This is our assistant Gettie and the two little Kitsunes are Amariah and Amarish." He turned to Nara and smiled slightly. "It is good to see you as well." He moved over and gave her a hug and light kiss before smiling down at her belly. "Well I guess you are going to have twins as well huh?"

Pam had to struggle not to growl when Dan kissed the other female though it was obviously just a peck. He was hers and that was all that mattered. A biological oops didn't give the other a hold on him. Amarish petted her ear which did help some. Her posture alone was enough to let everyone know that she was not happy at the moment.

The chief returned the slight bow but he was not looking happy and had a rather angry expression on his face. When Dan introduced the others he gave them a nod indicating he had noticed them. "Yes my daughter is having twins and yes they are yours. My senior shaman talked to his totem animal and confirmed that. What are you going to do about this? She is unmated and being that she is pregnant even if the spirits had something to do with it still is a problem." His beard was bristling as he spoke.

Pam still wasn't happy but she had to at least acknowledge the girl. She could tell that she was both pleased but unhappy. Pam walked over to her and gave her a slight smile. "Well Dan is off the market so we don't have to worry about any more oopses I hope." She rubbed her stomach and shook her head. "I would say welcome to the family but I am having a bit of a problem dealing with this. I have just recently accepted him as my eventual mate and this bothers me."

Nara shyly smiled at Pam and then her eyes almost went round. "You are pregnant as well? Goodness the totem animals are being active." She blushed slightly and looked down towards the floor. "I understand lady. I did not plan on having his babies and I was not in heat either." She was a fairly shy girl and all the lovely emotions that had been flying around the house back home were getting to her. Her voice dropped some and she tried not to cry. "I am sorry lady for any problems this poses to you and your mate."

Pam shrugged. "Yup, Mr. Super Sperm knocked me up the first night." She knew that Dan would grumble at her later for that term. She gave the girl a good look and nodded slightly. "It is going to cause problems and I am still not happy even if the spirits were involved." Pam wrapped an arm around her and urged her to the table. "Let's sit down and relax and let the men growl at each other. I know I am hungry and Dan's stomach should kick in shortly."

Dan acknowledged the rebuke in the man's voice but he wasn't going to bow down and give in to whatever he wanted. He would listen and consider what he wanted before making a decision. It might take a few days but they would resolve the issue to everyone's satisfaction. Or so he hoped. "I understand and respect your feelings on this and the position it puts your daughter in. I will accept her being pregnant with my pups and will do what I can that is reasonable to take care of her and them." He heard Pam talking to the girl and almost glared at her when she used the term 'Mr. Super Sperm'.

"Why don't we sit down and eat before all the screaming and yelling. I don't know about you Chief but if I am hungry that just makes me annoyed as well as my wolf. I would prefer dueling with forks to any other way." He gave the man a polite smile as he moved over to sit down next to Pam. When he did Amariah hopped down and settled in a small seat that was attached to the table. Amarish did the same.

The chief bristled some more before finally sitting down next to his daughter and across from Pam. His daughter was sitting across from Dan so they could talk if they wanted. Once seated Gettie called for the salad and it was brought in. The two little ones obviously didn't like that idea but Dan growled at them. "You will eat your salad if you want dessert. There are bits of rabbit in it as well."

Both glared at him before starting to eat it and Nara couldn't help but smile at them and Dan. "You are a good father aren't you?" She had no clue he had lost his mate and kids before he showed up. He was obviously at ease with them and appeared to know how to deal with them.

Dan stiffened slightly but didn't show anything other than that. "I have been dealing with children for years. I would like to think I am good with pups and kids." His voice was even as he spoke but when Pam pressed her hand on his thigh he relaxed slightly. 

The Chief frowned at him since he had noticed Dan tense for a moment. "Why did you tense up Alpha? Scared of having more kids? So just how many more are out there?" His voice was heavy with sarcasm when he asked that.

Dan and his wolf tensed and in the back of his head and his face hardened. "That is none of your business. The only thing you need be concerned with is that I take my responsibilities seriously. I will take care of your daughter and our children." His voice was somewhat cold and hard.

The Chief growled back. "Right, take your responsibilities seriously and that is why you have so many kids scattered around. If you were serious you would have been more careful. So what are you going to do to take care of my little girl?" He was going to let Dan hopefully shoot his mouth off and run with what he had to say.

Both Dan and his wolf growled at that. Both took their responsibilities very seriously and especially now that they could have actual pups. For a brief moment Dan's eyes flashed amber at the challenge. "Don't ever challenge my honor. I have been Alpha for a good hundred years and took very good care of my pack. Challenge me again like that and I will take you to the ring."

Pam stroked his leg and gave it a gentle squeeze. "This is not getting us anywhere and if the two of you keep growling at you it is going to impact on the Chief's daughter and the mother of your pups." She traded looks with the girl and her mother. The girl had stopped eating and looked very tense. Her mother didn't look very happy either. "Now calm down both of you or I will take the other two out of here and go elsewhere."

Dan turned to Pam and looked at her. It did help calm him down as did the touch. He almost growled at her but she was his mate. Pam was also going to be the alpha female in the house and one of her jobs was to keep Dan from going overboard. He gave her a slight nod before turning back to the others. "I will do what is reasonable to ensure that she and our children are taken care of."

The Chief smiled at that. "Good, in that case by my tribe's standards that means you are expected to marry her. If a male gets a female pregnant he is expected to do right by her and that means marrying her. This is to ensure the child is not born out of wedlock and ensures the children have parents." This was entirely to good. Dan was the lead alpha for his country, was a clan lord of the Silver Kitsune clan, and hopefully he would become a member of the tribe.




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 02



That got both Dan's and Pam's attention and they both stared at him and then his daughter. They then looked at each other in shock though Dan showed it far less than Pam. Dan turned back to the Chief and almost growled at the smirk on his face. "I have a mate and do not need a second one. I highly doubt that Pam, my soon to be mate, would agree with that." It was very obvious that Dan was not amused.

The Chief's daughter looked more than a bit startled when her father said that. She knew that he liked to have solid connections with their allies but never at the expense of his family. Yes he made sure that all his kids had encountered the children of the packs, clans, and wealthy to encourage them to marry. So far only one hadn't married one of the high and mighty and was a jewelry smith. "What? Daddy that is going to far." Dan was nice but it had simply been for fun that she had slept with him.

Pam frowned at the Chief and then Dan. In Dan's case it was she was starting to get somewhat irritated again over all this crap. "I think that Dan is right on that. I do not share somethings well and the one I am seeing is one of those things. I think I am done with this conversation and the meal. I will see you back in the suite Dan." She stood up and stalked out of the room.

The Chief couldn't help but smirk when Pam stood and stalked out. This was going better than he had planned. If he could drive a wedge between the two of them it would give him a far stronger case if he had to challenge Dan. In this case it would be a legal challenge and in his country. "God, can't even control your mate. Maybe I don't want my daughter married to you."

Dan's eyes turned amber again and he stood and slammed his hand down on the table. When he did he used more strength than intended and the table cracked in half. "Don't ever comment on my mate, children, or pack like that again. I will deal with you if you do and believe me I don't care what the consequences are." He turned and stalked out of the room. There wasn't any way he was going back to the suite till he calmed down.

Back in the dining room the three jumped up when Dan broke the table. Nara's father turned just a bit pale since he really hadn't expected that reaction. That and though he knew that wolves were stronger watching Dan almost casually break a heavy oak table scared him. He couldn't show that though and grumbled at Dan. "The cheek of him to leave like that. He is going to deal with this issue or else."

Chief Joseph stormed out of the room as well leaving his wife and daughter there. He was going to find that damn male and give him a piece of his mind come hell or high water. Joseph was used to dealing with other wolves and though he had been told that Dan was different it didn't really penetrate. Since he was a spirit animal he could smell Dan easy enough and especially the anger scent and he followed it. The scent was leading outside which was fine with him. If he could get him to shoot his mouth off in public it would give credence to any claims the Chief made.

His wife almost growled at him since he was being such an ass at the moment. The man usually was a decent father and husband but there were times she really wanted to throttle him. Right now was one of them since he had been such an ass over the whole thing. If Nara had been in heat she wouldn't have allowed her to go. It wasn't her fault nor Dan's fault that Nara had gotten pregnant. If the totem animals were going to get involved there simply wasn't much you could really do. "Come Nara we are going to go and talk with Lady Pamela and see what she might be agreeable to."

Nara stood up. "Yes mother, I understand." She was about ready to leave the tribe and not come back. Her father was blowing this way out of proportion and she was sick of it. Somehow he had decided it was all her fault and he had to fix it so he wasn't shamed.

~~~

Arthur had gone back to his rooms and didn't even think when he asked Emelia to get him some tea and more headache powder. Before he did anything he needed to take the powder and try and relax. Maybe a nap as well.

"Not a problem Arthur it will just be a few minutes." She started the water and started looking at the teas available. She ended up mixing several together to help him relax and would help with the headache as well. Once she had everything ready she carried the tray to the living area. "I can tell you are stressed Arthur. If you would like to talk about it please do. If not I can give you a good back massage to help you relax as well."

Arthur considered that and considering how tense he was he nodded. "I think I will take you up on that after I have some tea. It smells lovely and very relaxing." He took a sip and contemplated the wall for a few. "Please contact Helda and ask if she would like to come over for dinner or if it would be okay if I came over. Make it a request and nothing else. We need to talk and I don't care where we are when we talk." He settled back on the couch and sipped the tea.

"I can take care of that Arthur after I put a heavy sheet on the bed for the massage." She silently went into the bedroom and set out what she was going to need. After a quick check she made a selection of nice clothes for him as well for that evening. Using the bonds she contacted Helda. "Ma'am Arthur would like to request your presence at dinner. He indicated that where you wish to eat would be fine with him." She knew what was going on but it wasn't her place to say anything.

Helda had finally gone back down to her shop and was working though she hadn't opened it. That wasn't abnormal when she had important work to do. This was her shop and she ran it how she wanted. There were other tailors and seamstresses on the estates and anything that required her touch would be brought to her attention. She wasn't feeling up to trying to sew anything so she was inventorying her supplies and making notes on what might be needed. Even if she did go with Arthur she was going to keep doing what she loved.

When Emelia contacted her she sighed. *Tell him to be here at six pm for dinner. He doesn't need to wear anything formal and casual is fine.* Helda didn't say much else since Emelia didn't need to know any more than she did. Once she told Emelia what time she wanted Arthur there she put down the tablet and went upstairs to start working on dinner.

She waited for Arthur to finish the tea and headache powder before telling him about dinner. "Helda said that tonight at six pm in casual clothes will be fine. I have some laid out and till then unless you have an appointment with Dan it might be a good idea to rest. I will give you a massage and if you do fall asleep I will wake you in plenty of time. If you would go in, take your shirt off and lay down on your stomach I will be in momentarily."

Arthur nodded and then walked into the room after filling his cup up. If he did fall asleep he was sure it would be as good cold as hot. He stripped his shirt off and settled down on the bed and tucked a pillow under his head and tried to relax. When Emelia started working on him her hands were warm and the oils smelled good. Before she was done he had fallen asleep and was snoring quietly.

Emelia left him there relaxing and quietly closed the door to his room. After a glance at the clock she would wake him in several hours. Till then she settled down to her studies. She had no intention of remaining as an assistant though she did enjoy it and was decently paid. Emelia wanted to be in charge of the assistance one of these days.

She kept a close eye on the clock and eventually woke Arthur up. "Arthur it is time to get up and change your cloths. I have some jewelry for you as well." Even though he wasn't going to be a clan lord he was going to have the same number of tails as Helda and that gave him some rank. The jewelry was nice but nothing like Dan's or Pam's.

Arthur rolled over and stretched for a moment. "Okay. Give me a minute to get dressed and then you can have your way with me." He had to admit that he felt much better than he had before she gave him the massage. "Thank you for the massage. I feel much more relaxed." Arthur rolled off the bed and after grabbing the cloths walked into the bathroom.

Getting changed didn't take very long and he had to admit the clothing was quite comfortable. The pants were a dark sand color and the shirt was a much lighter sand color. The colors complimented his looks nicely. Once he was pleased with his image in the mirror he walked out sat down at the chair Emelia normally had him use.

"You look very nice Arthur and I pleased those colors look good on you." She took a few minutes working with his hair. It was way to short in her opinion but other countries had their own styles. Once his hair was done she pulled out a clan necklace and fixed it on. "This is yours and you will be expected to take it with." She pulled out a ring as well and put it on. "This is your personal ring as well for signing documents and such."

Once done she had him stand up and checked to make sure he was ready. "Well you are ready and looking good. I hope you have a good evening. Do you need help getting to Helda's?" She doubted it but it was only polite to ask.

He shook his head. "Thank you but I am pretty sure I can find it without a problem." He didn't say anything else but he did give her a nod as he left the suite. Arthur wasn't really looking forward to this since he had hurt her earlier. It had been such a shock not only to become a Kitsune but also to be informed that she might be his mate.

Arthur stewed on his actions and what all was happening all the way to her place. He had to take a few moments to gather the courage to knock on her door. When he did she answered it almost immediately. "Helda I am sorry if I upset you earlier. It was just such a shock to be told that I was now a Kitsune and potentially your mate."

She sighed. "It did hurt but I do understand. I did not plan that at all and simply wanted an enjoyable evening with you." Helda opened the door further and waved him in. "Dinner is almost finished cooking so why don't you go into the kitchen area and have a seat. I will get you something to drink while dinner finishes."

He nodded and walked into her place. His sense of smell was definitely better and he had to stop and inhale. "Smells darn good Helda and thank you." Arthur followed the smell to the kitchen and settled down at the table. Whatever she was cooking definitely had an Asian scent. He glanced at her and found it odd that she looked Asian but had a light coloring. Must be something to do with the type of Kitsune she was.

"I hope so. This is one of my favorite dishes. It is an Asian form of comfort food." She looked over her shoulder at him. "I am going to let you wonder what it is though. Call that my revenge for earlier." Helda winked at him just for good measure.

Arthur glowered at her for a moment. "Hrumph, I might not eat it then. I don't eat food that I don't know what is in it." He shook his head and twitched as he felt the tail lightly brush one cheek. Before he realized it he shifted and he had to sigh. "What did I do to deserve this? I knew I should have sent someone younger."

Helda managed not to grin and instead walked over to him and gently stroked his ears. "I for one am glad that you are the one that came up. I can understand your confusion and uncertainty but the spirits are rarely wrong." One hand stroked the tail in his hair and then cupped his chin. "I can understand your uncertainty and I am willing to take the time needed for you to get to know me."

He had to close his eyes as she stroked his ears and then the tail. It was so soothing and felt so right when she did. Frankly he was feeling rather lost and wished he had access to the books on Kitsunes he had back in his office. That would help big time. "I appreciate that Helda but I don't know how long that might take. There is just so much going on right now that I am going to have trouble focusing on any sort of relationship." Arthur grunted. "I might just fine Dan for all the headaches he has caused me."

Helda did snicker at that. "I can understand but it really isn't his fault. Unless you object I want to come with you back to your country. I can live with Dan or in the town next to his territory and set up shop. I don't know how far from there you work but we could spend time with each other."

He closed his eyes and leaned his head against her and simply enjoyed the petting. It was such a different feel than anything before. "I think that would be a good idea and I can approve the visa. I don't want to rush into anything. I have never had any sort of serious relationship before and never really felt the need. My work was my life and I enjoy what I do." Arthur finally sat up. "A glass of wine would be nice if you have some. Maybe a rose' or blush would be nice."

When he leaned against her she kept stroking his ears since Kitsunes were very sensitive to that when they were upset. As he talked some of what he said matched up with his spiritual feel. When he asked for some wine she smiled. "I think I might be able to do that." There had been a bottle she had been saving for a while and she carefully opened it and poured a bit into a glass and handed it to him.

Arthur gave it a slight swirl before taking a sniff of the boquete and smiled. "Very nice odor." He took a small sip and his eyes widened. "Oh my is this really from your orchards? It is very good and thank you." He took another sip before putting the glass down and watched her fill it part way.

She smiled. "It is and was a gift several years ago for a set of formal robes. I have been saving it for a special time and tonight seemed right to break it out." She turned to the stove and checked the food and it was ready. Everything went into several large dishes and set on the table. "I think you will enjoy this."

Arthur grinned at her but decided not to say anything more about the food. "Definitely smells good Helda. I can't wait to eat. He relaxed as she served him and once she had some food he started eating. During dinner he kept it to small talk since he didn't want to discuss anything serious while they were eating.

~~~

Once Dan was outside he looked up at the moon and figured that was part of the reason he was so angry. The full moon wasn't that far away and that always put him on edge. Having that ass speak to him the way he had didn't help either and Dan wanted to rip him to shreds. If he pushed much more Dan was going to deal with him and it wouldn't be pretty. The man would be dead and Dan didn't really care what the fallout might be.

He took several deep slow breaths and started growling since that damn fool had followed him out. *Alysson get out here before I kill this damn fool idiot.* The mental contact contained traces of both Dan and his wolf. "Go away little man before I kill you." Dan turned and his eyes were solid amber and had the faintest sheen of silver white to them. It was very obvious that he was struggling not to change.

Chief Joseph snorted. "Threatening me I see. What kind of wolf are you if you can't control yourself?" He really didn't believe Dan would do anything to him since he was a chief and senior spirit wolf. What didn't occur to him was that Dan didn't have any connection with the chief's people. There wasn't any link that would place even the basic allegiance in Dan's mind.

Dan was struggling not to change and he could feel the control slipping. "I am Alpha and if I didn't have control you would be dead by now. I owe you no allegiance and you have not earned my respect little wolf." With Mari it was a term of endearment. In this case it was an insult and Dan did that so he would have a reason to kill him.

The chief sneered back at him. "Pathetic Alpha if you aren't willing to stand up and admit that you are responsible. You corrupted my daughter by your actions. As far as respect you haven't earned it and take your little wolf crap and stuff it up your tail." He was starting to change and that came out as a growl.

Dan gave him a very viscious smile. "Thank you fool. Now I can kill you." He shifted and leapt at the man only to run into something that didn't give much. He bounced off with an oomph and stood up and started to snarl till he realized it was the Silver Kitsune Spirit. The fight from earlier came to his mind and he froze and then knelt down. *Spirit lord.*

Amaratsue looked at Dan and nodded as he knelt down. He turned and looked at the Chief who was looking totally shocked. *You are not welcome in the Silver Kitsune territories. I will inform Clan Leader Logan of this and that once any and all contracts have been fulfilled to not renew them. Your mate will finish the negotiations for your tribe. Begone.* The man vanished from view when he said begone.

Before he had vanished when Dan had changed he had been horribly shocked at the size and speed of the change. Before the Spirit manifested he knew he was going to die and there wouldn't be anything he could do. As soon as the spirit appeared he felt satisfaction since he was sure that he would tromp on Dan for him. When he banished him back to his territory after informing him all contracts were not to be renewed he knew he was screwed.

Amaratsue turned and looked at the kneeling wolf and contemplated him. By Dan's terms he had the right to take justice in his hands and normally Amaratsue would let him but not this time. *I am going to step in though I am loath to. I am stepping in since this is a spirit issue and killing her father would not have been good. You will take Nara back with you. She will deliver your kits and she will be your second mate. I will explain this to Alysson and your mate. I will ensure this is clear to all involved.* With that he vanished from view.

Dan flopped on his stomach and rested his head on his paws. God what a mess and he was going to be lucky if Pam even spoke to him for the next few months. One thing he managed to avoid was cursing at Amaratsue since he was sure he would hear and do something else. *Goddess what now? I don't even want to think what they might come up with next.*

Amariah appeared and slowly came over and nuzzled his face before curling up next to him. She could feel how upset he was and she was doing her best to comfort him and broadcast soothing feelings at him.

Dan relaxed a bit as Amariah nuzzled his face and lightly licked it. Her feelings of comfort helped as well but he was to worked up for it to really do much. He finally stood up. *Go to Gettie or Pam little one. I am going to go for a run and hunt something down.* He gave her a good swipe with his large tongue and mentally smiled as she grumbled at him. Dan turned and left at a full run. It didn't take long before he was deep in the forest. Once there he slowed down and started hunting. If he didn't kill something and eat it god only knew what might happen.

~~~

Nara and her mother stopped one of the staff and asked for directions to the suite that Dan and Pam were using. Frankly Nara was ready to ask to remain either with the Kitsunes or even join Dan's pack to get away from her father. Why he was acting this way she didn't know and it rather upset her. Since her mother was being far more civil about it Nara simply settled for following her at the moment.

When they reached the rooms she stood there silently while her mother knocked. She had her head down and was simply looking at the floor since at the moment she didn't feel like facing anyone. Dan had been fun in bed and if he hadn't been mated she might have tried to see if he was interested but Lady Pam had made her views clear. If anything else went wrong she was going to change shape and run and hide.

Inside Pam sighed since she had a feeling who was out there. "Gettie can you get the door and get them something to drink. I will be out in a few minutes." As Gettie was heading towards the door Pam walked into the bedroom and stripped down. She pulled on some lose comfortable clothing and then walked back out. As she expected it was the mother and girl. "Please relax and have something to drink. I don't know what we are going to talk about but I will listen."




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 03



All relations are 18+ when it comes to sex. Don't feel much like doing a forward at the moment. Maybe when I finish I might put something here. Oh and @ Anonymous sometimes you need to wait for the next chapter before the reasoning behind something is shown.

*****

Maric helped get people situated in the various vehicles. He rather wished Dan had told him about the extra people but they had room-barely. As he was helping a scent waived past his nose which caught his attention but he couldn't place it. There were too many other competing scents from the crowds of people, engine exhaust, jet fuel, and many others. With a shake of his head he finally climbed into the car with Dan and part of his menagerie. Before he could fire it up one of the two little Kitsunes hopped onto his shoulder and looked out the front window.

Amarish had hopped on the man's shoulder so he could see out and he liked the feel of the man as well. He felt solid and dependable though there were traces of sadness as well. Just for good measure he gently nuzzled Maric's ear. "I's just want to see out if you don't mind sir." His sister was curled up in Dan's lap relaxing.

Maric twitched away from the nuzzle and had to laugh. "Your whiskers tickle so none of that while I am driving. If you want to sit there feel free." He reached one hand up and stroked the boy's ears before stating the car up and pulling away. "So anything I need to know before we make it home?" He could sense some annoyance as well as amusement over the pack bonds.

Dan snorted. "To be honest I am not sure where to start. It was very eye opening to say the least." He scratched his beard for a moment as he considered how he was going to respond. "I am only going to hit the high points for the moment and tomorrow I will catch everyone up and deal with the Kitsunes. First, hold your shorts for this one, I am not sure what I am anymore. When Pam was supposed to be inducted into the clan we discovered that she has Red Kitsune blood in her. He made an appearance and she is now a Red Kitsune and we, the entire pack, have been ordered to his estates before the next moon." He grinned over his shoulder when Pam snorted.

"I am no longer completely a lycan since I now appear to have some of the powers of a Kitsune as well as a mid-form with ears and three tails. I have a black, red, and silver tail and Pam is much the same. Arthur was turned into a Kitsune as well and he and Helda are discussing marriage and she is going to set up shop as a seamstress in town at some point. Amariah and Amarish have been assigned to Pam and I since we are senior Kitsunes though beyond that I am not sure why." He held his fingers up and sort of mentally checked off the high points. "Well that is the quickie list. Tomorrow when I hold a meeting with my staff I will give you more information. Oh, one more thing, Nara is tentatively a second mate for me. The spirits graced her with more children of mine so she will get the respect she is due."

Maric didn't bother looking at Dan and settled for a sigh. "I have to say since you allowed me to join the pack my life has gotten interesting. So how are Sylvia and Paulo?" He had been getting updates but something was being kept back from him.

Dan smiled. "They are doing well though they have asked to remain with the Silver Kitsune Clan. I think this is more for Sylvia's sake. I will be honest with you; I don't think she will be able to rejoin a wolf pack for many years. The mental trauma is too deep. Before we go south to the Red Kitsune clan I am going to make a visit and resolve that issue. I assume you would like to come along?"

Maric couldn't help it when he started the deep lycan growl of anger and his eyes changed slightly. "Damn straight on that and as long as she is content and safe is all I can wish for her." He felt the little Kitsune change and wrap his arms around Maric's neck and gave him a good hug.

"I's go with and hold Clan Lord's coat." After one last squeeze he changed back and rested his head on Maric's shoulder.

Maric couldn't help but relax and smile at the boy. "That will be up to Dan but I can't help but want to take some popcorn and a beer and watch while he cleans the old boy up." There was a bit of a vicious tone to his voice.

"Tell me about it. After this visit I really have the urge to go and beat someone up. It was good seeing everyone but too much stuff happened again. I might swear off visiting there for a few years. Every time I go up there the spirits get active and seem to have some game of one up man ship. They seem to find it funny to see what else they can do to me." That was a definite growl and Pam snickered at him. In the back of his mind was a laugh he associated with Amaratsue and he sighed.

Pam reached forward from the back seat and stroked his hair and neck. "I am sure they have a good reason for all this. We just have to wait to see why. Besides you are so cute in your mid-form and you know you love getting your ears stroked." She was making a kind of joke out of it since she was probably more freaked out than Dan.

Dan growled at her. "I am so going to make sure that the room is clear of everyone this evening and ravish you. I have to say you have really cute ears and tails as well. Oh and don't call me cute darn it." As her hand stroked his hair he leaned into it and sighed. "Oh, continuing my baby making spree Pam is pregnant as well."

Maric simply started laughing since there wasn't anything else he could do. He had noticed that Nara was obviously pregnant as well and assumed they were Dan's. "Well I hope things calm down for you since all the changes are having an impact on the pack. As you know wolves like their changes to be slow and that doesn't describe what is happening to you boss."

Dan snorted at Maric. "May your life become active and busy... I know what you need; you need to find a good woman to keep you active. You have been slowing down recently." He grinned at Maric and got nipped by Amariah for his teasing. "Oh, tomorrow night I am going to be taking Pam as my mate since it is the full moon. I want to get it taken care of before we go south. Well if Pam doesn't mind that is." One hand came up and pressed against the one that was stroking his hair.

She lightly bopped him. "Dan not everyone needs a mate and or a bunch of kids spread around you know." When he mentioned taking her as his mate she pressed her hand against his neck and her eyes softened. "I am looking forward to that Dan and yes I want to. It might have been sudden but you are someone I have always been looking for. That other part of me that was missing."

Maric smiled at their actions and was pleased. There had always been a part of Dan missing and Pam filled that part. It almost felt like she had gentled Dan and tempered him. He was massively strong when it came to the pack and protecting it but there had always been brittleness to that strength. He couldn't help but feel this was going to be really good for the pack.

The rest of the drive was relatively quiet. Arthur and Helda were quietly talking about her working and opening a shop as a seamstress. The little Kitsune remained curled up on his shoulder and chair back and was asking questions about the scenery. Amariah was simply relaxing and getting a sense of what the spiritual feel of the others was like as well as the surrounding spirits. This country was considered far less reactive to spirits than those people further north.

~~~

Eventually they reached the pack house and Dan had to sigh in contentment. "I do love it there but I have come to accept this as home and always look forward to coming back. With having a mate it is going to be far more home than it was." He stepped out and since he knew there were Kitsunes he shifted to his mid-form. When he did he glowered at Maric. "If you laugh I will drag your ass to the challenge ring."

Maric wisely didn't say anything and settled for opening the back door of the sedan for Arthur and Helda to get out. As he was doing that Dan was helping Pam out. The rest of the wolves were starting to pull the luggage out and were taking it in. Since Shannon was there the boy opened Nara's door and helped her out. "Welcome to the Pack house ma'am. Dan called ahead and there is a room for you upstairs."

Nara smiled. "Just Nara please, I am the youngest daughter of my parents." As she looked around she had to admire the buildings and surrounding. "You have a lovely property Dan. I have to admit I can't wait to shift and go for a trot. Running is out of the question much anymore."

As Dan was shifting so did Pam and the two little Kitsunes. Amariah and Amarish were in their little formal robes though Pam and Dan were still in their normal cloths. That definitely got a reaction from the wolves helping them. For a brief moment silence reigned and then a quiet murmuring started and many of them kept glancing at the four of them. Dan sighed and rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.

"Well let's get inside and at the very least I will say hello to the Kitsunes though today I have no urge for business. Unless it is an overriding need they are going to have to wait for the day after the moon." He needed the time to relax and de-stress as well as catch the pack up on the most current goings on.

Maric nodded and inhaled and there was that trace of scent again. It was bothering him since it smelled so familiar and made him want to relax. "I told them that and they didn't seem to have a problem with it. Oh, I have the plans back from the architect for the proposed new quarters. We can look at them tomorrow and wander around. That will give you time to show everyone around."

As they walked into the building Gianni and her minions charged up screaming in happiness. That was till they noticed both the fact that Dan had ears and tails not to mention a tiny person on his shoulder. Gianni stopped and almost got taken out by the two boys. "Oh wow. Can I pet your ears? Why do you have a little person on your shoulder?"

Dan mock growled at Gianni and lifted Amariah down off his shoulder. "This is a spirit Kitsune and her name is Amariah. If you ask nicely she might play with you since she is about your age. I will warn you that her tails are evil and if she starts pointing one at you run."

Amariah frowned at him and cocked a tail at him only to get growled at. She snickered and walked over to Gianni and gave her a good hug. *Not biting tails or else. I has to go with Danny for now but I will find you later.* As she was talking one of the boys lightly touched her ears and started petting them. She tilted her head towards him for a moment before jumping into the air and appeared on Dan's shoulder.

"Go play kids. I have a few things to take care of but will see you before dinner. If you are nice I might even drag your butt's outside and chase them around." He gave them a toothy grin and all of them giggled. "Actually tell all the pups that after dinner we are going to go and play. I feel the need to terrify some pups."

"Okay Maric I am going to my office. Have Angie bring some snacks and drinks in. Have the Kitsunes come to my office as well." Drat he was going to need to find an office for Pam as well. He might end up having her move into Felanzi's office for training on being the female alpha. Dan looked at several of the wolves. "Get a nice chair for Pam, maybe from Felanzi's office and make sure we have enough seating for the visitors."

He had to shake his head since he had really hoped for a few quiet days. As soon as he had mated with Pam he was going to have to look into what was needed to fly down to Red's territory. Actually that he could probably have Arthur take a look at. That was another question, what was his department going to make of his change in status? What was he going to end up doing? One thing Dan was considering was seeing if he could hire Arthur away from his department. That way Dan could hand pretty much all the legal issues with all the connections to him. It was getting to the point that he needed someone to start handling that. "Arthur why don't you come with to my office? I have a feeling that this is going to be another headache for us. I also have a few questions for you."

Arthur snorted at Dan. "I am not sure how brave I am feeling right now. I am tempted to say that I need to work on some reports though I will actually be sitting in the corner rocking back and forth while sucking on my thumb..." He was grinning when he said it though he did turn to Helda. "Have someone show you to our room and start settling in. I will hunt you down later." He gave her a light peck before he turned and followed Dan.

By the time they had gotten in there it had been setup as Dan had asked and he settled down in his chair and sighed. "Okay stinker take a seat on the desk or better yet you and Amarish can sit on Pam's lap since she will be off to one side." 

Amariah hopped down and stretched. *Want nappy soon. I's tired from flight, it was boring and noisy.* She walked across his desk and hopped down in Pam's lap and snuggled up next to her brother. When he snuggled close to her she smiled and looked content.

Moments later Angie walked in followed by one of the other junior females. She was carrying the drinks and some finger foods. When she saw him she froze and stared for a moment. One corner of her mouth twitched but she managed not to laugh. Dan had a grumpy expression on his face since he figured most of the pack was going to be struggling not to snicker at him. "Here you go Dan and they will be in momentarily." She nodded at Pam and then her eyes widened when she saw the little Kitsunes.

"Oh they are darling." She didn't even think before walking over and squatting down so she was at their level. "I will get some seats for you for dinner. Both of you are so cute." Angie reached over and lightly petted their ears and had to smile when both Kitsunes preened at the attention. "Right now it is going to have to be some high chairs but I will talk to Saul and get you something more fitting." One last pet and she stood and dimpled at Dan. "Only you Dan, only you."

She left the room with his growl following her. Angie managed to keep from dying laughing till she was far enough away from his office. 

When her mate found her Aiden had to wonder what she was laughing about. Her arms were wrapped around her now slender waist and she was laughing so hard she was crying. She had delivered shortly before Dan had flown to see Mari as she delivered his pups. Their two were currently being watched by Nancy while he and Angie worked. "Um, should I ask or keep going?"

Angie waved a hand at him and was forced to take a number of deep breaths. "You will see and I am not going to spoil the fun." She dried the tears from her face and stepped into his arms. "Oh man I haven't laughed that hard for a while. I need to get to the kitchen and make sure everything is cooking correctly." She gave him a hug and kiss before heading back to work.

~~~

Dan could both hear the laughter as well as feeling her amusement over the pack bonds and sighed. Since there was a small pile of paperwork in his basket he pulled it out to glance over while they waited. "I meant to say welcome to the pack house. I will show you the bedroom later." When he glanced up he had to smile at her expression.

Pam turned and gave him a brief smile before continuing to look at the room. "This is a lovely office and the art is wonderful. This place is huge and you are adding another building? Goodness. I knew you lived in a large house but this place is almost too much." If she had seen it at the beginning she would have been even more impressed.

Before Dan could speak Maric knocked on the open door. "Alpha the representatives of the Kitsune Clans in our country are here." He stepped off to one side and they filed in and stood in front of the various chairs and couch.

Dan looked up when Maric knocked though he had heard them coming. He stood up though Pam didn't. Amariah had fallen asleep and she didn't want to disturb the little girl. As the Kitsunes filtered in Dan could only stare since no matter what their hair color was their ears and tail indicated the clan they were associated with.

"Good after noon ladies and gentlemen. I am Clan Lord and senior Alpha Danilo Legarith. This is my soon to be mate Clan Lady Pamela. The two small Kitsunes are Amariah and Amarish. The gentleman over there is Arthur and currently works for the state department. Please introduce yourselves and then have a seat." He sat down in his chair and waited.

A lady with golden ears and tails stepped forward a bit. "Technically other than you I am the most senior Kitsune in the room and since we are known to each other I will take care of the introductions." She was older and was able to hide her shock at what she had seen. The person behind the desk just radiated power and authority. She simply didn't know what he was any more though he still had a very large sense of being a wolf. Overlying that was the sense of at senior Kitsune with hints of both red and silver beings standing behind him. The two little Kitsunes though very young were powerful and she could feel the connection with the silver presence.

"I am the clan leader of the Golden Kitsunes and my name is Cynthia Jorgensen. The silver representative is Kaile Usagati, black is Wade Nightshade, Red is Fiera Goya, blue-white is Briona Hirayama, brown is Jade Brown, and blue is Jake Adamson. I am sure you know but the first three colors, gold, silver, and black represent the sun, moon, and night. The other four represent the elements that they are most connected with."

As she was introducing the others they would nod and then sit down. Most of them looked rather impressed with Dan as well as Pam and the little Kitsunes. Once they had all been introduced Dan gave them a thoughtful look and leaned forward and picked up the small pot of coffee on his desk and poured a cup for himself, Pam, and Arthur. "Please feel free to get something to eat and nibble on if you want. Formal meetings and such have their place but in my office I tend to be a bit more relaxed. I have found over the years that an informal meeting tends to work better for me than a formal one." He gave them a relaxed smile. "Then again I am not doing anything formal at the moment since I just flew in and am going to relax till the morning after the full moon. So what actually brings you here?"

Cynthia gave him a polite smile as she poured some tea in a cup and doctored it. She did take a small plate of the snack food and settled back. While she waited for the others to serve themselves she took a sip and contemplated the man behind the desk. He definitely radiated controlled power as well as having a very commanding presence. She could see why her spirit Kitsune told her to gather the others up and bring them here. 

Once everyone was done getting drinks and food she finally spoke. "All of us were commanded to come here and introduce ourselves to you. As is traditional in the Kitsune culture the most senior Kitsune is considered to be the clan leader. In this case since we are all from splinter groups from the mother clans we all tend to be considered rather junior to the main branches." She took a sip and received a nod from Dan to continue.

"Since a number of the other clans are also essentially a country in and of themselves our Spirits have decided we need to become organized similarly." She noticed Arthur frowning and gave him a polite smile as well. "Not as in taking over this country but forming a single unified clan for our country. Much like you have organized the wolves in this country and are working to setup a council of senior wolves we have been instructed to come to you as well."




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 03



Dan was sipping on his coffee as she was speaking and nodded occasionally to continue. When she had obviously finished speaking he glanced at each Kitsune and met their eyes. Most of them gave him the Kitsune equivalent of submission. The Black Kitsune simply had a sardonic smile on his face and settled for nodding to Dan. "Okay, I can see how that might be advantageous for the splinter groups as you put it. I can understand why the spirits might have asked you to come to me as well. What I am not quite sure of is what exactly are you asking of me. If it is just advice to create some sort of unified council that is fine and shouldn't be a problem. If it is something else I can't say anything till you tell me more."

Wade couldn't help but grin since it was obvious to him that Dan was trying to ignore the implications. "What she is trying to say is we have been told point blank that you are to be our Clan Leader. You are in charge of all the Kitsunes in New Cascadia and we will be reporting to you. As part of this you will be given a sum of money to set up the Clan house and we will have someone from each of our splinter clans here at all times. This will essentially be the council of elders who will keep you updated on the clans and what is happening."

Cynthia glared at Wade when he stated it so bluntly. *Why did you just drop that on him? I was trying to ease him into it.*

Wade mentally snorted. *Feel his spirit woman. He has been a wolf for a long time and wolves tend to be direct creatures. That and he is by inclination blunt and direct. I am sure he can beat around the bush with the best of them but the direct approach is the best with him. Besides that was rather fun to do.*

Dan took several more sips of coffee before saying anything. He lifted one eyebrow and in an almost monotone voice spoke. "How fascinating." They wouldn't catch that reference and he wasn't going to bother explaining it. "You will be assimilated into one united clan huh? Resistance is futile and all that?" Oh god he could feel Gene Rodenberry spinning in his grave at the abuse of those old jokes. 

"Right now I am not going to say yes, no, or discuss this further till the day after tomorrow. I can understand their wanting to do this but I have enough on my plate right now that I need to think on how best to do this. All of you are welcome to join us for the full moon ceremony since I will be taking Pam as my mate and she taking me as her mate. If you will please excuse me but I need to talk to my Beta and I have some business with Arthur as well."

To be honest it didn't really surprise him and he wasn't going to bother getting upset at the moment. He did need to talk to Arthur in all seriousness because it was simply becoming too complex for him to deal with.

Cynthia stood up and nodded. "We will see you at dinner Lord and Lady Legarith." The seven of them stood and walked out of the room and closed the door behind them as they left.

Dan leaned his chair back and let out a deep breath. "Well I must be getting used to major shocks since that didn't hurt nearly as much as I expected. Maric make sure we have everything needed for the ceremony tomorrow night. Talk to Felanzi as well since she can help you. I need to talk to Arthur in private though. Pam if you and Maric would give us some privacy I would appreciate it. Maric see if Sarah or maybe Julia are available to show Pam around the manor till I am done." He gave her a light kiss as he took Amariah from her and settled her in his arms.

When Amariah turned a bit towards him and grabbed his shirt in one of her small hands he had to smile. "You are going to give me headaches little one but when I get a chance to look back I will laugh at your antics." As he was talking Maric and Pam left with Amarish. 

Arthur moved around in front of Dan's desk. "So what do you want to discuss with me?" He poured some more coffee and inhaled the scent and smiled. "Damn you have some good coffee. If you want to offer me a job one requirement will be access to your coffee sources." He was pretty sure what Dan wanted to talk about and it was fairly obvious.

Dan snorted and stood up and walked around the desk and settled in a couch. "There are times for the desk but also times it just gets in the way. As far as the coffee I would have to refer you to Saul. I have long since suspected that he has contacts he shouldn't have for supplies." He took another sip before holding the cup out. "Can you refill it? My other hand is a bit occupied."

Once Arthur had done that he settled back. "Actually I do want to offer you a job or maybe a change of where you work. As you know my relationship with many of the spirit cultures in the Pacific Northwest is complex. I am connected to two Kitsune clans, the wolf packs in two countries, probably one of the tribes above Alysson's country and god only knows what else. I need someone who is knowledgeable with all the lovely intricacies of working with leaders of the other countries. That and who is knowledgeable with the rules and regulations pertaining to contacts with the other countries."

Dan had to roll his neck to release stress. "I might look and maybe act all high and mighty but before I came here I ran a pack and a business. That was it. Now it is looking like I am going to be some sort of ruler in my own right and the very last thing I want to do is annoy the various departments in this country. I like this area and the people for the most part. I do know that you are going to have to think about it as well as contact your department. I can wait but please don't take too long to make the decision. If you do decide that you don't want the position please get me a list of names to review."

Arthur started laughing. "You have got to be nuts Dan. I can't pass this up and I think I can work it out that I will still be working for the State Department. That will give you a great deal of resources. Yes there are going to be some of the movers and shakers who will be scared by the power you are acquiring but there will be many more who will look and see in you someone with power. They will see how you can help them to advance who they are and their agenda's. I am going to relax tomorrow as well and call them the morning after."

Dan had to grin. "I didn't think you would pass that up but had to ask. Why don't you find Helda and please feel free to wander around. This changes everything since I have this feeling that I am going to have to shave a part of my territory for a small estate similar to Alysson's for the Kitsunes." He smiled down at Amariah as he gently stroked her ears. "I am going to settle this little one on my pillow as well till she wakes." Dan stood up and walked out of the room.

~~~

When Maric walked out that scent hit him again but again it was a bare whiff which indicated it was a new scent. It wasn't ingrained in the wood and house the way the scents of long term residents were. Whoever it belonged to she smelled rather nice and attracted him. With a slight smile he shook his head since he still wasn't in any mood for female company.

He set about what Dan had ordered him to. He didn't realize it but there was a slight spring in his step and Maric was feeling more alive than for a long time. With Sylvia safe and with her mate he didn't have to worry about her as much. He knew without having to ask that Geoff and Mari would take care of her and keep her safe for him. This was going to be an interesting moon tomorrow and he was looking forward to it.

~~~

Shannon grabbed the two bags that Nara had and started walking inside. "I am going to show you to your rooms and if you want to settle in and relax I can help. If you simply want to know where they are we can drop the luggage off and I can show you around the buildings. As Dan mentioned my name is Shannon." He really wasn't sure what to do with her or how she was related to the pack. He could tell she was a wolf but definitely not a werewolf.

Nara smiled shyly at him. "Well for the moment show me to the rooms and we can go from there. I have to admit I am sort of tossed up. I would love to see the house and the near property. I am hesitant since till Dan introduces me I am not sure how I am supposed to respond if someone asks." The building was pretty nice though it was rather large. Her parents had a nice home since her father had been the chief but they lived mostly by themselves.

Shannon contemplated the best answer and simply didn't know what to say. "Well I guess for the moment we can just say you are a guest of his and leave it at that. When we have dinner he can introduce you and why you are here." He led her upstairs to the Alpha's wing. "This is where Dan, Maric, and Felanzi and her mate Saul live. There is a small suite for an assistant to live in and that is where you are going to be staying for the moment." As they were walking he stopped at a door and opened it.

He carried the luggage to the bedroom and set it inside the door. "You have a small sitting room, bedroom and bathroom. There are French doors that lead to the small deck outside as well." As he was talking he showed her around. "Do you want to relax? If so I will be back before dinner. If not I will show you around and introduce you to some of the people living here. With the addition of part of Dan's old pack there are about fifty of us here including children."

Nara looked around and it was a rather nice room and she could be comfortable here for quite some time. In the bedroom was room for a large crib since she was having twins. As she looked around she sighed. "I honestly don't know Shannon. The last few months have been hard on me and I am not sure I can really handle much more stress."

Shannon nodded and then gave her a smile. "I will show you where I sleep and the kids rooms. Gianni might be a bit nosy but she means it in a good way. They won't criticize you or look down on you. What will probably happen is you will have some wolf pups puppy pile around you." He walked over to the door and opened it for her.

Once she had walked out he walked down stairs and showed her to the kids rooms. "That room is the girls room and for girls from about 13 to 18. The middle room is for the pups from just under 5 to 13 of both genders and the room on the far side is for the older boys." Since the door was open he walked in and found Gianni and her minions in the corner whispering to each other.

He mock frowned. "Okay you miscreants break up the scheming. Yes I know you missed Dan and having all the new people is fascinating but... Come and say hello to one of Dan's guests." He pulled Nara over to the large bed in the room and plopped down on it. "Have a seat. Since we don't currently have a junior wolf in here the three oldest kids rotate through the bed to make sure some pups don't get in trouble." He glowered at Gianni just for good measure.

She really did try to give him an innocent look but frankly it was a rather toothy smile. "Hello nice lady. I saw you when Danny came in." When Shannon lunged at her she scampered away. "You's to slow. Can't use tickly fingers if you can't catch me." She came over to the other side of Nara and leaned against her leg. "I's Gianni, this is Sammi, and this is Juan. Can we's feel your tummy? It is really neat feeling babies move."

Nara couldn't help but grin. "Hmm... Maybe I will move in here since I have been well trained in sneaky little pups." As she was talking she was stroking Gianni's hair. The two boys stripped and changed and jumped up on the bed and one crawled into her lap and rolled over for a good tummy rub. "If I do move in here I will warn you that sucking up like that won't work." She still stroked his chest and tummy.

Shannon had to smile since the three were charming her. As they were sitting there they started talking about what had gone on at the Clan House as well as what all the pack house had.

~~~

Helda was shown to a small suite by Sarah. "I am sorry it is so small but with part of Dan's old pack as well as the Kitsune Lords and Ladies we are simply running out of room. Alpha Dan did an extension on the house a while back but hadn't really expected to be able to bring his former pack back." She felt rather bad since this lady felt fairly senior and the room was for a fairly junior couple.

Helda smiled at her and glanced around. "It will do fine though I am going to have to find somewhere to setup shop short term." She picked up a bag with her sewing supplies and some regular fabric and carried it over to the couch. "I worked as the senior seamstress back at the Clan estates and I love my work. Why don't you come here for a few minutes? I don't want to upset you but the cloths most of you are wearing make my tails itch. I know the pack is still recovering from the person Dan took over from but that doesn't mean you have to have ill fitting clothing right?" She gave her a warm smile.

Sarah sort of looked down at her shoes and scuffed the toe of one shoe on the carpet. "I guess not but Alpha Dan has done so much for us and was so tired and sad we didn't want to bother him." The skirt was a bit tight and didn't fit well since she was growing again.

Helda smiled at her. "And that is where I come in. I am a seamstress and you wouldn't believe how quickly I can cut out and sew a shirt or skirt out. If I can make the formal robes for Dan in a day or two a nice shirt that is still usable for chores isn't a problem. Now come here hun and let me get a few measurements. I might just get the measurements for all you girls this evening and unless your chores get in the way I can teach you the basics of sewing."

Sarah didn't have any idea of what the formal robes were like but they sounded really nice. She moved towards the lady and shyly looked at her ears. "I sort of wish I had ears like that. What do you need?" Sarah hesitantly reached over and touched the cloth and it felt so nice. "Your shirt is lovely. I wish I had something like that for Sundays or to wear occasionally."

Helda had to grin at her reaction. "Well first strip down to your undies so I can measure you and then we will take a look in my bag." It only took a few moments to get the measurements and then for Sarah to get dressed again. "Now let's see. What do I have in here?" She turned to the large bag and winked at Sarah. Hmm, with your hair and skin you can wear almost anything but I know Mari simply loves purple and I have a feeling you do as well."

Sarah smiled at Mari's name. "You know her? How is she doing? Us pups still really miss her and sneaking into bed with her and curling up." When Helda mentioned purple she had to think for a moment. "That sounds nice but I don't think I have a skirt or shorts that would go with it." She was trying to peak into the bag to see what Helda was getting.

"Mari? Oh goodness yes I know her and she is a lovely young woman. Both she and Geoff are very happy together. I do understand she was a bit cranky with Dan when she delivered his pups and called him all sorts of names." She wrinkled her nose at her and twitched her ears as well. "Well in that case I think you are going to get a nice new outfit then. We will start with the blouse and go from there." She pulled out some light lilac color material with conservative designed already embroidered in it. "What do you think about this color?"

Sarah's eyes got really big. "Really? She called Dan names? Gosh I can't believe that." Mari just didn't seem the type though she had heard a few of the women deliver and one or two were rather loud. 

When Helda pulled out the material her eyes widened even more if that was possible. "Oh that is way too expensive for me. Just some plain material would be fine." Sarah couldn't help but feel a corner and it was so wonderful.

Helda snorted at her. "I don't think so young lady. This is a good solid material that may of the kids at the clan wear. I am sure if Dan had enough time in the day he would have made sure that you had at least properly fitting clothing. On that I will have a talk to him. I know he is busy and probably wanting to pull his hair out some days but if not him then one of the senior females in the house should have taken care of it. You aren't a poor pack child and what Dan has done to the house proves that."

She leaned forward and cupped the girls chin in her hand and looked her straight in the eye. "Don't misunderstand what I said. I was not criticizing Dan in anyway. He simply has had too much on his plate the last year or so since he arrived. Now that he has a mate she should have the time to actually pay attention not only to the house but all the other things as well. Now I think after dinner I am going to have all the girls come in and we are going to have a fitting time. Once we do that I am going to talk to Pam about setting aside and hour or two several days a week. I am going to teach all of you the basics of sewing."

Sarah lifted her chin a bit. "Yes Lady Helda. I am a wolf and one thing Dan has taught me is to be proud of that fact. If you say we need to dress better at least some times then we will do so. I will talk to Nancy about getting the girls in here. There aren't really all that many right now so it won't take too long."

Helda nodded and then smiled. "Excellent and now you are going to show me around so I can find a room to take over as my sewing room. It will keep Dan on his toes." She stood up and held her hand out and took one of Sarah's and walked out of the small suite.

~~~

Dan walked upstairs to his suite and into the rooms. Pam was there and she was talking to Felanzi. "Afternoon you two, I came to deposit a tired little fox in bed." Amariah shifted and one foot stretched out and twitched a bit. It was all Dan could do to resist tickling it.

Felanzi couldn't help but smile. She had Amarish sitting on her lap for a short time before he had decided to go exploring. Pam didn't seem too bothered by it so Felanzi didn't worry about it. "If you want I will hold her. They are so darling." She held her arms out and was pleased when Dan tucked the little girl in her arms.

"I am going to go down and see if I can wear the pups out before dinner. If I don't they will be a handful this evening and frankly I don't feel like having to deal with them later." He stretched and walked into the bedroom and stripped down to some lose shorts and a t-shirt before walking out. He noticed Felanzi staring at his tails and he waved them around for a moment. "Later." He walked out of the room and headed down back.

Once he was out back he stripped and changed. Gods he still felt so silly having three tails and they kept distracting him as they waved around and bumped into each other. After a good shake to try and settle both his fur and his tails he let out the soft croon he used with the kids. It was an invitation to come and play if they weren't busy. It also would let the pack know that he was feeling froggy and if they wanted to come as well that was fine.

Back in the kids room they felt the call and Gianni jumped down off the bed and was changed in moments. She barked at Nara and wiggled in excitement. The two boys changed as well and for a brief moment there was a small puppy fight before Gianni barked again.

Shannon laughed at them. "Gianni is inviting you to come out and play. If you would like to change form and come out with that would be fine. If you want to come and sit on the back porch that is fine as well." He was grinning when he pulled off his cloths and changed. Once he did he sat there looking at her to see what she was going to do.

Nara couldn't help but be amused by the three little ones. They really had been friendly and accepting of her and her condition. They hadn't even bothered asking who the father was and simply snuggled against her. She had to admit when Shannon stripped down she was a bit startled and then remembered lycan's clothing didn't change with them. She stood up and called her wolf forward and shifted. With a woof she started towards the door and almost got run down by the three little ones.




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 03



Several of the pack decided to join in as well and hurried to the back porch. When the adults came out most of them froze in shock when they saw Dan for the first time in his new form. Aiden had come out as well and all he could do was stare though his mouth was twitching as he tried not to laugh. "Oh my, I can't wait to hear the story of your visit this time..."

Dan growled at him but he knew he might as well let the pack get their laughs in sooner than later. If he tromped on it all that would do was give them more amusement and the laughter would be hidden. Once they were used to it they wouldn't even think about it. Just for good measure he did bark at Aiden which only got another laugh.

As he was standing there the little ones came charging out and froze when they noticed the differences. Gianni whined for a moment before trotting over and giving him a good sniff. *You look funny Danny.*

Dan had to roll his eyes but didn't comment on either the 'Danny' or the 'funny'. As he was waiting more wolves started appearing. Even Pam came down and she was in her Kitsune form. Before Dan could do anything Amariah and Amarish appeared next to him and that definitely got Gianni's attention. Eventually a good portion of the pack was out there along with most of their guests. *Time to wear some pups and wolves out I think. Be careful with Nara since she is pregnant. Remember the Kitsunes aren't as strong or heal as fast as we do. Have fun and it is good to be back.* 

Amarish didn't even think twice before he jumped at Gianni and knocked her over. She gave him a surprised yip and the puppy fights were on. *Amariah no using that tail since this is just for fun. If anyone gets to rough simply tell them.*

He was a bit late in saying that since one of her tails had cocked at a pup and Sammie suddenly had pink paws. She waved her tails at Dan as she jumped into the fray. 

About then Dan was blindsided by Shannon and the fights were on. He played with everyone for a good hour before finally settling off to one side. Most of the Kitsune rep's were out there playing as well which was good. Once Dan settled down Pam came over and curled up next to him as well. Cynthia settled on the other side of him.

*That was fun and frankly a bit startling. I can't think of another time I have seen a pack simply play. You have a very good pack Clan Lord.* She was licking a paw clean of dirt as she was talking to him. 

Dan sneezed at her comment. *Thank you for the compliment. It took a goodly deal of time to teach them that when I want to play it is just that - play. It isn't to change rank or beat someone down. The other packs that look to me are slowly learning this as well.* He had to wince when one wolf suddenly turned into a blue furball after running Amarish down accidently. *That stinker is going to turn my pack on its ear.*

Cynthia snorted at that. *In a good way. She is going to be a paw full for you but you will be good for her. Don't let her get away with too much but also don't totally corral in the tricks. This will teach her and her brother the time and place to play tricks.* As she was talking Amarish suddenly turned into a wolf pup who looked like Juan and attacked Nancy before vanishing and re-appearing as a Kitsune. Nancy hunted for Juan and attacked him to his confusion.

Dan rolled his eyes. *I am not sure my pack will be up to those two stinkers. Oh well I am sure that we will survive.* He turned to Pam and gave her muzzle a good lick before attacking her ears with his tongue.

~~~

When Dan called for the pups Maric knew exactly what he was planning and damned if it didn't sound fun. He didn't bother going down back and changing since he was in his room at the moment. He stripped and tossed his cloths on his bed and changed. Once he was changed he nudged open the dog door and trotted down the hall. As he was heading out he did his best to ignore that damn scent. It was really starting to bug him as to why it was affecting him so much.

Once outside he settled on the porch and waited for the fun to start. When he did he couldn't help but watch for a few and snickered mentally at what the little female Kitsune was doing. She obviously was trying not to hurt anyone and pretty much settled on silly things like suddenly having an extra tail. She was turning the wolves and pups interesting colors that wolves shouldn't have. 

Maric finally decided to join the fun and hopped off the porch and dashed into the fray. He was taken down several times and when he almost accidently stepped on one of the two little Kitsunes he felt a zing. With a mental sigh he looked back at his body and now he looked like an oversized poodle. He had to shake his head with that and dashed at one of the wolves when Nara accidently stepped in his way.

He put on the brakes as much as possible and ended up nose to nose with her and froze. She looked as startled as he did and he was thankful he hadn't run her over since he would have felt bad. When he breathed a sigh of relief her scent hit him and he froze again. This was the scent that had been teasing him since Dan arrived. Standing nose to nose to her it was so much more intense and he knew what it meant.

Nara was as startled as he was when she was almost run down. When she looked at him she had to blink since at the moment he looked like an oversized poodle including the way they tended to be shaved. When she inhaled as well his scent hit and it was so masculine and drew her. Before she realized she was moving she had moved forward and rubbed her cheek against his. She could feel his shock but she also felt a protective urge from him as well. *Hello and I am Nara. I am very pleased to finally meet my mate.*

Maric was still frozen but when she moved forward and rubbed her cheek against his he closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the contact. Her scent obviously carried overtones of motherhood but it also carried the scent of mate as well. *Greetings Nara and I am Maric. I am the Beta for the pack and I am pleased to meet you as well. Now I rather know how Ben felt when he met his mate.* That was slightly sardonic when he said it. *I suppose we should go and talk to Dan.*

She could feel as well as scent some stress from Maric and they would have to talk later. At the moment she walked forward and rubbed her side against one of his before curling around and up his other side. When she finally stopped she was lightly leaning against his body with her nose next to his. *Come Maric lets go in and talk till dinner time. There is time to talk to Alpha Dan later.*

~~~

Dan felt Maric's shock and confusion over the pack bonds and when he looked he heaved a sigh of relief. He could tell what was happening and he was frankly pleased that he wasn't going to have to deal with having Nara as a mate. *Well Pam we can relax somewhat now. I don't think we need to worry about Nara now.*

Before she could really reply both Kitsunes appeared in front of them and settled down between the paws of the person they had chosen. Amariah looked rather used since her fur was sticking up all over the place. There were traces of dirt as well and he had to smile since she was panting as well. *So did the evil wolf pups wear out the widdle foxie?*

She rolled on her back and glared at him for a moment before lightly batting at his face with her front paws. Amariah was radiating a sense of contentment as well as tiredness. *Had fun. Wolves more silly than thought.*

Dan snorted at her and then pinned her down with a paw and started giving her a bath. *Glad you had fun and you mostly used your tails appropriately. It was rather amusing what you did to Maric. I am pleased little one.* He was sure there were going to be times when he was going to need to tromp on her but not at the moment.

When he pinned her down and started giving her a tongue bath she yipped but couldn't get away. It didn't take long before he was done and she curled up between his massive paws. After a small yawn she settled her chin on one of his paws and sleepily watched her brother getting much the same from Pam. A few moments later she was asleep.

She was close enough to Dan's chest that when he lowered his head down on his paws he didn't squish her. At this point he simply relaxed and watched the pack having fun. Before he realized it he had fallen into a doze as well. Next to him Pam and Amarish were doing pretty much the same.

~~~

Eventually Angie came out and called everyone to dinner. Dan ended up feeling a bit grumpy by the time it was done since all his wolves kept snickering as both he and Pam told him about the visit. All were pleased for Mari and Dan though which really helped. He was going to have to invite them down in a month or two for a visit since he knew the pack would love it. That and to be honest he didn't feel safe going up there again at the moment.

Once dinner was over Dan headed to the great room and settled down on a couch. Pam had decided to go up and unpack her things though she did give him an arch look with a casual mention of the tub. Dan had gotten the hint and would head up shortly but he needed to spend at least some time downstairs so the pack could come and ask questions of him. That would ultimately take a few days before everyone was caught up.

He was going to need to talk to Arthur, Maric, Alysson, and Saul to find out what sort of money he had. Flying the pack south was going to be expensive and chances were good they were going to have to reserve a large plane. It might be possible to borrow Alysson's as well which should be less expensive for him.

He talked for a while but eventually he stood up and stretched. "If anyone wakes Pam and me up before the day after the end of the world they will be scrubbing bathrooms with a toothbrush." He yawned. "I am totally beat after the last week and need a bit of extra sleep. We probably won't be down for breakfast so don't hold it for us. Night everyone." Dan slowly walked out of the great room and started towards his room.

Before he got very far he heard the sound of running pups and mentally growled. Since they were heading in his direction he stood there and waited. Just to make sure they knew he wasn't pleased he had his arms crossed and a frown on his face. Moments later the two Kitsunes came around a corner at a fast run followed by the three mousekateers. "And what are you doing? I do believe there is a rule about running in the house isn't there?"

All of them slid to a stop in front of him. Amariah and Amarish both looked rather startled but when they saw his expression they knew they had messed up. Both of the little foxes lowered their tails and ears. Gianni and the boys did much the same since they really did know better.

"Well Gianni? Why didn't you inform them of the rules? Or were you figuring if they didn't know you could get away with it for the evening?" His voice showed his displeasure with her since she was the leader of her little group no matter what anyone said.

*Sorry Apha. We were having a bit of fun and they ran into the house. My wolf kept chasing them so it is my fault. Sammie and Juan were simply following my lead. I is responsible.* She lowered her tail and ears even more since she knew better and should have stopped.

Dan nodded. "You are the leader of your little group but they also know better. Since you didn't say anything they should have or at the very least stopped chasing them. I am not pleased with you three and you are restricted to the pups room till tomorrow afternoon." He looked down at the two Kitsunes. "I have a rule about running in the house. It doesn't happen. It is entirely too easy for one of you to take someone out before you realize it."

He contemplated them for a moment as he decided on the punishment. "The two of you are also restricted to the pups room till tomorrow afternoon as well. Unless Pam or myself call you I expect you to obey me."

Both of the little Kitsunes looked sort of horrified. Amarish changed to his mid-form and bowed. "Yes Clan Lord we understand and will obey." He sounded really sad about that since he liked sleeping on the pillow next to the Clan Lady.

Dan moved his eyes to Amariah and lifted an eyebrow. He expected her to speak as well and accept his orders. In this he wasn't going to back down. Once they had learned the boundaries then he could relax some and let them have fun but till then they would learn.

Amariah sniffed and nodded. *I understand and obey Clan Lord. I's sorry and didn't think of that.* She sounded sad as well for much the same reason.

Dan frowned slightly. "I would like you to speak using your voice and not just the spirit bonds." He didn't really mind her doing that but not everyone would be comfortable with it.

She hung her head. She hated the way she sounded when she spoke. "Y...y...yes C...C...Clan L...Lord." If she really concentrated and focused on what she was saying beforehand it was usually okay. When she was forced to speak without having some time she stuttered.

Dan's eyes softened slightly and he knelt down in front of the two. "Is that why you don't speak with your voice much? I wish you had told me so I would have known but I still expect you to use your voice. We will work on the stutter and see what we can do to take care of it okay?" He reached over and gently stroked her ears and hair for several moments.

She nodded at his question before leaning into the stroking. She concentrated on what she was going to say. "I's try Clan Lord. I's don't like getting laughed at because of it." Amariah had been teased by the other young Kitsunes about the lisp and it made her both sad and rather angry.

Gianni came over and nosed her hand. *We won't laugh and I will bite anyone that does.* She leaned against the Kitsune and nosed her hand again for a pet.

The other two came over and gathered around her as well and pressed their small bodies against her as well. *We's like you and won't laugh at you when you speak.* Sammie licked her hand and bumped her with his nose before rubbing lightly against her. *We's can curl up in Mari's bed tonight to sleep.*

Dan stood up and contemplated them. They were doing exactly what he hoped they would. *Shannon I need you in the hall that leads to my suite. I have some naughty pups and kits for you to deal with.* Dan nodded at the affirmation from Shannon.

It only took Shannon a few minutes to reach where Dan was and looked at the pups. *So what happened?* The way they were clustered around the female Kitsune indicated she wasn't happy.

Dan sighed. *First they were running in the house, all five of them and other than meals they are restricted to the pups room till tomorrow evening. Second I just found out that Amariah has a stuttering problem and is worried about being teased. That is why she uses the spirit bonds so much. Keep an eye on her and others around her. If anyone does tease her about the stuttering tell me.* He smiled down at the five since Amariah was hugging one of the pups.

As Shannon moved forward Dan looked down at the two Kitsunes. "This is Shannon and he is the oldest of the pups and will take care of you two. If anyone teases you and is a pup report it to Shannon. If one of the adults do report directly to me and I will deal with them. I will not have you laughed at for something you can't control."

She moved forward and gave his leg a good hug and so did Amarish. "Okay you two follow Shannon to the pups room. He will help all of you with a bath and remember clothing." He smiled as the two seemed to discuss something.

Amarish looked up at him. "Since we is little Kitsunes we can do formal robes and the cloudy thing. We can't do other cloths yet." Since he had been in the mist he changed to his formal robes which got a definite reaction.

Dan frowned slightly as he contemplated that. Since both looked like miniature adults none of the kids cloths would really fit right. "Okay, for tonight Shannon can find you a long shirt that should work. Tomorrow go to Helda and ask her nicely for some cloths similar to what the kids have." He contemplated Amarish for a moment and then grinned slightly.

"As far as your swords they stay put away unless I say otherwise. Well unless you decide to hunt mice in which you can use them." He was teasing the two till he saw a very intent expression on their faces.

"Deal Clan Lord. Should we bring any mice we catch to you to decide what to do with?" He was looking very serious and was lightly fingering his sword as he was talking.

Dan blinked and barely managed not to snicker. "No, I don't know if you eat them cooked in this form or not but if you catch enough take them to Angie. I will tell her to put them in a container in one of the fridges. When you have enough you can share them with your friends." He winked at Amarish. "It would take a rather large mouse to fill me up ya know." His face hardened slightly. "Now go and get a bath and maybe a story before bed."

Shannon cleared his throat to get Dan's attention. "Lady Nara indicated that she will sleep in the pups room for the time being. I will inform her of what you have said and their punishments."

Dan was rather startled but nodded. "Do that and I will see you at some point in the morning." He turned and headed up the stairs as the pups headed to the room. When he walked in he was still shaking his head in bemusement. "Pam the Kitsunes have been restricted to the pups room for the night. They were running in the hallways and that is a major no go around here." It was going to be a bit lonely since he had gotten used to Amariah curled up in her fox form with her nose almost touching his ear.

She was startled when he said that and sighed. "Well they have to learn what is acceptable or not and I am going to miss the stinker tonight." She gave him a rather lustful look. "On the other hand we can use it to our advantage don't you think? The bathtub is full and I am going to soak. Coming Clan Lord?" As Pam was speaking she walked towards the bathroom discarding her robe and panties.

Dan froze for a moment before grinning and hopping up. "Coming my Lady Alpha and I already told them not to wake us up so we have all night for a bit of fun." He snickered at her as he started tossing his clothing off to the side. He slid into the tub first and relaxed when she settled into the tub and leaned against him.

~~~

Eventually they did fall asleep and to be honest Dan needed it. Pam had enough shocks but it had seemed like the shocks kept coming for him and he needed the sleep. While he was snoring Pam had awakened and pulled on some panties and a night shirt before crawling back in and settled next to him. At the moment he was sleeping on his stomach so she settled for resting her head on his back and draped an arm across his back.

To be honest she was rather nervous about this evening. Dan was going to take her as his mate and she had heard so many stories about it that she didn't know what was true. Everyone knew that lycan's tended to be pretty open about sex and the stories one could hear were very wide ranging. She didn't think Dan was anything like that but you never really knew. She sighed and tried to relax when there was a knock on the door.

Before she could do anything Maric walked in and though he looked serious she could feel amusement radiating from him. "I am sorry to interrupt your rest Pam but we have some visitors for Dan." He stood at the door to the bedroom and called out. "Pack Leader there are some visitors downstairs for you. They need to see you urgently. If you wouldn't mind getting dressed and coming down this shouldn't take much time."

Dan rolled over and growled at him. It was most definitely not a pleased growl and carried overtones of threat of bodily harm. "What or I should say who is so important that you interrupted my sleep? This had better be good or else." The threat was very obvious in his tone and his face looked rather pissed.




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 04



All intimate relations are 18+. Hope you enjoy this installment and please comment and vote when you are done.

*****

Shortly after the hunt Dan trotted over to Pam and licked her muzzle. *Would you like to go for a run by ourselves? The moon is lovely and your fur almost glows in it.* His wolf was very interested in getting in on the action as well. Neither one of them, Dan or his wolf, really cared for doing it 'doggy style' with a human. That wasn't saying they hadn't but they preferred to be with their own kind or form.

Pam returned the lick and contemplated it. They were both in their animal form and it did seem fitting that they consummated their mating in both forms. Her fox was definitely interested in his suggestion. Instead of answering she danced around a bit and then took off running. She knew he would catch her soon enough but her fox wanted him to work for it and she agreed. Just for good measure she yipped back over her shoulder just before going under a large thicket of bushes.

Dan and his wolf grinned when she took off and immediately took off after her. Running from a wolf for any reason was just begging to be chased and especially now. They were going to catch her and ensure that she was pleased. When she went through the brush they nailed it head on and almost stalled since it was thicker than they had expected.

Pam had paused across a small clearing and yipped in amusement as they struggled free and took off again. She really had no idea where she was going since she wasn't familiar with the property but she was doing her best to keep ahead of Dan.

How long she ran she wasn't sure but suddenly realized that she couldn't hear him behind her any more. Pam knew that she hadn't lost him so that meant that he was hiding somewhere. Chances were good he was reasonably close and simply waiting for the right time. The question was where he was and could she get away from him or was she ready to submit to him.

Dan was lying in some tall grass not too far away from her and was watching her. He had figured out where she was going since she was following the lay of the land. With that information he had gotten ahead of her and found a good spot to hide. As he was watching, her tails were waving around in excitement and he figured the chase was close to over.

Pam contemplated it and decided she wanted him and now. Since she was positive that he was nearby she started strutting around and was flagging her interest with her tails. Several times just for good measure she had lowered down on her front paws to present her bottom as well. She wasn't sure what to do but her fox did and she was showing her. The last time she did that she heard a rustle and Dan stepped out.

He slowly paced around her in a diminishing circle and finally was facing her. He licked her muzzle before rubbing down one side and after a pause to scent her readiness he rubbed up the other side to mingle their scents. As he was pacing around her he was giving her a good sniffing as well to lock her scent in this form in his mind.

When he sniffed her bottom she tensed and her tails curled to the side. It was such a strange sensation to feel this way but her fox was taking over and knew what to do. Once Dan had come up her other side she returned the favor. She rubbed down one side and sniffed as she went before working her way up the other side. Once she was done she strutted to the front of him and waved her tails at him.

Dan didn't even think twice before mounting her. He was careful at first since he was much larger than she was but they fit together as if they had been designed for each other. When he entered her he could feel her tense up and then relax. He took his time in the beginning but towards the end the wolf took over and slammed into her. When they both finally came he felt like his mind had exploded. It had been so long since he had felt this way.

~~~

The next morning found everyone scattered around in the back yard since it was relatively warm out. Dan sat up and yawned. He had a grin on his face that didn't seem to want to stop. Last night had been very enjoyable and they would have to do it again one of these days. "Hey love time to get up and get a shower." 

Pam groaned as she rolled onto her paws and stretched. She was a bit sore but in a good way and since Dan was in his human form she gave him a good sniff and for good measure gave his face a good bath which definitely got a laugh from him. After she had finished that she danced away while waving her tails around and then trotted into the house.

Dan grumbled at her though he still had a grin on his face. One he was standing he looked around at the piles of people and Kitsunes. "Time to get up you lazy bags of bones, someone is hungry and he had better get food soon or else." That was a bellow and he snickered as a number of people jumped in reaction. Once he was sure enough were awake he strolled into the house and up to their rooms. He could hear the shower running.

After taking a moment to brush his teeth and take care of business he stepped into the shower. "Morning Pam and I hope you enjoyed your first hunt with the pack." As he was talking he was letting water from a second shower head run down his hair and back. His hands were already in her hair and gently working the shampoo in.

She tilted her head back as he worked with her hair. "It was interesting and eye opening. I had never considered having sex like that but my fox is very content with the world right now. I am not saying it was bad but different."

Dan couldn't help but grin. "I know what you mean. My wolf is currently laying on his back in my mind and one paw is twitching. He is very content at the moment." Once her hair was done he continued getting her clean before letting her return the favor.

By the time they made it to breakfast everyone was there and starting to eat. With this many people waiting for Dan was silly and he had to agree with that mentally. Well that and he would be sitting at the main table and be served. When he sat down he found Amariah there in the high chair munching on a piece of bacon. "Hey stinker I take it you like bacon huh?" He scratched an ear as he was talking.

She grinned at him and kept munching. Amariah was feeling quite content with the world at the moment. Her father had gone back but before he had left they had found him and curled up for the night. She missed him but really liked this place as well. "Bacon good. Not have in spirit world." She spoke very carefully and was pleased she didn't stutter.

Dan smiled at her and turned to his plate and inhaled. "Smells good and Angie did a good job with this." As he was starting to eat Geoff and his family showed up and settled down across from them. Dan nodded but kept eating.

Mari stretched and smiled. "That was very enjoyable last night. I have wanted a good hunt for a while. I have done a few with Ben but that isn't my pack if you know what I mean. I had fun showing Geoff around as well." There was a slight sensuousness to her smile when she said that. 

Geoff grinned and gave her a good kiss. "I had fun as well. It is still daunting just how much even a small wolf can eat. I don't even look at the food bill anymore. I just hand my card to Gettie and ignore the receipt."

Alysson snorted. "Tell me about it. I finally gave up on inviting packs over for the moment since it gets expensive after a while." She grinned at Dan when she said that since he looked vaguely offended by that.

He growled at her and then pretended to ignore her while he kept eating. They chatted through breakfast and he finally leaned back and sighed. "Well time to get back to work. Arthur has to contact his department and I have a number of Kitsunes to deal with." He didn't invite Alysson since this was his business and he knew she understood.

"And we have to start packing to head back as well. It was very nice to see where you live and to go hunting with you. My fox is still stuffed from last night." Jon had to grin though he didn't say anything. "Oh, and Emelia has requested to remain here for a while. She enjoyed working for Arthur and wants to continue."

Dan nodded and sighed. "I might have to turn the training center into short term barracks. I simply don't have the room right now and the plans for the expansion just got scrapped since I have to do a complete redesign." Thank god they were going to be gone for a few weeks. It would give some time for the construction to get started. He didn't want to put in anything temporary but he might have to consider it. The buildings could be later converted to storage or workshops.

Alysson nodded. "I am also leaving an accountant here for a short time. He will work with Saul so he knows what finances you have available as a clan lord. You are also going to get a decent amount in the beginning to set up your clan offices and house. One idea you might consider is starting with the clan house and have it constructed for the four or five most senior wolves to live there. That would free up some rooms here."

Dan contemplated that idea and it wasn't a bad idea. It would include Maric, Saul and Felanzi, Arthur and Helda, and maybe consider moving the pups rooms over there as well. A number of the staff could have small suites there as well. That would ease the living arrangements and he could work out of his office for the time being. "I might do that. I simply don't see the construction being done before this coming spring. It is already early fall and that is going to be a massive project. Last winter was fairly mild but this one is projected to be heavy."

Alysson nodded in understanding. "You won't be expected to have it immediately and if all else fails you can simply hold a monthly meeting in your training center. The best thing is to take your time and do it right instead of just tossing things together. That will cost you more in the long run and believe me they will understand." She finished her tea and stood. "Well I need to go and organize my retinue for heading back. Thank you for last night. That was wonderful to see and experience."

Dan stood and gathered a hug from her and shook hands with Jon. "It was my honor to have all of you down here and once I get some extra space I will invite you down for a week or so." He turned to Mari and gathered her close. "My little wolf and how she has grown. You have done the pack proud hun and I know you will keep doing us proud." He gave her a good kiss before giving Geoff a good hug as well.

~~~

Eventually all the goodbye's were taken care of and Dan ended up in his office. For the time being Arthur was using Maric's office to make some calls and Maric was sitting in on the meeting with the Kitsunes. For some reason he was looking rather distracted though he appeared to be paying attention. The seven Kitsunes were in the office again as well as Pam. "Okay, I am going to make this relatively quick and hopefully painless. I am going to accept your offer of becoming the clan leader of all the Kitsunes in New Cascadia but I do not currently have room to house and maintain a clan estate."

He took a sip of coffee before speaking again. "The soonest I can foresee having sufficient construction done is this coming spring. It is going to take time to actually construct a small estate that I will be happy with. One thing I need is going to be a finance officer from one or all of your clans who can work with Saul and the finance officer from Alysson's estate. Any questions or comments?"

Cynthia nodded slightly. "First thank you for accepting the position. It is going to be complex working us into a single coherent clan structure since we all have a clan spirit. Also since you are allied with the Silver Kitsune clan and your mate with the Red Kitsune clan there are concerns that they might get better treatment." She glanced around the room and received several nods.

"As far as the issue with the Clan estates we completely understand and that is a reasonable request for a finance officer. We have discussed the issue of not having a central clan office and with your approval we will each host a meeting once a month. It will first be at my clan's property and work through the colors. If needed we will continue the rotation till you have completed the basics to house the elders and the clan offices."

Dan briefly nodded as she was speaking and noted the concern. "As far as your concern I do understand and I will do my best not to give any sort of preferential treatment. One thing that is going to take getting used to for all of you is no matter what I am now I have been a lycan for close to two hundred years. I think like a lycan and act like a lycan and that isn't going to change. I will make the hard decisions and they will be followed. I will not demand submission from you unless I find it is needed. I will listen to concerns and what the council we are going to form has to say but when I make a decision it is very hard to get me to change it."

He glanced around the room as he was talking and had to raise an eyebrow at Wade. He was either going to be a friend or a thorn in his side and only time would tell. "Right now I don't have a great deal of time to deal with the ins and outs of creating a new clan. I have talked to Arthur and since he is very knowledgeable with the rules and regulations of this country I am going to task him with running the project and bringing updates to me for approval. Any further questions?"

The Kitsunes traded looks and Cynthia turned back to him. "Currently no and we will get with Arthur and start to work out details. Unless it is a problem we would like to remain here for at least this week and get the major details worked out. Once that is done we can send representatives here to continue the talks."

Dan was about ready to speak when Amarish appeared and settled on the desk. He was in the shorts and shirt from the day before. *Before they leave have them swear fealty to you.* Amarish was young but his father was a spirit lord and he had taught both of his children a great deal.

Dan nodded at him and then looked at the seven Kitsunes. "Before you leave I will expect an oath of fealty from all of you. Once that is done you can depart and send someone to work with Arthur and Saul." He could feel a trace of consternation at his statement and simply smiled slightly. *Good call little one. Next time either come to the meeting or contact me from where ever you are.*

Cynthia nodded. "Understood clan lord and by Monday we should have the basics worked out." Once he nodded they stood up and filed out of the room. The last one out closed the door behind him.

"Well that was interesting and thanks again little one." Dan scratched his ears and had to grin when Amarish leaned into it. "Maric get a hold of your contacts and find out what that ass is doing. The second he crosses into this country I want to know." 

Maric looked up and an evil smile crossed his face. "I will take care of it Dan. If you will excuse me I am going to use Felanzi's office for the morning." He stood. "I really hope we can get something done before winter so we aren't falling over each other."

Dan snorted at him though he had to agree. "Oh, contact the architect and have him come out in a few days. We are going to make his day since we are going to do a major redesign." It was going to take a significant amount of money. "Oh, one last thing call a meeting of the alphas for the end of next week." Maric nodded and left the room.

Pam shook her head and stood and moved behind him and started rubbing his shoulders. "I don't know how you can deal with all this stuff. Just the idea of trying to learn everything you know scares me." Now that she was actually here and had seen a small slice of what Dan dealt with daily she was rather horrified. "I am going to call my boss and let him know that I am going to quit. You might consider seeing if one of the wolves might want to take my spot and I can rent them my house."

Dan tilted his head forward as she started working on his neck and shoulders. "Honestly till the Kitsunes showed up I had most of it running by itself. I know you are going to hate me but I am going to turn you over to Saul and he will get you started with books to read. Check in with Felanzi as well and start working with her." When she mentioned quitting her job and the possibility of having a wolf take over Dan rather liked that idea. "Actually your house would be an excellent location for several wolves who want to work in town. That is an excellent idea and thank you."

~~~

During the week Angie came to Dan's office and was grinning. "Hey boss got a minute?" When he waved her in she settled down in a chair and grinned even more. "Saul has been meaning to thank you for setting Amarish loose on the mice population. He was having a problem in one of the storage sheds and as of now the problem is almost gone." She was snickering since the boy was so cute when he brought another 'offering' to her for the tub in the fridge.

Dan stared at her and then started grinning. "Oh man, the poor mices..." He couldn't help it and started laughing his ass off. By the time he was done laughing he was almost crying he had laughed so hard. "I needed that laugh. I suppose the mice work well as snacks for the pups and Amarish and Amariah." He could just imagine the little boy bringing another mouse to her and presenting it to her.

"They do and I have even had one or two of the adult wolves ask for one or two. I told them they needed to talk to Amarish since they were his." She was snickering when she said that. "I watched him once as he debated on how many the wolf could have. It seems that he figures out how many a day is enough for the pups and the balance he gives out as he sees fit."

Dan barely managed not to laugh again. Amarish was an interesting character. When he was with the kids he acted like a child. When he was attending the meetings he was very formal and just this side of pompous. "Oh my I think I need to get out of my office a bit more often."

Right about then Amarish appeared on his desk with a mouse skewered on his sword and he was cooking it using a little flame of fox fire. Once it was done he looked up at Dan and formally offered it to him. "I's want to thanks you for giving me the privilege of keeping the mice away."

Dan smiled down at the boy and lifted an eyebrow as he took the little sword. "Thank you for this Amarish though I am not sure your sword is the right implement to cook them with." He carefully took the mouse off and munched it down. "Excellent and by the way Saul says thanks for the storage building. It might be a good idea to offer him one as well."

Amarish took the sword back and contemplated it for a moment. "I's will consider using something else to cook them on. Thanks you for informing me of his appreciation. I's do that." He polished his sword with a small cloth before sheathing it and vanishing.

Dan had to cover his mouth to avoid laughing. With a shake of his head he stood up. "I have got to tell Pam about this just in case he offers her one." The two of them left his office and tried not to look at each other or they would start laughing again.

~~~

It was towards the end of the week when Maric came into Dan's office and he was smirking and frankly the smirk bothered Dan. "So how can I help you and for some reason you make me think of a really pleased shark." 

Maric grinned even more. "Well it seems that the Alpha in question is planning an excursion into your territory." He looked at the ceiling while trying to look as innocent as possible which wasn't. "It seems someone told him that I was going to be near the border with Sylvia trying to move to a different location."

Dan narrowed his eyes at Maric. "Well considering that you are sitting in my office right now that informant was seriously wrong." He rubbed his chin. "We wouldn't want his honesty called into question now would we? I think you will have to go down south for a few days." Dan leaned back in his chair and contemplated the ceiling. *Suzy get your lazy ass in here. We are making a trip south and I need eight of the best trained wolves to go with.*




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 04



Suzy got the message and growled before tossing one of the wolves across the training circle. *Lazy my ass o' mighty pain in the tail. I will collect four from both packs and bring them to your office.* She started snapping out orders before turning and stalking inside. She knew what Dan was going to do and she was going with come hell or high water.

She stalked into the office with the people she had chosen which included two other females and when Dan waved at the chairs they all sat down. As they were sitting down Amarish appeared and settled in Dan's lap.

Dan had noticed even though Amariah was his little fox when it came to leadership type things Amarish tended to be there instead of her. She spent more time with Pam and Felanzi. He wasn't sure why but figured it was both by training and the way it was in the spirit world.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen. We have come across some information that the Alpha that abused Sylvia is strongly considering another excursion into our territory. We are going to go south and see what happens. Plan on being gone for as long as needed to resolve this issue. I can't control what he does in his territory and I am not looking to add more packs to my leadership. I can control what he does in my territory and I find his actions offensive and am going to take a strong position on it."  

Several of the wolves snarled when he mentioned Sylvia. All had seen how broken she had been and that greatly upset them. "I will take care of supplies. Are we going as wolves or some wolves and some in human form?" Suzy asked.

Dan didn't even think before he replied. "Plan on three options, all wolves, part wolves and part humans, and all humans. Take guns since this isn't a challenge it is a punishment and justice. If there are wolves with him I will decide what will be done with them. Take them alive if possible. If they fight simply kill them. I don't expect to be gone for more than maybe four days but plan for a week."

Suzy nodded at him and started making plans. "Can do boss and we will be ready to leave right after lunch?" She made it a question since she knew he was pissed and knew he would want to be gone as soon as possible.

Dan nodded. "We might as well get a good meal under our belts and the difference in leaving now and in two hours is a moot point. It won't matter." He was getting ready to dismiss them when Amarish stood and hopped onto the desk and faced him.

"Clan Lord I's request to go with." He lifted the little chain he had been given and looked at it. "I is future spirit lord which is why I is here. Daddy respect Alpha Dan and wants me to learns all I can from him."

Virtually everyone in the room had to smile at the serious way Amarish was speaking. Dan looked down at him and contemplated him. He didn't want to second guess his father but Dan wasn't sure if he wanted the boy taken along on an excursion where Dan was contemplating serious mayhem and very bloody murder. "I will think about it Amarish and tell you before we leave. I understand what you are saying but this is not going to be nice or pretty. When two werewolves fight it is usually rather bloody and brutal. I am not sure if you are ready to experience that."

He reached over and stroked his ears. "I do respect you wanting to go and also to learn from me. That means a great deal to me. Thank you Amarish." Dan scooped the boy up and pulled him to his chest and gave him a gentle hug. "Okay all of you go and take care of getting ready." As he sat there contemplating the boy they filed out. Dan would really like to get some sort of instruction from Amaratsue but he had a feeling he wouldn't respond.

"If you would give us a few minutes Maric I would appreciate it." After Maric walked out Dan leaned his chair back and simply held the boy and contemplated the request. It was going to be a difficult one but Dan had the feeling sooner than later Amarish and Amariah were going to be exposed to worse.

~~~

Lunch finally approached and Dan had decided that Amarish was going to go with. Part of it was a feeling that unless Dan directly ordered him to remain he wouldn't. Part was also the feeling Amaratsue wanted him exposed to all aspects of leading both a pack and a clan. After he would have a serious talk with him to let him know Dan's thoughts on what he needed. Having Amarish would also force Dan to control his anger so he didn't go overboard.

After giving Pam a good kiss he walked out of the building and settled in the passenger seat while Maric settled in the driver's seat. Dan had finally gotten used to others driving him around. It had taken some time but now it was simply the way it was. "Well Maric shall we? Time to administer some justice." Amarish was seated between them and currently was wearing some little boots, pants, and a long sleeved shirt. Dan knew he had the swords available to him but they were tucked away somewhere in the spirit realm.

Maric gave Dan an evil grin before relaxing and pulling away from the manor. It had taken some time but they were going to get that bastard. Dan had briefly talked to him before they had left that the justice was going to be swift and short. He didn't want Amarish to have to watch Dan tear him to shreds. Maric understood but frankly he wanted blood and lots of it. 

"We are going to a town near the border called Concordia. It is relatively near where he normally crosses the border. I was thinking once we get there we can go for a run and I will leave a trail leading him to where we want him."

Dan contemplated that idea and slowly nodded. "I think that is a good idea and I think we are going to bypass Concordia. It is very possible that he has informants there and if you are seen with us it might tip him off. If we don't get any results in the next day or two I will have you make a run to the town and make it look like you are picking up some supplies. Food, clothing, that sort of thing and especially some female clothing."

Maric nodded since that was a damn good idea. The wolf they were hunting was smart but in a 'keep his skin intact' way. He was used to having all the wolves and a number of humans to cowed to fight him. Dan was going to be a huge shock to him, a short shock but a shock none the less. They traded thoughts and ideas for a while before they settled down for the drive.

Amarish was carefully listening to what they were saying and making notes in his mind. There was a great deal that he could learn from Dan and Maric and he was going to learn everything he could. It was obvious that Maric was very angry with this wolf though Amarish wasn't totally sure why. He knew it dealt with Maric's daughter but that was it. Dan however radiated a cold implacable anger that actually scared the boy some. This was an aspect of Dan that he hadn't seen before.

Amarish finally crawled into Dan's lap and curled up before wrapping his arms around Dan. "Why so angry Clan Leader? Why angry at wolf?" He tried to sound normal but it didn't happen.

Dan twitched at the question and started stroking the boy's ears. He contemplated how to answer it in a way Amarish could understand. "I don't want questions since some things I simply will not tell you. Maric is from the pack of the Alpha we are going to deal with. His daughter was abused badly by the Alpha and he broke at least half a dozen pack rules by doing so. He is also attacking humans and others in our country. That is a number of other rules he has broken. As long as he stays over the border I can't touch him. As soon as he comes into my territory I can deal with him. He offends both me and my wolf as much as the Alpha I killed when I took over my current pack."

Amarish contemplated that and nodded. "Breaking rules is bad and especially if it hurts someone. I still going to hold coat for you." Now that he understood better he was content and fell asleep on Dan's lap.

~~~

It was a long drive but Maric knew where he was going. His former Alpha had forced him to go with a number of times just to be an ass. They weren't going to set up on the border since there was a good chance he would sense or smell them. Instead they were a number of miles inside the border and were going to go with a small camp.

When they arrived it was late evening and the sun had been down for a while. Dan climbed out and looked around and nodded. "Good spot, plenty of coverage, places to hide, and retreat if needed." He turned to the other wolves. "Set up camp while Maric shows me around. We will be back in a couple of hours."

Dan handed Amarish off to Suzy. "Keep him here if he wakes up. Tell him that is an order."

She nodded and held the little boy close to her chest. "George go and make up a small bed in the sedan and we will tuck him in there." She got a glint of teeth from him as he smiled and went to do what she had ordered.

Dan had to smile slightly at the two before he called his wolf forward. His wolf still wasn't pleased with his new appendages and heaved a sigh when they waved around. Maric stripped and shifted as well and they set out. They didn't go all that far that evening since Maric was mostly showing Dan where the best locations to ambush the Alpha were. 

As they were scouting around both were being very careful to leave as few traces as possible. One advantage they had was the number of old wolf spoor around. This was on the edges of one of the packs territories and wolves liked to scout all of their territories to make sure they weren't any incursions. That did concern Dan since he hadn't been getting any reports of the stray wolves around. He was going to have to investigate that and deal with it if one of his wolves was in on it.

It was several hours later when the two of them arrived back at camp and when they returned both were given bowls of cubed meat and water. As Dan was wolfing his down Amarish appeared and after a yawn and stretch he sniffed towards the bowl. Dan snorted and picked up a piece in his teeth and held it out to the boy.

Amarish grinned and pulled out his short sword and carefully skewered it and lightly cooked it over his fox fire. Once it was warm he popped the piece in his mouth and munched it down. When Dan nudged the bowl towards Amarish he reached over and petted one of Dan's ears before skewering another piece.

This went on for several minutes before Suzy simply had to come over and ask what was going on. She settled down near the two of them and gave the boy a questioning look. "What are you doing? I can see you poking pieces of meat but there is the scent of lightly cooked meat. I don't see any flames though."

Amarish snickered at her and the next piece he cooked he offered to her. "I's using fox fire to heat the meat. You's can't see it since it is a spirit thingy." He took one last piece and after a little burp he stretched and yawned. "Tired, goes sleepy when Dan settles down."

Dan snorted at the two of them as he ate the last piece of meat and slurped up some water. *I get the point little one.* He found a comfortable spot and curled up. Moments later Amarish was curled up between his front paws and chin.

As Dan was trying to go to sleep every now and then one of the boys' tails would twitch and tickle his nose. After a good sneeze Dan nudged Amarish till his tails were in a different location and fell asleep. Suzy had set up a watch so Dan was comfortable sleeping the night through.

He was awoken by the smell of cooking food and he stood up and stretched from the tip of his muzzle to the end of his tail. Once he was done he shifted to his mid-form and stretched again. "Back in a few." He headed into the forest and took care of business before coming back. Amarish was awake and sitting on Suzy's shoulder and watching her cooking intently. Dan had to grin at the sight.

Suzy looked up and snickered at Dan. "Sorry boss but the different colored ears and tails are simply to amusing. My wolf is dying laughing in the back of my mind." She knew she was going to get growled at but wasn't too concerned.

Dan did growl and then sighed. "Tell me about it only my wolf isn't pleased. I think he wouldn't have minded if it hadn't impacted on his little slice of my mind. When he woke up and noticed the tails he was very unhappy. I haven't the heart to tell him about the ears yet."

That got a number of grins and some laughter before Suzy started dishing out the food. Dan took his plate as did Maric and settled down to discuss options. Amarish joined them a few minutes later and simply listened. "I am thinking of the direct approach actually. I simply have to much work to do to spend a great deal of time down here." He took a bite and a drink of coffee. "What I am thinking is making a call as an informant letting the ass know that you have been seen with your daughter. I was thinking that you sit on this side of the border and when he approaches's it you run towards the ambush."

Amarish looked up at Dan. "I's can help Clan Leader. I's can hide in trees and tell you when I's see them." He hoped Dan would let him help.

Dan contemplated what he had to say. "Show me what you intend."

Amarish put his plate and cup down and hopped into the air and vanished. *Find me O' Mighty Alpha.* He wasn't above teasing Dan occasionally. When he got a mental growl back he snickered.

Dan didn't use his spirit powers since that would be cheating. Instead he stood up while holding his plate and started searching with his wolf senses. It took him about five minutes to find him since he was way up in a tree and his cloths blended in quite well. The only reason he found him was because of his white hair and he knew what he was looking for. *Okay little one come back.*

As Dan settled back down Amarish appeared and picked his plate up and kept eating. "How's I do?"

Dan had to snort at him. "Well considering it took me almost five minutes to find you and I knew what to look for pretty good. I will let you do this but you will stay at the tops of the trees. You will not do anything other than watch for them. No using your powers against them. We will deal with that."

Amarish jumped up in excitement and gave Dan a good hug. "I obey Clan Leader and be sneaky little foxy. Nobody will find me." He gave his head a good nod before finishing his food and taking the plate over to where one of the wolves was washing them.

Dan leaned against the side of the truck and looked at Maric to see what he had to say. The conversation had gotten interrupted but he knew Maric was thinking about what Dan had to say.

Maric gave him a sharp nod. "That should work but let me take care of the call. I know someone who works both sides so to speak. It will make the Alpha suspicious but also tempt him. I know he wants my hide as badly as he wants my daughter back." He almost sounded calm when he said that even though everyone knew better.

Dan nodded. "That works since you are familiar with him and the best tasty morsel to hang out for him." He pulled out his phone and verified he had a signal before handing it over to Maric. "Okay everyone from now on we go to silent mode. Make the best of this meal since the rest are going to be cold. There are going to be no fires, no running any of the vehicles and use the pack bonds as much as possible." 

He got silent affirmations from the wolves as he stood up. Dan pulled out a map that he and Maric had been using the day before to map out potential scenes. *Come here and I am going to tell you how I plan on doing this.* Dan spread the map on the hood of the sedan and waited for everyone to gather around. *Okay we are going to make a sort of V formation. Two wolves at the tips at the border...* He ran through where he wanted them and how they would communicate.

Once that was done he talked to Amarish about how he wanted him to take care of his side. *If you get tired you come back here to take a nap and don't even try the 'I won't fall asleep'. You are still a little Kitsune and need naps. Tell me before you come back so I know where you are at all times. I would hate to have to explain to your father that I lost track of you.* Dan mentally shuddered at that idea.

Amarish was squatting down on the hood and looked at the map. It didn't make a great deal of sense but that didn't matter since he would be feeling the shifts in the spirit world. *I's understand Danny and I obey. I's going to go and look for a few places to hide and watch.*

When Dan nodded and told him to do that he changed into his fox form and hopped down and vanished into the bushes. If he needed to get away from anything he would just jump to his world and back to Dan. It didn't take him that long since he popped into a tree and started looking. As he found other good spots he would pop over check it out and then continue. Eventually he did get tired and headed back to camp. He checked in with Dan before curling up in the little bed in the sedan.

Before Dan let Maric make the call he sent his wolves out to take up positions. They knew that they were probably going to be out there for a while and to check in before leaving their area to hunt. Dan had decided when they did go hunt he would have Amarish watch their area till they got back. He didn't tell anyone this since it would keep them on their toes.

Maric made the call and since the ambush location they had decided on wasn't very far they would stay at camp. First Maric would go and leave a trail. Dan wasn't sure where he had kept it but he had a shirt of Sylvia's that was heavy with her scent and he was going to take it along with to leave her scent as well.

~~~

It ended up taking two days before the Alpha crossed the border. First they had scouted out their side and then the asshole sent a junior wolf across to see if it was a trap. The wolf was rather hesitant and didn't wander too much, just enough to find Maric's scent as well as a females scent. As soon as he found the trail he hurried back across the border and informed the Alpha.

He didn't fall for it immediately and they settled down on his side of the border for over a day and appeared to be simply watching. 

Dan was almost tempted to send Maric out so they could get a glance of him skulking around but decided that might be too much. Instead he was using Amarish to keep an eye on them as much as possible. He wasn't letting him wear himself out but had to admit the boy was doing a pretty good job.

Eventually though their patients paid off and five wolves crossed the border and slowly and carefully followed the trail. Based on what Amarish was sending him the dickhead had sent three of the wolves ahead and was staying well behind in case it was a trap.

Dan had to grin since his wolves were encircling them as they moved further into his territory. He and Maric were sitting on some rocks at the ambush location and they weren't trying to hide. Dan wanted a bit of a surprise when they showed up and found them. *Amarish when they get close to my location you will go back to the vehicles and wait there. That is an order.* He didn't need to see Dan tear the ass apart.

Amarish grumbled at him before agreeing. *Yes Clan Leader.* He knew his feelings would show but he also knew that they wouldn't change Dan's mind.

~~~

The five did eventually reach the clearing Dan had selected since it was surrounded by thick undergrowth. They could get through it but it would be difficult and give his wolves time to catch them. 

The Alpha was still fairly suspicious about this but the trail did seem to be a good one. He could smell both wolves and damn that girl smelled sweet. He remembered the feel of her flesh as he took her. The scent of her fear and pain of the forced mating had been as lovely as her natural scent. The added bonus had been inflicting the mental agony on that stupid father of hers. 




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 04



When they finally did enter the clearing he immediately saw the stupid wolf and started towards him till the sound of a throat clearing caught his attention. When he looked there was another wolf sitting off to one side. He appeared to be whittling on a stick and looked completely unconcerned. He changed to his human form and sneered at Maric. "I have come for you traitor and your daughter as well. I will force you to watch as I take her again and pass her around as well. The last thing you will see is her screaming as we take her again and again before I kill you."

Dan could feel Maric starting to lose it and he applied a touch of power. "Relax Maric since you know that won't happen." He folded his knife up and put it away before tossing the stick to the side. "Afternoon trash and I want to thank you for coming into my territory so I can deal with you." Dan stood up and gave the other wolf a look that promised pain before he died.

The other laughed. "Two of you against five? This is going to be fun. Stupid wolf. You should have brought the rest of your pack." His wolves surrounded him as he was talking.

Dan snorted. "I don't need a pack and there aren't two of us, I did bring a few more." The wolves from his world were in their wolf forms which were massive. The rest were in human form with weapons. "Now that you are surrounded I am going to deal with you. First you are in my territory without informing me. That makes you rogue wolves. Second since you are in my territory I can deal with the crimes you are accused of. In this case I am not going to bother with the crimes since the sentence for being a rogue is the same as for your crimes. You will die."

~~~

Back at the camp Amarish was twiddling his thumbs. He understood why Dan didn't want him there but it felt wrong not to be there. It was a feeling he had that he was going to be needed and soon. With a sigh he stood and changed to his formal robes and made sure the two necklaces were showing. Dan was going to yell at him but he had to follow what felt right as a spirit Kitsune even if he was a little one.

Once he was ready he simply waited for the right time. It didn't take very long and before he realized it he was standing on Dan's shoulder. He whipped his sword out and flicked it at one of the bad men. When he flicked the blade at him a wave of power surged out and nailed the man in the chest. He flew back several feet before hitting a tree and something flew from his hand. "Not hurt my Clan Leader. Bad of you to try." He was surrounded by blue fox fire which everyone could see.

Dan hadn't even noticed what the man was doing before Amarish appeared and dealt with him. He raised an eyebrow at the boy but didn't tell him to go back. "Thank you Amarish for that. I greatly appreciate it." Most of the pack moved forward some to keep anything like that from happening again.

With malice aforethought Dan pulled his pistol out and shot the Alpha in the groin before placing a bullet between his eyes. He contemplated the others. He turned away. "Kill them and drag the bodies back to the border and leave them for the scavengers to take care of." He walked away before the killing started and he pulled Amarish off his shoulder and settled him in his arms so he couldn't see what was going to happen.

Maric headed back as well with Dan. "Thank you Dan. I would have torn him to shreds which would have been wrong." They would talk later after Maric had time to calm down. "Shall we pack up and get ready to go?"

Dan contemplated the question and smiled slightly. "Let's start a hot meal first and then we can start packing up. I don't know about you but a nice hot meal would be perfect before we leave." As he was talking he was stroking the boys ears. *Sorry you had to see that but thank you for protecting me. Your father should be proud of you.*

Amarish turned towards Dan and pressed his face against his chest. He knew he had done right but it was still upsetting since he knew he had killed the man. It hurt even though he was a bad man. He didn't respond to Dan's comment and settled for getting as much comfort as possible.

Once back at the camp Dan tucked him into the nest of blankets and covered him up. "Sleep little one while we take care of camp. If you need me for anything come find me." He leaned over and gave the boy a peck on the forehead before closing the door and went to help Maric.

~~~

They reached the manor fairly late that evening. Dan stepped out of the truck and looked at Maric. "Get the food put away and we can deal with the rest of it in the morning. I am taking Amarish to my suite and tuck him in with his mistress." He was cuddling the boy in his arms as he was sleeping. Dan knew it wasn't a good sleep and figured having Pam hold him would help.

When he walked into their rooms Amariah was sitting up and looking sad. "I's sorry brother. Come curl up with us." She was speaking slowly but clearly.

Dan settled him down between his sister and Pam. Once he was settled on the pillow he stroked Amariah's ears. *You should be proud of him. He protected me from a weapon specifically designed to kill lycans. I am sorry he had to experience that and tried to keep him from what had to be done.* With that he pulled his clothes off as he slowly walked to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Dan was feeling bad as well since he did hate killing even if he wouldn't hesitate when needed.

After crawling in Dan curled around the other three and sighed as he tried to go to sleep. It wasn't going to be a very good night for him and that was going to make him grumpy in the morning. As he was laying there Amariah curled up in his arms and patted his cheek which made him smile a bit.

*I's can feel you hate what you had to do. I's understand and will curl up and help you sleep.* She wrapped her arms around his neck and tucked her head under his chin. *You's hate killing which is good. You's will only kill when needed which is good. You's good person Clan Leader and I's proud I's get to serve you.* She sent him her pleasure at being there with him and Pam.

"Thanks little one but I just wish Amarish hadn't had to do what he did. Both of you are too young to need to experience or see that." His voice was tired and sad as he spoke.

She nuzzled his neck. *Amarish is future Clan Spirit. Is hard work but important. If needed Poppa will come and talk to him. It's be okay.* She gently urged him to sleep with her powers and followed him into sleep as well. She would keep the nightmares away from him for the night.

~~~

The next morning after breakfast Dan was in his office. The Katana he had been given to him by Helda was sitting on his desk with the blade out. After a brief look around his office he called in the seven Kitsunes. "I have a great deal to do in a short time. I have to get my pack ready to take south to the Red Kitsune Estates before the next full moon. I would like to have a formal fealty ceremony but simply do not at this time. I will schedule something when I get back since we do need to do something formal. For now swear fealty on my sword and then go back to your clan's as discussed. I will be leaving Saul and Felanzi here to take care of the estate and getting a start on the Clan House."

Since he was in charge he sat there while they stood and listened. Once he was done he could feel the discontent from several but they didn't say anything and settled for swearing fealty. Once that was done they were escorted out of his office before his senior officers came in. "Have a seat everyone and let's get started. We have a fair amount of work to get done in a short amount of time." He took a sip of his coffee as he looked at his senior officers. Pam was sitting next to him at the moment.

"Saul, you and your mate Felanzi, are going to remain here to oversee the construction. I am also going need you to organize all the pack finances so I have an idea of how much money we have. I would like a breakdown along the lines of what is needed to keep it running for six months, how much the construction will cost, and potential for future income. We will be getting a portion of each Clan's income each month. Find out what that is and combine it with what I am getting from my other packs." He tilted his chair back as he was thinking.

"Also contact Alysson to see if I am going to be getting a stipend from her clan as well. I am a clan lord and all that good stuff. Add any additional suggestions like possible investments as well. I want this pack and clan to be self sustaining within five years. That means potential investments, potential new businesses, and some wolves working in town. Things like that which is legitimate."

He turned to Arthur. "Contact your department and find out what is needed for me to take most of my pack south. Also as we discussed find out what I am going to need to do because of all my connections." Dan took another sip of coffee. "Since I am not up on state or country level politics do what you need and check with me each day to let me know what is going on."

Dan ran through a number of other issues that needed to be addressed before letting them go. Pam stood up and followed Felanzi out since she was going to shadow her for the time being. Amarish was curled up on her shoulder and was staying very close to her. Dan felt bad for that but so far Amaratsue hadn't contacted him about it. Amariah was staying close to Dan as well but for her it was to comfort him.

The following week ended up being busy but in a good way. The plans for the original expansion had been discussed and Dan had decided to go with them. After a great deal of thought he had decided that he wanted the pack house separate from the Clan Estates. This would first of all ease the housing situation for the pack and second it would keep the two groups separate. This had actually come from Arthur as a suggestion. If they incorporated the new Clan House in with the pack it would cause all sorts of tax issues. 

By separating the two it would ease the tax issues and separate the income and support expenses. As far as Dan becoming a Clan Leader for the local Kitsunes wasn't a major problem since the Kitsunes all belonged to New Cascadia as citizens. Now the connections Dan had outside the country was going to be a headache. The state department was having all kinds of fights over who he would fall under for legal issues. That rather amused both him and his wolf. It seemed like half the departments under SecState didn't want anything to do with him. The others were almost waging open warfare in the halls to ensure he fell under their supervision.

~~~

The following Monday during their scheduled meeting Saul informed him that all the Finance officers had arrived. They were starting to get the finances organized but it would be about a week to get a rough idea of just how much they were going to have to work with. He also informed Dan that he was getting a rather nice stipend from Alysson's clan and she had indicated he could use their planes. "She did suggest you might consider getting even a small one to shuttle you around." Saul grinned at that.

Dan grumped at him. "It is not my fault I have ended up with a retinue for everywhere I go." He had discovered that several Kitsunes had been assigned to him as guards. This was mandatory since he was now the Clan Leader. Added to that was several wolves as guards, the two little Kitsunes, and whoever else might be needed. On average that meant he ended up with four guards if he went to town. If Pam went that added more guards and staff.

"Well at least this has given me reason to get the additional vehicles we needed. I am so going to purchase a motor bike when I get back." They had added several more sedans, pickups, and cargo trucks. That was another section of the territory around the house that was going to need to be converted. 

He shook his head. "I am beginning to think we might need to start a small township and invite some small businesses to come in."

Arthur hadn't considered that but it was a damn good idea. "Let me think about that and look up the rules and regulations. That might just be a good idea since it would allow us to get some financing from the government for roads and public services." He made a note and smiled when Dan sighed.

Pam reached over and patted Dan's arm. "I know love but we will take care of you. I have a shawl for you as well as a rocking chair. Some nice warm oatmeal with diced up meat for your wolf and you will be fine. You can rock to your heart's content in the sun." She sounded very sympathetic when she said that.

Dan snorted and growled at her. "Gruel my ass, nice large rare steak, several large potatoes, and a mug of beer."

That got some laughs as the others filed out of his office. Just to tease him Amariah hopped down onto the desk and with a little poof a small bowl of gruel appeared in her hands and she offered Dan a spoonful.

He glowered at her for a moment. "Go to class silly or I might use you as a chew toy." She giggled as she vanished though the bowl remained on his desk. Dan sighed and looked at Pam. "Some days I hate Amaratsue for foisting those two stinkers on us."

~~~

They had settled on flying out the following Friday. It was several days before the next full moon and Dan would be damned before he took the pack the day of or day before a full moon. That was just begging for fights and trouble. That was especially true when you considered packing them onto a plane for a number of hours. Dan was not going to pay for any repairs he didn't need to.

The trip to the airport was interesting and Tony had come over with a few of his wolves so they could bring the vehicles back. They would also be remaining with Saul and Felanzi as caretakers and watchmen. Dan was seriously going to need to do something for Tony when they came back. He had been so helpful as Dan was recovering and acting as his second.

The trip to the airport seemed to take forever but since they were going in the private entrance Dan didn't have to worry about being late. The planes would take off when they arrived and had loaded on. They had been assured that there was to be sufficient vehicles to transport them to the Clan Estates. 

Once they were off the transports Dan looked around and smiled. "Okay, those assigned to load the luggage get started. As I mentioned ensure the crates and bags with the weapons are last on. I don't expect trouble but I will be damned if I am going to take chances. As you know the reports from down there indicates that it tends to be in a messy political state of flux. Take your lead from me as far protecting the pack. When we move the pups and pregnant females will be in the center followed by un-mated or non-pregnant females. The males will encircle them and since I have my own set of body guards I want all the wolves protecting the pack."

The last bit got a bit of a grumble but they understood. Each of the Clan's that Dan took charge of had sent a pair of guards. In the short time they had been with Dan they had shown their skills. It still chaffed them that it was only Kitsunes but they did understand in this case. Maric and one or two others started calling orders and as Dan climbed onto the plane along with most of his guards.

It didn't take very long for everyone and everything to be packed up. It was a large amount of cargo for just about sixty people not to mention the various crates with equipment in them. "Man I miss the days I could just hop a plane and go. This is crazy." He grumbled at Pam.

That got several feelings of amusement from his guards which he growled at. Pam simply smiled at him and leaned against him. The two little Kitsunes were having fun popping back and forth between Dan and Pam and the pups. Once the plane started moving they would settle down since he had told them in no uncertain terms they would. Well that and once in the air they could just walk back and forth, no poofing since he really didn't want to discover they had poofed outside the plane.

Once everyone was settled the door was closed and Dan settled back in his chair and tucked Amariah under his chin. They had been spending a good deal of time in their mid-form since Helda had started making cloths for them. He wasn't sure why but they seemed to find that totally fascinating to wear. "I am going to relax and nap for a while. Wake me when we get close or if you want to talk."

Pam squeezed his hand and leaned against his arm and shoulder. "I think I am going to catch a quick nap as well. It has been rather active for me as well the last few weeks. I keep trying to figure out how you do it and then I fall asleep." She knew how but she had to tease him a bit. Amarish was curled up on her lap also and was staring out the window in fascination.

~~~

Anyone asleep was awakened by the pilot's announcement that they were getting ready to land. They were also informed that this airport didn't have a private terminal but there was a small section they could use. It was a terminal that wasn't currently in use so they didn't have to worry about trying to keep everyone together. 

As Dan woke he looked out the window and his first thought was that it reminded him of the Mayan or Incan ruins though modern. The roads were not straight, the houses seemed to be made of adobe and most of them had cloths hanging out to dry. The clothes tended to be reddish brown and shades in between. The lower the plane approached the city the more details could be made out. There were vehicles but not a great deal and they looked even older than the ones the pack owned. The majority of the people were walking or riding some sort of bikes.

As he was contemplating what he saw of the city the plane was banking for the final landing and he sighed. Frankly it felt like he was landing in a third world country which bothered him. The rest of this side of New Nordla was far more advanced than it appeared this place was and he had to wonder why. He finally shrugged since it wasn't any of his responsibility. At the moment all he wanted to do was get to the Clan Estates and get settled in. 

One thing he did discover was neither little Kitsune liked landing. The bump of the wheels touching down startled them badly and they turned into poof balls of fur and clung on till the plane had finally landed. Dan reached down and petted Amariah and tickled her ears to distract her. "Silly Kitsune being scared of a landing."

She lunged at him and smacked him with one of her tails for good measure. For spite she hopped over to Pam's lap and stuck her tongue at him before cuddling up to her brother. He yipped at Dan as well for teasing them and pouted.

Pam simply stroked them and didn't say anything. Dan could tell she was trying not to laugh at the three of them. "Next time you will know what is going to happen and you will be fine both of you." She simply petted them till the plane pulled up to the off ramp and stood. "Go back to Dan Amariah and if he laughs again I will deal with him for you."

"Sorry little one, I was just teasing you. Come here and let me give you a good hug." He took her off Pam's shoulder and headed towards the exit. Several of his guards stepped forward first and checked out the area. To be honest Dan was rather curious as to what all they could do. The two weeks hadn't been enough to get more than a general idea.

Once they checked and waved Dan and Pam down he walked out into the blazing sunlight. "I should have brought some shades darn it. This light is going to kill me. I am a mountain type, not a bake in the shade till done type of wolf."

Pam grinned at his grumble and patted his shoulder. "It should be dimmer inside and hopefully cooler." She had on relatively light clothing but had instantly started sweating when the door opened. They continued forward till there was enough room for the rest to come down. He nodded as they made the circle around the women and children. Granted they were tough but nothing like the males.




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 05



Pam stood there and watched the other Spirit Kitsunes vanish except for Red. He took a brief look around and then waved a hand and the two of them were surrounded by a glowing red orb. She almost touched it but decided not to. There were too many things that needed to be accomplished before she could collapse. If she touched the shield she had a feeling it would do more than just knock her out.

Red cleared his throat. "Pam I only have a few more minutes on this plane before I have to leave so just listen please." He smiled briefly when she twitched as he spoke. "First I am going to bring my Clan Leader here when I vanish. You will need to bring him up to speed. By this he will know that what you say is true." He handed her a lovely necklace that would nest with the other two. 

"He is to take over the country much as Alysson runs hers. For reasons that I will not speak about I turned my back for what is a brief time for our kind. It was a significant span of time for the humans of this country. He is going to need your help setting this aright." As he was talking a small red Kitsune appeared on his shoulder.

"The first thing you need to do is teach the wolves of this country. Teach them to be what they should be and not the beaten down people they are. Don't bring them into your pack since you are powerful enough. They need to be taught how to be the roots of the new country that I am depending on you to help create."

For a brief moment he stiffened and his eyes started glowing. Pam would never be able to actually describe the color of the light. When he spoke it was an oddly female voice. "My child I am using one of my Avatars to speak to you. Take heed, a great evil is coming. What your mate has started you needs finish. The wolves will be the rock that the tide of evil will crash against. Train them to be strong for if the rock cracks and breaks a great darkness will encroach across the nations of this world." 

Red twitched slightly and suddenly was talking again. He didn't appear to realize that something else had spoken through him. "Take Kasai No O so you can contact me. She can give you some information as well." He took her off his shoulder. "Behave you two or I will talk to both of your parents."

She frowned at him and one tail came out and pointed at Amarish. A little spark flew from the tip towards him as she yipped at him.

Amarish flicked his own tail and there was a little flash of light between the two. He yipped back at her and then crossed his arms and stuck his nose in the air.

Red sighed and rolled his eyes. "That was your one mistake. Lady Pamela will keep me upraised of your actions." *They actually do like each other but for certain reasons they tend to fight.*

The girl hopped over to Pam's other shoulder and changed form to her mid-form and patted Pam's ear. "Soft ears, you's will be nice unlike that stinky boy."

Pam raised a hand and stroked Kasai No O's hair before frowning. "You will be polite or I will deal with you first. No calling each other names or else." She lightly thunked both of their noses before looking back at Red. "Anything else you need from us?"

He nodded. "One more thing before I have to vanish, I have spoken to Amaratsue and he is going to send Geoff and Mari down to assist you. You will need Mari's help to help the packs. Now I must be gone." He formally bowed to her. "May the blessings of the Great Mother and Father in the sky spread across you and your endeavor." With that he vanished and people started moving again.

In front of her was a rather startled looking male Kitsune with nine tails. After a brief glance around he heaved a patient sigh. "Some days I have to wonder what he is going to do next." He shook his head and smiled at her. "I am pleased and honored to meet you Lady of the Clans. I can only assume you are Lord Danilo's mate and this mess is his response to the Emperor annoying him. I have been updated to an extent and Red told me to follow your directions and obey your instructions." He had a wry smile on his face as he said that.

Pam was still feeling pissed off but she was doing her best to keep it under control. "It is as well as his reaction to one of our wolf pups almost being killed when the officer tried to arrest us." Her eyes glowed a myriad of colors which showed her anger. "I will explain later but first we have to take control of the Palace. It is the center of the government and from what bits I heard potentially even a temple. Red told me to take charge of the organizing of the wolves around here and I am going to clean house for you before I do that."

She gave him a rather evil smile. "I am a very effective house cleaner and god help any mice or spiders that make it inside. For the mice I have a special mouse assault squad who do a damn good job." She stroked Amarish as she was talking. "I am going to have the throne cleaned and introduce you and go from there." She waved her hand and the skeleton vanished from the throne and it sparkled again.

She linked her arm through his and walked to the throne and urged him to have a seat. *We can deal with this monstrosity down the road. Simply sit down and let me introduce you.* Somehow she knew his name. Once he had sat down in the throne she cleared her throat and spoke. "I have spoken to Spirit Lord Red of the Red Kitsune Clan. He is displeased with the actions of the Emperor and Clan Lord Milintica is now the head of the new government. All bow down to the new leader of the Red Kitsune Country."

*Maric make sure nobody leaves this room till I say. Trust no one and kill any that resist any of my commands. I do not wish to start the new country bathed in blood but I will do what I need to.* She smiled slightly when he smiled slightly and bowed to her. 

Since he was feeling rather irritable himself he decided to use the pack bonds for commands. It would keep the sheeple under control. *The following wolves secure the two side doors...* He continued sending out commands and the wolves reacted with a grace and speed that was scary to behold. It was obvious even the females were trained as lethal fighters. *Bear take two wolves and two Kitsune's and investigate the entrance behind the throne. Keep in constant contact.*

Pam looked around the room and contemplated the officials. "For the moment all of you will remain here till certain steps have been taken. Do not resist my wolves or they have been commanded to kill you. Whatever position you were given won't matter. Your gender won't matter. Your age won't matter. They will kill you." Her colorful eyes swept the crowd. "All females gather to the right of the door and all males to the left. I am going to have you searched for any potential weapons. Females will inspect females to protect their vanity."

Maric assigned several more wolves. *Pam we are starting to get low on wolves. As a suggestion have... The clan leader start calling in his personal troops and then the garrison troops. We should be able to identify the best and worst between the Kitsune powers and our noses and other senses.* He had decided not to try saying the Kitsune's name since he had a feeling he would probably bite his tongue if he did.

Pam didn't physically acknowledge Maric's suggestion. *Good idea.* Her eyes scanned around and found what looked like an officer who had been knocked unconscious. He was just starting to shake off whatever had knocked him out. *Maric bring him over.*

Maric walked over and gently, comparatively speaking, lifted the man to his feet and walked him to the front of the throne after a quick search. "As you ordered Clan Leader here is the senior remaining officer in the throne room. What is your command?"

Pam had been relaying everything she had been thinking and ordering to him so he knew what was going on. He looked down at the man and frowned. "I am the new leader and as such I am taking the name Clan Leader Xipil because I am of the Fire Kitsune clan. You have two choices, swear fealty to me and mean it or be cast out in the streets after being stripped and given a beggars robe. I will know if your oath of fealty is true. If you try to fool me you will be found chained above the gates while your spirit is cleansed with fire."

The officer fell on his face and tried to swear fealty to the new leader only to be told to stand. "From this point on that form of obeisance is considered an insult to your new leader. When you wish to address me look me in the eyes before looking at my chin. This applies to anyone more senior to you and I would very strongly recommend that when dealing with Leader of the Clans Lady Alpha Pamela Legarith. Now look at me, recant your oath to the former emperor and swear fealty to me."

The man was now sweating heavily and the reek of his fear was pungent. He tried looking Xipil in the eyes but simply couldn't and settled on looking at his chin and hoped he would survive. "I...", he had to clear his throat, "I Yolotli request release from my prior oath. I do this to serve Clan Leader Xipil in any manner he finds fit." At the moment he was terrified enough that he was telling the truth. Something about the female next to Xipil scared the crap out of him. She scared him even more than the wolf behind him.

Xipil nodded slightly. "I have sensed your spirit and for the moment I feel you mean what you say. We will review your performance in a few weeks but till then I release you from your former oath and accept your request. For the moment you will report to my military advisor Beta Maric from Pack Alucian. He is to assign several wolves to you. Go to the nearest garrison and order the troops out and to report to the throne room."

Maric had to blink at that and raised an eyebrow very slightly at Pam who gave him a slight nod. "Come with me my good man and we will decide where to start." He clapped a hand on the man's shoulder and called out a few more names as they headed out of the throne room.

~~~

Geoff and Mari had just finished lunch and were debating on what to do next. Gettie was with the children and all three adults were relaxing. The pups were just over a month old and just getting cuter. One thing Geoff was pleased with was the rapid healing of lycan's included post partum healing as well and Mari was definitely up for fun. 

Mari leaned against Geoff and smiled since she could scent certain urges. It was almost strange to think that less than a year ago she had been terrified of the thought of sex. Between Dan and Geoff much of that fear was gone though when it did crop up Geoff was so wonderful about not pushing. Uncle had helped a great deal as well. 

Becoming Geoff's mate had turned out to be a huge blessing in disguise. She was being allowed to grow into who she could be. Mari was still a submissive but since she had grown up taking care of the house that had been turned over to her. She was now officially in charge of taking care of the house and the nearby estates and she was thriving since she loved the work.

Their thoughts were disturbed when Alysson called for them. *Geoff, Mari, Gettie I need the three of you in my office and bring the babies please. This is urgent.* Her thought cut off almost immediately as she turned her attention to other issues.

Both looked at each other and started to stand. Gettie called from the nursery. "Go ahead while I get the babies ready." She also called for several of the staff to get their tails up here and grab Geoff and Mari's travel bags.

They hurried down to his mother's office and when they walked in Geoff looked very startled. There were twenty men from the family's security force there along with their jump bags. "Mother? Gettie will be here in a moment."

Alysson stood and gave both a good hug before picking up a thick leather folio and handed it to Geoff. Sitting in a chair next to Alysson's desk was the Clan Leaders Kitsune. He had been with the family for at least one hundred years. When he had been gifted to them he had been about Amarish's age and now looked to be maybe ten or so.

He stood as well and bowed slightly to them. *I have been instructed to inform Clan Leader Alysson that Mari's presence is required by Leader of the Clans Alpha Pamela Legarith. You are going to be sent to the country of Melexgalom to the capitol city of Labna. I don't have time to fully brief you hence the folio. In short Leader of the Clans Lord Alpha Danilo Legarith was critically injured. He is in the spirit realm for healing. This happened when the emperor attempted to detain and arrest him. As the end result the emperor is no more.*

He turned to Mari who had turned pale. *My liege's mate is doing everything she can along with others. If he can be healed they will do it. What is to happen is in the hands of the Great Ones. Go with grace and our blessings.* He waved his hand in a circle and the door between Alysson's and Jon's offices vanished. On the other side could be seen the throne room. *Go quickly.*

Six of the Kitsunes went first followed by Geoff and his party, then finally by the rest of the Kitsunes. When they appeared they kept moving forward and piles of luggage were passed through. Mari glanced around and had to raise an eyebrow at the mess. "Dan was rather annoyed wasn't he?"

Pam turned and couldn't help but smile at Mari and Geoff. "It is good to see you though I hadn't expected you quite this soon." She hurried over and gave all three adults a hug and had to oogle the babies for a moment. "Actually the entire pack was a tiny bit annoyed but we can talk about that later. Right now I am cleaning house and have need of an expert with that." She smiled at Mari who snickered.

"No problem Lady of the Clans and more than happy to help. Tell me what you need and I will start cleaning out the vermin and pests." Her eyes traveled around the room and a number of people flinched since they were ice cold.

Pam waved them over to the throne and briefly introduced the new country leader. *We have been using pack and spirit bonds to pass orders. It is keeping the flunkies distracted from doing anything else.* As she was talking the officer and Maric came back in the room with several squads of men. The officer had them form up in front of the throne.

"Clan Leader the Puma company is present and ready for inspection." He again tried to meet Xipil's eyes and failed. After calling out an order the men spread out and stood at their version of 'at ease'. None of them had a weapon that could be seen but that didn't mean all that much.

"Excellent Officer, Beta Maric please select one Kitsune and inspect the troops." *I am most concerned about anything that might smell or feel of any sort of magic. Also anyone that does have a weapon of any sort will be taken aside when done. I want the most trustworthy. I am not worried about training right now since I know the type of training they have.*

Before even being asked one of Geoff's guards stepped forward and bowed to Maric. "After you sir." They started with the first and after a brief mental discussion they decided to start separating them into groups now. As they checked each soldier Maric would sniff for anything that didn't smell right including drugs, alcohol, and dishonesty. The Kitsune was also sniffing but mainly was using his spirit powers to sample the soldier's aura and spirit. By the time they were done with the forty or so men they had three groups. One that was to be immediately discharged, ones that might be of some use, and ones that smelled and felt decent.

Maric had another discussion with the Kitsune before turning to Xipil. "Sir we have three groups, the largest should be escorted to an empty barracks and detained for the moment. The second group would be of use for garrison troops with some refresher training. Some are to green and others too old for regular service. The last group I would recommend as the beginnings of the Clan Leaders Own. With training they should make excellent soldiers."

Xipil glanced at the three groups and contemplated them. "I accept your recommendations for the first two groups. Locate two barracks, one to be used for those that will not meet my standards and secure them. With the second group do the same but don't strip the barracks of everything."

He turned to the third group and he lowered his voice slightly though it remained firm. "As far as accepting those of you as part of my personal guard you are going to have to prove it to me. General Maric is going to be in charge and if you do what he says when and how he says I might accept you. Do our country right and we will do right by you. For now form up in two rows in front of that wall." He pointed at an empty section. "General bring in the next batch after you have dealt with the others."

Maric managed not to roll his eyes. *I am so going to bite one of Dan's tails. I was happy being a Beta and now have a potential mate and have been made a general.* He gave Pam and Xipil a toothy grin. *I's not a happy wolf. Better have a large chunk of beef ready to pacify me.* He called for more wolves and led the men out.

Soon he was back with the next company and they repeated the same process. The officer was summarily dismissed and ordered confined. There were indications that he was beyond being corrupt and they were going to need to investigate.

Geoff and Mari had joined Pam and Xipil at the throne. Bear had reported earlier the back exit led to what appeared to be the Emperors chambers. They were being cleaned at the moment but Gettie and the babies along with a number of Kitsunes had been shown there so they were out of the way in case anything happened.

When the third group came in and Pam immediately stiffened. *Maric bring the third man with the corporal flash to me.* She contacted Mari and Geoff. *He is a wolf and I have an idea to seal him to us and the throne.*

When the wolf followed Maric over he couldn't help but sniff the air and gave a rather bad bow. He scented not only Kitsune on the striking female but wolf as well. The other smaller woman was a wolf but her scent and dominance confused him. "How can I help you ma'am?" He had no idea how to address Pam.

Pam let her face relax and gave him a slight smile. *I know you can understand me this way but do not react to what I am saying this way.* "I have a few questions for you. General Maric informed me that he felt you might have potential for a higher rank." *Is your pack in town and if so how far away are then and how many including women and pups?*

Meztli looked rather startled when she spoke in his mind. The only time that happened was with his mate or on the full moon. "I am just a corporal who is doing my best to make sure my men have they need. I just do my job and follow the orders of those above me." He carefully thought at her. *We don't have packs as such. They are illegal in the empire. We have family groups and there are about seventy of us.* He contemplated that. *There are several that are allowed in on moon nights since they are family.*

Pam nodded. "That is the sign of a good soldier. If you don't take care of your pack they won't support you." She looked at Maric. "General I have need of this man. Assign me six wolves including Suzy." 

Pam looked at Geoff and Mari. "I would like to borrow your mate Geoffrey as well as some of your guardsmen."

Geoff raised an eyebrow slightly. *May I ask what for?* When Pam told him he mentally nodded. *That is acceptable.* "Not a problem Pam and I am sure Mari doesn't mind." *You might talk to Maric about making some troops this man trusts available for you as well.*

Mari looked at Geoff and then grinned. "Of course I don't mind. I would enjoy spending some time with Pam."

Pam looked at the man who was about her size. "Sergeant pick eight men from your company to accompany you on a mission for me." *That is if you can trust them. If you aren't sure about them pick a few less. We are going to go and collect your family and they are going to be the beginning of new staff in the palace. I know I can trust a wolf since my mate is an Alpha and if you treat the pack right the pack will support you.*




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 05



He blinked at that and actually looked shocked. Wolves were looked down on along with most other-beings as the leadership called anyone that wasn't human. "By your command Milady and General." He turned to his squad and called out names. "Go to the barracks and get your gear and be back here in ten minutes." That was said in a proper Sergeant voice. He stepped off to the side and waited. 

Maric and the officer continued what they had been doing while they were waiting. There were a few that he would need to speak to the General about after the sorting and before they were released. *Ma'am I am assuming you will be needing transportation? Do you need me to arrange it?*

*No, we have transports outside that we acquired from the idiot who tried to arrest Dan and the pack.* The flaming man had been taken when the others vanished as well as the man who had attacked Dan.

Meztli looked around at the mess and couldn't help the low whistle he let out. *Ma'am to be honest just looking at the carnage almost scares me. How many wolves did this?* It must have been a heck of a pack.

Pam gave him a wintery smile. *Since the pregnant woman and pups were separated and taken to the Clan Estates that left about thirty wolves and fourteen Kitsunes.*

He looked completely shocked. *Good god how did that few make it this far?* He was faster and stronger and all that but looking at the carnage there were at least fifty men though it was hard to tell. There were parts of bodies scattered everywhere including over the officials that had been in there. Actually it looked like some had made the point to cover them with as much blood and offal as possible.

Pam smiled even more. *I have a very determined mate. He can be totally loving and cuddly with the pups but even I didn't realize just how much damage he could do when he is pissed off. Ah, here come your troops. Form them up in front of us and lead us to the main entrance to the palace. That is where the transport is.*

Meztli called out a number of commands and led them out of the room by one of the side doors.

~~~

As they were leaving Pam sent a thought to Xipil, *Have someone find a section of the palace to house seventy or eighty wolves including children. They are going to become the foundation of your new palace staff.*

The truck seats weren't all that comfortable and the roads were a mess as well since many were dirt. Others were paved but with stones and they had some missing, potholes, and were uneven. Eventually they arrived at what looked like a rough handmade compound. Streets had been blocked by handmade adobe stones and various rocks. They eventually parked in front of a set of rough gates that led inside.

Meztli looked at Pam. "Lady let me go in first and talk to them. They are most likely going to be terrified seeing the trucks." By now it was very possible that the women and children were hidden away as best possible and the men were preparing to fight.

Mari stood up and smiled at him. "I will go with you. I am pretty sure that little ol' me won't scare them very much." Considering she was probably the same size as many of the women or even smaller there was a grain of truth to that. Her clothing and having a number of bodyguards following her around might though. *Keep the weapons put away gentlemen unless we need them. From what I understand they are going to be already scared and I don't want to scare them any further.*

Meztli stared at Mari for a moment. "I don't know about that ma'am. You look like a great lady and that is going to make them worry that you are here for a servant." Having a wolf as a servant was considered a sign of prestige in some aspects of the court. He didn't argue about it and climbed out and offered Mari a hand down.

Several of the Kitsunes joined the two of them as Meztli led them to the gates and knocked on a small door. "It is Meztli and I have some interesting news for the elders and senior wolf. Open the gate please."

There was some muffled conversation in their native language before Mari finally rolled her eyes and walked over. "I am Marissa Logan and a submissive wolf from the Pack Alucian. We come in peace and simply want to talk to you. There have been changes at the Palace that will impact on you. I have also come to offer you honorable work if you wish." 

She could see the eyes from the other side studying her and sniffing in her direction as well. "Why you smell of Kitsune?" 

Mari couldn't help but grin slightly. "My mate is Clan Heir Lord Geoffrey Logan of the Silver Kitsune Clan. They are north of New Cascadia where I am originally from. Leader of the Clans Lord Alpha Danilo Legarith was my Alpha before Geoff came and snitched me from under Dan's nose." As she was talking she was playing with the fox tail in her hair.

There was utter and complete silence when she said that. It was so improbable that it had to be true. "I will let you in but stay in the courtyard. I will gather the pack." He unlocked the door and moved back.

Meztli rolled his eyes and pushed the door open and walked in. "The troops are mine and I am now a sergeant in the Clan Leaders Own. I vouch for all who came with." He didn't bother waiting for an answer before waving the rest in.

His men went in first and formed up off to one side. The Kitsune guards went in next and carefully checked the area before allowing Mari to come in. Following her were the rest of the wolves except for the one who was keeping an eye on the drivers.

The men inside the gate who was prepared to fight looked at the other wolves and froze. One was heard to say, 'Holy cow they are frigging huge'. Most of the wolves inside the warren were somewhere between five foot eight inches and six foot tall. All of them tended towards the slender side as well. The wolves that Maric had sent were all six plus feet tall and looked massive. 

Mari snickered and patted one of the males on the bicep. "They are just big puppies unless irritated." That got her a mental grumble but the wolf did smile slightly. With a glance at Pam Mari moved forward. "As I said I am a submissive wolf. If you don't know what that means I am the most junior wolf in the pack and have no urge to climb the ladder. Senior wolves know that they are safe around me since I won't fight except to protect the pups or pack."

One of the wolves was obviously fairly young, not that Mari was that much older, and looked rather scared. She walked over to him and could almost look him in the eyes. Mari reached up and stroked his cheek and gave him a warm smile. "You will be fine son. Let me give you a hug before I ask you to go and get your parents." She gave him a warm hug and pressed a bit of her power as a submissive against him.

The boy tensed when she came over and even more when she touched his face. When he looked at her eyes his wolf relaxed and settled down. They were warm and gentle though he could sense a hint of steel behind them. He carefully returned the hug and settled his head on her shoulder. After a moment he jerked back. "Sorry Lady, my clothes are dirty so you shouldn't hug me. Don't want to make your fine cloths dirty."

Mari snorted at him. "I hugged you son and not you me. As far as these cloths I was cleaning the bathroom and kitchen in them. If I am willing to do that they why should a bit of dirt bother me? Now please go and get your parents please." 

Pam was simply smiling slightly as she watched Mari gently manage the new wolves. This was one of the reasons she brought her along. Pam was still enraged at what had happened to Sammie and Dan and she would have settled for commanding them to come with. Mari would gentle the crowd and settle them down so Pam could talk to him. As of now Pam knew that the boy was wrapped around her little fingers and shortly most of the pups, young and old, would be seated around her as she talked to them.

It wasn't but a few minutes later when several men and women came out from a doorway. They looked at the scene and paused before coming forward. Several of the women headed towards Mari along with the boy. The rest approached Pam and one spoke. "I'm a blunt sort so if'n you pardon that what exactly do you want? Anyone from the palace is bad news since it is usually some new way to take what little we have. Or it starts a pogrom against us or the other-beings." He turned his head and spit when he said that.

Pam actually grinned at the old wolf. He was well younger than Dan but she had a feeling that they didn't live as long down here. "Oh hell you should meet my mate. His middle name is Stubborn and Blunt." When he spat on the ground she didn't even blink. "The short answer is there has been a change of leadership in your country. Due to this I have come to offer you an honest day's work for all of you that are of working age. There won't be any dishonorable demands on you and especially the females. Anyone who tries something like that will be killed by my wolves."

She fanned her face. "Now we are going to need to have a talk and something to drink and eat would be appreciated." She wrapped one of her arms around his and led him to some benches in the shade of an overhang. Once she sat down she sighed. "It has been a long day and it is going to be a while before it is finished."

Yaotl honestly wasn't sure what to make of this fine lady. She exuded power and determination yet there was a kind of down home to her. She also smelled of deep anger, sadness, loss, and other scents he couldn't quite place. One that was very heavy around her was blood. "Boy go get some drinks for everyone. Tis only water but is clean and safe." 

"As far as food we don't have a great deal. Anything that we could make right now would be a poor offering." He looked down at the dirt when he said that.

Pam looked at one of her Kitsunes. "Akio do you happen to have some copper and silver on hand or whatever they use for money here?" When he smiled slightly and pulled a handful out to hand to her. "I have a feeling that is probably a bit more than we need but thank you." She took the money and looked over at the wolf.

Yaotl was staring at the pile in her hand in awe. That was more money than he had ever seen. "That would definitely be way too much. With that much I could feed my pack for a year or longer." His hands shook for a moment before he clenched them to still them.

Before she did anything she dumped most of the money in a pouch. As she was doing that she glanced around and had to smile. Mari was working her magic and had a number of youngsters gathered around her. She was seated as well and sipping on a plain pottery cup. "Well let us do this then, since I have a feeling if you went to get food by yourselves it might get ugly." She looked up and called Metzli over.

"Metzli I want you to take your troops and two Kitsunes and two of my wolves with the Alpha to get some food. We are going to have a small feast to celebrate changes in leadership before we discuss any other business." She looked at Yaotl. "If you wish to go with fine or choose some men and women to go with and get what you need." She picked out a number of silver pieces and bronze pieces and handed them over. "That should be enough but if you need more ask Akio and he will take care of it. See about getting some drinks as well for both the adults and pups."

He stared at the money in his hand and almost cried. Nobody outside the family had ever done something like this before. "I'll stay with you. If'n I tried going my mate would surely laugh at me, pat me on the head, and tell me to stay out of the kitchen."

Pam started laughing as she took a cup of water and drank it down. It was a younger girl about ten that had brought it over. "Will you please get me some more? I am parched and not used to this heat. Thank you."

Yaotl looked at her. "I knows it business but what do you mean by change in leadership and why do you smell of loss, fury, and quantities of blood?" This was important and he needed to know.

Pam let out a low Kitsune snarl before composing herself. "The Red Kitsune spirit lord ordered Dan and me to his estates before this coming moon. When we arrived at the airport some mangy son of an ape tried to arrest us. In the process one of the pups was hurt..." She told the tale as concisely as possible.

As she was talking she was doing her best not to show her emotions but that was virtually impossible. Pam was still in her mid-form and as she was telling the story flickers of fox fire could be seen flickering across her tails. When she got to the part about Dan being hurt the loss and despair hit and she couldn't continue.

Several of the older women came over and gathered around her. "Go be senior wolf elsewhere. This be for women to deal with." Yoatl didn't even bother speaking and left. As the women were comforting her one young girl came up and handed her a cup of tea. "Here ma'am, this is wild silifax tea which is to help with calming."

Pam took the cup from her and gave her a hug. "Thank you hun, I really appreciate it." About then Amarish and Kasai appeared.

Amarish settled on her shoulder and gave her a good hug. "I's take care of yous while Danny is helped." His little tails were twitching in agitation at her emotions. He was very upset as well and a good mouse hunt might help.

Kasai settled in her lap and stared at the girl who was staring at her. She was in her fox form so she tilted her head and clearly spoke. "Boo!" When the girl twitched she curled her whiskers towards her and grinned. "I's Kasai. The stinky boy there is Amarish and we's to be mates when we's grow up." She wrinkled her face up in disgust when she said that.

Amarish didn't even think and kicked one of her tails. "Yous stinky Kasai and are silly." He hopped down at her and they rolled off Pam's lap and ended up having a little tussle in front of everyone.

Pam covered her face and sighed. "Now I know why Red was willing to let her stay. I might just find a corner to hide in." When she looked up both was standing there facing each other and there were a number of pups gathered around.

Amarish had yipped when Kasai had nipped a bit hard and the fight stopped. She came over and licked his nose. "Sowwy, didn't mean to nip hard." 

Amarish changed to his mid-form and petted her ears for a moment before pulling one of his swords. "I's going to find a mousy. Who wants to come?" He charged off with half a dozen of the children trailing behind him.

The women were snickering and the one that had told Yoatl to go away patted her shoulder in sympathy. "Kids be kids." She had to glance at Pam. "Mousy? What is that about?"

Pam snickered though it was strained. "When we arrived back at the pack house Dan told Amarish to keep his sword sheathed unless he wanted to hunt mice. Amarish took that as an important duty and has been very diligent in finding them. Once he skewers them he takes them to Angie to be put in a bin just for him. He shares them with the pups and some of the adults." After taking a good sip of the tea which was pretty good she shook her head. "It was cute till he came to my office and was cooking one over his fox fire and then offered it to me." Pam shuddered at that.

Everyone started laughing at that. "I have been a Kitsune for barely a month and before that all my meat came from the store I worked at. I have never been offered a lightly cooked furry mouse before. My fox snapped it up before I realized it. Once Amarish left I had to go and brush my teeth."

That got more laughs from the women and they seemed to be starting to relax around her. "So why are you actually here talking to us? You are not from here so why the interest?" She was paying a great deal of attention to Pam when she asked that.

Pam took another sip and debated on the best answer since to be honest she wasn't totally sure herself. "That is a rather hard question to give you one solid answer to since there isn't one. One reason is my Spirit Lord told me to look to the wolves and take care of them. Another is that if my mate was here he would take one look and roll his sleeves up and as he put it make you proud to be a wolf. That isn't an insult but the way he looks at wolves in general. We aren't better or worse than anyone else but we should be proud of whom we are and not let anyone say differently."

One last sip of the tea and she handed the cup back to the girl. "Thank you that did help." She looked back at the woman. "To me though the most important reason is I trust my pack and clan to take care of me even as I take care of them. Since we have been tasked with helping your country recover I want wolves at my back since I know once they have given their loyalty they are rocks. I want all of you to come back to the palace with me. I want you to start working for the new leader and myself to clean that pigsty up. I am offering you honest employment that has no expectation of sex."

The women looked at her and gave her a hard look before discussing it in their native language. "Oh, and one more thing, for any who accept I am having a wing of the palace set aside for the wolves who start working for me. It is going to have a secure courtyard so you can hang your laundry out, the kids will be safe, and a safe place to relax."

That got even more conversation. When Amarish popped up in her lap he was nibbling on a lightly cooked mouse as he was listening. Kasai popped up and was nibbling on one as well though she had what looked like a ladies hair pin instead of a sword. It was about six inches long with a jeweled handle and was pointed. The two were sitting there companionably munching while they were listening to the women. A few minutes later the pups came running up and yipped at them. Amarish grinned and started pulling mice out of somewhere and tossing them to the pups.

One of the older girls came hurrying out and glowered at the pups. "You know there is no running inside. Once you are done with the mice you are eating go clean the mess you made up."

It was all Pam could do not to laugh since she sounded like Dan when he growled at the pups. "Amarish, Kasai both of you should know better than that. I have a feeling that part of it is the pups aren't used to kits that can go poof and disappear and they wanted to find you. Next time think about your actions a bit more."

Amarish sighed and after wiping the blade clean he hopped down and walked over to the girl. "I is sorry for causing problems. I's go help clean mess. Kasai go help with as well." He was standing in his robes and gave her a very proper bow before changing into his shorts and shirt. Kasai sighed and tucked the hair pin away and hopped down. She did pretty much the same thing and her tails were hanging slightly as she followed after the others.

Pam managed not to snicker at Amarish. When he had changed to this form he had a little sword over his back the way Dan carried his. It even looked a great deal like Dan's as well. When the girl crossed her arms and pointed towards the door all the pups headed in with Amarish in the lead.

That was watched with a close eye as well and the woman turned back to Pam. "We are willing to give it a try. I will talk to my mate and the senior wolf's mate about this. For now we need to go and prepare for the feast. If you would like it is cooler inside and we can just talk or you can relax out here." She glanced at the guards and rolled her eyes. "Well as much as you can with all the silent stones watching you."

One of the Kitsunes had to smile. "We can speak ma'am but it is more intimidating if we don't. Reduces our work load if you know what I mean. Shall we Lady Pamela?" He helped her up and signaled one other guard to follow. He looked at the females. "Nothing personal but if something happened and we weren't there Lord Danilo would probably make us no tail Kitsunes. I rather like my tails were they are."




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 05



The older woman had to laugh before shaking her head. "Stay out of the way while we are talking and cooking. I'll not have you interfering with our cooking." She harrumphed at him since the idea of males in the kitchen was simply a bad idea. As she walked in she started talking to Pam about what they might want to eat.

Outside Mari was sitting with the pups and a few of the young adults in the shade. "I am pleased to meet all of you and thank you for the tea sweetie." She stroked the girl's hair for a moment before taking one last drink. "Do any of you have any questions for me? I will answer all that I can. Some I can't or won't." *Geoff is there anyway Gettie could come over with the babies? My breasts are starting to get really sore and feel like they are going to burst.*

She could feel him thinking as the kids were discussing what to ask. *I can send her via a portal and bring her back the same. I can't do it very often since it is draining. Warn everyone and I will send her in about two minutes.* 

As one of the boys was starting to ask a question she held a hand up. "Just a moment please, I need to speak to the guards and the wolves out here." Mari looked up and spoke loudly and clearly. "Akio Gettie is going to be sent via a portal. Make sure everyone knows that." He nodded and passed the message on.

"Sorry about that, what were you going to ask?" The young girl was leaning against her legs and looking up at her.

The boy gave her a shy smile. "Who are you and where are you from? I can tell you are a wolf but we have never seen a wolf dressed like you."

Mari had to grin. "That is a bit of a long story but I will make it short." She was telling them about the pack and what Dan had done to reform it, finding her mate, going to the Kitsune estate. "Oh man you should have seen me. I am a small wolf from a rural area and simply wanted to do my job. I figured someday I would end up with a junior wolf as a mate." She snickered when she said that. "Instead I discover my mate is a Kitsune and even beyond that he is the Clan Heir for his clan. When we got to his house I almost lost it. It was huge and stylish, it made the manor I came from look rather rough. I tell you if Geoff hadn't been holding me I would have run."

The kids were sniffing her to see if she was lying or exaggerating. The boy looked at her with disbelief in his eyes. "But you are a Lady, how could you be scared?" It was obvious that he was having trouble reconciling what she was telling him with what he was seeing.

About then the portal formed and Gettie walked through it. That got a major reaction since they had never seen anything like that. The next reaction was the babies she was carrying. "You called Mari?" Gettie gave her a grin as she was walking over.

"Yes and get over here you silly Kitsune. I feel like I am going to burst." She took the first pup from Gettie and started nursing him. "Thank the goddess that feels better already." Mari looked at the girl. "Could you get my assistant some of that wonderful tea? For some reason most Kitsunes don't believe in coffee."

Gettie wrinkled her nose at Mari as she teased her. After handing over the one baby she settled down on a rough bench. "That is because we Kitsunes have a refined palette. Since we are from Nippon we simply had to bring tea with." She lifted her nose in the air just for good measure. When the girl stood up Gettie smiled. "Thank you and I appreciate it. I am going to have to find some lighter clothing for while we are down here."

All of the kids were looking at her with round eyes. "Wow, you're pretty." An older boy said that before realizing it and turned pink and looked down.

Gettie gave a gentle laugh. "Thank you for that compliment." She stiffened up a bit and looked over her shoulder and found one little pups playing with her tails as they were twitching. "Excuse me but those are my tails you are playing with." She petted his hair and ignored him since he was maybe three.

One girl asked about the pups and Mari told them about Dan and that they were his and settled for simply talking. When it was time for dinner she would have Gettie go back probably.

The girl who had asked looked at the pup in Gettie's arms and gently moved the light blanket away. She smiled and then cooed at him. "He is such a cutie." Several of the other girls gathered around Gettie and were quietly giggly as they talked to her about the baby.

Mari had to mentally smile since most of the boys were gathered around her and sitting on the ground. "It feels good to be around pups again. There are kits at the estates but most of them live outside the clan house. I rather miss curling up in bed and waking to find half a dozen pups curled up around me."

That got another discussion started since they were having a great deal of trouble believing that she hadn't always been a lady. 

As Mari was charming the pups and even a few of the older wolves Pam was inside sitting at a table. She was watching what they were making with great interest. This was food she had never had before and the spices smelled vastly different. She had to smile as the two guards were sniffing and making appreciative sounds.

They were chatting as the ladies were cooking and it was actually fairly relaxing. Pam was somewhat appalled by the conditions they were living in and that was going to change. Not just for this pack but all the packs if she had any say in it. She had been furious when Dan had been injured and now she was furious for a different reason. There was no reason for the former Emperor to have done this to anyone.

She did keep her tone light and settled for asking questions about what the wolves did and what other wolves are out there. The two Kitsunes were feeding her questions as well which most she did ask. They were reasonable since they were mostly related to her security.

~~~

The women were almost done with dinner when Amarish and the others crept up on the door. *Be quiet, there is a large mousy in here.* 

Pam sniggered at him and very quietly informed the women. Amarish did have his sword drawn and it was a copy of Dan's. They watched the kits and pups sneak in and surround a cabinet. Kasai jerked the door open and to be honest Pam damn near screamed. It wasn't a large mouse it was a damn rat and they made her skin crawl.

She reacted without thinking and one of her tails flashed out and a small bolt of golden light flew across the room. It hit the rat square in the chest. Before anyone could do anything it sort of went whoosh in flames and then crumbled to a pile of ashes. "I fucking hate rats." She was standing now and shuddering in disgust. All her tails were lashing around and showing just how agitated she was.

Amarish was standing there with his sword out staring at the pile of ashes. She had startled the heck out of him with her reaction and he had to think what to do. He finally rested the sword on his shoulder. "Darn it, there goes mousy." He sighed and then turned and led the troop of children out of the kitchen.

The women were standing there staring at her and the old lady started snickering and then laughing. "Sorry milady but that was..." Now she was laughing too hard to speak. The others turned back to what they had been doing and quickly finished up dinner.

Mari had felt the power surge as well as the revulsion from Pam and headed inside. When she walked into the kitchen she gave Pam an inquiring look. She had to glance at the two guards as well and could tell they were struggling not to laugh. "Um, are you okay Pam?"

Pam snarled out a few curses and gave her body a really good shake. "Now that the rat is dead I am. The rare cooked mouse Amarish offered me was bad enough but there was no way in hell he was going to offer me fried rat." 

Mari snickered and came over to Pam and leaned into her arms and gave her a hug. "I take it the pile of ashes was the rat right?" When Pam nodded Mari snickered again. "Well he won't be offering you that rat. He is just showing you that you matter by offering you cooked mice. You will get used to it."

Pam wrapped her arm around the small woman and shook her head. "I would be content with a simple hug from him but I suppose. At least my fox was pleased and didn't have a problem with accepting it." She shuddered at that and then snickered herself. "He was so pleased to share a mouse with me. It was rather cute since he was so formal about it."

Everyone shook their heads and the food started being carried out and Pam and the others followed. In the courtyard tables had been setup and dishes had been laid out. Just looking at the arrangement Pam figured the food was shared from the central plates. The senior wolf came over and smiled. "If'n you would follow me milady." He led her to the central table and settled her down before sitting himself.

He smiled at Pam. "Many thanks milady for the meal and the offer. I am sure my mate will tell me if we are going to accept after dinner." When he said that his mate bumped his shoulder with hers. He grinned at her. "Everyone knows you have me wrapped around your fingers. You tell me what to do and I tell the pack."

That got a laugh from everyone and they started eating. Amarish and Kasai hopped up in her lap and settled down to start eating. When she glanced down she had to smile since one of Amarish's tails was curled around Kasai's. He even offered her a toasted mouse at one point as well. When he did Pam mentally thanked whoever than he didn't offer her one.

The wolves were talking about what she had told them earlier as well as the offer. Xipil had contacted her earlier and informed her that he had a wing for them and that it was being cleaned. From the sounds of it he had kicked a number of former servants out. Maric had contacted her as well periodically to keep her updated on how the house cleaning was going. 

By the time the meal was done the two little Kitsunes were asleep in her lap. To be honest Pam was on the tired side as well. Today had been very stressful and she had used a great deal of energy as well. After contemplating the remains of the food and the contented looks of the wolves she decided to be blunt. "Do you have an answer for me? I need to get back to the palace and don't have a great deal of time. I am not trying to be rude or pushy but I need an answer as soon as possible."

The Chief traded looks with his mate and the other senior wolves. He had been paying very close attention to not only what she was saying but her scent as well. There hadn't been any indication of deceit from her and he had talked to Mextli as well. He was having trouble believing that so few wolves had done so much damage as well as killing the emperor. He had a feeling that if he did tie himself to this woman it would either be really good for the pack or really bad. The hard part was he wanted to believe her and his wolf did as well.

He took a look at his mate and she nodded very slightly. "My mate feels this is a good thing. I am going to say that this is going to be a trial period till I see all is as you mentioned. If it does work out we will stay and if not we will come back here." On that he wasn't going to change his mind.

Pam nodded. "Quite reasonable and I don't have a problem with that at all. I am going to place a ward around this place so only you and your pack can come in. Once you decide we will go from there. Gather up some belongings and we will leave for the palace. As soon as I can I will see about designing some uniforms for those who are working as servants. I plan on starting a company of wolves as well. They will be trained in a variety of fighting methods and will become the core of the Emperors Own as well as for a revamp of your military."

She stood and gave everyone a nod. "We will use the trucks outside to take you to your wing of the palace. I will place a ward around your property to keep anyone not of the pack out. That way if you decide the work at the palace isn't what you want you can move back." 

~~~

The three female Kitsunes appeared in a section of Red's palace. Dan was still encased in the golden cocoon. Amariah leapt for her mother and wrapped her arms around her and started crying. Gin No Hahaoya wrapped her arms around Amariah and gave her a good hug. "We will do our best my little sweetie. Now I can feel just how tired you are and you will need to sleep." She thought and a small futon appeared on a counter on one side of the room. "Go lie down and sleep. There is a little cup of tea to help you relax as well."

Amariah sniffed a few times as her mommy held her. "Takes care of Danny. He good pack leader and I likes him." After a few more sniffles she wiggled free and slowly walked over to the counter. Her ears were low and her tails drooping. After jumping up she chugged the tea down and made a face at it before curling up in a small miserable ball.

Aka No Haha smiled at the little Kitsune. "I hope Red gets his act together and finally gets around to asking me to be his mate. I will have to tease him and make him chase me but I will accept. Your kits are so darling and I want some of my own."

Gin No rolled her eyes. "I love those two dearly but some days... Dan seems to have some hold over them and I would like to know what it is." With a shake of her head she walked over to Dan and held her hands out over the cocoon. A silver glow slowly flowed over it and then she jerked back and swore in Kitsune. The words she used were so far from polite the other two were shocked.

"There is fucking death magic here. Not just death magic but tailored for an alpha wolf. Dan was expected by more than just Red." She tucked her hands under her armpits to still the sting. 

Aka No held her hands out but was more careful now that she had some idea of what had hit Dan. A red glow flowed out of her hands and passed through a crystalline grid that formed as well. It flowed over the cocoon. She was able to hold it longer but eventually she was starting to sweat. The glow vanished and she snarled as well. "Get Amariah out of here and we are going to need to triply ward the healing chamber. There are very faint hints of an underlying magic. I can feel it impacting on our realm.

Kogane No Hahaoya repeated the process and frowned. "This is going to take the seven of us female spirits to handle. The magic is very subtle and I have a feeling that it might be able to mutate to infect one or more colors. Whoever places the warding would be infected and slowly change over time."

She frowned and spoke several words and four more female Kitsunes appeared. Kogane No almost smiled since one appeared to be mid-coitus two had been in baths while the third was holding a cookie sheet. "I am so sorry to call you but we have a very serious curse to deal with."

The one woman growled in frustration before sitting up and pulling a robe on. "How the hell do you always manage to catch me when I am having fun and just about to orgasm? You need to seriously work on that sister."

Kogane No smiled and shrugged. "Luck I guess. Think of it this way, your mate will be even happier when you arrive back home." The others snickered at her reply. "Okay hold your hands over mine and I will show you what we have found." All seven of them did that and the three shared the knowledge of what they had found.

Nato No Haha pulled her hands back when done and let out a very deep snarl of rage. "Someone is perverting the power of my darkness for this. I will remain to help. I will find who created this perversion and when I do they will burn in my darkness for eternity." She gave Kogane No a very toothy grin. "I will even let you join in and play as well. If it is perverting the darkness of night then it can probably pervert the light of the sun as well. We are the yin and yang of each other sister."

Kogane No nodded. "As you say sister, I will be more than pleased to share some of my light with you. Now everyone calm yourselves so we can shield this room." She closed her eyes and they all joined in a circle around Dan. Before they did anything they let their senses flow around the cocoon. They sampled everything they could and then discussed how to do the shielding. Once that was done they started.

The shielding they were going to do was extremely complex and wasn't going to be the normal circle. They build the ward in their mind. It contained power drains to a spiritual reservoir to hopefully collect any and all traces of the death magic. There was an inner shield that was a combination of golden and silver power which connected to the power drains. Around that night created a ward that would focus the other colors around the gold and silver shield. The others created several layers of the exterior shield to contain all power used or from the cocoon in the room. It would need to be filtered and purified before returned to the spirit world.

Once they were done all of them collapsed on the floor and lay there panting. "Goddess of the fire that was one of the most challenging spells I have done for a long time. Once we get a bit of energy back we will exit the shields and I will have my staff take us to a place to eat and recover."

~~~

He sat in the dark cave perched on a stool and looking down at a bowl that had a murky black coating. Etched in the coating were symbols that glowed and flickered with lights that had been corrupted. In the bowl was a fluid and on the surface showed the Emperor's throne room. He was watching everything that happened up till there was a blurring of the image. When the blurring of the image vanished the spirit Kitsunes were gone as well as the two males that were being burned with the cleansing flames. The local Clan leader was there as well as the female Kitsune.

He could sense from where he was the agony and fury surrounding her. By removing that interfering alpha it would throw off his mate and pack. They were bound to stumble and wreak havoc in the empire. The being let out a low evil cackle as he waved the image away. "Now for the next move."



Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 06



Authors note: Thanks for the patients for this chapter. I thought I had posted it and then ended up in the infirmary with a severe skin infection of one leg and rather was out of it for a few days. In any case I am already partway done with the next chapter and will hopefully have it done by this weekend.

As usual all relationships are 18+.

*****

Pam slowly woke up and found that she was face down on the bed she was using. The last couple of days had been pretty active and she was starting to feel it. She turned her head to one side and had to smile. Amarish and Kasai were in their fox forms and curled up next to each other. Kasai's chin was resting on Amarish's tails and his on hers.

The two little stinkers had been keeping active with the pups from the new pack she had hired and the original pack. They had been exploring the entire palace and figured in a few more days they would know every nook and cranny. Amarish had been very busy hunting mice down and had actually organized the pups into small hunting parties.

What was even more amusing was that the rest of the pack had finally arrived from the Kitsune's estate. That had been interesting as well. The pups ended up staring at each other for several minutes till Kasai had zapped Gianni with one tail and she turned into a pink rabbit. That had started a puppy fight which had been both amusing and annoying since they had been in the throne room. Pam, Mari, and one of the various women from the other pack had to put their feet down.

She grinned at the memory since the officials had been horrified by the puppy fight while the pack and Kitsunes just snickered. The officials had been even more horrified when they discovered a number of the staff had been let go. Now that thought made her expression harden and a slight growl could be heard. They were currently bringing the staff in a few at a time and checking them. The ones that smelled of drugs or showed as not being the nicest spirits according to the Kitsunes were stripped, checked, their quarters searched and then tossed out the gate.

It was going to take a fair amount of time to process the entire staff of the palace since there were close to a thousand staff. That was for just over one hundred officials. The soldiers were being process first though since they were the largest threat. Today she and Mari were going to work with the women to start organizing schooling and making sure they had enough quarters.

Maric and some of the males were going to be teaching the pack how to fight as well. That was something that was going to take time to get them near Pack Alucian's level. They were also reaching out and touching base with what wolves they could find. In a city this size that was actually a fairly large number.

With a groan she sat up and had to blink. One of the young girls was sitting in a chair quietly sewing something. Since it was mostly bundled up in her lap Pam couldn't get a clear view of what it was. "Morning Lydia and how are you doing?" Pam had come to discover that the wolf pack had assigned several girls to take care of her room.

"Good morning Lady Alpha and it was a quiet morning. I am just getting some mending done while you were asleep." She tucked the needle into the material and set it in a reed basket. "Breakfast will be here in a few minutes. I have your clothing ready and if you want a shower please do." She gave Pam a nice smile that showed in her eyes.

Pam sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched. "So what are you mending? May I see?" So far she hadn't had a chance to see about getting some material for them to make clothing with. That had been the first priority till one thing came up and then another and... By the time she and Xipil were done she was going to have a master's level in politics, law, bureaucracy, and god knew what else. At least Mari knew about running a manor and many of the little details such as ordering food, scheduling cleaning, laundry, and that sort of things. Much of that had been foisted off on her as well as the bitch that had been in charge.

As Lydia came over with the clothing Pam was contemplating the bitch. She was old, almost ossified, and did things one way and one way only. That wasn't saying it all was wrong but changes needed to be made and she ranted over every one. Pam wasn't sure what Mari had done or said to her but currently every time Mari walked even near to her she paled and started looking for somewhere to go.

Lydia came over and handed the blouse over to Pam. "Just a blouse that was torn. The material is still usable so I was mending it." It was one of three blouses she had and would be usable for a while longer.

Pam took it from her and carefully unrolled it because of the needle and held it up. It was fairly obvious it was the girls since it was her size. One thing Pam did enjoy was sewing in her spare time so she took some time really looking at the quality of the stitching. It was neat and tidy, blended well with the material, and the rest of the stitching was much the same. Now the material on the other hand was crap. To the girl it might be usable but Pam didn't agree. 

"Did you do all the stitching? If so you are very deft with a needle and thread. I think this morning you, I, and half a dozen wolves and Kitsunes are going material shopping. I need something usable for a uniform and for you to make into clothing. Some of the clothes are so worn they wouldn't make good rags." Pam noticed Lydia looking down and reached over and gently lifted her chin. "That was not an insult in anyway. It is a statement of fact and that all of you have done your best to take care of yourselves shows a great deal. I am not going to have my wolves dressed in rags or crap while the officials wear diamonds, silk, and satin."

Right about then Kasai woke up and pounced on Amarish and attacked his ears with her tongue. *Wake up stinky boy. We's need to shower and get dressed. Pups here soon." 

Amarish woke very quickly as soon as her tongue took the first swipe at his ear and he yipped at her. *Girls stinky so there." He rolled over so he was on his back and started returning the favor. They played for a few moments before Pam snatched Kasai up.

She rolled her on her back and tickled her chest and scratched her chin. "I am going to take a shower in a moment and I will wash your hair and ears. Then you won't have to attack his ears for at least an hour." After putting Kasai down she scooped up Amarish and repeated the chest rub and set him on the floor. "Go on in and I will be there in a minute." He scampered off and she climbed out of bed.

The girl had gone back to the chair and was working on the blouse again while Pam dealt with the two kits. As Pam headed towards the bathroom Lydia stood up after putting the mending away. She made the bed and carefully laid the clothing out for her. It was very hard to resist touching the material other than laying it out. It was so soft and smooth and nothing like what they normally wore.

When Pam and the kits came out of the bathroom she found the pups sitting neatly off to one side. That made her smile since Amarish was starting to train them to obey him. Right now they were lined up like miniature soldiers. What was really amusing was some of the pups had acquired some of the fancy hair pins. A few had small knives as well for the mouse hunts. She smiled at them. "Give us a few minutes to eat and then I will give you a few new orders which Amarish will implement."

Gianni gave her a toothy grin. "Yes Lady Alpha, we's live to serve and obey." She had to wrinkle her nose when she said that. It sounded so silly saying that but she knew that Pam was going to roll her eyes at her.

Pam did just that and grumbled at her. "I think someone is looking for a mouse less salad for lunch." She was smiling though as she helped the two kits into their chairs and settled down to eat. The food was odd to her since it wasn't what she considered normal breakfast fare. It was fairly tasty though which was nice.

As they were eating Amarish made a small map appear that showed the temple and spaces they had cleared. He was talking with Kasai, Gianni, and Sandal, a pup from the other pack, about where to search next.

Pam watched them plot and plan and it was so cute. "Actually Amarish I have a job for you. I like the map you are creating and would like a copy. What I would like you to do today and in the following days as you take care of mice big and small is make the map as detailed as possible. I especially want you to indicate areas where you find hidden rooms, secret passageways, and that feel strange or bad. If you find any of those you come to either Maric or me immediately. That is especially if you sense something bad or wrong."

Amarish looked at her and pricked his ears at her as she was talking. He narrowed his eyes as she described what she wanted and nodded. "We's will Auntie Pam. I makes sure that us and pups stay safe. We find sense anything and we come right to you." They had finally finished and he hopped down and went over to a little dresser he had created. On top in a sword stand was his version of Dan's sword. He sheathed it and settled it across his back. Kasai did much the same though she still had the hair pin but now had a cute sheath to go with it.

After a nod Amarish formed up his mouse squad and they started discussion what they were going to do and how. He was still talking to them when Pam left the room to find Mari. First they were going to get the material and then they were going to sit down and talk to the female wolves. This was to let them know what they expected from them. Pam wasn't going to force them to be wolves such as her pack was. What she wanted was for them to find it for themselves. This was going to be accomplished by having the packs work together.

Since they were in the wing for the emperor's family she didn't need to worry about strangers. The only ones allowed were wolves, Kitsunes, and a few officials that had made the mark. As she walked out two Kitsunes started following her. She knew that between them and the pack there was a rotating watch being kept. The same went for Geoff and Mari as well as the new ruler and his mate. If it wasn't for the gravity of the situation she would have found it amusing. "Good morning gentlemen. I am going to Mari's rooms and we are going to be discussing our plans for the day. I am sure you are going to be fascinated by that so please feel free to listen in."

One of the two replied. "Of course lady of the clans, listening to females talk and make plans is simply fascinating. It is our honor to stand there and listen to what you come up with to do." When he said that his tone was even and composed, there was very little emotion in it as well.

She snorted at him but didn't say anything else to him since she knew he was teasing her. Pam was slowly learning the personalities of the guards and what they were like. The idea of having a group of nameless men guarding her was stupid. She wanted to know them so she could do her best to help them keep her safe.

Just about then they arrived at Mari and Geoff's room. Since the door was open she poked her head in and smiled. Geoff was in the process of changing one of the babies and Mari had just finished nursing the other. "Might we come in? Me and my henchmen? I want to do some plotting with you on how to take over the country so the women are in control."

Mari had to snicker at her for that comment. "Sure Pam not a problem and we can make some plans on taking over the other countries as well. Hell mom already runs her country so she is already on board." 

Geoff had to snort at both of them. "I would hate to see some sort of a crisis come at that time of the month or year. That is a terrible idea." He mock shuddered at both of them. "Well here is Grayson and I need to get going. Xipil and Maric and I want to do some plotting as well. Having taken over the palace was quite useful and we have screened a decent portion of the staff. The compound is relatively secure though we have a large number of soldiers to check. For the most part the officers and senior enlisted are the majority of the ones who didn't pass."

As soon as he mentioned the terms heat and crisis Mari didn't even think twice before nailing him with a pillow. Pam was more subtle about it and barely pointed her tail at him. When she released her power it was a trickle so it would be harder to sense. "And males are such good leaders. They never get carried away with the testosterone poisoning."

Geoff laughed at her and Mari. "Nope, never since we are used to dealing with it all the time and not sporadically. Well I have to get and I will talk to you later." He gave Mari a kiss and didn't realize she was staring at his hair. Pam had changed the color to a mixture of baby blue, pink, and a light green.

Pam simply smiled as he walked out of the room and then started snickering. "I almost wish I was there when he notices his lovely hair." She snickered some more and settled down next to Mari. "This morning we are going to take a couple of the female wolves and go shopping for material for uniforms. We are also going to get some other good materials so they can sew some new cloths. I might even see about getting some generic clothes as well."

Mari leaned against her and relaxed. It was good to have an alpha around again. "Sounds like a good idea and it will be nice to see more of this massive city. Give me a few to get ready and let Gettie know where I am going to be." She went over to the wardrobe and pulled out some light clothing. Mari most definitely wasn't used to this bloody heat since she had always lived in the North West.

It didn't take long for her to change and as they walked out Pam had to smile since another girl was waiting. There was the girl assigned to her rooms and another that followed her around in case she needed anything. It was silly but she could live with it. "I don't know who does most of the sewing for the pack. Can you please find her and have her come to the throne room? I will be there till she finds me."

The girl hurried off to take care of Pam's orders. It shouldn't take too long to find her. She didn't know why she wanted her but it wasn't up to her to ask.

~~~

While Pam was talking to Mari Maric and the senior Kitsune were outside along with a reasonable number of wolves. There were also a number of the officers that passed inspection. Most of them were younger than and not as jaded as the older ones. Maric figured he could work that out of them or he would toss them out along with the others.

Xipil was there as well though he was only going to be there for a short time. He had a number of bureaucrats, lawyers, and religious leaders he was starting to work with. The country was such a mish mash of customs, rules, and regulations that it was a nightmare to work through. Come hell or high water they were going to standardize as much as possible. For the moment he almost despaired at the amount of work needed to be done. There were also military records to review, tax records to review, construction projects to review and who knew what else. 

Maric looked at the various officers standing around him. "Okay gentlemen I am going to have my pack and the Kitsunes show you the standard of training I am going to be looking for. I know that humans can't compete against us when it comes to healing, speed and strength. They can work as a team to take down stronger and faster opponents. This is because the enemy can't be everywhere at once or protect all sides at once."

He turned to the wolves and Kitsunes. *Okay boys lets show them some general formations first and then each group break into two teams. They will fight the other team so that it will be wolf on wolf and Kitsune on Kitsune. After that it will be Kitsune verses wolf. I will call out when it is time to change to the next display. Form your troops and commence the exercise.*

The exercise had just started when Maric noticed Geoff walking out and had to blink. It wasn't just the disgruntled expression on his face that really caught his attention but his hair. He barely managed to not laugh at him since that would only make it worse. 

The others noticed his approach as well and stared as well. Geoff yipped at them in Kitsune before actually speaking. "Get the laughter over with. When Lady Pam and my mate get home I will deal with them..."

Xipil was trying to look serious even after Geoff swore at them with the yip. After swallowing several times he managed to frown slightly. "That was not a nice thing to say Geoff even if she did make your hair all pretty." It was too much and he turned away and covered his mouth to muffle the laughter.

Maric turned back to the troops who had stalled when the mental commands had stopped. When they turned to see what was going on someone was heard saying 'Oh Myyy'. *Is there some reason you aren't continuing?* 

The wolves managed to turn back to the training as did the Kitsunes. Maric had them working out for close to an hour before letting them have a water break. *Go relax in the shade till I call you back.* "As you see gentlemen when wolves fight wolves it is very violent and no holds barred. We do fight in small teams as best possible since our wolf has a certain amount of trouble not being an individual. As you saw with the Kitsunes when they were fighting the wolves they were ganging up several to a wolf. That is simply because they don't have the strength or speed to take on a wolf one at a time." He paused for a moment. "Okay, there are some Kitsunes that can but they tend to be either trained as personal security or are older and powerful. The one time I saw a Kitsune actually 'win' a training exercise was with a sword. He is damn good with it and god pity you if you ever do something stupid enough to warrant a challenge. He will win and I will cheerfully bring a beer and popcorn to the show."

He turned back to the local wolves and troops that had been selected as possible guards for the new leader. "Wolves front and center." As they hurried up it was obvious very few of them had ever served as soldiers. Those that had took a bit of time to form the ranks so that they were somewhat neat and tidy. Maric simply stood there and waited till they were finished. The senior wolf called up to the short tower the officers were in that they were ready.

Maric nodded. "Good morning wolves. I am pleased to see you out here and wanting to learn. I am going to assign a number of Pam's wolves to teach you. In the beginning I am going to have you learning basic formations and drills as well as the use of knives, swords, and other non-projectile weapons. This is simply because you need the foundation taught before we train you to shoot. Your days are going to be long and filled with heavy work. This is to bring you to the peak of what your wolf can be." He looked around and nodded. "Suzy take charge of the wolves. Oh, and you need to come up with a pack name to fight under. Take it to your pack and let me know when you have decided." 

He nodded at Suzy and she took charge and with several others led them off the field. Maric then called up the soldiers and spoke to them as well. One point he made was that the Kitsunes were going to be training them first to protect the new leader and second as the best soldiers the leader could get. They were going to be his shock troops. Once he was done with them he called for several of the Kitsunes to take charge.

The last group was the officers of the various troops that lived in the temple grounds as well as in various parts of the city. With them he was rather blunt and informed them of the new rules of how to treat the soldiers correctly. There were a few other things he explained to them. All of them were accompanied by a number of grisly threats. Several chose to resign their commissions. Maric cheerfully accepted and after stripping them of their rank and any military items had them tossed out the gate.




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 06



The remaining officers and senior troops really didn't like the threats since Maric came across as totally willing to implement them. After he had finished he dismissed them and informed them that they needed to inventory all equipment assigned to them. If any was missing they were to have an explanation on why they were missing. He would be starting inspections of the living quarters in the morning.

~~~

When they finally made it out of the palace grounds Pam heaved a sigh of relief. "God that place makes my eyes ache. I keep resisting the urge to tear it down and start over." One thing she had discovered was many of the hallways had a very adulterated gold. Only in the central spaces was the gold almost pure. The throne was close to being solid gold and that was the first thing removed. Xipil was currently using a very comfortable chair that looked like it had been found in a dumpster. Some of the looks he received while holding the morning sessions was great.

Mari snorted at her. "I don't even want to contemplate how many people the throne alone would feed." That was a slight growl from her since she had been taught by Dan to take care of pack. Geoff had reinforced it with taking care of the clan. "I am glad you had an emperor roast since he wasn't worth shit." She spat out the back of the truck.

As she and Pam were talking the local wolves that were going along with them were trying not to gasp. Even though they had hated and despised the Emperor they had been raised to think of him as almost a god. Hearing the two essentially say he was little more than the dirt on your shoes was almost horrifying.

Mari glanced at one of them. "There are far worse things I could say about him. The lack of concern for his people, all of his people, is repulsive. He was a selfish self-centered child who thought the world revolved around him. The sheer amounts of gold inside that building boggles my mind and believe me I have become used to having a nice stash of cash to take care of the manor and grounds. The roads are a disaster; the soldiers are undertrained and ill equipped. The officers and officials are rather corrupt. I could keep going but I won't. It is going to take some time but you will see this country organized and run as best possible."

That got some quiet muttering amongst the females that had come with. The guards simply smiled slightly and gave Mari and Pam a slight nod. One of the Kitsune guards was trying to figure out why the young girl who helped take care of Pam was sitting close to him. About the only thing he could sense from her was that she actually felt safe.

When he glanced at Pam she simply smiled slightly and nodded in his direction. That got a mental sigh from the young man and he mentally muttered to himself. Some days females were enough to drive him nuts. He was still muttering when the two trucks pulled up in front of a large material store. A wolf and Kitsune jumped out first and scanned the crowd for any threats before letting Pam and Mari out. Their protection included the female wolves as well. 

Once they were out and a few guards were stationed around the truck they headed into the store. In the street the crowd was moving to the other side to avoid catching the attention of anyone. There were a number of stares since nobody was in any sort of uniform. The fact the Emperor was dead hadn't spread very far. If someone heard rumor of it they ignored it and kept doing their own thing.

When they walked into the store the local wolves stopped at the door. "We aren't allowed into this shop Lady Pam." The seamstress pointed at a sign over the door.

Pam walked back out and contemplated the sign and since it was hanging by a chain she snapped her sword out of thin air and there was a slight ting as the chain was sliced and the sign fell. "I don't see any sign do you?" She turned to the guards. "Two of you go in, chase everyone out and gather the staff."

The local wolves looked more than somewhat startled by her actions. They were looking rather concerned as well. This policy had been in place for a long time and it kept getting more stringent. "Are you sure it is okay ma'am?" The young girl asked.

Pam smiled at her. "Of course it is okay. The old emperor is no longer and anytime there is a change of command policies is reviewed. Some remain in place and others don't change. This policy no longer exists and Xipil agrees." As she was talking a number of people were shooed out and there was a great deal of angry muttering.

One female, obviously well off, noticed the local wolves and snarled some vile curses at them and spat on the ground. That didn't last long since the next moment Pam's blade was at her throat. "I strongly recommend you take that insult back. If you don't I will let the pups have your head to use as a kick ball." Her voice was completely emotionless though there was anger in her eyes and hints of flickering flames as well.

The old woman obviously thought she was better than everyone else and the rules didn't apply. "How dare you threaten me? You are just some foreign slut with no manners or breeding. My husband will hear of this and deal with..." Suddenly her head popped off her body as Pam's sword severed it.

"I am not a slut you cunt. I would say never try me again but that seems to be a moot case." She looked at one of the wolves. "I don't think her head would make a good kickball as ugly as it is. The face alone would probably give the pups nightmares." 

The females who had been chased out were looking on with horror. Their eyes were flickering between Pam and the body. One lady turned and blew chunks over another's feet. A second one simply collapsed where she stood. Pam wiped the blade off and rested it on her shoulder. "Anyone else have a problem with us going into the shop?" Her cold eyes traveled around the group and they suddenly found other things to do.

When they had cleared out she found one of her wolves holding two house hold guards. Both were unconscious. "What shall we do with these two ma'am?" He was grinning big time since this was an alpha female a wolf could look up to.

"Drag the body off to one side, strip it of any valuables, and toss the guards next to her. Beyond that I really don't care." She turned and stalked into the store. "Get the manager of this flea infested shop now."

The girl behind the counter could only start at Pam till Mari spoke. "She is feeling a bit irritable. Something about her mate having death magic tossed at him has her somewhat upset. I would strongly recommend you find the manager. Let her see what happened outside and strongly suggest she be polite. I would hate to see any of the cloth in here stained red." She was checking out her fingernails. "Oh damn, I have a hangnail. We need to hurry this up Pam so I can take care of it."

The girl almost seemed to vanish as quickly as she left the front of the shop. It took her a while to find and come back with her manager. While she was gone they were looking through the bolts of cloth and discussing colors. "I think since the Red Kitsune clan is now in charge the uniforms will have a dark red front and back with light red for the rest of it. Since Rusty didn't really give us any instructions other than make it so we will design it ourselves." In the back of her mind she heard a 'Hey I am not rusty, I am red darn it woman.'

She snickered at that and everyone looked at her. "Sorry but Rusty was objecting to the name Rusty but since he didn't give me his name Rusty it is." That got even more grumbling in the back of her mind. 

The seamstress kept going for the cheaper material till Pam told her to stop. "Look at it this way, you and your pack are now palace employees. I will not having you look like lower level citizens simply because the quality of material bothers you. You are going to have better material to make clothes, pillows, and uniforms with. I want you to be able to look in the mirror and feel pride in your new station and job." She rested her hand on the woman's shoulder. "There is another reason as well. With you nicely dressed and looking proud of your new station and being proud of being wolves it will have an impact on visiting wolves. I want the other packs in this land to look at you and know that they can strive to be as good as or better than those they are looking at."

The seamstress looked up at her and her eyes were moist with emotions. It felt so strange for someone outside the pack to care like Pam and Mari obviously did. "Yes Lady Pam, we will do as you ask and make you proud as well."

About then the woman came back with the manager who was looking like she already had one cup to many for the day. She had sunken eyes that were rather pig like, her face was almost bloated from drink, and there was a certain fragrance to her. "Who the hell let some dogs in here? No others are allowed in my shop." Her speech was slurred as well.

Pam wrinkled her nose. "Can someone get me a bucket? I might end up vomiting from the stench alone. It is amazing just how odiferous opinions and bad hygiene can be. Have you even considered bathing in the last month or so?" Her voice was as insulting as possible. "Oh, and they aren't dogs, they are wolves and even living in the slums they were far cleaner than you. I would be afraid to come near you since you probably have lice and fleas."

The woman snarled at Pam as her staff was quickly getting out of the line of fire. "Get your whore ass out of my shop you mongrel dog. I will not have you marking my material with your piss. I have the right to deny service to others as I wish. The Emperor had decreed it. Get out of my shop and go wallow back in the slums where you belong."

That really was the wrong thing for her to say since she now had a number of weapons aimed at her and all the safeties off. Pam turned to them. "Relax gentlemen. Why should I be insulted by someone who is the results of the coupling of an ugly monkey and a donkey? It is natural for such a result to bray their ignorance to the world. I will deal with this."

She turned back and the woman was starting to turn red. "For your information I killed the former mongrel pig who sat on the throne. I rammed my sword through his black heart and flambéed him. As of now this decree you mentioned has been revoked. Say one more vile word to me and I will flambé you as well to remove the stench from the room." She was doing everything she could to egg the idiot on so she could make another example out of her.

The woman had been in the middle of taking a drink from her cup when Pam spoke. She snarled in anger over the insults and hurled the cup at Pam. Before it even got close to her one of the Kitsunes snatched it out of the air and looked at it in revulsion. At one point it had been a valuable goblet but now it was coated with stains and residue of god only knew what.

Pam gave her an evil smile. "Everyone says my mate has a mean streak a mile wide when he is ticked off. I am working to match him and you are helping. Goodbye old woman." She shifted to her mid-form and her black tail snapped around and pointed at the woman. A beam the color of the black of night seemed to flow out of it and impacted the woman in the forehead and she froze.

When Pam spoke her voice had changed and there was a masculine over tone to it. *I am giving you either a blessing or curse depending on how you choose to look at it. You are no longer of the day and are a being of the night. Night has become your new world. The sun is no longer a friend of yours and where it falls on your body it will burn. It will not kill you but it will burn till you wished you were dead. If you make this a blessing when you are ready I will talk to my cousin of the sun to show you the light of the day again. Now go, flee the burning heat of the sun and the illumination of the darkest parts of you also by the sun." The voice was calm and collected though there was a hint of amusement as well.

The woman screeched when the curse was placed. In the middle of her forehead was a symbol in black. If anyone tried to do anything to the curse it would show the creators rank and person symbol. If they were stupid enough to keep trying to remove it then they would be cursed as well. She felt the command to run and she did though it was more of a fat waddle.

Pam's expression softened. "Now could we get some service over here? Be polite and professional and no harm will come to you. If you give the best service possible I will consider using your shop for the main source of material." The first woman came over and after a nervous look at Pam started talking with the seamstress.

Mari moved over and started talking with another female as well. Pam decided it would be better to stay to the side and simply let the others do the talking. Every now and then she was called over to check this type of material or her opinion on that color. It took several hours for the materials to be chosen and paid for. Once that was done she had the many bolts loaded into the back of one of the trucks.

"Well that went better than I expected. It was nice to see some good customer service." As she was talking she pulled a thin slice of rice paper out, mentally imprinted a symbol on it and stuck it to a window. "This indicates this shop has been added to the recommended places to purchase from. More specifically material to be purchased by the palace."

She turned and walked away and climbed into the back of the truck with the others. They made several more stops. A number of them were simply because Pam was still pissed off from the first shop. As needed she would stomp on anyone who insulted her wolves. In this case it was financially by informing them the palace would never do business with them again. By the time they made it back to the palace she was in a much better mood.

Her guards were smiling and laughing as well since they had a great time watching her stomp on the idiots. The female wolves were giving all of them odd looks except for the girl. She was leaning against the one Kitsune and giggling at his jokes. He was back to looking somewhat nervous and not sure what to do about her. It just wasn't something he had ever dealt with before.

Pam and the female wolves simply smirked at him which only made him even more nervous. Several times he considered running but that wouldn't be kosher since he was on duty. Once they pulled into the courtyard that now belonged to the pack he hopped out to get away from her. That didn't work since she hopped out as well and followed him to the second truck.

Once the gate in the back of the truck was down people started coming out and off loading the material and other items purchased. It was quite a load and took a while to unload. Since she had made a point of making sure they left several rooms open for supplies and as work rooms they had. Everything went into there and the women would sort it out later.

Mari stretched. "I have to go nurse. Would you like to have lunch with me Pam? There are some things we really need to talk about." She looped her arm around Pam's and they said good bye and headed to Mari's quarters.

~~~

Maric, Suzy, and several others were sitting in the officer's mess eating lunch. They were discussing how the morning had gone and what they wanted to implement. For this discussion it was specifically for the wolves and potential imperial troops. "This afternoon I am going to be going and watching the garrison troops train. That will give me an idea of..." He coughed for a moment and cleared his throat. "What is needed to bring their training up to some standard..." Maric started coughing again and then grabbed his stomach as a burning pain shot through it.

He whispered 'poison' before collapsing on the floor. He was still holding his stomach and coughing and twitching. His breathing wasn't good and his face was turning pale and his lips blue.

Suzy didn't even hesitate. *Someone poisoned Maric. I need a healer in the officer's mess. Close and secure the gates immediately. Do not let anyone in or out. If they try to get out stop them. If they keep trying restrain them. Do not and I repeat do not kill them." Once that was sent she started calling other orders out including all the kitchen staff to be secured. She had little hopes of that being of much use but better than sorry.

It took a moment for that to set in before the palace erupted in a hive of activity. Pam's wolves reacted first and all of them, including the females, headed to the gates to secure them. As Suzy was calling orders Kasai and Amarish appeared and Kasai started whispering quietly in Kitsune. Amarish had his hands on her shoulders and was whispering as well. A red glow formed around Maric and he started to still.

A few minutes later one of the Kitsune guards who was also a healer showed up and was followed in by the pups. They formed up on two sides of the door and all of them had their hair pins or knives out just in case.

The healer hurried over and rested a hand on Kasai to sense what she was getting from the shield. They were there for several minutes before he snarled something. "He has been poisoned with a mixture of Silver Nitrate blended with Strychnine. Something was added to make it odorless and tasteless. That has traces of magic in it. Save the food and send it to the clan for further research. Put it in ice and keep it as cold as possible though not frozen."

As he was talking he took over the shield and Amarish carefully picked Kasai up since she was very tired. He carried her over to the pups and handed her to Gianni. "Hold her please? She tired. Take her to Pam's room when done here." The expression on his face was not a happy one at all.

Pam finally showed up as did Mari and they settled down next to Maric and the healer. He quickly told her what was wrong and she snarled as well. It almost sounded like she was chewing the words and spitting them out in her anger. "Let me take care of him healer. When I tell you to remove the shield do so and I will take over." Pam's voice was again overlaid with another though this time it was a female. 

Her eyes turned golden and traces of a golden foxfire flickered around her fingers. She started chanting in a form of Kitsune the others couldn't understand. When she got to a certain point she nodded at the healer and he withdrew the shield. A golden shield that resembled sunlight formed and settled over him. It was hard to describe what happened next but it was almost as if the light actually flowed through him.

When it did that Maric groaned and spasmed again, he was obviously in agony as she was working on him. Eventually the light finished flowing through him and Pam reached down and picked something up. It was hidden in her hand and vanished as the golden foxfire faded. She took a deep breath and shuddered. "I wish they would warn me about that. Take him to his quarters and give him plenty of water. It will take his body time to get rid of the poison but by tomorrow he should be doing much better.

~~~

In the dark cavern the creature was leaning over his scrying bowl again. He watched the events that went down in the dining facility and gave a good cackle. This would put a crimp in their plans. With the wolf in charge removed their ability to train nearly as well. They would have to find someone else to take charge. With the Alpha and beta gone it would throw the pack into chaos as well.

Once the wolf went down and started choking and dying he placed a drop of the venom of a demon on the water. Once it spread out he started whispering words that were so vile that any bird nearby died immediately. Others flew for their lives. A different scene showed in the bowl and there was a mid-grade officer looking through some books. He was making notations as well as recording numbers in a series of columns. More whispering and a spell one of his followers had placed on the man activated. 




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 06



The spell wasn't actually evil or tainted with the corrupted darkness so it would be much harder to detect. What it did was force the man to occasionally screw up the inventory and shipping of supplies. If he ordered too many victuals some of them would spoil and potentially damage other food items. If someone requested a case of one caliber of ammunition they would get a different caliber. He would immediately forget the changes made as well.

It was mostly a harassing tactic though it could cause local problems with morale. Right now he needed to keep his enemies off center since events had forced him to move faster than he planned. He needed the time to organize his troops and equip them. Since the winter season was coming on he was going to have to wait for the coming spring. The winter on the plains and mountains were fierce and as much as he hated waiting he wasn't going to move his troops. He could easily loose a third or more in the march alone.

Once he was sure the spell was working he took the bowl and dumped the water into his dinner. The demon venom would make it so much tastier. He also went out and gathered up a goodly pile of the birds and small animals that had died. For a regular person to eat the meat would kill them in a horrible way as the darkness ate its way out of their bodies. He rather liked the tang of corrupted death it added to his stews. The birds were tossed in the pot as he found them.

~~~

Kogane No Hahaoya, the sun Kitsune, appeared in the realm where Dan was and immediately went into the shielded area. The item that she had Pam pick up looked like a small vial of glowing sunlight. Inside was a black inky substance that appeared to be doing its best not to touch the light. She gave it a shake and grinned when it recoiled from the sides of the bottle. She set it in a receptacle that was ready for it and drained the darkness out and contained it in a separate vial in the specially damped collection from Dan. The trickle from him had slowed down to a steady drip that had been consistent for the last few days.

At the moment all seven female Kitsune spirits were residing at the healing center. Their technicians were running a massive number of tests. Unfortunately they could only do one or maybe two at a time. All the tests needed to be done in the confinement area or the ichors would start impacting on their realm. As each test was done the results were being collated to see what results were the same and which were different. They were starting to get some results but they had a fair ways to go before they could really do anything.

Amariah's mother was cuddling her in bed at the end of the current day. She really didn't like the idea of keeping her daughter around the black stuff at all. "Amariah I am going to send you back to Pam. I know you want to stay with Dan but till we find out what the ichors is I don't want you around it at all. That and I think it would help comfort you to be with your brother. That isn't even mentioning the pups you have grown so fond of. Amarish sent me a missive earlier telling me there are more pups now and he has a mousy platoon. I am sure he would like to introduce you to the new pups."

Amariah tucked her nose under her mother's since they were both in full form. She listened to her mother and sniffed some. *I want Danny better. I woves him almost as much as I woves you and pappa.* After sniffing a bit longer she stood and licked her mother's muzzle and got a return lick. Once she received a wave of comforting love from her mother she jumped into the air and vanished.

When she appeared she fell a few inches onto Pam's bed. Amarish and Kasai were already curled up together. She turned to her mid-form and crawled up behind her brother and wrapped her arms around him.

He woke and rolled over and changed as well. Amarish wrapped his arms around his sister and when she started crying he let her. 

Kasai woke up as well and she moved over to them and wrapped her arms around Amariah as well. She gently pushed comfort on her friend and quietly cooed in her ear. Kasai had never met Dan but from what she had heard and how Amarish admired and looked up to him he must be really special.

Pam came in a few moments later and settled on the bed and gathered all three up and held them close to her. "Hello love and I am here for you. If you need to cry do and I will hold you while you cry and then when you are sleeping." She sat there with the three of them till Mari came in.

Mari walked over to the bed and after settling down gathered Amariah up. "Hello little one. Relax against me and relax. My power as a submissive wolf should help you relax. I will stay in here with you if you want. I do have a job during the night time if you would like to hear about it."

Amariah rubbed her face against Mari's shoulder and let her comfort her. When Mari said she had a job for her she had to wonder what it was. She took a deep breath. "I...I...I's would li..li..like to's know what j-j-job is."

Mari smiled at her. "Good job sweetie and keep practicing and in no time it will slowly get better. Well I am somewhat concerned about my pups. What I would like is if you would curl up with them. I know you will sense if anything might threaten them and let me know. I will feel more comfortable if I know you are sleeping with them and protecting them with your spirit."

Amariah sat up and looked up at Mari to see if she might be teasing but it didn't look like it. She had played with Mari a few times and she had never teased her about her stutter. They had even talked a few times and Mari was very patient with her as she struggled to speak. "Does y-y-you really mean t-t-that? I wasn't able to protect Danny since I am little Kitsune."

Mari gathered her close and gave her a good hug. "Of course I mean it silly. I don't randomly offer strangers the chance to watch my pups. I know you and trust you. You did help Dan long enough for the Spirits to come and get him. I don't expect you to fight anything larger than a rat off. I know that if you sense something you will contact me and my guard or Geoff if he is there. So will you do that for me? They sleep in the room with Gettie as well and I know you like her."

Amariah wiggled free and stood on Mari's lap and gave her a good nod. "I's watch for you at-t-t night while sleepy t-t-time."

Mari smiled at her. "In that case I will have a bed made that is large enough for the three of you. If Amarish and Kasai want to join you occasionally there will be room for them. Now I am tired and want to feed the little beasties before I go to sleep." She scooped the girl up and with a smile at the three still sitting on the bed left the room.

Once they left Amarish looked sad. "Auntie Pammy I am going to be with my sissy tonight. She's needs comfort." He stood up and wrapped his arms around her and gave her a good hug. He glanced at Kasai to see what she was going to do.

She was nibbling on a finger nail as she thought. "I's go sleepy with her also. I want's to be here with you as well. Amariah needs comfort." She gave Pam a good hug as well.

Pam glanced at both of them and had a pleased expression. "I am proud of both of you for deciding this. I will be fine and chances are good I will find a pup or two in my bed by the time I wake tomorrow. Go be with your sister and give her all the love and attention you can."

Amarish stared at his little sword and his face hardened. "Nobody hurts sissy but me. I deals with anyone who tries." When he said hurts he was talking while playing which was understood. If he did hurt her by nipping to hard he would stop much like she had at times and give her a good hug. He picked his sword up, sheathed it and after taking Kasai's hand left the room.

Pam had to smile at him and hoped that her pups would be somewhat like him. He was so cute and took his duties seriously. As they left an idea occurred to her and she snickered very quietly. She looked at the young woman who was sitting in the chair. "Can you get me the seamstress? I have something special I would like to do for Amarish."

The girl stood up and grinned. The little Kitsune had won the hearts of many of the wolves by his actions. That and he were totally darling and most of the girls loved petting his ears when he let them. "I will ma'am."

~~~

When Maric woke next he felt like crap. His head ached and throbbed, his stomach was a mass of agony, and the rest of his body felt the sting of the silver. It was going to take several days for him to recover due to his body having to excrete the silver. Once the silver was gone from his system his wolf healing would kick in and he would be fine shortly after. When he groaned he felt the bed move and Nara carefully sat up.

"How are you feeling Maric? I was so worried when they called me to our rooms and carried you in." She leaned forward and gave him a light kiss. "I know the pack would take care of me but I was so scared I was going to lose you." She settled down next to him and waited.

He groaned again. "Well if you can chase away the guy with the jack hammer in my brain that would be nice. Something to calm my stomach and insides would be nice as well. That isn't even mentioning something to get rid of what feels like silver in my body."

She smiled at him. "Well I have something for the first two but the third you are going to have to let time take its course." She stood up and walked around the bed to his side and checked the cup and it was cool enough for him to drink.

Maric watched her and as she was standing there she was in a thin shift due to the heat. Light from the moon shone through the window and showed her swelling stomach. Even though it hurt he reached over and lightly stroked her stomach and smiled. One day it would be his pups growing in there and the idea actually pleased him.

Nara lightly smacked his hand. "None of that mister, you are sick and need to heal." She did smile at him in amusement when he started pouting. "Is my poor widdle wolfie being picked on? I will comfort him later." She helped him sit up and then helped him with the first tea.

Maric wanted to growl at her but didn't feel up to it. "You had better be good woman or I will rise from my sick bed and put you in your place." He started sipping the tea and thankfully it was pretty good. After he finished it he relaxed against her and let the medicine work.

Eventually his stomach calmed down and stopped aching so he carefully drank down the other medicine. It wasn't nearly as tasty and he could taste the strong dose of willow bark in it. After finishing that he relaxed again and his head slowly felt better. "Thank you Nara that really helped." He let her settle him back in bed. 

She was close enough for him to stroke her vanishing sides and belly. "One of these days it will be our pups growing inside you." He urged her onto his lap and started stroking her sides and back. Her hands were resting on his chest and he could see the contentment on her face. As he slid his hands up her back he kept going and stripped her shift off.

Nara was relaxing and enjoying the contact with her mate. She knew that he was still dealing with the loss of his prior mate. Nara didn't begrudge him the time he needed to come to terms with his wolf taking her as his. When he stripped her shift off she smiled but shook her head. "I was being serious Maric. I don't mind some stroking and such but no nooky for you till the silver is gone."

He gave her a very serious look. "I know babe. I don't want to chance anything happening to you or Dan's pups. I just need to touch you and feel somewhat alive right now." His hands slid around and were stroking her belly and thighs. He was enjoying looking at her as well. The native Indian showed in her features and skin. Her hair was long and straight and solid black. Her featured had the high cheekbones but in her they were finely chiseled and not harsh as with some.

Her body would be slender if she wasn't pregnant but her skin was warm and smooth. Her breasts were somewhat larger with nice large nipples which he preferred. All in all she was a very attractive woman and they enjoyed sleeping with each other. "I know that I am having issues talking to you about some things. I deeply appreciate your patients and the time you are giving me. You are a nice woman and very attractive as well." As he was talking his large hands were slowly stroking her breasts.

She enjoyed watching him looking at her. Nara knew that she was attractive but some of the northern European races were put off by the Indian features. When he thanked her for giving him time she was having trouble thinking since he was playing with her breasts. Before she could say anything she had to wait till he stopped which he finally did. "I understand what you are saying and why. I know you care for me even if you can't express it right now." She slid off his waist and settled down next to him. "Now go to sleep and I have more tea as needed."

~~~

The next morning when Mari woke up and checked on the babies she had to smile. Amarish was curled up around his sister and his sword was above his head on the floor so it was easy to get to. Kasai also had her hair pin handy as well and she was curled up on the other side of Amariah. One of the babies started fussing so she picked him up and settled down to nurse.

Amariah rolled over and stretched and sat up while yawning. She looked at Mari and gave her the best smile she could. "M-m-morning Lady Mari." 

Amarish and Kasai woke up as well and did much the same. "We's gotta get back to Auntie Pammy's room. The pups will be expecting us there. Auntie Pammy gave me a really important job and after we eat we's has to get to work." He stood and stretched before pulling on his little shirt and slung his sword.

Kasai did much the same and checked her hair pin before tucking it through the Obi since she preferred the Kimono most of the time. "And find more mousy. Not have mousy where we live. They good to eat."

Mari laughed at Kasai. "Maybe for a little Kitsune but it would take quite a few mousy's to feed me. Now a couple of rabbits make a good snack and no that isn't a suggestion." The three of them scampered out of the room.

When they reached Pam's room she was already eating and her current assistant helped them into chairs. She took a moment to stroke Amariah's ears and hair. "So you are the sister that Amarish has been missing so much. You are a cutie and if you want I have some sewing to do and you can sit with me. Unless you want to hunt mices down and kill spiders."

Amariah was fine till she mentioned spiders and shuddered. "Not hunt spiders. N-n-not good. B-b-big teeth's." She had seen one of the tarantulas briefly and it had shocked the daylights out of her. As Dan would put it she almost had to change her loincloth. "I s-s-stay with you."

Right after they had finished eating and hopped down from the chairs the pups scooted into the room. Amariah had to stare since there were lots more pups than before. She hadn't known they had brought a pack in. The new pups stared at her as well till Gianni squealed and ran over to her and gave her a big hug. 

"Amariah!! I's glad to see you. We's going hunting, you go with?" She gave her another good hug. *Thank you for trying to help Danny. We were so worried yous might strain yourself.* 

Amariah leaned in to the hug and almost cried when Gianni thanked her. *I's stay here and help sew. Spiders here are icky and scary.* She shuddered again which got a giggle from Gianni. "Well we will keeps a few mousy's for you."

Pam smiled as she left them in the room. Amarish was marshalling his troops and discussing where they had been the day before. He was getting input on places the pups hadn't been comfortable in or something just looked wrong.

Since she was going to go and continue the talk with the seamstress about her surprise. She also wanted to get a general idea when it might be done so she could surprise Amarish with it. When she walked into the sewing room the old lady was adding a few more details to the rough drawing. The two of them had mostly finalized the design for the shoulder patch she was having made. It showed a dead mouse in the middle with a Katana through it. Around the edges of the round patch it had 'Imperial Mouse Assault Squad'. Once she had enough she would present them to him in the throne room and let him decide who got one.

~~~

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story. Please vote and leave a comment since they are the life blood of any author.



Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 07



Thanks for your patients as I worked on this. I hope you enjoy this installment and continue to vote and give me feedback and comments. 

All intimate relations are 18+. 

*****

It was several days later when Pam finally received all the patches she had asked for. Each and every one was carefully inspected by her and matched up with the drawing that had been created. Once the patches had passed Pam's inspection she talked to Xipil about having a little ceremony for the little Kitsunes as well as the pups. She wanted to give the patches to the kids in front of anyone that was in the throne room.

Xipil had thought it was a grand idea and after long consideration had small swords made for the pups as well to replace the scavenged knives the pups were carrying. As far as the hair pin Kasai carried that was almost her personal symbol and wasn't going to be replaced. He had talked to both his weapons master as well as the local royal blacksmiths. He had made sure the blacksmiths knew he wanted real swords and not just some play thing. They promised they would be done in time for the ceremony.

Once they had everything ready they put their plan in motion. All the parents of the pups, senior wolves, a number of officers, and various officials were invited (read would be there or else) to the ceremony. They even had a cake and some drinks for the pups and kits. There was no way he could hold a party large enough for all the attendee's and this wasn't for them. It was specifically for the children.

The morning of the ceremony once breakfast was over Pam looked at the pups and the two Kitsunes and frowned. "Amarish I need all of you to change into you best cloths and report to the throne room at nine am sharp. There are a few things to be announced that you and your mousy hunters need to be made aware of. Take charge and ensure your troops are looking as best possible." She dismissed him.

He pricked his ears at her and tilted his head to one side and contemplated her words and what her spirit had to say. Her spirit wasn't giving anything away and had her normal emotions. He nodded at her. "Yes Auntie Pammy I will take care of it." He hopped down from his chair and waved Kasai over. "Take the girl pups and makes sure they are neat and clean. Gianni will helps you with that. I's will take the boy pups and take care of them."

They split up and hurried out of the room. Pam had to grin at the girl currently sitting in the chair. "I can't wait to see their expressions. If you want to come along please do. I know you have been doing some sewing for the pups to standardize what they wear on the mouse hunts." The girl grinned and put her sewing aside. Next to her chair was a small chair that Amariah was using. She still didn't have any urge to hunt since there were spiders. Instead she was learning actual sewing from the girl since she was still way too young to call clothes out of thin air. She had been helping with the little uniforms as well.

When Pam and the girl walked out of the room they encountered Mari and Gettie who were also heading to the throne room. Gettie had Amariah on her shoulder this morning. Since Dan wasn't there Amariah had been sitting on a number of shoulders. For some reason she loved sitting on Gettie's and Xipil's shoulder. With Xipil it was also sitting in his lap while he was holding court. She would quietly ask him questions about some of his decisions and he was teaching her a great deal. When she grew up she might not be a leader like her father or Amarish but she would stand next to her mate and help.

The small group walked into the throne room and Pam almost smiled. On one side facing Xipil was the pack members in a neat formation. On the other side were the court officials and they were far less organized. About five minutes before nine Amarish and Kasai walked in leading their little pack of pups and neatly formed up. Amarish stepped forward and spoke. "The mousy squad is present and accounted for." He stepped back and all the pups quieted down.

Xipil gave Amarish a nod and ignored the officials who glared at the pups. The last time they had been in there they had a puppy fight which most of them had been offended by. He glanced at the watch on his wrist and stood up and stepped down from the throne. "Good morning Ladies, Gentlemen, pack members and pups. I am here to make official a new section of the Imperial Guard. The new section has been loyal, diligent, exceeded their duty requirements, and been of a great boon to the palace."

He turned to Pam and gave her the nod. Pam stepped forward and smiled. "Thank you Xipil for allowing me to take over. The troops he is talking about have taken their orders very seriously and stand above all the others in that diligence. They have also helped save a senior wolf and helped ensure that the royal wing and those living in it have been kept safe. Now for the introduction of the new troops will Captain Amarish Silver-Tail step forward as well as Kasai Fire-heart. Bring your troop to formation in front of the throne please."

Amarish and Kasai traded startled looks. In his little voice Amarish called the pups to order and marched them out so they were standing in two lines in front of Xipil. When Amarish spoke his voice was somewhat nervous. "Clan Lord and Lady of the Clans we report as ordered." He was looking somewhat concerned as well since he still wasn't sure where this was going.

Pam looked at Xipil. He spoke to the crowd. "Since this issue was brought to my attention by Lady Alpha Pamela Legarith I chose to let her deal with it. She has my approval for her actions and what she is to do this morning."

Pam stepped forward and knelt down in front of Amarish and Kasai. "Amarish I have paid close attention to your actions and since you are doing a worthy job I talked to Xipil. He approved the formation of the new Imperial Mouse Assault Squad. It is to be led by Amarish and his mate to be Kasai." She pulled out a stack of the patches and waved him forward. "These are your squad patches. Since you are to be the leader you have the right to hand them out to the pups that are worthy of them."

Amarish stood there and looked at the patches in shock. He tried to say something but tears were flowing down his face. After a few moments he looked up at her. "Thanks you Auntie Pammy and thanks you Clan Lord Xipil." He looked back down at the patches and lightly stroked one.

As soon as Pam stood up the emperor took a small bundle from the Weapons Master and walked forward. "I have a present as well. For the pups who have earned the patch I have had replacements for the various knives that have been used." He handed it to Kasai and looked at Amarish. "As you give out those patches give out the swords. As to what Dan told you that applies here as well. They only come out when you are hunting the mice, rats, and spiders. Any other time they are to be kept in Lady Pam's room. I have a sword stand for them already installed."

He paused before returning to his seat. "The knives need to be returned to whence they came." He returned to his seat and sat down. "Order your troops and report to Lady Pam's room to have the patches sewn on your cloths. Dismissed."

Since Amarish was still a child he forgot decorum and hopped onto Xipil's lap and gave him a good hug. "Thanks you and this means a great deal to me and my squad." After one more hug he hopped down and was getting ready to march them out when a glowing silver portal appeared and his and Amariah's parents walked out.

Amaratsue smiled at him. "Take your squad to Lady Pam's room and we will be there momentarily." For a very brief moment he ignored the face that all the other Kitsunes went to one knee. 

Amarish gave his father a reasonable salute. "Yes daddy I will do so." He formed up the troops and they marched out of the room.

"Rise everyone please. This is an informal visit and nothing else. I am just visiting my children since my mate and I were invited as well." When Amariah came over and held her arms out he picked her up and held her to his chest. He looked down as she leaned against him and closed her eyes. *Relax hun, your mother has some information for Pam.*

"If you will excuse us Xipil I am going to say hello to my son and Kasai as well." He turned and started to walk out. His mate took Pam's arm and tucked her arm though Pam's. "I have some news and some progress to tell you about. Don't get too excited since we are still researching this." They walked out of the throne room together followed by Mari and Gettie.

Pam nodded though her face became tense, her stride didn't change even slightly. *We will talk about it in a few. Right now I want to watch Amarish give out the patches and the swords.* "He is such a darling boy. I hope our pups are as good as he is. His sister is a darling girl as well. They have brought a good deal of humor to this stressful time."

Gin No had to smile and then sighed. "I would like to know the secret you and Danilo have on keeping them semi-corralled. I am not sure what you have done but they have been better behaved than usual. Mind you they aren't bad kits but most Kitsunes their age tend to be stinkers since they are discovering their powers. I think that is where half the stories of the 'trickster fox' came from." She had to roll her eyes.

Pam gave a light laugh. "I wish I could tell you but I think much of it is Dan himself. He treats them like he does the pups. He expects rambunctiousness but he also expects them to obey certain rules. I am pretty sure the pups are about as active as your kits and as mischievous at times. That is just a guess though. I think some of it is also we aren't their parents so they react to us differently."

Gin No shook her head but had to laugh. "They are darling little stinkers though and I think I am going to see if I can talk my mate into another pair." They walked into Pam's room and Amarish and Kasai had their heads close together and they were quietly talking. Amariah hopped out of the little chair she was sitting in and ran over and jumped into her mother's arms. She gave her a good hug and settled her in her arms as Gin No settled down in a chair at the table.

Pam settled down as well and accepted a cup of tea from her maid. "Thank you and relax. This is going to be interesting." She was grinning since the two groups of pups were separated by pack and Gianni was in front of their pack pups and a boy was in front of the local pack. The pups were standing in reasonably neat lines and were waiting relatively patiently.

Amarish had handed the stack of patches to Kasai and turned and faced the pups. "I's be calling yous up one at a time and gives you a patch. Once that done I's hand out swords." He looked and though he didn't show it he could see the youngest pup was looking sad. 

He wasn't allowed to carry a weapon but they let him go with. He tended to do things like taking the mousy's to the kitchen. He would get little bottles of water and snacks when they were hunting. Since he didn't do any hunting he figured he wasn't going to get a patch.

Amarish and Kasai stood side by side and gave all the pups a smile. "First I am going to hand out a special patch. Will Hose step forward please?" He almost smiled when the little pup's head popped up and he looked shocked. "Come on Hose, come forward please." Kasai was smiling at the little boy as he slowly came forward.

"Hello Hose, Amarish and I both considered this and you deserve it." Kasai held her arms out and gave him a good hug. "Now stand in front of Amarish so he can talk to you."

Hose accepted the hug and then moved in front of Amarish. He was still looking somewhat worried but he stood as tall as he could.

Amarish gave him a good smile. "Hose yous the youngest of the team but you fills a very important roll. You keeps us going by taking the mousies back to the kitchen, bring snacks, and water. That's very important. I made this patch special for you. At the moment you are the only mousy squad trainee and I expect good things from you." He had willed the patch into place without even thinking about it. It was one of the first things he had ever created.

Hose's eyes opened wide and he was smiling really wide when he took the patch. Without thinking about it he gave Amarish a good hug. "Tanks you Amish. Tanks you so much." He stepped back and looked almost ready to cry in happiness.

Kasai pulled out a small pouch and held it to him. "This is for yous to carry mousies in or snacks so you don't haves to run to thes kitchen constantly." She had created it as well and it was a neat little pouch and just his size. She returned the hug as well.

Once Hose moved back to his spot he was fingering the pouch in happiness. Amarish started calling the pups up starting with the next youngest. He would say something about the pup and hand him or her a patch before they moved over to Kasai. Each little sword had been custom made for each pup. They also had their names on the blades.

Eventually everyone had a patch and sword. Next to Kasai was a pile of knives of all types. The last item in the roll was her new sword. The hilt and sheath looked almost exactly like her hair pin. When she pulled it out somewhat the blade was straight but styled like a katana. She had to grin and tucked it in next to the hat pin.

Gin No watched that and she had to sniff a bit. *You and Dan have definitely made an impression on him. He has always been a good boy but that was lovely. Now watch this.* She flicked a finger in his direction and barely managed not to snicker at his reaction.

He stiffened up and a very shocked expression crossed his face. A small surge of power went through him and suddenly he had four tails. His head whipped around and he had to look and looked so happy. He looked at his mother and she simply smiled.

Amariah hopped down and ran over to him and gave him a big hug before petting the new tail. She wished she had hers as well but eventually she would. "Goods for you Amarish." One more hug and she hopped back on her mother's lap.

*Pam I need to borrow one of your tails.* Red contacted her and hoped she wouldn't mind it.

Pam blinked and frowned for a very brief moment. *Rusty that sounded vaguely wrong. I understand and go for it but still just wrong.* She had to use Rusty just to tease him.

*Women are weird and I am not rusty you disrespectful Lady of the clans.* Her tail whipped around and a spark of fire flew across and hit Kasai on the butt and she twitched as well.

*Unkles Rusty that not funny.* She rubbed her bottom and then started giggling. "I's has new tail as well." She whipped them around and petted them. *Thanks you but still not funny.*

~~~

Pam had told the pups to go and get the patches put on their shirt and then relax till lunch. She did ask Kasai and Amarish to remain since she needed to go over the map with them. They had a few places they were very concerned about. Amaratsue had picked Amarish up and given him a good hug and told him just how proud of them he was.

"What information do you have on Dan?" She gave Gin No a firm look. "Don't try to hold anything back. I want, no, have to know everything to keep from going crazy wondering how he is doing." Her shoulders slumped and she looked stressed as she was talking about her mate.

Gin No took a sip of the tea the girl had brought over and organized her thoughts. "We have him stabilized and have done a number tests. We believe we have identified most of the components of the spell. Some we are still chasing down but it appears the spell was directed at his spirit." She nibbled on a nail for a moment. "Actually not specifically for him but for a powerful alpha, he should have died shortly after the spell hit. It shouldn't have mattered what Amariah did or the shield we put around him. It would have slowed the spiritual poison down but he should have been dead by now."

Pam looked appalled at that and then after some serious contemplating she had to grin. "Damn but I have a strong mate. I can't wait for Dan to go and say hello to the asshole who did this. He is going to rip him a new one and then rip his head off and stuff it into the new one he just ripped." She was feeling positively viscous at the moment. 

Gin No and Amaratsue had to blink and glance at each other but Gin No kept talking. "What it appears is that there are several reasons why he didn't die. First and most important is that his soul is still resonating with where he originally came from. It is a slightly different spiritual signature than ours. Second is he is no longer quite a wolf. Much of that is my mate's fault but also when he became a Lord of the Clan's that changed is spirit as well. He is also drawing power from the packs that fall under his control as well as the Kitsunes he is leader of."

She took another sip of the tea. "This is giving us several options on how to approach removing this taint from his spirit. We did place a warding around him to slightly amplify his resonance with his home dimension. This shouldn't cause any problems such as his being drawn back to his world. It does seem to be working to an extent. Beyond that we don't have any more information."

Pam was sipping on her tea as well and contemplated what she had to say. "So basically he is doing somewhat better than he was when you took him?" 

Gin No nodded. "I will say he is doing better as far as we can tell. We are getting more of the ichors from the spell and there is showing less in his body and soul. If nothing else it gives us time to do more research."

Pam nodded. "Thank you for that. I do appreciate all the work you are putting in. Mind you some of the rich and wealthy and upper crust doesn't appreciate it though." She gave them a rather feral grin. "It is keeping them cowed and more careful than they used to be. God help them if they denigrate my wolves. Several officials have discovered the hard way that I don't approve of that."

Amaratsue snorted. "Tell me about it, Red told me all about your visit to a fabric store." He rolled his eyes. "The part with using her head as a kick ball was just a wee bit over the top though the part about it being too ugly was a nice touch."

Pam snickered. "Can you stay for a while or do you need to get back? I need to talk to Amarish and Kasai about some things they found in the palace that they are concerned about." The two came over and hopped up on the table before settling in their chairs. The girl brought over some smaller cups for them before settling back in a chair. She was working on sewing with the new material.

Amaratsue and Gin No traded looks and sighed. "We would love to but Gin No needs to get back to Dan and I have work to do as well. If you need anything just call for us, keep up the good work all of you and we will stop by at some point." The two of them vanished.

~~~

Dan was floating in a golden fluid and it was warm yet fiery. The warmth surrounded him and comforted him. The fiery was inside and felt like it was burning through something. It was battling with something evil deep within. Dan's wolf didn't like that feeling whatsoever and snarled deep in Dan's mind. 

Dan responded by slowly drawing power to him. Where it was coming from he wasn't sure but it trickled into his body. For now he was simply going to let it collect till he had a useful amount. Till then he focused on the fiery sensation and took a tiny bit of the power and fed it to whatever was causing the fiery sensation.

~~~

Pam turned back to the two. "Okay, show me the map. For the sections that just felt off or odd use blue. The sections that felt bad or negative use red and any hidden tunnels in yellow." She waited for him to call the map up and add the colors.

Amarish concentrated and created a 3-D see through model of the temple. He had to really concentrate since he had never done this before. The addition of the tail really helped though since he had more power now. Eventually it was created. Once it was he had a discussion with Kasai about it and made a few changes. "There you go Auntie Pammy. We still have a moderate amount of palace left since we's go back and start over to make sure we didn't miss anything."




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 07



Pam raised an eyebrow and then frowned since there was one of the red areas in the royal family section. "That isn't good and we are going to start there. When I say we I am talking the adults. I do not want you anywhere near this in case it is really bad. I am not going to have to tell your parents that something happened." *Xipil, Geoff, Mari I need you in my rooms and it is urgent. Urgent as in now please.*

Xipil was in the middle of a meeting when he received the summons. "Sorry ladies and gentlemen I was just notified of an urgent meeting that I simply can't miss. We will pick this up later." He stood and swept from the room before hurrying to Pam's room. When he walked in Pam gestured to a seat and he settled down.

Geoff and Mari were both busy though for Geoff it was helping to train what was going to be the elite troops. In Mari's case it was with that silly old bitch who was still trying to keep the changes to a minimum. Frankly Mari was about ready to chew her head off and give it to the pups to play with. "I didn't ask you idiot. I gave you a command and if you cross me again you will be a kickball for the pups. Now get it done before I come back." Her eyes were changing in color as she stood and stomped out.

She was still fuming when she reached Pam's room and snarled. "Any more resistance to my orders and that damn bitch is going to be torn to shreds in the courtyard." She glared at Xipil when she said that. They had discussed the intransigents of some of the old guard as she was coming to think of them. They were digging their feet in and doing their best to slow down and resist any changes.

Geoff came in and wrapped his arms around her and gave her a gentle kiss before nibbling on her lower lip. "Relax love and focus on why we are here. We will deal with her later." When she started to relax he directed her to a chair.

Xipil was seriously going to need to do something about the staff and some of the officials. He didn't want to just kick everyone out from the prior leader's reign but he was getting close to it. "I will see about terminating some of the worst and make an example of them. Maybe that will help."

Pam growled at the two. "Take it to your rooms you two. My mate isn't here currently." She growled a bit more and then snickered. "On a more serious note Amarish and Kasai have something they want to show us. I gave them a task a while ago to note down any spots in the palace that didn't feel right, made them scared or the two picked up as bad. I figured since they were doing the mouse hunts they would be perfect for this. In any case I asked about the status. Amarish show them what you have so far."

When the others came in both Kitsunes stood up and gave them all a nice bow. Once Pam had indicated that they could sit down they did though they stayed sitting up and not lounging like they usually did. Amarish focused on his map again and called it up. He was pleased that he had been able to duplicate the same feat twice. Since Auntie Pammy had been focused on the section in the leaders section he carefully focused and zoomed in on that section of the palace. "Here is where we's found bad feeling place." 

He frowned and looked at Kasai and they talked via the bond for a moment before he turned back. "We's not really think about it. As if walk away and forget." He frowned and muttered something in kitsune.

Pam frowned at him. "Say that again and I will spank you. no swearing for you young man." She didn't blame him since essentially he was saying he had been forced to forget what was there. "Before we do anything I want this section cleared of all staff and people other than us. I am not going to take a chance that anyone, and especially the pups, will be injured by what is hidden there." She looked at the two little Kitsunes. "Go to the wolf's section and remain there till I call for you. Tell the senior female to call all the pups and children to the pack section as well."

Amarish stood and hopped down as did Kasai. Before they left both hopped up on Pam's lap and gave her a good hug before poofing. 

"Well gentlemen and lady how do you want to do this?" Pam asked. She might be the most senior and powerful Kitsune in the room but she was still a total novice. She wanted suggestions and options.

Xipil sent for one of his specialist's. He was trained in a number of different magic's and how to identify them. He noticed Geoff doing much the same. "We have sent for some specialists who are familiar with a variety of magic's. If they can't identify it or it is too dangerous we will need to step back and consider other options."

Everyone traded looks and then nodded. Since they were waiting for the specialists to show up they simply sat. They were also contemplating the schematics and now that they could focus on the section it was rather obvious. There was a space between the former Emperor's room and the next room over. It was a reasonable sized area that could contain almost anything.

It wasn't more than ten minutes before the two specialists showed up. Xipil gave them a quick overview of what had been found. The two looked at the schematic of the palace and frowned. Using the bonds they quickly talked about it and then came to an agreement. One was going to provide the shield to protect the other. The other was going to be sending feelers out and see what he could find and what sort of response they encountered.

Shortly after the two were done talking the all clear was sent to all who were in the room. The entire wing was cleared out and people had been moved away from the throne room. Xipil stood and indicated the two to lead the way. "If you have shields call them up. Mari stay next to Geoff and he can protect you."

She nodded and moved over to Geoff and stood next to him. Once the two left the room the rest followed several steps behind. Not knowing how the evasion spell was configured they might have tripped some alert and it might be waiting to activate a defense.

As they slowly approached the leader's room they slowed down even more as the second Kitsune was testing the spiritual feel as well as any other sensations related to magic. He paused as they stopped at the entrance of the suite. He was starting to sweat some as he was working. As his feelers were probing the room he had to shudder several times. As soon as they encountered anything that was 'wrong' they would draw back but mentally mark the item.

Finally he had to take a break and pulled a flask out and sucked down about half of it and made a face. The drink was vile tasting but would keep him going for several more hours. It was dangerous if used too much but this was important. "Clan lords and ladies there is definitely magic of some sort in here. I don't recognize the feel or signature of it but it is steeped in darkness. I am familiar with virtually all the magic styles, both good and bad, on the west coast, Nippon, and Korea. The closest I could guess would be traces of some type of shamanistic magic combined with the malignancy, and maybe something from the east coast."

The other nodded. "I agree with what he said but for some reason the 'tang' of the magic almost feels familiar. It is like that memory that is on the tip of your tongue. It isn't quite there and the more you concentrate the harder it is to find. I would recommend that we all change our shields to something more complex. Something designed to protect from a variety of magic's.

~~~

Dan and his wolf suddenly appeared on one of the moon paths. He knew what they were but had rarely ever gone to them. He figured if his mistress needed something she would tell him one way or another. It just felt wrong to both he and his wolf to come here and beg for her intervention unless it was truly urgent and not something he could resolve. 

As he looked out over the moon path it was covered with white sand and the moon was large in the sky. To the sides were fields and trees and they were a pale white as well. He glanced over at his wolf since here they were separate though still connected. "Well ol' boy shall we start walking? She might be a bit miffed if we were late for whatever she has in mind."

His wolf looked at him and rolled his eyes. Sometimes he really didn't understand his human side. In this case it was the flippancy he was using as Dan talked to him. He gave a snort of annoyance and started walking. Dan could catch up as he wished. For now he was going to respond to the summoning.

Dan grinned at the wolf since he knew what was going though his mind. He followed alongside his wolf as he stood and walked away. Just for good measure Dan started humming a silly song to annoy his wolf a bit more. It was an old game to them though in this case if he irritated him to much he could bite him. It wouldn't be a real bite since they were on the moon paths but it would still hurt.

How long they walked didn't really matter since time ran at whatever speed she wanted. When they finally started approaching a clearing Dan became more serious and settled down. When they walked in SHE was there. He went down to one knee and bowed his head. His wolf rolled over and exposed his throat and belly in submission. "You have called Mistress? How may this lowly servant of yours be of use?" His voice was filled with awe and pleasure that she had chosen to call on him.

She slowly walked over to the two and smiled. "Stand my wolf and relax. I needs speak to you for a moment before I must send you back." Though she showed little favoritism Dan was one wolf she greatly enjoyed. He was stubborn, bullheaded, willful, and occasionally downright disrespectful.

Dan stood and looked at her before meeting her eyes. She was as pale as the moonlight which made sense. Her body was tall and lithe and moved with a grace all her own. When she changed to her other form she was a solid white and her eyes were silver. "I am yours to command Mistress. Tell me what you need and I will do my poor best."

She laughed. "Oh my Danny boy you are one of my favorites, enough of the subservience from you. Face me like the proud wolf you are. If not I am going to begin to wonder if you were replaced by someone else."

Dan grinned and with a twinkle in his eye he stepped forward and gently took one of her hands and lifted it to his nose before kissing it. "Tis been a while milady and tis good to see thee. How I have longed to see your grace and beauteous form again. It is with a mournful sigh that I must inform you that dally anymore I cannot. I have since found a new and hopefully final mate. She hath claimed my heart though it makes me sad that I can't pause to spend some time with you."

She laughed and patted him on his cheek. "That is much better my Danny but I do need to be serious now that you have flirted with me." Her expression hardened. "There is a great evil approaching your new world and you and your lady mate are the rocks for it to break on. If you remain true to yourself and what you are you will survive. There will be pain and loss but you will overcome those if you persevere. As you know I test my wolves to find out who is worthy and who isn't. It isn't out of some perverted enjoyment. It is because when you come through the testing the dross is shattered and cleaned away. This allows the solid metal of your heart and mind to show."

He paused and tilted his head at her. His wolf took the same position since they were still one. "I am beginning to be aware of the darkness since it tried to kill me. I will not let it and when I meet the bastard I will chop him into little bits and pieces. They will be cleansed with the fire of the sun and scattered amongst the darkness of which it has vilely warped for its use." He stood straight and met her eyes and his were as hard as her's. "I know of your testing and why you do it. I bear no ill will towards you for what happened in my world. I have lost a mate and children and accept that. I also accept that it was necessary to force me to break my spirit so I could be reforged for my role in this world. I miss them and mourn them but I count it a blessing that I found my mate as soon as I did. I will mourn my last mate as I did my first but I won't let that drag me down and won't let it come between my mate and I."

She reached forward and stroked his cheek. "Thank you for that Dan. It hurt me as much or more than it hurt you to lose her and your children. I have brought them to my pack and given them the gift of lycanthropy. She and your pups sing to me with the rest of my pack. She is content though she misses you as well." 

She looked deeply into his eyes. "I am sorry my son but I must test you more to finish the forging of your soul."

As she was speaking Dan was swallowed up in her eyes. "I give you this gift, when needed you has what is needed to remove the scourge on your soul. Till you are called you will forget." Before she sent him back she did grin at him. "I meant to say the tails look good on you." With that she sent him back to his body.

Dan felt the warmth and fire inside again and his consciousness dimmed as it was waiting for the call.

~~~

Pam nodded as did the others. The three of them might be more powerful than the specialists but they were trained for this. She turned to Xipil and waited for him to speak. Geoff and Mari did much the same.

Xipil simply nodded at the two. "What do you want us to do? You are the specialists so show us how you want our shield to be modified and we will do it." He felt them figure out the best form for the shields and finally sent each one a different version.

"Lady Pamela since you have access to the power of all the clan's we have added some special complexity to your shields. It will be using the power of the sun, the moon, and the night. Do as I show you please." The specialist touched her spirit and showed her how to set up the multi-layered shield. Once he was satisfied he spoke again. "We are going in first and to the primary source of the infection. Follow us but not too closely. The shields are designed to interlock and will protect all of us."

Xipil nodded and gestured for them to proceed. They did and both had some sort of crystalline rod in their hands. As they slowly moved in they would slowly move the rods back and forth to locate the source. Eventually they separated and focused on one wall. As they approached the wall they slowed down. One tossed some prepared dust at the wall and it adhered to the strongest source of the malignancy.

*Everyone step back. It is potentially trapped and we have no idea what might happen. Gather your powers and have your weapons ready. I am getting ready to trip the door and see if it will open." He concentrated his energy and slowly started murmuring strange words in Kitsune as one hand started to draw symbols in air.

~~~

As soon as the magic wards on the room sensed the gathering Kitsune power it activated the guardian. It also sent a signal to the vile one letting him know that something was going on. When he received it his head jerked up from what he had been doing. The lovely young girl who was tied to his bed would have to wait. He had just gotten started playing with her and she already needed time to recover. As he looked at her slender body the lines he had scored into her flesh were pulsing with darkness. It wasn't warping her spirit or soul since that would reduce the power as well as his enjoyment. "Rest my lovely treat and have no fear I will be back."

His cloaked and shadowed form flowed from the room and to the room he did all his magic in. The first thing he did was go to a prepared bowl of water. If any alerts were received an image of the location would start forming. He looked into the bowl and snarled. Those spineless over sized useless foxes were in the room as well as one wolf. It was obvious they had found the secret room the emperor had kept. The male had slowly seduced the stupid human into worshiping him. It had take some years but eventually his spirit was bent and warped the way he wanted. 

Inside the room was where he had performed the magic his 'god' had been teaching him. It was also where sacrifices were made to him. It was a very powerful portion of his defenses and allowed an easy way to reach out and touch his other magic's. It had taken years to insinuate himself into the imperial family. It had taken even more years to slowly wean the emperor's away from being somewhat reasonable rulers to the despotic dictators they had become. If that room was breached and cleansed it would be a significant blow to his plans. "In the name of Zandru's frozen hell how did they find the room? It was heavily warded and sealed to keep its influence from showing." His voice was bleak and icy. If heard it would conjure up images of a screaming blizzard with no hope of survival.

He had to protect that room at all costs and he was going to pull out all the stops for this. He closed his eyes and called a number of items to himself. First were six red and black candles, another bowl but not for scrying. A number of bottles contained some extremely rare essences in them. He hated using them since they were so hard to replace but there was a time for everything. He lit the candles counter clock wise. As he did that he was starting to murmur the spell he was thinking of. Once they were lit he picked up the first vial which had the essence of a dragon lord in it. He had taken that from the dragon's dying breath after he had made him watch as he corrupted his youngest daughter.

After pouring a measured amount in the bowl he picked up the next vial and continued chanting while he decanted some of that. This was the blood of a naga lord he had killed simply because he could. He had taken some of the creature's blood in case it might have some use and it did.

The next vial contained the condensed essence of many innocents torn from their bodies as they were corrupted, raped, and then turned lose to spread agony. They would hunt down anything living and devour it. His favorite treat was sicking them on their families and watching the fun. That was the last vial.

As he had been pouring the essences into the liquid the chanting had been rising and falling. Similar to last time as the vile malevolence of the spell was taking effect it was impacting on the surrounding animals. He could see another fine meal in his future. Maybe he could force the dog bitch to fetch the corrupted carcasses for him. That would be enjoyable as well.

The last and final item needed was a splash of his blood. He picked up an obsidian blade and sliced his palm and held his hand over the bowl. The moment his black blood hit the fluid it started bubbling and surging. It almost looked like what would happen when you dropped dry ice in water except the steam was murky and black. He called out one final word and there was a deep thrum of power that blasted from his cave.

He smiled with satisfaction as he felt the power surge away from the cave and towards the guardian of the room. Normally he would expect the guardian to be powerful enough to destroy anyone that chanced on the room. In this case with that cursed bitch of the clans, the pathetic nine tail as well as the meddling child of four tails it would be a tossup. If they actually managed to subdue it or kill it and accessed the room he would lose a goodly portion of power. As he was thinking he moved back over to the scrying bowl and settled down to watch the fun.

~~~

The specialists had to try several different methods to try and open the door and gain access. When they eventually did Xipil was starting to let out a very angry Kitsune snarl. He was far from pleased since some of the magic needed to access the room was based on Kitsune magic. That was very hard to mimic if you weren't a Kitsune. It was almost bred into their spirits, souls, and bodies. They were the magic and the magic was them. For someone to have used Kitsune magic had implications he wasn't sure he wanted to face at the moment.




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 07



Geoff snarled as well and Pam's fox also. Pam didn't really think when she drew her sword and the blade started flicking with different colors of fox fire. Geoff and Xipil did the same and they had fox fire showing as well. Mari pulled out a short wide sword from somewhere and though it wasn't burning it had traces of magic showing. The blade was a magnificent work of art and was made from what was called Moon Silver or mythril. It was stronger than steel, sharper than obsidian, and could fatally wound any creature that was sensitive to silver. Pam really wanted to know where she had acquired it when she noticed it.

The door suddenly snapped open and a thing lunged out. It paused just long enough to get a brief look at it. The creature was a monstrosity. The body looked somewhat like a scorpion but had black scales coating the body and legs. The tail was bony and as it slithered back and forth made a rattling sound. The face looked like a human head and some sort of beetle mashed together. It carried a vile spiritual tang that made her want to retch.

"Come my pretties, let me embrace you and feast on your succulent tissues before I suck the morrow from your bones." The voice sounded like an old hag and made her skin crawl.

One of the specialists tossed a small flaming ball at the creature. As it flew towards her it was growing in size till she very casually swatted it from the air with her tail. It flew back at him and sizzled as it hit the shielding. All of them felt that.

"Oh my does my pretties want to play? I plays with you till I hold you close as I eat you up." The tail flashed out again and impacted on the shield with a solid thud. The force of the impact shoved them back a step or two.

Geoff whipped his sword up and sent a wave of fox fire in her direction. As he was doing that he was calling for the blessings and help of their spirit lord.

When the wave of energy almost reached her a pincer flashed out from where it had been tucked close to her body. It snapped shut on the wave of power and shattered it. "Oh goody you are going to be a tasty boy to nibble on. I think I will save you for desert." This time the tail flashed towards Mari.

Mari didn't even have to think as she brought the sword up and used all of her muscles to slap the tip away from her. When the blade hit there was a slight hiss and a bubbling sound. "Bite me you old hag. You didn't kill my Alpha and you won't kill me."

~~~

Dan was still floating in the sea of light when Mari called for him. It wasn't something she had tried to do but he felt her fear over the pack bonds and that woke both him and his wolf up. His eyes snapped open and though neither he nor his wolf knew it they were glowing the same color as moonlight. Dan took a deep breath as his right hand snapped straight out in front of him. The top of the cocoon shattered and as soon as it was gone he called out in a firm and commanding voice. "COME TO ME!"

When he did that the fabric of the world around him rippled much like a pond when a stone is dropped in it. The rippling was starting to die down yet settled on one spot near him. The ripples were getting stronger and more focused. Suddenly his sword and knife from his world flashed through the opening and the sheath slapped into his hand.

He stood up from the fluid and looped the sword over his back and placed the short sword on his right hip. With hardly a glance around he snapped his sword out and as the arch of the draw brought the tip just above his head it bit in. What it bit into was the fabric of the world similar to how the Kitsunes moved and cleaved an opening which he stepped through.

~~~

The battle wasn't going well at the moment. One specialist was down and probably dead, the other was barely holding his own from the attacks launched at him. Xipil, Geoff, and Pam were all looking the worse for the wear. Their cloths were damaged and they were sweating heavily. Their attacks were doing damage but not enough. The only one that was effectively able to strike the creature was Mari with that blade of hers. 

That the monster really didn't like since every time Mari managed to get a blow in another section of her exoskeleton would burn and bubble before dissolving. The one drawback to the sword was that it was relatively short. Mari was simply too short to use a much larger sword but she was rather skilled with it. Geoff was going to have to ask her where she had learned it.

The creature cackled evilly and took a stab at Xipil and this time she didn't hold back. When her tail impacted the shield an audible cracking sound could be heard and he was tossed across the room. He slammed into a wall and slid down it bonelessly. His shield failed at that moment leaving them far more vulnerable to attacks from the side.

The three effective troops backed off at that point to reassess their options. She cackled again and leapt upwards. She seemed to fluidly turn over in the air and the small claws at the end of the six legs grasped the ceiling. "Time for you to go to sleep little annoying dog, your fang is irritating and I am tired of it."

Her tail started to flash towards Mari full speed and she knew that she wasn't going to be able to dodge it. She had been fighting as hard as she could and was starting to get tired so her reflexes were on the slow side. All she could focus on was the tail that was moving incredibly fast yet also incredibly slowly.

Something came out of nowhere and lopped the stinger off the end of the tail. Dan stood there in all his glory and he radiated power. His eyes were still the silver of the moonlight and his hair and beard were the same color. When he spoke his voice was deep yet calm. "My submissive, you will not have her or the others in this room. They are pack or related to me by marriage. I will not allow you to take them from me. Prepare to die."

Dan's appearance was totally unexpected and the creature couldn't stop the attack before he lopped off the end of her tail. When he did that she screamed in agony as it dropped to the ground and ichors started flowing from the stump. "You will die!" She screamed and her voice was laden with promise and power. She was not going to screw around anymore. This dog had the power to destroy her permanently.

~~~

Back at the cave the male had been sitting back and enjoying the show. He had called up a mug of Balrog's Breath and munching on the fried corpses of baby animals. It was almost like he was watching a movie with a drink and popcorn. Well till Dan showed up that was.

He sat up and snarled a curse that caused the female dog to scream in horror and agony as it burned across her skin. "Where the fuck did you come from? I watched you die you mangy mongrel of an Alpha. This will not happen; you will not take my creature from me." He pulled out one last vial, one he had sworn he would never use since it was the blood of not just a demon lord but a lord of the demons who sat on the throne of his level of the underworld. 

The demon had gifted it to him though it had cost a pretty price in that part of his soul now belonged to the demon lord when he died. His soul would be ripped into shreds and the lord of the demons would feast on his powers and malignance for many years. By opening the vial and using it he was essentially agreeing to the terms the demon lord had demanded.

Even as drenched in evil as he was the thought of his soul being torn and feasted on by that horrible creature was enough to force him to take pause. Was it worth his soul to destroy his enemies? What was more important to him? Accept the deal or let his creature be destroyed and take a bad blow to his plans. His fingers were barely touching the stopper and were quivering with indecision.

~~~

Dan didn't even bother laughing at her threat. Since he was a very powerful lycan he could pull off some of the horrible moves they showed in many of the bad martial arts movies like jumping from wall to wall and stuff like that. He lunged at a wall and jumped as he twisted his body around so his feet hit the wall first and he pushed over with all the power in his legs. When he did he shot like a rocket across the room. He twisted again to avoid a pincer that tried to get him and lopped it off as well with a single blow.

He had to twist again so his feet would hit the wall first and then he dropped down to the floor. "It looks like you might need a hand there. Can I offer you the one I lopped off?" His demeanor changed to very casual and rather flippant just to annoy the bloody thing.

Pam couldn't help it and had to groan. "Oh god Dan that was horrible. I was really hoping they would return you with a better sense of humor." She heaved a heavy sigh as well.

The creature screamed pure rage and pain at him which made him wince. "God and you need a breath mint as well, no, a store display worth of breath mints. When was the last time you brushed your pincers?" When she launched herself at him he twisted away but not quite enough and her remaining pincer sliced across his back. Dan swung at her but it was a glancing blow since the pain was horrible. He could feel something eating at his skin and it burned as well. 

Mari was watching the entire fight and since the hag creature was distracted by Dan she decided to attack from behind. She lowered down slightly before lunging forward and thrust with the sword and without intending it nailed her at the base of her tail. The blade sunk all the way in but before she could withdraw it the tail slapped her away. The sword was impaled in what would be its ass hole if it had one. 

Geoff barely managed to catch her and went down with an oof. The scream this time echoed down the hallways and caused a number of people to collapse or fall down and puke their guts out. "Mari you really are a pain in the ass sometimes. Stop fighting with things larger than you." 

She snickered at the joke and then at Pam's groan of horror. She struggled to stand up but she was beat and it felt like she had a few broken or cracked bones. Her body was definitely not happy with her and was telling her that in no uncertain words. "Sorry Geoffy no fun and games tonight, I think I broke something, maybe tomorrow night."

Dan was quite impressed with the leap Mari made to be able to even get close to the monster. When he realized where she had stabbed it he had to wince since that made his butt hurt. The monster lost its grip on the ceiling and fell down to the floor. Dan jumped at the monster as she fell and when she landed on her back he came down from above with his sword pointed at what would be the chest. His blade cleanly impaled her.

She started thrashing but the blade had gone through her and had slammed into the floor and she couldn't budge it. She started working on her last defense. It would kill her but not destroy her. It would kill everything nearby and render this part of the palace corrupted. She started slowing her breathing and focused on that special sack inside that would generate the poison gas.

Dan snorted at her. "Not this time chickie. Be a good girl and just die." He called his formal robes forward and drew the Katana from its sheath. The blade flickered with a mixture of blue and moonlight. He walked up her chest and looked down at her for a moment. "Goodbye." He snapped the blade around and cleanly removed her head from the body and the flames sealed the wound to keep any further ichors from coming out.

He jumped down and then staggered. Something deep inside started to react to the death of the monster and he could feel the malignancy growing. When the others started forward he snarled at them. "Back." He called on his wolf and was startled to find the silver wolf with him in his mind. "I will not let you corrupt or seduce me to the dark side of the Swartz. I reject you and the world rejects you."

As he was speaking it was obvious that he was struggling against something. Both Pam and Geoff were looking strained by the spreading darkness inside Dan. The worst part was it feeding on the darkness that Dan kept contained unless he really needed it. Over the mating bond she could feel his struggle. She also sensed that this was a test for him and the strange wolf in his mind was waiting. Waiting for what she wasn't sure but she couldn't just stand there and watch his struggles.

Pam moved forward to him. Since he was kneeling down she worked her fingers into his now silver hair and urged him to rest his head against her swelling abdomen. *Dan, my love and my mate, listen to the heart beat of our children. Your pups or my Kits however the Spirits and Goddess decide. Listen to them since this is what is important. Do what you do, protect your pack, you mate, your pregnant mate, and all the other pregnant women and especially the pups since they are the next generation.*

Dan tried to force her away but she was stronger than she looked and he didn't have the energy. He finally gave in and leaned against her abdomen and tried to listen to her words. It was hard to both listen and fight the encroaching corruption but it did help some. He narrowed down his world to his mate and their pups. He focused on their heartbeat and tried to calm down. As hard as he tried he couldn't get the calm to come but listening and focusing on the new life had stopped the darkness.

When he spoke his voice was harsh with strain. "Help me, keep talking, reminding me of who I am. Lend me your strength to fight this darkness." He had forgotten the Goddess sitting in his mind when he called out to her. "My Mistress I need help. This burden I can't carry or fight alone." It was agony to say that since he prided himself on being able to take care of his own without much outside assistance. "Please help me Mistress. I have never asked for help like this before but I don't have the strength or power to fight this by myself."

She stood up and his eyes glowed brightly for a moment before she appeared in the room. "And that is a lesson you needed to learn my son. You are a very strong Kitsune-Wolf person but you have to learn that there are times to rely on yourself and other when you need to ask for help. Pam is your mate and she is there to support you. She is the mother to the pack as you are the father. Use that strength my son and you will achieve greatness as a wolf." She stepped up behind him and placed her hands on his head.

With a surge of moonlight she purged the malignancy from his spirit and soul. It was not kind or gentle when she did it. It would hurt and burn leaving him in agony till every last bit of the evil was gone. She wasn't cruel or kind; it was simply how wolves were. She had tested him and found him fitting. If he could fight the evil and deal with the pain he could face the pain of the healing and come out a stronger wolf.

Dan screamed as her light flowed through him and his spirit. It was agony and felt like he was burning up inside. Yet there was also a pleasure to it since he knew his Mistress was taking care of him. When she was done he passed out and she caught him and lowered him down. Once he was down she stood up and looked at Pam. "I am pleased to meet you mate of my wolf. Take care of him for me. He has been tried and strained with testing. Comfort my wolf and spread your love over him like a warm rock in the bright warm sunlight. Protect him from himself as well. Don't let him push you around. Stand up to him and fight back with your love and compassion. You will gain even more respect from both Dan and his wolf."

After pressing a hand against Pam's cheek she turned and looked at the room. She had to smile slightly at the sight of those capable kneeling down in front of her. Since Mari couldn't really move at the moment she settled for meeting her Mistress's eyes before lifting her chin as a sign of submission. "Gentlemen I am not sure why you are kneeling since you are not of mine. Rise and only kneel before Rusty and Amaratsue. They are you ultimate leaders. Now I intend to go and have a brief conversation with Amaratsue about why my wolf has seven tails now and I wasn't asked about it." She wavered from view and vanished. The body of the creature and the various bits vanished as well and Mari's sword clattered against the floor.

~~~

Before he could pull the stopper he felt his creation being destroyed and the shock knocked him out. He fell to the floor with a heavy thud and didn't move. With the breaking of the spells entangled in the creature the power in the room recoiled. Since the creature had been the main focus for the palace temple it recoiled to the source of the creation of the creature. This hit moments later and stunned him even more.

In the other room a portal opened and enveloped the girl. When it vanished she was gone as well. The portal opened into the Leaders bedroom and then faded. When it faded the girl was laying there with the scratches and marks he had made on her skin. She was not conscious but faint moans could be heard.

~~~

Back in the spirit realm when Dan woke and called for his sword the ripples caused multiple alerts to be activated. The golden shield had been breached, an opening in the world walls had been made, and someone had left. The initial impact of Dan calling his sword was traumatic to say the least. People were knocked off their feet if they were close enough. A surge of power flowed through the halls though much of it had been contained but it was enough to knock a number of people out. The ones that weren't knocked out were stunned by the power.

The seven women recovered first since they were the most powerful as well as having shields up constantly now. Once they were on their feet they stumbled to the room Dan had been in and looked at it in shock. It was devastated. Tables had been shattered, furniture thrown hard enough against the walls to both destroy the chairs and damage the walls. The cocoon was still there but it had a Dan sized hole in it. The containment area thankfully was intact and the moment the alarms went off it had sealed shut and been moved to a very secure magic proof room.

"Oh hell what happened in here and where is Dan?" Gin No asked. They needed to find him and make sure that he hadn't been overwhelmed by the darkness and if so do what they could to restrain him. Before any of them could move a silver colored missive appeared and fell into Gin No's hand. She frowned at it and then looked startled. "The wolf aspect of the moon decided to step in." 

All of them looked rather startled since the Mistress of the wolves to them was a rather remote and cool person. She rarely got involved in the world and even the lives of her wolves. Gin No broke the seal on the missive and read it aloud to the others in the room.

"Greetings and salutations from the Mistress,

I have stepped in and dealt with the corruption of my wolf. It has been resolved to my satisfaction and he will heal quickly. Know that I am not pleased with what has been done to 'My' wolf without being asked. I am currently enroute to discuss this with Rusty and Amaratsue. Which tail would you prefer me not to rip off as I explain my displeasure? Just note the number on this missive and it will come back to me.

Do not interfere with my wolves again without asking. Next time, if there is a next time, it will be two tails I will remove, and then three. Since you are the mates of the spirit lords ensure this is told to them so they will have something to think about next time they feel like using one of 'My' wolves again.

Sincerely 

The Mistress of the moon."

All seven of them shuddered. "She sounds just a wee bit ticked off doesn't she?" Gin No stated. "I feel sorry for our mates or prospective mates. No way in hell am I going to get involved since this was their screw up. I think the 'trickster' bit of the fox got carried away and went further than they should have."




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 08



When the Mistress of the Moon vanished everyone stood there frozen for a few moments. Xipil was still out of it, Geoff was looking pale with the strain, Mari definitely had a broken leg and arm so they were down. Of the two specialists one was collapsed on the floor and she was pretty sure the other was dead. His neck was bent at an unnatural angle and she couldn't hear any breathing from him. 

When the portal opened and deposited the girl on the floor she almost cried at first since nobody had the energy to do anything. As one tail rose to do what it could to protect everyone the girl appeared on the floor. It was obvious that she was unconscious but was in severe agony from the wounds. Pam didn't have any energy left and simply called for help. *I need medics, guards, and mystics or magic users in Xipil's rooms sooner than soon. One, no two severely injured female wolves, the leader is unconscious, my mate is back but he is unconscious as well, and I am going to drop in a moment.* Which was exactly what she had done. The last thing she remembered was the sounds of feet running in their direction. 

~~~ 

Back at the lair the tainted one wasn't even twitching. How long he was going to be out was anyone's guess since the backlash of the magic being broken was going to be horrible. Much of his equipment had been damaged or destroyed and to replace it was going to take time. It wasn't just finding the right age, gender, and virtue of being needed to cast the spells but many had to take place on certain days of the month, quarter cycle, or year. The preparations would take time as the spell materials were gathered and prepared properly as well. One thing nobody was there to see was the cork to the bottle he had been holding had been knocked slightly out of alignment. 

~~~ 

Amaratsue and Red were at one of their favorite watering holes discussion the ladies in their lives as well as Amaratsue's kits. Both of them were feeling quite pleased with how things were moving along now that they had an idea of what was happening. They had been talking about that as well and had come to the conclusion that the evil had been aimed at the south simply due to the population. Up north were more powerful supernatural beings but in the south when the term hordes of peasants was used it was meant. There was easily three to four times the population of that nation state compared to the combined population of the major countries in the north. 

Amaratsue was holding a decent sized mug of Saki and was sipping from it. He wasn't near wasted, just feeling just a bit buzzed at the moment. Since he was a spirit creature he could eliminate that almost instantly if needed though. "...Anyways as I was saying I have a feeling that whatever this evil is it has aimed it sights to the south for two reasons, sorry I am going to probably annoy you with this. First is you have been rather distracted with your chase for some time, in human standards for over a century. You have allowed the humans to not just prosper in your lands but to eventually take them over. With this the evil was able to invade the seat of human power and work his, or her, tails into their affairs. I did try and look back and see if I could identify when it started but the best guess is about halfway through the last century." He took another sip of the warm saki. 

Red sighed. "I know Ratsue but damn it she has some fine tails and she has led me on a merry chase. I know she wants to mate with me and become both my mate and the mother of my children. I don't know why she hasn't accepted any of my offers or hints. I have never had this much trouble with a female before damn it." He took a sip of brandy and his eyes turned dreamy. "Her fur is so soft and well groomed, she is fine looking in all three forms, her tails dance to a hidden music, and above all she is smart as a whip. I know there are some of the old guard who don't find that a redeeming quality in a female but I do. I happen to know for a fact that you do as well." 

Amaratsue snorted at him and leaned forward with both of his elbows rested on the table. "Red please don't take this wrong but Gin No had been given one of the 'love letters' you had sent. She accidently left it on her dressing table in our room and I glanced at it before I realized it wasn't hers. I am sorry but something along the lines of 'Your Tails are so sweet, why don't we meet and...'. I know you are still fairly young but you need to work on your approach just a wee bit." He had to chuckle slightly since he remembered doing similar things at Red's age. 

Red stared at him and started to retort that he had worked hard on that little poem about her tails. Before he could he felt a cool hand on his shoulder. The voice sent a chill up his spine and he knew that he was in trouble. It wasn't that he necessarily recognized it so much as the tone of a seriously pissed off female. 

"Good evening boys and I am pleased to see you here. I really hope you don't mind my sitting at your table." Her voice was cool as the moonlight and smooth as a polished rock. When the woman came into view she was a very graceful beauty but with a hint of distant coolness in her movements. Her hair was long and flowing, her features were smooth and an ageless beauty that caught the eye even though the coolness of her gaze seemed to indicate she didn't have time for you. The body under the flowing silvery dress hinted at forbidden desires and delights. 

Amaratsue sighed when she sat down and Red just looked confused. "Red meet the Mistress of the Moon, the Alpha female of all wolves. You could say she is top dog of all the packs." He turned to her and settled for a smile and pleasant greeting. "How are you doing Luna? I have a feeling that saying it is nice to see you again might not be totally appropriate but I have always liked living on the edge." He reached over and took one of her hands and lifted it to his nose and inhaled before kissing it. "You are looking as lovely this evening as usual. I have missed our little meetings in the past but with the mate I can't dally anymore." 

Red looked at her and then at Ratsue and was starting to feel rather confused. He also had a feeling if they weren't very careful there was going to be a great deal of pain in his future. Once Ratsue was done Red lightly bowed to her and repeated the gesture. "I knoweth you naught much to my sorrow. I wish I had perchance met you previously Mistress Luna if for no other reason than to make the acquaintance of such a lovely lady." 

Amaratsue did his best not to kick Red's foot under the table. The moon was a fickle mistress and though she had been fun to dally with frankly she scared him silly at times. Right now was one of them and he had to wonder how badly they had ticked her off. 

Luna gave both males a gentle smile though there was a brief flash of fangs. "Good evening gentlemen. It is pleasant to see you Amaratsue and your mate is looking well. Please give her my congratulations when you next see her. The two kits you have graced my wolf and his mate with are darling and starting to stir the urges to mate and have some more pups of my own. You did get the present I sent you at your mating I assume?" Before he could answer she turned to Red and gave him a definite wolfish smile. "If you weren't so young I would have to consider inviting you to my home. I have met your future mate as well and found she is a very intelligent woman. It is very enjoyable to see males that appreciate intelligence in their women." 

Red had no idea when she might have met Aka No and was rather curious about this. "I am pleased that you approve of her and I do appreciate her mind as much as the rest of her. An intelligent Kitsune is usually a skilled one and makes the chasing and catching all the more fun. Once they have let you catch them they keep life interesting as well." He tilted his head and twitched his ears. "When did you meet her?" 

Amaratsue settled back in the chair and eyeballed the saki and sighed before pushing it away for the moment. Pain was most definitely headed their way and he would prefer the drink afterwards to dull the pain. For now he would let Red wonder and play. Since all Kitsunes played and even if they got it in the end as long as they had fun it was worth it. They would learn but sometimes the learning curve was steep. 

Luna gave Amaratsue a knowing smile and a quirk of her eyebrow before returning her attention to Red. She leaned forward and cocked her ears at him. Just for good measure she propped her chin on one hand and gave him an arch look. "I met her and took her measure when I sent this missive to the ladies. They seemed to understand what was going on and chose to allow me to deal with it." She smiled as she placed the missive in front of Red and watched as he folded it open to read it. 

Red didn't know what to make of what she said as she was pulling the missive out and placed it in front of him. When he folded it open and read it he blanched as he read the following: 

"Greetings and salutations from the Mistress, 

I have stepped in and dealt with the corruption of my wolf. It has been resolved to my satisfaction and he will heal quickly. Know that I am not pleased with what has been done to 'My' wolf without being asked. I am currently enroute to discuss this with Rusty and Amaratsue. Which tail would you prefer me not to rip off as I explain my displeasure? Just note the number on this missive and it will come back to me. 

Do not interfere with my wolves again without asking. Next time, if there is a next time, it will be two tails I will remove, and then three. Since you are the mates of the spirit lords ensure this is told to them so they will have something to think about next time they feel like using one of 'My' wolves again. 

Sincerely 

The Mistress of the Moon." 

In the missive the number five and three were scrawled down and he frowned since the five was in his future mates hand writing. When he looked up at Ratsue he was frowning at his expression of mixed pleasure and a foreshadowing of pain. "Um..." 

Amaratsue sighed. "So which tail has she asked you not to rip off this time? Do you wish to do it here or on the moon paths?" They could run which would amuse her and he was planning on that already but he really did enjoy her conversation and once in a blue moon he would do something to get her attention just to spend time with her. Now that he was mated it was mostly for the conversation though and Gin No enjoyed talking to her as well. 

Red looked horrified at the mention of losing a tail and shocked at the cavalier attitude of Ratsue about the loss, no forgone conclusion of the loss of a tail. "What?" It was almost a screech of horror. "What do you mean ripping off a tail?" He gathered all his tails up in his arms as if to protect them. "Why would you want to do that? That is a horrible thing to threaten a Kitsune with." 

She smiled at Red. "Hmm, you might not be quite as smart as I thought. Then again you are just a young Kitsune so I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Perchance do you remember saying hello to a strong Alpha recently? And for some reason making my wolf look utterly silly by having not just more tails but colorful tails?" She gave him a knowing look when she said that. 

As Red was staring in even more horror at her Amaratsue decided to have a drink. "Excuse me barkeep could you bring over a chalice of silver howls please for the lady and I would like two large mugs of an Irish blessing please. Send the bill to my tab." He turned back to Red and simply smiled. 

Red was looking between the two of them and settled for the moment on his friend. "Ratsue aren't you even the slightest bit worried? You know what this will mean don't you?" He slugged down the last of the brandy and shuddered when it hit. "They will be able to tell us what to do." 

Amaratsue started laughing at Red. "Red old buddy you are looking at this all wrong, they already tell us what to do even if we deny it. This keeps my mate content that she has control over me at times. Granted I don't really care for the idea of losing a tail but it will either grow back or our lovely mistress of the moon will give it back." He was still holding the hand closest to him and gave it a kiss. "Since in a way she is our mistress as well, or at least mine since the Silver Kitsunes do pray to the moon I consider it a way to get her attention." 

He looked back at her. "Would you like to come and visit for a few days? The full moon is over so you have a few days before you get back to work right?" Out of the corner of his eye he could see red eyeballing the door and wondering if he could make it or not. *Relax Red and play along.* 

"So are those two gentlemen your current paramours? If so they are quite impressive." Now his eyes narrowed at another wolf he had never seen before. She had been in the shadows behind Luna. "And who pray tell is this lovely lady? I have not seen you amongst the pack recently." 

She smiled back at him and gave him a toothy grin. "I am the former mate of Alpha Danilo Legarith. Mistress Luna wanted to know if I wanted a couple of Kitsune tails and I decided to come along. It is nice to meet you Lord Amaratsue and Lord Melvin." She winked at Red as he growled. 

"My name is not Melvin darn it. If I ever find out who started that rumor they will have a negative sign on their ass showing how far in the hole they are." Red's trickster half was starting to come forward and get amusement out of this. It was a game and they loved games. He took the Irish coffee from the barkeep and waited till Luna had hers as well and he held the cup towards her and then took a sip. "So if you choose to take the tail what might you do with it?" 

Nang tapped her chin with one finger as if thinking. "I was thinking about getting it stuffed and mounted so I can have Luna give it to Dan. You know sorta like those talking fish things and it will say things like 'I was a pain in the ass but now I am just a pain in the tail'." She gave him a glowing smile when she said that. 

Luna had to cover her eyes for a moment. "Nang I told you that you couldn't do that or make it so when Dan pulled it a fart sound would come from it. I don't know if I should simply drag all my wolves over and give up on that bloody world." She heaved a sigh and took a sip from the chalice and smiled. "Perfect and just the way I like it. Thank you Amaratsue, now as far as the visit I would enjoy that. Now back to the original subject I can remove the tails here or on the moon paths. If I do it here where all and asunder can see you will probably get more sympathy from your mate or future mate and I will even give you a ghost tail you can take back and snivel over." 

Amaratsue contemplated it and as he knew she knew he was going to make a run for it. If he could make it back to his palace then he was safe but she would be guarding all the ways there that she knew of. Red was on his own in this case and could run or simply allow her to take it. He glanced at Nang and smiled. "Would you like me to say hello to your mate next I see him?" 

She stroked the bracelet on her wrist and sighed. "No, he knows where I am and always takes a moment to say hello on the full moon. He has had enough pain in the last year or two and to keep reminding him would only cause more. Besides I have already given both him and his new mate my blessing and I will request permission to go and say hello once Pamela has their babies. Thank you for asking though." 

He stood and walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I understand lady and I will respect that. I, with your Mistress's permission, take memories back and forth as desired." He lightly kissed her forehead before stepping back. "Dan is one hell of an alpha. I have given care of our twins in his care and he is doing a fantastic job with them. I have to admit that I am rather concerned at how Amarish is developing. He seems to be consuming gallons of Dan's attitude when irritated." 

Nang laughed at him and lightly punched him on the shoulder. "He is a darling boy and your little girl is wonderful and caring as well. I wish Ana and Allie could meet them one of these days. I have a feeling that might be a bit hard on the spirit world though. Now since Luna is pretending to be distracted why don't you start running." 

He laughed and changed into his fox form and scatted. Red watched his friend vanish and growled at him. "I see what kind of friend you are and I might just hunt you down and acquire a replacement tail of my own." He contemplated the cup of Irish blessing his friend had left and with a sigh slugged it down only to realize he had been tricked. The moment the last drop flowed down his throat power surged through him. He felt his body shifting and once done he found a mirror facing him with a small note. "Have fun Mervin and I will see you later." As soon as he read the note it vanished and much to his utter disgust he found he was a pug with ten red tails. "I now officially hate you Ratsue." 

As he lowered his ears and face to the bench seat he noticed a hole in the wall with a glowing sign. The sign said 'run you idiot and use the exit here'. All things considered Red didn't even begin to trust Ratsue currently but his Kitsune side went for it. Moments later he was gone down the rabbit hole. 

Luna smiled. "Why don't you have a seat Nang and order a drink. It is on Amaratsue's account." She turned and looked at the rest of the wolves in the house. "Hey ladies drinks are on Amaratsue so let's party and show this town a howling good time." She turned back to Nang and grinned. "By the way cute ears there." 

Nang twitched and picked up the mirror and looked in it. The ears were definitely wolf ears but they looked so soft and were a dusky black. "Oh my they are lovely but I will be forced to be offended by them and mutter at Dan's Spirit Lord next time and tell him that I requested you to remove another tail so I have a matching set to use as ear rings." 

The barkeep sighed and the music started thumping. He had no idea what rock was but the wolves loved it. 

~~~ 

When Dan finally woke he was laying in a nice comfortable bed. He didn't move for several moments as he tried to identify where he was. By scent alone he knew that Pam was lying next to him. Next to his head was Amariah and he knew that since her tails were curled around his head and was tickling his nose. He could smell Amarish as well as a different spirit Kitsune. There was a wolf in the room as well which he didn't recognize but it was female and young. 

He must have done something to attract her attention since she spoke to him. "Alpha Legarith do you need anything? I have been assigned as Lady Pam's night assistant." 

He heard the rustle of fabric as she moved and he opened his eyes and looked at her. She was maybe the same age as Nancy though it was hard to tell. She definitely wasn't from any of the packs he knew of and had a different scent to her. "Some water would be nice please." His voice was rough from lack of use and he had to swallow several times to get his voice to work. 

"Just a moment please Lord Dan." She silently moved to a stand and poured some scented water into a large mug and carried it back. "Here you go sir and it is lightly flavored with pomegranate if that is acceptable." 

Dan carefully sat up and winced as the wound on his back reminded him of the fight. It wasn't bad but still painful. He carefully took the cup and took a tentative sip before slowly drinking it down. He didn't really care for the flavor but his body needed the fluids. "Another please and thank you. Please call me Dan and none of that lord or alpha stuff." 




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 08



The girl had to give him a shy smile. "Lady Pam said something like that as well Lord Dan." She gave him a tiny curtzy before refilling the cup and taking it back to him. "Here you go Lord Dan." She handed the cup over and waited for him to drink it before taking the glass back. "If you need the bathroom it is through that door there. I will be here till I am relieved. There are a total of four of us that keep watch in here and take care of Lady Pam." 

Dan had to sigh and rolled his eyes though he wasn't going to make a big deal about her calling him Lord Dan. "Thank you for taking care of my lady for me. I am in need of some additional sleep and the feel of my mate in my arms." He lay down and pulled Pam close to him and tucked his nose in her neck. He felt her murmur something before one of her arms tightened around his and she relaxed again. 

Amariah had felt the movement and moved closer to him and after a brief lick to his neck she went back to sleep. As of now she was content. Soon the room was silent again. 

~~~ 

The surgeon, mage Kitsune, and Spirit Healer were collapsed in chairs sipping on some tea. The female lycan that had been found in the Leaders quarters was lying on the bed with a number of dressings covering her body. They didn't know if she was going to survive or not. One thing they had done was to make detailed drawings of the markings that had been scored on her body. In the morning they were going to need to talk to the leaders of the clan after they awoke. That and they were going to need to send a message to the spirit lords since some of the markings were clearly Kitsune. It was a very old version and they couldn't read them. The leader might be able to and he would be the first to know. 

The surgeon had been forced to use some very strong drugs to calm the woman and he was not happy about that. If this was any indication of what might be needed in the future for her and anyone else impacted by whatever did this was not good. He had tried to excise the blackened tissue but it had simply flowed into the normal looking tissues underneath. In the end he had finally ended up simply cleaning her and dressing her as much as possible. At least she hadn't been violated as far as he could tell. "I will have several medics rotating through here but I want one of the trained Kitsune warriors as well. I will not expose my staff to the possibility this female is a trap of some sort. I would prefer to overdose her now than chance having one of my men corrupted." 

The Kitsune and wolf guards nodded since that was understandable. "I will take care of it Surgeon General and we will have both a wolf and Kitsune on watch at all times. Our reliefs will be here shortly. Why don't you go and get at least some sleep since I am sure when Lord of the Clans Legarith wakes he will want answers." 

That got a reaction and the Surgeon paled and shuddered. He had seen the havoc that male had wreaked in the temple room and while doing his best to save as many as possible. Yes he understood why he had been so angry but... His mind skittered away from those memories. "That is an excellent idea young man. I would like to be somewhat awake before I might need to face Lord Danilo." He stood up and left the room followed by the other two. 

~~~ 

The next morning when Dan woke he found he had rolled off the bed and had a pistol pointed at someone. When he blinked and inhaled he found it was a strange wolf and she had a tray of food. She had frozen when he had reacted and her eyes were down and her chin up in submission. Dan twitched and lowered the pistol and gave his body a good shake. "Sorry, I am just somewhat twitchy right now. To keep from accidently shooting, stabbing, or whatever someone please organize all the staff that service this wing so I can catch their scent." 

Pam sat up and stretched before looking at him and she couldn't help the smile that graced her lips. Dan didn't have anything on other than the pistol and the woman was definitely getting an eyeful. "Dan you might want to put some clothes on. You appear to be traumatizing my current assistant as well as the wolf delivering breakfast." 

Dan looked back at her and snickered. "You might want to put a bit of clothing on as well or I might traumatize them even further." He safed the pistol and glanced around the room. "I would get something on if I knew where my stuff might be. Would you mind crawling out and helping me?" 

Pam laughed and pulled her robe on as she flipped her legs over the side and standing up. "Silly ol' wolf, did your nose get broken?" She was grinning as she bypassed him and opened a wardrobe and pulled some of his casual clothing out and handed them to him. "A shower might be a good idea as well." She pulled a few items out as well and headed towards the bathroom. 

Dan grinned. "Sounds like a deal to me and I will make sure you are all clean as well." Even though he was coming across as a tease and casual to be honest he had been rocked to the core. It was going to take some time but he had felt part of his soul responding to that darkness that had impacted on him. Dan knew he wasn't what many would consider a good man. He had killed many times before, many times from behind in the dark. He had killed a number of people who simply had the bad luck to be in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Yes it had been done in the name of protecting the pack but each innocent killed had burned another tiny spot on his soul. 

Once they were in the shower and the water was running Dan pulled Pam close and rested his nose next to her pulse point. How long he stood there he didn't know but finally Pam's gentle touch and soft words penetrated and started working her magic. After several shuddering breaths he finally stepped back. "Sorry Pam." He started scrubbing down and when her hands lightly touched his back he could only sign in contentment. Even her touch calmed him down and soothed him. 

"It is okay my love and we will talk about it later. I can feel the shock and horror of what that spell did as well as how part of you reacted. I will give you a truth though you will have to decide the truth of it by yourself. I have touched that darkness within as well. After you were taken away I was almost in a blind fury. If it hadn't been for Mari coming down and grounding me the darkness might have gotten a toe hold into my spirit. Once she had calmed me down I finally could see what was happening. I was still furious but I refused to take it out on innocents." She looked pensive for a moment. "If you happen to hear something about a head to ugly for the pups to use as a kick ball just ignore it." 

Dan listened to her and pulled her close to him and gave her a burning kiss. His penis was hard and pressed between their bodies. "I wish I had time to ravish you but I need to get caught up on things. Don't expect much sleep tonight though. My wolf is feeling rather randy." When she mentioned the head he leaned back and raised an eyebrow and then snickered. "Yes Pam I will make sure to ask about it." 

Eventually they finished their shower and toweled off and dressed. Dan had to laugh since he had on some jean shorts and a loose well used t-shirt and sandals. "Well at least I should be more comfortable dressed this way." When they walked out they found Geoff and Xipil in the room waiting for them. 

Geoff stood and walked over to Dan and gave him a good hug and a light punch on one shoulder. "Welcome back ol' man. When you get a chance Mari would like to see you. She has a few broken bones so she couldn't come to say hello this morning." 

Dan nodded. "I will go and visit her and see what I can do to speed the healing up. Pack magic has some uses you know. I am starving right now so why don't you get me caught up on things while I am eating the horse leg on the table?" 

He settled down and nodded at the other Kitsune. "I can tell you are a nine tail but beyond that I don't recognize you. I assume since you are in Pam's suite you are considered one of the good guys. Since we haven't met I am Dan and I am going to skip all the fancy titles and stuff." As he was talking he had been stirring his coffee and fixing it to his taste. 

Pam settled down next to him and smiled at Xipil. "Dan this is the new leader of the country Clan Leader Xipil. He is now filling much the same position as Alysson does though this country is much larger. It is going to take a few days to catch you up on everything but..." The three of them, Pam, Geoff, and Xipil, started filling in the important gaps. 

Dan had almost finished eating when Amarish, Amariah, and the other little Kitsune came in. They were followed by the pups and he found it rather fascinating how they formed up. His eyes traveled over their appearance and noted that they appeared to be in a type of uniform. He didn't say anything for the moment since he wanted to see what was going to happen. 

Amarish saluted Xipil and Geoff before turning to Pam. "Auntie Pammie the Imperial Mousy Squad reports for duty." He was watching Dan out of the corner of his eye to see what his reaction was. 

Dan had to smile though it was a pleased smile. "Imperial Mousy Squad, does this mean you are now an official part of the Clan Leader's Own? Good for you Amarish, who is the pretty young lady next to you?" He glanced at Amariah since she wasn't dressed like the others and didn't even get a chance to speak. 

She hopped up in his lap and made an icky face. "Hunting mices okay but they have spiders that probably eat the mices." She shuddered when she said that. "I's stays and helps make uniforms." She shuddered again and didn't realize she hadn't stuttered. 

Dan couldn't help but to snicker at her reaction. "Big spiders I take it? How big would you say they are?" Kasai and Amarish had hopped up on the table since it had been cleared while Dan was talking to Amariah. 

She shuddered and one of her tails came around and a little glow floated over to the table and an image of a spider appeared. Dan had to blink since it was a pretty big tarantula. "That is impressive. Is that why everyone is wearing boots? Keep the spiders from nibbling on their toes?" That got a reaction from a number of the pups. 

Amarish caught Dan's attention. "This is Kasai and she is okay for a girl. When we's old enough she supposed to be mate." He made a face at that and sighed. 

Kasai smacked him with a tail and yipped at him. "Well he is okay for stinky boy. He's wait long time before we's mates." Just for good measure she licked his closest ear and got an ewe reaction from him. 

Pam frowned. "That is enough of that you two. Just because Dan is here doesn't give you permission to..." She screamed as a rat trotted past the doorway and her tail came out and turned this one to ash as well. "Okay Amarish today you are going to be hunting rats and don't you dare offer me a lightly toasted rat or I might have a lightly toasted Kitsune spirit." 

Dan twitched when she screamed and sent the bolt of fire across the room from one tail. "Um, so Amariah doesn't like big spiders and my mate doesn't like rats. I will have to keep that in mind." He was looking very startled at Pam's reaction to the rat and had been about ready to point it out. 

Amarish sighed. "Why's Auntie Pammie haves to hate big mices? They fill tummy up more than little mices." He shook his head and hopped off the table with Kasai. He moved over to the pups and looked them over. "Hose report to the kitchen and get the drinks and snacks and come back. Leaves them in here since we wills be in this wing for the day." He passed out some more orders before all the pups went to the sword rack and started pulling their implements of mousy death from it. 

Dan watched them leave and glanced at Pam. "Just how the hell much have I missed since I have been gone? Do I want to know how much of the world you, Mari, and Gettie have taken over?" He was actually a bit shocked at what had just happened. 

Xipil snorted. "Be very careful Dan or you might not have a pack to come back to. She has most of the Kitsunes in the palace eating out of her hand right now." He shook his head. "And Red said I was supposed to be the leader darn it. Oh well." 

Pam simply smiled at him and Dan finally stood. "Well I am going to check on Mari and then go and see how the new wolves are doing. I will see you later love and after eight this evening everyone is getting kicked out of the room." Just for good measure he leered at her before leaving. 

~~~ 

When he walked into the rooms Mari was sharing with Geoff he gave Gettie a good hug. "You are looking good Gettie. Keeping up with the troublesome little wolf I take it?" Just for good measure he winked at her before turning to the bed where Mari was. "Hey Mari, Geoff suggested I come and say hello to you. I also want to oogle our babies as well and spend a bit of time with them." As he was talking Dan slowly settled down on the bed to keep from jiggling her injuries. 

Gettie wrinkled her nose at him. "You had better not let Pam hear you saying that or you might get in trouble. As far as keeping up with the Little Wolf she is bigger than my Kitsune form so..." Since she knew that Dan was going to want to see the babies she went to get them while he settled down next to Mari. 

Mari took his hand and lifted it to her cheek. "If you ever do something like that again Dan I will hate you forever. You had all of us scared that you were going to die and that would have been horrible for everyone." Once she finished talking she closed her eyes and slowly inhaled the scent from his hand and relaxed. "The babies are doing fine and are most definitely greedy guts. Some days I am surprised I have any milk left after your son is done feeding." 

Dan leaned forward and gave her a peck on her forehead. "Believe me Mari that wasn't something I planned and it scared the crap out of me. The last thing I remember was feeling the corrosion of my spirit. For a very brief moment I had gloried in the blood and gore I had caused. Then there was burning warmth and then nothing." He had to shudder at that memory. 

When Gettie handed Grayson to him he hefted the little boy and grinned. "You are definitely packing on some weight there little beasty. Either that or you are trying to smuggle gold bullion out in your diaper." He was smiling as his son turned and sniffed his father. Since Geoff had followed him in he looked at him. "Thank you for taking such good care of my little wolf and accepting my children. I wish I could raise them myself but right now that isn't an option. I would never take them from Mari and you either since that would be cruel. I know you think of them as part of your family and I also know that you will take good care of them. Again thank you Geoff." 

Gettie handed him Zahria after Geoff took Grayson from Dan. He settled down on the other side of Mari and held the boy close to him. "At first I have to admit I wasn't too pleased with your decision Dan. I felt in a way that you were abandoning your responsibilities towards your children. The more I watched you as well as how you are dealing with the other women pregnant women I have realized my thoughts were somewhat wrong. You are not abandoning your children but doing your best to give them a stable home. A home with two loving parents and a place to grow up. You are giving up more than I can imagine since you won't see them going through many of the steps all children do." Geoff sighed as he said that since he had been fairly upset with Dan for some time. It had started after Dan had said he wasn't giving up any parental rights but wanted he and Mari to raise them. He still had some problems with it but having said that did help. 

Dan looked down at Zahria and sighed. "I truly wish I could raise them but the fates took that choice away from me. I had only two real choices when faced with the pregnancies, keep them with me once born or give their raising to people I trust deeply. Keeping them once born would have been both wrong and cruel. Till the gods and spirits are done with me I can't give them the kind of home they deserve. Yes the rest of you are involved but the fates haven't screwed with you nearly as much. If something happens to me I want them to already have a family that loves and cares for them. That essentially reduced the choices down to one. I did what I felt best for the mothers and the babies." 

Zahria yawned and wiggled slightly before falling back to sleep. One of Dan's fingers very lightly stroked her cheek. "I could have made the other choice and I am not too proud to admit I was sorely tempted. I love all the pups in my pack but I still miss my two girls deeply. I was so tempted to keep them with me so I had MY children close. That would have been wrong for the reason I mentioned above. It would have been cruel to both their mothers and to the children." He looked up at Geoff and his eyes were tired looking. "Thank you for talking to me Geoff. That shows what kind of man you are; you came to me with a very sensitive subject that could easily anger me. You did it anyways and your parents and your mate should be very proud of you." 

Dan handed Zahria to Gettie and turned to Mari. "Let me see what I can do to help your injuries." He moved closer to her and took her hands and leaned so his forehead was pressed against hers. Since Dan had no idea what sort of power he might have Dan very carefully called on the pack bonds. He almost had to grin at the surge from all of them. There was a definite pleasure from them at feeling him back in their mind. "Okay Mari now for the fun." He let the power flow into her and heal what it felt was best. It didn't take all that long but he was feeling a warm glow when he was done. 

Mari closed her eyes when she felt the power flowing into her and smiled. It felt really good to have Dan back in her mind and close enough to really feel his presence. When he leaned back she had to giggle. "Gah, that tickled darn it. How the heck can being healed tickle." She had to giggle again as Dan looked affronted by her comment. 

Geoff moved next to her and snickered as well. "Yah and why the heck did I feel like I was being tickled as well. I will have Sampson come and take a look just to verify and then we will get you out of those BC devices." The casts were rigid, as they were supposed to be, and rough. Since they had just recently started bed play again he hadn't found it amusing to be suddenly cut off again. She had been pretty growly herself at that idea. 

Dan snickered at the two of them. "Well I am going to see the rest of the pack and how the training is going. People to do and places to see and all that." As he was standing up one of Xipil's advisors was shown into the room. 

"Leader of the Clans your presence has been requested in the Clan Leader's quarters. We have an unknown and badly injured wolf. She is starting to come to and it appears that she might be leaning toward the blood warrior's path. He would like you to see if you can control her since... You will need to look at her to really understand." They had tried to seal the markings but they kept bleeding through and they weren't sure what to make of them. Some had Xipil very upset though he wasn't saying why. 

Dan stood and nodded. "Just a moment and you can show me the way." He turned and gave Geoff a good hug. "Thanks for talking to me. We will catch a beer later and talk some more if you need to." He turned and gathered his sword up which he had left at the door and slung it. "Let's go and see what I can do." As he was talking he was expanding his senses and could feel the rage and fear coming from the wolf. There were hints of what had been done to him though not nearly as strong. 

~~~ 

When he stepped into the doorway to Xipil's quarters the wave of both fury and blind terror hit him like a hammer. There were several Kitsunes in there and it appeared they had been forced to cast a shield to keep her penned in. She was crouched in one corner and her eyes were almost a solid red which was not a good sign. Much more and she was going to lose it and they needed to know information from her. 




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 08



The first thing Dan was going to need to do was to take control of her and her wolf and that was going to be difficult. In the state she was in if he did it wrong he might have to completely shut her down mentally. If he was forced to do that the Mistress only knew how long if ever before she recovered. Right off the top he could tell that she was mainly fighting the restraining wards. The more she resisted the more they restrained and no wolf would willingly stand for that. "Everyone out of the room now, cast a ward on all exits from this room and stay out till I say otherwise." His voice was quiet and even since the more calm he could remain the more her wolf would pick that up. 

Xipil frowned. *Are you sure Dan? In the state she is in I honestly don't know how much damage she could do before she is subdued again.* They were backing away from the trapped woman as he was talking to Dan. 

*I know what I am doing. I can protect myself and as long as I can keep her focus on me I should be able to help her. Now get out and release the wards on her.* His voice was still quiet but it carried an overtone of command in it. 

Xipil bowed slightly and was the last out. The moment they had the wards placed over every exist and then released the restraining wards on her. When they did that she leapt away from the corner and moved to another. As she was moving the markings covering most of her body could be seen. The spiritual stench of evil flowed off them and made many of the Kitsunes gag. 

Dan looked at her and made note of the markings but kept his main focus on the woman. Looking at her she was definitely of a Native Indian descent and had been a striking woman. Now her body was disfigured by the markings as well as signs of deliberate disfigurement. Whoever had done the work had spared her face and only her face. While he was examining her he was carefully touching her with his pack magic and specifically the magic from his world and not this one. His spirit was getting a feel for what was going on with her as well. 

The staring contest lasted for some time since she didn't take her eyes off his at all. The only noises she was making were guttural animalistic sounds. They were mixed in with barks and growls as well. Her body was tense and quivering with the need to do something. Eventually she did move and it was all attack. She was swinging, clawing, kicking, and biting for all she was worth. When she did it was in and out attacks. She would attack, launch a few blows and leap away. 

Dan didn't strike back at all but he did block the worst of the blows. The longer she attacked the more tired she would become and eventually easier to deal with. If he could get her to wear herself out and then feed her it would definitely be a step forward. As much as he hated the thought he had to treat her like an injured and scared animal. Let her wear herself out and then feed her and try and win her over. Once she was feed and asleep he could try asking the spirits for help on how to deal with her. 

Outside Xipil sent all but his most powerful spirit users away to reduce the woman's discomfort. He reasoned the fewer people around the less she would stress. He stayed there though just in case she did something Dan wasn't expecting or couldn't handle. As he was watching her attack Dan he could see trickles of blood from where she had clawed him or bit him and had to wince. Those had to hurt but Dan wasn't showing any reaction other than to keep her to the front of him. 

Inside Dan could tell she was starting to get tired finally and he had been there for several hours letting her wear herself out. By now he had a number of injuries scattered across his body though they were healing as she inflicted them. The longer she attacked him the more confused she seemed to become since he wasn't attacking and hadn't laid a finger on her. Her wolf was starting to take notice of his wolf as well though there wasn't any trust as of yet. 

Now that she was starting to slow down he started using his pack magic to send out soothing feelings. They weren't aimed at her since that would probably set her off. Instead he simply let them flow out of his spirit and go where they wanted to. Since they weren't focused on her hopefully her wolf wouldn't take it as an attack and better yet she wouldn't notice. If every time he walked in she calmed down she would eventually come to associate him with peace or so he hoped. "Xipil get a large tray of fresh meat and a bowl of water. I can feel her hunger and it has been a while. Now that she is calming down it would be a good time to feed her." 

Xipil did just that before frowning when Amariah and Amarish appeared next to him. Amarish contacted Dan. *Alpha Danny I has some mousys for you to gives her. Theys are very fresh.* Hose toddled up with his little bag and handed it to Amarish. 

Dan almost growled at him but decided not to. They had definitely gotten her attention and he could feel a war inside. Part of her wanted to attack anything near her but her wolf knew they were pups and had to be protected. She started growling and while facing him slowly moved so she was between him and the pups. "Good girl, protect the pups and kits. See you are still somewhere inside." *Amarish toss a few mice through the ward and see what she does. Amariah call her to get her attention. See if she notices the mice and takes them.* 

Dan slowly moved away from her and held his hands up. As he moved she made a few dashes towards him as if to chase him away. Each time she would crouch back in front of the three and growl at him. When Amarish took a few mice from the little pouch Hose was carrying and tossed them in Dan had to grin. The little pup looked extremely happy that he could help. 

Amariah scooted as close to the ward as was safe and called out. "We has mousys for you. Eat mousys while keeping we's safe." She was trying really hard not to stutter and was mostly successful. One or two had slipped out but other than that she did fine. "Comes eat mousys. Keeps yous going." 

The female finally noticed the mice lying next to her and she carefully lifted one up and sniffed it from head to tail before eating it. She did this with the other mice that were near her and she looked pleased. Why Dan wasn't sure but he had a feeling whatever food she had been given had been corrupted or gone bad. 

A few minutes later the meat and water Xipil had ordered arrived though he had kept the man out of sight. *Put the tray down. Amarish and Amariah pick the tray up and bring it to the warding and push it through. She might trust the meat better coming from you. Do the same with the water bowl.* 

Hose helped as well by pushing the bowl of water towards the door. He did spill some of the water but most was still in the bowl. By now most of the other pups were gathered out of sight and watching. When Gianni noticed Hose having some problems she hurried over and gave him a hand. 

The female twitched when Gianni came into view and made a querying sound at her. Gianni glanced at Dan and then the woman. "I's Gianni and this Hose, Amarish, and Amariah." Once the bowl was inside she looked at the woman. "Alpha Danny is the wolfs over there and he's good alpha. He's take cares of you." She was solemn as she spoke. 

The four of them watched as the female wolf started to sniff the meat once piece at a time before eating it. *Danny what's wrong with her?* Gianni was rather upset by what she was smelling and seeing. *Can yous help hers?* 

Dan gave her a slight shrug. *I don't know Gianni, I simply don't know. She is further gone than any wolf I have ever seen and I can't tell how far she will come back from what was done. I want the four of you to say where she can see you since you aren't a threat. It will hopefully give her something to focus on and draw her wolf forward. Are the other pups with you?* 

Gianni nodded and gulped as he talked. *Theys over theres out of sight. Does you want them to does something?* 

He contemplated it. *Maybe, I might have them replace each of you periodically so you can relax and eat. Why don't you change and make a small puppy pile and take a nap. It will make her feel like she has accomplished something.* As he watched the two Kitsunes changed to their fox forms and Hose and Gianni stripped and changed to their puppy forms and curled up with Amarish and Amariah. 

Dan almost had to smile since her eyes got large when the Kitsunes changed. Since he was feeling tired he shifted to his wolf form and mentally grumbled at his tails. He settled down and curled up as well and closed his eyes. 

When he changed he could feel the female staring at him now and just for good measure he twitched his tails at her. Once he was curled up he fanned them out so they all showed. Just for good measure he twitched his ears a few times as well. 

He didn't realize it at first but the other pups started changing forms and eventually the pile of pups filled the doorway. The female simply sat there and stared at all the pups. Her eyes would flash between them and the weird looking wolf. Why did it have colorful tails and why did they remind her of something? What she couldn't bring forward, or her mind wouldn't let her bring forward which irritated her. 

She finally changed forms as well and curled up in front of the doorway between the other wolf and the pups. Between the full belly and attacking the other she was exhausted and quickly passed out. 

~~~ 

Once she was asleep Dan contemplated what to do with her. He wasn't going to leave her in this room since there was that secret room and heaven only knew what else hiding away. They needed to move her to a different room and one that was setup for a wolf on the edge. He finally contacted Maric. *Maric get with Pam and Xipil to find a room for this wolf. It needs to be wolf proof yet comfortable. A source of water, somewhere for bodily wastes, and a heavy canvas mattress. Maybe a few blankets as well. Take care of it and let me know when you are done.* 

*Yes boss, consider it taken care of and I will let you know.* He was still on light duty from his poisoning and it felt good to have something to do. It was mostly going to be supervising but still it was something Nara wouldn't feel the need to nag him about. 

"Nara Dan gave me some very light work to do. Do you want to come along and make sure I am not overworking myself?" There was a slight grin on his face when he said that. Yes they were mates but they were still feeling their way into it. They were both from totally different backgrounds so that was something they were working on. There were compromises they had to make as well. 

She gave him a hug and leaned against him. "I am glad that Dan is back. All of you have been off center since he has been gone and I would love to come with you. It will be nice to get out of the rooms and wander around." She didn't feel comfortable simply wandering around unless it was with the local pack or Maric's pack. There were still some of the officials who were rather upset by the former emperor being killed. She was sure they would take pleasure in managing to do something to hurt the pack and that included something aimed at her. 

Maric returned the hug and gave her a good kiss. "I am pleased as well since he does provide a sense of stability for the pack and the Kitsunes that now look to him." He held her for a few minutes and felt the babies moving and smiled. "Shouldn't be too much longer now should it. A month or so?" She had been five or so months pregnant when Dan went north when Mari delivered and it had been about two months since then. Realistically she could deliver almost any time now. 

She grinned. "Could be but you just want to know so you can try and get in all the sex you want before I am too far along." He had most definitely been active since they had discovered each other. That wasn't a complaint in anyway but sometimes he tended to wear her out. 

"Well of course silly woman." He wrapped an arm around her as they walked out of the room they were assigned. As they were walking he was contemplating what Dan had wanted for the room. The only one he could really think of in the Imperial quarters was a storage room. It would be easy to secure but it would have to be cleaned out. He sent a call out to the local pack for some people to come and help clean it out. 

It didn't really take all that long to get the room emptied and cleaned. The mattress was a bit harder to come up with but they had finally found something that would work. The other items Dan had asked for had been taken care of as well. It had required some modification but eventually it was done. *Okay Dan the room has been taken care of and is ready.* 

~~~ 

Now that she was asleep Dan carefully insinuated his mind into hers and deepened the sleep. This way they could move her to the other room with minimal hassle. He was going to need to talk to the pups parents to see about letting them play and sleep outside the room. He was hoping it would help her keep calm and recover sooner. Tonight he was going to try and talk to one of the spirits about the markings on her body. If they could even get rid of the poisons it would help. He wasn't going to hold out any hopes of removing the actual marks. If she survived time would take care of that hopefully. 

He finally stood up and waited to see if she reacted. When she didn't he shifted forms and waited a while longer. He finally approached her and squatted down next to her and gently moved her to get a better look at the markings. They were going to need to either make sketches or have one of the spirits take a look. *Xipil she is out of it for the moment so adjust the wards so that as I move her to the other room they will follow.* 

The Kitsunes and wolves chased the kids out of the hall for the moment as Dan picked her up. He held her close as he stepped out of the room and felt the wards adjusting for his movement. Eventually he was at the room and gave it a good look and was satisfied. In one corner was a large box of dirt she could use in either form for bodily functions. The mattress looked like two old horse blankets that had been quickly stitched around a padded mattress from one of the soldier's beds. 

After laying her down he moved out of the room and released the sleep compulsion he had placed on her. She would wake up eventually and since he wanted to talk to the mother's of some of the pups he could do that here. Amariah and Amarish weren't a problem. He contacted some of the mothers and had them meet him there. He explained what he was doing and what he wanted. While they were discussing it the woman woke up and snarled at all of them for several minutes. 

Since they were completely ignoring her it threw her wolf for a loop and she simply didn't know what to do. Eventually Dan and the parents came to a satisfactory solution. The pups could sleep and play there but there would be guards just in case. Dan readily agreed to that and after thanking them stood. "Well I am going to go and see how the troops are doing after getting something to eat." He headed towards Pam's room to see what was available.



Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 09



Once Dan had finished eating dinner with Pam and the two little Kitsunes he called for the healers and Geoff. He needed any and all information they had on the female wolf so he could see about contacting Amaratsue. When Geoff walked in he smiled and gave him a good nod. "Have a seat Geoff and have something to drink. The others I called for should be here shortly. I am going to get all the information I can on the wolf, where she might have come from, and what was done to her. I was considering meditating on it and trying to contact Amaratsue but I decided I have a better connection sitting on my lap." Dan looked down at Amariah as he stroke her ears. 

She looked up at him and smiled. *I would like to see mommy and daddy. It hasn't been long but I's miss them.* She went back to the sewing she was doing. It wasn't great but she was learning and really enjoyed it. In this case it was fixing a tear in a shirt. 

Geoff had to smile. "I don't blame you for missing them. I miss mine when I have to leave for a while and I am all grown up." He reached over and tickled an ear only to get growled at. Geoff pulled his hand back and settled for taking a sip of his coffee. "How are you feeling Dan? I know it has been pretty rough on you." 

He shrugged. "Actually I feel pretty good. I couldn't even begin to tell you what my Mistress did for me but I actually feel very good. I am more tired than normal but that is to be expected. Have they found anything out about the room? What about connections to any of the staff or officials?" He hadn't seen inside the room so he had no idea what might be in there. 

Geoff snarled something in Kitsune. "We have barely had a chance to really start examining the room but it is steeped in evil. Just walking into the room is enough to make me want to shower and vomit. The layers of pain, suffering, and death in the room speak of long term suffering and use. I have contacted Mother and she is going to send several of our best down. It might be a good idea of you contacted the other clans and have them send their experts down as well." 

Dan raised an eyebrow and covered Amariah's ears. "Geoff please there are innocent ears in the room." When Geoff recommended contacting the other clans he had to pause and think about it. "Ah, the Leader of the Clans bit right? I will do that once we are done here. I think I am going to task some of the Kitsune warriors to ride heard on the pups since they are still searching. There are several more locations that Amarish has identified. Right now from what Pam said earlier, as they are doing their mouse hunting any place that feels wrong gets noted. Amarish is being extremely careful when they encounter any of those locations. As soon as one is sensed he notes it in the map he is making and then reports it to Maric." 

Geoff nodded as Dan talked. "That is a very good idea. The room was the central source of the plague of horror in the palace but those other locations are still dangerous. Once they are identified then we can start removing them. What I really want to know is who or what is the source of this pestilence. It is very old and steeped in evil. This has been decades if not generations in the making. Whatever the source is the disparate magic varieties indicate a great deal of training. I can't even identify half of the magic's involved." That was said with a rather grumpy tone. 

Dan leaned over and gave Geoff's arm a gentle squeeze. "Believe me I know how you feel Geoff and there will always be something you don't know no matter how long you live. I am over two hundred years old and still learning new things. I have to agree that this has the feel of a very long term game. Someone with a very long life has a grudge against someone and has been taking his time to set things up. I also get the feeling that whoever is behind this isn't close. There is a sense of distance to the individual." 

Right about then the others he called for walked in. "Have a seat ladies and gentleman. I am going to keep this simple and on point. I want descriptions and drawings of the injuries to the female wolf's body. I also want detailed reports on what magic's appear to have been used as well as impressions of why it might have been done. Make sure you differentiate facts from feelings. Both are valid but I don't want them mixed together. I need them as soon as possible so get to it and I will be waiting." It was abrupt but Dan just couldn't help but feel that there was a time crunch, for the woman if not the rest of the people. 

They stood and all but the senior surgeon left. He pulled a file out and handed it to Dan. "These are the drawings; report on the injuries, and impressions. I had a feeling you would be wanting them so I made sure to bring them with." With a nod he left the room. 

Dan looked down at the folder and was impressed. "Have you looked at this Geoff?" He rested his hand on it and could feel a disturbance and frowned. He really didn't like the feeling he was getting from it. "Put your hand on it and tell me what you feel." 

Geoff shook his head. "No, I haven't had time to look at it with helping to clean up the spiritual mess as well as recovering myself." He leaned forward and pulled the folder to him and did much as Dan did and frowned. "I feel a disruption but it is more of an echo of what was done than anything else." He flipped the folder open and looked at the pictures that had been taken of the woman's body and hissed. "Amariah leave the room now." 

Once she had left he started spreading out the pictures and drawings that had been made and hissed again. "This is in high Kitsune that has been corrupted. This is not good at all." He looked up at Dan with concern in his eyes. "You haven't encountered it yet but High Kitsune is essentially the language of the spirit lords. We have been taught some but it is only for the most senior Kitsunes in the clans." 

"Different clans have their own variations of the language and usage. It is what gives us the connection and powers related to our color. In your case you would be taught parts of the language for all the clans that look to you. It is one of the reasons Lords and Ladies of the clan's are so rare. In the last thousand years there have only been a total of four of which two are in existence right now. The reason it is so rare is once you have been taught the language you can draw power from the spirit's of all the clans." He really hated having to drop this on Dan all at once. 

Dan had to blink and then sighed as he rubbed his temples. "Great, just frigging great, all I have wanted was to be a good Alpha and live a long life with my mate and children. I have never wanted to be some major power player. I can't help but wonder what the gods and goddesses are thinking about me right now. From the sounds of it between Pam and I, we are simply some of the most powerful people in this section of the world." He rubbed his face before giving Geoff a wry grin. "So would you like me to carve out a bit more territory for you to the east of your country?" 

Geoff stood up and walked to the sideboard and poured Dan a rather large shot of Tequila and brought it back over. "Honestly other than the Moon Goddess you probably scare the crap out of them. Part of that is because you are literally an unknown factor. You were not born in this world so your fate wasn't fixed in this world. You can do things due to that others simply can't. Your fate in this world is totally up to you." When Dan offered to expand Geoff's country he snorted. "No thanks. I really would hate to have that discussion with mom. I can see it now, 'Oh mom, for all the help you have given Dan he is giving you a gift of more territory'." He shuddered and then shared a laugh with Dan. 

~~~ 

She looked up and then looked at the folder and poofed from Dan's lap. This wasn't good and she was going to talk to her mother. She knew that Danny wanted their input but the feel she had gotten made her think of when Dan was hurt and that scared her. When she appeared in her mother's lap she gave her a big hug. *Momma I's scared. I's felt icky stuff from girl wolfie like I felt from Alpha Danny.* 

Amariah hadn't realized she had appeared during the middle of a meeting with one of the other senior spirit Kitsunes. It was one that her mother didn't care for since he was a pompous ass and grew up when females were more a possession than anything else. That was one drawback to the incredibly long lives of the spirits. If they chose not to keep moving and growing it took forever to get them out of a position of power. Being long lived had some advantages as well such as the ability to keep learning as well but it was how the individual handled it. 

The elder cleared his throat to get Gin No's attention so they could continue their conversation. "Just a moment elder since this sounds like it might be of critical importance." She looked up at him and when he started to frown she let her eyes start to swirl and change colors. That was usually a bad sign since she only did that when she was starting to feel annoyed. As of now she had been seriously annoyed with him before her daughter had arrived. 

"Surely it can wait till this meeting is completed? This is important since it deals with questions on your mates..." He tensed up and her eyes flared silver with her power. He could feel a constriction around his neck and he was frozen in place. 

"I asked you for a moment elder and it hadn't been a request. My children know not to disturb me unless it is something they feel is of importance. They aren't always correct and when they make the wrong decision they are educated. I will be with you in a moment." She looked back down at Amariah and stroked her ears. She could feel another small surge of power and Amarish popped up on the desk. 

He didn't look happy and looked around and ended up glowering at the elder before looking at Amariah. "What has sissy so upset?" He was wearing his mouse hunting uniform with sword and everything. He walked across the desk and leaned forward and petted her ears. "Someones bothering you sissy?" 

She shook her head and tilted her head as he petted her ears. Their mother smiled at them before speaking. "Now show me what you are talking about hun and we will go from there." When Amarish settled down next to his sister and held her hand she waited since they were going to do something together. It didn't take very long before an image of the woman appeared. 

It was from earlier when Dan was trying to calm her down. At this point she was completely nude and the scars and torture were clear. The black staining was blatantly obvious as well and Gin No had to take a sharp breath. "You are dismissed Elder since this does not involve you but is of great importance." As she was speaking she was mentally manipulating the image for close up views of some of the wounds. 

"Well excuse me." He stood up and stomped out of the room. "This is why females should be taking care of houses and babies, to damn flighty for real responsibilities." 

Amariah beat her to the punch with her tail of doom. She wasn't in any mood to deal with stupid people and she magically removed a tail from him and handed it to her mother. "For Danny if he wants it." 

The elder screeched when she removed the tail since she hadn't done anything to block the pain of loss. He staggered for a moment before turning and his face was glowing with rage. "Why you little..." Before he could say anything else Amaratsue had appeared and his hand was wrapped around the male's neck. 

"You forget yourself. It is not your job to judge my mate or my children. You are banished to your lands till further notice." He reached down and ripped a second tail off before heaving the man down the hall. "Guards escort him off my domain and ensure wards are placed to restrict him to his small estate." 

Amaratsue walked in and closed the door before looking at the tail in his hand. The end was a bit on the bloody side since he had literally ripped it off. He hadn't bothered with magic the way Amariah had. With a glance he sealed the end of the tail and tossed it on the table. "I wonder if Pam would like a set of matched tail earrings. Nah, I wouldn't degrade her by giving her these tails." 

Gin No couldn't help but give him a look filled with lust and desire. "For a nine-tail you are one sexy male my mate. Now for what brought Amariah here. Look at this." She stuck her fingers into the image and expanded it for a better view. 

Amaratsue looked over her shoulder and snarled. When he spoke it was obvious someone else was speaking through him and with him. "I am not pleased with this perversion. I release my restrictions placed on you my children. Do what is needed to remove the perversion and restore the balance. If this is not to happen we will have to move worlds again and deprive another world of magic." When the voice spoke through Amaratsue he started glowing slightly and his eyes went blank till the voice was done. 

When it left he staggered and would have fallen if his mate hadn't caught him. "Oh fuck, the blackness is back." With that his eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed on the floor. 

~~~ 

At the Silver Moon manor Alysson was working on another pile of documents caused by Dan. Jon was sitting in the office helping her and listening to her mutter at Dan. "If he keeps this up it is a damn good thing I have silver hair already or I would be gray by the time he is done." Another document went into her outbox as she was muttering. "I still have a feeling that he is the root cause Amaratsue and Red are down a tail each. I can't help but wonder what the Moon Goddess is using them for? Fox tails for gathering moon dust maybe?" 

Jon stared at her and his lips started twitching when she mentioned dusting with a fox tail. He was barely able to keep from laughing his ass off at his wife. The only reason he didn't was because he could tell she was feeling grouchy at the moment. "I am sure she isn't using them for that love. She probably has them hanging in a nice display box for her pack to enjoy looking at." Okay, maybe a bit of humor would be okay. 

Alysson glanced up at him and glowered at him. "How would you like one of your tails to be on display? I can arrange it if you would like." Damn it she was feeling edgy right now and she wasn't sure why. 

Jon smiled at her. "No thank you hun, my tails are fine where they are at and not nearly as fluffy as some others I can think of." He started to lower his head back to the document he was looking at when his tails twitched. He sat up and frowned. "You aren't really..." That was as far as he got before his mate tensed up and started speaking as well. 

"Gather our children and guard them well. Contact all the clans and go to the corrupted lands. Give the Leaders of the Clans all of your support. The Darkness is back. Be in the corrupted lands with your finest by the moon." She gasped and shuddered as the voice withdrew. Her eyes were totally dilated in shock at what had just happened. "Oh no, all the spirits bless us for we will need it." 

Jon hurried around the desk and pulled a flask out of one drawer. It was for emergencies only and would revive her long enough to get plans in motion. "Drink and give it a few minutes to work. I am going to start making calls." Once she had he held her for a moment till Uncle walked in. 

"I will take care of her Jon. Go make the calls. The elders are already on their way. We will take care of things with my sister." He gracefully moved across the room and took over from Jon. 

With a nod Jon let her brother take over the care of her for the moment. "If you need anything I will be next door in my office." He hurried out and after pulling out his phone list he started making calls. It started with Ben and Sheliae. 

~~~ 

Back at the palace Dan and Geoff were still talking when both were contacted by Gin No. It took both of them a moment to uncross their eyes before they could move. Dan didn't even blink before grabbing his sword and slung it as the two of them walked out. As they were heading towards the throne room others were following them as well. By the time they had arrived every wolf of Dan's and all the Kitsunes were gathered. 

The doors shut behind the last one to enter and a surge of power could be felt as they were sealed. Moments later the seven spirit Lords and their mates, or soon to be mates, appeared in the room. Everyone went down to their knee out of respect. Amaratsue glanced at the throne and with a sigh was helped to it and he sat down. "Everyone rise and I am not taking the throne. I had a visitation not very long ago and am still recovering from that." 

Dan wasn't really sure what that meant but based on everyone else's reaction it was shocking. While he was standing there Pam moved over next to him and he wrapped an arm around her. "If I may be so bold but what was the visitation about Spirit Lord?" 

Amaratsue looked over at Dan and smiled slightly. "I am pleased you are back with your mate. I was used as a mouthpiece for another power. Do not ask what power since I would only be able to tell you 'a higher power' and not much else. The visitor informed me that the constraints have been removed from me because the Darkness is back." He had to close his eyes for a moment and accept some power from his mate. 

As he was doing that everyone in the room who knew about the Darkness gasped in shock and horror. The most senior Kitsunes knew since they were the front line in ensuring it didn't gain more than a toe hold anywhere in their territory. Dan was more than confused but let it go for the moment. Considering how used Amaratsue was looking Dan lowered his head. *Mistress if you can hear me I request that you return Red and Amaratuse's tails. Something major has them worked up by the name of the Darkness.* 

For a very brief moment stillness fell upon the room as a beam of moonlight shown down. When it faded away the Moon Goddess was there. She immediately moved over to Amaratsue and wrapped an arm around him. *Your tail is back and all is forgiven. What is this about the Darkness being back? I know I have felt some stirring but nothing to indicate that.* She rarely ever spoke using her voice. 

Amaratsue twitched and smiled. *Thank you Luna. I will explain in a moment.* He sat up and Luna moved off to one side. 

When she glanced around she had to smile at her wolves. "You do me great honor my children. You have taken what my Alpha wolf has tried to teach you and have grown. I am pleased and keep showing my other children there is a right way to be a pack." 

"I don't have a great deal of time since the Avatar for the Darkness will start recovering from his current state soon. Even with the constraints gone I must hoard my powers to my chest like a niggardly miser. We cannot allow this change to be discovered till it is the right time. As of now my children will be used to communicate with me. The other clan spirit lords will be assigning envoy's to the Leaders of the Clans and Leader Xipil. I will give you further updates once I have recovered. The mates of the spirit lords are going to clean the palace for you of all evil. Keep your eyes open though because evil can find a way if a chance is given." Amaratsue nodded to all and traded looks with Luna and she nodded at him. He vanished from the throne room as did all the other male spirits. 

As Amaratsue was speaking Red felt his tail being returned as well and he couldn't help but reach around and pull all of them forward. He cuddled them in his arms as if they were his precious children and stroked the one that had been removed. *Poor baby I will make sure to give you a really good grooming tonight.* 




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 09



Aka No covered her eyes for a brief moment. *Red do you have any idea just how wrong that looks? It is one thing to chase and play with my tails but to treat yours like they are your babies?* She lifted her head back up and ignored his antics for the moment. 

Luna looked around the room with her cool gaze and finally nodded at Dan and Pam. She walked over and gave Pam a smile and a hug. "I would pleased to formally meet you when we have time to talk. Ask Dan how to get to the moon paths and you can visit me there as well." Once she had greeted Pam she wrapped an arm through one of theirs and led them from the room. "Xipil, Geoffrey, Mari, and Maric follow me. I have information I needs give you." 

They traded looks but before Xipil followed them out he passed out a few orders including ensuring that the spirit ladies were escorted at all times. "Unless urgent do not disturb us." He turned and walked out of the room with his tails lightly swishing back and forth. 

Once they reached Dan and Pam's room all of them had to roll their eyes. Curled up on the bed and or playing were a number of other Kitsune kits from about Amariah's age to what would be an eight year old. Most of them were twins as well. Dan sighed. "I am so getting them a separate room darn it. I am not going to have my time with my mate interfered with." Even though she was already pregnant both of them were more than active when they were together. Dan didn't see any reason that should stop. 

Mari snickered at him and leaned against his arm. "But why Danny? They make for good bed warmers and cuddle as well as the pups do." She was most definitely teasing him and it was obvious. 

Dan growled at her. "Fine then I will simply ask them to use your bed at night to sleep in." Geoff narrowed his eyes and yipped at Dan which only made Dan laugh. "See what you get for being a sneaky little wolf? Your Alpha gets to find sneaky ways to deal with you." 

Pam and Luna snickered at the two of them. Luna came forward and wrapped her arms around Mari and gave her a hug. "Thank you for taking care of our Alpha and I am proud that you were able to overcome your fears and help comfort him. You are most definitely the mate for Geoffrey." She turned and settled down in a chair. "I am going to give you a brief history to explain some of what is going on." 

Dan went over to the sideboard and poured her a large drink of whiskey and carried it over to her. "Sorry but we don't have access to Silver Howls Luna but this is an excellent brand of whiskey." Once he handed it to her he settled down with some fortified coffee and waited. 

She took a sip and smiled. "Thank you Danilo and this is rather good. Next time you irritate me this would be a good start on the road to forgiveness." When Pam gave him the 'look' Luna snickered. "Don't worry Pamela it was back on his world when he was younger. It seems that some of his fellow wolves bet him he couldn't seduce me. That was an enjoyable chase." Just for good measure she winked at him. "I never did get the child support." 

Dan almost instantly turned red and coughed into one hand as Pam amped up 'the look'. "She is joking about the child support. I have been sending a box of Scotch to her every six months as well as her favorite brand of dog bones for the last four decades. I have, well had, the receipts to prove it." 

Amariah popped up and handed Dan a small note. Her ears were pricked forward and she was looking very pleased. "Momma said that shes is going to be sending notes and messages to yous by my's poofing." 

Dan looked down at the small note and contemplated burning it. Instead he sighed and opened it up and read it and groaned. He handed the note to Luna who took it. 

She read it and snickered. "I will have to remember to thank her." She glanced at Pam. "Gin No said she would add two bottles of Silver Howls to the support as well. Oh and for some reason she put down 'More babies Dan?'." 

Pam looked at Luna. "So let me guess twins? I have been considering getting him a chastity belt for when I go into heat again. I really don't want to keep popping out twins every couple of years." When Dan dropped his head to the table and groaned she patted his back. "Now that we are done embarrassing my mate what do you need to tell us?" 

Luna had to grin slightly when Pam mentioned twins. "Yes and I am very proud of them. Dan's son is making to be a damn fine Alpha one of these days. His daughter is currently debating if the male chasing her is worthy." 

Dan sat up and growled. "I will meet this young man before anything happens. I will be bringing silver buckshot just in case." Because they were spirit wolves he had only spent a short amount of time with them. He still loved and valued them a great deal. 

The females shared a look before Luna started speaking. "For the nonce just listen to me and what I have to say. I have a great deal of information to give you before I have to return to the moon and my pack. I am going to touch on my place in what has come to be. The reality of it is far more complex and you simply are not capable of understanding beyond what I explain." She took a drink of the whiskey before continuing. 

"As you have discovered there are many dimensions that are connected. The easiest way to think of them is to imagine a book. The pages are laid one atop the others and contain parts of a story. Because each page has a different section of the story that page is not the same as the previous. To add to this not all the pages will contain the same story. This would be like reading a book of short stories. In the short stories the pages have one constant, the spine of the book that holds them together." She took another drink and glanced at the glass. "This really is an excellent brand." Several more bottles appeared in front of her. 

"As with the short stories each section is covering a different story. As you flip through from front to back the story changes and one story will be connected to another simply because they are part of the book. However the separate stories do not have anything in common except for the binding. In this case the binding is the moon. It is the constant in dimensions that are part of the same story. Due to this I am in a unique position since I can look into all the dimensions that the moon connects together. For the other higher powers within a dimension they can only see clearly what is in their dimension. They might be able at times to see into another dimension but it won't be clearly or for very long." 

"I, as mentioned, can see into all the dimensions clearly. Within each dimension where there are wolves I have intimate knowledge of everything the wolves do." She was starting to get pensive as she was talking. "Each time a wolf sings to me I learn more about him or her. Their joy in a new pup, the sadness from the loss of a mate, what their position is in relation to their pack mates. They sing of what they have seen since they last spoke to me and memories of times past. I know the name of every wolf that sings to me till their voice is silenced by death." This was hard for her to speak of since the good didn't always balance the bad for her children. 

"Due to this I know the history of all the dimensions I oversee. The reason I am telling you this is because this ability is what drew me into the fight with the Darkness. Generations ago, a good three or four thousand of your years, there was a terrible fight in the dimension Danilo is from. The Darkness invaded from the space between the dimensions. It took its time since evil has great patients. It knows that all mortal life finds it easier to remember the bad over the good. It slowly influences this so that the bad starts to become overwhelming. Once it has inched its way into the heart far enough it can start encouraging doing wrong. It does this by saying that even though an action is bad it will lead to good eventually. This is a slow process and can sometimes take generations to accomplish its goals. One thing the Darkness focuses on is the powerful since they are easier to corrupt in the name of being all powerful." 

Pam could see that this was a distressing subject even if Luna was sounding exactly the same as when she started. She stood up and walked over to the small sofa Luna had finally settled in and sat down next to her. Pam didn't say anything and simply settled for wrapping a comforting arm around her. 

Luna looked down at the shorter woman and smiled. "And this is why you are growing into a mate worthy of my Alpha." She wrinkled her nose. "Even if he is a grouchy old wolf." 

She wrapped an arm around Pam as well and continued. "To make a long story short the Darkness chose Japan, or Nippon in this dimension, as the place to strike. Though other countries have their tails of the supernatural Asia has one of the largest belief systems and listings of supernatural beings of the world. The Darkness found that due to this when the beliefs were combined with the amount of magical power in the region many supernatural had been created. The darkness wanted this power for its own use. Hence the Oni were created. They are the stuff of nightmares and across the board malicious and conniving. The ultimate goal of any Oni is to become one of the great lords and this is accomplished by warped magic, cursed blades in the back, any method possible to advance in the ranks." 

Luna gave up on the glass and simply drank from the bottle. She couldn't get drunk but she could get a slight buzz if she allowed it. "Once the darkness had created their 'children' they unleashed them on the world. Most of this battle took place in Asia and lasted for several generations. By the end of the battle the evil had been cast out but a few of their children remained. There simply weren't enough of the light powers left to survive the odds. This is where my abilities came in. The remaining spirit lords came to me for help. They knew that many of my children died in the battle as well. They asked for my help in saving their children and what children of mine were left in their realm of power. When they came and asked for help how could I not provide assistance? Normally the only ones I could connect with or help would be those that had some connection to the moon such as the wolves and the Silver Kitsunes." 

One bottle was gone and she opened another. "I set this aside at great personal expense and drew the remaining children I could to my territory and forced the connection shut. I then found another world that would be able to house our children and called on my children of this world to lend me their powers. They gladly came and answered my call and I opened a portal from the Moon to this dimension. Once all were gone I closed the portal and sealed it." She was looking out the window of the room they were in. 

Pam leaned a bit more into her. "What was this great cost to you Mistress?" She had a feeling that they needed to know since it had come about during the rescue. 

Luna sighed. "This is hurtful to speak of but you have the right. Before the Sundering I was a different Goddess. I was playful, joined my Children in their hunts, spent time with them, and mated with many. When I answered the call for help I was forced to destroy the connection with my remaining children in Japan. They remained behind to hunt down the remaining Oni but to do that their wolves had to be set free of any influence of mine. They became killing machines though they only hunted Oni. When they came upon an enclave of Oni they would essentially go mad and kill everything in the enclave till they burned out or were killed." 

Faint tears could be seen shimmering in her eyes. "That is why in Dan's world there are very few Asian werewolves or even werebeasts. The geas to hunt Oni is still present though in many cases they have formed into Demon hunter clans. I still cannot connect to them and lend them my presence in times of need. By doing this it damaged a part of me and caused me to withdraw from the world. My heart had been shattered by what I had been forced to do and I forced my emotions away. I love my children and love listening to them sing of their lives to me. I am too damaged to be able to be that person I was before. Since the Sundering few things have excited me or drawn me to them." She had to smile at Pam. "Your mate was one of them. It had been many years since my loins had stirred with desire for a male but Danilo caused that and for the first time in millennia I freshened and gave birth." 

Dan was trying his hardest not to hide somewhere. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room looking at him at the moment. Thankfully Mari broke that by walking over to Luna and settling down in her lap and curling up. She wrapped her arms around Luna's neck and rested her head on Luna's chest and gave a contented little sigh. "Danny is a wonderful person isn't he? Ignoring the fact that I had his pups even though he had been broken when he arrived he set his pain and agony aside. He kicked our tails till we got tired of it and stood up to face him. It was the ultimate type of love since he did what was needed to make us proud to be real wolves. He took our broken pack and taped it back together till such time as we actually started healing." 

Luna wrapped an arm around Mari and had to smile. "It has been a while since I have been comforted by a submissive. I might have to kidnap you occasionally to help me relax." She sighed before she kept talking. "This brings me back to you Danilo. One of your many times great ancestors was one of the original Alpha's that came from my loins. There were a number of original Alphas scattered across the Earth. In your case he grew up and lived in what would eventually become Europe. He died or was killed, I know not which, at some point prior to the Sundering. Before that he had a number of children. You are a direct descent of his but till you had been turned his wolf genes had been asleep within you. This is why it was so easy for you to rise through the ranks and become Alpha at a relatively young age. It is also why it was relatively easy to draw you over here and for the spirits here to act on you. You are steeped in Moon magic and the powers of the Alpha's. You have brought to this world pack magic that hasn't existed since the Sundering." 

She was starting to look tired from the talking. "I needs go back to the Darkness, in your world during the Sundering much of the magic of the world was erased or drained. By bringing the remaining supernaturals to this world drained much of what was left. Magic is an odd sort of power. Much of it is created by the beliefs of the mortals. Since Japan had such a detailed group of supernaturals the magic has been slowly replenished. However in the beginning there wasn't enough magic to support many of the stronger supernatural's. Wolves get their powers from the moon as much as anything else. They weren't nearly as impacted as the Kitsunes or the Nekomimi, or even Inukami. Most of those perished in the years after." 

"When the others were brought here they brought a great deal of magic which this world was lacking. This is why the supernatural's almost exploded across the planet. They did alter the future of this planet in many ways and not all good but that is part of life." Her face lit up with a muted joy. "If it hadn't Mari wouldn't have Geoff as a mate and Ben wouldn't have Sheliae as a mate, and many others. We had hoped that the Darkness had been sealed away after the Sundering but as with both good and evil it is not possible to keep one but not the other. This fight has been long in coming but with your powers and abilities you can return the Darkness to the void for a time. The source of the Darkness is somewhere on this continent. I will talk to you later." She drifted off to sleep. 

Dan moved over to the couch she was on and gave her a sad look. *Mari I am going to carry her to the bed. Go pull the covers back and crawl in please. I think having a submissive holding her while she sleeps would be good for her.* Once Mari had moved Dan picked the Goddess up and carried her over to the bed. *Move little ones for a few moments.* He tucked her in and pulled the covers up. *Okay little ones some of you curl up and comfort her. Even now she loves pups and having you curled up around her will help.* 

As he was talking Jose and several of the other pups silently came in and crawled up on the bed and piled around her. *We's take care of her Danny. Go check on sick wolfie and help her.* Amariah looked at him through the tails that were draped across her nose. 

"I will in the morning hun. It is late and I am tired as well. Keep her comforted all of you. Sleep well." For tonight he didn't care if the pups and kits were in there. 

~~~ 

The next morning once they had awoken Amariah said much the same, Dan had to smile at Amariah when she said that. Amarish hopped down from the table he had been sitting on and changed forms. *I's go with Danny. We's protect she-wolfie together.* His four tails were twitching in synch. 

"Pam would you like to go with? I am sure if she sees a female she might be more comfortable." He honestly didn't know what they would need to do to bring her back from the edge. If they could he wasn't sure if it would be the right thing for her. Either way they might have to kill her though with Luna here when she was awake maybe she could help. Dan wasn't going to hold out any hope but he would ask. Once he finished talking Dan shifted and just to be a stinker walked over to Amarish and pinned him with one paw and gave his ears a good bath. 

Pam was laughing at the two of them as she changed forms and padded over to them. She got revenge on Dan by giving his closest ear a good tongue bath as well. *So are we going or are you going to stay here and annoy Amarish? Gettie informed me she washed his ears this morning much to his annoyance.* 

After one last swipe of his tongue he bumped Pam with his shoulder and went trotting out. *Don't even think about it either of you two stinkers.* He could almost feel Amariah's tail starting to twitch. Once he was out of the room he headed down the hall and snuck up on the pups that were outside the ward looking in. When he was close enough he moved his muzzle next to Gianni's ear and let out a 'woof' and watched her jump. 

Gianni turned and growled at him for doing that to her and attacked a paw. Several of the other pups did much the same and Dan went down and started playing with them. Amarish pounced on Dan at that point and gave his other ear a swipe of his tongue. Before he did that he had made sure he had a couple of laps of water so it was nice and wet. 

Dan shuddered and growled at Amarish. *Getting a wet willy in wolf form is so wrong you oversized mouse.* He attacked him and nipped at the end of his tails. After several minutes of playing he settled down so he was looking in. Pam settled down next to him and nuzzled him before looking in as well. 

The wolf inside was staring at them as if she was totally confused. Both of them could sense her confusion over their actions and it was upsetting her. This was totally outside her experience and since the wolf was in ascendance at the moment she was really confused. 

While he was looking into the room Dan's eyes narrowed since there was one of the new little Kitsunes in there. *Get out of that room till otherwise told. It is not safe and I do not want to have to come in and rescue you.* His tone was firm without being overbearing. 

The little Kitsune simply flicked his tails at Dan and yawned. *I can gate away if anything happens. I be fine.* There was an air of total unconcern in his tone of voice. 




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 09



Dan sat up and narrowed his eyes even more. *I did not ask for your opinion. If you do not obey me I will discipline you. You will not appreciate the punishment either. Come here now.* His tone was much firmer. Since the Kitsune was one of the Black Kitsunes Dan twitched his black tail and waited. 

*Not my parents so I don't have to obey you. Leave me along so I can nap.* His tone was bored and rather insolent. He didn't appear to have noticed Dan doing anything. 

Dan contemplated the little Kitsune. Based on the way he was talking Dan was guessing he was older than Amariah or Amarish. He finally stood and walked through the ward that was keeping the female wolf in the room. 

She flinched and then started growling at him. She knew he was more dominant than she was by a fair amount but at the moment she didn't care. Too much of her mind was still tied up in what had been happening to her. He was invading her space and she simply reacted. 

Dan turned his head and stared at her. He didn't want to have to fight or hurt her but he wasn't going to let her get away with certain actions. In this case though unless she actively attacked him he was going to ignore her. He simply snarled back at her and his eyes flashed with his dominance. After a few more minutes of staring he walked past her to the Kitsune who was laying there watching. 

When Dan got to close he jumped up to vanish and seemed to his a barrier and bounced off. He landed back where he had been with an upset yip. When he tried to get away from Dan he simply wasn't fast enough and he was easily caught. *Let me go you stupid person. I am a spirit Kitsune and you don't have the right to do this to me.* 

When the kit had tried to run Dan easily lunged forward and caught him by the ruff and turned around. The female wolf lowered her head and snarled at him for what she perceived as an attack on a pup. 

Hammer wasn't in the mood. *He disrespected his Alpha and will be disciplined. Move out of my way before I decide I need to discipline you.* It was very obvious that it was coming from Dan's wolf and not Dan since the mental tone was of a wolf and not a human. 

She wasn't sure what to make of that and kept growling though she did move back out of the way. Her body language showed she wasn't pleased but knew that she couldn't take down Hammer. He was much larger and far more dominant. Actually she had never felt dominance like his before and it scared her in ways the other one didn't. 

Dan mentally sighed as he walked through the barrier with the Kit in his mouth. *Pups gather in the courtyard.* As he kept walking Pam stood and walked along next to him and the pups and kits started to follow him. When the female wolf started to whine Dan sent a command for some of both remain behind. 

Pam looked at the kit since it was still yipping and whining about the indignity of being carried like a baby. *So what do you plan on doing Dan?* She sent that on a private channel since the pups and this kit didn't need to know. 

Dan snorted when she asked. *I am going to let the pups play with him for a while. I figure after being punished by having his tail, ears, and paws nipped a number of times he might learn to start listening.* He had been forced to do that one time with Amariah and she had learned very quickly that the pups had sharp teeth. 

Pam stumbled briefly. *That is so wrong Dan. He is going to drag his tails back in when they are done with him. He will probably need a good bath as well. Make you a deal you punish him and I will give him a good tongue bath when he is done.* 

When she mentioned that all of his tails waved around in vast amusement since that would cap the punishment off. The best part is that it would be a reasonable reaction for Pam. *Deal and I think I will hand him over to Gianni to play with.* When they walked out in the courtyard the pups were playing both in human and pup form. 

*Come here children.* Dan dropped the kit and placed a paw on him so he couldn't run. It wouldn't matter since the courtyard was going to be warded against his escape. Once they had gathered around in front of Dan he spoke. *I have issued a command that nobody goes in the room with the female wolf till I have drawn her back from the edge. I have a valid reason for this. I am not going to explain it because it doesn't matter. Gianni tell me why it doesn't matter.* 

She sat up and almost looked like she was at attention. *Because you is Alpha. We's pups and you know better than we does.* Gianni snorted at the kit under Dan's paw. *Silly kit should know this.* 

Dan nodded his massive head at her. *Correct. Sometimes I have to give a command and not explain it because you won't understand the reason. Other times I will give a command and explain why. It does not matter if I give a reason why or not. If I give a command it will be obeyed or the pup or wolf will be disciplined.* 

His eyes roved over the pups and kits before settling on Amariah. When he did her ears dipped down and she remembered her punishment and then her ears and tails shot up. *Yous going to let pups plays with him like you did mes?* There was both pity and sympathy in her eyes when she looked at the kit. 

*Correct. He went into the room with the female wolf and then refused to leave when I commanded him to. Since he is new and unfamiliar with how I do things I feel this is the best way to discipline him.* Dan leaned down and grabbed the scruff of the kit and casually tossed him into the middle of the pups. *Be gentle since he isn't a lycan but teach him how wolf pups play.* He stood up and walked off without looking back. 

Pam had to shake her head. *Dan that is horrible yet he has to learn. Why do I get the feeling he is a child of a high ranking spirit Kitsune?* As they were walking away she could hear the terrified yips of the kit. 

Dan shrugged. *Don't know and don't care. If he is going to be here he will learn to obey me or I will send him back with a note as to why and as usual I will be nice and blunt.* He headed back towards the female wolf to see what her reaction was to his actions. 

~~~ 

Out in the courtyard the little kit was crouched in the middle of the open area. All the pups and some of the kits had turned to face him and frankly he was terrified. He didn't know it but Gianni was organizing the discipline to ensure he learned his lesson without his being hurt much. When one pup moved so did the kit. He ran straight for a wall and jumped at it. 

Gianni hopped up on a planter and settled down. If Dan had stayed to watch he would have noticed she was sitting the way he tended to when he was directing the pups at play. *He new kit and just needs learning. Take it easy on him. Chase him, pounce, nibble, no biting. Jose go to the kitchen and get water. Sammie, Juan go with Jose and help. Make sure plenty of water.* 

The next hour was one of the longest of the little kitsune's life. By the time Dan's warding faded he was totally beat and looked rather ragged. His glossy black fur was covered in dust and twigs, his tails had been nipped a number of times though the pups hadn't been aiming to hurt him. His poor little paws were tired and sore from all the running as well. 

He slowly limped into the room Pam and Dan were using and found the small fox bed in there and collapsed on his side. At least they had given him plenty of time to get some water. He had tried the trick of pretending to take his time but they caught on very quickly. With a sigh he closed his eyes and simply lay there panting. 

~~~ 

By now Allyson and Jon had started organizing the clan property and their country. Jake would remain behind and wield the reins of power while she and Jon collected a core group and headed south. For the core group they were going to take their senior warriors, not all, experienced healers, and support staff. When she had informed her brother that he was going he had not been happy at all. Alysson had looked at him and her eyes flashed silver-blue. "This is not up for discussion brother. You will go and pack and you will be ready to go with the first way by dinner time." 

He stalked away in an obvious huff since he never left the grounds, or so rarely he couldn't remember the last time. There were reasons he didn't leave much and he had no intentions of explaining why. It was none of their business and even though she was clan leader she shouldn't have done that to him. To be honest he was strongly considering going to his room and sniveling for a while but he knew her to well. When she started acting this way if he wasn't ready she would have someone else pack for him and that thought horrified him. 

After he left she called in Jake and her senior staff. "Sit down and close the door. I don't have much time so I am going to be blunt and quick. The Darkness is back and I have been ordered south. This actually applies to all Kitsune clan's. They are to send their clan leaders, experienced warriors, mages, healers, and support staff. I am going to make an assumption that this is going to include a selection of the supernatural creatures in our countries. Ben and Sheliae are going to be here shortly though only Ben is going. Sheliae is too far along to go..." She kept talking for another half hour. 

Once she had explained she told them to go and separate their staff into three groups, one to remain behind, one to go immediately, and one to follow with the bulk of the troops. While she was doing this Jon had made a number of calls to the businesses and started them thinking about what the tech might be used for. Then he went to their room to check on the packing before going to the Library to pack up some of the most critical books, scrolls, and parchments. 

These actions were being copied all along the western seaboard. Calls were flying fast and furious between the clans and the various governments. Arthur and Helda were pulled into the mix for Arthur's country to start calling on the treaties. Arthur was far less than pleased by that but he didn't have any choice. 

Since he was working out of the new Clan offices he was not surprised when Tony Roma showed up. "Do you have a few minutes Arthur? I have a few things I have to discuss with you." Since he was acting as Dan's second Alpha when he woke this morning he received calls from all the Alphas. Across the board they had a dream where Luna had ordered them to pack up their best warriors and report to Dan. This was going to take some time since they were spread out across the country. That and though Dan had pretty much beaten the Alpha's into submission not all the packs got along. It was going to be rather tricky to organize the transport of the wolves south. Even though Luna had ordered this they were still wolves and a rather fractious lot. 

Arthur sighed. "Come in, you and a good portion of the packs need transport south to Dan, and have to organize it to keep bloodshed to a minimum." He leaned back and rubbed his temples. "I was informed by someone I chose to simply say as a being that this was to happen. I am also going to be sending a small slice of the Kitsunes south as well. The majority are going to remain here to provide protection, magical of course, for the wolves and country. Give me a list of who, when, what order, and whatever else you might need and I will take care of it." 

Tony could smell the stress and tension as well as the headache powder Arthur preferred. It was obvious that he was feeling rather short tempered. For a brief moment his wolf considered challenging him due to his assumption of authority. That didn't last very long since about then Helda walked in and Arthur shifted. 

"I have told you that you need to keep shifting Arthur. It will help with the stress and you are still getting used to it." She gave him a good hug and kiss before smiling at Tony. "Good afternoon Alpha Roma. I am Arthur's mate Helda of the Silver Kitsune Clan. I am having some food brought in for both of you. I honestly think Arthur has some werewolf in him somewhere since he like all wolves gets grumpy when hungry." 

Arthur groaned and then yipped at her. "Darn controlling woman. She keeps trying to get me into what I would classify as dresses. She calls them formal robes but I think she is trying to trick me so she can wear the pants in the family." 

Tony snickered at him. "Arthur I hate to tell you this but unless you are single the women usually wear the pants. They just let us males think we do. Thankfully I am single and have been for a long time. I think that is why I don't have a mate, the Goddess knows better than to saddle some poor woman with me." 

Helda gave Tony a stern look. "I will have to see about finding a mate for you. One that does wear the pants and will buck the saddle off and then put it on you." She pressed a finger against one cheek. "I will have to talk to Pam. With all the new wolves and Kitsunes you will be dealing with I am sure we can find someone who can break you to a leash and collar." 

Both males looked horrified and changed the subject. 

~~~ 

Dan and Pam had barely gotten back to the female wolf when Xipil contacted them. He let them know that over the next week or two they were going to be receiving an influx of Kitsunes, wolves, and others of all ranks for the upcoming fight. Dan dropped his head and growled as Hammer took over. *We had wanted to talk to you about your human as well as what you could tell us about the one who did this to you. Unfortunately we have to go and get this Den ready for a large number of visitors. My mate or I will talk to you later. Till then enjoy watching over the pups and kits.* 

The two of them stood and walked off towards the throne room to find out exactly what was going on. Maric was following behind them and grumbling since he could see his responsibilities growing even more.



Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 10



Right as Dan and Pam walked into the throne room three portals opened. From one Alysson and her menagerie came through and Maric didn't even blink before he took over and called a number of the local wolves for help. The majority of the Kitsunes were going to be housed in barracks for the moment. He had a number available due to the troops they had discharged. What was going to stink was they were the worst of the batch. There simply hadn't been time to get them renovated with everything else going on. 

Dan moved forward and gave Alysson a slight bow. "Welcome Clan Leader though I wish I had more time before you arrived. I am going to apologize up front since we weren't expecting a sudden influx of people and the living spaces are limited at the moment. For the next couple of days a number of your people will need to be housed in barracks. I will have Lady Marissa talk to whoever is needed to get work done on them." He led her off towards Xipil and handed her off to Pam for further introductions.  

Her brother followed her and Dan had to wonder why he was looking so irritated. He must have been in the middle of something when the call came for them to come south. While he was mulling that over the next group of Kitsunes came through and they were from his country. He repeated the same speech before leading the senior Kitsunes over to the throne as well. 

The last portal felt different than the others but not evil. As he tested it he almost smiled since it had a great deal of Shamanistic magic incorporated. The first person through was the mother of Nara which almost made him growl. When her pig headed mate didn't follow he relaxed some as well. After the same greeting he walked over to her and offered her his elbow. "Once we get everyone settled and introductions over I will have you escorted to your daughter's quarters. If I had known you were coming I would have requested her presence. She is doing well and assuming you received the missive her mate is General Maric who is with my mate." 

She gave him a polite smile when he came over and tucked one hand in his elbow. "Thank you Lord Danilo and I have a feeling she is probably sleeping. She should be close to delivery and I know I tended to sleep a great deal towards the end." Since he hadn't mentioned her former mate she didn't either. "I have to admit I am rather concerned as to why we were commanded down here but I have a great deal of patients." Once at the throne she moved over and greeted Pam and started talking to the others gathered there. 

Dan had to wonder what it was about the spirit animals and supernatural beings in this world. It honestly seemed that there were more female leaders than male. It didn't bother him since he didn't care what set of reproductive organs you had as long as you could lead. After several minutes of contacting various wolves and Kitsunes things were starting to get organized. Mari had organized the pack working for her to go and clean the barracks from top to bottom. 

When the Imperial Mouse squad marched past he almost snickered. Amarish and Kasai were at the front and following them were the pups that they were somewhat in charge of. Behind them were the new Kitsune kits though they were more of a herd than in a mostly neat formation. 

As they marched past Dan could sense all the Kitsune currently in the throne room staring at them. The moment the last one vanished all the eyes turned to him and Alysson spoke. "Dan what the heck did you do with Amarish and just who was that four tail spirit Kitsune?" 

Pam and Xipil couldn't help but snicker at her expression. Dan settled for an amused grin and his tails were waving around in amusement as well. "Well as you know Amarish took on the role of hunting mices at the pack house right? Well since this place is so much bigger he organized pups from both packs and he is now in charge of the Imperial Mouse Squad. He is doing a very good job of keeping the rodent problem down." 

Nobody had noticed Amariah in Xipil's lap till she spoke up. When she did it was obvious she was trying very hard not to stutter. "H, H, He keeps icky s, s, spiders out too." When she said that she shuddered in horror and projected one of the spiders she had seen. 

Before anyone could say anything Dan contacted them. *Do not say anything about the stutter. She has been working so very hard on it and for her to speak in front of all of you is wonderful. I am probably as proud of her as her father is.* "Oh and don't mention rats near my mate since she has a well trained anti-rat tail." Of course one had to scurry past. 

Pam screamed as she jumped. Her tail snapped out and again there was a small pile of ash. "Damn it!! I am going to have Amarish find out where those damn things are coming from and then I am going to fry them." She gave her body a good shake before turning to the rest of the people. "So as we were saying we do have some rooms for the most senior Kitsunes and Alpha's. For the moment everyone is going to be staying inside the palace grounds. This isn't to say that you can't go out but please ask for an escort. This city was designed by a drunken back street builder with illusions of grandeur. Sorry Xipil but it is true. Things have been allowed to be built wherever someone wanted. If I didn't think it would inconvience the population I would raise it by section and rebuild it." 

He laughed. "Dan I am so glad she is your mate and not mine. I have a feeling if I did turn the empire over to her for a year it would end up a very tidy empire. Then again by then she might have grown to like being the ruler and I wouldn't get it back." 

Dan narrowed his eyes and yipped at him. "Don't even think about it Xipil. I am having enough trouble knowing that I am one of the two most senior whatever the hell I am on this side of the planet. I have enough problems in my own little slice of the world and don't need any more." His expression softened. "I have to admit I do have a very tidy little kingdom though." 

~~~ 

The first thing Mari did when Dan had contacted her was to snarl. Since she was going to have to deal with 'that' female she decided to have Gettie come along with as well as the senior female wolf. If she ended up ripping that bitch's head off she wanted witnesses. At this point she was so sick of that bitch that she didn't care what Xipil, Dan, or Geoff might think. She was putting the pack and by extension the Empire at risk due to her efforts to undermine Mari's authority. Today Mari was going to break her to her will or the bitch would die. 

Gettie didn't even bother saying anything before she pulled out the belt for Mari's sword. To be honest she had wanted to smack the female down as well. It wasn't just that the female wasn't giving Gettie's mistress the respect she was due. It was also because she still considered the 'others' to be subhuman and she had no respect for them. She tended to treat them as lower than the dirt on her shoes. If Mari didn't deal with her today Gettie would and much as Mari felt damn the consequences. With a wry smile she realized just how much Dan had rubbed off on Mari and Mari on her. "Ma'am I think you got more from Dan than two totally beautiful pups. The worst part is you have been rubbing off on me as well. If you would like I can deal with the hag and you won't have to dirty your hands." 

That got a bark of amusement from the door to their chambers. The Alpha's mate walked in and she had a cynical expression on her face. "Frankly Missus best thing you be doin' would be to strip the hag of her rank and toss her out. Killin' be too good for the likes of her. Her type don't ever change and taint worth your hasslin'." She stood up tall and spoke with her authority. "I be asking this of you Missus, be done with her. She's caused more problems than fixes." Her eyes met Mari's for a moment before looking away. 

Mari sampled both the spirits and scents in the room and the Alpha's mate was showing great concern. She traded looks with Gettie and then nodded. "It will be done now. I hope you are ready for a promotion. I want someone I can trust to do what I order." She had to sigh. "Damn it I am supposed to be a submissive wolf and here I am trying to give orders to the Alpha's mate. That is so wrong blast it." With a shake of her head she finally accepted the fact that she would no longer be able to fit into the image of a submissive wolf anymore. 

The wolf gave her a toothy grin. "I'd prefer to take orders from a submissive wolf any day over taking orders from that hag." She walked over to Mari and patted her shoulder. "Yous just be grown Missus. Tis a fault of growin' up, times happens you just hasta accept changes." 

Mari frowned at her and then sighed. "Fine let's make this place a better place and eliminate some vermin." She adjusted her sword and after lifting her chin she stalked out of the suite. 

It was rather obvious to the other servants and staff that Mari was not in a good mood. They quickly moved out of her way before quietly muttering to each other. Based on the direction she was headed there was only one place she could be going. As a number of the staff and wolves started to follow the three their guards traded looks and for good measure called for some additional guards. They had seen how the old woman had treated not just the supernatural but virtually any servant. To them they were just things to be ordered around. The feelings of anger and resentment had been growing now that they could see a better way of being treated. 

Mari didn't even bother asking if the woman was in since she could smell the nauseating floral perfume the woman used. When she approached the door to the office and tried to open it she found it was locked. Mari snarled in rage and kicked the door open. As angry as she was kicking the solid oak door open hardly slowed her down. When the door was open she found the old woman in the office as well as one of the suppliers of goods. 

The old woman screeched in shock and tried to fumble a small pile of jewels into a drawer. Now that the door was open Mari could smell traces of a drug called Spiced Dreams. It was both a powerful hallucinogenic and very expensive. On top of that it was proscribed for distribution or use. 

"So that is why you wear that nasty ass stench. Arrest both of them, take them to the dungeons and make sure that they are separated and nothing happens to them. All food and drink will be examined by a Kitsune, wolf, and Magister. If anyone other than Dan, Geoff, or Xipil tries to see them arrest them as well." Before she had finished speaking both had been taken down. "Oh, strip search them here and find some ratty old bed sheet for both to wear." 

She moved out of the office and watched the two stripped and roughly covered up and dragged out. As they were doing that she was keeping an eye on the rest of the room. When several of the staff started to slowly move away she contacted Gettie. *Stun them and you don't have to be nice. As I said it is time to eliminate the vermin.* The six froze and then fell to the ground. 

"As of now all staff in this office is to be detained for questioning. Till they are charged treat them with respect and courtesy." She spoke to the guards and then turned to the room of staff. "I will say this one time and one time only. If you have knowledge of any crimes committed either by others or by yourself speak when asked. You will be questioned with a Kitsune, Wolf, and Magister in the room. If you lie you will not appreciate the outcome." 

She turned away as more guards came and escorted the prisoners and detainee's out. *Dan, Xipil, I just had the bitch arrested for dealing in Spiced Dreams. I also had one of the palace suppliers arrested and detained most of the office staff. There are several others who had decided to try and run. Gettie took care of them for me. I am now in charge and Luna help anyone who fucks with me.* 

Mari walked back into the office while waiting for Dan or Xipil to respond. Instead Geoff came in with Alysson and he was grinning. "Good job Mari and the palace is now yours. I would say try not to take it over since Xipil indicated he would have to frown on that. I have a feeling it is a bit late for him to do much though. I am here to help you locate any potential spelled locations. Mom wanted to come with since it is going to take a bit of time for the rooms to be cleaned and made ready for them." Geoff walked over and gave her a good hug and kiss before letting out a Kitsune snarl. 

"Mother can you sense it as well?" He didn't want to give her any hints or suggestions and wanted her to figure it out herself. 

Alysson shifted forms and lifted her nose to scent the air as well as allowing her spirit to expand. When she sensed what he had she didn't bother with swearing or snarling. If she did that every time they came across this stench she would waste too much energy. "I do and since it is centered on the desk I have a feeling it is the Spiced Dreams. Unless you use it at most the traces of evil will make you irritable till you are away from it." 

Her eyes traveled around the room as she kept probing and gave a nod. "There are several sections that are spelled but they don't have any of the taint of evil. They appear to be standard locking and warding spells which is to be expected." In her and Jon's offices they had a number of those as well. "Everyone step out and I will disable and dispel the locks and warding." 

Geoff nodded and stepped towards the door with Mari in front of him. Once they were out he shifted forms as well to his mid-form and called up his powers. His tails started dancing as they weaved his powers into a protection spell for his mother. As they were doing that he was holding his hands palm forward and he started speaking in High Kitsune. A gentle silver blue glow appeared around his mother. Since he had mated with Mari there were traces of purple as well since that was the color he associated with her. 

Just in case Mari pulled the short sword and held it ready. In the room Alysson was doing much the same as Geoff was only with far more power. Geoff had gained a fifth tail after the fight with the scorpion monster but his mother had nine tails and was the center of the clan. As her tails danced and wove their own magic she started chanting as well. When she had everything ready she slowly let her powers out. After one last check for the darkness she tripped the main spell. There was a flash and surge of power which she drained off into the earth. 

"Well that was interesting and thank you Geoffrey for your help. I didn't need it since they were normal spells but down here I definitely feel better safe than sorry. Mari you can put your sword away." As Alysson looked around the room there were several changes. What had been a tapestry was now a doorway with a heavy iron bound oak door with a heavy lock. A bookshelf which had to appeared to have cooking books and logs now showed neatly organized log books. The last change was a small section of wall that had sprung open when the spells vanished. 

"It is safe to come in now. I would strongly suggest having everything removed before examining what is in the rooms, accounts, and the safe." She moved out of the room and looked around the larger room. "I am going to check in here as well before anything else is done." 

Eventually both Alysson and Geoff indicated the room was safe to be inspected. Mari nodded at them. "The office I will leave to the Imperial Investigators and use out here for the time being." By now there were a number of the pack in the hall outside. She had called for them to come so she could hand out some assignments. "Okay we have a number of guests coming and some are already here. I am going to assign some positions for the interim. When I say interim it is because once the rush is over I am going to start interviewing for the actual positions. If you have done a good job then you will probably keep it. If I do replace you it isn't because I don't trust you it is simply we need the most organized team possible. We have a war coming and by Luna I am going to do anything needed for the troops. I am talking about our mates, sons, fathers, and everyone else who is going to be fighting. I am also going to start contacting the other packs to find out what they can do to help. Now what I want is..." 

~~~ 

Dan found Mari in one of the lounges in the Imperial hallway, as they had come to think of it, and she was looking grumpy. For some reason Luna was curled up on the couch with her head in Mari's lap getting her ears stroked. Mari had the Alpha's mate with her as well as several of the other females. "Evening Luna, evening ladies." Dan walked over and settled down on the floor in front of his Mistress and rested his head on the couch. 

"The offices are likely to be off limits for several days. Xipil's Imperial Investigators are very carefully inventorying the contents of the room. Geoff and Alysson have detailed several of their most skilled Magisters working with Xipil's. There are several wolves including Maric. I have a feeling that we have hit a jackpot of some of the corruption. I wish we had thought of it sooner but she is the perfect person to get stuff in and out." His voice was quiet as he was talking and though Luna was distant any wolf would bask in her presence. Now that he knew why she was this way he felt a great deal of pain due to what she had been forced to do. 

Mari kept stroking Luna's hair as she was listening. "Dan I know of at least three more wolf packs in the city. I am going to politely invite the senior members to the wolves section of the palace. At the very least I can get a feel for the leadership." She nibbled on a finger nail for a moment. "Dan one thing I am concerned about is if we fill the palace with supernatural's it will give the humans the wrong opinion. That is another reason I am inviting the packs in. I want to talk to them to try and identify humans who they do trust and know. I am not talking hiring them for the palace necessarily but I would like to create a network of", she had to twirl a finger around as she was thinking, "a network of mutual respect. That works I guess. I want to also see if we can identify other supernaturals other than wolves and Kitsunes." 

Dan looked up at her and smiled at her. She was becoming far more than he had ever expected. He wasn't thinking that in a negative way but in the beginning she had been a Little Wolf in a small pack. If Geoff hadn't ended up as her mate she would have mostly likely have ended up with a junior wolf as a mate. With Dan in charge she would have had a good life but she would have been doing much the same as she had been. Geoff had been so very good for her and he was going to have to do something nice for him. When he focused his powers on her he had to frown slightly since her aura was changing. "Mari I need to do one of those horrible Alpha things." He grinned at her. 

She frowned at him and just for good measure curled a lip showing a couple of teeth at him. "I suppose but depending on if you sample certain memories I will bite you." She smirked at him when he suddenly blushed. "I will also make sure that you encounter memories of my labor and delivery. Just for good measure I might even toss in a few memories of nursing." 

When all the females in the room snickered other than the Luna Dan sighed and blushed even more. "Mari why would I want to go into memories of you and Geoff having fun? I have more than a few memories of my own to contemplate from over the years." He gave her a sly grin. "Besides I already have a memory of a beautiful little submissive gracing my bed. Why do I need more than that?" Now it was her turn to blush. 

"Oh shush you cradle robber. Oh wait, you could date someone in there eighty's and still be a cradle robber." She smirked at him and then relaxed. "Do what you need Dan, I trust you with my life, love, and pups." Mari reached over and stroked his hair. "You saved me and gave me the two best gifts a female could ask for. I have to beautiful pups with the Alpha I love and I have a mate who is the perfect man for me. Do what you need." 




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 10



Dan let her stroke his hair for a several minutes. He realized that he had really missed relaxing with Mari this way. Yes they loved each other and deeply but it stopped there. Ultimately Mari had needed a father figure which was what Dan gave her. To Dan she was the one thing that had kept him relatively sane when he had arrived. Both were mated and that was that. He finally sat up and smiled at Mari. "I miss this closeness. Aiden has the feel of a submissive but there will always be a special connection with you." 

He moved and squatted down in front of her and lifted his hands to her cheeks and cupped her face for a moment. Dan opened his mouth and the golden howl flowed out. It was different than any she had heard from him before. Her mouth opened and a similar howl flowed out of her mouth. Everyone in the room froze. This continued on for some time till Dan shut his mouth. 

Mari sang on for a few moments later before closing her mouth and her eyes popped open. They were the full lavender indicating her wolf was sharing the front of her mind. She had to give her body a shake and a slow smile crossed her face. "Oh wow that was cool. What did you do?" Her face was almost glowing with emotion. 

Dan pulled her close to him and gave her a good hug. "I was testing your wolf and your dominance and my Little One isn't so little anymore." He had to contemplate how to explain it. "This is something from my world which is one of those miserable things to explain. Not because it is bad but because it tends to give me a headache. In my former world there was a very special type of wolf. They are so rare that I only knew of a dozen or so worldwide. This wolf is outside the normal hierarchy of a Pack. They can be considered a submissive since they don't have a drive to advance or gain rank. They can resist the commands of an Alpha and can command wolf much like an Alpha though they rarely do. This type of wolf is in a way a healer of broken wolves." 

He had to take a ragged breath. "You are literally the only reason I am still alive. Your wolf used the powers she didn't realize she had to help me. This is how you can be in charge as Geoff's mate yet work as a submissive." Dan's expression was showing awe at what he had found. What he had done was rarely done since it was used only to evaluate wolves without a clear dominance level. He was going to have to do something really, really nice for Geoff. What he didn't know but he was going to figure it out come hell or high water. 

Everyone in the room, except the Luna, blinked at that and Mari was looking very confused. "Okay, so what does that really mean for me? Is it going to change anything for me?" Mari wasn't concerned as much as curious. No she wasn't perfect now and still had issues with what had been done with her. That was something that she would have to deal with for a long time. What she wanted to know was if now knowing this would change how people reacted to her or how she dealt with others. 

Dan settled back down where he had been and considered her question. "Mmm, yes and no but for the most part no. What you are is simply who you are if you see what I mean. It is as inherent to you as being an Alpha is to me. In your case there isn't much training needed since it is an instinctive ability. Now that you know about it you will notice that over time you will start being able to chose when to obey a command. We will talk about it later since I am going to head to bed." He stood and gave her a kiss before leaving the room. 

~~~ 

The next morning Dan was in a meeting with Xipil, Alysson, and the rest of the most senior rulers and staff. They were just getting ready to discuss what Dan and Geoff had been told about the Darkness by the Luna when Alysson's brother barged in. "Where is she? I have to know, where is she?" His hair was a mess, he looked like he hadn't slept last night, and his clothing was wrinkled as if he had slept in it. "Where the hell is my mate and what did you do to her?" That was a scream from a very pissed of Kitsune who wanted his mate and now. 

Everyone turned and looked at him in shock at her brother and frankly all of them were completely speechless. Alysson was probably the most shocked since her brother had long since informed her that he had been informed he didn't have a mate in their country. It had never occurred to her that he might have one in a different country. Looking back she had to wonder if that was why he refused to travel. It was very possible he knew when he was supposed to meet her but not how. 

Xipil turned to him and after a good look nodded at two guards who helped the man to a chair. Someone carried over a drink for him and handed it to him. "Calmly Healer and congratulations on finding your mate. Now what can you tell us about her? From the sounds of it something has happened to her. Do you know what might have happened or where she might be?" He was projecting a sense of distance to the Healer to help him think. 

Dan had leaned back in his chair and frowned slightly. "Let me take care of this Xipil. I think I have an idea of who he is talking to." He pulled on his mid-form including his formal robes and swords. He walked over to the obviously distraught man and grasped his shoulder. "Look at me Leon and tell me what you know." 

Leon jolted when Dan called him by name. He hadn't used that name for more years that he wanted to think about. It did what Dan had wanted and jerked him out of his obvious funk and forced him to focus on him. When he did he realized Dan was in his full glory and he automatically bowed. "Lord of the Clans she is a wolf who has been badly injured. I don't know where she is only she is close." When he looked up at Dan there were tears in his eyes. "Please Lord of the clans take me to her, she needs me badly and the sooner the better." 

He squeezed Leon's shoulder in sympathy. "I know who it is and if you are her mate she does need you desperately. I will take you to her but before I do I have to tell you the one of our world that we are fighting had her long enough to start inflicting some major damage to her body and mind. She might or might not recognize you at first. Do what I tell you and if I tell you to leave then do so. This is for your protection." He gave Leon's shoulder another squeeze and pulled on his powers and they vanished from the room. 

When they appeared they were outside the wards to her cage all the pups and kits jumped a foot in the air. Gianni was there and looked over at them "Alpha Danny can we helps him? Hes look not good." She came over to Leon and patted his leg in comfort. "Dannys take good care of you mister fox." 

Inside the room the female wolf stood up and she turned and stared at Leon. When his eyes met hers she lifted her head in a howl of pain and agony before trying to hide in a corner. 

***** 

A/N: this is a bit short but I liked the stopping point. I hope you enjoy this section and as always vote, comment, scream in frustration... Enjoy.



Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 11



Leon wanted to cry when the wolf saw him and then tried to hide somewhere. He knew she could feel the mating bond and he could tell that she was ashamed and horrified by what had been done to her. She was also on the edge of losing her mind. "Lord Alpha I need my things before I can start treating her and helping her. I will need access to the room as well." His voice was raspy and hoarse from fear and tension.

Dan rested his hand on Leon's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "I will stay here with her till you get what you need. I am not comfortable with you being in there but it is your right. Just be careful and keep your shields ready. With the state of mind she is in she might hurt you without intending to. Unless you say otherwise the pups will stay here since they seem to be helping to keep her calm. If you need anything just send to me." He gave the guard a nod before he modified the wards on the door. "You can go in and out as needed. I have adjusted the wards for you."

He closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath. "Thank you Lord Alpha. I will contact you if I need anything." He had already sent to his student and informed her of what she needed to bring. First he was going to need to get her to calm down. For that he was going to need to use one of his teas. No it wouldn't last very long since all lycan's had the fast metabolism. If he could get her to calm down for even a short time it would be good for her. Right now she was cowering in a corner on the far side of the room.

Leon stepped into the room and settled down next to the door. When he came in she tried to wedge her body even further into the corner she was in. She was whining as well. Since in this form he couldn't speak to her as he could with Kitsunes he settled for just talking to her. If he could draw her back from the edge then he could start working on a link between the two of them. "Hello Amai Kokoro I am Leon and I am a Kitsune from the Silver Kitsune clan. I am very pleased to meet you. I am a healer for the clan and I would like to see if I can help you."

Even though he was sounding calm and relaxed his heart was breaking. As he had been talking he was slowly expanding his spirit to sample the emotions in the room. It was all he could do not to jerk back as he felt the spiritual miasma. He focused his talents further and dug down through the layers of emotions and feelings. Leon needed to find her center, where her soul was and sample it but that was invasive and he had to have permission. For now the best he could do was to set some trap spells that were aimed at certain aspects of her spirit. Over a period of time he would be able to build a snapshot of an image of her soul.

While he was thinking his trainee stopped outside the entrance and spoke. "I have what you requested sir. Do you want me to start with the calming tea?" She had been working with him long enough to have a pretty good idea of how he worked. One of the staff had brought over the heater and a small table for it. That was out of sight and somewhat away from the pups. They had been doing some roughhousing and she didn't want one to bump the table and get hurt.

Leon looked at her and had a contemplative look on his face. "Start with a base of that and add in some ginger root and chamomile. Plenty of honey and make it strong." That should help calm her down for at least a short time. From there he wasn't sure what he was going to do but in this case it was going to be guesses and trying different things. If all else failed he would talk to Luna and Lord Amaratsue or his mate.

The wolf was curled up in such a way that she could barely see him. Her back wasn't quite facing him but it was close. Normally to turn your back on someone as a lycan was an insult but in this case she was ashamed. Even as messed up mentally as she was when the man walked in she felt the pull of the mating bond. She was ashamed of what had been done to her. She knew that she had been corrupted and nobody would want her now. It wasn't just that he had used her but it was also what he had carved into her body.

As he was carving the runes into her skin he was gloating at how it would slowly eat at her till it had darkened her soul. Once that had happened she would turn into a true monster. She had heard stories of what happened when a wolf turned bad like that. He had also made sure to let her know that once the corruption had progressed enough he would return her to her Pack. Knowing that how could someone even attempt to get close to her?

When he had walked in she had been startled since the only one who normally came in was that odd wolf. When he talked to her she had to whine because he had such a comfortable voice. She wanted to go to him but she didn't want to hurt him. She had no idea how long it would take for her to be corrupted or how it would show when she was far enough gone. If it hit out of the blue while she was next to him she could kill him.

Since she was angled so she could just barely see him she saw a young female approach. That caused her to lift her head since she was near the pups. For a brief moment she considered growling at her but the male started talking to her she relaxed. What they were talking about she wasn't sure but it sounded like some sort of drink. If it was for her she could only hope it would take care of her issue so she could go to the pack in the sky.

When he started speaking again she had to fight the pleasure that his voice gave her. She couldn't allow the mating to happen to protect him. She was forced to whine again.

Leon was starting to feel how his voice impacted on her as he spoke to her again. "My student is making some lovely tea. I know you are in your wolf form but I think you will like it. She is making some tea for me as well so we can share a cup, or bowl, of tea together. Are you hungry? Can I get you some meat?" 

~~~

When Dan turned away from the wolf and Leon he walked out of the room and a slight grin crossed his face. The little spirit Kitsune he had been forced to discipline was in his fox form and was playing with one of the pups. Dan leaned over and scooped the boy up and rolled him on his back. That got a startled yip from him and the boy froze.

Dan started rubbing the boy's chest and chin. "Hello there little one, I am pleased to see you are making friends. I know the first few days were rather hard since this is totally different from where you hale from." He cuddled the little fox for a few more minutes before he felt a tug on the hem of his robes and a little growl. When he looked down Gianni was growling and lightly tugging on his robe. He growled back at her for good measure. "Put teeth marks on my robe and I will put tickly fingers on your ribs." He put the kit down and lightly stroked Gianni's head and back before giving her tail a light tug.

She barked at him and tried to get to his fingers but he was faster than she was. Instead she ran around his legs and barked at him. The little fox joined in and yipped at him as well. He had no idea why Gianni was doing this but it looked interesting. 

Dan started laughing at the two of them and carefully stepped over them and went back to the meeting. It was going to be another long day. They were still working on the accommodations for the Kitsune's who had shown up. There were several packs from up north that were going to be there in a few days, more people would be coming in and so much to do.

When he walked back into the room Alysson gave him a concerned look. "How is my brother?" She had never seen him that worked up or out of sorts before.

Dan settled down in a chair and shrugged. "I think it is way too soon to really say. I was right figuring that the injured wolf is his mate. She was badly injured by the enemy and it is going to be a long road for him and her. He is with her right now and I figure I will go and see how they are doing later in the day. Right now he needs time alone with her." He took a cup of coffee he had been handed and took a sip. "So where were we?"

Xipil listened to what Dan had said but for the moment didn't comment. "We were discussing accommodations and how we wanted to deal with them. Frankly we don't have enough room in the compound for everyone coming. We were discussing options. For you the question I have is what would you recommend for the packs coming down?"

Dan sighed. "To be honest dropping them in the middle of the city is going to be very stressful for them and for the population. Most of the wolves from my country come from territories outside of a city. They do go to the city but they are used to being able to shift at will and go for a run or even play and lounge around." He took another sip of coffee. "I haven't really seen a map of the city and nearby country but I would almost have to say find a place outside town. We might want to consider that in any case since the number of troops we are probably going to need to consider it. The troops you currently have aren't anywhere near what I would call battle ready. Their training is lacking, poor quality equipment, antiquated weapons, and tactics. That is one reason I have my wolves training your personal troops. I have also placed an order for modern weapons for them as well."

Xipil sighed since he knew just how bad of a state his new country was in. "Dan one thing I want you to do for me is don't pull any punches. I know the empire was run very badly by the former emperor. I want to fix as much as possible and I need your honest opinion. Having said that I am leaning towards what you suggested. I am also contemplating a few suggestions Pam made for improving the city." He was looking tired since he had been working almost non-stop trying to get a hand on things.

Dan nodded at him. "I will do that Xipil since the worst thing any of us could do would be to try and soft touch things right now. You are going to have to be hard with your decisions for the time being. We don't have time to gently move forward. I am not saying be merciless but make a statement to your new populace on what is important to you. With the traitors and criminals in the high and mighty don't be gentle, be firm. They are the ones who have helped run this country into the ground. Oh and one other thing bring both humans and the supernatural into your government. The humans are going to start being scared that what had been done to the supernatural might happen to them. That is the worst thing possible right now."

Xipil's face hardened. "No worries on that Dan. Anyone caught and convicted of treason and other assorted crimes will be punished and harshly. I am also in the process of organizing weekly or even daily news releases on what is happening and why. I am not going to mention anything about the Dark One but what is being done for the Empire. The first report is going to be going out this afternoon. It is going to detail how and why the Emperor was replaced. I will have a copy delivered to you before it is sent but I am not planning on making any major changes."

Pam nodded since that was a damn good idea. "Just as a suggestion you might want to find a reporter that you can trust, well as much as possible, and start an imperial news service. Have them not just do reports on new policies but have a series of light stories such as the Imperial Mousy Squad. Small articles on life in the palace to show that we are people as well as the high and mighty. You need to be shown as the new leader as well but also as a person. The staff needs to be shown as workers but also as mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and even someone's children."

Alysson tossed in her two cents worth and the conversation continued. The most pressing item was to start designing and building the training fort. The conversation continued from there.

~~~

Mari was sitting in the room she had taken over as her office. Seated across from her desk were the Alpha and his mate. "I am going to be blunt since we don't have a great deal of time. I expect the Alpha, his mate, the Beta, and his or her mate from each of the packs to be at the palace tomorrow. This is not a request, it is an order. It will be passed as coming from me since Dan and Pam are occupied with slightly more important issues."

The Alpha snorted. "Lady them's be fighting words. If you demand that they will come but they's be comin' with blood in they's eyes." There was a glint of amusement in his voice when he said that. His wolf was somewhat confused by the little woman but she had earned their respect.

Mari gave him a very toothy grin that didn't come near her eyes. "Oh, good, I can deal with them all at one time." She forced herself to relax for a moment. "Still worked up after dealing with that bitch. I told my Alpha I would deal with this and if I have to drag them out to the courtyard and challenge them I will. I don't have the patients for this and though I don't want to do anything as stupid as take over a pack I will bring them to heel for Leader Xipil. I know that Dan is not interested in taking over the packs on the west coast. He wants each and every pack to look to the country they are in. Dan does want to form a council of senior Alphas to set up a governing body." 

Mari looked at the table and then looked the Alpha in the eye. When she spoke her voice was low but firm. "He does not want what happened to me and my pack to happen again to anyone. Before you ask we had a fucking bastard of an Alpha. I was raped when I was sixteen and the abuse continued till Dan killed the top three. He took down the other Alpha's and imposed a new set of rules. His former Beta, Ben has implemented much the same in Alysson's country as well." She stopped talking to see what the two would have to say.

The Alpha met her eyes and then dropped them. "Lady we's be here for you. I will send out the missives when we bin't don. I hasta say thanks you Ma'am. I's didn't believe at first but yous shown that we's do matter. Yous given mah pack hope and faith. We's might give honor to Leader Xipil but you Ma'am be's who's bring's us hope." He stood and gave her a slightly rough bow before leaving the room to take care of her request.

His mate smiled at Mari. "I will see about getting a menu worked out and set the courtyard up for a few fights." She gave Mari a serious look. "Have your mate there as well. If you are demanding they are there as well as their mates Lord Geoff needs to be there as well." She gave her a good nod before standing up and leaving.

Mari growled and sighed. *Geoff we are going to be meeting with the senior wolves of the three other packs in the city tomorrow at noon. I have almost demanded a trial by combat by them by the way my request was phrased.* She didn't want to admit she was both angry and pissed off by what happened the day before.

Geoff mentally snorted at her. *Yes ma'am and I will need to keep a closer eye on you or I might lose the clan to you. I would hate to have that happen.* A slight smile crossed his face when he said that. They had finished the meeting and now he was working with the soldiers who were going to become the new Emperor's Imperial Guard. Even in the short time they had been training they had come a good distance from the rather anemic fighters they had been. They did have a vast way to go but they were shaping up.

Mari growled at him. *Well of course, your clan has done so well under female rule why change what works?* She was most definitely teasing him as she was talking to him. About then Gettie walked in with the babies. *Gotta go since I have some hungry little beasts to feed. Love you Geoff.*

He had to smile even more as he dodged a blow from one of the soldiers. *Love you to Mari and I will talk to you later.* "Not bad but you need to work on the control of the sword. I know many people consider them outdated but a knife or sword doesn't run out of bullets." He continued with the lesson Mari had interrupted.

~~~

The Dark One had been working hard to get even a portion of his powers back. It had been rather hard on the local tribes and packs, not that he had really cared. A large number of them had started leaving the area they had lived in for generations. This also caused him problems since his loyal troops had to range further to find sacrifices which would work for him. For now he was having to make do with almost anyone they brought in. That was frustrating since he had to deal with getting less power from the people. It was also a case of not being able to re-create some of his spells. If a spell called for a virgin male or female it simply wouldn't work if an old woman was brought in.

Also the age was very important since trying to sacrifice an infant as a virgin sacrifice wouldn't work. They didn't have a concept of what that term meant. Once a child had reached puberty and started developing sexual feelings for another person, now that was the right age. Clearing the cave out and consecrating it to the Darkness had taken some time. He had been forced to use his personal energy to purge the mish-mash of conflicting spells as well.

That had been frustrating since he wasn't able to recover any of the residual magic. The spells had reacted and interacted in ways which made it impossible to do anything but wipe the slate clean. Now that he had finished that he had started rebuilding what he could at the moment. The vial with the essence of the Demon King was still around his neck and he kept resisting the urge to use it. The urge was getting stronger the more he realized just how much power he had lost.

At least he had some sacrifices coming in which would help. It was a start but he was going to have to bring in a great deal more before he was happy. The hardest part was that he had to go forward with his plans since somehow the other side had discovered some of what was going on. If he didn't go after them he was going to have the knocking on his doorstep after the winter storms. With a curse he went back to carefully creating the next spell to be powered when the sacrifices started coming in.

~~~

By the end of the day Dan and the others had a basic idea of what they were going to be doing. Since the majority of the wealthy and powerful were near the Palace their properties were going to be taken over. Not all of them but anyone convicted of treason or dereliction of duty were to be taken over. Some would be turned over to the incoming nobles and their staff. The rest were going to be either razed or modified for the imperial staff. The supply corps was going to be expanding as well. Uniforms were being redesigned based on suggestions from Dan and the others. 

To be honest Xipil was pleased with that idea. The current uniforms were gaudy eyesores. They were red with gold accents and golden buttons. As all of them had seen once you reached a certain rank standardization went out the window. People had uniforms made from a very wide variety of materials, gold, both pure and adulterated, gems, and anything else. The new uniforms were being kept secret for the moment since the moment they went into production all the officer's uniforms were getting replaced. Any gems and metal of any value was going into the vast coffers in the Palace. All of the officer's quarters were going to be stripped down and a standardized layout imposed.

They all knew this was going to go over like a load of bricks but to be honest Xipil didn't care. He was cleaning house with a very thorough broom. The broom's name was Lord and Lady of the Clans and he wasn't going to hesitate in using them. Most of the civil staff had been sorted out as well as the officers of the Leader's Own had been sorted out. That left most of the general staff and god there were a lot of them. It was as if when they died they would simply be preserved and kept on the rolls. 




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 11



So far Alysson's accountants had found entire companies of troops who didn't exist, had been disbanded, or hadn't been in use for ages. There were going to be a number of the general staff who weren't going to like their new accommodations. The Palace had a very impressive dungeon and he was making full use of it. Granted it was much cleaner and the food was better but going from a four poster bed to a plank with a pallet... Well it was one hell of a learning experience.

"Okay, I think we have enough ideas for the moment. I am going to try and find a builder who isn't a drunken back street brick layer with illusions of grandeur." He smirked at Pam when he said that and she snorted at him. "Geoff informed me that Mari is going to have a meeting with the local Alpha's tomorrow. He also informed me she had made the invitation as insulting as possible." He rolled his eyes when he said that. "Damn blood thirsty wolves."

Dan had to blink since he hadn't heard about that but once he recovered a slow smile crossed his face. "I might just have to go and watch her deal with them. Mind you I will be hiding so they can't see me but I want to see their expression when they get their ass kicked by either a Kitsune or a Little Wolf." 

Xipil heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes again. "I rest my case. As I said damn blood thirsty wolves." Hell he might just go and watch as well just because. To be honest most of the wolves were beaten down enough that Mari probably wouldn't have too much of a problem.

~~~

The next morning when Mari woke up she stared at the ceiling and contemplated what to wear to the meeting. She wanted to show that she was one of the new powers, which sounded so wrong, but didn't want to go for overbearing. She wanted to show that she was in a position of authority but not that in your face that so many officials here went for. After rolling out of bed she went to her wardrobe and opened it and started thumbing through what was in there.

"May I help you ma'am?" It was one of the girls who had started rotating through hers and Pam's rooms.

Mari nibbled on a finger nail. "You might just be able to. I have the meeting with the other wolf packs at lunch. I need some clothing that says I am to be given respect but not the you will give me respect if you know what I mean. I need to look like I have authority but not the demanded authority of most of the officials around here." Normally at the Clan she would be in a decent skirt and blouse but that wouldn't work here.

The girl gave her a knowing nod. "I think I see what's you mean ma'am." She was trying hard to speak better than how she had grown up. She reached into the closet and pulled out a split skirt normally used for riding. "This will allow you to move and have plenty of freedom yet still says you are female. I would go with a nice blouse and a stylish leather vest." She pulled out a few other things. Since Mari wasn't all that large on top, even with nursing, she wasn't going to need more support than she had for that. "I would suggest the sword belt of links in your colors. Also I would suggest the good sheath for your sword."

Mari couldn't help but grin at the girl. "Thank you for that and I think this will work well. Add in my Clan necklace as well as pack and mating necklaces I will have plenty of bling." When she turned Geoff was lying on his side smiling at her. She walked over and gave him a good kiss. "So what are you going to wear my cute little fox?"

He made a face at her after returning the kiss. "I figured I would go with the heavy boots, pants, my swords, and a good shirt. I have a nice chain mail vest as well I am going to use. Just for good measure I am going to go in my mid-form as well. Add in my bling as you put it and we will cut a fine pair." As he was talking he rolled off the bed and stretched.

Both he and Dan had a man servant as well. Geoff's was a younger Kitsune who was related to Xipil. For Dan it was a wolf from the local pack. As he had been talking the young man had started pulling out what he had been talking about. "Do you want a shower first Sir?" They normally did though getting used to braiding Geoff's hair had taken some time.

Both nodded and headed to the bathroom. It didn't take them all that long before they were done and back out. They had their first layer of clothing on. The rest would go on after their hair was done being fiddled with.

Mari had to grumble. "I still find it annoying that someone somewhere decided I have to have the same number of braids as you have tails." She had the hair for it but much like he had said by the end of the day she would have a headache.

Since Geoff was the one who had had a quiet word with one of the Clan Elders about it he chose not to say anything about that. "How was I to know that by mating with me you were required to have a braid for each tail." He even managed to say that with a straight face. While they were talking the two kids were starting to work on their hair.

Eventually they were ready. Geoff stood and gave his head a good shake to make sure it was well done. "I am going to the morning meeting and I will see you shortly before lunch." He gave her a kiss before leaving the room.

Mari returned the kiss and shook her hair as well. "I feel so silly this way darn it. At least I don't have Dan's issue." Each of his braids in formal attire had stones matching the color of each tail. When he moved he tended to clink and chime. "Well Hun shall we go and talk to the female wolves to ensure they have what is needed? After that I am going to the office and see what horrible stacks of paper they have for me."

The girl had to giggle at her expression. "I will let you have the fun of that ma'am. I will stay with the pack and help get ready for lunch." When they walked into the pack section it was busy.

Mari had to lift an eyebrow since Amarish was there with Gianni and the kits and pups. He was handing out assignments for things to do to prepare. Most of them were for cleaning and ensuring there weren't any rats or mice in the area. Amarish looked at Juan and the little black Kitsune. "Juan and Blackie you are going to be working together to bring water to the pups as well as snacks. If you need more help get with Gianni and she will assign some additional pups to help. Now Kasai I would like you to..."

Mari glanced at the Alpha female and they both had to smile. *He is really showing his colors now. I know his parents are more than pleased with how he and Amariah have been growing.*

She had to roll her eyes. *True but I have a feeling if he stays her to much longer he is going to be an Alpha kit and take over the pack someday. That would be really annoying.* She was grinning when she said it.

Mari snickered and then started checking to see what they were going to need delivered for the meal. She was taking a page out of both Dan and Alysson's book and going to stuff the other wolves before dealing with them.

~~~

Mari was sitting in a chair next to Geoff at the head of the table. They could feel the Alpha's approaching and both could tell they were not happy. She swapped a grin with Geoff before composing her face. "They will be here in a moment. Open the gate and invite them in please." This was going to be interesting to say the least.

The small gate opened and a number of people came in. The first thing Mari and Geoff noticed was they were all male. Mari's expression didn't change but when she spoke her voice was cold. "I thought I asked for you to bring your mates as well."

One male snarled at her. "We don't answer to you. What do you want woman." He said that with a sneer.

Geoff had to speak. "Mari try not to kill anyone. I would hate to have lunch delayed while the courtyard was cleaned." There was a slightly amused expression on his face.



Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 12



Mari stood and stepped from around the table and in front of the wolves who were there. Looking at them she could tell each Alpha had brought their Beta and one other male, probably a warrior. As she examined each one she really wanted to sneer. The one who spoke was on a very good day as dominant as Saul or somewhat more. Her expression was cold and distant. "I am going to inform you of my name. If you ever take that tone with me again I will ensure that will be the last time. I am Lady Marissa Logan, mate to Clan Heir Lord Geoffrey Logan of the Silver Kitsune clan. My Alpha is Lord of the Clan's Alpha Danilo Legarith." 

Now she did sneer and it was a very impressive expression. "You answer to Leader Xipil who is the current Emperor. He has assigned me the job to work with the wolves in this city. Therefore you do answer to me. If you can't understand that then I would recommend you send someone who has more brains than a blowfly." Mari wasn't actually all that upset at the moment but she was going to force him to do something. What she didn't know and in a way didn't care. Since it would give her a reason most Wolves would understand for slapping him down. 

By the time she was done talking he was growling in fury at her verbal assault. "Woman you can wave all the titles in the world around and all you will ever be is good for cooking and babies." Several of the other wolves laughed at his reply. 

From behind her she could hear a number of growls from her wolves and anger from the Kitsunes. She held a hand up towards them. "Relax, I am dealing with this jumped up excuse of an Alpha. He is all bark and no bite since the former emperor broke him to the leash and pulled his teeth." The way she said it indicated that she felt he was nothing more than an oversized housebroken lap dog. 

That was way too much for the Alpha to handle and he went to slap her. It was his first and last mistake he was going to make around her. Before his hand ever came close to her a presence was felt. Every wolf who had met the Moon Goddess immediately went down on one knee and submitted. The wolves who hadn't were frozen in place and were starting to look rather freaked out. 

She walked out into the courtyard and her cool silver eyes traveled over the wolves that were still standing. Before saying anything she walked over to Mari and reached down and stroked her hair. "I will take care of this my Little Wolf. For you to break them to heel would require more time than you have. Return to your mate's side." In her voice were traces of caring for the young woman. 

When Mari stood and moved back to Geoff's side Luna turned and looked at the remaining wolves. "I see I need to pay more attention to my wolves in this world. You have learned bad lessons and it is up to me to school you." Her voice had been cool and remote till she spoke again. "Submit now." When she spoke this time her voice was POWER and slammed the wolves facing her to the ground. 

She was looking at the nine who were flattened on the floor. A low growl came from her as her ears and tail appeared. "Come to me my wolves." Her voice wasn't directed at the ones flattened on the ground but at their packs. Small glowing spots of moon light appeared and members of the packs started appearing. The courtyard expanded to fit all of them as they appeared. 

As she was waiting for the three packs to respond to her call several of the pups and young wolves shifted. They let out small howls of pure happiness before they came over. When they reached her they submitted before starting to lean against her legs and begging for attention. Luna looked down and her face softened very slightly. "Relax my pups and I will say hello shortly." They all settled down around her feet. 

By the time the packs were there she had a number of females and males gathered around her as well. "It is nice to know the younger generation knows who I am and gives me respect." She glanced at Mari and the pups from the original pack. A number of the pups were gathered around Mari as well as some of the pups from the new packs. That pleased her since they were going to need Mari's abilities before they really knew it. 

When she turned back her face hardened. "I am not pleased with certain wolves here today. I am very displeased when a wolf raises a hand to a female wolf and especially a mother. These are no longer in power. I can feel that they will cause problems and they are no longer dominant. I give the powers and I take them away when needed. I command this of you. You will replace them with better wolves and you will obey my representatives. There is a great darkness coming and you and the packs will be the rocks they will break on. This will give the other people of this world room to prepare and bring the fight to the great enemy." 

As she was talking Dan and Pam as well as Xipil and a number of the other Alpha's entered the courtyard. All knelt down to the Moon Goddess. "Thank you for blessing us with your presence Mistress." Pam spoke. Both she and Dan were in mid-form. Behind them were hints of other forces. 

Luna smiled at the two. "Come forth my children and be known to the packs." She had plans for the four packs of which she would let Dan and Pam know soon. 

When both stood and moved over to her she was pleased when both Pam and Dan gave her a good hug. She returned it and looked out over the wolves. "These are my right and left hands, Alpha's Danilo Legarith and Pamela Legarith. They have been blessed by other forces in this land. Obey them as you would me. They are not to become your Alpha's but your Alpha's will report to them. Now begone for the moment. Replace these wolves and then return as commanded." She waved her hand and the courtyard was clear again. 

~~~ 

The Vile One was working on a sacrifice when he felt something from the palace. With a guttural snarl he turned away from the child and went to his other room. As he was calling up the scrying spell he didn't realize he was lightly fingering the bottle which contained the essence of the demon lord. He muttered something quietly and as odd as it sounded very gently. For now he had to refrain from any sort of heavy magic use. If he was to obvious it might draw attention to him which was not a good idea right now. 

When the image cleared he was looking into a courtyard which appeared to be set up for a dinner of some sort. As he was watching he noticed both a Silver Kitsune and that damn submissive wolf. He activated several more spells. The spells were to gather information on the powers in use as well as how the flows of powers were arranged. He needed to find out how much things had changed. At the moment he was also working on rebuilding his network near the palace. 

As he was watching he noticed the male wolves approaching and focused on them. When he sampled their spirits he couldn't help but smirk. All of them were not pleased and he felt hints of it involving a female. He started murmuring a spell and when he activated it he found the traces lead to the female submissive wolf. With a slight smile on his face he started another spell to cause them to react negatively to her. That and to take everything she said in the worst way possible. 

Once the spells were in place he started watching the results. As the most senior wolf started to react he was smirking and then activated another spell. This was so much more subtle than many of others. He tied it to the female wolf and since it didn't contain any of the black magic it shouldn't be sensed or trigger any alerts. The spell was simply to collect information on her and her connections with the others. Anything it gave him was a good thing since it would help him understand the new power structure in the palace. 

As he was watching he felt another power starting to grow and he twitched since the Darkness reacted. Let go of the spells and attach them to one you trust later. You do not want to be detected at the moment since that is the moon power you are feeling. It was rare to get a contact like that but when he did he did as instructed. He secured the spell and let everything go. "Damn, I am going to have to have someone contact several individuals in the area to see if I can convert them." 

Now that he was done he realized he had been fondling that damn little vial again. He might have to do something with it since it had been gathering his attention when he wasn't focusing on it. With a snarl he moved back to the room he had been in and looked down at the young boy. "Almost done now and your sacrifice will be worth a great deal. Thank you for this." His voice was smooth as he picked up the knife again and started working on him again. 

When he finished with the boy he tossed parts in his stew pot for later. The essence he had gotten from the child was enough to activate several more spells thankfully. He was woefully under the power he had been. What made it even more frustrating was the territory he had claimed had since been abandoned. No name had been given to it other than 'the dark mountain's'. It gave him privacy but it also made it harder to collect what he needed. 

When he walked out into the main room of his cave as expected he found his generals and senior officers. Most of them were from the eastern lands since the stupid natives didn't know how to organize anything larger than a tribal fight. If they had known what to do the people from the old country wouldn't have gotten a toe hold. At least the easterners knew how to fight and were far more corrupt than most of the natives. Since they were more corrupt they were so much easier to draw into the darkness. "Report." He settled down in his throne like chair and waited. 

The staff all bowed down as he walked in and remained that way till the dark one spoke. Who or what the person was they didn't have any idea since he or she was always cloaked and never showed skin or features. When the general spoke his voice was rough and harsh. It was due to the ugly scar which traced across and up his neck. It had damaged his voice many years before. "As you demanded all troops have been pulled back for the upcoming winter season. Supplies have been laid in for the winter and beginning of the march next year. Supplies are still coming in from your supporters in the old emperor's country." They didn't use the name to keep from drawing attention. 

"What about from the east? Have any of the special supplies been found and ordered?" Getting spell items he needed could be difficult since practicing the dark arts was severely frowned on. As far as getting slaves from the east wasn't a problem unless they hadn't born in New Nordla. With his sacrifices he needed the tie to the land being born and growing up gave the people. The stronger the tie the more power he could get. It also corrupted bits and pieces of the land as well. If, for example, he could get the son or daughter of a tribal chief their ties to the tribe added significant power. 

The general managed not to flinch. "Some yes but as always certain supplies are very hard to come by. Due to this we have to be careful to ensure what is being supplied is what it is purported to be. You should be receiving a shipment of some of the herbs and salts you ordered within the next two weeks. As far as some of the artifacts you ordered a few of those will be arriving shortly as well." One of their main suppliers had been picked up and his network badly damaged. The other knew this but that didn't always mean anything. 

A gloved hand came out of a sleeve and started playing with the bottle again. It was rather obvious the other didn't realize he was doing it. "Find new contacts if at all possible. Even if we have to mount a raid on a town or two we have to get some of the items ordered." The other frowned for a moment though it couldn't be seen. "What is the status of the troops and when will they be back in the encampments? I have seen the reports but I want first hand details." 

The general waved another towards the open table to spread a map out. "As of now we have..." He started detailing what troops they had and where they were. Once he finished that report they started discussing supplies, munitions, uniforms, and related items. It was going to be a long day but they badly needed it after the palace had been taken over. 

~~~ 

Even though a good portion of the attention after the turnover of power had been focused on the capitol new commands were going out. As the days and weeks had come and past Xipil had started forming the center of his new government. He had started carefully examining the existing counsel of advisors. Some he had kept for the time being, others he simply didn't care for and were released, and others were arrested. Once he had finished cleaning, as best possible, the advisors there were about a third left and for the moment he could trust them. 

He had been rather brutal when it came to giving instructions. Xipil hated to be this way but they didn't have the time to screw around. Only the enemy knew what was going to happen or when an attack might happen. He needed to get the country as ready as possible so when the attack did come they would be as ready as possible. His orders were very pointed, do the work I give you or you will be cleansed. For the most important jobs he called in people he knew. Many would give him some odd looks since most of them weren't Kitsune's. Yes there were several Kitsune's, but there was a witch or two, a couple of humans, and just for balance a were-cat. He had known the were-cat for years and she was going to go over like a load of bricks. 

As the military oversight he assigned a wolf, Kitsune, and human. All had skills related to the military and that balance should help to eliminate the worst of the officers and senior enlisted. He told them to review anything related to the military possible, come up with changes or improvements and run them past him. Since he knew all three he would probably rubber stamp most of the suggestions. 

Another group was to start identifying and reviewing records for all the people of note across the country. This was going to be a much harder task simply due to the size of his country. That was a long term job though he needed the names of the business men and officials. He needed that information to start upgrading the infrastructure of the country. He needed the names as well for improving the equipment for his military. 

Another group was going to be reviewing the laws of the land. He knew that was another long term job since many of the rules were simply based on what the current emperor wanted. That was going to stop immediately for the worst. They were going to create an imperial code of laws that were as best equal for everyone. For that he had talked to both Dan and Alysson. Both had sent for helpers from their country. They should be there soon. 

The last of the major groups was assigned to find out just how much money the country actually had. This was going to draw the ire of virtually all the upper crust since they were exempt from taxes. Or a better way to put it is if they could prove in writing, usually with a massive bribe, they had even a distant relation to some imperial member they were exempt. As far as he was concerned that was no longer going to happen. If all else failed he would give a graduated income tax based on your income. The poorest would have the lowest and the richest the highest. 

At the moment he was resting in the new imperial chambers leaning back in a chair trying to relax. He was physically exhausted but his mind kept coming up with more things he needed to look into. Xipil's days started early and ran late. Half the time he was having working meals just to try and keep up with everything. Yes having finally gotten the various groups setup and needed positions filled helped but not enough. He almost wanted to bite Dan since that man seemed to almost feed on what was going on. Pam wasn't much better since she seemed to have as much energy as Dan did. 

Xipil knew some of that was simply because they were lycan's. They had a higher endurance for this sort of thing but it was still somewhat annoying. Since he wasn't going to drink himself to sleep every night just so he could say he had slept he settled for a cup of herbal tea. In this case he had used his powers to cool it down and ran it across his forehead. "Spirits help me; I don't know if there is going to be anything left of me by the time this is done." 

He stood and slowly walked over to the bed and curled up on it. Thankfully the tea seemed to help him relax and soon he was deeply asleep. 

~~~ 

As much as Leon wanted to spend all of his time with his mate he couldn't. He had a responsibility to his students as well as training other healers. Even though he was a spirit healer he knew a great deal about both herbal and modern medicine. Because of this he had been tasked with setting up or organizing a college of healers for the military. When Alysson informed him of this he almost snarled at her since his mate needed him. 

Instead he sat down and slumped in the chair. "Alysson I will help but don't give me this job please. I can't take that much time from my mate. She needs me and if you force me into taking the job I..." He hesitated before finishing. "I will have to resign my position and petition the Spirit Lord." He hated having to say that but it was how he felt. 

A very slight smile crossed her face. "I know that Leon but I can't help what is needed. I need you in charge but I will give you this. I will only require you to deal with this for six hours a day for the time being. I know your mate needs you, believe me I can feel just how much she needs you." She moved around the desk in the small office she had been given and leaned over and hugged her brother. "Find several good assistants who can do most of the work for you. Delegate the day to day jobs to them. Save your energy for the important jobs. This will also give the two of you some time apart. Both of you will need it even if the idea scares you." 

Leon leaned into the hug and rested his head on her shoulder and drew in a ragged breath. "I should know better than to think that I have to be there constantly but it is hard. I can feel just how ashamed and..." He couldn't think of how to describe her emotional state. What he needed to get her to do was to change so he could actually see and check the scars and designs carved into her skin. Since she had been in her wolf form since just after arriving he didn't know how to explain that. Then again he wasn't sure if she would understand why he wanted to see her nude. 

"Keep talking to her and being with her. Maybe talk to Dan and see what he might recommend. Even though she is your mate she is also a wolf." She almost mentioned the Luna but it felt wrong for the moment. Dan would have a better idea of what was needed. If he felt they should take it to the Luna he would say so. 

Leon sat up and nodded. "Thank you Alysson for understanding. I will try that for now and if needed I will talk to you about changes if needed. I will talk to Dan soon." He stood and left the room and as hard as he tried not to a yip of frustration crossed his lips. Thankfully nobody was around to hear or he would have been stared at. 

Tomorrow he could deal with his new assignment. Today he was going to talk to his assistants and have them do some research for him. He had tasked them with finding out what they could about whatever sort of medical school there was. In this case it was both for the troops and the civilians. 

When he walked over to the room his mate was in he smiled at the pups who were playing. The wards had been further modified so that they could go somewhat into the room but she couldn't get to them. It was a nice gesture and he appreciated Dan did it at his request. "Hello to all of you and how are you doing?" From what he could tell there was an assigned rotation of the kits for the day. 




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 12



Several came over and gave his legs a good hug and greeted them. He couldn't help but give a shy smile since he rarely dealt with children. It was a unique experience for him and he was still trying to figure out how to deal with it. He gave a few pets or stroked some ears as appropriate out. "Time for me to go in." Before he went in one of the anti-mouse squad, as he thought of them, trotted up and gave him a bag of rodents. "Thank you hun and tell the rest of the squad thanks as well." 

He stepped into the room and started a morning pot of tea for the two of them. "Good morning to you and I hope you slept well." Leon settled down and pulled the bag over while the water was heating. "Your morning snack is here if you want it." He dumped them into a bowl and pushed it towards her. "I need to talk to you. It might scare you but I am not trying to either scare or upset you. I know you have listened to me talk about myself but it is time for me to tell you what I am and not who I am."  

She stood and slowly walked over to the bowl and sniffed at the small pile of mice and rats. As she was sniffing she was listening to him talking. She finally leaned a bit further down and picked up a mouse. For some reason she flipped it towards the man before settling down to snap down the rodents one at a time. 

When she flipped the mouse at him he didn't even think before changing to his mid-form and catching it. Moments later he had munched it down. His ears lowered slightly. "Thank you for the mouse. As you are eating please listen to what I have to say. You are my mate and we both know that. I know some of what happened to you and you are not at fault. I know of who did this and there isn't anything you could have done to stop it. I need your help to stop this from happening to anyone else." He stopped talking for a moment. 

She stopped eating the mice and lowered her head and ears. Her tail was tucked between her back legs as shame overcame her again. If she hadn't wandered so far she wouldn't have been caught as far as she was concerned. A low whine came out of her jaws as well. 

Leon's expression didn't change but his tone did. "Look at me please. Look at me and listen." His voice had a slight command to it and he waited till she did. "You are my mate and nothing is going to change that unless you reject me. I have not rejected you have I? I am a healer of spirits and I can feel what has been done to you. If you let me I can either help you or get help for you. I need your help as well as my clan leader, the Lord and Lady of the clans, wolves, and people of this world." His voice started to get stressed and much quieter. "I need my mate as well. How I have waited for you to come into my life. Let me help you, give you hope, and the love of your mate." 

The command was there but it didn't scare her. It was nothing like the others. Its command had been harsh and forceful. It had gloried in forcing the obedience of another and especially when forcing the other against their souls beliefs. She couldn't help but shiver since there was want in his voice, a clean need for his mate. She slowly raised her head till she could see him and almost flinched at the understanding in his eyes. When he did speak the words were almost a hammer blow to her heart and they hurt and badly. How could anyone want her? She simply didn't understand how he could. 

Before anything else could be said Dan showed up and stepped into the room. "You need me to talk to your mate Leon. Nothing said will ever leave this room." He settled down near the door and made a change to the wards so nothing said or felt would pass. Dan turned and looked at the wolf. "Come here child. We need to take care of something." His voice was quiet yet firm. Dan would not be refused and his tone showed that. 

The wolf flinched and lowered her head again in submission before slowly starting to move over to the Alpha. His command was that of an Alpha wolf and she had to listen. When she was finally standing in front of Dan she whined again. 

Dan looked at Leon. *She needs this and I will explain it later.* Once she was standing in front of him he lifted one hand and placed the thumb just inside her mouth. His other hand came up and forced her mouth shut till she drew blood. "I am now your Alpha. You will obey me and listen to me. I wish I had time to deal otherwise with you but we don't. Now submit." Dan's voice was calm as he spoke even though he could feel the shock from her. He did lock the bond down so she could only talk to either of her new Alpha's. 

Both she and her wolf were shocked at what had happened but before she even thought about it they swallowed. The blood was so different from what the tribe Alpha had been like her fur damn near stood straight up. When he told her to submit she dropped to her stomach before rolling over. 

Dan smiled down at her and after removing his hand from her mouth stroked her chest and neck. "Good girl and Leon needs you to change forms. He needs to see the scars and carvings. I know this is not something you want to do but he needs it. Once he knows what is going on with you he can start to heal you. Accept both his help and my help." He urged her slightly away before standing and walking out leaving both to stare at him. 

~~~ 

Mari and Geoff were back in the courtyard again. It was going to be crowded since she had received a message from the packs. It had told her they all wanted to come and talk. The pups wanted to play with the others, the older kids and young adults wished to see if their mates might be there, and the adults to talk. Mari had spoken to Geoff and had decided that it was a case of possibly seeing the Luna again as much as anything else. 

She had replied that it would be fine and had assigned Meztli to arrange for save travel for them. Mari had discovered that he had been assigned not to the Imperial Guard but to a special company. Their primary job was to ensure the 'others' were protected as the city started recovering. When the laws about 'others' had been removed the city had gone up in flames. The emperor had taken steps and it had been a bloody mess. That had happened while Dan wasn't there or chances were it would have been much worse. If he had been there as angry as he had been there would have been a bloodbath and they hadn't needed that. 

Mari leaned against Geoff and sighed. "I wish this had never happened Geoff. Going from a little wolf in a small pack to your mate was one thing. Going from your mate to what is coming to look like a great lady is most definitely not something I want. I want to be a good mate, have a number of pups or kits, rule by your side and not worry about who is going to die." 

He wrapped his arm around her and pressed a kiss against the top of her head. "In this case I am starting to know how you feel. It is one thing to grow up being the heir to the clan but this? I keep getting the feeling Xipil wants to give me some sort of position of authority here. Even if it is in name only the thought makes me shudder. I was not raised to be a figurehead. I was raised to lead and I simply couldn't not keep track." He sighed. "Maybe I will have Dan simply carve a bit more territory out to the east of our country for me." 

A large number of tables had been set out for the adults and for the pups were blankets for a picnic setup. Mari had to smile at that since Amarish and Kasai had taken care of that and organized not just the mousy squad but all the pups and kits. He had marched up to Mari's assistant and requested a few moments of Mari's time. When he had come in with Kasai and formally asked for the number of young pups coming it had been so cute. To be honest it was all she could do not to pick both up and give them a huge hug. 

Once she had informed him he told her he would take care of organizing the pups and kits. With that he had excused the two of them and marched out. Mari had quietly asked one of the girls assigned to her to ensure the two spirit Kitsunes had what they needed. From what she understood Amarish had organized a major hunting spree for any rodent in the compound. From what she understood Dan or maybe Xipil had quietly organized a small mouse farm so they kept having something to hunt down. 

About then she had been informed the gates were going to be opened for the three packs to come in. She grinned and nodded at the boy who had informed her and stood. Geoff stood as well and both moved forward so they were closer to the gates. 

When they were opened both had to smile since the other wolves came in and gawked at the compound. It wasn't anything special to her or Geoff even with her coming from the pack house. To them she knew it would show wealth and a better place in the country. "Welcome to everyone. I am so pleased that all of you came." She was waiting for the senior wolves to approach. When they did she was actually shocked since most of them were female. 

The oldest wolf spoke. "Thankee mah lady. Tis sorry to say a number of the mahn didn't feel up to bein' elevated." There was a slight trace of amusement to her tone when she said that. "Fors the time we's be handlin' pack business. We's brought a bit o' eat's since we couldn'ts just not do that." She bobbled a nod at Mari. 

Mari managed not to snicker at the comments of the woman. "I see and I am sure soon some might be of courage to step forward. I am pleased you could make it and if'n you don't mind Amarish and Kasai have set up some things to keep the pups occupied. Gianni and Agular have some things as well. Both helped to ensure the pups had fun today. If you want they can head to that side of the compound." 

The four mentioned stepped forward and gave her a good nod. "I's has games that wolfies might like and Gianni had come up with somes ideas as well. Ifs you notice pups with odd colors its just us being silly." He knew what his sister would do even if he did find it funny he wanted them to know. 

Mari kept a straight face. "Kitsune's play with their powers to hone them. Not to harm but to play." She rolled her eyes when Gianni suddenly became an oversized mouse. "Not funny Amariah, now change her back." She shook her head. "I am sure you now understand right?" 

Frankly most of the wolves jumped when Gianni changed into a bipedal mouse with large black ears and a thin pink tail. "Um, as long as they come back home looking normal that is fine we guess." The others traded looks before almost snickering at Mari's patiant look. 

~~~ 

Pam stalked through the palace looking for her mate and she wasn't looking happy. Honestly the expression on her face promised all kinds of suffering for someone. Since she wasn't speaking and her ears were laid back and her tails lashing most people hurried out of her way. When she finally found Dan he was in the room he had taken over as an office. Alysson and Jon were in there as well as Xipil. "Dan you are a low down mangy dog." 

He looked up at her with an innocent expression on his face. "Excuse me love?" He looked offended as she called him names. "I am not a mangy dog thank you very much. I have a nice thick and glossy fur coating and I am a wolf... Well not a dog as you know. What is the problem?" He knew what it was but he wasn't going to give anything away. 

He yipped at him before speaking again. "I know where all the damn rats are coming from you mutt. I had a nice little talk with the new keeper of the mice and rats. I don't care about the mice since they keep the kits and pups busy but the rats?" Her voice rose several octaves. "You know I hate rats with a passion beyond anything else. How the hell could you?"



Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 13



Even with his mate glaring down at him, Dan had an innocent expression on his face. "Why would I do something like that love? I know you hate rats even if Amarish likes them and thinks of them as large mice. I will be more than happy to look into this for you if you want." With every fiber of his being he was trying to come across as wanting to be helpful and caring. It was total bull crap since he figured it would give her something silly to work her stress out on. 

Her eyes narrowed and different colors started flickering across them. "There is no way in hell I am going to let you talk to anyone about this. I know you Danilo Legarith. I know you would just have the rats relocated to a place where they could be hidden better. I will take care of this and Amarish can deal with the normal run of the mill mice." Her tails were still lashing in anger; that wasn't even mentioning the various colors of fox fire flickering over the various tails. 

Dan suddenly held a hand up and his expression became more serious. Maric had just contacted him and informed him Nara was in labor. Dan brought Pam into the link when he replied. *I am pleased to hear that. Knowing you are her mate do you want me to come down just before she delivers?* Very few male wolves would be willing to have another wolf in the delivery room. 

Maric had to think about it. *Alpha if you wouldn't mind waiting I would prefer it. I am sure Nara will understand as well.* He hated to ask that of Dan but he also knew his wolf would be very tense with Dan in the room. Nara would pick up on that and it would stress her out. 

Pam was still feeling rather angry with Dan but when she sent to Maric her voice was relaxed. *We completely understand Maric. Dan and I will be waiting for the call to come to the room. We can wait till after she has delivered and cleaned up. We know they are Dan's and since you and Nara are remaining with the pack all will be well. I am going to ask Mari to come and sit with to help comfort Nara if that is okay.* Once she had sent she returned to glaring at her mate. Even as she was doing that she felt one of the babies move which made her smile. 

Maric briefly closed his eyes. He knew Dan would never hurt Nara or the babies but Maric was dealing with his experiences with his old Alpha's. *Thank you Pamela and I think Nara would appreciate having Mari here during the delivery.* Once he was done talking to them he turned back to Nara. "Dan and Pam will be down after you have delivered. Pam is going to ask Mari to come and sit with us as well." He leaned forward and gave her a light kiss. 

Even as Nara returned the kiss she did wish Dan could be there for the delivery but she understood why Maric preferred not to have him there. "That is nice of them and she really is comforting to be around." A contraction hit and she started to curl up to help. 

~~~ 

Back where Dan was Xipil was trying very hard not to laugh at the exchange between the two. Instead he decided to separate the two before any balls of fox fire started being tossed around. The last thing they needed was these two accidently taking out part of the palace with an argument. "Lady Pam I hate to break this up but Dan and I were getting ready to meet with a not so drunken builder. He has plans for the palace grounds as well as the training grounds outside of town. I was informed the first representatives from Nippon will be here in just about two weeks. We need to get something, anything built to house them." He sounded very serious as he was speaking. 

Pam glowered at him. "If I find you did this just to get this wretch away from me I will deal with you personally." She turned back to Dan. "We will talk later Danilo Legarith and when we do there won't be anyone to save your bacon." She turned and stormed out of the room. Once she was out she headed towards her office and closed the door. Once inside she almost collapsed in her chair as she tried very hard to muffle her shrieks of laughter. "Dan you are such a butthead but I know why you did that. I am going to get you back you know." 

Her maid in waiting looked more than a bit concerned at Pam's howls of laughter. "Ma'am is everything okay? Is there anything I can do for you?" Yes she had seen Lady Pamela laugh before but this was almost scary how hard she was laughing. 

It took Pam a good five minutes before she could talk. "Some water would be nice please. Everything is fine though my mate is going to be looking over his shoulder for a while." She took the glass of flavored water from the girl and slowly drank it down. "I need you to send for the senior females for the four packs. Also have Gettie come in and... The Tigeress Xipil added to his counsel. There are a number of subjects we need to discuss." 

Her maid gave her a brief curtsy before quickly heading out to summon those requested. Now she was really curious as to what the Lord Alpha had done and it was going to drive her wolf nuts. She wasn't going to ask since that wasn't her place but darn it she wanted to know. First she found Gettie and informed her before going to look for her female Alpha. It took some time but eventually she had messages out for everyone requested. 

~~~ 

Dan did spend the next week or so looking over his shoulder thanks to the threat from Pam. To be honest he was actually enjoying her snippiness around him. It made life interesting and he was sure she was doing it to annoy him as much as anything else. That and it most definitely made for some great make up sex. That hadn't been part of his plan but looking back it was a nice side effect. That first night she had gotten him back though he hadn't realized it at the time. 

When he had woken the next morning and walked into the bathroom he glanced in the mirror. He had turned and been forced to stare at the image since he looked like a large fat bucktoothed rat. It was complete with beady eyes, ragged and dirty fur, pink ragged ears and seven long naked tails. Hammer was most definitely not amused with the change in their appearance. Frankly if Hammer had any say in it their mate might be sleeping alone for a while. 

Dan tried to remove the illusion but none of his tails could do anything against it. Once he figured out she had done something to seal his powers from affecting the illusion he stomped out of the bathroom. "Pam damn it remove the illusion. I am not going to walk around looking like an oversized fat rat all day. Especially one who is fat and ragged looking. I am a very clean and attractive wolf." He was most definitely glowering at her when he was talking. 

Pam returned the glare. "For that rat farm you deserve this. Deal with it you rat fink. If you are a good boy I will remove the illusion in the next month or two." She stood and walked to the bathroom. "I am taking a shower by myself. Deal with it." 

Their current two assigned helpers traded looks and went back to what they were doing. Amarish was staring at Dan and it was obvious he was trying not to react. His little fingers were twitching slightly since his reaction to seeing mice or rats was to stick them with his sword. 

Dan glowered at him. "Don't even think about it. Just don't!" He jerked on his clothes and stomped out of the room. 

~~~ 

Over the last two weeks work in the Palace compound had been going 24/7 to get even some of the changes made. Once Nara had delivered Maric, Dan, and Nara had talked about her staying. All three were very concerned since Maric had been poisoned. Eventually it was decided she would go to Dan's clan house. There was still construction going on but enough of it had been built for there to be rooms for everyone. Most of the residential side was completed though it was unfurnished but that was an easy fix. They were going to have to stop construction up there soon anyways since winter was starting to close in even if it was still fairly nice where they were at the moment. 

She had been sent up several days after she had delivered and Maric was pleased even though he was already missing her. Both he and Dan were missing the pups as well but they weren't going to take chances with them. Mari's pups were old enough that she had Geoff had decided to have them sent back to their clan house as well. Much of this was in reaction to several plots rooted out which were aimed at the 'interfering furriners'. Most wolves and even adult Kitsunes could handle most types of poisonings due to what they were. Newborn children couldn't. 

Dan had even gathered his pack and asked if they wanted to consider sending some of the females and pups back to the pack house. After a long discussion his pack had decided not to. They could understand all the newborns going back and Angie had asked to have hers sent to Paulo and Sylvia. They were pack and with the pack house so empty she knew they would be safer on the Kitsune property. That had been easily agreed on by Alysson and Geoff. It was going to be hard not having their children there but which was worse? Missing them or potentially having them killed because you didn't want to miss them. Pretty much the option to miss them won hands down. When Pam delivered they would have to make that decision as well. They would cross that bridge down the road though. 

~~~ 

As far as the Palace grounds they had converted several of the barracks to basic housing units for the moment. All Xipil and the other leaders could hope was they had enough started for the moment. Other than being told the representatives were coming from Nippon and a few other parts of Asia they didn't know how many. A fair number of the mansions of the former senior staff had been taken possession of and were being guarded and converted. They would be turned into a combination embassy and residence. As each corrupt official had been taken down their houses were scanned from top to bottom by several wolves, Kitsune warriors, and magisters. 

This had most definitely caused a major ruckus in the senior ranks though Xipil had quashed that quickly. He had sent out an order for all nobles and senior officials in the city to report to the palace and he made it non-optional. If they didn't show troops would immediately be sent out to their businesses, houses, other properties and seize everything. Everyone knew some would run simply because there was no way to remove all corruption from the system. It didn't matter what system there was or who was running it there would be some. At the moment Xipil was settling for trying to root out as much of the evil corruption as possible. 

He had decided to have a the trials held in the open training grounds in front of the Palace. Tents had been erected and there was plenty of flavored water available though no alcohol was present. As the people came in they were greeted by several wolves and Kitsunes. Any which smelled wrong were made note of to check out after this was done. The trials had been somewhat chaotic as the individuals were brought out. The charges were read, all evidence was displayed, and the punishment announced. When the first of the most corrupt went up in spiritual flames there was a mad dash for the gates by a fair portion of the crowd. The only thing which stopped them was Dan and his wolves standing there. Each and everyone had on armor and were carrying the scariest weapons possible. Suzy was playing with her Lochabar axe, Maric with a heavy spiked mace, Dan with his massive sword, and virtually any other type of hand held weapon available. The Kitsunes all had modern weapons at hand just for added hints of trying to leave would be bad. 

Dan took a moment to speak. When he did his voice was loud but not a bellow. Magic was being used to ensure everyone could hear him. "Before anyone does anything stupid I just want to remind you what happened when the Emperor tried to detain me and my pack. The rumors of the blood bath are actually somewhat mellow. For some reason when people start talking about having a liver hit their face or intestines draped around their shoulders... Well I am sure you get the idea. Now go back and sit down or I will be forced to educate you in punishment by wolf." 

This rat which showed up was not one of the ones being farmed for Pam's entertainment. Someone had dropped something they were eating and it came out of nowhere. It most definitely wasn't one of the one from the rodent far since it was dirty and filthy and scrawny. For some reason all who could see the rat stared at it before Pam screamed and her tail of rat doom came out. When the rat went whoosh and turned into a small pile of ashes all the ones running for the gate screamed and ran the other way. "I fucking hate rats damn it!" 

Dan turned and looked at her. "That was not one of mine Pam, mine are much healthier. If it would help I can have Amariah come out and make a few of the more annoying people look like rats." His expression was very earnest as he spoke. 

Pam turned and glared at him. "I will have her start with you. You might not turn into a pile of ashes but you would definitely be somewhat cooked when I was done." She was still rather ticked with the whole rat farm incident. When she had gone back to deal with the rats they and their cages were completely gone. All signs had been removed of their existence. Pam was pretty sure that somewhere they were still being farmed though where she hadn't been able to find out. 

As Dan was trying to look put upon Xipil called the trial back to session. "Next time there is a run for the gate I will allow my wolves to explain in detail why disobeying my orders is a bad idea. Now for the next criminal..." The trial had taken most of the day and by the time it was done most of the nobles and senior officials had been cowed for the moment. 

~~~ 

When the officials from Nippon had arrived thankfully they had been spaced out over several days. The first group to arrive was from the Red Kitsune clan in Nippon. Now that had been more than exciting since the moment they had walked into the throne room Xipil had looked up. His eyes glowed slightly and he ignored everyone as he stood and slowly walked over to the senior female Kitsune. He gently gathered her hands in his and smiled down at her. "How lovely thou are Milady. Would you do me the greatest honor I can ask of you and become my mate?" 

She had lowered her eyes briefly before looking up at him. She had been told she would find her mate here but hadn't expected it to be the Clan Leader. Then again she had also known whoever her mate ended up being he would be senior since she was as well. "And how handsome you are as well Milord. With the clan spirit's approval I would gladly become your mate." Everyone nearby could feel the crackle and pop of their spirits meeting each other. 

Rusty stepped out of a portal and smiled. "I approve and even if I didn't my future mate would..." A boot came out of the portal and nailed him in the back of his head with a loud thud. Rusty winced and rested a hand on both of their heads. "I give you my blessing on this union. Long has it been since the two disparate branches of my clan been separated. Lady Hinoko Hinoichizoku stand next to your future mate as does my future mate. Be not in his shadow but be at his side as he will be at yours. I am very proud of who Xipil is becoming and have very high hopes for him. Lord Xipil I command you to do the same. Walk not in front of her but at her side." He stepped back after picking the boot up and even managed to make it dignified looking as he vanished. 

Dan and Pam glanced at each other and he leaned down and gave her a loving kiss. *How I love you Pamela. You are love and my life. You are my rock as well as my comfort. I thank the spirits daily for bringing you into my life.* He tucked her hand through his elbow when he stood back straight. Any remaining hurt from the loss of his former mate faded away though he would always miss her. 

As Dan spoke as he took her hand and tucked it into his elbow she leaned against him and let her eyes roam around the room. Mari was leaning back against Geoff's chest. Jon had an arm around Alysson. Most of the other mated couples were looking much the same. Pam's eyes watered slightly since a sudden thought hit. This was what they were fighting for. It wasn't light against dark or good against evil. It was to give everyone a chance to find their mate, spouse, significant other, and live their lives. *I love you as well Danilo Legarith. You are the strength of the pack and of so many others. I know you have muttered about just wanting to be a good Alpha. You are but you are also so much more. You have struggled to overcome your loss and pain. You have kick started not just your pack but many packs. Even the Spirits have trust that you will be the rock the enemy will break on.* 

~~~ 

By the end of the next two weeks the rest of the buildings in the Palace grounds had been completed though some work was left. Of the houses taken over by the Empire sufficient had been cleared to house the seven clans from Nippon as well as several other species. The final meeting to greet the last envoy from Nippon stunned the wolf packs. Dan and the representative wolves had been requested to be in the throne room for the last welcome. 

When the woman walked in every wolf in the room froze. None of them had ever met an Asian lycan before and she was most definitely Asian and a lycan. Beyond that she was most definitely an Alpha as well. She was taller than a normal Asian but smaller than any of the wolves in the room. She was only a few inches taller than Mari but her power popped and crackled around her as she moved. There were a number of wolves with her but they obviously belonged to her. 

Dan had never met an actual Asian wolf. Yes he had known Asians who were wolves but they were in America and had been turned. This woman was an actual Asian wolf. Before he realized it he slowly moved towards her and held his hands out. "Lady Alpha I am so very honored to meet you." When she raised her hands to his he lifted them to his nose and inhaled before placing a light kiss on them. "I want to introduce my mate Lady of the Clan's Pamela Legarith." He turned and drew Pam over and gave her a light kiss. 

Lady Alpha Sumiko wasn't quite sure why he was holding his hands out to her but she did lift hers and rested them in his. When he raised them to his nose before kissing them she was more than startled. At a guess she assumed it was a method of greeting in this part of the world. "I am pleased to meet you as well and your mate." It took a slight moment to catch what he had said. "Did you say Lady of the Clans?" Her eyes turned to Pam's and widened. 

Sumiko knew what a Lord or Lady of the Clan's meant and she hadn't been informed there was one here. She couldn't help but raise her chin out of respect for her. "I am more than honored myself to meet you Lady of the Clan's." 

Pam blushed as the other lifted her chin. "Please don't Alpha Sumiko. I am just another Kitsune who the spirits have chosen to play with." She looked up at Dan and gave him a smile. "Then again I love my Lord of the Clan's as well. He won't say it but he is one also and such a wonderful person." 

Dan was forced to lower his eyes for a moment. "Darn you Pam I wasn't going there." He raised his eyes. *Don't even think about raising your chin at me Alpha. When I said I was more than honored to meet an Asian wolf I meant it. Luna had to go back to the moon for a while but when she comes back I know she is going to want to meet you.* He released her hands and turned to Xipil and his mate. "Leader Xipil I would like to introduce you to Lady Alpha Sumiko. Unless it is a problem I would like to extend an invitation for her and her wolves to have a meal with us this evening. She needs to meet my wolves and your wolves." 




Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 13



Xipil and his mate had both watched the meeting and knew what this meant for Dan. Luna had told them what she had been forced to do and from the sounds of it she still didn't have much contact. Across the worlds what she had been forced to do had limited her contact with many of the actual Asian wolves. It was what had changed her and he could only hope this would help with her healing. It would probably take many years but he could only hope. "That sounds like a very good idea Danilo and set it up. Let me know when and a number of us will be there as well." 

~~~ 

It had been a month since the Asian Alpha had arrived. Almost the day after she had arrived the winter had hit. For them it was mostly rain though further north it had started snowing. From the reports they had had been receiving from their contacts and families the snow had hit early and hard. In Dan's case the pack house and clan house were already layered under a good two feet of snow by now. Since this was the right time he called Maric to his office. "Come in and have a seat. I have been thinking about something for a while. I think it is time for you to grow beyond my beta. You have the potential to be an alpha. I want you to go and take charge of the packs in your original country." 

Maric settled down and gave Dan a slight smile. "I was wondering when you were going to talk to me about this. I have to admit I do want to break a number of Alphas to my rule. You are a damn fine Alpha and I have learned a great deal from you. You have shown me what a real Alpha should be. I am ready and how do you want to do this?" He had been sensing Dan had plans for him for some time and that he was going to be the third Alpha in this counsel Dan was working on. As far as for this country he wasn't sure who it might be. 

Dan gave him a tight smile. "Darn but you are a smart Beta... You are right though I decided to wait till winter was setting in since it would give you time to take over your former Alpha's pack. I have been keeping a close eye on it much as you have been. They are ripe for a takeover and we are going to go up and take care of this issue. In this case I am going to use my powers to get us up there and then you can take over." 

Maric returned the smile though there was a great deal of evil in the smile. It was evil enough that Dan had to wince which only made the smile broaden. "So when are we going to go and say hello to my soon to be new pack?" His face hardened. "I am not going to challenge whoever is in charge. I am going to kill them and take over. Vermin do not deserve to be given any respect." His wolf came forward and the last was with a snarl. Much like with Dan's original pack in this world the top were bastards. 

Dan snorted. "So not an issue and I don't give a damn, slime do not deserve respect and we will tell the Luna what they have done. So are you ready? If so give me a few to get some of my wolves and we will go. Once you are alpha we will break the bond and form the counsel." Dan was not looking forward to that. Breaking bonds always hurt and Dan hated doing it but he had to. In this case it was something he was looking forward to though. Once Maric had taken over the packs in his country all the packs on the west coast were going to be taken care of. For this country Dan hadn't found anyone good enough to really start taking over which concerned him. 

To be honest Dan wasn't sure if he would find a wolf strong enough to be the lead Alpha for Xipil's country. They had been beaten down for so long not to mention the strong wolves tended to be killed as examples. There just weren't any strong wolves left unless they were in hiding. If they were hiding Dan didn't want them in charge since they would probably cut and run at the worst time possible. He also didn't want strange wolves coming in and trying to take over. That would be as bad as well. It was something he was going to have to really think about. 

Maric gave Dan a tight grin. "You going to invite Pam along? It might get you back in her good graces." Everyone had been quietly laughing at the two as they grumped and growled at each other. Virtually everyone knew that Dan had done it to give Pam something to focus on. Everyone also knew that Pam was overacting for much the same reason. 

Dan snorted. "I am still pretty miffed about the whole fat rat illusion she cast over me. I think this will be a boy's only trip. Call who you want to go with and who you want to remain with while you clean the mess up. I have already cleared this with Xipil." He stood and grabbed his sword from the holder on the wall and settled it on his shoulder. Dan had already strapped on his other weapons and made sure all his ammunition was silver loads. 

Maric smirked at Dan. "At least Amarish didn't poke you with his katana. I know his fingers were twitching every time he saw you." Amarish's reaction upon seeing Dan that morning had about half the court in stitches. "Well we might want to go and get this over with. I know some of the wolves who can be mostly trusted to run things for me." 

As Dan started turning towards the door he found the Asian wolf standing there. "Good morning. Unless it is urgent Maric and I have something to take care of." It wasn't that he didn't want her to know but she wasn't from this country. 

Sumiko couldn't help but smile at him. "Is that what you call it around here? Business? We always call it taking out the vermin." She was grinning at him as she spoke. "I have been paying attention to what has been going on and asking questions you know. I knew it was only a matter of time before you went to deal with this. Right now you have an unsecured border north of here which is not good. Even if the country stands with you if the wolves aren't secured it could get bad." 

Dan traded looks with Maric before shrugging. "Well if you want to come with that is fine. It isn't going to be a challenge for authority. We are going to go, exterminate a number of wolves, and take over. As far as I am concerned the higher up wolves are rogues. They are to be dealt with as rogues." 

Maric growled. "Even worse than rogues if that is even possible." He took his weapons from one of the wolves who came in. Moments later there were six wolves and Dan's mandatory seven Kitsunes. Normally he had one of each in the temple but for this? There wasn't any way in hell they were letting him go without a full compliment. 

Dan lifted a hand and called a portal up. "We are going to the Pack house you used to be at Maric. We will appear outside next to the challenge circle." The wolves went first followed by the three seniors and then the Kitsunes. 

Maric's expression was cold and calculated. "Where is the Pack and the leaders of the pack. I am here to address some issues." He sent images of the wolves who had been responsible for most of the assaults in the pack. When he bellowed the pack house looked like a kicked bee hive as the pack came out. When it did Maric was almost horrified since it was reasonably smaller than when he had left. 

"Who the fuck is in charge of this ragged ass pack?" His eyes almost looked similar to Dan's when he had originally come over. Sylvia might be doing better but he still remembered being held and forced to watch what had been done to her. When nobody spoke and the majority simply lowered their heads he snarled. "Fine I will start shooting the ones who have pissed me off in the past. I will start at the most senior and work my way down till I am happy the slime are gone." His pistol came out and he gut shot one of the worst. "So who is next?" 

Everyone stared at him and then the one on the ground. All of the junior pack members and pups moved away from him and several others. One female tried to look up but couldn't. "Sir how is Sylvia doing? Many of us were so horrified by what happened." Her voice was almost as broken as some of Dan's pack had been. 

Dan pulled out his pistol and stood there. "Go Maric I will keep watch." Right now Maric needed to comfort the other wolves and show that he wasn't going to be the same as the old alpha. 

As Maric moved forward Dan was staring at the few wolves left in a small group. He was also using his spirit powers as he had been learning. He didn't know about Pam but each night a different spirit had come to him and started teaching him his powers. He applied what he had learned at the moment and before he realized it he lifted his pistol and shot one person. As the man fell a small pistol feel from his hand. "Oh fuck this." He shot the other two as well. "Sorry Maric but at least one had a weapon on him." 

Maric had slowly walked over to the female and gently lifted her chin. "Thank you for asking and she is doing better and has found her mate. They haven't officially mated as of yet but he is a damn good wolf and is one of Dan's pack members. She is currently at the Silver Kitsune Clan working in the kitchen and her mate is starting to learn to be a Clan enforcer. I am not here to hurt anyone but to take over and removed the fuckers who hurt Sylvia." 

He didn't even twitch when Dan shot the first person and simply looked in the wolfs direction. "Geeze Dan showing off much?" The bullet hole was dead between the wolfs eyes and centered on his nose. The back of the skull was missing. 

Dan shrugged. "Hey silver rounds are expensive. Why use more than needed?" He frowned slight. "Damn it I have to get back. I am going to leave you here Maric as well as my wolves. Let me know when you have taken over all the packs. I will come back up for the meeting with the other Alphas if you want." 

Maric turned and gave a slight chuckle at Dan's comment. "Oh, everyone this is, hold your breath for the titles, Lord of the Clans Lord Alpha Danilo Legarith. He is related to the family of the leader of the Silver Kitsune clan, a Clan Lord of his country, and senior Alpha. Oh and he introduced me to my new mate. She just delivered some pups and is at the Silver Kitsune clan property. I will bring her down when I feel it is safe." 

As he was talking Dan snorted, called up a portal and vanished along with his Kitsunes and the Asian Alpha. When they appeared in his office again he grumbles. "I want to go back to being just a damn Alpha. I have more titles than tails as of now." 

~~~ 

By the time winter really hit it was as expected a very heavy winter and in the mountains snow piled up deeper than in almost a generation. The rains were heavy and washed out roads and small towns. It was going to be a hard winter and there were going to be many problems but it was also going to keep people at home. As far as the palace grounds and nearby city the construction was mostly done when they hit thankfully. 

The new training camp outside of the city wasn't nearly as completed but that just gave something for all the troops to work on. It was good exercise for them and encouraged them to work together. Well either that or fuck each other till they figured out how to work together. As of now there were several thousands of troops working at building the camp. That included wolves, humans, and other supernatural. It was going to take some time but they were doing training with weapons as well. An influx of new weapons were starting to come in as well though they were being very carefully controlled. 

More new equipment was coming in as well such as new vehicles, uniforms, gear, and anything else they could think of. It wasn't a huge amount of equipment since many of the countries didn't do mass building of higher tech. Dan was taking much of what he knew from his time serving during WWII though he was mixing in as much newer tech as well. He didn't want to overwhelm the recruits and re-treads since this country was rather backwards. Dan did want mobility and hated the idea of either walking everywhere or some sort of mounted infantry and Calvary on horses. 

To the best of his knowledge there were several more months of winter before it was going to be over. He as well as the others hoped that it would be enough time to get sufficient troops trained. They were doing the best they could. Only time would tell. 

~~~ 

For Leon it had been a very stressful several months. Once Dan had drawn his mate into the pack she had relaxed some but that was a relative term. Mari had come in and spent a fair amount of time with the woman which did help as well. The hard part was being drawn away from her during the day as he was building a better healers college. It was a great deal of work even with the assistance he had ended up working with. It almost seemed like every week more and more students came through as the trained troops started being processed. 

He had finally dissected and defined all the markings on her body and he had been forced to go to Alysson for comfort. They were total corruptions of Kitsune magic as well as a few other versions. Thankfully they hadn't been completed so they were not impacting on her spirit. Her body yes but not her spirit which was a good thing. After contacting a number of his counter parts they had worked to come up with a hopeful solution. 

It was a case of having to affect one scar at a time and before they could they had to map out all the connections. Each sigil was tied in with another and each and every connection had to be mapped out. When they eliminated one sigil they would have to remap everything again. If they managed to resolve one mark a week they were having a good week. As of now they had managed to resolve ten marks but there were easily another thirty or forty more. 

To make it even more exhausting every time they removed one the connections became more complex. Leon wasn't sure if he would be able to remove all of them without the assistance of one of the spirits or her Luna. He could tell she was starting to feel better since she was spending more time in her human form. Though tight clothing bothered her they had some loose robes for her and it had taken time but she slowly started talking to him. The first time she had allowed him to hold her he had cried in happiness. "Thank you love." He still didn't have her name since she wouldn't give it to her. 

By the time Dan had taken Maric to take over the packs of his old country she had gotten slowly more comfortable around him. He had talked more about himself to her than he had in many years. He was far older than Alysson even though she was the heir. Leon had known he was going to be a healer and quickly gave up any interest in being the clan heir. He was not the right fit and he knew it. The spirits had agreed with him and he had quickly settled into being a spirit healer. 

Leon hoped by the end of winter she would be comfortable enough and healed enough to sleep next to him. Not for sex but for comfort and relaxing as well as to get her comfortable next to him. At the moment he was relaxing in her room with her leaning against him. She was drowsing and he had his eyes closed as he was relaxing. *Love you lady and I will be here for you as long as you need to heal.* 

The end. To be continued in a few months. I needed to bring this book to a close. But it will be continued in the next book. This was the loss and the agony because of what had happened to Dan. The next book is going to be How much do we have to lose?