A Monster Life Ch. 28-30

The two wolves sagged and fell dead to the ground. 'Bloodwolves!?' said Iphigenia. 'Here!?'

'Girls!? Are you all right!?' asked Ulric.

'We're fine, darling.' said Elzbieta. 'We took them down.'

Ulric let out a breath of relief.' 'I'll be back soon.'

Kaui examined the two bodies. 'They're heavily wounded.' she said and gestured at broken arrows in their sides. 'They must've fled someone hunting them.'

Elzbieta looked up at the bushes again. 'I hear another one!'

'It sounds like whining.' said Kaui. 'Not like an adult wolf.'

They moved carefully closer to the source of the whining and saw a black muzzle underneath the bushes. 'It's a pup?' said Iphigenia.

'it's a young wolf, yes.' said Kaui. The young wolf whined again and Kaui squatted. 'We're not here to hurt you.'

The wolf looked at her, then looked quickly at the others and let out a soft growl.

'Bad prey?' chuckled Iphigenia. 'I've not been called that before.'

'Bloodwolves likely see us as mere prey.' said Kaui. 'It could be we're bad because we fought back and hurt them.'

'That sounds about right.' said Elzbieta. 'Especially if they've been hunted by others just now.'

'What did you find?' asked Ulric while dropping the deer near the fire after running back.

'It's a young bloodwolf.' Iphigenia said.

'Bad prey!' whined the wolf when her language became clearer to understand. 'Kill family!'

Kaui looked back at the two dead wolves. 'Were they your mother and father?'

'Mother and father killed by other bad prey! No family alive.' the wolf whined and spotted Ulric when he stepped closer. 'Family!?'

Elzbieta looked sideways at the trees. 'I hear riders!'

From a bend behind the trees came several scruffy looking men in hunter outfit riding on their mounts.

'Goats?' said Ulric. 'Are they riding goats the size of horses!?'

The group halted at a short distance from the girls and the young bloodwolf darted from the bushes towards Ulric and hid behind him, trembling and whining. 'Bad prey!'

He looked back at her. 'They killed your family?'

'Hello there.' said the first rider. 'Looks like we made it just in time to save you girls from the last bloodwolves we've been hunting.'

Elzbieta looked at him. 'We don't need saving from them.'

The riders laughed. 'I'm sure you can use that sword but those wolves are a mean and vicious bunch.' said the first. 'You better leave them to us.'

Three of the riders drew their bows and aimed their arrows at Ulric and the young wolf.

Elzbieta and Iphigenia drew their swords while Kaui and Valdys moved beside them, and even Trixy sat defiant on Valdys's shoulder. 'Put down your bows!' said Elzbieta and glared at the first rider.

The leader frowned. 'We're here to eradicate all bloodwolves from the area. Don't get in our way!'

'Wolfie is ours!' said Iphigenia. 'Touch him and die!'

The leader snorted. 'Are you insane!?'

'Why are we talking about this, Mick?' said one of the archers. 'They need to die.' He let his arrow fly.

It broke in Ulric's armoured paw and he crushed the head as he snarled. Iphigenia jumped up at the archer, kicked him from his mount and pinned him to the ground with her sword at his throat. 'I told you you'd die!' she hissed.

The other riders aimed at her but Elzbieta cut down the second archer with her sword while Kaui knocked out the third with a rock to the head and Valdys startled the mounts enough to throw their riders from their back by calling forth the enraged spirits of the dead bloodwolves in front of them.

'Wait!' growled Ulric and moved towards the fallen leader. He scrambled up from the ground and swung his sword at Ulric. He caught it in his paw and didn't let go.

The leader tried to pull it away but he lost his grip instead. 'What are you!?' he said as he backed off from the red glowing eyes and the killing aura.

'He is our precious partner.' said Elzbieta. 'We will not tolerate anyone trying to harm him or any of us belonging to our party.' She moved alongside Ulric and shot daggers at the leader with her furious gaze. 'It would be wise for you to go back to where you came from before you end up slaughtered like you did with the wolves.'

The leader glanced around and sensed the overwhelming power from the strange women. 'We'll go.' he muttered.

Ulric threw down the sword at his feet and snarled once more.

The others pulled back while Iphigenia let go of the archer, and they all rode away in a hurry on their big goats. She sheathed her sword and took a deep breath to calm down. 'Are you all right, Wolfie?'

'I'm fine.' he said and turned back towards the young bloodwolf. It came running up to him and nearly punched out his breath when it landed against his stomach. 'Daddy!' it whined.

'Daddy?' giggled Iphigenia.

Ulric looked down at the trembling young wolf crawling up to him. 'Who? me!?'

It looked up at him with doleful eyes. 'Daddy only family.' it whined.

'But I'm not really..' he said but he had no resistance against helpless creatures. He sighed and stroked her head. 'Crap.' he muttered.

Kaui stepped closer and the wolf tensed. 'Bad prey!'

Ulric put one finger against her nose. 'They're not bad prey.'

It glanced at Kaui and the others. 'Good prey?'

He shook his head. 'They are not prey at all, they are precious family.'

It looked up at him. 'But they not like family.'

'Family does not need to look like family.' Ulric said. 'Family is family because they are together.'

The wolf dropped its ears. 'Family gone.'

Kaui moved a little closer again. 'Family is gone, but we can be new family.'

The wolf looked at her. 'New family?'

She held out her hand. 'If you want, you can be family with us.' she said and looked at Ulric. 'If we leave it here it'll get killed sooner or later.'

He nodded. 'Yeah. We have no choice but to take this pup with us.' and looked at the young wolf. 'Want to be with our family?'

It looked up at him. 'Daddy feels safe. Want to be with daddy's family.'

He smiled a little and stroked its head. 'Then you are now family.' he said. 'No need to be afraid of the others.'

The young wolf looked at Kaui, sniffed at the tips of her fingers. 'Family.'

With a little hesitation and some nervousness, it sniffed at the other's fingers and even Trixy came forward to sniff at one another's noses. With a little encouragement from Ulric, it let Kaui stroke its head.

'What's your name?' asked Kaui.

'Name?' it asked.

'How did your other family call you?'

The wolf made a sound and Ulric's bloodwolf instincts understood. 'Daughter.' he said. 'It roughly means daughter.'

'Then you'll need to give her a proper name.' said Iphigenia.

He looked at her. 'Me?'

She nodded. 'You're the alpha male. It's your responsibility now.' she said and giggled.

The others agreed and he racked his brain for inspiration. 'All right.' he said after a while. 'She reminds me of a sweet, black dog I knew when I was young and I like the name.' he looked at the young bloodwolf. 'I shall name you Susi.'

She looked up at him. 'Susi?'

He nodded. 'Susi .'

She thought about it for moment. 'Then Susi is Susi?'

'Susi is Susi.' said Ulric. 'Susi is family.'

Her tail wagged a little. 'Susi is Susi.'

Her stomach grumbled and Iphigenia giggled. 'Susi is also hungry, time we roasted the deer.'

Ulric dug a deep hole and Susi touched the dead wolves' muzzles before he buried them there. He sat with er for a while, stroking her head while she stared at the mound of earth with droopy ears. 'Life isn't fair.' he said softly. 'All we can do is protect each other the best we can.'

She leaned her head against him.

Her mood cheered up during the meal, and when they went to sleep she was no longer nervous around the others and lay with her head on Ulric's shoulder while Iphigenia stroked her head. 'It may be dangerous for her to come with us, but it would be worse to leave her behind.' she said over the link.

Ulric stroked Iphigenia's back. 'We'll just have stay out of danger as much as possible.' he said. 'But in case we come across a safe home for her, we should consider leaving her there.'

'I don't think I'd like it, but it's for the best.' said Kaui. 'I think she's a good girl despite the reputation bloodwolves have.'

Ulric yawned. 'Come what may, for now our family has grown.'

Iphigenia giggled. 'Yet another female vying for your affection.'

Ulric chuckled. 'I hope you don't mean in that way.'

Iphigenia grinned. 'Who knows? Bloodwolves grow up fast, and you're essentially one.'

Ulric groaned. 'No, I'm not into that. Let's get some sleep before things get even more weird.'

***

Half a day later when it was barely dark they spotted lights in the distance while they continued their trek 'That would be a small town according to the map.' said Valdys as she recalled the map spirit she'd extracted from the real one. 'There doesn't seem to be any real road around it.'

'It's not a problem.' said Ulric. 'We can take the opportunity to buy some supplies and try to get some information on the country behind it.'

'I hope the next piece is there though.' said Elzbieta as she squinted into the distance. 'We'll have to either go over or around those mountains.'

'I believe the piece is somewhere there.' said Valdys. 'When we went around the lake I noticed the piece rotated slightly into that direction.'

'All the more reason to gather as much information as we can on that area.' said Ulric. 'If each piece is protected by someone like Demetrus we're in for quite a lot of fights.'

***

'I smell many bad prey.' muttered Susi when the party neared the town walls.

'Don't think of humans as prey.' said Ulric. 'There are good and bad humans, but they're not prey.'

Susi looked up at him as she walked next to him. 'I won't if daddy says so.'

He smiled and gave her ear a nuzzle. 'Good girl.' he said and noticed the slight shiver rippling through her fur. 'You don't have to be afraid, most humans are good people and we will protect you from the bad ones as long as you're with us.'

She smiled a little and leaned against his side, feeling more at ease.

'No one touches family without receiving all our wrath.' said Iphigenia and stroked her head.

Susi looked up at Iphigenia. 'Family good.'

'Family good.' said Iphigenia.

'We'll use the same cover as we did at Winter City.' said Ulric. 'You'll just have to convince the guard Susi as safe because she's my daughter.'

Iphigenia ran her fingers through his thick neck fur and grinned mischievously. 'If they don't believe it, I'll show them I'm much more dangerous than a cute young bloodwolf.'

'Please don't!' said Elzbieta. 'You'll get us in even more trouble.'

Cornel, the guard at the town gate, nearly dropped his spear when out of the dark popped up several women clad in black with two bloodwolves in their midst. 'Captain!' he said back towards the guard chambers. 'Captain Wolse!'

Out of the doorway came a grumpy man whose uniform was a tad too large for his small stature. 'What is it!?' he grumbled. He halted and stared at the party walking up the road as soon as he saw them. He'd seen plenty of strange characters and groups but this was new to him. "A pig orc I've seen before with humans, but together with an elf, and even a couple of monster beasts!?" he thought and squinted his eyes at the pale skinned woman. "Is that, an undead woman!?"

He nudged Cornel. 'Do your job!'

Cornel looked from him to the group and back again. 'Yes, sir.' he said with a slight hesitation in his voice. He stepped into the middle of the road and planted his spear in the ground. 'Halt! State your business!'

Iphigenia held up their party identification card. 'We're here to buy some supplies.'

Cornel lifted his heel to take a step closer but put it down as he glanced at the wolves. 'What about those?'

Iphigenia looked at Ulric and Susi. 'Familiars.'

Cornel looked back at Wolse, who gave him an urgent nod. He cleared his throat. 'Dangerous beasts aren't allowed in town.'

Iphigenia giggled. 'Dangerous?' she said and ruffled Ulric's fur. 'Wolfie's the sweetest thing I know and his daughter's cute, not dangerous.' she said and Ulric gave her cheek a lick for emphasis.

Cornel looked once more at his captain urging him to check their identifications. He stepped closer while keeping his eyes on the two wolves. He looked at the names on the back of the guild card. 'Who's Ulric?'

Iphigenia gestured with her head at 0l.' That's him.'

Cornel gazed at the bloodwolf. 'He's listed first!? That's supposed to be the party leader!'

'Well, he does lead us usually to where we go.'

Cornel turned to his captain again, who finally stepped forward. 'I've never heard of such a thing.' he said. 'Do you have a fake card?'

'These things can't be falsified.' said Elzbieta. 'At least not without expert knowledge and skills, not to mention money.' She held up her card. 'You can confirm my identity with the Winter City council.'

Wolse hummed while examining her card and its seal. He then took another look at the guild card and Iphigenia's card and frowned. 'How come it states you are familiar to this wolf?'

Iphigenia glanced at Elzbieta, who put her hand on Ulric's head. 'Da-, I mean, Ulric is a special case.' Elzbieta said. 'He's unique in that we have multiple familiar bonds with him, unlike a normal familiar. It's something the Wizard Council is looking into.'

Wolse glanced at Susi. 'What about this one?'

'She's his daughter.' said Iphigenia.

'Familiar as well?'

'Through Ulric.'

Wolse hummed more as he pondered the situation but he couldn't think of a good reason to send the group away, especially when they were associated with the Wizard Council of which it was said they could make one's life very difficult if one irked them. He stepped back. 'Very well.' he said. 'I expect you to obey the rules and keep these beasts in check.'

'No worries.' said Iphigenia. 'We know exactly how to handle Ulric.' She gave Ulric a wink. 'Don't we, Wolfie?'

He gave his best performance as a happily panting dog wagging its tail frantically.

Wolse waved them through urgently while Cornel quickly stepped aside and the girls tried desperately to keep a straight face as they walked away.

People on the streets gazed at the four women and the two bloodwolves as they passed them, and as they entered the local guild building and inn the crowd inside became silent when they noticed the visitors. One drunk man sitting with his back to them finished his ale. 'I tell ya, I ain't scared of no group of adventurers or pack of bloodwolves!'

30 - Air Superiority

'How about a group of adventurers including bloodwolves?'

'What do you mean, including bloodwolves.' the drunkard asked.

His eyes went wide when a chill shot along his spine, spun around on his chair to see who stood behind him, and fell backwards onto the floor with his mug on his face. 'You!?'

Iphigenia bent over slightly and smirked. 'Us.' she said and looked at the others at the table. 'I hope you haven't bothered any other familiar.'

The hunters shook their heads quickly.

'Good.' Iphigenia said and returned to the party sitting down at another table.

A young woman with twin red braids down to her waist arrived at the table. 'Good day to you.' she said and gazed at the bloodwolves sitting on the bench. Ulric sat a little sideways because Susi had crawled underneath one arm. 'Are they really bloodwolves?'

'They are.' said Iphigenia and stroked Susi's head to put her at ease. 'Although special ones.' The woman kept her gaze on the wolves and Iphigenia chuckled. 'Would you like to pet them?'

The woman's eyes grew big in excitement. 'Can I?'

Iphigenia looked at Susi. 'Do you mind?'

Susi looked up at Ulric and he gave her a nuzzle. 'It's all right.' he said. 'I'll let her pet me first.'

Susi nodded a little.

'Pet Ulric first, Susi is very shy with strangers.' Iphigenia said.

The woman smiled. 'Okay.' she said and stroked Ulric's head when he leaned it a little closer. 'He's so fluffy!' she chirped. 'I'm Nina, by the way, I handle the reception desk for guild business and am the waitress for the inn.'

Iphigenia introduced the rest and after Susi sniffed her fingers, Nina gently stroked her head. 'They're really friendly.'

Iphigenia nodded. 'More so than some people.' she said and shot a glance at the goat riders.

Nina nodded and gasped when Trixy crawled out of Valdys's hood and sat on her shoulder. 'What's that?'

Valdys stroked Trixy's nose. 'Trixy's a special little friend. There's even less reason to fear her.'

Nina chuckled. 'It's a unique sight, but I think she's cute as well.' Trixy hopped down on the table and sat down on the edge near her. She reached out and carefully stroked the undead squirrel's nose. 'She's soft to the touch!'

Valdys chuckled. 'Her spirit body is so dense it feels like soft fur.

'Ah, I'm almost forgetting my duty! What can I get you?'

The girls ordered drinks with one in a bowl for Ulric and a bowl of milk for Susi. When Nina returned with the drinks she giggled at Ulric taking a drink from the side of the bowl. 'I've never seen an animal as civilised as him.'

'He's surprising in many ways.' said Valdys and smiled as she looked at him over the brim of her mug.

'Thanks for petting them.' said Iphigenia to Nina. 'Things calmed down.

Nina glanced around at the crowd which had returned to their usual chatting and merriment. 'No problem. 'I can't imagine a demon beast that's tame enough to be in the company of ladies to be a danger in general. I just had to set an example.' She gave Susi another pet and Susi shyly wagged her tail. 'What brings you here?'

'We're heading towards the mountains.'

Nina raised an eyebrow. 'Why would you go there?'

Kaui put down her mug. 'We're looking for the rare mineral Antheum.' she said. 'It has some uses for alchemy and we found some indications we could find some there.'

Nina looked into the direction of the mountains as she pondered. 'I haven't heard about that before.'

'The texts that spoke of it were a bit old.' said Kaui. 'It also seemed pretty unknown.'

Nina nodded. 'That wouldn't surprise me, that there is harpy territory and they've been attacking anyone getting close.'

Ulric gestured with his eyes to the empty spot of the bench next to him and Iphigenia gestured at it. 'Would you care to join us in a drink and tell us more about it? It seems Wolfie and Susi like receiving some attention from another pretty woman as well.'

Nina blushed and looked at the handsome and cute wolves. 'Sure! give me a moment to serve the rest.' she said and went to the bar.

Elzbieta raised her eyebrows at Ulric. 'You do, eh?'

'If we want to learn as much as we can about what's going on here and at the mountains, I'm willing to endure it.' he said.

Elzbieta huffed. 'Endure. Right.'

He smiled gently at her. 'It just makes me want to feel the fingers of you girls through my fur that much more.'

Elzbieta blushed. 'Fine. I'll allow her to pet you. For now.'

Valdys giggled. 'You're not the only one feeling a little jealous of another woman petting our beloved.'

Elzbieta took a quick drink to hide her face behind her mug. 'I'm not.' she muttered.

Nina joined them after a while and brought a round of new drinks. She sat down next to Ulric on the bench and dug her fingers deep into his neck fur while scritching Susi's ears, and showed the magic in her fingers when Susi laid her head on her lap. 'It happened for the first time a while ago.' she said. 'While normally no one goes deep into harpy territory, they never attacked anyone who wandered around the edge of the mountains unless they made trouble. Then one day a group of men gathering herbs and roots returned wounded. They said they were suddenly showered with rocks and heavy branches from the sky by a flock of harpies. Another group of travelling adventurers endured the same days later. Some of the harpies even dove at them and slashed them with their talons.'