This is a non-human focused story about an anthro wolf and the elves (called sylvan here) that he forms a relationship with. There is some implied non-consensual sexual activity in the beginning, and some dubious consent later on with pheromones. There's a lesbian incestual relationship, and if the story continues later, there's liable to be some gay content.

There's also violence, and some gore.

Everyone is older than 18.

This is a little bit of a slower burn story.

A Wolf in Syl's Clothing

The forest to the south of the town of Bortel, the barely-a-capital of the barely-a-kingdom Frithsib, was full of game in the early spring, owing to the spirits that inhabited that place. The king of Bortel, an overweight sylvan named Tawsquil, had stringy hair that dripped down his face from the exertion of riding a horse all morning. He was determined to hunt some tazhifowl to bring home for dinner. Thankfully his guard captain, an aged one-eyed sylvan named Farik, had managed to bring one in.

In truth, if one of his men hunts one, was that not the same as him hunting one? But still, he reasoned, it would be better for the men if he hunted one himself.

Tawsquil cared little for the spirits of this forest, despite the town of Bortel having made an agreement with the creatures long ago. The deal was simple, the spirits provided and the people of Bortel do not despoil the forest.

But things had changed in recent years, and the town needed a wall. So, yes, the forest had to be despoiled. But only a little.

Tawsquil thought about this as a creature well over seven feet tall approached him. It looked like a wolf, but stood like a syl, with dark gray fur on his back, white fur on his belly and a streak of black on his head that almost looked like hair. Even through the short fur of his smooth coat, the massive bulk of the creature gave Tawsquil the impression that he could rip his horse's head off if he chose to do so.

The wall had been built years previous - surely the spirits could not still be upset about some trees? The king cleared his throat. "Creature of the forest, do you represent the spirits?"

He nodded.

The king furrowed his brow. "And what message do the spirits wish you to convey?"

"The pact is broken. The spirits wish to repair it."

Tawsquil cleared his throat. "I wouldn't call it... well, broken. Perhaps our loggers were a little close to the forest, but rest assured, now that our capital has a wall, we'll no longer need any further trees."

"The town is without its Warden. If the town needed defense, you should have asked the spirits for another. The spirits provide."

"Yes, well," the king averred as he adjusted himself on his saddle. The previous Warden died around the time his grandfather took the throne. "I'm not sure how aware the spirits are of the Guti to the east, but my spies tell me that they have amassed an army and are led by a tactical genius and an immortal captain. I assure the spirits that the Guti will despoil the forest utterly. They would do well to protect us when the time comes."

"The spirits are aware of the Guti, but no longer trust you. They wish for me to join you in your court, so that they may speak to you more directly."

"Ah, yes, I can see why they would find that useful. However, as King of not just Bortel but all Frithsib, I'm afraid that is simply impossible. Only a Baron or a Knight may hold court with me."

"As a Warden of the Township, I would be granted a Barony, would I not?"

The spirits wanted the Warden reinstated? Why now, of all times? He had enough to worry about. He decided to say something else. "We have been without a Warden for a century. Why do the spirits wish to change that?"

"Because you need a Warden, and the spirits provide."

The king sat upright on his saddle. "I'm afraid that I need nothing from the spirits, except that they leave me be on my next hunt. Farik! Your tazhi will have to do, let us return to the city."

The turned their horses away from the wolfkin and rode back to the town of Bortel. It did not take long to get from the city gates to his castle. He walked through the open doors of his castle after leaving his horse and was greeted by his daughter.

"I see the mighty hunter has returned empty handed," Princess Lilly said with a smirk.

His daughter inherited her mother's horrific personality and biting wit, but not any of the parts of her that would make her suitable for marrying off to a distant prince. Now that she was nineteen, and healthy, the king would have to settle for a trade agreement or perhaps a few units of soldiers.

"Your daughter's sharp tongue does her no favors," Tawsquil said with a squint. He looked up at the throne in the distance and saw Queen Arabetha lazing on it. It wasn't that he was uncertain of the girl's parentage, so much as he was sure she was Farik's. But even a few units of soldiers was worth keeping up the pretense.

"Our daughter," Arabetha said tersely, "Should go to her room." She pointed to Lilly and flicked her finger, to which Lilly wrinkled her nose and left.

Tawsquil sat on the throne with a heavy thud and looked over at his wife. Despite her attempts to wrap them with bands, her dress barely contained the very buxom sylvix. Between that and her big hips, she looked to the king less a regal dignified lady of his court than a jumped-up whore. Which, given her behavior, was more honest than pretending she was a lady.

"You reek of horse," she said and wrinkled her nose. "Seems a waste of energy, prancing about pretending to catch birds."

"A tongue whose acidic bile could drown an army. And we caught a tazhifowl, it is to be our supper. You know - that thing you slurp down half your bodyweight worth every night?"

Arabetha smirked and glanced at him. "What has you in such a mood? Saddle burr you couldn't bother to dislodge?"

He grunted. "A monster barked at me in the forest. A messenger from the spirits that claimed we owed something."

"To the spirits?" She asked with a high-pitched laugh. "Have they been paying taxes when I wasn't looking? What could we possibly owe them?"

"Some trees, I guess," he said with a shrug. It was less likely the tress than the Warden, but he didn't bother to explain that to his empty-headed wife. "Who knows what goes through the minds of these creatures. If the Guti show up, perhaps they'll actually be of some value. I'd give them their trees back for that."

"The Guti?"

He sighed. "That's nothing to weigh on the brow of a queen."

Arabetha straightened her back, which Tawsquil knew meant she had some stupid fight to start. "You shouldn't mock our daughter. Her only crime was to be born in a backwater."

"Mock? You've made a mockery of me every day!" He stood and turned on her. "So, I'll treat the bastard any which way I like!"

Arabetha jumped up and slapped him, and he immediately backhanded her back into her chair. She looked down and away, so her long blond hair could hide her face from him. A cold silence descended on the court.

Tawsquil leaned down and growled at her. "If someone offered me a hardworking mule I'd trade that dumb bitch away. So, we better get to work on breeding some new brats, ones from my loins, don't you think?" He stood back and pointed in the direction of his quarters. "Go wait in our bed, and I swear to those fucking irritating spirits that I will tan your hide if you wail or scream about it this time!"

Arabetha quickly got up and ran to their bedroom without looking back.

The next day, Farik ran shouting into the council chamber where Tawsquil had just told, to his mind, a particularly funny joke. He was trying to follow up when Farik interrupted again, "Guti, my king!"

The king jumped to his feet and ran to a balcony overlooking the town. In the far distance, he could see a force marching his way, from the direction of the mountains where the Guti roamed. A small vanguard of horses came toward the town's front gate, only to be intercepted by a massive wolf-creature running out from the wall.

Tawsquil slapped his hand to his face. "Fuck no, what fucking cruel jest from the gods is this?"

"Sounds like the Guti are about to weigh heavily on my brow," Arabetha called out from the throne room.

The king slowly looked back at his queen and briefly wondered if he could bargain her and her daughter to the Guti for even a day's peace.

"My lord, look," Farik said and pointed.

A large soldier dismounted his horse and challenged the wolfkin by pointing a large, two-handed sword at him.

"That sword is bigger than anything I've ever seen," Tawsquil said with a grimace.

Farik shook his head, "It's intimidation. That kind of weapon serves well in a company of soldiers, but by yourself? It's less useful than a spear."

The wolfkin nimbly dodged a few swings with the sword before ducking up under it and latching his teeth around the neck of the swordsman. The spray of blood was visible from the balcony, as the furry creature decapitated the soldier.

"Spirits!" The king shouted.

Farik nodded. "Yeah. The spirits provide after all, I guess." Tawsquil wrinkled his nose and gave Farik a venomous glare. Farik coughed and added, "I meant uh... that..."

"Oh, shut up," the king growled and whipped around from him and stomped back to his throne. Arabetha giggled as she embroidered some frippery, and he rolled his eyes at her. "What now?"

Her tone was light, and derisive. "That sword is bigger than anything I've ever seen. Anything."

"Oh, do keep your acidic tongue behind your teeth. I expect we'll be visited by a large unruly visitor, and if you insult him, he's liable to eat you."

She snorted. "If he's anything like the men around here, I doubt it."

The king pointed a finger at her and so she fell silent and focused on her embroidery.

He was right about the visitor, however, as it did not take long for the castle doors to open, and the large wolfkin to march into the throne room.

The king was perversely delighted by the fearful breath that Arabetha sucked in when she saw the bloody creature. The spray of his last victim had painted his white fur reddish, and a coat of gore slathered his muzzle.

"The spirits provide," the monster said with a slight bow of his head.

"So, I see." He glanced at Farik, "Fetch the Chancellor." The creature was going to ask to be made Warden, and the king needed to get ahead of this. He needed the court to see that it was his idea.

Farik nodded quickly, and it wasn't long before a rotund, robed balding sylvan was brought by guards into the throne room filled with courtiers. He skittered to a stop when his eyes focused on the great hulking creature that stood before the throne, and he inched closer to the king.

"My... liege?"

"This spirit... Ah, what is your name?"

"Varex," it rumbled.

"Varex, here, is to be made Warden of the City!"

"Officially," the Chancellor intoned, "He is Warden of the Township." Tawsquil glared at the chancellor who shrunk back. "A... a minor triviality, my liege, but an important legal distinction."

"And if I recall that legal Pact, as Warden of the City, he is to be given a barony, of some sort."

The chancellor's eyes went wide. "My liege I understand that, but there is a complication if my lordship-"

"Spit it out, syl!"

"Your manor is the only barony that could be given under such short notice."

Tawsquil closed his eyes with a deep sigh.

"Sounds good to me," Varex rumbled.

"Yes... " the king started before he noticed the Chancellor looked half a heartbeat away from an attack. "Chancellor. What else?"

"He... the Warden of the Township is to be granted a barony, a consort, and a staff."

"What would you say the minimum staff is?"

A murmur went through the court, as the mere question could be seen as a disrespect to the title.

"I... suppose, my king, that the minimum staff would be... a servant," the Chancellor's voice quavered.

"Would you think that sufficient, fair Warden?" the king asked with a forced smile. "You could call them glassyl."

The glassyl was the chief servant of a sylvan household. Usually, they acted as an assistant to the lord in all matters, including personal. It made it seem less like the King was begrudgingly giving him a single servant, and more like the King was gifting him an important staff.

The idea made Varex raise an eyebrow at the Chancellor, before he eyed Tawsquil. He nodded once.

"Excellent," the king said before he closed his eyes and thought about that for a long moment. But who could he gift? Something occurred to him that hadn't before, and he couldn't help the smile that spread across his lips.

"Chancellor, is there any legal limit - any at all - on who I may assign to these tasks?"

For that the Chancellor had to think. "No, my liege. The Warden of the Township is an extremely special title, and in fact, several times, even the royal family-"

"Wonderful!" he cut in. "Farik, fetch Lilly."

"No!" Arabetha shouted and stood up, but the rest of her words died in her throat.

Tawsquil turned on her, not in fury, and not indignation from her interruption, but with a smug grin. Her expression quickly shifted from anger to terror, which was somewhat gratifying. When Lilly stumbled in, she looked around entirely flustered, given the king had never requested her presence at court before.

"It... it is an honor to be Consort to the Warden," the Chancellor started.

"May be it is, Chancellor, but Lilly! You are being given a different honor that has not been bestowed in well over a century. You are to be glassyl to the spirits. Varex is to be your lord now, as Baron of Chokkyx Manor."

A gasp went through the court, but with a glance from the king, it was hushed.

"It will be Varex Manor now, my liege," the Chancellor added, still obviously confused about all of this. "And he is still Warden, though he is given a barony."

Tawsquil coughed awkwardly and then forced a smile down at the Chancellor. Not even the obsequious fool's pedantry could ruin this moment for him. "Of course! Lilly, you are to be head of, well really, you are to be the staff at Varex Manor."

"What!" Lilly shrieked. "But I'm not a maid! I'm a - I'm your princess! Of House Chokkyx!"

The king held his hand out to the Chancellor, who coughed and explained. "I am sorry, but with this proclamation you are in fact now Lilly, member of the staff at Varex Manor."

"How could you," Arabetha whispered through tears. "How?"

"Oh, it's easy," he whirled around and grabbed her elbow. "Like this!" And with that and her shriek, he threw her toward Varex. She stumbled to the ground, ripping her dress, and banging her elbow on the way down. "Varex! Meet your new consort, Arabetha. I've no doubt she will serve you as well as she has served me."

The assembled court gasped, and a murmur went through the crowd, but this time the king simply ignored them. He retook his throne and smiled broadly. "Warden Varex, I would suggest you settle into your new manor, clean yourself - oh, apologies. Have your glassyl clean you, as that would only be proper, of course. I will be here, at my castle, whenever you wish to speak with me. And remember Warden - your manor, your staff, your consort? You can do with them whatever you like."

"Uhm, actually," the Chancellor when the king snapped his gaze to him, "Oh, I mean, about the ladies, quite, quite right, my liege. H-h-however it should be noted, to the ah, Warden, that Pact states that if the Warden abandons the barony, or attempts to divest it, that indeed he will lose his title forthwith."

The king blinked and nodded appreciatively since he had not actually read the Pact. "Quite right Warden. You now have responsibilities. To your spirits, to the barony, and to the city!" After a brief moment of dead silence, he glared at the rest of the room, and the assemblage offered polite applause.

The only audible response from Varex was the clack of clawed feet against the stone as he approached the fallen Arabetha and looked down at her. She wiped her bright green eyes and stood up shakily on her own, before she turned and bowed to the king.

"I... I don't understand," Lilly whined.

Farik approached her with some sympathy in his voice. "Young maiden, you must leave with this..." he eyed Varex, "The Warden. Now."

"Come along, daughter," Arabetha told her before she straightened her back, and headed out of the court. Lilly looked back at Tawsquil with a quivering lip, before she followed her mother out of the door.

Varex watched them leave then gave the entirely smug King Tawsquil a polite bow. "I will return. The spirits provide."

"That they do," the king said with a smile.

The two sylvix trailed behind Varex. He asked them where the manor was, but Arabetha only mumbled in response, and Lilly said nothing. By the time he arrived, the last servants passed him on their way to the castle, arms laden with various goods. That the manor was in total disarray became obvious after Arabetha struggled to slide the large front door open with both hands. It looked heavy enough to stop all but the most determined invader.

"No!" Lilly screamed as she pitched herself to the floor inside the entrance. "I can't believe it! Why is this happening?!"

Arabetha crouched next to her, "My daughter, this is how things happen sometimes, and if you don't adapt, you die, do you understand?"

"What?" Lilly asked with a gasp. "What do you mean die?"

Arabetha glared at her. "Look at our lord! What do you think I mean?"

The light from the door was obscured as Varex ducked through it, then quickly slid the door shut behind himself. He stunk of blood, of death, and gore dripped from his wet muzzle. He focused on Arabetha.

"Where is the bath?" he asked. The deep bass of his voice felt as though it rumbled out of him.

Arabetha looked back at Lilly and snapped at her, "Stand up." And she grabbed her arm to haul her daughter up as she stood and turned to Varex. She gave him a deep bow, when Lilly hesitated, she turned and forced the maid's head low before she resumed her bow.

Varex sighed deeply. "Is it at your feet?"

"Apologies, sire," Arabetha said and dragged Lilly forward. "This maid will show you were the bath is. Do you understand?" she asked Lilly.

Lilly looked at her with tearful eyes and nodded before she left the entrance area.

Varex stared at Arabetha, unsure of how much of what she was doing was genuine fear or some kind of strange performance. When he made eye contact with her, she bowed again.

Genuine fear then.

He walked through the halls, and the smells of a busy manor drifted to him, including food, still cooking. He called back to Arabetha, "The kitchen needs immediate attention."

"Yes, sire!" she called back, before he heard her scamper that way.

He caught up to Lilly who slid open the bathroom door. He ducked through and then looked back at the unusual rail that held the door. A small hammer on the rail could be used to knock out pins - when done, the door would settle into a groove in the floor making it much harder to break down. For a sylvan, anyway.

Thankfully, the contents of the bathroom contained fewer useless contrivances. The bathroom floor was stone, and large pipes came out of each of the far walls. One was near the drain in the center, the other was above a tub, wider than Lilly was tall.

He looked back at Lilly who bit her lip and looked around the bathroom then back to him. "Yes... I... oh spirits, do you need... I mean, are... you've never, I guess from the forest, and..."