A Wolf in Syl's Clothing

He reached out and took her hand, which caused her to jump with a yelp. If he didn't convince this poor girl he wasn't going to eat her, she'd die of a heart attack before she could give him a bath. It wasn't that he needed help exactly, it was that a hand scrub of his back would be a glorious enough experience to make the effort. Varex stared at her, and she looked down.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

He reached out and took her chin with a finger and lifted it to look at him. He held up her hand with his other, and gave it a gentle squeeze, then released it.

"I... I've never... done this," she murmured as she stepped further into the bathroom and walked over to the shower. "Usually uh... lots of dirt is... showered off? At least, that's what I've heard. I've rarely... I've never actually done it. I only bathe."

He gave her his best 'I'm from the forest and aint never seen nothin so fancy' expression, and despite how close she was to the shower spout, she pulled the chain to release water, which splashed over her.

Varex only felt a little bad for laughing, mostly because she was so embarrassed she struggled to not burst into tears. "You should find a comb," he gestured to himself. "My fur has blood in it."

She coughed and nodded then quickly walked out of the door. The tub would be better for a soak, but he rather wished to not soak in the blood of his enemies.

The entire situation struck Varex as surreal, and he regularly communed with forest spirits. When he demanded to become the Warden of the Township, he was expecting that the first thing the King would try to do is buy him off. Or, that the Barony would be valuable enough to sell, or that the Manor would be filled with riches.

Instead, the king gave him wenches and a manor that was unassignable. This complicated his plans severely. If he lost the title after it was given to him, the spirits would probably turn his skin inside out, or something worse.

The wet Lilly returned, shaking as she held up a brass comb. "My lord."

"Why didn't you change clothes?" His laugh rumbled out of his chest.

"My moth-err, the consort instructed me that I should return immediately."

"Well up to you if you wish to remain in wet clothing," he said and pulled the chain to douse himself in water. "Soap."

Lilly took the hard bar of soap and began to scrub his back. He groaned in appreciation, and she inhaled sharply. "I'm sorry, my li-uh, sire, is-is that not-"

"That was a good sound," he chuckled.

"Oh - oh! Oh okay," she said and returned to scrubbing his back. She bit her lip and asked, "Your... tail? Sire?"

"Yes, everywhere Lilly."

She scrubbed his ass with more vigor than he honestly expected, but it caused another appreciative groan. She combed through the hair on his thighs, and he pulled the chain again to rinse away more of the soap.

She gasped as more of the water sprayed on her, and he offered a low, "Sorry."

"It's okay. I think, I mean, I'm just learning, sire," she said and looked up at him. She was just a few inches over five foot tall, so he sat on a nearby stool so she could reach the top of him. "If you... look up?"

He raised his face, and closed his eyes, and she pulled the chain again, soaking herself and him before she scrubbed away the blood and gore from his face and chest. He stood again and she continued to scrub, down to his furred sheath and balls.

When his red cock slipped from his sheath, she looked up at him wide-eyed.

"You are attractive, and your touch is enjoyable," he said with a shrug. "It's a natural reaction."

She nodded and continue to clean his legs, and comb out any mats, before she coughed and stood. She did not try very hard to look away from his erection. "Is that good sire?"

"You should have prepared the bath before we got started," he gestured toward the tub.

"Oh!" She turned and started to run, but almost immediately slipped. He snatched her up as she started to fall and gently set her back on her feet.

"Don't run in the bath," he admonished her.

She clutched onto his arm, shaking and nodded. "Thank... thank you, sire. But it won't take long to heat."

He slowly let go of her, and she walked over to the tub, and pulled the chain to pour water into it several times. Runes on the tub glowed, and the water started to warm - an enchanted bath. No cheap thing, that was for sure. He imagined they would've taken it too if they'd had time.

Varex climbed into the tub and sunk into the warm water with a contented sigh. "Thank you, Lilly. You may go dry yourself."

She nodded and started to leave, but when she reached the door, she seemed to realize she'd forgotten something.

"I mean, thank you, sire," she said before she fled into the hall.

He'd thought the world was strange when he was making shady deals to become Warden of Bortel to appease forest spirits. Now the world had gotten downright weird. He knew of the Champion's Scent, but could it cause compliance that quickly?

Surely, they would have put up a token resistance to submitting to him? But then again, the sense he got from the castle was that resistance to submission was not tolerated.

It wasn't long before the peace of the manor was disturbed by argument. Varex wandered toward a back room where he heard Lilly shouting at Arabetha.

"But why would they take my clothes?! Why didn't they just leave them!" she shrieked the last two words.

"Because they're more valuable than you are, sweetest, so they're not going to leave them. You just have to adapt-"

"We wouldn't have to adapt if you stopped flashing your big cow tits at every fucking guard that looked your way!"

Arabetha gasped and slapped Lilly, who gasped in shock herself.

Varex snapped his jaws next to Arabetha's ear. "Do you know who uses violence to solve their problems?"

Arabetha recoiled and then bowed her head quickly, to which Lilly quickly followed suit. "I am sorry, sire, I didn't mean to, I-"

"I asked you a question."

"I don't know the answer, sire. Who uses violence to solve their problems?"

"I do."

Arabetha swallowed and nodded quickly. "Yes, sire."

"And do you know who else, in this manor, uses violence to solve their problems?"

She shook her head.

"Nobody."

She nodded quickly. "Yes, sire."

"Now strip."

She looked at him in shock as did Lilly. "Sire?"

"It means take your clothes off."

She started to say something and then slowly began to remove her tattered dress. Lilly removed the still wet remnants of her own dress. They stripped down to their undertunics, which Varex noted were significantly tighter on Arabetha. She had practically strapped her breasts down to her chest, and they were still ample enough to fill out her curvy form.

"That's sufficient," Varex said, and he gestured to Arabetha. "Bend over."

She slowly bent over, and he whacked her ass several times, giving her several hard spanks. She yelped with each one.

"I'm sorry sire! I'm sorry! Ahh!"

He didn't want to bruise her, so he left it there and growled at her ear, "No hitting."

"I'm sorry sire, please forgive me," Arabetha cried.

He moved over to Lilly. He swatted her only twice, which still brought tears to her eyes. "I'm sorry!"

"Do not disrespect my Consort," he growled.

"I'm sorry sire, please... please forgive me," Lilly said and wiped her eyes.

He turned to Arabetha. "Find robes. Prepare dinner," and he left.

Arabetha adjusted her robe as she served dinner with a forced smile. "Well, I'm not sure exactly what this is, but it was cooking when they left, and I hope it's mostly finished. Some kind of stew, I think."

Lilly wrinkled her nose and sniffed the stew.

"Now, now," Arabetha started and then sipped a spoonful, and immediately put the spoon back in the bowl. "Uhm." She sniffed the bowl.

Varex ladled several times into a bowl, then noisily slurped up everything in it and licked the inside.

Lilly groaned and pushed her bowl away.

"We'll figure something out," Arabetha said with a sigh.

The knocker on the front door sent thumps through the house. Varex stood up and Arabetha snapped her fingers at Lilly. Lilly jumped up and scampered around the table, as she raced Varex to the door. When he reached the door, he waited for her to slowly slide it open.

The Chancellor waited on the other side and his eyes widened at Varex. "Ah, sire - Warden. I ah... the Pact specifies that the Warden is to receive ah, a stipend of one hundred capits for expenses." He held out a small bag toward Varex, who took it.

Arabetha approached slowly from the hall, and Varex handed the bag to her. "What?" she asked.

The Chancellor saw Arabetha's clothes and couldn't resist the smile. "I just didn't want the Warden to... discover it later. And ask. So, I thought I would make sure he had his capits early. In case he wants to buy ah... a robe. Or something."

Arabetha's tone was incredulous. "A hundred capits for how long?"

"Why, for the month, dear lady."

"The month? A hundred capits won't even feed us for a month!" Arabetha exclaimed.

The Chancellor turned to the Warden. "I should explain, Warden. Two capits will feed a family of four for the better part of a week. So, a hundred was considered more than acceptable for a Spirit of the Forest, such as yourself."

"Yes, on market food, but who's going to cook it? Her?" Arabetha gestured toward Lilly. "She can't even cook stew!"

Lilly made a noise of protest but Arabetha continued. "I may no longer be queen, but I am still a baroness, and I... uh, we," she hesitated a moment before continuing, "We deserve far more than a mere hundred capits!"

Varex waited to see where this argument was going before he would interrupt it.

The Chancellor smiled again, which Varex personally found unpleasant. "Ah, but I'm afraid the lady has misunderstood her position. Though the Warden owns this barony, you are not a baroness. You are the consort to the Warden of the Township, which provides you access to only his title, and only while he is alive, and only while he is Warden. Thus, you are only potentially entitled to what he receives, and only then if he deems it so." He nodded to Varex. "Have a pleasant day, Warden."

And with that, the fat sylvan trundled off, clearly pleased with himself.

It wasn't terribly surprising to Varex that Arabetha had clearly managed to piss off so many people in the castle, that the Chancellor himself wanted to come down explain to her just how poor she now was. After all, a champion of the Spirits of the Forest was expected to live off the land - so the stipend was more for 'blending in' kinds of expenses. Like a robe, perhaps.

Lilly slid the door shut and muttered, "Thank you," to Arabetha before she headed back toward the kitchen.

Arabetha was pale, and her hand shook the bag just enough for Varex to notice.

"Problem?"

"Prob-problem?" She then shouted, "Problem?! I've lost everything! I'm not even nobility anymore, I'm some common wench to a monster and now the entire town is laughing at me! I can't even afford to replace my dress! I have no idea how we're going to eat, and the only one who actually matters in this manor can just run out into the forest and feed himself! And you have the gall to ask if I have a problem!"

She threw her hands up. "After everything I did for that piece of shit! After everything he did to me! I was born in a real city, and a real kingdom! And this is where I ended up! Do you have any idea how much I suffered to be queen of this stupid backwater?"

"No," Varex shook his head. "You are the only person to have ever experienced unbelievable pain and suffering, so I do not know."

She snarled and shook her head, then turned and marched into the hallway. Before long she broke out into a jog, as she headed back into the manor. Varex quickly followed, as didn't think it wise to leave her alone. He glanced at Lilly as he passed her who had a genuine expression of worry on her face.

As he approached what must have been her old room, the door thunked as the locks were knocked out and it slid into the groove in the floor. He rolled his eyes, drove his claws into the wood and lifted the door up and out of its groove and threw it aside.

Arabetha whirled around to him with a vial in her hands. A floorboard not far from her bed was torn up.

"Stop!" She said as he marched over and took the vial, "No - give - give it back! That's mine!"

He removed the stopper and sniffed it, and threw it in the corner, shattering it.

"Stop!" Arabetha shrieked and jumped up and tried to slap Varex. He caught her hand, then grabbed the back of her robe and pulled it over her head.

"What-! You ass!" she shouted and yanked the robe off. She stood up in her undertunic and stared into his face. "You... You're a monster! A gross, disgusting monster!"

He ignored the attempt at insult, bent down to her ear, and rumbled, "Your mind is in prison. Your body is in prison."

"Oh, is that it!" She stepped back, "Is that what this is all about?" She yanked at the undertunic and eventually pulled it off and tossed it aside, freeing her large breasts. Once completely naked, she set her hands on her hips and stared at Varex. "Is that what you care about?"

"Does it not feel better?"

She rolled her eyes, shook her head, and tried to shout more, but with a couple steps he was next to her, his arms around her. She put her hands up and grabbed his chest but froze for a few seconds to wait for the inevitable.

Only the inevitable didn't come.

Her anxiety flowed out into the tears that streamed into his fur as she rested her face against his chest. They continued like that for some minutes, until she finally broke the silence.

"I've lost... everything."

"You have your daughter."

She sobbed and slowly lowered her arms, seemingly in acknowledgement.

"Life is more than titles," he hoped to remind her.

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Mine isn't."

"You should join mine, then."

She wasn't sure what to say at that. After the silence stretched long, she whispered, "Lilly was his daughter. I had to take a special potion to conceive her, but then he never believed it. I don't know why. I never knew why."

"His mind is as weak as his body."

She snorted at that, and her breathing slowed to a more regular pace. She remained in his arms for a little while, before she whispered, "What will we do?"

"The spirits provide."

She shook her head and sniffled. "Does that mean you don't know?"

Varex smiled and stroked her hair. "It means I am confident that no matter what happens, I will conquer the challenge."

"How... how do you know?"

"This morning, I awoke in the forest. And now I am here," he said, before he thought back to earlier. He took a moment to choose his words. "I am sorry for what I said. Your suffering is no lesser than mine. And you have had a long, horrible day. Many would break from such a day. I do not blame you. But I can lend you my strength, and you may pass through it."

She collapsed in his arms, her body wracked with sobs, and he lifted her onto the bed, before he laid down on his back next to her. She pressed her face into his chest and cried. He curled an arm around her and pulled her tight into him.

Varex felt the presence at the door that had been there since he tore it down. He gestured Lilly to come into the room, and as she did so, she removed her robe. The young woman crawled into the bed on the other side of him and pressed her face against his warm fur as she quietly cried.

Arabetha sniffed and opened an eye to look at Lilly.

"Your daughter aches just as much," Varex murmured.

She reached out and took her daughter's hand across Varex's chest and gave it a gentle squeeze. Lilly squeezed back.

----

The next morning, Varex awoke to the warmth of two bodies pressed against him, and the feminine smell of the two 'vix whose faces were pressed against his chest. He nudged them both, and they mirrored each other in their wide yawns and languid stretches.

Arabetha was the first to come fully awake and she sat up with a start, and then pulled a blanket up to her chest. "Oh, no!"

"What?" Lilly asked, now completely nude.

"This ... this is improper," the consort said and shook her head.

"What is proper in this manor is what I say is proper," Varex replied to that. "I am not a sylvan. I am not just the Warden of the Township. I am a Champion of the Spirits, and we have different rules."

Lilly stretched again and stood up naked, having stripped in the night. "Yes, time to adapt," she said with a cheeky grin.

Arabetha frowned at her, and Varex pushed at her as he got out of bed, so she quickly dropped the blanket and grabbed her robe to pull it around her. Lilly picked up her robe and undertunic and turned to Varex.

"Does sire need anything this morning?"

"No," Varex replied and tilted his head to the side, surprised at how quickly she was adapting, despite her words.

"Sire," Arabetha said with a slight pout to her lips. "I know that you are a ... free spirit of the forest. A Champion. And yes, you don't have the same," she stumbled as she realized she was being insulting. "You ... don't express, I mean, I haven't ..."

Varex walked up to her and pulled her in close to himself by the small of back, which elicited a light gasp, before he licked her lips then pressed his lips to hers in a hard kiss.

Lilly bit her lip as she watched the exchange, which eventually ended with Arabetha breathing out lightly.

"Sire," the consort whispered, as though she'd never been kissed. Varex was fairly sure she had, though.

"Just say what you want to say," Varex rumbled and let her step back.

She shook her head. "I can't, that's the point. If we don't behave with a sense of propriety, if we act as we please, then we might accidentally," she hesitated. "Give people the wrong impression. And if people out there see this behavior, well, the townsfolk aren't stupid, sire. I know I have - I have insulted this town frequently. But even in a backwater like Bortel, if the nobility behaves strangely, it sets the townsfolk on edge. They won't see you as a Warden, or as a guardian, sire. They'll see you as a weird monster that's living in their midst."

"They will probably see me as a monster anyway," he shrugged.

Arabetha shook her head again. "If someone is told, 'That creature there arrives to court naked, has relations with his staff, and, and,'" she blushed in the retelling, and changed her words. "'And his manor is a ruin.' They will see what you do, and they will say, 'He is a monster.' But if that same person is told, 'That brave warrior shows up to court in finery, his staff and consort respect him, and his manor is well fitted.' Then they will see what you do and they will say, 'He is a hero, he is our Warden.'"

"Even if what I do is the same?"

She nodded. Varex considered her for a few long moments then glanced over at Lilly, who held her undertunic and robe to her chest. She blushed when he stared at her. "I see."

"If you want to blend in, sire, you need ... well you need clothing. We need clothing. And ..." She looked at Lilly. "I love my daughter, dearly, but in public, she must treat me as her lady, and I must treat her as a maid. And if someone visits, she must sleep in her quarters. Not with us."

Varex looked to Lilly. "I believe these words are wise. Do you understand that they are not an insult?"

Lilly nodded. "I understand, my lord." She turned to her mother and bowed her head with genuine politeness. "And my lady."