A Wolf in Syl's Clothing

"Please, wait here," the Chancellor told Varex before he moved over to the behatted man, and gestured toward one servant in particular as he spoke to him.

Varex looked at the servant spoken to, and it appeared to be a taller woman that seemed rather brawny. He could only tell she was a woman from the way her flour-covered tunic hugged her chest, as her face was covered with a strange porcelain mask.

That made a lot of sense, because most of the sylvan of Bortel would probably object to an orckin serving them food. Orckin carried a distinctive scent, noticeable even in the scent-crowded kitchen.

"No!" the head chef shouted. "She's my best worker!"

The Chancellor clearly knew something, as he whispered "outsider" in venomous tone to the chef and then pointed at Varex. "Leave with honor!"

Varex sighed. There was some kind of rot in the minds of the sylvan of Castle Bortel, and it seemed to cause them to spend an inordinate amount of time harming their females. Although, the chef's assistant wasn't really one of theirs, to be exact.

The chef hung his head, and he gestured to the woman who cautiously moved over to him as the Chancellor happily bounded back to Varex.

"Well, we just happened to find someone, Sir Warden! I think you will be most pleased!"

Varex narrowed his eyes but decided that words were unnecessary.

"What!" the assistant bellowed. Her accent was noticeable, but Varex assumed most of the syl around couldn't place it. The chef just sighed and shrugged and turned away from her.

She marched over to a row of implements and took a specific spatula which she tucked into the belt around her tunic, and grabbed a specific, long chef's knife, and a cleaver.

"Those are the King's tools," the Chancellor snarled.

She walked over to him and held the knife out to his face. "You're gonna take them from me?"

He leaned back.

"They're HER tools!" the chef called out.

"You'd threaten me?" The chancellor said with more spine than Varex had ever heard from the man. "I'll have the guard drag you to the dungeon to show you what we do to-"

"Are you threatening my staff?" Varex rumbled to the Chancellor, who paled, swallowed and shook his head. Varex looked at the masked assistant and gestured to the hall. "Can we go?"

She lowered her the knife and stomped past Varex and into the hall. Aside from a long string of curses in a couple of different languages, she said little to Varex until they were well outside of the castle.

"The old manor is yours, right?" she asked.

"Yes, though it's been ransacked, so you'll find no supplies in it."

He heard her blow out her breath under the mask before she tucked her knife and cleaver into her belt. He noted how practiced her hand was with the implements. It didn't take long for them to reach the manor, where he slid open the door and let her walk in first.

"Oh!" he heard as he followed her through. Arabetha was in the hall, slightly flushed and offered a smile. "A chef! You got us a chef!"

Even with the mask, Varex could tell the chef in question was giving Arabetha a long stare. "...Queen Arabetha?"

Arabetha's smile was pained, but her tone was polite, "No longer. I am just-" she stopped herself and restarted, "I am the Lady Consort to our Warden here."

"And a maid?"

"There is a lot of work to be done, and not many hands to do it. I apologize. I was not a good queen, and I'm afraid I don't even remember your name."

"Ranaka!" Lilly called out and ran past Arabetha to throw her arms around the brawny woman. Lilly was only a few inches shorter than Arabetha, but Ranaka was just a couple inches shy of six foot tall.

Ranaka returned the hug. "Well, if it's not the mighty princess!" She stuttered then, "Or - ah, gods damn it all, not you too?"

Lilly stepped back and nodded. "I am the Warden Varex's glassyl."

Ranaka looked at Varex. "Warden Varex? You're not much on names, huh? I wondered how you were going to introduce me."

"As Chef," Varex said with a shrug.

Lilly touched her own face and said, "You know Ranaka, you don't..." she stopped herself and then looked at Varex. "I mean, sire, must she wear a mask? We don't mind scars here."

"Of course not," Varex immediately replied.

"Oh," Ranaka let out a fake laugh, "I'm afraid these old scars are too much for fine ladies, might put one off their lunch."

Varex sighed at the rote line. "Do they not know?"

Lilly and Arabetha both shot him a glance and Arabetha asked, "Know what?"

Ranaka turned to Varex. "What?" When realization crossed her, she added quietly, "Please, don't."

He shook his head. "I don't have to." He gestured, "Let us relax on the couches and speak of this."

Ranaka shook her head, "I'd rather just go to the kitchen to-"

He rested a hand on her shoulder. "Things work differently here than you might be used to."

She slumped her head and trudged into the living quarters, where several couches hugged the ground. Varex reclined on one, and took Arabetha into his arms, as she reclined against him. Lilly stood off to one side and watched Ranaka carefully.

"Ranaka," Varex rumbled, "This is not the manor house of a sylvan lord. I need the people in this house to be loyal to me."

Ranaka coughed and raised her head, "Well, maybe this isn't the manor for me then, Lord Warden, as I am loyal to the king, and-"

"And the Chancellor?"

She stopped and hung her head again. "Gods damn it all to fucking hell."

Arabetha tilted her face toward Varex to ask, "What happened?"

"I suspect that she and the Chancellor have a history," Varex said.

"That little shit got drunk and grabbed my ass! And I slapped him! It was nothing, and less than he deserved, but he was so embarrassed that he tried to make my life hell. But Chef's a good kin, stuck up for me. Said I was vital to the kitchen. Claimed it was just a misunderstanding, wasn't really a slap, said every lie he could think of to keep me out the dungeon." She sighed.

"Then, before she left, she threatened him with a knife," Varex added.

"Aye, there's no way to avoid a dungeon if I go back," she said glumly.

"Especially because he knows."

She straightened and looked at Varex. "No - he couldn't! If he knew-"

"I don't think he knew specifics, but he called you an outsider."

Arabetha sat up and spoke quietly. "Ranaka. You should know that we are," she looked at Varex then Lilly and back to Ranaka and bit her lip. "You will probably learn things about us that you will find... shocking. We will have to trust you. That is what Varex meant about loyalty. If you can't trust us, can you then ask us that we trust you?"

As she continued, she swept her hand around the room, "There are no dozens of staff here. This is not a place filled with nobles and their consorts and their whores and attendants. There is just us - just us four. We are... going to become very close, probably much faster than you'd think."

Ranaka pulled her mask up and over her head, revealing her green skin covered with white makeup, and strong orc face with two small tusks just barely exposed.

Lilly covered her mouth with a cough, and when Ranaka looked at her she nodded apologetically, "I'm sorry but that makeup does not quite suit."

"Yes, I know Lilly, I'm trying to make sure nobody sees green skin," Ranaka groaned. She shook her long braided red hair and pointed. "The red hair's bad enough. I considered shaving it, but I thought it'd be more suspicious if I did that."

Varex knew that red hair was not unheard of amongst sylvan, but it wasn't common.

Lilly walked over to her and hugged her again from the side. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "It must've been hard."

Ranaka rolled her eyes but put an arm around Lilly's shoulders and squeezed back. "Trust me child, it's much worse out in the Guti camps."

"Are you Guti?" Varex asked with a furrowed brow.

Ranaka shook her head. "Nah, came from down south. Knew the sylvan weren't particularly obsessed with fighting over females, so I figured I could actually put my skills in a kitchen to some good use. Figured I'd have to disguise myself a little, didn't realize until I got into town that things with the Guti were so tense." She paused and added, "Damn though. Your king's an ass, but he's an ass with a great taste in spices. The chef was given plenty of capits to spend on 'em." She glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the kitchen and then swore.

Lilly leaned back and looked the same direction, "What?"

"They took the spices," Varex said.

Ranaka nodded, "I just realized what's what I saw going on few days back."

"And we don't really have the money to replace them," Arabetha added with a sympathetic frown.

Ranaka gestured toward Varex, "You can get what we need, right?"

Varex shook his head, "Not all of them by any stretch, but there are a few things that grow, yes. If you can dry them properly."

Arabetha sighed and "A hundred capits a month is fine once we get started, but we're going to need more to really have a manor." She reached back to scratch under his muzzle. "The Tailor's offer might be quite beneficial."

Varex smiled, "Says the syl who won't have to fight a single bandit."

She leaned her head back and smiled up at him, "But you're so strong, my mighty Warden can face a few weak bandits."

He leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips.

"Uh, since we've swapped secrets, can I go to the kitchen?" Ranaka asked with an amused grin.

"Lilly, show her if anything's changed," Varex said, and Lilly went to show Ranaka that the only things that had really changed were all the things that were missing.

And the gruel pot.

Which Ranaka immediately emptied out.

The forest was cool in the late fall morning, as the sunlight splintered through the canopy and filtered down to the mossy floor. Varex waited on a fallen log, aware that patience was required for communing with the spirits. Usually not this much patience, though.

Morning turned to afternoon before a small fox appeared from the dense wood and approached him. It scratched at the forest floor and looked at him expectantly.

The spirits were upset with him.

"I realize that there are now many rotting orckin in your woods, but my attempt to bargain with the Guti failed. I have learned my lesson."

The fox flicked its tail and pawed at the ground again. The spirits wanted to know if he had yet entered the court of the king.

"I cannot. I have been busy with the Guti, and it is important that I be dressed appropriately for the king's court. If I enter in my natural raiment I will make a poor impression."

It jumped and shook its head. The spirits cared little for the clothing and courtly appearances and wished to know the King's mind.

"It is only with proper appearance that the King will share his mind with me. If he believes me to be lesser, I will receive no words from him, only scorn."

The fox growled and nipped at a flower. The spirits would force the King to acknowledge their strength and power.

"Yes, which is why you have sent me, instead. The King is not just one man. If the townsfolk see me as an enemy, they will fight me as well. If I show them that I am like them, that I am one who can be trusted, then if I force the King's hand they will see me as a gardener tending an unruly vine. If I show them anger and they resent me, then they will see me as an outsider that has come to uproot an ancient tree."

The fox laid down. The spirits saw the wisdom in these words, and they trusted his judgement for these people.

"I will have to fight the Guti again. I may lose to their champion."

The fox stood up and circled around. The spirits feel Varex has laid his path and must walk through deep wood. The spirits will summon another if he falls. Death is the natural end of all life. This is the way of the forest.

Thankfully, he did not commune with the spirits for comfort. He knew they'd offer none, but he thought it wise to warn them he might fail. "Before I go, I would ask the spirits if they have seen... bandits? Strange sylvan that take from others. Sylvan that live near the woods, but not in them, along the road in the east?"

The fox looked around, and away, and scampered a few feet off. The spirits did not know of these things, but they did not cross the road in the East. The fox sniffed a bit. The spirits remembered two sylvan who crossed the road to rut in the forest. They showed him a place in his mind.

It would be several days travel through the forest, which meant he would need to plan. Before he could ask any other questions, the fox was gone.

By the time Varex reached the manor he felt completely drained. Between the wounds he had suffered in the camp and communing with the spirits, he had neither physical nor spiritual energy to spare.

Lilly greeted him in the hall with a bow of her head. "Sire!"

He ruffled her hair as he headed to the living quarters. He heard Arabetha and Ranaka converse in the kitchen as he passed, but he couldn't make it out. He sat down on the couch as he thought about what the spirits had said. Death was just a natural part of life. But if another Warden came, what would happen to Arabetha and Lilly?

The Pact was not clear on this point.

He raised his eyes to Arabetha who entered the living quarters and approached him. She furrowed her brow. "You look worried."

He nodded. "I'm very tired."

"Your thoughts are on the Guti," she stated, more than asked.

He nodded. "I spoke with the spirits. They were not comforting."

She sat down and curled up next to him. "Perhaps I could comfort you?" she asked, before she gave him a soft kiss.

He returned the kiss, and rubbed his muzzle into her cheek, his eyes closed from weight.

She laughed lightly, "It would not be proper for the Warden to pass out on his sitting couch. Perhaps he should retire to his room?"

He shook his head, "Bath."

"My lord has grown fond of them, I see," she laughed and pulled gently at his hands to lift him to his feet.

Varex barely noticed when Lilly helped soap him down and comb his fur - which had more than few sticky plant parts stuck in it. It felt good to have soft fur against his skin again.

When he got to his room, he saw that his consort was naked in his bed, her legs spread and her fingers stroking the outside of her wet sex. He growled appreciatively and crawled into bed next to her. Tongue and lips and nibbles crisscrossed her face, before he nuzzled the side of her neck, kissing and nipping her there. His hard cock slid along her warm soft skin, which made her gasp in delight.

She smiled and squirmed as she ran her hands over his body, but soon he just heard her airy laugh. His mind drifted as his consort pushed him onto his back, which felt very comfortable. She pulled his arm around her and snuggled in next to his chest.

"Rest, my sleepy Warden," she murmured softly to his ear, before she gave him a soft kiss.

Just this once, he could easily follow her command.

The sun's rays cast warm light across his face, which made Varex snap his eyes open and sit up in bed. He was alone, but he could hear activity in the manor. He looked out of the window and judged that it was midmorning.

The wolfkin stood and stretched just before the door to his room opened and Lilly entered.

"Good morning, sire!" she said cheerfully, her eyes unabashedly going up and down his body.

"How did you know I'd just woken?" Varex asked as he came back down.

Lilly thought about that for a moment. "I'm not sure, sire. I just, knew?" She held up his clothing.

He bent down so that she could help dress him. She tied the belt around his outfit, stepped back and bowed her head. He chuckled and ruffled her hair, which made her look up at him and stick her tongue out ever so slightly. He poked it with a claw, which made her giggle.

Varex appreciated the lack of decorum, even if the consort wouldn't. He headed to the kitchen where Ranaka and Arabetha were discussing the state of it.

"Fifty!" Arabetha exclaimed.

"Yeah, fifty - just for the tools. The food-"

"No, no, no, no," Arabetha shook her head. "We don't have fifty to spend on tools."

Ranaka furrowed her brow. "I know you're not a baroness, but that doesn't mean you're," she gestured.

"Poor?" Arabetha asked with a smirk. "We have land, and title. We do not have capits."

"We also have each other," Varex rumbled as he approached his consort, who laid her head back in her chair to receive a long kiss where their tongues played their heated dance.

Ranaka sighed and rested her chin on her fist. Her mask was on the top of her braided head, just in case she needed it. "Well, unless you can turn this lovey dovey sap into capits, we have a problem."

Arabetha broke the kiss and gave Ranaka a playful smile. "I'm afraid the lovey dovey sap does not extend past the manor walls. But can you not rework your plan to include our limited budget?"

Ranaka sighed and nodded. She paused a moment and added, "It's nice to see, though."

Varex canted his head to one side. "What is?"

"Nobles in actual love," Ranaka said with a chuckle, as she walked back to the kitchen to plan.

Arabetha blushed and stood to face Varex with a smile. "And what is sire's plan for today?"

He sighed. "Regretfully not just for today." He felt Lilly walk into the room, so he announced the plans loud of enough for all to hear. "Yesterday, the spirits told me that the bandits I seek are several days travel from here."

Arabetha rubbed her face. "Oh no. Truly?"

"Yes, and I'm afraid that's days there, and then days back. I will be gone for at least a week."

"How will we know if you are all right? I know you will return, sire, but what of delays?"

"We shall meet in the Dream," he said with a nod. "And you will know in your heart that I am well."

Arabetha's shoulder's slumped, clearly disappointed by the answer, though Varex wasn't sure why. "Yes, sire," she said in a dour tone.

Varex turned to Lilly and gestured, "I will not need this for the forest."

The young maid moved quickly to remove the belt and pull down the garments. If she had any complaints about having just dressed them, they were well hidden.

Arabetha moved close to him, to run her fingers along his chest before she reached up to scratch beneath his muzzle. "The spirits will provide, my Warden."

He smiled and nodded then left the manor to the care of his consort.

The journey through the forest was not as quick as Varex had hoped. He had gotten a late start, and he was still somewhat sore, which caused him to move more cautiously through the underbrush.

A long morning led to a long afternoon, followed by a dark evening. He continued moving through the dark, before he settled in a nook beneath a log to meditate.

Entering the Dream was not hard for one such as himself, but leaving it quickly was hard enough that it was better that he would be unseen while there. Dangers lurked in the deep wood at night, even for the apex predator.

The Dream was a twisting landscape, filled with terrors for those unfamiliar with the borders between nightmare and reverie. But the Champion of the Spirits was rather familiar with its comings and goings.

Soon he came across a pleasant figure, dressed in the regalia of a queen, but instead of being constrained her bosom was held up proud, her skin shown through a neckline that plunged much of the way to her nipples.

Even the back of the dress was cut differently, to show off her shapely ass. As he approached, he noticed that her face was stained with tears, dark makeup flowed down her cheeks and along her neck.

He reached out and tugged her to him, to a sunny meadow, warm and cloudless, with flowers sprinkled throughout.