The Coward and the Wolf Ch. 02

She stood over him like a war god about to swoop down on an unsuspecting foe. This was exactly what she was, after a fashion. He had just enough time to ponder where and when she had gotten the bucket before it was upended over his head. The water was cold. Very cold.

He heard a haughty voice above him as he spluttered on the ground.

"Well now my presumptuous companion. Now you know who and what I am, but I think I'm going to say it anyway. Dramatic effect and all that," He felt a heavy foot on his stomach, as he was unceremoniously pushed onto his back.

"Oh god here we go again" His voice was little more than a wheeze.

Talia ignored him, "I am Talia of the Divine Pack, daughter of Michelle Williams of the 17th Exploration Team Pack, God of Administration. As the current incarnation of the God of Administration, I hereby lay claim to Steven Smith, Servant of the God of Soldiers." Steve coughed, as she emphasized her 'claiming' by pushing her foot a bit further into his stomach.

After a few seconds of her standing there, apparently enjoying stepping on him, she removed her foot from him and sat back down. Steve appreciated the joys of a steady supply of oxygen again, before he sat up and gave her a critical eye.

She was panting hard. It seemed comical considering her plans for world domination, and yet here she was out of breath from hoisting a bucket of water.

"Are you really that unfit?"

The look she gave him could have made milk curdle.

"No. I am not unfit human. I am the strongest being on the planet. The reason for my current state of exhaustion is that I just claimed you as a member of my own pack, and in doing so transferred a tiny shred of my magical ability to you. Considering humans don't naturally possess magic you have no idea how difficult a feat I just accomplished."

Steve didn't feel magical. He felt like someone had thrown a bucket of water on him and then stepped on him.

"Are you sure? I don't really feel anything. I mean why would you even suddenly give me magic?"

"I gave you about enough magic to undo some other magic that I have set up in advance. You my diminutive servant are going to perform a miracle."

Steve groaned. He had a hunch this was going to be a "This is my boomstick" moment. He had no doubt that Talia had a lot more than just that modern T-shirt lying around. If she had gotten her hands on that, it stood to reason she had some more impressive tech. It was either that or she was just going to use magic.

"I have used my magic-" Nailed it. "-to manipulate one of the members of this village since birth."

Steve was pretty sure that manipulating someone from birth was not the actions of a good person. Then again if he got to keep living because of it, he could care less about the morality.

"The werewolf in question is a female named Sarah" Why the fuck did all these werewolves have human sounding names, western ones at that. Surely they should have something like Razor-Tooth or Wind-Runner. Maybe human names were just popular? A bit like naming your kid after one of the twelve disciples.

"She was as a pup, very talented in her martial ability. I took that opportunity to secretly seal her abilities early on before they became readily apparent to others. So long as the seal was in place she would be weak and slow" Talia looked away guiltily for a second. She was evidently not as cold hearted about her manipulation as she pretended to be. Or she was just making him think that. He honestly couldn't take anything she said or did at face value.

"As she grew older, she quickly became ostracized by members of the tribe for her apparent lack of strength and ability. When she came of breeding age I took measures to ensure that her secondary sexual characteristics never fully developed."

In other words she took a young girl with a bright future, and destroyed it to further her own schemes. Steve knew how it felt to be on the receiving end of that stick. He felt a sense of camaraderie toward this 'Sarah'. They were both victims of Talia in their own way.

"The end result is that she has not been adopted by any of the sub-packs within the tribe, due to the fact she offers little in the way of breeding potential, or any other benefit to whichever group would think of adopting her. She is now a social pariah living on the edge of the tribes camping grounds. She has difficulty hunting enough to feed herself."

Yep, Talia was definitely not one of the good guys. He couldn't bring himself to dislike her though. After all she was just like himself. A coward with the will to do whatever it took to survive, and damn anything that got in her way. The only difference between them was a matter of scale.

In the end though a difference in scale might be all it took for him to reach his ethical 'line in the sand'. Not yet though, and likely not for some time to come.

If Steve thought it would have made a difference he might have complained about Talia's blatant disregard for the suffering she had caused up until now. As it stood he felt a bit uncomfortable but listened on anyway. It wasn't like he was in a better position than the social pariah, they were discussing.

"The reason I have done all this over the years, is simple. If I can make my people believe following me as a god will make them stronger, I will garner a massive amount of support."

She paused for dramatic effect. When he didn't respond she continued. Sullenly.

That's where you come in Steve. You walk up to her while she's training; say some bullshit about the gods rewarding her faith, claim her in my name and boom. She instantly gets martial ability comparable to Michael.

She gets her natural born talents back, I get a crap load of new believers and you get a new underling who is utterly loyal to you. Everybody wins in the end."

She was looking at him now like she expected him to start clapping. He was not clapping.

"That's all well and good boss lady, but why do you need me for this?"

She was looking at him like he was stupid.

"I need you to do it because Sarah is going to be your bodyguard when I'm busy, which is going to be most of the time. So she needs to be loyal to you, because you're far too valuable for me to risk with someone of unknown loyalty."

"Yeah, I get that bit, even if it is a bit over the top to get the loyalty of one person. I mean if you want to take over the tribe, why not just challenge Michael to a duel and have it over with? You said you're much stronger than him anyway."

"Ah my silly compatriot don't you get it. I have competition. Competition in the form of five other 'gods' of roughly equal ability. Even if I did defeat Michael I would still have much bigger problems on the horizon, and I would be in a position where I would be visible and vulnerable to attacks on my authority. I need to wipe the board clean with my first move. That's why I need you. You're my wild card."

Steve still didn't get it. If anything he was a complication to her plans. Sure he made her seem stronger by having a human servant, but if anyone actually fought him they would see his weakness immediately, sullying the idea of 'human means strength'. He must have looked confused because Talia continued her explanation.

"Do you know why all of those human buildings are completely untouched?"

He shrugged.

"All the technology of human origin on this planet has a genetic lock so only humans can use it.

I imagine it was put in place to stop primitive cultures from using the researcher's own weapons against them. If I can find a significantly powerful enough weapon for you to use, I can force the other five 'gods' to bend the knee by using you as a threat.

All the theology aside, my people will still respond first and foremost to shows of power. In that regard, whoever controls the human tech of this world is already the strongest."

She was getting really giddy now. Like a bond villain that was showing off their plan before the captive hero. Steve resisted the urge to role his eyes. He reminded himself that no matter how charismatic and attractive she may be, she was still a monomaniacal mad woman intent on world domination. World domination to stop an age of war, but still world domination.

"With human weaponry, I can establish the idea that I am a force without peer. I can assure you now; I won't be making the same mistakes at the humans who came before. No one's going to catch me with my pants down"

Steve ignored the bait. She knew full well she wasn't wearing any pants. She just wanted to tease him by bringing it up. It's amazing how much clearer you think with some food in you and a distinct lack of concussions.

He asked the next most obvious question, "So why have you decided to do this now?"

She was looking at him like he was stupid again. That really ticked him off considering he was giving her the benefit of the doubt that her motivations were altruistic.

Steve may have been a pragmatic survivalist, but he was one with a conscience. When it was convenient. Which was admittedly rarely.

When Talia spoke again, it was defensively, "First of all it took a lot of investigation to find out the true state of the world, it's not like I knew all this stuff at birth, and it's been a long journey of self-discovery to wade through all the bullshit.

Secondly you don't learn this sort of magic in a day; it takes a lot of subtle manipulation to set up a summoning from another world.

Thirdly I had no reason to prior to now. Up until twenty or so years ago the world was at peace, and I was happy in my advisory role. Only recently have the people of Sapheros started taking the opening steps toward war and a return to the dark ages."

She looked off into space wistfully, likely remembering the simpler times of yesteryear. Steve did roll his eyes this time. She smacked him upside the head when she noticed. Coming from a person of her size that hurts. A lot.

"But before I can go off searching for mystical buried human weaponry with you, I need to cement my own powerbase within the tribe, a powerbase that I didn't have prior to a few months ago due to the fact that Michael was sucking up all the loose power for himself. It's only recently that I have started trying to build up my own support so I can take control of the tribe. This is a difficult task when I want to remain discreet.

That means I need to make sure someone with the same ideas as me, in other words any of the other five 'gods' don't stick a knife in you or kidnap you for their own plans in the meantime. So you need a bodyguard. Which brings us back to Sarah."

She quickly gave him directions to the training grounds. Steve was skeptical.

"Sure thing, I'll just waltz on out there with my dick hanging out. Fuck no, what's to stop someone from just walking up and 'claiming' me like just about anyone else who has spent five seconds in my company seems to do"

He knew he wasn't following the 'endearment' plan with this approach, but fuck it. Politeness didn't seem to be a thing for this culture.

Talia didn't even seem to notice his tone. Now that she had said her part she seemed to be about to pass out. Evidently magic related exhaustion had a time delay; either that or she had been hiding her tiredness. None the less she slurred out some words.

"Just don't do anything stupid. Find Sarah, claim her, and bring her back. No one should bother you, because no one wants to piss me or Michael off. Were on a tight schedule. Get it done. Beware the females." With that said she rattled out some directions, before promptly hitting the floor with a thud. If it weren't for the fact she was snoring, Steve would have thought she just had a stroke and died.

Well shit. He had no shirt. No shoes. To top it all off he now had to walk into what was essentially an enemy camp, work magic on some loner, claim them somehow, and then make his way back to the tent. The hell 'did beware the females' mean anyway? He decided to take it literally.

Oh well. If he was going to die he may as well get it over with. If Talia woke up and found he hadn't done anything, she may just cut her losses, as well as him, and summon a new person over. She certainly seemed ruthless enough to do it.

He eventually found the entrance to the tent. He carefully peaked round the edges. Sure enough he could see the half nude forms of the werewolves going about their business outside the tent. Their 'business' seemed to primarily consist of eating, talking, fighting or fucking for the adults. For the children it was just the first three.

Evidently werewolf society was very open. 'How progressive' he thought, now he just hoped no one decided to share part of their culture with him.

Steve mustered his willpower. With sweat beading on his forehead and blood pounding in his ears, he stepped from the cool safety of the tents threshold.

All at one he felt the grass between his toes, the midday heat on his chest and the tightening of his sphincter between his ass cheeks.

Nothing happened. The werewolves continued about their business, all the reaction he got was the occasional curious glance.

Well, that was underwhelming. He set off at a brisk pace, nimbly walking around the gigantic tan bodies, eyes downcast. He followed the directions Talia had given him. Trying to navigate on the crowded 'streets' of the tent city with your eyes down was not an easy task.

He was however taking a small joy in the unfamiliarness of the small city. The new smells, sounds and weather, were all small joys to him. Though he would have given his left nut to be back in his flat in Cheshire, that didn't stop him from being able to appreciate the tactile sensation of being in a new environment. Even one that had a faint odor of piss.

Sure enough he spotted out the corner of his eye a shaggy male taking a leak up against one of the huts walls. Territory marking.

As he walked he was certainly getting a lot of glances in his direction, but he could handle that. It was the getting beaten the crap out of that really put a damper on his day. It seemed he was in the minority in that regard.

The werewolves around him were doing a range of things he would expect in a medieval society, talking, making spears, repairing roofs. Normal stuff, except with the slight exception that there seemed to be no gender divide, woman looked to be treated in the exact same was as men. That was good.

The things that did seem abnormal were the snarls and fights that occasionally broke out. It seemed if you had a disagreement, it was settled in combat, no exceptions. Men, women and children would spontaneously break into a snarling scratching mess. Even if this behavior put him on edge, it seemed none of the combatants seriously tried to harm one another, so he could still enjoy his stroll without too much apprehension.

He was almost at the sparring fields according to his mental map, when a hand clamped down on his shoulder. He felt claws digging into the flesh. Cautiously he started to move his eyes up to where the owner of the hand stood in front of him.

A tan female was holding him firmly in place. She was smaller than Talia, but still had a good few inches on Steve. She was topless and he could see white symbols all over her breasts. He didn't know what the symbols meant individually, but he could see that they were different from Michaels. That meant she was likely not a member of his pack who had come to collect early.

This was important. If the reactions of the other werewolves had been anything to go by, as a member of either Michael's or Talia's pack he was not to be approached lightly. Judging by the size of the female in front of him as well as the lack of scars, he guessed she was young and definitely not a pack leader.

He was beginning to wonder what would possibly possess her to approach him then, especially so aggressively. That's when he felt a pair of hard nipples press heavily against his chest, as she pushed herself up against him to pant lightly in his ear. Ah, that explained the warning.

She was planning on fucking him. Evidently the concept of screwing a demi-god was too hot to pass up, repercussions or not. He was tempted. No doubt about that. As evidenced by his hands unconsciously moving down to cup the ripe young wolf woman's ass cheeks, as well as his burgeoning erection pressed flush against her stomach.

There was no denying his excitement, all the teasing by Talia as well as the soft nubile body pressed against his front had forced him into a tightly wound ball of lust. Unfortunately for the young werewolf in front of him, as well as his libido, he was also a hardcore survivalist.

If he let his lust get the better of him, it would only be a matter of time before more females with the same idea showed up for a piece of him. He would effectively be pinned in place. The longer he spent outside, the higher the chances of him either meeting Michael again, or getting involved in a violent confrontation given the 'passionate' nature of werewolf society. If he did get involved in a fight he would exposed as not having god like strength. Assuming he survived.

It was with all this in mind that he remorsefully pulled his head back and sighed. Before smashing his forehead into the young woman's nose, eliciting a wet squelch accompanied by a spray of hot red fluid being sprayed across his face. He shoved her roughly to the side as her grip on him loosened. He ran.

He moved quickly. Years of practice running from brawls allowed him to slip through the crowded streets with ease. He felt bad of course; the young woman had likely only wanted some fun with a being believed to be the epitome of strength and thus breeding potential in werewolf society.

Unfortunately, that also had a likelihood of indirectly making him dead. Her nose would recover, his mortal coil wouldn't. He continued running through the rows of huts and tents, not daring to look back.

He was almost at the sparring grounds according to Talia's directions. He didn't even get a moment to pat himself on the back, before a shadow lunged at him out of his peripheral vision. He twisted his body mid step to let the clawed hand harmlessly fly past him.

He risked a brief glance as he ran past to see that it was another young female. One with entirely different markings. The only thing she had in common symbols wise with the earlier one was a large circular symbol round her navel.

Her lunge having missed him, she had reoriented herself and was charging after him. The sight of her breasts bouncing in time with her steps would have thrilled him at any other time. As it stood, he was trying desperately not to crap in his loincloth as he bolted for the sparring field.

Quick glances to his left and right confirmed that more of the young women were closing in. He had a brief moment of insight into how it must feel to be a buck ambushed by a pack of wolves. He powered on desperately, trying to summon even a bit more speed from his burning legs.

He looked up as he rounded a corner. There was an obstacle in his path. One of the wolf women had managed to intercept him, and was now standing to block his way. Arms wide open, grinning obscenely. As he drew ever closer to her, he realized he would have to resort to desperate measures to get passed. He gripped the weighted buckle of the loincloth in one hand. He was about to use a move he had only ever been forced to resort to once before. He had been wearing a towel at that time.

When he was a mere few feet away, he ripped the loincloth from his body, flinging it straight into the werewolf's face. Her vision was blocked for the critical few seconds it took for him to dive past her and continue running. Leaving her howls of frustration, as well as his remaining dignity in his wake.