FSE

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The moonlight is bright,

and then the sun shines.

The forest is chanting

You can hear the spirits

in everything.

Two lit torches illuminated a small space as night settled in. Dusk brought a subtle coolness with much relief from the daily warmth of the summer sun. The jailhouse was a very small building inside a barn among dozens of other buildings in the human settlement of Wexford. Those who had not retired for the night were quickly doing so, except for a small body of town guardsmen. At the open barn doors, two guards were talking amongst themselves about anything to pass the time.

"I heard that the woman was convicted of adultery with a native wolf from some far off village."

"I suppose they don't call her wolf woman for nothing."

"It took that beastly woman forever to repent." The first guard recalled. "But I don't blame her... assuming that her story is true."

"What story?"

"She claimed that her husband beat her almost daily for any out of line behavior. Whenever he went on a long fishing trip, she would leave town and meet a wolf halfway between here and a native village. One day the husband found her up at the mouth of the river, and then beat her for leaving the house without his permission. The wolf then showed up and killed him."

"That's an unbelievable story." The other guard commented. "I can understand loving someone even if they don't love you, but I don't understand how anyone could love someone if they hurt you like that."

"Well it's hard to say what's truth and lie. No one has seen the wolf except for the woman, and there's no way she could've killed her husband by herself."

"Where is the woman and wolf today?"

"Probably happily living in a village together in the south." There was a moment of silence. Hibernia and other areas of settlement in the wilderness were always a destination to somewhere more fortunate than crowded poor regions of Northwest Africa, the southern tip of Iberia, and the Mediterranean islands. The risk of traveling by boat across a large body of water was usually worth it. Although, the freedom of a better start often had its own inherent risks.

"I hope the northern canines aren't on the war path for human settlements again."

"Did you hear that they killed a guy fishing on the opposite end of the river's mouth?"

"I did. During the winter they raided across the river right up to the wooden stockade."

"When I hear a howl my skin crawls. I can't sleep when I think about them taking a crying baby into the wilderness." His hand gripped his weapon tightly.

"I'm glad that the south is safe." The other had steered clear of meeting the vicious canines north of the river. "I've seen a few of those natives, and they're mostly foxes or raccoons."

"Nicer than canines..."

'That's probably where the beastly woman is.' One of the guards paused and glanced back into one of the holding cells. A young boy, only eleven years of age was whimpering tearfully. "I wish the colonial laws in Wexford weren't so strict on theft or petty crime. He's just a boy."

"We can let him out when his dad pays for the food he stole. Heck, we will probably let him out in the morning when something is worked out." The other carefully watched the sky fully turn to night.

"Hey. Our shift is up."

"Something's not right. The others aren't here yet."

"We won't find out by standing here." He left.

"Hey. It'll be alright." The second guard reassured the whimpering boy before leaving.

The boy wiped his eyes with a dirty shirt sleeve. His eyes were still red from crying hours ago when he was hauled into the jail cell. John had only lived in Wexford with his father for a little over two months since leaving a smaller, rocky settlement from the southeast along the ocean. They left because the fishing industry had waned significantly, and ended up in Wexford because it was a more prominent town. Located at the inland side of the harbor and the mouth of a river, Wexford was a principal port for trading with natives and other settlements alike. Upstream, the river traveled north and then west. The harbor provided a safe place to dock and an easy gate for traveling out to sea. The boy peeked out from the shadows through the metal bars. Two crackling torches eerily burned alone.

'Where did they go?' He wondered before looking around the small enclosure. The cell was essentially one of four in the center of the barn leaving a meter between the bars and the wooden wall. He couldn't see anything outside the barn's main door, not even the building across the wide street. An unsettling feeling made his gut nervous. The sounds of distant yells reached his ears. At first they were faint, but quickly grew louder. Gunshots and howls echoed throughout the cool night air.

'What's going on?' He wondered. The boy huddled up and waited for someone to get him, but the distant cries and noises made him uneasy. A close gunshot and wail made him jump. Tense minutes passed. The distant screams and yells were more sporadic, and the sound of running footsteps teased his ears a few times. John suddenly heard panting and looked up expecting to see another guard changing post. A tall muscular figure that wasn't human stood before the bars of his cell instead. Only the edges of the body were visible in the night, and the creature's eyes were aglow from the flames. 'F-fur!' John recognized the feature covering the imposing figure's body. The ghostly image stared into the cell before grabbing the metal bars with its large claw bearing hands. With sudden ferocity the figure began shaking the metal barred door. The boy scrambled back and hid among a few broken crates while the door rattled painfully. The figure yanked and tugged at the locked door for what John thought was an entire minute before suddenly leaving with a torch.

"Oh my..." John released a pent up breath with a ragged heave. His entire body was shaking with adrenaline, and his heart was racing. 'What was that?' John and his dad knew that anthropomorphic natives inhabited Hibernia, but neither had actually seen one before. They had to worry about eating and living in Wexford, not the diplomatic relations between the various villages and the settlement. The strong smell of smoke irritated his nose. He coughed and crouched to the ground as smoke slowly darkened the barn. A minute passed before a flaming piece of wood fell in front of his cell.

'The barn is on fire!' He panicked as more flaming boards fell, some landing on top of his cell. John scrambled around his five foot by seven foot cell, searching for a way out as the flames spread to his cell. His hands dug at the hard ground until they were raw and his nails filled with dirt. The metal cell door refused to budge at his weak strength. He pushed at the weakened wooden walls to no avail. Smoke gradually thickened as he fearfully stepped back at the flames eating down the wooden cell wall. The boy frantically looked around as the hazy smoke began choking him. 'What do I do?' He felt around the bare dirt and touched a hunk of wood. He picked up one of the small crates and charged at the crumbling section of burning wall. He burst through and tumbled to the ground. John quickly ripped his shirt off that had caught aflame and ran out of the barn. His left arm and shoulder stung from the flames that had touched him, but he pushed that out of his mind. He looked around and the town was quickly being set aflame. A few lingering people were fleeing to a fishing boat or fighting, only to be cut down by wolves. 'An attack!' He panicked.

"Dad!" He screamed into the fiery madness. No ear heard his plea and the roaring flames, gunshots, screams, and howls continued unabated. John looked around the street, but was unable to find him. The loud breaking of glass and a bark startled him. The boy hid from the invading canines. He watched with wide eyes as they trashed a small building, looting whatever they deemed valuable. One paused and sniffed the air. John ducked and crawled away. The time to think was over. Fear gripped his heart in a tight vice. The only thought in his mind now was to flee. He started crying, but turned and ran out of town.

'Run! Run! Keep running!' He refused to look back at the flaming buildings and carnage behind him. His young legs carried him as far and as fast as they could go. He escaped into the dark grasslands and moor upriver, tripping and stumbling along his way. There were no stars out, and the moon was nowhere to be seen. It was pitch black, and John couldn't even see the ground he was running on. It didn't matter where he was going. Anywhere was better than certain death.

Dark grey furred hands tenderly combed over a small bed of light purple field flowers. The claw bearing digits picked one of the little flowers and held it up to a black nose.

'Mm.' A grin sprouted along her muzzle. The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky after a light rain for the past two days. It was a perfect morning to be outside and enjoy the waning days of summer before autumn and winter settled in. The female wolf's fur was the same color as burned wood, charcoal grey, with her front being a somewhat lighter shade. Long dark grey hair blew in the gentle breeze. Her two braids bearing three black and white feathers apiece rested over her shoulders and onto the edges of the chest cloth that she wore. The tribal she wolf also wore two armbands, one with tassels and the other without; and lastly, a little leather laced anklet on her right digitigrade ankle.

"Mm. Lenape." A female voice broke through her little daydream.

"Yes?" The solid grey furred wolfess set the flower down. Amytis, the cream and amber-red furred wolfess sitting beside her stood up. Half of her long light cream hair was tied in a loose band and spilled down her back to the base of her dusty brown tail. The rest spilled over her shoulders and front like a frozen waterfall without a single braid. Deep blue eyes sharply contrasted from the pale brown and creamy tan facial fur. She wore the standard loincloth, necklace, and feathered garments like Lenape.

"I'm going back to the village to help feed Suomi. He's a hungry little pup for only one year of age."

"He isn't even your pup." Lenape wished that her friend would stay a little longer.

"His mother Nassa has trouble nursing him, and I'm weaning Azande. Besides, you've nursed him as well as many other pups." Amytis pointed out. Lenape nodded. Fully weaning was sometimes a mentally difficult thing for mothers to do. Helping other mothers nurse was the most common method to gradually stop. Sometimes it took up to a year to adjust and let go. However, it wasn't uncommon for grandmothers to start nursing their grandchildren either.

"I'm surprised that you don't wear a chest cloth more often since your daughter Azande stopped nursing this spring, Amytis."

"She is on the verge of adolescence." The cream and amber-red wolfess acknowledged. "But it's too much hassle taking it on and off even if I volunteer to help feed one hungry mouth." Her breasts that had a sag due to fullness were a typical sign of any nursing female. The tanned areola around both nipples were completely void of fur, whereas any other wolfess would have a compete covering of fur. Asawa, the pure white wolfess on Lenape's other side stood up too. Like her counterpart to Lenape's left she had bare areolae and breasts that sagged modestly due to fullness. Long beautiful white hair spilled over her shoulders and back to the base of her tail. All she wore was a typical loincloth and a long necklace adorned with copper bits.

"My son Kantala has many more season cycles before fully weaning himself." Asawa chuckled. "If I stay away too long then he will smell me out with that keen nose of his."

"That means he will be a great hunter." Amytis chimed.

"I'm sure he will. We'll see you back in the village Lenape." The two she wolves departed. She bit her lip and watched her friends walk over the rolling hill.

'I wish I had a family and was nursing my own.' A sigh blew past her lips as she gazed down at her covered chest. The chest cloth she wore was typical of most tribes. It was made of buckskin and decorated with tassels on the sides. The widow never had a chance to raise her own pup and share that deep intimate bond of mother and child. Her mate died many seasons ago, and Lenape loved him too much to find another mate. Moreover, she was middle aged, approaching the age of forty. Her body was past its prime for bearing a full pregnancy and whelping.

"Look at the positives, Lenape." The grey she wolf told herself and took a deep inhale. The late summer air was sweet with the fragrant scents of field flowers. The trading season of spring was far gone and wouldn't return until after the thawing of winter. For the surrounding tribes spring was a very bright and cheerful season where a village would host as a center for trading. Small groups from nearby villages would show up, including humans from the coast, and exchange items, socialize, and enjoy the festive atmosphere. Lenape always enjoyed traveling to a busy village for trade. With fall approaching, hunting would take up plenty of her time. She looked into the sky and spotted two birds slowly circling above.

"What is going on?" Lenape watched two vultures circling in the sky. A third soon joined them. 'Did someone leave a fresh kill unattended?' She wondered. The wolfess stood up and raised her nose in the air, but was unable to detect a scent. She looked around and curiosity nagged at her mind long enough to find out what it was. Lenape wandered across the moor with her nose held high. The wolfess trekked steadily over the grassy terrain half expecting the vultures to be part of her imagination. But her nose flared detecting a scent. The faint smell of smoke hung loosely in the air along with another foreign scent as she neared a creek.

'It's not an animal.' She remained on high alert and looked around the section of field with tall grasses. Lenape quietly stalked forward to the edge of the creek. Her head snapped to the left where a vulture was curiously pecking at something on the opposite embankment. She splashed through the cool water and approached the odd spectacle, partially obscured by tall field grass. The body was face down wearing an odd assortment of cloth around its waist. The vulture pecked at the lying figure. Lenape shooed the bird away and knelt beside the odd body. Her sensitive ears detected breathing. She wrinkled her nose and carefully touched the body. The garments he wore were damp and smelled musty from sweat, dirt, and smoke. The wolf gently turned it over. A face without a muzzle greeted her, much to the wolf's astonishment. The distinguishing pale face, funny ears, lack of fur, and odd nose immediately told her what it was. Its white skinned mid section slowly rose and fell.

"It's a human! A living human pup!" She emphasized the word human while gawking at the shallow breathing body in her arms. It was only wearing a tattered pair of shorts, clinging to the skin like a ghostly spirit. His condition looked dire. Lenape sprang to her paws and splashed through the shallow water towards her village. The wolfess clutched the body close and ran across the rolling flower filled fields. She spotted Sitka carrying a freshly caught rabbit over his shoulder not too far ahead. He was a thin, fast running red wolf.

"What's going on?" The wolf barked at the fast approaching wolfess.

"Fetch Kazana! Quick! Hurry!" The village's shaman, an old female skunk, was quickly sought for. Amu, the village's other shaman was away for the time being. He ran ahead, and when Lenape reached the village both were waiting for her. The old female skunk was surprised to see what Lenape was carrying.

"Take him to my hut." The skunk hurried through the village with the wolfess and unconscious human in tow.

"What is that?" Sitka eyed the human in Lenape's arms.

"A human pup!"

"Stay out here." Kazana ordered the red wolf. "I don't want anyone bothering us." The old skunk crawled into the medicine hut through its door flap. Lenape quickly brought the boy into the shaman's hut behind her. The strong odor of medicinal herbs was overwhelming to Lenape's nose.

"Place him here." Kazana pointed to a deerskin beside a low fire. "Take that garment off so he can dry." Lenape hastily tore the tattered shirt off and Kazana yanked his other garments off. A dry blanket was hastily used to cover the boy. The shaman peered below the blanket. "It's a young human boy." She confirmed and turned to Lenape, who was catching her breath. "Where's his mother?"

"I didn't see anyone else at the creek." She spoke through vocal panting. "Two vultures were circling above when I spotted him." The shaman's brow furrowed in deep thought.

"This human has a few burn marks." Kazana noted on his arms. "And I can smell smoke on him."

"Smoke and burns? Was there a fire near here?"

"No." Kazana answered. "But that may be the reason he was at the meadow creek." The old female skunk paused to think for a moment. "I need to get something."

"I'll watch over-"

"You're leaving too." Kazana sternly ordered the wolfess. "When he wakes up, seeing you will only startle him." Not to disobey the elder, Lenape crawled out of the hut with her.

"And then Lenape runs to the village with a young human in her arms!" Sitka was telling his mate, a pretty charcoal black wolfess what was going on.

"Go over there." Kazana sternly pointed the wolves away from the medicine hut facing the southern field. "You'll wake him, and I doubt that he will be in a good mood. I'll be back shortly."

"It's a male human?" Sitka and his mate said in unison.

"Yes!" Lenape excitedly answered when Kazana walked away. "He was face down by the meadow creek. A vulture was pecking at him!"

"I hope he is alright." Sitka's mate

"With Kazana he should recover easily." Lenape confidently nodded.

"We'll have to tell my parents. This is exciting news!" Sitka and his mate hurried away.

"What's going on?" A brown and white marbled male wolf named Tizoc, and a cream and white male wolf named Hegeso approached Lenape. The first male had long unbraided brown and white hair. He wore a plain knee length loincloth and an anklet on one of his brown speckled paws. The second male had most of his white hair bound into two "tails" that rested in front of his shoulders. His knee length loincloth was adjoined with a small buckskin pouch on one hip and a sheathed dagger on the other.

"Hello!" Lenape accidentally barked.

"You're excited." The first noted.

"Have you seen a spirit in broad daylight." The second teased.

"I found a human boy by the creek in the field!" Lenape excitedly barked.

"What? Wait till your brother hears this." Tizoc folded his arms.

"Are you sure that you found a human boy? We haven't made contact with the human settlement since the fall season." Hegeso was more skeptical.

"Yes! Our shaman just checked him over."

"Let's look at him then." The white wolf stepped forward.

"You can't!" Lenape grabbed both of their muzzles.

"Why not?" Her hands were shooed away.

"Kazana told me not to disturb him because he's sleeping. Besides, waking up surrounded by a dozen wolves might scare him."

"Why should the human be scared of us?" Tizoc arched his brow at the grey wolfess.

"He may not have seen anyone from a village before." Lenape guessed.

"But you've seen humans before when trading."

"That's completely different!"

"What's going on out here?" An elderly male corsac fox poked his head out of an adjacent hut.

"Lenape found a human pup at the meadow creek."

"A human pup?" The elder was surprised. "Here?"

"Yes. Our shaman is going to check on him again." Lenape spotted the old skunk returning to the medicine hut. However, she quickly returned with an angry facial expression.

"The human is gone!" Their shaman yelled in annoyance.

"Gone?!"

"All of you are too busy talking about him to watch the hut!"

"Tizoc, Hegeso, gather a search party. Quickly!" Lenape beckoned.

Not far from the village, the young human was hurrying across the moor. He didn't know where to go, but his legs continued running. John was panting with a great deal of labor. He had been running for half an hour with the hope of reaching somewhere that wasn't home to the native anthropomorphic creatures. A lonely bush dotted the hill he was on.

'There.' He wearily approached the point. John crouched down behind the bush and shivered feeling a gust of wind chill his skin. His scant clothes didn't offer much protection or warmth. His pants had numerous rips stained with dirt. The boy caught his breath and contently held onto his pants. He had woken up inside that hut naked, and terrified. Luckily he was able to escape with them.

'What were they going to do? Eat me?' He worried, but the thought of eating brought back a familiar sensation. 'I'm hungry.' He clutched his stomach as it growled pitifully. His eyes scanned the landscape. The land appeared so foreign to him. Endless fields of lush grass mixing with forests, creeks, and hills created an endless maze of confusion. There weren't any buildings or houses around here that had food. No bread, cooked fish, or smoked hams were laying out for purchase. The wind and evening grey sky above only promised rain in the near future.

'What should I do?' He scarcely thought of his next plan only to hear a not so distant howl. Chills shook his body fearfully. John peeked around the bush and spotted a white wolf approaching his position. The boy picked up a rock resting beside him and gripped the rough surface tightly in his hand. His teeth clenched in conflict. 'No.' He dropped the cold rock. He couldn't kill anyone with a rock, and angering a wolf wouldn't help the situation that he was in even if it meant certain death. Paw steps crunching closer alerted him. John jumped to his feet to run only for a strong, yet gentle hand to seize his arm.

"Leave me alone!" He yelled as the male wolf easily picked him up. The tribal male huffed and hurried back to the village. John pummeled the canine's back with his meager fists until he tired himself out. Out of breath and exhausted from running, John limply hung on the male's shoulder. He watched the ground moved below with every stride with the male's long white hair draped beside him. The wolf carrying him suddenly howled causing a frigid chill to run up his spine. John looked around wondering what was going on. His eyes widened seeing the group of natives that he was being carried towards. The huts, barely clothed bodies, furry faces, and muzzles all stared at him curiously. He was too frightened to cry.

"What is that?!" A yapping pup ran up to him. The wolf carrying John didn't respond and continued walking. The little canine jumped up to his height. A full array of teeth was too close for comfort. John impulsively screamed and the pup fell backwards.

"You found him!" Lenape exhaled a sigh of relief. The boy quickly found himself in the she wolf's arms.

"He was not too far away, but he gave my back a beating. Feisty pup." Hegeso chuckled. A dozen others surrounded them and curiously looked at the human. John clutched Lenape's arm tightly.

"I'll take him to my hut. He won't escape from the middle of the village easily." She eased past the onlookers.

"Get back or you all will scare him to death!" The old shaman stormed through, balking at everyone in her way. John looked away from the angry faced skunk. He was carried into the village, past several huts. Other wolves, and a few other species were mulling about their usual business, but the sight of a human boy had their attention. Kazana kept anyone curious enough to approach or ask a question at a distance from Lenape. The charcoal grey wolfess reached her hut and stooped down with the boy in her arms.

"I swear by the spirits that everyone is nosy by the length of their snout..." Kazana grumbled and entered behind Lenape. The boy tightly held onto the wolf as she crawled inside the darker hut. Light only entered through an opening in the roof for smoke, and the entrance covered by a typical door flap. The noise of gossip outside could faintly be heard as voices hushed themselves.

"Do you have something to mash and stir this?" Kazana looked around, holding a tight fist of herbs.

"Yes. Check by the basket." Lenape set the human boy down on a deerskin mat, but he refused to relinquish his grip.

"It's okay." She patted his side until his grip softened. The wolfess moved to rekindle the dormant fire while Kazana scraped at the small mix nearby. John immediately sat up to take in his new surroundings. This hut didn't smell strong like the first one he woke up in. The deer fur beneath his palms created an odd sensation that he didn't notice someone kneeling beside him. He held his breath as the old skunk held his arm out straight. Her dark eyes and black "mask" didn't even glance at him. "Ah!" His teeth clenched in pain as Kazana rubbed the thin ointment on his burns.

"There. His arms and shoulder should heal soon. Don't grab him roughly." The shaman told Lenape. The boy fell back onto the deer skin that acted as a bed. All of the exhaustion from his ordeal finally caught up to him. Completely tired, he passed out. Kazana gave a bemused smile at the young human.

"Are you leaving already?" The canine watched the skunk head for the hut's entrance. "Is everything else alright?" Kazana paused for a moment.

"He's going to be very hungry when he wakes up." She told Lenape before crawling out, leaving the wolfess with plenty of unanswered questions.

'There's no shaman like her.' Lenape thought to herself. Crude and rough, the old Kazana was an expert when it came to healing. 'At least I know that you will be alright.' She gently placed a hand below one of the human's burns. She could feel a tender bruise below. The wolfess did not know what terrible things he had been through to end up at the meadow creek in his condition. The fear she saw his eyes was real, and he would not have been scared otherwise.

Movement caught her eye. Lenape turned her head and noticed her brother entering her home. His name was Mankato, and he was the village's chieftain. Mankato was a strong built wolf, even among his fellow canine villagers. He had broad shoulders and well defined muscles beneath his fur coat. A stripe of white fur ran down his throat and all the way down his front before disappearing behind his loincloth. The rest of his front and inner thighs had creamy tan fur leaving most of his limbs, head, and back a dark brown or black. His long black hair was kept in a fashion of small "tails" where several clumps were individually held together with leather strings. Although, it didn't stop his hair from draping over his back and shoulder when he crawled into the home.

"Mankato!" She was surprised to see him.

"Hello Lenape." He calmly greeted his sister. They touched noses and sat down facing each other on a separate deerskin. Mankato's gaze turned to the boy sleeping beside them.

"I can see why you have come now." She softly spoke.

"He is the talk of the entire village right now." Mankato nodded. "And I heard that you were the first to find him and bring him into the village."

"Yes." The grey wolfess nodded. "I found him face down near the meadow creek." She pointed.

"It is likely that you saved his life. Our shaman Kazana told me that he has gone two or three days without food."

"Where do you think he came from?" Lenape asked.

"He probably escaped from the nearby human village. I heard the Yonekohtan raided the settlement and burned half of it to the ground days ago. There are no other human settlements near our village."

"Oh my." The grey wolfess looked at the human sympathetically. The Yonekohtan were a strong tribal confederation that frequently made war with its neighbors, particularly human settlers if they unfortunately crossed paths. "If he is from that distant human village, then he has no one."

"No family remains there, only a town that is half burnt and half empty." Her ears folded back. Her brother nodded. "If anyone survived then they have been captured by the Yonekohtan now."

"That's awful." She reached out and placed her hand on the boy's chest, practically covering it due their difference in size. The human's front slowly rose and fell in a peaceful sleep, the first in many nights.

"Where should he go?" Mankato finally asked.

"Where?" She tilted her head.

"You found him. Where do you think he should go?" He clarified. Lenape looked at the defenseless boy sound asleep on her deerskin bed.

"Where can he go?" She rephrased the question. "He has no one."

"We could send him to a Nanu village to the southeast in hopes that they will hand him over to a passing ship or settlement; or someone can become his mother in a village."

"He would still need to recover here for a few days." Lenape placed a protective hand over the boy's smaller arm. The story of where he came from and what happened to him tugged at her heart. She couldn't send him away. He had already been through so much. "Can he stay here?" She surprised the chieftain. "Can I become his mother?" Mankato paused for a moment.

"His mother? But you are a wolf, and he is a human."

"There is no difference." She shook her head. "Unless you want to tell me a fox and a wolf are equally different." Mankato sensed strong conviction in his sister's voice.

"He doesn't know anything about us, and we know nothing about him."

"So? A pup is born without knowing anything except how to eat and cry. He can learn." Mankato sighed.

"He will be your responsibility." The chief finally yielded.

"When have I not been responsible?" She challenged.

"I can think of a few times when we were pups." He smirked.

"Hey! I am your sister." She smiled.

"You are my sister." He slowly nodded looking back at the sleeping human. "I know how much you wanted a family with your mate." Mankato solemnly remembered that his sister's mate had passed away years ago, and travelled to the spirits' hunting grounds.

"And now I will." She looked at the human boy hopefully. "Can you make sure that no one disturbs us for a while?"

"I will let everyone know." He gave a deep nod and hugged his sister before leaving. Lenape watched her brother's black and brown tail disappear beyond the tanned buckskin draping overly the low entryway. The she wolf's heart surged with excitement. 'I have a pup! A son!' She proudly looked at the human boy. As if her thoughts were too loud, he began to stir on the deerskin mat. She watched him wake and sit up. He was disoriented at first, but when their gazes met, he froze. The human was thin and reminded her of a scared animal. Lenape could have asked someone else to cook or watch over him, but she chose not to. She could've left and brought something back to cook. The wolfess remained sitting and stared at the shivering human boy.

'I need to establish a bond with him.' She reached behind her back and untied the leather lace that held her chest cloth up. The garment fell to the ground letting her breasts hang freely without the artificial support. Lenape grinned at her freed chest. Her areolae were mostly covered with fur, but not entirely. She was glad to have nursed her friend's pup so recently. Being topless was normal in all native villages for this reason, but most human settlements didn't have similar opinions. John covered his eyes and stared wide eyed into the darkness of his palms. He heard a soft sigh. Leathery padded hands gently grasped his smaller hands and pulled them down. The boy shivered fearfully. He only saw a woman's bare chest once before, and his dad reprimanded him for looking. John stared at the wolfess half expecting a hand to smack him, but no such punishment happened. In fact, she was grinning!

'What does she want me to do?' He was too scared to speak. His stomach's growling made him whimper hungrily. Hunger was the only thing keeping him awake through his exhausting ordeal. The wolfess watched with concern at his inaction.

'What if he has never nursed before?' Lenape worried but mentally shook her head. 'I can't intervene. He must willingly accept me as a mother.' She restrained herself from immediately holding him to her bosom. For a wolf, or any other native in the region, adoption was not a translatable word. Someone formally became a mother's son or daughter when you first nursed. For a newborn this was obvious, but was impossible for adolescents except in very rare circumstances. John's age permitted the normal option to nurse, but he was unfamiliar with the female body in general, much less a female wolf's! Lenape was such an odd spectacle to the human boy. The wolfess was practically naked wearing only a small sheet of buckskin draping over her nether regions held together by a leather string. The braids in her long dark grey hair descended down her back like silky ropes with feathers attached. Their physical differences were akin to sky and land!

Just as importantly, he had to accept her as his mother. John wiped the tears away and crept closer to the wolfess. Lenape picked the boy up and settled him into her lap so that he was reclining. He blinked and stared at the canine's breast, realizing what she wanted. The tanned pink spout of flesh stared back at him expectantly. He swallowed nervously and looked up at the canine head staring back at him. His brown eyes were full of fear and uncertainty. "It's okay little one." Lenape's hushed voice helped calm the human. Summoning his courage, John leaned forward and softly wrapped his lips around the skin. It was a lot for him to handle so suddenly, but necessity spurred survival. He blinked at the wall of grey fur in front of his face and started suckling. In a moment he was greeted with a warm spray. It tasted vaguely sweet and his stomach yearned for more. Lenape sweetly smiled and watched the boy hungrily suckle. A warm padded hand rubbed slowly over his back producing a guarding warmth throughout his skin.

"There will be plenty more for you when we have a regular schedule maintained. Maybe even too much." She joked at how much a mother could produce for her young. John suckled until his jaw became sore. He unlatched and went limp in the canine's arms. Lenape placed him onto the deerskin covering a section of ground. His belly wasn't full, but he was no longer hungry. He grumbled to himself and closed his eyes. "Sh. Sh." Lenape hushed the sleepy human. She placed a hand on his cheek and watched him fall asleep. "You can call me mother." She whispered. Lenape wanted to teach him that word first. The grey she wolf's ears perked up hearing the hut's door flap rustle. The two she wolves, Amytis and Asawa, entered her hut. They quickly touched noses and sat around the sleeping human.

"Where is he from?" Asawa finally broke the tranquil silence.

"My brother told me that he probably escaped a Yonekohtan raid."

"That treacherous tribe." Amytis kept her hackles down.

"I cannot believe that he ran so far. He's just a pup." Asawa cooed sympathetically. The eleven year old human was the size of a nine or ten year old wolf pup.

"So what else did your brother say?" Amytis asked. "He told everyone surrounding your hut to retire for the night."

"Mankato told me that he would need to find a home..."

"What did you say?"

"That I wanted his home to be our village. I want to be his mother." Her heartfelt answer didn't surprise the two she wolves.

"Did the boy accept you as his mother?" Asawa inquired.

"Well..." She looked down at the sleeping human boy. "I guess I have a son now." Lenape exclaimed quietly with a proud toothy grin. The other two beamed joyous smiles.

"I don't want to bring bad news after all of this, but it won't be easy raising him."

"I know, but I am ready." Lenape confidently nodded.

"Someone told me that he could not talk like us."

"That's right." Lenape told them. "I'll have to teach him our tongue."

"Don't think for an instant that you'll be alone." Amytis placed a hand on her friend's grey shoulder.

"The whole village will help you." Asawa nodded.

"Won't he get cold without a full coat of fur?" Amytis had to ask.

"I'll be right beside him, and I have a blanket." Lenape gazed at the peacefully sleeping boy. "He's had a long day."

"Do you want us to sleep here if you need anything?"

"No thanks." Lenape shook her head. "Seeing so many of us when he wakes up may startle him."

"He will be happy to wake up with you. I'm sure of that."

"Do you need anything that we can do for you?"

"No." Lenape tiredly shook her head. "Just some sleep." Asawa and Amytis looked at each other and nodded.

"We will see you tomorrow then. Dream with the spirits." They hugged her and whispered sweet dreams to the boy before leaving.

'Thank the spirits that I have loyal friends willing to help.' Lenape suddenly yawned. 'I've had a long day.' She yawned again and put the dying fire out. The wolfess discarded her loincloth and laid down with the human, her new son. She placed a protective arm around him and nestled close to his side. He unconsciously clung onto her body and buried his face into warm fur. The wolfess watched him with a warm smile, and tucked her arm to cradle him close.

John awoke to the sound of rain, and soft breathing. The night air was cool, yet he did not feel cold at all. His eyes opened to darkness. He sat up, but the living earthy canine scent around John reminded him where he was. Faint outlines of the hut's walls through the darkness. Strange objects were scarcely visible.

'I can't keep running away.' He peered around the darkness. Something shifted against him. The boy reached down and touched the furry arm on his lap and side. John looked at the she wolf's hand resting on the ground beside him. Her furry hands resembled an almost human cross between a hand and paw. The fingers were like his own but thicker with joints that varied in flexibility and structure. Thick black claws with a distinct curve replaced nails on each end of her bulky furred fingers. And of course the black pads resembled little cushions on her palm and fingertips. He could see the outlines of her furry torso, paws, and tail too. She was a wolf! Wolves attacked Wexford, destroyed everything, and killed his dad. John touched his lips and swallowed. But this wolf was different. She had nursed him like an infant. The vague taste remained on his tongue. The past few days were so much to take in. Escaping the burning settlement, running and hiding for days, and then waking up inside a native village. John didn't know what was going to happen or how long he would stay in the village. But one thing was certain.

'I can't go back...' He covered his eyes remembering the flames, screams, and wolves who destroyed everything. 'Dad is... Dad... is-' John was unable to say it, and felt hot tears run down his cheeks.

"Huh?" Lenape awoke to the sound of muffled crying. John blinked feeling two large hands rest consolingly on his back. Claws touched his skin, but the warmth of her furry padded hands soothed his chills away. He reached out in front of his face and touched a wall of soft fur. The female wolf was sitting up before him. Only the outline and faint details of her body were visible. Arms protectively wrapped around him, gently pressing him to her furry body. She was warm and soft against his skin. "It's ok. I'm here." A soft voice that he could not understand whispered. Lenape held the boy close. John buried his face into her shoulder and cried his heart out. Her fur helped muffle his sobs and prevent any other sleeping villagers from waking. For that singular moment the human boy shared his emotions from the fateful past days. He didn't have to shoulder that immense weight on his little shoulders alone anymore. His cries waned in her comforting embrace. He sniffled as a finger lifted his chin. It was warm, gentle, and very real. John couldn't see her face completely through the darkness or his tears, but he knew it was there. To his surprise, the canine licked him. Rather than wipe his face in disgust, John let her wash over his cheeks, eyes, and forehead. The strange gesture was gentle and loving. An arm dried his skin next.

"It's okay. Let's go back to sleep." Lenape whispered. He clung to the naked wolfess as she laid back down. Her fur was soft and warm, a sensation that he hadn't felt in long time.

'Thank you.' He silently thanked her and peacefully went to sleep. Wolves had destroyed his first home in Hibernia, but a wolfess had just saved his life. These wolves and natives weren't the same as the ones who attacked the settlement.

John woke up on an unfamiliar surface.

'Fur?' His eyes preened opened and realized that it was a deerskin under his hand, rather than hay or dirt. The faint odor of cooked meat stirred his nose. 'Oh.' John remembered that he was in a native village. He traced his hand over the deerskin's sleek fur. Despite having nothing else, it was surprisingly comfortable. It was better than hard dirt and the smell of rotting hay in Wexford's jail.

'It's morning.' He looked around the small space, softly aglow with morning light. Hand made baskets, a few wooden bowls, a small stack of animal pelts, and other various items and trinkets were inside the hut. A dirt floor and fire pit were at the center of it all, and the charcoal grey wolfess was sitting in front of him.

"He-Hello." He sat up. The she wolf smiled at him and retrieved a long cloth. His eyes glanced away while she tied the loincloth on, but her breasts were left exposed, nipples and all. John didn't know what to make of the canine's openness. Why was she half naked? Did the female wolf do this frequently inside the hut? What about the others? His questions would have to wait to be answered until they could actually be asked. "Thank you for... um." He clutched his stomach hearing it growl hungrily. The wolfess grinned warmly at the boy.

"Come here." She patted her lap. "It's not good to start the day on an empty stomach." He couldn't understand her spoken tribal language, but the universal gesture to her lap conveyed the message. John hesitated at first. He wanted to eat, but there was nothing else available and he didn't know how to ask. Without much convincing, John approached and knelt down in front of the wolfess. She helped him recline and prop his head so that he had easy access. Lenape watched him carefully latch on and then hungrily suckle. He paused feeling her hand rest on his tummy, but quietly resumed eating. Without yesterday's rush and sudden decisions, Lenape was able to look over the little human with a caring eye. The skin on his tummy was smooth to the touch.

'I wonder if all humans have soft skin.' She wondered. Her fingers trailed over a rough red line on his chest. A few minor cuts were already healing on their own. The wolfess had seen adult humans a few times before in different villages to trade, and even traded with them on rare occasion. But never before had she seen one so young! 'He doesn't have a cold wet nose.' Lenape noticed that only his mouth and lips touched her while he ate. He lacked a muzzle, and obviously a full coat of fur and tail. The shape of his ears reminded her of warped wood. 'He's cute.' She didn't mind the distinct differences between them. Feeling the flow of milk lessen, John unlatched. Lenape directed him to her other breast where he finished. It wasn't enough milk to fill him, but his hunger abated. The wolf helped him sit up.

'It's watery...' The boy licked his lips and thought to himself. The hands on his front and back moved.

"Here." She reached over for something. "I know that you're not an infant." The wolf presented him a piece of bread. The light brown piece was soft in his hand, and it smelled like bread. John took a bite and found the mild nutty taste delectable. He ate the entire piece within a minute.

"Thank you..." His voice tapered off as he remembered they had no common language. "Thank you." He repeated anyway and wiped his mouth. Her pointy ears perked up at his different language. John looked up at the female wolf, but wasn't sure if the toothy grin was a good sign or a bad sign.

"Oh! I forgot, but what is your name?" She curiously wondered. The young human blinked and stared at her with a clueless expression. He watched her pointy ears dial and move through the awkward silence. "You can call me mom." She started out and placed a hand on her chest. "Mom."

"Mom?" He spoke with hesitation.

"Yes!" She excitedly smiled. "Mom." She pointed to herself again and then at him. The black claw harmlessly poked his chest.

"John." He quietly spoke.

"John?" Lenape's tongue found the sound odd to her ears. She repeated it several times to grasp it successfully. "That's not too difficult to say." The wolfess reached over to grab her chest cloth only to remember that she didn't need it anymore. "Only she wolves who do not nurse wear chest cloths." She looked at the garment set aside with a smile. "You will easily see that." Lenape checked that everything else was in place before a bright smile overcame her muzzle. "I have so much to show and teach you!" She eagerly led him outside. The sunshine warmed his skin as he stood up. The early hours were quiet, and no one else was present. Lenape held his hand and led him through the village. The ground was damp and soft from the rain shower last night. The grass was thin and worn where paws treaded daily. Instead of buildings, huts were clustered or spread out a little to create the village. Smoke slowly rose from the tops of several and towards the sky in fading plumes. Some huts had a spear leaning against their round walls, but decorations were far and few between. All had a characteristic door flap to cover the entrance for privacy and ease of access.

'A wolf.' John spotted one exiting a hut. The adult canine stood up, reaching a tall height compared to the human. He walked closer alongside Lenape. Her hand gave him a reassuring squeeze. In the center of the village there were more natives already starting the day. 'They're big.' The predominantly wolf population was taller than the average adult human. The human also knew how much he stuck out from the tribal group simply based on what they wore. Necklaces, bracelets, and armbands were commonly worn. Long uncut hair that freely draped was the preferred style, but not limited to braids and feathers. He didn't see any shoes, just bare digitigrade paws ready to weather through the terrain. Clothing was equally light. The only item that everyone wore was a simple breechcloth that draped a foot or two long. It was clearly obvious who was male based solely on the freely draping loincloth worn by all. It was equally obvious who was female based on who wore a chest cloth, or lack thereof. John wondered why they even bothered wearing loincloths when anyone could see everything from the side, or with the flick of a tail. They approached a male who was hanging small squirrel pelts and other washed articles on a line between two huts.

"Hi Ohaeyo." Lenape caught his attention. The male turned around. The broad chested wolf was nearly six and a half feet tall, a full head taller than any human that John knew of. His brindle fur had a light brown coloring. Cream colored hair descended down his back in a few feathered braids. Soft leather garments adorned his wrist and ankle as well as a necklace.

"Hey Lenape. There's the talk of the whole village." The canine's ears perked up. "Hello there little pup." The male wolf knelt down to his level and smiled. John nervously stepped back from the toothy display.

"He's very shy." Lenape placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Does he speak our tongue, or only the human tongue?" Ohaeyo asked.

"Only the human tongue."

"Is it true that he ran away the other day?"

"Yes. He gave Tizoc and Hegeso a good hunt to find him."

"You definitely have a handful to care for then!" He beamed before turning serious for a moment. "Is he really staying here?"

"Yes." Lenape confidently spoke. "He has nowhere else to go."

"I see..." The human tensed as the adult male's eyes returned to him. "Don't worry little pup." Ohaeyo extended a hand to the human, palm facing up. John stared at the large wolf hand. Each fingertip harbored a thick black claw and a matching pad. With a little hesitation John reached out and touched the bigger hand.

"It's warm..." The boy remarked in a whisper. The canines' ears peeked up at the sound of his foreign tongue. The hand closed around him and pulled him forward just enough. The boy blinked as a canine head craned forward and touched noses with him. All he could see were a pair of eyes gazing directly at him. John felt the wolf inhale before backing off, leaving a wet sensation on his nose.

"He has a different scent." Ohaeyo remarked and wiggled his nose. The boy wiped his nose much to their amusement. "And his nose is dry."

"John isn't quite a wolf." She mused.

"John? That's his name? It sounds very human." He scratched his ear to Lenape's amusement. "Where are you taking him to?"

"Around the village. I want him to start becoming familiar with the area." She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"That's good." He agreed. "How is everyone else reacting to him?" Ohaeyo asked in a quieter voice.

"Nothing bad. Amytis and Asawa are happy for me. My brother is more concerned that I will have difficulties becoming a mother so suddenly." Lenape grinned.

"He's a caring wolf." The light brown brindle male stood up and shrugged. "That's normal of him." John looked at the wolf as he talked to Lenape. The light brown brindle furred male was tall and strong. It reminded him of those who raided the settlement only a couple of nights ago. The thought made a chill run down his back. A tug stirred him from his daydreaming.

"John, we can go." Lenape lightly tugged his arm. The boy stirred and stayed close to her.

"If you two need any help, let me know."

"Thank you Ohaeyo. We'll see you around." Lenape resumed taking the boy through the village. He stayed close to her side and received plenty of curious stares from villagers as they passed by. Although, John gave plenty of stares himself. The village of huts was so much different compared to a human town or settlement. Tall clustered buildings were replaced with only huts and lodge styled structures of primitive design. There were no ancient roads present, only grass or bare trails where paws had stepped numerous times. There was little loud talking unlike a human town. When he did hear the strange native tongue spoken, a bark often accompanied what he heard. Even the smells were different. The moor had a wild freshness that made the salty air of the sea seem nauseating. It was all so much to take in.

'A mother wolf!' He noticed a topless female like Lenape nursing a pup. The little white, grey, and black furred pup in her arms was so tiny, like an infant human! But the human averted his gaze from the scene. 'Should I look?' He glanced at Lenape only to remember that she was only wearing a tribal loincloth. Before he plucked up the courage to decide, they had already passed by.

'Do all of them do that?' John was surprised to see another pup about his size, also nursing. It wasn't common to even 'see' a human mother nurse an infant where he was from, and it was downright taboo to continue nursing at such an extended age. The tribal reason was simple. Food. As long as the mother ate well, then she could feed her pup. A killed deer, or anything grown for that matter, would last much longer with one hungry mouth rather than two. This time John didn't look away. The mother glanced up from mending a pair of leather bands while her son ate. It was strangely intimate and close, something that the boy didn't expect to feel. The pup looked up and spotted the mysterious young human. He quickly slipped away to his mother's back only to be chided at his unfounded nervousness.

"Let's go over here." Lenape guided the boy towards a particular hut where an older female wolf was seated outside. Her fur was a typical mottled grey of various colors, but appears much brighter in the direct sunlight.

"Is that you Lenape?" The wolf covered her eyes from the sunlight. Her nose could smell the charcoal grey canine, but also a stranger.

"Yes." Lenape grinned. "But I brought someone else too, Noukchat." She sat down before the older wolfess with John.

"Hello." She leaned forward. The boy blinked at the looming canine face but leaned towards her anyway. Their noses touched for a brief moment before breaking away. "He smells different..." She wiggled her nose registering his scent.

"He does." Lenape admitted but placed a reassuring hand on the boy's back. John wasn't sure what to make of the pair of canine eyes staring intently at him.

'Don't think about her teeth.' He told himself. No one had harmed him in the village yet.

"He's small and without fur!" Noukchat suddenly remarked with sweetness at the boy seated before her, and wagged her tail.

"Isn't he cute?" Lenape proudly beamed a canine smile.

"He is!" The elder she wolf rubbed noses with the human again. "What's his name?" John looked at both female wolves nervously as they stared at him.

"Tell her your name. Your name." Lenape lightly poked his front.

"J-John." He replied.

"That's a cute name." She liked it.

"Do you know who I am?" Lenape pointed at herself.

"Mom." He quietly answered making the she wolf's smile beam brightly.

"He will be speaking our tongue in a season or two." The older she wolf warmly grinned. While the two females chatted, John's eyes settled on the odd chest garment that Noukchat wore. The buckskin stood out from her whiter fur. The garment was only worn by females, but not every one that John had seen throughout the village. It seemed appropriate to the human, but something didn't make sense.

'Why does she wear it, but not mom?' He wondered to himself.

"He seems to like my chest cloth." Noukchat grinned.

"I tried explaining to him, but I don't think he understands yet. It will be much easier when we share a common tongue." She admitted. "John." Lenape caught his attention. "That is a chest cloth." She spoke, but the human looked at her curiously. "A chest cloth." She repeated and pointed at Noukchat's garment.

"Chest... Cloth?" He sounded it out.

"Mmhm." She nodded and looked for something to compare it to that he would know. "It's clothing like, Err..." Her voice slightly growled. "I don't know what he is wearing." She admitted much to Noukchat's amusement.

"He smells funny. Maybe smoke?" The elder wolfess guessed and sniffed the air. "Is that how they smell?"

"No!" Lenape held back a chuckle. "Humans don't smell like smoke. Kazana told me that he was probably around a fire and was burned."

"Aww, that's terrible. What happened?"

"My brother told me a human settlement was attacked and burned down by the Yonekohtan recently."

"Ohh... I only heard that you found him alone in a field." Noukchat wiggled her nose. John froze as the canine loomed closer to him. He blinked when her nose touched the top of his head.

'What the-?' The elder she wolf inhaled the human's hair. The nose huffed out a strong breath.

"He definitely smells different!" She cackled before sneezing.

"Too much?" Lenape grinned and laughed.

"Maybe..." The elder wolfess covered her muzzle. Lenape wiggled her nose and combed a hand through his unkempt hair.

"You do need a bath today." She smelled the air around him with confirmation. "No one goes without one for several days unless it's too cold. And if it gets any colder we'll have to wait until the spring to wash you up." Lenape pulled him to his feet.

"Going already?" The elder's ears fell back briefly.

"We'll see you later." Lenape waved. "Thanks for the idea!"

"You're welcome." The older she wolf chuckled to herself and watched the odd pair walk away. John followed the wolfess across the rest of the village and into an open field.

'Where is she taking me?' He looked around the grassy moor, but could only see a creek ahead. Lenape led him straight to the little body of winding water where two other canines were bathing. Their long hair made him think "female," but everyone in the village had long hair. Heads turned seeing them approach.

"Hey Lenape-Oh! Is that the human?" Both females eagerly looked at the human beside her. They didn't seem to care that they were bathing in their presence at all.

"Yes." She proudly placed a hand on his back.

'What's going on?' He nervously wondered as they intently looked at him. Their bold golden-yellow and soft brown eyes seemed to stare right through him. Lenape patted the boy's back to get his attention.

"Nanok." She pointed to the female maned wolf. "Inuk." She pointed to the cream and brown she wolf. Their dripping wet bodies gave each a funny appearance, especially when they gave him toothy smiles. They started to rise from their seats in the water to meet him. "You two don't have to get out." Lenape motioned. "I need to bathe him anyway." The grey she wolf knelt down and untied her loincloth.

"Don't be in a rush." Nanok sat back down. "We came here a short while ago." Lenape looked at John's puzzling garment. Unlike the tribal breech cloth design, the human's pants were fastened with a button and covered everything from waist to knee. She wiggled her nose and gave the garment a firm tug to no avail.

'What is she doing?' John held her shoulder to steady himself, but it soon became obvious. Everyone around him was naked, and two of them were in the creek. 'A bath...' He didn't like the idea, but Lenape wasn't giving up without a fight.

"These are the strangest loincloths." She never understood why humans wore such restrictive clothing, and succeeded in unbuttoning his pants. John stood still as Lenape took his pants off. He still had his underwear, but that didn't remain on for very long either. The human stood petrified as the she wolf pulled his final garment down. He immediately covered himself and cowered. "What's wrong?" Lenape left the undergarment around his ankles. Even though John was just a boy, he had a strong sense of modesty from his human upbringing. "Why are you covering yourself? We know that you are a human male." Lenape giggled. "See?" She stood up and widened her stance. The amount of fur on a wolfess or other females of fur made it impossible to actually see anything. "I am a female wolf." The bewildered look he gave her made the other wolf laugh. John remained in a stupor until she finally pried his hands off. His body tensed as her eyes looked.

'Why can't I just tell them?!' He wished that he spoke their language.

"Oh!" She was surprised that he didn't have a canine sheath. "Is it broken?" Lenape worried. John nervously tried hiding himself from her invasive gaze.

"Broken?" The cream and brown wolf chuckled. "Calm down Lenape, it's like a feline's sheath." She explained.

"Oh." She calmed down.

"You're the one who goes to trade at the Nanu village. You should know!" The maned wolf pointed out.

"I can't talk to them without someone to translate." Lenape frowned.

"His face is turning red!" Inuk gawked at the human. "Do humans change colors like the leaves?" The others shrugged.

'I'm naked!' John cowered before their canine eyes. "Mom!" He whined out her name.

"He's about to cry." Lenape knelt down and consoled the young human. "Sh. It's okay." She rubbed his arm and prevented any escalation from a seldom whine.

"Most humans are that way if they visit a village. They never like having their bodies exposed, especially their genitals."

"I know that, but I don't understand why." She found it confusing. "Isn't there a shaman in a human village? The ones that I have smelled do not take baths."

"Hmm. I don't know. You will have to ask your brother that question." Nanok shrugged. Tired of being the center of attention, the boy stepped into the water and immediately sat down with a wet splash. He shivered for a second as goosebumps rose on his skin. The creek water was refreshingly cool, but the depth covered him from the canines' prying eyes.

"He has the right idea!" Inuk chuckled.

'Thank the spirits.' Lenape sat down beside him. Nanok and Inuk scooted closer and formed a little circle. "Say... Hi." Lenape demonstrated by touching noses with Nanok. The maned wolfess smiled at the young human.

'She is tall!' He was a head shorter even though they were sitting. The smiling orange and black furred face leaned forward towards him. The whole gesture was a little intimidating for the young human, but he craned closer to her anyway. "Hi." He quietly mimicked Lenape and touched noses with the female maned wolf. Her black nose was damp, and cool like the creek.

"Hello!" Nanok giggled. The human did the same with Inuk, the cream and brown wolfess.

"Hi. What is your name?" She asked.

"Who are you." Lenape poked him.

"John." He softly spoke.

"That sounds human."

"You have him talking so soon." Nanok was surprised.

"Only that I am his mother, his name, and now how to say hello and greet someone." Lenape poured water over his head and back. He fussed at first but settled down when she washed his back.

"That's more than an infant pup."

"He's not exactly a pup, Nanok." Inuk pointed out.

"How old do you think he is?" The maned she wolf asked. "I know that humans aren't quite as big as wolves."

"They're the same size as some felines and smaller foxes." Lenape nodded. "I think he is almost an adolescent because thin fur is starting to grow on his legs. I noticed a few hairs earlier."

"Is that normal?" Inuk asked.

"That's a sign of when they start growing into adults." The maned wolfess replied.

"Will you bother nursing him for a few seasons, or will you only feed him other foods?" Inuk noted that Lenape's areolae weren't even completely bare of fur like other nursing mothers.

"Of course I will nurse him." The charcoal wolfess rested her hands on John's shoulders.

"Even though it will only be for a single season cycle at most?"

"I want to bond with him as much as possible." Lenape's ears fell back in dismay.

"You cannot solely nurse him. He isn't an infant pup."

"Most pups begin eating solid food around four, but don't fully wean until their first or second season of adolescence." The other wolfess agreed. For most natives that meant around twelve years of age.

"I can nurse him and cook." Lenape reasoned. 'He will need solid food too.' She acknowledged. John's body looked thin to her, and not because wolves were bigger than their human counterparts.

"It will be several days before your milk comes in fully. Try not to solely rely on your breast to feed him."

"I won't. I won't." Lenape reassured them.

"You look too skinny to almost be an adolescent." Inuk tapped his arm with the back of her hand. "You need some meat on these bones." She chuckled.

"He is eating more than what those buzzards would be." Lenape gently stroked his small arm. John looked at her claw bearing hand resting on him. They appeared dangerous, but she had handled him with a careful touch. Her wet black pads were almost glistening from the water. He wondered if that made them softer while she rubbed his back. The maned wolf Nanok, and the wolfess Inuk washed themselves as they talked. They were fairly casual about bathing with him while they talked. John washed over himself while the others talked in their strange language.

Two wolves approached from the other side of the creek. An adult female had a light brown and cream coloration of fur with long soft brown hair. The younger adolescent beside her, twelve years of age, had the same coloration as the adult female. Both wore knee length breechcloths, and similar little ornaments. However, the adult female wore a chest cloth, but the younger one didn't to the boy's confusion.

"Hello there." Amytis greeted everyone in the creek.

"Hey. How are you two doing?"

"I took Azande through the fields to see where some rabbits are denned at, but we couldn't find anything." She humbly shrugged. "I see that you brought someone with you here, Lenape." She looked at the human sitting in front of her.

"Mmhm!" The charcoal wolfess smiled proudly. Her tail wagged a little from underwater creating a soft splash.

"Hi little human." The cream colored she wolf crouched down and smiled at him. John closed his open mouth to everyone's amusement. "Aww, I see red marks on his arm. Did Kazana tend to them?" Amytis reached out and touched an afflicted spot. The human quietly shied away.

"Yes. She told me that they were burns, and he smelled of smoke."

"Was he burned in a fire?"

"I'm not sure, but it could've happened." Lenape guessed. Amytis's daughter tossed her loincloth aside and jumped into the water to investigate the new villager more personally.

"Hello-" She attempted to touch noses with John, but the human shied away. The young adolescent persistently stepped forward.

'I'm naked!' Embarrassment shot through him that a girl around his age was present. "Mom..." He scooted backwards to Lenape's side.

"Give him some space Azande." Lenape brought an arm around John. "He's very shy." The young wolfess frowned. She sat down in the creek and peered closely at the human. John couldn't escape her gaze, but maintained a safe distance from her by staying at Lenape's front.

'Who is she?' John glanced back at the younger wolf crouching patiently nearby.

"Are you coming in to bathe with us, Amytis?" Inuk asked. "You don't have to sit at the edge of the creek like that."

"No, no. It's fine." She waved a hand.

"I think we're about finished anyway." Lenape noted. "We can join you over there instead." The others agreed, and all three wolves stood up. The water dripping from their bodies made it seem like a rain shower was passing through. "Come on." Lenape motioned to the boy before offering her hand.

'If it's alright...' John looked at the water before hesitantly grasping her hand. Lenape pulled him up. The boy stepped onto the grass and clover. He suddenly received a quick shower as all three lady wolves shook their bodies. He wiped his face, but forgot about the adolescent behind him. A claw suddenly poked his rear. "Ah!" He jumped and covered himself again.

"Azande!" Amytis scolded her daughter. The younger she wolf's ears folded back guiltily as she walked to her mother's side.

"I just wondered why he didn't have a tail..." Azande muttered an apology.

"Mom..." John huddled closer to Lenape as he became the center of attention again. Lenape knelt down and consoled him.

"What's wrong?" She softly spoke with great concern only to remember that they couldn't communicate with words yet. Lenape consoled him for a moment.

"It's alright Lenape." Inuk softly spoke.

"We can lay down here." Nanok sat down with her.

"You're alright John." The charcoal gray wolfess eased him down to the ground with them. John seated himself with the female wolves who chatted amongst themselves. His skin dried fairly quick, but the canines had to turn or even lay down for the sun to dry their fur. It gave John a moment to regroup his thoughts.

'Good thing it's warm out.' He noted his bare skin compared to his furred companions. John looked at the moor beyond the creek. The sunshine glowed warmly along the grasses bobbing in the gentle breezes that passed. 'It's like the sea...' He remembered the soft sanded beaches of where he was from.

"Hey." A young whisper caught the human's attention. John looked to his right and found himself staring at a pair of sharp blue eyes. It was the young cream furred she wolf who had jumped into the creek to see him. Her pretty eyes seemed to shine back at him with force. "What's your name?" She whispered. He scooted back a little for extra measure. He worried when a toothy grin emerged on her muzzle as she leaned closer.

'She's nosy!' He leaned away from her canine face, but she was persistent. Only a look from her mother yielded her insatiable curiosity. It was a long hour for the human while the canines' fur dried. Lenape talked to her friends in a strange language that he could not comprehend. Azande's periodical pestering only made things more complicated. John breathed a sigh when everyone began to stand up and smooth over their fur.

"Thanks for introducing us to John." Nanok smiled.

"I hope to hear more from him next time we meet." Inuk grinned.

"I'm sure we all will." Lenape nodded. The young adolescent she wolf eyed the human, but was caught by a firm voice.

"Ok Azande, you can stop bothering the human pup. We're going." Amytis told her daughter.

"Aww..." The young adolescent's ears fell back as she jumped to her paws. John gave a sigh of relief when Azande finally left. He turned, and Nanok and Inuk were tying on their loincloths and chest cloths. John looked around at the ground but couldn't find his clothes.

'Where are they?!' He worried but noticed something in the charcoal grey she wolf's hands. Lenape's nose flared at the odd human clothes in her possession.

"These don't smell like flowers." She noted the unpleasant odors of sweat and dirt on his pants and undergarment.

'Where are my...' John looked around the grass for his clothes only to find the she wolf holding them. 'Uh oh.' He watched her ball them up.

"We need to get something new for you." Lenape firmly nodded. "Follow me." She motioned to him. John quickly tagged along and followed her back into the village. This time, Lenape led him to the entrance of a different hut where a door flap hung idly. A soft orange glow rested inside. "We're going inside." The wolfess crouched down with him and crawled inside. A low fire crackled in the center on the tribal home, keeping the otherwise dim setting alight. The smell of buckskin and a general mustiness hung in the air. Several personal items and basic weapons were around the walls, including laid out animal pelts. Sitting in the center of it all was a ruddy furred wolfess, and she was older than any other wolf he had seen, and fairly thin. Her limbs were thinner, but still retained some of their youthful and powerful muscles. Most of the she wolf's muzzle was white and her fur had heavy amounts of white ticked fur. Her skin and reddish brown fur had a noticeable aged sag too. It was easy to imagine her long braided auburn hair shining in the open sunlight.

"Hmm? Is that you Lenape?" The elder looked up at her guests.

"Yes. It's nice to see you Koan." She touched noses.

"Oh? You brought the human pup." She curiously looked over at the boy partially hidden behind Lenape.

"Say hello, John." Lenape encouraged him to approach. The elder female was all smiles, revealing a few missing teeth in the display.

"Hello." She gently rested her hands on his shoulders. The pads on her hands were as soft as her gentle touch.

"Hi." He quietly greeted the elder wolfess and touched noses.

"My name is Koan." She spoke slowly and introduced herself.

"John." He simply answered.

"He isn't one to talk." The elder smiled. "He must be very well behaved."

"Or he is nervous." Lenape took a good guess.

"That too. What brings you two here?"

"He needs something to wear."

"Ah, I see." She half grinned at the obvious fact.

"This is what he used to wear." Lenape handed the elder John's old pants. Koan's nose wrinkled before she took them into her hands.

"Eh. Hmm..." She looked them over briefly before tossing them aside to the boy's shock. "I can't make anything like that, and that garment can't be washed in the creek enough." Her eyes settled on the boy next. "Stand on your paws, err..." The elder was confused at his plantigrade status. "Just stand up."

"Here." Lenape helped lift him until he understood what to do. "Stay right there." She softly told him and patted his back. John looked at the seated canines in front and behind him. The ruddy-brown wolfess looked around him, puzzled for a moment.

"He should wear two." Koan decided.

"Two?" Lenape tilted her head.

"He doesn't have a tail to cover his rear, so I think he will like it better."

"Oh, that sounds good." Lenape nodded. 'That would be better for him.' She thought to herself about the boy's shyness.

"Let's see here..." The ruddy-brown she wolf peered closer at the human. He covered himself instinctively from the prying wolf. "I'm not a bird searching for a worm." Koan chuckled to herself.

"I am glad that he cannot understand that." Lenape half grinned. The elder held up several extra fabrics to tell which size would be best.

"Well, I do not have two that are the same size but," Koan sorted out two pieces and string made from leather, "I think a larger one will be best for behind, and the other for the front." John watched her fiddle with the two pieces of cloth as they were attached by a leather string. The final product was revealed when it was finished. "Here you are." She presented him the custom loincloth. He looked at the garment curiously and touched it. The buckskin felt soft between his fingers. John watched the two canines tie it around his waist.

"He looks good." Lenape liked the tribal look on him. 'And he smells better.' She silently noted.

"Mmhm!" The other wolf agreed. John looked around his front and back. Both rectangular pieces covered the space between his legs and his rear without a problem.

'At least it covers everything.' He breathed a sigh of relief. However, the tribal garment wasn't similar to underwear. Everything dangled naturally without any support, and lifting a leg up practically defeated its purpose of covering. However, it gave him plenty of free motion as if he was naked.

"I think he likes it too." Koan noticed his interest in the new item. "How is it raising him?" She also asked.

"Great." Lenape proudly smiled. "We established our first bond as mother and son." She placed a hand over her chest. "I'm starting to teach him words and how to greet someone, and he took a bath in the creek." Her words began to tumble out. "And thank you for making him a cloth! This is exactly what he needed." Lenape happily exclaimed.

"I'm glad that he likes it." She openly smiled, revealing a few missing teeth. "And thanks for coming here. If you're too busy to mend it, then I'll be glad to." She offered. Lenape hugged the elder warmly.

"Huh?" John felt a little tug on his new garment.

"You can hug me before you leave." She stretched her arms out. John looked back at Lenape who encouraged him forward. The human knelt down and hugged Koan. "See? I don't bite." She patted his back. Lenape wagged her tail happily before leaving the hut with her son. Once outside, John took a testing step forward. A passing breeze seemed to go right through him.

'I feel naked!' His gaze was fixated on his loincloth while he walked. Lenape guided him through the village a final time for the day. The village appeared busier than in the morning. A pack was returning from a successful hunt, pups were playing an elaborate game in an adjacent field, an unseen hand was practicing on a hand drum, and a howling laugh pierced the air from a tall tale. John's ears worked to decipher everything, but only time would help him understand the tribal world. Most importantly, the faint smell of food being cooked lingered in his nose as they neared their hut. Back inside the hut, the afternoon waned into the evening. Lenape showed John various items inside and what they were called in her tongue. A few visitors came by, mostly to see their strange new inhabitant, but everything was kept cordial. When the late evening finally came, the human was tired from the eventful day. John clutched his stomach as it growled wantingly. Lenape's keen ear easily heard it.

"Hungry?" The she wolf tapped her chest. He scooted closer and she helped lay him into her lap. Her arms lovingly held him. 'This has been a lot for him.' Lenape thought to herself when an idea came to her mind. "I'll have something special for you tomorrow." She promised and fondly watched him eat. A strong nurturing sensation radiated within the tribal canine. It was something she had longed to have for many season cycles. "As your mother I will protect, love, and care for you." Lenape licked his forehead when he finished. The boy looked up questioningly at the grinning canine muzzle. He didn't know what she had said, but the softness in her voice made him feel better.

'Huh?' His eyes caught sight of something hanging above their heads.

"What?" Lenape looked up and found the focus of his attention. "It's a dream catcher." She unhooked it and held the item out to him. The phrase remained unknown to the boy, but it seemed significant somehow. John felt over the odd ornament. The willow ring had leather strings adorned with black and white feathers. The middle had strings of sinew formed a pattern similar to a spider web. He had never seen anything like it before. "I used to have a lot of bad dreams." Lenape softly murmured. "This will help you sleep too." She remembered how he woke up the other night crying. John watched her hang up the odd ornament above the deer pelts. It twirled briefly before settling.

'I wonder what it does...' He thought to himself.

"Okay. Let's go to sleep." Lenape spoke. John watched the wolfess discard her loincloth. To her it was obvious to sleep without the loose loincloth because the leather string could loosen anyway, and the knot was uncomfortable to sleep on.

'I wish that I had my pants back.' He looked at the simple piece that he wore. Unlike her, and everyone else in the village, the human didn't have plenty of fur. A pair of hands suddenly rested on his waist and tugged on the leather string.

"Ah! No." John immediately stopped her. Lenape rose to her knees and hugged the whimpering boy.

"Aww. It's ok. We're just going to sleep." She consoled him. He held onto his new garment vehemently as she untied it. "You have a tight grip..." Lenape looked at his curled fingers.

"Stop!" He said in the human language. To his surprise, Lenape stopped. John wasn't used to the native lifestyle, and it would take time to adjust.

"I don't know much about how humans are raised, but I do know that it's different." She hugged him. John looked at the large furry arms holding him, and the big hand that easily wrapped around his arm. Despite the native canine's size, she wasn't intimidating. He loosened his grip and allowed her to continue. She took the article off and set it aside. His hands and legs immediately covered himself. "I'm your mother. It's okay." She rubbed his back to reassure him, but John did not waver. "Ok." She feigned surrender. Just as he relaxed, the wolf's hands tickled his sides causing the human to roll onto his back, squealing and giggling. Lenape tickled all over his belly and sides until he finally stopped trying to cover himself. John breathed with a little grin. The wolf's hair that spilled over her shoulders nearly touched him.

"You have such a cute laugh." She smiled and sat up. 'He will still need something to stay warm.' She thought to herself. The grinning boy caught his breath while she opened a large basket. "Ah, here is something." Lenape reached over and handed the item to him. He scarcely glanced at it and loosely wrapped himself up. It was a few rabbit pelts sewn together into a furry blanket.

'Thank goodness...' He felt relieved. Lenape laid down with him on the deer pelts.

"Sleep well." She whispered. The boy stared at the hut's ceiling until darkness completely settled in. The thought of running away crossed his mind, but only for a brief moment. A yawn caught him off guard.

'I'm tired...' The entire day felt like an eternity. The wolf's soft breathing, cozy body heat, and rabbit fur helped him relax. His first normal day in the native village was a lot to process. Names, what to wear, how to greet someone, and where to bathe would only be the beginning. He wondered what the next day would have in store for him.