Chapter 1
[Author Note:
Some common terms:
No-kin: not related.
Dam-kin: related by mother.
Sir-kin: related by father.
Litter-sibling: born in same litter.
Omma: mother.
Queen: female Alpha who will not mate with male Alpha.
Rite of Rank: coming of age/adulthood.
Ranks: 3 tiers, and 3 ranks in each tier, displayed on a braid of hair known as "societal braids:"
High: Alpha (full breeding and food rights), Beta (may mate with all but omegas), Delta (may mate with all but omegas)
Mid: Gamma, Theta, Kappa (mids may mate within their tier and higher at will)
Low: Omicron (may have sex with high ranks but females only make pups with the Alpha), Sigma (same), Omega (may only have sex and make pups with the Alpha) (male low ranks are not allowed to breed without permission of the Alpha.)
Please remember that this is a non-consent work of fiction. If a man treats you like this in real life, ladies, you can't fix him and don't wait for the kind of redemption arc you'll find in this story. Same goes for the other way. Stay safe, avoid toxic relationships and enjoy the fantasy.
Please consider leaving reactions, comments, and a review. It is cheaper than a subscription and is my only payment. Enjoy!]
The radio static squealed around her, making her ears slam down against her head and her sharp teeth grit together. A threatening male drawl crackled over the speaker.
“Nova Radkial. You forgot to bury your business. Naughty girl. I must be getting close. If you’d just let me catch you, I promise I’ll fuck you gent....”
Nova growled to herself with a bristle, switching the radio off. “Shuddup, Anubis. I hate yer voice. Asshole.”
There wasn’t any reason to have it on anyway. Just a foolish hope. Lost high up on the side of this mountain and well behind enemy lines, her radio could not reach far enough to call for help without its antenna. That had been one of the first things to snap off when the ambush happened.
It was supposed to be routine, the commander had said. Just some testing near the forest in the makeshift, slapped-together Mobile Armor Suits. This was supposed to be the next generation of M.A.S., though they honestly weren’t a huge improvement. After all, her people specialized in farming, not weapons. Most of the machine she had helped design and was currently piloting was repurposed farming equipment.
Then, the Wogtal attacked. In their terrifying and alien mechanical suits strapped with bones and smeared with blood, the giants leapt from the tree line in a whir of gears and opened fire with a thundering spray of bullets, ripping trees to splinters and ricocheting off metal and stone. Since she was a low ranking engineer and not actually a soldier, she had run for cover among the trees and rocks as people screamed and fell around her. That was the choice that had led her to this week-long nightmare through unfamiliar lands in a terribly inadequate machine with only the onboard supplies. Chased. Herded. Hunted by a black devil who had so smugly introduced himself when he first cornered her in a compromising position.
And then– she had kicked him in the head! Caught off guard in a precarious position, it had knocked him off balance, causing him to trip and tumble right down the hill.
Ha! The look on his face! That would teach him to bother a lady when she needed to relieve herself.
Speaking of needing relief, the itching was driving her nuts. Her thick silver fur, matting from the end of her spring molt, itched beneath her uniform. Licking her parched, black nose with an equally dry tongue, she checked her short range scans. Not that they meant much. The scans couldn’t tell her that a mud hole was waiting for her behind that enormous fern she pushed out of her way.
Cursing in dismay, she was helpless as the leg of the machine sank deep, protesting loudly when she tried to pull free. The heavy clunk made her heart sink deeper. She had known the machine would give out at some point. It wasn’t meant to go more than a day without servicing.
Whimpering with fear and fury, she popped the hatch and hopped to the ground. The mountain’s dusk assaulted her senses with unfamiliar sounds and smells, triggering her instincts. Her ears twitched nervously while she assessed her situation.
With tool in hand, she tugged a panel open and thought perhaps she could.... Well, no, that gear was solidly stuck. But what if she... nope, that bolt might as well be welded. Oh, and now the gross water was seeping in. Great. Just great. Another whine of frustration left her.
This was not where she wanted to be right now. She was supposed to be on the farm, helping her pack with the losa harvest. And she used to think husking losa was a shit job. Just because she had spotted and suggested a fix for a design flaw that had caused an overheating problem in the first gen of M.A.S., she was now on foot with no weapons, no supplies, and the farthest from home she’d ever been. She was sure every creature in a kilometer could hear her stomach. It felt like her tongue was dragging the ground as she panted.
Something rustled near her. Dropping down to all fours, it was difficult to discern whether she was a human becoming a wolf or a wolf becoming a human. Indeed, such debates were best saved for when bored in the fields with little else to discuss. Right now, her wolf senses noticed a bird in the brush, hunting for insects in the deepening darkness.
Her nose twitched and her mouth watered, but the instant she moved, the bird flapped away with a loud squawk. Ears back with an aggravated sigh, Nova trudged on, clenching at her belly.
After an hour or so of navigating steep and rocky terrain in the dark, she had to pause to figure out where she was even going. Every time she tried to go downhill back into the valley, that damned Dire was waiting for her, carefully keeping himself between her and escaping. The only way she could put distance between them was uphill, deeper into the mountain ranges of the Wogtal.
She hadn’t gotten boots like the soldiers, and her leather moccasins slipped on the damp, mossy rocks. Moisture? Moisture! Lifting her nose up, she single-mindedly followed her senses to the river. It growled over boulders and tasted so sweet as she sipped it from her cupped hands. After all, she wasn’t an animal.
An explosion in the distance shattered the night and she nearly leapt out of her fur with a cry just like the rest of the forest’s inhabitants. Landing in the water, her heart was racing as she scanned the horizon. Panting heavily, a smug little smile curled the corners of her mouth upon spotting the inky cloud over the treetops.
Her booby trap had worked. All the machine needed were a few exposed wires almost touching just above the water on some tension to create a spark near the battery cell as soon as it was disturbed. What a stupid dog. Maybe the Wogtal were big and strong, but any civilized and intelligent Aroogar like herself would know to expect such things. It’s common practice for rival packs to attempt to steal equipment to gain rank, after all.
Picking herself up, she groaned to realize she was soaked. Her jumpsuit was water resistant, but it seeped in through the arms and legs so she was stuck with wet fur on the inside. It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t so ice cold. Shaking off as best she could, she figured that since she was wet now, she should follow the river downstream. Not only would it hide her tracks, but perhaps she could find a way into the valley where she belonged.
Well, as it turned out, it wouldn’t be as easy as she thought. Her heart was already sinking the closer she got to the waterfall. Looking over the edge, she had to be over a hundred meters up. With a despondent sigh, she decided that going down would be best in the daylight. Tonight, she would rest. Even if that devil lived, surely he’d be so dazed he’d need plenty of recovery time, she thought to herself as she stripped her suit off, hanging it over a branch with her soaked moccasins. She certainly needed a little recovery time after this chase.
Oh boy, won’t her pack be thrilled by the story of how she had outwitted a Wogtal in his own land and lived to tell about it! She’d wanted adventure, but this chase was enough for a lifetime.
Curling up as small as she could, using her fluffy tail to cover as much as she could, she let her mind drift to how warm and safe she’d be feeling when she got back home, curled up among her family members. Among her people, the low ranking women often slept together in groups in the sleeping hall. She could hardly wait to get back to that as the cold of a mountain night set upon her.
The cold had her shivering awake with the soft gray before dawn. A dew had gathered on her fur. Great, she thought as she shook off. Now she wouldn’t be able to put her uniform back on until her fur dried.
Movement up the rocky river bank caught her eye, and she lowered her head to try to stay hidden in the sparse undergrowth. A small herd of enormous, majestic creatures made their way to the water’s edge. Standing on long, spidery legs, they moved with grace and dexterity, senses on alert as they approached the water. Nova knew she would be outmaneuvered if she even had the thought to hunt them, much less overpowered. Behind them approached one with a rack of antlers so massive she questioned how such a beast could move through the forest. Standing watch over its herd, it turned at the sound of her grumbling belly, and she had the distinct feeling that it was looking at her even at such a distance.
A rustle beside her had her undivided attention. Peeking through a hole in the brush, she spied a small animal rooting about the leaf litter. Her stomach fell silent, as though it knew this meal depended on it. On alert, the creature sniffed the air with an elongated nose before going back to looking for its own breakfast. She had to be patient, wait for it to approach.
It seemed to take forever. The air was brilliant with the sunrise before it even snuffled near enough that she could inch forward, her teeth bared. Just a little closer....
Her startled yelp sent the creature squealing away. Exactly what she wished she could be doing right now, but a massive, solid body pinned her down.
“Well, well, what a nice surprise!” The slow, sinister drawl caused a shudder of terror from tip to tail. “Already stripped like a proper slave. But now, my pet, this hunt is over, and you belong to me.”
His huge hand clamped roughly around her snout, jerking her head up to drip something from a vial onto her nose. Blinking in surprise, the hypnotically sweet scent filled her sinuses, overwhelming her thoughts so that she sniffed eagerly at it before recalling her brief training. It was already too late. Her breath hitched, panic surging through her chest as the world blurred and blended all around, and her body felt too heavy to resist.
With a smug smirk as she crumpled in his grip, Anubis laid her back down and drew her arms behind her to tie them together. “Clever little mutt. You gave me a chase I was not expecting. My ears are still ringing!” Though her eyes were open, she remained unresponsive with a glassy, distant stare. He continued while he tied her muzzle shut. “This has been the most fun I’ve had in years! Already being such a good pet by entertaining your Master.” He grinned as he ruffled her ears. “I’ve the feeling you’ll be a lot more fun than the other slaves.”
