Beyond the Palace

Beyond the Palace

by Davina Lee

*

Author's Note

In the last chapter, we found out you really don't want to get between a wolf mother and her girl pup. This holds particularly true when you're a knife-wielding thug from The Palace. The jaws of the wolf show no mercy.

And you probably don't want to mess with the shrine maidens either. Even disarmed, they're a vicious lot and are likely to send you home with a limp after a good kick to the kneecap.

But now the battle is over and it's time to pick up the pieces and regroup.

This is it, peeps. The final chapter is upon us. Thanks for sticking with me on this ride and I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 10: The Soul of the Wolf

"Chihiro!" called Matoaka, lifting her head from the embrace she held with her wolf mother. "Chihiro! Where are you?"

Matoaka turned her attention back to her mother. "Do you smell her?" she asked.

Before Matoaka's wolf mother could respond, someone shouted out. "

Kochira!

"

Matoaka looked up. It was Rei. She was kneeling over a shrine maiden lying on the ground, pressing her hands over the woman's thigh.

"

Kochira!

" repeated Rei. "Over here."

"Chihiro!" shouted Matoaka, taking to her feet. Matoaka winced as she got up, but soon she was sprinting to join Rei where she hovered over Chihiro.

Matoaka's mother followed, not two steps behind.

"Chihiro," said Matoaka, kneeling opposite where Rei kept her hands firmly pressed to Chihiro's thigh.

"Matoaka-chan," croaked Chihiro, blinking as she looked up. "My lovely flower."

Matoaka took Chihiro's cheeks in both hands and laid her head to rest on Chihiro's chest. "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find you."

"I feared the same," said Chihiro. "But here you are. Thanks to the old mothers."

"Yes," said Matoaka, lifting her head and turning to meet the eyes of her mother standing by. "The old mothers always deserve our respect and gratitude. And perhaps tonight, even doubly so."

Matoaka's wolf mother let out a short whine and then lowered her head to lap at Chihiro's face. Chihiro responded with a grin and a somewhat labored chuckle. "Does that mean I'm part of the family now?" she asked.

"

Eien ni,

" said Matoaka.

"

Eien ni,

" repeated Chihiro. "Matoaka-chan, that's my language. You're using words from my language.

Eien ni.

In your language it means--"

"Forever, I think," said Matoaka. "Or eternally. I'm starting to get more of my memory back. I know I never learned enough to speak fluently, but I did know some words here and there. And they're coming back to me."

"

Eien ni,

" said Chihiro, smiling.

"It must have been an important thing for me to remember."

"Matoaka-san," said Rei, catching Matoaka's eye. "For Chihiro," Rei shifted her gaze to the two shrine maidens bearing bandages along with water and medicines.

"Right," said Matoaka, moving out of the way to let the women work, but remaining close enough to reach out and hold Chihiro's hand through it all.

"I'm going to be alright," said Chihiro.

Matoaka nodded once and squeezed Chihiro's hand.

* * *

"You don't have to do everything for me," complained Chihiro, sitting up on the bed roll spread across the floor of the room they shared. "I can walk."

Matoaka shifted the bowl of rice she carried to one hand, as she turned and reached to slide the door closed again with the other.

"You're not supposed to be walking," replied Matoaka, kneeling to hold the bowl toward Chihiro. "You're supposed to be resting."

"I feel so useless."

"You're not useless. You're healing."

Chihiro sighed.

Matoaka pushed the rice bowl toward Chihiro a second time. "

T

abete kudasai,

" she said.

"Okay, now you're just showing off.

Please eat?

I'm pretty sure I never taught you how to say that."

"Rei," said Matoaka, flashing a grin. "I thought you might be obstinate, so I asked Rei how to say it. But yes, I am regaining more of my memories everyday."

Chihiro set the rice bowl aside and reached out to cover Matoaka's hand with her own. "That can't be easy," she said.

"It's not," said Matoaka. "I understand now why my first choice was to forget. My time at The Palace was..."

"Do you regret remembering? Do you ever wish--?"

"No," said Matoaka, shaking her head. She picked up the bowl of rice and held it out toward Chihiro. "No. It's better this way."

Chihiro took the bowl and reached for the chopsticks that had been stabbed into the rice ball, sticking up from the center.

"Do you want some help?" asked Matoaka, glancing to the chopsticks now in Chihiro's hand.

"Matoaka-chan, please, let me do something for myself."

"Right," said Matoaka.

Chihiro raised a bite to her mouth and chewed.

"There are some things I need to do," said Matoaka, studying Chihiro's hands around the bowl rather than looking her in the eye.

Chihiro nodded, but offered no words in return. She continued chewing what was in her mouth.

"The memories I have about The Palace. What I'm starting to remember, anyway. No girl should ever have to experience that."

Chihiro set her bowl aside again. She reached out for Matoaka's hand a second time.

"I've spoken at length with my wolf mother. She has told me of others in the forest like her. Old mothers whose days of raising children have come to an end, yet they still carry the scent of their girl pups close to their noses.

Their numbers are many. My mother and some of the other mothers have heard scores of their voices carried on the night air. I've been learning to listen too."

"Is that what you do when you slip out in the middle of the night?" asked Chihiro.

"You know about that? You're supposed to be sleeping."

Chihiro let a smirk cross her face. "Matoaka-chan," she said. "You are good at many things. Sneaking around is not one of them."

Matoaka reached out for the rice bowl, and again she pushed it back into Chihiro's hands. "I need to go to them," said Matoaka. "I need to find the old mothers of the forest. I need to humbly ask for their service once again."

Chihiro nodded.

"These things I need to do," said Matoaka. "They will take me far from your side. And for some time."

"I'll be alright," said Chihiro. "I'm getting stronger everyday. And by the time you and your mother return, I'll be up on my feet, running to greet you."

"I know you will," said Matoaka, leaning forward to rest her head on Chihiro's shoulder.

* * *

Matoaka stood at the gate, her staff in hand, her wolf mother at her side, and her backpack sitting open at her feet. A cluster of shrine maidens surrounded her in a semi-circle. Chihiro was among them in the center, sandwiched between Rei and the woman in black, leaning heavily on both.

One by one, the shrine maidens held out their hands, passing small gifts of food and supplies, some for Matoaka and some for her wolf mother. Matoaka bowed as she received each one to nestle carefully into her pack. "

Arigatō,

" she said.

The woman in black and Rei were the last to pass their gifts. "Thank you for this," said Matoaka, bowing. "And for everything you've taught me."

"You are a wise student," said the woman in black.

Rei dropped into a fighting stance and growled at Matoaka. Then, just as quickly, she hopped back up again to slap Matoaka on the shoulder as she grinned. "See you soon, Matoaka-san," said Rei.

"Chihiro," said Matoaka, as Chihiro hobbled forward, still leaning on the arm of the woman in black.

"For you," said Chihiro, holding out a string of beads held captive on a length of woven cord.

"Thank you," said Matoaka, turning the beads over in her hands. "It's beautiful. Did you make it?"

"I've had a lot of free time," said Chihiro, smirking.

"You were supposed to be resting," replied Matoaka.

"Don't start that again." Chihiro reached out to once again take the beads in her own hand.

"You wear them on your arm," Chihiro said, holding the circle of beads open. "Like this." Matoaka watched as Chihiro pushed the bracelet over her hand, stopping when the beads came to encircle her wrist.

Matoaka smiled. "Resting," she said, as she leaned in to kiss Chihiro. "Don't forget."

"I know," said Chihiro.

* * *

"This looks like a good place," said Matoaka, shrugging the pack from her shoulders and setting it to rest on the ground just outside the line of trees. "Sunny. Warm. And a beautiful view of the prairie below. We can have something to eat and rest for a bit."

As Matoaka opened her pack to begin digging inside, her wolf mother stood by, sniffing at the air.

"She's close, isn't she?" said Matoaka. "I don't have her scent yet, but I know you've had it for some time."

Matoaka pulled a bit of dried meat and a rice ball from her pack, while Matoaka's mother took one more sniff at the air.

"Here you go," said Matoaka, holding out the scrap of meat in the flat of her hand.

As she raised her other hand to take the first bite from her rice ball, Matoaka stared out at the expanse of prairie. She focused her gaze on the horizon. "Is that?" she muttered.

In the distance, the tallgrass parted and swayed as Matoaka watched a solitary line being cut through the center of it. "Her scent is very close, then, isn't it?" said Matoaka.

Matoaka's mother stood and moved closer. Matoaka stayed seated, but returned the remains of her rice ball to her backpack. She rested her hands on her thighs and waited.

A single old gray peeked up from just below the hillside. She approached slowly.

"Honored mother," said Matoaka. "I'm pleased to see you again. You were there with us that night, weren't you?"

Beside Matoaka, Matoaka's mother lowered herself to rest on her belly. She brought her head down to perch atop her front paws.

"Come," said Matoaka, opening her arms. "Come let me know your scent, so I may hold it close to my nose."

The old mother padded forward and paused.

"You were very brave," said Matoaka. "On that night when you and the others came. I got to see your actions firsthand."

The old mother lowered her head and closed the remaining distance between herself and Matoaka.

"Have your wounds healed?" asked Matoaka. "I remember you limping that night, but I don't see it now."

The old mother sniffed the air around Matoaka. After a moment, she turned and sat down, opposite where Matoaka's mother lay.

"I have some meat in my pack," said Matoaka. "Here, let me get some for you."

Matoaka reached inside her backpack and pulled forth another scrap of dried meat. She held it on the flat of her hand under the old mother's muzzle.

The old mother stole a quick glance at Matoaka and then returned her gaze to the offering in Matoaka's hand. With a single lash of her tongue the old mother gobbled it up.

"Thank you for choosing to join with us," said Matoaka. "I am honored to have you at my side."

* * *

Matoaka stood high atop the moonlit ridge, looking down. Flanking her was her pack, her own wolf mother standing on her left and the five wolf mothers who had joined with her standing on her right. In the distance Matoaka watched the tallgrass parting as two more wolf mothers ran side by side toward the ridge and toward where she stood.

Laying her staff at her feet, Matoaka opened her arms wide, kneeling as she waited to greet the newcomers.

* * *

Epilogue

The old mother raised her head to the moon and howled. Her voice cut loud and long through the chill night air. In her call, the old mother used the sounds for pups and the sounds for danger. It was not an urgent danger that required immediate action, nor was it an imminent threat to pups, but rather a warning of things that could come to pass.

The old mother also spoke of a new pack leader in the land to the east. A woman of The People. A young girl pup who was wise in the ways of the wolf mothers as well as the ways of her own kind. The old mother described how the scent of this woman of The People traveled upon the wind, and asked that her story be carried far and wide.

Keep this scent close to your noses so you may know her when she comes.

The old mother then pricked her ears and waited. Her call was answered by another, and then another. Only when she heard it repeated a third time, did she turn around to enter her den once again. The old mother curled up, resting her head on her paws, and closed her eyes, dreaming that her girl pup still lay snuggled up beside her.

* * *

Afterword

Thanks again to everyone who stuck with this story to the end. And to everyone who commented and left stars and likes. To get such a response for a tale like this posted to a sex story site, a tale that only ever got as far as kissing, is pretty humbling to me.

I hope this story of these brave young women gave you a small spark of optimism. 2025 is still kind of a dismal year, it seems. Keep the scents of those you love close to your noses. Offer your support to those who need it, even when they're not part of your pack. We are stronger together.

For your final song of the series, use your favorite streaming service to find Mother by Danzig, covered by Brass Against, featuring Liza Colby on vocals.