A New Wolf Rises

***

Preface to readers:

Inspired by my time off, along with a few stories I've read on Literotica, I've decided to pick up writing again! To give a brief overview of what this story will be about (so you know right off the bat whether it's to your tastes, without spoiling anything), my story will be about werewolves, romance, sex and developing an immersive world parallel to our own... that's a big goal, but better to have a dream than not! I've always loved books such as Game of Thrones, Wheel of Time, etc. which focus heavily on creating an in depth world with quality characters. My main focus for this first chapter will be on creating that world. I think both sex and good storytelling can coexist (as many of the stories on this site can attest to). Also, there is a... sexual climax... to my first chapter! At any rate, this isn't a story about my life, but another's! So, without further ado, here's how my story about wolves, love and conflict begins!

-Lithilian

***

It had all happened so fast. One second, she had been walking home with her roommate and close friend, Kevin. The next, they had been knocked unconscious by a pair of large men who held pieces of cloth wet with chloroform over their mouths. The only thing she remembered after that had been the familiar movements of a car, before she had another cloth held to her mouth.

Where am I?

Sky wondered as she opened her eyes slightly. Still drowsy from the sedation, she tried to get her bearings, taking care not to open her eyes too much in case there was someone around. She realized that she was in a small clearing within the woods, a stark contrast to the city streets and alleys of downtown Toronto, where she had been before being knocked out. She grimly noted a limp body about ten feet in front of her.

Kevin? No. It can't be. Could it?

She groaned as she fought the chemical's hold on her.

What the hell happened?

The thought echoed in Sky's head as she slowly gained consciousness. Not hearing or seeing anybody else around her aside from the body, she sat up against the trunk of a large tree. Every bone and muscle felt like it was torn and shred. She decided to inspect herself for wounds. She feared the worst. She was, however, surprised by what she saw. Despite her body feeling utterly devastated, there didn't appear to be severe physical damage. All she found was a scrape on her outer thigh and numerous cuts on her right arm which had dried blood over them, and no hint of any solvent burns from the chloroform. Her body felt on fire, though she couldn't place why.

I don't get it, why am I so warm? It's mid-November and all I'm wearing is jeans and a blouse. I've had to be laying out here in the cold for hours, for this blood to dry and the wound to close...

Sky struggled to gain her feet, before she gave up and decided to crawl over to inspect the body which lay near her. She was confused by what she saw. He was much too large to be her roommate, and upon further investigation she wondered how she ever thought it could have been. The person appeared Slavic, perhaps Russian, yet she didn't recognize him. He had round cheekbones, yet his face was long and his sideburns full. He had a large muscled figure which dwarfed most other men she had ever seen. She wondered if this was one of the men that had ambushed her. His body was significantly more damaged than her own, with several large gashes along his bare chest, and several large bite marks along his shoulder and neck. Checking for a pulse, Sky realized with horror that the man was dead.

Could the cuts on my arm be a bite?

Sky pushed the thought away, deciding that if she had been attacked by some animal she stood much less of a chance than this giant of a man.

Panic set in as she looked around her. She thought she caught a shadow moving among the dark trees. Sky tried to yell, "Come out, I know you're there." However, all that came out was a terrified squeak. Scanning the shadows, she caught a glimpse of a distinctly human shape, coming closer. Unable to decide whether she was relieved to see another soul, or terrified at the dark possibilities, she waited for the person to make the first move. What else could she do in her current state?

The stranger moved into the clearing, "Don't be afraid, little one. I won't hurt you." Sky's terror abated when she realized the newcomer was an older woman, a Native American by the look of what she wore, a feathered headdress along with a long leather dress. She was definitely not one of Sky's ambushers. Her skin was wrinkled and her hair was white, however her bright yellow eyes burned with the spark of life.

Are eyes supposed to be yellow? Or am I seeing things?

The lady continued, "We're only a short walk from my tents. You definitely want some explanations. I won't force you to come with me, but you are welcome to join me in my village, Sky. I will do my best to explain the situation to you." Sky laughed slightly to herself at the thought of an old lady forcing her anywhere; however the entire situation was bizarre enough that she kept her thought to herself. Sky wasn't going anywhere without a few answers.

"First, how do you know my name, and how do you explain him?" Sky pointed to the body below her, more and more questions on the tip of her tongue.

The old lady responded patiently, explaining as best she could, "My name is Akinawa. I know your name because you were being stalked by a group of amenae -- rogue shape shifters -- and my tribe did everything we could to learn more about you and your roommate, in order to protect you. It seems we have failed our task. My tribe tries to keep the interactions between the human world and the lycanthropes' to a minimum. This group of amenae was particularly troublesome, however. When a group pulls away completely from the ties with their pack and the council they become very hard to track. This particular group moved as a pack, intent on turning humans into what you would call werewolves. The process is similar to the human legends, though the realities of the condition are quite different from the fantasy. This group seeks to make the practice of turning humans common again, shattering the current customs of our society."

It took everything in Sky's power not to laugh at the old lady and pass her off as mad due to her ramblings; however, in her current condition Sky found it hard to find a reasonable explanation for the night's events, or an explanation for how this "Akinawa" seemed to know everything that happened to her, so she decided to play along, "and the corpse at my feet?"

"His name was Alexander. He was a skilled hunter, and an alpha - a leader. He will be missed dearly by his people. It is likely that he is the only reason you are still alive." The old lady continued, "His job, along with the rest of my tribe, was to track down the rogues and kill them. Not something we take lightly, though the council decided it was necessary." Akinawa paused for a second, and then spoke lightly, "If you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my tent before the other rogues return. I expect Alexander's killer was wounded heavily in his fight, and will likely return. They'll know we were here, but they won't dare attack a village of the very wolves that were sent to end their wretched lives. They will be gone completely by morning."

Realizing that she had very few options, standing in an unknown forest with no other sign of civilization, Sky agreed to follow the stranger back to her tent. She hoped to meet some of the old woman's tribe mates who could dismiss the lady as senile and give Sky an explanation that made sense.

Is there an explanation that would make sense?

Sky mused,

I've been knocked unconscious, my entire body is burning from a few cuts and Kevin is nowhere to be seen.

She felt guilty that she had just remembered Kevin now, and spoke as she walked beside the lady. "What about the person I was with when I was ambushed?"

Akinawa's face darkened for an instant before she caught herself, straightening her face, but not before Sky had noticed. "His scent is weak, and it was headed in the same direction that your attackers fled. He is likely dead, though we will do everything we can to find him. Trust me; our hunters are a hundred times more capable than you are right now, child. You would do better to get some rest." Her blunt reply took Sky aback, however she kept moving. Eventually a few tents appeared in a larger clearing through the thick trees. She didn't realize how tired she was until Akinawa had mentioned rest, and the adrenaline running through her veins had abated somewhat. Sky stumbled behind her guide until she found herself face down in a bed, unsure how she got there. She drifted quickly to sleep.

The next morning Akinawa sat with Sky for a light breakfast of tea and bread. It seemed that every question Sky asked, the answer brought two more questions to her head. When she asked about the "shape shifting" nonsense Akinawa had mentioned the night before, the old lady simply called out "Adahy!" and a large black wolf leaped into the tent, startling Sky. Before her eyes he shifted, impossibly, into a young man. He looked to be around her age. Akinawa introduced the newcomer as her grandson. Akinawa mentioned that he preferred the name Jake, though she refused to give up using her Native American name for her grandson, explaining that it meant "Lives in the woods," something which she felt very fitting of a wolf.

Sky had learned that Akinawa's pack -- or tribe, as she called them -- was not an actual Native American tribe, but rather that the old woman used the term as a personal sign of affection. Akinawa claimed that she had grown up many years ago, before the Europeans ever came to North America, in a small village which had sent all lycans to a separate tribe for upbringing, as a lycan required mental and physical discipline in order to maintain control over their savage nature. She mentioned that many of her parents' people had felt the lycans were cursed, yet among themselves the lycans considered their condition a great blessing. She also pointed out that her current pack consisted of a large number of Russian and European wolves, having put aside their individual differences in order to come together to protect the mystery surrounding their kind, with the ultimate goal of preventing humanity from warring with them, as humans so often did among themselves.

Akinawa told Sky that Jake would answer any remaining questions she had, and that they would offer her a temporary home until she found her place in the world. Sky wondered what she meant by that, all she wanted was to go back to her home in Toronto. Akinawa left to attend to other duties.

For the first time Sky took a good look at the lycan in front of her, noticing with keen interest that his human form was very attractive. His hair was dark, nearly black but with a hint of brown. His hair was long, and stretched to his shoulders. He was fairly tall; Sky guessed he stood a little over six feet. He had well defined muscles, though he didn't look like a bodybuilder.

Mmm, he looks sleek and agile, wolfish.

Sky laughed inwardly at her own joke. His eyes were a deep green, with a spark of the yellow that burned so brightly in his grandmother's eyes. His face was roguish, with some thin scruff. His body excited her, and the confidence in his eyes radiated around him. She placed his age in his late twenties, a few years older than herself... at least, if aging worked the same way for these lycans. Something Sky highly doubted given his grandmother's claim to being born before Europeans ever came to the Americas.

The first question quickly rolled off Sky's tongue, "What is this 'council', and why is your grandmother telling me any of this?"

Jake explained that the "council", also known among wolves as the Raoul, was a large coalition of different packs' leaders. For most, this was the alpha, however for some packs this was a shaman, a seer, an arch druid, or another similar title. Sky noted that this spoke to cultural differences, an interesting prospect among a group which could supposedly communicate telepathically. Every pack leader had the right to challenge for a position on the council, however only experienced wolves who have the sponsorship of a current member are allowed to attain the position. Council alphas could converse with each other across vast distances through a mental link, where one of the members would initiate contact with the rest. They would then discuss various issues impacting the wolves of the world, which would be handled by specialized packs and impartial servants of the council.

Not unlike human governments, or the United Nations, if a little peculiar... and he still didn't tell me why they're telling me any of this.

Jake explained, "However, there's been an increase in opposition to the Raoul recently. A lot of wolves see it as an aristocracy, a coalition of the elite. If there's one thing wolves hate it's feeling as though anyone has power over them, outside of their pack. Outside of their control."

Sky took a deep breath, and asked the question that was tugging at her mind, though she had been struggling to build the courage to ask, "You're telling me all of this because I'm going to turn into a werewolf, right?" Jake's quick nod was all that she needed to see.

The cuts on my arm are a bite mark.

Sky realized sadly, asking, "What about my family, my life?" tears were building in her eyes.

Jake responded in a sympathetic tone, "You'll still be able to live among humans if you choose, so long as you take the time to learn how to control your instincts. Once you do that, you'll be able to live whatever life you choose." His voice soothed her, "You're the first human that I know of to be brought into our lifestyle in hundreds of years. Most will understand that it was the actions of Amanae which turned you and you had no control over the situation. Many of the elders grew up when it was common for humans to be turned; you shouldn't face too much hostility... so long as you stay out of any larger pack feuds. " Jake added, "The stories among humans, about werewolves being bloodthirsty beasts, are mostly misunderstandings and theatrical exaggeration." Sky realized that the wolves knew much more about humans than humans even imagined about the shape shifters. "By all accounts I know of, turned werewolves are the same creatures that we are -- they're simply pups in an adult's body, which can certainly be dangerous without training. I have offered to do my best to welcome you into our society, if you'll have me as your mentor."

Sky's mind eased at the offer. She wanted to know more, given that her transformation seemed inevitable, should any of this prove to be true, "How will I know? You know... how to shift, what to do..."

Jake's mouth twisted into a playful smile, "It's natural. How does a bird know how to fly? How does a fish know how to swim? It'll take some getting used to; you'll be about as graceful as a pup. You likely won't be able to fully control your shifts for a few days. That said, your senses will be sharper, even in your human form. You'll grow into those easily, as you already know how to use your senses. Your biggest challenge will be learning movement in your new forms, controlling your anger, choosing which life you want to lead and learning to mentally link with your pack mates." She had so many questions.

I thought that the mental link was exclusive to the wolf council.

Noticing the confused look on Sky's face, Jake elaborated, "Telepathic abilities are latent in all wolves. We identify as wolves, though we are as different from the animal as humans are from us. Humans have some telepathic capability too, I suspect, however they never mastered it and the process seems to work differently in each human, making it difficult to teach. Among wolves it's easy to teach, drawing on our pack-based nature. The special link the council members have differs, giving them ability to communicate on a global scale, outside of their own packs, however the link can only be used for sharing words, not emotions. This is a weak bond, from a wolf's perspective. Sorry for the confusion, this topic is obvious to someone born into our world. I imagine it is tough for a human to understand it. I have no experience teaching a freshly turned human... there is much hidden from your world. I'm learning as you are, Sky. I think we should take a walk." Still digesting the information she had been bombarded with, Sky decided to follow.

The sky was bright as she stepped out of the tent and onto the camp's grounds. The air had warmed considerably since last night. She noticed a few wolves and men walking amongst the grounds, as well as an occasional wolf-man hybrid, similar to the stories.

I wonder why I'm not surprised by that... I suppose I've had enough surprises since last night.

Some of the tents were Native American in design, though most were modern camping tents. The entire situation felt odd to her, as though she'd stepped into another world which was a shadow of her own. In some ways, she had. A few of the inhabitants greeted them, though quickly turned and went about their business.

Sky was the first to talk as the pair entered the trees around the forest, "Why did you offer to teach me?"

Jake smiled warmly as he turned his head to look at her, "I'm almost ready to start my own pack, to segment off from my family and to seek a mate. You could say I'm exploring a new aspect of my life. Similar to how you must explore your lycanthropy in order to survive. Besides, it's a great opportunity for me to learn about humans, I've never lived among them as some wolves choose to... and you'll have a unique view on my culture, as well." Sky pondered the young wolf's reasoning, but decided it must be good enough for him.

As the pair approached a steep hill, covered with thick roots and tall trees, Sky asked, "What do you look for in a mate?" She had already felt attraction building between the two of them, though had too many questions to act on it until now. She adored his figure, and his toned body sent a flame through her.

Jake took a moment to think about the question, eyeing her thoughtfully, "I will soon become an alpha, and I want a mate that can challenge me, to keep me at my best. Once we settle on a life mate we are bound until death, except in crazy circumstances. We take pairing very seriously, once two wolves swear their souls to each other there is no turning back." He paused briefly.

Hm. That's more romantic than most humans I can think of. Maybe living with these wolfs for a time won't be so bad.

Jake continued, "That said, you'll find mating and sex are very different concepts in our world. Before that bond is formed, most wolves choose to explore their sexuality, pairing off with many partners in order to explore themselves. Being a life mate is the ultimate commitment, though a mate may come and go."

Staring at her mentor, Sky decided to push the issue, "I could help you... explore your sexuality." Jake chuckled lightly to himself.

Fuck. That sounded smoother in my head.

Before Sky could manage to retreat from her advances, Jake grabbed her by the arms, pushing her back against the bark of a large maple tree on the edge of the hill. His face turned from amused to aroused in an instant, "So the little human girl thinks she's ready to mate with an alpha?" His hip pressed between her legs as he stared into her eyes. His eyes were burning yellow, and Sky could sense his want, and feel her own rising up to meet his. She lowered her head to his neck and kissed him, savouring his scent as he enveloped her.

He smells fierce and wild. Strong...

She felt the tension in her muscles from the previous night melt away as her body caught fire with lust.