The darkness deepened quickly as Fenrir followed the road down off the pass into the canyons. She never paused, he noted. 'Must be her elven heritage. Most humans would have had to stop for a rest by now.' The old road she had followed was barely hanging on; where it cut into the sides of a cliff, it was frequently eroded along its outer edge, making Fenrir wonder briefly how the Vigil had managed to get a wagon up it. Where the terrain was less extreme, bushes and occasionally small trees had been cut down to allow passage. The confusion of tracks and smells slowed his progress slightly; as fresh as Safara's trail was, it was still easier to lose amongst the two-day old confusion the soldiers had left than he would have liked. Humans' scent was much stronger than elves'.

  The darkness had almost fully settled when he finally heard his quarry in the form of an icicle shattering against a rock wall. Still roughly half a mile distant, but it served to provide confirmation of the location of what he sought, and he redoubled his pace, now only paying cursory attention to her trail. As he approached, however, he slowed slightly and moved as quietly as possible. The icicle indicated an altercation of some kind, and he preferred to see potential threats before they saw him. The road at this point wound about the base of a cliff, a wooded slope dropping off to the left, where he could hear a small stream babbling noisily somewhere below. But his attention was focused on what occupied the road, and as he rounded a final bend he saw Safara about a quarter mile distant, cornered against the cliff as two hulking shapes closed in.

  She unched another icicle as he watched, but it barely seemed to faze the creature it struck, eliciting only an irritated grunt. And as for the creatures themselves? At first gnce Fenrir was reminded of a sasquatch or a yeti, and as he closed further he noticed their thick white fur, their extreme size of ten to twelve feet tall, their three-fingered hands ending in wickedly curved six-inch cws, their fttened goril-like faces, and horns protruding over a foot from their heads.

  He activated his Shroud without missing a beat, God's Eye telling him that these were yeti, and unsurprisingly, they were nearly immune to ice, though somewhat weak to fire. More relevantly to himself, they had significant physical defense and attack. He increased his pace still more as one roughly grabbed Safara, entirely unbothered by her desperate attempts to defend herself. The other blocked his approach, so he struck that one first, ending his meteoric approach in a long swift pounce, his cws embedding themselves deeply in the yeti's neck just below its skull. He tore in opposite directions, almost decapitating it as his cws came free, but such a violent kill could not fail to catch the attention of the other yeti, and it rounded on him with a roar that shook the ground, tossing Safara to the side as it did so. She hit the wall hard, slumping into a limp mass at the foot of the cliff.

  For the second time in as many days, Fenrir saw red. He leaped with the quickness of thought at the offending yeti's throat, but was caught midair by a smashing blow that threw him into the cliff with staggering force and shook him out of his blind fury. This creature was stronger than him, and fast enough to use that strength effectively against him. His rage still coursed through him, deadening the pain from the impacts, but he attempted fiercely to subdue it. 'Berserk is my strength, but I wield it, it will not wield me!' Dodging a follow-up strike from the yeti that tore gouges in the stone, he struggled to separate himself from his anger. A momentary gnce at Safara's limp form nearly broke his concentration, making his second dodge too slow, and the yeti's cws tore three great gashes in his shoulder, the pain adding fuel to the fire of his rage.

  He threw himself backwards, seeking to gain time, but his opponent was far quicker than its size would suggest, and it closed the distance again almost instantly. Ducking under another swing powerful enough to pulverize stone, he retaliated with a cross strike at the yeti's chest. Even with the increase to his strength, however, the blows barely penetrated the creature's thick hide, its fur stealing most of the force and very effectively blunting the sharpness of his cws. As it roared in rage and pain, he dived under its outstretched arm, forcing it to swing around to follow him and gaining him a precious second.

  This was the first fight in which he had felt outmatched, and he redoubled his efforts to calm himself, knowing that it was impossible for him to defeat this opponent with brute force. With a great effort he mastered himself, forming his anger into a shell around a calm, or at least focused, core. The result was a cold fury which lent him strength but did not compromise his judgement. But he stood on the razor's edge, every moment threatening the loss of his fragile control.

  Calling upon the Jackal to imbue his cws with Confusion, he resumed the deadly dance with his opponent, weaving in and out, delivering strikes whenever possible, taking the blows he could not deflect or avoid on the thickest part of his fur. The first exchange had taught the yeti as much as it had Fenrir, and it fought more cautiously, now aware that this strange new creature had teeth. It took a heavy toll for the first few moments, Fenrir pouring blood from nasty wounds as strikes he could not entirely avoid cut through his fur and the skin beneath with ease. However, each successive ssh Fenrir nded made it clumsier as the confusion took hold. It slowed, but nding a decisive blow proved difficult until an icicle shattered against the side of its head. Roaring in anger, it turned to face this new threat, giving Fenrir the perfect opening, one he did not hesitate to exploit. A leap in, a ssh, a leap out, and the yeti's roar ended in a wet gurgle as its throat was torn wide open.

  Sparing only a single gnce to ensure the yeti was fully hors-de-combat, Fenrir followed the path of the projectile back to see Safara lying propped on one elbow with a hand still outstretched, her face drawn in pain and concentration. Even as he turned she slumped again, her head falling limply forward. A single bound brought him to her side and he gathered her gently into his arms, bending low over her as he listened for breathing. A moment ter he sighed in relief as he heard it, shallow but present. Using God's Eye showed him multiple bruises forming, several shallow cuts, a slight concussion, and three cracked ribs, but it seemed she had gotten very lucky. He had expected broken bones at the least from how hard she had impacted the wall.

  He began to lift her, but stopped with a gasp of pain. With the fight now over, his wounds made themselves vehemently known, cuts crossing over his chest and shoulders, some down to the bone, and nasty bruising on his side and back from being flung into the wall. Blood poured from the cuts, soaking his fur and Safara's clothing with red. He attuned himself with the Serpent, wondering whether the regenerative boost would be enough. There being little else he could do out here, Fenrir gently lifted Safara from the ground and set out for the castle with the signature gliding trot of the wolf, leaving the yeti where they had fallen.

  He was beginning to feel weak from blood loss by the time he turned in at the castle's gate. The wounds had closed slightly, but the limited uptime on the ability meant he was still leaving a trail of red behind him as he ran. A small part of him grimaced at the thought of leaving such an obvious trail back to his 'den', but his reason shouted it down. This was no time for such concerns.

  The succubi gasped in shock as he entered the kitchens, and several sprang to their feet with horrified excmations. "Master, what happened?!" Yumiko cried, running to his side.

  Attempting to disarm their concern, Fenrir managed a weak smile. "You should see the other guy," he said wryly, wincing as Safara shifted slightly in his arms.

  "The 'other guy' must be ribbons if he's worse than you!" Nelith excimed, now at his other side and examining him closely.

  "Not quite, but he is dead. Safara tried to run away, and I caught up to her just in time to save her from two yeti." Fenrir gently set the unconscious elf down on a bnket which Lilli had hastily spread next to the hearth.

  "You fought two yeti?!" Nelith looked at him in undisguised shock.

  "I only fought one, the other I killed with a surprise attack. But one was quite enough to keep me busy, as you can see." He settled onto the hearth with a pained grimace, trying not to aggravate his wounds further.

  Lilli rummaged through one of the boxes the succubi had brought inside, pulling out bandages and other medical supplies. "How much blood have you lost, Master?" she asked, her tone serious and entirely businesslike.

  "Enough to feel it," Fenrir replied. "I'm beginning to feel weak, but I don't think it'll kill me just yet."

  She nodded and began winding the bandages about his chest, helped by Yumiko. The rest of the succubi crowded around, asking questions and eyeing his injuries.

  "I guess I shouldn't be that surprised," said Nelith, "but the fact that you fought a yeti and won! I mean, even minotaurs avoid yeti if they can, those fucks are seriously bad news. And then you casually stroll in here, covered in your own blood, and say yup, you've fought one. And killed it." She shook her head in admiring disbelief.

  "How did you do it?" Kira asked, gazing at him in awe.

  "I had some help. Safara distracted him and gave me the opening I needed to finish him off."

  "Then how did you get hurt so bad?" asked Aimi.

  "Well, we whittled each other down a bit before Safara came to and intervened. She got thrown into a wall at the start of the fight, so she was unconscious for most of it. Lilli, can you look her over and see what you can do for her? She's not hurt as badly as I feared, but she could still use some patching up."

  "Of course," Lilli replied, neatly tying off a bandage. "Just as soon as I'm done with you. Wasn't it a bit foolhardy of you, to jump into a fight with two yeti like that?"

  "I suppose so, but I didn't have much time to deliberate. I barely got there in time as it was. Not that it would have changed much, but we don't have yeti where I come from, so that was the first time I've seen one."

  Lilli threw him a piercing gnce but said nothing, instead focusing on cleaning a deep wound in his shoulder. He hissed as she bathed it in a cleaning solution but managed to avoid flinching away. Yumiko gave him a sympathetic look, preparing the next bandage for Lilli.

  A brief silence fell as Lilli finished her ministrations, healing the smallest cuts with magic and wrapping the rger ones. Once done, she turned her attention to Safara.

  "Careful, she's got three cracked ribs on her left side," Fenrir cautioned, sagging slightly as a wave of exhaustion swept over him. Chellise cuddled up beside him, worried eyes turned up to his. "I'll be fine, little one," he said, answering the unspoken question in her eyes. "It'll take more than this to put me out of commission. Besides, it looks worse than it is."

  Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lilli shake her head in disbelief, but she kept her thoughts to herself, focusing instead on healing the cuts Safara had sustained on the rock.

  Kira was not so discrete. "Well, I should hope so, because it looks like you should have been dead a couple pints ago. Just how much blood do you even still have?"

  "Enough," he grinned. "I'm pretty sure I heal quicker than most as well. Just give me a bath and a good night's sleep and I'll be right as rain."

  Koreen snorted in amusement. "Well, you coulda fooled me. From the front you look red, not bck."

  "That's where the bath comes in, of course," Fenrir smirked at her. Violetta giggled softly in the corner, watching the proceedings with interest. She instantly shrank in on herself when Fenrir gnced at her, however. Suppressing a frown, he decided to leave her strictly alone for now. If an idle gnce garnered such an extreme reaction, he was likely best off giving her time to get used to him. Ideally, he should wait until she approached him, not the other way round.

  Nelith was doing her own deliberation. Making up her mind, she said, "Well, Chief, while you were exploring the castle and rescuing ungrateful elves, we took inventory of everything the Vigil brought with them, and I wrote it down for you. Here, you can look at it when you feel like it. If there's anything I can tell you about... anything, just ask."

  "Dinner first," interjected Lilli, not looking up from Safara. "You need nutrition to restore your strength. Your body won't heal without the resources to do so."

  Her tone brooked no argument, and Fenrir chuckled and shrugged, saying, "You heard the woman. Did that inventory list include food, by any chance?"

  "Right here, Master!" Yumiko pced a bowl of hot soup in his hands. "The rest of us already ate. There's more here if you want it."

  Fenrir blinked. "Well, thank you. You don't have mindreading powers by any chance, do you?"

  Yumiko looked confused. "What do you mean, Master?"

  "You always seem to be anticipating my needs even before I do," the rge wolf expined. "I appreciate it." He took a sip of the soup. "Hmm, surprisingly good. I didn't expect too much from preserved food, but whichever of you prepared this knew what you were doing."

  "That's Lilli," Yumiko said, beaming at the compliment. "She's really good at cooking."

  Lilli smiled back at Fenrir briefly, saying, "I'm gd you like it, Master."

  A comfortable silence descended as Fenrir ate, taking a second and then third helping before his hunger was appeased. At length however, he set the bowl aside with a satisfied sigh. Turning to Nelith, he asked, "Now where's this inventory list?"

  "Right here, Chief," she replied, handing it to him.

  He scanned it, raising his eyebrows slightly at the amount of food. "They brought enough food to st, didn't they?"

  "You're telling me. I'm the one who had to count it all," Kira grumbled under her breath.

  But she wasn't quiet enough to escape Fenrir's notice. "I appreciate your effort. Maybe I can reward you personally ter, hmm?"

  "I'll hold you to that," she grinned, her embarrassment at being overheard compining quickly vanishing under the prospect of a reward.

  "No fair," pouted Aimi.

  "No fair, nothing! You already had a turn, you horny slut. Nearly everyone's had a turn except me. Well, Vi and Koreen didn't, but I'm not sure either of them even want to. And besides, I didn't see you out there helping."

  Koreen bit her lip at the mention of her name, looking conflicted, while Violetta shrunk further in on herself. Waiting for a moment when her attention was elsewhere, Fenrir examined her with God's Eye.

  Spoiler

  (Image by Personal Ami)

  [colpse]ViolettaFemale DemonLesser Succubus Lvl 3Status: Embarrassed, UncomfortableAbilities: Lesser Seduction, Sneak, ------Kinks/Fetishes:extremely submissive – wants to be treated gentlyDisposition Towards User:terrified of him – hopes she can avoid his notice – confused by his gentle treatment of the succubi

  She was among the shortest of the succubi, her horns cut off several inches from the base, with deep teal hair that complemented her pink skin and blue eyes beautifully. Her breasts were easily the smallest of the succubi but perfectly formed, fitting her slim frame well. Interestingly, her skin changed colors midway down her thighs, becoming a deep indigo. She was dressed in a simple but form-fitting dress that reminded him vaguely of a cheongsam from his old world. Shifting his attention elsewhere before she became aware of his scrutiny, he returned his focus to the conversation around him.

  Nelith was speaking. "Alright you two, that's enough. Aimi, you got off easy this time, but don't think you'll be able to sneak out of doing your part next time. And Kira, the chief doesn't owe us anything. We're the ones that owe him, remember?"

  Both looked somewhat abashed, mumbling an acknowledgement. "Good. Now it's getting te, so let's get some rest, everyone," the red-skinned succubus continued. "Tomorrow's going to be a busy day, or I miss my guess."

  Fenrir sniffed at his fur with disdain, disliking the blood in it, but there was no alternative. Washing himself now would ruin the bandages Lilli had so carefully applied and no doubt reopen the wounds. So resigning himself to the inescapable, he carefully y down beside Safara, close enough to be aware of her movements. He wanted to know if she awoke before him. On his other side, Chellise snuggled back up to him. She had almost fallen asleep leaning against his side while the others talked, and now she was reluctant to give up the contact. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. The other succubi curled up in the chaotic mess they seemed to favor, Nelith rebuilding the fire before joining them. Before long the room was still but for the soft crackling of the fmes on the hearth.

  TheBestofSome