Sole Wolfess and Kid
© 2022 by M. Mitch Marmel and Walter Reimer
(The Sole Wolfess and Aedith ‘Sunny’ Winterbough are courtesy of E.O. Costello. Thanks!)
Thumbnail art by tegerio, color by marmelmm
Part Four.
There was a slight delay in accompanying the leader; I suddenly realized that one of the little fishy indefinites had somehow nicked my coin pouch off my belt. "Hey!" I yelped, as the fishes started tossing it back and forth, playing a watery game of ‘keep away’ with me. The leader chuckled and waved a paw, and several retainers helped Reelma and me recover my purse.
[Note appended to manuscript: "What’s the matter, wolfess? You never heard of carp to carp walleting?"]
[Note appended to manuscript: “I’d drown you in the lake for that pun, but Windimere might object.”]
[Note appended to manuscript: “{{Lrnu, V jbhyq.}}”]
A quick cantrip dried out my coin pouch, and Aedith and I were escorted toward the large building that I’d seen through the circular arch. Several more guards had come running, drawn to the commotion, and the leader of our escort waved them off with a few short words. The pause enabled me to look at the building.
The place was huge, very broad, three stories high and built in a series of setbacks. The walls were almost luminously white, and the yellow-tiled roofs had oddly curved gables supported by red pillars. The overall effect was supposed to be somewhat overwhelming, I suppose, but it was all laid out in a very neat and symmetrical pattern, nothing like the Palace at Albric Tor.
The leader of our escort walked up to the door of the place, and an armored guard suddenly appeared in front of him. Words were exchanged, and the guard pooked away. A moment later, the doors swung open, and the leader bowed to me and gestured. “You enter, please.”
I copied the bow – it seemed like the custom here – and I took Aedith’s paw before we stepped over the threshold. The leader followed us, and the armored guards closed the door.
We weren’t inside the building; we were in a walled forecourt with gardens of carefully raked sand marked off into squares by flagstones. The patterns in the sand evoked waves, with carefully placed rocks or small stands of miniature trees to imitate islands. It looked rather nice.
The leader gestured, and we started walking to the next door ahead of us.
While we walked, I noticed Aedith’s ears swiveling. “Mommy,” she whispered, “I hear something . . .” right before she let go of my paw and ducked behind a boulder that formed a centerpiece in one of the sand squares.
My daughter has good ears, as the arrow that skittered off the flagstones could attest, and I heard another one go past as I drew my sword from Elfintory. The leader shouted as he drew his own sword. One of his retainers fell back, an arrow protruding from his chest. We turned to face in the direction it had come from as six black-clad figures came over the wall.
I saw the archer up in the shadows on the roof and put my sword away.
Why, I hear you ask?
Because I didn’t want my daughter to see me kill someone.
I took a long look up and pooked as another guard went down with an arrow to his knee. The archer, another wah, looked very surprised to see me suddenly standing on the roof beside him.
I grinned. “From here you can get a splendid view of my foot,” and kicked him in the face as hard as I could. He did a half somersault and slid down the roof to land in an untidy heap in the exact center of one of the sand gardens.
It spoiled the symmetry.
I disapparated my cloak, manifested my wings and swooped down as the remaining guards were beset by their attackers. I could barely make out what kind of fighting moves they were doing, but the cats were as fast as lightning, and to someone who wasn’t a fighter it could have looked a little bit frightening. This was going to take expert timing.
My swoop took one of the black-clad red pandas down with a well-placed fist, and before the one beside him could react, I kicked him where a mel is best-situated to feel it for a while. Following this up with another blow to his head, he decided to take a nap.
Was it fair fighting? Probably not, but I was determined not to kill any of them, and I was reminded of something that I heard one of the Master’s indefinite friends say years ago, “We hardly need the strength of thirty, when we can win by fighting dirty.” With pure intent, and no weapons in my paws, I felt that my actions were Seelie.
[Note appended to manuscript: “A point for the philosophers.”]
[Note appended to manuscript: “Criticism, Master?”]
[Note appended to manuscript: “Just making the observation, wolfess.”]
One of the remaining wahs lunged at me, pivoting at the last second to bring his foot up in a sweeping curve that would have swiped me across the muzzle if I hadn’t leaned back to slip the blow. I punched at him, and he dodged while trying to kick my left knee. A return punch by him was parried by my right arm, shoving the arm away and down and I slugged him in the side of the head with my left fist. He spun away and we stood glaring at each other, panting hard.
He pooked, ending up behind me.
I fell for that at Artemisiaford.
I spun to my left, and he dodged my right fist.
He didn’t dodge my outstretched right wing, which caught him across the chops and knocked him silly. I stood over him, fists clenched and teeth bared, awaiting another attack.
No attack came, but there was a clatter as a troop of armored red pandas and much larger, bearlike black and white-furred soldiers stampeded into the garden area. The leader, bleeding from the mouth, was assisted to his feet as he explained what was going on and our attackers were hauled away. “Aedith?” I called out. “You can come out now. It’s safe.”
A head poked up. “Are you all right, Mommy?”
I grinned and crouched, arms extended. “Yes, I am,” and she ran to me and we spent a few seconds nuzzling each other. “Are you okay?” I asked.
“Uh-huh.”
That earned her a smooch. I looked up as the doors to the building opened. More guards: these were tigers in scarlet armor surrounding a red panda femme dressed in robes of scarlet and yellow brocade. She exchanged words with the leader, who was back on his feet and looking not too much the worse for wear. He gestured at me a few times while he spoke.
I had stood up and was putting my cloak back on when the wah femme asked, “Where is your armor, xiake?”
I blinked, and then I recalled that I’d seen this wah femme before, at Kahanomoku. “I’m honored that you recall me. I’m on a quest,” and she nodded and her banded tail swished. “This is my daughter,” and Aedith curtsied, to which the femme responded with a bow.
“Marquis Hu,” and she indicated the leader, “has explained that you came here by Gate.”
“Not by design,” I said. “My daughter and I are on our way to Eastness.”
“I confess I have never heard of it.”
“I think it’s far to the north of your lands, my Lady.” I gave her a quizzical look. “’Xiake?’”
She gave a demure smile that, long ago, would have told me that I might have a chance of sharing venery with her. “My pardon. It means . . . hmm, ‘follower of xia.’”
“And ‘xia?’”
Again, she smiled. “’Hero.’”
There was that word again. I’m not a hero, and part of this quest is to learn humility.
“Come,” she said, “and you shall meet my father.”
My ears went back. Her father was the Jade Emperor, a semi-legendary figure in parts of Faerie. The guards fell in beside and behind us, and we walked in.
Inside, the pillars supporting the roof were yellow, red and black, and another set of doors opened as we moved through the room. The next room had a much higher ceiling, covered in gold leaf and gems that depicted curling, stylized clouds and a vast, sinuous, dragonlike creature.
All of the guards dropped to one knee, and the femme sank to her knees and bowed her head to the floor three times.
Seated cross-legged on a raised dais was her father. A red panda who appeared old enough to be Artabanus’ grandfather, dressed in yellow robes and wearing a close-fitting cap bearing a single oval piece of polished jade, and whose body was so imbued with magic that there was no need to cast a detect-magicks cantrip. The old ruler practically glowed, and although he was seated, he was actually floating a good inch above the embroidered cushion.
Aedith dropped a deep curtsy, and I bowed.
The femme straightened up and spoke quietly and respectfully to her father. One of his ears flicked, and he inclined his head slightly and spoke, his voice hardly a whisper.
“The Celestial Ruler thanks you for your assistance,” his daughter translated, “and says that he offers you the hospitality of fire and bread until the Gate reopens, so you may resume your quest.”
I bowed to him. “Thank you, Your Majesty,” and I smiled as Aedith imitated me. My ears flicked at a tapping accompanied by shuffling footsteps.
I had thought that the Jade Emperor was ancient; the canine who entered, supporting himself with a staff, looked like he would crumble into dust at any moment. He turned and bowed to the Emperor who, amazingly, bowed back from his seated position.
The Emperor spoke, and his daughter said, “This is Master Kung, the Celestial Ruler’s teacher and sage. He learned Standard long ago and will answer any questions you may have. Quarters are being set aside for you and your daughter until the Gate may take you on the next stage of your journey.”
Aedith and I bowed again, politely. “Thank you.”
Master Kung plodded up to me and said, “The whole end of speech is to be understood,” and with that cryptic sentence he gestured and started toward a side door. Aedith and I followed.
The canine took a seat in a corner of the anteroom to our quarters, which were rather plain but quite comfortable with shuttered windows on two sides, and apart from a small book he seemed quite content while Aedith and I were offered hot baths and bowls of stew for dinner.
After I made sure that Aedith was comfortable and starting to fall asleep, I stepped out of the room and sat on the floor facing Master Kung. “Master Kung-"
"Please, just Kung."
"Who were those red pandas who attacked?"
An enigmatic smile. "The unseelie are everywhere." He raised a paw at my sudden look. "Be not concerned. You and yours are safe within the castle walls."
I relaxed a bit at this.
Kung essayed a slight smile. "Besides, wolfess, you quite clearly can take care of yourself and your daughter."
I relaxed more and a warm glow began within me as I thought of Sunny. "Thank you."
"What brings a warrior such as yourself to these lands?" Kung asked gently.
I returned the slight smile. "I . . . am on a quest."
<NEXT>
<PREVIOUS>
<FIRST>
© 2022 by M. Mitch Marmel and Walter Reimer
(The Sole Wolfess and Aedith ‘Sunny’ Winterbough are courtesy of E.O. Costello. Thanks!)
Thumbnail art by tegerio, color by marmelmm
Part Four.
There was a slight delay in accompanying the leader; I suddenly realized that one of the little fishy indefinites had somehow nicked my coin pouch off my belt. "Hey!" I yelped, as the fishes started tossing it back and forth, playing a watery game of ‘keep away’ with me. The leader chuckled and waved a paw, and several retainers helped Reelma and me recover my purse.
[Note appended to manuscript: "What’s the matter, wolfess? You never heard of carp to carp walleting?"]
[Note appended to manuscript: “I’d drown you in the lake for that pun, but Windimere might object.”]
[Note appended to manuscript: “{{Lrnu, V jbhyq.}}”]
A quick cantrip dried out my coin pouch, and Aedith and I were escorted toward the large building that I’d seen through the circular arch. Several more guards had come running, drawn to the commotion, and the leader of our escort waved them off with a few short words. The pause enabled me to look at the building.
The place was huge, very broad, three stories high and built in a series of setbacks. The walls were almost luminously white, and the yellow-tiled roofs had oddly curved gables supported by red pillars. The overall effect was supposed to be somewhat overwhelming, I suppose, but it was all laid out in a very neat and symmetrical pattern, nothing like the Palace at Albric Tor.
The leader of our escort walked up to the door of the place, and an armored guard suddenly appeared in front of him. Words were exchanged, and the guard pooked away. A moment later, the doors swung open, and the leader bowed to me and gestured. “You enter, please.”
I copied the bow – it seemed like the custom here – and I took Aedith’s paw before we stepped over the threshold. The leader followed us, and the armored guards closed the door.
We weren’t inside the building; we were in a walled forecourt with gardens of carefully raked sand marked off into squares by flagstones. The patterns in the sand evoked waves, with carefully placed rocks or small stands of miniature trees to imitate islands. It looked rather nice.
The leader gestured, and we started walking to the next door ahead of us.
While we walked, I noticed Aedith’s ears swiveling. “Mommy,” she whispered, “I hear something . . .” right before she let go of my paw and ducked behind a boulder that formed a centerpiece in one of the sand squares.
My daughter has good ears, as the arrow that skittered off the flagstones could attest, and I heard another one go past as I drew my sword from Elfintory. The leader shouted as he drew his own sword. One of his retainers fell back, an arrow protruding from his chest. We turned to face in the direction it had come from as six black-clad figures came over the wall.
I saw the archer up in the shadows on the roof and put my sword away.
Why, I hear you ask?
Because I didn’t want my daughter to see me kill someone.
I took a long look up and pooked as another guard went down with an arrow to his knee. The archer, another wah, looked very surprised to see me suddenly standing on the roof beside him.
I grinned. “From here you can get a splendid view of my foot,” and kicked him in the face as hard as I could. He did a half somersault and slid down the roof to land in an untidy heap in the exact center of one of the sand gardens.
It spoiled the symmetry.
I disapparated my cloak, manifested my wings and swooped down as the remaining guards were beset by their attackers. I could barely make out what kind of fighting moves they were doing, but the cats were as fast as lightning, and to someone who wasn’t a fighter it could have looked a little bit frightening. This was going to take expert timing.
My swoop took one of the black-clad red pandas down with a well-placed fist, and before the one beside him could react, I kicked him where a mel is best-situated to feel it for a while. Following this up with another blow to his head, he decided to take a nap.
Was it fair fighting? Probably not, but I was determined not to kill any of them, and I was reminded of something that I heard one of the Master’s indefinite friends say years ago, “We hardly need the strength of thirty, when we can win by fighting dirty.” With pure intent, and no weapons in my paws, I felt that my actions were Seelie.
[Note appended to manuscript: “A point for the philosophers.”]
[Note appended to manuscript: “Criticism, Master?”]
[Note appended to manuscript: “Just making the observation, wolfess.”]
One of the remaining wahs lunged at me, pivoting at the last second to bring his foot up in a sweeping curve that would have swiped me across the muzzle if I hadn’t leaned back to slip the blow. I punched at him, and he dodged while trying to kick my left knee. A return punch by him was parried by my right arm, shoving the arm away and down and I slugged him in the side of the head with my left fist. He spun away and we stood glaring at each other, panting hard.
He pooked, ending up behind me.
I fell for that at Artemisiaford.
I spun to my left, and he dodged my right fist.
He didn’t dodge my outstretched right wing, which caught him across the chops and knocked him silly. I stood over him, fists clenched and teeth bared, awaiting another attack.
No attack came, but there was a clatter as a troop of armored red pandas and much larger, bearlike black and white-furred soldiers stampeded into the garden area. The leader, bleeding from the mouth, was assisted to his feet as he explained what was going on and our attackers were hauled away. “Aedith?” I called out. “You can come out now. It’s safe.”
A head poked up. “Are you all right, Mommy?”
I grinned and crouched, arms extended. “Yes, I am,” and she ran to me and we spent a few seconds nuzzling each other. “Are you okay?” I asked.
“Uh-huh.”
That earned her a smooch. I looked up as the doors to the building opened. More guards: these were tigers in scarlet armor surrounding a red panda femme dressed in robes of scarlet and yellow brocade. She exchanged words with the leader, who was back on his feet and looking not too much the worse for wear. He gestured at me a few times while he spoke.
I had stood up and was putting my cloak back on when the wah femme asked, “Where is your armor, xiake?”
I blinked, and then I recalled that I’d seen this wah femme before, at Kahanomoku. “I’m honored that you recall me. I’m on a quest,” and she nodded and her banded tail swished. “This is my daughter,” and Aedith curtsied, to which the femme responded with a bow.
“Marquis Hu,” and she indicated the leader, “has explained that you came here by Gate.”
“Not by design,” I said. “My daughter and I are on our way to Eastness.”
“I confess I have never heard of it.”
“I think it’s far to the north of your lands, my Lady.” I gave her a quizzical look. “’Xiake?’”
She gave a demure smile that, long ago, would have told me that I might have a chance of sharing venery with her. “My pardon. It means . . . hmm, ‘follower of xia.’”
“And ‘xia?’”
Again, she smiled. “’Hero.’”
There was that word again. I’m not a hero, and part of this quest is to learn humility.
“Come,” she said, “and you shall meet my father.”
My ears went back. Her father was the Jade Emperor, a semi-legendary figure in parts of Faerie. The guards fell in beside and behind us, and we walked in.
Inside, the pillars supporting the roof were yellow, red and black, and another set of doors opened as we moved through the room. The next room had a much higher ceiling, covered in gold leaf and gems that depicted curling, stylized clouds and a vast, sinuous, dragonlike creature.
All of the guards dropped to one knee, and the femme sank to her knees and bowed her head to the floor three times.
Seated cross-legged on a raised dais was her father. A red panda who appeared old enough to be Artabanus’ grandfather, dressed in yellow robes and wearing a close-fitting cap bearing a single oval piece of polished jade, and whose body was so imbued with magic that there was no need to cast a detect-magicks cantrip. The old ruler practically glowed, and although he was seated, he was actually floating a good inch above the embroidered cushion.
Aedith dropped a deep curtsy, and I bowed.
The femme straightened up and spoke quietly and respectfully to her father. One of his ears flicked, and he inclined his head slightly and spoke, his voice hardly a whisper.
“The Celestial Ruler thanks you for your assistance,” his daughter translated, “and says that he offers you the hospitality of fire and bread until the Gate reopens, so you may resume your quest.”
I bowed to him. “Thank you, Your Majesty,” and I smiled as Aedith imitated me. My ears flicked at a tapping accompanied by shuffling footsteps.
I had thought that the Jade Emperor was ancient; the canine who entered, supporting himself with a staff, looked like he would crumble into dust at any moment. He turned and bowed to the Emperor who, amazingly, bowed back from his seated position.
The Emperor spoke, and his daughter said, “This is Master Kung, the Celestial Ruler’s teacher and sage. He learned Standard long ago and will answer any questions you may have. Quarters are being set aside for you and your daughter until the Gate may take you on the next stage of your journey.”
Aedith and I bowed again, politely. “Thank you.”
Master Kung plodded up to me and said, “The whole end of speech is to be understood,” and with that cryptic sentence he gestured and started toward a side door. Aedith and I followed.
The canine took a seat in a corner of the anteroom to our quarters, which were rather plain but quite comfortable with shuttered windows on two sides, and apart from a small book he seemed quite content while Aedith and I were offered hot baths and bowls of stew for dinner.
After I made sure that Aedith was comfortable and starting to fall asleep, I stepped out of the room and sat on the floor facing Master Kung. “Master Kung-"
"Please, just Kung."
"Who were those red pandas who attacked?"
An enigmatic smile. "The unseelie are everywhere." He raised a paw at my sudden look. "Be not concerned. You and yours are safe within the castle walls."
I relaxed a bit at this.
Kung essayed a slight smile. "Besides, wolfess, you quite clearly can take care of yourself and your daughter."
I relaxed more and a warm glow began within me as I thought of Sunny. "Thank you."
"What brings a warrior such as yourself to these lands?" Kung asked gently.
I returned the slight smile. "I . . . am on a quest."
<NEXT>
<PREVIOUS>
<FIRST>
Category Story / General Furry Art
Species Wolf
Gender Female
Size 889 x 1280px
Listed in Folders
>>”From here you can get a splendid view of my foot”
Be amusing if her kick coincided with a backflip.
Be amusing if her kick coincided with a backflip.
I kind of meant her doing a backflip. Eh, whatever, at least I know what you’re referencing there.
It was bad enough his adventuring days ended with an arrow to the knee, but ending his guarding days with one is adding insult to injury, don't you think?
Man, I will not be coy about saying that those koi were the worst.
>>> Lrnu, V jbhyq.
What is this rot?
Anyhow, unseelie or not, it was a treat to see funky Red Pandas in funky Pandatown.
>>> Lrnu, V jbhyq.
What is this rot?
Anyhow, unseelie or not, it was a treat to see funky Red Pandas in funky Pandatown.
That rot is Draconic, so Windimere is speaking in that note. eocostello set up a simple letter substitution code to stand for her language.
What is she saying?
"Yeah. I would."
Hurrah for the Wah!
What is she saying?
"Yeah. I would."
Hurrah for the Wah!
Regarding the translation: V xabj
My choice of pejorative did not have heart or heat behind it; more that I was making a pun of my own:
https://rot13.com/
My first introduction to it was through a cryptography feature in Boys Life magazine; my second and more intimate exposure was over Usenet, seeing as "spoiler tags" weren't a thing yet.
My choice of pejorative did not have heart or heat behind it; more that I was making a pun of my own:
https://rot13.com/
My first introduction to it was through a cryptography feature in Boys Life magazine; my second and more intimate exposure was over Usenet, seeing as "spoiler tags" weren't a thing yet.
(grins) I confess that I never bothered to ask eocostello for the type of cipher. I broke it using pen, paper, and his story "Awkward Squad."
I think eocostello'd mentioned he'd used Rot13 in one of his comments in that story.
Thinking about it, I may have suggested Rot-13 for Draconic in a chat at the time "Awkward Squad" was written... ^.^
So we add another to the list of Missy's titles: Big Boss. At least they didn't say "let's get it on".
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