Vulfu: The Primal Series

Chapter 5

“Bip! Bip!”

The call woke me out of my afternoon slumber from my shared burrow with Mowha. I was so deep in sleep that when I roused, I hit my head on the ceiling… hard. Cursing under my breath, holding my head, I began to crawl out, blinking blearily in the rays of light from the late afternoon shining in from the west, only to find the others all scrambling around the space.

“Wasgoinon?” I mumbled, my words muddling together as I rubbed my eyes.

At the sound of my arrival, Mowha stopped where she was getting ready to follow the others out of the home and stared back at me in horror. The look on her face had me stepping back in shock. Was it my hair? Was it a rat's nest on the top of my head or something? From above, echoing down the passage from the outside, I could hear Vulfu’s sharp voice snap as he shouted instructions back down to the rest of us. Without pause, Mowha grabbed me and shoved me back into the burrow.

“What’s going on?” I asked after clearing my throat, alarmed when she began to cover me like she wanted me to hide.

“Tch!” She covered my mouth with her hand, her expression earnest and fearful. I stared into her wide, dark eyes, the chocolate colour of them swirled with caramel, beautiful and hypnotic. But seeing how scared she was had me listening intently and shutting the hell up. Nodding encouragingly at me, she stroked my hair, then patted my fluffy head of tangled locks down, before covering me with another throw, and disappeared, heading outside.

What was happening?

Nervous for the others, I shimmied a little so I could peek out a narrow crack that ran horizontally along the edge of the earth, the tips of the blades of grass outside partially hiding it from view, but it was enough to see into the clearing for a way. The blurred shapes of the group dropped to the ground outside, one by one, moving off to the side in a huddle, staring southeast, and standing at the very front, was Vulfu. What were they waiting for? What had them all acting so nervous and afraid?

Then, in the distance, emerging from the thick underbrush of the forest, another group of people came forward.

What the hell?

I squinted, straining to see some telling feature, and as they came closer, I was able to discern that they were all men. Their skin, unlike my group, was deathly pale, their hair black and disheveled. They stopped about ten feet away, lining up side by side, about nine in all, and even from here, I could make out the awful, twisted scowls on their faces. They looked mean and vicious, reminding me very much of that feral man Vulfu had killed about a week ago.

One moved forward a few paces before the rest, and as I squinted to see better, I could make out that he had more grey in his hair than his comrades, and a rather sunken look about his face that made him look ill.

“Crah!” he barked, the sound raspy and sickly, addressing my group, before he then began to ramble in that strange, hissy way of his. His dark eyes moved over every single one of the family I lived with, as though suspicious and accusing. Whatever he was saying, Vulfu was quick to respond, his answering snapping as enraged as the visitors. I couldn’t see his face, as he was angled away from me, but I could hear the displeasure in his tone. Were these pale men searching for their lost friend? He had attacked us first! If this was about finding him or seeking justice, well they could shove it!

The visiting leader waved a hand at Vulfu, his jabbing digits pointing to all of his newly healing wounds. Vulfu just shook his head in response, his words defensive and harsh. Angrily, several newcomers banged their fists into the ground, apparently not liking whatever it was he had just said.

Vulfu snapped again, his tone full of heavy implication, like he was reminding these guys of something, but evidently, they disagreed. The head of the other group seemed to chuff in a hoarse sort of laugh and spoke in a mocking tone as he addressed Vulfu as aghaal. Again, no idea what that word meant, only that when spoken, it applied to Vulfu and him alone. The others in his family spoke it with respect. This man? Well, he seemed to spit it instead, which only made Vulfu glower angrily.

The head of the new group glanced over his shoulder at the rest of his followers then nodded, and they all let out several, guttural yaps, all hell breaking loose.

The opposing side stormed over and at once, Vulfu, Dahkha, Dow, and Kray ran forward to meet them, attempting to hold them off. Horrified, I covered my mouth with my hands as the men were ganged up on, all of them weaponless at that moment. The greater numbers on the other side overpowered them as they went about pinning them to the ground with ferocious gnashing of teeth and high-pitch yowls. It took them a bit longer to stop Vulfu, who had centered himself before where the three women were cornered back against the redwood, his determination to protect them clear as he took them all on. But the greater numbers took him down, though he still struggled as they were all guarded. Meanwhile, one other and the leader jumped at the wall, climbing the crack that led up into our home. Oh shit… shit! Shit!

Terrified, I buried myself beneath the fur, laying as flat as possible so it would appear as flat as the ground. The two coverings were heavy and hot, and I was sweating profusely beneath them, but I didn’t dare even crack an opening. It didn’t take long before the shuffling of their rushed footsteps landed with heavy, dull thuds into The Dome, soon followed by the noisy clatter as they began to rip through our belongings. The uneven tones in which they spoke had the hairs on my arms standing on end. I bit my lip to keep from crying out, the heat becoming unbearable as my sweat coated my entire body.

Please don’t see me… don’t see me… don’t see me! I repeated it over and over in my mind.

Don’t see me…

I cowered beneath the stairwell at my school, the sounds of footsteps roaring overhead as the loud, boisterous calls of the cheerleaders and popular girls climbed up and down, hanging out in the space. I’d been in here already, munching away on my lunch, avoiding the cafeteria altogether. I knew better than to go in there now. Not after the last time when I ended up with a bowlful of macaroni and cheese tipped over my head, followed by a soft ice cream sundae. Cece Perkins did it, as she loudly proclaimed that she had “tripped”, and was therefore not at fault, all while the sounds of the students' laughter rang in my ears like nails on a chalkboard. And especially since Marcus, Harris, and Pete ate in there. The thought of their eyes seeing me after what they’d each done…

No, it was better if I hid out, eating alone to avoid being a target.

Then those girls came and decided to spend their free time lounging on the steps above my head, watching the boys play football out the window overlooking the field. I didn’t dare breathe, halting from even finishing my lunch so I could remain as quiet as possible to avoid their notice.

Don’t see me… don’t see me…

Dust floated down from above, a cobweb amongst the floating specks of dirt and hair, tickling my face. Goddammit! Someone up there hates me. Truly hated, despised, and loathed me. I covered my mouth, squeezing my nose, trying to reign it in, but like every day that I endured in this school, luck was never on my side.

“Ah-choo!” I sneezed loudly, not even finding the ability to mask it in any capacity.

There was silence, and then a rush of footsteps before their long legs appeared before me. Slowly, I looked up, staring into the cruel, evil smiles of my tormentors. “Looky here! It’s the Sad Girl!”

“Little loser mouse. What are you doing hiding down here?”

“You spying on us?”

“N-no, I swear, Cece. I was just-just…” I stammered, holding up my hands before my face, automatically going on the defensive. “I was eating and–”

“Thought you’d skulk around and try to listen in on us? What were you hoping for little Mousy Fields? Trying to find something to blackmail us with?” Cece laughed cruelly, her friends joining her. “Well, we can’t have that, can we? Ladies! What do you think?”

“Flagpole! Flagpole! Flagpole!”

Cece’s cruel smirk broadened, her hands on her hips, her brown eyes sparkling with mirth as she nodded, sealing my fate. “Flagpole it is!”

A hand suddenly tugged at one of the furs hiding me from view, and I snapped out of my haunting memory, remembering that I was hiding again, only this time, it was from a different kind of monster. I remained absolutely still, the sweat getting into my eyes as I fought the urge to cry out in terror. I remained absolutely still as the hand groped around for a minute before deciding they wanted my cover and pulled.

One blanket was torn free, but the second one was still hiding my figure, and to my relief, he moved on. The two men yipped and barked for a minute, like they were bickering, before they began to climb out. I didn’t dare move but strained to hear something from outside.

I was terrified for the girls, for my boys who had been pinned by the remaining four, one of whom was an absolute beast. Were they okay? Were they hurt? It would do no good to come bursting out of my spot and reveal myself to this cruel group of men, who seemed more like bullies than anything. Just my luck. Not only am I lost in the woods, but the only other group nearby just happened to be a bunch of terrifying, fucking monsters, igniting more high school flashbacks that I’d fought hard to forget this past year.

There was a high, uneven howl, followed by the thundering of feet, and after a minute or two, there was nothing but silence. No one moved for a solid minute, no one made a sound until there was suddenly a loud, broken wail, followed by the quick, rumbling orders from Vulfu. I could sense the panic amongst them before they retreated to see what they had left us with. I didn’t have long to wait before Mowha whipped back my covering and sighed in relief, her eyes shining with unshed tears. From behind her, Vulfu was shouting Stevvy again and again, but Mowha was blocking his way. She pulled me free and carried me out to The Dome, pausing to push him back when he had practically climbed into her lap with me in his attempts to get closer.

Vulfu hovered close, cupping my face in his hands and, for the first time, he looked truly afraid. His hands flew over me like he was searching for any possible injury. Mowha didn’t stop him, but also checked me over, both fussing over me while the others went through the remains of our food, medicinal florae, and pelts.

A mess had been left in the wake of the invading group; several bowls we used to store stuff were now shattered and broken, hides too small for the men to wear thrown haphazardly about, and practically all the dry food storage was gone. Veshy and Krahu, were cleaning and lining up what was left, like they were taking inventory, while Dahkha, Kray, and Dow were searching around for any remaining weapons and tools. Mowha and Vulfu sat on the cold, rocky ground with me, pushing my sweaty hair out of my face as they continued their inspection.

But I was fine. Just a little overheated and shaken up, and if I was being honest, the only one who had marked me recently was him, when he left a huge hickey on the side of my throat, much to Mowha’s displeasure when she’d pointed it out to me at the creek and I’d caught a brief, blurred visual in my reflection in the water. I kept looking at the rest of them, searching for a sign of injury, but it looked like the invaders had simply held them down, not directly setting out to maim them. I breathed a sigh in relief, still light-headed and hot, but so fucking relieved that the others were okay, I didn’t care.

Vulfu and Mowha, however, disagreed.

They were still making a fuss, arguing with each other about how to best deal with me.

“Guys, I’m fine! I just need air, please?” I begged, getting up after disentangling myself from Mowha’s arms. But when I tried to head to the exit, hoping we’d sit by the stream so I could wash myself off, Vulfu moved right in front of me, puffing out his chest, and actually herded me back so that I stumbled and tripped into Mowha’s lap again.

Okaaaaay, so going outside was a no-go evidently. Satisfied that she would keep me in place, Vulfu turned and began checking on the others, looking over what crumbs were left of our stores.

Mowha, meanwhile, busied herself helping me.

She found a water skin and poured some out onto a spare wipe she used to dab at my forehead and pressed against the back of my neck, helping cool me down faster.

“Thank you,” I breathed, closing my eyes when she refreshed it, lifting my hair out of the way so she could rest it on my nape.

From across the room, Vulfu let out a long, exasperated growl, flinging one of the few furs aside as the realization sunk in on how little we were left with. What were we going to do? He turned to Kray and Dow, his rumble quick and hard to make out he was speaking so fast. Nodding once to Dahkha, he turned and headed for the exit with the two boys following, leaving the three women, the older man, and myself behind.

“Where are you going?” I practically shrieked at the realization he was leaving.

Vulfu paused, looking back over his shoulder, catching the look of distress that was no doubt written all over my face. Was he seriously going to go back out there? With those savage… dickheads running around? What if they ganged up on the three of them? They’d have no chance!

He nodded to the other two, both of whom immediately headed up the tunnel. Vulfu, however, turned and strode over, each step he took strong and deliberate until he seized my face, tilted my head back, and ran his tongue along the curve of my throat, right in front of everyone. When the tip curled up along the edge of my jaw, he rested his forehead to mine very briefly, his eyes burning into mine, before he let go, and swiftly pulled himself up into the passage and was gone.

While the rest of us waited, we cleaned up and straightened what was left. The ruined bowls were beyond repair, so Dahkha removed them from the hollow, discarding them somewhere outside. Luckily, the assholes didn’t take too many of the furs. I suppose with it being summer, it didn’t occur to them to grab more, but I know they took several of the men’s weapons, which had been a major loss. And practically all the food was stolen. By the time the sun was setting, I could hear a few rumbles from Veshy, Krahu, and Mowha, their stomachs talking. I pointed again and again to the tunnel leading out, but no one would go. I wondered if it was because they worried about the rivals lurking nearby.

By the time Kray, Dow, and Vulfu returned, it was fully dark, and everyone was huddled in one corner. The mood was low, spirits crushed, and I wondered what we were going to do. But when a call echoed down the tunnel, “Bip! Bip!” we all snapped to attention and eagerly waited. The two boys appeared first, carrying bundles of… well, I couldn’t see. With the darkness and my eyes, it was just a bunch of shadows moving around. It didn’t take long to realize what it was they brought back with them. The smell of fresh fish quickly filled the space. As hungry as I was, I wasn’t sure if I could eat a fish raw. One of the two best friends passed one to Mowha, who was sitting beside me, and she eagerly dug in, biting right into its side.

“Stevvy.”

I turned to the massive shadow that had approached my other side and knew instantly it was Vulfu. He sought out my hands in the darkness and placed a freshly caught trout in my grasp. I stared at it, the shine from its scales silver in the pale light. I was incredibly touched that he and the other three risked going out just to make sure we’d have something to eat before the day was out. Because of that sacrifice and dedication, I’d make myself try it. But when I latched my teeth around the sides, I gagged, the feel and texture of its outer skin making me cringe.

Vulfu took the fish from me and began working on it himself, using his teeth, seeing as one of his daggers was taken, to rip it apart. He broke it off into chunks of white flesh, removing the scales and bones before tapping the meat to my lips, indicating I should open my mouth. I did, and he tipped a chunk in. It wasn’t too bad, and I didn’t want to offend him by making a face, so I quickly chewed and swallowed, just trying to get it down so I wouldn’t end up cramping later from an empty stomach. He pressed another piece to my mouth, and I opened it, chewing fast again and swallowing. He stayed at my side, refusing to let me feed myself, and didn’t stop to even eat until I’d finished the entire thing. Only then was he satisfied and began collecting the leftover pieces the others couldn’t eat and took them out to dispose of, carrying several empty water skins with him.

When Vulfu returned, he had refilled them with fresh water, the waste was gone, and only after everyone had something to drink, did he finally sit down and begin to eat his own fish. Before I could move, Krahu and Veshy had wrapped him up in one of the leftover pelts and began to help wipe down his feet, cleaning away the dirt that had collected while he and the two boys had been out fishing. They addressed him quietly, their tones full of respect as they called him aghaal while they worked. I felt a twinge of sharp, hot bitterness in my chest at the way they so comfortably put their hands on his muscular legs, wiping them down as though this was routine. This spark of jealousy caught me off-guard, and I quickly looked away, not wanting to go there.

I had no right to be jealous.

Krahu and Veshy were his people. They’ve known him for… well, I have no idea how long they’ve all lived together. Only that I was new, and had zero right to tell them what they could or could not do with each other.

For a moment, I found myself wondering if Vulfu had done to Krahu what he did to me. I doubted he had with Veshy, as she looked like she had a good twenty or twenty-five years on him. But Krahu was close to his age. Had he ever licked her throat in a seductive, dominant sort of way? Had he put his hands on her, or invited her to touch him? Did they fuck? Was she here to please him? She only looked to be a few years older. Maybe just over the age of being able to have children still.

I shook these thoughts away. It wasn’t my business. And honestly? I shouldn’t get territorial or too involved in their lives when I still fully intended to leave. I’ve already been careless with that, especially recently. My thoughts drift to the way I’ve had to rely on their care while my feet healed. How sweet and motherly Mowha was. How much I enjoyed watching Kray and Dow’s antics. And Vulfu? He was one complicated, intimidating, blaring issue that I had no idea how to deal with. I didn’t know what he wanted exactly, which made it harder. It’d be different if he just wanted to screw me. That was something I understood.

But I got the sense that, if the others hadn’t persistently been holding him back, he would have gone further by now.

I glanced over at his bulky shadow, watching as his figure hunched over his food, quietly eating, a part of us and yet, separate. When Krahu and Veshy finished cleaning off his feet, they moved away, leaving him alone to eat. Was this part of the heavy weight of being the leader? That you are above all others, so you must be alone? I peered through the dark at the rest of the clan, noting how all the females were grouped together, talking softly. Dahkha was resting nearby us with the two boys at his side, eating quietly, but I got the feeling he was listening to everything Mowha and the others were saying. Especially Kray and Dow, who despite their late-night hunt, were as full of energy as ever, bickering back and forth over pieces of fish. So why did Vulfu more often than not sit alone?

The only times I’d really seen him with the others was when he joined Mowha and me at the creek, or if he and Dahkha were deep in conversation or making weapons. Other than that, he wandered on his own and sat in the corner of the home watching over everyone else.

Tonight, he’d worked hard to provide for us, and now he was once more isolated, and my heart went out to him.

I got up from my place at Mowha’s side, ignoring her squawk of alarm when she realized I was wandering away and went straight to Vulfu’s side.

I knew he’d tracked my movements by the way his hunched figure shifted at the sound of my step, which made me wonder if he’d been watching me in the dark this whole time. Now, standing at his side, the moon was giving me just enough light to be certain he was staring up at me, waiting to see what I was going to do. The others at my back had gone silent, too, and feeling all of their eyes on me had my heart hammering in my chest.

The flagpole…

The eyes of students watching, laughing as I struggled to free myself…

Tied, covered in condiments from the cafeteria, the heat from the metal of the flagpole burning my bound wrists…

The laughter and ridicule as the girls taunted and announced my list of “guilty offenses”...

No.

I focused entirely on the man before me, the one who fought, despite being outnumbered, to try to protect the family, who then went out for hours afterward to make sure we had food for the night and waited until everyone had had enough. He’d even sat patiently, feeding me, before he had anything. There was something I’d missed before about Vulfu, that I didn’t see because of his stern and authoritative demeanor… he was selfless. His sharp, upturned, grey-green eyes hadn’t looked away for a second in the moment I stood there at his side, my heart swelling with admiration and respect for him.

Stephanie the whore… she’s a whore… a whore… WHORE!

I forced those words out of my mind as I stooped over him and pressed a small kiss to his cheek. When I straightened, he was clearly perplexed by the way his brows furrowed. I hadn’t seen any of these people kiss, so I suppose my show of affection was completely alien to him. He slowly reached up and very lightly touched the spot in the hollow of his cheek with his fingertips, though his eyes never left mine, lightly stroking the area. I wondered what he was thinking… if he thought that perhaps my little kiss was me trying to copy the licks he’d given me, or if I had spotted a stray bit of food.

“Thank you, Vulfu,” I said to him, hoping he could hear the emotion in my voice, the sincerity, that at least, would be enough to help him understand what I was trying to say.

He let his hand slowly fall away from his cheek, his confusion clearing. He didn’t smile, nor did he nod or give any other side that he had understood. He merely watched me for a few seconds, sitting as still as stone.

Feeling everyone watching me, my anxiety began to rise again, my hands trembling as I felt their gazes boring into my back. I felt so on display, and that familiar squeeze in my chest made me pause as I sucked in a long breath, hoping to keep myself calm. I wasn’t at school. I wasn’t at the mercy of those girls. I wasn’t cornered by Marcus, Harris, or Pete, or the center of Cece’s lies. I was in the wild, with a family of people who had done nothing but protect and care for me since I’d been lost. And before me, was Vulfu. A man who has fought to protect me from those who would cause me harm. My thoughts went to the wild man whose jaw he’d broken open, the one who had absolutely ravaged him with his nails and teeth. But Vulfu had protected me without hesitation. I was safe here.

Turning to head back to the others, I felt his fingers slide through mine and gently squeeze my hand, halting my steps before I could walk too far. I glanced back over my shoulder at him, but his stony expression had not changed, save for the warmth I swore I noticed pooling in his gaze. He gave my hand a little tug, indicating he wanted me to come back. I turned to him and waited, watching as he reached up with his free hand and tapped his cheek before turning it towards me, as though saying he wished for another.

My lips twitched into a shy smile when I realized he wanted me to kiss him again, and was glad it was dark enough in here to hide the blush creeping onto my cheeks. But I didn’t hesitate. If my fierce guardian wanted a kiss, I would give him one. I bent over again and pressed another to the hollow beneath his sharp cheekbone, though I let it linger a little longer this time before I straightened. The warmth I thought I saw before in his stare was only more evident now in the moonlight, and though he was hiding it well, there was the tiniest lift at the corners of his mouth. He said not a word but gave my hand another gentle squeeze, and released me, looking down to resume his meal.