Slipping out the front door of the den was impossible, but that had never stopped her. As papa's favorite helper in the shop, she got to snag all kinds of tools that let her get into the back ventilation shaft and outside to do… what? Well, she didn't exactly know what she had been thinking trudging all the way out here to the woods by the river. She hadn’t really been thinking, at all. The only thing on her mind was the burning lustful sensation coursing through every nerve. Her spade was so swollen and sensitive to everything that touched it that even her clothes rubbing against her made her bite her lip and whimper. She wasn't new to having her heat, but she wasn't suppose to be out of the den considering she had no rank. Her best bet was that one of her uncles or brothers would find her soon and lead her back before a predator caught her scent. Or worse.
“Well, look what we found!”
“Looks like it's sweet, li’l Nova.”
Gasping, she turned in time find herself being surrounded by five wiry men, each showing a prominent X upon their faces. Glancing among them in a panic, she whined and lowered herself, tucking her tail so that it laid up her belly between her legs. She knew the one who came closer than the rest, could even recall the time he did not carry the jagged, ugly mark of Banishment. She hadn't trusted him anymore than she did this moment.
“Oh, now, now, Nova," Red Paw cooed sweetly, stepping closer. “There's no need ta cower, love. We ain't here to hurt ye. I know ye think we're scary, but we jist wanna make ye feel good.”
“I-I'm not s'pose ta be out here,” she whimpered meekly, hugging herself, glancing back and forth among them. She knew if she howled for help, they would attack her.
“Hmm, maybe,” Red Paw answered with thinly veiled smugness, “but ye are. Cuz ye know ye need some relief. Good thing we’re here, cuz we kin help wit' that.”
When he took another step closer, she attempted to back away, only to bump into a tree. Trapped and surrounded, her heart pounded even as her body ached with the heady musk of testosterone. It was a struggle to remember she was in danger. No part of her mind wanted to be out here, but her body was an entirely different matter. Red Paw was close enough to touch her now, smirking down at her.
“I kin see how much ye want it. Kin hardly stand it, burnin' up inside ye. Why don't ye take off those cute lil shorts so we kin help ye wit' that ache?”
Reaching down, he pinched the front of her shorts and jerked them up so that the seam slipped into the slick folds of her spade and rubbed her clit. With a gasp, her eyes fluttered and she let out a soft moan despite biting her lip, her toes curling. The others rushed closer with rapacious grins, cutting off any last doubt to the inevitability of what was to happen to her. Red Paw, however, flashed a glare between them when she whined in fear, their sudden movements bringing her back to the jeopardy she in. Easing back, they panted in excitement. She did not need to look up to feel their hungry gazes searing into her as though they could burn her clothes off.
“Alright, then, love. Let's try somethin' easier,” Red Paw purred when she did not move other than to tremble. “Let's start wit' the shirt. Don't think ye'd want us ta end up havin' ta rip it off. Would be such a shame if our claws got too deep in our excitement,” he reached out, ignoring her cringe, and gently ran his claws through the fur of her cheek, down her jowl and neck, along her collarbone, and stretched down the collar of her shirt to emphasis as he continued, “so it's best if ye did it yerself.”
Every inch of her flesh felt violated by his touch, every strand of fur standing up at his cold assurance. He stepped even closer, a confident smirk on his gray snout, delighting in her struggle to stay present and not slip into a heat daze. Lowering his head to her laid back ear, he gave her a little nuzzle. “It's okay, Nova. Ye kin let go. Give in to it. We don't wanna hurt ye. Jist be a good girl an' lift those arms. I'll help ye wit' the rest.”
Swaying on her paws, she whimpered weakly before one of the men closest to the bushes let out a terrified yowl of pain. Startling, they all jumped and snapped around to stare wide eyed as the one that cried out was wrestled back into the thick, dark brush. A quick scuffle and the thud of a body hitting the ground were followed immediately by a wet, awful crunch, and he screamed even louder, caterwauling off towards the river.
Wide eyed and slack jawed, the rest stared at the bushes in stunned uncertainty. They spooked back when it parted again, another wolf materializing before them, eyes shining like lasers locked on Red Paw. His teeth were bared up well past the gums, blood glistening in the faint light of the stars. Stepping into full view, he dropped something, which their eyes naturally followed. Red Paw's hackles rose when he realized it was the end of a tail that had been snapped and ripped off.
“Uh, ah...” he started, his open mouth curling up in a nervous grin, “ha ha, Jaaack! Brother!”
Jack did not give him the chance to say more. Jaws agape, his snarling lunge got him close enough to plunge his fangs deep into Red Paw's shoulder where it attached to his arm. Yelling out in pain as he stumbled back and only kept his feet because he bumped into another of his posse, he quickly recovered enough to sink his own fangs into the curve of Jack's shoulder along his neck, blood exploding in his mouth. Locked in a struggle, they growled loud and murderously, grappling one another until they lost their balance and tumbled to the ground.
Trapped under Jack, Red Paw had to gasp for air from the impact, releasing him just before Jack let go to cry out when his ear base was pierced clean through, ripping a little when the Banished jerked him upwards. Ignoring the pain, Jack twisted and got him by the cheek, two canines pinching through the skin. As soon as he was released, Jack got him with an upper cut that crunched his teeth together and threw him back into the one standing behind him, knocking them both over.
Turning his rage back to his brother, Jack wordlessly pummeled Red Paw with his fists, snarling with every breath he sucked in. Red Paw flailed desperately, trying to fend off the strikes to little avail.
The beating only stopped when Jack was finally wrenched off him, his arms held immobilized by the uninjured Banished. With the strength of his rage, Jack was able to hurl one of the scrawny, underfed thugs into the bushes. Turning on the one still holding him, his hand wrapped around his throat with every intention of crushing him.
Once again he yelled out when he was forced to release his target. Red Paw had him in the same place on his shoulder, piercing new punctures into his flesh. Shaking his head to tear the wounds wider, Red Paw tried to grab Jack's arm to hold him helpless. Though he didn't succeed in his goal, he distracted Jack enough to receive the crack of a fist across his snout. While that did not faze him as much as his attacker had been hoping, it was the two full swings to his diaphragm and ribs that left him breathless and queasy, stumbling when Red Paw shook again.
Blood was dripping into his eye now, adding more red to his vision. Catching a glimpse of Nova watching in horror from around the tree trunk, another hot surge of fury made him push backwards, forcing Red Paw to stumble and once again trip backwards. He got out a sharp yelp as Jack's muscular bulk fell atop him full force for a second time.
Scrambling back to his paws, Jack lunged at the one that had punched him, spearing him in the torso and slamming him into a tree trunk, all his weight in his shoulder against the other's ribs. The man let out a yelp at the crack of bones and continued to moan in pain as he staggered away from the fight when Jack turned his attention to the other 2 that rushed him together. Teeth flashed in the faint light, their snaps short as they danced and dodged to land a bite. They didn't want to touch him, knowing the first of them to grab him would be taking those teeth.
Red Paw was slow to get on his feet. Winded and shallowly stabbed by a branch that he had to extract, he watched the fight from his crouched position on the ground with a bloodied sneer. He glanced to Nova, but at that moment Jack managed to feint and get his hands on the smallest of his assailants, wrenching him into a violent face bite. Screaming, he pleaded for mercy and fled the moment he could wrench free while Jack's attention was on the last one.
This fight came down to fists. Perhaps if his opponent was as well fed and muscular from hard labor then he might have been in more trouble, but as it were, Jack's punches were brutal, and the reward to win this fight was simply not worth nursing more than one black eye. After a final meaty thunk across the cheek sent the last one fleeing after the rest, Jack turned back to Red Paw, panting heavily.
“Yer all alone now, brother, an' I'm gonna kill you. ” He spat the word like he spat the blood from his mouth.
Grimacing in fear at the bloody powerhouse bearing down on him, Red Paw decided one beating was enough. “Fuck ye!” he snarled before taking off. As scrawny as he was, he was too quick for Jack to give chase for long.
“I catch ye again, I'll fuckin neuter ye!” Jack yelled after him breathlessly, panting hard while limping his way back.
Nova heard him yell in the distance, gulping and inching her way towards the brush with hopes she could peer through the dark gaps. The vegetation rustling to her side made her gasp and back away before rushing to Jack's side.
“J-Jack! Oh, Jack, I should call fer help!”
Though he was dripping blood and staggering a bit as the adrenaline was wearing off, he shook his head. “Naw. Naw, I'll be alright. We, uh, we should just get ye back to the den. I'm not suppose to be on yer land an' yer not suppose ta be outside.”
Nova continued to be concerned all the way back to the ventilation shaft. Looking in at the small hole in the side of the hill, he shook his head with a smirk.
“Nova, it's probably better if no one knows yer slippin' out like this in the middle o' the night. Do me a favor an' put the tools back in the mornin', alright?”
Lowering herself in demure compliance, she nodded. “O-Okay, Jack. I promise.” Perking a little, she looked back up at him. “Are ye sure ye'll be okay?”
While his smile was warm and reassuring, there was nothing about how he was holding himself that suggested he was alright. “Yeah, Nova. Don't worry 'bout me. I'll go home an' get fixed up. I'm just glad yer alright.”
Her face scrunched up in her flood of relief as it suddenly dawned on her what he had truly done for her. Tears sprang to her eyes with a whimper, and she couldn't stop herself from hugging him around the torso. His grunt reminded her that he was in pain, and she quickly released him. “Oh, Jack, I'm sorry...!”
He waved his hand weakly, his voice low and strained. “No, no, it's alright. I'm, ah, just a bit sore. You go on. Get inside, now. I'll, ah, see ya later, okay?”
Licking her nose and swallowing hard to get the lump from her throat, she nodded and quickly screwed the bolts back in to hold the grate in place. Just as he was turning away, Nova leaned against the grate to see him through the spaces. “Uh, Jack?” He paused and glanced back at her. Her ears laid low to the sides in a hot blush, and the scent of her heat got stronger in her arousal as the shorts rubbed her. Just thinking about how he had fought off all those Banished alone made her hormones pulse hotly through her. “I, uh, I... want ye to be my first, when I've got rank... ye-ye know, ta thank ye....”
His brow pinched together for a second before he shook his head with the ghost of a smirk. “Ye don't need to thank me, Nova, an' don't be inna rush. I'll be here when it's time.” His charming grin was bright in the glow of the lights from the hamlet on the other side of the hill, and she was glad the grate was between them in that moment. “I'm gonna be Alpha, some day.”
Slipping in among the other sleeping pups and wards, she stashed her tools under her pillow and stared at the wall, knowing that this would be a night she would never forget.
