Chapter Ten, Meet the Family
Seeing the open sky above her, Aurelia tossed her set of bags onto the lip of the well with relative ease. Climbing the mortared stone and timber walls of the well, she sat on the top edge, looking down as she waited for Kouga's reappearance. As he materialized in the blue violet light of the well, he leapt upwards, propelling himself off of the crossbeams, with the bags firmly affixed to his shoulders. Upon landing, he passed the bags to Aurelia, who then added them to the two she was already holding. As he kneeled down, Aurelia climbed onto his back, holding on as tightly as she could, and yelped as he took off at full speed towards the den he called home. As they raced through the forests and open valleys, Aurelia laughed as the wind whipped her hair behind her. "I'm surprised you're doing so well. When I used to carry Kagome, she'd scream." He said, pushing to go even faster as he began leaping over trees and the beginnings of rocky terrain. Aurelia could only laugh wildly as she held onto his shoulders, "This is awesome!" she shouted, "I could do this all day, Kouga! This is amazing!" She laughed breathlessly as the wind blurred her vision and the cold whipped at her face.
'Damn, she really is something else.' He thought to himself as he felt her nuzzle her warm face into the crook of his neck. Letting out a low, throaty growl of approval, he cleared the remainder of the small cliffs that led to his den.
Feeling Kouga slow his pace, Aurelia opened her eyes and took in the beautiful sight of the massive waterfall. "Oh my god" she said in awe as she slid off of his back. Still loaded down with bags, she slowly walked towards the crystal blue waterfall, "You live here?" she asked in disbelief, "This is nothing, the den is behind the falls, and it keeps us well protected in the deep winter when it freezes."
Hearing their Alpha's voice, his pack members appeared from behind the falls in clusters. "Hey boss!" she heard one shout happily from behind the crowd. "Let us through!" she heard another bark as the pack reluctantly shifted apart. "Ginta, Hakkaku! Nice to see you managed to keep everything in order while I was away!" Kouga jokingly greeted as two males began to proudly saunter over to them. "Don't worry; you didn't miss anything important while you were gone." The one with the long white Mohawk dismissed casually. "Yep, everything went smoothly as usual." The other male with the white and dark brown rice ball hair added.
"So, is this her?" the mohawked one asked, carefully approaching the girl. "Yeah, this is her. Aurelia, meet Ginta," he said, gesturing towards the rice ball, "and Hakkaku." He finished, pointing at the one with the Mohawk. "Hello," she said shyly, holding out her hand to shake theirs. Awkwardly, they both took her hand, one at a time, and said their own 'Hellos'. As Kouga took the bags from her shoulders, he guided her through the crowd of wolves and wolf demons alike, and began the tour. "She smells nice" Ginta commented, "Kind of minty right?" Hakkaku added.
Following behind Kouga, she mentally mapped each area he walked her through, starting with the large, main den. "This is where we eat and hang out," he stated, waving at a few lounging demons as they continued through stone corridors. "These are some of the personal dens, kind of like that 'Hotel' in your time. Each fits one to two families depending on how many cubs a mated couple has or is planning to have. Now, we have an underground spring system running through the mountain, so most of the more spacious dens have their own bathing areas, but this," he motioned at a large pool as they approached, "Is mostly where the children play and bathe. Anyone is welcome to it though."
As they continued down through the maze, he pointed out the dens of more prominent pack members, the tribe's healer, and lastly, at the farthest living space into the mountain, his own den. The entryway was low and unassuming, covered by a simple woven straw mat nailed into the stone for privacy. When he pulled the mat back however, Aurelia was almost in tears. You live in this, all by yourself?" she asked, dumbfounded as she let her eyes graze over the high ceiling, smoothly carved walls and built in shelves; all of which were neatly filled with woven baskets for one thing or another. "Alpha, remember? I was hoping to settle down and have a nice full family of my own someday. When I had our lead stonemason commissioned to build my den, I made sure it was perfect. You must admit, Biruda did a damn good job." She eyed the large, plush pile of furs along the back wall of the den, the carved stone platform underneath mimicking that of an easily king sized bedframe.
Looking further around the space, she noticed reflections dancing along the ceiling in the corner of the cavernous space. Walking towards the glistening reflections, she looked down into a large, perfectly clear, steaming, white sandstone bottomed spring. "Oh my," was all she could say as the sparkling water lightly rippled below. "So, do you think you can stay here in my humble abode or is it too rugged for your tastes?" he asked, carefully placing her bags on the floor by the bed. "Are you kidding me? It's beautiful!" she shouted excitedly, running into his arms. Wrapping her slender forearms around his neck, she kissed him deeply. He responded accordingly by wrapping his own muscular arms around her toned, slender waist, and pulling her tightly against him.
Breaking the searing kiss, the both of them desperate for air, Aurelia trotted towards the bag made especially for her bow, and pulled the instrument out. Unpacking her quiver and arrows from another case, she turned, taking Kouga by the hand, and headed back for the main den. "Aurelia, what are we doing? Aren't you going to unpack your stuff?" Kouga pleaded, attempting to convince her back to the privacy of his den. "Nope, not yet; too excited" she quickly dismissed as she jogged excitedly through the seemingly endless maze of tunnels. Upon arriving in the main entrance, she pulled off her boots and socks, placing them in a small alcove along the wall. Jogging towards the waterfall, she took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air, and continued onwards, followed closely by Kouga, and the all too curious Gina and Hakkaku.
"C'mon Kouga, let's go for leisurely stroll through the woods and kill something! I wanna make a good impression on my first day!" she playfully shouted behind her. "Alright then, follow me." He responded, bolting ahead of her, with Ginta and Hakkaku hot on their trail. "Wait up boss!" they shouted despondently as their leader and his intended mate sped ahead of them.
Following breathlessly behind Kouga through the woods, Aurelia leapt barefoot over roots and stone, savoring the sensation of the cool winter rye underfoot. Giggling as the cool wind whipped her hair behind her, she ran; a renewed sense of freedom coursing through her veins. She only slowed down when she spotted Kouga silently leaning against the trunk of a sturdy pine. Pressing a muscular finger to his lips, he motioned ahead of him as Aurelia tiptoed behind the tree with him. Peeking through the surrounding brush and briar thorns, she spotted her prize; the single largest boar she had ever seen in her life. Easily twice the size of the one she killed outside of Edo, she silently nocked an arrow, and aimed for behind the massive beast's ear.
Just as she was releasing her arrow though, Ginta and Hakkaku awkwardly and loudly stumbled through the brush, causing enough commotion that the boar turned towards the group, taking the arrow to his eye instead of the vulnerable spot she targeted. Squealing bloody murder, the pig violently shook his head, bolting half-blind into the woods. "Dammit!" Aurelia cursed as she ran after the fleeing beast, another arrow already drawn and ready. Chasing the screaming boar through the trees, Aurelia fought as branches and thorns caught her cardigan, threatening to knock her off her feet.
In its panic, the boar crashed through several pine trees, eventually knocking himself off balance as it stumbled, still squealing, through the woods. She soon caught up with the beast, letting loose another arrow at his exposed spot as he crashed into a large, unyielding oak, and ended its life.
Approaching the boar as his death rattle echoed off of the foliage, Aurelia unclipped her hunting knife from the side of her quiver, and jammed the blade behind the beast's ear, and into its head. Kouga came running through the trees, his right hand men hot on his trails, just as Aurelia pulled, roughly wrenching the thick, serrated blade from the boar's skull. "Whoa," Hakkaku huffed in awe, hands on his knees. Ginta, who was leaning against Hakkaku as he caught his breath, could only say "Damn." Kouga was beaming with pride.
Walking up as Aurelia roughly yanked the first arrow from the carcass' eye socket, he could only nod his head in approval of her kill. "Nice save," he complimented. "Yeah, well I didn't want him getting away, so I figured what the hell, might as well let him think he had a chance." She huffed, using the back of her hand to wipe the light layer of sweat from her forehead before pulling the second arrow out. "Wanna help me out here? I don't think I can carry this one just yet." She asked, wiping the blood, hair, and grey matter off of her knife. "Yeah, I've got you covered." He responded, deftly lifting the easily 1,400lb dead beast onto his shoulders. His face showed minimal signs of struggle as he tried to keep the boar steady across his back.
Wanting to look as strong for Aurelia as he could, he stifled his groans as the burning strain in his muscles ached as he carefully jogged back to the caves, with Aurelia, Ginta, and Hakkaku close behind.
As they approached the den, Kouga dropped the beast off at the entrance, followed by hoots and hollers of excited pack members, eager to sink their teeth into the rather large beast their leader delivered. "Damn Kouga, you really outdid yourself this time!" one demon congratulated. "Don't look at me, I just hauled it back. You wanna give credit, talk to the little lady that took it down." He stated proudly, glancing back at Aurelia, who was red faced and staring at her feet shyly. "It's no big deal; I just wanted to earn my keep is all." She stated nervously, awkwardly shifting her weight from one leg to the other. "Well, you've earned it for sure. We'll be eating well for a while." Hakkaku chirped, clapping Aurelia on the shoulder. "C'mon guys, who wants to help me clean this bad boy up for dinner tonight?" he asked, as several demons helped carry the boar for preparation.
Extending a hand towards Aurelia, Kouga pulled her alongside him as she gathered her discarded boots, and they headed back to his den, for at the very least a cleansing dip in the water. As they entered their now shared quarters, Kouga reached around to Aurelia's front, gingerly unbuttoning her bloodstained cardigan. Pulling the concealing sweater from her shoulders, he casually threw it onto the floor. Aurelia, eager to comply, began unbuttoning her shorts, and as Kouga proceeded to pull them down, she reached up, pulling her shirt over her head. Down to her jeweled white lace bra and matching white thong, she spun around, beginning to untie the straps that held his shoulder pads to his chest plate, revealing his toned, tan, and muscular chest.
As she leaned down to untie his shin guards, he pulled at the tie in his hair, releasing his thick cascade of coffee colored tresses, and the bands of fur along his wrist and forearm. As she straightened her back to face him again, she pulled herself closer to him, deftly untying the loose pelt draped around his hips. He used this opportunity to wrap one muscular arm around her waist, the hand of which carefully unclasping her bra, as the other snaked down her hip, slowly tugging the scant piece of sparkling fabric from his prize.
Aurelia, knowing what was about to happen, decided to slip from his grasp. Instead of running for the bed, she headed for the spacious spring instead, knowing they both needed a good soak before engaging in 'other' activities. Bending over, she pulled her sparkling white thong down to her ankles, giving Kouga a generous view of her perky, muscular behind, and the faint, mysterious scar he had yet to ask about. Using the thong as a sling shot, she tossed it effortlessly into the pile of discarded clothing, and slid into the water, making a sensuous 'come hither' gesture at the now naked wolf in the room. Quickly getting the hint, he loped towards the water, entered it with a clumsy slosh, and waded towards the beautiful girl that was waiting for him.
Sinking ever further underwater, Aurelia dipped under the surface, wetting her curly locks. Only raising from the water enough to expose herself from the nose up, she raised a seductive eyebrow at her pursuer, before submerging yet again. Picking up on the game of chase, Kouga followed suit and ducked underwater after her; the warm, clean water easy on his eyes as he attempted to search though the bubbly, dimly lit abyss for his sweet Aurelia.
Feeling the water around her swirl with Kouga's pursuit, Aurelia prolonged the chase; narrowly slipping out of his reach as she flowed with the ripple of his movements, concealing her position as he near blindly chased her. Seeing a chance to strike, she waited for him to lash out, leaving himself vulnerable. Following the wake of his movements onto his back, Aurelia wrapped her legs around his waist, arms around his chest, as she planted a sneaky kiss along the crook of his neck, causing a sudden panic as he shot up from the water, his woman wrapped tightly around his midsection.
Laughing, he tried to shake her loose as he turned around, unable to break her vice-like grip. Burying her face in the crook of his neck, she held tight even as he dunked her underwater, attempting to drown her into submission. Turning her face upwards in the water, she simply grabbed ahold of his earlobe with her teeth and bit down until he pulled her above the surface. Yelping, Kouga clumsily splashed around the water, allowing Aurelia to let go as he nursed his ear. Resting playfully against a stone along the edge of the pool, she watched him; her eyes filled with lusty visions of other things she wanted to do with the handsome wolf youkai.
Turning to face him, Aurelia spread her arms out and exposed her neck in submission, biting her lip as she awaited her 'punishment' for disobedience. Finally rubbing the soreness from his ear, he stalked across the water towards his waiting vixen, a lusty grin spreading mischievously across his face.
As Kouga closed the distance between them, he reached out, placing one hand along the flat plane of her toned hip, and the other along her throat, his fingers grasping greedy fistfuls of her hair.
Once again starting their hungry dance, Kouga nibbled along the exposed edge of her neck, stopping to lightly suck on the warm juncture of her throat and shoulder. As she whined in anticipation, her breath hitched in her throat, while her wandering hands found clumsy purchase on the rippling muscles of his back and woven within his coffee colored silken locks. As the hand planted on her hip began to slide down towards the warm juncture of her legs, she leaned her face down, playfully nipping at his sensitive ear. A low growl of approval rising from his chest, Kouga gently raked his fangs against the now tender flesh of her neck, causing Aurelia to heatedly gasp in his ear, further provoking the inner beast he wished to unleash upon her.
