Archive of Our Own ^beta

Desna had set me on the path of more than one monster since I’d begun work in Her service; today, the monsters were trolls. Investigating the area, I’d seen a massive ruined watchtower, and figured that it’d be a good place to survey the surrounding area. If nothing else, ruins generally meant loot.

My trusty dog, Wolf, padded in front of me, sniffing around for troll scent. She was a large mastiff, with thick grey fur and plenty of snout, the better to rip out the throats of Desna’s enemies. Counting on Wolf, and the rest of my companions, to stay alert for more immediate threats, I kept scanning the horizon. I saw what seemed to be one: a wild wolf, a large beast with a shaggy brown coat. I held up my hand in a signal to stop. “Contact to the east. Canine.” Using the more general term was something I started doing when I worked out how common wolves were in the Stolen Lands, the better to distinguish them from Wolf. My companions quickly fell into formation, hands on weapons.

But I was pretty good at reading animal body language, and this wolf wasn’t looking at us as it would a threat or a meal. When it realised it had our attention, its tail wagged faintly, and it whimpered. It turned around, looking over its shoulder at us. I realised it was inviting us to follow. Wolf was eager to follow, quickly padding after it.

With a gesture, I beckoned my companions to follow as well. We kept a steady pace, eyes open for any threat. The wild wolf didn’t seem to mind, slowing down itself to ensure we kept pace. Eventually, it led us to a Garundi man lying in the bushes, visibly wounded. He asked “Whom you brought? Got lost, dog, you’re not needed here!” He raised his arm as if to hit the ‘dog’, but it didn’t even flinch, still whining. The man never finished the blow.

Seeing no other threats, I headed closer, removing the helm I’d taken from the Stag Lord. “You named your wolf Dog?”

The man shrugged. “Not mine.”

“Well, this is my dog, Wolf. And I’m Kelawyn. Setting myself up a little barony in these parts.” I gestured to where Dog was whining, as the actual dog examined it curiously, apparently wondering if now was the best time to commence the introductory butt sniffing.
The man staggered to his feet. He was tall and lanky, but I could recognise an archer’s muscles and survivalist’s scars. Despite his visible wound, he made no indication of being in pain. “Ekundayo. Ekun for decent ones. Are you decent?”

“Sure. Your leg don’t seem to be, though. Harrim here’s a cleric, if you need patching.” I gestured to where the dwarf was standing. He sighed, taking out his religious symbol.

Ekun stared at his leg as if seeing it for the first time. “Patched up already. This wound isn’t the deadliest.”

I shrugged. “Anyway, I’m out hunting trolls. They’ve been hitting my territory, so I’ve got to hit them back. You?”

“Hunting trolls. They attacked my village. Bristlehill. Killed everyone but me. Will show them that was a mistake.” He looked into the distance.

“Well, enemy of my enemy, ain’t it? You want payback, I want a safe barony. What say we work together?” I offered him a hand.

He took it. “They all deserve death, Kargadd most of all. Rock troll. He led them.”

“Well, we run into that bastard, I’ll let you take the first shot. Harrim, patch up his leg, then we can move out.”

As Harrim cast the healing spell, Ekundayo said “Before we go: troll feet tread this path often. Would like to stay here until they appear.”

“Ambush? A few trolls we won’t have to kill later. Alright crew, let’s get set up.” As I quickly brought Ekun up to speed on the whole trolls-now-immune-to-fire thing, the wolf turned its attention to Wolf. The pair circled eachother for a while, sniffing cautiously. Each wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the other, but they eventually agreed that neither was a threat.

The ambush demonstrated that both Ekun and Dog would be good additions to the team. I’d been practising my sharpshooting, but Ekun had me well and truly beat, firing both faster and more accurately. I was a little jealous. Dog and Wolf fought in a similar way: going for limbs, dragging down our enemies, leaving them open for rest of us to take down. With the size of our party, and the effectiveness of the tactic, I wasn’t complaining about doubling up.

That night, as we made camp, Ekundayo headed out to hunt some rations for us. Dog padded behind him without being asked. Not wanting to overhunt the area, I stuck to helping the others get the camp set up, Wolf by my side the whole time.

When Ekundayo eventually returned, Dog wasn’t with him. I frowned. “Hey, Ekun. Where’s Dog?”

“Ran off.” Ekundayo shrugged, but I could see something sad in his eyes.

Just before I could suggest going to look for him, Dog trotted back, an unfortunate ex-squirrel clenched in his jaws. Tail wagging, he dropped it in front of Wolf. Always hungry, Wolf happily started chowing down on the animal. I chuckled. “Looks like Dog wants to make friends.”

The next morning, it grew evident that Dog’s desire to make friends was starting to bear fruit, as the two canines spent some time playing as we packed up camp. Later that day, as we kept sweeping the area for signs of trolls, I saw Dog lead Wolf to the side. I called “Dog’s interested in something.”

That something turned out to be lunch. Dog approached a small rabbit den. In the canine way of snaps, grumbles, and body language, the pair established a plan. Wolf waited at the entrance, while dog started to dig in from another end. The rabbit inside bolted right into Wolf’s waiting jaws. The pair happily shared their prize. I remarked to Kaessi (Kanerah), “Looks like our new member of the team is settling in just fine.”

We tracked the trolls to their lair, and after my diplomatic overtures were rebuffed, I started clearing it out. Not an easy feat; not only was I competing with troll resilience, I also had to deal with the cunning of their kobold allies. Regardless, we kept up our work, moving from room to room, taking out opponents as we found them.

As we advanced down a dark hallway, Harrim coolly announced “Trap.” Practised adventurers, we all froze.

I whispered a command to Wolf. “Hold!” She did as she was told, immediately holding position, though I could tell she was tense.

Dog, however kept moving, sniffing around curiously. He could see we were alert, but he was looking for the threat. He found it, his paw resting on a hidden tripwire that caused a column of flame to shoot up. He yelped in pain, recoiling. Kalikke hurried to put him out, and Harrim quickly cast a healing spell, but it was a much closer call than any of us would have liked. I frowned. “We need to get him trained.”

Ekun shrugged. “A wild animal.”

“Well, we’re going to get to work as soon as we’re back in the city.”

It was a resolution I kept. It took a lot of work even to train a receptive puppy to know all the tricks one would need for adventuring, and a wild adult wolf would add another layer of challenges on top of that. Fortunately, my mentor had taught me an old trainer’s trick: the easiest way to teach a dog to do something was to show them another dog doing it, and Wolf already knew everything he needed to know.

So, Ekun and I set up a small obstacle course, full of all the things we’d find in the field, and had Dog sit and watch as I ran Wolf through the commands, rewarding her with some strips of bacon when she got it right. Ekun then beckoned Dog over, and started repeating the commands. It took time, but Dog was clever, and in a few weeks, he’d learned all the orders he’d need.

I was flicking through the usual mountains of paperwork when Jhod approached me. “Er, your grace? We may have a… minor complication.”

I raised an eyebrow. “‘A servant spilled a plate of beans’ minor complication or ‘Rovagug’s about to break out and I’m the poor son of a bitch that has to give the baroness bad news’ minor complication?”

“More the former, your grace. I just thought you should know I’ve caught Wolf and – well, Ekundayo’s wolf, ahem, mating.” Jhod shifted awkwardly.

I held the idea in my mind for a moment. “… We can handle a few puppies, right? Shouldn’t be a problem.”

“It is worth remembering that wolfdog pups tend to be much more of a challenge to raise than their fully domesticated brethren. But you’re right in that we should be able to handle things at least from a logistical perspective. Rest assured, I’ll keep a close eye on Wolf, and inform you immediately of any developments.” Jhod bowed slightly.

Those developments came a few weeks later. I was planning on taking Wolf for a walk (I direly needed a break from all the paperwork), but I couldn’t find her. I wandered around the castle, running into Ekun. “Hey, Ekun. Have you seen Wolf?”

“In the gardens. Dog’s decided to dig a den.”

I chuckled. “Well, if it makes him comfortable!”

I headed for the gardens. I found Dog there, standing in front of a freshly dug den, looking very proud of himself. Wolf was lounging inside. It looked pretty comfortable, by the standards of holes in the ground. I knelt down. “Howdy, Wolf. Like the new place?” Her tail thumped against the den walls. “Maybe I should move your bed down there or something. Anyway, you want to go for a walk?”

Wolf’s tail wagged a little more, and she slowly crawled out of the den, stretching. I frowned; Wolf was normally more eager than this, especially after a whole day with nothing to do. I made a mental note to ask Jhod to give her another check-up later.

The two of us wandered around the steadily growing town of Nightsmark, watching it be built around us. Wolf seemed pretty happy, but she was definitely not as energetic as usual. As we walked, Dog trotted up to us, tail wagging, a dead chicken in his maw. A farmer was hot on his tail. “Hey! That your wolf there!?”

“Friend of mine’s. Right sorry ‘bout your livestock. What’s the going price of chickens these days?” I grabbed my coin purse. Meanwhile, Dog offered Wolf the poultry prize. Wolf was happy for the meal. I paid the farmer a fistful of coppers for the trouble, and kept up the walk.

While I waited for Jhod to become available, Lander briefed me on an invitation from the Embeth Travellers to go hunting monsters; it was a welcome change from the usual mundanities that came with being a baroness, but it made Wolf’s lethargy all the more concerning. Jhod had arrived by the time I’d finished with the day’s administrative business.

Dog paced anxiously as Jhod cast his spells on Wolf; Dog clearly wasn’t familiar with Jhod’s holy magic, and was wary of any potential threat to his mate. Wolf, meanwhile, was calmly lying down. Jhod finished casting his divination, and announced “As I thought: we have some puppies on the way.”

Linzi squealed in delight. “Puppies! Oh, can I have one!?”

I chuckled. “They ain’t even out yet. Let’s focus on making sure they all come out right before divvying them up.”

Jhod stood. “That does raise a concerning point; I’m not sure it will be safe to take Wolf into the field while she has a litter. Especially if you’re planning to go out monster hunting.”

“Not keen on turning down the invitation. When is she due?”

Jhod carefully examined Wolf’s belly, doing some internal arithmetic. “At this point I’d say… about 6 weeks.”

“Too long for me to let a bunch of monsters rampage around. And I ain’t keen on going into the field without Wolf.” She trotted up over to me, accepting some generous pats. Dog quickly joined his mate.

Linzi chirped “There’s the solution! You take Dog!”

I looked at Dog. He’d certainly warmed up to me over the last few months, and he’d taking to my training well. Still, while going into a fight with him would be better than going into a fight with no canine support at all, he and I didn’t share the bond I shared with Wolf. But none of my other options were any more appealing.

So, I found Ekun in his quarters in the castle. I knocked on the door. When he answered, I asked “Hey, Ekun. Mind if I borrow your dog for a trip?”

“Not mine.” he replied, but I could see something adjacent to loss flash behind his eyes.

I quickly reassured him “Don’t worry, just for a monster hunting trip. Should just be a day or two. He got Wolf pregnant, you see, and so she’s not so energetic right now.”

Ekun’s frown became a touch less sorrowful. “Puppies?”

“In about 6 weeks, according to Jhod. Once they’re weaned, you can have one. If you want.”

Ekun nodded. “Will think about it. For now, go on your trip. I will watch over Wolf.”

I smiled warmly. “Thanks, Ekun. I owe you one.”

Once all the preparations for my trip were made, I tracked down Dog, who was cuddling with Wolf in their den. I sighed, steeling my heart against the fact that I’d have to split those two up. “Alright, you two. I’ve got to go kill some monsters, and if you’re not up for it, Wolf, then Dog, you’re going to have to cover for her. You two good with that?” The two canines looked at me blankly. I sighed. “Alright. Dog, come.”

Dog was pretty reluctant, but eventually got up, crawling out of the den. Wolf got up to follow him. “Wolf, stay.” The two canines whined. I sighed. “Ekun, could you get over here and convince these two they can be apart for a couple of days?”

Ekun arrived a minute later. He knelt down between Dog and Wolf. He told Dog “Don’t worry. I will keep her safe. Go with Kelawyn. She needs you.”

There was no way of knowing how much Dog understood, but he seemed to understood enough to trot to my side. I gave him a firm scratch behind the ears. “Don’t worry, we’ll be back before you know it.”

It was the first time in gods knew how long that Wolf wasn’t just a quick call away. A strange feeling. Dog, while he’d warmed up to me a little, wasn’t nearly as personable. It also took some getting used to fighting alongside him instead of Wolf. Wolf and I had been fighting side-by-side for years, and we were such a well-oiled machine that I barely needed to give her orders anymore. Dog wasn’t a bad fighter or tactician by any means, but I kept forgetting to give him priority targets, which eventually led to me getting up close and personal with a few hydra heads. Luckily Tristian’s healing was available to fix that particular mistake.

By the time the hunt was over, I was remembering to give Dog more orders, and he luckily trusted me enough to usually follow them. Which was fortunate, as the monster problem proved to be an order of magnitude worse than we thought. It wasn’t long before we had to go into the field again to start looking into the monster threat.

Those investigations lead us to a goblin village. I wasn’t interested in bloodshed, so I let the bulk of the goblins and their buildings be as we swept the area for clues. I did, however, make sure to destroy or deface every emblem of Lamashtu we encountered; I wasn’t going to tolerate any veneration of Desna’s hated enemy. Eventually, we found the goblin’s shrine, currently in the process of a ritual sacrifice to the Mother Of Monsters. I hissed in anger, ready to hunt the enemies of my faith. But the goblins became the victim of Lamashtu’s scorn, the sacrifice backfiring as the owlbear they brought in decided to snack on the priests instead. The owlbear then turned to my party, but it fared much worse.

After taking care of the owlbear, we approached the would-be sacrifice, who seemed in an awfully good mood for his condition. "Hah! The shatshanks not believe Nok-Nok, poked him with words and spears and torches, bite him, kick him... who be survivor now, huh? Nok-Nok, me, always me! Hail Lamashtu!"

I pressed a boot to his head, holding my holy symbol. “You better be damn careful. Lamashtu isn’t welcome in these parts anymore.”

Nok-Nok gulped. “B-but Lamashtu is my mama!”

“Well, your mama’s a bitch.” I said dismissively. “Now, if you don’t like being tied up, I suggest you co-operate. What do you know about the monster incursions?” Not my finest interrogation, but the stench of the village had left me in a bad mood.

I got what I wanted, anyway. "Lama, Lamashtu be their mother, like all beasts, but she not birth them out this way, no way! Halfhead shaman lie, to make people fear him. Shatshank stride around all puffed up, everyone bows, even king won't bark a word against him. He says Goddess sent us these beasties to answer HIS prayers. He even made us uproot village. He says there is thing of Goddess nearby... where beasts come from, called... 'womb.' And he calls me a blas-phe-mer!"

The part about the arrival of the beasts not being part of Lamashtu’s usual shtick fit what I knew, anyway. I had another lead – just needed to find that shaman. Deciding I’d had enough, I lifted my boot off of him. “Right, thanks for talking. Now, if I find out you’ve lied to me, well, my fluffy friend here has your scent.” I gestured to Dog. Nok-Nok shifted nervously. “But I have places to be. Hope I don’t see you around.”

"Hey, hey, where you going? Wait till I untie myself, I go with you! We heroes, we march together! The shaman fled — I bet your hide he come back for revenge! He hates you longshanks, hates your guts. Mine, too." Nok-Nok stretched against his bonds. "Let's follow him, then kick him hard in HIS guts, teach him a lesson! We kick the king in his guts, too, while we be there!"

I froze. “… What?”

"See for yourself! Heroes needs muscle, right? Also need brain for plans. Someone with pretty face to charm everyone. And needs leader, heart of the group." He nodded, finishing his case. "I can do all of that!"

I didn’t believe a word of what he was saying, but I’d learned to take a man’s measure, and I could tell the slippery little devil had skills. And for all my hatred of Lamashtu, I wasn’t in a position to turn away skilled help. I sighed. “Alright, but listen up: You keep all that Lamashtu worship to yourself. There’s a war for dreams, and I’m doing my part to make sure she loses. Understood?”

Nok-Nok squirmed uncomfortably. “But- but- Nok-Nok- But Mama- … Okay…”

“Damn right.” I looked around at the other goblins cowering nearby.

Nok-Nok hissed in disgust. "They deserve a nok across heads, all of them! Yet... hmmmm... better not-nok. You see big mother idol? Shatshanks hide in her shadow so can beg and whine for Lama to poison, stab, bite, kill whoever hurts goblins... don't make Lamashtu mother-mad, let them live."

I scoffed, raising my bow. “If you think I give a tenth of a shit about Lamashtu’s anger…” I sighed, lowered my bow. “But I’m not about to massacre cowering civilians.” I turned to the statue. “But this thing… Jubi, do the faith a favour and reduce that thing to rubble.”

“Normally, I wouldn’t do anything for you after calling me Jubi, but for Desna, I could spare a few bombs. Just make sure she notices; I always need a little more luck.”

Nok-Nok and the other goblins squealed in horror as Jubilost planted and detonated the bombs, bringing the statue crashing down. I touched my holy symbol. “The night shall be a time of wonder.” I turned to leave. “Come on, lets get out of here. We’ve got a lot of monsters to kill.”

There was a riot from the gathered monsters, but we cut through them in time enough, and made our way out of the village. Once we were clear, I addressed Nok-Nok. “Alright, I guess it’s time for introductions. Name’s Kelawyn, inquisitor of Desna. This is Valerie, Octavia, Regongar, Jubilost, Harrim, and Dog.”

At that last name, Nok-Nok yelped, diving behind a rock. “No! No Dog! Bad dog!”

I remembered a few things about goblin superstitions; namely that dogs could eat goblin souls. That made me wonder how he’d react to Wolf, but that was a problem for another day. For now, I said “He’s not really a dog. He’s actually a wolf. We just call him Dog.”

Nok-Nok slowly and carefully peered out from behind the rock. “… Not a dog? Not going to eat Nok-Nok’s soul?”

“I mean, he might eat you, if I order it. But so long as you co-operate, I won’t.”

Nok-Nok walked out from behind the rock, looking at Dog with something just shy of reverence. Dog, for his part, had listed Nok-Nok as ‘not an immediate threat’, and his interest ended there. Nok-Nok frowned. “… Dog is bad name for wolf. Wolf is not dog!”

I shrugged. “You ain’t wrong, but they’re pretty close.”

“No! Not dog. Wolf. Wolf needs wolf name! Ummm… what about Bignasher! Or Blooddrinker! Or Scarymaw!” Nok-Nok jumped up and down enthusiastically.

I turned to leave. “Well, he ain’t my wolf. I’ll pass on your name suggestions to Ekun; he’s in the capital.”

After crushing another band of Lamashtu’s agents, we returned to the Nightsmark. On our way to the castle, I remembered Wolf. I spoke to Nok-Nok. “By the way, I have a dog. An actual dog.”

Nok-Nok froze. “You- a dog!?”

“Her name’s Wolf.”

This information took a minute to bounce around Nok-Nok’s mostly vacant skull. “… Dog named wolf… Wolf named dog…”

I grinned. “Funny how things work out, ain’t it?” I turned serious. “Anyway, you don’t want to see Wolf, fair enough. But no hurting her. You try that, I’ll feed you to her. Soul and all.”

Nok-Nok yelped. “Okay! Nok-Nok will stay away! Far away! Far far away!”

“Good. On the subject – you’ll meet a lot of dogs and horses around here. No hurting them either.” I said sternly.

Nok-Nok squirmed. “Oh… who knew heroing was so hard?”

“If it was easy, everyone would do it. Come on, time to report in.” I lead him back to the castle.

A minute after the castle doors opened, I could hear the thunder of Wolf’s paws on the cobblestones. Wolf rushed up to me, sniffing me eagerly, tail wagging. I smiled, and gave her some long overdue affection. If I hadn’t known she was pregnant before, I certainly would have noticed now – she’d gained plenty of weight in the weeks since I’d been gone. Ekun approached. “She missed you. Otherwise, healthy. So far.” Dog happily sniffed at his mate, who quickly returned the attention. I looked around for Nok-Nok, but there was no sign of the goblin. I figured he was keeping his distance, and would hopefully continue to do so.

We spent the next day planning our next moves, doing our best to keep control in the barony despite the terrible plague and hoping to locate the mysterious ‘womb of Lamashtu’. Nok-Nok was frequently in the room, but immediately vanished whenever Wolf entered.

Wolf, for her part, was a little more lethargic, but otherwise happy. Jhod attempted to provide her with a proper whelping box, but she insisted on using the den Dog had dug for her. While Jhod lamented the difficulty in accessing it, he eventually caved, lining it with some straw and blankets.

The next morning, I took Dog to her den to give her a quick check-up and say goodbye before setting out to search for the goblin’s base of operations. As I gave her a few treats, something caught her attention. I followed her gaze to where Nok-Nok was poking his head up from behind a bush. Nok-Nok took a cautious step forward. Wolf bared her fangs. Dog, noticing his mate’s reaction, turned and snarled at Nok-Nok as well. Nok-Nok yelped and fled.

When all the magical seeds bloomed at once, I decided rescuing any civilians in Nightsmark had to take priority over helping Kesten and his men; they knew the risks going in, we all just had to hope they’d pay off. When I saw the scenes of chaos after finally arriving, I knew I had made the right choice. I started fighting my way back to the castle past a veritable horde of monsters.

I reached the castle to find Jhod using his blessings to empower a squad of guards making a desperate stand against a mob of wyverns. Just as one circled around Jhod, Wolf rushed out of the castle, sinking into it with everything she had. She was covered in blood, and a forepaw was limp, but she fought with a ferocity even I had never seen in her. The second the wvyerns were dispatched, rather than run to me, she rushed back inside. I hurried to follow, past breaches in the walls and clusters of monster corpses. I found her standing atop her den, growling a warning to all nearby.

Inside the den were a cluster of newborn pups, squirming and whimpering, with little more shape than a bean. Their eyes hadn’t even opened yet.

Dog sniffed them quickly, before leaping atop the den himself, determined to protect his children. Ekun approached, a burn across his mouth and a quiver nearly empty. “Sheltered some civilians nearby. Wolf’s been eviscerating monsters that get too close.”

I laughed. “Puppies! Could use some good news after today. Right, monsters first, puppies straight afterwards. Dog, let’s go.”

Dog whined, shifting his position on top of the den. I shook my head. “Sticking with the kids, huh? Can’t blame you. Alright, guess I’m doing without.”

Ekun nodded. “Will keep them safe. Though could use more arrows.”

I gave him a fistful of mine. “Thanks, Ekun.” I headed out of the castle, and back into the fight. Things were a little messier without canine help, but we managed, even if it took a few healing potions. The situation looked like it might get even uglier when an owlbear the size of a house came smashing through the city gates, but it make the mistake of approaching the castle. Dog and Wolf came charging at it furiously. They locked on to its forelegs, leaving it open for the rest of us to bring it down.

Eventually, the dust settled. The monsters were all dead, and the city secure. I headed back to the castle’s gardens to check on the canines. I found them both still alert, sniffing the air for any threats. Dog was giving a nearby civilian a side-eyed glance that I knew was canine for touch my puppies and I won’t leave anything left of you for Pharasma to judge. I gave the canines a reassuring smile. “We’re all good. Your puppies are safe.”

Wolf either understood me, or could see everyone else calming down. She limped back into her den, curling around her whimpering pups. I stood and called “Anyone got a healing spell?”

Tristian emerged from a nearby corridor, a haunted expression on his face. He looked desperate to help. “Only one, and the least of them at that. But it might spare one from the Boneyard.”

“It’ll do. Wolf is barely standing, and she’s got pups to nurse.”

Tristian hurried to my side, despite his exhaustion. He knelt down in front of the den. “Oh, dear. Merciful Sarenrae, I ask for just a little more of your healing light…”

As Tristian reached for Wolf with his healing spell, she snarled protectively. I gently hushed her. “Easy girl, easy, it’s only Tristian.” Wolf didn’t entirely relax, but she did so enough to allow Tristian to heal her.

Tristian stood. “Well, that’s stopped the bleeding. But we’re going to have to examine her more closely.”

“Give her some time. Once she’s properly realised the fight’s over and her puppies aren’t in danger, she should calm down.” I brushed some owlbear viscera from my arm.

Tristian nodded. “Tomorrow, then, when I’ve recovered my magic. But… I don’t think I’ll be able to save her paw and eye. Not with the magic I have.”

I sighed. “Damn. Ah, hell, she’s still got an eye and three other paws, right? She’ll manage. And she’d have given a lot more to protect her pups.”

“Of that I have no doubt.”

Ekun came up to me. “She gave birth just two days ago. 6, but lost one to complications. Other 5 are healthy.”

“Got it. Much as I’d like to talk more, we’ve still got monsters to kill. Kesten got a lead on what the goblins call ‘Lamashtu’s Womb’, where those damn seeds are coming from, so I’m heading back into the field.” As my grip faltered on my bow, I added “First thing tomorrow. Won’t be doing Kesten any good if I pass out.”

As I headed to my quarters, I noticed Nok-Nok peering at the den from behind some rubble. I gave him a warning look. “Better stay away, Nok-Nok. You’ve seen what happens to everything Wolf considers a threat to her pups.”

Nok-Nok slunk down behind cover. “Pups? Wolf pups? Or dog pups?”

“Wolfdog puppies. Half wolf, half dog.”

From the confused expression of Nok-Nok’s face, I gathered the words had caused whatever fragile mechanism that whirred between his ears to jam completely.

It was at least another week taking care of the Everblooming Flower, and I was delayed a little by burying Kesten and his men. I placed a Desnan found-mark in the cave, doing what little I could to honour those that had gave their lives to protect the innocent. But there was little more to be done save for praying for their souls, and once I did that, I headed back to Nightsmark.

We found Wolf still in her den, nursing the slightly-more-dog-shaped beans. As expected, she’d lost an eye and front leg, but it hadn’t dampened her spirits. She wagged happily when she saw me approach, beaming with pride at what she’d made. I grinned. “Hey there, Wolf. How are the kids?” She wagged her tail again.

One or two of the puppies started crawling over in my direction, sniffing and whimpering. Dog sniffed them carefully. He then sat by the den like a guard taking up his post. I chuckled. “Well, with any luck, are next few problems are the kind I solve with letters, so you lot get comfortable.”

I was, at least mostly, right, and both Wolf and Dog had some much needed parental leave. Over the next few weeks, the puppies eyes and ears opened, they got to their feet, and started walking around. Dog put a lot of work into providing for his family, which lead to me having to fork out more than a few gold pieces to farmers for lost livestock. Nok-Nok seemed simultaneously fascinated by and terrified of the wolfdog pups, or at least their mother. I occasionally saw him observing them from a distance, but as soon as they or their parents turned their attention to him, he vanished.

Both Ekun and I regularly took time out of our schedules to visit the growing family. The puppies were steadily growing larger and more adventurous, starting to wander out of their den and sniff around. I kept a close eye on them; one would be Wolf’s successor, and I had to choose them carefully. Business aside, it was enjoyable to watch, especially since the puppies were still working out how to use their limbs.

I laughed as one of the puppies tripped over a root, falling over comically. I looked over at Ekun. His gaze was fixated on the ground. I would ask if he was alright, but the answer was obvious: it had been less than a year since everyone he knew was brutally slaughtered by trolls, it was really not all that surprising that he was still in pain. But what could I do? Should I even try to do something? A priest would probably have some wisdom to impart, but my training was focused more on interrogations.

Which was why I was relieved when, a few days later, Linzi came to me suggesting that we throw a party. After all that had happened, I was itching for some levity myself. I was a little reluctant when Ekun’s apparent old ‘friend’ suggested a spot far outside of the city, as I wanted Dog to be there as well, and he was reluctant to leave his pack. But then I thought: why not bring the whole pack? It was a problem a cart could easily solve.

It worked like a charm. Ekundayo seemed to enjoy himself, and the puppies were eager to romp around in the strange new surroundings, their parents diligently watching over them. Their little adventures brought more levity to the party – only slightly undercut by the fact that Elina kept hitting on a man grieving for his wife.

As Linzi wrapped up a song, Dog took a break from watching the kids to spend some time with Ekun. Linzi giggled. "Aww... just look at that, Ekun! He seems so loyal! You have to give him a name!"

Elina agreed. "You do. You've been together for so long, you've been through so much together…"

Ntavi shook her head. "The heart wants what it wants. Why would one fake affection when there is none?"

I leaned forward. “Come on, Ekun! He sees you like family. And besides, the bit was funny for a while, but it’s going to keep being confusing having a dog named Wolf and a wolf named Dog.”

Valerie added “I concur. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but whenever any of us got too close to the newborn pups, he was staring at us threateningly. But when you’re near them, he relaxes.”

Ekundayo examined the wolf for a moment. He slightly smiled. "His name is Okbo."

Okbo wagged his tail.

A few more months passed, and I was regularly hit with reminders of how fast puppies grew. Harrim took the chance to give on or two speeches on the subject of entropy, which I paid little heed. Wolf moved back out of her den, and resumed sleeping on my bed. I double-checked with Jhod, and he gave me the all-clear to hand the puppies on to their new owners.

I, of course, took the literal pick of the litter. I settled on the most adventurous of the lot, a female with her mother’s grey fur. After extensive deliberation, I decided to name her Comet.

Ekundayo was next. He spent a long time deep in thought, before choosing a quiet female with white markings on her paws. He named her Ozia. He’d never got around to making a proper bed for Okbo, so he started work on furnishings for both of his canine companions.

That evening, I invited Tristian into my quarters, where the other puppies were gathered around their mother. “You seem like a dog person, sunshine. Want a puppy?”

Tristian’s eyes lit up. “Oh, would you? I…” He deflated. “No, I shouldn’t. I do love dogs, but I will have to leave these lands, one day. I’m afraid caring for a dog would slow me down.”

“I get it; Comet’s already a lot of work. Eh, I’m sure the others will be lining up to have a puppy.”

The next day, I led the remaining puppies into the dining hall just as breakfast wrapped up. I approached my companions. “Alright, who wants a puppy?”

Linzi was immediately on her feet, waving her hand in the air. “Oh! Me! Me!”

I laughed. “Alright, Linzi, but remember, a puppy is a big responsibility. Feeding, walking, training… you ready for all that?”

“Yes! Don’t worry, I grew up on a farm, I know at least a couple of things about animals.” She knelt down towards the various puppies, most of whom had their attention on the various food scraps just out of their reach. “Ooooh, they’re all so cute! How can I pick one!? Ummm…”

Amiri wasn’t waiting for Linzi to wrestle with her choice paralysis. “I’ll take one. Okbo and Wolf are real killers, at least one of these pups have to live up to them!”

I gave her a cautioning look. “Alright, but you’re treating these pups right, you hear?”

“Yeah, yeah!” Amiri said dismissively. She dangled a strip of bacon over the puppies, and watched them wrestle for the prize. After a minute, she picked one up, a female with her father’s colouration. “You! You’ve got bite in you!” She fed her the bacon. “Alright, name, name… hey, book kid, what was the name of that lady warrior you told me about the other night? She sounded great!”

“Oh, you mean Kurra?”

“Yeah, that’s it! Kurra!” Amiri grinned, lifting Kurra up, muttering a prayer to Gorum in Hallit.

Linzi turned back to the pups. “Now – which one was I about to pick? Dangit, I lost my train of thought! Um…”

Jubilost stood. “Well, I need a new riding dog, after all those useless ponies all ran off-”

“You’re at the bottom of the list, Jubi. I’ve seen how you treat animals. These little fellas are like my grandkids; I want ‘em going to folks that will treat them right.” I said with a scowl.

Linzi, meanwhile, had finally made up her mind. “Okay, this one!” She picked up the largest of the litter, a male. “Oh, but you’ll need a name! Um… hmm…” She took the as-yet-unnamed pup and set him on her lap as she flicked through her collection of books for ideas.

I called “One left! Any takers?”

Valerie spoke up. “If I may, I’d like to care for a dog. Intelligent and loyal pets.”

“Sure.” I gestured to the last remaining puppy, a male with grey fur and white patches.

Valerie carefully picked him up. “Lets see, a name… Squire. A faithful name for a faithful companion, I think.”

Over the next couple of days, my companions made preparations to move their new fluffy friends into their quarters. Ekun, Jhod, and I made sure to keep an eye on the new owners, providing them with advice. Linzi finally settled on a name for her own pup: Cotar, after a legendary hero from one of her innumerable books.

As soon as Comet was ready, I started training her in all she’d need to know in order to take her mother’s place. I was very practised in animal handling by this point, and Comet was a fast learner. Wolf was happy to help tutor her daughter, demonstrating proper technique and giving bad behaviour a few warning nips. At the same time, I was getting Wolf ready for a return to field work – she’d been away for a while. She barely seemed to notice the lost eye, and Ekundayo crafted a peg leg for her missing paw, which she quickly got used to. A little practise, and she was as deadly as she’d ever been.

Ekundayo gave Ozia a similar treatment, albiet with not as much formal training. He lead the growing pup along with Okbo on a few hunting trips, teaching her how to hunt in a pack. Like Comet, she learned a lot from her parents.

My fears that Amiri would mistreat Kurra were, thankfully, unfounded. Kurra was pushed harder than her siblings in Amiri’s desire to forge a proper warrior, but no harder than the pup could handle, and Amiri was generous with treats (“I’ve got a growing warrior on my hands! She needs to eat!”) Amiri fully encouraged Kurra to embrace her wolf heritage, and Kurra was all too happy to take after her father, learning to wander the woods and provide for herself.

Squire’s training was a little less intense, but a lot more strict. Valerie made it her mission to make sure Squire was disciplined and obedient, like a proper war dog. What she didn’t seem to realise was that Squire was a very smart dog, and smart dogs can train their owners as much as the owner trains the dog. With a little help from Jhod and I, eventually Squire and Valerie settled into something of a rhythm, with Squire learning instructions, and Valerie learning to give him plenty of the correct treats.

Linzi, for her part, wasn’t really interested in anything but a friend, though she did occasionally ponder training Cotar to be a riding dog. But, for the time he was still growing, Cotar had a relatively comfy life, lounging around the castle, occasionally listening as Linzi read him her drafts (he seemed to like them). This didn’t stop him from eating basically anything he could get into his mouth, and Linzi quickly learned to keep her drafts under lock and key.

Tristian might have insisted he wouldn’t be able to care for a dog long-term, but that only seemed to motivate him to spend plenty of time with the puppies in the present, playing with and caring for them whenever their new owners weren’t around. Wolf always liked him, and the puppies also warmed to him quickly. He was generous with pats and scratches, and the puppies quickly discovered that it wasn’t too hard to mooch some table scraps from him.

Nok-Nok continued to view the wolfdogs with a mix of veneration and horror. He still kept his distance from Wolf, making certain to cover his scent, but he’d occasionally leave what might have been offerings for the wolfdogs; scraps of food, mostly, but also the occasional effigy of Lamashtu. The former was usually accepted, the latter turned into chew toys.

Then came the day the residents of Varnhold vanished without trace. While I took the chance to demand payment from the Aldori, I was already planning to investigate – what happened to them could happen to me. I was eager to be back on the road with Wolf, just like old times, and Ekun was due for a turn of field work.

This did lead to the difficult decision of what was to be done with Comet and Ozia. The dogs weren’t puppies anymore, but after talking it over with Jhod, we agreed that the dogs were still just a little too young for field work. He agreed to take care of them while we investigated. I’d taken Amiri on the mission, and she wasn’t too thrilled at my insistence that she leave Kurra behind, being eager to get her dog her first kill. But she eventually relented, and we got to work.

The campaign ended up being much longer than I expected, running all across the eastern regions searching for ancient artefacts, to say nothing of the march up the mountains into Vordakai’s lair. And when I returned, I had two new problems to deal with – Tristian running off, and an invasion from the Numerian barbarians.

Waiting for reports on the location of Armag’s tomb at least gave me a day or two’s rest. While looking for Comet to brush up on his training, I overheard Tristian speaking sadly. Things had been rough for him, after he sacrificed his eyesight and we’d learned of his betrayal. Everyone else had been much cooler with him, or even outright shunned him for what he’d done. I couldn’t exactly blame them. But I still cared about him. I crept closer, careful to not make a sound.

I found him sitting in the castle’s garden, Comet in his lap. He gently stroked her. “… can’t explain what I did. I wonder what you’d think if I could. What you’d do. Would you shun me, like all the others? Am I deceiving you, here, now?” Comet simply whimpered, snuggling closer to Tristian. I decided that more training could wait.

After another month or two of field work, I finally had put out the last of the fires burning in my barony, and managed to declare myself a full-fledged independent queen. By this time, the dogs were all full grown. None of them had any interest in the ceremony. They did, however, have a great interest in the following feast.

I spent some time considering what I could do about the chance of more puppies; while I certainly wouldn’t mind a few more canines in the world, I didn’t want to worry about Wolf being pregnant the next time Nyrissa made a move. Jhod, again, proved to be my saviour, enchanting Wolf’s collar with a pregnancy-preventing charm that he could dispel once things had settled down.

Meanwhile, without Nyrissa’s knife at his throat, Tristian was much more open with me, to the point where I could finally get past the flirting and take him on an actual date. It was a pretty typical date, dinner and a long walk under the night sky, but that was perfectly fine with me. We ended it in the castle gardens. I’d normally gaze at the stars, but I didn’t want to focus on something Tristian couldn’t see anymore. Instead, I closed my eyes, and focused on how the garden appeared to my other senses.

This was interrupted by Wolf leaping up onto the bench, wedging herself between Tristian and I with an annoyed huff. She looked at me expectantly. I laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re getting jealous!” She firmly nudged me with her head, clearly expecting attention.

Tristian gave Wolf a scratch on the flank. “Don’t worry my friend, I’m sure Kelawyn has enough time for the both of us. And I wouldn’t dare risk the bond you two share.” Wolf didn’t seem entirely convinced.

I shrugged, scratching Wolf with one hand and holding Tristian with the other. “That’s why the gods gave us two hands!”

The nascent kingdom of Starsvale managed to enjoy a year or two of relative peace in-between Nyrissa’s plots. There was, however, an incident with some rampaging fey, but that gave Wolf’s children a chance to see some real action. Cotar had grown, and with the immense size of both his parents enhanced by a little luck, he was more than big enough to carry Linzi, becoming her faithful riding dog. Amiri and Valerie were much too big to ride a dog, obviously, but they were more than happy to have war dogs. When we found the fey, they were brought down amidst a flurry of fangs.

Comet had taken very much after her mother, and I was more than happy that I’d found a dog to carry on Wolf’s legacy when the girl retired. Ozia had also taken well to Ekundayo’s training, and while Ekun wasn’t quite so specifically looking for the next Okbo, he looked very proud of her.

Amiri hadn’t trained Kurra to do anything fancy, just one or two commands that were absolutely necessary for field work; commands like recalling her to her side, or to stop in case of a trap. But Kurra had inherited a wolf’s pack tactics, and when battle was joined, she didn’t need orders to circle around an enemy, skirmishing and harrying limbs, to keep an enemy too busy to defend themselves against Amiri’s rampages. This was fortunate, as Amiri was often too lost in the rush of battle to remember to coordinate the wolfdog.

Squire, for his part, was mostly living up to his namesake. He padded obediently beside Valerie, eagerly awaiting her orders. Valerie considered him almost like another weapon, smoothly incorporating orders for bites and scratches alongside her manoeuvres, using him to bring down her targets for a coup de grace, or siccing him on distant targets. Once in a while, he’d get an idea of his own, rushing to the side to snap at an enemy that looked vulnerable, or ducking out of the way of an attack, but he always returned to Valerie’s side.

Cotar gave Linzi some much needed mobility in battle, having legs that were both longer and more numerous. Linzi was able to keep herself close enough to aid us with her bardic magic, and out of reach of the enemy. Those few foes that got too close, Cotar angrily snapped at, buying plenty of time for the rest of us to intervene.

When the fight ended, as we licked our wounds, all of us displayed pride in our growing dogs. Amiri in particular, giving Kurra a firm embrace, and loudly exclaiming what a ferocious beast her charge had grown into. Linzi rewarded Cotar with no small number of belly rubs, and even Ekundayo smiled a little.

More time passed, and Tristian managed to get back into Sarenrae’s good graces, with a little encouragement from me. I talked him into settling down on Golarion; now he knew his goddess wasn’t angry at him anymore, and he’d gotten used to being mortal, he was eager to settle down and live a life with me. Importantly, his magic grew powerful enough to restore Wolf’s eye and paw, earning him a very waggy tail and a lot of licks.

Finally, the day of Nyrissa’s final assault came. I decided to leave the younger dogs to guard the castle; against Nyrissa, I knew I’d have to bring only the best. The decision proved wise, as she’s rallied the Wild Hunt around her, and they were playing for keeps. Worse, even after we beat Nyrissa, the Lantern King decided to extend his sick ‘joke’, and taking out that bastard required a little wordplay and some help from Desna herself.

But then Cotar started wondering where Linzi was, and we were all powerless to explain it to him. Linzi’s soul landing in her own book was an intensely emotional moment for all of us, how could we possibly explain it to an animal that couldn’t even read? But the sight of Cotar staring wistfully out the window stirred Octavia to action. After a number of sleepless nights, she managed to enchant the book to allow Linzi to cast Illusory Creature. It wasn’t exactly a physical body, but judging by Cotar’s massive leaps and rapidly wagging tail, it was more than enough for him. Funnily enough, he seemed to work out some connection between Linzi’s appearance and the book, as he occasionally stole the book from the library to snuggle up with it. No-one had the heart to get him to stop.

Amiri headed off adventuring with Nilak, and took Kurra with her. It wasn’t long before legends of the trio started filtering in from the north, tales of the three slaying all sorts of monsters. Nilak sent me the occasional letter, many marked with a familiar paw print. Meanwhile, Squire remained loyally by Valerie’s side. The pair weren’t exactly inseparable, the wolfdog occasionally getting up to mischief, but they remained friendly, and a large mass of canine was often helpful when I sent her on diplomatic missions, reminding those nearby to treat carefully with me and my agents.

A few months after the Lantern King’s defeat, I was busy talking taxes with Maegar when Okbo trotted up, and deposited a dead rabbit on my lap. His tail wagged with satisfaction. Maegar raised an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure wolves don’t have to pay taxes.”

Slowly, I picked up the offering, and set it to the side. “Er… maybe later, Okbo. I’m not hungry.”

Okbo could be hard to read – he was almost as stoic as Ekundayo. Regardless of what he thought, he left. Maegar glanced at the traces of gore the rabbit left on my clothes. “I hope he doesn’t make a habit out of that.”

I frowned. “… Now you mention it, he’s never done that before. For anyone. Well, except for Wolf. Especially when-” Something clicked in my mind. “… Er, can we put this on hold for half an hour? I need to talk to Jhod.”

Luckily, I found Jhod in a rare moment when he wasn’t tending to his ever-growing flock, and he had time enough to cast his divination magic. “… Your majesty, you do indeed appear to be pregnant. I believe congratulations are in order.”

“That explains how I felt this morning.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Well. A little earlier than I was planning, but I reckon I’m ready.”

“Of course. I’ll leave making the announcement to you.” Jhod bowed politely.

The others were all delighted to hear the news. Tristian and I had been talking about getting the kingdom an heir to the throne, and while things were moving a little bit faster than we had planned, he was nonetheless eager to be a father. While we couldn’t exactly explain my pregnancy to the dogs, they definitely noticed. Wolf started stubbornly refusing to leave my side, and one or two of the canines insisted on making sure I was properly fed, dropping various dead animals on me. Okbo even went so far as to make the den in the garden bigger, hoping to fit me.

Deciding that any child needed to grow up with dogs, and that Wolf was starting to get on in her years, I had Jhod remove the charm from Wolf’s collar. It wasn’t too long before another litter was on the way. Wolf took up residence in the unused den, taking a break from constantly guarding me. A position that was quickly filled by her children. It did make diplomacy a touch easier; being always surrounded by a pack of loyal and ferocious wolfdogs made me that little bit more intimidating.

Not long after Wolf’s next litter was born, my child was, a beautiful nephilim half-elf girl. I named her Tessara, after one of my mentors. Jhod insisted on keeping the dogs out of the room for at least a day while I recovered, which proved to be a challenge, as each and every one was worried about me, pacing anxiously outside of the room, and trying to squeeze in whenever someone opened the door even a crack. Thankfully, this was unsuccessful, as they were all very big.

Eventually, Jhod cleared me to leave. The second I exited the room, Tessara was surrounded by eagerly sniffing noses and wagging tails. A few of the dogs rushed off, quickly returning with toys which they deposited on Tessara eagerly, hoping that somehow her tiny arms would be able to throw them.

I headed over to Wolf’s den, where she was busy nursing her own children, Okbo dutifully standing guard. Tessara quickly drew his attention. He sprung to his feet, thoroughly sniffing her. He then stood aside, as if granting the two of us clearance to see his mate. Wolf was lying down, nursing her pups, but her tail whacked against the ground hard as I approached, Tessara in my arms. She leaned forward, making sure to get a few sniffs of her own.

When Wolf’s next litter came of age, Tristian was eager to make up for missing out on the first litter, quickly claiming one he named Charlabu, after one of his celestial colleagues. We trained him as a guide dog, helping Tristian navigate obstacles. Octavia and Regongar also claimed a pup; after I’d managed to trick them into sitting down and talking about the innumerable issues in their relationship, they were thinking about having kids, so they figured that caring for a puppy would be good practise for that sort of commitment. Harrim was even interested in a pup, evidently having finally been broken down by sufficient application of puppy-dog eyes from the pup’s siblings.

The puppies turned out to be a surprising help to Nok-Nok in his new position of court jester; he continued to view them, like their siblings, as supernatural harbingers of wrath. More than a few visitors chuckled at the sight of Nok-Nok enacting elaborate rituals in attempts to appease the young wolfdogs. The wolfdogs themselves viewed these rituals with bemusement.

Tessara grew up, as any child should, alongside dogs, plenty of them. When she was little, they’d often drop toys in her crib, and they were delighted the day she was big enough to throw one. When she started eating – messily – they were always underfoot, eager to ‘help clean up the mess’. They were also guards as loyal and effective as any I could have on two legs; not a night passed without a wolfdog dutifully lying by her crib, refusing to allow any to pass that didn’t pass a thorough sniffing.

The years passed, and eventually, Okbo and Wolf got old enough that they retired from field work, spending their last few years lazing around in the gardens, watching their puppies and grandpuppies frolic, secure in the knowledge that not a day would pass in the castle without the pitter-patter of paws.