by D D Mathews
Tamara nodded, she had nothing to add, she rarely did, but she was good at asking the right question to move the plan forward, “Who do you want to take with you?“
“I wish I could take you, but I need you here and if I can’t get Hanna on my own, I don’t deserve to succeed. I’ll take Nox and Gretchen.“
“Very good. I’ll set up the travel; you should go before the party next week. Having Hanna here will help recruit wolves from Warsaw and possibly Poznan.“
“Thank you,” Nuri dismissed her aunt and she dove back into an intelligence file her aunt had prepared on Heidi Zimmermann.
The folder she picked up had notes about the woman mostly from Gretchen with a few notes from other sisters. Heidi Zimmermann had built her money base from prostitution. This was a dirty secret most Amazons would balk at, but they overlooked because of her power in Germany. She also was good with young recruits, had a strong reputation for finding, helping, and training some of the best wolves in the entire clan. Her daughter was an example of her masterful teaching. Heidi was able to explain her daughter’s running away as a benevolent act. She spread a rumor about letting Krakow recruit Gretchen to finalize her education in a foreign land, but she would return home to lead one day. Most of it was bull, but everyone knew Heidi was a wise and powerful wolf. Nuri felt disgusted every time she thought about her. Nuri saw nothing to help her derail Heidi from being the next queen. The Amazon clan preferred a masterful subtle and clever rise to power over brute force. And brute force had never taken Heidi out before anyway. She might be ugly and mean, but she was also quite the fighter. Germany was historically Goth country and six Goth Were upstarts had tried to dethrone her. She had never lost. The old bitch was tough.
Nuri put down the folder and focused on Hanna. Hanna, seventy-two, had seen Russian occupation and survived and thrived in Warsaw. She had been friends with Karoline Slowikowski, one of the most powerful queens in clan history. The current queen, Kasia Doman, overthrew her, mainly due to being in her prime with a cunning mind. Then Kasia had Karoline killed to protect her rise to the throne. Hanna requested retirement and went to live in the mountains on the Czech and Polish border. This worked perfectly for Kasia. Since then, nobody had heard much from Hanna. Seven years ago, she was seen at a clan gathering in Warsaw when a treaty with the Turks was re-signed. She had worked hard on the first treaty. Nuri picked up a sheet with basic information about her disposition, but since no one had seen her in ages it was useless. Nuri was starting to feel the burdens of leadership. She accepted it and thrived, but it made her tired. She looked over a couple other pieces of data, before laying her head down to sleep.
She stands in an open field, the dull light from above covers everything. Across from her is a ravenous horde of faceless Weres. She hears cries of pain and screams of terror, they feel familiar. She waits and the mass of werewolves attacks. They run across the field gaining speed, rushing at her. She holds her ground and stares them down. The mob yells vile things at her. The mob is still too far away to understand, yet she understands every insult and taunt.
“You’re weak!“
“You’re a failure!“
“You’ve killed your friends!“
“You’ve killed your sisters!“
“You’ve killed your aunt!“
“Killer!“
“Monster!“
“Freak!“
The horde smashes into her and she feels every stab into her flesh. The massive group of Weres dissolves into one Heidi Zimmerman who stands in front of Nuri. Heidi’s eyes rage, “I kill you!”
The dream world flashes brighter then dull.
Nuri’s head snapped up and Heidi Zimmermann in dull colors stood in front of her, her dull voice cried, “You die!” A spear, covered in dried blood, stabbed at Nuri. It missed her by inches because she fell back against the wall cracking her head.
Nuri, now fully awake, watched Heidi’s image disappear. She shivered, she was going insane.
“I should tell someone about this,” she said out loud to the empty room.
Chapter 18
Joseph napped in the same blue upstairs bedroom he had for the last ten days. He was trying to find Veronika while dreaming. He used his nose to sniff her out. The smell of blood and holly was out in the dim dream world somewhere. He only had to catch a whiff of it. He first smelled copper, not her, then he caught a scent of fish and maple syrup. Ignoring the vile combination, he sniffed again finding blood and holly. He moved the dream world around him to her odor. She stood on a busy city street in a major metropolitan area.
“Good boy. Now move us back to the cabin,” she said which Joseph did easily now. The dull colored cabin appeared in front of them. They now stood by the faded car in the drive.
“Excellent, now we must forge into the unknown. I cannot do what you can but I believe with your talent and my support you can learn how to control your awesome power. The ability should be inside you. You must concentrate on your body in this dream and my body in the real world. I will be in front of the car, right here, you simply need to find me, see me and tickle me. Can you do that?“
Joseph answered, “I’ll try,” not sounding confident.
“Babe, you got this. We’ll keep doing it till it works. I believe in you.” Veronika encouraged. She disappeared from the dream.
Still dreaming, Joseph walked around the car, waiting. Veronika had given him steps to work through, a checklist. First, go invisible. He simply imagined himself clear or more specifically, see-through. He could do this easily in human form while dreaming and was getting better at it in wolf form. After going invisible, he walked around practicing staying invisible. If he didn’t concentrate, it wouldn’t work. He liked being see-through, he felt more dangerous. Like when he was the mountain lion hunting in the Badlands; no one could see him coming. With an effort, he maintained the illusion, and after two minutes he moved to the second step, smelling out Veronika.
When Veronika was in the real world, and Joseph was alone in the dream one, her odor was faint. Since they had spent so much time together he could find her anywhere while they were both dreaming. Now she was harder to distinguish. Veronika’s odor was light in the air; he had to claw down through the human smells. The smells in the dream related to time spent in a location, not to who stood there now. The two strongest were the owners of the house. Their odors were everywhere; below them was a newer smellier male, probably their infant. He was slightly stronger than two other smells. These could be close friends, renters, or grandparents. Joseph wasn’t sure. He worked hard to find Veronika.
When they both were dreaming, Veronika’s blood or holly odor hit him first. When they were awake her cold smell hit his nose first. Now separated, he sniffed and sniffed for a while searching for her, when he was about to quit, he smelled holly under all the others. After he got the holly smell, he worked the third step. He focused on her and moved the world around him to her. He pictured her face, her lips, her eyes, and the world shifted and she appeared ten feet in front of him. She stood in front of the car. Every now and then she would turn 180 degrees, she never saw him. He was in an entirely different realm and invisible. He watched her for a couple seconds and stepped to her side and ran his fingers across her hips tickling. He saw no reaction. Joseph wanted to do this for her, but she hadn’t told him how to. He would have to figure it out himself as he did at the first motel with the cop. He tickled her stomach, neck, sides, knees, and breasts. He tried everywhere. He thought it had worked once, but she was just bending over to remove a lighter and cigarettes from her sock. He watched her light a cigarette. He had failed her. He couldn’t do this. Disappointed, he stopped concentrating on his invisibility and decided to wake up.
Joseph got up from the bed, still disappointed and headed out to talk to Veronika. She was finishing her cigarette.
“I couldn’t tickle you, it didn’t work.“
“It’s okay, lover, we’ll try again until it does.“
; “I don’t think it will work. I can’t do this.” Joseph said defeated.
Veronika gave him a hug, “I know you can and with a little practice, we’ll find a way.“
***
After a dozen tries over the next three days, Joseph was a complete wreck. He wasn’t sleeping well and when he was trying to tickle Veronika he was flashing visible and invisible. He couldn’t concentrate. Sometimes he would get so frustrated he would wake up crying. Veronika was kind and patient and kept giving suggestions. “Try imagining me laughing while you tickle.“, “Try imagining my skin reacting when you tickle.“, “Try this, try that.” Joseph could never get her to laugh. They set up a chase, similar to when he chased the buffalo. It didn’t work either. Joseph wanted to quit. She wouldn’t let him and every time he tried to give up she came up with a new idea to test.
Joseph was in the dream world, he went through the first steps, invisibility, sniff out his Veronika, reform around her and tickle. Still nothing happened. He stared at her and he got angry. He couldn’t do this. She was wrong and he was pissed. His rage boiled over and he started yelling at her.
“You can’t keep treating me like this. I’m not a dog with a biscuit on my nose. I don’t want to do this anymore. Stop fucking pushing me!”
Veronika heard nothing. Joseph swiped his hand across her side like a claw, where he had tried to tickle her the first day.
In one moment she was standing looking away from him and in the next, she was on the ground holding her side. Four claw gashes poured blood all over the ground. She was screaming and screaming. He awoke upstairs in the blue bedroom. He heard nothing and thought she was dead. So he rushed downstairs slipping the last six steps.
He came out of the cabin and found her on the ground, naked. She had morphed into a Were and back for the healing effect. She was calm, sitting in a pool of blood looking at her side.
“You tickle too hard,” she said to him and started laughing. He had never seen her so joyful. He had done well.
Chapter 19
Nox drove the company SUV while Gretchen and Nuri were in the back. The ride was straightforward and easy. They packed light hoping it would only take one night to convince Hanna to return with them. Nuri admired Gretchen’s attitude, but as a travel buddy, Nuri preferred Nox’s near silence to Gretchen’s almost constant talking. On the plus side, Gretchen rarely repeated herself. Her knowledge about clan history was only eclipsed by her knowledge on European history. The SUV drove through Ustron, which had a mountain overlooking the town with many triangle buildings. Nuri had no clue if they were houses or hotels.
The last known address for Hanna was on the far side of town where they found a little farmhouse secluded in a wooded area. The first thing she saw when they pulled up was a girl who darted into the house. Hanna didn’t have any family that Nuri knew of. She stayed in the car while Nox hopped out and did a quick run around the property. Hanna didn’t come to greet them, so Nuri sent Gretchen to introduce her and request a meeting.
Nox returned while Gretchen was doing her polite, proper protocols inside. Nox stated, “I smell wolves.“
“What do you mean?”
“I smell more than one wolf.“
“This may get interesting, stay close.” Nuri directed as she left the SUV and walked toward the front door of the pale yellow farmhouse. The windows had freshly painted white trim. It reminded Nuri of illustrations of Grandmother’s house from Red Riding Hood. The thought made her smile. When she knocked on the door, even Nuri smelled the wolves. What the hell was she walking into?
The door was opened by Gretchen, whose face was unreadable, giving nothing away. Hanna sat in a rocking chair, covered with a handmade quilt reinforcing the Little Red Riding Hood analogy. Nuri smiled again. She also saw three females Were between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five. Nuri couldn’t act like she had any power over these unclaimed wolves, but it bothered her.
“Please allow me to introduce myself properly,” Nuri began, while Hanna watched silently. “My name is Nuri Marszalek and my aunt is Tamara from Krakow. I was hoping to share some tea and possibly dinner with you tonight.” Both knew this was a smokescreen, but dinner had to be offered, it was a custom almost all clans honored. Hanna didn’t react. She waited an uncomfortable length of time. Nox was solid as a rock and didn’t move, nor did Gretchen. Nuri wanted to scream, instead, she acted calm. She had to show this Were her resolve. One of the girls, the middle one, fidgeted with her shirt, while the youngest rocked from one foot to the other.
“Very well,” Hanna said breaking the silence, “I would be honored to serve you dinner, my sister.” She barked at one of the girls, “Ursula, get the tea.” The oldest hurried away. Nuri waited silently for Hanna to start the conversation, who waited till both had been served and each had finished their first cups.
“I’ve stayed out of clan business, what do you what?”
The bluntness wasn’t surprising, so Nuri countered with equal bluntness, “I want you to rejoin your clan in Krakow.“
Hanna laughed roughly, “Over Kasia’s dead body.“
“Very soon, unfortunately, and I need your help to succeed her,” Nuri said solemnly.
“Unfortunately,” Hanna spits on the floor. “Good riddance.“
Nuri was happy Hanna was still angry. She could use it. She continued, “The leading candidate is far worse.“
“I doubt that.“
Nuri turned to Gretchen and asked her to sit down. Nuri poured her some tea. “Please tell Hanna about your mother.“
Gretchen started her story with her childhood which was uneventful, but full of lessons and classes. She was to be the perfect daughter. She told Hanna and the three unknown young women along with Nox about the cost of being the daughter to Heidi Zimmermann, Duchess of Dresden, “The first man she had me seduce was an older politician who had a taste for the young; I was sixteen. After that, I was pushed toward anyone my mother needed something from to consolidate power in Dresden. Mostly political people or powerful businessmen, soon she pimped me to the criminal elements my mother used to monitor and protect our clan’s land. That first year, my mother set up a date with a powerful Goth wolf on the rise from Dusseldorf, he wanted to have sex with a human while he was in Were form. I couldn’t look anyone in the eye for weeks. My mother beat me so hard afterward to make me behave correctly; no one wants to have sex with a broken soul. I had to keep my hate bottled up. It went on for five more years. Most of my mother’s power was built on my sex. I ran away when I was twenty-one. I was found by Nuri’s aunt Tamara who helped me, she saved my life and Nuri here has helped me, even though she is young. Without them, I would be hollow.“
Nuri hugged Gretchen and said, “You amaze me more every day with your strength. You are so much stronger than me.” Nuri kissed her and Gretchen stood up and walked behind Nuri, Nox came to her and they shared a moment between them.
Nuri, back to the point, “I will do everything I can to stop that woman from more power.“
“If I’m the plan, you’ve already lost,” Hanna said with bitterness.
Changing tactics, “Why don’t you introduce me to your, sisters.” Nuri emphasized the word sisters, knowing Amazons called each other sister, which the retired Hanna wasn’t honored with and neither were these lost pups.
Hanna finally showed an emotion besides distrust and anger, she was full of pride as she introduced each girl, “The oldest is Ursula, she is twenty-four and whip fast. She has been here over six years. The blond is Yuli, I smelled her out in town and spoke with her, she moved in last year. You want to see the most beautiful wolf in the world, that’s my Yuli; changes form so easily, her control is amazing. The little one is Mouse. She saw something she shouldn’t have, but I can smell the Were inside her, she could have her first change any day now. All three orphans, but they’re mine now.“
Nuri took this all in and asked a few questions of Hanna and her charges, “Isn’t Mouse’s first change early?“
Nuri asked the girls, “Are you happy here?“
They all nodded emphatically.
“Have you heard of the Amazons?“
Ursula nodded yes, but the others didn’t, “That’s enough about clans and sisterhood,” said Hanna. Let’s make some dinner so our guests can go away.” Hanna got up quickly for her age, she was still agile. She herded the three girls into the kitchen and they all started working together to create food for the evening.
***
The dinner was delicious, Nuri enjoyed the venison with cranberry sauce, the beer was strong and the atmosphere was light. Nuri let Gretchen ask all the girls questions about their likes, dislikes and what they loved about Hanna. Gretchen was someone the girls wanted to tell things to. Her ability to hypnotize assisted Nuri. She would use anything and everything to succeed. While the girls spoke and laughed with Gretchen, Nuri spoke politely with Hanna, who was respectful but unyielding. Nuri wasn’t getting anywhere.
After dinner all seven of the wolves went outside into the woods and let loose, Gretchen convinced the girls to convince Hanna to allow a little “fun.” The youngest, Mouse stayed with Hanna, as did Nuri, but Nox, Gretchen, Yuli, and Ursula ran around “playing.” Playing as a Were involved running, chasing, catching and wrestling. The girls, even Nox, seemed to be having fun. As Hanna said, Ursula was whip-fast she even bested Nox, who was the fastest runner Nuri had ever seen. Nox took it in stride, she was prideful about her speed, but was more proud about ensuring the security of her loved ones. Gretchen wrestled as a Were with Yuli for a while until both were tired out. Everyone was having fun, except Nuri who couldn’t crack the nut that was Hanna. She decided to engage with the girls when they took a break from roughhousing.
Nuri challenged the oldest, “Ursula you are quick, but what happens when a bigger werewolf comes after you, are you smart too?” Ursula was already in Were form but wasn’t ready for Nuri to burst into a werewolf, much less one so massive. Nuri was the largest werewolf any of these girls had seen. Mouse was scared and hid behind Hanna as the chase started. Gretchen and Yuli stopped wrestling to watch. Ursula was caught off guard and Nuri easily clipped her legs sending her into a group of bushes. Ursula escaped, but Nuri was on her tail and the trees helped Nuri catch up fast. Ursula knew to win she needed to find some open area and bolted west to a clearing. Nuri snapped her jaw a few inches from Ursula’s heel right before the clearing, once there Ursula ran faster than anything Nuri could even believe. By the time the Ursula covered the distance, Nuri was ten lengths behind. She morphed back into her nude self and yelled across the space, “You win, Ursula!” The werewolf turned around and came back to Nuri, the rest of the women had caught up to see Nuri pet and scratch Ursula’s werewolf head. “You are amazing.”