Wolves of War

Go! Lure Out the Kodiac

“So the plan is for Ramune to lure the Kodiac away from Mustela and lead him on a game of tag for about a week at most while you somehow sneak into the castle and search for the music box?” I asked.

“I won’t be sneaking in” Asai said. “I'm going to knock on the front door. And ask to be received as a guest.”

“Huh? Crazy Wolf man said what?”

Asai chuckled and patted me on the head.

“The Kodiac took over Mustela. Does that not mean that you would be willingly entering a Bear-occupied city?”I asked “They will send messengers as soon as you step foot onto the land. The Kodiac will be back by nightfall to take your head.”

“Yes!” Keylyn said grudgingly “I tried convincing him not to do that. It’s too much of a risk. But he won’t listen to me. It’s not like I’m his advisor or anything. The better plan would be to just take the city by force, while the Kodiac is gone.”

I giggled “Did you just channel some of my sass?”

“It was needed” Keylyn said.

“We have a team that will intercept any messenger that the king sends.” Asai informs us.

“I know we have a strong enough army to invade Musetela, but there are citizens in there who do not deserve to be in the middle of a battle. It’s better to take Musetela from within. Just like the Kodiac did, and since no one knows that Mustela was taken over by the Ursa, me showing up at the gate will throw them off. They would have to receive me in order to seem like everything was normal.”

“It’s still dangerous to go by yourself” Keylyn argued.

“Who said I was going on my own? You are all coming with me,” Asai said.

“Are you insane?” Keylyn asked seriously. “I don’t have any combat experience. I stay in a tent and strategize, that’s my place.”

“If I showed up at the gates of Musetela on my own it would look suspicious.” Asai explained, “Keylyn, you have to be there as my advisor. In addition, my two consorts and their ladies' maids need also be in attendance.”

“Why do I have to go?” Sanna asked, stepping into the carriage.

“Because you are the main reason we are going to Mustela.”

“Me!” Sanna asked taken aback

Asai chuckles “Calm down, it’s part of the story.”

“Okay, wait back up” I said “Ramune is going to lure the Kodiac out of Mustela? How?”

“The Kodiac and I are apparently rivals, as I am told. He suffered a major defeat at my hands, right?”

“Yes, during the battle in the Desert at Old Akkadia he lost to you.” Keylyn verified the forgotten memory.

Asai nodded “If this is the case, then the Kodiac must be itching for a rematch. Once that man sees my flag, he will chase after it. Being a bear, it is my hope that he is blinded by rage and frustration and that will keep him distracted.”

“Okay, I assume that’s phase one of the plan” I said, starting to see what Asai is seeing “Phase two is that everyone here; Me, you, Thea, Galga, Sanna, Farra, Keylyn and I assume two to four guards disguised as carriage pullers are going to Mustela under the assumption that they are still an independent nation because of… Sanna?”

“Sanna is tired of travelling and wants a hot meal and a warm bath”, Asai said. “That’s the simple and true story.”

“We are going to Mustela!” Sanna asked excitedly. “Wait, Ursa took over that place. I don’t want to go there.”

“Don’t you want hot food and a warm bath?” Asai asked her.

Sanna nods her head. “I really really do want that.”

Asai smiled at her. “You will be safe, I promise.”

Sanna rolled her eyes. “Fine, if you say so.”

I shook my head. “This isn’t going to work.”

I can’t believe this worked. The Kodiac actually gave chase and the mayor of Mustela did not find it suspicious at all that a couple of hours after the Zodiac left, the 3rd prince came knocking at his front door. I can’t believe this nonsense.

“Assume the three of you would like a bath.” The steward asked Asai

I was about to refuse heavily but Asai answered before I could get a word in. He pulled both me and Sanna close to his chest and did something unexpected. He kissed me then turned to kiss Sanna.

I saw red. I’m sure Sanna was just as equally mad.

“We have been traveling for a long time. A bath would be nice.” Asai said, his hands slowly creeping upwards till they were under the top piece of my dress.

I looked over at the steward he had a creepy grin on his face as he watched Asai grope my under boob. His hands weaved in and out of each other in the kind of way evil villains do.

Upon entering the walled city, I noticed that most of the citizens looked like ferrets, stoats, and minks. There were also a few chimeras who looked like Wolverines and Badgers. A true weasel, however, was rarely seen. The steward would be the first. His coat is red at the back and white at the front. The only human characteristic that he or any of the other citizens of Mustela had, was the fact that they were bipedal. Other than that, they all look like giant versions of their respective animal selves.

The Steward led us to a large bath filled to the brim with steaming hot water. Sanna eyed the water with lust and began taking her clothing off, not caring that the weasel was still there in the room with us.

“You can go now, as you can see my consort is eager.” Asai smiled at the man.

The weasel bowed low and slowly backed away while trying to get an eye full of Sanna. “Since you and your entourage arrived late, the king has asked that you rest up and he will meet with you all tomorrow morning.

Asai nods his head

“What was his name?” I asked Asai.

“No clue”. Asai admits taking his shirt off

“What are you doing?”

“We have to play the part or else they are going to be suspicious. You can be mad at me later.”

After the bath, a snow-white ferret led us down a long dimly lit hallway. The walls were decorated with abstract art and weird-looking statues of weasels in various poses.

“These will be your rooms” She said, opening the doors.

The room is fairly large. To one side there is a living area where I assume you eat your meals and receive guests. Beyond that is another room where I assume Keylyn and the girls will be sleeping. There is a large window towards the back of the room where a large couch that resembled a daybed lived under the window with lots of pillows. On the other side of the room there is a roaring fireplace.

“Where is the bed?” Sanna asked.

“We sleep on padded mattresses on the floor” The white ferret says, pointing to what I thought was an ornamental rug - “Sleep well” she said, dismissing herself.

Sanna ran and jumped on the mattress. “Come my prince, the day was long. Let’s sleep.”

Without a word, I headed for the next room.

“Sleep over?” Thea feigned excitement. I knew she was trying to make me feel better about the situation.

I nodded my head and turned to Galga. “Lend me your nail polish remover, please. The paint on my fingers is chipping.”