When we return back home there’s a rather unpleasant, cold, and heavy rain, and I hope for everyone else’s sake that the temperature don’t drop below freezing tonight as I take a nice, warm shower. I might be waterproof, and the layers of featherscales might trap heat very well, but unpleasant is still unpleasant and warm showers are the opposite.

I’m not sure what set her off, but Leda seemed grumpy for the last part of the trip and just sent a forcibly neutral ‘bye’ as she turned to her nest. I’m not entirely sure it’s a good idea to have her puppet actually go through puberty or whatever is going on, but… well, we’re committed now, and if it really is puberty I suppose it’s a useful life experience. After it’s done and gone, at least.

The following day I spend a couple hours catching up on the communities and what’s going on, and find that my injury has made news. Well, within the communities, anyway. Word of the portal has spread, too, though the general consensus is that it’s a true Dungeon, and they’re speculating about what could’ve done so much damage to me. Well, once the vlog finishes uploading they will have a lot of their answers.

When I’ve gotten up to date on the most important stuff there, I head out towards the Den, but before even leaving the city I’m intercepted by Leda. Only Leda. It looks urgent, so I stop and hover in place.

“Lars, Lars! I’m bleeding!” She shouts from her own back. “In the vagina!”

She wh- Oh.

Her wyvern body looks unnatural where it stays in place without flapping its wings or anything, but her puppet stands up, lifting her dress and pointing at her crotch.

“Look! Is it a period? It’s not dangerous, right? How do I make it stop?”

After seeing the muddy red stain in the crotch of her pants, I quickly glance around, and thankfully this area is almost empty of people right now.

“Yes, no, you can’t. Calm down, okay? It’s fine.”

While I might be familiar with the female body and have a, uh, above average theoretical knowledge on it, I don’t exactly have practical experience in these kinda things. I would ask mom, but she should be at work now, so… Something like a school nurse would be ideal but… Oh yeah, there’s that place with free prevention and sex ed materials and counsellors.

A quick search reveals… that I can’t even find the name of the place, and since I’ve never been there I don’t know where it is, but my efforts are not in vain, as I find a page which explains how to use period-products.

I continue to be amazed at the diversity of things find a beginner-friendly tutorial for online. And so we stop by a store, and with Leda’s mood has already brightened up she’s looking around in fascination as I pick out a pack of pads and one of tampons. We oughta be able to figure out how one of them work, right?

“Oh yeah, you’ve never been to a store have you? No wait, you bought me that Switch…”

“Mh-hm, but there were Switches in the window, so I went in and said I wanted the blue and red one, and the nice lady helped me buy it. This one is so different! There’s so many kinds of food, and they have fridges with windows! And fridges that are the wrong way and also have windows!”

“Uh, they’re supposed to be that way, and those are freezers, they’re colder than fridges.”

We chat a little bit while in the store and on the way back to my apartment, where I have her take a shower.

“Ahh, the warm water is good!”

“I know, right?”

I rinse the pants and underwear (both made by me to accommodate her tail) under cold water and find that, to my surprise, it gets rid of almost all of the stain.

“When we talked, did I mention how you handle the period discharge?”

“Nuh-uh. Ahhh!”

“Well, -uh, touching yourself like that is masturbation, and you’re only supposed to do it in private, remember- but there is two main ways to handle it.”

“Oh, but it felt good. Weird, but good.”

“Yeah, it does that. You’re generally not supposed to do it around people unless you’re lovers or married. It’s good that you explore yourself, but keep that in mind, okay?”

A little bit of soap seems to get out the rest of the stains, so I hang them to dry.

“Anyway, you have pads, which you just put in the underwear, and tampons, which are roughly finger-sized and you insert. Both absorb the blood so it doesn’t stain, and you’ll have to change them regularly.”

“Insert? Can you really -woah- hehehe, this is so good-weird!”

I have the toy I bought for Tåke back then, as well as those I bought for myself, so maybe… No. If she asks, then we’ll talk about it, but I won’t bring it up.

“Well, which one do you want to try first?”

I give her a moment to calm down. That’s a lot of tension she just relieved.

“Uhm, which is best?”

“They should both work equally well.”

“Okay, then… that one!”

I follow her finger, “pads it is. If you’re done, turn off the water and I’ll dry you.”

She does as instructed, and close her eyes while I blast her with magically heated air. The feather-scales are stiffer than feathers, but still puff out from the ‘magical hair-dryer’ technique. Well, part of that is a physiological reaction to pleasant warmth and relaxation, it’s just a lot more puffy when not drenched. I’ve found myself puffed up a few times, too.

I washed our clothes after the trip, and soon she’s in a new set of fresh and clean clothes. They smell flowery. Say what you want, but if I want my clothes to smell nice and flowery, I will damn well have them smell nice and flowery.

I remind her about when and where masturbation is acceptable, by which I mean lecture her, specifically mentioning that she shouldn’t do it around any of her friends, and if they talk about it she should say no and then tell me. I don’t want to handle angry parents complaining about her doing anything approaching sex with other kids, for multiple reasons.

Well… I glance at the boxes I bought. I suppose I should make sure I know how to properly use both of those. Later. For now let’s finally get to the Den and check up on things there.

Huh, this is… What’s with this atmosphere? It’s subdued, careful, tense even. The wolves all act like they’re afraid to step on someone’s tail, or foot, I suppose. Did some powerful monster or asshat come by and scare them?

It smells like there’s humans here. Ugh, can’t the snow just melt already! At least I’ve gotten used to the wet dog(wolf) smell.

In an attempt to stay incognito, I’ve made a new form just for this, and I’m wearing a new set of clothes, and even put my gear-bag in a non-spatial bag for camouflage. The bag is a store-bought shoulder-bag with minimal enchantments, and the clothes are also store-bought, though modified for the wolfkin form. Heck, I didn’t even fly here, instead going the slower route and levitating along the streets like the common plebs.

I walk through the rather damp main room (I should find a find to dehumidify it…) to the first person I see.

“Excuse me?”

The unmodified (as far as I can tell) human turns around. Okay, so they’re not entirely baseline - I don’t think humans can naturally have that particular shade of deep blue eyes. Could be contact lenses, though.

“Yes?”

“Is there something wrong? The wolves act as if they’re afraid someone will step on their tail. Or they will step on someone else’s.”

“Ahaha, don’t mind that. Some of the pregnant wolfkin have been… irate recently. See?”

He pulls the sleeve back from his arm, revealing a faint bite-mark. It drew blood in a few spots, but doesn’t look that bad.

“Just be careful and you’ll be fine it was my fault for trying to pet her, anyway.”

Oh, so my surprised/shocked expression worked.

“When the girls are done with this bitch,” he says that last word with surprising affection, “I’ll borrow the first aid kit. I’ll be better in no time!”

He makes a flexing pose as one of ‘the girls’ exit behind him.

“Hi Lars.”

“What?” “Huh?” He and I respond at the same time.

He speaks first, “Is Lars here?”

Hilde looks past him and study me for a moment. “No, sorry, I thought she were Lars. Lara. Why does he -she- have to make that so confusing?”

“Uhh, I’m Laura, but… Lars?”

“Oh, you know,” the guy says. He’s pretty loud. “Lars Eikeli!”

“Oh, that Lars.”

Hilde leans up in my face and sniffs me, and it’s not an act when I draw away with an expression which is probably not kind.

“No, really, you smell like Lars.”

“Heeh?”

“What’s your relation with-”

“Don’t harass the poor girl, Hilde.”

She doesn’t look convinced, but he draws her attention away with his wound that needs disinfection, and I take that moment to slink away.

But yeah, the pregnant wolfkin are pretty irate, and by extension their mates become on edge and, well. Then it affects all of the… ‘natives’, the wolves and wolfkin, through, well.

It’s mind magic, though not a form I’ve used. Or at least, it feels like mind magic to me, and it does something similar to the mesh network Leda set up, but more… shallower. For that matter, the companion bond I have with her is far deeper, though I’m still undecided if that’s a good thing.

Still makes them connected and, as I learn from magically connecting to it, share emotions somewhat. Who made this and/or taught them, though? I don’t think any of the people I’ve used mind magic with would go around teaching others or use it willy-nilly - I should’ve been pretty clear that I’m worried about less than honest use.

Sandy and her pups are doing quite well. Energetic, the bunch of them. Mmmm, yes you are.

“Laura.”

My “Ahh!” comes out very girly, after which I turn my attention from the growing collection of puppies that have gathered around me (I’m not complaining!) to Hilde. And then I complain. “You startled me! And stop sniffing me!”

“You really smell like Lars. Are you related or something?”

“What?”

Ah, do I answer honestly and break my cover? I want to be able to reuse this disguise. On one hand, she could probably keep the secret, but it would kinda ruin the point, and a secret told is a secret no more.

I don’t want to lie, but… Ah, who am I kidding, as long as I speak no untruth I’m fine.

“Could you stop sniffing me, it’s creepy!”

“I’m sorry, I’ll stop now. Making up a new persona seems like something he’d do, but he wouldn’t be so stupid to name himself ‘Laura’ if he wanted to keep it secret or something. Besides, if you flew with a dress like that you’d show everyone… everything, and even he wouldn’t do that.”

Err, oops? I didn’t even think of the fact that dresses give little coverage from below. I wonder if I could make a censoring enchantment? Also, you have no idea how close you are. Except for the stupid part. I mean, I did that, but…

“He also wear clothes he made himself. He’s not as good as- ah, you wouldn’t know her, but aside from details he’s pretty good. I can see you’ve made a tail-hole, but it’s a bit big. Just look at the wolfkin and see how their clothes are made. Err, not the pregnant ones, not now.”

“I- you know a lot about him, huh?”

“Well, yeah!” She says energetically, having sat down to join me in playing with the puppies.

“I knew him before he got famous, and we’ve talked-” She quiets and looks away. “And stuff.”

“Oho? ‘And stuff’? What kind of stuff?”

“Eheh, it’s nothing… nothing like that!” She says, leaning away from me.

Oops, now I’m getting up in her face-space. Well, call it payback.

“Do you remember the news story of the group who got lost in the fog that first day, and attacked by monsters?”

Of course I do.

“Well, I was one of them, and Lars was the one who rescued us. And made us buy stuff, haha. Well, it was a lot cheaper then. I met him a couple more times around here after that and he taught me a few things.”

“Like what?”

“Oh, a bunch of things. We figured out [Force Magic] together. You know, the one that people are using to fly around? Well, it is, as he says, ‘more like levitation’.”

She becomes quiet and stares into the air with a little smile. “We were pretty close. Ah- in a magical way, I mean. Uhm, That’s, we used magic, kinda like telepathy, to connect our minds. Mind magic.”

“Mind magic?”

“Yeah, like that connection you have to the wolves. Me too.” She ‘highlights’ it both our connections with a bit of magic, “This one. But different, and stronger.”

“Oh-”

“Well, I don’t think the pack bond is actually magic.”

“But there’s mana in it…?”

“Yes, but people with ki, you know those who can’t use magic and mana avoids them? Two of the wolves, and one of the newer wolfkin have ki. They’re connected, too. It’s really weird, but I think it’s something else, and it just uses whatever the person -or wolf- has to fuel it, if that makes sense.”

“Ohhh. So it’s a… it’s not a spell, but at the same time it is, and it’s similar for ki?”

“Yeah. I guess you don’t know if you don’t have a companion, but there’s also this ‘companion bond’, which is… stronger. It works even though it doesn’t use mana at all! It also works over a lot longer range. I vaguely know where Trilli, my wolf companion is, and that she’s in a good mood.”

“So there’s a pack bond and you can also have companion bonds… wait, like a beastmaster? You can talk to your ‘companion’ telepathically and order it to do stuff and stuff?”

“A little bit? It’s not master and pet, if that’s what you’re thinking, we’re equals! Well, she’s not as smart as a human, but I love her anyway. Think of it as a magical friend that is a bit young and not very smart and also a furry.”

“A furry?”

“Uh, that’s not important. You can’t use it to talk or anything, but when we’re close enough it’s like… we’re connected in a way that we understand what the other wants? Actually, the pack bond is kinda like that, but for the whole pack. Or subpacks, now, there are so many of them!”

“So how do you make a… bond?”

“Oh, uhm, I know how to make a mind bond, but it’s mind magic and that might be used for really bad things, so I won’t show anyone. The companion bond… I think you just have to befriend an animal?”

I lean forward and make sure I sound excited: “Does that work with humans, too?”

“Uh, I- I don’t think so? Or maybe… If the companion bond is like a beastmaster in games and such, wouldn’t that be like adding someone to your friends list? And the pack bond is a raid group, and the sub-packs are regular party groups?”

“Oooh, that sounds kinda cool when you say it like that. So how do you make a ‘raid-’ or ’party group’ then?”

“Actually, you can invite people to a party, but it’s a bit… No wait, maybe you just need to stay in the party for a long time? When the pack bond started it was only really Lars and the first wolves who felt anything at all, but now it’s… this.”

“Have you… been in a party? Uh, party group?”

“Yeah, Lars made one at one point, but it didn’t last long since not everyone is as crazy about exploring and testing new things as him. That’s a shame, I wonder if you could make a party ‘bond’ or if it grows like that as well…”

Silence falls for a moment, at least if you disregard the occasional yelp, yip, and bark from the horde of puppies, which I think we’ve managed to attract all of, somehow.

One of them manage to dig into my, uh, the top of my dress, and then it bites me. I let out a weak ‘ow’, before realising what it’s trying to do.

“Ahh, You can’t do that, I don’t have any milk! Go find your mother!”

Hilde laughs as I pull the little bugger out, but stops when I shove the unhappy bastard at her chest. I must’ve been more forceful than intended, as she falls backwards, but thankfully she doesn’t squish any of the small ones. A moment later, a bunch of them swarms her and to to her what they tried to do to me, except from below her jacket.

“Nooo, not when someone is watching!”

…

I feel like I should definitely pretend like I never heard that, but… Not a chance, it made me far too curious.

I help her pull a couple of the more insistent ones away, getting a thank you, then pull up her jacket and sweater.

Tits.

Well, teats. Two rows of them, totalling six teats plus her still covered human-style breasts. I mean, I’ve seen the mother wolves’, and have noticed the little bumps on the wolfkins’ bellies, but…

“Wha-?” is all she manages to get out.

I meet her eyes, for a moment, but the combined shame, anger, insult, and shock have me turn away and as I pull her clothes back down

“Sorry. Really! I- I don’t judge, it’s great that you help them.”

She scrambles to her feet, and I feel terrible as I look at her.

“Really, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have done that, I just-” Ah, I can’t meet her eyes. “No… I shouldn’t make excuses.”

And with that she storms off, the pups left behind and seemingly confused by the sudden change in the mood. I want to comfort them, but really, I need to be comforted now. I hate that heavy feeling in my stomach!

“Sorry, I was mean to her and she had all rights to run away. I’ll just… sit here and… brood. Maybe I’ll feel better by petting you guys…”