CH 231: An Attempt
Jasmine resolved herself to trust her companions. Both Ursa and Hannah agreed that the three women from Restol were more than capable without her. But, she still felt hesitant. She didn’t want to leave their side. She prayed to whichever Gods would listen that the wolf pack wouldn’t return before they arrived at their next destination, but they did.
The night before they were set to attack the bandits, they approached.
Ursa stopped and stood still. She dropped the firewood she was carrying back and turned towards the forest. One wolf approached her with its head down. Ursa glanced at Claire before throwing off her clothes. She followed the wolf into the woods as she transformed.
Claire walked back with Ursa’s clothing on top of the firewood. Jasmine glanced at her and sighed. She looked at the ground in defeat. “So they found her?”
“I don’t know yet,” Claire sat beside her. “Ursa just left.”
Lily and Toni looked up from the food they were making. Lily looked at the amount of food and whispered to Toni. “Should we make more for the wolves?” Toni nodded enthusiastically and got up to fetch more food.
“Fuck,” Jasmine shook her head. “I was hoping they wouldn’t…”
“We’ll be okay, Jazz.” Claire set the firewood and Ursa’s clothes down. She hugged Jasmine tightly.
“I know,” Jasmine mumbled. “I know how capable you three are, but I can’t. I just can’t leave.”
Hannah set firewood beside Claire’s pile. She took a deep breath and sat on Jasmine’s other side. “I know how you feel. I feel similar to having Toni fight. But we have to trust them.”
“I get that, and I do trust them,” Jasmine spoke her feelings aloud. “I just… I don’t know. Part of me still looks at you, and the twins like you need protection. Like you’re still village girls, and not fighters. Does that even make sense?”
“Yes,” Claire nodded. “You were our only combatant for many years. And, it’s only been a few months since we started.”
“I know,” Jasmine exhaled. “Truthfully, I held back from complimenting how fast you’ve grown. That part of me still wants to deny it.”
“It’s okay, Jazz,” Claire comforted her. “We’re not the same women who first set out after my birthday. Elsie and I have claimed lives, and I’ve nearly died multiple times. Think of it as another lesson.”
Jasmine chuckled softly. “I think looking at it that way helps. And, I know you’ll be more afraid of failing than dying.”
“Yeah, think of it that way,” Claire chuckled.
“They also have Ursa and me,” Hannah chimed in. She joined in on the hug, “And we’ll make sure they don’t fail. They have good heads on their shoulders.”
“Yeah, we have good heads on our shoulders!” Elsie chimed in from the side.
“We’ll be fine,” Claire repeated. She held her lover tightly, not wanting her to go either. “Find Samira and bring her to safety. We need to make sure she’s okay.”
Jasmine nodded and looked back at the forest. Ursa and several wolves were emerging from the forest. Ursa walked towards them, while the wolves hung back. She walked up to the trio and lay her head on Jasmine’s lap. Her red eyes looked up at Jasmine.
“Is it time?” Jasmine asked her.
Ursa shook her head in Jasmine’s lap. She lifted her head off Jasmine’s lap and yipped at the wolves. More appeared, and they circled the carriage. Elsie gripped Ana tightly, and the two walked towards the others.
“Fuck!” Elsie yelped when one sniffed at her.
Ursa let out a noise that sounded a bit like laughter. It felt off since she was in her wolf form. The white wolf approached Elsie and dipped her head. She licked at Elsie’s exposed knee.
Elsie patted her head. “Still not over my fear of wolves, it seems. You’re the exception.”
Ursa yipped at her, then turned to Ana. She licked at the younger sister’s knee, who quickly petted her as well. “Good girl,” Ana whispered to her.
“Yeah,” Elsie smiled at her and joined her sister in petting Ursa. “You are a good girl.”
“So we have one more night?” Jasmine asked Ursa, who was too busy being pet to hear.
“I think so,” Hannah chuckled at the twins and the white wolf. “I wonder if the wolves would let me pet them like that.”
“Best not to test it,” Jasmine replied quickly. “Wolves are wild, they aren’t like dogs.”
“I was only kidding,” Hannah let go of Jasmine and joined the twins in petting Ursa. The white wolf was now on her back, enjoying belly rubs from the twins. The knight joined in with petting her.
“I wish she were like this when she was human,” Elsie giggled while continuing to rub her belly.
Ursa nipped her hand.
“Ow!”
Ursa rolled back to her feet and away from the women. She yipped at Elsie again and then slowly transformed back to her human form. She stretched out her arms and glanced at Elsie, then at Jasmine.
“They found traces of her,” Ursa explained. She moved to pick up her clothes as she kept talking. “They’ll stay with us tonight, then you can take off with them tomorrow morning. Rava will protect you.”
“Will you need a horse?” Toni asked while carrying more food for Lily and him to cook. “How will you keep up with them?”
“I can keep up for at least two days with my skills,” Jasmine explained. She smiled at him. “My class excels at chasing down targets over long distances, not just sneaking around. I may not run as fast as the wolves, but I can run farther.”
“Interesting,” Toni said as he added more meat to the grill. “How will we find you after you find Samira?”
“They’ll find me,” Ursa said as she looked over the food being made. Lily offered her one of the cooked pieces, which she gladly took. “Then guide us to them. Then, our contract will be over.”
“What happens then?” Elsie said with a bit of fear. “Will they go feral?”
“No,” Ursa laughed. She took a moment to eat the meat she was given. “They’ll return to their territory. Wolves are much smarter than you think.”
“I-I get that but…”
“That makes them scarier,” Ana finished the sentence for her. She felt Elsie grip her hand.
“Y-yeah,” Elsie gripped her tight. “I didn’t even realize how bad my fear was… thought I was over it.”
“Lily told me about exposure helping overcome phobias,” Ursa smiled at her. The smile was a mix between predatory and smugness, a weird combination. “Maybe throw you to the wolves tonight?”
Elsie gripped Ana tightly and moved to stand behind her.
“Ah,” Hannah stood up and put a hand on Ursa’s shoulder. “Maybe too far with the teasing.”
“Really?” Ursa tilted her head. “Why’s that? She takes the teasing so far all the time with me.”
“Yeah, but that’s just annoying,” Hannah whispered to Ursa. “Her teasing doesn’t make you scared, does it?”
“No,” Ursa whispered back, confused.
“So it’s different,” Hannah kept explaining. “She does it to be cheeky. Right now, all you’re doing is scaring her.”
“Oh,” Ursa thought for a moment. “Well, shit.”
“Yeahhh,” Hannah chuckled. She turned to Elsie and bowed her head. “She doesn’t really mean it. She’s trying to learn how to banter better.”
“I-I see,” Elsie smiled weakly. If she wasn’t scared, she might have laughed.
“Dinner’s ready,” Lily said, breaking up the conversation. “Ursa, these are for the wolves.”
Ursa took the platter of meat and nodded. She headed towards the group of wolves just beyond camp and began to feed each one. She threw a piece to each wolf, who obediently waited for their food.
“Sorry about that,” Hannah said, scratching the back of her head. “Ursa wanted to learn how to better respond to your teasing. I thought I was teaching her properly.”
“It’s okay,” Elsie exhaled as she watched Ursa feed the wolves. “She’s slowly becoming more normal.”
“Y-yeah,” Ana gripped Elsie’s hand tightly. “She’s more accepting of our affection.”
“I’m glad,” Hannah smiled and took the plate her master offered to her. “Means I’ve helped somewhat.”
“And we’re very appreciative,” Lily said as she handed plates to the twins. “She used to be so hesitant when she wasn’t going wild during sex.”
“Yeah,” Claire agreed from the side. She was still focused on helping Jasmine through her complicated feelings. “Thank you.”
“Mhmm,” Hannah nodded at her. “Oh, and, since we’re almost to our final destination. I have one last ‘punishment’ for you, Elsie.”
“Fuck,” Elsie said under her breath. “I thought you forgot.”