Den of Wolves

It was at dawn when Dakota left for the other Worg villages. They were only around 5 kilometers away so on foot it wouldn't take too long, and especially considering the physical prowess of the Worg, I was told to be expecting him by mid-day. There were three other villages other than the one I was currently at. The main branch family was in the north, with the farming experts in the west and the warrior village in the east. Hati and co. were in the south, and if you connected the villages with a road, you would get a shape of a kite. I say farming experts, but seeing as they are carnivores it turns out that it is a fish farming village by the Great River. As expected, Dakota returned just before high noon.

"Dakota, what did you find out at our sister villages?"

"Father, Titus calls for a meeting at the Circle."

"Ahh I understand. Sir, we will show you the way to the circle. We must leave immediately so as to not anger the main branch family."

"Where are we going?"

"I apologize, but I can answer these questions on the way there. Please we must leave now."

And so I found out even more about the Worgs. The main-branch family is pretty much in charge of anything and everything that goes on in the villages. If they want more food then the villages must provide. The east village does not have a village head, and is mainly used as a training grounds to produce fierce warriors. Their representative is the lead Warrior, second only to the head of the main branch in combat ability. The farming village is lead by Hati's cousin (of sorts) Mahika, a shaman. The Circle is an area that is at the center of these four villages and is where important announcements such as war and food supply is discussed. If I hadn't shown up, the Worgs would have lost their southern village and would have discussed going to war against the Felidae. The main branch family consists of four families, with each family head being a direct relative of Fenrir. Titus, the man that called for this meeting, is Fenrir's eldest great grandson, and the other family heads are his younger siblings. Apparently even I would have a tough time dealing with Titus in a duel. When we arrived at the Circle it was quite a scene. Respectively, on the left, there was a female Worg with two Worgs standing directly behind her. This must have been Mahika. On the right, a warrior worg with scars all over his body, with a particular one that went over his eye. This must have been the lead warrior. And finally, in the very center back, there was a black furred Worg with two white furred Worgs standing behind a brown and grey furred Worg that stood taller and was more muscular than the rest here. This must have been Titus.

"Hati, it has been quite a while. Where is your elder brother Sköll? Surely he does not think he is able to miss a circle meeting called upon by myself."

"I apologize, Grandfather, Sköll was murdered yesterday."

There was an uproar of snarls and growls at the mention of Sköll's death. When did Hati think it was a good idea to tell me he was part of the main branch?

"This human dares to kill Sköll then show his face to the Circle!?"

The Black furred Worg, clearly jumping to conclusions howled and then lunged at me, seeming to try and bite a chunk out of me.

I blocked his attack with a kick to the neck, but with just enough force to leave bruising at most, and he backed off realizing his futile attempt.

"Is this how you treat guests and those with Fenrir's blessing, Titus?"

I tried to respond with a calm response.

[Reaction Time] Mastery: Master

Discarded Ability:

[Athleticism] + [Charge] + [Reaction Time]

Acquired Ability:

[Honed Body] Mastery: Novice

[Courageous Heart] Mastery: Expert

Huh, it seems that my abilities can combine to make new ones. This is very useful information. And my abilities can be acquired through, not necessarily training, but events or actions? And depending on the difficulty of said event or action, I get an appropriate Mastery level. This is quite an interesting mechanic.

Acquired Ability:

[Knowledge Grasper] Mastery: Novice

Well that answered my questions.

Titus started to leak out a ferocious aura. I didn't see it before, but there are auras surrounding everyone here, and Titus' aura was exuberant at a disgusting level.

[Energy Appreciation] Mastery: Novice

"Grandfather, everyone, please calm down. This human saved our village and was blessed by Fenrir, the God of the pack himself. Would he make such a mistake?"

"Hati, explain yourself now."

Although the Worgs I have encountered thus far have been quite tame in nature, Titus' eyes were more feral than calm.

"Gir, Son of Alokonir, came to our village... and challenged Sköll to a duel."

"That shouldn't have been enough to take out Sköll. He was as strong as his father Lox, our lead warrior. And Gir, he may have been a direct descendant, but Sköll was the eldest and strongest of my grandchildren, blessed with True-Blood."

"Forgive me Grandfather, but what I am about to say will change our relations with the Felidae. Gir was feral."

More snarls and growls were given at the term "feral". Titus' aura calmed down as he started to rub his forehead while looking at the floor.

"We will deal with the Felidae later. I want to hear more of this human."

I gave a customary bow to Titus and responded after lifting my head.

"I am Mikael and I hail from a nameless village from the west. I originally came to Hati's village in to challenge Sköll myself in order to accomplish a quest, but Gir beat me to the punch and tried to kill me. I happened to be stronger."

"What is the meaning of this Hati. He claims to have tried to kill Sköll himself! We should butcher this hu-"

The black furred Worg retaliated again, but Titus silenced him with a smack.

"Do you need to learn proper manners, boy?"

Weren't they supposed to be brothers?...

"Continue."

"When I learned that you Worgs are actually quite intelligent beings and not as ravenous as what we humans are told, under the advice of my partner here Raphael, I decided to become the new leader of their village."

Raphael was keeping his composure on the outside, but I could tell he was clearly having an internal nervous breakdown.

"A human cannot be the Leader of a Vi-"

This time, it wasn't a smack which silenced the black furred Worg, but the aura being released from Titus. Although they were related, he was glaring at his brother with the intention to kill. I thought that I saw the aura take shape of a wolf's head even.

"Another word out of you, boy, and see what happens to that tongue you hold so dear."

"If I may, Uncle."

Mahika, the female Worg on my left interjected. She had a mix of white and red fur, clearly standing out from the rest. I was curious to see what she was going to say. With a nod from Titus, she began.

"As one of the leading shamans, it is my duty to understand Fenrir to the point where his actions cannot be perceived as mistaken. Fenrir's direct blessing gives this human the right to lead the pack. It is not at the same level as what most Worg's have, the divinity of Fenrir. He was chosen by Fenrir. Also, he defeated a feral Felidae. This is not an unheard of feat, but by a human and alone nonetheless, clearly he is unique. And to add to that, he didn't kill, but liberated our brethren in the south. It would be wise to hear him out."

(I need this Worg. She is the type that uses her brain first.)

I took that as an opportunity to break the news.

"I intend on creating a nation here which will take over all of the kingdoms of this continent. I cannot do so alone, but with the help of the Worgs, I believe it is a possibility we can reach. Only together can this dream be made a reality. As proof of my commitment, I want to first take jurisdiction of this forest, uniting all of the beast men in the surrounding area before taking on the humans."

I was careful to use the word "unite" as opposed to "conquer".

A smile cracked on Titus' face. And soon after a laughter. It was a loud and deep pitched laughter that lasted a solid fifteen seconds. (Think a dwarf)

"This is the first time in my life that I have seen Grandfather laugh..."

I would say that Hati whispered this, but that would be a lie as he had to make up for the noise coming from the rock and roll concert in front of us.

"Kuhahaha! I understand completely. It appears you truly do have Fenrir's blessing! He would not give it to those that are weak hearted. Sköll has died, and that is a shame, but he is now gloriously running alongside Fenrir's pack in the Evergreen Forest. Now come here and tell me your plan boy."

This threw me completely off-guard. Where did this cheery and warm-hearted atmosphere come from. Luckily, things were going smoother than I expected them to. I wanted direct control of the Worgs as soon as possible, so I proposed a deal to Titus.

"I want to lead all of the Worgs. This means leading the main branch family as well. I would like to know if, by having Fenrir's blessing, I can challenge you to a duel, Titus."

"Wh-"

This seemed to agitate Titus quite a bit.

"Oh? No one has ever challenged the main branch family's head since when my father killed the leader of the Felidae. You dare to challenge me? Very well, we will duel in one quarter of a lunar cycle. If you defeat me, the Worgs shall be under your command. If you lose, you atone with your life."

It was a risky deal, but I had confidence in [Quick Learner].

"I appreciate it Titus. I will not disappoint you."

I bowed and with that the Circle meeting had concluded.

Before heading back, I made a point of greeting Mahika.

"Greetings Mahika. Thank you for what you said earlier. It benefitted me greatly."

"Of course. Those that are blessed by Fenrir are chosen by him personally."

"Well, anyways, I would like it if you could come to the village some time tomorrow if that is alright."

"I don't know what this would be for, but I understand."

And so she departed. I guess it was about time for us to take our leave as well.

On the way back to our village, I decided to take some time to talk to Raphael. Although it had only been a day since we've talked, a lot has happened.

"I really don't know what you're getting us into Mikael. You better know what you're doing."

"Have I failed you so far?"

"Like I said before, you haven't been wrong before, so I will trust your decision. By the way, how do you intend on making yourself stronger?"

"I'm gonna abuse a bugged out mechanic."

"A bug? Like an insect?"

"Don't worry about the details Raphael. Just know that the world is going to change soon."

_______________________________________

Status:

Name: Mikael

Title: [Tamer]

Age: 19

Race: Human

Racial Passives: None

Divinity: [Fenrir's Blessing]

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Loyalty: None

Latent Abilities: [Quick Learner]

Acquired Abilities:

[Unarmed Fighting] Mastery: Master

[Courageous Heart] Mastery: Expert

[Energy Appreciation] Mastery: Novice

[Knowledge Grasper] Mastery: Novice

[Honed Body] Mastery: Novice

[Leader] Mastery: Novice

Followers: 2

_______________________________________

Name: Raphael

Age: 18

Race: Human

Racial Passives: None

Divinity: None

Loyalty: Mikael

Latent Abilities: [The Generous]

Acquired Abilities: None

Followers: None

_______________________________________

Name: Lucy

Age: 19

Race: Human

Racial Passives: None

Divinity: None

Loyalty: Raphael

Latent Abilities: None

Acquired Abilities: None

Followers: None

_______________________________________

Name: Hati

Age: 492

Race: Worg

Racial Passive: Intimidating Aura

Divinity: [Fenrir, God of The Pack]

Loyalty: Mikael

Latent Abilities: [True-blooded]

Acquired Abilities: None

Followers: 56

_______________________________________