Chapter 2
Snow, the Miserable Slave
Hiding her furry butt in an alley definitely saved her hind tonight.
Even if this dank crack was scrawnier than a crow in a land of deathless immortals.
Tight enough to make it hard for Snow to breath.
And this place stank worse than all those chamber pots her former human masters once forced her to use and to scrub clean regularly, scrubbed on and on until the dull brass shined so bright that she almost wanted to keep them as stinky treasures for herself.
Almost.
The stone houses cramped together everywhere gave her little cover anyway. No hawker stands or displays or even broad tables to sneak behind.
With humans cramped together as their buildings, her white fur would stick out like thorny black burs on a white fine silk dress. Nothing here would hide the natural sky-blue highlights in her fur emphasizing her feminine curves. The whole chest, waist, and hips ratio thing that made her human master leered and drooled over her would draw attention too.
Even if her masters only did it over the price her pelt would fetch – especially since she wasn’t a normal tigress lycan.
Snow was a rare exotic called a fox lycan.
Proof she was from domesticated stock too inbreed for further use, according to her wild lycan brethren.
Only to be pitied and ignored as inferior by her own kind. Whether domestic or wild.
But her livestock background left her with some decent knowledge about mankind. Like the power of alcohol, despite its sweet biting aroma that made any lycan yearn for a gulp, and the stupefying effects of drunkenness on humans.
And on lycan themselves.
Or how a celebration like this meant lots of food and drink available. Meats, sweets, and alcohol. Some for free. Most for some coin. The second of which her fellow lycan rarely carried around. Their current clothing stolen off humans they killed on the way here.
Clothing they refused to provide to Snow due to her freakish appearance.
Because her pointy fox ears would poke through the soft caps their pack needed to use in their human’s form – since a lycan's human transformation didn’t hide their non-human ears or tail. Her long white hair with sky blue highlights too freakish for her young pretty girl face.
Nothing she said convinced them that in her human form, her crisp peachy skin and extra nice ratios would lead the humans to overlook any oddities. Just like it did back when she had to infiltrate and play social butterfly in some obscure city for a few years. Got to play the cocky brilliant playwright and actress no human ever expected a mere lycan, let alone an exotic, could ever pull off. Enjoy the affections of man both skilled at love and those less so, especially one so adorably less so she couldn't help but smile sadly for.
At least the poor sweet boy survived the final lycan raid she had been forced to unable in order to get kidnapped by her wild brethren, to escape after a mission well done.
Even here, if Snow left her fox ears and tail out for anyone to see, she could of posed as a jester of sorts. With a few balls to juggle, maybe a few more unusual items tossed in, while singing the right rowdy songs …
As she had done in the past, humans simply laughed her off and missed the obvious darkling in their midst.
Then again, they must have known deep down Snow might of considered warning a Paladin or two of the impending assault.
If she had found one soon enough.
The fact Snow ended up swearing to serve their beloved and supposed super-fighter Mandy Ivy as her personal slave called a purren – bound by oaths Snow was tricked into taking then compelled to obey by her race’s nature …
Well, it’s not like she ever had much of a choice in anything ever.
So when Snow spotted Mandy attack the tall, dark, and handsome Paladin with his legs wobbling from too much drink, her heart sank.
No way if any of the Paladins died would they ever consider sparing Snow. No matter how many humans she worked to save.
Except Mandy missed.
Something that hadn't happened in years. The wolfs that dared purren challenge Mandy all dead and rotting.
Then the Paladin cut down some yellow tigress. The one that loved yanking Snow's tail hard whenever she didn’t offer to massage her paw padded feet … or not do it well enough to please her.
Then Mandy and the Paladin started talked in slurred drunk talk … about a purren challenge?
Snow couldn’t help but smile.
Because if Mandy became a purren, Show would get a chance to be freed from her tail-munching oaths – if Snow could convince the Paladin to release her.
Until Snow heard clicks coming from the rooftops. Harsh clicking whispers of darklings closer to vicious cruel bugs than anything else.
And Snow knew she had to act.
Her hackles too far on edge not to.
Not to just to protect Mandy. Or the Paladin.
But the whole ungrateful pack.
* * *
Looking up above, Snow squinted at the warm plum pudding sky.
Between the tile ridges a couple stories above her, plenty of stars twinkled. Like the tiny bits of sugary confectionery goo that wobbled on the various cakes her former masters loved to hand out during their numerous balls and festivals.
Except the festive music in the distance now was fading. Cut off by more and more screams,
The harsh clicking whispers coming closer and closer.
All making the fur on her back stand up stiff.
Not just her fellow lycan were attacking now.
A tingle zipped through her fingers. Her best weapon – one that only her dead litter mate Scarlet had matched – was gathering like a storm inside her.
The first black blotch scuttered by. Blocking out the sky confectionery – a spidery blotch with too many distorted human parts patched in.
Spidora.
Snow raised her hands. Fingers pointed straight her first spidery target.
Ready to strike.
Her current master Mandy was too busy blabbering with that Paladin to notice Snow right now anyway. Mandy had ordered Snow stay hidden and watch her back, but never actually even implied Snow should dare dishonor her master by saving her ungrateful furry butt.
But more harsh clicks rang out.
Several on the roofs above.
A few in my alley.
And even more on the roofs nearby.
Time for a better plan.
Or else everyone here, including Snow herself, would be cocooned and sucked dry.