Chapter 29 – Meeting The Fenrir

It was 9 am and I had just teleported to a place my newest fiancé had indicated in her thoughts after we had broken away from the rest of my women. 

Riaru Andersen, my blue-haired Fenrir wife-to-be, and I stood before a massive, intricately-carved cave opening. It was not natural in its look, having worked stone walls and a cobbled pathway leading deeper into the cavern properly, but it was clearly made from a naturally forming rocky opening. 

Limestone megalithic pillars that seemed to be of ancient Nordic design lined the entrance and walls of the tunnel, and an enormous, time-worn image of a wolf was engraved on the top of the cave entrance. 

Moss and lichen clung to the pathway and walls of the entrance, and the air felt damp and musty. Surrounding us was a sparse forest of Fir trees and dense underbrush of brambles and dried needles. A slight breeze blew, making the trees around us rustle in a peaceful and relaxing manner. 

"Well...Here it is." Ria mumbles out with a shrug-wave towards the cave, clearly not thrilled to be back here. 

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Ria? We can always come back later?" I offer as I turn to face the smaller woman. 

She takes a deep breath before looking up at me and smiling brightly, "As long as you are here with me, I feel invincible. I am not afraid or embarrassed to introduce you to my family, Zeneff. I may not have known you long, but I feel that my 900 years of life had been just a preamble to the life I will lead with you. Once I met you and you accepted me, it was like I finally found where I belonged...I am honestly more worried about how my family might act around you...I don't want you to think I am a savage or anything..."

"I won't think that, Ria...A pervert, maybe. But never a savage." I reply with a smirk. 

Ria's smile only widens further as her cheeks gain a bit of color to them. "I am perfectly fine with that."

I roll my eyes at her comment but laugh all the same. "Well, I'm glad you are-"

"Riaru!? Riaru is that you!?!" A loud bark of a voice interrupts our conversation. 

In a blur of ice blue fur, a giant wolf appeared before us. It stood at nearly 10 feet tall, its head was the size of a man's torso, and the fangs that grew from its mouth were as long and sharp as broadswords. The wolf had a huge poofy mane of the same light blue fur, but it was broken by patches of white along its belly and on its face. 

The most prominent feature, however, was its neon yellow eyes. 

"Riaru! It is you!" The Fenrir growls out in a voice that resembled a landslide. Oddly enough, it had a female quality to it, making the deepness of the voice sound all the more peculiar. 

Ria sighs. 

"Sister Hilda, it is good to see you again." She offers with a polite smile up at the massive lupine ball of fur. 

Ria has nothing more she can say as in the next instant she is wrapped up in a hug from another blur. It was the same creature, Hilda, but this time the blur was of a tan-flesh color. 

I looked on in confusion as a naked woman of over 180cm in height clung to the side of the 128 cm Ria's torso like a koala. The woman had long, ice-blue hair and was, apparently, free of any other body hair as the view she flashed me, intentionally or not, left nothing to the imagination.

In other words, a bald peach was now freely visible for anyone to view at their leisure. 

"Hilda...Get. Off." Ria orders in clipped tones. 

Hilda, who was now rubbing her face all over Ria's chest and clothes, replied with a simple, "Don't wanna."

"Sister Hilda! I am with my mate! You are embarrassing me!" Ria whines out as she swats at the golden-skinned woman wrapped around her. She shoots me an apologetic look, but, before either of us can react, the blur reappears for the 3rd time. Ending in front of me.

Hilda was nearly as tall as I was and she was built like a tank. Rippling muscles were coiled under every inch of her skin making her look like an Amazonian goddess. Her chest was small, but her ass was firm and perky. She had a fully formed 8-pack that stretched down just past her belly button and thighs that looked like they could crush my skull between them as easily as popping a water balloon. 

If I was mortal, I mean. 

I noticed all of this in the brief moment she stood before me...completely naked...and not at all looking pleased. 

"So..." Hilda growls out again, this time much higher pitched now that she wasn't a giant-fuck-off-wolf, "You are the Alpha she chose?"

'Oi! Watch it with that word! Some readers would seriously disagree with that characterization of me!!!'

"Yeah...?" I answer as a question. 

Ria hadn't mentioned anything about an "Alpha" before, but I wanted to be supportive, so I figured I would play along.

"Hmph." Hilda snorts as she starts walking around me, "You don't look like much."

"So, you have chosen death..." Ria says softly, in a resigned tone from beside me as she pulls out a wicked set of knuckle dusters with claws at the end from...somewhere.  They shinned in a magical glow from their crystal-blue tinged, silver surface. 

Mithril Knuckles. 

Gonna be honest, I didn't expect that. 

As much as I would love to see my newest wife brawl it out with a naked woman over me, because that just sounded hot as hell, I was here to make a good impression on her family. I somehow doubted her killing someone she called "Sister" would be a great start. 

"Ria, it's fine," I say with a small smile towards her. She narrows her eyes at me but lowers her weapons all the same. Lowers, but does not put away. 

"Oh? Are you sure about that pipsqueak? How fine are you NOW!?!" Hilda uses my brief second of distraction to lash out at me with a clawed hand. Her entire arm has transformed into a wolf's paw and her razor-sharp claws gleam in the light that the forest canopy lets through. 

I raise a hand and catch her strike effortlessly, dispersing the force to my sides. 

"Sorry, I like this shirt. Please don't ruin it." I answer her attack with a smile.

...It was a nice shirt, okay?

"Heh! Not bad! But let's see how you deal with- This!" Hilda responds with a spinning kick aimed at my head. Even magical creatures would have a hard time dealing with the force of this kick, but for me, it might as well have been a pillow. 

"...Would you put some clothes on, please? This is kinda embarrassing with all your lady bits jiggling out and in full view..." I say as I let my head take her kick with no visible pain whatsoever. Her leg stays in place, giving me the perfect view of her tight valley, as she gapes at me with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"Wha-Wha?? How!?! My kick didn't move you or injure you at all..." 

"Right, well, Miss Hilda was it? It was nice to meet you, but I must be heading in with Ria now. We have to meet with her father as soon as possible so I can officially ask for her hand in marriage." I say, finally brushing her foot away from the side of my head. 

"Like hell!" Hilda roars defiantly.

She then lets out a brutal salvo of punches and kicks aimed at supposed weak points on my body while I fend her off with one hand, just to make sure she didn't muss my clothes.

I take Ria's hand with the one of mine that was not currently stopping punches and kicks and start leading her into the cavernous tunnel at a casual gate. 

Ever hold the hand of someone wearing Brass Knuckles before?

It's weird, to say the least...But it also prevented Ria from using them as her face darkened more and more with each attack Hilda sent my way. She was literally shaking with suppressed rage.

'Can't have that, can we?' I think with a chuckle as I lean down suddenly and kiss her on the lips. 

Ria's entire body freezes and she stares at me in shock and adoration as I move away and smile down at her, letting her know everything was alright. 

"URG!!! No! More! Flirting!" Hilda rages behind me, sending even faster and more powerful attacks at me to emphasize her words. Each is just as pointless as the last. 

On we walk down the cavern's entrance; Ria in one hand and the other fending off a mosquito. 

Surprisingly, the cave was not dark or ominous at all. Bright glowing magical lights shine on the path forward and the cobbled road is smooth and well worn with time and use. Here and there I can see breaks in the stone ceiling letting in rays of warm sunlight. Where it touches, patches of grass and flowers bloom.

Another 100 or so feet brings us to a massive raging river that bisects 2 sections of the cave's ground. The roar of the water rushing through the small gap is overwhelming and the mist that it generates coats the air in a humid fog. Over the opening in the rock below, a large limestone bridge has been built. The road continues past the bridge and winds ever deeper. 

By this point, Hilda is winded and panting for breath behind us. Watching her trip on the wet stones was hilarious, though I pretended not to notice for her sake. She sends half-hearted punches at me every now and then, but, mostly, just walks beside us as we head deeper into the cavern's complex of tunnels. 

5 more minutes of walking and I am close to reading Ria's mind to teleport again when the winding tunnels finally stop. The stone path ends at a massive limestone door with hundreds of engravings of Fenrir throughout their history. The carved pictures tell dozens of stories about their species and, though worn with time, show obvious signs of meticulous care. The limestone practically sparkled with a shine that had been buffed into the once rough stone. 

"So...um...Opensaysame?" I say awkwardly as we stand before the hundred-meter-high wall of solid stone before us. 

Ria barks out a laugh and moves to give me a side hug. She must have had some sort of mental or eye conversation with Hilda, as I see her walk past me a few moments later, a clear pout on her face. 

Hilda stomps over to the door and puts a hand on its surface. 

*Crack*

The solid wall buckles, shifts, and then opens from the very center as the 4 quadrants slide away from the center and into the wall as one. Where once there was a wall, now there was a fantastical view.

Past the doorway, I saw a man-made(wolf-made?) city within a truly enormous carved-out cavern. It went deep into the ground and had concentric rings chiseled out on the sides as an outdoor strip mine might. On these outcroppings were carved roads as well as stone pillars with metal chains to act as fencing. Further back on these ledges, and built into the cavern's stone walls, were hundreds of multi-floored houses.

The whole structure looked similar to an upside-down tiered cake. 

On the ceiling of the cavern was a large open hole to the outside that let natural sunlight shine through the otherwise dark space. This was amplified by blue shimmering crystals mounted on the walls of the cavern every couple dozen of meters that seemed to pass light from the large opening to every house via shafts of similar blue light. 

It reminded me of how archeologists in the movies used mirrors to pass light to otherwise unlit areas of ruins or tombs. 

The whole room had a mystical look to it as the natural sunlight was carried down deep into the cavern by the shimmering blue lights that flowed down the sides and ceiling like water unrestricted by gravity. 

"Wow..." I say in awe. This place was beautiful. 

Fenrir children played in the narrow streets and I could easily see a hundred or more Fenrir adults milling about their everyday lives as I looked down into the massive space from the entrance that appeared to be near the top.

"Welcome to my family's home: The Lair," Ria says with a small smile. It was easy to see she still didn't want to be here, but she still had a bit of nostalgia in her look as she glanced around the tired city before us. 

"Too bad you won't get to enjoy it!" Hilda yells as she sprints at me and tackles me off the ledge to plunge to my death several hundred meters below. 

Her clever plan looks far less clever when my body doesn't move when she hits me. In fact, she bounces off my body, trips, and careens off the ledge herself, instead.

Her eyes go wide in panic as a scream starts to build in her chest. 

She knew it. She fucked up. She was super, mega dead now. Not even a Fenrir as powerful as her could survive a several hundred-meter fall...

And that was exactly what would have happened if I hadn't intervened. She totally could have just gone splat and died...if...you know, I wasn't an all-powerful magical dragon.

As to why I saved her, Ria looked just as panicked as her "Sister" when she saw her about to fall to her death. 

'Am I ever going to meet normal people?' I think with a sigh. 

In a flash, I appear above the spot where Hilda started falling, grab her ankle, and pull her up so that our eyes were nearly matched. 

"You gonna chill out now?" I ask in a bored tone. 

Hilda looks at me in shock, then at the non-existent ground beneath her, then back at me as I stand in the air as if it was solid earth.

Her eyes tear up and her lip trembles as she starts to sob, "I-I'b sowwy! I'll b-be goob. Whaaaaa~"  

As the silly wolf girl starts crying like a toddler, I roll my eyes and float us back over to Ria. 

There might have been a time when I would have cared about her trying to kill me, and I certainly would care if she tried to kill Ria or any of my wives, but, to be honest, she was completely harmless to me so I really didn't care. She was no more deadly to me than a single blade of grass was to a mountain. 

So, no. I was not really upset. A bit annoyed, but not upset. 

When I put Hilda down in front of Ria, my Fenrir princess smiled up at me sweetly and told me she would handle the rest. 

I nodded to her and then gave an exaggerated bow just to be dramatic. 

She giggled and I turned away to inspect the mystical cavernous city once more. 

*Thunk* *Thwap* *Smack*

I quickly turn back, a bit startled at the quick series of meaty slaping sounds I heard, but all I see is Ria smiling the same innocent, happy smile at me...and Hilda having a number of bruises on her face and body that were seemingly absent before. 

I raise an eyebrow at my small wolfy fiance but turn around slowly once more...pretending to not hear what was going on behind me. 

'Different people show love in different ways, I guess...'

"So, which building is your father in?" I ask absentmindedly as I continue to observe the city. 

"Daddy is already here..." Ria says quietly and I turn, once again, to face her and see what she means...

Only there is nothing but an enormous muzzle in my view now. 

A midnight blue wolf the size of a 3-story building towered over me and barred its person sized fangs.

I blink.

'Do Fenrir get their kicks from popping up out of nowhere and startling people or something? ...More importantly, why could I not sense this giant-ass wolf sneaking up on me at all...?'

Said giant wolf shoots me a toothy grin from a mouth that could easily swallow a Hummer whole. 

"So...It finally happened...My daughter returned with a mate..." A voice so deep that it made my bones rattle asks. 

"Yes, father. I have returned from my task successfully." Ria answers for me, bowing deeply to her father. 

"Yes...it only took you 25 years of lazing around to do it..." The Fenrir King growls out giving his daughter the side eye. 

Ria, for her part, flinches and looks away sheeplishly. 

I cough once to dispel the uncomfortable air and stand up a bit straighter as I introduce myself. "Greetings, Sir. My name is-"

"Zeneff Silverscale. I know." 

"...I am afraid you have me at a disadvantage..." I answer, scratching the back of my head with an awkward smile. 

"Of course...I am King Erik Anderson of the Fenrir tribe and there are worlds I need to speak with you, Godling..."

Here Erik, my future father-in-law, transforms into his human form. His deep midnight blue fur matched his hair when he was human and he was built like a linebacker.

He was also naked. 

I made sure to look away politely. 

"Does my nudity bother you?" He asks me curiously as my head was turned away. His voice in human form was a rich bass that reminded me of a smooth deep-voiced radio talkshow host. 

"I am not particularly interested in seeing other males' penises," I answer dryly. 

He barks a laugh and I hear a rustling in front of me, so I turn to look back. 

The king now stands in a simple cloth robe. He beams a smile at me as he inspects me from top to bottom. 

He then does something I would have never expected. 

He falls to his knees and starts rubbing his face on the hem of my dress pants as tears spill freely from his eyes. 

"Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was so worried that Ria would never find a mate!!! She is one of my most powerful children and can be rather stand-offish and, frankly, a bitch at times, so most men are intimidated and feel emasculated by her! That she would mate with a God, and a Dragon God, no less, fills me with more happiness than my poor old heart can take. Thank you, Zeneff. I know she can be a pain in the ass, but I promise that she is worth it. Her mother is particularly feisty in bed, and the things she can do with her tongue-"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down there." I interrupt him quickly. "I am not sure where all of this is coming from, but Ria has been nothing but kind and respectful to me. She hasn't ever made me feel emasculated, and I certainly don't think she is a pain in the ass. In fact, she has been incredibly helpful to me and my newly formed harem. I am happy to have her as a mate." 

I then look over to Ria and ask, "What's all this about?" 

She...refuses to make eye contact. 

"I...have not always been so nice. Really, you are the only one I act this way around...though I am warming up to my sister-wives...My father isn't wrong, however. I can be a real bitch at times..."

"Like the time you spat in that Wereferret's face during a Beastkin Conference just because he asked if he could sit next to you." Her father offers. 

"Or the time when you purposefully ruined the New Years' celebration because they didn't serve the type of wine you wanted," Hilda, who is still naked for some reason, adds on. 

"Oh, Ria is back! Are you guys talking about times she was a bitch? Did you mention when she actually stole candy from a baby? Like, literally, looked around to see if anyone was watching and stole the sucker right out of the kid's hands..." A random passerby laughs as he gives his two cents. 

"OKAY!" Ria shouts as she flails her arms around wildly, her face bright red. "I GET IT! I WAS A BAD PERSON! ...I have tried to be better...recently, at least..." She finishes by crouching down and poking the tips of her fingers together while pouting. 

"I know you have, sweetie. That is one of the reasons I let you stay in Japan for so long despite you not doing what I asked you to do. Time away from home was maturing you and giving you a new perspective. I am proud of the changes you have made, and that you have come here to both fulfill your task and present your future husband...As for you, Zeneff." Erik explains as he pats his daughter's head affectionately with a warm smile, he then turns to me and stares intently at me. 

You are reading story Silverscale Paradise (A Yandere Harem Adventure) at novel35.com

"Anything." He says with absolute conviction. "I will give you anything I have or can procure, just please don't leave Ria or hurt her."

I was taken aback by his sincerity.

'This man was a doting father on a completely different level...'

I nodded to him and held out my hand as I promised, "I have claimed her. She will never leave my side no matter how she acts..." I then look back down at Ria with a smirk, "Although, I have no problem punishing her if she reverts to these past behaviors."

Ria gulps excitedly as her face reddens even further...and, surprisingly, Hilda does as well. 

"Excellent. Well, then, the last thing we need to do is hold the Mating Ceremony!" King Erik announces with a clap of his hands. He then lets out a loud, 3 note whistle that echoes throughout the cavernous space. Soon after, heads pop out of doors to look around and a low, bassy drum beat starts playing somewhere deep below us. 

"Fenrir! Your king has called on you for a celebration! My precious daughter, Riaru, has finally found a mate and we will be holding the Mating Ceremony shortly. Gather in the Meeting Hall so that we may begin in the next 30 minutes!" The king lets this out as a shout that bounces off the walls before turning to Ria and asking, "Are you fine escorting Zeneff yourself? I know you haven't been here in a while."

Ria rolls her eyes. "Yes, dad. I know these tunnels like the back of my hand. We will be fine, go prepare for your part." She finishes with a shooing motion. 

Her father nods, pats me on the shoulder once more, and then disappears in a blur as he jumps down over the ledge, seemingly unbothered by the fall Hilda was so terrified of before. 

Hilda smiles savagely at me as she walks forward to poke my chest. "Looks like I get to test you after all. I hope you are prepared, Alpha." She says the last word in a mocking tone as she spins and sprints off down the winding circular path. 

"Okay, Ria, what's her deal? And what test is she talking about?" I ask my blue-haired wolf bride-to-be. "Is this ceremony like a wedding or something?"

Ria moves in to hug me close. She stands on her tiptoes and pulls me down to kiss her, then she grabs my hand and starts pulling me down the other side of the circular path, the opposite way than Hilda went. 

"Hilda is my cousin...kinda. She is only about 20 years older than me and she was born to the sister of one of my father's harem wives. Even though we were not technically family, we were still close growing up. We were...the bad eggs of the family. I was the runt of my mother's litter..You have probably noticed that everyone else in my family and race are a good deal bigger than I am...and she was the annoying yapping dog that protected me. Hilda and I would always get in trouble and bluff our way out of it. She may call me a bitch, but she really wasn't any better - Ah! I should say as well that calling a female Fenrir a bitch isn't really as derogatory as it sounds. It is slang in our culture and is equivalent to me calling you an idiot playfully. I could tell that it bothered you that they called me one, but it really is alright. They didn't mean anything bad by it...And I can't really deny being one either."

As I listen to her explanation and get to learn a bit more about her, we come to a branch in the road. One path leads lower into the next tier and the other continues around the current tier we were already on. We take the path that leads lower and Ria continues her story. 

"Hilda has always protected me, as I said. She would stand up for me when I was too young or weak to do it for myself and back me up when I started shit...which happened a lot. We were practically inseparable and a terror to this city...but that all changed 25 years ago. We got in a big fight over something stupid and inconsequential, and then I...Well, to be honest, I ran away. I used my dad's mission as an excuse and left without saying anything or apologizing to her...I was really upset at the time, but now...I can't even remember what we were fighting over. I regret my actions and now I am not sure how to act around her. I want to apologize...but she is treating it like it never happened...and I am honestly not sure what to do..."

Here I pause on our trek and pull her into another hug. "Do what you feel is right, Ria," I say softly, "If you want to apologize, then do it, but if you think moving past it and ignoring it is best, then do that. I am not you, nor am I Hilda. I don't know her, or you really, well enough to give you better advice than that. You spent your entire childhood and adult life together. You probably know her better than anyone, and, so, the choice of what to do should lie on your shoulders alone...Just know that I am here to love and support you, no matter your decision. Who you were in the past doesn't matter to me. I was a truly horrible person not that long ago...and I am working hard to be a better man. I am the same as you in that regard. So there will be no judgment from me, whatever you decide." 

"Zeneff..." Ria tears up as she looks into my eyes. She then laughs and pushes me away lightly. "What the heck is that? So your advice is to figure it out myself? Gee~ Thanks~." She snarks and shoots me a smirk so I knew she was kidding. 

We continue our way deeper into the cavern, with Ria much happier than before, as she starts her explanation again. 

"As for why she attacked you? My best guess is that she is testing to see if you are worthy of me or not...She also might be feeling a bit left out...like I replaced her with you...and I doubt she would be able to handle that in a mature way..." Ria sighs and rubs her forehead. "The test is much easier to explain. It is a tradition in our clan: The Mating Ceremony. Basically, you stake your claim on me and others in our tribe have the chance to challenge you to a competition to prove you are good enough for me. Usually, it is just a family affair, but, because I am the King's daughter, the entire tribe will be there to watch and, possibly, challenge you."

"Alright," I say, processing all of this new information and lore, "So what do I need to do if I am challenged?"

"That depends on the challenger. They can define the terms...however, I do feel I should warn you about something."

'Here it is. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.'

"Yes?" I ask, doing my best to keep my sigh internal. 

"Hilda will probably challenge you to a Duel of Satisfaction," Ria says, looking up at me with a pout on her face again. 

"A what?" I ask with dead eyes.

"A Duel of Satisfaction is where one party challenges the other's sexual prowess. Basically, she will say you are not qualified to mate with me and you will need to prove her wrong."

I let my sigh escape.

'Yeah...This might as well happen, right? Just another day in the life of Zeneff Silverscale...I mean, really, what was I expecting? A normal meeting? Gods forbid I am allowed to win the hand of one of my wives with my wit and charm alone...'

"And how, pray tell, do I prove that to her and your tribe?"

"It is pretty easy, actually, you just have to make her cum before you do while you two have sex. Oh! And you can't use magic. It has to be all you and your techniques."

I stare at Ria blankly as she bites her lip and grumbles, "Maybe I can force her to switch me for the judging? No...That would defeat the purpose...I could just kill her...but I would feel bad about that...Urg! Why do things have to be so complicated!?! You're lucky I love you Hilda, otherwise, you would be little more than a lump of tenderized meat...But if any other women dare to challenge Zeneff...Ufufufufu..."

"So...Let me get this straight. Your clan has a tradition where a prospective husband has to fuck another woman at their wedding ceremony to prove he is worthy of her?"

"What? No! Don't be ridiculous." Ria denies me with a dismissive hand wave.

'Seems I have misunderstood something...but what could I have possibly misunderstood-' 

"The wedding happens after you have proven the right to marry me. Once we are bonded by the Mating Ceremony, we officially belong to each other and no one is allowed to get in the way of that. If Hilda tries anything after this, either of us could kill her with no repercussions, so don't worry."

"...That isn't what I was worried about..." I say after taking a deep breath to steady myself. "Not to question your traditions, but why is this part of the Mating Ceremony?"

Ria smiles sadly at me as she explains further, "It is because of our low birth rates. Fenrir don't have pups very often, so any pregnancy, inside or outside of marriage, is treated as a gift from the Gods. Mothers, especially new mothers, have an extremely high position within the clan's hierarchy. They are well respected and it is most Fenrir women's goal to get pregnant at least once during their lives. The secondary purpose for the Duel of Satisfaction is to provide that 1 in a million chance that it produces another litter for the tribe...There are only a little over 1000 of us left. We were hunted to near extinction by the Scandanavian people and the Wereegales several hundred years ago..."

'Well...Shit. Now I feel like a jackass. Here I was on my moral high horse while they are worried over their race's survival...'

"Sorry for bringing up such a sad topic, Ria...I guess it is a good thing I can get you pregnant whenever I want then, huh?" I respond with a sheepish chuckle. 

Ria freezes completely.

She slowly turns her head towards me and, it was at this moment I knew: I fucked up.

'Really, dude? What is this, the third time you have made this same mistake? Just fucking keep that info to yourself from now on!!!' I berate myself internally.

"You...You can impregnate any female at will?" She asks in a shaky voice and with wide, unblinking eyes.

"Not at will!" I clarify, raising both of my hands in surrender, "I do need to actually do the deed myself, and-"

"But any woman you sleep with can get pregnant?" Ria clarifies again, taking a heavy step toward me and grabbing onto my shirt collar while she stared at me with an intense, piercing gaze.

'She's telling me I can't run away from this conversation, isn't she?'

"T-Technically?" I answer after gulping down my sudden unease.

Ria sees my trepidation and releases her hold on me as she looks down in thought.

After a long pregnant pause, pun intended, she looks back up at me with a pleading look. "Zeneff..."

"Ria, you are not going to ask me to impregnate your entire tribe's women, are you?" I ask with growing dread.

"N-Not...All of them..." She answers looking off to the side. "Ah! But you wouldn't have to raise the kids or take responsibility! A-And! I would only ask you to do this once! Just that boost to our population alone might allow us to stabilize without your assistance in the future. Unfortunately, there is an imbalance in the number of men compared to women in our tribe. There is only 1 man for every 5 women...and with the low birthrate being what it is..."

"...You can't fix the discrepancy or produce fast enough to fix the problem over time." I finish her sentence. 

"Yes...and more of us die each year than are born...It is why we moved to this hidden cave several centuries ago. Dad thought it might give us a chance to rebuild...but it has only led to stagnation and depression..."

'Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Why!?! Why me??? Surely most men would jump at this chance were they in my shoes...but those would be my children. Even if she tells me I don't need to take responsibility...I would never be able to live with myself if I didn't. I don't want to know that there are kids out there with my blood who have no idea I am their father. I don't want my children ever to be born into broken families...like I was...If only I could-'

Wait.

I'm a God now. 

Couldn't I just...work some Godly magic and fix their low birthrate? Is that even possible? How would I even go about that? I am too new at this to know for sure...but for my first official act as a God to be granting a blessing like this to my wife's family...That is the kind of God I want to be. 

'And I know just the people to ask.'

Time slows to a crawl around me as I flex my full power. My eyes shine with a golden-white radiance as reality starts to melt away like sidewalk chalk drawing on a rainy day. 

{Sammy, Hime, I need your help.}

***

I appear in a place filled with absolute darkness. 

I am in my dragon form, not restrained or shrunk at all, and yet I feel as small as a speck of sand in the ocean in the vastness of the nothingness that surrounds me.

With a light *Pop* a giant fox with 9 tails appears beside me. The inside of her ears, the underside of her belly, the tips of her tails, and 2 small circled eyebrows above her lupine eyes are a deep, royal purple in color while the rest of her fur shines in a golden light. 

She is about the same size as me, which actually surprises me considering how big I am. I guess this was the standard size for a God's base form or something. 

Azuza, in her full Godly visage, lets out a happy yip as she dives into my side and cuddles up to my neck, curling into a ball and resting her head on her paws as her violet eyes watch me closely. 

Half a second later, Samantha joins us as well...but rather than transitioning to the Aetherial Plane like Azuza and I did, she simply forms from the darkness surrounding us and appears as if she has always been there. 

Gods are...not necessarily physical beings. It was incredibly hard to describe, but in this place, the domain of Gods, we are the power behind our concepts and portfolios made manifest. We are both here and in reality at the same time, both versions of ourselves able to interact separately as needed. 

Speaking of time...It didn't really work here. 

It did not pass and flow as it usually did and was easily bent and broken by our will. Thousands of years can pass here in the blink of an eye on earth in one moment, and in the next, a planet could be born and die without anything changing here.

As I said, it was hard to describe and I am not the person to try to do it intelligently.

I think, therefore I am. 

I do God-like things because I am a God. 

It really didn't matter if it made sense because reality was what I decided it should be while I was here. 

At the same time, however, Gods were not all built the same. While Azuza and I could destroy a planet many times over and are, largely, considered to be the most powerful creatures in the current iteration of our world, here we were nothing more than annoying flies that could be swatted away and ended forever if someone decides to smack us with a cosmic fly swatter. 

As if to prove that point, Samantha appeared before us as small as she usually was, but, within a millisecond, grew to tower over the two of us like a human standing over a kitten...

In fact, she picked me up and started to pet me as if I was a small animal as well...

Azuza was not spared either and was quickly added to the crook of Samantha's arm as she ran one hand through Hime's soft fox fur and the other worked its way over my scales. 

"You two are so adorable like this~," Her multi-toned voice cooed happily and filled the endless space completely. "But you did not call me here to cuddle, I assume. What is it you need help with, Zeneff?"

I had long learned to just go with what Samantha wanted...as it was practically impossible to go against her wishes, so I just let the petting happen and coiled around her arm in a comfortable way. 

"I wish to save Ria's family," I say simply. My voice had a dual tone to it. One, my normal voice, and the other, my dragon's deep rumbling one.

I then explained the situation to them both and my thoughts on how to fix it. 

Azuza was the first to answer after thinking for a bit. "While I agree it would be a good miracle to grant, I am not able to do so. My portfolio is over Illusions, The Soul, and Dreams." Like me, she also had a dual voice. The first was her normal one and the second was a high-pitched, raspy-sounding new voice - What I assumed to be her voice in her Fox form.

"Dreams? When did you get another portfolio?" I ask in confusion.

She looks away shyly as Samantha chuckles. 

"She ate a minor Oni God and gained his domain over Dreams," Sammy answers me.

"You did? ...Why?"

"He had it coming. Let's get back to the Fenrir topic, shall we?" Azuza asks while giving the side of my scaly head a quick lick.  

"Yes...That is quite a noble wish to want to grant, Zeneff. Unfortunately, neither of you are able to do so...But I can." Samantha says with a soft smile down to me.

"You can!?! Thank you, Sammy! I really owe you one for this-"

"Yes. You will." She answers, her smile growing wider and wider.

"Huh?" I ask, confused. 

"Until you marry me, I am not officially part of your Pantheon...As such, I can't do this for free or it will have unintended consequences for us in the future. This is the perfect scenario for Gods of Fate or Karma to intervene and fuck us over. They do love doing that where they can." She explains patiently.

"Oh...Okay. What do you need from me then?" I ask with no hesitation.

I knew that this would probably be something annoying for me in the future, but I also knew that Samantha would never do anything to harm me or our family. She only ever wanted the best for us, and she had more than proven that at this point. 

"It's simple. You owe me a favor. Any favor of my choosing at any time I ask for it. Agree to this, and I will grant your request. Done in this way, no one will interfere as it is a trade and not a gift. The Gods of Trade, Deals, and Contracts tend to be much more rigid in their rules. So long as neither side reneges on the deal, we will be free from any other God's interference."

"I see. Well then, I promise you an IOU in compensation for helping me out with this." I shrug my non-existent shoulders and offer. 

"Excellent." 

This voice does not come from Samantha...at least not the version of her that is smiling down on me and scratching under my chin. 

This new voice is fathomless and all-encompassing. 

It speaks not in words, but rather in images, emotions, colors, and feelings.

It both soothes me to my core and triggers the biggest fight or flight instinct of my existence - Either as Mark or as Zeneff. 

"Our deal is struck, object of my obsession. Good, it is, that I can finally see you in person."

And with that ominous line...

An eye opens behind me.

An eye that isn't just large...There is no word in any language that can accurately describe how big this eye is. 

It is the background of all existence around me. 

When it opens, I am blinded as the yellow light the eye gives off is brighter than any star in the galaxy. 

The deepness of the black iris that looks upon me in mirth is unending and all-encompassing. 

I feel like crying tears of joy.

I feel like clawing my eyes out.

I feel like sinking into her warm embrace

I feel like running as far away as quickly as I possibly can.

I feel like my mind is shattering.

***

And then, in the next instant, I am back beside Ria. 

I seem to have fallen onto the ground and am taking heavy, ragged breaths as I try to calm my stampeding heart.

"Zeneff! What happened!?!" Ria screams next to me as she cradles my head in her arms and brushes a lock of sweaty hair out of my face.

"Well...You don't have to worry about your birthrates or me impregnating all the women of your tribe anymore." I say in a staggered, shivering voice.

"Huh?? Zeneff, what are you talking about?"

"I made a deal with the devil and you all are free to reproduce like rabbits!" I answer with a small chuckle,

"Now...If you don't mind...I am going to take a quick nap..."

"ZENEFF!?!" Ria shouts out in confusion and worry as I pass right the fuck out. 

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