Chapter 154: The Village of Wolves 1

The village was already up when Tanaka left the guest house. Two wolf beastmen were heading towards a workshop, bearing freshly cut timber, as a group of women prepared breakfast outside their houses. Children ran up and down the road, tails wagging, chasing each other until an elderly man grabbed them and told them to stop tormenting the neighbours.

Tanaka observed the scene from the guest house threshold, surprised at how normal it was. He had expected to be grilled about his identity that morning, but the village seemed perfectly happy to observe him from a distance. "Enjoying the view?" a voice asked.

Tanaka turned to see Maeryn approaching, a walking staff in one hand. The elderly wolf woman was dressed in a simple brown gown, covered by a thick fur cloak, silver ears twitching as she regarded him. "This village is lively," Tanaka said. "I expected people to still be talking about yesterday."

"They are," Maeryn said with a smile. "They just prefer to talk while working." The old wolf woman gestured for him to follow, and Tanaka fell in step beside her as they walked back along the road. "You wanted to see what Wolfeim is like?" Maeryn asked.

Tanaka nodded. Wolfeim wasn’t a large village, but it was neater than he would have expected. The main road ran through the village square before branching off into smaller streets that led to the residential district, workshops and farms. Most buildings were constructed from timber and stone, with sloped roofs to keep the rain and snow off, and porches to provide some shelter from the elements.

Tanaka noted the variety of wolf beastfolk. Some had grey or black ears, others had brown or white fur, and their tails were all different lengths and thickness, but aside from their varied appearances, all had distinctive markings, etched above the door of their homes or sewn into their clothes. The same traditions seemed to be followed throughout the village, despite the differences.

Wolfeim was a beastman village, and its people took pride in being so. "How long has the village been around?" Tanaka asked. "It has been around longer than I have been alive," Maeryn said. "My grandmother was a young woman when Wolfeim was founded, and before that it was a small hunting camp further north, near the hills."

"What happened?" Tanaka asked. "War," Maeryn said simply. The old wolf woman explained that fighting between neighbouring wolf clans had displaced several families, who eventually wandered south until they found a clearing near a river where they could build a home. Wolfeim’s population grew steadily, and eventually the villagers divided up into smaller family groups, carving out farms and workshops, and establishing trade links with nearby beastman settlements.

Tanaka listened carefully. "You are saying this village has a history apart from the kingdom?" he asked. "It certainly has," Maeryn said. She looked up at him, amusement in her eyes. "You understand how these things work, don’t you? The Beastfolk Lands are not ruled from these villages. Our king lives in the capital, where the royal court rules over the various beast tribes, and handles trade and diplomacy between our people and the other nations."

"So why does your village have a chief?" Tanaka asked. "And I answer to the king when it comes to matters concerning my people," Maeryn said. She tapped the staff she held against the ground. "The king doesn’t decide how much grain each family should sow, or which carpenter gets a new contract, or what to do about the feuding families living on the edge of our district. Matters such as these are left to the village chiefs, so long as they answer to the law," she explained.

Tanaka smiled. He understood. Eldoris was growing, and the various districts were beginning to form their own governments, so that not every matter was brought to his attention. A kingdom couldn’t function if the king was expected to rule every aspect of life. "What about your assistant?" Tanaka asked.

"That would be me," a voice said. A young wolf beastman came striding up the road, several wooden tablets tucked under his arm. His grey hair was knotted at the back of his head, and a small piece of fur had been shaved from the tip of his right ear. Garric had discarded his battle harness in favour of civilian clothes, but a longsword still hung from his belt.

"Chief Maeryn, the western granaries have been inventoried," Garric said. "We have enough reserves to last the winter, assuming the harvest goes as expected." "See that the farmers get the new planting schedules," Maeryn said. "I believe two families requested changes after last year’s floods, and you have arranged for them to swap plots with their neighbours."

"Yes, my lady," Garric said. Garric turned to Tanaka. "Lord Tanaka," he said. Tanaka arched a brow. "You’re busy," Tanaka said. "I have a position of responsibility," Garric said. "Being busy is part of the job description." "And patrolling the streets yesterday?" Tanaka asked. "One of us did have to greet the newcomers from the Great Verdant Forest," Garric said.

"Especially since one of the newcomers was a slime that nearly got the entire patrol killed," he added. Tanaka let out a tired sigh. "Can we stop talking about the slime?" he asked. "I’m sure the people of this village will never forget the incident," Maeryn said, chuckling. "If you would be so kind as to accompany us, Lord Tanaka, my assistant has several matters he would like to discuss with you," she said.

Garric tucked the tablets under his arm as he fell into step beside Tanaka, recounting various issues that the chief did not feel were important enough to waste her time on. Tanaka wasn’t surprised to learn that Garric handled most of the day-to-day affairs of the village, including the organisation of workers and the arbitration of disputes between neighbours. Maeryn was the head of state, but she knew when to delegate responsibility to her assistant. It was a good system.

They came to a halt near the square where the market was set up. Unlike the expanding markets in Eldoris, Wolfeim’s market was modest, made up of a few permanent stalls and several small tables set up by wandering merchants, farmers and hunters. Tanaka paused near a vendor selling small pieces of metalwork that had been etched with runes. "What are these?" Tanaka asked.

The vendor’s ears went erect. "Heating stones, cooling charms and mana lamps, my lord," the vendor said. "The heating stones are particularly useful in the winter." Tanaka picked up one of the cooling charms, noting the runes carved into its surface, around a pale blue crystal. Even without activating the magic in the charm, he could sense the power flowing from the runes.

"How long do they last?" Tanaka asked. "Three months with ordinary use, or longer if the crystal is maintained," the vendor said. Tanaka blinked. Three months. The Dominion had developed enchantments and constructs that lasted for years, but those were the exception rather than the rule. Magic wasn’t a common part of everyday life in the Dominion, only used by warriors and mages to augment their abilities or defend their people.

Tanaka bought a few of the charms to examine later. Garric watched him with a bemused expression. "You’re surprised," the deputy chief said. "Eldoris has sorcerers," Tanaka said. "But we don’t have many enchantments or constructs like this." "Then your people have much to learn," Garric said. Tanaka nodded.