Smelly Humans

There it was again. That smell. That oh-so disgusting smell. A low growl escaped from the Dyre Varùlfur’s throat. He had to get it out. Get it away. That rotten smell of strange materials. Raoul despised them. The humans. Often times they invaded the territory of his kind, laying waste and claiming the land as their own. But it belonged to the Varùlfur! Not stinking men who thought they owned everything just because they had special tools of destruction!

Yet whenever his kind fought back, they would be slain. Killed for defending their rightful home. He was sick of it. Sick of everything. This was his home! His place! He would not allow the humans to take it away! It was his duty to protect what he owned! With rage burning deep within his chest, the Varùlfur took off, his paws a blur across the ground. Fast fast fast! To where the smell was! He would show them! It was time for the humans to be hunted. He had chased off many humans before, so this time it would be no different. This was their punishment for taking what was not theirs!

Once the came into view, the Varùlfur skidded to a stop. Or at least tried to. Instead he went tumbling through the underbrush and landed awkwardly in front of the foul things. No matter. Snarling and spitting, the Varùlfur rolled back onto his paws in preparation to give his most ferocious bark. The sound built up in his throat, but he stopped short upon looking up at the face of the one closest to him. They were so tall- their curious blue eyes hovered far far away from him. The fur on top of their head was a color he’d never seen before on a human: white. But the weirdest of it all was how he smelled. It was very different from the other humans that the Varùlfur had chased off before. They almost smelled… friendly. But at the same time the Varùlfur could sense that was something off. Something hiding beneath that friendly feeling.

The Varùlfur began backing up while maintaining a sharp glare. This human was different. This human was strong. His glance momentarily shifted to the other one. That human was strong too. Why were these humans so strong? They didn’t hold any strange pointy objects, but the Varùlfur’s nose did not lie. These people were dangerous.

...But that was all the more reason to challenge them! If they were dangerous, he could not let them do any damage to his home! He wouldn’t allow it. With his confidence restored, the Varùlfur let out his most threatening arrangement of barks and howls. Surely that would scare them! To his dismay, it didn’t. The humans only exchanged somewhat startled glances before the blue-eyed one pulled out something the Varùlfur did not recognize. Was it a destruction tool?! He couldn’t give the human a chance to use it on him! The Varùlfur lunged, aiming to sink his teeth in the human’s leg, but his paws seemed to crumple beneath him when a strange sound rang through the air. It seemed to blanket the Varùlfur in a soothing warmth, filling his tiny heart with feelings of safety and security. What was this? The sound seemed to carry him to another place, ripping the anger away from his soul and bringing him to peace. It was only when he felt his body being physically lifted that the Varùlfur snapped out of his trance.

In his daze he had been lifted at the human, who was now making strange excited coos while looking in between him and the other human. Filthy human! How dare he touch him! How dare he enchant him with his spellcraft! Why he oughtta- The thoughts died away as he felt a pleasant scratching sensation behind his ears. Hmm. The Varùlfur squinted at the human, who was flashing their teeth at him. Was this a sign of aggression? He sniffed. No. He didn’t smell of ill intent. Perhaps… This human wasn’t so bad? They were certainly a good scratcher- perfect for his own needs. And although he was still suspicious of that strange spellcraft, deep inside the Varùlfur wanted to hear it again. Just one more time. The human wasn’t letting go of them, so perhaps the Varùlfur could afford to humor them for awhile. At least until the human outlived their use. They stared at him with an eager look- an inquiry perhaps- so the Varùlfur licked to show his approval. While the human made sounds of delight, the phantasm mulled over the flavor in his head. It spoke of happiness, but great struggles. Of kindness, but bitter cold. The human certainly was interesting. His attention was drawn back when the human jabbed him in the head. The Varùlfur turned with his head in a growl, only to have the human make a noise. The human said it again, poking him once more. ‘Raoul’?... What was that? The human repeated to sound. Was that meant to be his… name? Raoul? The Varùlfur had never had a name before. It was something usually only given to the strongest Varùlfur. Did this mean that the human thought he was strong? This was a very satisfying human indeed! The phantasm couldn’t stop the little wag in his tail at the prospect of a name. Raoul! Raoul! It sounded so powerful! So commanding! Perfect for a Varùlfur such as himself!

Maybe…. No. He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t leave this human. They were much too valuable. They had good taste. They were his human now. They ought to be thankful. They might be a smelly human, but now they were his smelly human. Raoul’s smelly human. He liked the sound of that.