Redeeming the Lost (A Comforter's Tale)

Chapter 10

The door opened, but I remained curled up in my hiding place. For once, I was grateful to be hidden behind the large plant pot. I had never sensed traders like these three before; their minds made me remember the one time I had seen the river during the spring flood – murky and swirling.

For the very first time in my life, I didn't want to meet our pack's visitors. Nor did I trust them, and it was hard for a Comforter to not trust someone. In fact, I didn't even want to see them, or have them see me.

"What are you looking to sell?" Alpha Sorrin asked. The anticipation in his mind was at complete odds with how bored his voice sounded.

"Perfumes and colognes made from plants," a rough, grizzled voice said. "We even have one that weakens a wolf's scent so they are harder to track. Here, smell this."

A spritzing sound issued four times.

"There is also this one."

More spritzing sounds came, paused, then sprayed again several times. I wrinkled my nose as the smell wafted into my hiding place. There was no way that one was perfume or cologne. If it was meant to camouflage one's trail, then it was only because no one would want to smell it twice.

"Many women have praised this one." Two squirts followed.

"I've never asked a woman about their preference in perfume before," Sorrin said slowly. "Julie, can you come out here and tell me what you think of these fragrances?"

Why did he finally choose to include me in a trade meeting this time? With extreme reluctance, I came out from behind the flower pot and got my first look at our guests.

Their clothing was shabby and had seen hard travel. Two of the men were burly and only had a nodding acquaintance with proper hygiene. The third lanky trader watched me with piercing brown eyes. All three had numerous scars on their arms and a few on their faces.

The lanky one came forward and knelt down in front of me. "Please try these."

He held a small glass bottle and sprayed the back of his wrist before offering his hand to me. I gingerly sniffed it, although I wasn't sure if I liked the crisp smell or not. Judging from how Beta Merric was rubbing his nose, he certainly wasn't a fan of it.

Once I sniffed it a few times, he pulled his hand back and sprayed a different bottle on his fingers before bringing it down to me again. This one was actually nice and vaguely reminded me of crushed juniper needles. I wagged my tail slightly.

After two other perfumes, the man asked, "May I inquire which was your favorite?"

"The second one," I replied, glad he was finished. All the contrasting scents were starting to give me a headache. "It reminded me of juniper needles." For some reason, I was having more difficulty mindlinking these traders than other guests.

"Ah, yes. That is one of our most popular ones. Some chandlers even add it to their candles."

"Interesting," Sorrin replied, gazing at me rather intently, before turning his attention to the men once more. "Do you have other similar types?"

The lanky man smiled in a rather predatory fashion that made me shift away from him uneasily. "Yes, we have two others."

He dug through his pockets for a few moments before pulling out two more glass bottles. This time, he sprayed the floor in front of me with both of them. The pungent scent from the one made me sneeze several times.

"My apologies," he said, not really sounding sincere, "that one is more for those in their human form. It's a bit strong for a wolf's nose."

Considering that my eyes were watering from the overpowering aroma, I wondered if he had gone nose-dead from the miasma filling the room.