In a galaxy of millions of inhabited worlds and amongst the vast expanse of the Outer Rim Territories, there were planets that few had ever heard of. Ranthus III was just one such world, a backwater system far off the main hyperlanes and existing in relative isolation. A pleasant little planet with a warm climate and dominated by rolling hills, forests and lakes, seeing few visitors aside from the occasional scout or smuggler and home to a small agrarian colony of human settlers.

It was an unlikely home for a Shistavanen and not one that Ulvar Sheltain had chosen for himself. A miscalculated hyperspace jump attempting to evade an Imperial patrol, a damaged hyperdrive and a forced landing that ensured that his ship would never fly again. Pulled from the wreckage barely alive, strange and frightening to their eyes but the humans had nonetheless tended his wounds, nursing him back to health. Kinder than would have been expected of most humans, that he felt comfortable enough in making his home here if keeping apart as was his preference. At first a novelty but in time just the wolf man who lived in the woods outside of town.

It was rather like home really, pleasantly warm with the forests just as wild and expansive as back on Uvena Prime. There were even some rock formations that reminded him a little of those outside his hometown and it was here that Ulvar had set up his home, constructing a cabin in traditional style from stone and wood. Plenty of hunting in the forest and he could trade pelts and woodcarvings for whatever goods he needed the few occasions he ventured into town. Otherwise, he kept to himself and rarely encountered the humans, except for the first few months.

For the children of Ranthus Town, the ‘wolfman’ living in the woods was a source of both fear and curiosity, a novelty in what was otherwise the familiar routine of a world far from the bustle and excitement of the Core. The adults always warned about venturing too far into the woods for fear of the rakka hounds or shadow panthers that might be found there or that you could easily get lost and never find your way out. Still, it was inevitable that they would be sneaking in whenever they had a chance and though it had been thankfully years since a tragedy had occurred there was always the worry of another.

To begin with when they ventured into the woods, the children would find few signs of the Shistavanen’s presence. The occasional print that might be found could be a large rakka hound and the odd tuft of fur could easily have come from any animal. There was that feeling of being watched and those strange and sometimes frightening sounds, but it was hard to tell what those could be. The one sighting of what they thought was the Shistavanen was so far off amongst the shadows of the trees, that it could have been a trick of the light.
While the children may not have been aware of his presence, Ulvar Sheltain would be aware of them and as soon as he got the scent of humans, he’d be tracking them and keeping watch while remaining unseen. Moving in almost complete silence on bare padded feet, he’d follow behind them keeping alert for any danger and ready to intervene should the need arise. Fortunately, rakka hounds and shadow panthers would keep their distance, recognising a fellow apex predator. Still, it was clear that the children were getting bolder, venturing deeper into the forest and it was a miracle none of them had gotten themselves completely lost so far.

It was one particular hot day that the first close encounter occurred, Ulvar having been gathering nuts and berries to supplement the muscids he’d caught earlier. Panting with the heat and for once envying humans for their lack of fur, the Shistavanen had settled himself under the shade of a large tree, closing his eyes and just intending to rest a while until he’d cooled off. Within moments though he’d drifted off into slumber.

His dreamless slumber was disturbed by sensations of prodding, something poking lightly at his stomach and the itchy, ticklish sensation of something brushing across his paw pads. Startled out of his impromptu nap, the Shistavanen’s red eyes snapped open, and a deep growl rumbled in his throat. In the moment it took to register the scent of humans he just had time to see the three of them, two young boys and a girl wide eyed in terror. Their screams were painfully loud to his sensitive ears, as they dropped their sticks and ran in terror from the black-furred wolfman that had suddenly come to life.

In the moments it took for Ulvar to scramble to his feet and realise what had happened, the children had vanished amongst the trees. If he’d not been quite so deeply asleep, he’d have caught their scent, if he’d not been startled and reacted instinctively. Ideally, he’d have made sure he’d slipped away out of sight, or at worse could have ignored their antics pretending to be asleep until they became bored and wandered away.

Running in a blind panic like that, it would be so easy for the children to become lost or end up in other danger, running across a predator or becoming injured. He’d have to see if he could track them, at least be sure for his own conscience that they’d managed to make it out of the woods. Fully alert and no longer groggy from his sudden awakening, the Shistavanen sniffed at the air to try to catch the scents.

Laren and Kristov had just about reached the edge of the woods, half convinced that they were going to be chased by the wolfman all the way out of the woods. There was no sign of pursuit though, no deep growls or thud of padded footsteps and for a moment they felt relief. That relief quickly faded though when they realised that Gerth was no longer with them, just a little slower and fallen behind. Perhaps he’d gotten lost among the trees or had the wolfman caught him and eaten him? He was big and he had sharp fangs and he could have done.

Cooler heads prevailed in Ranthus Town, once the children had been calmed enough to tell their story and the gaps filled in. Brel Merkovic could recall the time he’d fallen asleep on his porch, only to wake up and find his boots pulled off and mischievous little hands tickling his feet. If they’d been up to similar tricks, maybe gotten themselves growled at by a suddenly woken and startled Shistavanen. It was still a worry, Gerth lost in the woods and soon darkness would be falling and that’s when the shadow panthers tended to hunt.

A search party was organised, just about reaching the edge of the woods when a tall dark furry figure emerged, the bedraggled but otherwise unharmed form of Gerth cradled gently in his arms. Silently the Shistavanen handed over the child to the nearest human, before turning on his heel and melting back into the woods without a word.

Ulvar didn’t expect he’d be seeing the children in the forest again after the fright they’d received. He didn’t really like to think about what might have happened if he hadn’t been close enough to bellow out a warning. Separated from his friends, the young boy had almost tumbled into an abandoned brathak den. Falling in, you’d have a difficult time climbing out even if you hadn’t broken any limbs. Human or Shistavanen, a child was a child, and he didn’t want to see one getting hurt. The humans had been decent to him, so the last thing he wanted was to cause any trouble with them.

A week later while on one of his infrequent visits into town to pick up needed supplies and trade in some furs, Ulvar Sheltain found himself approached by Brel Merkovic, one of the few humans he really felt comfortable with. The offer of a drink was accepted and the Shistavanen was a better listener than a talker, listening patiently if the drinks kept coming. A proposal was made, one that he gave some consideration to, that was if the children were intent on venturing into the forest perhaps it was better someone watched over them and taught them the proper means of survival.

Afterwards Ulvar would reflect he must have had rather too much to drink to agree to effectively be a babysitter for young humans. He had given his word though, so for better or worse for the sake of his honour he would have to follow through.

Ulvar had never gotten around to having children himself, though he did recall helping from time to time with the pups with his extended family. Everyone tended to pitch in, especially when it came to teaching them how to hunt and survive in the wild. He could do the same for these humans, show them how to track, find their way in different terrain and survive out in the wild. Some of the games Shistavanen played like tag and hide and seek he knew were much the same and they’d probably take to the Hunting Game. Smaller than Shistaven pups without any real claws or teeth, frail creatures really so he would have to be vigilant and take good care of them.

Gerth he remembered well, as he did Laren and Kristov and with them was another young girl Daveen and a sister and brother Perla and Darn. Ulvar recognised them by scent if nothing else as having been those who had ventured into the forest most frequently and the farthest from the edge. If a little nervous at first, they seemed to be just as curious about him, asking a great many questions as humans usually did. As well as the usual ones that he’d answered many times before were inquiries about whether he was related to a rakka hound, whether they could pet him or braid his fur and from Gerth for some reason, whether he was ticklish.

Ulvar was able to confirm to their satisfaction that he wasn’t related to a rakka hound but evolved from something similar. Petting was something which he’d allow though later on, and braiding was something he’d have to think about. Vaguely remembering what Brin had told him, he just shrugged and honestly said he wasn’t sure if Shistavanen were ticklish though had a sense that wasn’t the end of the subject.

Shistavanen would sometimes wear boots, though only if necessary for protection or in particularly harsh terrain or climates. Ulvar himself much preferred going barefoot, feeling the earth under his feet and knowing he was much faster and more agile without the necessity for clumsy footwear. Unlike relatively frail humans his feet were tough enough he really didn’t need them. Just another thing that he sometimes pitied the humans for.

Sometime later, Darn had complained of feeling tired and with some initial reluctance Ulvar had permitted him to ride on his shoulders for a while. That proved to be somewhat regrettable, the rest of the children seeming to tire rather rapidly after that and wanting to take their turns. One maybe two at a time were fine but he was not a bantha. Instead Ulvar decided it was time they took a break, resting under a tree for a while.

Sitting with his back resting against the trunk, Ulvar was determined that he wasn’t going to let himself drift into slumber this time just to be on the safe side. Still as the children settled around him, the Shistavanen did close his eyes while keeping ears pricked and his nose alert for scents. He wasn’t altogether too surprised when he heard the faint rustles of movement and muffled whispers, recognising Gerth and Kristov by their scents. Half opening his eyes, Ulvar watched with curiosity to see what they’d do.

Small hands reached for his feet, Ulvar feeling the brush of their fingers ruffling the fur on his toes and the small blunt nails scraping at the pads. His toes twitched as he felt that tingling, slightly itchy sensation which increased with the intensity of the attack. He had to restrain an impulse to kick out with his leg, not wanting to risk hurting them. He also had to bite down on his lip, stopping the yelp from rising in his throat. It was like the feeling of grasses under his feet though a little more intense.

It seemed then that in answer to Gerth’s earlier question, yes maybe he was ticklish, and it was an odd though not entirely unpleasant sensation. Another muffled whisper and a new scent, the girl Daveen and Ulvar felt a leafy twig brushing over his pads. That was enough to make his whole foot twitch, reflexively pulling it back and he was unable to prevent himself from letting out a high-pitched yelp and some grunting sounds.

The children hastily scrambled back, looking perfectly innocent as the Shistavanen opened his eyes, though he said nothing. Somehow, he knew this wasn’t the end of the matter, still feeling that odd itchy sensation lingering in his foot. Not that it mattered now though, a little longer and it would be time for heading back to town.

Considering for a moment, Ulvar shut his eyes again and waited to see if anything would happen. A few minutes passed and then he felt that tingling sensation again as he felt the twig brushing against his paw pads, his toes twitching. This time he didn’t prevent himself from vocalising, grunting that became a bit of a yelp as they found the cleft of the main pad. It was still a strange sensation and hard to describe but the Shistavanen was beginning to feel it was one that he could come to enjoy.

A few minutes later, when Ulvar had ‘awoken’ again he rubbed his feet briefly and made a remark about an insect he’d felt crawling over him. The children were a picture of innocence as he led them back through the woods, though seemed to have lost any remaining fear they might have of him. Gerth it seemed was looking forward to a next time and asking what he might show them. For some reason the boy seemed quite interested in learning about tying knots, though humans did seem endlessly curious. Deciding to humour the boy, the Shistavanen gave his agreement.

It was one more decision that Ulvar would most likely find himself regretting, even as he’d most likely have many more occasions to become accustomed to the curious and itchy sensation that was tickling.