A Wolf in the Garden [Warhammer 40k] by Tripsos

Wolf King is Back everyone and he is going to get busy when he sees the mess imperium has made😈 on the other hand he discovers something that should not exist the good counterparts of the chaos gods 🤯

plus fluff healthy amounts of cute fluff 😊

Words: 170k+

Link: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/a-wolf-in-the-garden-warhammer-40k.1004284/

( Leman Russ has been wandering through the twisted realms of Chaos for nearly 10,000 years. He thought he had seen everything the horrors of the immaterium had to offer him; until now. Faced with a place that challenges everything he thought he knew about the universe, could this new world hold the key to saving not just the Imperium, but all of reality? )

Leman Russ believed that the twisted realms of Chaos could no longer surprise him. He had seen untold horrors, the likes of which would drive lesser men to madness. Visions of supernatural cruelty, depravity, and evil that would have turned the most pious men into fervent atheists, if not worse. He had seen the dark gods at their worst, and knew more than any living man save the Emperor himself the depths of their sheer malevolence. Yet, for the first time in millennia, Leman Russ was totally and utterly unprepared for what he was seeing.

The Wolf-King had plunged into the Eye of Terror 10,000 years ago, and spent the centuries after cutting a bloody swathe through the Immaterium. While Primarchs were not meant to age, the chaotic winds of the warp had taken their toll on the old wolf. His formerly auburn mane and ragged, unkempt beard had begun to gray, and his skin was marred with a myriad of scars, burns and other reminders of his innumerable battles with the daemonspawn of the ruinous powers. He believed that he had entered this realm with some sort of mission in mind, though in truth he had all but forgotten it. He was driven solely by his burning hatred for the beings who had twisted and killed his brothers, maimed his father, and scarred mankind like nothing else save the Long Night itself. The last lingering shred of sane motivation in his mind was his own faith in his father, the Master of Mankind, the Emperor. He believed that his father would guide him to where he was needed, although that belief had, over countless centuries, become more of a desperate hope that the primarch clung to.

It was in this state of half-sanity, an endless crusade of bloodshed through hell itself with nothing but righteous fury and blind faith to guide him, that Leman Russ opened his eyes to unfamiliar surroundings. Leman did not enjoy sleeping in the Immaterium, but he enjoyed far less awakening without any recollection of falling asleep. He shot up immediately, drawing Mjalnar to meet whatever foul warp-spawn had managed to ensnare him in some sort of hex or spell which rendered him unconscious. It was then that Leman Russ was completely and unabashedly taken by surprise, for the first time in nearly 10 millennia. He saw no warp-spawn before him, no mutant servants of chaos, no traitor marines, no daemonic constructs, not even the empty desolate wastes he had become accustomed to wandering through.

He was in a field.

A field of green grass, blooming with all varieties of brightly colored flowers. His enhanced senses could smell each of them, their soft sweetness so foreign to him after centuries of the maddening scents of chaotic corruption. A gentle breeze caressed his scarred face, causing his blood-soaked mane to flutter in the warm and soothing air. The skies were blue, with cotton-like clouds drifting along the horizon, and a sun not unlike the one which lit Holy Terra shining brightly. He could hear birds chirping in the distance, likely somewhere in the tree line. A stone's throw away, a small stream bustled with clear, fresh water. He could even see small fish darting between the rounded river rocks. In the distance, a majestic mountain peak rose past the horizon, capped with a layer of white snow. He could not believe what he was seeing.

It must be an illusion the Wolf King thought to himself. He had been tempted by Chaos before. Countless times. He had seen Fenris in all its different forms, sometimes before the Emperor had arrived, his subjects and courtiers beckoning him to return to them and resume his rule as the warrior-king of Fenris, other times it was his own sons of the Space Wolves Legion begging him to return and lead them once more, yet always it was a false promise, a temptation by the dark powers of Chaos. He had slain countless demons in the guise of people he knew and loved. Over and over he had murdered the visages of his sons, his friends, his brothers - traitor and loyalist - and even the Emperor himself; each time it was trick, a lie, a deception. This time may be no different.

And yet…

Leman could not help but feel like this was different. There was no temptation here. No choice offered, no unfair bargain, no beckoning to embrace a false reality… there was only peace, something Russ had not known since… Well, he couldn't really remember. As a proud son of Fenris and commander of some of the Imperium's greatest warriors, Leman was not one to shy away from war. He was raised in inhospitable conditions and thrived in the heat of battle. None could say he was cowardly - not if they wished to live, anyway. All that being said, the chaos of the battlefield and true Chaos were two altogether different things. After spending an amount of time incomprehensible to most mortals in the soul-shredding maelstrom of the warp, battling the demonic legions of hell without rest, even the great Wolf King had grown weary. And though he was loath to admit it, Russ could not help but breathe a long sigh of relief as he drank in the sheer and utter serenity of his surroundings.

He knelt down to the ground, and cautiously removed one of his armored gauntlets. He knew this was likely foolish, but he had to know. He reached out his hand to touch the verdant grass which surrounded him, his other hand gripping the hilt of his sword. Tightly. His finger inches away from the nearest blade, Russ hesitated, his hand shaking imperceptibly. Not out of fear for his life, but out of a fear that all this would prove to be another illusion, yet another trick designed to wear down his already weary spirits. His face tightened, as he steeled his resolve and he reached out-

The blade of grass bent slightly in his hand, then gently rebounded back into its original position. It caressed his skin so gently that he could scarcely even feel it, a sensation that Russ had not known in Millennia. It fluttered in the breeze, moving across his hand a few more times. He looked to the right and saw one of the wildflowers that peppered the meadow. It was a bright, golden yellow, with petals that seemed to glisten like both honey and sunshine. He reached out and plucked it, bringing the flower up to his nose and breathing in. Russ had fought more than enough servants of Slaanesh to know what "pleasures" the bastard prince had to offer. Always they reeked of an acrid, sickly-sweet smell that resembled fresh carrion more than anything else. Supernatural temptations always felt off, uncanny in a way that elicited just as much revulsion as it did attraction.

Russ sensed none of that. He could smell every hint of the flower's aroma, the nectar which lay in its pistil, the pollen in its stamen, its chlorophyll-laden leaves. All of it was… mundane. Never before had Russ been so overjoyed to experience something so mutedly pleasant, so contentedly average. He rose to his feet, putting his gauntlet back on and gently wedging the flower into a crevice in his armor for a reason even he was not entirely sure of. In spite of the rush of emotions he was currently feeling, what he had not done was let his guard down for even a moment. Illusion or no, this was still the warp. No matter how placid or serene this part of it may be, there was always danger somewhere; he was sure of it. He could never be too careful, lest some adversary somehow manage to catch him off gua-

"Hiya mister!"

Leman Russ spun around and drew Mjalnar from its sheath, preparing to slay whatever demonic hellspawn had crept up behind him, no doubt ready to pounce with its menacing claws and razor-sharp teeth…

Before Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves, stood a girl. She was barefoot, her feet slightly stained by earth and dirt. She wore a long, billowing, white sundress which hung over her burly yet unmistakably feminine form. At her side was a burlap sack, hanging from her shoulder by a long rope. Her long flaxen hair, woven into braids with flowers strewn throughout, fluttered in the breeze and almost seemed to sparkle as it reflected the shining sunlight. Her face was warm and inviting, her emerald-green eyes bright and wide with a youthful curiosity towards the being which stood before her. Freckles dotted her cheeks and nose, and her rosy, sun-kissed skin had a healthy glow. She bore a wide and innocent smile, looking upon the ancient demigod like a child being acquainted with a new friend for the first time. Russ looked at her with an astonished expression, her comely appearance striking him as nothing like the daemonettes he had confronted in the past. In fact, the old wolf may have almost taken her for a normal, human girl…

…were it not for the moss-covered antlers protruding from her golden hair, the foxlike tail that wagged silently behind her, or the way she towered over him by at least 4 feet.

"What's your name?" The girl said.

Russ simply stared at her, Mjalnar gripped tightly in his hands and ready to strike. Yet, his hand stayed. Russ was not entirely sure why. Had this place lulled him into a false sense of security? Was this his final battle, the moment that the forces of Chaos finally bested him? While Leman's mind struggled with this impossible situation, the girl simply stared at him expectantly, her head tilting slightly to the side.

"Are you ok mister? You seem pretty tense." She said, her face showing a hint of concern.

She had to be a daemon. She had to be. What else could she be? Leman Russ had never encountered anything like her. His normally fiery rage was being tempered, either by some external force or by something inside of him telling him this anger was misplaced. He was not sure which was the case. He had to do something. So, after a pregnant pause, the primarch spoke:

"I am Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves. Forfeit your name and what master you serve, daemon." He said. It would have been ridiculous to try and converse with a daemon like this and Russ knew it, indicative of the doubts he harbored over the girl's nature.

"Leman Russ…" the girl mused, bringing her finger to her chin. "That's a nice name, very strong. It reminds me of my uncle. Oh! I forgot to introduce myself before, I'm sincerely sorry. My name is Admu. My master? Well, sometimes I help my papa take care of the forest. Does that count?" she said.

Everything about this was wrong. Her words were personable, amiable, but devoid of any temptation save the prospect of a friendly conversation. He knew Chaos could be devious, but this simply wasn't like anything he'd seen before. His mind was a whirlwind, a tempest of conflicting information that was activating many of his biological self-defense mechanisms, preparing him for a fight. His face twisted into a snarl in preparation for battle, his sharpened canines bared. The girl responded simply with a look of concern, wondering what she had done to upset the man in front of her, and what she could do to help him. She looked at his face, twisted by confusion and rage into that of a snarling beast. Across his waist hung the pelt of immense wolf, and further wolf imagery was emblazoned on his armor in several places. The girl thought for a moment, then her face lit up with an idea. she opened her burlap sack and went to retrieve something.

This is it, he thought.

Russ tightened his grip around his sword, his feet sliding into a combat stance. She rooted through her pack, looking for something in particular, and found it. Slowly, she revealed…

A bone. Leman studied it, looking for signs of chaotic corruption or hexes. He had seen bones used in their obscene rituals. However, this seemed to be a mundane, somewhat bleached bone. Its size and shape indicated it was not human, likely belonging to some kind of moderately sized herbivore. The girl put the bone on the ground and walked away slowly, retreating by about 3 or 4 feet. She knelt down, lowering herself to eye level with the old wolf, her face adorned with a look of quiet expectancy.

"Y-you can have it, there are plenty of them in the forest." she said.

Leman Russ was struggling to understand what her intent was. Was this some sort of trap? Was she summoning something? Performing a ritual? Suddenly, the realization it him.

She's treating me like a lost pup.

The thought was so ridiculous, so unbelievable, that a sensation he had not felt in centuries bubbled up from deep within him: he started to chuckle. Here he was, one of the greatest warriors to ever live traveling through hell itself, being offered a bone like he was a fenrisian wolf pup. He laughed, his genetically enhanced lungs bellowing uncontrollably and his eyes watering from sheer amusement.

"Lass, I'm not really a wolf." He said, stifling his laughter and wiping a tear from his eye.

"Oh! I'm very sorry, I-I didn't mean to be rude…" she said, bearing a look of genuine concern that she had insulted the man. "It's just that… I've never really seen anyone like you before, usually I just see animals around these parts… like wolves. I don't think I've ever seen one as big as that one, though." she said, pointing to the pelt that hung around his waist.

So, she's not talking about fenrisian wolves… I guess I can rule out this being another illusion of Fenris then. Still, I cannot let my guard down for even a moment. He thought. Perhaps I've somehow been spit out of the immaterium and onto some kind of feral world… meaning this girl is some variety of xenos or abhuman.

His warp-sense which he had acquired and honed during his millennia of wandering the chaos wastes had always been able to tell him when daemonic influence was nearby, indicated by the violent turbulence in the winds and currents of the immaterium which inevitably followed. Here however, it was perfectly still. It felt no different than being on any other world in the materium. The only conclusion he could come to was that this place truly was untouched by the ruinous influence of Chaos. Still, even if he was out of the reach of chaotic corruption, this was still a foreign world. This girl, whatever she was, could be a dangerous mutant or xenos… though, to be perfectly honest, Russ would have probably been happy to see an ork after ten thousand years of endlessly combating daemons. Though, unlike any mortal Russ had ever encountered, this girl did seem to have some kind of aura around her. It was nothing like the daemonic beings he had spent ten millennia slaying, it was far too warm and inviting. Yet, all the same, her presence kept him on edge, if nothing because it meant he truly did not know what she was. He carefully sheathed Mjalnar, deciding to see what this new world had in store for him before making any final decisions. After all, he had trusted his father would guide him, did he not? Perhaps this strange place was what Russ had been searching for all this time.

"Admu, if you don't mind me asking… what are you?" Russ said, his voice returning to his normal seriousness.

"What am I? Um… I've never really thought about that before. A girl, I guess? I just live here in this forest with my brothers and sisters, my papa, and all the animals. What are you? You look kind of like me, maybe we're related!" she said, giggling.

This just keeps getting stranger… he thought.

"I'm a human… well, sort of. Have you ever heard of a primarch?" he said.

"A human primarch… nope, never heard of anything like that. Maybe I'm a human primarch too, considering we look so much alike." she said, her lips pursed in thought.

"I highly doubt that." he said with a smirk.

"Why's that?" she said with a slight pout.

"Well, for one, there never were any female primarchs." he said.

"No girls? Seems awfully boring … I'd probably go crazy if I had to spend all my time with my brothers. They're always bickering with each other, and papa has to stop them from fighting all the time." she said.

Russ chuckled. "Aye, there is truth to your words." More truth than she knows, he thought. "Do you know where we are, then? Is this planet in a sector of realspace? I've never seen anything like it in the warp." he said. The girl tilted her head and furrowed her brow.

"Gee mister Russ, you sure like to use a lot of words that I don't understand." she said, looking a touch frustrated by her lack of understanding. "I don't really know what a planet, sector, or realspace are… I do know that this forest is in the Valley of Nysa, that's where all my brothers and sisters live. I haven't gone much farther than that, but some of my older siblings say that beyond those big mountains over there, there's a place called Arcadia where a lot more people live, but I've never been there. Although, now that I think about it, I did hear one of my other uncles talking about something called a warp once… it sounded like the warp was up there in the sky, and all around us. Maybe it's like the air or something?" she said.

Leman's face darkened a bit. So, this is still the warp… or at least somewhere where the veil between the warp and realspace is thin. She clearly has never been outside of this valley, let alone off of this planet.

"I'm sorry I can't answer your questions mister Russ…" she said, worried that she was at fault for the man's dour expression. Then, her expression brightened with a realization. "I know! I'll just bring you to papa, whenever I have questions about something I just ask him. He's not as smart as my uncle up north but he still knows a lot more than me. I'll bet he can answer some of your questions. Plus, he always likes meeting new people, he'll love getting to know you!" she said.

This could be a good opportunity to understand more about this world… but I'll have to be careful. Whatever this girl is, she's certainly rather… imposing. I can only guess what her father must be like.

"Alright, I'll accompany you to see this… papa of yours. Maybe he can help me make sense of this strange place." he said. Admu did a little hop, overjoyed that she could help the stranger with their problem. Out of everything he had seen in the warp, a 20-foot being with the appearance of a giddy young girl jumping for joy certainly ranked among the strangest.

"C'mon mister Russ, I'll show you the way to the village. Usually papa is wandering around the woods during the day so he probably won't be there, but we can wait for him to come back. Plus, I can introduce you to some of my brothers and sisters! They'll be so jealous that I found a new friend with shiny armor and a big sword… especially my brothers!" she said with a mischievous snicker. Leman Russ closed his eyes and took a deep breath, still coming to terms with the ridiculousness of his situation. Admu waved at Russ, gesturing to him to follow her. The two began walking through the clearing, towards a parting in the tree line which revealed a dirt path through the forest. Russ stayed mostly silent, his face stony and emotionless.

"So… mister Russ, do you have any brothers?" she said, attempting to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Yes… though I have not seen them in a very long time." he said. many I will never see again… others I hope to never see again.

"Oh, I'm sorry mister Russ. That must be very sad. My brothers annoy me sometimes, but I would hate to not be able to see them for a really long time." she said.

Is it wise to be talking about this to her? he thought. Well, even if she is a daemon, it's not as though the fates of my brothers or father is a secret. Russ said, secretly trying to justify to himself the opportunity to finally have a conversation with the first sane being he had met in several millennia.

"Do you have a papa? Since you have brothers and all…" she said, trailing off.

"I do. My father is the Emperor of Mankind, and the most honorable and righteous man I have ever known. If each of the trees in this forest were a world such as the one we are standing on, they would only be a fraction of the worlds my father rules over." he said.

"Wow! He sounds like a pretty amazing man, mister Russ. I hope I get to meet him one day." she said, her face wearing a beaming smile.

Wouldn't that be a sight… Russ thought, imagining the look on his father's face upon meeting a 20-foot girl with antlers and a fur-covered tail.

"Where are you from anyway, mister Russ? I take it that you're not from around here, or this world… did you come from another world? Up there?" she said, pointing up at the sky.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I was raised on the world of Fenris, a cold and harsh place full of towering mountains, frigid oceans, and endless expanses of ice and tundra. The seas and lands are filled with all manner of monstrous creatures, but the men and women of Fenris are hardy and tough. They survive and thrive in the harsh conditions of the Fenrisian worldsea." he said, pride rising up from his chest at the thought of his ancient home.

"Gee, I… I don't think I could ever imagine a place like that." she said, slightly unnerved by the brutal description he had given.

"Oh, that's not the only world I've been to, though. I've seen worlds covered by endless oceans, worlds of dense jungles and searing deserts, worlds blanketed with ice and snow, molten rock and flame. I've even visited worlds much like this, temperate and teeming with life." he said.

"That's incredible, mister Russ…" she said, her eyes wide as she imagined the countless worlds he must have seen, how new and interesting they might be.

I almost feel bad, getting her hopes up like this. If only she knew what the universe was truly like outside of this forest… nearly every world I've seen was engulfed in war and strife. he thought.

"Maybe one day I can see some of those worlds one day… but first I should probably see what's beyond this forest." she said, giggling.

The two walked along the forest path for a while longer, Russ mostly taking the opportunity to take in his surroundings while Admu occasionally peppered him with benign questions. The sun shined through the leaves above, giving the forest floor a soft, shaded light. Shrubs, ferns, mosses, and other ground plants lined the sides of the worn dirt path, with the occasional fallen tree with clusters of mushrooms growing on it. Woodland creatures darted through the brush just out of sight, curious yet wary of the mysterious being that had entered their domain. Russ even saw a lone, black wolf wandering in the opposite direction to him, the creature seeming to give him a look of recognition before continuing on with its solemn trek. They saw a small clearing in the distance, where a large figure seemed to be kneeling down and working on something.

"Looks like we won't have to wait in the village after all, mister Russ. Papa! Papa, I found someone new in the forest! He wants to talk to you about something." she said, waving at the being she called her father. The large figure turned his attention towards the two, and Russ froze. His hair stood on end, and his entire body felt like it was coursing with electricity.

This is not a mortal

his body seemed to be telling him. Whatever this thing was, its presence was overwhelming. The only time he had ever felt something like this was…

The first time my father revealed his true self to me.

"Why if it isn't my little daffodil, Admu." The being said, it's voice deep and low like the hum of the forest itself. It was a veritable giant, with skin that was stained by dark earth and green chlorophyll. He had a large, bushy beard, coated with moss and vines. Atop his head he sported two antlers, much like his daughter only far larger and well-developed. He was dressed in worn working clothes, giving him the appearance of some kind of titanic gardener.

"I was just planting some new trees here. The wildfire which came through this part of the woods a few months ago provided some very rich soil to grow with." he said, wiping the dirt from his hands and rising to his feet. He turned to face them, and the old wolf's shock turned into horror.

Emblazoned upon the giant's tunic was an unmistakable sigil, hewn in green metal: three circles and three pointed arrows, radiating outwards from the center. Admu ran towards her father, embracing the giant.

"Papa, this is Leman Russ. I found him in the field just past the river. He's not from around here, and he asked about a lot of things I didn't know anything about… so I thought we could just ask you! He's a little strange, but once you get to know him he's really nice!" she said, beaming.

Before he even had time to register what he was thinking, his hands had already drawn Mjalnar. The emblem of one of his most hated eternal foes was enough to send him into a blind fury. He did not even register the terrified cries of Admu as he charged towards the two, his eyes frenzied, teeth bared, and sword prepared to strike. He swung his sword at an impossible speed, its blade slicing through the air until it finally made contact…

with cold, hardened steel.

Towering over Russ was an immense knight, clad in armor of black metal. His eyes glowed red from within his menacing helmet, large horns jutting from either side of his head. A red cape fluttered behind him, so bright and crimson it almost seemed to be made of flame. Blocking Russ's sword was an even larger blade of blood-red metal, inscribed with arcane runes which glowed like molten metal. The giant knight effortlessly deflected Mjalnar, tossing the Wolf King back several yards and knocking him on his back. Even looking upon the knight caused his bones to feel as though they were being electrified, so powerful was the being's presence. Dazed and filled with searing pain, Russ struggled to get back on his feet, just now realizing how powerful the knight's parry had been to have nearly incapacitated a primarch with a single, indirect strike.

"Wait! Uncle Khorne, no!" Admu said, rushing in between Leman and the towering black knight. "It's not his fault, he's just confused! He's not from around here, he's just trying to figure out where he is and how he got here. I-I thought if I brought him to Papa Nurgle he could answer his questions. It's all my fault so please, just don't hurt him!" she pleaded.

What? Was the only thought Leman Russ could conjure in his mind.

Khorne and Nurgle

The Blood God and the Plaguefather

The Lord of Skulls and the Great Corruptor

The Hunter of Souls and the Lord of Decay

Uncle and Father

Leman Russ was totally and utterly dumbstruck. Hatred, confusion, fury, and disbelief all raged within him, consuming his mind like a white-hot firestorm.

Leman…

a familiar voice rang out within the Wolf King's mind, and then everything went dark.