FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

TITAN’S QUEST Part 2 The day progressed as the three sisters marched on. Kendall still carried him in her palms, cradling him as something precious beyond measure. The landscape presented exactly as expected of the exclusion zone… but somehow, worse. Spares trees, ground either mud or desert, and grass appearing as small, isolated islands of hope in a sea of misery. A sea covered by craters, scraps of metal scattered around them and occasionally, various kinds of unexploded ordnance. And of course, the culprits – the cause of the whole fiasco. Kaiju carcasses littered the ground as far as eye could see – which considering his vantage point, was quite far. Decomposing, poisoning the earth with their blood – some fresh, resembling black or greyish hills, while others had only a few shattered bones left to signify they were ever here. When Kendall passed by one of the fresher corpses, the swarming insects became visible even from his elevation, feasting on the meat that was toxic for nearly all organisms on Earth. He never wished to return here. Not really. Even memories from his formative years didn’t reach this place, and for a good reason – his mother told him that they had to move a few days before his fifth birthday, and he took her on her word for that. The only real memory he had was standing on the beach and looking at the ocean that was already too poisoned to swim in… The ringing phone snapped him out of his thoughts. “W-what is happening?” Kendall asked, a little startled. “Be quiet for a minute, okay?” he said picking up. “Smith? Where are you?! Did something happen?” The familiar voice of his higher manager felt almost out of place in his current situation. “Yes, good afternoon to you too, Sebastian,” Peter replied sourly. “You’re sarcastic? Good, that means you’re fine. Where are you?” He snickered at the remark a bit, before answering. “Yes, I am fine. As for the other question… I-it’s complicated.” “Oh, don’t give me that shit. You know damn well I am responsible for the safety of ALL employees, and that unfortunately includes you. I’m gonna get fined for you not being in the bunker.” “Well, it IS quite complicated I’m afraid. And I won’t be coming to work for at least a few days. Probably more.” A sigh. “… Great. Can I at least know what happened?” Peter hesitated, trying to think of a way to make it… at last slightly believable. “… Do you want the truth, or the bullshit someone will actually believe?” The answer came after a noticeable pause. “… Give me the truth.” “Those three Titans that landed on our parking lot. They kidnapped me for… some reason.” “I asked for the truth, not bullshit,” came an annoyed response. “I am LITERALLY getting carried by one of them as we speak.” “Smith please, I really don’t have the strength to…” “You know what, I will send you a picture. Wait a minute.” Peter ended the call and found the almost never used camera function. “Can I take a picture of you, Kendall?” he asked, looking up at her. “A… picture? H-how? I don’t understand what is h-happening,” she mumbled, her eyes snapping between him and the object he was holding. “Okay… This device…” He pointed to the phone. “… lets me talk to people REALLY far away. Don’t ask how, it’s complicated. And it also can take… make pictures of the things it’s pointed at. Can I take your picture?” To say she was confused would be an understatement. She tried to focus on the phone, but her pupils could not focus on it because of how tiny it was to her. She closed one eye and leaned a bit closer, her iris finally stopped twitching. “Will it… hurt?” “What? N-no. You won’t feel anything. The worst it can do is flash some light on you.” “… O-okay. You can take this… picture t-then.” He nodded at her and took a selfie with her head looming in the background, nearly laughing from how lost she looked in it. “There. Literally nothing,” he commented, sending the picture. “And y-you can… really t-talk to people with this… thing?” she asked curiously. “Yes. I was talking with Sebastian. He is my… let’s say friend. He’s just concerned something happened to me.” “Oh… okay… and d-does it…” Before she could finish, the phone rang again. “Wait a bit, okay?” He picked up. “What the actual fuck?” Sebastian asked. “Basically.” “How are you so calm?! Those things are… fucking huge!” “Yes, I think I’ve noticed,” Peter replied sourly. “I’m gonna call the military, they will…” “NO!” Peter cut him off. “… The fuck you mean ‘no’?!” “Do you really think I would survive their intervention?” Peter asked rhetorically, trying to figure out if they would even bother sending gunships or just blow them up with missiles. No, they wouldn’t do anything, even without the wildlife protection act. Statistically, his life was far less valuable than the ordnance it would take to save him. Even if it was guaranteed. “I… well… that’s a good point,” Sebastian admitted. “Yes.” Peter sighed. “They’ve told me that they need me for… some reason. And I figured that…” “Hold on… The… Titans TOLD you? The TITANS?” Sebastian stressed that last word. “Yes. Talking Titans. And before you ask, no, this is not a prank, or AI bullshit. I don’t shitpost outside of politics.” He heard an audible whimper from the other side. “And they will drop me off somewhere reasonably safe when they finish… At least they’ve told me that. So right now, that’s kind of… my only realistic option.” Peter involuntarily shrugged. “Okay… Okay…” He heard a heavy inhale. “I will tell everyone that you are on leave or something.” “Yeah, whatever. Paul should be able to handle everything in the meantime... Unless something breaks.” “And if it… does break?” “Then God have mercy on you, for my stuff won’t,” Peter replied bluntly, yet completely honestly. “Fantastic.” He ended the call, changed the battery into energy saving mode, and put it in his pocket again, before looking up at Kendall again. “Is e-everything all right?” she asked. “Yes. I’ve told him not to worry and that I’m in good hands…” He glanced down at his floor. „… literally.” “That’s… v-very nice. He’s a g-good friend.” “Mhhhh… I wouldn’t say a ‘good’ friend. We just… get along.” He shrugged. “Do y-you have many friends, little o-one?” “A few…? Three or four good ones at least,” he answered, recalling every person who didn’t hate him yet. “W-wow… That’s a lot.” He looked at her curiously, wondering if she was serious or not. “… How many friends do you have, Kendall?” “M-me? Well… there is my s-sister Ichi… and m-my sister Ni… and… uhmmm…” He considered her words for a few seconds. “You don’t have friends outside of your family?” “W-well… We rarely meet… a-anyone, really…” For a moment a part of him wanted to be surprised, before remembering that he was talking to a literal Titan and not a random girl on the street. “Oh… I understand. Well, now you also have me, right?” He felt her fingers tightening around him a little. “Y-yes… We are friends now, l-little one…” she said with a smile. “Nice, isn’t it?” “Yes… v-very nice…” she purred and let out a pleased sigh. „S-say, have you e-ever traveled b-by air before, little one?” she added after a short pause with an unusual for her amount of enthusiasm. “I mean… yes, I was on a plane a few times. Plane is a machine that flies.” Kendall stopped walking for a moment and let out a small, high-pitched laugh. “No silly. I m-meant like… with a dragon.” He looked at her flatly. “You are the first dragons I have ever met, so not really.” “O-oh… yeah r-right… I kind of forgot… t-that…” She considered everything and then looked at him with a childlike enthusiasm. Ni approached them, having eavesdropped on the conversation. “W-would you like… to… fly with me?” Kendall asked. The idea was certainly tempting, if dangerous. He looked at Ni, who seemed genuinely interested in hearing his response. “… Have you discussed it with Ichi? I think there is a reason why she decided that we… you would walk, instead of fly, right?” Kendall’s enthusiasm seemed to vanish, once she remembered about the existence of her sister. “W-well… uhhh… t-technically… no?” Ni rolled her eyes. “That’s because Ichi’s a lazy ass.” He blinked and turned to look at Ichi, who was still walking in front of them, now a little lost in thought… He caught himself almost unwittingly staring at her shapely behind and shook his head, surprised by the direction his thoughts were taking him. “Is flight really that tiring to dragons?” Ni scoffed. “Not for me. But those two can’t fly two entire days in a row. They would fall. Believe me, I’ve been there.” “Yes,” Ichi interjected. “Flying is faster, but exhausting. We do not have Ni’s stamina.” “Well, yeah, I know the whole square-cube law and all. I was just curious about a more… personal take,” he responded. Ichi nodded, thoughtfully, but he kind of suspected she only acted like she knew what he was talking about. “Could you tell me at least where are you taking me?” he asked. Ichi looked at him and raised an eyebrow, considered something for a few seconds. “… Fine, it’s not like you can tell anyone anyways… There is a remote island on the Pacific that we want to visit.” “Oh, I see. That's why you are walking right now. Conserving energy for flying over water and all.” he concluded, combining previous information. Ichi nodded approvingly. “Exactly. We probably could fly there in one go right now, but it’s quite a poor idea to overexert ourselves for no reason.” She paused for a second, before smirking. “You’re smart for a peabrain.” He gave her an annoyed look. “Thank you very much,” he replied sourly. “Come on, I’m just pulling your leg.” she snickered. “Yeah, I guess. I just thought you were supposed to be the calm and collected brains of your crew.” An amused snort left her nostrils. “Excuse me for not fitting into your little box.” She gave him an amused side-eye. “You thought all I do is sit around and plan, while my dear sisters run around like idiots?” “Fuck off, Ichi,.” Ni scoffed. “You better stop calling my two friends idiots. They are smart...” he retorted, not convinced in the slightest “…I-in their own, unique ways.” This time, Ichi did not manage to contain laughter. “If you say so.” Kendall seemed to be a little ashamed of Ichi’s words but not really offended. Ni on the other hand… “Don’t make me pull your head out of your ass,” she scoffed. “Everyone has a role in the family,” he said, trying to deescalate, acutely aware of his chances of surviving a clash of titans. Two older sisters looked at him and after a few seconds nodded their heads in agreement. “Well, yeah. We’re family. The brawn, the brain and… well, whatever the hell it is that Kendall does,” said Ni. “The heart.” he responded with the first cliché wholesome thing that came to his mind. Kendall squeaked quietly and blushed. “Pfft, yeah, that’s actually pretty good.” Ni said with a grin. The conversation came to an end after that and they continued walking in silence… or at least the closest thing to silence they could muster, considering their rumbling steps. Soon the sun started setting in front of them. He was enjoying the evening sky and the cold breeze that was almost perfectly off set by the warmth of Kendall’s palms when suddenly, she squeezed him a bit tighter than usual. Not enough to cause him pain, or even discomfort, but it did make him concerned. “Relax, Kendall. We’re almost there., said Ichi in a calming manner. He looked up at her and saw her stressed out expression. “Is something wrong, Kendall?” he asked. She let out a small whimper. “N-no. I-I’m fine. I-it’s just r-really h-hard to k-keep my c-cool w-when I-I finally-ffinally g-get to…” She swallowed loudly. „… to t-t-the ocean.” “Are you scared of water?” Kendall let out another whimper and tightened her grip on him even more, to the point that he was starting to get uncomfortable. Ni, who up to this point was simply walking next to them, let out a small snort of amusement. He gave her an annoyed look and after a few seconds she seemingly grasped the message. “Ehhhhh… You know… most of the ocean is…” she hesitated, trying to think of something. “…shallow enough to stand in. Head above water.” “Really?” Ichi sighed, shaking her head. Kendall tightened her grip even more, forcing air out of his lungs and whimpered again, but then opened her eyes and looked at him. “I w-will. I’ll c-keep you s-safe,” she whispered. That wasn’t the response he was expecting, and it messed with his preconceptions about things. Nevertheless, he forced himself to smile, despite slowly getting crushed between her fingers. “Uhm… Thank you, Ken…” he said with great effort. „Kendall, you’re crushing him,” Ichi warned. Kendall’s grip instantly loosened, letting him breathe freely once again. Kendall seemed concerned for a few seconds before he gestured that he was fine. They all walked for a bit longer, until they reached a cliff overlooking the ocean. It looked untouched by Kaiju blood and the greenery covering it made the area look like some evil castle hill from fairy tales… but in reverse. And instead of a castle, there was a small camp on the top. Or at least it would be small if one would only consider the number of tents, instead of their size. Three somewhat crude tents made out of leather, with a titanic campfire in the center. Clearly set up before… Implying they had this planned more thoroughly than he thought. More information to consider, more variables affecting his plan in unpredictable ways… Kendall pulled a bedroll out of one of the tents and set it up near the campfire, then sat and placed him down next to her. “H-here you go…” As he finally touched the ground, he felt… weird. He has gotten used to standing in someone’s palm and now the ground felt strangely… stable. Until he got his wish and almost fell over, when Ichi walked by, causing the ground to quake with each step. Looking up at her, he was painfully reminded about how colossal she and her sisters really were. He had spent enough time getting carried 60 meters above ground… Looking at them from almost their eye level… It made them appear kind of normal. Now everything was huge. When another footfall launched him into the air, he decided to sit down and not risk his kneecaps anymore. He turned around to look at Kendall and… found her foot a few meters in front of him. A quick glance determined that she was crosssitting next to him, her face far enough that his eyes needed to refocus. She smiled at him gently and petted his head with a single finger. All of this made him feel extremely uncomfortable and… inadequate. He was literally a speck to them. One of them could crush him by an accident and not even notice it… He shook his head, pushing back the worrying thoughts, instead choosing to observe Ni as she toppled one of the trees on the cliff to collect it as firewood… and that sight… that sight fired off some long-forgotten neurons… brought back an old, rusty memory. He was quite certain that… that… “I think I saw you before.” he exclaimed. They all looked at him, interested and confused at the same time. Ichi picked up a huge leather bag, then walked up and squatted next to him. “You’ve seen us? May I ask where?” she asked, her head directly above him. “… It was… Long ago. When I was a child, I saw an old program about Titans… and I think they showed at least one of you… kicking a tree down.” “… First of all, what is a ‘program’?” Ichi asked, raising an eyebrow. “Huh… How to explain it…” He flicked through his memory, figuring out how to describe it to someone with no idea about technology. “We use devices to… to record… events. Places. People. Creatures. Anything, really. We record sight and sound and then we can look at and hear things that happened in the past.” “Like that… picture you took of me?” asked Kendall. “Kind of.” He nodded. “That picture is just a… drawing, let’s say. And a program is a… moving picture with sound.” “A moving picture with sound?” Ichi repeated with neutral expression. “Yes…” he responded, unsure if he should be scared or not. “And you… recorded us long ago?” she asked, squinting at him. “No no no! Not me. Someone recorded you long before I was born. Before that Kaiju fiasco. I just saw it once.” Ichi began considering his words, trying to grasp several new and alien concepts at once. Despite the obvious facial differences, it was clear she struggled to imagine it. “I could show you how it looks, but my phone is…” another thought occurred to him “wait…” He remembered why he overpaid for his phone as much as he did and began searching through the functions of his phone, until finally locating the one he was looking for. The absolute dumbest thing you could install in a phone… besides a curved screen of course. A projector. He found a relatively flat and monochromatic spot on the ground and activated the projector. “See?” he said, displaying the photo from earlier. “Wow! It’s… It’s me!” Kendall gasped. She leaned forward, focusing her eyes on a still small, but actually visible to her picture. “Let me see!” Ni almost shouted, running up to them. He barely maintained his footing and raised his hands as high as he could, making the picture a tiny bit larger. “It is you!” Ni exclaimed with childlike wonder. “Yes… apparently,” Ichi mumbled with uncertainty. “Make me appear as well!” pleaded Ni. He turned off the projector, took a quick photo of her, and displayed it on the ground. “Wow… Damn, I look good,” she commented, visibly pleased. “Do Ichi now!” asked delighted Kendall. “I don’t think…” Ichi began. Began, but did not manage to finish before it was too late. He displayed a picture of her unamused face. “This is super cool. I just wish it was bigger,” Ni commented. “Well, it was never exactly meant for someone as big as you, so…” He shrugged. A displeased growl rumbled from above. Looking up, he saw an annoyed look on Ichi’s face. “Did something happen?” he asked. “I do not like it. The… picture with me,” she grumbled. “… Why?” “It’s just… I just don’t like it. Don’t make more with me. Understood?” “I mean… sure. I only took it to show you how it works…” he mumbled, feeling more than a little intimidated. „And can you show us those moving pictures? With sound?” Kendall pleaded. “Do not make a… program with us.” Ichi warned, though her tone was more commanding than threatening. “But I wanted to…” began Kendall. “Just don’t, okay?” Ichi cut her off. “… I really wanted to see us…” Kendall whimpered. Thinking for a moment made him realise that there is probably a way to satisfy both requests. He turned on mobile data and… actually got a signal. “Praise be to satellites,” he murmured to himself. Looking for the recent news, getting what he wanted was not particularly difficult. He clicked the link, turned the volume all the way up and lifted his arms again. “WZN report, your daily dose of news from the western zone,” the female voice announced, as the logo played. „In the region of New Angeles at 1109 hours a wave of five category 7 Kaijus emerged from the ocean,” the same reporter continued, the bird-eye camera showing images of hulking monsters walking through the desolate landscape. “The defense forces engaged and neutralised all threats within one hour of emergence,” the voice informed, right as the monsters got pummeled by salvoes of rockets and artillery strikes… only to shrug themselves off and continue forward. Then another salvo and another, each inflicting more and more wounds until the footage cut to show all Kaijus obliterated on the ground, surrounded with older remnants of their own kind. “In an unexpected turn of events, right when the military was focused on dealing with the Kaiju wave, three wandering Titans appeared on the outskirts of the New Monica city.” The footage changed to show a familiar, golden dragon from the point of view of a shaky handheld camera, then quickly changed to one from a small drone. “It’s us!” Kendall squealed with delight. “There are no reported casualties and only light material damage in the industrial district,” the reporter continued. “The Titans left on their own, moving into the exclusion zone after a few warning shots. Environmental experts suggest that this incident is caused by the remaining Titans on Earth migrating after being forced out of their natural habitats by increasingly more dangerous Kaijus. They advise to not engage migrating Titans, unless necessary.” The view changed to show an old, slim, and nearly bald black man in a neat shirt and striped tie, surrounded by a bunch of microphones. The panel below titled him as Doctor Mortimer Rush, Titan behaviourist and biologist. “Those creatures are as much victims of the situation as we are,” he said in a deep, raspy voice. “We are all fighting a war, but they are simply running out of options. Most recent Kaijus are so massive that our native Titans are simply incapable of resisting them anymore. Look at Nauru. That small island nation survived against the odds only because of the aquatic Titan that lived in the waters around it.” He shook his head in sorrow „Nauru fell just two years ago. Two category 6 Kaijus proved too much.” “How should we proceed then, Doctor Rush?” one of the reporters asked, which caused the doctor to straighten his tie. “They fought for our planet with all their might. They fought for us. Now we have to fight for them. Not against them. The very least we can do is leave those amazing creatures be.” The footage cut once more to show the logo of WZN, then to the main reporter. “In other news, inflation is at an all time…” Peter turned off the projector and looked up at the three sisters. Kendall seemed delighted with the show, not really caring for its contents or message. Ni oscillated between amusement and annoyance. And Ichi…just stared at him. Her gaze was… intense. To put it mildly. “Did he really say that we are ‘incapable of resisting’? I gotta smack him for that,” Ni scoffed. “It’s amazing. Those moving pictures and all…” Kendall mused, a bit dreamily. And Ichi just stared. Just. Stared. Panic began rising inside him once again. “I didn’t record it, if that’s what you are asking,” he blurted out a bit faster than he wanted. “It’s just that when you go near humans… We will record absolutely everything out of the ordinary. And you three are… more than extraordinary.” Ichi’s gaze finally relented, and sighed, rubbing her eyes. “You sure are crafty creatures…” she said with resignation, but also… hope. “That we are.” “C-can you show some other p-pictures?” Kendall asked. “You know, I could, but doing it drains the battery… the life of this device. And I kind of need it for later. So… not now. Okay?” he answered truthfully. “Oh… okay…” she accepted with disappointment. “For the better,” Ichi sighed. “Ni, put that wood down already. It’s getting dark.” “Ni put that wood down already…” Ni repeated mockingly, but obliged. She made a huge pile of trees in front of him and then… Then Ichi breathed a stream of yellow fire on it, igniting it nearly instantly. He moved back a bit, not fond of the flames the size of a blockhouse and sat down on the edge of the bedroll. Ichi pulled out huge slabs of meat out of the bag and began roasting them over the fire. He was honestly flabbergasted – where did she get meat pieces that big? Was she cooking an entire whale or something? Kendall picked him up unprompted and set him down on her thigh, with her hands coiled around him. No matter. Questioning it wouldn’t change a thing; at most just give him a headache... But there was one stupid thing he did want to ask about. “Do you always set up a fire?” Ni looked at him. “Yeah, duh… We always set up a camp for the night. Why, you still cold or something?” “No. I was just wondering. Some old tales say that dragons have inner fire that keeps them warm, but I have no idea if it's true or not,” he recited an old fable. Ichi let out an amused snort. “I mean, it’s not really fire, but… it is true to some extent. We are hot… literally. Our body heat is higher than other creatures. I could sleep on an iceberg and still stay warm.” Ni leaned forward a little bit. “Pfft, yeah, right. You’re still shivering all the time, dumbass. Even in summer.” Ichi shot her an annoyed glare. “Shut up.” “Girls, relax. You are all equally hot in my eyes,” he blurted out before his common sense could stop him. Ichi let out a quiet snort, clearly amused and maybe even… flattered. “Damn smartass midget…” Ni chuckled. He heard a shy whimper right above him and realised that Kendall apparently enjoyed his stupid teasing a bit too much. Ichi glanced at her and smirked, then leaned towards him. “See what you’ve done? You got her all flustered again.” Kendall hid her face in her hands, but even then, the red was sticking out, which made him smile in turn. When his gaze returned to Ichi… he saw something. Or at least, he thought so, since those could’ve been just reflections. Tricks of the light… but there appeared to be the slightest hint of red on her face as well. And since he was already in so deep, he might as well push a bit more. “Who’s talking? I see you’re blushing as well.” Ichi opened her eyes wider and quickly withdrew her head. “Hah! Me? You’re seeing things, little one,” she responded with her usual composure. Now was the time. Time to weaponise everything against her while she was weakened. “Oh no no no.” He stood up and pointed at Ichi. “Ni, you've seen it too, right? Your big ‘serious and stoic’ sister blushing at my stupid tease.” Ni smirked and looked at her sister with a predatory grin, not letting any chance of messing with her slip by. “Sure I saw that. She’s all red. Hahaha.” Ichi shot Ni a glare, before focusing on him again. Her face a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment. “Tch… shut up, both of you! I’m not blushing.” “Be careful not to turn into a tomato then!” he exclaimed loudly. Ichi turned away from him and crossed her arms as if annoyed. “Tch… you little… Don’t you dare smart talk me like that.” He and Ni looked at each other at the exact same time and then both erupted into laughter. And Ichi was really, really not pleased, glaring at him and Ni, sinking ever deeper into herself. “Pfft, yeah. Relax, big sis. It’s not the end of the world that you turned red for a second, geez,” Ni finally blurted out. Ichi scoffed and responded with an annoyed voice. “Shut up. I didn’t turn red! It’s just… hmph, warm out here, okay?!” He regained his composure half a second later and before he could second-guess it, fired. “Oh, it's rather chilly out here actually. It's just that you are so HOT.” Ni loudly snorred at his remark, trying not to burst into laughter once again. Ichi desperately tried to keep her face neutral, but he could see the corners of her mouth twitching in an unwanted smile. “… You have a smart mouth, little one.” She took out a burning branch from the fire and pointed it at him. “Careful, or you’ll get burned.” “Burned by your HOTNESS you mean?” he teased. And that did it. Ni was choking, and Ichi was speechless – too taken aback by his dumb remark. A hint of a smirk appeared on her face as she shot a sly glance at him. “How did even got dragged into this?” she rolled her eyes, returning to her usual demeanor in an instant. He composed himself and looked at her once again. And this time, instead of a titanic monster, he saw something completely different. He saw… the woman under all of it. Straining whatever remained of his brain, he gathered all the insight and depth he could. “You know, there’s nothing wrong in admitting that you enjoy it.” She stayed silent for a moment, clearly thinking his words over, before she shook her head. “N-no… I… do not,” she responded without a shred of conviction in her voice. “You absolutely do. But it… doesn’t make you any lesser if that’s what you’re worried about.” She finally crumbled and the tiniest hint of shyness slipped into her voice. She looked down into the fire and sighed, playing with the branch. “… Alright… Yes, I do… like it…” she said, her tone suggesting she was both embarrassed and relieved with her confession. „I’m always the one everyone comes to for help, or guidance… or advice… I guess it’s just… nice.” He sat down on Kendall’s thigh again, pondering for a few seconds. “Everyone wants to be free and careless from time to time. You should give yourself a break sometimes and just... have fun. Be silly.” Ichi faintly smiled. “It’s easy to say but… Maybe there is some truth to that. Maybe I really do need a break after all this time… It’s just… really nice to have some attention come my way for once,” she sighed, resting her head on her knee. And in that moment, he felt genuinely bad for her. She was essentially the mother of her sisters, but without the full authority of a mother. All she wanted was to keep her sisters safe, but them being dumb or hotheaded… For him, it would quickly become too much. “Well… if you want, we can flirt some more…” he glanced up at Kendall. “Unless your sisters will get too jealous of course.” Ichi looked up at him and responded with a surprising amount of determination. “Deal, little one. Tonight, I am the ‘cute Ichi’… Cutichi… No wait, that’s dumb.” she backpedaled, seeing Ni’s face turn into a grin of unending cruelty. “Yeah, sure, go for it. I don’t mind, midget… I too want to see ‘Cutichi’…” Ni mocked with a shit-eating grin. Kendall’s hands suddenly encircled him completely. He looked up and saw her… almost desperate expression. “… I wanted to hold you tonight…” she whimpered. He touched her palm. “I know, dear. But could we maybe… do that later?” Kendall clenched her jaws and trembled for a few seconds, but then suddenly relented. “…F-fine… J-just… J-just…” “I promise that you will get to hold me in your sleep. Not tonight. But soon,” he vowed. She shakily picked him up, set him on the bedroll again and gave him a smile filled with gentleness and sorrow at the same time. The meat was finally roasted. Ichi distributed it amongst them, before they dug in. Sharp teeth appeared in vicious flashes, rending and tearing the meat as if it had no structure whatsoever. Kendall looked at him, thought for a few seconds, and ripped out a tiny piece of meat, before handing it to him. It was still way too much for him, most likely enough to feed him for at least a week if it didn’t spoil. He shrugged and began eating. It tasted somewhat like pork, but more… refined? It lacked spices outside of… what was that? Sweet pepper? No, something weirder… Anyways, it resembled a sausage from a wild boar he had a few years ago. He ate until he could not and handed the piece back to Kendall, who swallowed it whole. “Come, Ken. I’m gonna teach you about… I don’t know, life or some shit,” Ni said standing up, before walking over to her little sister. Kendall sighed and also stood up. He stepped from the bedroll, which she instantly picked up. Ni wrapped her arm around Kendall’s shoulders and pulled her away, into her own tent, their combined footfalls causing him to fall over. Ichi chuckled, seeing his predicament. “Yes yes, very funny…” He stood up and dusted himself off. “It absolutely is funny. But you know what’s even funnier? The fact that you have no idea what you got yourself into,” she commented slyly. “I see you grew a bit of confidence?” he retorted. “Yes, you little rascal…” she scoffed. “Though you calling me out on ‘confidence’ is a bit rich, don’t you think?” “Yeah...” he nodded, fully aware. “So anyways... Which tent is yours?” She motioned her head towards the closest, directly opposite to Ni’s tent. “That one. Come on then, little one.” She stood up, and without asking carried him inside. Sitting down, she put him down on a bedroll that was nearly identical to Kendall’s one and glanced down at him with an excited smirk on her face. “Serious is out; silly is in?” she asked slyly. „It’s just us now, little one. Just you and me, having some fun, with no sisters or duties to disturb us…” She put one of her legs behind her and leaned a bit towards him, supporting herself on her arm. He nodded, looked up, and began wondering just how much over his head he actually was… And if it even made a difference at this point. What exactly would she like? Yes, she. A titanic golden dragon that somehow looked far more feminine than any woman he had ever seen. And that was saying something, considering her lack of breasts. Maybe it was the pose? But her being huge was – surprisingly – not his biggest problem. No, it was his complete inability to… pull. Or flirt. Or… do anything even vaguely resembling courtship, without it turning into a dumpster fire. The most he could do was to piece together a rough idea of the scenario he wanted to enact. “... I really admire you, you know?” She raised an eyebrow, clearly not anticipating that to be his first sentence. “Really? Like this?” she huffed. “Well, a bit of flattery won’t hurt I guess…” “I do mean it,” he stressed. „Not everyone would take care and responsibility for their own siblings. But you did. With no complaining. You are a strong woman. And I do not mean only physically.” Ichi cocked her head slightly. She looked… a little embarrassed by the sincerity. “… Okay? I’ve never really minded taking care of my sisters. It’s… kind of my duty, you know? I care about them. A lot.” “I know,” he nodded. “I see it all the time. That's why I admire you.” She let out a quiet snort and chuckle. “Heh…” she smiled and gave him a look of… something… he got an impression that she has seen through him… that she knew exactly what he was doing… and that it was the case since the very beginning. “You’re a smartass in the best way, you know?” she added. “I try to be,” he continued, trying to convince himself to be undeterred. “If I weren't, you would have probably fed me to Ni already.” She laughed sincerely. “Stop being sill… actually no, don’t stop.” “Strong, smart, caring... you have everything. The perfect woman, huh?” She smirked and tilted her head from side to side a few times, as if considering his words. Finally, she responded in a playful tone. “I don’t know about that… I mean, I’m definitely not perfect. I’ve got my flaws… But one of them is being shallow enough to accept being called ‘the perfect woman’.” He put his hand on the tip of one of her fingers and began gently caressing it. “As you should…” She let out another amused snort. “You know… I like me a woman with a brain. More interesting. More to talk about. More of… everything, you know?” “Aye, I feel you, little rascal. Someone with at least some sense to them, instead of just a pretty face.” She lowered herself and laid on her belly, facing him on his eye level. “Someone who’ll actually tease me back instead of just being afraid to, you know… I’m honestly surprised how well you’ve… dealt with everything so far.” she commented, poking him. “Hey, stop it!” he exclaimed, trying to shield his belly from another poke. “Or what?” She cocked her head. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there is no one who could even try to help you now…” She grinned. “I can do whatever I please… Touch you wherever and whenever I want…” She paused, her smirk faltering once she realised how that sounded. “No, wait…” “Uhuh. You’re a feisty thing,” he interrupted, regaining the initiative. “We've known each other for what? Not even a day and you are already all over me. I thought Kendall was supposed to be the clingy one.” She let out a snort that blew straight into his face. Her feet began almost unknowingly kicking behind her. “Weird, isn’t it? I’m as surprised as you are. But there is something about you, little rascal, that is just very captivating for me. Being a smartass, or being a sass… Or an ass… Or maybe it’s just your cute size, who knows?” she grinned, flashing her teeth in a clear attempt at intimidation. It was at least partially successful and threw him off the script – if one could call his squirms a script – into a few seconds of silence. “Well uhhh… I might be cute because of how small I am, but you are also quite cute, you know.” he countered, trying to comprehend how those words could have ever left his mouth. “Calling me ‘cute’?” she raised an eyebrow. “You have guts, little one, I’ll give you that,” she finished, giving said guts a little tap. “I-I’m not ‘just’ calling you that. I speak the truth. You are a gorgeous woman with splendid proportions.” As soon as he finished that sentence, the urge to facepalm drowned out every other emotion. Way to fucking go. And yet, a small hint of a blush appeared on her cheeks. “Pfft… Wow… little rascal is getting over his head? You know what, I’ll humour you. How many compliments are you going to throw at me in one night?” Without wasting time at figuring out how in the ever-loving FUCK he wasn’t a stain on the floor yet – and if she really just wanted to receive bodily compliments – he badly acted out considering her words. “Depends… How many can you take?” She grinned again and silently chuckled. “How about we try and find out? I wonder when you’ll run out of things to say?” “Oh, a good old empirical solution then,” he responded. Ichi blinked, a bit taken out of the trance. He forgot she probably had no idea about… a lot of stuff actually. “Your face is gorgeous.” he said quickly. „Your horns, your lips. Their uhhh… proportions… a-all as golden as your scales.” She smiled patronisingly. “Okay… let’s roll with that.” ”Your eyes are like endless wells. Of ideas. Of love. Of uhhh… seduction?” he continued, trying not to cringe at that last one. She scoffed. “A little low, don’t you think?” “Shush!” He coughed. “And your figure brings out your femininity in all its glorious splendor.” Her blush deepened a tiny bit, while her lip curled into something between mocking and affectionate smile. “Sure…” “Your scales, brighter than sunshine and fair like no other. The purest gold can not compare to their magnificence,” he continued. „Of course… let’s just go with this verbose stuff…” He obliged. “Your tail, longer than a life's journey... your wings, like the finest bedsheets, caressing your form wherever you go,” he gave her his best attempt at poetry, dying inside at the metaphors he was cooking up. She instinctively tried to hide behind her palms, but her blush was spreading too fast at this point. “W-why am I… even blushing at this? It’s stupid!” “And your legs are... going on forever. Your calves neat and your feet shapely. And your thighs uhhh… nice?” “STUPID!” she yelled, closing her eyes and pressed even harder into her hands. “Your power is undisputed. Yet your beauty even more so. Because… Well, you are beautiful. I have nothing to add to that.” “O-oh… w-w-wow…” And then, he stopped. Unable to tell if she was melting or boiling, he decided to follow up by caressing her forearm. It’s not like it would change anything in that second scenario. “I honestly don’t know… If I should be offended or laugh at all this garbage…” she remarked, still hiding in her hands. “But you did make me all flustered, I will give you that.” He smiled gently. “I guess I did… Huh.” She scoffed and finally looked at him again. “… Bloody hell… It’s awful. Like, genuinely, I couldn’t think of worse trash to save my life… but I really like it… but I also hate it. It’s stupid.” “A bit of awe and admiration surely won’t hurt such a delicate flower of a woman,” he forced a bit of pathos out, trying his hardest not to laugh. She once again blushed and hid behind her hands. “Fucking DAMNIT! Why are you so cheesy and poetic and… verbose and… why is it WORKING ON ME?!” she yelled out the last part, then put her hands down, lowering her head to him “Also, fuck you. I’m not a… delicate flower. I’m big, I’m strong, confident and… and… and…” “And what is strength, if not the ability to indulge? You are a powerful, fearsome woman, but at the same time, you are A woman. You deserve all that is best,” he doubled down on trash before it registered as hysterical. At this point she was blushing so violently he was surprised the red had not invaded her eyes and teeth yet, just to break all remaining semblance of logic. He leaned in and kissed to tip of her snout, right between the nostrils. Torrents of hot air rushed out of her nose, enveloping him. Her eyes widened, but outside of that, she was just… completely frozen in place. “W… Wha… W-what? W-what w-was… that? What?” “You didn’t like it?” he asked slyly. She looked away, pushing him by accident with the motion by an accident. It went unnoticed by her, for she was way too busy being flustered. “… I… I mean… I did like… it… I just… didn’t e-expect it…” she turned to him again and sighed. Most of her remaining tension evaporated. She closed her eyes, then delicately nudged him with the tip of her snout. “It’s so weird… getting spoiled and… pampered like this…” she admitted. He hugged her snout and nuzzled it with his face. “It shouldn’t be, you know… Everyone deserves a bit of pleasure… Especially someone who works as hard as you do… At least it should be that way.” She hummed, shaking his entire body in the process. “I guess that makes some sense… I’m just not used to be on the receiving end of the… ‘pleasure’ part…” she sighed. “Well… I guess we can… remedy that.” Ichi let out a half-nervous chuckle. “I… I guess I wouldn’t mind… ‘indulging’ a little more…” she muttered. “Would you like a massage, or something else?” “A massage? I…” she hesitated and bit her lip. “I-I guess I wouldn’t mind if you were the one doing it. Yes, it would be nice… but… can you give me a massage I would actually feel?” she asked unconvinced. “Well, there is one way to find out…” Her body lowered until she was lying as fatly as possible. “Go on then.” He looked at the living mountain before him and let out a huff, before starting to undress, then climbed onto her back, using arms and shoulders as intermediate points. Walking towards the neck, he felt her muscles tensing under him into ropes of steel. Once on site, he got on his knees and began applying pressure to the warm flesh... Against all odds, it worked, the low purr being the living proof of that. It would have been barely audible… if it weren’t for her size. And so he worked, putting most of his strength into each push, into each caress. It wasn’t easy but brought results – her neck muscles relaxed with each brace against them. Soon the neck was done, prompting him to move to its base. And then…she let out a tiny moan. A quiet one that got immediately cut once she realised what happened. Ichi cleared her throat. “You are rather good at this,” she commented, trying to overpower the awkwardness with her usual stoic demeanor. Tried, but failed, with the slight shiver travelling through her back signifying that even she realised that. “Small hands on a big back… I can touch every single creek and crevice…” he commented, surprisingly happy with himself. She took a deeper breath than usual while he continued, working on a much larger canvas now. The web of muscles below him, most wildly different from human ones thanks to the wings and their joints. Not exactly easy to massage, but they were giving in all the same. He went to the right first and began massaging the area around her shoulder blade. She moaned again and moved it slightly, toppling him and making him slide back a few meters. It didn’t deter him in the slightest. Yes, work was the right word – the force he was using was exhausting, but at the very least, it was a satisfying work. “Please… more…” she moaned softly. “Every creek and crevice, my queen.” The entire world vibrated when she giggled. In a surprisingly high-pitched voice. It took him quite some time and even more labour but eventually, he managed to reach the part that was… low enough to not be considered a ‘back’ anymore. At this point, Ichi bore more resemblance to a puddle of warm, melting mush than to a dragon, all tension banished from her body. But reaching that part made her tail straighten. “W-Wait a minute… you- you’re not… you’re not gonna… Y-You’re not gonna… touch my…” she stuttered. “Only if you wish so.” Her breath quickened, her tail and legs tensed, outstretched. After a moment of hesitation, she responded in an embarrassed tone. “I-I suppose you can… Y-You can touch my… m-my...” “Your glorious butt,” he teased. Even the distance and her attempts to cover it didn’t manage to hide the furious blush. “…‘Glorious’ butt…” she mumbled with disbelief at her own words. “Oh, it is. Firm, proportional and just soft enough. It really underlines your figure,” he commented, remembering how it looked from afar. Ichi attempted to push her head underground. “Go to hell…” she whimpered. And he took that as an invitation to begin massaging the base of her tail and her titanic buttcheeks. Her breath quickened yet again, muscles twitching violently below him in response to him touching her scaly, yet apparently very sensitive skin. As if someone was sending electric jolts through her. She trembled, her mind mush at this point, only responding with shakes, blushes, and moans. That last one soon dominated – each and every time he pressed down, a new one escaped her mouth. Each and every one a little louder, a little more desperate than the last. He looked at the canyon next to him and gave it a little rub. More of a tickle for her, but of spectacular results – her butt clenched, all her muscles tensing at once for a brief moment. “H-Hnnngg… F-Fuuuck…” she whimpered. And so, he continued down and down her buttcheeks. Ichi’s breath turned into pure labour; her body shaking in sheer ecstasy. „F-Fuck… F-Fuck… Please… I-I need… I need you to- to… Hnnngg… more… I… I need more…” she blurted out between growls and moans. But then, her butt ended. So, he did the only thing a man with any self-respect would do and began working on her left thigh. It… didn’t last long – her muscle suddenly spasmed, launching him into the air. He crashed on the other thigh and slid down, unable to get a grip on the scaly skin, before landing right in between her legs. In front of him, there was a cavity. One he was absolutely sure was not there before. And he got aroused – he was a man, after all. His instincts worked all the same, even despite the overpowering feeling of inadequacy for the task at hand. But… He began massaging her inner thigh. Then switched to the other one. And after a minute he switched again, each time coming closer and closer to his actual target. Gone was the Ichi that would scoff at the very idea of it – this Ichi was shameless. Needy. Starved. When he reached the base of her thigh, he gently bit the skin on the inner side of her joint. “H-Hnnngg… P-Please… I-I need you… I-I need you to… to… Hnnngg…” The desperate plea amused him. His hands traced towards the prize. He got on his knees to be at just the right height. And started licking. Ichi let out a moan that rattled the earth itself. He touched, rubbed, and caressed the inside of her in the only way he could – with his entire body. The flesh trembled around him as he pushed further inside. The walls around him twitched violently, desperately trying to suck him deeper and deeper. He encountered a large, fleshy, round object on his path. A flash of understanding transformed into a grin, as he began stroking it in every way he could – with hands, with head, with his tongue… A roar that followed split the sky itself. The ground trembled, her muscles twitched and pushed down against the floor, trying to grind him to dust. Undeterred by thousands of tons of flesh around him, he continued working in his hot and moist environment, surrounded by scent threatening to turn him insane with each breath. It was surreal, yet so incredibly arousing at the same time. Lying under a giantess… No, lying inside her and pleasuring her like that… Suddenly realising how much the space around him shrank, he paused, looking for a way out… and finding none. Ichi’s walls were closing in around him, demanding a sacrifice. He worked as long as he could, but soon, they engulfed him completely. No – abducted would be a more apt description, for they lifted him. Played with him. Took him for themselves, guided by a primal sapience unbound by reason. He tried to wriggle, to press against them, to free himself, but all it did was merely encourage them further. His struggles merely amused them. Finally, they began to spasm uncontrollably, tightening around him even more, milking his tiny body for all it was worth and sucking him deeper inside. It should have been scary… but his mind melted a while ago, and the thought of getting pulled in and lost in the abyss forever registered as exciting, not terrifying. Ichi let out an extremely loud and long moan, then collapsed, panting heavily. As for him… He was still stuck. Not for long though – her walls finally relaxed, unclenching and lifting the pressure from his tiny form, letting him peel himself off of the fleshy wall. He crawled out of the cavity and stood up, welcoming the refreshing, cold air once again, and took a deep breath. Overall, he was… a bit shocked, but also extremely proud. Who wouldn’t be? Honestly, when was the last time he was so proud of himself? He touched one of Ichi’s thighs and… And that released an involuntary spasm. Her legs came together, smashing him between her thighs. Stuck for a second time, unable to move, speak, or even wriggle, he did the only thing he could do in this predicament – wait. Still trembling and quaking, lost in the ecstasy of the afterglow, unable to move, Ichi didn’t register anything. After a minute, she finally managed to calm down enough to relax her legs and release him. Still coated in sticky woman fluids, he had to peel himself off of her again. As he stood up, Ichi managed to steady her breath a little and pushed herself up, going above him in an arc until she was knee-sitting, her expression laboured and exhausted. And also, that the cavity between her legs was invisible again, hidden under a flap of skin, which made him quite happy that he hadn’t decided to stay there for longer. She seemed to be in a daze after getting overwhelmed, which inflated his ego even further. Finally, after a solid minute of just looking at each other, she shakily huffed. “God… that was…” “I hope you are relaxed now,” he responded with a sly smirk. “Ohhhhh… Yes… I’m feeling… very relaxed…” she mumbled, taking deep breaths between each word. “Would you like some dessert as well?” She glanced at him surprised. “W-what… do you mean?” “I could also massage your poor, weary feet… Wouldn’t it be a nice way to end our evening?” he offered. She looked behind her to see her paws, and after a few seconds returned her gaze to him. “… No…” He raised an eyebrow. “Why?” She shook her head. “I walked a lot today and haven’t bathed. For someone as small as you tending to my feet right now would be… degrading.” This time, he was surprised for a change. And… touched. Actually, genuinely touched by how considerate she was. “I mean… I can still do it if you want to,” he offered. “No. You’ve done more than enough already. And far more than I expected.” „It was a pleasure, really,” he bowed. She blushed a tiny bit but was clearly too exhausted to get flustered again. “You tiny bastard…” she said with a smile, reaching down for him. But as her fingers touched him, she stopped and looked at her hand. “Oh… sticky…” she commented a bit sheepishly. „Hold on a second…” She turned away to pick up a leather container, then poured a bit of water from it onto her palm, before lowering her hand to him. ”Clean yourself at least a little.” He climbed into her hand and began cleaning his body in the water smelling like old leather. Even without soap, he was able to get rid off the stickiness… but the smell proved more stubborn. He stepped down, letting Ichi dispose of the water, before gifting him a tiny bit of fabric to dry himself with. He got picked up again, but this time, his destination was just cuddles, as she lied down on her bedroll. “You know, little one… You did a really good job. I think you deserve a reward…” “What rew…” Before he could finish, she brought him closer and kissed him. The kiss was most likely supposed to be small and gentle, but it still encompassed his entire head. The suction was not quite enough to pull him inside, but it felt close. She moved the tip of her tongue over his face in a way that was affectionate, but not leaving any doubts that she was also tasting him. She ended the kiss and wiped her mouth with her other hand. “…Damn…” he mumbled, feeling the heat on his cheeks. “Now you are blushing. Now you are flustered. Now we are even, little one,” she said with a smug look, booping his head. He looked at her with affection and giggled. “I guess we are…” She put her head down on the bedroll, still holding him near her chest. The warmth of her palms was easily offsetting the cold breeze coming from the ocean. “Good night, little one…” she murmured, closing her eyes. “Good night… Ichi…” he responded, making himself comfortable in her palms. It wasn’t long before she was asleep. A small part of his brain informed him that this is his chance to run away. All three Titans were sleeping. That was the plan after all, right? To gain their trust, so they would leave him unsupervised. He was at most 60 kilometers from home, so he could get back in as little as 12 hours… If he wouldn’t get lost of course. But truth be told… he didn’t want to run away. Not anymore… or at least, not yet. Ignoring common sense, he silenced the message and closed his eyes, trying not to think about his aching from exertion arms. Overall, he felt exhausted, but also ennobled by his labour. He felt… happy. ***