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THE ZEEVAN CONFLICT

by Rex Fenris

Chapter 3: The Journey Begins

Caylen woke up shivering early the next morning. His hind paws had slipped out from under the blanket during the night. As he pulled them back under the heavy wool fabric, he surveyed the forest around him. The soft light of dawn washed through the trees and the mild scent of pine filled the air.

His nose was cold and he could see his breath in the crisp morning air, but it was warm under the blanket. The birds living in the trees overhead were not dissuaded by the morning chill, and their songs filled the air with sweet, lovely music.

At first he thought he might have been dreaming this whole scene. The situation he found himself in was quite surreal. Just two days ago he had been a servant for that vile innkeeper, Tark. Just two days ago he had no hopes of freedom, and not a single friend in the entire world. Now all of that had changed. The strong arm around his chest, and the deep, slow breathing of the coyote that lay close behind him reminded Caylen that he wasn't imagining things. This was real.

He remembered the argument they had the previous night. Vahn only had the one bedroll and blanket. Caylen had insisted that Vahn take them, where Vahn had insisted that Caylen take them. They had eventually settled on sharing it, which was the outcome the cheetah had secretly hoped for all along.

It was cramped on the small pad they slept on, but Caylen didn't mind. He could feel Vahn's warm breath on the back of his neck. He carefully rolled onto his back, not wanting to wake the coyote, and looked upon the figure beside him. Vahn's eyes were still closed. He looked fast asleep.

Caylen thought Vahn was absolutely gorgeous. His body was strong and well defined but not bulky like some of the males, especially soldiers, which Caylen remembered. The coyote's fur was a lovely blend of earthy colors. Brown and white ears laid flat against Vahn's mostly gray head. The fur was brown again atop his muzzle, and then went back to white just above the lips. The white fur continued down from the bottom of his muzzle, to the front of his neck and chest, where it was disappeared beneath the tunic he was wearing.

Tark had frequently spoken of males who were attracted to other males as sick and weird, and said that The Father would forsake them forever. The cheetah had known better than to mention his attractions to the possum, but he once told Sister Ada. She had explained to him that it was perfectly normal. Caylen always trusted her word over the possum's.

What made his heart soar was that Vahn seemed to be attracted to him too. He had even called him cute. The cheetah couldn't understand how anyone could think someone as small and scrawny as he was could be cute, but hearing it still made him feel wonderful.

Caylen moved in closer to Vahn and rested his muzzle on the coyote's chest. He even smelled good. There was still a hint of lavender from the soap Vahn had washed with. The cheetah remembered helping the coyote bathe and how the wet fur showed off the coyote's exquisite, naked form. He remembered the soft white fur of the coyote's chest and stomach, and the short fur of the coyote's sheath and balls. It had been so hard for him not to stare, but he did manage to sneak a look here and there when the coyote wasn't watching.

The cheetah realized that his heart was racing as he recalled the image of the naked coyote. He could feel the pressure building in his sheath and it wasn't long before his member was straining against the fabric of his pants. He wanted to see the coyote naked again and the warmth of Vahn's body pressed up against him was making him even more excited.

He reached over and placed a paw on the coyote's hip, then looked up at Vahn's face to see if he would wake up. Caylen's heart thundered in his chest now. He couldn't believe what he was doing. The cheetah carefully slid his paw from the coyote's hip around to the front of the canine's body and traced around the crotch of Vahn's pants in a circular motion with a single finger.

Everything in his head told him to stop, told him to push the images from his mind, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. It took him a while to work up the courage, but the light circle the cheetah traced with his finger gradually grew smaller and smaller until he traced around the exact outline of Vahn's sheath.

Caylen satisfied himself with this light touching with his finger for a moment, but wanted to do more. With two fingers he began to rub gently up and down the length of the coyote's sheath through his pants, gradually adding more pressure. He kept looking up at Vahn's face, watching for any sign of the coyote stirring or waking up.

Before long his attentions began to pay off as Vahn's sheath began to swell beneath his paw. The cheetah paused for a moment as he realized how rough the fabric of Vahn's pants was. It was made for warmth and durability, not comfort. Caylen didn't want to stop but worried that if he continued rubbing through the coyote's pants that the fabric would irritate the sensitive skin.

The laces on Vahn's pants were not difficult for the cheetah to figure out, and it was only moments before he had freed the coyote's sheath, balls, and growing erection from their prison. He peered under the blanket so he could get a better look.

Caylen had been with a few other males before, but never with a canine. He was intrigued by the shape and texture of the pink flesh and explored it with the soft pads of his paw, starting from the tip, and down the shaft, and finally to the base. By this time the coyote had grown fully erect, and the cheetah was surprised to find a growing bulge at the base of the shaft. Caylen had never seen anything like that before, but he knew each species had different anatomy. Fascinated by his new discovery, the cheetah began rubbing over the bulge with his paw, liking the way it felt. He wondered what it was for.

The cheetah glanced back up to made sure Vahn was still asleep and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the coyote's brown eyes looking back at him. Caylen froze, horrified. He knew he should have stopped. This was such a terrible idea. Vahn would be furious with him for having done this.

Vahn didn't look angry though. He was actually smiling. Caylen's fears began to ease somewhat, but he still didn't dare to move. He scarcely dared to breathe. He was certain that he had gone too far, but the coyote wasn't doing anything. Vahn finally spoke after what felt like an eternity of silence.

"You don't have to stop," whispered the coyote. "That feels nice."

Caylen smiled widely, his fears and inhibitions melting away in an instant. He wrapped his paw around the coyote's shaft and began stroking him gently. He could hear the coyote start to breathe faster now. The cheetah was glad he could pleasure Vahn like this.

Emboldened by the coyote's positive response, Caylen decided to risk trying something else. He sat up and pushed the blanket aside. The cold morning air enveloped him, but it was more invigorating than anything. Vahn rolled over onto his back, perhaps anticipating what the cheetah had in mind. Caylen's tail flicked back and forth happily as he moved down beside the coyote's knees and leaned forward over the pink flesh which now rested on the coyote's white-furred stomach.

The cheetah took the swollen member into his paw and slid his tongue up the length of the coyote's shaft. He immediately loved the taste of the coyote and spent a few moments drawing his tongue over the sensitive flesh, from the partially swollen knot at the base up to the tip, where he eagerly cleaned off each drop of pre that oozed out.

As he licked, Caylen glanced up at Vahn with a smile. The coyote, who had propped himself up on his elbows, smiled back at him warmly. As he worked Caylen occasionally heard a soft grunt or moan from the coyote. The cheetah focused his attention on those areas which elicited the loudest sounds of pleasure.

After a few minutes of licking, Caylen took the tip of the coyote's member into his muzzle and gently worked his tongue over it. He gradually drew in more and more of the coyote's length, until he could feel the flesh pressing against the back of his throat. He placed his paw around the remainder of the shaft that he could not fit into his muzzle and began sliding his muzzle up and down over it.

None of the other males Caylen had pleasured before ever made him feel like he did now. Pleasing Vahn made him feel truly happy, and for the first time he immensely enjoying what he was doing. The feeling of the coyote's flesh sliding over his tongue, moving in and out his muzzle was exhilarating and arousing for him. As the grunts and moans from the coyote grew louder and more urgent, Caylen's excitement grew as well and he worked faster, eager for the coyote's release.

Caylen was disappointed when Vahn placed a paw on his shoulder and stopped him. The coyote sat up, breathing heavily. When Vahn tugged on Caylen's tunic, the cheetah raised his arms over his head so the coyote could remove it. Vahn unfastened the cheetah's pants and removed them as well, and then removed his own tunic, leaving the two of them completely naked.

Moments later Caylen found himself pinned down on his back on the bedroll with the coyote on top of him. His heart was racing once more, both excited and frightened, knowing what Vahn was about to do. He had only ever taken one male like this before, and it was not an experience the cheetah remembered fondly as it was both painful and unsatisfying. Despite his misgivings, however, Caylen wanted more than anything to make the coyote happy. At that moment he would have done anything for Vahn. If the coyote wanted him, Caylen was going to give himself over without a moment's hesitation.

Vahn leaned down and his lips met with Caylen's. The cheetah moaned as the coyote's warm tongue slipped into his muzzle as they kissed. Caylen met the intruding tongue with his own and lifted his legs up to wrap them around the coyote's waist. He felt the tip of Vahn's member pressing under his tail, still wet with the cheetah's saliva. Caylen did his best to try to relax, but he was too nervous.

Caylen whimpered into the coyote's muzzle as felt the tip slide into him. There was a stab of pain, and Caylen felt his entire body tense up, but the coyote's movements were slow and gentle. Vahn pulled away from the kiss and Caylen looked up to see gentle, caring eyes looking down at him. When the pain subsided, the cheetah nodded and the coyote pushed in a little further. Each time Caylen winced or grimaced, Vahn stopped and waited for another nod. Though it took a while, Caylen never felt rushed. Soon the coyote's entire length was buried in the cheetah.

Caylen clung to the canine with both his arms and legs as Vahn started thrusting into him. As first the pain was almost too much for him, but he bit his lip, determined to endure for the coyote's sake. After a while, however, Caylen found that the pain faded away completely and was replaced by an intense sensation of pleasure he had never experienced before.

When the coyote reached down and began stroking Caylen's erection, it was almost more than he could take, but Vahn's paw moved just slowly enough to keep him from going over the edge. The coyote moved faster now, and each thrust sent a wave of pleasure through Caylen's body.

As the coyote drove himself harder into Caylen, the cheetah could feel Vahn's now fully swollen knot pounding under his tail. The feline had no idea what to expect. When the coyote's knot finally popped into him, Caylen cried out in pain, his fingers digging into Vahn's back. The coyote's paw began stroking Caylen rapidly now and the feline felt an intense burning in his loins.

Caylen screamed in ecstasy as he climaxed. The first shot of his seed splashed onto the side of his muzzle and was followed by several more which covered his chest with the warm, musky fluid. Moments later, Vahn leaned over and bit down onto Caylen's shoulder. With a loud groan Vahn drove his hips forward one last time. Caylen felt the coyote's member throbbing inside of him and knew that the coyote had released as well.

Caylen lay beneath the coyote on the bedroll, panting heavily. It took him some time to catch his breath. Eventually Vahn sat up and lifted up Caylen's leg so the cheetah to roll to his side. Vahn laid himself down behind Caylen and the cheetah once again felt those strong arms wrap around his chest.

Caylen could feel that Vahn was still inside of him and discovered the purpose of the knot at the base of the coyote's shaft, as the coyote now seemed to be stuck. He didn't mind, and actually enjoyed being filled by Vahn, though he was starting to get sore. He wondered how long it would stay like that. The cheetah did his best to ignore it and leaned back into the coyote and closed his eyes.

The warm sensation of the afterglow of his climax soon faded away, and a few minutes later, he felt the coyote finally slide out of him. Caylen giggled when Vahn's warm tongue started licking at the side of his muzzle. The cheetah opened his eyes again and saw Vahn leaning over him. He watched as the coyote licked him clean, starting at the cheetah's chest, then moving down to his belly, and finally down to his sheath. The cheetah's member had already slipped back inside, so Vahn pushed Caylen's sheath down a ways to clean the soft pink flesh hidden beneath, which sent a shiver up Caylen's spine.

When the coyote laid back down on the bedroll Caylen turned to face him and nuzzled into his chest.

"That was wonderful Vahn. Thank you," Caylen said. He felt the coyote's dull claws combing through the fur on his neck.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I was afraid I was hurting you there at the beginning," Vahn replied.

"Oh, it's all right. I'm just not very experienced, that's all. I hope we can do it again soon." Caylen nuzzled deeper into the coyote's chest. "I'm yours whenever you want me."

"I'll keep that in mind," Vahn said and chuckled softly.

"So, where are we going?" Caylen asked.

"I told you before, we're going to Haldrand."

"I mean, after that. Are we staying in Haldrand or going somewhere else?"

When Vahn didn't answer right away, Caylen looked up at him. Vahn had that distant look on his face again and Caylen started to get worried.

"What's wrong Vahn?" Caylen asked.

"Caylen, I'm traveling to the capital to buy an officer's commission in the king's army. I can't ask you to come with me."

"Of course you can! I'm your servant now, remember?"

"No you're not. Not any more."

"What do you mean?" Now Caylen was confused.

"I threw your writ of servitude in the fire while you were sleeping last night. I never planned on keeping you as my servant." Vahn sighed and looked down at him. "You're free now Caylen, you can leave any time you want. I have no more legal power over you without that document. I'm sorry if I took advantage of you, I should have asked before I forced myself onto you."

Caylen hugged the coyote tightly and said a silent prayer of thanks to The Father for bringing this wonderful person into his life. While the thought of being free and living a normal, honest life did appeal to him, he already knew where he wanted to be.

"Vahn, I will never be able to thank you enough for what you have done for me. You have shown me more kindness in the last two days than everyone else I know has shown me in the last two years. You didn't force yourself on me. I wanted you, and I still do, and I want to go with you, wherever that may be," Caylen said.

The distant, worried look on Vahn's face slowly faded away, being replaced by a large happy smile. The coyote's strong arms squeezed Caylen in a hug so tight that he couldn't breathe momentarily, but Vahn quickly released him.

An instant later Vahn was on his feet, standing naked over Caylen with his unsheathed sword held firmly in his right paw. Caylen, shocked and stunned, looked around and gasped when he saw a fox emerge from the trees in front of him, wearing a leather breastplate and carrying a sword and shield in his paws. He then noticed another fox appear from the trees to his right, then a badger to his left, and finally a squirrel from behind him. The second fox carried a two-handed sword, the badger wielded a wicked looking axe, and the squirrel behind him held a shortbow with an arrow pulled back and ready to loose. Caylen suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

"Well, look what we have here. A couple of perverts having fun in the woods," said the fox carrying the sword and shield. He stepped in closer, but stayed several paces away from Vahn.

"What do you want?" Vahn asked. Caylen looked up and could see the coyote standing above him, cautiously looking around at all of the adversaries surrounding them.

"If you value your life, Vahn, I suggest you put down the sword. Give us the cheetah and your money and we'll let you live," replied the fox.

"How do you know my name?"

"Oh, Tark told us exactly where we could find you, and who you would be traveling with."

Fear gripped Caylen's heart. He should have known that Tark would never let him go. He had to go back. He wasn't going to let Vahn die trying to protect him. Caylen tried to sit up, but Vahn pushed him back down with his footpaw.

"Vahn, I have to go with them! They'll kill you if I don't!" Caylen protested. Vahn ignored him.

"Go back and tell that bastard that he's mine now. If you try to take him from me I will have your head," Vahn barked back at the fox, who laughed at his response.

"Don't be ridiculous kid. You're going to fight off four of us in your bare fur with that old sword? You can't be serious."

"Come try to take him then, and see what happens," Vahn said defiantly.

"Have it your way, kid."

Caylen looked up at Vahn. The coyote held his sword low, near his waist. His eyes were focused on the fox in front, who Caylen supposed was the leader of the thugs, but his ears were tilted back, towards the squirrel behind him with the bow and arrow.

The two foxes and badger began closing in on Vahn, but the fox with the two-handed sword, perhaps more eager than the rest, dashed in, with his sword raised above his head. Caylen heard the snap of the bowstring behind him, and cringed as he prepared to see his coyote struck down by the arrow. In a single effortless movement the coyote spun around, dodging the arrow soaring towards his back, and then thrust his sword into the charging fox. The coyote's powerful arms drove the blade through the fox's ribs and out through his back. Vahn moved so quickly that Caylen could barely follow what happened. As the arrow landed harmlessly somewhere off in the forest, Vahn brought his leg up and kicked the fox off his blade. The mortally wounded vulpine collapsed onto the ground.

Vahn returned to the exact same stance he held before the attack, only this time with bright red blood dripping down the length of his blade. The other two assailants immediately stopped and took a step back, turning their attention to their fallen comrade, who had been so easily dispatched by a blur of steel. Caylen looked around. None of them made a move, and the squirrel was so dumbfounded by what happened that he seemed to have forgotten to draw another arrow, instead just staring, with his muzzle hanging open.

"Anyone else want to die?" Vahn shouted. Caylen couldn't help but feel sorry for his assailant, who lay dying on the ground not two paces away from him. He had never seen so much blood before. The more the fox writhed on the ground, the more of it spilled from his wound. The cheetah couldn't pull his eyes away. The dying fox's eyes met his, and Caylen watched as the life faded away from them, and the fox finally lay still on the ground, the lifeless eyes still staring back at him.

"Damn it, Tark said this would be an easy job!" The badger shouted at the remaining fox.

"Shut your mouth!" The fox spat back, and then turned his attention to Vahn. "So it seems you're not some helpless kid after all, but don't think that because you've managed to strike down one of us that you're somehow going to get out of here alive. I'm going to enjoy listening to you scream."

Caylen still couldn't pull his eyes away from the dead fox next to him. It wasn't until he felt a firm kick on his leg from Vahn's footpaw that he realized that the coyote had been calling to him. He looked up at the coyote standing over him. Vahn hadn't taken his eyes off of the fox in front of him.

"Caylen, get out of here," Vahn shouted again. The cheetah was frozen in fear and shock. He couldn't believe what was happening. A second, harder kick from coyote finally brought him to his senses. "Damn it, Caylen, run!"

Caylen nodded, though he knew the coyote couldn't see him. He scrambled to his feet and run as quickly as he could in the direction that had been initially blocked by the now-dead fox. He didn't make it very far before he heard an arrow shoot by his head. He gasped and dove behind a nearby tree, peeking around the corner to see what had happened.

He saw the squirrel doubled over, with Vahn's bloodied sword piercing through his gut. The other two assailants were running to the aid of their comrade, but were too late. The fox was the first to get to him, but Vahn had already pulled his sword from the squirrel-who then collapsed-and was able to ward off the fox's attacks.

The fox and the badger assaulted Vahn relentlessly. Caylen was close enough to see the desperation on their faces as they attacked him. Vahn, however, was cool and focused. His movements were faster and more graceful than anything Caylen had ever seen before. He danced effortlessly around and through his opponents, dodging or parrying each swing. Vahn kept switching from defense, to attack, and back to defense again.

Caylen's heart pounded in his chest at he watched. Everything seemed to slow down as he saw his coyote defending himself. He knew he should keep running. He was safe now that the squirrel was dead. The other two were far too busy with Vahn to even notice if he slipped away. But he couldn't bring himself to leave. He couldn't abandon Vahn, even though he knew there was nothing he could to do help him.

The fight dragged on, and the cheetah couldn't tell who was winning. The other two seemed to avoid Vahn's attacks as easily as he avoided theirs, except they didn't have to work as hard as he did. He could see that Vahn was beginning to tire from the strain, but when the fox took an aggressive swing at the coyote, he overcommitted himself and lost his balance. Vahn noticed this as well and spun around, delivering a powerful kick to the fox's gut that sent him falling over onto his back and knocking the wind out of him.

As the fox struggled to get back to his feet, Vahn relentlessly attacked the badger with the axe. It was no match in a one-on-one fight, and the badger was immediately overwhelmed. A swift swing of Vahn's sword slashed into the badger's throat, cutting it wide open. Caylen grimaced and watched the blood spurt from the horrible wound. The badger dropped his axe, stumbled backwards, and fell to the ground.

Caylen gasped as he saw the fox charging at Vahn's back. The coyote spun around to meet the foe and quickly parried the thrust from the fox's sword, but didn't notice that the fox had dropped his shield and now held a dagger in his other paw. Vahn couldn't recover quickly enough and Caylen watched as the steel blade sunk into the coyote's leg. Vahn cried out in pain. The fox released the dagger, leaving it in Vahn's leg, and brought the pommel of his sword around hard, smashing it onto the coyote's head. Vahn slumped down onto the ground.

The fox stood up with his sword in his paw and brought it up over his head, preparing to drive it through the helpless coyote on the ground. Caylen couldn't remember at what point his legs started moving, but at one moment he was huddled behind a tree, and at the next moment he was crashing into the fox at a full sprint. The fox had only just turned his head to realize that the cheetah was coming at him before Caylen tackled him to the ground.

Caylen slashed wildly with his claws at whatever unprotected flesh they could find. When he was finally done, the fox had long since stopped struggling; his face and neck torn to bloody shreds. Caylen sat astride the fox, panting raggedly. When he finally collected himself, he scrambled over to the coyote.

"Vahn! Vahn wake up!" Caylen shouted. The coyote didn't move. He tried shaking him, but that didn't wake him up either. The cheetah felt utterly helpless and alone, sitting there on the ground, holding the motionless coyote in his arms.