Mage-Born
The start of something I've had kicking around my head for a while.
The impact of the ground against my rear stole the breath from my lugs, what little was left from the intense and profound sense of disorientation I felt. My eyes still stamped with the afterimages of spiraling color and strobing shapes. I could feel my ears splayed flat against the top of my head, the velvet inner fur tickling even as my heart beat wildly inside my chest. The sensation gave my overburdened mind a singular point to focus on, given the fact that my ears definitely shouldn't be able to lay back like that or be on top of my head.
What?
A hand hesitantly lifted up to where my ears should be, but found nothing but a sense of soft fur that fuzzed and tingled against fingertips. My own fingertips that felt rounded, soft and delicate. Through my light-shocked eyes I could make out my lower half, sprawled out across the soft grasses beneath me. I was still wearing the dark blue jeans that I had tossed on that morning, but they felt different across my hips and thighs. Though I wasn't sure that my clothing being tight was the most shocking thing about any of this.
I flatted my palm into the side of my head, the sensation of fuzz and soft fur continuing the span of it from heel to fingertip. The slow slide upwards matching the increasingly rapid puff of breath from my nose and lips, jerking to a stop as the leading edge of my pinky touched the ear I knew would be at the top of my head rather then the side. The feeling arcing down my spine in a far too real sensation.
"Oh what the fuck...." I whispered, but it wasn't my voice beyond the fact I could feel my throat and lips moving with the emission of sound. Instead of the male and at least mature tone I knew should have in my now alien ears; instead a soft and downright timid quiver in light tenor tones. The perception of my shoulders shaking, the tremble passing up my arm caused it to snap downward and hug around my torso along with its twin. It met a middle that felt far less....round then it should be. Instead finding a slight, narrow shape that fluttered under the fabric of my shirt that fluttered gently just above my hips.
My eyes snapped shut, the twisting but thankfully fading afterimages dancing on the backs of the lids. Calm down I heard my thoughts utter, but there was a tremble there too. Your ok. At least...for now. Having a heart attack or passing out isn't going to change....the ears. Or the fur. Or whatever the else has fucking happened to me. I forced myself to calm my breathing, the brief bout of panic cleared most of the blurriness from my vision, as my eyes slowly cracked open with disbelief.
Once again I was met with the shimmering light, now at least more manageable and softened by a shift in its position against the canopy above me. A slight twitch of my legs rubbing at the soft grass that coated the small but partially obscured break in the thick-trunked trees that lay on all sides. The tickling strands brushing at bare toes, toes that should have been covered in socks and shoes, but my now focused eyes confirmed what my hand and brain had already caught up to heart-beats before.
Paws. I have....paws. My brain started, trying to sound clinical over-top the shaking tumble of thoughts that threatened to break through the surface. A look down at my hand confirmed the fingers were present, but were clad in the same coating of soft white fur that I found below. A slow and dumbfounded turn and flex of my fuzzed digits extended the shapes of claws, though a slow poke of an index finger against a thumb revealed they were dull and smooth rather then expectedly sharp.
Ok. Some paws. Still have fingers and claws that a butter knife would be sharper than. My thoughts continued, but it was getting more and more impossible to repress the rising tide that trembled up my throat. "Alright...I'm not.… and I have....." I mumbled, soft voice spiking, trying to rationalize any of this. Whatever else that might have escaped my new muzzle was frozen by a sharp snap nearby.
My new ears snapped upright, swiveling and feeling as if they nearly yanked my head to my right, eyes blinking widely as I instinctively sought the source of the sound. It was another person....furson? My addled mind joked dryly. It didn't dispel the grey-furred, wolfen figure that towered over my half sprawled body, nor how far I had to shift to lean back to look up into a pair of startlingly yellow eyes. I hadn't even heard or sensed the wolf getting as close as he did, the trod-on branch that lay snapped under one of the wolf's large footpaws seemingly forgotten or not even noticed by the other.
His broad shouldered frame had the added factor of thick leather armor beneath a solid looking breastplate. The thick metal scratched and lightly dented, the lightly straining leather beneath well oiled and dark with age. Dangling at the hip was a heavy looking blade, its long hilt wrapped in darker stain that held an air of well worn use.
"By the Ancients and Gods" The wolf rumbled, his voice was a deep and rough baritone, a thick scar tracing the left side of his muzzle and stopping just below the eye on that same side. Another step brought him closer, closer to my personal space, the step heavy and folding the nearby grass underneath. His eyes focused somewhere on my hips, and I could see the way those dilated pupils widened to try and take in all of me at once.
My reaction was sudden, in my fright and confusion I shifted backwards away from the wolf, feeling my soft and new paws fumbling against the slick and long grass. I felt my motion stopped short as my back thumped against a nearby tree as I gasped. "S-stop! P..please don't...." I didn't even know what I was asking, I barely had a grasp on my own thoughts. All I could see was that broad, powerful and sizable body and the sensation of a confusing tremble rolling through my core. Surprisingly the wolf did just that, his bipedal gait freezing even as a hand, easily as large as my head, curled against the tree to his right. His claws scoring a few marks into the smooth and dark-colored bark.
His scared muzzle opened and closed slowly, showing a flash of lupine fangs. The intense yellow eyes focusing at the sound of my voice. Whatever the wolf was thinking, it clearly changed in that moment, a breath causing his leathers to creak and that thick breast-plate to shift. All at once he suddenly lowering to set one knee on the ground, even if it only brought those broad shoulders somewhat near my sitting eye-line. "I mean not to frighten thee" he began again, voice softer, and while still rough it had gained a smoother and more gentle tone. A hunter speaking to a frightened, wounded animal. His hands lowered and spread palm up in my direction. "Tis just....to come across a Mage-Born in the Ferrous-wood. Alone." The wolf sounded as if he was wavering between sheer amazement and a sense of ire I couldn't place in the moment. "Where is thine retinue, gentrice? Are thee lost? Who would dare abandon a treasure, here of all places?" The last words sounded incredulous, as if the wolf had never even had a thought to such a thing occurring.
The calm tone he employed, even if tinged with a sense of almost indignant anger, helped slowly steady my thumping heart. A small hand having come clutched against my chest, the softness of my shirt barely masking the rapid undulations of my lungs. "Mage-Born?" I questioned, the world fumbling over my tongue. I slowly shifted, bracing myself against the tree behind me, managing to raise myself up on my new footpaws, even if I felt just about ready to collapse downwards at a moments notice. "The hell is that? I just...I...I don't even know how I got here." I mumbled, still having trouble making sense of it myself. My head was swimming, one of my hands pushed into the tree at my back to steady myself.
The wolf tilted his head, his triangular and fluff-tipped ears flicking back and forth in confusion that was mirrored on his lupine muzzle. "Thee do not know what thine are?" He sounded disbelieving, open palmed hands lowering slowly. A slight motion of those broad shoulders, as if the wolf was unsure of exactly how to proceed. "Thee show all the marks of one, a treasure of our lands. Those who can wield the force magik, who are blessed to carry the future." His eyes focused again on my lower half, the tremble deepening in his posture as his pupils swelled wide again. Words ending in a soft whisper "Mage-Born. Though, some of the more crass and lowborn have another name; a...cunt-boy."
My ears snapped back at his trailing words as I felt my body tense. A....cunt... My mind shorted out, I could, for sure, feel my neurons sparking and failing. Helplessly, I followed the eye-line of the wolf, forcing myself to look where he focused. Below that trim feeling waist I had clocked before, something I had somehow only barely registered blossomed. Curving on either side of me were the shapes of hips that defied proper logic. They were sweeping, broad things, a clear and fertile cradle that somehow looked perfectly formed for my body. The jeans, my jeans that had certainly never been made for something so generous, had somehow been altered to strain across there breadth. Even if I could now tell exactly why the wolf had been so entranced, given the tight fit and curve left...little to the imagination. I gave a slow, instinctive shift of my lower half, as if to confirm it was real. The impulse translating into a slow shifting sway that felt far too natural. Far too much apart of my body in a way that couldn't be refuted.
"Oh...I see" I replied dully "So...then..." Cunt-boy. Cunt. "Ok. That's enough. This has to be a dream. This can't.... I can't...." My voice murmured as I gave in to the rising tide of panic, feeling my already failing legs give out beneath me. There was a sound of exclamation, of a heavy body rushing forward. I barely registered the feeling of a strong arm catching my slumping form, nor the scent that came with. Earthy with a deep pine twinge. Masculine. But my mind had enough, and darkness blissfully brought quite stillness along with its cloaking shade.
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Awareness returned with less cruelty the second time around, starting deeper inside and lower then I'd have expected. A slow, twinned beat pulsed slowly and calmly, a sense of reassurance and comfort on either side of my hips. One of my hands shifted, curling and feeling at the sensation of soft fabric, the weight of heavy warmth wrapped around my narrow shoulders. That scent, pine and earth, was everywhere. Riffling into my lungs and making me feel....relaxed and calm. Enough so that my eyes fluttered open slowly, the dusty rays of light filling the room I found myself within. It was simple, rustic, yet clean. A wood-carved bed, a dresser set across the wall opposite and perhaps a spare chair and small table to take up the rest of the space. My ears could pick up the soft creak of wood, and a low murmur radiating from the wall the dresser shared, a door to its left.
The heavy clop of a hoof and the distant ringing cry of voices in the fading noon light grounded my senses, even if I curled a fold of the blanket closer to my chest and pushed my cheek into the thick pillow beneath my head. A slow, unconscious rubbing of my face into the deeply scented pillow as unbidden I felt a vibration rise in my throat. A rolling and soft sound that resonated through my slender chest and up into my cheeks. One that I swiftly recognized.
I'm.....purring. Oh god fucking dammit.
I remained still with that revelation for a long moment, the feeling of my cheeks hot into the fabric I had pushed into. I gave my senses a shake and grumbled internally, even if that warm feeling hardly abated with the return of inner turmoil I felt at the sense of reality.
Hah! Reality! My inner voice of crowed sharply, a hand rising to my face, feeling at the shape of soft, fluffy cheeks. With my hand touching it, and eyes following, I could just make out the blurry shape of it. A muzzle My muzzle.
Lets take stock here I tried to reason, before I worked myself back up into a tizzy. Ears...._ fluffy _ ears on top of my head. Furry. P-purring.....Cat. I trembled softly. Should I laugh? Should I scream? Just pure psychotic break? Does it matter? I pushed myself up on one side, the heavy blanket clinging to me for a moment before sliding down my slight back. And then there are....you I exhaled internally, gazing at the shape of the broad and full hips that were obvious even under the bunch of the fabric pooling below.
I shifted and slid a hand tentatively over the jean clad curve, the denim feeling rough against my thighs given they weren't exactly for sleeping in. "Where am I going to find pants wide enough" I wondered aloud with a light choking snicker at my own expense. The vocalization stirred something beyond the door parallel the bed. There was a voice, warm and deep....accompanied by another tone that was less familiar. A back and forth ensued before the door creaked open, a tall yet slim shape stepping just through its crack and closing it gently behind.
The shape of the face and head pegged them as a female, and...plain. I tried to find a better, nicer word for it, but I couldn't in the moment. Everything about her seemed to fit that descriptor. From the simple, flat shape of her body to the long, thick looking dress-apron she wore that was a muted colors of cream and green. A pair of short, nub-like antlers framed her brow, a deer of some sort with soft and muddy brown eyes. "Be at ease" She murmured gently, hands up and palms out in a mirror to how the wolf had gestured before. "Thee are safe, I promise. My name is Nelya. The Ranger, who found you and brought you here is named Stefan." Nelya faltered for a moment and flushed lightly "Thee are currently in his room and....bed. May I be allowed to approach thee?"
Her tone was one of gentle and calm difference, lacking the strange and oppressive sensation that the wolf...that Stefan had exuded. The request to approach struck me differently, particularly with how her eyes looked downward at the smooth-worn wooden floor. "Um...s-sure" I replied tentatively, sliding myself to sit upwards as I pushed the blanket off me somewhat. The motion stirred Nelya's eyes, which gazed at the curve of my lower half and the slender shape of the waist beneath my shirt before dropping back to the floor in a servile gesture.
The deer responded with a light curtesy, a dip of her knees under that strange dress-apron. She moved closer to the side of the bed opposite me, settling half on the edge just a foot or so away. "Stefan informed that thee appeared confused and that...thee.." she appeared to be trying to choose her words carefully "did not know where or what thee was, and that thee appeared to have fainted in the Wood. Stefan was in quite a worried mood, but I swear he did nothing untoward while thine slept" she added quickly as if realizing something, tone taking on reassuring if lightly worried tone "I swear it on my life he was proper, Mage-Born. Please, be secure that thee were only touched to ensure thine safety."
I frowned softly, curling my legs a little closer to myself. "I....um...I believe you. I mean....I'm glad he d-didn't." I felt my muzzle flush as a mutter followed, my eyes looking away at nothing in-particular "Not like I could have stopped him if he...wanted to I guess." Why did I feel like a part of me wouldn't have so minded if he had? I felt a fluttering in my belly that I pointedly ignored.
Nelya made a noise, my eyes moving back from the point I had suddenly found interesting, even as my cheeks felt warm on either side of my nose. She was staring at me with those wide, muddy brown eyes with a sense of disbelief. "Thee....thine grace is welcome, but then thee truly does not know?" I gave a mute nod, unsure of what to say or how to respond. Nelya's eyes narrowed lightly, focusing, deciding something. "Mmmn...I will explain as best I can then, but know I am just a simple herbalist, if I have the fortunte of being more learned then some" Nelya exhaled, settling a bit more fully against the bed. "Thee are in Bergebonne, just on the edge of vast Ferrous-wood. Tis about as far east as you can get, truly, before you enter the uncharted provinces." Her tone turned more conversational, one hand squeezing at an ankle, eyes distant a moment in memory before settling back to me.
"Thine are...a Mage-Born. The Bridge. The... " she paused and added softly "Vessel. Thine are counted only once in every 10,000 or so births, normally. Within our sphere, only thee may wield magic, aside from monsters, daemons, and other...darker things" Her eyes flicked lower to my hips and then back at my eyes "Further...and perhaps most importantly, only thee may breed true with Males, from only you may their bloodline be extended and heirs found."
I must have blinked or formed an expression I wasn't aware of, as Nelya straightened and held out a rough and calloused looking palm. "Clearly tis a lot to take in. But know again thine are safe and protected. Stefan is a good man, and the walls of Bergebonne are solid and well defended. This settlement abides by the Laws of the Concord." She added in a firm and what was surely meant to be a reassuring tone. Even if I wasn't sure why the last part was so important, but I nodded all the same.
"Laws?" I replied softly as I found my voice again. There wasn't any use fighting against this, my body was....what it was. Even if I still felt in a state between full acceptance and not. But this wasn't helping. "S-sorry" I added, looking down and giving a low breath "I don't mean...I know I'm having trouble communicating. This is a lot, l-like you said." I closed my eyes and took in a low breath, exhaling softly. "I haven't even told you my name yet. Or Stefan I guess." Nelya's gentle smile that was found when I opened my eyes was reassuring.
"It is, and thee have not. Let us start there then, though.." Nelya paused and rubbed a thumb against her shin "Tis... rare for one as low station as I to know a Mage-Born. I know of one, who lives in the north of the town, but he and I have never had reason to meet directly." Her tone carried no judgment, a flat statement her place in life, perceived or not.*
I could only nod, folding my own small hands in my lap for a moment. The name I knew I was...*once was?* Floated against my senses. Feeling distant compared to a second that loomed closer. If this was, what I was rapidly believing it to be now that I had time and space to think. "Riley" I murmured softly, eyes looking at Nelya a bit more fully. "And...well...I'll be honest. I have no idea how I ended up in your wood. Or how" I lifted a hand and looked down at the back of my right hand. A circular, dark spot of fur centered on it, bordered on all sides by soft white. "I ended up like this. I know....nothing about your...Laws."
Nelya nodded with my words, absorbing them and clearly thinking for a long, contemplative moment. "My Maester is a well-learned female, but she is unfortunately far afield. She did impart a lesson, once, that rarely there may be magic eruptions in mana-dense areas. The Ferrous-wood is one such place." She shrugged gently a frown on her soft if plain muzzle. "During such swells, it is said that sometimes, someone, from an Elsewhere-Place appears. Thine are lucky that Stefan found thee and at the shallow edge of the Wood. Tis a dangerous place even for a seasoned Ranger or Aventurier. If I recall the telling correctly, those found from these events have always been a Mage-Born, said to specific-be blessed from the Gods. But tis an old story, the last such occurrence was...." Nelya frowned and looked distant before giving tilt of her head "Forgive me, Mage-Born Riley, I cannot recall."
I sighed and puffed my cheeks softly " Its...just Riley, please" I managed with a soft huff. Moving to sit more up on my knees. It felt almost natural to fold my legs under myself, the sense of my calves against the backs of my thighs comfortable. "And you don't have to apologize. I appreciate you helping me as much as you have already. Its not your fault that I got...dumped here, I guess." I chuckled dryly, my voice coming out in a soft rippling note "Mmm...but whatever I am, I'm here now. Or I've gone insane. More insane...." I mumbled with a shake of my head. "A-anyway. What now?" I asked with a lightly helpless tone, entirely unsure of what my next step would be. "Is there a....a...protocol for this?"
Nelya frowned lightly "I...apologize, Mage.... Riley, I know not this word...'protocol" she replied, enunciating the word carefully. "But...as a Mage-Born thine life is....yours." Her tone was soft and a little sad, but she shook it off as she continued "The Laws are very clear, that Mage-Born are to be given freedom, protection and upmost respect. Though...." the deer-girl paused and bit her lip "Thus typically comes with...the expectation of a Coterie to ensure these things are kept true." The question was clear on my muzzle as Nelya continued gently "A Coterie is a Mage-Born's....household. Thine servants, guards and...." her eyes flicked away, a ghostly look in her eyes "Harem of trusted, bonded, males."
My ears shot back as I let out a breath, feeling my pupils shift and widen as the room grew brighter and a touch more intense. "H-harem. Right. Of course. Wouldn't be without that" I quipped uselessly, rubbing a slender palm against my thigh, squirming lightly at the shift of lightly uncomfortable fabric. "Well I don't have one of those. You've mentioned magic, but hell if I know about that either...." I breathed in deeper and faster, feeling the warm twinge on either side of my broad hips causing them to wriggle and shift. I had been able to accept everything, well mostly everything, until now. Now room suddenly felt too closed in, too hot. The scents of Stefan, which had at first been calming, now made me uneasy and tense.
"I need to take a walk" I said bluntly "Get some...a-air. Just look around and confirm...just..." I shifted and slid closer to the edge of the bed and simply hoped down onto the floor. My soft, slender footpaws hit the smoothed wood, and I felt my hips shift and sway with a center of gravity I had no great understanding of.
Nelya shot out a hand, almost touching my slender arm before stopping short in a fearful burst. "R-Riley!" I managed to steady myself and I looked back at her, slender arms held out slightly to either side for balance. The deer-girl moved smoothly, far easier then I felt I could right now. "There is...nothing wrong with that" she started again, voice a little more calm yet sounding strained "But your...state of dress is not proper."
I paused, ears flicking lightly as I shifted slowly, feeling a slow drag behind me. A glance black revealing a long, thick and color-banded tail in blacks, browns and oranges. It swayed behind me either because of or reacting to my hips which shifted lightly even when I stood still. The broadness of my hips translating that motion into a gentle rocking dance I was only barely aware I was preforming. "P-proper?" I mumbled, a heat rising in my soft cheeks, eyes turning to my jeans and there tight grasp around my hips. I could remember Stefan's stares as well. "What's the...is there a problem?"
Nelya flushed, shifting lightly on her sturdy cloven hooves. "By Laws? No. You may walk outside as you are. But..." she bit her lip softly "Doing so would most certainly excite every male within the village square. And as thee have no retinue to protect thyself, any and all would likely and desperately offer to become so. Thus would be for any Mage-Born, normally. One such as thee?" She gave a gentle if wry smile "It would be chaos, or close to it, very quickly. More so, thine clothes are....strange. Your tunic is mayhap less noticeable, if made of a fabric I do not recognize. But your....leggings. It would cause questions to rise about your...arrival."
I puffed again, feeling my tail wrap around my broad hip and brush against my slight core. I looked down at myself for a long moment. "Oh. I mean....surely it can't be that bad" I mumbled lamely, my tone lacking conviction. "'Sides, I don't even have any other clothing."
Nelya smiled gently, offering a hand, which I took carefully. Her palm was rough and solid, a sense of sturdiness in her careful grip. "I know. Stefan said you had nothing but the strange garments thine wear. He shielded thee when he brought you into the walls, and thankfully his quarters lie near the main gates. Some surely did notice however, and whispers travel quickly in a small settlement such as this. Given your...." she paused with a soft clear of her throat "arrival, mayhap be best not to draw....unwanted or unneeded attention? But of course, thine choice is for thee and only thee, Riley. I nay-not intend to, or may even give thee, restriction."
I frowned softly, taking a slow breath. "Your...right. And I haven't even seen myself in a mirror" the fact that I would be able to at least fully view my new self made my insides flutter and ripple. I continued to feel the slow dance of my footpaws that followed the motion of my hips and tail, even now my lower half refuse to fully reset or still. "What else can I wear?"
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"Ok. I can see why I'd cause problems" I stammered, glancing at the figure that was me. How it was me, I still hadn't had time to fully rationalize. But the shape of the being that lay reflected was one I could not deny was enticing. Cute.
Downright _ sexy _
I squashed the thought flat, even as wide eyes of sapphire blue traced along the pattern and curve of what I had become. I was a feline as I'd guessed, bipedal as it seemed people appeared to be on this world, named Cebos as I found out, happened to be. A calico pattern of black, orange and brown splotched artistically across my otherwise white-furred body, one ear having a haze of orange and the other a pale white. Both ears were large, I'd say over-sized, for my head, and I had taken time to twitch and shift them as Nelya briefly excused herself to gather the clothes she had brought with her for my use.
I had decided to keep my shirt on, some petulant sense of clinging to something about the 'old me', perhaps. Now however my lower half was the display at hand, after I had managed to slowly shift and practically pop out of the formfitting jeans that had come with me. Nelya had commented on the strange lace beneath, not that I had any answers for her, but it did little to hide the broad span of my hips that flared on either now exposed side. A hand traced along them caused me to shiver, the rippling splotches working up and down either slender yet shapely leg. "I barely fit in the mirror" I felt a strained giggle exit my lips, an obvious and dark flush blooming in the mirror over my pale cheeks. Even now the slow rock of my hips continued, the sway of my long tail balancing my unconscious motion. I wasn't sure if I was upset by the fact of my words, or excited by them.
Nelya, stepping closer once again, lowered to her knees behind me. A long shift of dark green fabric in both hands, a gentle and what felt like sad smile on her cervine muzzle reflected in the mirror. "Tis not just the shape, though males will have a hard time looking away from them" she offered, starting to slowly settle the drape of fabric, a wrap, around my lower half. "Males are instinctively drawn to Mage-Born, to protect them. To...desire Thee." Her hands were gentle but shaking slightly, carefully tying a light blue sash around the wrap's upper half and around my surprisingly narrow waist to keep it in place. The hem stopped a half inch or so above the ground, offering me much more comfort, though the wide swell of hip was only so disguised thanks to just how excessive I was below.
"Mmrrm" I replied with a light huff, tail wiggling slightly through the fabric slit that rested at the back of the wrap for such a purpose. Its subconscious curl drawing around my right side as I placed my hands at my hips, unable to look at the slender yet broad figure I cut in the tall mirror. "This only feels so much better" I complained lightly and swayed the fabric wrapped span of my hips with a bit more of a deliberate shake, the soft green at least somewhat matching the light blue tunic above.
The deer-girl sighed softly, she had been suffering my griping since this started. Her taller frame rising off her knees and standing up next to me. Once more I couldn't ignore just how how unremarkable Nelya was to my new, soft and rounded features. My color spattered fur almost seemed to glow in the light, my blue eyes wide and expressive compared to her darker and dull brown. "Its the only thing I brought that fits, sadly. Your figure is truly....blessed" She replied, as I gave a soft puff and a flap of my hand against her side. Though the deer-girl felt surprisingly solid to me, and I found I had been able to fully lean my weight against her now and then with little trouble on her part.
"S-stop, please" I mumbled shyly, giving another soft and timid-sounding huff "I guess it will have to do. You did say the tailor you got these from can make me a proper set of clothes?" Granted I wasn't sure how I'd pay for it. Or even how money worked in this...world. I'd have to figure it out. All else aside, my new body certainly not withstanding, if I had really tripped into an entirely new world, I wanted to see it for myself. Even if I had little idea of how to facilitate that desire at the current moment.
Nelya gave one last securing tug of the sash's knot about my middle before glancing at me in the mirror. The wrap was more like a dress, which I still wasn't sure of, but it was better then some of the straight up dresses and skirts she had brought. Not that I could fit into any of them, it seemed. The slow yet constant sway of my hips causing the hem to lightly ripple from where it hung just above the tops of my gently arched footpaws. It almost made the motion more exaggerated, at least to me, and I still bit my lip at the very feminine vibe it portrayed. "Mmmn...it just feels weird. I'm...a guy. I've never worn a...dress or something like this before."
There was a soft giggle, as the female next to me in her own dress, moved behind me with a gentle clip of her hooves. "Your still a guy" she agreed with a lightly tired tone, nor was it the first time she had reassured me of that either. "Mage-Born are still seen as male, but your figure presents...challenges. Just try to get used to it, I'm sure Agnes can make you some....leggings if you really want. But..." She brushed her hands over my narrow shoulders, as if shooing away unseen dust "Are you ready for Stephan to come in? He wanted to greet you when you awoke, and asked of you when I left briefly, but I felt..." there was a bite of her lip, once again that haunted expression returned before being chased away "Thee might appreciate a bit less of an intense energy if you were so disorientated."
I glanced back at the mirror before settling back on Nelya, smoothing my hands over my hips for what felt like the dozenth time in recent thought. The soft, warm and twined pulses on either side of my hips having continued the entire time. Long since settling into what felt like a comfortable rhythm. "Might as well. I do have to at least thank him for saving me and apologize for..." I flushed and huffed "Fainting on him." Not that I felt my reaction wasn't warranted given what happened to me. Even so, I'm sure he thinks I'm weaker then I guess I already am. Mmm. Nelya stepped with a sturdy grace to the door, opening it slightly and poking her head past the frame. A low mumble of words followed by a deeper, and clearly excited tone.
The wolf who greeted me on my entry into this world filled the doorway a moment later as he stepped inwards. The armor was still the same, the solid and scarred breastplate over dark leather armor. The sword he had worn at his hip was missing, but he felt no less imposing to my senses for the lack of the weapon. My eyes, that I now knew were that deep sapphire blue, gazed up that broad chest and to the scarred muzzle above. "Stefan" I started, voice a much more shy and soft lilt then I intended "Thank you for....s-saving me....I guess" I trailed off into a mumble as I gazed deep into those deep yellow eyes, my heart pounding sharply in my chest. "I'm...I'm Riley, by the way" I forced out, even as I felt my breath waver past my lips.
Stefan didn't move at first, and somewhere behind him I could see the shape of Nelya closing and curling quietly against the door. The deer-girl was looking down, eyes turned away as she made herself small and unobtrusive. But my eyes were drawn back to the wolf as he slowly knelt in replica of how he had done in the forest, if slower and more controlled in motion. Those intense eyes fixated on my own. "Mage-Born Riley" his voice was low, deep and carefully spoken. Silk over the hard edge I hard heard what was only hours before. "Pray forgive my audacity in touching and carrying thee without thine express permission. I humbly ask thine mercy and forgiveness." He tilted that strong, broad head downwards, exposing the back of his grey-furred head and neck.
I felt my face heat up, the soft blur of my muzzle just below my eyes twinging with a sense of pink. My small hands slid to my narrow chest, the slow and lazy sway of my hips remaining constant.
Deeper inside however, the gentle pulsing warmth on either side of my pelvis flared softly. An intense, fluttering heat making my slender middle squirm. Just like in the forest, something about the wolf made me dizzy. And hot. And....something else I wasn't ready to admit to myself, even if I found myself tilting forward on my toes to try and take in his woodsy scent once more.
"Thats...." I stammered, mind slowly whirring back into gear. Nelya had acted somewhat similarly, asking me to 'forgive' Stefan. "You...you didn't do anything wrong, Stefan. You even saved me, given what Nelya said. I just...wanted to thank you for that." The words felt lame in my muzzle and past my lips, my ears halfway back and trembling lightly. I wasn't sure what else to say, was that all I wanted to say?
Stefan slowly raised his head, intense yellow eyes focusing back on me, a slow trace of my gently swaying hips that felt ever so obvious even with the wrap more shielding there breadth. "Thine most sincere thanks brings me great joy, Mage-Born Riley" his replied, a clear breath leaving his muzzle. His tone was warmer, more relaxed, as if he had truly been fearing some sort of retribution. Then gentle tilt of that broad head. "If I may be permitted to ask thee, where is thine Coterie? I found no signs of battle, nor wreckage, anywhere I found thee. I would be happy to bid myself, to ensure thee are returned to them in safely. " His tone was genuine and forward, holding a tempered note of self-control and measure. Even so, I could see his muzzle and features shift as he clearly took note of my flicking ears, the clearly unsure and trembling of my form.
Damn expressive body I grumbled to myself, even though I knew my posture up until this point likely hadn't helped. "I don't have one" I replied bluntly, a delicate tremble in my tone. The effect on Stefan was immediate however, his own triangle pair of ears perking tall, posture shifted with a sudden eager energy. His tail, which had been curled at his side, suddenly started to sway in what I could tell was a happy wag. "I...um...well, when you found me, I had just...arrived. Appeared I guess." I continued, looking aside "I don't have anyone or....anything." The pang of that truth, that fact I hadn't been trying to hide from, yet it still felt soured in my slight chest.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the wolf almost start, alert ears snapping back in contemplation. His tilted head gaining a thoughtful as a frown settled on that strong and scarred jaw. "I...see" Stefan replied with a low breath, and I saw a flicker in his eyes. The once restrained, tempered hue more alight, awake. His next breath slower, more deep as if he was mentally calming himself. I could see the gears turning in his head, but I wasn't truly sure how to explain any further then that.
"I filled Riley in on what I could" Nelya's soft voice filtered from behind Stefan. I had almost forgotten she was even there, my tail twitching sharply for a moment at the sound of her voice. "But what you presumed appears correct, Stefan. He appears to be an Émigré" she added gently, her dull and muddy-colored eyes looking at me from the wolf's shadow. "I mean no disrespect of course, Mage-Born" she added with a more differential tone and a light curtsy. Far more formal then how she had acted but moments before. "Even if thus is the case, thee are Mage-Born. Whatever service I may provide is yours by Law and right, Riley."
"As is mine" Stephan added, voice a warm ripple that quickly followed after Nelya's. The muscularly built lupine leaned forward on his knee, offering his right hand, that broad and warm looking palm upturned. "If thee will permit, I would pledge my service to thee, Mage-Born Riley. Would thee deign to permit me to serve thee, even in temporary, as a member of thine Coterie?" The statement felt rehearsed, but the emotion behind it was clear to my eyes. The way Stefan's eyes focused on mine, the heat pooling within them. The way I could hear his leathers bulging as that muzzle gulped down great but measured breaths of air. I wasn't sure how to respond to the emotion in his tone, an emotion that was warm and intense, even if my lower half rippled with a response that made my hips shiver.
Slowly I stepped forward, feeling my soft and slender footpaws sway with the wide roll of my hip. The wolf's eyes snapping down for a moment at the sway before looking back into my wide blue eyes in what I could only parse in a hopeful expression. Hesitantly, I reached out to touch my slender, soft and white-furred fingers over the black and storm-grey of Stefan's padded palm, feeling the wolf's fingers tense and freeze. The claws that tipped each finger carefully held so as not to harm me. It felt right to do this, though I had little other explanation why, other then I ached to return some fraction of the emotional intensity I felt from him. Even if I felt unsettled by it and what it clearly represented. "I would...appreciate that, Stefan" I replied, holding his one, large palm with both my smaller ones, shivering lightly as I felt over his fur with a soft stroke of his solid wrist.
It was the full body shudder that Stefan responded with that made me start lightly, that trembling tail which the wolf had clearly been trying to control, suddenly and rapidly beat against the floor behind him in great, swishing passes. The wolf looked bashful, for a moment glaring at his own tail, as if he was a child caught doing something impolite. "Its ok" I giggled softly, feeling over that toughly padded palm. Unable to help but trace my softer fingertips at the center and edges. The contact felt grounding and strangely soothing to me. "And please...just Riley. I already said Nelya could do the same."
I was surprised then when Nelya sucked in a breath, and Stefan's tail froze mid wag. For a moment it felt as if the air had become sucked out of the room, the shift making me start gently. "Is thee sure?" The wolf replied with a gentle tone if deeply intense tone. The hand I held betwixt my own almost seeming to vibrate quietly. "Ah. Thee....would not be aware...." The wolf started again, exhaling a low breath. Still on that single knee, the wolf set his opposite hand along the back of my black-spotted one. Enclosing it against the side of his hand. The weight of it made me shudder gently, the strength behind those fingers brushing the back of my soft fur made the squirming inside of me a little more intense. I wasn't sure I could break his grip or remove my hand, even if I tried, even with how clearly gentle he was being. "Traditionally, only the members of a Mage-Borns…Harem would be permitted refer to thee with such familiarity. Guards and servants, as...as I expected to be, would naught dare such familiarity. Worry not, I would not dare to presume I was anything but. Unless..." he paused and added quietly "Unless thee desire me to be."
The implication hung in the air, and my tail twitched sharply behind me as I processed what was being shared. The warm heat on my cheeks, which had been a constant as Stefan entered, flared into a boiling shade. I didn't feel like I cared though, the sense of unease that the constant use of the 'title' was, the way Stefan still looked at me didn't make my flush feel like it was going anyway any time soon either. "Ah...um. Well your right, I didn't know...and...well...." I exhaled "Just...for now Riley is fine. We'll work out the rest later" I tried to glance around the room, but every flick always felt like it brought be back to looking at the wolf's handsome jaw. "Anyway. Before I say anything else that will embarrass me, we should....g-get going. I'd really like some air...and maybe to stop by the tailor Neyla mentioned and see if I can get some proper clothing."
"Of course, Mage......Riley" Stefan replied, deep and softly reassuring as he slowly stood. His huge hand still holding against my softer, smaller one. I gulped gently as I fully realized just how tall the wolf was, really. The tip of my soft muzzle barely reaching at the center of that armored breastplate, as his hands gave mine a gentle squeeze. "As thine desires."