A Viper's Nest: Border Station Five - Intermission
Ambassador Zorna walked down a long corridor toward a pair of very large and heavy doors. The corridor echoed to the sound of her heavy footfalls as her padded feet hit the flagstone floor. The two male Lupine guards by the door saw her approach and stood to attention. The guard on the left saluted Zorna while the one on the right placed his hand on a nearby scanner. Seconds later, and the sound of a mechanical lock disengaging echoed down the torchlit corridor. Both guards rested their large halberds against the wall before using both hands to pull the heavy doors open. Zorna breathed in as a gust of wind blew her long hair and fur. Her nose picked up the smell of roasted meats, mead, milk, and the telltale smell of Pups.
“Ah, Sister,” came a deep yet female voice. “Come, come. I’ve been waiting for your return,” the voice said.
Stepping into the Great Hall, Zorna walked toward the dais at the rear. Braziers, hearths and torches burned within the stone-floored and walled room. Two long tables sat on either side of Zorna, currently empty but soon to be creaking under the weight of food and drink. As she walked, the doors behind her creaked as the guards pushed them closed. The sound of the doors slamming shut echoed throughout the Great Hall, only interrupted by a burp.
“Oooh, you’ve dribbled some milk,” cooed the female voice.
The Great Hall was hot. As she got closer to the dais, Zorna’s padded feet left damp paw prints on the stone floor. Thankfully, she had decided to wear the dress gifted to her upon her arrival. The dress was made from a translucent amethyst-coloured sheer fabric, which hung from each of her six nipples via gold rings that decreased in size from her top pair to the bottom pair of breasts. It split at the back to make room for her long, fluffy tail and stopped halfway down the bottom part of her digitigrade legs.
“That dress looks great on you,” the female voice said as she looked down at Zorna. “Alas, I can not wear one for a while,” she sighed. The light from a nearby torch reflected off her eyes.
A shadow was cast on the floor of the Great Hall, and looking to her right, Zorna watched a Lupine Heavy Fighter fly past the reinforced armourglass window. As it flew by, the light of the nearby star shone into the Great Hall. Several Lupine Capital ships could be seen off in the distance.
“Thank you for giving me the dress,” Zorna replied. “As requested, I have returned from Matriarchy Space, Sister,” she said.
Sitting upon a grand throne was Empress Zica of the Lupine Empire, and the flickering light of nearby torches and braziers made Zica’s grey fur glow. Apart from a loincloth made of the finest silks, she was naked and attached to all six of her enlarged breasts was a Pup. Sitting in a smaller and less grand chair just behind Zica was a Wet Nurse. Six more Pups were eagerly feeding from the Wet Nurse’s own enlarged breasts.
“How are you doing?” Zorna asked, and Zica sighed again.
“I’m tired,” she replied, “as you can see, they take up a lot of my time.” Zica then winced as one of the Pups bit her. A nearby aide hurried over to help, removing the Pup from the sore nipple. Another aide unscrewed a jar and carefully applied an ointment to the nipple.
“Surely the Wet Nurses can feed them all?” Zorna inquired.
“They can, aren’t they just cute?” Zica asked as the aide handed the Pup back. She held it in her big paw-like hands and showed it to Zorna. The Pup looked up at Zica with its big eyes, gurgled and then put its tiny paws out in front and cried. Zica sighed and then allowed the Pup to feed.
“I will have to take your word for it,” Zorna replied.
“Ha,” Zica laughed. “So, why did the Matriarchy send a fleet to my border?” she asked.
“They detected an unknown ship leaving Vortex,” Zorna replied.
“Unknown? Who was it?” Zica asked.
“The vessel belonged to a Terran,” Zorna replied.
“Terran? What are they doing in Matriarchy space?” Zica inquired.
“The short story is they detected an old Matriarchy satellite, sent a ship to investigate, and somehow ended up on the other side of the galaxy,” Zorna replied. “I was told by Matriarch Theka that they don’t yet possess Vortex technology,” she said.
“How did they…no, never mind, I will read your full report later,” Zica said as a nearby door opened. A male Lupine appeared and hurried over to the dais, bowed, and then handed Zica a Pad. Moments later, she handed it back, and the Lupine bowed before leaving.
“They’ve arrived,” Zica announced.
“They?” Zorna said, tilting her head.
“Yes, and they’re early,” Zica replied.
“How long until they dock?” Zorna inquired. Still unsure who ‘They’ were.
“Five minutes,” Zica replied, “I thought we would have more time to talk before they got here. However, we’re still going to celebrate your return,” she said.
With a clap of her large paw-like hands, hidden doors opened, and Lupine walked in carrying platters of food and drink. A large pair of double doors near the dais opened, and a procession of Lupine entered the Great Hall.
“What about your Pups?” Zorna asked as she watched a pair of Lupine bring in a six-legged animal and place it on a nearby spit. The air around the dais slowly began to smell of cooking meat.
“I’ll have the Wet Nurses care for them,” Zica replied and clapped her hands once more.
A second Wet Nurse appeared from behind the dais and gently removed the Pups Zica was nursing. With all six bundled in her furry arms, the second Wet Nurse headed back the way she came, while the first stood up and slowly walked in the same direction. Several aides appeared, slowly cleaned her, then dressed Zica in a fine silk gown, designed to hide her modesty while keeping her looking impressive.
“Tell me about this Terran. What was she like?” Zica asked.
“She was a He, and quite an impressive male, despite his small stature and strength,” Zorna replied.
“Impressive was he?” Zica asked before smiling. “If I recall, you were nearing your Mating Season,” Zica said with a knowing look.
“I was,” Zorna replied, “but I’m now feeling fine,” she said.
“Considering the language you used, would I be correct to assume you bedded this Terran male?” Zica inquired.
“I did,” Zorna replied.
“Ha,” Zica laughed, “what was he like?” she asked.
“Very skilled, and John had a lot of stamina, despite living with those horny Vipers for some time,” Zorna replied.
“John? You’re on a first-name basis with this male?” Zica asked.
“I am, or was,” Zorna replied.
“Well, he must have been good if you’re using his name,” Zica said.
“As I said, he was quite skilled. Although he was easily distracted,” Zorna pointed out.
“Distracted, what do you mean?” Zica asked.
“He enjoyed stroking my fur, even when we were together in a Den,” Zorna replied.
“Ha,” Zica laughed again, “I bet you even asked him to leave those snakes?” she inquired.
“I did, but John said he wanted to stay,” Zorna replied.
“Well, you never know what might have happened if his ship arrived in one of our systems,” Zica said.
“True,” Zorna replied.
Before she could say any more, there was a knock at the doors to the Great Hall. Zica looked up, Zorna spun around, and the assembled Lupine all looked at the heavy doors. A nod from Zica signalled that they should be opened.
“So, who are they?” Zorna asked as the mechanical lock disengaged.
“They made contact with us while you were away, they’re called…”