Moonglade C5: Remnants and Echoes
Chapter Five
Remnants and Echoes
VEE HAD TO SIDESTEP the moment she left the room, avoiding hands grasping for her midriff. She levelled a cool expression at the owner of the paws, an extremely unkempt male fox with a limp tail, ragged red leggings and who stank of ale; he leered back.
"How do you keep getting in? This is the fifth time in two days."
"Told ya nothing would keep me away, Pretty-Tits." His voice was as wheedling and sleazy as she'd ever heard.
Verena's ears splayed. "And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that, and that I'm not staff here? Get out."
"Aw, don't be so nasty; I just wanna get ta know ya better." He took a step toward her.
She paced smartly back, keeping the tray she held steady. "I'd rather boil my tail in oil."
"I don't believe that." The fox gestured to the platter. "You're all set for fun, after all." He eyed her loincloth then reached for the pendant tucked between her breasts. "Not much to take off, either."
"Leave it." Verena smacked his paw away, narrowing her eyes. "And kindly. Get. Out."
"Aww, don't ya wanna make a few cubs with me, Pretty-Tits?" Hands lunged for her chest.
Vee dodged sharply, sliding her tray onto one paw and elbowing him in the back with the other arm. He thumped muzzle-first into the wall, and slumped, curses slurring out.
The vixen leaned over him. "In the highly unlikely event I did_want to have cubs, you'd be the very _last male fox I'd think about."
Before he could respond she grabbed his muzzle and dragged him off along the corridor, tray still tidily balanced on one paw. She led him through the entrance hall to the main door, and practically threw him out into the early afternoon rain. He sprawled across the ground by a lean and tough hare with half of their left ear missing, a full coat of mail, a shiny steel breastplate and a bronze-hued tabard emblazoned with a six-pointed star.
They angled a cudgel down at the fox. "Causing trouble?"
With a scream of terror the drunk vulpine fled, in so frantic a fashion he didn't see the horse and cart coming; Vee darted forward, bundling him to safety; he glanced at her, then the completely unmoved hare, then raced off again. Sighing, she turned to where the cart had come to a halt, its wolf driver gasping and shaking; the vixen hastened to comfort her, grasping her paw and murmuring reassurances.
"Should have let him go under," the Guard told her, tone flat. "He'll only be back to harrass you again."
Vee stared at the hare, stunned. "He could have been killed!"
"So?"
"Well, isn't that a little harsh?"
"For a booze-soaked waste of fur like him? No."
"And what about the driver?" Verena persisted, her brow furrowing with incomprehension. "It's not exactly fair on her, is it?"
The Guard shrugged. "Life's harsh."
Vee gaped, horrified.
"I fear you're wasting your time." Farrah walked up to them; the cat had a broad swathe of faintly translucent, dusk-blue cloth tied snugly about her chest, and two long, tapering lengths of the same draping down front and back, clasped at her hips. "Captain Alleyne is entirely immutable in his views."
"I don't understand how you can be so cold." With a squeeze of her paw and a pat on her back the vixen sent the much more settled wolf on her way. "So indifferent."
The Guard crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't understand how you can be so soft-hearted. You'll be eaten alive, some day."
"I wouldn't wager on that," Farrah told him, reaching out to squeeze Vee's shoulder. "Now, I assume you have good reason for visiting?"
"I want to talk to your guest - the weasel girl. I've given her enough time to recover."
"Hardly." Farrah frowned, then nodded guardedly. "We'll try, but no promises."
"I want to be there," Verena insisted. "She seems to trust me, at least a little."
The hare snorted. "Not a chance."
"Vee's in, or you're not," Farrah told him, bluntly.
Alleyne muttered under his breath, then sighed. "All right."
"Good." The cat patted the fox-girl's shoulder. "Go ahead and prepare her; we'll join you shortly."
The vixen bobbed her head affirmatively then headed back into the Tradehouse and through to the staff quarters. She reached the room the guest was in and stopped, paw resting on the door; a quick breath to calm herself, then she pushed her way through.
A female weasel a few years older than Vee, compact of frame and figure, lay still on the nest, swathed in a simple white shift and staring blankly up at the ceiling. The fox moved closer and spoke softly.
"Heather...?"
The weasel stiffened, then her head turned to look at the vixen. The faintest beginnings of a smile surfaced. "Vee." She reached out a paw.
Verena took it, squeezing it softly. "How are you?"
"Better for seeing you." Heather withdrew her hand. "Couldn't you come more often?"
"I'll try," the fox-girl promised, ears tinged red. "Do you...think you could cope with another visitor?"
"The Guard Captain?"
"Yes. He has questions, probably about Cross."
The weasel flinched, then set her jaw firm. "Let him i-"
The door thumped open as Alleyne shouldered through; an indignant Farrah quickly followed.
He set a bluntly interrogative gaze on Heather, arms crossed. "Well?"
"I don't know much of him," the weasel admitted, taking Vee's hand again. "I only saw him very briefly. He appeared when a stoat came in demanding their daughter back. I don't know where the wolf came from, he was just...standing behind the stoat, suddenly. He grabbed them, and...just about broke them in half with his bare hands."
Vee shuddered, ears dropping. "Sweet Dama..."
"Then he simply wasn't there any more." Heather gave a shrug. "It was like he stepped out of, and back into, thin air. That's all I saw."
"And yet, nobody else has seen a damned thing," Alleyne informed them, roughly. "Not so much as a hint of him anywhere, or any trace of that split stoat. You'd think he was a ghost."
"My bruises say he's very real," Vee rubbed her elbow.
"I didn't imagine him," Heather maintained.
"He must have left the island, then," Farrah surmised.
"Hardly," the Captain dismissed her. "I've had guards watching all the departing ships since you warned me of him, and no sign."
"Then a disguise," Verena put forward.
"A disguise?" Snider snorted derisively. "With his height?"
"A_magical_ disguise," Vee clarified, glowering at him. "A glamour. Just as long as no-one touched him, he could have slipped through easily."
The hare grunted. "Then he's gone." He leaned closer to the vixen, a sneer curling his lips. "You really should have taken your chance." He turned on his heel and strode out.
"Taken your chance?" Heather asked, lifting a brow.
Vee sighed. "I had a chance to kill Cross; didn't even think to take it."
"You might regret that," The weasel replied, quietly. "Or you might not. Either way, no sense in dwelling."
"I'm not going to," the vixen told her. "Although, I do want to go back to the village if I can; try to find that stash."
"I think we can manage it before the storm hits," Farrah mused. "We do have have access to the longdoor, now, after all."
"We?" the fox-girl queried.
"I wouldn't mind a look around myself," the feline explained. "And I'm not leaving you alone with one of Cutler's blunt instruments still free."
"And no idea where Cross is, or what resources Tare Greave still has here." Vee nodded. "I'd be stupid to say no to company."
"Then let's move." Farrah turned to leave.
Vee bid Heather farewell, then hastened to follow.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Twenty minutes later, two cloaked figures stepped from the mobile glow of the village longdoor. Vee had donned her heavy garb, and had Shey coiled about her, while Farrah had opted for a very similar, if far more form-fitting, outfit in dark blue.
The fox-girl led the way outside, and was relieved to see the rain and wind had eased off quite a bit. "Hopefully it'll stay quiet while we look around. If we're really lucky, the echoes will keep away, too."
"Actually, I rather wanted to see them." Farrah looked intently about her, taking the village in. "They intrigue me. What do you know of the stash you're after?"
"I heard that someone running from Finch ended up here," the vixen replied. "Someone dying, who hid their riches and left a trail for their partner to follow when they arrived...only, they didn't make it."
"You're confident this information's reliable?"
"No," Vee admitted, "but I'm desperate. Just need the first marker..."
"Any idea what they look like?"
"Well...no." Verena rubbed the back of her head. "I'm starting to look pretty silly, aren't I?"
"I wouldn't say that." Farrah took a few paces forward, crouching by a compact stone half-hidden in the grass. "I feel magic."
Vee darted up to join her. The stone proved to have a spell within it; a wave of the fox's paw revealed a crudely etched arrow. She lifted an eye ridge. "Really?"
Farrah shrugged. "Simple is best, I suppose. It's pointing just slightly to the left."
"All right." Vee led the way.
They found the next arrow-stone a little past the building Cross had detonated, much to the vixen's distaste. She was happy to see the fog and echoes weren't visible, though.
"My, my, my," Farrah breathed. "Cross did this?"
Yep." Vee was frowning. "Just to get to me. I don't want to dwell."
"All right. This arrow says we go left, between these houses."
Seven more markers led them on a weaving route around the village, one that crossed over itself more than once, and finally brought them to a hollow in the north-west of the surrounding ridge. One final wave from Verena revealed a large X scratched into the rock. Lightly rolling her eyes, she set to digging in the dirt in front of the etching. Farrah joined in, and they soon unearthed a small, wooden casket.
Much to Vee's frustration, it was locked tight, with no key. Scrabbling around in the dirt turned up nothing, so she was reduced to glowering at the box, sorely wishing she had the strength to break it open.
"Can't apply magic?" Farrah asked.
Vee shook her head. "It's protected; I try, I get zapped. I fiddle with the spell, I get zapped. I could try and find somewhere with no latent magic and wait for the spell to fade, but that could take years. If I was more skilled..." She trailed off, sighing, then her ears snapped vertical and she looked to the cat. "Would you happen to know anyone...?"
"I'm afraid not," the feline responded. "Not many highly-skilled magic users on Sylvaala, and none I trust enough."
"I'll have to take it to Copperidge," Vee decided; she smirked. "I _was_looking for an excuse to go back. Fun island."
"I'm well aware." Farrah smiled nostalgically as they started walking back to the village. "I spent a delightful few months there, once. They certainly know how to make you feel welcome." She froze up, staring fixedly ahead. "Oh, hello..."
A pointed, whiskery, coppery-brown face was peering warily around the corner of a building, nose twitching rapidly, ears down.
"Oh, good grief..." Vee breathed. "They did come here..."
"And evaded Cross." Farrah laughed softly. "I suspect you have a little something to do with that."
"Suddenly being blown up almost seems worth it." The vixen put out a careful paw, and chirped softly to the mouse.
They stiffened, then tentatively chirped back. Verena gave a stronger trill and spread her arms. The mouse's ears lifted fractionally, and it shifted slightly forward, paused, then finally ran out to the vixen. Vee caught them and cradled them close, cooing soothingly.
Farrah chuckled. "Good work. That gives us a decent chance to get them all safely back to Notchton."
"Just as long as we can coax him into showing us where the cubs are hiding," Verena cautioned her, "and I don't know more than the very simplest bits of their language."
The mouse, clad only in a tiny loincloth and beaded bracelets, tugged on Vee's hand, pointing and giving low, urgent chirps.
"Well, that simplifies things," the vixen breathed, relieved. She held an open paw out and bobbed her head.
The mouse led them at an urgent pace through the houses then up to the longdoor building. Inside, he took a band from his loincloth and held it out to the fox and cat, who shared a glance.
"They used the exact same escape trick we did," Vee realised. "Lucky there were only two bands left. Speaking of..."
She took the one from the mouse and clipped it round her wrist; his paw gripped hers, Farrah caught her other, and they all stepped up to the right-hand longdoor. It bloomed into being, and they entered. An instant of rushing dizziness and swirling displacement, then they were deposited in a chamber practically identical to the one they'd left.
The only real difference was a difficult one to miss - a life-size statue of a nude male dormouse standing in the middle of the room, clasping a sheaf of scrolls to his breast and holding a spell orb up in the other paw. A robe flowed down his back to the floor, and his long, thick tail curled demurely across in front of his groin then trailed to his feet.
The level of detail was seriously impressive, but Vee had no chance to properly look, as the wood mouse still holding her paw took off for the exit at a serious pace, dragging her, and by extension Farrah, along with him. They passed between fluted pillars, supporting a pediment shaped like an octagon sliced in half, but Vee again got only a glimpse of it and the relief it bore, as the mouse wasn't slowing down.
He rushed them across a roughly circular open area lined with stone benches, past a huge central fountain tableau comprised of some two dozen figures and to a tiny building partly embraced by a holly bush. It proved to be a workspace of some kind, filled with scrolls, ingredients and many curious oddments. As much as Verena wanted to rummage, though, her attention was entirely stolen by the three small bundles of fur and linen huddled at the back.
As the mouse approached, chirping quietly, they unfurled. A chorus of high, even fainter trills rose from the three loincloth-clad cubs - a shrew, a vole and a second mouse - as they shared nuzzles and licks with the adult. After a moment the latter turned to Vee and Farrah, motioning for them to kneel. They did as bid, and the children inched closer, step by tentative step, until quivering whiskers and bright, wide eyes were but a paw's-breadth from their faces.
Verena risked a soft chirp; three heads jerked back minutely in shock, then three matching huge smiles spread, a split second before three tiny furry lumps flung themselves at the vixen. She fell back, laughing and with brush windmilling, and hugged the cubs to her. Momentary worry sparking that she'd overstepped a mark she looked to the adult mouse, but relaxed on seeing that he was smiling, too.
So was Farrah. "You do have a knack for making friends."
"Whether I want to or not," Vee agreed, wryly. "Still, I think it's time I start trying to keep them."
"A wise decision," the cat agreed, sagely, a sparkle in her eyes. "I'm hoping that includes me...?"
"It_starts_ with you," Vee purred nosing a languidly licking the feline's cheek. "If you've no objections...?"
Farrah grinned, stroking a kiss across the fox-girl's muzzle. "None at all, I assure you.. Now, unless there's anything else anyone would like to do, we should leave - I think I can hear thunder."
"Okay." Now it was Verena's turn to take the adult mouse's paw and gently tug. "Coming?"
He nodded, picking up the mouse babe. Being very careful, the vixen and the squirrel collected the vole and shrew cubs respectively, then the group headed back outside. A distant rumble spurred them on as they returned to the longdoor, and stepped through it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
By the time they reached the Tradehouse, the thunder was deafening and all-but continuous, the rain truly torrential, and the group soaked to the skin. They were met inside by Alara, Rae and Leal brandishing thick towels; in a hurry, sodden clothes were wrenched off and bodies swaddled tightly.
"That came in fast," Vee gasped.
"We're in for a battering the next few hours," Farrah surmised. "Since there aren't likely to be any customers, I suggest we retire to the Hall and take our ease for a while."
Alara nodded, moving off and beckoning them to follow. "We already have everything set; music, dance, food and company, right this way!"
Farrah groaned. "I thought I told you not to make a fuss..."
The badger playfully rolled her eyes. "As if we'd ever listen. It's your birthday, and you're going to be spoilt rotten."
"Birthday...?" Rae, Leal and Vee chorused, the last looking especially interested.
The grey feline moaned. "Don't you start..."
"Too late!" the vixen sang. "Things just keep getting better!"
Inside the Hall every member of the Tradehouse's staff was gathered, four of them forming a lively band in one corner, another at a table of food and drink, the rest either talking or dancing.
"I'll settle our new guests somewhere quiet, then join you," the feline told them, ushering the unsettled Smalls toward the staff quarters.
Vee proffered the casket. "Stow this somewhere safe, would you?"
The cat took it. "I know just the place."
Alara clapped her paws together. "Who'd like something to drink?"
"Me!" all three of the others chorused, then laughed.
Once they'd told the badger what they wanted and she'd headed for the refreshments, the trio moved to a quiet spot on the far left of the chamber, where half-a-dozen chairs surrounded a low table. Rae took one, while Vee continued to dry herself and Leal started unbuttoning his short tunic.
The hare crooked a brow. "Why...?"
The cat shrugged his top off. "Well, everyone else is in the fur, so..."
"Now I'm starting to feel awkward!" Rae laughed.
Vee dropped her towel and sat down next to the hare, her fur heavily mussed but mostly dry. "Feel free to join us!"
"Maybe later," Rae deflected. "Just give me time."
"Don't take too long." Vee stretched, sighing. "Farrah and I have plans of the intimate kind later this evening, and I don't want to be late..."
Both of the hare's brows rose. "That's a dramatic about-face. What happened to 'making a terrible mistake'?"
"Well, it's not that kind of intimate." The fox-girl took up her tail to smooth it. "It's a grooming to get to know each other and give Farrah a nice treat to thank her for all she's done. Though, I_am_ in flush, right now. I'm surprised you can't smell it, actually."
"I can," Rae responded. "I just thought it rude to say anything."
"The whole room can," Alara put in, setting a trio of flagons on the table. "Don't think anyone minds, though."
"I certainly don't." Farrah added a fifth then sat down with a sixth in paw; she looked immaculate, though minus her usual light dusting of make-up. "You have a very appealing aroma."
"Well, that is kinda the point." Vee's ears tinted; then her head tilted to one side. "I hope it won't affect our plans tonight?"
"Not at all," Farrah assured her, then leaned in, lowering her voice to a breathy, silky purr. "Unless you want it to..."
Verena shivered. "Don't tempt me, please. I'm not ready, yet."
"All right." Farrah smiled. "But don't hesitate to think of me when you are ready, hm?"
"I won't, believe me!" the fox-girl laughed. "You're unforgettable."
"You're pretty memorable yourself." Farrah stroked Vee's belly, and her eyes widened. "Well, good grief - you're even more unusual than I thought, my dear. Three rows of breasts."
"Three?" Rae leaned in for a closer look. "I can only see two..."
Farrah grabbed the hare's paw and placed it over Vee's bottom right nipple. "Feel here."
Rae glanced at the vixen, who smiled and nodded, then let her hand roam; she soon realised the teat was sat atop a bump so shallow and small it wouldn't show through the fur. "Bloody Scruffe, she has."
"Only realised myself recently," Vee admitted. "Guess I'm not entirely done growing."
Rae snickered. "And there's me with no breasts at all."
"I wouldn't say that," Leal was quick to counter.
"Oh, really?" The hare shucked her tunic, revealing a chest that bore only the slightest hint of cleavage.
Alara, who'd been quietly watching thus far, while supping on a light ale, spoke up with a smile. "You're about the same as Hatta, and she's one of the most popular members of staff."
"Although," Farrah amended, "that may also have a little something to do with her strength and dominant personality. You'd be amazed how many people like being taken control of."
"I can think of someone right here," Alara teased. Leal blushed.
"Is that so?" Rae gave the male cat a sly look. "I'll store that away for future reference."
"Oh, and he has a major weak spot close to the base of his tail," Alara supplied, with a mischievous quirk to her smile.
"Tell her everything, why not," Leal groused, playfully.
Farrah looked at Vee with thoughtful warmth. "I wonder where yours might be...?"
"You'll just have to find out," Vee teased. "Mind you, I've still to really find out my preferences, grooming or mating."
"Well, much of the fun is in discovery," Farrah told her, eyes shining and lips lifting. "Especially with others."
"You're not wrong, there," Leal agreed. "I spent many a happy night with Alara finding out about all of mine, and hopefully many more yet to come with Rae."
"In time," the hare demurred. "Though, I repeat, it'll be a long wait. I haven't even had my first flush, yet, and I'm twenty-two." She sounded a little self-conscious, by the end.
"Not unknown," Farrah comforted her. "Just like it's not unknown for one to occur as young as a twelve."
"Like it did for me," Vee put in, quietly.
"Twelve?" Rae was wide-eyed. "That can't have been easy."
"It wasn't," Vee stated, bluntly. "Not least since it was a fairly strong flush that lasted several days, and was completely alone."
"I sympathise." Farrah squeezed her shoulder. "I well recall a lynx-boy I looked after some years ago who had a particularly strong flush at just thirteen. He tried to deal with it himself, at first, but with a little coaxing eventually allowed me to assist him. Mine tend to the heavy, so I knew well what he was going through, and I'm not afraid to take measures others might not, if I deem them necessary."
"I'm not sure how to feel about that," Rae admitted. "They shouldn't be left to cope with it alone, but still...thirteen..."
"Hardly seems fair, does it?" The feline took a draught of her ale, her expression ruminative. "Which is exactly why someone going through a flush so young should be looked after, or you risk them ending up in a situation no cub should ever have to deal with, and making choices no cub should ever be faced with."
"You sound like you're speaking from experience," Rusty noted.
"My mother had a strong flush at fourteen," Farrah related, her tone just a little tight. "She was ignored by her family and all but one of her friends, and he...took advantage of her. She ended up with child, and he just...walked away. Her family, when they discovered her condition, turned their backs. She had to deal with being pregnant...by herself.
"She told me, many years later, just before illness took her, that it got so difficult she came within a whisker of attempting to abort the child herself....and I don't mean by eating tansy. Thankfully, someone came to her rescue, and she eventually gave birth...to me. She proved to be a wonderful mother, but she never entirely recovered from everything she went through, and never had another child.
"I'm not about to let anyone else endure that if I can help it." Farrah's voice had turned fiercely determined.
"Speaking of, what happened to the lynx?" Vee queried.
"He's sailing on a trade ship, now; plies the Copperidge route." Farrah gave a wry smile. "Strangely enough, flushes have been quite rare for him since that first one, and invariably mild."
"There's no rhyme or reason to flushes," Alara proclaimed, her tone sage, "and I speak from hard experience - mine are so erratic it drives me crazy. I would envy those who have none at all, but I don't think I could live without sex."
"Plenty of other ways to enjoy yourself!" Farrah maintained, getting to her feet. "And on that note, would anyone care for a dance? I need to loosen up a little."
"Me!" Vee stuck up and waved her paw like an eager cub.
"Sure you're up to it? I can get pretty energetic."
"Oh, I can cope." Vee assured, with a grin. "Dancing's my great outlet and escape in life."
"Is there no end to your talents?" Farrah wondered, smiling. "I'll duly expect great things."
"No pressure there, then," Vee joked, self-consciously.
The smoky feline clapped her paws in anticipation, grinning massively as she herded the vixen to the open centre of the room. That most of the other people in the room turned to look their way did little for the vulpine's confidence, but she squared her shoulders and stood ready.
At a nod from Farrah the band played a brisk and rather bright little rhythm, a fiddle and a flute capering together over the pattering beat of a double-ended pawdrum, and Vee found her tail twitching to it and a smile growing. Leal and Alara began clapping along, soon joined by many others, and cheers of encouragement sounded out.
Farrah started a light, skipping hare shuffle, her movement so fluid it left Verena gaping for a moment. Then, a grin of her own blooming as her tail came to life, she matched the moves with gusto; a whoop rose from Leal and Rae, boosting her even more.
Feline eyes sparkled. "I see you weren't exaggerating!"
Vee flapped a paw. "Eh, this is easy. A cub could manage it."
"Is that so?" Lips curling wickedly, Farrah switched effortlessly to a much more energetic and complicated shuffle, with jumps and crosses aplenty. "Then how about this?"
The fox-girl took a second to study the routine then leapt into it, not missing a step. "A little more of a challenge, though I must admit I'm not overly fond of the hare-dances."
"What about an otter ripple?" Farrah asked, flowing into a sinuously shimmering flexing of the torso, arms and legs curving and weaving to match. Hatta materialised by her other side, following her very well.
"Far more like it!" Vee cheered, slipping smoothly into sync with the cat and the otter.
Farrah laughed, and started to side-step and dip, all the while keeping the ripple going; the others matched her beautifully.
Someone hollered from the crowd. "Do a squirrel shimmy!"
Three bodies started to jitter side-to-side in near-perfect unison, still stepping and dipping to boot, if in a more staccato rhythm, with much dramatic posing. Vee beckoned the squirrel who'd yelled out; he gave a laugh and joined in, his shimmy making up for in enthusiasm what it lacked in skill, and it encouraged a few others to join in.
"Any more suggestions?" Farrah called out.
"Weasel!" cried a female member of that race, starting to dance.
"That one's just daft!" Vee laughed, breaking into the bounces, spins and paw-shakes that largely made it up.
"But fun!" the squirrel cheered, really getting into it.
"Any_other_ suggestions?" Farrah asked, dryly, not nearly so enthused.
"Bear!" a voice loudly responded.
"Much more like it!" The cat's slapping and stomping was sharp and full of energy, and her kicks strong.
Verena, Hatta, the squirrel, the weasel, Leal and half-a-dozen others joined in, and soon they were all in a line, rapidly exchanging pats and claps, stamping feet in unison, and getting a hearty chant going. Quite quickly, though, the rhythmic shouts became repeated calls of a single, short word, one that set Farrah to laughing.
"Cat! Cat! Cat! Cat! Cat!" In less than a minute the entire room was shouting the word, and the feline relented.
"All right, all right! Just...give me some room."
Everybody stepped back, leaving her standing with a good ten feet of space all around, and only Vee for company.
"This is a personal favourite," the fox-girl explained, settling herself with her right leg stretched out to the side and slightly forward, head lightly canted and arms wide. "Though I can't promise I'll do it justice."
Farrah mirrored her posture. "I doubt you'll embarrass yourself. In three...two...one..."
Simultaneously, and almost perfectly reflecting one another, the pair flowed into the cat weave, curving arms outlining elegant shapes, feet ghosting over the floor, bodies curling and rolling with liquid, sinuous grace. Cheers rang out in response, though one voice was noticeably louder than the rest; on spotting just how broadly Leal was grinning at them, cat and fox silently agreed to make things more interesting.
Moving closer, they began weaving around each other, rolling against each other, entwining their dances so entirely they might as well have been two halves of a whole. For a little while they genuinely got lost in it, only aware of the incredibly intimate, sensual experience of body caressing body. When they finally stilled they remained pressed close, eyes locked and sparkling, both panting gently and smiling.
Eventually, Vee and Farrah turned to Leal, and laughed at how crazily he was now grinning.
"That," he hollered, "was fantastic! You'll have to go some to top it!"
Vee nodded. "The only other dance I know that might do is the swirl, but it doesn't work too well alone..."
"Then it's fortunate it's one of my personal favourites." Farrah rolled her hips lazily. "Shall we?"
The fox-girl's answer was to lean a hip against the cat and favour her with a bright smile; laughing, the feline responded in kind, and they angled their arms in opposing directions, tails curling high and behind them to just touch tips. At a cue from Vee, this time, haunches began to swing and sway, feet delicately slide and step and tails curl through the air as the pair rolled around each other. A few revolutions in they started to spin and dip slowly, languidly, hips leading, the rest of them following fluidly.
After a few moments of this gentle, flowing dance Verena and Farrah began to gradually increase the pace, more and more vigour creeping in with each move. The swirls quickly became positively vibrant, hips rolling fast and wide, bottoms pushing ever further up and out, tails rippling and swirling blurs of motion, feet pattering over the floor.
They finished by stopping right where they'd started, standing hip to hip and facing the same way, but didn't stay still long; a mischievous shared glance, then they began a side-to-side, swinging sway, calling for others to join in. Several, Hetta, Leal and even Rae among them, duly did, lining up either side. Feet twisting on their balls, tails waving in ebullient unison, laughter quickly rose from all involved and many of those watching. Finally, hips stuck out so far to the left they all had trouble staying upright, then they all finally relaxed against each other, beaming, while warm applause filled the room.
Equally warm kisses and hugs were shared amongst fox, cats, otter and hare, then Farrah excused herself. She padded to the back of the room, heading after several figures she'd seen disappear through the door to the staff quarters; beyond it a male wolf, bear and polecat, the latter clutching a large pot of tallow, were just stepping into a private chamber, while a lean male fox stood closer by, his paws tidily behind his back. He nodded to her.
"He's celebrating," he told her, his low, smooth voice wry. "With your two largest male members of staff. He may be just a _tad_bow-legged come the morning."
Farrah laughed. "Not as if he needs much reason."
"Indeed not," he returned, smiling softly. "Although, Vee making new bonds is good reason to smile, even if it does impinge on my hopes for the evening."
"Ah, you've heard. I hope you've no objections."
"None whatsoever. She couldn't be in better paws. You'll ensure it's as memorable as can be, I've no doubt."
Farrah inclined her head demurely. "I'll make my best efforts. Would you like me to call Teal?"
"You certainly tempt me."
"What if I were to mention he had a very unpleasant experience two days ago?"
"Then go right ahead. Oh, and felicitations on your fortieth."
"Thank you," she nodded, then re-entered the Hall.
Finding Teal wasn't hard, and a single whisper sent him scurrying for the staff quarters. Finding Vee also wasn't hard, since she was happily teaching her race-dance to Alara, Leal and a now nude Rae; the feline decided against disturbing them, instead settling down with her ale to watch, and wait, and smile.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The storm was well on the wane, the rumbles faint and sparse, when the gathering finally began to disperse. Rae and Leal took their leave after warm, hugged farewells, the latter staying nude. The staff, Alara among them, set to cleaning up, but wouldn't let Vee or Farrah help, insistently pointing them to the private area. They soon took the hint.
Once inside Farrah's chamber the cat set to lighting a pawful of orbs dotted about the room, while the fox hung back by the door, a frisson of anxiety stealing in, her fingers fiddling with each other as her ears subtly flicked. She jumped when Farrah appeared before her.
"You can still change your mind," the feline reassured Verena, paws cradling her shoulders. "If you have any doubts, any at all, best to walk away. I'll understand."
Vee breathed deeply, the cat's concern helping to dispel much of her apprehension; the way the pale, warm and ever-so-subtly shifting light outlined her curvaceous body did for the rest. The vixen slipped her paws round Farrah's waist, nestling close, and lapped a kiss across the cat's mouth. Her hands gliding down Vee's sides to her hips the feline responded immediately, and soon their muzzles were embracing each other as best they could; it was a little clumsy and tentative on the fox-girl's part, light and coaxing on the feline's, and achingly tender.
When they drew apart, Vee's eyes were bright. Tail high and waving she followed Farrah to the nest, watching as the cat slid in and settled cross-legged in the centre, then beckoned sinuously, with a smile most alluring. A shiver stealing through her, the vixen headed into the nest and the cat's inviting embrace.
Verena pressed close to Farrah, clasping her tightly around her waist and nuzzling into the snug curve of her neck and shoulder. The feline's head rubbed tighter against the vixen's, she stroked her paws down to their rear, then she fell still, seemingly content to let them lead for the time being. Vee did nothing more, simply luxuriated in the closeness and the warmth, in the intimate blending of their contours, in the way their coats mingled, in how she could feel every breath Farrah took.
Shifting, she nosed into the cat's neck, then started lightly lapping the fur, while her hands began to roam their lower back, furrowing to the skin. Farrah remained motionless, but a purr began to well from her throat, encouraging Vee to go further; the fox-girl's paws travelled up to feline shoulder-blades, then all the way south to their bottom. The purr deepened.
"Are you actually enjoying this," Verena enquired, puckishly, between licks, "or are you just purring to be polite?"
"Purrs never come unbidden, my dear," Farrah admonished her, with a chuckle. "I am most assuredly enjoying this." She lay back, shifting beneath Vee so the fox was now sitting astride her hips. "Even if your technique lacks a little...refinement."
Vee pouted. "Well, I am new to this. Care to demonstrate the proper methods, O mistress of the arts?"
Farrah reached a paw out to the fox-girl's cheek, ruffling the fur with curling fingers; Vee sighed. "Happily."
That paw then trailed its delicate way down the vixen's throat to her collarbone, danced along it for a moment, and finally traced the curve of both main breasts before stilling between them. By the end Verena was sagging and murring with the most blissful expression on her face.
"How is it even possible for fingers to feel that good?" the fox-girl all but moaned.
"Years of practice." Farrah's other paw feathered Vee's right side; the fox-girl sighed. "And a very sensitive subject," the cat added, smirking.
Verena nodded wryly, idly petting the feline's stomach. "A trait I fear would be seriously abused should the wrong person learn of it."
"I hope you're not implying..." Farrah's paws converged on the fox's belly, then glided along her thighs; Vee's murring deepened. "That_I'm_ the wrong person...?"
Vee chuckled, then leaned down so her nose touched the cat's, her smile turning warm and more than a little playful. "_Definitely_not."
Farrah laughed, her eyes sparkling, and languidly licked the fox-girl's mouth. Verena naturally returned it, shifting to lie atop the feline, and pretty quickly laps deepened into nuzzling kisses, then a full meshing of muzzles. The fox-girl wasn't at all tentative this time, and a bit less clumsy, and was rewarded with a stronger, yet still tender response by the cat. Purrs and murrs started to blend.
It was Vee that finally drew back, if only to start softly kissing, licking and nuzzling a path down the middle of the feline's throat.
It vibrated as Farrah laughed again. "Now you're getting the idea!"
"Just...recalling...what...Cade...did," Verena demurred, shifting herself down as she passed the cat's collarbone.
"Groomed with him a lot, did you?" Farrah asked, quietly.
Vee paused, then lay her muzzle down between the feline's breasts, a contemplative cast to her expression; she feathered the curve of one with two fingers. "Only a few times; he was always so busy. He made them count, though, even if they were very one-sided; I'd barely get a lick in, and not for want of trying."
Farrah rubbed lightly behind one of the vixen's ears. "My mother was the same - wouldn't ever permit me to return the favour. It frustrated me enough that I went searching for an experience I cold actually be a greater part of." She flashed a smile. "Since we were living_here_ at the time, that didn't prove too hard."
Vee laughed. "Of course you were. Should have seen that. Naturally, that led you to being the amazing pelt you are today."
"Well, I needed a lot of guidance, and more than a few sharp kicks in the tail, but yes."
"But it's such a lovely tail," Verena protested, playfully, gathering it to her; her brow rose. "Though it's missing it's tip, now."
"That dye can never cope with the rain," Farrah lamented. "And since I have no more, my tail shall have to remain without for the moment."
Vee grinned impishly, and waggled the fingers of her left paw. "Well, I_might_ be able to help...if..."
Farrah cocked her head, a knowing cast to her smile. "If...?"
"If...you let me paint other bits of you, too." The fox-girl's right hand traced a lines around the cat's breast.
"Now why ever would you want to do that?" Farrah wondered, even as her eyes sparkled.
"Currrrves," Verena purred, squeezing grey mammaries together, her grinning muzzle still between. "You're a perfect canvas."
Farrah sighed, shaking her head. "Well, if you absolutely insist..."
Vee nodded, setting the cat's breasts jiggling, which in turn made the latter splutter with laughter.
She flicked a perked vulpine ear. "Try not to suffocate yourself."
"Eh, I can think of worse ways to go..." The fox-girl pressed the twin mounds of soft grey as close as she could, her face vanishing up to the ears, then released them and pushed sharply up onto her elbows. She watched with childish glee as they fair sprang out, then bounced back in, smacking together, then wobbled for some seconds afterwards.
"You are such a cub," the cat sighed, with a weary air.
Vee rolled her eyes, then dabbed a kiss on each breast, brushing the nipples in the process. "That better?"
"Much." Farrah folded her arms under her head, settling in to watch the fox-girl work. "Now kindly get painting."
Verena sat up more, drawing her folded legs forward, then stared at the feline's torso, rubbing her muzzle in thought. She reached down a paw more than once, but drew it back before making contact. Finally, her finger alighted on Farrah's abdomen above and to the right of her navel; a quick, sweeping move saw a leaf-green line curve in towards the belly button, around it, then out again. This was mirrored on the opposite side, then Vee sat back.
A moment's contemplation, then she nodded, and with more energy and confidence weaved two more opposing lines from the top of the cat's belly, out wide around their navel, weaving between her nipples, then down and in to her lower stomach. Another, even more satisfied bob of the head, then she moved to Farrah's breasts.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself," the cat noted.
"This is another of my little escapes," Vee explained, running a streak of green clockwise around the top of one mammary, almost circling the nipple, then curving it up to the feline's neck. "One I don't get to indulge nearly as much. I paint myself a bit, sometimes, but it never really looks right. I don't have your...natural flow..."
"I'd dispute that," Farrah murmured, stroking a hand down the fox's side. "It's just not nearly so...pronounced..."
Vee scoffed; she finished painting the other breast and shifted onto her paws and knees, fluidly revolving over the cat until she was facing entirely the opposite direction, her head over their haunches. "That's a polite way of saying I'm as flat as Rousand."
"Rousand isn't entirely flat, you know." Farrah ran her paws along the vixen's flanks, from waist to thighs. "It does have its more 'curvaceous' areas, and they've plenty of appeal."
"Still no match for the mountains of Hackleridge, though," the fox-girl persisted, her finger thoughtfully sliding along the seam of the feline's vulva, her tongue protruding from the side of her mouth.
"That's_entirely_ a matter of perspective," Farrah countered, starting to groom the back of the vixen's thighs. "I know where my preferences lie, and it's not mountains."
Verena started sketching little, mirrored curves on the feline's outer labia. "Not sure where mine lie, or if I even have any. To be honest, I find you just as attractive as I do, say, Hatta, or Leal."
"Not everyone has specific tastes," Farrah told her, approaching the top of vulpine legs, propping herself up on her elbows a little to reach them. "Or maybe you simply haven't settled on yours, yet."
"Mayb-ooh..." Vee shivered, and her finger slipped, pressing between feline lips; she quickly removed it. "Sorry! You just hit..."
"A weak spot, yes." Farrah was grinning. She touched her tongue to the spot - right at the top of the inner thigh, just before it met vulpine vulva - again, and got another shiver. "That's one down." She couldn't resist flicking a lick across the fox's lips, triggering another shudder.
"Who's the real cub here?" Vee teased, then shifted again, spinning round to settle across the cat's thighs and spreading her arms. "What do you think?"
Farrah regarded herself for a beat, then smiled and nodded. "Lovely, my dear...although, you missed a bit."
"I did? Oh!" Verena grabbed the feline's tail and stroked the tip of it a strong black. "There!"
"Perfect!" Farrah pulled the fox in close, and kissed her. "Now, I can't help noticing how little actual grooming has taken place thus far..."
"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Vee agreed, applying her tongue to the cat's forehead.
"Indeed not," Farrah concurred, lapping the fox-girl's chin.
Murrs and purrs were soon blending once again.
From the quiver in his legs and the catch in his breath, Teal was near the brink. Cade dipped his head to whisper to the lizard.
"Tie?" he asked, his own voice heavy and tight.
Teal nodded, even as his eyes began to roll back.
"All right." The fox rocked his hips with a little more drive, his modest bulb quickly pressing in.
Teal shuddered and gasped in response, paws squeezing the pillows as Cade's clamped a cloth between his thighs. A moment later the fox was letting out sounds somewhere between grunts and keens, his tail straight and twitching erratically. The vulpine slumped after just a few seconds, but the reptile kept going for several more. They lay supine, one atop the other, for a good minute, then Cade rolled them over.
He nuzzled Teal, and stroked his pale blue belly. "Hope that was up to standard; it's been a while, and I'm just a mite rusty."
The lizard laughed faintly, his tongue gently lolling. "Oh, you still have the touch, Softpaws, believe me. That was bliss..."
The fox allowed himself a quietly satisfied smirk, but then a twinge of regret softened it. "I'm sorry my visits are so very rare, T." He sighed, a finger rubbing the crease of his muzzle. "But the stalkers..."
A finger pressed firmly to his mouth. "Don't say any more." Teal gave a shudder. "Those monsters should have let you be years ago."
"Well, I did completely and utterly undermine all their operations on Copperidge." Cade's mouth gave a wry twist. "But they deserved it."
The lizard rubbed the stump of a digit on his right paw, his expression darkening and a different kind of shiver creeping in. "And more."
The fox lapped the back of his head. "I'll shake them off eventually, I promise. Even they can't persist forever..."
A soft knock at the door forestalled any reply from Teal. Cade called out to enter, and Farrah duly did, a piece of vellum in one paw.
"A message for you, Cade," she explained, holding it out. "It's from a mutual friend on Ashdell."
The fox cocked his head, taking the missive; he scanned the contents, then frowned, rubbing his brow. "It's urgent. I hope a ship's leaving in the morning, and Quill isn't too put out..."
Farrah chuckled. "I doubt he'd mind; he'll be headed to Copperidge the very instant his legs straighten out."
Cade snorted. "No concept of restraint whatsoever." His demeanour softened. "How's...?"
"Sleeping." Farrah suddenly looked distinctly maternal. "A remarkable young vixen you've helped grow, there."
The fox's chest puffed up a bit, his tone proud. "Yes, I think she came out quite well, all things considered."
"And one day you'll get to tell Verena that in person," Farrah assured him, collecting the cloth and smoothly taking her leave.
Cade nodded softly, looking wistful. "One day." Perking up, his thick tail waving, he stared hopefully at Teal. "Feel like one more adventure, for old time's sake?"
Teal laughed, kissing the fox. "You know I can't ever refuse you, and I'm sure Madam can spare me for a few days. Just...nothing _too_wild and crazy, hmm?"
Cade laughed. "No promises!" He feathered his fingers along a flank of sleek blue. "But I can promise plenty of attention." He brought his nose right up to the lizard's, his voice lowering to a rich murmur. "I've always struggled to keep my paws off you, after all..."
Teal just laughed, and drew him into a long, long kiss.