Hopeless Liberation Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Dante
The door to my room seemed to weigh as heavy as a stone wall when I pushed it open. And, even after the door was closed, I still had to use all of my willpower to drag my paws, which felt like a pair of anchors, towards my bed.
When I finally arrived at the end of the bed, I turned and allowed my body to collapse down upon the soft fabric, my hindquarters sinking into the mattress almost instantly. With a heavy sigh, I lifted my arms, which were both as difficult to raise as two fully-grown trees, and slowly unbuckled my armor, recalling the events of the past couple of hours.
I had completed the remaining duration of my guard duty. Then, I retrieved the body of the priest and carried him back to the barracks, which was made somewhat easier with Cedric's help. It wouldn't have been such a strenuous task, or a tedious one for that matter, if I hadn't been wearing a damn suit of metal, which had quickly grown humid while carrying the dead priest through the streets.
Sadly, when we had reached the barracks, Cedric and I had to transport the priest's corpse into the basement, nearly dropping him and splitting his skull open on one of the steps. Once that unpleasant feat was accomplished, we both delivered the body to the Chief Apothecary, a prying ram named Sevar.
Sevar, after completing a thorough examination of the corpse, demanded to know all of the details concerning how the priest had died, claiming that he may have needed to report me to Orin if I demonstrated excessive force. So I had to describe to him how the priest had pursued the small boy through the street, both of them naked as newborns, with a knife. I then, after saying that I was the only one who pursued the priest when he tried to flee, recalled for Sevar that the wolf tried attacking me with his knife. But I lied and said that I stabbed the wolf as he charged at me, claiming that he had not heeded my orders for him to put down the weapon.
Now, during my entire story, the apothecary asked me various questions, most likely to see if I was being dishonest, which made the whole process last twice as long as it should have. And, after I had gone through my report, he made me repeat it, probably to see if I changed any significant details. But, even after I told the exact same story twice, Sevar asked Cedric for his version of the events. Cedric obviously couldn't attest to whether or not I killed the priest out of self-defense, since he hadn't joined me in my pursuit of the naked man, but his description of the priest chasing the boy was an exact copy of mine. He also revealed that, after I had run off, the boy asked him if they were going to lock the priest up. Unfortunately, once Cedric finished telling his version of what had happened, Sevar fetched Dustin and Miller from upstairs, both of whom were also questioned by the ram. Luckily, the two knights gave almost word-for-word descriptions of what they had seen, so much so that I even began wondering if they had planned what to say together in secret.
After Miller and Dustin were finished with their recollections, Sevar dismissed us all, saying that he didn't find any issues with how I handled the situation. By then, the sunlight had transformed into a dying orange mist that was almost completely hidden amongst the clouds.
My armor had finally been removed and I placed it on the floor beside of my bed, along with my belt and sword. Now all I wore were my trousers and tunic. Gently, I lay back on my mattress and waited for sleep to wash away the tediousness of the day's events, which were only made worse by the fact that I hadn't had anything to drink or eat since the day before. I'll get something in the morning.
Unfortunately, a knock came at my door, just before sleep could pull me down into its black bosom of nothingness.
"Who is it?" I asked, as my eyes snapped open and my tail crossly flicked against my thigh. I didn't even bother to hide the irritation in my voice.
"Orin," a soft answer melted through the wood of my door. "May I come in?"
I sat up in my bed and nearly answered, but, before any words could emerge from my lips, an idea crept into my mind.
"One moment," I called out to the captain. "I'm not dressed,"
"Oh," Orin said. I was uncertain of whether or not that was good news to him, since the door prevented me from seeing his facial expression, but he continued to talk after a brief moment of silence. "Let me know when I can come inside,"
I'll let you cum inside whenever you want if it means getting Peter out of that damn fort.
_ _ Hastily, I stripped off my tunic and tossed it over the back of my chair, where my cloak still hung. Next, I lifted my hands and ruffled the fur on my chest, giving myself a scruffy appearance that would have hopefully driven Orin mad with lust when he saw me.
"Come in," I said.
The doorknob squeaked as it rotated and the door eased forward, creeping with every inch as it floated towards the wall. Now, in place of the door, Orin stood tall, dressed in his suit of armor as usual. However, he soon wore an exasperated look on his face when he noticed my disheveled form.
"Yes, sir?" I asked, pretending not to notice his surprise. Naivety is sexy, right?
_ _ Orin cleared his throat and was incapable of removing his gaze away from my chest. "Sevar told me what happened,"
My tail bristled behind me and my mask of buoyancy slipped for a moment. "He said I wasn't in trouble,"
"Oh, no," Orin said, finally finding the strength to look away from my chest and make eye contact. "You aren't. He only reported the incident to me. I just... I just wanted to check up on you,"
"I'm well," I said, a smile easing across my muzzle as my persona of bubbliness returned. "I have plenty of experience in dealing with naked men,"
Orin's ears twitched and he looked over his shoulder, glancing back and forth along the empty hallway behind him. He then stepped into my room, closing the door, and sat down next to me on my bed. The weight of his armor was enough to make the mattress sink around him, almost causing me to fall into his lap, which he may or may not have intended to happen. "I remember,"
"Oh?" I whispered, running my fingers across the back of Orin's neck. "Are you sure you don't need me to remind you?"
The captain's imagination must have led him to some lewd thoughts, since he then placed his left armored hand on my right thigh, rubbing it in a circular motion. "All joking aside, Aaron," he said, trying to sound somber, "are you okay?"
I chuckled, pretending to be charmed by his fretfulness. "Let me show you,"
I placed my hand over his and shifted it onto my cock, which became hard almost instantly at Orin's touch, so much so that it quickly rose against the crotch of my trousers in an effort to receive more affection.
Upon glancing over at Orin, it was easy to see how hypnotized he was by the sight. His eyes were filled with a sweet mixture of lust and delight, telling me that he was greatly enjoying the moment and was probably hard underneath his armor. The excitement in his blue eyes only seemed to grow brighter as I began to rub our hands up and down against my hardness together.
Suddenly, Orin pulled his arm back and stood up, just before walking over to my desk and starring out the dark window. "Before we repeat what happened last night, I want to tell you something, Aaron,"
"What is it?" I asked, deciding to not try and pressure Orin into sex, since, based on the urgency of his voice, he would have probably become irritated.
The captain placed his arms behind his back and sighed, his ears lowering somewhat. "I've... I've never been with somebody before, in a relationship, I mean. You probably guessed that, though, from what I told you last night. What I'm trying to say, I guess, is I want to be your boyfriend. Not just a fuckbuddy. Now, I don't know how to be a good boyfriend. I just... I just wanted to let you know that before we do anything else. If you can't agree to being in an actual relationship, then we can't see each other anymore. But, if you do want to date, know that if I ever hurt you or ignore you, it's not because I'm not trying. It's because I'm still learning,"
My one ear folded back in shame. God, he's pouring his heart out to me. I wanted to tell the coyote that I wasn't interested, sparing him the pain of being a part of my facade, but I couldn't, not at the risk of Peter and Gwen's lives.
I sighed, allowing my real turmoil to show so that I could make Orin lower his own internal defenses even more. "I understand. And I'd like to be in a real relationship with you, too. Honestly, I haven't been in a relationship before, either. I've fucked other men, but that's not the same thing,"
"Thank you," the captain said, turning to face me again. "Now why don't you tell me what's going on instead of trying to avoid it with sex,"
"What do you mean?"
"I heard you snap at me before I opened your door," he said, his arms lowering to his sides. "And you seem way too happy for someone who just killed a man. Something's bothering you and I want you to talk to me about it,"
My tail flicked behind me. I hated the feeling of being put on the spot, but I didn't snap at Orin. Instead, I conjured up an emotional problem that didn't involve the storm of guilt I felt for what I was doing to the captain, since I assumed he would have pestered me until I gave him something.
"I felt revolted by the priest," I said, releasing the frustration that had built up inside me. "How could someone so guiltlessly try to rape a little boy? And, even though I killed him out of self-defense, I was questioned like a damn criminal, like I was the one who did something wrong! And my fucking body hurts from this stupid armor, too! So, not only did I have to do guard duty in this goddamn hunk of metal, but I also had to be judged by some sniveling little ram for killing a rapist that tried to stab me!"
I had spoken longer than I had planned and accidently mentioned being questioned by Sevar, but it made answering Orin easier and gave my story some emotional authenticity.
The coyote seemed pleased and displayed a heavy gaze of pity. He then turned back towards the window and said, "I understand. Questioning is protocol, but I know how frustrating it can be, especially when Sevar takes his sweet time. And don't worry about the armor. You'll get used to wearing..."
A sensation of apprehension sank into my belly like a boulder and I wondered why the captain had stopped talking mid-sentence, just before I realized that he was staring down at my desk as his hand picked up something for him to examine.
I rose from my bed and quietly snuck up behind the coyote, peeking over his shoulder in the hopes of seeing what it was that caught his attention.
Upon standing just an inch behind his back, I saw that Orin was holding a piece of paper with writing on it. I squinted my eyes in an effort to read the writing, only to realize that it was the poem I had written about Gwen earlier that morning.
Oh shit.
_ _ My mind tried to scramble together some kind of plan or explanation that would have helped me. I could have just lied and said it was some poem I read a long time ago and was trying to remember. Or I could have explained that I was bisexual, claiming that I had seen a woman on the street who I thought was attractive. But that may not have been a good idea. It probably would have upset Orin, or made him less likely to trust me, since I had never mentioned being bisexual before, even though it was true.
The fur on the back of my neck bristled and I couldn't help but consider a third option that entered my mind.
I could kill him.
_ _ Shame filled me at the very thought of harming Orin. I was already going to inflict emotional harm onto him just so I could save my friend, but now I was contemplating his murder, too? What was wrong with me? Orin was a nice person who had been through a great deal of pain and loneliness. Yet, there I was, willing to sacrifice his life for Peter's. I'd give him a more painless death than Vercer would give Peter.
_ _ My hands closed into fists and I stood there, frozen in place and unsure of what to do.
After what felt like centuries passed, Orin turned, holding the paper out towards me. I expected his eyes to be narrowed by rage and red with sorrow, but, instead, they were overflowing with affection. "You wrote this about me?"
My mouth opened, yet failed to produce a word. He thinks it's about him?
_ _ A moment later, I cleared my throat and stared at the paper. "It's..." Come on! Think of something to say, for Christ's sake! "It's not very good,"
Orin's ears fell back in surprise at my response. "What?"
"Yeah," I said with a docile shrug. "I wrote it earlier this morning. It was just before dawn and I was really tired. I didn't even do any revisions or anything,"
"Take a look," Orin offered, extending his arm and holding out the page that contained my handwriting on it.
Slowly, I took the paper from him, half-expecting this to have been some sort of trick or possibly discovering that this was all some delusion that was occurring inside of my mind while the real Orin screamed at me and asked why I wrote about some woman after I fucked him.
My eyes scanned the page and read it with scrutiny, looking for any mention of breasts, vaginas, bats or Gwen.
The stones that are your eyes cast both fear and joy within me.
_ My heart leaps at the sight of their blue halos,_
_ yet my lungs quiver in fear of drowning inside their depths._
_ _
_ The sapphires of your tender face make me feel as rich as a king,_
_ but their steel glances terrify me,_
_ like a man at the sharp end of a blade._
_ _
_ The two glowing coals I stare into,_
_ whether it be during the newborns rays of the day or in the thick black cloak of night's secrecy,_
_ make all the angels in Heaven and all the devils in Hell envy me,_
_ for your eyes bear both the hope of stars and the desolation of burning rock._
_ _
_ And in those rings that shake my limbs with such emotion,_
_ there are two black ovals of emptiness,_
_ space for me to place myself within you._
_ It is a tiny space,_
_ I know,_
_ but any space I am given in the cavernous nature of your eyes would never satisfy my desire,_
_ even if they stretched across the sky from the moon to the pale cheeks of any star._
_ _
_ Yet I am happy to have a place in them at all,_
_ for they are sacrosanct orbs that I have been anointed with,_
_ eyes I could never have conjured in the depths of my most vivid fantasy._
_ _
It took all of my willpower to not laugh like some kind of lunatic. There weren't any specific mentions of who I was talking about, or even their gender. All I had written about were Gwen's eyes, which, incidentally, were the same color as Orin's. Maybe there is a God after all.
_ _ But, before I could embrace Jesus Christ as my savior and renounce whores for the rest of my life, I realized that Orin was waiting for a response. "It's..." I said, still trying to hide the relief and giddiness I felt from my unbelievable luck. "It's not as clichéd as I thought,"
"I think it's beautiful," Orin said, drawing closer to me. "You should write more,"
Without meaning to, I laughed. "I'm not good at poetry, or writing in general, really,"
"Aaron," Orin said, firmly taking the paper away from me. "Not many people could understand some of the words you used here. I don't even know what 'sacrosanct' means. But I know the imagery is very good and I can say that you have talent,"
Orin then turned to set the paper back down on my desk.
"It was just luck," I said, bushing off the coyote's comment, which had actually been very flattering.
"Well, it was sweet," Orin said, just before he wrapped his arms around my waist so that he could snuggle close. "And I'd like to repay the gesture,"
"Oh?" I said, smiling, even though the guilt of my deception still stuck to me like boiling tar. "And how do you propose on doing that?"
"Sit on the bed," Orin whispered into my ear, "and watch,"
Without any disagreements or claims of being too exhausted to fuck, even though I was feeling weary, I obeyed and seated myself on the bed. My cock already began to grow hard with anticipation from whatever it was that Orin was going to do. At least one part of me feels good about this situation.
_ _ Orin, smiling, got onto his knees and began to gently nuzzle my hardness as it rose inside my trousers, running his nose along it. My cock seemed to grow even harder when the coyote pulled down both my trousers and loincloth, only to bury his muzzle at the base of my hardness. I could then feel his hot breath splash out of his nostrils and wash over my length like a wave, making my cock twitch with anticipation.
Then, Orin brought his head up, gazing up at me with delight, and brought his soft mouth down to the tip of my cock, gently sliding down until his lips were pressed against my balls. He then closed his eyes and moaned, bringing his head back up, only to slide his lips and tongue down me once more. Orin persisted to moan almost every time his mouth eased down my cock after that, most likely in an effort to make me more excited. It worked, I admit. The very sight of Orin becoming enthralled at the pleasure of sucking me was overpowering and made my cock desperate to explore the deeper regions of his mouth that it had not visited yet, as well as enter him from behind like it had done so the night before.
The memory of Orin moaning uncontrollably as I fucked his ass during our physical endeavors from the previous night made me even more excited, drawing my orgasm even closer.
"Stop," I said, forcing myself to not embrace the growing desire to finish inside Orin's mouth and spill my cum over his tongue as a reward for its generosity. "You don't want to end the fun yet, do you?"
Orin stopped himself midway down my shaft, pausing as he gave me a look of realization, as if he hadn't thought about me finishing too quickly.
Slowly, the coyote opened his mouth wide enough to keep his lips from touching me and pulled his head up. "Sorry. I got a little carried away, didn't I?"
"Yeah," I chuckled. "Are you sure you've never been with anybody else before me?"
Orin's ears twitched. "What do you mean?"
"You were very good. Most people have a hard time making sure their teeth stay out of the way the first time they give a blowjob, but you didn't have that problem at all,"
The compliment seemed to please Orin and he grinned with pride. "I guess I'm just a natural,"
I shot him a smile. "Let's see what else you're a natural at,"
Orin seemed to comprehend the meaning behind my words and rose, greeting my mouth with his own.
Tenderly, Orin pressed his weight against me and I allowed myself to ease back down onto my bed, granting him a sense of power. As Orin retracted his tongue and proceeded to smother my neck with kisses, it occurred to me that he might have wanted to be on top this time. It wouldn't have surprised me very much. He had been a virgin until I entered him the night before, so he was probably feeling adventurous. I would have been an imbecile to deny him that. So, naturally, I planned on allowing him to be on top. Besides, it wasn't like I had never been on the receiving end of a cock before. Lant had...
_ _ I pushed the shameful memory away, deciding it was best to just focus on the disgraceful thing that I was presently doing.
To try and further distance my mind from the wretched memory of Lant Ulpis, I wrapped my arms around Orin's body and moaned, "Orin,"
A knock came at my door, causing both Orin and I to freeze.
"Aaron," a voice said. Miller. "It's time you paid a visit to Jessica's,"
"Don't come in!" Orin shouted, scrambling off the bed as I pulled up my trousers and loincloth.
"Captain?" Miller asked through the wood of the door.
Orin's eyes lit up with horror as he realized what he had done and he covered his mouth for a moment. He then pulled his fingers away from his muzzle and said, "I'm just asking Aaron a few questions about what happened with priest today. It'll only take a little longer,"
A silence passed.
Then, Miller said, "All right. Come down when you're done, Aaron, or we'll come up to get you,"
A pair of pawsteps traveled away from the outside of my door, soon leaving behind a void of silence.
Orin turned to me, his ears folded back and his eyes wide with fear. "What are you going to do?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, unsure of why he was so concerned. After all, Miller hadn't seen Orin's mouth around my cock. So, as far as I was concerned, Orin and I had nothing to worry about.
"At Jessica's!" Orin said in a whisper that was as sharp as a knife. "They're going to pay for your whore, so you can't ask for a man,"
I sighed, unable to see how I could have avoided telling Orin the truth. "I'm bisexual, so it'll be fine,"
The coyote's ears flicked and he gave me a quizzical look, like I had proposed that we ask Queen Talis to bless our union. "What does that mean?"
"You don't know?"
Orin shook his head. "No,"
"Well," I explained, "it means I like men and women,"
The captain was silent for a moment and his forehead wrinkled in bewilderment. "That's possible?"
"Yes," I said with a small laugh at his surprise.
"Huh," Orin said, still looking somewhat like a lost child. "I've never heard of that before. What was it called again? Bi...?"
"Bisexual,"
"Bisexual," he repeated to himself, committing it to memory. "So you like men just as much as women?"
"Well, I do. Some people can slightly prefer men over women, or women over men, but I like them both equally,"
"Okay," Orin said, appearing to be a little relieved. "Well, I guess we don't have to worry about anything then,"
"No," I said, rising from my bed and stepping next to Orin as my cock finally became completely soft once more.
The coyote eased towards me. "Come up to my room when you get back,"
I smiled. "Are you jealous of the whore Miller's going to get for me?"
Orin, thankfully, giggled at my joke. "No, but I'd like to finish what we started,"
"Sounds like a plan,"
We both leaned in together and kissed, neither of us using any tongue.
When the kiss was broken, Orin turned and exited my room, leaving me standing there alone at the end of my bed.
I sighed in frustration. Why the hell did I have to go to Jessica's? I had been getting closer to Orin and was almost certain that I could have convinced him to put me on guard duty in the cells. I sensed it. There was pity in his voice when I told him about how tired I was and what an emotionally strenuous day it had been. After we had sex that night, I was sure he would have been open to any suggestions I gave him. But, sadly, that wouldn't have happened until much later, after I returned from Jessica's brothel. Why does everything have to be so complicated?
_ _ After sullenly putting on my boots, I hurriedly left my room and shut the door behind me.
Downstairs, six knights, all of whom were dressed in their suits of armor, greeted me.
"He finally shows!" one knight said, who I realized was Dustin.
"Where's your armor?" another asked, revealing himself to be Miller.
I glanced down and realized I hadn't considered putting my armor back on before coming downstairs. But, instead of admitting to my mistake, I gave a confident smirk and shrugged as I proceeded to descend down the stairs. "Not like I'm going to need it. We're going to a whorehouse,"
"Personally," Miller said, "I like wearing my armor to Jessica's. Having a girl undress you is the hottest thing ever,"
"Really?" I said, stepping off the last step of the stairway and acting as poised as I could. "I always thought taking a girl's clothes off and fucking her was the hottest thing ever,"
All of the knights laughed at that, except for Miller.
"Well," Miller said, a hint of frustration in his tone, "what the hell are we all doing here standing around like jackasses? Let's go fuck some whores!"
Nobody disagreed with him and we all departed from the barracks.
As our group passed through the desolated streets, which had the blackness of night poring through them like water in a creek, Dustin and one of the four knights I didn't know walked in front of me. Meanwhile, Miller and another strange knight brought up the rear, while I walked in the center of a group with the last knight at my left side.
I wondered if the knights had purposefully surrounded me on every side so that escaping would have been nearly impossible. But, to ease my paranoid mind, I asked the knight to my left, "So, what should I expect?"
The knight turned his helmet and laughed as a stream of fog shot through his visor. "Have you never seen a pussy before?"
Realizing now that the knight to my left was Cedric, I ignored the crude joke and proceeded to ask, "No. I mean, is there anything about Jessica I should know? Is there something I shouldn't do that pisses her off?"
Cedric thought for a moment and shook his head. "No. As long as Jessica gets her money and you aren't too rough with her girls, she really doesn't care what you do,"
"Good," I said, feeling a little more at ease. "What about the initiation?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I know you guys do this for new recruits, but does it just entail me going into a room and sleeping with a girl, or is there something else?"
Again, Cedric laughed. "Are you asking if we'll all be watching?"
"I just don't want to be surprised," I replied, trying not to seem like that was the conclusion my mind had arrived at. "I'll still get the job done, but it's better to know what I'm getting into before I...well...get into a girl,"
"I know what you mean," Cedric told me. "You don't have to worry about anything. We'll all pay for you to have an hour, but you'll have to pay if you want extra time. Then we're gonna go find our own girls to fuck. That answer your question?"
"Yes, it does. Thanks,"
When we arrived at Jessica's brothel, I was astounded at its size, since the building was taller than our barracks, standing proudly at seven stories high. The stone used to construct the building had also been painted a luscious violet, making it stand out among the other buildings surrounding it and in the blackness of the night. Of course, the building held no windows because it was a whorehouse.
My mind, upon noticing the brothel's lack of windows, recalled the memory of Peter, Esme and I arriving in the Ulpis Kingdom. We had stopped at a small town and passed a brothel, which, like Jessica's, didn't have any windows. I fondly recalled Esme having to explain to Peter why brothels never have any windows. There's no windows, Tiny Prince, because anybody could just stand outside and get a free show. And you know how whores are. They're never free.
_ _ I grinned at the memory, but soon became filled with anguish, recalling how I would never hear Esme tell such witty remarks like that anymore. Suddenly, going into Jessica's was the last thing I wanted to do. Instead, I wished to sit alone somewhere, inside a dark room or among the swarm of trees outside Sleeping Sun's walls, and cry.
We entered the brothel after Dustin pushed open the door, allowing candlelight from inside to greet us with its warm glow as we strolled in. The scents within the brothel were already overwhelming my nose, stinging my nostrils with their potency. Immediately, I could smell various perfumes, but the strongest scents came from the different species that lived there. I could barely make out a few of them before I began to breathe through my mouth, since my head quickly became dizzy from the unbearable amount of aromas. Bear. Skunk. Ermine. Lynx. Tiger. Fox. Otter.
_ _ My heart sank at the scent of whatever otter was nearby, since it reminded me that Peter was probably chained to a wall in some bleak cell as Vercer slowly tortured him, while I was here, at a brothel, and not on my way to rescue him. No. That's not true. I'm here because I'm trying to convince the knights I'm one of them so I can rescue Gwen. And yet, no matter how hard I tried to assuage my guilt, I still couldn't help but feel horrible, knowing that I was going to sleep with a prostitute while Peter probably slept on the cold stone floor of a cell.
Our group approached a counter, which took up almost half of the room. It was made of elm wood and had a militia of red candles with sharp pointed flames at the ready. Behind the counter stood a flat-chested raccoon in her mid-forties, whose eyes were bright green, reminding me of a forest. Her clothes were simple, yet stylish. She wore a dark violet tunic that wasn't tight enough to be considered revealing, but was not too loose to be prudish, either. Below the tunic, the raccoon wore a pair of dark brown trousers, yet she also wore a knife sheathed at her right hip, which made me feel somewhat uneasy.
"Welcome, gentlemen," the woman greeted us with a warm, yet reserved, tone. Her gaze immediately fell upon me, like a hawk that descends upon a wild rabbit. "Is this the new recruit I've heard so much about?"
"Yep!" Cedric answered, slapping me on the back. "He's the one, Jessica,"
Jessica's eyes glossed over me, prodding every inch of my body like I was a piece of beef she was planning to purchase. "He doesn't seem like he could have caught up with Father Gallow,"
My ears pricked. Was that supposed to be an insult? Her reserved tone made it impossible to know for certain. "What do you mean?" Was Gallow the name of the priest I killed?
Jessica shrugged. "Gallow, even for a man his age, had a lot of energy,"
"So," I said, now certain she was talking about the man I killed earlier that day, "he spent a few long nights here?"
I could tell that the knights were shooting me a few looks, since the fur on my back was burning with the sensation of being watched.
Jessica, on the other hand, seemed amused and relinquished a small smile. "What makes you think he came here?"
"I haven't met many brothel owners that frequently attend church," I replied, trying not to act smug. "So, unless you're an avid churchgoer, there was really only one other way you could have known he had a lot of 'energy',"
An eerie silence filled the room as the knights and I awaited Jessica's response, all of us most likely debating in our minds whether or not my insolent tongue was going to get us thrown out.
A small chuckle left Jessica's throat as her lips parted to extend her smile even further. "You're much more interesting than my usual customers,"
I didn't respond. Jessica's expression and response told me all that I needed to know. She wasn't going to tell me who Father Gallow spent his time with, or for how long. Brothels are all about discretion, even when the client is deceased. But, her smile and the amusement in her eyes told me something that hit me like a slap to the muzzle. Some of her prostitutes are children.
_ _ "If knighthood ever becomes boring," Jessica continued, probably noticing the revulsion in my face and deciding to not dwell on the subject, "I'll be happy to provide you with a new career,"
The comment caught me off guard and actually flattered me. I had to say no, of course, but I also had to find a way to say it that was polite and didn't show just how delighted I was to be considered attractive enough to be a prostitute.
"Sorry. I'd go insane if I spent most of my days indoors,"
"You never know," Jessica responded, her smile fading into a grin. "Many people enjoy lying on their backs for a living,"
"And God bless 'em for it!" Miller said behind me.
"So," Jessica said, pulling out a golden box that was about twelve inches by twelve inches in perimeter and set it down on her counter. "Shall we get to business?"
As my comrades all untied their purses from their belts, Jessica pulled out a ledger and opened it up to a page that was only half full of writing. The knights then set their coins down in five piles, which Jessica slid towards herself and counted. After all of the gold was totaled twice, Jessica made a small note in her ledger and poured the gold into her box. She then picked up both the ledger and the box, just before walking towards an empty doorway to my left. Suddenly, she stopped and turned. The raccoon looked at me and motioned towards the doorway with her head, beckoning me to follow.
The knights all hollered and cheered, wishing me luck as I walked towards the brothel owner and proceeded to follow her down a hallway.
"What kind of company would you enjoy tonight?" Jessica asked me, as we strolled together down the hall and were far enough to not be heard by the knights.
I thought for a moment and couldn't help but recall Gwen's slender figure, as well as her buxom breasts. "Do you have any bats?"
"Yes," Jessica said. "Do you want a man or a woman?"
"Woman,"
"You don't have to worry about me telling your friends what you choose. Men. Women. All preferences are indulged here,"
"A woman will be fine," I told the brothel owner.
"All right,"
A moment of silence passed and my mind wandered back to the children that were working there in Jessica's brothel. Does Queen Talis know about them?
"Is child prostitution legal in Sleeping Sun?" I asked, assuming that it was the only way I could have definitively known if Queen Talis allowed child prostitution or not.
"Yes," Jessica explained. "Queen Talis has been taxing brothels and bakeries relentlessly. She does this to try and make up for the gold the City pays the Southern Kingdoms, and to help the less fortunate. Talis takes seventy percent of my income every month. When me and a few other brothel owners pointed out the steep price to her, she passed a law that allows us to hire whores as young as five years old. Of course, we have to be upfront about what we're hiring them for and they need to agree to it willingly,"
I was about to ask what kind of parent would allow their five year old to become a prostitute, but I didn't when I realized most of Jessica's younger workers were probably orphans or runaways. Starve or fuck. An easy choice for those who're desperate enough to survive. "Bakeries and brothels? That's an unusual pair to focus on,"
"Most businesses have a great risk of failure nowadays," Jessica continued to elaborate, "but people will always have a need to eat and fuck, which makes brothels and bakeries more maintainable under this kind of taxation. But, I admit that hiring children has really made things easier,"
I remained silent as we reached the stairs and began to ascend.
"You don't approve of me hiring children?"
I didn't answer.
"Are you saying I should just allow these children to starve in the streets and live short miserable lives?" Jessica asked, remaining calm, despite my judgmental silence. "Isn't it better to give them a job, a home and three meals a day?"
I considered her point for a moment. Then, I said, "I don't take offense to you sheltering and clothing them. What I truly find despicable are the men like Gallow who fuck them,"
Jessica sighed. "You're not the only one. But what else can I do? The children I have here are happy, clothed and fed. Is it really so bad that, once in a while, they let someone else enjoy their bodies?
"I was like you, at first, completely against the idea when Queen Talis suggested it as a solution to all the brothel owners' concerns. But, with my gold being almost completely taxed away and the children dying in the streets, I accepted it. I do charge more for sleeping with the children, though. But I can't let them eat and live here for free! If I did, I'd lose even more money and all of us, my workers and I, would be starving in streets with the rest of the North,"
She has a point, I suppose. "Has anybody hurt them? The children, I mean,"
Jessica became silent for a moment as we stopped on the third floor and walked down the hall, leaving behind the staircase. "Yes. And more will, I'm sure. That's why I carry a knife,"
I didn't respond.
We arrived at a door, which was located on the right side of the hall and had been painted black.
"Here you are," Jessica informed me. "Is there anything else you want?"
I shook my head.
"Good. I need to return to your friends,"
Jessica departed back through the hall and strode down the stairs.
I turned and faced the door, finding my mouth a little dry. No matter how many times I visited brothels, I always found myself feeling somewhat anxious. After moving my tongue around in my mouth, spreading saliva to all of the areas that had become dry, I took a deep breath and opened the door.
Inside, I found myself standing within the belly of a small room, which only contained a bed with a red bedspread. On the top of the bed, however, lay a bat, who wore a purple robe that was open just widely enough for me to see a pale tuft of fur inside her cleavage and the pink slit between her legs.
At first, I thought the bat would rise to greet me with a smile or propose some act that involved an indecorous use of her tongue, but she lay still, even after I closed the door. She must be sleeping.
Slowly, I walked by the side of the bed and stood over the woman, who I realized was somewhere in her late twenties. She does look a little like Gwen. Her fur was black, except for the patch of white fur that was between her breasts. Her breasts themselves, as far as I could tell with the robe nearly covering both of them, appeared to be almost as big as Gwen's. She was also roughly the same stature and possessed the same thin waistline as the witch as well.
I remained there, gazing down at her, unsure of what to do. This had been the first time I ever walked in on a whore sleeping. Usually they were wide-awake and willing to spread their legs apart for me at a moment's notice. Was there some kind of protocol for this situation? Maybe there's some bell I'm supposed to ring for her to wake up.
_ _ Finally, after a moment of consideration, I decided that the best course of action would be to wake her. It wasn't a perfect solution, I know. She probably had a long day and a series of customers that she needed to pleasure. Fucking even makes the most spirited of us weary. But I certainly wasn't going to just enter her as she slept. Not only would that have been extremely inconsiderate, but it also would have created an awkward situation when she woke up. In fact, she would have probably mistaken me for a burglar.
_ _ Gently, I placed my hand on the bat's shoulder, feeling her warm body, and shook. "Miss?"
The woman did not stir.
A burning sensation of fear ripped across my chest. Is she dead?
_ _ I looked closer at her stomach, which I realized rose and fell ever so slightly.
After a sigh of relief, I looked back at the woman's head and shook her shoulder once more. "Miss?" I said, speaking louder than before and pressing my hand against her more assertively.
The bat's eyes snapped open and blinked, dusting off the remnants of sleep. They then shifted and gazed up at me. Brown. Not blue.
_ _ "Oh, fuck me," she cursed, sitting up in bed and tying her purple robe closed as I withdrew my hand. "Are you my next customer? Shit. Jessica's gonna fuckin' kill me if she finds out I fell asleep on my shift again,"
I smiled, demonstrating that I took no offense from her sleeping. "It's all right. I promise I won't say anything,"
The bat's eyes grew large with gratitude. "Really? Thank you! It gets boring waiting for someone to come through that door. Sometimes nobody comes at all and I spend most of the night just staring at the ceiling,"
"I understand," I said, taking a seat on the side of the bed and looking over my shoulder at the bat.
The girl blinked and eventually smiled, as if she finally remembered why I was there in the first place. "But you don't want to hear about all that, do you?"
I shrugged. "I don't mind. Actually, I enjoy a little talking before getting into bed with someone,"
Sensually, the girl eased her way across the bed towards me, only to run her fingers down my left arm when she finally sat at my side and looked up at me with a soft gaze. "And what would you like to talk about?"
A moment passed and the girl continued to bless my arm with the twirling of her fingers. "What's your name?"
The bat's smile grew at that and she even mustered a tiny giggle. "My name?"
"What's so funny about that?"
"Not many men care to ask for my name,"
My ear fell back in shame and I felt my tail curl against my right leg. "I don't mean to be intrusive. You don't have to tell me your name if you don't want to,"
"No, it's fine," she snickered at my guilt. "Seren,"
"Well, Seren, is there anything you're opposed to doing?"
Her ears flicked at that, but she continued to grin. "I'll do whatever you want. You paid for this,"
Whatever you want.
_ _ "Okay," I said. "But if I do something that's distasteful to you, tell me and I'll stop,"
"Now you've got to tell me," Seren said with giggle and shivered as she began to wrap her wings around me. "I'm just dying to know what naughty thing it is that you want,"
I took a deep breath. "I want you to be pretend to be someone, someone I know,"
Seren's ears twitched and her face seemed to be covered with disappointment. "That's it? That's the dirty thing you had to warn me about?"
I laughed, considering that maybe I had accidently overthought just how strange my request would have seemed to Seren. She was a prostitute and probably had to constantly pretend to be someone else or enjoy certain things with her clients. But I had never asked a whore to act as somebody else before, so I wasn't sure how she would have reacted.
"There's a little more to it, but, yeah, I suppose I did exaggerate a little,"
"Oooo," Seren said, lowering her left wing down so that she could caress my thigh. "What else would you like me to do?"
I paused, still unsure of whether or not to reveal the rest of my desire. She's a whore. Who's she going to tell? Another whore? Yet, even when I finally managed to tell her the rest of my wish, my throat was tight and my mouth was drier than bone. "I'm going to call you Gwen and I want you to call me Dante,"
Seren continued to rub my thigh, moving her fingers closer to my crotch. "Okay,"
That was easy. "I should let you know my name isn't actually Dante," I said, still fearing that she would disclose my request to someone else and somehow reveal my true identity to the knights.
"That's fine," Seren assured me, scooting closer to my side and rubbing my cock through my trousers. "I've called men many things that weren't true,"
"So we understand each other?" I asked, trying to focus, despite the stirring sensations that Seren's hand was giving the bulge in my trousers.
"Yes, Dante," she whispered with a grin.
A smile crept upon my face. "Good. Let's get started,"
I leaned in closer to Seren. No. Not Seren. Gwen. Our warm lips met and, very soon, so did our tongues. Gwen moaned as I shifted my mouth onto her neck. I then ran my mouth along it, leaving a trail of kisses on her fur. Eventually, my muzzle arrived at the opening of her robe, where her cleavage was partially visible. My hands rose to Gwen's shoulders and eased off her garment, which I then realized was made of silk, allowing the top half of the robe to fall onto the bed behind her.
Now that the bat's bare breasts were exposed, I leaned in and took the nipple of her left breast into my mouth, running my tongue along its hardening point and sucking on it ever so gently. Meanwhile, my left hand raised itself and fondly caressed Gwen's right breast, which made her moan with gratitude.
"Oh, Dante," Gwen said, breathlessly.
My cock twitched at the mentioning of my name with such satisfaction and it began to scream for release from my trousers so that it could enter her. Yet, I resisted the urge to undress and slide between Gwen's legs so hastily. So, while resisting the carnal urge to enter her, I shifted my head over and lapped at Gwen's right nipple with my tongue, while I lightly twisted her left with my thumb and index finger.
"You're really good at that," Gwen complimented me. "Is it safe to say you're not a virgin?"
I tried not to smile, for fear of accidently biting the bat's nipple that was currently very close to my fangs. So, I pulled my muzzle away until my nose was only a length of a hair away from caressing the bat's breast. "I'm quite experienced," I said, shortly before returning my mouth to Gwen's nipple and continuing to make her moan.
Eventually, I pulled my head back and lightly guided Gwen down against the bed. Her brown eyes became filled with giddiness as I climbed on top of her. Gwen doesn't have brown eyes.
_ _ I pushed the thought away, not wanting to spoil the illusion, and kissed the bat. Then, I quickly closed my eyes and imagined that her eyes were blue.
My hands, without any assistance from my closed eyes, traveled down along Gwen's body. They first slid down her firm shoulders, only to ease over her soft breasts and cup her warm hips. Then, my right hand eagerly glided down between her legs, discovering a moist opening that was practically begging to be explored.
I raised my index finger and began to tease Gwen's eagerness, running the tip of my finger up and down along her pussy. She moaned into my mouth a couple of times as I teased her, which quickly persuaded me to slowly ease my finger inside. The inner walls of Gwen's body were surprisingly tight and clung to my finger with a great vitality. And, truthfully, the inside of Gwen's pussy was even wetter than the outside.
After I had finished sliding my finger in and out of Gwen a few times, I stood up and sprang off the bed. Swiftly, I began to disrobe, unable to keep my erect cock imprisoned within my trousers and loincloth any longer, for fear of going insane. "Throw your robe away, Gwen,"
Gwen sat up and obediently tossed the robe to the other side of the bed, just before she began to watch with a smile as I continued to hurriedly strip off my own clothes.
When my clothes all lay on the ground in a chaotic pile and my warm cock could finally feel the cool air of the room brush against it, I got on all fours and hovered over Gwen, who now lay on her back. "Are you ready?"
She smiled, saucily. "Whenever you are, Dante,"
"Well," I said, unable to repress my smile, "let's not waste another moment,"
Slowly, I lowered myself and entered Gwen's warm arousal. As a result, she moaned and tightly wrapped her wings around my torso, her fingers digging into my back.
Eventually, after a series of deep thrusts into Gwen's body, I withdrew myself, since I could feel the hairs on my chest tingling from how close I was to an orgasm. I probably should finish, though. The sooner I do, the quicker I can get back to Orin.
_ _ I looked down at Gwen, whose brown eyes looked up at me with confusion. Gwen's eyes are blue.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"Is it safe to cum in you?" I wondered, deeming that she didn't need to know what was really on my mind.
Gwen smiled. "Of course,"
"Good," I said, entering her again, the space between her legs feeling somehow even more snug and wet than it did a moment ago.
"Oh," she moaned as both of her hands cupped my ass. "Dante,"
Her moaning awoke something primal in me and I suddenly began thrusting even faster. "Gwen,"
A moment later, my legs shook and I could feel warmth leaving my body just before it entered Gwen. I then collapsed and lay my head over her shoulder, the bedspread embracing me with its cold touch.
We spent the rest of our time together, aside from our heavy breaths, in silence. Gwen... Seren had taken her hands off of me soon after I came and lay them at her sides.
Eventually, my hardness softened and I withdrew myself from inside Seren, my cock now dripping with creamy beads of white.
"Thank you," I said, dismounting the bed and beginning to redress myself.
"You're welcome," Seren said, seeming a little pleased. "You're still not going to tell Jessica that I was sleeping, right?"
I pulled my loincloth up and shifted the waistband until it was in a comfortable position. "You don't have to worry about that,"
"Okay," she said, relieved. "Thanks again,"
"Of course,"
Soon, I was fully dressed and walked towards the door. "Goodnight, Seren,"
"Goodnight,"
I opened the door and closed it behind me once I stood in the hall.
Quickly, I made my way down the stairs, expecting to run into at least one or two of the knights who had visited the brothel with me. Unexpectedly, when I reached the ground floor and arrived at the front room, neither Jessica nor anybody else was there to greet me. Probably better that way.
_ _ Without another thought, I left Jessica's and made my way back to the barracks, where I knew Orin was patiently awaiting my return.
When I finally returned to the barracks and found myself standing in front of Orin's door, I knocked once and was met with a beckoning voice. "Come in,"
I opened the door and found Orin sitting on the end of his bed, wearing a grey tunic, brown trousers and a warm smile. "Everything go well?"
"Yes," I said, smiling as I shut the door behind me. "None of the others watched me cum, so that was a relief,"
"That's something I've never understood about straight guys," Orin said. "They'll talk about sex a lot, just like us, but get uncomfortable the moment they see another man's butt or penis,"
"They don't know what they're missing," I japed, sitting down on the bed next to Orin.
"No, they don't," Orin chirped and leaned in to kiss me on the mouth, only to abruptly pull his head back as his ears stood up. "Oh! You have guard duty tomorrow,"
I could feel my shoulders sag and my tail twitch in despair at the idea of standing around in humid armor again for hours on end. Maybe I can get guard duty in the cells the day after tomorrow, though."All right. When is it?"
"Two hours after midnight tonight,"
My fur bristled and I was unable to hold back my surprise. "Seriously?"
Orin laughed at my bewilderment. "Don't worry. You won't be in the streets. After what happened today, I thought you needed a break, so you'll be down in the cells watching the witch,"
My heart almost jumped out of my throat. Finally, I was going to be able to recuse Gwen and Peter. Then, Peter and I could hurry to Lowpive, far away from Sleeping Sun.
Orin must have taken my silence as a sign of alarm because his hands raised themselves, like he had accidently said something that offended me. "Don't worry. Gwen, the witch, is nice,"
To try and conceal my true intentions of saving Gwen, I scoffed and angrily said, "What about the guy she killed? She snapped his fucking neck!"
"That was different," Orin sighed, lowering his hands onto his lap. "Winston was...for lack for a better word...an asshole. And he shouldn't have opened her cell in the first place,"
I grunted and stared down at my boots, as if I were actually irritated about being unable to argue with Orin's logic. So, I changed the subject. "Who will I be on guard duty with?" I said, looking back up at Orin. I'll have to kill whoever it is so Gwen and I can escape.
_ _ Orin smiled and took my hand into his. "Dillon,"
My stomach began to sink with dread as Orin then leaned in, kissing my neck softly. "But let's not talk about that now," he said.
The coyote then proceeded to lavish my mouth with wet kisses and lashings from his warm tongue.
I tried to push the guilt away, yet Orin's affectionate kisses only made my fur burn with even more resentment for what I had to do. Not only was I going to hurt Orin, but I was now also going to kill Dillon and rob his wife of her loving husband. And no amount of Orin's kisses, caresses, moans or shivers were able to make me forget that for the rest of the time that were together that night.