FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Sorry for being away and releasing absolutely nothing for a full month. I remember promising that I wouldn't do that at some point in the past. Anyway, I spent a lot of time trying to grind away at a specific piece that just wasn't coming out right. I got frustrated and deleted the whole document, then wrote this entire thing in a single day. Go figure. It's a lot lighter than most of the other stuff I've written, but that's probably a good thing. Anyway, on to the obligatory content warning, since my fetishes are fucked up enough that I need to have those on virtually everything I write.

*WARNING: * This story contains cub porn and generic fantasy themes.

Vivian had been walking for some time, heading ever eastwards, away from the sea. She'd spent the previous night curled in the corner of a barn, bedded down on soft, sweet smelling straw,and there were a few wisps still stuck in her red fur even now. Overall, the little fox was in quite good spirits.

She'd never been so far from the coast before. The sea was completely hidden from view now, though she could still smell the faintest hint of salt on the air if she really tried. Inland, the ground was lusher, the ground no longer inundated with rocks and saltwater. Instead there were trees and bushes, grass and flowers.

Above her the sun shone gently down from out of a cloudless blue sky. It was warm, but not too warm, and the packed dirt path she walked upon was quiet and still but for the buzzing hum of insects. Occasionally a grasshopper fluttered off out of her way, the discordant crackling of its wings making Vivian's ears stand up straight.

A part of her wanted to set her things down and make a game out of chasing the grasshoppers through the tall grass that bordered the path, but Vivian knew that she had to keep moving. Sighing, she turned her gaze stubbornly away from the invitingly soft, flower speckled grass, and looked ahead of her instead.

The landscape grew soft and indistinct towards the far horizon, rolling green hills giving way to a gentle, thinly spaced forest. There were fences here and there, marking off plots of land, and Vivian could see a trickle of gray smoke rising skywards somewhere off to the north. A farmer was burning rubbish, she supposed.

There weren't many trees in the land surrounding her, she was still too close to the salty marshes that made up the coast, but the bushes were growing slowly taller, gathering into hedgerows as she proceeded. The ones that bordered the path were kept well enough, but others had turned wild and thorny, rising far above Vivian's head.

She could hear birds and other little animals shuffling around inside of the dense thatch of vines and leaves, jackdaws tending their nests and rabbits busily moving about their warrens.

A few blackberries speckled the thorns, and, spotting them, Vivian hopped the tiny, almost vestigial ditch bordering the path and bounded through the grass, rucksack bouncing, the straps tugging at her shoulders.

It wasn't terribly heavy since she didn't have much in it, but she still paused to set it down against a flat stone that parted the grass like a riverboat plowing through early spring ice. Liberated from at least a little of her burden, Vivian dropped nearly to all fours and executed a full body shake, her red and white fur significantly mussed.

Vivian was small and svelte and fluffy, just a hair over four feet tall and clad in an old and much patched padded fabric jacket. It still bore the mark of some long defunct royal house of the east, though nothing that would have borne relevance to anyone on the western side of the continent.

It was meant for a bigger person and hung down nearly to Vivian's knees, forcing the little fox to wear it a bit like a skirt. She'd cinched an old leather belt tight around her middle to hold the jacket more firmly in place.

There, on the belt, she kept a steel dirk that had belonged to her father, contained within a scuffed leather sheath that was beginning to fray a bit at the edges. It was ancient and more than a little rusty, but though Vivian wasn't entirely sure just how successful her sporadic attempts to sharpen it were, she was still very proud of her weapon.

Trotting up to the bushes, Vivian carefully reached her paws into the thorns, extricating as many berries as she could, fingers quickly growing sticky and purple with blackberry juice.

She stayed like that for some time, moving up and down the hedgerow, tail wagging merrily behind her, butterflies flitting curiously around her, drawn by the sweet berry juice.

It was only after she'd stripped the whole section of bush bare, at least as much of it as she could reach, that Vivian retreated to the flat rock and lay back across it, paws crossed over her chest, the fur around her mouth mottled purple with blackberry juice.

It was warm enough that she drowsed a little, not quite asleep but definitely not in the mood to continue her journey along the path. Lying down as she was, Vivian swished her tail slowly across the grass, enjoying the sound it made, the gentle, restless hush as myriad blades and stalks sprung back into place.

After some time, however, Vivian began to realize that she was quite thirsty. Rolling over onto her side, the little fox groped for her rucksack and tugged it closer, trying to get at the round wooden canteen she had strapped to the side. But even as she lifted it up, she realized that, aside from a pitiful splash of moisture in the bottom, it was completely empty.

Vivian sighed, disappointed, and flopped back down for a dispirited moment...but lying around while simultaneously knowing that she was without something that she wanted was no fun, so she got reluctantly back up and after a few moments was once more equipped for travel.

Still, she supposed as she got back to the path, she had eaten quite a few berries and had a pretty nice few minutes in the sun too. The journey couldn't all be like that, after all she still had quite a lot of walking to do before it would all be over.

Ahead of her the path turned a bend and left the hedgerow behind, affording Vivian a broader look at the landscape to her left. There was a fine thicket of stately oaks, still a bit scraggly in their youth but rapidly filling out. And close to them, its red painted flank partially shaded, was a little barn, of the sort that a farmer might keep their tools in.

Ah. A barn meant a farm. And a farm meant a well. Vivian supposed she could go and ask the farmer if she might draw up a bucket of water. That would be the polite thing to do.

There was no apparent path between her present position and the barn, so Vivian cut through the grass, blades of green tickling all the way up to her chin as she waded through the vegetation, grasshoppers and crickets twirling in panicked flight around her.

There was a rail fence about halfway between her and the barn, but Vivian was small enough that she ducked through without issue and then was walking along thinner, more sparse grass, a few scattered chicken feathers caught in the greenery.

Everything was very still, there was no apparent sign of livestock other than a few scrawny looking whitish feathered chickens taking comfortable shelter in the shade of the barn.

...As Vivian took a closer look at the structure that had drawn her over, she realized just how rundown it looked up close. The paint was faded and peeling, the tar sealing the roof was beginning to crack and give way, exposing the water blackened wooden tiles underneath.

This place had clearly been abandoned for some time.

Still...even if there wasn't a farmer, there had to be infrastructure left over. Perhaps the well was still in working order.

Vivian looked around her but aside from a few overgrown fields and a stack of time moldered firewood, she saw nothing. Slightly disappointed, she headed around the other side of the barn, tempted for a moment to see if she could chase the chickens. But the birds looked content enough in their rest that she decided not to.

As she went, Vivian caught the slightest tang of woodsmoke, lingering in the air like a perfume. And indeed, when she rounded the other side of the barn, she spotted a neatly constructed little fire ring, the ashes in the center still clearly hot, emitting the thinnest trickles of silvery smoke.

Evidently somebody had made camp the previous night. Briefly, Vivian wondered who they had been and where they had been going. Perhaps they'd been an intrepid young adventurer like herself. Or a wandering knight. Or...

Ah.

There, perhaps ten yards away, was a quaint little stone well, clearly aged and in disrepair, but still functional. The rope looked to be in good enough condition and the little wooden pulley that hung over the shaft was still present.

Vivian trotted over, setting her rucksack aside and bent over the side of the well to look down into the darkness, sniffing as she did. She could smell water down there, clear and sweet, with no taint of rot or pollution.

Satisfied, the little fox took up the rope and tugged, hauling the bucket laboriously up the shaft. She could hear it clattering occasionally against the sides, the noise made hollow and echoey by distance.

She was so focused on her work that she didn't notice the trio of sly figures slipping up behind her.

"Hello." A voice said, right next to her left ear.

Vivian spun around, a squeak of surprised fright escaping her lips, tail fluttering between her legs as she jolted backwards. The edge of the wall bordering the well hit the back of her thighs, then she was falling backwards, momentum and gravity conspiring to send her falling.

Then a paw grabbed the front of her jacket and tugged her forward, Vivian's descent arrested. In an instant she was back on firm ground, her muzzle pressed against warm, flexible...scales?

Oh.

Kobolds.

Vivian hadn't seen many kobolds before. They came from far to the south, and aside from a few traders or the crews of certain foreign ships, everyone she'd ever laid eyes upon had been covered with fur or skin. She blinked rapidly, struck momentarily dumb as she was lowered to the ground. The kobold who'd just rescued her smiled pleasantly, dusting his paws off, ever so casual.

He was small and leanly built, perhaps a foot taller than her and clad in a sleek, cottony cloak. It took her a moment to realize the color, so blue that it was nearly black. Beneath the cloak he was bare chested, the sunlight affording his azure scales an almost rainbow sheen. His fellows were dressed about the same, in cloaks and short pants that came to just below their knees. They regarded her curiously.

"Oh...um...thank you." Vivian managed, feeling dreadfully shy and more than a little embarrassed. A blush lit her cheeks, showing clear through her fur.

"It was no hardship." The blue scaled kobold assured her, affecting a little bow that fluttered his cloak.

Vivian couldn't help but feel a little charmed by the motion. It was like she was watching a play from the center of the action. The kobolds were dressed with strange formality, and their scales were lustrous, bright enough that they seemed to drown out even the springtime splendor that surrounded them.

"Besides," added the second kobold, his scales a fine, warm red, "we surprised you. It's our fault if anybody's."

"Indeed," agreed the third, his scales a lively, vital green, "...what's your name, dear?"

"...Vivian." Vivian said, slowly picking herself back up. She stepped deliberately away from the well as she did so, suddenly aware that she'd lost the bucket. It was all the way back down at the bottom again...

As though reading her thoughts, the blue scaled kobold stepped forward and began hauling it back up with effortless strength. Before she knew it, he was setting a dripping wooden bucket, brimming with cool, clear water, onto the stony edge of the well.

"There you go," he said, "we're sorry to have inconvenienced you."

Vivian felt just a little bad to have people, especially adults, apologizing to her. Especially after they'd just saved her from what could have been a nasty fall.

"No, no," she shook her head vigorously, "...it's nice to meet you." It was the only thing she could think to say.

"Same to you," said the blue scaled kobold, "my name is Klaus, this is Gerard," he indicated the red scaled kobold, who offered Vivian a friendly smile, "and Theo. We are traveling musicians."

Musicians? That was exciting. And they were being quite friendly too. Still, Vivian couldn't take her eyes off of their scales, the way the sunlight seemed to gather inside, making each kobold glow.

"Did you come all the way from the south?" She asked, reluctantly tearing her eyes away, reminding herself that it was polite to look a person in the eyes when speaking to them.

"We did," Gerard confirmed, "...and where are you coming from?"

"The coast," Vivian said, "I've only been on the road since yesterday morning."

"Still, it must be exciting to be traveling on your own." Klaus said.

Vivian blinked. She'd been expecting him to ask why she was on her own. The fact that he hadn't sent a warm glow of self directed satisfaction through the center of her. She was being treated like an adult, finally.

"I'm going to see my father. He's an alchemist."

"How exciting." Klaus smiled.

Vivian nodded proudly.

"He's on an important visit to see the Duke of Áthrafstos." She said, unable to keep herself from bragging just a little.

The kobolds seemed duly impressed.

"We came from there, perhaps a week back," Klaus said, "it's a lovely place."

"I've never seen walls that high." Gerard agreed.

"Or so many soldiers." Theo added.

"It's gonna be a surprise," Vivian said, "he doesn't know I'm coming."

"I'm sure he'll be happy to see you," Klaus said, "in any case, we'll leave you to attend to yourself."

Attend to...?

Oh.

Her face was still purple with blackberry juice.

Mortified, Vivian all but dove into the bucket of water and scrubbed her fur until she was certain that her coloring was entirely red and white once again. The kobolds strolled away, back to their fire. Behind her, Vivian heard a splintering crash, but when she looked back it was just Theo harvesting pieces of wood from the side of the barn. They looked to be getting ready to build the fire back up.

But why? It was...

Vivian looked skyward and was alarmed to see that the sun had dipped quite low while she wasn't looking. The afternoon was nearly over. Evidently she'd spent more time drowsing than she'd realized.

Drawing up a fresh bucket of water, Vivian drank her fill and dried her face as best she could. Then, making sure her whiskers were straight, she made her way back over to the kobolds, who looked to be deep in conversation. They were speaking something foreign, Vivian realized, her ears twitching. Structurally it sounded about the same as her own tongue, but when she tried to puzzle the words apart she just ended up confused.

Noticing her approach, the kobolds glanced back, Klaus beckoning for her to come and sit. There was a clear space next to the fire, which was in the process of being built back up, cheerful little flames licking at the fresh fuel.

Vivian settled down, keeping her rucksack between her legs, arms wrapped loosely around it. She felt faintly nervous that perhaps she was getting in the kobolds' way, but they seemed genuinely glad to see her coming back over.

Theo and Gerard had produced lutes at some point, or...wait. Those weren't lutes. Not quite. The necks were longer and the bodies perfectly round. And these didn't have nearly as many strings as an ordinary lute, only five as opposed to eight or ten.

Noticing her curious gaze, Gerard offered over his instrument. Vivian delicately took it, unsure how to hold it, but quietly impressed all the same. It had clearly been constructed with care, strips of lacquered wood pressed flat on top of each other, sinew strings pulled tight across a perfectly straight neck.

"It's a mandolin," Gerard explained, then reached over to position it correctly in Vivian's arms, "you hold one paw across the neck and press down a string or two, then strum with your other fingers."

Vivian did what the kobold said and managed a sharp, choppy chord. The kobolds exchanged little smiles, Theo producing a corresponding note. His sounded much clearer.

Across the little fire, Klaus produced a little rectangular box, perhaps a foot and a half long and another two wide. Across the top were several leather straps, which Klaus undid to show a hinged wooden lid. Lifting it, he revealed what looked to be a miniaturized keyboard, complete with white enamel keys. Unfolding little legs from the bottom, Klaus set it up n front of him and struck an experimental note.

Vivian couldn't hear anything wrong with the resulting noise, which was clear and crystalline and absolutely unlike anything she'd heard before, but Klaus frowned and had to adjust a few of the tuning knobs that lined the back of his keyboard before he continued.

When he struck the next note it was pure and light, like a bell being struck, but with no reverberation. Vivian stared, as though if she looked for long enough then her eyes would pierce the wooden shell of the keyboard and she'd be able to see its inner workings.

"This plays by crystals," Klaus explained, noticing the little fox's intent gaze, "each time I strike a key it releases a hammer. The hammer impacts the crystal and the crystal produces a note."

Vivian nodded slowly, trying to put together this vision in her mind. As she did so, Gerard gently took back his mandolin, but she hardly noticed. Before her, the kobolds began to play, their efforts gradually fading together into a cohesive whole. None of them so much as looked at one another, they simply listened and seemed to instinctively know just what each of their fellows wished to play.

The melody didn't stay consistent, it looped and swirled and went choppy at times, like the bow of a boat crashing through storm addled waves, but there was internal logic to it all that kept the music marching along.

And behind the kobolds the sun continued its inexorable decline towards the horizon, dipping behind the barn and casting them all in shadow. Some of the glow went out of their scales, but they still remained bright and resplendent, their faces filled with concentration.

Vivian wasn't sure how long the kobolds played for, but at last, without crescendo or announcement, the melody faded and left the evening completely silent for a long moment. Then, gradually, the crickets in the surrounding fields picked back up, as though they'd been affording their musical fellows the courtesy of an uninterrupted performance.

For a long moment Vivian sat, half locked into a trance, surprised that the music was over. Then, slowly, she began to clap, an enraptured smile spreading across her face. The kobolds bowed in place, clearly pleased by her reaction.

"Is that what you played in Áthrafstos?" She asked.

"No," Klaus said, "what you just heard...that's never been played before."

"Really?" Vivian considered for a moment. Surely something so beautiful had to have been created at least once...but the more she thought about it, the more she supposed that all of the possible symphonies and melodies that could be created by a trio of musicians numbered as many as all the stars in the sky...and even then perhaps more.

To have been party to something absolutely unique made a warm, pleasant feeling swell in the center of her, like the coals of a harmless and eternal fire.

Theo set his mandolin aside and produced a round bellied glass bottle of something amber. It caught the light of the fire and glowed with affable contentment, looking positively irresistible.

"What's that?" Vivian asked.

"Mead." Theo answered, little fractals of ochre light cast across his green scales.

"It's made with honey," Klaus added helpfully, "do you not have it in the west?"

As he spoke, Theo uncorked the bottle and immediately Vivian realized she could smell alcohol, just a hint, curling in amongst the sweet, seductive tones of honey and pollen and a dozen different floral tones.

"My father teetotals," she said, "and I...uh..." She didn't want to say that she was too young to be consuming alcohol, but...

"There's nothing wrong with that." Klaus said, folding up the legs of his keyboard.

But, try as she did, Vivian's curiosity would not dissipate.

"...Could I try some?" She asked, wondering if they'd even let her. For a half moment Theo looked surprised, then he was holding the bottle out.

"Take a very small sip," he advised, "and if you don't like it then just spit it out."

Still, Vivian knew she couldn't do that. Mead was made with honey after all, and who didn't like honey? Gently lifting the bottle to her lips, she followed Theo's advice and took the tiniest sip she could manage, feeling distinctly nervous as to what the taste would be.

But though she feared that it would burn or sear her tongue, the few droplets of golden liquid that splashed into her mouth were cool and sweet, with only the faintest hint of alcoholic burn. It seemed almost to add to the sweetness, if only due to the contrast the burn provided.

Vivian blinked and swallowed, a little trace of warmth accompanying the liquid down her throat.

"What do you think?" Klaus asked.

"It's really nice." She said, trying not to sound surprised but failing quite badly. Gerard smiled and reached out a paw, silently requesting the bottle.

"Could I try some more?" Vivian asked before she could stop herself, wondering if she was overstepping. This was the kobolds' mead after all...

But they seemed more amused than anything.

"Remember not to overdo it." Klaus said, and Vivian took a proper sip. She could hardly taste the alcohol at all, there couldn't be that much in it, and didn't getting drunk require a lot of alcohol? Vivian didn't properly know the answers to any of those questions, but she felt certain enough not to question her own lack of knowledge.

Once more she felt that lovely warmth trickle down into her stomach and wasn't able to resist a strangely comfortable full body shiver that fluffed out her fur from head to tail.

With that she handed over the bottle to Gerard, who took a deep drink. The bottle made its way around the circle, Vivian being passed over, but she hardly minded. She felt warm and pleasant, the fire was nice and she could hear the faint squeaks of bats beginning their nightly hunt, their silhouettes skittering across the darkening evening sky.

As she watched, the kobolds began to go through their packs. Theo produced an iron pot and Klaus offered out a handful of potatoes. Realizing what was happening, Vivian opened her own pack and dug into her own things. She hadn't brought much food with her, just what had been in the house when she'd left. She didn't have the coin to go to market, and though she was distantly concerned about what she might have to do when she did run out of food, especially since Áthrafstos was a full week's journey away, she let those thoughts slip from her mind as she considered what she had to offer up.

There was bread, some cured meat, some cheese, a few peppermints, a little thing of honey, some salt...

She decided to give out some of the meat, offering out one half of a cured summer sausage. It was dark and marbled with generous veins of fat, but though the kobolds' eyes seized upon it, Klaus politely shook his head.

"We appreciate your generosity," he said, "but please, you're our guest. Let us handle supper for tonight."

Vivian thought about insisting, but figured that probably wouldn't be polite. Klaus was right, she was their guest. Though...what could she do to make it up to them?

She wasn't sure. They were being so nice to her, and while that was good, she couldn't help but feel vaguely guilty.

Vivian put away her provisions and supposed she'd think of something. As she did so, Theo got up and strolled away into the evening dimness, around the side of a barn. A few moments later Vivian heard a strangled squawk and the patter of panicked wingbeats against the side of the barn. Then silence.

It took her only a moment to figure out what had happened. Evidently one of the scrawny chickens she'd seen earlier had just made its own contribution to the pot.

The kobolds worked quickly, the iron pot was filled with water from the well, then nestled into the center of the fire, which had burnt down to coals and glowed a comfortable orangey red. Once it was up to a boil, the dead chicken was dunked a few times, then handed over to Gerard for plucking. He stripped the feathers away, Vivian watching with quiet interest. She'd lived in a city all of her life and had never seen anything larger than a fish be slaughtered. The process was kinda interesting.

As soon as the chicken was plucked, Gerard produced a knife and retreated some distance from the camp before scratching a little hole into the dirt and relieving the chicken of its head and innards. With that done, he buried the offal and came back, humming as he did so. The pot, now filled with fresh water, was soon swimming with chunks of chicken, potato, carrot and onion.

Once again Vivian considered offering something out, but didn't. She simply sat still and watched. The kobolds looked to be content in their evening preparations, to the point that she hated to disturb them.

"Vivian?" Klaus asked, looking up from where he was chopping up the last potato, "when we arrive at the coast, what can we expect there?"

Vivian perked up. Here she could do some good.

"There'll be a city, but the guards are nice, they wont try to get bribes or anything. If you want to play for people then you'll have to go see the mayor. He lives in a big white house in the center of town. It's got a black iron fence around it, but he'll let you play, you just have to get a license. Then you can go anywhere."

"It sounds nice there." Theo said.

"At night you can see the ships coming into harbor," Vivian said, "and some of them have luminescent paint, so they glow in the dark. It's really pretty. And there might be other kobolds too."

"That would be nice," Gerard said, "not too many of our own kind around...um...not that..."

Klaus dove in to rescue his companion.

"You're very lovely, Ms. Vivian." He assured her.

"And most people are very kind up here." Theo added.

Vivian couldn't help but smile, still feeling warm and relaxed.

"I know," she said, stifling a yawn, "but it's nice to see your home too."

"Yes." Theo agreed, stirring the pot with a wooden spoon, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Are you feeling homesick?" Klaus asked her.

Vivian thought about saying no, but that would have been a lie, and she got the feeling that she didn't need to act tough or overconfident around the kobolds.

"A little," she said, "but it'll get better once I see my father."

"You must love him a lot."

She nodded, saying nothing.

"Not every daughter in the world would walk for a week to see her father." Theo agreed, adding pinch of salt to the soup. It bubbled merrily, lumps of potato and chicken turning over in the broth.

"I'm sure you'll find someone with a wagon or a horse that could give you a ride. Maybe you'll be there even sooner than you think." Gerard said.

The thought of that heartened Vivian. She'd gotten a few short rides in the backs of wagons and gigs, but the people driving them had never been going very far. Still, it was better than walking.

A comfortable silence settled over the circle for a few moments, interrupted only by Theo clearing his throat.

"Who wants soup?" He asked.

Supper was served in wooden bowls, everyone getting an appreciably sized serving. Vivian balanced her bowl atop her rucksack and blew on the steaming broth, unable to keep her mouth from watering and her tail from wagging slightly. Klaus kept glancing at it, she realized after a moment, and supposed that the phenomenon of a tail that wagged was probably a relatively new one to the kobolds.

Though they both walked on two legs and spoke the same language, there was still plenty that was different about them too.

"What's it like to have scales?" She asked, looking up from her soup.

The kobolds exchanged a quick glance, looking amused.

"What's it like to have fur?" Gerard asked back.

"It gets hot some days," Vivian said, shrugging, "and you have to brush it a lot. Do you ever get cold without fur?"

"Nope," Klaus shook his head, "our scales can lift up a little if we need to get rid of heat, or flatten down if we need to keep it."

"Oh," Vivian smiled, "fur does that too."

There were plenty of those little similarities between them, it turned out. Both kobolds and foxes had sharp teeth. Both kobolds and foxes had keen senses of smell. Both kobolds and foxes were fond of blackberries. Klaus in particular was pleased to hear about the berry bushes that lined the road not too far away.

After that the conversation died down again, everyone enjoying their soup. Vivian's had cooled enough for her to enjoy without scalding her mouth and she was done almost before she realized it. Apart from the berries she hadn't had much of anything for the whole day, and being so suddenly full made her feel kinda sleepy, in a pleasant, contented sort of way.

Setting her rucksack besides her, she curled up against it, legs tucked underneath her as she gazed into the coals. Covering his paws with cloth, Theo removed the mostly empty soup pot from the fire and set it aside before adding a new piece of wood, stoking up some proper flames.

"Thank you for letting me stay the night." Vivian said, offering the kobolds a smile as Gerard collected her bowl for her.

"We couldn't just let a pretty thing like you fall to the wayside." Klaus said.

That brought a blush to Vivian's cheeks, the little fox flattered and slightly embarrassed all at once. The bottle of mead, slightly emptier now, made a reappearance and passed slowly around the fire, the kobolds exchanging a few relaxed remarks in their own tongue.

"Could I have some more, please?" Vivian asked.

It was just about fully dark now, the last traces of the sunset fading from the horizon, and the bottle of mead glowed in the crackling flames, looking more inviting than ever.

"Don't have too much, otherwise you'll get sick." Klaus warned, then handed over the bottle.

Vivian took a slightly larger drink and, just like before, shivered in place, fur standing straight up as liquid heat poured down her throat. It was such a nice feeling, but though she kinda wanted to do it again, she kept Klaus' warning in mind and passed the mead along, leaning back against her rucksack and letting the heat of both the fire and the alcohol lift her above the ground.

Everything had acquired a slight fuzzy edge, like she was being rocked in place by invisible waves. It was a bit like being at the edge of the sea on a calm day, letting the incoming waves wash over her.

It felt very, very nice.

"Are you alright?" Theo asked, firelight glittering in his eyes.

Vivian nodded.

"I am." She assured him.

"What are you thinking about?" Gerard asked.

"You're all so nice," Vivian said, unable to keep a great big smile from spilling across her face, "thank you."

The kobolds tried to demur, all equally bashful, but Vivian just smiled as knew they had to be secretly pleased. The bottle passed around once more. Gerard started to hand it past Vivian, but the little fox felt a dizzy sort of obligation to keep up. If they were drinking them she wanted to as well. It just felt right.

She insisted, and had another swallow, her stomach feeling light and filled with slowly burning fire.

"I think you've had enough for tonight." Klaus said gently as he took the bottle away. Vivian supposed he was right. She did feel slightly disoriented, but was sure enough of everything that it didn't really trouble her. If anything the dizziness and slow, patient swimmy quality that had been painted across the world seemed to remove all of the worries and other troubles that she'd been afflicted with. The week that she'd have to spend on the road before she arrived at her destination no longer really seemed to matter as much.

The stars beginning to appear all across the sky were somehow brighter than she remembered them being. How hadn't she noticed?

Across the fire, Klaus took off his cloak and folded it into a tight little bundle before untying a tightly rolled thatch mat from where it had been tied to his pack. Unrolling it, he laid it next to the fire, Theo and Gerard slowly following.

"Is that your bedroll?" Vivian asked, looking it over. It was so thin, offering its user no padding whatsoever.

"Yes," Klaus said, "most people where we're from just sleep on these."

"What if it rains?" Vivian asked. She supposed they could go in the barn, but given the state of its roof...

"We have blankets," the kobold assured her, "but it's a nice night. We won't need them."

"It's getting late," Theo said, smoothing out his own mat, paws reaching up to undo the clasp at the throat of his cloak, "you should think about going to sleep too."

Oh.

Vivian glanced down at her pack, where no mat or bedroll or anything even remotely similar was.

"I'll be fine," she said, "I'll find somewhere soft in the barn."

The three kobolds exchanged a mutual glance, quietly surprised and concerned.

"The barn's full of mice," Klaus said, "and you shouldn't be sleeping on the ground-"

Seeing where his companion was going, Theo piped up.

"You can have my mat." He said.

"Or mine." Gerard offered.

Vivian blinked, surprised all over again. She smiled, but it was halfhearted.

"I really am fine..." She tried to say, but Klaus was shaking his head at his companions with something just short of reproach.

"Look," he chided, "now she's afraid of offending someone."

Vivian blinked but said nothing, the alcohol induced fuzziness tying her tongue and strangling the finer edges of her thoughts.

"How about this," Theo suggested after a silent, contemplative moment, "we all push our mats together...so it's like one mat."

"I don't mind sleeping on the ground." Vivian said, but the kobolds didn't seem to hear her.

"You know...okay." Klaus said, then extended a polite paw out to Vivian, an offer to help her up.

Supposing it would be rude to refuse the kobolds' hospitality, especially after they'd just altered their sleeping arrangements for her benefit, Vivian accepted Klaus' gesture and stood up, the world swimming around her for a confused moment before settling back down. Still, her balance was off, it felt as though there was a slight delay in effect before her body even tried to start compensating for any changes in position.

She tried to take a step, to head over to the mats without assistance, but once again the world spun and Klaus had to catch her, the little fox wincing as she looked up at him.

"Is this gonna be a recurring thing?" He asked with a smile.

"Sorry." Vivian mumbled.

Perhaps deciding that she was too dizzy to walk, Klaus scooped her into his arms, Vivian squirming slightly. She hadn't expected the motion, but once she was up and settled, it felt nice. Klaus' grip on her felt secure and he handled her weight easily, she could feel his muscles working underneath his scales.

Shifting in place, Vivian tucked her arms against her chest and shut her eyes, pressing the side of her face against his chest as Klaus began to walk over to the mat. Things felt a little more stable that way.

"Do you feel dizzy too?" She asked.

"No," Klaus assured her, "you just had a little too much. I shouldn't have let you have that last drink."

With that he knelt down and set her gently onto the middle of the conjoined mats, Vivian sitting upright, blinking rapidly. Okay. So it was time to sleep now? A part of her wanted to just fall back and have that be it, but the rest insisted on a proper bedtime routine. She needed to take the padded jacket off, for one thing. She tended to sleep on her side, and having the dirk sheathed against one thigh would make that difficult.

But when Vivian tried to undo the belt, her fingers fumbled. How had her reactions gotten so bad in such a short amount of time?

She supposed that the mead had more of a kick to it than she'd initially assumed.

Before Vivian could readjust her efforts and make another try to get the belt off, Klaus had knelt down next to her. So had Theo and Gerard, all four of them sitting on the mat.

"I'm sorry." Vivian said again, feeling embarrassed and slow, but Theo shook his head good naturally as Klaus undid her belt.

"It happens to the best of us," he said, patting her on the shoulder, "besides, this is your first time."

Klaus set the dirk and belt aside, the steel buckle of Vivian's belt glinting in the firelight, then helped her to lift the padded jacket over her head, the woozy little fox lying back, now clad only in a white short sleeved shirt and matching knee length skirt. It had been ruffled in the process of removing the jacket and rode up to mid thigh, exposing just a hint of Vivian's panties.

Vivian stared up at the sky, which seemed to be slowly spinning counterclockwise. She blinked and looked again, finding that the spin had been arrested but was now resuming its slow, patient swirl. A part of her felt vaguely ill, but the rest supposed that this was okay...just so long as she could pinpoint the regularity and rules attached to her disorientation then she could understand enough of it to get through everything okay.

Arranging their folded cloaks, now makeshift pillows, the three kobolds settled down on either side of Vivian, Klaus rubbing a gentle paw over her shoulder.

"Just tell us if you need anything." He said.

"I'm really dizzy," Vivian said, "even when I shut my eyes."

"That's normal, don't worry." Theo said.

"Can you go to sleep?" Gerard asked.

Vivian thought about that, but she felt addled enough that she wasn't entirely sure. She felt perpetually distracted, her mind just active enough to keep sleep at bay. The little fox's silence seemed to be its own answer.

"It helps if you've got something to distract you." Klaus said, scooting just a little closer to her. He was on his side, paw dropping from Vivian's shoulder, over her featureless chest, to rest lightly on her stomach, a few inches shy of the hem of her skirt.

Vivian looked down, lifting her head slightly, unsure just what Klaus was doing. But even as she tried to ask, her words fled and she dropped her head back down, blinking slowly.

Then Klaus was going lower, fingers slipping deftly under the hem of her skirt. His touch was gentle and practiced, a pair of fingers sliding between her legs, under the white fabric of the little fox's panties. The contact felt strangely pronounced, the sensation outsized for what was really happening. Vivian shifted in place but didn't pull away or close her legs. She was too confused as to what Klaus was doing.

On the other side of her, Theo shifted close as well, sliding a paw under her shirt and over her chest, fingers sinking into the fluffy white fur there. Vivian wondered if he could feel her heartbeat.

She couldn't describe the sensation she was feeling. It wasn't like regular touch. Not quite. Vivian, being educated, knew what was between her legs, but had never been taught exactly what those parts were for beyond birth and mating. Those, as presented by her tutor back home, were cold, clinical processes that didn't involve anything in the way of feeling or sensation. Mating was about as exciting as a handshake.

So why Klaus would want to touch her there was...she didn't understand.

Still, it was certainly distracting. Even though she was still very much dizzy, Vivian's mind wasn't so much on the disorientation she felt, even if the quality of thoughts she could muster was definitely limited.

"Klaus?" She asked, looking to the blue scaled kobold.

"I'm here." He said, still maintaining the same motions, his fingers making a gentle circuit over her slit. His paw felt warm, his touch firm and insistent.

"What are you...?"

"This will help get you to sleep." He said soothingly.

"I...I don't feel sleepy." Vivian said, growing more confused by the moment.

"Well..." Klaus' motions stopped for a moment, paw remaining where it was, comfortably pressed between her legs, "there are ways to do it faster."

"How?" The little fox shifted in place again, still unsure if she even liked what was happening. Everything felt so foggy...

"Let me show you, just relax."

Slowly, the kobold dipped a finger into Vivian's slit, just barely penetrating. She took a deep breath but said nothing, focusing hard on trying to figure out just what this felt like. It was like trying to recall a fading dream, familiar and alien all at once, an edge to it that she couldn't identify.

Still, there was warmth there, and patient intent. Whatever he was doing, the kobold had clearly done it before, and Vivian tucked her paws against her chest, taking hold of Theo's wrist, her claws prickling his scales.

A second finger slid between the lips of Vivian's pussy and Klaus stroked them along the entrance to the little fox's hole.

Vivian could feel her own heartbeat transmitted through Theo's paw, still pressed against her chest. It was so fast, almost galloping, like she was running rather than lying on her back.

And there was a sort of hot tingle between her legs, the heightened quality of the sensations there growing even more pronounced. Her tail twitched from side to side and Vivian let out a slow breath, settling her head back once more.

"Can you lift your hips for just a moment?" Klaus asked. Vivian realized that he was moving a bit faster now, and there was a slickness between her legs, wetness gathering there. Was that because of what he was doing?

She obeyed, slowly shuffling her hips off the ground. Gerard gently hooked his fingers into the hem of her skirt and pulled it smoothly down over her narrow hips, extricating her tail from the special hole in the back and settling the discarded garments safely off to the side.

Naked from the waist down, Vivian glanced around her, from kobold to kobold, suddenly aware that she was breathing harder, nearly trembling.

Klaus spread the lips of her pussy, moving even closer, his chest pressed against Vivian's shoulder. When he spoke she could feel his breath against one ear.

"This might hurt," he said, "but just for a moment." Then he was sliding his fingers into her. Vivian blinked hard, gripping onto Theo's wrist, the green scaled kobold settling his other paw atop hers. Somewhere deep inside of her she felt the tips of Klaus' fingers hit a firm, flexible barrier. There was no sensation to the barrier itself, but she could feel the pressure around it, a sort of tugging as he probed.

The feeling of the fingers themselves was strange, Vivian felt weirdly full, like the space between her legs was expanding outwards and forcing the rest of her to do the same. Yet alongside that was the same warmth and solidity, crackling along the fringes of the experience.

For a moment she wasn't sure what Klaus had meant. It would hurt? Sure it felt strange, but there was no pain involved. She felt just-

Between her legs, Klaus darted his fingers forward and broke her hymen with a single sharp motion. Vivian yelped, more surprised than anything, a sting expanding between her legs, her tail curling in over Klaus' paw. But then the pain was receding into a faint ache, Vivian squirming in place, a wince firmly set on her face.

"Are you okay?" Klaus asked.

Vivian realized she could feel Gerard's paw on her knees, the third kobold having positioned himself between his fellows, keeping a close watch on what Klaus was doing. She felt reassured by his touch and the knowledge that she wasn't alone in the midst of all of this.

Taking a deep breath, she ironed the wince from her face and nodded. The pain had faded quite quickly and now, she realized, Klaus' fingers were as deep into her as they could go. She clamped down on them experimentally and was relieved to find that it didn't hurt to do so. Whatever he'd done had apparently been a momentary event.

"Good, that was really brave of you." Klaus said, and Vivian managed a smile as the kobold resumed motion, pumping his fingers slowly into her, letting the little fox get used to what he was doing.

Vivian glanced up at Theo, suddenly realizing that she was still gripping tightly onto his paw, and let go, giving him a sheepish look. Had she really been acting so scared? All in all this wasn't so bad. It had done exactly what Klaus had promised and distracted her. Even if she still wasn't entirely sure just what the actions by themselves were...or where they were going.

There did seem to be a progression. First Klaus had touched her, then gone into her, then...

Well...

What was next?

Or was this it?

Vivian supposed she wouldn't mind if it was. It felt surprisingly pleasant to have Klaus' fingers inside of her, slowly accustoming her slit to penetration and some girth. More than anything there was warmth, like when she'd had her first drink of mead. Like that but even more intense, and localized lower, in a hot pulsing ball between her legs.

She took another deep breath, surprised by just how fast her heart was going. Theo continued to gently fondle her flat chest, one thumb tracing a circle around a hard pink nipple, eliciting a little shiver from Vivian. He moved closer, and then Vivian could feel a strange hardness against one thigh.

Glancing down, she could see, illuminated by the flickering firelight, a growing bulge pushing out the front of Theo's pants, pressing hard into the fur just below Vivian's hip. She blinked, unsure what to say. Distantly, she supposed she knew what it was, but felt confused nonetheless. If it was so big then how hadn't she noticed it before.

Removing his paw from her chest, Theo slid his pants down over his hips, a thick, pointed length flopping free, still hardening. It batted against Vivian's thigh and for a moment she felt a solid sort of heat, then Theo was settling next to her, taking gentle hold of one of her paws.

Somehow she knew what he was going to do even before he did it, the green scaled kobold settling her paw between his own legs, wrapping her fingers around his member. It was surprisingly hot, like a freshly brewed cup of tea, and thick enough that Vivian couldn't quite close her fingers around the girth. Beneath the soft skin that covered it she could feel a steady, incessant throb. Beneath Theo's length hung a heavy pair of balls, encased in soft forest green skin that matched the rest of his body.

As she stared, silently intrigued and confused all at once, the kobold slid Vivian's paw along the length of his cock, from pointed head to wide, girthy base, a hot splash of pre wetting her fingers.

Somehow it didn't occur to her to ask just what she was doing, or why. All she knew was that he liked this, perhaps it was his own form of distraction. So when Theo let go of her paw, Vivian continued to stroke him, eyes glued to his length, amazed by its size.

It had a pleasant sort of feel to it as well, soft yet inflexibly firm, solid and almost scaldingly hot. Clear pre leaked from the kobold's tip, slicking his shaft, easing Vivian's actions. She supposed it was a bit like the moisture that gathered between her own legs.

Then suddenly Klaus was sliding his fingers free. Vivian glanced quickly over, momentarily surprised to see that Klaus' pants were gone as well, the blue scaled kobold stroking one paw leisurely down a twitching, pre leaking shaft. It was blue, perhaps a shade darker than his scales, and just as long as Theo's, though Vivian supposed that it looked a little bit thinner.

Settling his paws on her hip and shoulder, wet fingers printing dark tracks on Vivian's fur, Klaus gently turned her onto her side, the little fox momentarily disoriented by the shift, her face falling forward against Theo's pre smeared cock. It pressed hard against one of her cheeks and she blinked, drawing back, eyes flashing up to Theo. Had that been bad? But the green scaled kobold just reached down and scratched her fondly behind the ears.

Behind her, Klaus positioned himself, lying on his side right next to her, hard cock pressing against the back of one red and white furred thigh. Vivian looked back, trying to determined Klaus' intentions, but even as she did so, she supposed that perhaps she already knew. Just as Theo was having her do things with his member, so would Klaus.

Gerard lingered by her feet and tail, watching attentively, his own fiery red cock hard, its tip already gleaming with pre. For the first time Vivian began to feel just a little frightened. Everything was beginning to move very fast, and in a direction that she definitely couldn't predict. Her ears pinned back, the little fox glanced between Theo and Klaus.

Then Klaus was slipping an arm under Vivian's shoulder, holding her against his chest, a paw returning between her legs. Once more he was teasing her slit, a crackly sort of tingle jittering between the little fox's legs.

"I wont go too fast," he promised, gently raising one of Vivian's legs with his other paw, the tip of his cock sliding along her soaked pussy, "just say if you want me to stop."

Vivian blinked, almost uncomprehending, then Klaus was pushing his hips forward, a slow, pleased exhalation ruffling the fur between her ears.

He was inside of her, the pointed tip of his cobalt length pushing into the little fox's hole, stretching her slit and forcing a little whimpering groan from Vivian's mouth. Her breathing had gone jagged and Vivian could feel her heart leaping in her chest as she clamped down hard on Klaus' length, unaccustomed to anything nearly so large.

Klaus paused, still gently stroking between Vivian's legs, fingers teasing over her tiny clit.

"Relax," he said, "let yourself go limp for a moment."

Vivian wasn't sure what to do. It wasn't like she was so tense on purpose, the whole situation had become unknown and strange...she knew that she could tell Klaus she wanted him to stop, but then what? She had the feeling that she would disappoint him if she did that, and that was the last thing in the world she wanted to do.

So she took a deep breath and let it out, eyes shut, paw still holding onto Theo's cock. With that done she felt just a little bit calmer. Enough to let herself relax into Klaus' arms. He held onto her, his breathing steady and regular, scales warm and pleasantly firm. Vivian let her arms go limp, then her legs, then her chest, then her core. She breathed all the while, letting her heart slow down, letting herself experience the growing hotness in the center of herself in a new way. It felt almost better than before while she was relaxed, and, in a strange way, the fuzziness from the mead helped too.

When Klaus began to push forward again, his length slid into her with shocking ease, the kobold hugging Vivian to himself, the little fox gasping as she was stretched. But this time she was calmer, and so when she felt Klaus' hips meet hers, she felt a sense of accomplishment, like she'd just completed a great task.

Slowly, her motions slightly jagged, she resumed stroking Theo's member, the kobold scratching her behind one pointed ear. It felt good, relaxing almost, and, coupled with the knowledge that she was doing something good to help her benefactors, it was enough to erase the nervousness she'd felt earlier.

Klaus thrust into the fox with slow, languid strokes, making sure that Vivian was used to his length. There was no hurry in his actions, instead he seemed to savor each movement; the way Vivian gasped at the height of each thrust, the way her little pussy was stretched almost achingly tight around him.

Vivian could feel Klaus' cock twitching inside of her, the jets of pre that splashed against her inner walls seeming to set her afire. The hot glow was back, more intense than ever, seeming to rob Vivian of even more control. Now she doubted that she'd even be able to stand, let along walk.

And still Klaus pumped into her, rolling the little fox's clit between two fingers. Vivian gasped and groaned, her efforts to continue paying attention to Theo falling apart. The green scaled kobold hardly seemed to mind though, pre rolling down his throbbing length as he watched his companion grind his cock into Vivian's soaked pussy.

"How does she feel?" Gerard asked, still slowly stroking himself, cock wet with pre.

"Tight," Klaus panted, "...I'm close."

Indeed his motions were beginning to lose a little of their original fluidity. Vivian could feel the spurts and splashes of pre within her growing even more frequent, rivulets of hot liquid running along the inside of one thigh. His breath was coming faster too, and Vivian could feel a new tightness to his grip, as though Klaus were struggling not to lose control and just pound into her as hard as he could.

Still, he remained slow and almost mechanistic in his pace, even as he gasped and grunted, gritting his teeth. Vivian could feel the kobold's heart speeding up and knew that something big was coming, though what it was exactly remained a mystery. All the same, one thing was apparent. What Klaus was doing felt good.

Then he was grinding into her, the fingers stroking her clit stiffening as he gritted his teeth. Deep inside of her, Vivian felt a hot spray of liquid fire and was unable to stop herself from bucking her hips back against the kobold in an attempt to push even more of his length inside of herself.

Klaus' cock twitched and jerked with each pulse of cum he unloaded into the little fox, Vivian trembling in place, free paw going up to hold tight to his arm, clutching it against her chest. A part of her wanted to cry out, it felt good enough to, but she bit her lip and just trembled instead, riding out the odd sensation that pulsed through her, like an extension of the heat that filled her womb.

Pressed against her back, hips locked her hers, the blue scaled kobold ground his cock as deep into Vivian as he could, eyes slitted with pleasure as he rode out his climax. Then, slowly, he withdrew from her, a trickle of thick kobold cum drooling from Vivian's soaked pussy.

The sudden emptiness felt almost jarring, which in of itself was strange, Vivian supposed, given that she'd gone her entire life not having anything pushed up between her legs. If anything, the past few minutes had been an anomaly.

But it didn't feel that way. Vivian gasped and shivered, going limp as Klaus let go of her, what felt like gallons of hot fluid leaking from her stretched hole. A part of her wanted to look and see exactly what had happened, but she was too tired even to consider it.

"That was perfect." Klaus said softly into Vivian's ear, then was shifting away, replaced almost immediately by Gerard. The red scaled kobold positioned himself just as Klaus had, paws roaming fondly over Vivian's body.

The little fox squirmed as she felt the kobold's fingers tease her nipples, then he was positioning the tip of his cock at her entrance, a spurt of pre splashing against her cum streaked pussy. Vivian had just enough time to wonder if Theo was going to do this too, once Gerard was finished, then the red scaled kobold's crimson member was pushing into her.

Gerard wasn't quite as patient as Klaus had been. He knew full well that her hole had been acquainted with the full size of a kobold cock and made no attempts to arrest the speed of his initial entry. The increased pace took Vivian by surprise and she looked back at him, blinking hard.

But while it was surprising, there was no real pain to accompany the new speed, just a growing pressure and new fuel for the inner heat as Gerard rutted into her, rocking Vivian in place.

Behind him, Klaus stretched out and watched, satisfaction writ clearly across his face.

Matching speed with stamina, Gerard stiffened and groaned, making a half dozen little jagged thrusts before rolling abruptly onto his back and hugging Vivian tightly to himself, hilting his cock into her. The little fox gasped, the breath nearly squeezed from her lungs, then felt a familiar bloom of warmth inside of her, the fur on her tail fluffing out as another load of kobold seed flooded her womb.

Vivian relaxed against Gerard's chest as he savored the afterglow, his grip on her loosening. She felt slightly bad for loosing her grip on Theo, but she hadn't exactly had a choice, what with her new and altered position.

After some time Gerard slipped out of her and gently lowered her back to the mat, sneaking one last grope of her tight rear as he did so. Vivian lay on her back, all but totally exhausted, cum leaking from her tingling hole. When Theo positioned himself between her legs, she hardly had the energy to spread them.

The green scaled kobold took the initiative and pushed his thick length into her, Vivian squirming as Theo's girth stretched her all over again. But she was too tired to even clench down and before she knew it she'd been hilted by her third kobold cock of the night.

He fucked her with steady, persistent strokes, one paw stroking behind Vivian's twitching ears, clearly enjoying the velvety feel of the fur there. The little fox's tail wriggled weakly, already speckled with cum, but aside from that she barely made a move, just gasped and groaned and breathed hard, eyes slitted as her pussy was stretched.

Inside of her, she could feel her muscles struggling to spasm, but she was just too tired, still too fuzzy and out of it all to muster much of a response beyond a decentralized, all encompassing sort of pleasure that made her tremble and moan, even though her muscles were shot and her lungs all but empty.

Then Theo was withdrawing. Had he finished? No...she hadn't felt anything. Vivian had just enough time to sluggishly puzzle over the mystery for perhaps a moment, then the green scaled kobold was by her side, opening her mouth with one paw. She let him do it, pink tongue lolling out, flicking the pointed tip of his twitching shaft, tasting salt and iron and a sweet sort of tang that she couldn't identify.

A hard spurt of alabaster shot out across Vivian's muzzle, then Theo was adjusting his aim, splashing her mouth with his cum, heavy kobold balls jerking in their sac.

Theo sat back with a satisfied sigh and for a moment the only sound was that of heavy breathing.

Vivian swallowed his load as best she could, but it was difficult. There was so much of it that her mouth was nearly overflowing and she was still trying to quantify the taste beyond even that. There was salt and iron, a creamy hint of something vaguely familiar, and a sweetness that she thought she liked.

But...

Oh.

It tasted, she thought to herself, quite a bit like honey.

Then she was out like a light.

When she awoke, coming back to the world in degrees, she was curled onto her side, panties and skirt back on, her padded jacket under her head, folded into a makeshift pillow. Vivian stretched her legs out, wincing, wondering just how she'd gotten so sore. Her core ached and between her legs was...

She blinked, then sat straight up, ignoring the achey twinge that jangled behind her eyes. She had a little bit of a headache, but it wasn't too bad. Looking down between her legs, she lifted her skirt to see nothing but the unblemished white fabric of her panties. No sign of any of the half remembered debauchery of the previous night.

And the kobolds were gone too.

Vivian sat still for a long moment, entirely confused, then gingerly probed a pair of fingers between her legs. Her slit felt vaguely tender, but it was clear that no real damage had been done. And the kobolds had evidently cleaned her off at some point in the night. They'd cleaned her, dressed her back up, and...

Sitting at the base of her mat was her rucksack and a little loaf of dark bread. Pinned down under a little rock was a note, on which a message had been written with a grease pencil in careful print.

Vivian. We wish you the very best luck in your ventures. We wish we could take you along with us, but fate has been cruel enough to send us in opposite directions. At least we were able to meet this once, and perhaps we will see each other again in the future.

Be careful, and stay safe.

It was unsigned, but that was hardly necessary. Vivian folded the note very carefully and tucked it away somewhere safe before fetching the bread and letting herself flop back against her makeshift pillow.

So they were gone.

That was too bad. She had questions for them. Lots of questions, and finally the mental clarity with which to ask them.

Blowing out a breath, Vivian had her breakfast, drank enough water to kill her headache, then dismissed the tempting prospect of lounging around for the rest of the day and packed up her things.

She had places to go.