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I woke up first today. I don't think I've yet to wake up before Dresnath since we met, so I was a bit surprised to find him still sleeping soundly next to me. An unbidden smile crossed my lips as I watched him sleep for a moment. He looked so peaceful and happy. I gently placed my hand on his chest. I could feel his heartbeat, slow and steady as he breathed deeply. I couldn't take my eyes off him.

My peripherals caught something moving, so naturally my eyes darted to look over. I blushed lightly as I realized what it was. Dresnath had begun to tent the blanket covering us. I giggled quietly to myself. I don't know why, but I found it rather amusing to catch him popping a boner in his sleep. I wondered what he was dreaming about. I hoped it was me.

A very naughty idea crossed my mind and I smirked as I decided to act upon it. I slowly slid under the covers, keeping my movements light so as to not wake him. I snuck my way down to straddle his legs, hovering my butt just above them as I leaned over to admire the pair of dragon tools standing tall. I slowly gripped the base of his dicks and licked at the tip of one of them. Dresnath didn't even stir at the lick, which gave me the courage to give another and another. It wasn't long before my tongue was exploring his twins all over again. There was something rather exciting about waking him up like that, something exciting that made my cock pulse to life. Perhaps it was knowing that I was opening myself up to potentially spending the hour dealing with a horny dragon who, just last night, I had practically given permission to do just about anything by accepting him as my master. There was definitely something exciting about the idea of letting him take control like that. There was no fear of him taking things too far, not because he couldn't or because I could handle anything he threw at me, but because I knew that he cared too much for me to go past my limit. I felt utterly safe in his hands.

It wasn't long before I had my lips wrapped around one of his lengths and was slowly gliding along the first few inches. I still couldn't get over his taste. It was so much different than my other partner. Dresnath's taste was much earthier and was laden with something that I could only describe as the taste version of musk. It was... intoxicating, almost overwhelming. While I pushed myself to take more and more of him into my maw, I slowly stroked his other length. Pre began to leak from both of his lengths. My palm was coated in the slippery substance as was my tongue and throat.

I was lost in the act, the taste, the scent of it all. I lost track of how long it was that I was blowing him, not that I really cared how long it took. I had gotten into a nice, slow rhythm, milking his hidden balls of their pre and avoiding getting him off before he woke up. At first, I had wondered whether I would get far before he woke up, but he was still asleep after having one of his cocks eight inches down my throat. I thanked the gods to be blessed with the ability to hold my breath longer than most species, a trait just about every otter has.

I was only vaguely aware of the blanket coming off me and even less aware of the movement made by the dragon. I was completely oblivious to everything except for dresnath's twitching twin cocks. That was until I felt something grind against my rear. I began to pull off just in time for desnath's tail to push its way past my tail ring and inside me. A sharp yelp flew from my mouth without any time to muffle it. I pushed the covers off to see the green dragon's face grinning down at me as he propped himself up with his elbows.

Dresnath gave a playful smirk and spoke with a teasing tone, "Naughty pet, not answering me."

"Sorry," I mumbled. "Didn't hear you."

"Too interested in sucking my dick to listen to me, huh?" He asked. I blushed and nodded. "Want more?" Another firm nod from me. "Ask me for it."

I blush a bit at the order, but I obey. "May I please suck you some more?"

Dresnath clicked his tongue and shook his head, making my whiskers droop in a frown. "I'm sure you can do better than that, pet," he said firmly. He put heavy emphasis on the final word to help me realize what I had done wrong.

I looked up at him with my most adoring eyes, a trick I'd mastered well with my family, and spoke gently. "Would master allow me the honor of servicing his big, musky cocks? It would make this caring pet very happy to help you with your morning wood."

I noticed the slightest blush cross Dresnath's face, but he kept his composure. "Do you truly want to serve me in such a lewd manner, my naughty ott? Wouldn't you prefer to be a chaste boy and serve me with something like a massage or a bath? Wouldn't that be so much better?"

This took me by surprise. Was he just not in the mood for a blowjob? I had expected him to be extra horny this morning with his new position, but if that was what he wanted. "Well, I could do that if you want, instead."

"Perhaps you didn't hear me," Dresnath said with a dominant undertone. "Is that what you want?"

I blushed lightly and nodded. "I want to suck your cocks, Master. I want to show my affection for you in lewd and intimate ways whenever I can. I truly care for you and I want to show you how much. This is one way I want to show you, if you'll allow it."

Dresnath smiled and petted my head. I happily pushed up and nuzzled the offered hand. Dresnath said, "Of course I'll allow it, my sweet, adorable ott. Now, be a good pet and suck my dicks." He suddenly pushed my head back down against his pre-slicked twins, rubbing them against my face with a lewd smirk across his lips. I let him guide my head as his cocks smeared pre across my cheeks.

The memory of Dresnath telling me about how people see my species played through my head. My cheeks burned hot in embarrassment as he ground against my face. I felt so dirty and naughty letting him do this to me. I almost felt like I should feel ashamed of falling into the stereotype of a slutty, tail-raising otter, but I wasn't a slut. This wasn't just some random guy I was allowing to debase and dominate me. It was Dresnath, and I knew that he respected me and saw me as a partner in this relationship. I wanted this not because I was hungry for cock, but because it was Dresnath, someone I deeply cared for.

Dresnath gently gripped my headfur and pulled me back, using the other hands to hold his twins together so both of their tips were right in front of my mouth. "Open wide, my lovely, little ott," Dresnath ordered gently. I did as commanded, opening my maw as wide as I could. I slowly sank down around both cocks, something that was certainly new to me. A deep moan from Dresnath told me that I was doing great as I took the first several inches of his twins into my warm, wet mouth, sealing my lips around them and giving them gentle sucks and bobs.

Dresnath gently rubbed my head in encouragement to continue. His sharp claws dragged through my fur and rubbed against my scalp, sending very pleasant tingles running down my spine. I let out soft murrs and increased the speed of my bobbing head, running my tongue along his undersides and pushing the tips right up to my throat. I didn't take them any further yet. I wasn't quite sure what it would be like to deepthroat two members at the same time.

My focus was suddenly broken as I felt Dresnath's tail wiggle around inside of me, stimulating me in ways I was unfamiliar with. I moaned around the dragon meat in my mouth and I couldn't stop from squirming at the sensation. It felt so weird having something so flexible wriggling around inside me, but by no means unpleasant. I felt Dresnath's hand grip my head a bit more firmly, for a moment, I thought he was going to take control and force me down the rest of the way, but he didn't. I dared a look back up to him and he was smiling down at me with a lusty look in his eyes. His tail suddenly went crazy inside me. My vision glazed over as I whimpered and moaned in pleasure as the scaly appendage found some very sensitive places inside me.

"Listen to yourself," Dresnath teased. "I can only imagine what anyone hearing you would think." I blushed through my fur. I probably did sound rather naughty with my moans. I wanted to comment about how they would likely think that whoever was in here was a fantastic lover, but my mouth was too full to make the words, and I couldn't very well stop sucking him off with how good he was making me feel.

"You love my tail inside you, don't you, ya naughty, little otter?" He asked rhetorically. I affirmed with a needy moan as I clenched around said tail tightly. "I'll take that as a 'yes.' I'm gonna need to make you learn telepathy so you can tell me how much you love me while you suck me off." There wasn't a question behind that; it was something he had every intention of enforcing. It was a useful spell to be sure, and I planned on trying to learn it eventually, but knowing that it would please my dragon master made me want to learn it extra fast for him.

My train of thought was interrupted as my throat suddenly filled with dragon meat. Dresnath began thrusting up into my maw with clear need. Apparently my oral skills weren't up to the task of coaxing an orgasm from him without the aid of my throat yet. "I've had enough teasing," he stated with a playful grin. "Hope you can handle it, rudderbutt."

I braced myself as best as I could. Dresnath's hands gripped my head firmly while he thrusted up into my muzzle. His thick cocks pushed deep into my throat. Even breathing through my nose proved difficult with how tightly packed my throat was. Instead of trying to breathe, I trusted my lung capacity and just focused on trying not to gag. I could feel his cocks make my throat bulge enough to fill out the small space left between my fur and the collar. The pleasured growls above me sent tingles down my spine. "Such a talented mouth," Dresnath praised. "Had a lot of practice sucking guys off, I take it?"

I blushed lightly, but couldn't so much as nod let alone tell him I have. Admittedly, it was only one guy, but it was a lot. "With how well you're handling getting your throat fucked," he growled and accentuated his words with a powerful thrust that nearly forced my nose into his slit, "you'd have to at least had some." He held my snout against his slit a bit longer, grinding against my muzzle while he spilled some pre-seed down my throat. He slowly pulled his twins out of my maw, leaving a sticky trail of pre across my tongue and lips. I couldn't stop myself from licking my lips to get more of the salty, gooey liquid. I looked up at him, about to ask him why he stopped, but he answered my question before I could ask it. "You holding up okay, kid?"

My heart fluttered. He stopped mid-rut just to make sure I was okay, even without me showing any signs of distress. "I'm doing wonderfully, master," I said with a smile, panting only slightly as I got some new air in my lungs. I gave his tips a few licks to lap up the glistening pre-cum dribbling down his length. "You can continue if you'd like."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Dresnath guided his members back into my maw and resumed his muzzle-humping with even more vigor. It seemed that my confirming that I was good to continue helped him let loose. Even with his position, he was able to get some good force in his thrusts into my throat. It was all the same as before until I suddenly felt something scaly press against my raging erection. It took me a moment to recognize the object as his paw, and I only realized that once I felt my member slip between two of his toes. Then they gripped it firmly, forcing out a surprised squeal of pleasure.

Dresnath smirked down at me. "You like my paw there?" He pushed his paw firmly against my shaft, making it press into my belly. I moaned out louder and suckled more firmly around him to affirm my desire. "Good pet," he purred. "You'll get more if you swallow everything. Understood?" His paw left my member and I whined gently as my source of physical pleasure left. The promise of more was enough to make me determined to swallow every drop of his cum when he finished. And based on his rapid thrusts into my relaxed maw, I suspected it wouldn't be too much longer.

Dragon claws gripped my head over my ears. Low growls rumbled through his chest. I could hear some quiet panting as he hilted his twin spears down my throat with each thrust. I only got short lung-fulls of musk-tainted air when he pulled out enough, which wasn't often. I was loving it, though. The intense dominance he exuded combined with the trust I felt for him made me feel light and intoxicated. In and out, in and out. I lost track of how long he bred my muzzle. I couldn't have guessed between two minutes or two hours. I was just in a blissful daze as I got to satisfy my new master's desires.

"Hope you're ready!" Dresnath sounded far-off, but hearing his voice brought me back from my daze. There were only moments between my return and the feeling of his cocks twitching in my throat. I felt thick, warm liquid shoot down my throat, urging me to swallow to help it down into my belly. Dresnath let out a mighty roar as he held my snout to his slit and spilled his seed into me. I swallowed rapidly around him as he came, which likely felt like I was trying to milk him for as much as I could, which certainly wasn't untrue.

He held me there for a short time after he finished. "Fuck," he panted softly before pulling out and petting my head gently. "Such a good boy." I looked up at him with a slightly dazed look and a smile. "You sure have had a lot of practice, haven't you?"

A light blush warmed my cheeks as I breathed heavily to make up for how long I had to hold my breath before. "Well, I did have this guy I would sleep with a lot since I was a kid."

"Yeah?" Dresnath smirked a bit and looked intrigued. "I'd love to hear about him. But first, I believe I promised you something, didn't I?" I grinned and nodded eagerly. "You want my paw, right, my horny pet?" Another nod. I was still catching my breath. "The question is, would you prefer me grinding my paw against your cock or would you like to hump against it like a wild animal eager for any sort of stimulation?" A devious grin crossed his scaly lips as he waited for me to answer.

They were both certainly fun ideas. The thought of having Dresnath looming over me as he pawed me off was definitely tempting. Then again, acting like a horny feral was something so exotic and kinky that it got me curious. I would have never thought of it myself, but now I couldn't get it out of my head. I answered in a meek voice, "The second."

Dresnath smirked a bit. "Ask properly, pet."

I blushed lightly but smiled. It was clear to me that Dresnath really enjoyed this new dynamic, and I was happy to oblige. "Please, Master," I asked in a needy tone, "would you allow me the honor of... humping your sexy paws?"

"Well, since you've been such a good boy, I suppose I could allow that." I felt his paw push back against my throbbing boner. His paw scales were warm and smooth and delightful to feel on my member. I let out a soft moan as I felt his scaly flesh press against my shaft, trapping it between the paw and my belly. "Go on, my horny little pet," he encouraged with a smirk, "have your way with my paw."

I couldn't have resisted anymore had I even the inclination to try. My hips bucked rapidly as I slid my cock along his soles. He moved his paw slightly, just enough to make my tip slip between his toes so he could squeeze around it. As soon as I felt those toes grip my cock like that, I let out a surprised and pleasured squeak, quickly followed by some burning in my cheeks. Dresnath grinned as he heard my rather embarrassing squeak. It was an involuntary one that was quiet but sharp. It was almost the sound actual wild otters made, and it always made me feel embarrassed whenever one snuck its way out of me.

"What was that?" Dresnath's voice was dripping with enjoyment, clearly intent on teasing me.

As a good pet, though, I answered honestly. "A squeak," I mumbled.

"What an adorable, little squeak," he teased. "Like my paw that much, do ya?" His toes slid along my tip, getting a needy whine from me as I gave a few more humps. "Go on and squeak for me, my feral beast of an ott. That's an order."

I blushed so hard I doubted anyone could miss it even under my fur. I couldn't tell whether he just wanted to embarrass me more or if he actually liked it, but it didn't matter. If it would make him happy hearing me squeak like that, then I wouldn't hold them back. "Yes, Master," I managed to sputter out before going back to the task at paw. I reached down and grabbed his leg as I began to eagerly hump against it. I'd never tried anything with paws before, but I certainly wasn't complaining about how things had developed.

I hadn't realized just how much I must've been leaking pre, but now it felt like his paw was covered in it. It made his scales feel as slick and slimy, which made humping them remarkably better. I moaned and squeaked out in pleasure as I thrust my cock into his paw and between his gripping toes. I knew I wouldn't last much longer, but I didn't hold back. As promised, I humped into him like a wild otter desperate for release. It was his idea, after all. I was just taking him up on his offer.

"Getting close, huh?" Dresnath asked knowingly. "I can see it on your face. So eager to get off, even if it's just from a simple paw." I felt a hand cup my chin and lift my head so I'd meet his gaze. "Do it, pet. Cum for your master. It would make me so very happy."

The burn in my cheeks returned. I couldn't resist obeying that alluring voice of his. My hips went wild as I pounded against his paw. It couldn't have been more than ten seconds after his command when I felt the first gush of cum cover the sole of his paw. I let out a satisfied moan as I unleashed my load all over his paw, coating it with my seed before melting into the afterglow of the wonderful orgasm.

Dresnath murred happily as he watched my pleasured expression. "Such a messy ott," he teased. "You got my paw all messy with your cum. I suppose you'll just have to clean up after yourself." Before I had time to react, his paw was pressed against my lips. I barely hesitated before slipping my tongue out to lap up the sticky cream I had just released. It was far from the first time I'd tasted my own semen, but it felt a bit naughty licking it off of his paw. My eyes closed while I dutifully worked my tongue along his sole, licking his scales clean. "Don't forget the toes," Dresnath reminded with a gentle growl of satisfaction and a wiggle of his toes, one of them even tapping my nose and leaving a wet spot there. I complied to his request, taking the time to take each of his toes into my mouth and give them each a little suck and lick to clean them off, before letting them go with a soft pop as they exited my maw.

After his paw was completely spotless, he curled his finger around my collar and pulled me up. At first, I thought he was going to kiss me, but he only gave my nose a quick lick, cleaning up the spot of cum that he had left there with his toe. "Good boy." He spoke softly and with a caring affection that sent tingles down my spine. "Hope you saved room for breakfast. As tasty as I'm sure you find my seed, you can't expect it to be your breakfast." He booped my nose before getting up to get dressed. I couldn't stop myself from watching the dragon dress himself, smiling all the while and wondering what I did to deserve such a kind and caring companion on my quest.

During breakfast we discussed possible locations where Fen, our main suspect for the thefts in town, could've possibly hidden the ore that's been going missing from the iron mine. Dresnath was unable to find any sort of clues in her house, so we would have to hope to get lucky and go off hunches. The amount of ore she had stolen was large enough to need a fairly large space to store, so we decided to search the outskirts of the town for any abandoned buildings that she could use as a sort of storage shed. It was a long shot and would require luck to find, but it was our best chance at the moment.

"So, do we have a backup plan in case we can't find the hidden stash?" I asked Dresnath as we walked through the lightly forested area around the town. He was strutting through the woods with a confident gait while I rushed to keep up. My short legs didn't help my speed.

"We do," he answered. "We'll have to wait until the next time she does a pickup and stake out the mine the night before and after. The problem with that is that she might've found another way into and out of the mine aside from the main entrance."

"I see," I replied as my eyes scanned the area. "Perhaps we should search the area around the mine before the stake out to see if we can find any alternate entrances?"

The green dragon nodded. "We'll do that the day before the scheduled pick up should it come to that." He held a particularly thick tree limb out of my way as I walked through the trees. It was a kind, chivalrous gesture that made me smile.

"Thanks," I said affectionately after he released the limb when I was clear of it.

"Of course, my adorable pet," he cooed. "Wouldn't want my little ott to get all scratched up from a simple branch." He lightly patted my back as we continued on the walk. I could feel my cheeks heat up as a gentle blush reddened my fur.

"Say," I asked, "don't you think you should be flying overhead for a better view?"

"I dunno," he remarked with a flirty tone, "I don't think there's many views better than the one I have right now." He looked at me with a smirk, making me blush even brighter.

A quiet, embarrassed whine escaped my lips. "You cheesy dragon," I said with a shake of the head. "Go on and get a dragon's eye view before I overdose on your sweetness."

A finger caught my collar and made me meet his gaze. "Don't forget," he said with a gentle growl, "I'm the master in this relationship. I give the orders." There was a fierceness in his voice that startled me slightly, but I could detect the playfulness in the undertones.

I smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, Master," I said. "And what are your orders?"

"You continue on ahead," he said, "I'll take to the skies and survey the area. Be good and stay safe, that's an order."

I saluted him with a goofy grin. "Aye, sir!" Dresnath chuckles softly and patted my head before stepping back and lifting off with his powerful, muscular wings. Dust and leaves swirled around my paws as his wings created a mild gust before he was above the treetops.

It was soon after that when I could no longer see him. Alone in the woods just like the first day I set out. Not entirely alone, though. I knew I had my master nearby. Surely, he wouldn't go far enough away to not hear me should I shout out to him. My mind played a funny scenario of thugs coming to try to rob me and Dresnath barreling down and landing between me and them or swooping through and picking me up to carry me to safety. It was an amusing thought that made me smile. I gently ran my fingers over my collar as I let my mind imagine more scenarios of Dresnath coming to my rescue.

That won't always be the case though, I thought to myself. I was progressing in my swordsmanship training and learning magic will certainly be useful. Even if illusions weren't meant to be a combat magic, I already had a few ideas on how I could employ it to my advantage. I ran through the words I had memorized in my head. Learning a whole new language was difficult for me. Very difficult. A few of the words stuck firm while others just seemed to flee from my tongue before it could form. The good thing was that the language wasn't strict and grammar was a non-issue for simple spells. Many of the easy spells were just single words; it was when trying to make more complex spells when more precise wording was required.

I knew that words weren't completely necessary to bring forth magic after you got used to it, but for a beginner such as myself, they were basically the only way to get the spell going and to avoid exhausting myself. Drawing from my aura, I focus on trying to bring the spell to life. I speak slowly to ensure proper pronunciation of the words. "Sektaka rafezar luraz." I could see a blurry image form in front of me. I focused more on trying to form the details of the illusion I was trying to cast. It slowly came into existence, a small bluejay flapping away in a rather mechanical manner. It flickered in and out of reality and its movements were far from convincing, but I had managed to conjure an illusion already. I smiled happily at the image, but as soon as my focus slipped, the bird vanished. I pouted a bit. It required so much concentration to maintain. I took a mental note to read up on how to prolong illusions without constant supervision of them.

I wanted to try another spell. A simple bluejay would hardly be useful. I wanted to work towards creating things fear-inducing enough to bluff my way out of fights. I held out my hand with my palm facing away and incanted, "Sektaka saza zaker." In the palm of my hand formed a sphere of what looked like blue lightning. It glowed faintly and looked to be crackling, but no sound could be heard. It was just a visual illusion after all. An additional spell would be required to make the auditory illusion of the lightning as well. I wracked my brain trying to remember the word for hearing. As my mind went to seek the other word, the visual effect sputtered out. I sighed. The constant focus was annoying. It left me with no option but to focus solely on the spell.

I spent my time switching between searching the area thoroughly and practicing illusions with the words I could remember. The initial casting of the illusions was easy enough. With the required focus, I could get a passable replica up. So long as no one focused on the object for more than a second, they'd probably not realize it was just an illusion. Obviously, I would need to get better for any illusions to pass more than a simple look. Auditory illusions were... interesting to say the least. Trying to get them right would take some serious dedication. I had tried to make birds chirping and cats meowing, but they sounded slow and distorted, something that belonged only in nightmares. Possibly useful if I wanted to make someone piss themselves in fear, but not if I wanted something to sound realistic.

Feeling drained from all the spells, I decided to relax a bit from training. My eyes wandered around in search of anything suspicious that might be used as a hiding place. The forest was rather serene. The sounds of wild animals made a slightly cacophonous music. In the chaos of sounds was something rather soothing and relaxing, though. Somewhere between the hum of the cicadas and the songs of the birds came a peaceful feeling. I had always loved the sounds of nature, although the melody I was most accustomed to was the crash of the waves and the cawing of the gulls. I smiled at the memories of spending hours at the beach and in the ocean. I caught dinner more often than not while out there. That always made Mom smile. I didn't have a job there, so it was my way of contributing. It wasn't much, but it helped, and Jace and Mom always seemed so proud of my natural fishing ability.

I pulled myself out of my memories and refocused on the task at hand. I had to keep an eye out for hiding places. I cursed how easily I became distracted. I was so used to just spending time in my own head that it was difficult to not slip back into old habits. I shook my head in an attempt to bring myself to the present. I took another step only to find nothing below my paw. I tried to fall backwards, but it was too late. There was some kind of sinkhole that I had missed while lost in thought. I quickly reached behind me and dug my claws into the dirt wall. It hurt like hell, but it slowed my descent.

I landed on the cold dirt paws first. The impact shook me, but it didn't feel like anything was broken. I looked up through the hole I fell down. I was no good at judging distance, but it was definitely deep. Too deep for me to climb up easily. Unfortunately, it was also narrow, so there was no way Dresnath would be able to fly me out. Had I known I was going to need it, I would've brought my rope. I would have to hope that Dresnath brought some. I just needed to signal him somehow. Another reason to learn telepathy as soon as possible.

I looked around in hopes of finding something to use. Maybe something flammable I could use to send up some smoke. It didn't take me long to realize how dark it was down here. Without a lantern, I wasn't going to be finding much of anything. Then it struck me. I looked up and held my hand up, palm facing the sky. "Sektaka kitu seravi!" A column of red light sprung from my hand and up into the sky. I couldn't tell how high it was going, but it seemed to reach over the treetops at least. I held the illusion for about ten seconds before releasing it, sitting down against the dirt wall to recover. I'd already drained a lot of my aura with practicing, so even a short spell like that was taxing.

I slowed my breathing and relaxed against the cool earth. I looked ahead and tried to pierce the darkness with my vision. It was less effective than I'd hoped. The light was dim even where I was sitting. I could barely see more than a foot in, and I might as well have been blind past three. For a moment I considered casting another beam of colored light, but I quickly reminded myself that illusions like that don't give off any real light; they just manipulate the light's color. Trying to cast an illusion where there's no light would only wear me out more. My only choice was to wait.

I sighed and went to grab my sword's hilt. It always helped make me feel secure. Not this time, though. The scabbard must've come undone in the fall. Panicking, I jumped up and looked on the floor. Nothing. I looked up, maybe it got caught on some roots. No luck there either. I doubted that it fell off before I stumbled down, which meant the only place it could be was deeper in the cave. I cursed at my lack of preparedness. I could cast a flame, but without a torch or a candle, it would sap my strength much too quickly to do any actual searching. I needed something that would catch the flame and give it fuel to use in place of my own aura. There were no plants down here to speak of. I could always use my clothes, but I hesitated. I had only just gotten them and I didn't want to burn them. Dresnath probably would have something for me to use.

So I waited some more. Lucky for me, it didn't take too long for him to find me. The faint sound of whooshing wings was the first sign, then I heard his voice. "Hello?" He called out. "Did someone send up a flare or something?"

I yelled up at him. "Down here! Careful of the hole!"

I suddenly saw Dresnath's head appear, looking down. I waved at him with a sheepish smile. "You just keep getting yourself in trouble, don't you?" He teased.

"Apparently," I agreed. "At least I have my big, strong master to save me."

I thought I saw him chuckling, but it didn't carry all the way down. "I'll send down a rope for ya."

"Could you send down a torch or something, too? My sword fell into the darkness and I can't see a thing."

"Oh, damn. Yeah. Watch your head!" I quickly moved out of the way as he dropped an oiled torch down to me. I grabbed it off the ground and lit it with an incantation. "Be careful!"

"I will!" Holding the torch out in front of me, I could see much better. The flame's light didn't travel too far, but it was better than nothing. It let me see a few feet ahead at least. I walked a bit deeper into the cave, keeping my eyes glued to the floor in search of my missing blade. It took me several minutes of searching, which was more time than I would've liked with my fear of losing my most precious possession, but I managed to locate it. It had slid down and got caught by... the wheel of a cart?

I paused and took a moment to make sure that it truly was what I thought it was. With the dim light, I thought that perhaps it was just my imagination, but it wasn't. The wagon was most definitely a normal wooden cart filled to the brim with stones. I took one of them and held it close to the flames to examine it. I wasn't certain but it looked like... "Hey Dresnath?" I called up?

"Don't worry, almost got the rope secured. Gonna send it down in just a sec."

"That's great, but that's not what I was gonna ask. What does iron ore look like exactly?"

There was a short silence before Dresnath answered, "Grey-ish stone lumps. Did you find something?"

"I think so!" I pocketed one of the rocks and secured my scabbard to my hip. Just as I got to the exit, the rope came down. I grabbed onto it and quickly climbed it, using the wall as better pawrests and to speed up the climb. I was a bit winded after the long climb, huffing air as Dresnath helped pull me out of the hole and rested me against a tree. I smiled and pulled out the rock, holding it up. "Whole cart full of them down there."

Dresnath took the rock and looked over it. He smiled and patted my head. "Great job," he praised. "This definitely looks like the missing ore. Now, can you tell me what the implications of a cart being down that hole could mean?"

I thought for a moment before I suddenly realized. "It means there's another entrance somewhere. We should find it so we don't gotta lug each piece of ore up the hole."

"Exactly," he said. "You do that while I fly back and grab a guard and the mine owner."

"Sounds good. I'll be sure to send a signal beam when I find it"

Dresnath smiled and nodded. "You're certainly picking up illusion magic pretty quickly. Clever move with the light beam to signal me, too. That trick is sure to come in handy whenever we get separated."

A tinge of red covered my fur and my tail instinctively wagged behind me as best it could, thumping against the tree. "Thank you, Master," I said softly.

"Mhm. Now get that tail of yours moving to find that other entrance." He took flight after that.

I looked around a bit. The way I saw it, there were two options: I could either head in the direction I saw the cave went and hope I find the bigger entrance, or I could go back down and work my way through the cave. The former was definitely safer, but there was no guarantee that the cave wouldn't curve in another direction. If I went back down, there was a much greater chance of getting lost. Although, even if I did get lost, I'd eventually find my way out. Going down was the best option for finding the other entrance. Steeling my courage, I grabbed the torch and began sliding back down the rope into the inky darkness of the cave below.

I landed with a gentle thud on the stone floor. Relighting the torch, I began to make my way through the cave. It was unnerving to be walking through such an unknown area with shadows constantly dancing along the walls. The torch gave off enough light to see enough to be safe, but still couldn't help but think of all the stories where the adventurer nearly falls into an abyss from the lack of light. My eyes were constantly darting between the flitting shadows on the walls, to the ground to check for sudden drops, and to the ceiling to make sure there were no bats that would ambush me for disturbing their sleep.

With my nerves on high alert, it felt like it was taking hours, but as the torch hadn't gone out, I knew it couldn't have been more than half-an-hour, unless it was an everlight torch, which considering dresnath's collection of useful tools, I wouldn't have been surprised. I wasn't going to take the chance, though. I wanted to get through the cave before the torch ran out of oil. Being alone in the complete darkness of the cave was not something I was eager to experience. Not that being alone in the cave even with a light source was something I was enjoying. For now, though, I would have to just deal with it for the sake of the job.

It was probably around twenty minutes later before I finally found my way out. Once I was able to feel an air current, it was easy. It was a good thing I found the exit when I did; by the time I could see the mouth of the cave, the torch was barely holding a flame. It petered out just as I was making my way out of the cave. Once out, I cast another light beam into the sky to signal Dresnath; surely he was on his way back from the town by now and would be able to see it.

"You!?" A familiar voice exclaimed. I looked towards the voice and saw the fennec fox girl make her way through the trees. "What the hell are you doing here?"

My mind started racing. Fen was most certainly the thief. She likely saw the beam and came to make sure her stash was undisturbed. Catching her and turning her over to the guards would be ideal, I figured, so I wanted to try to keep her here until the others arrived. "Just admiring nature," I said after a few moments.

"You think I'm stupid or something?" she demanded. "I saw you send that signal up, now tell me what the hell you're doing?!"

Well, so much for plan A. I had to stall her. She clearly knew that I was here about the stolen ore. Was she trying to determine exactly how much I knew? "I could ask you the same question," I redirected.

"Don't try to change the subject," she said. "Just answer my question." She sounded panicked.

She probably thought she'd never be caught and never planned for someone finding her hideout, I thought. She sure has a lot of arrogance to think that. Maybe I can use that to my advantage. I gave my best smug smile and asked, "Why should I?"

She scowled. Her eyes darted from me to the cave to the trees at the side. Planning her next move maybe? Trying to decide whether she could take me in a fight? Whether she had time to get the iron from the cave and flee town before she could get caught? If she ran, would I be able to catch her? She looked fit and fast. Her legs looked suited for sprinting. She could probably put enough distance to lose me if she took off at top speed and weaved through the trees. She was probably thinking the same thing. I had to figure out how I could stop her.

I was given very little time. She started to back away. Something came over me. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," I said cooly. "Not unless you want to be fuel for the fire."

"Fire?" She asked. "No fire here." She turned to sprint off, but a plan had already formed in my head.

"I warned you," I replied. "Sektaka Litaka Fura Emsaka!" Large walls of fire sprung up from the ground, cutting off her escape. She held up her arm to cover her face from the heat leaping from the flames. Fen stood frozen, looking around for an escape, but the flames left no route open. "Give up," I said, hiding the strain in my voice. "There's no escaping; the walls are reaching out twenty feet. No way to run through them without ending up severely burned."

I could hear her mutter out a curse as she resigned that she had lost. "I don't suppose I could buy my way out?"

"Not a chance," I replied. I prayed to the gods to deliver Dresnath and the guards quickly. There was no way I would be able to hold up this illusion for long. So we waited. Fen clearly had no intention of dying today, so as long as my illusion held, she would stay put. I just had to put all my focus into the illusions and hold it together. I was too worried to even move closer to her lest that break my concentration enough to cause the illusion to break.

It was hard to measure time while in a state of extreme focus, so I had no idea how long it was, but I eventually heard Dresnath call out. "Ere, you here?"

"Here!" I called out.

Dresnath jumped down from the top of the cave entrance. "Woah! Fire? How...? Oh. I'll go grab her. The guard isn't far behind." Dresnath rushed forward and grabbed a hold of the fox. As soon as he had a hand on her, I released the illusion and fell to my rear to rest. I was exhausted. I hadn't realized just how much energy it would take to make a wall of flames. I did it, though. I managed to stall long enough for Dresnath to arrive. I was going to need to practice a lot more to make better use out of my magic... After a nice rest, though.

I woke up in Dresnath's arms. I didn't even remember falling asleep. He seemed to be carrying me back to the town, so I must not have been out for long. I wrapped my arms around him and nuzzled into his neck. "We got her?" I asked.

"Thanks to you," he answered proudly. "That was some quick thinking with the illusory flames." I smiled happily at the praise, hugging him tighter. He chuckled and kissed my forehead. "Had me kinda worried when you passed out, but I guess you just were at your limit from holding the spell for that long." I nodded. "Well, I'm gonna get you back to the inn and let you rest and recover. You let me handle getting the payment."

"Sounds good," I said with a yawn. "I definitely would like a nap. Really gonna need to get more stamina for this magic stuff."

"The more you practice and use it, the more your stores of magical energy should become," Dresnath replied. "But still, barely out of the gate and you're using magic well enough to capture criminals. I'm impressed." My tail instinctively began to wag, thumping against his torso with each wag. He laughed as he felt it. "Such a happy, little ott." He moved me so that he could tap my nose with his, which quickly was followed by a loving kiss. "Mine."

"Yours."