# Made of Steel

Author: Tygriss
Tags: Cheetah, Friendship, Human, Knight, M/F, Nudity, Pain, Panther, Sex, Violence (Not In Yiff), War

This is quite different from what I have done in the past. A gritty tale of a war between knights; The beast men vs the invading humans. Who will win?  
  
Warning: This story contains adult scenes of sex, violence and blood. Read at your discretion!

On the continent of Serris, a small island simply known as The Tail, was about to pay witness to a large battle as a row of figures lined both opposing ends of a small plain. On the one side, a scattering of just 200 figures lined the edge of a woodland.

  

On the other side, a line of some 400 came from up the beach with a good amount riding on horseback as opposed to just a few of the other side sporting what they passed for mounts.   
“Easy, easy there," a deep voice said, clad in medium armour, covering all the most vulnerable spots but allowing him enough room and weight to move and fight without too much hindrance. 

  

The owner of the voice wore a chainmail helmet, the exposed parts of his face giving way to a handsome, felenoid face that of a panther.  
“"This looks pretty grim Zeke," the rich, deep bass tone of the panther rumbled, looking to his friend and right hand man. A sleek, lightly armoured cheetah morph equipped more for speed with twin short swords.

  

“Yeah...the enemy more than doubles our forces, plus the number of ships off shore bode grim tidings," he said in a light, male voice. “What do you think our odds are Hunter?"

  

“I'd say slim to none," the male panther named Hunter growled back, his hand tightening over the steel sword in its sheath. He was truly an impressive specimen, 6.5ft in height, a broad build to him and piercing, yellow eyes usually sent the chills through most opponents. His arms were well muscled and the armour seemed to strain at his ripped body.  
“We must drive them back though, otherwise they will overtake the island. Knowing these savages, they will most likely butcher the males and wear the females skins as clothing. Humans sicken me!"

  

“Don't worry my friend, we will win. You have a wife to go back to after all," Zeke said, flashing him a confident smile that was as much to cover his own nerves as to help encourage his fellow knight.

  

As the humans numbered in their hundreds, more were coming in smaller shore boats, Hunter estimated the amount rowing to shore would bolster their ranks by another hundred or so.  
“Bring out the catapults!" Hunter growled his command out as four primitive but functional catapults were wheeled out on giant, iron wheels. Each one was pulled by four Llyawyn mounts, a mount they used that looked to be a cross between a giant feline and wolf. 

  

“But Hunter...won't that provoke them to attack?" Zeke said, weary that this would be seen as the enemies cue to charge.

  

“Yes...but either we strike now, otherwise we are truly doomed," Hunter growled out. The assembled human knights on the beach had already seen the threat and were charging towards their location.  
“Three to a catapult! Once you have done all you can to destroy their reinforcements, aim for their ships! We'll sink them and leave them stranded here!" Hunter roared to his knights before unsheathing his sword with a metallic ring. As the captain of the knights of Devos, a small island in the kingdom of Ferros, he had to lead the charge. Himself and 30 riders would charge their squad of riders. They were almost outnumbered three to one, but unlike the horse mounts of the humans a Llyawyn was a much more powerful and savage fighter.

  

The sky began to darken, and a steady rain started to fall across the island in a white sheet.  
“That is not a good sign," Hunter growled under his breath, the sky rumbling as if in consent.

  

“This may be our final battle girl, you have served me long and well...but we must do all we can. If they get a foothold here in the kingdom, they will be able to start to mount an attack on the country," Hunter whispered to his mount. An impressive and powerful specimen with alternating stripes of black and grey running down its body.

  

As Zeke mounted his own, Hunter hefted his sword high before swinging it downwards, signalling the order to charge as they thundered down the muddy slope to meet their attackers head on.

  

\*

  

The night before…

  

“My love...do you have to risk your life like this?" a pretty, curvy leopard asked Hunter, the pair laying in bed together with only a thin woven cover over her body.

  

“I am sorry Saline," Hunter said with a sigh, sitting on the edge of the bed, gazing lovingly into his wife's face. He reached a hand out, lifting a braid of dark hair away from her face. “Our scouts on the sea gave up their lives to deliver the information to us, on how the humans are mounting an attack to take our island as a base to strike at the other neighbouring islands. They plan to surround our kingdom and wipe us out, you know how savage these hairless apes can be. What kind of captain would I be if I did not lead the charge?"

  

“I know that my love...I know your duties as Captain of the Devos guards I know your duties...but if what was said in the report is true, you stand no chance. No chance at all…" Saline trailed off with a small hiccup, her eyes looking away from him, only for Hunter to gently grab her chin and forced her to meet his fierce yellow eyes.

  

“I WILL live through this. They may have numbers but they don't have the strength of us Wild Kin. I promise you my love, I will see you again."  
He tried to sound confident, but his tone wavered in parts.

  

“You're lying," she said softly, pushing his hand away and turned her head, tears starting to form in her amber eyes.

  

Balling his fist, Hunter growled a low tone before scooping her out from the covers and clutched her to his broad, muscled, furred chest, just in his briefs.  
“I will give my life for my kingdom...and for you. I want you to run come first light and take a boat to warn the empire, warn the king. So long as we can hold them off long enough to buy you that much time, my life will not be in vain! I would do anything to protect you Saline, I swore that on my life when I took you as my mate."

  

“Hunter…there must be another way" Saline sobbed against his chest, her arms clinging tightly around his neck as he laid with her on top of the covers and gently but firmly forced her to let go.

  

“We have tried to settle things peacefully...these humans believe we are a threat and danger to them. Like there is much the other races can do when three quarters of this world's population is made up of them. They said if we agreed to accept their rule, then most of our kind would be spared. That we can not do though...for it would mean slavery for our kind."

  

Standing up, he dropped his briefs and laid back with her, pressing his hard, furred chest into her side.  
“Please, let us just enjoy our night together. Let me leave not with regret in my heart, but joy at our time together."

  

Saline hiccuped, but nodded at him, letting him guide her on top of his body.  
Gently, he cupped her face and wiped away her tears with two large thumbs, the pads hard from years of service to his island and country but bore an underlying softness.

  

Seeing him like this, so calm and strong, Saline couldn't help but push aside her own fears and doubts. She was reminded of why she had married him; not for his looks or strength, though she couldn't deny those too were appealing features of his character. But for his kindness, and the strength of his love for her. For all his strength and discipline, he had a heart of gold.

  

“For tonight my love, I give you myself, body and soul," she whispered before letting her hands roam his pecs, feeling the firmness as his explored her curves, gently caressing and squeezing her ample chest and traced his thumbs over the nipples, causing her to gasp at the tender, loving touch.

  

Her hands roamed lower on his body, surprised to find him already erect and hard. His eight inch monster straining from its furred pouch.  
“You're a little eager aren't you?" she said, a coy undertone to her voice whilst a hand glided up and down his thick, hard member.

  

“For you, I always am. You are what gives me the strength I need each day," Hunter said in a low, deep, loving tone. His own hands having furthered their quest down her body, one hand gently cupping and rubbing at her mound with the other lovingly rubbing her shapely rear just under her thick tail, squeezing each cheek in turn.

  

Neither of them had thoughts of tomorrow on their mind right now, just the company and embrace of one another as his cock strained and throbbed before she lightly teased her lips across his tip.  
“You tease!" He growled, his gaze looking hungrily at her, roughly squeezing her breasts, causing Saline to gasp in delight, which was when he struck and thrust his shaft upwards into her hot, welcoming depths. Already slick with her own built up arousal.

  

She thrust down in response before starting to ride him harder and harder, going faster with each thrust with his hips meeting hers as they thrusted into each other.

  

As the pair came to climax, they roared out their pleasure to each other before Hunter overturned the pair and began to thrust into her with renewed vigour, the previous climax seeming to have only further stoked both felines drives as he placed his arms either side of her. Saline wrapped her legs around him as he proceeded to pound deep into her, Saline crying out his name every other thrust before the large, dark feline hilted himself inside her and filled her, giving her a good second filling with a roar of passion before collapsing on top of her, spent and panting, fur matted and with sweat and each other's love juices.

  

“Saline, I love you so much. You are the most precious thing in the world to me," he grunted, receiving a playful ear nibble in return of his rounded ear.

  

“Same my love. Please...promise me that you'll…" she was silenced with a passionate kiss from Hunter.

  

“Please...let us just enjoy this night," he said, a begging tone in his voice she had never heard before. It scared her to hear that tone. But she complied and that night was all about them two.

  

When the morning came though, he didn't have the heart to say goodbye to her. He knew she would try and stop him for there was no hope of winning.  
With a silent glance at her, his heart aching, he bowed his head and quietly closed the door, unaware of his wife's streaming eyes and silent mourning.

  

\*

  

On the battlefield, Hunter's blade sung its song of death as he wielded it with speed and power, slicing through every lightly armoured opponent he came across, his buckler deflecting blows of the heavier armoured humans until he could find a chink in the armour, slicing through as he and Zeke worked in tandom with one another. Both were long time veterans on the field although nothing to this extent.

  

“I swear...these humans are like ants. You kill one and two more take their place," the cheetah panted at the exertion, they had been fighting for a good part of an hour now, the catapults had taken care of a few longboats but the enemy was more prepared than they thought as they turned canons onto them and blew them into splinters, taking out most of the men manning them.

  

Bodies littered the beach and grassland where they met, both feleniod and human, Llyawyn and horse.  
All of the humans' horses had been taken care of, one or two Llyawyn mounts fought on, despite sporting injuries.  
Spying his own mount, labouring as it tried to fend off a mountain of a man with a short, neat beard and a greatsword, he tried to come to his companion's aid, forgetting himself for a moment. His mount Shadow he had helped hand rear from a cub. Together with Zeke they had cleared most of the island of its monsters.

  

“Hunter, wait!" Zeke cried out, only to just neatly dodge a hatchet swung at him.  
“Out of my way!" He snarled, his swords clashing with a handsome young man wielding a hatchet and short sword.

  

“I think not, beast!" He said, both gritting their teeth as they exchanged a flurry of blows, Zeke dodging and parrying whilst trying to find a way past. This opponent was good though for he offered very little in way of openings.

  

“NO!" Hunter cried out, his boots skidding on the sand as his mount gave out a deafening roar as the human sliced through its neck and forequarters in a spray of blood.

  

Wiping his huge sword on a bit of cloth attached to his hip, the offending human looked at him with a levelled, cool and calculating gaze, his blue eyes bearing a fierceness to match the best of them.

  

“I take it you are the captain?," he said, his voice soft but bearing the strength of command. “I can tell you are an exceptional warrior. My name is Raph, captain of the New Dawn knights. Might I know my opponent's name?"

  

Hunter snarled, trying to get a reign on his temper. Who did this human think he was? They had no respect for their own mounts, they would never understand the bond he had just severed!  
“My name is Hunter, invader!" he growled out, gripping his sword in hand tightly.

  

Gripping his own Greatsword, Raph gave him a levelled look.  
“We gave you creatures an option for survival. We were met by hostility from the governor of this island. So as a result we will use your island after wiping you out to launch an invasion on your kingdom. You are a dangerous race that we can not take a chance with."

  

“The only dangerous race I see here…" Hunter growled before the sky flashed with lightning, IS YOU HUMAN SCUM!" Hunter roared out before launching himself at him, brandishing his sword only to be blocked by the large human before him, the sound of steel against steel ringing out loud.

  

Pushing him off with a grunt, Raph gave an upward slice, gouging the ground as he tried to catch Hunter mid-flight, only for him to block with buckler and sword, landing with a flip before shoulder ramming Raph, his boots sliding in the wet and putting him off balance.

  

“You're a worthy fighter beast, I will hand you that much!" He grunted, only just managing to turn in time to avoid the panther from slicing through one of the few chinks in his armour.

  

“You humans offered us slavery! We would rather die than subject ourselves to such a fate!" Hunter growled as he tried to find an opening in the towering, thick armour to little avail.

  

The battle waged all around on the battlefield with Zeke putting in as good as his opponent, matching blow for blow, sword and axe meeting with a pearly ring in, filling the air with a metal chorus.

  

“Let me through jackass!" Zeke ground through clenched teeth at his opponent. He had to get to Hunter's side, he had a promise to uphold.

  

\*

  

“Zeke...there is something I have to tell you. I fear should Hunter become aware of it, he would get distracted in his upcoming battle," Saline said as Zeke made to catch up with Hunter, having stopped by only to find his long time friend already at the barracks.

  

“Yeah...I get the feeling I know what this is, Hunter is a great guy and knight, but lousy when it comes to noticing the obvious," Zeke said with a chuckle.

  

Placing a hand over a slight swelling in her stomach, Hunter had mistook it as a sign of being well kept and fed. Saline didn't want him to have that thought distracting him out on the field, so she passed it off as such.

  

A hand gripped her slender shoulder gently, looking into the reassuring, smiling face of the young cheetah.  
“I swear on my life he will come out of this alive, you have my word Saline," he said softly before riding off to catch his war buddy up.

  

\*

  

Zeke snarled in frustration, deciding to use his trump card. Jumping high in the air, he gave twin overhead slices to which his opponent managed to deflect. Zeke however anticipated this and lashed out with his hind feet, pushing him away and drew a throwing dagger he kept by his side. Hurling it, the dagger struck home with a cry into the back of his opponent before joining Hunter.

  

Blocking a powerful slice, Hunter's buckler shattered, the force of the impacts proving too much for the light shield.   
“You put up a good fight beast, but now the game is over," Raph said in a voice of calm triumph, expecting him to be already beaten.

  

“Not whilst I am here! See how you do against us together!" Zeke said as he pulled up beside his friend. 

  

“You get lost or something?" Hunter panted, his body aching and showing clear fatigue. His left arm was nearly numb from the blows of that greatsword. 

  

“Sorry, ran into stiff competition. I'm here now, together we can...ugh!" Zeke cried out, followed by blood flying out of his muzzle, an arrow jutting into his side.

  

“Heheheh...should have...checked I was dead…" his young opponent from before chuckled in a drunken manner, sitting in a pool of his flowing blood with his bow clattering to his side.

  

“Zeke!" Hunter cried out, taking his focus from Raph a brief second...which proved to be a mistake.

  

With a swift downward slice, the large human sliced through Hunter's left forearm, cutting it completely off with a scream of agony.

  

“H-Hunter!" Zeke growled and battered Raph back with a flurry of blows. Each movement caused him noticeable pain with his own wound before turning to see his friend, tearing off some of his own clothing to bind around the stump.

  

“Zeke...get out of here, I'm no use now. Go, run with my wife and t-tell the king-"  
\*Slap!\*

  

Zeke stood there breathing heavily, having just slapped his friend hard over the face.  
“I can't...it has to be you Hunter. Your wife is waiting for you...she is pregnant with your cub," Zeke said through clenched teeth.

  

Hunter's yellow eyes widened like saucers at this, she was...pregnant?  
“She never said anything," he growled through clenched teeth, in equal parts pain and anger at feeling betrayed.

  

“She didn't want you worrying...she only kept it a secret so you could focus," Zeke said before shoving him back. “Go! You run with your wife and warn the king on the mainland!"

  

“But...Zeke…" Hunter said, not wishing to leave his friend to die. Then his acute smell picked it up...that arrow he had been struck with was poisoned.   
Closing his eyes tightly shut, he gave a pained growl before saluting his friend.  
“Zeke...if our cub is a male, we shall name him in your honor...my friend, my brother in arms."

  

As Raph approached the weakened Cheetah, he bowed his head and smiled as blood trickled from the side of his muzzles, happy in the knowledge he had bought his friend the time he needed.

  

Giving a savage roar, Hunter picked up the closest fallen sword and cleaved himself a path, his pupils as pinpricks in a berserker like rage. Any he encountered in his retreat were quickly cut down. Even a sword that came too close to taking his eye out didn't slow his mad charge towards the woodland before turning around to look at the carnage. They may have lost this battle, but they had dealt a substantial blow to the enemy. He swore he would not let them get away with slaying so many of their kind, and that he would see the death of his friend avenged. 

  

Epilogue, five months later…

  

Following his defeat and fleeing from the battlefield, Hunter stumbled into the quaint home he and Saline shared, much to the shock of his wife seeing his bloodied stump of an arm.  
After quickly bandaging him up, they took the Llyawyn mount they kept for personal use to the only major harbor and fled to the mainland to warn the king. 

  

Thanks to the damage the enemy had incurred with their own catapults the human forces were in no shape to be controlling the waterways. As a result they made it to the mainland, the country Ferros, and soon the king had ordered every knight to the island and routed the enemy, driving the humans back.

  

Hunter himself chose to lead the attack, having prior knowledge of the enemy and harbouring a personal vendetta. Once they had cleaned up the island, he found the corpse of his friend and buried him with his own hands, marking the grave with his trusted swords and a carved bit of rock with his name.

  

Later, negotiations opened up between a human messenger and emissary that these were rogue forces with their own agenda. Raph was an ex-Paladin, dismissed when his own ideals were rejected as hostile and barbaric. However, whilst the king promised not to pursue in hostility, any human that crossed their border would be watched very carefully indeed.

  

Hunter was knighted for bravery and unwavering loyalty to the king and kingdom, granted to retire from the knights forces and his own bit of land to live out his days with his wife.

  

Eventually, their cub was born; a little yellow and black spotted bundle of fur.  
“He's beautiful," Saline hiccuped as she cradled the cub in her arms, worn from the birthing but full of maternal pride. “Do you have a name for your son?"

  

“Yes…" Hunter said, wrapping his one arm around his wife and mewling son. “I shall call him Zeke...in honour of a friend and brother who gave his life so we could see this day, together."

Source: https://sofurry.com/s/GnDLJWxn