Vauldonia (Chapter 1)
Scheherazade Birkes pushed her papers away with a long, heavy sigh.
She just couldn't get to term with her project. In less than five days she would have to leave Whindsbury and return home to university, where she would have to hand in an unfinished and non-substantial thesis paper. Distraught, she pushed her forehead against her palms and grunted.
Giving up for the day, she dropped her pencil and walked out of the old, stuffy study of her Aunt's small manor house. Cooking smells floated through the hallways, but she wasn't even hungry. She walked towards the large verandah at the back, and pushed through the large screen door nonchalantly. Outside the August air was filled with the heady smell of flowers and freshly cut grass. She plopped herself down on a large rattan chaise longue, feeling frustrated and tired.
'What's up?' A male voice errupted next to her, and caused her to jolt. She propped herself up on her elbows and turned her head to the right, only then recognizing Liam. Liam was her step-brother; he was the son of her mother's long-term boyfriend, and Scheherazade more or less grew up with him. She'd known him since they were both about 10, but he spent most of the time living with his own mother. He was a handsome man now, with reddish brown hair that fell in short messy curls around his angelic looking face. Right that moment he was starring at her with his pale grey eyes, inquisitively.
'I can't find anything to write anymore, Li. I thought I'd learn a lot more about the famous Whindsbury disappearences by coming here, but I've already typed both of the faily interviews in as much details as possible and only made it just over thirty pages. What will I write in the other seventy? Nobody else wants to speak to me about it.' She sighed again, and Liam sat down next to her, cross-legged, his head leaning against the chaise longue's arm.
Scheherazade was a criminology student, and as a subject for her latest thesis, had chosen the famous Whindhurst Disappearences. Over the last 50 years or so, at least one person had vanished off the surface of the Earth, all of them within the Whindhurst area. Many of them were tourists, but the majority were inhabitants of the small village. Researches were always inconclusive; no one had ever been found, dead nor alive, and even members of search parties had evaporated completely. With the time span being so wide, the common theory of a ruthless serial killer was begining to wear thin, and hypothesis were running amock, from boring constatations to the wackiest stories.
'Have you thought of perhaps exloring the urban legends? There's plenty, some of them right crazy, too. It could be a good addition to the practical side you've been writing about. You could maybe, I dunno, refute them?' Scheherazade considered this for a moment. It wasn't a bad idea; the house they were in was that of his own blood relative, and he'd spent a lot of time in Whindsbury as a kid. He still had many friends in the area which would be happy to discuss all the gossip, even the unsavory ones.
'That's not a bad idea, actually.' Their conversation was interrupted by Aunt Mallory, who called for supper with her slightly shrill voice. Scheherazade got up and headed towards the lavish dining room while Liam's eyes lingered on her. She was almost his sister, but he couldn't help but to cast an admiring look her way. Scheherazade was a gorgeous girl by anybody's standards; her olive skin was tanned from an almost religious devotion to sunbathing, and her hair was long, black as night, silky and straight. She had pale, luminous grey eyes not unlike his own (which often caused them to be mistaken for true siblings) but her figure was, by far, her most fantastic feature. Her legs were long and muscular, her butt small and rounded, and her c-cup breasts were deliciously round and plump. Blushing despite himself, he waited until she'd disappeared through the screen door before he himself got to his feet, and he followed her in.
***
The sun was highly perched in the sky, and its ray filtered through the thick branches of the trees in long, straight beams.
Scheherazade and Liam were getting deeper and deeper into the woods. According to Liam's friend Mark, one of the oldest and most widespread rumor was that people diseappeared in a small and isolated crique in the centre of the forest, where they drowned and sank in its bottomless depths. It was utterly ridiculous on its own, but even more so if you considered that the legend added one 'could only find it if they were actively seeking it', meaning that the crique could not just be stumbled upon by wanderer.
Having nothing left to do, both of them had decided to explore the woods anyways. It was a bright, sunny day and the ludicrous tale had felt like a good excuse for a little escapade. They'd been walking for over an hour then, had run out of conversation topics, and just silently progressed through the trees. They'd long deserted the trail and had no idea where they were now, but for some reason it did not bother them at all.
'Well, Schez. Still no sign of any magical crique...' Liam teased her, and her smile was her only response. As a matter of fact, the faint sound of a water source was starting to emerge, and both of them held their breath in a mixture of excited anticipation and dubious skepticism. Not twenty minutes later, they were actually stumbling upon... A very large pond. Perhaps not quite a crique, by all means, as it was encircled by land, but a body of water deep enough for them to swim in, surrounded by a small number of larger rocks over which tall trees had grown their roots. They stood before it in silence for a minute, before they both burst out laughing.
'You were saying, Liam?' She retorted in a mocking voice, before she took off her shoes. She tested the waters with the tip of her toes, pleased to see it was fairly warm. She looked over her shoulders and looked at him for a moment; he stood with his hands on top of his head, fingers interlinked, looking as baffled as she was. Scheherazade's gaze lingered on him for just a little while. The woods were humid, and she felt a droplet of sweat trickling down her back. She'd never thought of herself as much of a minx, but there was something about the way he looked at her that made her feel feminine, daring and desirable. He was a gorgeous-looking boy, by all means, and though they weren't related by blood their familiar proximity made this strange attraction deliciously naughty in her own opinion.
'Well, I'm going for a swim.' She announced boldly, and without paying any further attention to him she brought her tank top above her head and slid out of her denim shorts. She took one step towards the water hole and eased herself down; the pond quickly gathered depth and after a few steps she had to ease herself down carefully, as if entering a pool.
Liam's heart skipped a beat; it had been quite obvious all along that she hadn't been wearring a bra, and as he watched her slowly slipping into the water in nothing but her white lace panties he started feeling signs of arousal that would not go unnoticed for long. He tried to calm himself down, knowing he should quickly take a dip himself before it became too obvious, but he didn't want to look too eager either. When she bent over to dip her tanned body deeper into the waters, he noticed the side of her left breast tilting temptatively to the side and the thin fabric of her underwear hugging her crotch tightly. His mouth went dry.
Scheherazade started swimming around, delected by the fresh water against her mostly bare skin. After a few lengths she turned around to see what Liam was up to; he'd just steered himself into the water as well, and she only just managed to catch a glimpse of a young errection before his lower body disapeared out of view. She smiled seductively at him, hardly believing her own nerve. She'd never been prudish, nor did she respect women who were; in her opinion her body deserved pleasure, and after an entire summer of celibacy she'd grown tired of denying herself some fun. If she was completely honest, Liam had figured in her fantasies before, a guilty secret she kept to herself shamefully until she decided that it wasn't that immoral after all. So they'd known each other since childhood and were raised together; they still were no blood siblings! How was it different from people who started dating a childhood friend?
'You do that a lot? Impulsive mid-afternoon skinny dipping?' Liam said with a grin, not looking half as self-assured as he sounded. Nonetheless he swam towards Scheherazade a little, and she felt a rush of electricity going down her spine as he most obviously shared her interest. In a final act of provocation, she reached down and eased herself out of her panties, which she tossed to the side. It landed on a nearby rock, to dry in the sun. Liam swam a little bit closer, but still keeping his distance.
'I can't say I do, but I might just start making it a habit...' She said as she leaned back in the water, closing her eyes. Her torso eased itself out of the water and her breasts were exposed in all their glories, their pink nipples errect, gleaming under the sparse sun rays. Liam couldn't help it anymore, and he slid across the pond until he was next to her. Scheherazade's eyes remained closed but a smile etched itself on her small but plump lips; she knew he was there, and was clearly enjoying the effect she had on him. Loosing control, Liam drew his left arm around her nimble waist and brought her towards him as he lowered his head forward and circled her right nipple with his lips. Sheherazade gasped under the caress, more straight-forward than she'd imagined, and moaned softly as Liam nursed on her breast, licking, sucking and nibbling at it softly.
Unexpectadly he then pushed away, and Scheherazade recovered her senses. They both looked at each other for a brief moment, as if they could not believe their nerves, until Scheherazade plunged under the surface. They chased each other for a while, hands roaming and groping urgently, until Liam followed her down what seamed to be a small cave opening through the rocks. They broke to the surface and gasped for air, surrounded by the darkness that reigned in the small alcove. Liam grabbed his step-sister's waist and pushed his body against her's, his large errection pressing on her thigh, his mouth roaming along the length of her neck. Scheherazade left him to do his bidding until she decided to tease him some more, and dipped under the water again. She went back where they'd come from but instead of emerging in the sun-bathed pond, she found herself in another, much larger cave. She looked around her and though Liam had indeed followed her, there was no trace of where they'd just come from. They could not see a single thing, but from his irregular breathing she could tell he, too, was going from aroused to alarmed.
'Where the hell are we?' He asked, his hand searching for her in the darkness. When they found her he headed for her shoulders instead of her chest now, clinging to her.
'I have no idea.' Both stayed silence while their eyes became accustomed to their surroundings, and as they settled she noticed a glint of light in the distance, as if a long and cavernous tunnel stretched before them.
'This way!' She whispered as she grabbed Liam's hand, and they swam towards it until their feet could touch the bottom again. They walked out onto the surface, shivering with cold, and carried on for what felt like a good while. As they got closer they realised the speck of light had not been from the outside, but rather from what looked like a torch; something dwelled in this long cave-tunnel, something human. They both crouched against the wet stone walls as they progressed onwards. They came to a standstill as they heard grunts, growing louder and more distinct with every minutes. As they paid closer attention, it became fairly evident that they came from people engaged in some sort of sexual activity; they were very distinct moans of abandon and pleasure. Feeling a gentle tickling resuming in her lower belly, she tiptoed towards the source of the noise, and aided by the gentle glow of the torch-lamp she walked further into the cave, and found another faint source of light coming from a circular entrance leading towards a small room. Kneeing by the side of the entrance's edge, she peaked inside and could not believe what she saw.
The small room was basked in the gentle flames coming off torches and candles. The walls were bare and a stoney platform covered with furs occupied the entire alcove. stretched on it was what looked like a woman and a man engaging into passionate intercourse, except that they were no man nor woman at all. The creature which was obviously female was covered in white fur, and had a gorgeously curvaceous body. She had humanoid features ; her torso, legs and arms were the same, but her face was not flat and rather stretched into a muzzle not unlike a fox's, ending in a dark humid nose bordered by whiskers. Her eyes were tightly shut and her jaws opened slightly as she panted. Her ears were pointy and pearched on the top side of her head. To top it all off, she had a generous and lucious tail, which was raised above her back as her partner lustily assaulted her from behind. She was on her hands and knees, her heavy breasts bouncing wildly against her arms as what could only be described as a male human-horse cross was pumping a large errection into her quim.
The man-horse himself was quite a sight to behold. Resting on his knees, he had a remarkably muscular body covered with thin black fur. His hind legs sported hooves instead of feet and were drapped with white fetlock; his arms ended in hands, however. He had a long muzzle and a head exactly like a horse's would be; his neck was thick and strong, and his white mane and tail swayed beautifully as he humped his mate. Her eyes were inevitably drawn to the impressive girth of the jet black member he inserted in and out of the quivering fox-woman's slit at a considerable tempo. Though Scheherazade's heart was beating in fear and disbelief, she was also incredibly aroused by the familiar yet animalistic coupling she had discovered.
She was so engrossed by the spectacle that she never heard Liam sneaking up from behind her. When he gently placed a hand on her ankle, she gasped out loud and brought a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. The high-pitched noise had attracted the couple's attention, and the stallion-man's monstrous penis slid out of his mate's vagina with a slight slurping sound as she collapsed to the side, alarmed but too exausted to move. Scheherazade ducked to the side and laid her back against the stone wall, imitated by Liam, both of them overwhelmed with fear. The stallion-man stepped out of his sex cave and looked first to the right, then to the left. When he discovered the two, it seemed his eyes grew wide in disbelief but only for a short, fleeting moment. As he regained his composure his facial features hardened, and the step-siblings grew ever conscious of the fact that they were stark naked.
'Come. And I would not argue, if I were you.' The creature's voice was deep and firm, and the two indeed thought wise to just do as he said. Scheherazade struggled to her feet, aided by Liam, and the horseman urged them forward as he took place behind them, making sure they didn't do anything stupid. He lead them even deeper in the now seemingly endless cave. Voices, higher this time, emerged after a couple of turns and they were soon pushed forward into a room filled with activity. Both of them stumbled to the floor and Liam protectively held his step-sister close to him, not quite believing what he was seeing.
Several creatures, none of them alike, were grooming each other and laying on a large number of multi-colored pillows. The large circular cave room looked like it'd been turned into a harem; diaphane veils hung from the ceilings, and again torches and candles were the only source of light. Incense sticks permeated the room with a heady smell of sandalwood and patchouli. Scheherazade noticed most creatures were female; she recognized what looked like a human goat, a lioness or cougar, a bear, a doe, a rabbit, a dark-furred canine (perhaps a hyena?) and some type of antelope. Amongst them were two male; one was definitely a lion, and the other one some type of boar. The first one was being pleasured by the rabbit, ironically enough, who's hand was cupping his heavy balls, while the boar-man's member was engulfed in the woman-doe's delicate looking mouth. All of them paused to consider the two newcomers, including the doe, which caused the boar to grunt with displeasure as she stopped her back-and-forth motion. Scheherazade felt on the verge of fainting. The antelope woman got to her feet and approached them in a languid and gracious dismeanor, her eyes never leaving the two humans.
'Argos, you can go. Thank you most kindly for what you have brought me.' The horseman nodded his head and made a sound not unlike a horse's huffing and puffing, before he left the room, his hooved feet clattering against the hard ground, no doubt returning to his previous occupation. The antilope lady kneed beside Scheherazade and Liam, a smile on her muzzled face.
'Well, now. I can't remember ever meeting creatures of your kind which were of any... Interest for the eyes. I believe it has been quite some time as well since we had two of you at a time, let alone one of each genre...' She cupped Scheherazade's chin gently with her soft hand, her dark chestnut fur gleaming under the torchlight. The other creatures which had not been servicing any 'gentleman' also inched forward with much curiosity, mainly towards Liam (who's member, though not fully errect, still stood rigidly enough to command attention). The lioness/cougar slid her fingers into Szcheherazade's long black locks and marvelled at it, while the young woman tried to compose herself with much difficulty.
'What is this place?' She finally managed to ask, her voice unsteady. Her question was greeted with smiles, which irritated her, until the antelope-woman, who seemed to be the leader, was kind enough to address her.
'You, my dear, have stepped from your otherworldly realm and into Vauldonia. We rarely see creatures of your kind around here, but on the odd occasion we do discover those fabled hairless creatures, most of the time in this very cave. My previous master had warned me about it, and in my short life you are the second one I get to see upclose. I must be very fortunate...' She said in her soft, chanting voice. Vauldonia? Scheherazade had never heard of such a place. Was this where these people she had been writing about had disappeared? Is that what this half animal, half human creature was trying to imply?
This was simply too much information of her to process. The antelope woman caressed her face gently.
'Don't look so scared, I mean you no harm. If anything, I would be much honored to hire your services. You have much to learn about this place, and I will gladly be your guide! My name is Amalthya, and I an a Blackbuckan. I am the mistress of the Obsidian Cave, which is without a doubt Vauldonia's most reknown pleasure den. And you, my lovely? Do you have a name?'
There was no time for her to even put these words together in her head. A Blackbuckan? Vauldonia? A pleasure den? Had she really stumbled into some sort of brothel from another dimension?
'My name is Scheherazade'. A few gaps of marvels escaped the lips of the other females, and she could hear one exclaiming just how exotic it was. It was unusual indeed, even amongst humans, and especially caucasians; Scheherazade's mother was a literature teacher, and the One Thousand and One Nights's sultan's wife was her favorite character of all times.
'Well, Scheherazade. Will you kindly spend the afternoon with us? I can see here that your friend is feeling quite at home already.' Scheherazade looked over her shoulder quickly, only to notice that Liam had been pinned down by the goat-lady who's hand was wrapped firmly around his engorged cock, while the hyena-woman leaned against his side, holding his right hand pressed against her prominent breast.
'I will answer your every question to the best of my ability.' Amalthya added, all smiles. Scheherazade noticed her feline girl next to her, whom she was now convinced was a cougar-hybrid, licked her lips tentatively as she leaned towards her, her gorgeous breasts pressed between her forearms in a tempting gesture. Scheherazade swallowed hard.
Was this all really happening, or was it just a dream? She pinched herself, pressing the soft skin of her inner thigh between her thumb and forefinger's nails. The pain was almost instant. In the distance, she heard what could only be the fox-girl moaning loudly, followed by the shrill hinny of Argos the horseman.
No. This place, as unlikely and unbelieveable as it was, was most definitely real.