Captive in the Swamp
Captive in the Swamp.
When Alenia returned to the spot where she had made her camp, she finally realised that going for a bathe without properly securing the area was, and had always been, a bad idea.
Now, she was stuck in the middle of the woods, still two days trek from her destination, and now without her gear, her provisions, her weapons, or her clothes. Checking the tracks on the floor she figured the thieves to be the Laaidi, tree-dwelling frog-like creatures, who had a reputation for scavenging and thievery, no doubt her tent, blankets and leather armour were now helping to hold up some tree house miles away. Reluctantly, she turned eastwards, electing to take the woodland path to Woodford, avoiding the roads. Walking alone on the roads, braving the bandits was hard enough, doing so stark naked was just plain insanity. Trouble was, she knew what lay ahead of her.
It didn't take too long before the river that had fed the large pool she had just had a relaxing dip in, and was now acting as her guide to the city of Woodford, began to shallow out and slow down. Before long, she stood on the edge of a thick, noxious marshy bog. She skirted the edge for as long as she could looking for the shallowest spots to cross, while keeping an eye on the river that was to lead her to Woodford. Eventually she took her first hesitant step into the mud.
The ground swallowed her foot whole, coming up to mid shin. She gritted her teeth as the mud swelled up around her foot with a sickly slurping noise, and an accompanying swarming cloud of stench and small insects. Once the first step has been made, the second wasn't as hard, although it still involved some effort of willpower to put her entire weight into the bog. Once both feet were firmly planted, she picked out a landmark to head towards. She decided that if she broke the trip down into tiny trips from grass island to tree stump and so on, she could keep her mind off how long the journey would be all in all.
She made the first landmark, a petrified tree, without too much hassle, and then set her sights on a large hillock projecting out of the mud ahead of her. Halfway between tree and mound, the mud thinned out and became more fluid, causing her to sink to mid thigh. Wading as fast as she could she tried hard not to think of the smell or the feeling of the sludge around her legs. So deep was she in her concentration of other things, that she didn't notice a vine brush across her shin. With her next step, the vine caught her back foot, and she tripped, falling face first into the wet goop.
It was bound to happen sooner or later, and when she thought back, she figured it was probably best that it happened so soon into her trip. From that point on she made much faster progress, safe in the knowledge now that she wasn't going to get any filthier. It would take weeks to get the smell out of her fur, she was certain, but there was another added bonus too, the mud kept the worst of the biting insects off her. As the sun dropped, Alenia chose a hillock with a single half-dead tree to serve as a campsite. Covering herself as best she could with twigs and leaves, she eventually settled down to sleep, at least the nights were warm at this time of year.
A naked wolf woman was the last thing K'shirr had expected to stumble across during his night time scavenging, but there she was; fast asleep under a pile of branches. Slipping down into the mud, K'shirr used his powerful tail to push himself forward through the watery mud, his crocodilian snout and eyes just poking above the surface, untying a rope from around his waist as he went.
Alenia's eyes snapped open as she heard a twig break behind her. She had barely enough time to recognise the feeling of dread deep in the pit of her stomach before a powerful scaly arm wrapped around her chest. She squirmed as best she could as the thick muscular hands worked around her, trailing behind them a thick swampvine rope. Expertly, before she could even focus properly, her arms were tied up behind her back. The creature hauled her to her feet. She complied, bus as soon as she felt some slack, she ducked, pressed her back to the assailants chest and pushed back fast. The creature behind her yelped in shock and went tumbling backwards. Alenia took her chance and sprinted forward, her arms still tied. She jumped off the hillock into the waiting mud, her wolf eyes now perfectly adapted to the gloom. She tried to wade as fast as she could, not caring which direction she was heading in, but she was not a natural wader in the first place, and now off balance with her arms tied, it wasn't long before she tripped and slapped down hard in the wet slop of the bog. She began to sink, and a moment of blind panic grabbed her as she realised that she couldn't right herself. The mud around her legs was too thick, and her head was sinking. She gasped in a deep breath while she could as she disappeared totally under the surface, still squirming wildly, trying to find a footing to push herself back up.
She felt a strange sort of relief when the now all-too familiar scaly arms wrapped around her waist a few moments later. In seconds she was effortlessly lifted out of the water, and thrown across a pair of broad scaly shoulders. She thought about kicking and trying to flee again, but then reasoned that her captor may not help her as quickly next time. She closed her eyes, and as the last of the adrenaline wore off, she blacked out.
She was awoken by loud morning birdsong. She was lying face down on what appeared to be a rough wooden floor. Sunlight was streaming in through a window little more than a hole in the wall. She tried to roll onto her back. As she did a powerful scaled and betaloned foot slammed down in front of her. She braced herself. Thick hands took her by the arms and lifted her clean up off the floor. She felt herself being carried a few steps forward, and then she was placed down again, now in a sitting position in the corner, where she could brace herself against two walls. She opened her eyes in time to get a look at a gold and copper flecked reptilian eye staring straight back at her.
The crocodile tribesman took a step back watching her for a while, before turning and moving to a far area of the hut that was sectioned off by a large hanging curtain. Taking stock of the room, Alenia suddenly realised that she was clean. The mud that had caked to her fur had been expertly washed off. Looking round she soon saw what had done it, a large bowl of water was stood in the corner, and thick yellow soap bubbles had formed on the top of it. She knew that some plants found in the swamps could shift any filth from any material, but she didn't know that the swamp folk knew how to extract the stuff. It was not to be the only thing she was to learn about the swamp folk.
A few moments later, her captor returned holding a wooden bowl and a spoon. He sat down in front of her. He dipped the spoon into the bowl, and brought it up to his own great mouth, all the time staring into Alenia's eyes. He mimed eating, before offering the spoon to her. She turned her head to the side.
"Eat."
Alenia's attention snapped back to the creature, and her mouth, half-open with shock was suddenly an unceremoniously filled with a spoon heaped with a strong tasting broth. She briefly considered spitting the stuff out back at her captor, but her stomach intervened, it had not been filled since the day before, before her ill-fated bath. She swallowed, and as she did, a smile showed itself on her captor.
"I've never heard of a swamp tribesman speaking the common tongue before." She said.
The creature nodded, and filled the spoon again "I captured by city people when still a hatchling. I learn from them. Later I break free and return village. I help make tribe trade now with city people. Bring many good things."
The two conversed for a while. Alenia learnt that the creatures name was K'shirr, and that he was still considered an outcast by his people because of his past. K'shirr had hoped that he would be able to win favour with the tribe with his negotiation skills, but his people simply took advantage of his ability, and treated him no different. Once they had learnt the basics of trading, K'shirr had not been needed any more. Eventually she brought up the subject of her fate. What was to happen to her?
K'shirr's face fell, and he broke eye contact for the first time in their whole conversation. "Chief might trade you, or might keep you. I not know. Depend if he pleased with you or not."
"If he were to trade me, who would he trade me to?"
"City people. From Woodford."
"So how do I convince him to trade me? No offence, but I'd rather be a slave to those people than a slave here. I think my chances would be much better in the slave market in Woodford." Alenia suddenly realised that without knowing it, she had suddenly come perfectly to terms with her predicament, but the look on K'shirr's long face gave her reason to think again.
"City people not take slaves! Chief cut you up, trade you as 'Special Swamp Meat'. He do before. Sell bandits back to people as soup!" The look on Alenia's face was all K'shirr needed as a response. "Alenia listen: I not want stay here either. If Alenia help, I escape. Take Alenia with me. Go back to city."
Alenia needed no further convincing. "What do you need me to do?"
"Make Chief happy. If he like you, you stay in Chief hut. If he not, he kill you right there. I come at night. I make sleeping soup for guards. Take you out."
Alenia's audience with the chief came soon after. Her bonds were cut, she was wrapped in a rough cloth shawl and escorted out into the village by two large guards. Crocodilian folk stood everywhere outside, watching the strange furry woman being led to the chiefs hut. She was taken to the largest hut I the village, and ushered inside through a thick bead curtain. The chief lay on the floor at the back of the hut, spread out on a pile of furs and blankets. Thickly muscled, he was one of the most fearsome creatures Alenia had ever seen. Covered in thick scales, and carved with scars from both battle and ritual, He wore nothing much more than a ragged loincloth. By his side was a plate full of dripping raw meat. K'shirr was ushered in behind Alenia and the two stood before the great warrior crocodile. The chief barked out a loud string of orders in the primal brutish language of the swamp folk. K'shirr translated: "Great chief ask you to please him. Guards and K'shirr wait outside." The warrior croc continued to bark and grown, and his clawed fingers wrapped around a great notched scimitar that had lain under the fur pile he lay upon. "Chief warn that if you displease him he kill you quick." The guards left, and the chief motioned for K'shirr to do the same, as he left, he whispered "Stay alive, say awake, I come tonight. Please chief good."
As soon as they were alone, Alenia began her plan. She danced. She danced slowly and purposefully, occasionally flipping open the folds of her ragged shawl with a well placed kick or wave of an arm, Slowly she made her way forward towards the chief, who lay expressionless on his furs. She got towards his splayed open feet, and slowly worked her way down so she was on all fours. Moving like a great cat, she crawled up towards him, the warrior still didn't move or react. Alenia closed her eyes and prayed that what she was about to do would please the chief, at the same time she had to remind herself that she was doing this to save her own life. Regardless of how degrading, humiliating or just plain disgusting it was, she needed to do this to just plain survive.
She reached out and with a single hand began to stroke the long clawed foot of her captor. She rubbed it slowly, closing her eyes and letting her other hand caress her own breast under her shawl. Slowly she slipped the shawl off her shoulders and knelt naked before the great reptile, she let her hands roam her body, dancing again for the creature, before returning to him, and laying a hand on his thigh, She slid forwards, rubbing her breasts against his legs and eventually resting her head on his stomach, her hands still stroking up and down the crocodiles legs. Slowly she moved her strokes higher and higher until her fingers slipped under the chief's loincloth. This was the moment of truth, if he was to be pleased in this way he'd let her continue; otherwise that scimitar was about to swing, and her bid for escape would take a different path.
She brushed the loincloth aside, revealing the lizard's sheath. She gasped in fear, then quickly played it off as mock awe as she realised the crocodile was smiling. His eyes were closed, and he was lying back. She looked down at the sheath to see it was already swollen, and th tip of his penis was just about visible. She stroked her fingers across the cleft, a few times, taking in deep breaths that she hoped the chief would take for arousal. She dipped a finger into the slit, and stroked the slightly protruding phallus. The chief gave a slight thrust with his hips as she did so.
The crocodile's penis grew hard and unsheathed more and more as Alenia stroked it. Soon enough of it was out for her to wrap her whole hand around. She began to slowly massage it, varying her strokes, occasionally squeezing hard, sometimes letting her grip reduce to just the faintest of touches, all the while her other hand had slid down between her own legs, and her fingers were already stroking her own sex.
After a while of this, she moved forward again, lifting her leg over the chief and sitting on his stomach, she lay forward resting the side of her head against the upturned long chin of the chiefs crocodile jaw, one hand still holding the chiefs cock, the other till between her own legs. Slowly she slid down, guiding the chief into her. Her sigh was matched only by the chiefs own as the two were joined. For the first time now the great warrior began to move, slowly rocking his hips, a clawed hand coming up to grip Alenia around her slim, grey furred waist. Alenia rocked back and forth atop the great crocodile, letting herself go, as the first waves of her orgasm arrived, loosing her consciousness in the primal instincts of it all. She sat up in the chiefs lap, reaching back with her hands she balanced herself on his muscular thighs. The chief looked down, is eyes following the bounce of the wolf's breasts as she rocked up and down, up and down, up and down. Alenia was soon aware of two thick scaled hands clasped around her breasts, the claws dug into her flesh, the pain merging with all the other feelings swimming around within her as she rode the chief for all her life was worth.
The chief climaxed with a great howl, his hips pumping wildly in the final thrusts Alenia's own cry of ecstasy drowned out by the bestial, feral roar. As the chiefs thrusts died away, Alenia looked down, and marvelled at how she had brought this great creature under her spell. She had entered this hut as the slave, but who was truly the slave now?
The waves or exhaustion and pleasure slowly washed over her, and she lay forward, bid by the chiefs own arms. She snuggled into the furs, curled up by the great crocodile's side.
Now all that was left was for her to wait for K'shirr, she had overcome one task, but many more still lay ahead of her.