Hurt and heal

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#3 of Secret of the Taur Queens

Honestly I nearly forgot I had a planned continuation for this story, having read back through it I must admit I felt a real connection to the two main characters and sought to expand on that with less emphasis on the smut and more on their inner conflicts and helping each other heal.


An early dawn shone through the windows of a certain vixentaur's apartment, a tan and grey furred wolf taur blinked, having hardly slept due to worries. Having let lust cloud their minds, they had mated and tied, Talula filling Fierra's womb full of virile seed.

With a groan Talula tried to stand up, finding hirself tail to tail with hir knot still partially inflated. With a tug and groan it popped free, letting their accumulated mess flood out of the vixen's gaping pussy.

"Mmh morning my mate," Fierra said with a moan that had Talula's hearts beating, doubling when shi got a nuzzle and affectionate lick from her. But shi had to squash the rising heat.

"Fierra, what have we done, we should get you checked out at a clinic, maybe they can administer something in time to stop you becoming pregnant," Fierra began in a panicked tone, only for the vixen taur to chuckle.

"It will be okay, we love each other don't we, I'd say this will deepen our bond all the more," she said, seeming a bit puzzled by Talula's panic.

"But-but we have only known each other for a short while, I'm not ready to sire a child, I'm just barely ready for life right now!" Talula said, hir voice rising more as hir panic rose.

"Talula, you're treating this as though it was all a mistake," Fierra said, a hurt look and tone starting to creep into her voice. "I thought we were past all this, that you loved me."

"Yes, but I-am-not-ready!" Talula said, emphasising each word. "We had fun, I should have just pulled out though but your feral pheromones affected both our judgement!

"Are you telling me it was just my pheromones, that you felt nothing in it yourself?" Fierra said with a growl creeping into her voice.

"Don't you try twisting this, you acted on a selfish impulse. You wanted to bond us through breeding so you didn't risk losing me," Talula said as her own growls started to match Fierra by this point, hir own ire rising.

Fierra winced at that as though struck by a hand and looked down at her feral paws. "I..." she said as tears started forming in her eyes. She knew Talula had her with that, she wanted them to be a mated couple. She wanted Talula and didn't want hir leaving her. She wanted someone who she thought was a kindred spirit.

"I'm sorry...maybe this was a mistake," she said softly before getting up off the floor and opening the door to her apartment. "Leave," she said softly. "If that is how you feel that I took advantage of you then I will go to the clinic and have myself sterilised so I don't 'bare' your pup," she said.

"I...I'm sorry," Talula said, trying to reach a hand out to her only for Fierra to back away more, looking like she would either break down in tears or fly off into a feral rage at hir.

Talula tried opening hir muzzle to say something, but nothing came to mind. Donning hir own hide for hir under breasts, she slunk out of the apartment.

"Fie-" *SLAM!*

Anything shi was about to say was lost as the door was slammed promptly in hir face.

With hir hearts feeling like they would both fail hir, Talula trudged out of the building, tail and head down as burning tears welled up in her brown eyes.

Bursting out of the building and into the daylight, Talula ran as fast as hir four legs could carry hir, howling bayfully into hir run.

A number of taurs exclaimed or cursed as shi just thundered past them or barged by, uncaring of who was about or where shi was going before slowing down in hir mad, pain-filled dash, stumbling and nearly falling over onto hir front.

Shi found hirself in a park, though at this time there weren't too many people about, and for that Talula was thankful for.

Shi just walked around, not paying any mind to the few there or to any of the wildlife as birds fluttered and sang, or the pretty flowers that adorned the park.

With shaky legs, Talula just collapsed onto a park seat and put hir hands over hir eyes, unable to stop from crying.

Shi had lost her, the only one shi had felt anything for, who had given hir the confidence to live and be hir, gone.

"Well, what is the matter here hmm?" A voice piped up from above.

Looking upwards, Talula saw a grey scaled dragon with a harness and bags strapped to it, landed by hir.

Dragons were the only other sentient denizen on the planet Taur though more in the minority. And unlike dragon's of myth these didn't tower or spat fire, but were more horse sized. They were vastly sought after for post work and messaging due to their ability to fly and had a great sense of direction.

"Oh...it's nothing um..." Talula said, getting up to leave only for the dragon to put a talon on hir shoulder.

"Listen Taur," he said, judging by his voice, their species was strictly male/female in gender, "I don't know what's eating you but I can lend an ear whilst on my break. I'm told I am a very good listener," he said, his ear fins wriggling playfully.

"Well...if you're offering," Talula said with a hiccup before baring all. Telling him about how they first met and how they grew closer and closer until things got out of control.

Shi avoided explicit details but gave him the gist and sighed again, ending on their spat with Fierra planning to go to the clinic to have herself sterilised.

A long pause ensued before he spoke up. "Do you still love her?"

Talula paused for a few seconds but it felt like an eternity as thoughts, feelings and emotions warred within hir mind before saying quietly, "Yes...I don't want to think of life without her now."

"Then I think you know what to do my wolfy friend," he said, standing up and stretching like a cat before fanning his wings to take off. "I have to get back to work, but my thoughts are with you and hope things work out."

As he crouched, Talula put a hand on his shoulder," Thanks, um..."

"Wren," he said with a small dragon smile before he leapt into the sky with powerful legs and beat his wings to gain altitude before winging off.

Talula clenched hir fist and bore hir teeth. This would be the hardest thing to do but shi couldn't live with hirself if shi just let things be as they were.

Wheeling about, shi shot off, certainty and desperation giving hir renewed stamina and speed. Talula only hoped shi wasn't too late.

*

"Yes, we've just had a cancellation Miss Fierra, if you would care to proceed down the hall and take your second left a doctor will see to you shortly," the secretary at reception said to Fierra.

The vixen taur just nodded mutely, for intent and purposes, she felt completely dead inside now. Here was another she thought she would have a future with, and one mistake and it all came apart.

Her usual beautiful face was a mess of tears and torn fur, having lost it and started clawing at herself before she just felt a numb lump where her hearts should have been.

"In the end...I guess I'm always going to be alone huh?" she said in a numb, hollow tone.

A commotion sounded down the hallway before someone shouted for security and the frantic sound of running paws.

"Fierra..." Talula gasped when shi saw her down the side corridor before running to her.

"What do you want, aren't you done with me forcing myself on you?" Fierra said in a hollow tone that cut into Talula's hearts.

"No, I am not done with you and I don't want you going through with this," Talula said, reaching out only to have hir hand slapped away.

"Well tough, it's better we just go our own ways now," she said, the hollow sound making Talula more and more angry with hirself. Shi did this to her, and SHI had to set things right!

"No. It isn't and you know it! I was wrong okay...if I hadn't felt the same about you then I wouldn't have been affected by your heat, as faint as it was. I was scared but...I know I was wrong. Please!" With that shi threw hir arms, holding her tightly.

The vixen taur's eyes went wild, she started scratching at Talula's back, ripping and tearing her top and into hir skin, biting at hir shoulder and acting like a feral fox.

Talula held on tight, taking the claws, taking the biting and kept hir arms locked around her until Fierra stopped and slumped against hir, crying her eyes out into hir torn shoulder and shaking violently.

"I won't leave you ever again...I promise...I will be the strong mate you need in your life," Talula whispered through hir own tears.

"I'll have to ask you to leave Miss and come down to the police station with me," A voice said behind Talula before a strong hand clamped down on hir town shoulder, recoiling as the panther taur guard felt hir hand wet. Pulling away, shi saw it glistening with blood.

"No...it-it's okay," Fierra hiccuped into Talula's fur before managing to pull her stear soaked face away. "Shi...please, could someone get a bandage for hir and some salve?"

"No...I won't ever let go of you," Talula whispered, "I nearly lost you once...I know I did wrong in hurting you," shi hissed through the pain of the wounds.

"Talula...please...let them tend to your wounds," Fierra hiccuped, only to feel hir arms tighten even more around her slim shoulders. "I know you are sorry...I believe you truly love me. When you said I took advantage I could only see Tammy leaving me again...the hurt it caused."

"I know, and I was wrong, I promise to never leave you. Please," Talula said, putting as much truth into hir words as the now increasing pain in hir shoulder and back would let hir.

"I believe you," Fierra hiccuped, "now please, let them treat you. I'd hate for our reunion to end up scarring you physically."

"Look, what is going on here? Is this wolf bothering you Miss?" The panther taur said as Fierra shook her head.

"No...it's fine. Please," Fierra said in a shaking tone before a nurse was fetched and Talula reluctantly let go of Fierra, but refused to let go of her hands, wincing and growling as the salve stung hir cuts and was bandaged up.

*

When they were released from the clinic, Talula sporting a borrowed top with hir own now ruined, shi was still holding onto Fierra's hand.

"Why..." Fierra whispered as they walked down a sidewalk, "why go to so much trouble for me? Even after we have hurt each other," she said, looking as if she would cry again but held back any more tears.

"Because I could not imagine life without you Fierra. You helped me open up to who I am, you gave me a means to live again whilst being true to myself and more than that...I couldn't live with myself if I let you go through sterilising yourself. I felt like I had thrown my very right to live away," Talula said softly, feeling Fierra curl her fingers tighter around hir own.

"You know, I might not even become pregnant," Fierra continued as they paused, waiting to cross the road.

By now the sun was at its peak with half the day being spent with Talula getting patched up. Shi stayed quiet before seeing the three paws garden. A place full of beautiful flowers, a small corfec bar with an assortment of sweets and syrups.

Leading them there, she paid for a drink each and a fire wrap, consisting of beef, fire pepper, a type of rice and potato, wrapped up in what was known as a Tunbura leaf. A giant, edible leaf that kept everything together and added a herbal kick to it all.

"This is good..." Fierra said as she bit into the food, having never visited here by herself before, unsure what to make of hir silence before Talula stopped.

"I've decided," shi said quietly, having not even bitten into hir food yet, "if you want to bare my pup I will be glad to."

Fierra paused and nearly dropped her wrap and drink, muzzle hanging open before closing it shut with a snap.

"Are you sure...don't feel forced into it if you are not ready," Fierra said, adding barely above a whisper, "I don't want my selfish reasons to force you into something you are not ready for."

Talula was quiet again as they walked before picking a likely spot. It was pretty quiet around this time of day and gave them a good view of the large fountain and flowers around it.

Biting into hir food, shi took hir time before answering. "I don't know if I am ready, or if I will ever be ready," shi said, pausing to take another bite. "But I feel if ever I am to try, you are the only one I want to mother my pup."

"You would say that, even after seeing first hand what my feral mind is like, what I did to you?" Fierra said, staring at hir as if she didn't dare believe hir words.

"Maybe we need a bit more of that in us these days," Talula said, staring back at her. "Too many of us have forgotten our roots, become too tame."

"Talula...there is more to this. It is hard because you are still technically an outsider having only known us for a short time but...I know I can trust you. But please, this isn't for public ears. I will tell you all once we get back home. For now, I want to enjoy this moment, this peace."

She laid her head on hir shoulder, making Talula wince as the pain from her bite flared up, seeing Fierra recoil though shi grabbed her and guided the vixen under hir chin, holding her just above hir large chest as both twined tails. The sound of birds and the water from the fountain helped to soothe the two lovers' nerves and racing hearts.

*

Talula and Fierra lost track of time as they had remained in each other's embrace, neither wanting to pull away. But eventually as the day cooled, they made their way home hand in hand, neither knowing what to say but both communicating through touch they were there now for each other.

"How are your injuries?" Fierra said softly as they walked into the three story flat, walking up the stairs to Talula's apartment since it was closer by.

Talula could tell she was still feeling guilty, it was coming off of her in waves.

"Not the worst I've had," Talula said as shi tried to force a chuckle and failed. "I'll heal, don't worry," shi said, with a tender smile.

Lifting her head up, the vixen taur made to answer, only for words to fail and was about to go back to her self-blaming when Talula paused on hir floor and drew her in for a soft kiss that spoke of how shi still felt.

Fierra closed her eyes, surrendering herself to the kiss as tears streamed once more, making the kiss wetter as she surrendered herself to hir embrace.

"Please...no more blaming. We were both to blame, and you can't help yourself. So please Fierra...no more tears," Talula said, gently wiping the corners of her eyes and down the moist fur.

"I can't promise...but I will try to hate myself less," FIerra hiccuped before Talula gave her a smile and squeeze that spoke volumes.

Shi grabbed the key from where shi hid it, under a loose floorboard just outside of hir door and opened it up. "It isn't anything like your home but please settle yourself where you can."

Stepping into hir apartment, Fierra could see just how small and spartan it was. "You really had it rough huh?" she said, barely above a whisper.

"It has been a lot better since you entered my life though," Talula said, trying to put as much warmth into hir voice as shi could.

"Heh, even after all the drama?" Fierra said with a sad laugh. "I seem to always bring pain whenever I get close to someone..."

"Enough of that!" Talula said, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing eye contact. "You are not in the wrong, you are special. And I want you to be in my life. Please...don't ever think of yourself as a burden," Talula said, hir voice breaking and hugging her tight to hir form with Fierra reciprocating.

"I'll try my best, for you...for us," FIerra said softly before they straightened up with Talula heading to hir nearly too-small shower, telling Fierra to get comfy.

Stripping hir borrowed top off and hide, letting hir eight under breasts bounce free before stepping into the shower.

Stripping the dressing off hir wounds hir eyes grew wide at how much blood they were soaked in. Yes, shi would be lucky if they didn't leave a scar or impaired fur growth. Only time would tell. But this was a reminder of how shi had let Fierra down and would bear it now. Let it make hir grow stronger, for them both.

Turning the knob, water lighter sprayed hir form, making the taur hiss in pain as hir wounds stung. Shi tried to scrub hirself best as shi could but the pain was almost too much before the shower door opened with an undressed Fierra behind hir.

"F-Fierra? There isn't enough room in here for the two of us," shi said before arms wrapped around hir. Last thing shi wanted was for the vixen taur to see the damage she had caused.

Her eyes flitted to the still bleeding cuts and missing fur before grabbing the scrubber off of Talula. "I don't care," she said before gently helping to clean around the wounds, hearing hir hiss and growl and flinch, but her touch was surprisingly gentle and more bearable than hir own approach.

"Thank you," Talula hissed as she helped clean around the wound on hir neck, looking the most angry where Fierra had sunk her teeth into.

"I promise...if ever I lose control like that again, I would rather hurt myself than you ever again," Fierra said softly, her ears pulled right back at the injuries she was responsible for.

It was clear they had a lot to work through, the both of them. A lot of emotions, a lot of issues. But Talula was going to make the best of it and try to help Fierra with her own self doubts.

But for now shi was just going to enjoy their closeness. For now, shi wouldn't stop until Fierra accepted shi forgave her, wrapping an arm around them before gently bringing her in with her top still on.

"Talula, there isn't room for us to be fully in-" her protests were cut off as Talula thrust hir muzzle, catching her mid sentence in a deep kiss.

Shi felt her resistance melt away as the wolf taur drew her deeper, wrapping arms around each other, both squashed up against the sides of the shower walls and door but that didn't matter.

"We've a lot to work through, huh?" Talula said in a breathless whisper, barely audible over the shower.

"Y-yeah," Fierra said, tears shining in her eyes. A mixture of happiness and sadness. "But...we'll make it work," she said before they both surrendered into another mutual wet kiss.

After a cramped wash they both emerged from the shower, walking one after the other under the fur drier. Unlike Fierra's though this was a much older, slower model and took a while, settling on just damp.

Given Talula had gone first shi made them a drink of corfek as the vixen taur finished, neither knowing really what to say as they settled in the cramped government house.

"Maybe I should still get myself sterilised," Fierra whispered, her head down.

Talula opened hir muzzle to say something but then closed it. Damn it, shi didn't know what to say to help the situation.

"We're not really ready for this, and it was wrong of me to force this on you after all," Fierra said, still with her head down.

This was so far removed from the confident Fierra Talula had always known, was this who she really was? Was that air of confidence just a smokescreen?

"Look, I'm not saying it was right or wrong," Talula said, trying to find something comforting to say. "I know this though...I would rather you not."

Fierra looked up at hir, peering through her curtain of fiery finger hair.

"Your heat was only just flaring up," Talula continued, "so you might not even conceive. But if you do...I would be happy to bring life into this world, to help raise your kit. I know we are not ready, but you'd have ten months and I am confident by then, we will be ready for whatever life throws our way."

A ghost of a smile tugged at Fierra's muzzle suddenly, "Where has this confidence been hiding all this time?" she said with a dry laugh.

In truth Talula didn't know hirself. It felt like when shi knew shi was going to lose her, a strength Talula didn't know shi even had, had awakened.

"Well, if we're going to fully commit you may as well know of the full story with our little studio," Fierra said, sounding more like her usual self. "I have told you a bit about the history of the taur queens, the full truth sadly is not available in text any more. The source was destroyed by the government, but before the information was expunged from the deep archives, a few of us learned of a horrifying secret.

You see, those who are called queens is not just a label because they have multiple breasts, they are prime breeders with thrice the breeding capacity and potency of normal taurs. Now, what do you think happens when they have their breasts removed?"

When Talula remained silent, she continued, Well I didn't expect you to know. I wouldn't if I hadn't read the archives myself. Those who reject their calling are doomed to struggle with one offspring. Removing their under breasts sends a signal to the body that it has been compromised, and so their breeding functions become sorely limited. In other words, the proudest trait of our kind is been expunged all to satisfy people who can't see past their own egos."

Talula's eyes widened at this bit of news. "That is cruel...so the rise in taurs unable to breed is a knock on effect of this?"

Fierra nodded in consent. "That is why High Tail Studios is just a front. We want to overthrow the current government and reveal the truth before it is too late. We just need to safely compile the evidence away from prying eyes and get our own numbers up."

When she saw Talula's eyes take on a worried quality, she laughed in genuine humour this time, "Don't worry, our's is a peaceful resistance. We will not resort to violence, but through pressure and facts. I guess when I was starting to come into my heat cycle my judgement Did get hampered somewhat with the thought of you breeding me and swelling our numbers...and us at the heart of something great."

"I will admit, I don't think I am ready for something like that...but you do have my support," Talula said in slow, careful thought. "What they are doing is wrong and needs to be brought into the public light."

"That is all that I can ask of you Talula," Fierra smiled, reaching forward to grab hir hands in her own. "Are you with me for this crazy journey?"

It was Talula's turn to smile this time and brought her hands up to nuzzle, "I made that choice before you even said anything," shi said with real feeling. It might be more than I had bargained for, but I am with you no matter what."

Shi felt her head suddenly softly fall onto hir bare chest, having no need to cover up as the only window shi had was a cat flap window above hir head.

Fierra had fallen asleep, the day's events having caught up with her but she had a peaceful smile on her beautiful muzzle.

"I promise...with all my hearts, that I will protect you and be there for you," Talula said softly, cradling her head as they both slept on the sofa, in each other's embrace.