# Adopted Author: SomaticDream Tags: Cowgirl, Fantasy, Female, Femdom, Framing device, Human, Hyena, M/F, Male, Male/Female, Musk, Parody, Tribal, claiming, scenting Local nobleman learns to stop worrying and love yeen musk. Adopted \>Dear mother \>I have been claimed \>I write to you now at the twilight of my journey, deep in the land of the gnolls \>In my exalted wisdom, and unbridled ambition, I made my way henceforth from the bosom of our dearest birthright, the high-walled castle of our family's noble line \>I sought to know the untamed lands beyond the borders of decent society \>I wished to make a fortune writ only in my name, unburdened by the shadows of my forebears \>I thought myself invincible, capable of enduring a life of endless peregrinations \>Oh, what a fool I was \>What depths of suffering I was to endure \>Not three days hence from my departure, I was ambushed by marauders in the burrow of a shaded copse \>The gnolls came like shadows made of teeth and claw \>I am sorry, mother \>All the sword fights in the yard, the tutelage of my father's greatest men at arms \>All of it was wasted the second my eyes fell upon those spotted beasts \>Never in my life had I felt such fear as when I heard their cackling ring through the trees \>They had me ten to a man, surrounded on all sides \>They wore little but boiled leather and painted fur \>They carried little but hungry eyes and thirsty blades \>In an instant, I lay cowering in the hard-packed dirt as they robbed me of my belongings \>My prostration caused them unending mirth and elation \>As all my worldly possessions were divided and fought over, one of the foul creatures took an interest in my person \>She was unwashed and nearly ungarbed, wreathed in an armor of bone and braided hair \>She raised my chin with the flat of an axe \>I gazed into her animal visage \>Her slitted eyes burned into mine \>And. . . . \>Oh gods \>The stench \>The sheer stench of this creature \>Mother, I shan't be able to describe it properly \>It was a fiendish malodor of unthinkable barbarity \>Her odor would have sent children screaming to their sires \>Her scent would drive the most devout priest into raving apostasy, cursing the name of any creator who would inflict its existence upon the world \>She snorted in my face, ignorant of the malediction that spread from her body \>“Hu-mon scared?" \>I was too overwhelmed to offer a response \>She cooed, rubbing my cheek with the back of a massive paw \>“No scare. No fight, no harm. You knowing?" \>Her grasp of the common language was atrocious \>Every broken syllable made me ache for what I had thrown away \>And all that I had been reduced to now \>Some foolhardy scion that was soon to have his throat slit on the side of the road \>I was going to die \>All at once, I began to weep uncontrollably \>The cackling of the gnolls only grew louder \>Many nudged me with the hafts of their weapons, clucking in barbaric tongues \>Steel glinted under the shaded trees \>Suddenly, the she-beast rushed for me \>I screamed in mortal terror \>But, instead of being devoured, she wrapped me in a furred embrace and snarled at her fellows \>They seemed quite as shocked as me \>A heated argument ensued, spoken with equal measures of guttural word and slabbering jaws \>I continued to lie nestled against her bosom \>Her teats eclipsed my head, and her horrible scent seemed as thick as bottled sewage \>Soon, the other gnolls went away with tucked tails and growling breaths, pilfering through my supplies once more \>My embracer turned me around as if I was no more than a doll in her arms \>Slowly, she wiped a tear from my face with a black padded hand \>“Caasi," she said, bumping a fist to her chest \>An expectant look crossed her slitted eyes \>When I did not find the strength to respond, she said “Caasi" again, as if I was simple-minded \>Another fist crashed to her chest \>I took a heaving breath, about to beg for my life \>but this only filled me with more of her foul aroma, and my tolerance of it snapped into gags \>“No scare. Safing's the must. _Ek sal jou beskerm_. How you say—" \>She paused, searching for the word \>“_Igama_? Your star?" “No!" I screamed, trying to escape from my prison of tawny fur \>This only caused her to grip me tighter \>“No scare! Wish learn star!" \>I couldn't stand the stench of this beast one second longer “By the gods," I cried, “your odor—" \>“Ah! Urodor!" \>She poked a gruesomely long claw to my chest \>“You star Urodor! Me star Caasi!" \>My struggling had won me no purchase \>She was impossibly strong “That is not my name! Let go of me at once! My father—" \>With nary a twinge of effort, she lifted me like a bride \>Her effluviant companions were already fading into the trees with my belongings \>She followed with haste, just as ignorant of my protests as her own malfeasant hygiene \>“Urodor! _Umuhle kakhulu_, Urodor!" “M-my father! He can pay you!" \>She smiled like I was some tittering babe in her arms “Ransom!" I cried. “You can sell me for ransom! My father has many creditors!" \>“_Uphephile manje_." \>Her voice was as soft as her fur \>“_Sizobhebhana_, Urodor. _Sizobhebhana_." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \>Caasi had been braiding my hair for an hour \>Mother \>As my name is Aizar Myolous, Esquire, House of the Interrogative \>Believe me \>I tried to resist \>“Cease your ministrations!" \>The grassy meadow echoed with her cackling \>“Same!" She fluffed the thick, beaded fur on her neck “Same, Urodor!" \>Mother, we were not the same \>She was garbed in bone and decorative trinkets \>Judging by the continued tugs on my scalp, she was attempting to mold me into a doppelganger “I am nothing like you! Let me go!" \>We had been sitting alone in the waning sun for quite some time \>Her tribal consorts were sharpening their weapons near the edge of the glade \>Their glances towards us were always held with open scorn \>It was obvious that they disapproved of Caasi's attempt to take me hostage \>We were of similar minds in that regard \>“Urodor! Feelings!" \>Caasi grabbed my hand and ran it through the bone pauldron on her shoulder \>She carved a path down her chest, through tangles of painted beads \>Down over— \>I had to use my full weight to pull my hand away “My name is not Urodor! It is Aizar! Second heir to the Interrogative!" \>She hummed in amusement while braiding more seeds into my hair \>“I did not say Urodor! I said _your odor_! _Your odor_—" \>“_Umuhle uma umemeza_." She poked me in the chest. “Urodor." A hand to her chest. “Caasi." “Unhand me, you odiferous wench!" \>I struggled for what felt half a span before she allowed me some freedom \>I stood on the grass, and she remained sitting, and yet our eyes were still at equal level \>“My father will find you musty marauders! He will send entire regiments to burn your hovels into ash!" \>She merely tilted her head “Listen! Allow me an exit, and I shall forget this ever occurred! No retribution will fall upon your bloodline!" \>Her ears folded back “Perhaps I'll be generous! I'll have my father send a caravan of soap, merely to fix the _humanitarian disaster_ that is your hygiene!" \>“Urodor," Caasi said, not looking at me. “No shout. Quietings." \>I followed her gaze \>Her effluviant bandits were all watching our exchange at the end of the glade \>Some had already risen to their feet \>Almost all, to a man, looked ready to floss my entrails with a sword \>“Want kill you," Caasi said. “I stopping. Claim, by right." \>A massive paw wrapped gently around my arm and pulled me against her bosom \>“You claim. You live." \>Slowly, the wretched visages of her tribesmen turned away \>The sound of growls and sharpening steel rang across the meadow \>“Braid for you. _Kuyinto yomkhosi_. How you say—" She paused. “Letting? Accept?" “Oh, I'm being ordained as a savage, is that it?" \>She shrugged, digging bits of copper from a skin pouch “You don't . . . you don't care at all about my family, do you?" \>She began to hum a gentle tune while braiding my hair “I. . . ." \>My family name had been at the forefront of every conversation \>Every peasant bowed their head \>Every member of the gentry thought me little more than a branch in a family tree \>Everyone had some hidden agenda relating to my patronage \>Everything I had ever done was shadowed by my birthright \>It was why I had left \>Why. . . . \>“Urodor!" \>She turned me around in her lap, her hand full of painted glass beads \>“Nicing! You go of the way!" \>She took another lock of my hair and set to threading it between padded fingers \>Her slitted eyes were focused \>Her black maw spread in a smile \>Over the grass, her tumaceous tribesmen were still glaring with hostility \>They would surely cut me down if I tried to run \>By the Seventh Bell, what barbarous calamity had I fallen into? \>“Caasi," I said, keeping my voice down. “Please. Let me go." \>Without warning, she leaned forward and licked my cheek with a barbed tongue \>She found much diversion in my shuddering \>“Liking?" She threaded more beads into my hair. “No sticking. Need do again." “No, I do not like! And stop using the infinitive! That is not how you conjugate—" \>She licked me again \>Mother \>I swear on my birthright, mother “Let me go, you odorous ogre! You musty monster! You stinking swine!" \>Her grip tightened at my back, like the lock of a gibbet \>“You liking, Urodor." \>Underneath her armor of bone and beads \>Her fur was softer than jasmine \>Warm as the sun \>The color of bread and gold \>There was so much of it to be found \>So much to explore \>None of my arranged courtships had felt like her \>None had been so exotic \>So alluring \>So. . . . \>So horribly putrid in scent \>She squeezed me tighter, locking my face against a teat \>I gagged against her flesh \>“Mark. You marking, Urodor." She let me pull up just enough to gaze into her animal visage. “You claim." \>Her grin was nearly feline in its deviousness \>“You mine. Everyone know." \>She sniffed my neck, as if to make sure, and found it confirmed. \>“Mine." \>She hugged me \>The entire world became her scent \>Pungent \>Balmy \>Miasmic \>Hers \>She braided my hair until the stars were bright --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \>The rest of her tribe appeared with blade, torch and plunder \>They were a nomadic people, a motley caravan of warriors and beasts of burden \>We journeyed through the night, roaming deeper into the barren savannah \>From snippets of conversation, I gathered that Caasi's people had roused the ire of the local garrisons \>They were fleeing back into the hinterlands \>And I would have to go with them \>I was never restrained \>Never once was a dagger held to my throat, as I might've expected from my father's enemies \>But, mother, you must understand \>I had no chance to flee \>Every gnoll, save Caasi, watched me with open suspicion \>They ran their fingers curiously through the beads in my hair \>They sniffed my neck like dogs \>Every time, they would find my scent shocking \>They would glance between Caasi and myself with amazement \>And they would slink off back through the grass, as if the scent they had found had been as a warding spell against any ill-intentions \>Personally, I found it just as repelling as they did \>Every time I caught a whiff of my own skin, it reeked of her \>I bathed in every stream and lake we crossed to little result \>Her pungent aroma suffused through my skin like a cattle brand \>But, in my heart, I had no doubts that Caasi's insistence on marking me with scent and bead was the only earthly protection I had left \>Aside from the she-beast herself \>She never left my side \>As the days went on, and her tribe scoured the open plains for forage and game, she taught me the ways of her people \>The first time I expressed hunger, she dragged me off to hunt down a boar \>In her antediluvian language, she instructed me on the proper use of a javelin as she gored the beast from afar \>She guided my hand through the process of butchering, making sure I did not ruin the pelt \>I never found her lessons the least bit patronizing \>Not like some of the tutors father had hired \>In fact, she seemed overjoyed when I killed my first rabbit \>Her native tongue was effusive with praise as I managed to patch my tunic with its fur \>I was shown how to dry the meat and pay honor to the rabbit's soul \>She showed me how to fletch arrows, forage for edible roots \>Every successful performance was rewarded with hugs and licks \>For the most part, I did not resist these affections, as I needed her scent to ward off the other tribesmen \>Maybe I found these displays endearing, in the way one might endure licks from a pet \>During those perilous days, I was not quite sure of my feelings \>I was not sure of anything, to tell the truth \>. . . \>Mother \>Perhaps I have been unfair in my portrayal of Caasi \>You might well be thinking that she was unfathomably primitive \>This was not the case \>In the tribe's endless ranging across the savannah, she would often pause and admire the beautiful vistas \>She held deep respect for every animal she slew \>At night, she would paint cords of bark and weave them into complex tapestries \>Her tent was a veritable gallery of art, all the walls adorned with majestic creatures and vibrant landscapes \>There was a wooden totem she always kept in a small shrine, carved to appear as a stack of gnollish faces \>Often, I would find her praying at its base, whispering the same phrase repeatedly \>“_Uyakhunjulwa_" \>It took some prodding for her to elucidate its meaning \>“You are remembered" \>Many of the faces appeared to be elders \>Some were children \>One was a male that had received special care in its carving \>She would gaze longingly into his eyes, her voice barely a whisper \>Slowly, over the chasm of our separate languages, I found a deeply aching soul \>During the first few nights, I. . . . \>Well \>Mother \>You must understand \>I found sleep difficult to attain, in those early days \>I had never slumbered on anything less than feathers and silk \>And my thoughts were an endless tide of fear and worry \>I would fret about my future \>I would remember all that I had thrown away in my arrogance \>I would be convinced the other tribesmen would soon defy Caasi's claim and anoint my head on a filthy pole \>I had never felt more lost and vulnerable \>But, in the deepest depths of my misery, Caasi would speak softly to me \>She would take me in her arms and lie me down upon a bedding of scattered furs \>She would stroke my hair \>As I laid my head against her chest, she would hum the songs of her people \>We would lie there together, listening to the fire that burned inside her tent \>The smell of smoke and earth would blend with her musty scent \>And we would make love \>Mother \>Of all the culture shocks I had experienced, this was the most shattering \>She was voracious \>Unrelenting \>Hungry beyond compare \>All my life, the noble princesses I had courted had been regal to the point of austerity \>They had seemed as delicate as a porcelain cup \>Caasi was not delicate \>There was not a trace of restraint in her carnal acts \>Every orgasm came as a revelation \>Every time, I would be amazed that I had survived the process \>Every time, she would have me moaning her name for all the tribe to hear \>And, every time, she would hold me tightly against her bosom as sleep took us both \>Under the smoldering flames, she would whisper to me in her native tongue \>The longer I listened to the alien words, the more beautiful I found their timbre \>It felt as if they were spoken by the wind and trees, as if the language was the voice of nature itself \>I heard her voice not as some fearsome savage \>But a friend \>A companion \>A fellow wistful soul \>I felt sure that she had enjoyed our love for its own sake \>I felt confident that she did not have some devious machinations in her heart \>She was not using me for her own ends, as I'd known from every other lover \>She did not wish to further a bloodline \>She did not want a union to solidify some political alliance \>She appreciated me for who I was, and not merely what I could give her \>I could feel the truth of this, nestled in the quiet foreign words, the gentle hush of her breath \>And, lying there in her arms, I would settle my head against her chest \>I would breathe in the same musty scent that had sent me retching upon our first meeting \>And it would make me feel safe for the first time in my life --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \>Eventually, the seasons began to change \>I stopped tracking the movements of the tribe against my cartographic memory of the region, hoping to escape whenever civilization drew near \>Instead, I made myself useful \>Caasi continued to teach me the ways of the hunt on the long marches across the savannah \>Seeing that I possessed much less stature than the other gnolls, she fashioned me a bow from sturdy yew and decorative twine \>I practiced every day with hand-fletched arrows \>As you know, mother, I had received my fair share of archery lessons \>Soon, I found myself the best marksman amongst all members of the tribe \>The gnolls, for all their beastly strength, did not possess the fine dexterity to properly wield a bow \>Their claws and padded hands were far more suited for melee and javelins \>When I managed to kill a fleeing rabbit at fifty paces, Caasi insisted that I join one of the tribe's hunting parties \>I had known this day would come, but it still left me aghast \>The other tribesmen considered me something akin to Caasi's babbling pet, one that served best when it was neither seen nor heard \>I was at the very bottom rung of the pecking order \>Every paltry share of meat I received for supper confirmed it \>But Caasi, bless her heart, made a stubborn diversion of talking up my prowess to the warrior chieftain \>I could see her spend every last ounce of social capital she had left, trying to earn my admission to the hunt \>In the end, she was successful \>By the early dawn, I was leaving for the woodlands with a squad of hunters \>But every one of their painted faces had leveled me with a sneer \>And they made no attempts to slow their gait for my sake \>I was dead weight, their eyes told me \>Some burden to be tolerated \>Nothing more \>It filled me with an indescribable rage \>I followed their grueling pace until I was exhausted \>And, when they had sighted a gazelle drinking at a stream, I loosed an arrow in a blind fury \>My horrible aim seemed designed to confirm their suspicions \>The gazelle fled through the trees \>We followed at a mad dash \>But soon the forest ended, and we could see the bobbing tail of our prey as it absconded through the tall, brown grass \>The gnolls refused to go further \>Under the merciless gaze of the sun, the open savannah would offer naught but a slow, miserable death \>There was nothing the tribe feared more than a scorching midday heat \>And, staring down the empty horizon, there was not a lick of shade or water to be found \>With their fur, and general size, it would be foolish to continue the pursuit \>I had no such qualms \>I ran headlong through the grass \>Bow in hand \>Beaded hair dancing in the sunlight \>Mother, you should've seen me then \>My savagery was an enlightenment \>I could hardly remember my days of careful study \>All the lessons on etiquette were lost in the wind \>There was nothing but elation as the gazelle disappeared amongst the fronds and light \>I was ready for this \>Caasi had taught me the art of tracking \>I stalked deep inside the brush, following every footstep \>There was nowhere that my prey could hide \>Soon, I was upon it again, but the gazelle fled in graceful bounds before I could notch \>I could never hope to match its agility \>But I pursued it again, and again, and again \>In the endless plains, it found no hope of quarter \>Always, it would flee, and I would follow, and it would flee again \>Its strength was waning \>I was drenched in sweat, half-mad from the burning light \>By the time the sun had fallen well-past its zenith, it was dying from sunstroke \>I slaughtered the creature just as Caasi had taught me \>I paid respect to the life it had lived \>Then, I took its corpse upon my shoulders \>And I trudged my way back to camp \>Night fell \>My bare feet were torn to bloody ribbons \>I was a shell of flesh and sweat by the time I saw the cook fires \>Most of the gnoll sentries were shocked to see me alive \>I hardly managed to toss the gazelle at the feet of a butcher before I was fainting \>I woke to Caasi's frantic voice in my ear \>She sounded as if she'd been torn in half with worry and anger \>But the warrior chieftain barked an order \>She stepped back \>The massive, scar-ridden gnoll sauntered over and kneeled at my position \>His eyes roamed over my burned, filthy skin \>He looked at the empty stew pots near the fire \>None of the other hunts had been successful \>I was the only one who had returned victorious \>A touch of amusement crossed his maw \>He looked me in the eye, offered a hand, and said: “_Onukayo_." \>I asked Caasi for a translation \>She replied: “Stinky one." \>I took the chieftain's hand while laughing hysterically \>He plied me with the ceremonial warrior's drink, a noxious mix of berries and fermented milk \>We danced around the fire, singing songs deep into the night \>It was the first time I had ever participated in their festivities \>It felt as if I had never belonged anywhere else \>I became outrageously drunk to the sound of celebration \>I raised my voice with a chorus of beasts \>I danced and ate and sang until Caasi was forced to drag me back to our tent \>We made aching, vicious love until I was too insensate to do anything but lie content in her arms \>It did not end there, of course \>I had proven my worth \>I was _onukayo_ \>Caasi assured me the phrasing was more poetic in the native tongue \>By the way the other warriors spoke it with fair greeting, I did not have reason to doubt her \>Soon, I was indispensable to every hunt \>With the revelation of my endurance, the gnolls shifted their tactics \>They would flush their prey from cover, and I would harry it with arrows \>All who escaped would be hunted down through the plains \>Soon, I found myself fought over between the rival hunting parties \>Everyone laid claim to my participation \>I had never once been in such high demand \>In my old life, I had always been the spare child \>The second heir \>I could sit with my father on the dais, but I could not speak \>It had not been my place \>Soon, the chieftain decided that my place was leading my own party \>I had my pick of the finest warriors \>And every successful outing only solidified my place as top hunter \>From then on, my shares of meat were only shadowed by the chieftain himself \>Mother, you should've seen the way these towering gnolls would look at me \>Not long ago, I had been little more than a hairless welp in their eyes \>Now, their gaze held nothing but respect \>And it was mine \>My respect \>I had not earned it from a family crest stitched into a tunic \>I had earned it with sweat and skill \>It was mine \>For the first time in my life, it was mine --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \>I suppose I should arrive at the purpose of this letter \>I'm quite certain that the stories you've heard of me were more ghastly than the truth \>Mother \>Yes, it is true \>I was involved in the ambush of father's men \>It was not any sort of targeted retribution, I assure you \>At the time, the gnolls had ranged near civilization again, as they were want to do whenever they wished to trade for medicine and other complex amenities \>Of course, any attempts at bartering were responded to at the ends of pikes \>More than one garrison was mustered in response, as if we had been a hair's breadth from storming the ramparts \>I was quite surprised that diplomacy had been attempted at all \>Caasi explained to me that it was a point of honor amongst the gnolls \>They would give civilized society the chance to treat fairly \>Once that inevitably failed, they would turn to banditry \>In their culture, if a basic offer of entreatment was rejected, then all warfare was permitted \>All tribes must help each other, just as every natural creature helps the other to survive \>Willingly or otherwise \>_Umngane noma Inyama_ \>Friend or Flesh \>Any tribe who is not useful as a friend will find use as a foe \>But allow me to be clear, mother \>I would not denigrate myself into some common cutthroat \>The gnolls were not distinguishing between soldiers and peasants, as there was no such distinction amongst themselves \>I made great pains to elucidate the difference \>And to say that the gnolls found this revelation acutely horrifying would be an understatement \>They had assumed that every member of civilization was a trained warrior \>To them, their actions had been akin to slaughtering an innocent animal without due cause \>In other words, an incomparable act of shame \>They were even more aghast to discover the degree of isolation inherent in the common man \>They considered our lack of communal cooperation to be a grievous poison upon the soul \>All these goliathan gnolls began to treat me as if I'd endured unimaginable suffering in the loneliness of my previous life \>I did not correct them \>And, thus, they now approached the role of bandits as they would that of a hunter \>That is, granting respect to any creature that was merely doing its best to survive \>Naturally, mother, I became the face and voice of every robbery \>Holding a bow of yew and twine, I would translate our demands to any carriage who crossed our path \>My hairless visage would be a point of calm amongst a sea of snarls and tawny fur \>Not a single robbery ended in bloodshed, thanks to my interference \>We took only the necessities \>Medicine, food, and textiles \>Not a single ounce of metal was involved in the exchange, whether that be gold or steel \>Regardless \>Showing mercy inevitably led to escaping witnesses \>Perhaps I should've known that word of my presence would spread \>Perhaps I should've anticipated father sending a search party \>Maybe I thought he had never cared enough to look \>Maybe I only wished this was the case \>. . . \>Well \>Mother \>I assure you \>I only recognized Rebith after I fired the warning shot \>I stepped out through the brush, ready to begin my speech— \>“Aizar!" \>It felt as if I'd heard the name in a dream \>Something strange, and yet immediately familiar \>“Seven Bells, lad, is that truly you?" \>His bald, ugly pate was just as scarred as I remembered \>I could see the hard lines of his face as clearly as when he had smiled through my training lessons “_Hou jou vuur vas!_" I shouted. “_Moenie aanval nie!_" \>Around my father's men at arms, the bushes came alive \>Javelins and axes glinted off every leaf \>They were surrounded \>Outnumbered \>Rebith had a face as white as bone \>All the knights in his coterie were gaping at the sight of me \>I could only imagine my appearance \>Wreathed in beads and fur \>My hair braided more finely than a carpet \>Every ounce of decadent fat burned into hard cords of muscle \>“Aizar," Rebith said, thunderstruck. “Fuckin' stars, lad, what have they done to you?" \>“_Bamba izikhali!_" I shouted. “_Hulle is vriende!_" \>The circle of gnolls huffed, but did not advance \>Slowly, I approached my old mentor. “Is sister Rosen still consorting with that dwarven prince from Valrynn?" \>Rebith took a moment to speak. “Aye, well, that's not official record, so to speak." “Oh ho! I'd wager she's built a step stool for him, by now." \>“Calls him her “giant of Lannister", so I've heard." \>I found myself snickering \>Rebith managed a twitch of the lips “Ah, well," I said. “Some people never change, I suppose." \>“Aye. Suppose not." He gave me a poignant look. “Aizar." “That is no longer my name." \>“Name like that ain't somethin' you can toss aside, lad." “Rebith," I said. “Turn around. You've found me, and now you may leave." \>“Can I, now?" \>There was a motley of clinking plate as his men shuffled uneasily, staring at the ring of gnolls \>“Don't rightly seem that way," my old mentor said. “Then again, seems you ain't quite the savage you're pretendin' for." “There is no pretend." I motioned with my bow. “Go on. Tell my father—" \>“_Hlukana nomuntu_!" \>Caasi was at my side in an instant \>More accurately, she had pulled me to her side \>“_Ngeke uthathe ngisho unwele olulodwa!_" \>Half of Rebith's men appeared to soil their gambesons \>My face was full of fur, breasts, and beads \>“You no take! He is tribe!" \>All the gnolls thumped their shields in solidarity \>“You poison! You lie!" \>I was struggling valiantly against her grip \>“Gone, patriarch! None but tribe!" \>The gnolls roared \>Rebith drew his greatsword “Stop!" \>I disentangled myself from Caasi, waving my bow \>“_Yiba nokuthula!_" I shouted. “Be peaceful!" \>At my back, there were hackles and teeth \>At my front, there was steel and arrows “Rebith," I said, pacing forward, “tell my father—" \>And it happened \>A gust of wind hit my back \>It travelled the short distance between us \>And the scent it carried made my old mentor shiver in disgust \>He looked at me as if it was the most vile stench he'd ever suffered \>And that look of repugnance instantly set my blood to boil \>It was the same sort of contempt I'd seen on father's face when I spoke of attending his parties \>It was the same grimace I'd seen whenever I dared to be present amongst the regency \>It was that exact same breed of scowl that always appeared whenever I forgot my place as second son \>And, most of all, it must've been the same expression I'd made all those months ago, when I'd met Caasi \>The woman who had saved me \>The tribe who had lifted me \>The scent that I carried now was the one that had spelled the dawn of my new life \>I had long ago stopped smelling the musk of my beloved \>I had gone blind to her musty signature the same way one goes blind to the scent of their own home \>Now, standing here with the remnants of my heritage, I realized that I smelled just as hideous as the rest of the gnolls \>And I wouldn't change that for all the noble patronage in the world “Rebith," I said. “Tell my father that his son is dead. There exists now only Urodor, the _onukayo_ of the plains." \>The grizzled old man at arms was sweating through his cuirass “Tell my father that the next search party he sends will find naught but braid and bow in return." \>I held my hand out backwards \>And the pads of Caasi's hands found mine in an instant \>She came forward, wrapping me in her arms, burying me in fur and bead and musk “Finally," I said, notching an arrow. “Tell my father that I. . . ." \>Rebith's eyes were as white as snow \>I remembered our laughter as we danced with swords in the chilly winter dawn \>Those days were long in the past \>I did not care “Tell my father that I have nothing further to say to him." \>Steel plate rattled against mail \>Every knight in the coterie looked ready to beg “_Yenza umgodi!_" I shouted \>The gnolls formed a hole in the perimeter \>I motioned with the tip of an arrow \>Slowly, staring wide-eyed at the towering gnolls, Rebith and his men began to retreat \>Soon, they were fleeing through the trees \>And the gnolls began to chant \>Their booming voices echoed through the forest \>The air came alive with song \>It was the most beautiful word of my life \>_Onukayo!_ \>_Onukayo!_ \>_Onukayo!_ \>_Onukayo!_ \>_Onukayo!_ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \>Mother \>I wish to paint a picture of the man who was your son and where he is now \>I am kneeling at the shrine of Caasi's ancestors, writing this on parchment I stole from a traveling minstrel \>I have written the entirety of these words while listening to her snore on a bed of furs \>The sound has only emboldened my resolve \>All through the day, the gnolls have granted me a respect due only to the strongest warriors \>Abandoning one's tribe is considered an unrivaled pain of the soul \>And they say I've borne the wounds with grace \>The celebrations lasted far into the night \>My mouth is still sweet with the taste of fermented _junjo_ berries \>All night, Caasi had never let me escape her grasp \>She had spoken my name at every given chance \>“Urodor," she said, as she plied me with meat and fruit \>“Urodor," she said, as she finished the _ibhiliyoni_ notch in my hair \>“Urodor," she said, as she guided my hand to the wet embrace of her thighs \>Mother \>She fucked me, mother \>I wish to describe the experience to you now \>And I do so only because I know it will cut deeper than any threat of violence \>I was thrown over her shoulder to the cheers and hollers of the tribe \>Our tent was a soft embrace of smoke and dimming firelight \>My body was thrown into a pile of scattered furs \>And she was straddling me \>Kissing me \>Barely able to tear off my clothes in the throes of lustful desire \>I thought of all the dainty princesses my father had chosen for me \>And I laughed in mad jubilation \>She took offense to my outburst \>She moved her flank from my hips to my face \>And she planted her rosy, drooling lips to the waiting embrace of mine \>Mother, you see, the gnolls were not well-practiced in the art of cunnilingus \>I'm sure you find the procedure quite unbecoming, as well \>But they possessed a considerable snout, no lips, and a tongue designed to strip flesh from bone \>The smooth and pliant embrace of my mouth was nearly divine in Caasi's eyes \>And she'd grown quite insistent that this act of love become a daily occurrence \>I was only too happy to oblige, mother \>I dare say I've eaten her cunt more times than I've seen you in person \>I'm quite certain that her screams of ecstasy gave me more pride than anything you've ever said \>And not to belabor this point too much, mother, but I had barely finished swallowing her emissions before she was licking the rest off my cheeks \>Have I described the richness of her fur? \>Would you like to know how it glowed in the firelight? \>Should I tell you how her breasts would heave in my hands? \>Perhaps you'd like to imagine the weight of this gnoll-woman pressing down on your son \>Running her hands over the symbols painted on his skin \>I'm sure you can picture the hunger with which she ravaged me \>Do you remember those scant few dinners we shared, where the only sound was the scraping of forks and knives? \>There was no such silence here \>Caasi was panting madly as she impaled herself on my cock \>She barely had the restraint to spare my pelvis \>Her pounding was so vigorous that the fire shook with every plunge \>Of course, I had come to enjoy the pain \>It was feral \>It was passionate \>It was _honest_ \>Mother, I cannot begin to describe the feeling I had when this gnoll-woman leaned over me with all her unkempt fur and braided jewelry \>When she pinned my hands to the piled furs, I laced my fingers between hers \>When she leaned down to give me a clumsy kiss, I returned it in kind \>And, when none of this slowed the savage pace of her fucking, I could not help but moan into her ears \>From her reaction, you'd think it was the most beautiful sound in the world \>She licked me \>She took my hands in hers \>And she fucked me harder than I'd ever been fucked in my life \>Mother \>I screamed her name \>I felt as if my orgasm had cured me of my heritage \>There was nothing but her left in its wake \>Mother \>Oh, mother \>There is more I could write \>I could've filled entire libraries with the depths of my scorn \>But that would not be honest of me \>Not anymore \>Those would be the words of the man I had once been \>Aizar Myolous, Esquire, House of the Interrogative \>And, as I sit here now, listening to the snores of my beloved \>I realize that I did not write this letter for your sake \>I wrote it for mine \>I wrote it to bury the man I had been, once and for all \>I shall end it here, mother \>This was the only time I had tasted our native tongue in weeks \>I doubt I shall ever use it again \>Because my name is Urodor \>And my only desire now is to crawl back into bed with the gnoll named Caasi \>Wrap myself in her arms \>Breathe deeply of her musty scent \>And feel at peace Source: https://sofurry.com/s/B1QzadVe