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>For the next couple of weeks we follow the same routine

>We wake up in bed together

>Then we perform a position of Gaia outside on the grass

>The positions range from strange to scandalous

>One day we'll just stand on one leg with our hands up in the air like a couple of lunatics

>While the next day I'll be sitting in Nella's lap facing her breasts, desperately trying to not let my bodily urges become apparent as we get through whatever breathing exercises the position entailed

>That fact that my pants tore apart a few days ago and I was resigned to wearing a simple loincloth Nella made for me wasn't helping anything, it often feels like I'm wearing nothing at all

>Then after our morning stretching was done Nella would take me along as she performed her druidly duties

>Sometimes she would make her rounds among the villagers, healing those that were sick and assisting the tribe in gathering food and keeping their cattle healthy

>Other times she would patrol the forest looking for oddities, signs of imbalance, anything that might tell her that the natural order of things was out of place

>Planting seeds to restore an endangered species of flower, culling an infestation of invasive foreign rodents, one time she even destroyed a tribe of marauding goblins that had just moved into the area

>She didn't let me participate in the battle due my lack of combat skills both magical and physical, but the size of the pile of little green bodies I was ordered to burn afterwards made it clear Nella is a capable combatant

>It all just drives home the fact that I'm not dealing with some two-bit novice sorceress here, Nella is the real deal, a gifted druid with well over a hundred years of experience under her belt

>Speaking of Nella, shortly after waking up today she said that we would be visiting a couple in the village, apparently they need some of Nella's medical expertise

>Probably just another beast folk with a cold or infestation of fleas

>Our morning stretches today consisted of possibly the most boring position yet, what she called the 'sacred position of rest'

>We literally just lay on the ground on our backs and stare up at the sky in awkward silence

>No other movements, no breathing exercises, we aren't even supposed to look at each other

>I'm beginning to think she may be trying to mess with me

>Whatever the case, I was happy when Nella announced the exercise was over and we could get to work

>After making the walk over to the village Nella and I entered the hut of the couple that requested our assistance

>The young couple, composed of a buck and a doe, sit on the other side of a smoldering fire

>We take our positions opposite of them and Nella begins to speak in the old tongue

>Over the past few days I've started to learn the odd language, picking up bits and pieces here and there, but I was still far from fluent and relied almost entirely on Nella to translate for me

>They speak for several minutes until Nella finally turns to me

>"They say that they are trying to have a child and have mated for several weeks, yet her belly remains flat. There are several remedies I could give them to enhance their base levels of procreative ability, but first it's prudent to give them a quick examination. Just to make sure that the fields are fertile and that the seeds aren't rotten so to speak."

>Slightly concerned at what was about to happen next I sit in silence as Nella gives them a quick order

>The deer couple stand up and Nella first moves to the doe

>She places a paw on the doe's belly and closes her eyes

>The room is silent as Nella measures the doe's fertility

>I look at where Nella touches her belly and see nothing strange

>No glow, or hum, or sparks, or any of the usual tell-tale signs that magical activity was taking place

>Eventually the bear takes her paw off the doe's belly and looks over her shoulder at me

>"The field is fertile, now let's check the seeds."

>She moves over to the buck and without a moment's hesitation sticks her paw down his loincloth

>His eyes bulge out of his sockets as he stares forward in shocked silence, apparently just as surprised as I was that she was going to do that

>After a few awkward moments she removes her paw

>"And the seeds are healthy as well. Interesting, interesting." She puts a paw to her chin as she walks back over to me and sits down. “Hmm, Malik, in your opinion what do you think should be done about this?"

>I shrug

>"You're the druid here, I have no idea."

>She scoffs and slaps me on the shoulder, it hurts

>"Don't act like you have no idea how babies are made Malik! Use your brain, if the field is fertile, and the seeds are good, then why might any crops not grow?"

>I look down and try to keep my answer within her analogy

>"Well…seeds need to be planted far enough into the ground before they can sprout. Otherwise they may not take."

>She smiles and pats me on the head

>"You're making progress my young apprentice. The problem is likely the position they are mating in. Certain positions are not favorable to procreation, while others are. The very best ones ensure that the rod reaches as far deep into her folds as possible, so that the largest number of seeds reach her womb."

>"So we should give them a few pointers on positions and tell them to keep trying, simple."

>She smirks

>"Tell them the positions? So that they can misinterpret our words and we have to come down here again in a few weeks? No, we should show them."

>I lean forward, heart beating like a drum

>"Are you seriously saying that you want to *AHEM* fornicate in front of them? You can't be serious!"

>"What? No!" She says with a laugh. “We're just going to show them the positions, how their bodies are supposed to be interlinked. There will be no mating going on between you and me. It'll be a static demonstration, nothing more."

>I try to protest but before I can even get a word out she puts a paw on my shoulder and pushes me down

>"You assume the position of rest, I'll assume the position of command." She says

>Position of rest, that's the one where you just lay flat

>And position of command, that's the one where you sit on your knees, leg spread apart and-

>Oh

>The bear is going to crush my pelvis, great

>Nella puts her feet on either side of my pelvis and barks a few quick orders at the deer couple who rush over to observe

>Nella then gets on her knees and pulls her loincloth to the side so her sex is visible

>I frantically glance between the deer couple and Nella

>"Nella, I'm not exactly in favor of doing something like this in front of strangers. Are you sure we can't just tell them what to do?" I beg

>"Be quiet Malik." She flatly orders

>The deer leer over us as Nella continues to stand on her knees above my pelvis

>She speaks to them some more, then flips my loincloth up onto my belly, exposing my manhood to the three of them

>Admittedly, despite having a half-naked and buxom beast lady in front of me, I was only at a half chub

>The knowledge that the two strangers were in the room with us was souring what would otherwise be a dreamy situation, and if they weren't present I would no doubt be as hard as a rock

>But that little problem is soon rectified when Nella reaches a hand down and touches my penis with a single tip of the finger

>Immediately my little man springs to attention and an almost orgasmic sensation shoots up my cock and into my brain

>I'm in total bliss for a few dreamy seconds, but when my rationality comes back a thought pops up into my head

>Wait

>Why did she do that if this is supposed to be a static display?

>I have my answer when I look up and see Nella has two fingers spreading her womanhood above my waiting cock

>Surely she isn't going to-

>The bear comes down and my cock disappears behind a layer of brown fur

>I feel that primal bliss return and for a few seconds my world shrinks down to just a couple overriding sensations

>That warm, wet, feeling my manhood is experiencing while enveloped in Nella

>And her thighs and ass pressed against my lower body, warm fur against cold skin

>Despite Nella having fully hilted me I buck upwards slightly, an instinctual action as my lizard brain thinks I'm supposed to breed with the woman on top of me

>But higher functions soon return and I shake my head of the traitorous thought, I'm not supposed to mate with Nella, this relationship is purely professional!

>I grab her thighs and regain my breath

>"Nella, I thought you said we weren't going to fornicate in front of them?" I say, voice straining

>"We aren't." She curtly replies

>I glance down to where our bodies are joined

>"Nella, my penis is inside of you."

>"And the last time checked mating involves more than just sticking it inside. It requires a little agitation for the seed to spill forth, does it not?"

>"Well Nella I-“

>"Be quiet Malik. I'm just doing this so my demonstration to the young couple is as realistic as possible. Make no mistake, there will be no mating going on between us."

>I let my head hit the ground in defeat

>"O-okay Nella."

>She then turns her attention to the deer couple and begins talking to them again

>A few agonizingly long minutes later and I feel like I'm about to explode

>Every now and then Nella makes a slight adjustment to her position and with it her walls rub against my cock, sending increasingly strong signals up to my brain

>In an effort to not orgasm inside of my teacher I close my eyes and try to ward away my oncoming orgasmic feelings with distant, innocent thoughts

>I focus on slowing my breathing

>I picture an open sky

>And below the sky is a mighty river, fast and strong with a surface covered in white bubbly foam

>The river winds through a verdant forest until terminating in a cave

>The entrance to the cave is taller than it is wide, and somewhere within it lies a sleeping cave bear

>It's a bear cave, with rushing foamy water slipping past its slit like entrance and filling the inside

>The strong current gushes forth and-

>Ah fuck

>This attempt at cooling my erection is not having the intended affect

>To my relief Nella gets off me before I lose control of myself, a few strands of wetness still joining our bodies as she rises and sweeps a leg over me

>"Malik, there's one more thing I would like to demonstrate for them before we leave. You will assume the position of the stretching dog and I will assume the position of the upturned turtle."

>Nella lays on her back on the hut floor, her knees bent and feet dangling in the air

>She pushes her loincloth to the side to expose her slit and urges me to come closer with a finger

>Already frazzled with seeing my teacher in such a vulnerable position I shake my head and try to focus

>What position did she want me to do?

>Right

>Stretching dog

>That's the one where I face the ground, holding myself up with my knees and arms

>And with Nella positioned the way she is…

>I quickly figure out the intended geometry and get on my knees, crawling towards her until my cock was above her entrance

>But before proceeding any further I look up at her, just to make sure she really wanted me to do this

>Nella glances downward, then back up to me, giving me a quick nod of approval

>Well here I go, hopefully this is the last coupling she wants to demonstrate since my loins are already dangerously close to bursting

>I reach downward and align myself with her entrance, then ease on in until our crotches touch

>The sensation briefly overwhelms me and a soft moan escapes my lips as my full length penetrates her

>I grimace, then glance up to Nella

>She gives me an annoyed look, her expression is thankfully not as harsh as I had anticipated

>She motions for the deer couple to come closer and my eyes flick down to her body

>They talk some more in the old tongue as I once again struggle to contain my increasingly lewd thoughts

>Suddenly Nella's legs wrap around my pelvis and her legs push my buttocks forward!

>My manhood is shoved deeper within her walls and another moan escapes my lips, this time one composed of equal parts pleasure and surprise

>I would say something but Nella is engaged in heavy discussion with the deer couple, foreign words and odd sounds bouncing between the three of them

>So I take a deep breath and steel my nerves, trying to mentally blunt the heavenly sensation coming from below

>As they continue to talk I stare at the furry body below me, trying to distract myself as I take in all of her coat's little details

>Her strands are thick and resemble the shade of dark chocolate, shifting between brown and black depending on how the light hits them

>Curiously, I also detect shades of green under patches where her fur is slightly thinner, is that…moss?

>Odd, but then again she is a druid that lives out in the middle of nowhere and wears next to nothing, I doubt proper fur care even crosses her mind

>I also see a few thin scars poking out from her coat, I wonder if-

>"Malik…Malik!...MALIK!"

>Eventually her shouting draws me back to reality

>I look up to see Nella with an aggravated expression on her face

>"Yes?" I respond

>"I said we're done. Get off me."

>"Oh, uh, sorry." I stammer back

>I scoot backward and release myself from her folds

>She flips her loincloth back down to cover her womanhood and stands up

>Nella and the deer couple share some parting words then we exit the hut

>With my erection still raging and my loincloth offering me no chance of modesty I have to hold my rebellious manhood upwards against my belly, covering it with both hands as to not taint the village with public indecency

>Nella apparently sees this, and leans down to whisper in my ear

>"That little trick I did will keep you at full mast for several hours without intervention. Why don't you go out into the woods and *ahem* take care of it privately. Then you can meet me back here and we can get on with the day's duties."

>I give her a rapid shake of my head before running off into the nearby woods, relieved to finally be able to release the orgasm that's been building for what feels like hours

>After finding a quiet place among the pines I lean against a tree and allow my cock to stand proud in the cool air

>With great fervor I begin stroking myself to completion, soon throwing load after load onto the ground in front of me as images of chocolatey brown fur and deer skin garments flash across my mind

>The post orgasm high is long, and blissful, and when it's done I finally look at the result of my self love all splattered across the ground

>Jesus

>That's a lot of cum

>Far more than I ever thought I could produce

>Perhaps Nella's magic had something to do with it?

>Whatever the case I wipe my brow of sweat and walk back to the village to find Nella resting by the village's bonfire

>She stands up and sniffs the air, her black nose wrinkling up as she detects something unpleasant

>"Malik, I know that humans noses tend to be dull, but can you seriously not tell how much you reek of sex? You didn't elope with some girl while you were out relieving yourself, did you?"

>I look down at my body, failing to see any errant fluids or out of place stains on my loincloth

>"I don't know what you're talking about Nella. All I did was what you asked."

>She leans in and takes in a few sniffs, cocking an eyebrow

>"The dried on sweat, the hint of lustful pheromones, the scent of both pre and post coitus emissions. If it weren't for the lack of any feminine scents I might accuse you of having some hidden girlfriend out in the woods, perhaps a wood nymph or satyr? They both tend to prey upon lonely men."

>"I've not been doing anything of the sort, I've been totally focused on trying to learn from your teachings for the past several weeks." I confidently state, crossing my arms. “I would never allow such distractions to pull me from my duties, you have my full and undivided attention."

>"I don't doubt that last part." She says with a smirk. “But it would be unwise for us to remain in the village with you stinking of love. I know a private place we can cleanse our bodies. Follow me."

>"But what of the day's duties?"

>"They can wait." She answers with a dismissive wave of her paw. “It was mostly just checking up on livestock anyway. Now come quickly Malik, before one of the tribesmen thinks you've desecrated their innocent daughter. They tend to get suspicious of such things when foreign men like you start wandering about all alone, smelling of unsanctified passions."

>She begins walking away and I follow close behind

>We travel away from the village and I soon notice the tell-tale glow around our ankles, we're back in her garden

>We continue further into the mass of trees and vegetation until coming upon a sight I didn't expect

>It's a hot water spring, several large pools of water clustered in a small clearing

>Waves of steam rise from the crystal-clear water and bubbles lazily rise to the surface

>A few forest animals are resting by the pools, taking in the pleasant warmth given off by the steam

>I turn to Nella with a smile

>"You've been keeping this hot spring a secret from me this entire time? I've been craving a bath for ages!"

>She chuckles

>"My garden has many secrets and hidden places Malik. Be thankful I have seen fit to reveal this one to you as it's unlikely I will reveal any more before you leave. My garden is more than a home to me, it's like a living extension of my own self. And don't think for a second that I reveal my most private places to every strange mage that comes my way."

>I look towards the pool and happily sigh

>"Well, I'm glad you trust me enough to show me this one. I'm going to feel soooo good after a dip in one of those pools."

>"As will I, my fur has grown musty after these past several days."

>I look toward Nella to see her wiggle her hips and slide her loincloth down her legs

>I stare in silent awe as she then removes her bra, her bare bosom jiggling slightly from the movement

>The perfectly plump melons, the wide areola, the dark nipples proudly jutting out, she could easily feed half a dozen babies with those milk machines, and that's not even counting the four breasts laying flat on her belly!

>My gaze wanders downward towards her cub bearing hips, her deliciously thick thighs and the barest hint of her womanhood behind a tuft of overgrown fur

>By the gods, I'm getting flashbacks to the college's display of ancient artifacts, all of those little fertility statues with heightened feminine proportions

>Then I see Nella put her paws on her hips

>"Malik what are you-oh."

>She stops as her eyes drift downward

>I follow her gaze

>I'm making a tent of my own loincloth, the sight of her naked body no doubt the source of my hardness

>God, and to think this could happen after having the orgasm of my life less than an hour ago!

>Embarrassed, I turn away and shield my crotch

>"Sorry Nella I just-“

>She puts a paw up

>"No Malik, this was my fault. Face me."

>I slowly face her, hands still covering my erection

>She approaches and takes my wrists, removing my hands from my rebellious member

>"The spell I did earlier to harden your penis for the demonstration can sometimes have lingering effects, occasionally it takes more than just one ejaculation to quell it. I'll help you take care of it."

>She reaches a paw towards my cock and my mind goes wild

>Is she…going to jerk me off?

>She shouldn't!

>She's my teacher!

>And a beast folk!

>And old enough to be my great-great-great-great grandmother!

>…

>But as forbidden the thought is, at the same time I wish for her to do nothing else!

>I want to feel her soft paw pads glide against my sensitive skin, I want to feel her measured strokes, I want to do nothing but cum ropes for her!

>Her paw reaches my cock and-

>She taps it with a claw?

>My member suddenly dies down, becoming as limp as ever

>She looks to me with a satisfied expression

>"Sorry about that. I sometimes forget how powerful my magic can be. And don't worry, you'll be able to get it up again sometime tomorrow. It's not like I've rendered you impotent or anything."

>"Thanks." I respond flatly, hiding my immense disappointment behind a forced smile

>"No problem. Now take your loincloth off and join me in the pool. The water's just as warm as it looks!"

>Nella steps into one of the bubbling pools and I follow behind her after removing my loincloth

>I sit on the edge opposite of Nella before sliding into the water

>Ohhhhh man

>It's just as wonderful as I thought it would be

>The water is hot but not scalding, just warm enough to relax my muscles and set my mind at ease

>The bubbles agitate the water and wash away all the dirt and layers of dried on sweat that once coated my body

>I sink down until only my neck remained above the water and rest my arms on the edge of the pool

>I look to the sky and let out a contented sigh, letting the water take my mind off my troubles

>"Told you it was nice!" Nella yells from across the pool. “Every now and then I love to take a nice long soak in these baths. Let the water cleanse my fur and work its way to my skin, feels heavenly."

>I look over to Nella, only her upper chest and head are visible above the water

>Even though most of her body is out of view I can't help but feel that I should be sensing a stirring down below

>Yet there's nothing, her magic has taken its effect and ensured my mighty rod would be nothing more than a floppy noodle until tomorrow

>We soak in the bubbling pool for several quiet minutes

>Eventually I decide to break the silence, having grown curious about one of the oddities I've been noticing regarding Nella's use of magic

>"Nella, I can't help but notice that when you perform magic it's bereft of the usual signs of magical energy being applied. There are no bright glows, or sparks, or sounds. Like when you tested the couple back in the village for infertility, all you did was put a hand to their bodies and that was it! Why is that?"

>"Of course a mage from the college would be wondering that." Nella says through a poorly suppressed laugh. She clears her throat and regains her bearings. “Malik, the kind of magic that I practice has no need for such unnecessary flashiness. You college mages are always competing against one another, striving to demonstrate your magical abilities to your professors lest you be kicked out or held back for magical ineptitude. Isn't that right?"

>"Yes, we have to go through a battery of tests every year to judge our progress. They can be difficult, and in my case often humiliating."

>"Exactly! In such a stressful environment it's necessary to make your use of magic as flashy as possible. To add flair to every spell and turn every use of magic into a lightshow just to make sure everyone around you knows how good you are. Sure, some spells are by their nature very eye catching, but to think that every spell under the sun must be followed with a radiant glow or flash of sparks is foolish. In my experience most spells cast by mages trained by the college have an excessive amount of added spectacle, often with the mage not even knowing they're doing it in the first place."

>"But your magic is normally done without such flashiness?"

>"Of course! Think about the things I do Malik. Communicating with animals, ascertaining the bodily states of living beings, assisting in births, warding away untimely deaths, healing injuries. None of those things need to have a lightshow attached to them and frankly I think it's irresponsible for so many mages to turn the sacred arcane arts into nothing but gaudy spectacles for the masses. It's so tasteless!"

>"Huh, I didn't know that. Now I don't feel quite so pathetic when I compare myself to other students in the college. Sure, everyone else's spells were often more visually stunning than mine, but now I know the sparks and lights were nothing but pointless flair."

>"Don't put yourself down too much Malik, the college may have failed to teach you anything useful but you've been making slow but steady progress under my tutelage."

>"What are you talking about? I feel just as useless now as when I arrived." I say with a depressed shrug

>Nella huffs, then urges me closer with a finger

>I float across the water to her side

>She wraps an arm across my shoulders to keep me next to her

>"Malik, being a druid entails being in tune with the nature that surrounds you. Some mages try for years only to never gain the connection, some gain it in mere weeks, for others it may take years. As for me, I was under the tutelage of a very experienced druid for five whole years before I truly understood how to connect with the natural world in such a way."

>"Five years huh? For some reason I was expecting you to say it came to you naturally. You're just…so good at what you do."

>Nella chuckles and rubs my shoulder affectionately

>"That's because I've had a lot of time to practice my craft. If you stick with it I have confidence you can be a druid as well."

>"Really?"

>"Yes, really." She states with a nod. “One of the benefits of being so in tune with nature means I can take a peek into people, see what they're inclined towards, what they're capable of, what connections they have. And you, Malik, are slowly but surely building a connection with nature just as I did all those years ago."

>"But I don't feel like I am."

>"It's a slow process, you shouldn't expect sudden bursts of progress. But we are at the point where it may be useful to test your aptitude."

>"How?"

>Nella smiles and pulls me a little closer

>"We can start with something simple, one of the easiest and most useful spells for a druid. That being the ability to detect life. Give me your hand Malik." I raise a hand out of the water and she grabs my wrist with a paw, holding it up a few inches from her chest. “Close your eyes and try to feel my presence. Reach out into the ether and touch without touching, feel without feeling, see without seeing. Come on, you can do it."

>She releases my wrist and I close my eyes, deep in concentration

>I try to reach out and touch Nella

>But not with my hand, no, it remains inches from her fur

>Instead I try to project myself outward, away from my earthly body, towards whatever lay beyond the reach of my own flesh

>After several silent seconds I finally feel it

>It's warm, moving, glowing

>There's just no way for my brain to process the feeling other than life

>"I sense it Nella, I can definitely tell there's something living in front of my hand."

>I hear Nella cackle and clap her paws

>"Good-good-good! You're making progress Malik. Now try to reach further, sharpen your senses, what can you tell me about this life? About, well, me?"

>I try to do as she says, focus further, but it proves fruitless

>"I…I can't do it Nella. I sense nothing other than your lively essence."

>"Perhaps this will help."

>I feel Nella grab me by the wrist again

>She presses my hand forward until it hits wet fur

>I open my eyes and see exactly where she put it

>My hand is right between her tits

>Again, I feel that something should be stirring below but my manhood fails to react

>The feeling is frustrating, like my libido is stuck in an invisible chastity cage

>"It sometimes helps to have physical contact with the being you're trying to sense." Says Nella. “Close your eyes again and tell me what you can find out about me. Try to be more specific with what details you search for. How old I am, what species, my mood, gender, things like that."

>I shake my head and close my eyes

>I once again reach out into the ether, poking, prodding, and analyzing the life that lay just beyond my hand

>"You're sapient, and a beast folk, a bear, a grizzly to be exact."

>"Yes! Now what else can you figure out?"

>"You're…calm, content, relaxed, happy."

>"Right as rain Malik. Keep going."

>"Female."

>"Should be obvious given the events earlier today."

>"And you've made life before, given birth."

>"I've had cubs of my own, yes."

>"You've walked the Earth for some time…two hundred and-“

>I suddenly feel a claw pressed up against my lips

>"No need to finish that sentence, I hate hearing the number out loud."

>I open my eyes and Nella removes her claw from my lips

>"This is incredible! I-I-I actually used magic and for once I didn't fuck anything up! I didn't accidentally light you on fire, or summon a minotaur, or have my spell fizzle out! I actually did it!" I shout giddily, a wellspring of hope bubbling within me

>Nella smiles and rubs me on the head again

>"Yes Malik, you've taken the first step onto the path of becoming a druid. But don't let your recent success get to your head, what you just performed was one of the easiest spells. You still have a long, hard journey in front of you."

>I take a deep breath and rest my back against the edge of the pool

>"Yes, you're right, this is only the first step."

>"So now that we've established you can detect life let's increase the difficulty a little. Give me your hand again."

>I present a wrist to her and she grabs it, lowering my hand below the water and onto her belly

>She then forces it lower and lower, two of her soft belly nipples passing under my hand until it had to be just above her crotch

>Again I feel that my loins should be stirring from such close contact with her womanhood, yet my rod remains a limp fish in the water

>"Your hand is just above my womb, Malik." Nella says, releasing me. “I want you to perform the same examination I did on the doe earlier today. Reach out, and assess my fecundity."

>I give a quick nod and close my eyes, slowly increasing my focus on her soft belly

>I wonder what I would find, assuming I'm even capable of finding anything at all

>Nella is old, far older than any woman of childbearing age, yet at the same time her physical appearance puts her at the upper end of potential motherhood

>Add in the fact that she's a powerful druid and any predictions regarding her fertility evaporate before I can form them

>I clear my head and try to focus on the task at hand

>I sense the presence of life, as before, but this time I try to narrow my senses to just the bits in front of my hand, below the layers of skin and fur

>I sink my hand deeper into her coat and feel a presence form in my mind

>The knowledge comes to me in pieces, like a jigsaw puzzle begging to be put together

>Fur, skin, blood, and the interconnected system of organs within it all

>I put these pieces together and-

>"By the gods, your fields are fertile." I gasp, removing my hand from her belly

>"You sound surprised. Were you expecting differently?"

>"Well…" I trail off, not sure how to respond

>Nella leans in, her voice low and serious

>"Malik, a druid has control over many cycles of nature. Life and death, growth and decay, feast and famine. It only follows that with enough experience a druid ought to learn to control their own bodily cycles. Delay some, accelerate others, whatever one wishes."

>"Any bodily function? Are you saying I could slow, perhaps even stop my own aging if I were to become experienced enough?"

>She slowly shakes her head

>"Stop? No. Slow? Yes. It's considered unwise to permanently halt a function as basic and universal as aging. Many have tried and failed, and I'm not just talking about druids. Those that attempt to rebel against nature often find themselves destined to a horrid state of undeath, devoid of earthly pleasures or coherent though. They're reduced to shambling skeletons, soulless liches, blood sucking vampires. I'm sure you've heard the horror stories."

>"Yes, several professors at the college had a friend or two that tried to attain immortality. They were all too eager to tell us anecdotes of what fate befell them, as a way of warding us off the same path." I say, resting my head against her shoulder as fatigue creeps in

>She pulls me closer and sinks a little further into the water

>"Don't worry Malik, just don't try to trick fate too much and you'll be fine. We all have a time to live, and we all have a time to die. To be afraid of death is natural, to escape it is not."

>"You've taught me much today Nella, when can you show me more?"

>"We can start with arcane translation tomorrow, try and get you talking to the local wildlife some. I know a couple songbirds who live in a nest nearby, they're friendly, and have a habit of talking my ear off."

>"Good, good, and one more thing."

>"What?"

>"You said that my impotence would wear off tomorrow, right?"

>She looks to me with a raised eyebrow

>"Yes, that's right. Why do you ask?"

>I shrug and look away

>"It's nothing. Just making sure."