{"sf1_id":3310,"sf2_id":"dePyBN7m","title":"Sanctuary","author":"Neiko","words":4160,"posted_at":"2004-08-21T02:04:00.000Z","tags":["Human","No-Yiff","Wolf"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/3310-sanctuary","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/dePyBN7m","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=3310\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#2 of The Prisoner","content":"\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*  \nWARNING - This chapter contains mild references to homosexuality and  \nlove between a sentient, intelligent wolf and a human. Any who would  \nbe insulted by this, or any children under 18 years of age (or 21 in  \ncertain areas) should NOT read this story, and by reading past this  \npoint, you afirm that you are legally mature and able to handle the  \nsubjects mentioned above. Also, the writer is not responsible for any  \nproblems which arise by not complying with this warning. Thank you for  \nyour patience, and I hope you enjoy.  \n\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*  \n  \n  \nChapter 2 - Sanctuary  \n  \n  \n\"Come, we cannot rest here any longer, or we will surely be  \nfound.\"  \nI stand up, reluctantly, as my Mazuku friend urges me onward.  \nHow far will we be walking, I wonder? His people's land can't be close  \nto here, or they'd have been found long ago. I brush off my trousers  \nand shirt, a bit less than stable on my feet. I stumble forward on  \nshaky legs, still feeling weak, dizzy...  \nI don't remember anything, after that, but my eyes open to  \nstare directly into his. \"Wha...\"  \n\"You fainted again... it appears as though I pushed you too  \nhard. I am sorry.\"  \nI shake my head, letting him know it's not his fault. He had  \nbeen right, if we don't move from here, we'll be hunted down and found.  \nAnd there would be far worse in store for him if that were to happen.  \nI can't stand to see him hurt anymore.  \n\"L... leave... m-me...\" I manage to whisper.  \n\"Leave you?!\" He yells, quite loud and gutteral to my ears, it  \nshocks me to hear it. The rest of his words are quieter, though  \nwhether to settle me, or to keep our position secret, I cannot tell.  \n\"I cannot leave you here, after you risked your very life to allow me  \npassage from that abominable prison. I will not leave you behind, and  \nthat is final.\"  \nI feel... relieved, somewhat, to know that he cares for me  \nstill. Yet, for how long would we both have to wait in fear of being  \ncaptured before we are safe, if we are ever even to be safe. Without  \nany warning to him, I sit up, and stand, balancing myself against a  \ntree, and walking forward.  \n\"Stop!\" He yells at me.  \nI don't listen to him, I just keep going. \"W... we have to....  \nmove on...\" I strain to get the words from my lips, yet, as his hand  \ntouches my shoulder, I lose my will, and stop as he says.  \n\"You should know, you were heading back to the beach.\" I look  \nto him, confused, then back, and though I cannot see it, by the  \ndirection of the sun I know he is right. I break down laughing,  \nfalling backwards in my enthusiasm. He seems to smile again, and sets  \nhimself down next to me. \"Come, you need your strength, I've still a  \nfew fruits left.\" He takes the sachel of leaves from his back, untying  \nit and handing me two bananas, and a coconut. \"Eat well, then we shall  \ncontinue on. I have no more wish to be in this forest any longer than  \nyou.\"  \nI nod to him, gratefully peeling and feeding upon the  \nbananas... then wondering how to unlock the secrets of this coconut  \nhe's given to me. I see him pound his over a wooden log, then tip it  \nover his lips, watching the white milk of the coconut flow down his  \nthroat... which gives me a few ideas to say the least, but none of them  \nhaving to do with food. I put it past my thoughts, concentrating on  \nhow to get my own drink from this forbidden meal. He looks over as the  \nlast few drops of sweet coconut milk flow into his mouth, and smiles at  \nme. \"Here, you must do it this way.\" And with that, he takes my  \ncoconut, and shows me the log he had used. It has a large notch on it,  \nsticking out from the log to a point. After displaying this to me, he  \ntakes my coconut, and slams it down over the top of the notch. I hear  \na splintering, and as he removes the coconut, he flips it over. \"Drink  \nfrom it.\" I smile, and do as he says, drinking every last bit of the  \njuice from this fine gift. I see him with the coconut pressed to his  \nlips, watching as his tongue delves deep inside it, finding all the  \nnourishment hidden inside... and again my mind goes places it probably  \nshouldn't. I glance down, seeing his wolf-like maleness, not quite  \nhard, yet not quite soft either, yet as I watch, I see it rising,  \nlengthening. Sometimes I WISH he wore clothing, because now my  \nmaleness was starting to mimic his.  \n\"Are you alright?\" I hear... I close my eyes, and freeze on  \nthe spot. Great, now he's caught me staring at him... I keep my eyes  \nclosed, I can just imagine the look of disgust on his face... if he can  \neven show disgust for me to see.  \nI open my mouth to say something, but find it covered before I  \ncan. Opening my eyes in surprise, I see him, looking off in different  \ndirections at the jungle around us. I look around myself, afraid to  \nfind out what he's looking for. Without warning, I'm lifted into his  \narms, the sachel of leaves set in my lap, which I hold on to as he  \nbegins running at full speed through the thick, constraining trees  \naround us. His grace is outstanding for a creature his size. I don't  \nrealize until we were some ways away that we are being chased. Rather,  \nwe are being hunted.  \nI see them behind me, giving chase, climbing over and under low  \nbranches to get to their prey, us. It's a little unsettling to be  \nprey, to be chased by one of your own kind. Though now, I am the enemy  \nof my own kind, my race. I have no more time to think, within a few  \nmoments, I lose track of the hunters chasing us, and quite suddenly,  \nthe sun is at least three times as bright as usual. The Mazuku stops  \nfast, and we quickly both realize what's been played out.  \n\"How could I not see this?\" We both look across the wide open  \nfield of grass, and I'm sure his finely tuned ears can ear every  \nfootfall from every soldier surrounding the encircling tree-line. He  \ngrowls a moment, then looks to his right, and bolts, with me in arms.  \nI'm again surprised by his grace, as I feel hardly any jolting or  \nbumping all through his run, and as he reaches the trees, I see his  \nreasoning. Two other Mazuku! They look distinctly like him, but after  \nthe close look I've had at my rescuer and rescuee, I'll never forget  \nhis own, personal appearance. I barely notice the near hundred human  \nsoldiers rushing at us, along with the nearly ten Mazuku giving us a  \ngrand escort out of the area. I focus my eyes on the Mazuku carrying  \nme. Does he actually care if I live or die? Or is this just repayment  \nfor my saving him?  \nI don't get time to think further, before I know where I am,  \nit's dark beyond belief. I can't see an inch in front of my face,  \nthough judging by the pace this Mazuku is running, he can see rather  \nwell. I'm surprised by a pair of glowing eyes staring out of where his  \nface must be. No wonder he could see so well, I should have known from  \nthe start. I don't hear anymore humans, only the ten or so Mazuku  \nrushing around and beside me and my escort. A sudden, blinding flash  \nof light forces my eyes shut, and a few moments later, I open them to  \nsee a lush forest.  \nThe beauty of this place makes it seem almost primal. All  \naround, there are trees tall and strong, many of them with ferns  \ngrowing at their feet. The smell is enchanting, a mixture of herbs and  \nof bare, untouched nature.  \n\"This is my home.\" Says my rescuer.  \nI look around again, yet find no houses, no tents, not even a  \nhollowed out log or a hole in the ground. I am about to ask him where  \nhe lives among this forest, when another of the Mazuku walks forward  \nand speaks to him.  \nIt's a language I can't understand, a language completely alien  \nto me, most likely alien to all human kind. When they finish their  \ndiscussion, I decide to intervene.  \n\"What were you saying?\" I ask.  \n\"Oh, he simply asked if I am alright. Thanks to you, I am.\"  \nI blush slightly, not expecting such a complement. \"Well, this  \nseems quite an escort for you, especially because they didn't know you  \nwould be there.\"  \n\"Oh, they knew.\" He remarks crypticly. Before I have a chance  \nto ask what he meant, I'm released, set on the ground, and brushed off  \nby his hands/paws.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; After my friend speaks to the rest of the Mazuku assembled  \nthere, they leave, and he shows me around the forest. It's perfect.  \nNot a single blemish on any tree, not a blade of grass out of place.  \nIt's as if this were a place of magic. I resolve to ask him further  \nabout this place tonight. Soon enough, I can hear the hooting of an  \nowl, a sure sign that the sun will be setting soon. I had taken the  \ntime to walk through the forest, looking at everything with a sense of  \nawe, but soon, night would come. I certainly did not want to be left  \nout here at night, God only knows what foul creatures could hide in a  \nforest of such bounty.  \nIt doesn't take me long to find my companion. He is sitting  \nbeside a large fire, with nearly fifty other Mazuku, some sitting and  \nspeaking in the odd tongue which I have yet to understand, and others  \nup and dancing. From the looks of it, I would say that they are having  \nsome kind of celebration. I look on for a few moments, at the singing  \nMazuku, not a stitch of clothing on any of them. That explains why my  \nfriend has no clothing either. Soon, he notices me watching, stands,  \nand begins walking my way. He seems to have an enchanting way of  \nmoving, his swaying tail catching my attention for a moment before I  \nlook up to his eyes.  \n\"I see you've found your way to our common area.\" He says to  \nme, over the singing and talking I hear from nearer to the fire. All  \nin that same language I've never heard before.  \n\"Yes, I'm glad I did before it got too late.\" I remark.  \n\"Oh, there's no danger for you around here. All of my people  \nknow of your presence here, and none will do anything to harm you.\"  \nI'm pleased by this, at least I know I'm safe.  \n\"Where do you live, in this forest?\" I skip ahead to my  \nquestions, so I can make sure they get answered.  \n\"My territory is in that direction,\" he says, pointing off into  \nthe distance somewhere, \"you'll be stayign with me while you are here.\"  \n\"Alright.\" I reply. \"I've also noticed that none are speaking  \nEnglish, as you are... why is that?\"  \n\"Ah, you mean your language? My status is such that I am  \ntaught to speak fluently in the languages of humans. Not many of my  \nkind are able to, even fewer are willing.\"  \nI realize just now how difficult it must be for some of them to  \nallow me into this place. I look down, and he must sense my  \nuneasiness. \"Do not be alarmed. You will not be harmed here, you have  \nsaved me, and I give you my deepest gratitude.\" The Mazuku bows before  \nme, and I straighten uneasily at being paid such an honor, bowing back  \nto him.  \n\"Um... what may I call you?\" I ask him, to avoid a long,  \nnervous pause on my part.  \n\"Hmmm... I doubt my name could be pronounced by your tongue...\"  \nHe looks down, as though trying to decipher a horendous puzzle.  \n\"I'm willing to try, I have plenty of time.\" I offer to him,  \nand he nods his approval.  \n\"Alright. I'll give you my name, to start,\" and after a short  \npause, he makes out a few syllables I've never heard, combinations of  \nletters and sounds I probably could never reproduce, and a few growls  \nthat are probably too difficult for me to figure out how to say. The  \nname isn't incredibly long, but it is a bit daunting to hear at once.  \nHe smiles to me, and simply states, \"Just refer to me as 'Crvesh', it  \nis the shortest recognizable form of my name.\"  \n\"Alright then.. Keravesh...\" I still have to sound it out, and  \nit's probably a horrible pronunciation to his ears, but he gives me a  \ngentle smile anyway.  \n\"That is excellent, now, what may I call you by?\" He asks me.  \n\"My name is Xavier.\"  \n\"Zavir?\" He says, as though in question, I nod, and realize  \nthat he probably doesn't know my language as well as it has seemed up  \nuntil now. All he has to go on is what his culture knows from before  \nthey were forced away. The long silence passes without my knowing,  \nuntil a soft hand... or paw, I've yet to decide which it is more  \nlike... comes to rest on my shoulder, and snaps me back to reality. \"I  \nunderstand that we are safe now, but if you continue to drift off like  \nthat, I will wonder about your health.\"  \nTo these words, I laugh hysterically, and Crvesh joins me,  \nseeming more light-hearted now than before, though it is probably  \nbecause he's in his own land. Which reminds me of my reason for  \nfinding him. \"Um, about tonight, you live... in that direction?\" I  \npoint off into the wilderness, and he nods to me.  \n\"Yes, that way. Would you like to turn in for the night?\" I  \nnod to him, and he smiles. \"Alright. I will join you, the day has  \nbeen long for myself as well.\"  \nSoon enough, he says his goodbyes to his friends and... perhaps  \nrelatives... by the campfire, and walks along beside me. I wonder to  \nmyself, as I look around... where do these Mazuku live? I see no  \nhouses, no buildings, nothing but trees all around. Their land could  \nnot be THAT large and still remain hidden so long, at least not by my  \nreconning, so I decide to ask Crvesh.  \n\"Where exactly is it, that you live? I don't see any  \nstructures here.\" I remark.  \nHe looks to me bemusedly, and stops in his tracks, holding me  \nback as well. I become afraid, as though he may have heard something,  \nbut soon he faces me and smiles, still just visible under the full moon  \nlight. He turns back to the space in front of him, and before my eyes,  \nthe entrance to a large cavern appears in front of me. I stare on in  \nshock, though soon I feel his arm again nudging me forward. I comply,  \nstill in my state of disbelief, looking all around at the torch-lit  \npathway deeper into the cavern. As we head in deeper, I look back,  \nonly to find that no light from the moon even reaches here, despite the  \nfact that we've walked only about 20 yards by now. Looking back ahead  \nof me, I notice a room with many torches, and a large fire burning at  \nthe center of one wall, though oddly, no smoke rises from any of this.  \nI take a moment to capture all that this room holds.  \nIt isn't very large, a humble room, with a fire burning off to  \none side, torches lining the walls, all of the walls made of very well  \ncarved out granite rock, I note. There is a pile of skins off to one  \nside, his bed, I assume, and a path that heads off from one corner. It  \nis also lit, and I get the feeling as I look on that it is where he  \nkeeps his food, probably freezing cold to keep it fresh. All this  \nwhile, though I don't notice, he keeps his eyes locked on me, watching  \nas I take in his home, smiling calmly, and again, before I realize, his  \nhand/paw brings me back to reality.  \n\"What do you think of it? After seeing the kinds of structures  \nyou humans live in, I'm afraid I can't offer much more for comfort, but  \nthis will be where you will live.\" He seems concerned that I won't  \nlike it, though, in truth, the simplicity is, at once, entirely  \nwelcome.  \n\"Oh, no, actually, I don't mind at all. It will be nice to  \nrelax with you for a change.\" I realize too late what I've said, and  \nturn bright red, trying to cover up my words by continuing. \"Er, how  \nam I to get in here? I mean, how did you find the cave?\"  \n\"Ah, that. I have forgotten that your kind no longer has ties  \nwith our world.\" He must have noticed the slight look of hurt on my  \nface after his words sunk in. \"Sorry. Human-kind. I did not mean to  \noffend you. What we do is very simple, we are taught from youth to use  \nthe powers the earth gives us. I could teach you to use the cave  \nentrance in time, and probably to do other things as well, though your  \nhuman heritage may not sit well with the earth.\"  \nI nod to him, glad that he's at least willing to give me a  \nchance. I look again to the pile of skins, and he gives me a gentle  \npush in that direction. \"By all means, you must be tired. We shall  \nsleep for now.\" As he makes his way over, I notice again his swaying  \ntail, following just a couple steps behind him. I try my best to take  \nmy eyes away from the sight, and manage to just barely before he turns  \nto me. \"Do you mind sharing my bed? I could sleep on the ground, it  \nis little trouble.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"No, don't go out of your way just for me.\" I reply to him,  \nthen yawn softly. I'm more tired than I'd originally thought. \"I'll  \nbe fine.\" I see him looking down along my body, then back up to my  \nface, and look at him in ponderance, \"What...\"  \n\"Your skins...\" He says to me. I put the word through my  \nmind. Skins? Ah! My clothing. I yawn involuntarily, and he smiles  \nto me, \"Nevermind, I will ask in the morning.\"  \nI shake my head, as much to disagree as to wake myself up a  \nbit. \"I'm not too tired yet, what did you want to know?\"  \nHe nods, and smiles to me, beginning to speak slowly. \"My  \npeople only wear skins during the cold winter months, yet... I have  \nnever seen a human without his skins. Are you truly in such need of  \nwarmth?\"  \nI find myself again remembering my previous findings. It's  \ntrue, they have no modesty about their bodies, and why should they?  \nEven naked, they have a layer of fur covering them. Nothing to be  \nembarassed about. Still, as I look over his body, my eyes are drawn to  \nhis sheath. It doesn't particularly stand out, but it is there, in  \nplain sight. I blush, unable to control the reddened cheeks, and speak  \nto him. \"We have... um...\" I pause here, uncomfortably, taking my eyes  \nfrom his sheath, to see his smile just the same as always. I decide to  \nrelax, maybe there's less pressure in his culture about this kind of  \nthing. \"We have insecurities... about being without skins...\" I smile  \nat my use of his word, trying to make it understandable.  \nHe tilts his head... a very odd likeness to a tame dog tilting  \nhis... a way of portraying confusion, I decide. \"Insecurities? I do  \nnot understand.\" I realize now that I should have listened to him when  \nhe suggested we talk about this in the morning. This conversation  \ncould get very long.  \nI think for a moment about how to explain it to him. How do  \nyou explain an insecurity about being naked to someone who's standing  \nin front of you in the nude? I decide to try anyway. \"Well, it's an  \ninsecurity about being naked... without skins, I mean. It has to do  \nwith...\" I blush again, unable to hide my embarassment about  \nexplaining this to someone who doesn't care what state of dress, or  \nlack thereof, that you're in. \"...with our genitals. Humans are  \ninsecure about showing them to others.\" That's probably the best  \nexplanation I can give. I just hope he understands.  \nHe just gives me another quizzical look. \"Genitals?\" It  \nappears that word hadn't been introduced to him. I look down at his  \nsheath again, then back up, to see him glancing down that way as well.  \nHis right hand points to his sheath, and he asks, \"Your reproductive  \norgans?\" I nod, again, blushing like mad. He seems to be processing  \nthe statement I made, showing many forms of confusion as he stares down  \nat his sheath, then at my crotch, back and forth. \"I simply do not  \nunderstand...\"  \nI sigh lightly, it doesn't seem like there's any way to fully  \nexplain the way I and most of the human race feel. \"Well, it's not  \nthat important, I'm sure I'll survive while I'm here.\"  \nHe seems to straighten up after hearing that. \"Well, I do not  \nwish for you to feel uncomfortable. I could wear my skins while you  \nare around, though I do not think it will be possible for the entire  \npack to act in that way, however...\"  \nI smile at his effort to make me feel at home. He certainly is  \nwilling to go through a lot to make me feel welcome. I interrupt his  \nthoughts before he finishes them. \"No, that's not necessary. I'll  \nalready be a burden on you as it is, you have a right to your own  \ncomfort.\" He still looks unsure, but I just smile to him. \"Let's go  \nto sleep, I'm really tired.\"  \nHe nods, and smiles back to me, probably thinking the same  \nthing in his head. I'd neglected to ask how in the world we got here  \nfrom the other forest in the first place, but it must have been  \nsomething like how we got into his cave just a little while ago. That  \n'magic of the earth', or whatever he called it. No humans possess any  \nmagic that I know of, all of our magic is done by machines.  \nA hand/paw on my shoulder awakens me from my thoughts. Crvesh  \nseems to smile at me, and says, \"You really must find some way to  \ncontrol that.\" I chuckle lightly, and he joins in for a bit, then we  \nboth quiet down, and he settles onto the pile of skins by one wall of  \nthe room. The fire in this room actually has me feeling quite warm,  \nand I ponder joining him in his ways tonight. My decision is made  \nbefore I even think about it. It's just too hot in here to sleep like  \nthis. I remove my shirt first, realizing I'm still somewhat nervous  \nabout being naked in front of Crvesh, despite that he's never worn  \nclothes in front of me before. After the shirt is off, dropped  \nhaphazardly next to his bed, I begin to remove my pants. These I  \nremove quicker than before. I just realize that if I get this over  \nwith, it won't be so bad.  \nI'm not worried too much, after all, he's seen me like this  \nbefore. But I also realize, I'm gonna have to get used to being nude,  \nif I want to even vaguely fit in around here. Not to mention that I'm  \nstill a little warm. I slip the white shorts down my thighs, and let  \nthem fall to the floor, kicking them on top of the small pile of  \nclothes by his make-shift bed. That taken care of, I lay atop the pile  \nof skins, all too soon feeling the pull of sleep at my eyes.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \ncopyright 2002 - Neiko Mitaki  \nFeel free to e-mail me with any comments you might have, I  \nwould love to hear from anyone at all. Send comments to  \n[[email\u0026nbsp;protected]](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection) Again, comments and criticisms are graciously  \naccepted. Flames will be ignored.  \nThat's all for this installment in the series. I'll probably  \ncontinue it from now on, since there seem to be at least a few who like  \nit. Not much else to say for now. Oh yeah, don't forget, you're one  \nchapter closer to the yiffy stuff. I won't tell you when, but it's  \ncoming soon.  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"The Prisoner","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/3266-rescue.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/3462-education.json"}}