Breeze

By Snowsong Silverfall

Preface

A few words about the setting. This probably came out of my recent studies of iaido and as such there's some Japanese terminology in here you may not understand. A gi is a shorter version of a kimono. A hakama is very large pleated pants (think old samurai movie). A fundoshi is a long strip of fabric that's twisted and tied into thong-like underwear (again, old samurai movie). A saya is a scabbard or sheath for a katana.

I purposely mixed some familiar terms with some more traditional ones to help convey the perspective of the characters. Also, I coined the term 'bedder' which is sort of like a geisha who pretty much only has sex with people. I couldn't think of any other words that conveyed the sense of social acceptance I wanted it to have.

This story was originally written without the intent of a sequil but if it becomes popular enough all you wonder people might just convince me to revisit the characters.

Story

The Corrith spring came early this year. The snows had weeks ago given way to soft ground and cool breezes more commonly associated with early summer. Leaves on the trees already whispered of the seasonal rains soon to come.

Tyridru reflected on the weather, though perhaps not the same way his Sensei did. Comforted by the breeze as he was, a part of him knew his first patrols were supposed to be in the ebbing snow cover. The wolf was too young to remember the long winter near his birth. The elders wondered if this was the other side of the coin while the students took their training in stride amongst the pleasantries offered by Mother Nature.

Through the light forest into a field of tall, soft grasses the young wolf padded. He couldn't see the stream, even under the light of the full moon but he knew the Rakarra lands well. Yet night has a way of obscuring the land and so, thinking he was still several yards away and lost in thought, his footpaw cut through the water, lodging in the soft silt and toppling him silver haired head over grey furred tail forward.

Coughing and sputtering, he did his best to crawl up the other side, a task hampered more than a little by his hakama. Though covered with mud, he was glad to realize his left paw had not left his katana, preventing the blade from becoming too dirty. He'd still have to clean it but a little water wasn't nearly as bad as a lot of dirt.

His uniform was another story. He undid the hakama and his inner and outer gi bathing each in the water to wash the worst of the soil away before laying them out to dry. Lucky weather indeed, he thought to himself. A little shy, he tried to let his fundoshi dry without removing it but it became quickly apparent this wasn't going to happen. Reluctantly, he slipped off and untwisted the soft fabric that had to that point held the last of his modesty. It wasn't dirty so he simply laid it out to dry before laying down in the grass himself.

"At least I'm out by myself," he reasoned to no one.

The spring brought the wildflowers and the wildflowers brought the perfume and the perfume brought the naked wolf to ideas of what one would normally do while naked on a nice spring night out in a field amongst the wildflowers. He breathed heavily for a moment, a softly caressing paw doing what most his age would have had their first mate to do. Tyridu, however, had been born in a season that saw few females and he hadn't developed a taste for males despite the awkward attempt here and there.

Furred fingers grasped the warm sheath softly but firmly, sliding it slowly down to the subtle bulge, then teasing the fur down his testicles and back up returning the sheath to the tip, then tracing up his chest. This he repeated one, two, three more times before taking the sheath down below his knot and squeezing gently while his other saliva-slicked paw tenderly massaged the crimson member.

Through his own gasps and quiet moans he almost missed the rustling sound in the distance which caused him to freeze and focus his ears. Many would have mistaken the sound as just the grass and leaves but he knew better and he could pick apart the regular from the alien. Someone or something was moving quickly through the grasses of his field and towards him.

Tyridru's first thought was one of the other wolves out playing a prank on him but he dismissed that as whatever it was came from the direction of Jadaravar Clan land.

This is why you were out here, he half chided, half reassured himself. The wolf, somewhere between a pup and a warrior, hadn't seen real combat yet.

Entertainment turned to entanglement as he realized he was so stimulated he could hardly move without moaning or gasping now. His only recourse was to lay there as still as he could and hope that he could first settle down and second regain an advantageous position over his quarry. Above all else, a wolf on his own land was not supposed to be the one at the disadvantage.

The rustling grew slower, less frantic. Perhaps 20 yards away and thankfully not downwind it seemed to stop. Tyridru could now hear, though faintly, heavy panting. He bit his lip as he quietly readjusted himself to hear better, sliding sheath bringing a shudder and a quenching bite just hard enough to taste metallic and warm, yet he managed to keep quiet.

Long moments of silence broken only by the murmur of the stream stretched on. Gradually, whatever was in the distance crept to the water's edge. Thirsty I suppose. Tyridru wanted to use this moment of distraction to confront the intruder but he was still at too much of a disadvantage. Again managing no sound, he rolled to his belly. Soft underfur tickled his exposure bringing tears to his eyes but he refused to vocalize.

Up above the full moon walked the sky and timidly retreated behind wispy curtains of cloud. Shadows bled and intermingled on the edge of the woods. Tyridru's patrol was an all-night one and no one would miss him until morning. Soft, deep, regular breathing assured him the other was now sleeping. He could fetch his clothing and return without incident he was sure, yet isn't this exactly why he was out here? He needed to know more.

Still aroused, partly by the excitement and partly by, well, the other excitement, he crawled to his clothes. The light fundoshi was very lightly damp but the heavier garments were still quite wet. Better than nothing, he thought, slowly rising eyes fixed in the direction of the sleeper. Once confident he wasn't noticed, he took the longest he'd ever done tying the underwear around himself. The cool air on the light fabric helped to settle his loins down. He grabbed his katana with his left paw, thumb trapping the tsuba to the saya.

Moving in a wide arc, Tyridru brought the intruder up wind of himself. He opened his nose fully as a soft breeze brought him much desired information.

Feline. Not of the Jadaravarians then. Another gust, he considered further. Incense, not from the temple. Complex, expensive. The harem? A third. Female. In heat but untouched. A stirring from under his meager covering. He crept closer.

Diminished though the light was, Tyridru knew how to see in the dark. He didn't look at his quarry, but off to the side moving slowly about. He wasn't close enough to see her yet but he could make out the depression in the grass. Small, he thought. Probably young. Like me. The idea settled him some. Clan Jadaravar wouldn't use a young feline girl as an assassin, bedder or not. They were too proud to stoop to that. The wolf moved closer.

The rustle of clothes as she shifted in her slumber. At first she didn't appear to have a head but when she rolled over Tyridru saw that her hair was the deepest of black. The girl coughed on the hair but didn't rouse. He moved closer and stood taller to get a better look.

She was indeed small. Smaller than him and he was only 5 and a half feet tall to begin with. The fur around her lips glistened, still wet with the water she'd drank but her paw glistened more acutely. Jewels! _ Clutched in the small paw was indeed the diamond choker Lord Jadaravar always had his favorite companion wear. _This cat stole from them! Tyridru mused, grinning widely. Oh I like her.

***

As if on cue, the lynx girl roused from her light slumber meeting the striking golden eyes of the wolf. She gasped and propelled herself backwards, right into the creek. The wolf's laugh was cut short as he spun on his heels. Asirra heard it a moment later; someone running through the grass. She saw the silver haired wolf that had startled her crouch low, though he made not even a whisper of sound. As his ear tips vanished beneath the grass line the larger, older, and much angrier wolf she'd been fleeing broke through the trees.

He was still rubbing his nose she noticed with some satisfaction. She never much liked incense but the ashes had certainly come in handy. Nearly captured, she'd thrown a fistful of it at the wolf who then spent the next half hour in a teary eyed sneezing fit.

***

This one wasn't even trying to be quiet. He wore a black overcoat lined with gold, but not trimmed with gold. Clan Jadaravar, but a low ranking member. He was distracted, seemed to be having problems with his nose. His left arm rubbed at it while his right clutched a katana awkwardly. Uninvited, rival, and aggressive. Tyridru sprang forward, drawing and cutting diagonally upward in the same motion. He easily knocked away the offender's weapon, shocking him into retreating a few steps.

Tyridru stayed focused on the wolf before him though he heard splashing behind him as the cat got up, no doubt curious.

"You're lucky I didn't kill you just now. You've no right to be here, certainly with a weapon drawn. Explain yourself."

The elder wolf, regaining his composure, took notice of Asirra and tried to shove Tyridru aside and assail her but the younger one was very well trained. He spun on his heel coming down in another diagonal slash across the intruder's back. Not deep enough to kill but it had the desired effect as the elder wolf fell to his feet with a yelp of pain.

Tyridru came to the practiced position; sword in his right paw held out to the side, tip angled at his enemy. From here he could perform the finishing blow if necessary or return his weapon. But he had other ideas. With a practiced and incredibly precise stab he incapacitated the left shoulder of the Jadaravarian who fell fully to the ground with another yelp. But the motion combined with how distracted he'd been when he tied it shifted his sheath outside the fundoshi.

***

Asirra watched in quiet awe of the young wolf. She'd have been dead four times since she woke up if he'd wished it. So was he not an enemy, or just not yet?

"Your life's in my hands Jadaravarian," she heard him proclaim. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

The older wolf half grunted and half growled the words. "That girl, that whore-"

"Is on my land and none of your concern Jadaravarian. I ask again, what do you have to say for yourself? Or are you done talking?"

There was a bite to his words when he asked that. Even Asirra felt a chill and took a step backwards.

An angry, no a frustrated growl before her pursuer answered. "Forgive me my lord."

The younger wolf returned his sword to its sheath and stepped forward now facing her!

"Get out of here Jadaravarian. Leave your katana, it belongs to me now."

His back's to that one, is he nuts?! Yet surely enough the older wolf struggled to his feet and gave a pained courtesy bow before slinking off in the direction he'd come.

***

Though he looked in the cat's direction, he looked far past her. He stood as a statue that way, long after he could no longer hear the injured wolf's retreat. Finally he took a deep breath and fell to his knees. Again, his focus wavered until she was almost on top of him before he reacted. Throwing his right footpaw forward he drew his katana again holding the deadly sharp blade a mere inch from the shocked girl.

At first she didn't even breathe, then she slowly got to her knees and whispered, "I just wanted to thank you."

Tyridru studied her for a moment before once again returning his blade to its saya though he still held her with his gaze. The clouds passed.

She looked stunning in the full moonlight. Fur like snowy mountains framed by hair as black as the new moon sky. She was smaller than him, though she seemed about his age. And her eyes, yellow-green jewels that shone bright as the crystal lanterns that even illuminated the clouds nearer the city. His expression softened.

She certainly wasn't dressed like a companion or even a bedder. Brown cloth chemise that didn't quite make it to her naval and a wrapped skirt that was probably a size too small. Even on the small cat it let her leg show when she knelt all the way up to the knotted cord. It didn't look like she was wearing any...

***

She let out her breath, certain she was out of harm for the moment. She wasn't sure at first why the change of heart but she welcomed it. This job had been a bad idea from the start. When I find out who planned this I'm going to give myself a stern talking-to because it was probably mine, she thought. But she knew she wasn't out of danger yet. This wolf was extremely capable of fighting and she had to stay on his good side. She really looked at him for the first time.

Young, certainly. He had silvery hair that shown brightly in the moonlight. It was pulled into a tight braid that rose from the back of his head up at an angle before falling freely about his back. His physique was somewhere between cute and rugged, not an unpleasant mix in any regard. From deep within her, the heat pulsed a slow rhythm. It only then dawned on her that he was mostly naked. She shifted slightly as her eyes ran down his chest to his...

"Now what am I going to do with you?"

She snapped her gaze back up to his, the wolf now looking more tired and... embarrassed?

"Why was that wolf hunting you?"

_Because I stole from his Master. _ "I'm not sure."

"Were you Lord Jadaravarian's companion?"

No. "Yes."

"You're a member of their harem?"

_No. _ "Yes."

"And I suppose you refused him as the Lord's favorite, and forgot to return those jewels as you fled from him?"

"The jewels!" Realizing she'd dropped them when she first saw the wolf she scrambled over and only managed to crawl one stride before his scabbard slammed into the ground just missing both her head and her left shoulder. His head came down close to her ear and she realized he was basically straddling her, though only his hair brushed against her neck.

"What am I going to do with the little cat thief, hmm?"

She gulped and made up her mind. If all the motion during the brief fight hadn't shifted his undies she might not have noticed, but it had to work.

***

Tyridru really wasn't sure what to do with her. She was lying to him and he didn't like that. She stole from his enemies and he liked that. She trespassed on his land and he didn't like that. She was his age and cute and attractive at the same time and that really didn't help.

And then she turned over, back to his leg and eyes meeting his. "Do you like me like this then?"

The purr in her voice almost bowled him over. Who is this cat? He was certain he had her on a leash, but not like this. He backed up but she kept pace, matching his motions until they were both standing.

He was trying to figure out how to get control of the situation again. Something felt strange and it was getting stranger. He was too busy staring wide-eyed at her to notice.

***

It was now or never. She ran her right paw along his waist, tracing the fabric of the underwear until she got to the pocket at the front. Lightly pinching it between her thumb and finger, she ran down the side of it, brushing his sheath and peeking tip until she got to the base of his sac where she coaxed the fabric over to fully release its prisoners and ran her paw back up the front, all while keeping eyes locked with his. He gasped and trembled. "I think you do like it."

***

There was no stance, no step, no cut or block in his training to deal with something like this. And there was certainly nothing in his hormones telling him to stop. He stepped backwards, she stepped forwards and placed that seductive paw on his hip. He stepped again and her other paw did likewise. Both started tracing behind him towards his tail along the wrapped fabric. He tried to step back again and was bringing his paws up to push her back but his footpaws tangled in his still drying clothing and he landed on the ground.

***

She chuckled at him. Young and inexperienced. When she had his attention again her paws crossed in front of her grabbing her shirt and slowly, fluidly pulling it up over her head. She saw eyes that were already wide grow even more. His lips parted in silent awe. Oh he's going to enjoy this. As she started undoing the tie on her skirt a breeze found her moistening intimacy. I think I am too.

***

A swirl of air brought her scent over to him again. She wasn't messing around this time. The skirt fell away to her left leg and slid with a soft hiss to the ground. The cream underfur that started at her neck traced just to either side of her lithe chest, down her tummy and ended pointedly right between her legs. He wanted to run, to figure things out but at the same time his mouth watered and a slick wet spot was forming just above his sheath.

He heard her sniff the breeze that ran over him and her eyes took on a dreamy mist as she licked her lips. She got down onto the ground, looking almost feral as she crawled up to and over him, rubbing her cheek against his stomach and up his chest as she moved to cover his body with hers.

***

The body below her trembled as it rose to meet her.

"What's your name?" she breathed into his ear, making sure to tickle it with her breath.

"Tyridru," he managed through shallow breaths.

You're mine, she thought to herself little realizing that they were about to belong to each other. She was in heat, she couldn't stop herself now even if she wanted to. "I'm Asirra."

Tyridru echoed the last syllable as her moist spot met his sheath. His head rolled back and his arms and legs stretched out, both grasping for a better hold on the world. She'd never actually been with a canine before but she knew others who had and knew what to expect. Even so, when she found the right spot she was surprised at how quickly and easily he entered her.

Hands on the wolf's chest she pressed herself even further down on him, fully releasing him from his sheath as she leaned back. Her body started moving by its self and she mentally chuckled realizing now she had him straddled and defenseless. The swelling bulge slipping in and out of her left little room for more thoughts. She gyrated her hips forward brushing his, then up and back and over and over and soon that knot had them locked together deliciously massaging her innermost desires. And she was just getting started.

***

Tyridru was breathing harder and harder and with something that was a cross between a woof and a howl he released himself fully inside Asirra, the lovely Asirra with her flowing hair and stunning eyes, her magic voice and her wonderful paws. Asirra with that beautiful cream colored fur pressed against his. He found his paws working enough to pull her into a tight embrace as he climaxed the first time, she shortly after and locked together in the heat of the spring they continued a second time in tandem.

***

Somewhere in the night flowers bloomed. Somewhere in the night a creek chuckled and mused. Frogs and crickets gossiped and trees and grass whispered sweet nothings. And in the midst of it all a lynx and a wolf shared an experience neither expected, neither anticipated, and both were ultimately powerless to resist. Somewhere in the night the breeze connected them all, wrapped in their warmth, shared in their pleasure and entwined in their passion.

Sometime during the night a lynx snuck away with her clothes and his pants and sometime in the morning a wolf realized what was digging into his back as he slept. He wondered if they'd meet again. He wondered if they'd mate again. He wondered how he was going to explain how he lost his hakama in the middle of a night patrol.