Guild Relations, Part 2
Hetroth moved through the forest at a brisk pace, desperate to track down the bastard that had all but robbed him of his advancement among the Artificers and used him for his own pleasure. He had dozed and fallen asleep at the ruins, and he was mad at himself for it. He should've immediately gotten up and prepared to run after the stag. For that matter, he shouldn't have allowed what had transpired after their confrontation in the first place. Although, looking back, that wasn't particularly up to him. He could only hope the guild seers weren't watching, as unlikely as that may have been, considering this was supposed to be his initiation.
He was now wearing only his backpack and loincloth, wanting to travel light. He'd stored most of his belongings in a hollow tree near the ruins, most notably his padded cloth and steel armour. It was already light, but he wanted to take no chances in hunting down the deer. Only his basic equipment and essentials remained on him, although he regretted the choice to leave his boots behind, as they would've only helped in his pursuit through the branch laden forest. It was a hasty decision that didn't make sense in hindsight. But there was no turning back now.
It was a two day hike from their city of origin, and he had lost half a day of that. Yet, as far as he could tell, the deer wasn't in any particular hurry. His scent was getting fresher by the minute, and the tracks he'd left indicated he wasn't moving very fast. Het could only guess that the buck was sure the hyena wouldn't follow him. That, or he didn't consider him a threat worthy of attention, the thought of which lingered in Hetroth's mind. Yet he couldn't give up without at least trying. Chances were they'd be too close to city limits before he caught up with him, making his efforts admirable but ultimately futile.
His shoulder had gone purple under his fur. It ached to move, and would make the following battle all the more difficult. He would either have to use his less capable limb or his aching one. An advantage for the deer, whatever his choice. On the other hand, Varikas, he remembered the name of the stag, was injured as well, a slash across his right shin. Perhaps it was the reason for his current pace. It would lend a much needed edge to Hetroth during the fight as well. Beyond limb injuries, both fighters had struck each other in their manhoods, although whereas to the buck it meant mostly wounded pride, to Het it meant a still swollen pair. It made him wary, afraid that any more hard hits like that and his prospects of fathering children would be abolished. However, he couldn't help but now question whether he truly wished to even mate a woman.
His experience with Varikas left him in doubt of his own likings. Looking back, he had somewhat enjoyed the events after their battle, and felt a pleasant twinge in his groin whenever he let his mind wander to that moment. Yet he still resented the buck for the way he had done it, using him without regard for his consent. It made him want to do the same in return. And maybe he would, soon.
He leapt over a fallen tree and skidded down a slope, making sure to remain as quiet as possible. He felt he was very near now, the scent of the male he'd gotten to know now quite strong, and sure enough, he saw a glimpse of something moving between the trees in the distance. Eventually he began to hear a low hum, growing in intensity as moved on. It was the sound of rushing water, coming from a river he was nearing. He slowed his progress, seeing something moving even more clearly.
He took a moment to look out towards the figure. Sure enough, it was Varikas. He was apparently setting up camp at a lighter forested area by the river. The sun had yet to begin setting, but the buck had been travelling at least since before the previous nightfall, and his leg couldn't have made it any less tiring. This would be where Hetroth would confront him. After prior preparation, of course. He moved away farther into the forest, wanting to make sure his preparations went unnoticed.
***
Crouching at the base of a tree, he pulled off his backpack and began to rustle through its contents. He pulled out several vials of different coloured substances, a set of metallic bracelets of different sizes, and a small, leather-bound book. He looked over the pieces of jewelry, considering which would be easier to reach. He took one for his unharmed shoulder, one for the wrist of that same arm, and one for the base of his tail. He sprawled them out on the grass before him and began to consider what to enchant them with.
Whereas artefacts held some powerful enchantment that recharged with time, normal items of sufficient potency could be imbued with a one use spell. That potency varied from material to material, a weaker material requiring a bigger solid mass to infuse, but jewels and metals tended to be the most agreeable. He could of course simply cast a spell, skipping the item in between, but it would require time and preparation, things one could not afford during combat. The Artificers specialized not only in the finding, study and use of artefacts, but also in use of such enchantments. A chosen few supposedly could bind such enchantments permanently, creating new artefacts, but whether this was true or rumour was unknown even to Hetroth, a member of that guild. And even were it true, they would not share such ability with any from beyond their organization.
He paused for a moment, looking down at his chest. It was matted and flaky, a reminder of the previous night. He had tried to wash it off with water and some cloth, but it proved to be fairly difficult with the amounts available to him. The river they were at was very tempting. He could go around the buck's position and go for a swim. But he decided to avoid such risks, seeing how the river bank was far less covered, and it'd take too great an amount of time to dry off without fire. He shook his mind off the matter and began to flick through the pages of his book.
Hetroth came across something he would find useful and put the book down, keeping it open on that page. He took all the vials with the mentioned substances and took out an empty vial. He poured the appropriate proportions of the substances required into it, eventually ending up a dark blue in colour. He located a relatively flat patch of dirt and began to pour the substance out in a pattern as instructed by the book. Next he took the bracelet meant for his tail, placed it within the centre of the circular symbol he had drawn, and let a small amount of the substance drip over the object. He then began to recite the incantation, careful to maintain the proper accentation and tone. He did it as instructed by the page, but had done it so many times before he had memorized it. Unlike the substances used, the names of which ever eluded him.
As he whispered the last word of his incantation, the symbol began to glow. Faintly at first, but quickly becoming a blueish white. As quickly as it had begun, the glow seemed to drain away from the symbol, making its way onto the bracelet. For a few seconds, it radiated the same colour as the symbol had moments earlier, but faded just as quickly.
Hetroth took the bracelet in hand to inspect it, and sure enough, it had worked. While it didn't look as impressive as an artefact, he could nearly feel the enchantment flowing within. Marking the outside of the bracelet were runes which, when read, could invoke the spell within. Het hadn't yet learned the language of these, however, and instead relied on his memory in their usage. Although he always found them mesmerizing, as their very existence was something strange. Despite looking engraved, they were impossible to feel, as if they were right under some glass-like surface. And once spent, they disappeared without trace.
He slipped the bracelet onto his tail, leaving it for later. The symbol in the dirt was still there, but no longer of the substance used. It had turned to ash. With a sweep of his hand, the symbol was no more, and using some of his drinking water, he washed out the vial he used for mixing and went on to prepare the other enchantments.
***
With all his tricks up his sleeve prepared and his sword in his uninjured arm, Hetroth felt ready. He began his approach carefully, peeking out from behind trees to make sure the deer couldn't spot him. Varikas appeared to be pre-occupied with something, facing the other way.
Once within earshot, he gripped the small bracelet at the base of his tail, murmuring the appropriate words. The world around him turned utterly silent, no sound entering nor leaving his vicinity, allowing him to freely hasten his approach, but at the same time leaving him oblivious to any dangers from beyond sight.
As he continued his approach, he noticed the buck wasn't wearing any armour now, much like him. It would make it all the more easy for him. Perhaps he wouldn't even need his other two prepared spells. He felt twigs and branches snap and leaves shuffle under his paws, but no noise came of them, as if the air around was ever still. He slowed his pace, nearly upon the stag. He didn't want the silencing effect to come too abruptly, else the buck would most surely notice. He grasped his short sword in his less capable, but functional hand, the tip directed at his target, ready to stab. He was right over the deer now. Yet he hesitated.
He could stab his sword right into his neck there. But he couldn't. Sparing himself any considerations as to why, he turned his sword around and prepared to hit him with the hilt. He would knock him out, take what's his, leaving him alive. But then he noticed what Varikas had been occupied with. He sat over a pile of wood, kindling at its edge, flint and steel in his hands. And now he seemed frozen in place, apparently having noticed his attempts were making no sound.
Hetroth quickly pulled back and swung his sword, wanting to knock his opponent out before things escalated, but was too late. The deer moved to the side in the last moment, making the sword hilt hit his shoulder instead of head. Gritting his teeth, he immediately took a branch from the wood pile and swung it behind him with his other arm. Hetroth twisted himself away just in time to avoid yet another strike at his jewels, instead getting hit in the left thigh. He cursed and swung his sword again, slashing only air, as the cervine managed to roll away from him and make a dash for his equipment.
Not wanting to give the deer too much maneuvering space, he immediately went after him. Varikas managed only to get a hold of his mace, but deemed it sufficient, in his other hands still wield the firm stick he had used moments earlier. He dashed at him, expecting an equally fierce response as was the case in their previous battle, but stumbled slightly when none came. The stag was evidently far less confident without his armour, and rightfully so, considering he used it to parry strikes against him. For a moment Hetroth just stood there, measuring the buck's capabilities. His shoulder was visibly bruised already, most likely a cause of much pain for the stag. In his amber eyes, however, he saw only the same defiance and fury he'd seen last time. Meanwhile, Hetroth's own green eyes reflected doubt.
Looking at that long-haired stag, he almost didn't want to fight him. Almost. But he had sworn to do all within his possibilities to retrieve that artefact. If the seers were watching, they may have already found him wanting in that regard, considering he had essentially spared his life moments earlier. He simply could not allow any further failure. His sword at the ready, he launched himself at the stag.
He slashed to the side, aiming to disable one of the deer's arms, but Varikas managed to parry the blow away with his stick, following up with a strike of his mace directed at Het's weapon. It nearly knocked the sword out of his hand, and just as he was about to back away, the deer smacked him right across the muzzle with his make-shift baton. Hetroth stumbled back, running his hand several times over his nose to make sure he wasn't bleeding. He would have to employ a less straightforward strategy.
Dashing to the side, he leapt towards the buck, sending a low kick at his injured leg. Varikas managed to shift it out of the way, only to get a hard hit right in the knee of his better leg. He tried to retaliate using the less expected weapon, but Hetroth anticipated this, and swung his sword in answer. The stick snapped in two, neither piece large enough to wield as a reliable weapon. Now stumbling, the stag swung his mace, hoping to force the hyena to stand off, but Hetroth veered off to the left, and planted the hilt of the sword hard in the deer's solar plexus, following up with a punch right to the buck's muzzle, knocking him to the floor with a silenced cry. For the first time, Varikas looked genuinely overwhelmed by what was happening.
Het managed to get a quick kick in to the stag's muzzle before leaping away, narrowly avoiding the backlash in the form of wild mace swings. Hetroth took a moment to reassess the situation. Varikas slowly climbed to his feet, panting heavily. Het's last attack had gone over better than expected, as if he had anticipated the deer's every move. Perhaps the buck was becoming predictable. Regardless, he would press on the advantage. And as if right on queue, he felt his silent aura diminish, his ears feeling as if unclogged after being submerged in water.
He took hold of his shoulder bracelet with his free hand and began silently reciting the words of the incantation. Varikas could clearly see this, but dared not attack, still shaken after the last exchange. Instead, he quickly shuffled through his hair and gripped one of his beads.
As he finished, Hetroth seemed to take a long, deep breath, his muscles bulging obscenely, growing by nearly half their original size. He grew in height as well, becoming a match for the deer in stature, while also being considerably broader and better toned. The deer had yet to finish his own incantation when Het decided to attack before he got a chance to.
The now imposing hyena surged towards him, sword whistling through the air. He barely managed to parry the first hit, releasing his bead and thus abandoning his attempt in the process. The second hit knocked his mace wielding arm aside and was followed by a slash that left a shallow slash across his left pec and upper arm. Just as Varikas readied himself to block the fourth strike, the hyena's took a step forward and thrust his paw upward unexpectedly. The buck gave out a terrified grunt as his testicles were caught on Het's shin, compressed tightly against his pelvis as the hyena literally lifted him off his feet with that kick.
Varikas came crashing down to the floor like a rag doll, losing hold of his mace as he fell. He gripped his jewels tightly and rolled away a few times, hoping to delay any further attacks. With the agonizing pain spreading through his abdomen, he could do little to guard himself, and simply rolled into a ball. Slowly, Hetroth approached, his enhanced physique still prominently displayed, but already dissipating. He had won, and all that was left now was to subdue his foe, and maybe get some payback for the conclusion of their previous encounter. He failed to notice one of Varik's hands gripping one of the beads in his hair again, his voice inaudibly finishing the incantation he had begun.
Just as Hetroth was about to hold him down and punch him out, his incantation finished. Ignoring his still growing pains through sheer will, he suddenly slid his way from under the hyena's hand and slipped between the massive male's legs, throwing a quick punch into Het's eggs as he did so. He scrambled on, ignoring the hyena's yelp of pain, and took a hold of his mace before turning back towards his still shocked adversary. Just as his disoriented foe turned towards him, the stepped in and kicked upwards into Het's sword hilt, sending it flying into the air away from the two fighters.
Hetroth released his jewels for just a second, instinctively trying to catch his weapon before it flew out of reach, and that was all the cervine needed. He swung his mace in an upward arc, aiming it right at the hyena's nether region. Het twisted to the side, noticing the attempt on his grapes, but somehow Varikas redirected his swing just in time to hit dead centre.
His eyes losing focus, and all his hairs standing on end, Hetroth screamed out in agony as his already swollen ovals were mashed against his pelvis. He collapsed, first to his knees, then flat on his stomach, cupping his ovals and twitching in shock as gut wrenching pain escalated from his groin. The deer himself almost immediately dropped onto his behind, cupping his still aching maleness one-handedly. He took hold of another bead within his hair, and within a few seconds, activated its potential. He almost sighed with relief as the enchantment took hold of him, despite clearly still being in pain. Certain that the hyena wasn't getting up any time soon, he let go of his mace and reclined onto his back, now rubbing his crotch with both hands. After a while he got up and went up to his vanquished opponent, who was still busy sulking over his injury.
"I beat you once and you thought this time would be different? Cretin.", he goaded, at the same time leaning in and taking hold of the hyena's loincloth. Hetroth only grunted in response, otherwise only emitting pained groans. Varik unstrapped the article of clothing and pulled it off. He then grabbed both the hyena's arms, wrenching them backwards, away from the jewels they so wanted to cradle. He used Het's own loincloth as a make-shift rope, tying his arms behind his back, immobilizing them up to his elbows. Having finished binding the pained male, he noticed the bracelet he had yet to use and pulled it off, looking it over in his palm.
"This could've worked. Should've used this instead.", he said, putting the enchanted item around his own wrist. He then went over to his backpack and took a flask with a cyan substance within. Despite being nearly delirious with pain, Hetroth recognized it as a healing salve. Following cleaning his wounds with water, the stag popped the vial open and dabbed some of it on his hand and began to spread it along the cuts on his chest and arm, as well as the crack on his lips, spitting after some of the foul tasting substance got in his mouth. Considering he had access to such a salve, the gash on his leg must've been a serious one for it not to heal yet, Hetroth thought. He took a sip from a dark red vial before putting his things away, and walked back to the hyena.
"Well, got something to say?", he asked with a certain irritation.
"I almost beat you.", the hyena answered as he rolled onto his side into a foetal position, revealing his wounded maleness. Whereas his physique had gone back to his normal proportions, his testicles had swollen to nearly twice their normal size.
"There's no almost. Were I not so benevolent, you would be dead.", he answered.
"Were you so benevolent, you would not have stolen the artefact!", Hetroth said, now being the one irritated. However, his irritation quickly turned to fear as the stag took hold of his engorged balls.
"Then why don't I end my apparent kindness and leave you less of a man?", he threatened, a primal fury in his eyes. Any response Hetroth might've had froze in his throat at the prospect, a pathetic terror in his eyes. Varik sighed and shook his head, releasing the hyena. "The artefact is of great importance to us. That is all I'll say. You've come after me seeking vengeance. Unwise.", he explained.
For a while, they remained there in silence, until Hetroth spoke up again. "I could've killed you, you know. When your back was turned.", he said.
"As I could have killed you before, or even now. But I didn't, because my only concern is the artefact. Killing you would only escalate tensions between our guilds. What was your purpose in sparing me?", he asked. Hetroth took a moment to think it through. He really had no good reason in his mind at the time, perhaps other than sense of honour. The true reason for his mercy, as he realized it, made him blush. "Oh.", the deer said just as the hyena opened his mouth to answer, a smile forming on his lips.
Hetroth muttered something incomprehensibly, trying to take back what his face had betrayed, but was cut off as the stag shushed him. "So I see you've taken a liking to what we did last time.", the deer said, deepening the hyena's blush to a bright red that almost radiated through his face fur. "I can certainly accommodate you in that regard again.", he said with a smirk and moved closer still to the hyena, letting his loincloth drop to the floor along the way. Het's manhood already began to stir, despite the still present pain. "Let's try something different, though.", Varik added before pushing the hyena back onto his stomach.
"Uh. What do you mean?", Hetroth asked, trying to look back at the deer who was now doing something at his hind quarters. Without a word of answer, the buck slurped two of his fingers, lathering them in saliva before suddenly plunging one of them up the hyena's rear. Het yipped at the sudden intrusion in his butt, trying to squirm away from it. The deer ignored his discomfort, and proceeded to move his finger in and out, accustoming Hetroth to the feeling. He withdrew his finger entirely for a moment, only to add a second to that and push back in, this time going in deeper and deeper with small pushes.
"This'll feel better if you relax.", Varikas said softly, now inserting and retracting his digits. Hetroth hardly felt like listening, however, as his discomfort grew the more he was stretched open. He clenched instinctively, but it only made it feel worse, his muscles unable to fully contract. After a few moments however, he noticed he felt something else as well. The deer's fingers poked and caressed his insides, sending waves of pleasure alongside those of discomfort. His cock, despite not having reached full length, began to leak pre onto the grass below. He began to breathe heavily, a soft gasp escaping his lips with each re-entry.
Eventually, Varikas pulled out completely and began to reposition himself over the hyena. Hetroth felt what was, no doubt, the buck's hard length, resting between his butt cheeks and pressing against his pucker, and instantly knew what awaited. "Don't worry. I'll be gentle.", he whispered into the hyena's ear. Gripping Het's ass with one hand and guiding his organ with the other, Varik pushed himself inside, inciting a forced whimper out of the hyena. With one thrust he managed to insert the head of his dick, and began to inch his way in, going deeper and deeper until finally, he was balls deep.
Meanwhile, Hetroth did the only thing he could in response - lay there with his eyes shut and grit his teeth. With his hands tied behind his back, the most he could do otherwise was claw into the soil with his toes. His rod, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying itself, as it was now throbbing hard and leaking pre, partially due to the attention his prostate was getting, but also due to how, with each hump, he had rubbed his crotch against the grass below, stimulating his cock. With the new type of pain he was feeling as well as the pleasure that accompanied it, he had almost forgotten the abuse he'd taken to his acorns.
Varikas began to move his hips in rhythm, slowly pulling in and out of Hetroth's hole, a grunt escaping his throat every time he slapped balls with the hyena. Het cringed at the feeling, his swollen nuts having little room to move, pressed against the ground below. It only got worse as Varikas began to quicken his pace, feeling the hyena's rectal muscles begin to ease. With every thrust, his eggs smacked against Het's own pair, sending mild but discomforting jolts of pain through the hyena's body. Hetroth tried to raise his rear, wanting to give his grapes some breathing space, but with every bump against his butt, he was brought back down by the heavier deer.
To his own surprise, Hetroth felt himself spasm and tense up suddenly, his penis becoming almost painfully rigid before beginning to throb hard, spilling his seed into the turf below with each pulse. As his own orgasm took place, his sphincter closed around the member penetrating it, milking it harder. Nearing release and entranced in pleasure, the cervine quickened his pace, going faster and faster until finally, he'd pushed himself over the edge. He plunged himself balls deep as his dick began to eject hot stag milk into the hyena's depths. He continued to gently buck his hips with each gush until his climax passed, leaving his exerted.
He slumped onto the smaller male, panting in unison with him, his sweat dripping down onto Hetroth, mixing with the hyena's own. "Now you.", the buck finally said, somewhat to Het's confusion, and reached down underneath Hetroth. He dug around, pushing his hand between his body and the ground, until he found the hyena's cock. "...oh!", the deer exclaimed, retrieving his hand from below, looking at it as though verifying what he felt. "You've finished already.", he said with a smirk. "Cute.", he added, giving his hand a lick. The remark made Het blush. Varik made it sound as though he'd reached his peak pre-maturely.
"Most males I've been with could barely stay hard being penetrated. Guess you like having a cock up your rear.", he teased and gave him a lick on the ear. Hetroth wanted to bury his face in shame, but could go no lower, his chin already pressed against the grassy floor. With a lick on the hyena's cheek, the deer gently pulled out, a wet schlock signifying his release. He sat down next to the wood pile and resumed his efforts to start a fire.
Having remained still in thought at what happened for nearly a minute, Hetroth finally rolled over onto his side and sat up, now looking sadly at his testicles. They were ridiculously swollen, and still ached, even without touch. "My balls hurt.", he finally muttered out, not really hoping to find salvation within the buck, but simply wanting to express his frustration.
The stag raised his head towards him, looking somewhat surprised. "Should've said so earlier.", he said and walked over to his backpack, returning with a vial of the same reddish substance Varik had drunk before. "Take a few drops of this. It'll ease the pain.", he said and put the now uncorked vial up to Het's mouth. The hyena took a sip from it and swallowed, his face twisting at the bitter taste.
"Thank you.", Hetroth said and laid down on his side, careful to avoid pressure on his gonads. Having stowed the vial, Varik resumed his efforts with the fireplace, soon managing to light the kindling, and beginning to blow on it. "You can untie me now, you know.", Hetroth said, trying to look as unintimidating as possible.
"What? So that you can try to knock me out again? I don't think so.", he responded, the flames of the fire now steadily spreading to the rest of the wood. "And don't try to convince me otherwise. I know of your seers. You wouldn't remain docile with the threat of them observing.", he added, sounding as if the hyena had insulted his intelligence.
"Well, what are you going to do with me?", he asked, sounding disappointed.
"I think I'll keep you around. You can be fun when you're not trying to beat me.", he responded with a smirk.
"So you're just going to keep me prisoner now?", the hyena asked again.
"Guess you could call it that.", Varik answered curtly.
"For how long? Don't you think my guild will want me back?", he asked in disbelief.
"However long it takes. I don't think your guild will be all that desperate to get you back.", he answered calmly. "You speak as though you didn't enjoy our more pleasant time together.", he added, to which Hetroth hung his head in shame. He had enjoyed it, despite how he had been manhandled into it. Or perhaps the rough treatment made it even more desirable to him.
Varik broke his train of thought and rose to his hooves, taking a few steps towards the river, a wash cloth in hand. "Come on, let's get clean. You really look like you could use it.", he said, pointing towards the fur on Het's torso. It was coated in dry or drying semen, small blades of grass sticking to his lower belly. He simply nodded in response and followed the deer.
***
The sun was now barely visible through the forest canopy, it would be sheer night by the time they'd finish, so it would be chilly, but he'd wanted a bath ever since their first encounter. He reeked of sex and sweat, both his and the buck's. It was somewhat arousing, but it made him feel filthy at the same time.
"Don't suppose you'd untie me for now? I'd really want to scrub this off.", he asked, his legs now submerged in water up to his knees. It felt a bit cold, with the prior exertion having warmed them up.
"Just come over here.", he said, rolling his eyes. Hetroth walked up towards the stag, already predicting what he intended. The water level reached higher and higher as he went, eventually brushing against the bottom of his heavy scrotum, sending a shiver up his spine, but also providing some relief to his swelling. Sure enough, Varikas took the wash cloth, dipped it, then began to run it over the hyena, starting from his chest. It would've probably felt degrading were it not for what they had done prior, and instead simply felt rather pleasant.
The buck scrubbed the wash cloth over Het's fur, peeling away the grime and seed ingrained within. He moved downwards, onto his abdomen, then lower, slowing down and limiting the friction as he reached the hyena's soft parts. He ran the cloth down Hetroth's soft shaft, peeling back his foreskin, revealing the sensitive glans. Hetroth winced as the relatively rough cloth brushed over his delicate penis head. Varik smiled at this and decided to lower himself, bringing his muzzle up to the hyena's crotch and began to lick Het's cock clean, his tongue being a considerably softer tool for the job. With their recent activities, and the cold of the river, Hetroth's manhood barely stirred at the stimulation, but still managed to become semi-hard.
Varikas then stood back up, pulling the hyena's foreskin back over his glans, and resumed his work using the wash cloth. He took hold of Het's testicles through the cloth, making the hyena fold slightly in anticipation of a pain that never came. He eased up again, realizing the substance he'd ingested worked wonders paired with the cool water, and let the buck continue. Varikas proceeded to scrub Het's sac clean, then moved on to his butt, wiping away any seminal fluids between his cheeks. He gave the rest of his body a less thorough cleaning, them not being coated by substances difficult to get out of one's fur.
"All right. You stay right there until I'm finished cleaning. Unless you want to help.", he said, hinting at the hyena using his tongue, given that his hands were bound.
"Sure. Tie it to my knee and we'll see how that goes.", he said, annoyed.
"Maybe I could tie it around that pretty muzzle of yours.", he responded, grinning and beginning to clean himself. Hetroth simply huffed in response and turned around, looking down the river thoughtfully.
***
Returning from the river, they sat at the fire, using a fallen log as a seat. The warmth of the flames slowly dried them off. After a while, Varik took his backpack and pulled out a piece of dry, hard bread, wrapped in paper.
"Want some?", he asked, offering up a piece. Hetroth had indeed grown hungry, not giving himself much time for food during his pursuit. However, he remembered something.
"I've got my own in my backpack. Don't suppose we could go get them?", he asked.
"It's too dark now. I'm not going out there looking.", he said. Hetroth wanted to protest, say he knew where it was, but realized he didn't. He hadn't looked back at where he came from, and he left it a fair distance off. "So do you want some?", the buck renewed his question.
"Yeah.", he replied quietly. Bread wasn't as enticing as the dried meat he had among his own rations, but he'd have to make due, at least for the night.
"You want me to feed you?", he asked, wagging a large piece of bread he'd torn off with no small effort.
"I'll manage.", he answered, wanting to avoid any further degradation, and took it in his jaws. He lowered his head and took the other end of the bread between his knees, tearing off smaller pieces. It was a challenge with how tough the travel ration was, but he preferred it to letting his former opponent do it. Varikas munched on his own piece, enjoying the sight of the struggling hyena.
Once finished, Varikas dug around his backpack some more, pulling out two rolls of smooth cloth, strewing them out across the ground near the fire. He threw in some more timber into the fire to keep it going through the night and lied down on the roll, placing himself between the two layers. "Care to join me?", he asked as Hetroth gulped down the last of his bread.
Feeling drowsy and not really seeing any alternative, the hyena nodded. The buck lifted the covers in front of him and Hetroth accepted the offer, dropping into place clumsily because of his bindings. The cervine put his hand around him and pulled him close, their bodies pressed together, sharing warmth. "Good night.", Varik whispered, nuzzling the back of Het's head and giving the hyena's genitals a fondle.
"Night.", he responded, trying to get comfortable despite his restraints. Once more, he wondered how he'd explain himself to his superiors and colleagues. More than that, however, he wondered if he'd ever get the chance to. For all he knew, the deer might have decided to keep him as a slave indefinitely. And he seemed very confident that the Artificers wouldn't come after Hetroth. For a moment he wondered if he could try and flee, but testing his position, he realized the buck had intertwined one of his hands between his bindings, making it impossible to move without alerting the stag. He sighed and tried his best to relax, emptying his thoughts. It proved relatively easy with how tired he was, and shortly afterwards, he drifted off to sleep.