FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

*This story is copyrighted by Tyvara_Panther on February 8th, 2008. Enjoy!*

Alirik quickly shook his head, and a sense of calmness washed over him; he stepped back and held out a paw, as he gave an awkward smile. "Forgive me; let me help you up."

Sayrea took his paw and leapt onto her horse's saddle. She rearranged herself and took the reigns as she waited for Alirik, who quickly saddled and turned his horse. The Emperor led to the edge of the clearing, as Sayrea spurred the horse forward, until hers was abreast with Alirik's. She kept her face forward as she asked, "Are you all right highness?"

"I am fine." He said, his voice a bland monotonous sound. "Let us continue with our ride, I have a few more places I could take you to." He said, his voice more upbeat as he turned to Sayrea and continued, "Anything in particular you would like to see?"

"I don't really know what there is here to see."

"Then I shall take you to my favorite spots, and you can decide which you like the best."

Sayrea nodded and followed the Emperor. As she watched Alirik lead her through the forest she could sense his discomfort. He rode his horse stiffly, his tail stuck strait out and all his visible fur stood on end. Sayrea hadn't known the Emperor long, but this was very unlike his normal countenance, but just as quickly as the mood came over him, it vanished and Alirik's frame softened and he turned back to Sayrea.

"I believe you will enjoy where I am taking you. There is much history of my species there."

"Isn't your kingdom made up of various weasel races?"

"Yes, but ermine's were given special treatment."

"I can imagine, since ermine's seem to have a long tradition of ruling this kingdom."

"Yes. An ermine has been on the thrown for sixty-five generations."

"Which would explain the hall of portraits; those are former rulers."

"You are exactly right."

Sayrea grinned. It wasn't often she was told she had done something right and she felt proud.

Their horses continued at a leisurely pace, and though Sayrea hadn't paid much attention to the ever-changing scenery, as she looked around she noticed the foliage had become rather dense; the trees were larger and darker--not in a foreboding way, but gave more of an impression of a passing through time, as if they were traversing through the ages, a path that lead to a more ancient or forgotten way of life; this all quickened Sayrea's excitement, and the electricity that ran through the air caused her fur to ruffle and her tail to twitch with anticipation. She hadn't really been many places, since her parents hadn't wanted to overwhelm her with things that may distract her from her primary goal--which was of course, that she prepare herself for marriage.

After a few more moments of wandering through the dense trees, Sayrea began to hear the sound of water--not the mellow sound that the brook had made, but a roaring torrent of water. As they neared the sound, she became certain that it was from a waterfall.

After they had pushed their way through the thicket, the sound of the waterfall nearly upon them, they came upon an ancient stone structure. As they drew nearer, Sayrea could see the various vines and mosses that grew on the building.

Alirik continued to lead Sayrea through the forest toward the building. He neared the wall and pulled down some of the vines, which revealed carved impressions of white weasels which appeared regale, and almost god-like. "This is the ancient temple of the stoats." Alirik said; pride in his voice. "This is why my species rules this land." He continued as he placed a white paw on the wall carvings. "The legends say that the Mustelid race was in ruins; the wolverines and badgers had ruled for many years, but they had squandered their power, and then when all was lost, the gods split open the heavens, and sent down four snow-white ermines. They were good, and wise, and brought peace to the land. They helped the power hungry wolverines and badgers relearn the life of their ancestors and thus the Mustelids made the ermine rulers of this land. They had once been worshiped as gods, but my ancestors were not Deity--they were gifts from Deity; so the Mustelids abandoned the temples, and our way of life has remained since then." Alirik eyes were glossed over as he told the story, it seemed to move him deeply. He moved his paw from the stone wall and looked at Sayrea. "Would you like to see inside?"

Sayrea nodded, and she and Alirik dismounted; Alirik tied the horses to a tree as Sayrea looked at the ancient temple. When he had finished, he turned to see that she stood and waited. "Now I shall give you the grand tour as only the Emperor can." He said as he walked toward Sayrea and held out a paw. She placed hers in his and he led her to the front of the temple.

When they reached the opening, Sayrea paused and took in the overwhelming sight of the tabernacle. Underneath the vines and behind the trees were two gigantic marble ermines which stood guard over the entrance; their bodies were carved in swirling runic patterns--It was likely that the symbols had been painted with deep blue colors as some areas still maintained the pigmentation though faded; one was male, the other female; Sayrea could tell because their genitalia were clearly defined. There were five stairs that led upwards from in between the ermine pillars and everything was made of white stone, from the walkways to the walls--had there been less shade, Sayrea was certain she would have suffered from a form of snow-blindness, due to all the excessive white.

As Sayrea walked between the marble ermine, the feel in the air changed. It was more electric, more alive then it had been before. Sayrea's fur stood on end as Alirik led her towards the center of the temple. It was a large circular building from the inside with an immense fire-pit in the center. The temple had an open ceiling, most likely to allow smoke to escape, but the opening was now covered with foliage. The walls were written in an archaic language that Sayrea could only assume was ancient Mustelid. Sayrea felt overcome by the site of the temple; she had never seen anything so magnificent in her entire life. The age of the place, the feel of it; it was like stepping into a different time, a different place. Her entire body relaxed as she walked around the edge of the fire-pit to examine the writings on the walls. There was dust and leaves everywhere; the temple had obviously been abandoned for a long time.

"Do you like it?" Alirik asked after a few long moments of silence.

Sayrea turned toward Alirik. She felt flushed from the overpowering feel of the room. "It's beautiful. I've never seen anything so old."

Alirik raised his eyebrows in surprise before he spoke. "Really? There are many places like this in the Canine territories."

"Yes, but my family would never take me to such a place. History is for men, it is not a woman's place to be familiar with such things."

"Well I think your family is wrong."

Sayrea gave a startled look and her tail-fur bristled as she replied. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Your family confines their women to only a select few skills. Had they allowed you to expand your knowledge of things, the females of your kind would be able to relate to their mates better."

"It's not about relating to your mate, it's about living up to your role in life. My role in life is to live for my mate, whom you are."

"Then I want you to learn everything you can learn. Whatever you've ever been interested in, I give you free reign to study it. That would please me greatly. Then I would have less to explain to you, and we could have a real conversation, one which includes your opinions and not your families."

Sayrea flushed slightly as she spoke. "If that is what you want from me, then I will do it."

Alirik smiled and said, "Well I hope a part of you will do it for yourself."

Sayrea turned her attention back to the carvings. She held her paw up to them and traced the impressions.

"Would you like me to read them to you?"

Sayrea turned to face Alirik, who had moved next to her as she had stared at the carvings.

"You can read them?"

Alirik gave a broad grin. "This is my country after all. If I didn't know how to read the ancient language of my own people, then I wouldn't be much of an emperor now would I?"

Sayrea stood back and listened to Alirik read the wall-writings. Most of it was the story of the appearance of the ermine in the Mustelid Empire. Apparently it had been part of some prophecy prior to their arrival.

The two stayed within the temple long into the afternoon. They wandered through passages, marveled at the various statues and carvings, and Alirik read the various passages which they encountered on their meander. As the sun began to set on the horizon, and the shadows were long and thin, they chose to take their leave of the temple. Sayrea followed Alirik; she moved slowly and let a paw trail behind her, against the white stone walls as she departed. After they passed the ermine guardian statues, Sayrea looked out at the slowly darkening forest. The horses were hungry and eager to return to the stables, as was evident by their twitchy movements and frequent whinnies. Alirik was preparing them to leave as Sayrea walked toward them; she soothed her mount with gentle pets to the muzzle as Alirik made the final adjustments to the horses' packs. They both mounted and Alirik turned home toward the palace. The mood was quiet, as if the temple had transferred its secluded nature to the two of them.

Sayrea's mind was more concerned with Vartouhi, who most certainly knew of her picnic with Alirik by now and was bound to be angry at her defiance. She wasn't sure what Vartouhi might do, and it was the fear of the unknown that made her fur stand on end.

The horses practically led themselves; their stomachs guided them like a compass, and they seemed to arrive back at the palace far faster than Sayrea would have guessed--let alone liked. She was still on edge as they entered the stables, and her fur practically rippled with discomfort as they dismounted and handed their horses off to a stableboy. Sayrea could feel Alirik's eyes on her as she headed for the doors into the palace.

"Wait " He said urgently as he grabbed her arm. She turned and looked down at his arm, then up into Alirik's slightly concerned eyes. "You do not have to run off so fast." He released her arm, a look of mild embarrassment on his face. He quickly regained his composure and looked down at her with a strong grin. "Have dinner with me tomorrow."

Sayrea fluttered her eyelashes at the Emperor, her eyes wide in slight surprise. "I . . ." She started, then froze for a moment. She wanted to, but she was afraid to make such a rash decision before knowing Vartouhi's reaction. "I'd . . . love to." She blurted, and only halfway regretted her words.

Alirik simply smiled and gave a short bow, "Then may I escort you to your rooms?" He asked and held out a paw to her.

She took it, her face flushed and he walked her toward her bedchamber. Once they stood at her doorstep, Alirik grasped her paw as she pulled away to push open her door. She turned toward him and he backed her against her door. He cupped her face with a paw and leaned toward her. Sayrea could feel his warm breath against her muzzle and she felt her heat rise. She opened her mouth slightly as he leaned forward and kissed her. Her entire body felt flushed as her heart did leapfrogs in her chest, as she felt Alirik's tongue slip within her mouth, her legs went numb and she almost lost her footing. His tongue gently brushed against hers and her mouth opened wider almost on impulse and he took the invitation to slowly explore her mouth. Her mind flashed with images of Enerin, but they slowly began to fade to fit Alirik's features. After far too short a time Alirik pulled away. Sayrea's face was flushed and she simply batted her eyes at the Emperor.

"Forgive me." He said as he avoided her gaze. "That was ill timed."

"I . . ." Sayrea started as she looked into Alirik's eyes, "Thank you." She said and rubbed her paw against his as she continued. "I'll see you tomorrow at dinner." She pushed against her door, and turned the knob until it clicked open and she slipped inside her room. She let a soft sigh of relief when she heard Alirik's paw-steps trail down the hallway. She looked around her room. The lanterns were lit and her room had a warm comforting glow to it. Her window was opened, and it let in a soft breeze. There was a covered tray on her table of which Sayrea could only assume was her dinner. She took in another deep breath and realized that she reeked of horse; at that same moment, the door that connected hers to Willa's opened and her maid stepped into the room.

"Did you have a pleasant afternoon Milady?"

Sayrea looked at Willa with a slight smile. "Better than I expected, given the circumstances."

"I trust you would like a bath."

Sayrea gave a soft nod. "Then maybe dinner in bed with a good book."

"As you wish Milady." Willa said and scuttled into the bathroom, and the sound of running water emanated shortly thereafter.

Sayrea took the moment to begin to peal herself from her clothes. She had never ridden sidesaddle for so long and her body tingled slightly now that her movements had slowed. Sayrea had gotten as far as her skirts before Willa returned to the room and helped her out of the rest of the dress. Finally free of the yards of fabric she followed Willa into the bathroom.

As she slipped into the not too hot water, she felt her body begin to relax. She then fully submerged for a moment to thoroughly dampen her fur, and then relaxed for a moment, as her body slightly bobbed in the tub. She felt some of the soreness in her muscles fade so she began to wash herself. The shampoo concoction took some of the horse smell from her body; oils would take care of the rest. She relaxed for a few more moments and did her best to keep her mind off of Vartouhi, by focusing on Alirik and her afternoon and what she had learned about her new life and home. Once she felt thoroughly relaxed and clean she left the now lukewarm water of the tub and dried herself with a towel.

She left the bathroom and sat at her bureau then selected an oil that smelled of juniper berries, sage and violets. As she brushed the oil into her fur and hair, Willa had turned down the bed, found Sayrea's book and readied a tray of her supper, and when Sayrea had finished she slipped into a nightgown and got into bed. Willa tucked her in and propped up the pillows behind the vixen's head so she was comfortably upright.

When Sayrea looked settled, Willa gave a short bow. "If you need me, you know where I will be." She said and left for her own rooms.

Sayrea opened her book and began to slowly eat her meal. It was a solid dinner of boiled potatoes, crisped geese with a honey sauce, turtle soup, a sweet black bread and iced jasmine tea. She ate until she was full and put the tray on the floor next to her bed. Willa would take care of it in the morning. She continued to read her book until she could no longer keep her eyes open and she blew out the candle by her bedside and put the book aside.

When she woke with a start, her room was still dark. She blinked into the blackness, the moonlight that came through her balcony window aided little, as Sayrea had never been able to see well in the dark immediately after waking, and she just couldn't tell what had woken her. She took in a few deep breaths and closed her eyes again; certain that it had been some noise from outside her opened window.

She was certain of this until she began to doze off to sleep and she felt a paw wrap around her muzzle and someone sit on top of her. Her eyes flashed opened and she struggled as best as she could, though she could do little under the full weight of whoever sat on her. She stopped struggling when the figure leaned to her ear and whispered in an all too familiar voice. "Don't make me hurt you." It was Vartouhi. Sayrea had no idea the ocelot was so strong--then, panic set in--she had gone against Vartouhi's wishes and spent the afternoon with Alirik, and now Vartouhi was living up to her threats. She stared wide eyed at Vartouhi, whose outline was now visible. "I suggest you stay quiet, because if you choose to be foolish and scream, you probably won't live long enough to be rescued." Vartouhi said, her voice a low rumbled whisper. She let that thought sink in before she removed her paw from Sayrea's face. After a few moments of obedient silence from Sayrea, Vartouhi continued. "I see you've decided not to take my advice and stay away from the Emperor." As she spoke she slowly began to unlace Sayrea's nightgown. "All afternoon I was thinking to myself 'Why would Sayrea not heed my warnings about the Emperor?' Then I knew the answer." At that moment Vartouhi had managed to unlace Sayrea's nightgown, which exposed her bare breasts. "You said you had a lover, so I know you aren't a virgin anymore, so you must be staying with the Emperor because of your need, your desire for touch, to be mated."

Sayrea's eyes were wide with fear. What on earth was Vartouhi talking about? Yes she had been in a rather lascivious state of mind of late, but that was only natural. She'd gone from matings every other night to nothing for over two weeks, any beast under such circumstances would feel the same way, but when her breasts were exposed--her body went numb--what was happening? She kicked her legs against the mattress underneath her in a rather unsuccessful attempt to get away from Vartouhi who held her down firm beneath her, and she leaned forward and licked Sayrea's exposed nipples.

Sayrea almost screamed, but remembered Vartouhi's warning and remained silent as the ocelot licked and sucked her soft breasts. She felt sick. Why was this happening to her? Why was her friend doing these things to her? The feel of Vartouhi's warm and slightly rough tongue on her nipples felt so strange. It was unlike any feeling she'd ever felt before, so different from the soft wet tongue of Enerin's. The more Vartouhi licked, the better it felt and soon Sayrea's nipples were stiff. She felt tears well in her eyes and Vartouhi paused.

"If you want to feel pleasure, I can give you pleasure you've never even imagined. A female knows places most males miss, we know our bodies better than anyone. If you are afraid to take a male lover," She paused and gave Sayrea's nipples a lick and nip each then continued. "The Emperor would not suspect or care if you took one of his wives as a lover. In fact he might enjoy it."

Sayrea opened her mouth to speak but Vartouhi brought a digit to the vixen's lips, cautioning her to be silent. "Before you decide, I will show you what it could be like with a female lover." Vartouhi began to rustle around with something on her bed and Sayrea noticed she was uncovered. That must have been what woke her, when Vartouhi uncovered her. She was beginning to see slightly better and saw a pouch on her bed with a few items that had been laid out on the bed. Sayrea tried to struggle again, but Vartouhi just pressed against her more, which kept her still. Once Sayrea had stopped struggling Vartouhi turned around and began to tie Sayrea's hands together, which she tied to the bed. "I know this seems harsh," Vartouhi purred, "but I know you won't give me a fair chance unless I do."

Vartouhi quickly and expertly tied Sayrea to her headboard. Once secure, Vartouhi began to move down Sayrea's body. When she reached her legs she hiked up the nightgown, but Sayrea's knees were pressed tightly together. Without a word Vartouhi gripped Sayrea's thighs and yanked them open, which exposed the vixen's sex. At that moment Vartouhi looked up at Sayrea and her eyes caught the moonlight and glowed an eerie green in the void of her silhouetted figure. She looked down and Vartouhi's shape returned to shadows, and Sayrea felt the ocelot's tongue lick the length of her sex.

Sayrea kicked against the mattress again, but Vartouhi wrapped her arms around Sayrea's hips and dug her muzzle into the vixen's mound. The ocelot flicked her tongue across Sayrea's clit which caused her to give a soft yip. She didn't want it to feel good, but it did. Not even Enerin had been this attentive to her. Mostly Enerin was interested in furious mating, but Vartouhi was slow, deliberate and gentle. Sayrea herself had never been that gentle to her own body.

As Vartouhi licked Sayrea's sex, her tongue occasionally worked its way past her lips to taste her inner walls. Her nose delicately nuzzled the vixen's clit as her rough, sandpapery tongue massaged her folds. The feeling was so intense, Sayrea felt her hips buck and writhe as the overwhelming need for release flushed through her body. Vartouhi's motions never stopped or slowed, she maintained a steady pace until Sayrea let out a high pitched yipp-like squeal, and a rush of juices coated the ocelot's muzzle.

Sayrea felt flushed, she hadn't meant to wet herself, but she couldn't have gotten Vartouhi to stop even if she'd wanted to. She started to cry, afraid for what punishment Vartouhi would conjure up for doing what she had done, though none came. The ocelot simply slid off Sayrea's body and sat at the edge of the bed. Sayrea could see her silhouetted profile, her eyesight fully adjusted to the dark; she could now pick out the large spots that covered her. She looked down at Sayrea. "Bet you've never climaxed like that before." She said with a grin.

Sayrea simply stared at her. That was with out a doubt a true statement, but what did that have to do with anything? Vartouhi gave a grin as she replied, "It takes a lot of skill to make a female spurt their juices and not a lot of males care to take the time to learn."

Sayrea's eyes went wide with shock and she managed a week reply. "You mean, I didn't urinate on you?"

Vartouhi gave a giggle as she began to untie the vixen. "No you didn't." She smiled before she continued. "I bet some of your lust has been satisfied."

Sayrea refused to admit it, but she did feel better. She had been torn between her feelings for Enerin and her growing care of Alirik. Now with Vartouhi showing her a third option, her head began to swim with confusion. She sat upright once her bonds had been unfastened and she rubbed her wrists. They didn't really hurt, but she just wanted to make sure everything was still intact.

Vartouhi smiled again and gave Sayrea a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry I had to tie you up like that, but I knew you wouldn't listen to me any other way." She petted Sayrea's head-fur and kissed her nose. "I like you; I really do. The Emperor is no good; he'll only break what gentleness you have left." She gave a smile as she stood and left the bedside, then added, "I wouldn't mind taking you as a lover, if you were receptive to the option, but stay away from the Emperor, you don't need him."

With that Vartouhi turned and left the room, allowing Sayrea a moment alone in the darkness. The vixen simply couldn't move and she was utterly confused. First Vartouhi was a friend, she was open and receptive, and then she was cold and bitter, now she wanted Sayrea to be her lover--absolutely nothing made sense to her now.

Sayrea laced up her nightgown and covered herself under her blankets like a shield. She lay underneath the covers, and smelled the staleness of the air under them, mixed with the sent of sex. She began to cry again and she continued to cry, as she shivered under the blankets of her bed. She cried so long that her body began to ache from heaving heavy sobs and not only was her pillow soaked with tears--and probably with wayward spittle and mucus--but so were her sheets, and her face was so matted, wet and sticky from tears that it glistened like a vitreous shield of fur. She cried so long that time passed unnoticed and her vision was so blurred that day and night could be one in the same, and all she could hear were the heavy sounds of her misery, until she finally drifted off into an uneventful and dreamless sleep.

*Comments are welcomed. Please comment. I love comments, comments make me want to post more often and work harder toward completing stories. Anything is welcome, questions, comments, critiques, all these things help me become a better writer so please, let me know what you think--and even if you all hate me, then I'll know whether writing is even something I could pursue publicly -- Thanks ^ ^ *