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Tirnel couldn't believe his bad luck. It had been a week since the merchant caravan had left the city of Golemar and they were mere two days from their destination -the free trade city Del Eliard- when they had been ambushed by a large group of barbaric monsters. More specifically their assailants were the hyenamen better known as Gnolls, their snarling and giggling battlecries filling the air all around them as they surged down upon the caravan's defenders.

The half-elf sighed and closed his chocolate-brown eyes for a second as he called upon the Arcane power within him, dragging then the palm of his hand over the length of his trusty quarterstaff whilst releasing the magical energy, turning the simple piece of wood into a magic weapon.

All around him there was utter chaos and carnage as the Gnolls kept up their assault. The beasts had chosen their ambush site well; the road snaked between two rocky hills on the otherwise fairly coverless -bar the occasional rock formation of course- dust plains. Tirnel had decided to hire himself and his not inconsiderable magical talents to the merchant caravan; at the time it had seemed like a fairly safe and secure way of getting from Golemar to Del Eliard whilst making a bit of coin at the side. Hells... He was supposed to meet a fellow Mystic Theurge -a spellcaster blending both Arcane and Divine magic seamlessly together- in Del Eliard to compare notes and further hone his talents. He had not expected the caravan to run face-first into a Gnoll ambush. The plump human caravan master had even assured him that the roads were quite safe.

"Obviously that fat pig was wrong..." Tirnel muttered under his breath as he spotted one of the hyenamen charging at him. The beast wore a tattered, mismatched armor made of pieces of plate metal, chain- and scalemail. In its hands it clutched a lethal-looking battleaxe and a stour wooden shield, its face distorted with anger as it howled a battlecry in their crude tongue. Tirnel regretted the fact he had actually spent the time and effort to learn the beasts' language a couple years back...

The mixblood mage spun his quarterstaff about and took up a defensive position. Unlike most spellcasters he had eschewed wearing robes, preferring instead a jacket with a long back-hem and a pair of trousers. Robes tended to get in the way when either fighting or fleeing; two talents he had practised a little bit, especially during the three years he had spent in a cloister learning the arts of the Clerics. After that he'd spent a good five years as the apprentice to a Wizard, learning the secrets of Arcane magic. He was quite proud of the fact he'd become a proficient Transmutation specialist in such a short time, and he was glad of the fact he had decided to focus his arts on that particular school of magic. The strength of a bull, the durability of a bear and the agility of a cheetah... All were within his capablity to bestow upon himself or someone else if he saw fit. Right now all those spells were coming handy.

The Gnoll took a wild swing at Tirnel, bringing his racing mind back into the present moment. He parried the blow deftly with one end of his staff, pushing the hyenaman's weapon to the side before slamming the other end of the staff into the monster's temple. Imbued with magic as he and his staff were, the impact was far greater than one might've expected from the half-elf, a sharp crack of skull filling the air. Soundlessly the Gnoll slumped onto the ground at Tirnel's feet and the mage turned about to observe the battlefield once more.

He felt cold water flooding the pit of his stomach as a realization dawned upon him. The caravan guards were losing the fight badly, one guard after another hewn down by the savage beasts. A snarl from his right made Tirnel whip his head around. Another brute was charging at him with a spear in hand.

Tirnel quickly conjured up his Arcane might once more before hurling twin beams of fire at his assailant from the palm of his hand. Both beams struck home and the Gnoll went down, howling in agony as the fire consumed it.

He sighed deep and brushed a stray lock of blonde, shoulder length hair off his face. For a moment he considered turning tail and just fleeing, but it was several days' travel to the nearest city and with the Gnolls on his trail and no supplies to speak of... He probably wouldn't make it too far. His only hope was to locate the leader of the beastmen and slay it in the hopes that it'd break the monsters' morale.

Another well-placed blow from his staff cracked the skull of another Gnoll, allowing Tirnel a brief respite. Almost desperately the half-elf scanned the battlefield, trying to find his target.

Tirnel spotted his target -or at least he hoped he'd found his mark- a couple of heartbeats later. The Gnoll in question was definitely different from the others, carrying himself with more confidence and, to be fair, the beast also seemed to sport equipment that was far superior to that of any other Gnoll around. Tirnel estimated the brute to be a little over seven feet tall and probably weighing in the territory of three hundred pounds or so... Definitely a foe to be reckoned with.

Its right arm was covered in segmented plate armor with a matching metal pauldron covering the shoulder, the wrist and forearm of the left one protected by a leather bracer. Its left shoulder was protected by a pauldron made of leather and connected to a harness made of similar material. The beast's lower regions were protected by a short, skirt-like chainmail loincloth held up by a sturdy leather belt and its legs were protected by metal kneepads and shinguards. A brief detection spell was enough to tell Tirnel much of the Gnoll's gear was enchanted in some way or another. This HAD to be the leader!

Unfortunately for Tirnel, as soon as he spotted the leader, the leader spotted him. For a brief moment they locked eyes, Tirnel's chocolate-brown ones locked with the solid-yellow of the beast.

No sooner had they seen each other than the beast started heading his way with seemingly no hurry. In one clawed hand it carried an impressive greataxe, the other one clenched into a tight fist. The Gnoll was muscular, tall and looked every bit like it could snap him in two without much of an effort. Yet Tirnel knew he'd have to try it... and hoped that his magical powers would be enough to give him an advantage in the duel.

One of the caravan guards -young mister Jonezy, apparently- charged at the slowly advancing beast with his sword drawn. The beast dodged the swing of Jonezy's blade with contemptual ease, followed by a bone-shattering backhand that sent Jonezy hurtling through the air like a broken ragdoll. And the beast had never even taken his eyes off Tirnel...

Tirnel conjured up his magical powers once more. All the spellcasting was taking a toll on him and he didn't know how much more he could do before fully exhausting himself, but in this case he felt compelled to push himself... Failure meant death, after all. From the fingertips of his extended hand Tirnel fired a salvo of arcane missiles, the bright white-blue bolts sailing unnerringly towards the advancing beast.

Just as the bolts started to converge to strike their mark the beast leapt backwards and brought his axe in front of it like a shield, blocking all but one of the missiles with the blade of his weapon. The one bolt that struck home crashed into the juggernaut's shoulder, but that didn't seem to have any effect on the beast short of making it mad.

The Gnoll snorted and charged at Tirnel, the beast's face twisted into a snarl as it swung its axe in an overhead chop. Tirnel brought his quarterstaff up in hopes of stopping the blow, trusting in the enchantments he had woven into the staff to resist the impact. Still, as if it wasn't even there, the Gnoll's greataxe cleaved right through Tirnel's weapon, swinging just an inch away from his face and other vital parts.

His foe continued the charge by ramming a pauldron-covered shoulder into Tirnel's midriff, knocking the wind out of the half-elf as well as sending Tirnel flat on his back on the ground, gasping for breath.

He was sure any moment now he'd see the brute swing his axe up and let him taste the cold kiss of steel. Or worse... He realized he might just as well be taken as a slave and Tirnel had heard gruesome tales of the things Gnolls did to their slaves. Either option seemed equally unpleasant.

As he lay there, gasping for breath, another Gnoll -this one with a ragged scar over its milky-white left eye- leaned over and snarled down at him. He could smell the foulness of the beast's breath and it made him gag. The Gnoll leaning over him grabbed him by the throat in a vice-like grip and hauled him up into the air apparently quite effortlessly, his feet kicking feebly in the air.

It didn't take long for his vision to start swimming. Through the balls of light dancing in his eyes he saw the Gnoll who had knocked him down originally snarling at the one strangling him, but he couldn't make out what was being said as the rushing of blood in his ears seemed to drown out all other noises.

Seconds later the scarred Gnoll received a firm punch in the face from the other one and Tirnel was sent sprawling on the ground once more.

The leader of the Gnoll raiders knelt down next to Tirnel and looked around himself at the -as Tirnel now noticed- gathered Gnolls. The fight was apparently over... and clearly in the Gnolls' favor.

"This one... Is MINE!" The leader roared in their crude, guttural language, his fangs bared as he snarled at the other beasts who, in turn, bowed their heads to indicate they did not challenge his claim. Even the scarred one that had been strangling Tirnel bowed his head eventually from where he lay on the dusty ground, blood staining the side of his muzzle where his lip had cracked from the hammerblow he had taken.

The leader of the Gnolls leaned down close to Tirnel, staring him square in the eyes. Much to Tirnel's surprise the beast spoke in the language of the humans. "One day you'll thank me for this. I'm saving you from a far more horrible fate... A new life awaits you, little mage."

Before Tirnel had a chance to ask what the Gnoll meant, the beast swung its fist back and slammed it into the side of the half-elf's face, knocking him out like a light. Darkness consumed Tirnel...

The sound of crackling fire was the first thing Tirnel heard as he came to. The next thing he noticed was the pounding ache in his head, accompanied by the flood of memories from recent events, and the combination of the two made him groan quietly.

"Finally awake. Good." A deep voice called from somewhere close by.

Tirnel opened his eyes slowly and rose into a sitting position. He was in a fairly spacious hut of some kind, the walls and floor covered in the pelts of various animals. A rather cozy-looking fire was burning in the centre of the hut, lighting up and warming the interior quite nicely. There were also several shelves on the walls -filled with various trinkets and curios by the looks of it- as well as some small wooden boxes and leather bags piled on one side of the round hut.

Sitting cross-legged next to the fireplace was a big Gnoll, the one -Tirnel recognized- as the one who had knocked him out... How long ago, he couldn't tell. Clearly the Gnoll wasn't wearing his battle regalia, being only clad in the leather harness plus pauldron, a pair of decorative leather wristbands and a loincloth; also made of leather.

Tirnel said nothing. He did, however, become keenly aware of the fact he wasn't able to summon up his magical powers. It seemed as if they were... Just gone. He also noticed there was a metal collar around his neck, though it was lined with a thin layer of leather on the inside; probably to lessen chafing, he presumed. His clothes had also been replaced with a crude cloth vest and a similar loincloth, though he was surprised to notice he didn't have any restraints on him aside from the collar.

The Gnoll snorted in amusement at Tirnel's confused, horrified expression. "I take it you noticed your powers are gone, little mage? The Shamans of the tribe are to thank for that."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Tirnel asked whilst squeezing his eyes shut and gingerly rubbing his temples, trying to will away the headache.

The Gnoll warrior nudged his head towards the collar "That thing around your neck is crafted with powerful runes of anti-magic. As long as you wear it, you won't be able to use any of your powers... Arcane or Divine."

"I don't suppose you'd mind taking it off for a moment, then?" Tirnel asked, making sure his sarcastic tone was clearly identifiable.

"Very funny..." The Gnoll responded, still keeping his eyes firmly on Tirnel. "It also serves another purpose. If you cross the stone totems surrounding the village, the runes in the collar will explode violently. Needless to say... Do not attempt to escape. I didn't go through the trouble of challenging the Huntmaster for your life only to see you throw it away foolishly. Now that that bit of mandatory information is out of the way... What is your name, little mage? I am called Rhaz of the tribe Bloodaxe."

The Huntmaster? Had this Gnoll not been the leader after all? The half-elf let out a resigned sigh "I'm... Tirnel. Tirnel Starsong. I uhh... I assume I'm a slave now?"

Rhaz took a moment before responding, the Gnoll's head tilting slightly to one side whilst one corner of his muzzle twisted into a half smile. "Yes and kind of no... I've chosen you as my personal slave. This gives you certain freedoms -such as the lack of manacles unless they are really needed- and at the same time bestows upon you certain responsibilities."

"Responsibilities? Cleaning up the hut, combing your mane, that sort of stuff I assume?"

"Yes... The duty of a personal slave is to see to every need of the Brave who has claimed them. And when I say every need, I do mean every need." Rhaz said quietly, fixing a meaningful stare at Tirnel who, upon hearing the news, slowly opened his eyes in dawning horror.

"You can't be serious..." The half-elf blurted out, inching slowly backwards until his back hit the wall of the hut and he swallowed nervously. "You... You really expect me to... To..."

"To lay with me." Rhaz finished the sentence, giving a small nod to Tirnel "Most Gnolls would simply take what they want from their personal slaves, laying them whether they like it or not, but I'm sure you will soon find out I am not like most other Gnolls. I won't mate with you unless you agree to it, but as I'm not the Huntmaster I'm only ever allowed one personal slave. This means I will get pent-up unless you help me and I'm... Considerably less pleasant when I'm pent-up and frustrated by it."

The whole idea of sleeping with a monster like this Gnoll seemed absolutely absurd to Tirnel. He wasn't even sure he liked the idea of sleeping with another man, much less a monster! Though in all honestly he'd never had much time to think of such things as sex and much less relationships; his studies had always kept him very, very busy.

"But... I'm a man, a male. Surely you could've picked a woman as a personal slave. Much more pleasant to look at than me, don't you agree?" Tirnel still kept his back firmly against the wall of the hut even though Rhaz hadn't moved an inch. The half-elf kept eyeing the cloth-flab covered doorway of the hut nervously, considering the option of just bolting. Then again... Where would he go from there? If the collar was capable of suppressing his magic, then surely the part about it exploding if he tried to escape had to be true as well.

"The Braves aren't allowed female slaves and even if we were... I much prefer the company of other males." Rhaz held up a paw to silence the questions Tirnel had "Before you ask, we Braves aren't allowed female slaves because the laws say so. Breeding -more specifically producing pups- with a non-Gnoll is an abomination to our God, punishable with either exile or death, depending on how the Matriarch happens to feel at the time. However, we males have our needs and as such we are allowed male slaves for... Personal amusement."

"Quite the honor I have, then..." Tirnel mumbled, trying his best again to sound as sarcastic as he could.

Rhaz chuckled "Like I said, I will not force you into anything. Plus being the personal slave of one of the more accomplished hunters of the tribe has it's merits. None of the other tribe members will harass you as long as you bear my personal mark, plus you can be sure you won't find yourself on the menu, nor will you be forced to do back-breaking labor or live in misery and squalor."

Tirnel was silent for a moment, contemplating the words of his captor. Obviously the stories of Gnolls eating just about any meat were also true. "There's... A certain logic in your words, I'll give you that. What kind of a mark are we talking about here, exactly? A-and... I'd rather not eat anything that was sentient."

"My scent should be enough, supposing I make sure it's all over you and that it remains strong." The Gnoll replied whilst giving his snout a couple of light taps. "We Gnolls have keen noses and identify many things by scent. Alternatively, if you still find the idea of laying with me absolutely revolting... I can either carve or brand my personal symbol upon you. As for eating sentient beings... I prefer to consume animal flesh as well and, as I said, being one of the best hunters of the tribe gives me -and by that extent you- certain privileges. One of them being the ability to pick what I eat quite freely. I can guarantee you you won't be eating any humanoid flesh as long as I can help it."

"Alright... Alright then... Seems like a fair deal, considering the circumstances." Tirnel said in return whilst nodding his head carefully for added emphasis.

"So make your choice, now... What kind of a mark would you prefer to bear?" as he spoke, Rhaz crossed his muscular arms over his chest and fixed Tirnel with an expectant stare.

Tirnel held up his arms in a defensive, placating manner "Can I have just a little bit more time to think about it, please?" after the Gnoll nodded Tirnel lowered his arms again "So umm... If you don't mind me saying so, you seem to be fairly smart for a Gnoll. N-not that I'm saying your kind is stupid or anything."

"It is true that we Gnolls are considered savage, primitive and stupid by most of the so-called 'civilized' races. It is also correct that I'm gifted with more smarts than most of my kind, even if I am one of the tribe's Berzerkers."

Rhaz turned his head towards the ceiling, an almost wistful expression appearing onto his face as he continued "As for my education... Much of that has to do with my previous personal slave. He was a Paladin of Iomedae, the goddess of justice, captured during one of our raids and claimed by me... In doing so I saved his life, much like I saved yours earlier today. Over the course of two years he taught me many things."

"What happened to him?"

The brutish warrior sighed deep at that, giving Tirnel a sad smile "He... Died. One day he simply could no longer bear the suffering of the other slaves and, foolishly, he stole a sword and attacked the tribe's warriors. The Matriarch forced me to deal with it, seeing how he was my slave... I had to kill him; a fact I am not proud of, but he looked almost relieved when I... When I finally cut him down."

"I'm sorry to hear that..." Tirnel said. In a way he felt genuinely sorry for the Gnoll. The brute had started to seem like not such a bad person after all. He had to remind himself that this particular Gnoll had quite mercilessly slaughtered several of the caravan guards. Who knows how many others the brute had killed over the years?

"After that my rights for a personal slave were revoked for a full year. That year has now passed and you... Well... Here you are." Rhaz sighed, hanging his head for a moment before looking at the half-elf once more "I'm starving. Would you like some food? Many hours have passed since the raid in the morning."

Now that he mentioned it, Tirnel was feeling somewhat hungry, not to mention thirsty. "I... Yes, yes I'd like something to eat and drink."

The Gnoll nodded and stood up. Tirnel couldn't help but feel a little bit intimidated by the sheer size of the brutish, spotty-pelted warrior. "Remain here. You do not yet bear my mark and that makes you free game to any member of the tribe. The waterskin on that shelf is full. I'll return soon with some food for the both of us." With that said Rhaz turned around and left the hut, leaving Tirnel alone.

The idea of leaving the hut didn't appeal to him at all, so instead Tirnel headed towards the shelf Rhaz had indicated. He was still suspicious of the Gnoll's motives, so he opened the waterskin -apparently made from the hide of a white-black goat- carefully and sniffed the contents. Since he didn't smell anything odd he took a careful little sip, followed by several big gulps as he discovered it was indeed fresh, cool water inside the skin.

With his thirst quenched Tirnel placed the waterskin next to the small pile of animal skins he had been laying on. Another, larger pile of furs not far away from his was, by his guess, the place where the Gnoll Brave slept. Probably -if his brags were true- Rhaz had hunted most of the pelts in the hut himself; including the impressively large grey bear pelt that was the very topmost one on the Gnoll's sleeping spot.

Soon enough Tirnel's curiosity got the better of him and he carefully made his way to the hut's entrance. His heart was hammering unpleasantly hard and fast in his chest with every step he took; something that did not help with the headache he still had.

Carefully he knelt next to the entrance and pushed the flap aside to take a peek at the village. First thing he noticed was the twilight. Apparently dusk had already settled in, meaning he'd been out cold for the most part of the day.

The village itself looked somewhat large judging by the number of huts around. Rhaz's hut had to be near the centre of the village, judging by the large clearing with a massive firepit in the middle of it that was surrounded by the huts. Dozens of Gnolls were milling about in the clearing, doing various tasks like making and maintaining weapons and armor, drinking, eating and, in one particular case, having an all-out brawl with several onlookers cheering for them.

Suddenly Tirnel saw something that made a cold chill run down his spine. Seated in a throne made of ivory tusks, bone and furs, decorated with precious metals and gems and borne aloft on a dais carried by eight disheartened-looking slaves of varying races was a Gnoll larger than any other around it; easily over eight feet tall. It had to be a female because of the sizeable bosom it had; of that Tirnel was sure. The female -the Matriarch, Tirnel guessed- had eyes that glowed hellish-red, her feet ended in cloven hooves, her snarling mouth was lined with fangs longer and sharper than those of other Gnolls and there was a row of bony spikes -like a second mane- going from the top of her head and down her spine. All other Gnolls barely dared to look her way, bowing their heads at her passing.

The Matriarch soon enough vanished from sight, carried towards the largest of the huts Tirnel could see. Of course... The Matriarch was the closest thing to royalty the Gnolls had. It made sense that she'd live in the largest, most luxurious place. And judging by the way she looked there had to be some Fiend blood in her...

Something large and fuzzy blocked Tirnel's view all of a sudden. He turned his head up and got startled by the sight of the one-eyed, scarred Gnoll that had tried to strangle him earlier.

The Gnoll made a move to grab him by the throat again, but Tirnel scrambled out of the way, not stopping until he was up against the wall of the hut once more. The scarred Gnoll growled at him and approached slowly, its fangs bared and anger in its yellow eye.

"R-Rhaz! Anyone? Help!" Tirnel yelled as loud as he could. This in turn made the scarred Gnoll lunge at him. Tirnel tried to duck out of the way, but he was caught by his hair. The Gnoll slammed him face-first against the wall which dazed Tirnel quite badly.

"Rhaz may have claimed you earlier..." The Gnoll snarled in its guttural language into Tirnel's ear, the hot breath of the savage washing over his face. Tirnel could smell alcohol, wine to be more specific, in the brute's breath. Obviously this Gnoll, the Huntmaster as Rhaz had called him, was drunk. "But I don't see his mark on you, nor do I smell it on you. That means you're still up for the taking, bitch..."

Tirnel opened his mouth again to scream for help, but the Huntmaster slammed his head against the wall once more, turning his cry for help into a groan of pain. "No point in screaming, mixblood... He won't be coming to help you until it's too late."

The Huntmaster forcibly yanked Tirnel's loincloth away, and the half-elf could feel something hot and hard poking up against his butt. The Huntmaster was about to rape him, Tirnel realized with dawning horror and he tried in vain to struggle free once more.

"Hold STILL, bitch!" The huntmaster snarled and slammed Tirnel's head into the wall once more; this time hard enough to make the half-elf nearly lose consciousness. He felt the Huntmaster's maleness poking drunkenly in the cleft of his rump, seeking for entrance.

Tirnel felt revolted, helpless and deeply ashamed all at once. If only he had his magic...

Suddenly someone spoke quietly in a relaxed, casual tone from somewhere behind Tirnel and the Huntmaster. It wasn't a voice Tirnel recognized "You know... Rhaz is not going to be very happy if you go and lay his slave, Gorra..."

Gorra, the Huntmaster, spun around instantly, letting Tirnel slump on his knees against the wall. His head was pounding something fierce and his face was burning from embarrassment, but still he got a good look at his savior.

It was another Gnoll, smaller than either Gorra or Rhaz, far lankier and clad in sleeveless studded leather armor made of dark leather with a matching, deep leather hood attached to it. Similarly it -he- had bracers, greaves, knee- and elbow pads as well as a loincloth all made of similar dark leather. On his belt the Gnoll had two sheathed kukris and on his face he bore what Tirnel interpreted to be a cocky smile.

"Dagnyr... You dare interfere in my business? I'm the Huntmaster!" Gorra snarled, banging his chest with a fist once for emphasis.

"Yeah. Yeah I think I do dare, Gorra. Rhaz will be here shortly, and I'm basically here just to provide a distraction. Now if you're as quick in bed as I've heard some of the females say, you might still have enough time to lay the little elf." Dagnyr's cocky smile turned into a grin "Though if I were in your fur, I'd hate to be caught in the act. You know how Rhaz gets with his property..."

The Huntmaster snarled and took a half-step towards the considerably weedier Gnoll, but as soon as he did Dagnyr's paws moved like lightning, drawing out the pair of kukris on his belt and he leapt back to put some more distance between himself and Gorra, landing in a low crouch with his weapons held ready, blades pointing down.

"Just give me a good reason, oh Huntmaster... I'd relish the chance to gut you like a fish and rise higher in the tribe's hierarchy." Dagnyr snarled, his fangs bared in defiance.

Gorra growled at Dagnyr, but apparently thought better of it, snorting derisively at the smaller Gnoll before exiting the hut in a hurry.

Dagnyr sheathed his weapons as soon as the Huntmaster was gone, padding slowly over to Tirnel who was still kneeling on the ground and leaning against the wall for support. The Gnoll clicked his tongue disapprovingly as he dropped down to one knee next to the half-elf. Tirnel's first reaction was to recoil away from the Gnoll as it reached towards him.

"Calm down now. I'm not going to hurt you." Dagnyr said as calmly as he could, swiping a thumb over Tirnel's temple faster than the mage could react to, showing to him the red stain left by the action. "See? Gorra banged your head up pretty bad. I think I've got something that should help fix you up."

The Gnoll dug out a small, corked vial filled with some kind of teal fluid from one of the leather pouches on his belt and offered it to the half-elf. Tirnel recognized the bottle almost instantly: a healing potion. Judging by the size of the vial and the light shade of the liquid it wasn't a particularly potent concoction, but it'd probably suffice.

Tirnel took the bottle gingerly, popped the sealed cork and downed the liquid in one go. A warm, tingly sensation spread almost instantly through his entire body starting from the stomach and in mere seconds the headache was gone alongside most of the other pains and aches in him.

"I... Thank you." Tirnel muttered as the Gnoll took away the empty vial and stashed it away.

Dagnyr patted him on the shoulder gently and even offered Tirnel a little smile. "Think nothing of it. Gorra's an entitled pig, thinking his sheer brawn and position as the Huntmaster let him do whatever the Hells he pleases. It was my personal pleasure to knock him down a peg."

Tirnel became suddenly very aware of the fact his nethers were quite exposed and he tried as best he could to cover himself up, blushing once again at the realization. It didn't help that Dagnyr was kneeling quite close to him.

Dagnyr cleared his throat and shifted away from Tirnel, taking a seat on Rhaz's bed and running a paw slowly over the surface of the bear pelt, the Gnoll looking every bit like he was remembering something pleasant whilst doing so. "I'll stay here until Rhaz returns, just in case Gorra gets some more bright ideas in that alcohol-addled head of his."

The half-elf picked up his loincloth and covered his crotch with it whilst shifting over to sit closer to the fire, letting the warmth wash away some of the harrowing experiences of the day. "I take it you're... You're a friend of Rhaz?" he asked eventually.

Dagnyr tossed a couple of pieces of wood into the fireplace, pulling down his hood before replying "Yeah. We've been friends since we were youths. We've even been on a few adventures together. He's saved my scrawny arse several times over and I've done the same to him."

Tirnel observed the fact that, unlike most Gnolls he had seen thus far, Dagnyr didn't have a real mane to speak of. Whereas Rhaz had a crest-like mohawk mane, Dagnyr had just a little bit of slightly longer and darker fur trailing from his scalp down his neck.

"Anyway... You might've heard it already, but I'm called Dagnyr of the tribe Bloodaxe. I'm also quite impressed by the fact you speak our language so fluently." Dagnyr added, once again giving Tirnel a little smile.

"I'm Tirnel. Tirnel Starsong. And yes... I studied the language of your kind whilst apprenticing for a Wizard." the half-elf replied, managing a half-smile of his own.

"Starsong... Heh. I never understood why many of the 'civilized' races add something other than the name of their tribe to their own name." Dagnyr chuckled whilst poking the fireplace with a stick to keep the fire going strong, adding the poking stick into the blaze a moment later.

"It's... Part of our heritage, a way for us to honor our forefathers and to identify ourselves amongst our... err... Tribe, I suppose."

"Won't that create unneeded division amongst your kind?" It seemed like Dagnyr was genuinely curious about the subject and not just making smalltalk.

Tirnel pondered for a moment, his brow furrowed "I don't know... I've never really thought of it like that. We don't really live in a similar tribal structure as you do, so I guess we don't feel the need to form separate groups much larger than our family, and we want our families to be identifiable from other families."

"Fascinating. Thanks for satiating my idle curiosity."

Before Tirnel could reply, Rhaz returned bearing a sack that contained something which smelled delicious. The big Gnoll was clearly surprised to see Dagnyr, who in turn quickly rose to his feet.

"Dag... What a surprise to see you here. Not an unpleasant one, of course." Rhaz said, a smile appearing onto the Brave's face as he dropped the sack and grabbed the smaller Gnoll into a hearty bearhug.

"Good to- ufff... Good to see you too, Rhaz. Figured I'd drop by when I saw Gorra sneaking in right after you left." Dagnyr replied, embracing the larger Gnoll equally heartily. Tirnel couldn't help but wonder if the two of them had shared something more than just excitement and adventure...

Rhaz released Dagnyr as soon as he heard the smaller Gnoll's reply, his smile melting away into a look of pure anger. He threw one glance at Tirnel and -upon noticing the half-elf wasn't wearing his loincloth- his upper lip rose in a snarl. "What?"

"The drunk pig figured that he'd claim your slave for himself since you hadn't yet bothered to mark him. Don't worry... I got here just in time to prevent anything bad from happening. Then I stuck around to make sure Gorra wouldn't try anything stupid for a second time."

"I'm going to tear that bastard limb from limb!" Rhaz snarled, his eyes turning from yellow to murderous red, which in turn made Dagnyr take half a step back.

"Easy there, big guy... Easy. You know the Matriarch likes her Huntmaster quite a bit. You'd be in deep shit if you went and butchered him right now. Calm down, okay?" as he spoke Dagnyr reached one paw slowly upwards, starting to gently rub one of Rhaz's ears.

The act seemed to have an effect on the big warrior, as Rhaz slowly closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. Once he opened his eyes again they were back to their usual shade of yellow. "You're right, Dag."

Dagnyr chuckled, still rubbing Rhaz's ear though he slowly moved the paw lower onto the berzerker's neck. "Of course I am. Someone needs to be the voice of reason 'round here. You may be smart, big guy, but sometimes you're still too damn hot-headed for your own good. Between you and Gashkarr, I've got my paws full trying to keep the two of you from doing stupid things."

Tirnel was watching the exchange with fascination. The way they were behaving was slowly confirming to him that the two of them weren't just adventuring companions. They were indeed also lovers... At least occasionally. So why was he needed, again?

Rhaz gave Dag's cheek a tender lick "Are you willing to stay for the night? I don't think Tirnel would mind..." the brute asked, adding then with a small grin towards the half-elf "Not that he'd have any say in the matter anyway."

This in turn made Tirnel blush slightly.

Dagnyr shook his head slowly "No... I wouldn't want to deprive you of a potentially fun night with your new toy. I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

"Alright. See you tomorrow, then." Rhaz replied and with that Dag pulled up his hood and slipped out of the hut, giving Tirnel a nod before doing so.

Rhaz sighed again and tossed the bag he had brought towards Tirnel, taking a seat close by to the fireplace as well. "I can't do much else except apologize for what happened." he began whilst at the same time digging out a piece of roasted meat from the bag "I should've been more insistent on leaving my mark on you. That way I could've had Gorra exiled or strung up by his wretched guts if he tried something like this."

Rhaz's words gave Tirnel a pause for a moment, but he was too hungry to let it bother him for long. He fished out a piece of meat from the bag as well, sniffing it carefully before taking a little bite. It tasted very much like venison of some kind and he threw a quizzical look at Rhaz.

"It's deer. Brought the beast down myself yesterday." The Gnoll answered, giving the half-elf an encouraging smile to go with the words.

Tirnel nodded and proceeded to scarf down the meat. He couldn't believe how hungry he was!

After a filling meal -Rhaz had also brought some bread, cheese and even some fresh vegetables- Tirnel fell down sideways, still careful to keep his loincloth in front of his crotch, laying there basking in front of the merrily crackling fire. They had eaten mostly in silence, focusing on filling their stomachs rather than idle chitchat.

"So..." Rhaz began as he added a few more small twigs to the fire. The sun had set and it was well and truly dark outside, as evidenced by the stars visible from the smoke hole in the ceiling. "Have you considered your options carefully enough now? After what happened this evening, I'm going to need an answer right here and now. I... Don't want such a thing to happen to you again. It's bad enough you've been plunged into a new life and deprived of your magical talents. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt."

"That's... That's very generous of you." This time there was no sarcasm in Tirnel's voice.

The Gnoll snorted in amusement "Well you are my responsibility now. Whether we share a bed or not I'll leave entirely up to you, but you need to be marked tonight; one way or another. I can't stress that enough."

Tirnel sighed and hauled himself into a sitting position once more. "Alright, I'll give you your answer, but first please answer me this... What do you need me for? Obviously you and Dagnyr are lovers, so that should be covered. Do you really need a... a housekeeper that badly?"

Rhaz was silent for a moment before fixing his gaze once more directly into Tirnel's eyes. The Gnoll's expression was fairly neutral and difficult to read. Heck, Tirnel wasn't even sure whether the Gnoll was looking directly at him or not. It was nigh-impossible to tell where someone whose eyes had no pupils and no irises was looking at. "I mentioned previously that laying with females of other species is forbidden... By same token it is also a taboo for a Gnoll Brave to lay with another Brave. I know not why this rule exists -perhaps because the females tend to be colossal, jealous bitches- but I do know that what is between me and Dag must remain secret lest we be exiled... Or killed."

Tirnel could only nod quietly to show he understood. An uneasy silence fell into the hut for a good while during which the two of them just kept staring at the fire. Long minutes passed by until Tirnel finally broke it. "Alright..."

"Hmm?" Rhaz responded, the Gnoll's ears perked attentively and one brow raised slightly in curiosity.

Swallowing hard -his mouth feeling a bit dry- Tirnel stood up and, after a moment of hesitation, let the loincloth drop from his hand. He felt exposed, standing there without anything covering his loins, but he was resolved to at least try it. Rhaz had shown to be -from what little Tirnel had learned during the evening- a surprisingly considerate case for a Gnoll. Hopefully he'd also be so as a lover... And Tirnel had to admit to himself the thought of feeling that fur and the muscles underneath against his body felt almost, almost a little bit exciting. Plus considering the alternatives... He wasn't too keen on the idea of getting branded or cut.

Rhaz sat where he was, though Tirnel could almost feel the Gnoll's gaze on his body as he took the few steps between him and the Gnoll.

"Hells... If I only have one candle to burn in this world, I might as well give it a try, right?" He thought to himself, trying to justify what he was about to do to himself, as he shyly placed a hand onto the Gnoll's shoulder. His heart was hammering fast in his chest once again, a shade of pink appearing onto his handsome face.

"You're sure about this?" Rhaz asked quietly, his serious expression melting into a small smile as Tirnel nodded, the half-elf's nervousness clearly showing.

Just like he had seen Dagnyr do, Tirnel started to gently massage one of Rhaz's ears, getting rewarded for his actions with a content, rumbling growl, the Gnoll Brave's eyes falling shut little by little in utter relaxation.

Tirnel sucked in a sharp, surprised breath as Rhaz placed one big paw onto his hip, sliding from there to his quite bare ass. Rhaz massaged the delightfully pert, round mound under his paw gently whilst at the same time leaning his cheek against Tirnel's stomach. By the mask of Nethys the warrior felt so warm...

The half-elf let out another gasp of surprise -which soon turned into a quivering moan- as Rhaz planted a long, slow lick onto his shaft. The first lick was followed by many more, the Gnoll's broad, warm, wet tongue making Tirnel hard as rock in no time at all.

The feeling was, to say the least, pleasant yet strange at the same time. He had barely even experimented with touching himself, so all this was completely new to him... And he had to admit he didn't dislike the feeling.

Tirnel didn't have much time to contemplate the feeling of that tongue on his shaft before he was plunged into another new experience. Rhaz had simply opened his muzzle and, in one go, taken Tirnel's entire cock to the hilt in his muzzle. He had to admit he was a little terrified at first at the prospect of those sharp fangs, but apparently Rhaz had some experience doing this. Not once did Tirnel feel the touch of a fang on his maleness as the Gnoll slowly bobbed his head up and down along the length of his shaft.

Tirnel couldn't help but moan out loud. It felt so good... He wasn't at all sure how long he'd last under such ministrations, and apparently Rhaz picked up on it, because well before Tirnel would've crossed the line of no return the Gnoll withdrew his muzzle with a rather lewd, wet sucking sound.

"How was it"? The Gnoll asked softly after Tirnel had had a moment to gather his wits.

The half-elf petted the head of the brutish warrior gently and smiled a little nervously "It was... It felt great."

Rhaz simply nodded and then stood up, stripping Tirnel's shirt gently before ridding himself of his loincloth -which, Tirnel noted, was pitching quite the tent- and his harness, leaving the two of them completely naked, admiring each other in the light of the fire.

Whereas Tirnel was slim and fit, Rhaz was big, bulky, and built like a seasoned gladiator with a broad, strong upper body and equally strong legs; the whole package covered in tawny brown fur with black spots, a lighter shade of spotless brown on his belly, chest and inner thighs. Between the Gnoll's legs was a sheath from which protruded a rigid, pink shaft. Tirnel noted the Gnoll's penis was surprisingly human-like bar the existence of a sheath instead of a foreskin.

"You are... Very beautiful, Tir..." Rhaz spoke after a moment of silence, the compliment making Tirnel's slightly pointed ears feel suddenly quite hot indeed.

"You... You don't look too bad either." Tirnel managed to stammer in response.

The Gnoll picked Tirnel up to his arms with ease, as if the half-elf weighed no more than a child. Clearly the stories of the physical prowess of the Gnolls had not been exaggerated. Rhaz lay the half-elf gently down onto what Tirnel had correctly assumed to be the Gnoll's bed, the brute himself laying down on top of him, though he was careful not to put too much of his bulk on his partner.

Tirnel gasped softly once more as the rock-hard shaft of Rhaz pressed firmly against his own penis, his gasp followed soonafter by a moan as the Gnoll started to grind their cocks slowly together. All the while the brute was gazing deeply into Tirnel's eyes, the beast's ears standing in attention, listening to all the sounds the half-elf made.

"B-By the gods..." Tirnel grunted, feeling precum dribbling out of the tip of his penis, mixing with the similar fluid produced by the Gnoll on top of him.

"First time laying with another male, I take it?" Rhaz asked quietly, his voice almost a growl right next to Tirnel's ear, which in turn sent another shiver down the half-elf's spine.

"F-First time laying with anyone, actually... We halfbreeds aren't exactly too popular a-and I was always busy studying..." Tirnel managed to reply between gasps and moans.

"Mmmmh... A virgin, then. I'll be gentle." The brute assured him and Tirnel hoped the Gnoll was being honest with him about that.

Rhaz slid off his slave/lover's body and rose onto his knees next to him. "Would you like to try using your mouth on me before we go on further?"

Tirnel looked at the hard shaft between Rhaz's legs. It looked rather intimidatingly big from where he was lying and he even said as much.

This in turn made the Gnoll chuckle "Luckily for you I am only averagely endowed for someone of my kind... Sure, for someone of your size it may look big, but don't worry, it'll fit in your mouth and, once we get there, your rump."

The way he so boldly and shamelessly announced his intentions made Tirnel's face feel like it was burning up, but he had resolved to himself that he'd see this through and he intended to stick to it. Slowly he rose onto his knees, lowering himself then down again to put his face level with the Gnoll's shaft.

There was a certain scent drifting about the Gnoll's crotch... It didn't appear musky or unpleasant at all. It seemed like a natural scent for a member of his species, in fact. As he hesitated, Tirnel felt a big, gentle paw landing onto his head, slowly caressing his blonde hair. The half-elf exhaled deeply before moving closer, giving the Gnoll's shaft at first a small lick, testing the texture and taste of it. Upon finding both of them not unpleasant he got a little bolder, dragging his tongue this way and that along the length of the Gnoll's penis. Even the precum he found to be surprisingly non-gross despite the slick, almost slimy texture and appearance.

Rhaz, meanwhile, had let his eyes fall shut and was simply enjoying the oral attention, one paw still resting casually on Tirnel's head whilst the other one hung relaxedly by his side.

Eventually Tirnel steeled himself and opened his mouth as wide as he could before slowly taking the glans of Rhaz's cock into his mouth, doing his best not to let his teeth touch any part of his... Well there really was no other way to put it... His lover's shaft. He couldn't even get half of the Gnoll's penis into his mouth without feeling like gagging.

As he retched involuntarily, Rhaz let out a grunt before muttering reassurringly "Don't force it, lover... Do what you can and don't worry too much about it."

Tirnel just nodded and started to bob his head up and down slowly just like Rhaz had done to him earlier, keeping his hair out of the way with one hand whilst slowly caressing the Gnoll's hip with the other, rather quite enjoying the feeling of the other male's fur sliding through his fingers.

The half-elf couldn't go on for long before he had to pull off, gingerly massaging his tired, sore jaw. It took a lot of effort to keep his mouth open wide enough to comfortably accomodate the Gnoll's manhood... Yet he had to admit all this had been rather fun. He was quite warming up to all this sexual stuff!

"Alright..." Rhaz's voice snapped Tirnel back into reality "I think it's time for what I consider the best part. At least I enjoy it the most."

"Y-You're sure it'll fit in my... In my butt?" Tirnel asked nervously. It felt like there was no way it'd fit... Hells, it seemed more likely that he'd be torn apart; a thought that frightened him quite a bit.

Rhaz could see and hear the hesitation in the half-elf. He gave a reassurring smile whilst pulling the smaller male into a gentle embrace, hoping that would calm the little mage down a bit. "Trust me... It will fit. It'll hurt at first, but when you get used to it it'll start to feel good. Plus I've got something that'll make slipping myself in a little easier."

The warm embrace of the big warrior, combined with the soothing words, did indeed make Tirnel feel a little bit more at ease. "Really? What are you talking about?"

"Let me show you..." Rhaz said, releasing Tirnel from his embrace before walking over to one of the shelves and picking up a medium-sized bottle made of thick, green glass with a cork to keep the contents from accidentally spilling. The Gnoll returned to the bed and knelt down whilst at the same time opening the bottle and pouring a little bit of what looked like oil onto the tips of his index- and middle fingers, smearing the substance further onto the fingertips with his thumb to show how slick it was. "It's an oil of some sort made by the slaves of our tribe for our Braves to use just in these kinds of situations. It makes breeding the slave easier."

"I had no idea the Gnolls would be so considerate towards their slaves. No disrespect meant, of course." Tirnel said, adding the latter part almost as an afterthought as he realized how his words must've sounded.

"No offense taken. It's actually more for the pleasure and enjoyment of the Brave that this oil is made. A penetration without it can be unpleasant not only to the slave being mounted, but also to the owning Brave."

"I... See." Tirnel replied at length. "So uhh... How do we proceed from here?"

"Since this is your first time, I think it'll be easiest for the both of us if you get on your hands and knees and then just... Relax as best you can." as he spoke, Rhaz poured a good bit of the slick oil onto his penis, smearing the lubricant around thoroughly with the three already slippery fingers.

The half-elf just nodded shyly and did as he was told, getting down on his palms and knees, shuffling then about a little bit to get more comfortable. "Something like this, right?"

"Yeah... Just like that." The Gnoll replied, his head tilted idly to one side as he circled behind Tirnel.

Tirnel could feel the stare of his lover on his naked, exposed posterior. He was suddenly glad his long hair was hiding his face as long as he hung his head down, because it felt like his face was about to catch on fire judging by how hot it felt. He just couldn't believe he was about to be made the woman of this Gnoll; and yet at the same time he felt a little bit eager to experience it as well.

Rhaz's eyes were fixed firmly on the half-elf's backside, absorbing in every little detail of it. Tir looked so very sexy whilst on all fours and presenting himself for him. And he was a virgin too... That took some of the fun out, seeing how he'd have to be far more careful, but he hoped that eventually the half-elf would get more comfortable and a little bit looser.

The Gnoll shifted forwards, smearing the rest of the oil from his fingers directly onto Tirnel's sphincter, eliciting a quivering gasp from the half-elf. The Gnoll placed the slick tip of his cock directly onto Tirnel's entrance, slowly rubbing it around and enjoying the little noises it caused in the little mage.

With one paw on his lover's hip for support and the other one on his shaft for guidance, Rhaz whispered "I'm doing it now... Try to relax." before starting to exert more and more pressure onto the half-elf mage's entrance.

Tirnel had to grit his teeth as he felt himself being spread open by the Gnoll's girth, his breath getting stuck in his throat for a brief moment as he felt his hole finally giving way and Rhaz's oiled-up shaft slipped partway in. It was definitely painful, but Rhaz kept murmuring words of encouragement quietly at him and after a while the pain started to subside as he finally started getting used to the invading appendage in his rectum.

Seeing -and to a lesser extent feeling- Tir relax and properly accomodate his shaft, Rhaz started to push his hips forward, sinking inch after inch in until he hilted himself firmly inside the half-elf, his crotch resting snug against the pink, hairless buns on his lover.

Rhaz enjoyed the feeling of the tight, warm passage of Tir's enveloping his entire penis for a while, also giving the half-elf some more time to get used to his size, before he slowly started to buck his hips back and forth. He built up his pace without a hurry, a small grin appearing onto the Gnoll's face as Tirnel started to moan from enjoyment. The half-elf even lifted his head up after a while, arching his back in the process and giving Rhaz a better angle at which to thrust in.

Tir couldn't believe how good it felt. There seemed to be a particular spot somewhere in his rump that sent a spike of electric pleasure coursing through him every time his Gnoll lover's shaft brushed against it. He was desperately trying to adjust himself in such a way as to make Rhaz hit that spot as often as possible, his own penis just about leaking precum by that point.

Eventually he couldn't just take it any longer so he wrapped one of his hands around his cock and started to masturbate in rhythm with the movements of the Gnoll taking him from behind. It didn't take him long at all to hit his climax, his seed spilling onto the bed underneath him whilst he himself moaned out quite audibly... And he didn't care that he was being loud!

Rhaz couldn't help but smile as he saw how much Tirnel was getting into the sex, the scent of fresh seed causing the big Gnoll to growl lustily. He picked up his pace, breeding the half-elf quite powerfully now with both paws firmly clamped onto his lover's hips to pull him back against every thrust he made. A moment later he, too, reached his climax, the Gnoll throwing his head back and letting out a combination of a roar and a moan as his seed gushed deep into Tir's passage, painting it white.

Tirnel, too, let out an exhausted, quivering moan as he felt the hot seed of the Gnoll spilling into him. The feeling wasn't unpleasant at all. By the Seven Hells... The entire experience had -the painful first penetration notwithstanding- been quite enjoyable.

With the fire dying out in the fireplace and the two of them exhausted after their romp, Rhaz pulled a thin blanket over the two of them as they lay spooning on the bed. The region was warm enough that with the heat from the fireplace they wouldn't need much more than that to stay warm.

"I hope you enjoyed the experience, Tir... You're now officially mine in the eyes of the tribe. Nobody can lay a paw on you without dire consequences." Rhaz mumbled drowsily, his chin resting comfortably on Tirnel's head whilst his arm was wrapped protectively around the half-elf's body.

"It... Whoa. It was... I enjoyed it, I have to admit." Tirnel replied. Rhaz had indeed been a good and surprisingly considerate lover, clearly mindful of the fact he was far bigger and stronger than Tir. Rhaz and Dagnyr had shown to him that even amongst a race as savage as the slave-taking Gnolls there were some good individuals and that considering the circumstances he was surprisingly well-off; if you ignored the magic-eating explosive collar, of course.

"It's not all bad, I guess. Perhaps... I could get used to this in time." Tirnel thought to himself as he slowly drifted into the calming embrace of sleep, feeling secure in the arms of the Gentle Juggernaut snoozing against his back.

---

FIN