Choose The Path: Chapter 1

Story by Eirene Crimsonpelt on SoFurry

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#18 of Choose the Path

The first installment of CTP!

Written by Eirene Crimsonpelt and https://masteraaran.sofurry.com/

VOTING IS OVER!!


DISCLAIMER: The following FICTIONAL story is intended only for open-minded Adults aged 18 years or older (21 in some jurisdictions), and may contain instances of underage characters depicted performing sexual acts, as well as other content which might be considered objectionable. The author(s) of this work do not advocate or condone any of the acts depicted in the writings present. None of these stories are based on real events in any way, and the author's find it reprehensible to even think of committing the acts in reality. The stories are works of fantasy only and should be considered as such. If you do not wish to view such content, please navigate from the page immediately.


The small village was out of the way of most of the travellers going through, but enough came through to make opening a tavern a good business idea. And from that idea, the Minotaur's Horn was built. The tavern was the largest business in the village, and most of the villagers worked at it in some fashion. Mothers would stay home with their young children, sending the older ones to fill their jobs, from maids to serving wenches at the tavern, which also acted as an inn, renting rooms to travellers for the night, or longer, depending on what was needed. Men worked in the stables, taking care of the horses, or as repairmen, repairing anything broken in the Horn - from a hole in the wall from a fight to broken beds from over exuberant non-sleeping purposes. The owner was the bartender, serving the drinks and food that the Horn was becoming well known for.

It was to this small village that the young female feline came, her steps slowing as she took in the scent of food cooking at the Horn. A short sword hung at her left hip, and two daggers were tucked into thigh sheaths. She seemed to be rather heavily armed for this village, but she was only passing through, not settling down here or from here in the first place. A silver nose ring gleamed in the fading sunlight as she sniffed at the air, taking in the delicious aroma of cooked meat. Her left ear was cocked forward, listening to the sounds of the village; the laughter of the children, the neighing of the horses, the mooing of the cows. It was harder to see her right ear, torn as it was from prior encounters that she'd had.

Her full breasts made it obvious that she was female, since most of the males had hair as long as hers. The back was pulled into a loose ponytail, while the top and front stood up and fell forward, covering her right eye at times. The green top she wore, a good contrast against her tan fur, strained to contain her breasts. Dark brown leggings hugged her long legs and showed off her rear to a wonderful advantage. Lighter brown boots covered her hindpaws, making it easier to walk through the woods without getting anything in her pawpads. Her forearms were covered with green bracers that matched her top, and a red collar graced her neck.

She headed to the Horn and slowly pushed open the door, standing in the fading light as her eyes adjusted to the lower light inside the tavern. All that could be seen of her from inside was her silhouette: tiny waist, long legs and sword. Stepping over the threshold, she let the door close behind her, emerging into the light of the tavern before striding to the bar itself. "Barkeep! One honey mead and an order of that meat cooking!" she called, slapping down a coin onto the bar, leaving her paw over it until the order came.

It was to this bar and inn that another adventurer also had arrived, though he somewhat earlier. The horn was the perfect meeting place along the road, and that was probably why he was there. For in this place, besides the everyday bustle of travelers and mead and ale and food, dark business was also spoken of. It was here that many a deal had been decided upon, and many an adventure begun.

Down the bar, near to the shadows in the corner, a figure stood and slid his way around the barstools and talking patrons. He was cloaked from head to toe in a long, flowing black garment, with a hood. It was not clasped, and so his leather armor was visible, the silver buckles gleaming in the lights from overhead, his boots creaking only slightly as they passed over the wooden floor. His scent would reach the noses of those around him before a glimpse of him, and would undoubtedly broadcast his gender and his species, that of a black wolf from Dwimmerdale.

He leaned against the bar beside her and for a moment didn't bother to look her way, then he did so, his eyes, their dual color, glancing her up and down. "I'll take the same, barkeep," he said, a smirk pulling at the side of his lip. His paw extended toward her, "Greetings. The name is Stryker. And you are?"

The feline turned her head, gazing up at the taller wolf with her chartreuse eyes. Her mind whirled, wondering where she'd heard that name before, but before she figured it out, she stretched out her other paw. "Tyrene... Tyrene Zuzanna Moonrender. But most call me Tyza." His name finally clicked in her mind, and she looked him over again, a more calculating gleam in her eyes this time. "Stryker Shadewolf? The wolf who 'Strykes' hard and fast?" Her right ear moved forward, bursting from her hair to reveal its torn state to the world as she waited for his answer, the tag in her left ear swaying as her ear twitched.

The plump bat barkeeper hurried to fill their drink order and swiftly set two mugs down on the bar in front of them, and Tyza lifted her paw, her attention on the wolf next to her and not the shiny coin that was swiftly disappearing into the bat's pouch. "Food'll be up in a few. Grab a table and one of the wenches will run it to ya. No cluttering up my bar with ya talk."

The object of her entire current attention gave a smirk and the barest of chuckles, nodding as he gathered up the drink, almost seeming like he wasn't going to leave a payment when a coin flashed from his other paw to bounce onto the bar, and then behind it onto the floor, which made the bat scamper to pick it up. He nodded his head toward the room. "Let's find an empty table and I shall indulge your curiosity," he smirked.

A few moments later he had located a table in a dim, but not overly black corner of the inn, and settled down into the seat nearest the wall, leaving her to shift her own chair where she would do so. He put his drink on the table after swallowing a healthy gulp, then licked his lips with a long canine tongue, and brushed his hood back. "Well, Tyza, since I prefer shortness to the long names some prefer. Yes, I'm Stryker Shadewolf. I see you've heard of me. I suppose that I have managed to get myself somewhat of a reputation amongst adventurers."

Tyza grabbed her own mug with a deft paw, then froze for a moment as she saw that shiny coin flash from his paw and bounce onto the bar. She was lucky that it bounced behind the bar and the plump bat scurried after the payment, since it broke her mild trance. She just had to figure a way to lose that idiosyncrasy. It was a hinderance in her line of work. But the moment was just long enough to give a hint at just who she was - Tyza the Thief.

Following him to the table, she grumbled to herself as he took the position she normally would have taken, her back against a wall and able to watch everyone in the tavern, leaving no way to sneak up on her. But at least the table was in a corner and she could put her back against the other wall. She shifted her chair to the other wall and sat down in it, taking a hearty swig from her own mug. It was rather interesting to watch her drink with all those piercings she had. But unlike what most cubs assumed, not one drop slipped from any of those piercings.

Leaning back in her chair, she looked him over again, her eyes taking in the scar over his left eye and the rune over his right one, a smirk forming on her muzzle. "Well, I was meaning the other reputation you have. The one with femmes. They say you're a 'love 'em and leave 'em' type. But then, that's mostly from those fancy dressin' femmes. But on the other paw, I have heard of your reputation as an adventurer."

He had noted the trance, as he noted lots of things in his day to day movements. It was an interesting development, and perhaps he had heard of her as well. There was one cat that he knew of that went into that sort of thing. Tyza. He should have known the name. She was a thief and one that tended to get 'hooked' on anything valuable within reach.

He smirked a bit more, chuckling as he lifted his glass to drink some more from it, "You have heard much about me, I suppose. And now I am beginning to think I know some about you as well. First though, let me set you straight on something. I usually love 'em - and leave 'em before their husbands return. If you've heard of Don Juan, I'm his brother." He laughed again, "I also leave them after a night. I don't get attached too easily. A femme has to stick with me for a bit before I would return to her regularly." He smirked, "As for the fancy dress... well, I can go for leather and I can go for lace, if you get my meaning."

He laughed again, "On to my other reputation though, I'm sure you've realized that's why I'm here. And I noted you when you walked in the door. You're not the type to be coming into here. Which means we might be here for the same purpose. I'm here for information on a job."

Tyza chuckled at his words, giving a single nod in understanding. Not that she was one to sleep around, but who was she to judge someone else's habits. She just hadn't found anyone interesting enough for her overly discriminating tastes. He grabbed her full attention with the mention of information on a job, though, and her eyes narrowed a tiny bit. She hesitated a moment before deciding to ask, "The-"

Her words were cut off by the arrival of a harried ermine femme entering the tavern. A religious symbol hung in front of the ermine, and shined in the dim light of the tavern, distracting the feline from speaking. Tyza's attention was solely focused on the silver symbol, enough that she didn't even notice that the ermine was wearing rainbow colored garments made of various materials, from a red satin over her shoulders down to orange lace over her chest down to yellow silk over her stomach then down to a green sheer tulle over her groin down to blue dyed leather over her thighs down to purple homespun cotton over her calves. Even her sandals were rainbow hued. A black cloak, threaded with both silver and gold thread, made of pure velvet finished her ensemble, contrasting brilliantly with her white fur.

Her violet eyes darted around the tavern, only seeing the plump bat barkeep and the two of them sitting at the table in the dim corner. She hurried over to the two of them and asked, "Are you both here about the Sapphire Jewel of Time?"

Tyza stared at that symbol as the ermine came closer to their table, unable to draw her attention from it as the ermine spoke to them. She had to have that shiny symbol. She didn't care what it was. It shined. It was silver. It was valuable...