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Skyworld

Act 1

By Gideon Kalve Jarvis and SilverFox

Cika eyed the mark as he sat at the table closest to the door, the tiger's back not quite to the rest of the room, but it was enough for the pearl grey mink to slip in with the rest of the revelers that were enjoying their end-of-the- day drinks none the wiser to her approach. That the tiger also had one of the tavern's serving wenches sitting on his lap, smiling at the playful grope to her ample bosom that she was receiving providing further distraction.

Pulling her thin, dark cowl a little tighter, the mink edged closer, the spaniel female in the middle of telling the tiger that anymore familiarity from the burly male and she'd have to charge, her comment eliciting more than a few laughs from the others that sat at the table. With fluid movements, the mink slipped closer, the small shears freshly sharpened and just the thing to relieve one that was as well off as the tiger, his prosperity evident by the cut and material of his clothing, of the burden of coin his fat purse must be.

Lying low from the attention of the guard in this section of the city had kept Cika from making her rounds, and her stomach growled at her neglect of food, something that had proven harder than normal to obtain with the keen eyes of the watch. Fortunately the boisterous crowd helped mask that.

A hungry thief was a careless thief, just as one that was unclean was easy to detect. Living by her own wits since she was barely eight had taught her much. She'd been the unexpected result of a dalliance of her mother with a crewman from one of the marvelous airships that occasionally put into port in Skyworld. A night of passion had left her with a child that she could ill afford, and life became more of a struggle than it already had been. Then the night came when her mother succumbed to the lack of proper food, giving most of what she could afford to her child, working her fingers to the bone for table scraps and a few coppers.

Just like her mother had, Cika had offers that would have given her not only a roof, bed and food, but even at that early age she knew that there was no possible way she would indenture herself to another as a child-whore.

In fact it had been while fleeing a procurer that the little mink discovered just how easy it was to lift small things from the unwary, spying a simple necklace while she hid near a stall where the hawker called out to the individuals that passed by of the wondrous treasures he had from far off lands. As she huddled in a small nook between the stall and the building it had been set up next to, she had reached out, enticed first by the sparkling sun on the chain. No one had seen her take it, and she stuffed it into the frock she wore before departing the area. Cika eventually found a purchaser for the bauble, though in retrospect the hyena that purchased it had cheated her badly, though it had been enough to afford a real meal and tunic.

Since that first lesson, the mink had paid attention, learning read a little and do sums through the efforts of a priest from one of the temples, though Cika had come to the conclusion that the priest had imparted the lessons she absorbed mainly from boredom. After all, who would go to a temple to pray when the local tavern or knocking shop offered much more enticing ways to spend time and money?

There were limits as to whom the nimble mink would steal from, and made sure that her targets wouldn't miss a bit of jewelry, a pawful of coins, and never from anyone that had littles to feed.

Her present target, though, was far too happy at the moment, with full mug in paw and a plump wench on his lap. With careful movements Cika cupped the full purse in her paw as she deftly snipped the leather thong that held the small pouch closed and secured to the tiger's belt. She accepted the weight of it, smiling at the windfall and turned to leave when disaster struck.

Another serving girl, the ringtail struggling with a tray of full, foaming mugs ran right into the little mink, tangling both together as she fell in a heap over Cika. The mink might have still gotten away had the tray of tankards full of good, cold ale not all landed on the tiger who let out a roar in surprise. He stood so quickly that the dog on his lap was dumped quite unceremoniously on the floor. His eyes flashing as he spun about, his black lined lips lifted in a deep snarl, the tiger took in the scene, then his golden-eyed gaze darted to the coin purse held in the mink's paw.

Faster than any fur that size should be able to move, the tiger pulled one of the brace of pistols from his belt, the only thing saving Cika from the slug that buried itself in the dirt caked floorboards with a thunderous BOOM! being the frustrated kick the spaniel aimed at the tiger's ankle in irritation. Not waiting to see if the pistol was a clockwork repeater, the mink scampered on all fours until she made the doorway and darted out of the tavern, shouts and snarls as a brawl erupted in the drink house.

A bellow of rage indicated that the tiger had followed, and as Cika darted to the right and the welcoming shadows of the alley, she fully expected to feel another slug from either the same pistol or one of the others bury itself in her incredibly vulnerable feeling back. She cast a quick glance behind her as her feet, wrapped in soft leather boots, slapped almost silently on the packed dirt, thus not seeing the rhino that stepped out of the darker shadows of a recessed door. With a squeal of surprise followed by a yelp as she rebounded from the huge male, Cika looked up and realized that this was one time that there was going to be no escape, especially as she saw the dull, baleful glow from a mechanical eye regard her and the hand at the end of a clockwork arm flex before closing into a gleaming metal fist.

So stunned was she that Cika was unaware and unmindful of the way she was sprawled on the packed dirt of the alley, her legs as far apart as any harlot, nor did she care that she was so exposed as her heart hammered in her chest and her breath caught in her throat...

*

Not so far off from where a poorly-clad little mink-girl was about to enter a lower-class tavern to try and steal what would become her supper for that night, another theft had already taken place, of a vastly greater magnitude. The perpetrator of that crime, as might be expected, was presently on the run from those who wanted what he had taken for himself. He just didn't know it yet.

Kanda Har Trask, former captain of the skyjammer Bloodcrow, former first mate of the grand old ship before that, former cabin boy beneath the infamous pirate Captain Craw, and former pirate himself until quite recently, settled his immense and astonishingly muscular frame gently down on a split barrel that served as seating in the disreputable little tavern only a short span from the etherjetties, where all the action around the port was centered. Noting how the barrel creaked beneath him, the grey-skinned rhino smirked mirthlessly, knowing he'd have some serious renovations ahead of him if he wanted to make his retirement plan into a reality.

Sitting across the table from Kanda Har was a fussbudget little mousewife, attractive enough despite her increasing years - because of them, many would have said, and not without cause - trying to wheedle him into as much money as she could get for what had been her husband's tavern until he'd passed away a few scant months ago. Kanda Har had known the older mouse, had in point-of-fact been the one to lop off the deceased's fingers during a messy brawl between crews, which had led to the mouse's retirement and his subsequent astonishingly long life, and supposed that he owed it to the old mouse's widow (obviously a score of years younger than the deceased, or Kanda Har was an air-guppy - the randy old sot!) to make her life comfortable, while achieving what he wanted.

What Kanda Har wanted was a nice place to settle down, and fade into quiet obscurity.

"Fourteen silverbars, and not a silverbar less," the mousewife was insisting with arms folded beneath her pleasantly generous bust, just starting to sag with the weight of years and two children, and not unhandsome for all that.

"Here," said the rhino, casually reaching into the pocket of his seaman's greatcoat and tossing a single shining gem onto the table before the mousewife in the otherwise deserted tavern. "Will that cover the cost?" He leaned forward, then, fixing the mousewife with the piercing stare of his good eye. "And the cost for discretion?"

The question was facetious, of course. That gem had cost Kanda Har almost the whole of his savings, accumulated over a lifetime of villainy on the high skies. Besides that gem, all he had left was what he had with him: his clothes, his kit bag...oh, and his parts. Never forget the parts.

"Yes," said the plump little mouse, her eyes widening as she snatched up the gem, immediately recognizing its worth as any true pirate's wench should. "Yes, I think that will do. One moment Mister Trask - I'll be right back with the deed."

It was at that moment that the bottom fell out of Kanda Har's attempt at reformation and retirement. Just as the mousewife was trundling behind the bar, one of the rhino's ears turned toward the door, followed by the whirr of his mechanical eye, its normally cool blue-white glow darkening to an unfriendly purple color.

"Peels, Dawson," the rhino greeted the two former shipmates as they entered the tavern, rising slowly to his feet, making the motion casual, the ponderous rise of an aging veteran who preferred sitting to standing any day.

"Captain," answered Dawson, Peels being quite unable to speak: the lanky yellow-furred seadog's throat had been peeled open during an interrogation by the Celestian Empire's finest torturers, along with his lips, leaving them permanently pulled back in a ghastly snarl. They'd intended to install a talking tube of some sort to directly connect his throat to his brain, so as to force the seadog to tell them what they wanted to know, but Kanda Har had led a rescue before that could happen. Dawson, on the other hand, was a younger man, a brash and confident black-and-white pig with good looks that would surprise anyone who'd heard the stereotypes of pigs, and a fine set of gleaming golden earrings that tinkled against each other with each of his movements.

"I suppose I couldn't interest the pair of you in a drink, could I?" asked the burly rhinoceros, slowly making his way to the bar, where the mousewife was just turning, a look of surprise on her face, the deed in her hands. "I suppose I can spare a few pints of bitter for some shipmates of mine. For old time's sake."

"Not so old for us, captain," Dawson answered with a frown as Kanda Har took the deed from the gape-mouthed mousewife's hands, folded it neatly, and tucked it away into one of his seacoat's many pockets. "And you'd better have a lot more'n just a few mugs of foam and lather to stave us off. You know why we're here, and you know who sent us."

"I imagine Talia will be wanting some advice on how to manage the old Bloodcrow," Kanda Har responded with a jovial smile as he turned back toward the two pirates, two heavy pewter mugs in his massive hands, even as the mousewife, being nobody's fool, quickly made her exit into the tavern's back room. "Of course I'd be happy to help her on that front. Just let her drop by here next time she's in port for a pint."

"This inn't a friendly call, Trask," Dawson said, dropping Kanda Har's honorific as the pig started to lose his temper. "Captain Redcoat wants the map."

"Just because you're here on business, doesn't mean we can't be pleasant about things," said Kanda Har evenly, stepping a little closer to the two younger men. "Come now: have a drink, and take a load off for a while."

Before either of the buccaneers could react, the rhino's arms shot out far faster than should have been possible from someone of his size, the pewter mugs slamming hard into the solar plexi of both males, making their eyes bug out, the rings in Dawson's ears giving a loud tinkle before the pig and the yellow dog both collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

Knowing he didn't have much time, Kanda Har grimaced for a moment at the thought of doing injury to his newly-purchased tavern, and then raised his metal arm, leading with it as he plowed right through the rear wall of the place, and into the adjoining alley.

"Place needed fixing up anyway," Kanda Har muttered to himself as he heard the cries of the crew that had been waiting for him to use one of the previously established exits, rather than one he'd made himself, and ducked down a side street, and then another, winding his way through the alleys like a skiffworm through the clouds.

Suddenly, Kanda Har came up short, blinking as a little creature, small and soft and silver-grey, plowed into his huge barrel chest and went sprawling down onto the hard pavement, legs splayed wide, the tunic that was almost her only garb, save for her boots, riding up quite scandalously. The burly tough's eyes glanced down, eye of flesh and eye of steel both taking clear note of the tiny, soft-furred slit that marked the slip of a waif as very much female.

It had been...a while for Kanda Har, long enough that it took the angry yells from the next street over - obviously the pursuer of the little minkfemme, since it was only one voice, and Kanda Har was fairly certain his pursuers wanted to keep their hunt as discreet as possible - to break him from his momentary inspection of the little cutie before him. Then, acting with decisive speed, his metal hand snapped out, catching the girl by her waist, hoisting her up with ease (she was as light as feather down) and rather unceremoniously dumped her into a nearby rain barrel, before grabbing the top lying nearby and slapping it into place, then taking a seat.

"Needed a rest anyway," sighed Kanda Har as he let his immense weight settle onto the barrel. Luckily for its occupant, the barrel hadn't been very full, so she'd probably have plenty of room to breathe...he hoped. The tiger, meanwhile, was far too full of fury to even spare the middle-aged rhino more than half a glance as he raced by, still cursing and threatening all manner of hideous fates for his quarry.

Heaving another long sigh as the tiger's yells receded, the hefty male got back to his feet, and popped the barrel's lid off.

"You drowned yet?" he asked good-naturedly into the barrel. "'cause if you're not, you're in a lot of trouble. That," he pointed down the alley where the tiger had gone, using his good arm, "was Count Tammany's son. And neither father nor son are noted for their forgiving natures."

Then the burly rhino proffered a gleaming clockwork hand, obviously intended to offer help.

"You know any good hideouts?" he asked casually. "'cause if you do, you're gonna need one, and I could use one myself."

**

Because of the muffled shouts of the tiger that pursued her with towering fury and murderous intent, Cika quelled the scream of protest at being dumped so callously into the barrel, her finely honed sense of self preservation keeping her quiet when the lid to the barrel was slapped down. As the shouts of the tiger that followed her grew closer, the minkfemme was unsure if the shiver that ran through her was from fear or the chill, dank water within the wooden container.

As she huddled in the dark confines of the barrel, her ears straining to listen at what was happening outside so intently they began to ache, Cika fought to keep her teeth from chattering, a firm believer that any noise would give her impromptu hiding place away despite the efforts of her ersatz savior. When the furious swearing of the tiger receded, a tirade laced with promises of all manner of unpleasantness, the top came off, the little light that came from outside illuminating the rhino's grinning face.

"You drowned yet? 'cause if you're not, you're in a lot of trouble."

The huge male pointed down the alley after the tiger with an arm that was just as strong looking as his clockwork appendage and said that he was the son of some count. She did get the notion that father and son were well known for their cordial manners.

As he spoke, Cika's would-be rescuer grabbed the little mikfemme and she was hauled out much in the same manner that she was dropped into the barrel. As her feet were set down on the grit of the alley, the mink began trying to squeeze the water out of her boots. It would leave a fairly easy trail to follow, and she was very much wanting to make herself scarce.

"You know any good hideouts? 'cause if you do, you're gonna need one, and I could use one myself," the rhino informed her.

The one refuge that was closest was one spot that Cika was loath to divulge to another, though her need for a quiet place to hide was paramount. She looked at the metallic hand that was offered, flinching a little at the way it, and the mechanical eye, gleamed coldly. Despite the startling visage of the rhino, he had an easy smile, and he had just saved her, even though that might be temporary.

Taking the proffered clockwork hand, Cika nodded. "This way!" she hissed in a whisper, hoping he could keep up.

The young minkfemme led her ersatz rescuer first onto the street before ducking down an alley for a little ways prior to doubling back. While both continuously scanned the intersections they passed through and the crowds of tavern crawlers, sailors, muscle for hire, cutthroats and other denizens, it was for entirely different reasons, though neither knew that. After the fourth turn and double-back, the rhino tightened his grip and stopped.

"What're you playin' at, girlie?" he asked her gruffly.

With a sigh of frustration at not being on the move or able to pull free, Cika pointed at her still dripping boots. "I'm leaving tracks!" she informed her companion with one paw placed saucily on her barely-there hip that held the promise of the curves that would eventually follow her already burgeoning shape. "If it were raining it wouldn't be a problem, but the streets are drier than an old whore's cunny!"

Before she could explain any further, the rhinomale picked her up and tucked her under his good arm like anyone else would a bundle of clothes and smiled. "Just tell me where to turn."

Cika was surprised that the rhino was as fast as he was, and she dutifully pointed out when and where to turn until they were in yet another alley. "Alright. You can put me down. We're here," the minkfemme said.

As soon as her feet touched the packed dirt she stepped up to a cast iron grate that was in the masonry of one of the alley walls. She cast a wicked grin at her companion as she pushed on the rusted iron barrier, the grin growing incrementally at his surprise when it opened inward without a single squeal. It shouldn't with as much oil as she'd slathered on it. She motioned the rhinomale in with an emphatic wave and pushed the grate closed, dropping a wedge shaped block of wood at the bottom that fit into a small recess. It was a simple and efficient way to make the heavy iron much more difficult to open; not impossible, but very difficult.

"Step where I step, and never on the light grey stones," Cika warned.

Following the waif, the rhino did as she said, though it was far from easy. The minkfemme had narrow, delicate feet, and nothing about him had ever been described as delicate. When they reached the end of the arched passage that had lay past the grate, he saw why she had been adamant about where to step as cleverly devised traps consisting of bits of glass and sharp metal were attached to flexible rods. One misstep would send the rods whipping out with the sharp bits of debris hitting knee, throat and, of all places, groin height.

"We can relax now," the minkfemme informed her companion. "This was an old bronze and casting works, but no one's been here in years. This was one of the furnaces."

As the rhino looked around, Cika went to a small makeshift table and found a nub of a candle that she'd rescued from someone's refuse pile and set it in a shallow clay bowl. Feeling around she located a strikestick, getting it to flare on the first try and lit the candle. "Damn. Last one," she lamented before turning around. "Welcome to my humble home," she informed the other with a bow, though her tone was derisive. "It isn't much, but it's what I've got. Now, if you'll excuse me, the barrel you dumped me in smelled like it was full of old piss. I'm thankful for your help, but right now I just want to not stink."

She had been tugging at her boots as she spoke and looked at them with a sigh before stuffing handfuls of straw into them and turning them upside down on a couple of old sticks. Lighting another candle remnant, she carried it with her to the far section of the chamber that was blocked with a tattered, castoff blanket. It wasn't much of a barrier, but it gave her the feeling of a little privacy. Cika was unaware of her shadow on the threadbare bit of fabric making it quite evident that she was disrobing, nor that her actions had caught the rhinomale's attention.

She was completely oblivious to the one normal eye and one mechanical one that watched her intently as she used a small sliver of soap to scrub at her fur, too intent on getting the smell from the contents of the barrel out of her pearl grey coat, her growling stomach distracting her even further. When she bent over to scrub between her toes and the lower part of her legs, the minkfemme's tail high, the sound of heavy breathing escaped her notice as well as she was running a slew of swearing in her own mind for almost getting nicked. It wasn't until she finished bathing that Cika turned to find that she was being watched with rapt attention.

Swallowing hard, Cika lifted her chin defiantly. "Well? What are you waiting for? Do what we both know you're going to do," she said challengingly, unable to hide the catch in her voice.

The minkfemme was no stranger to love play, having given herself to another urchin like herself, but he'd vanished almost year prior. While some companionship, someone to hold her would have been nice, she doubted that anything that would come next would be pleasant in the slightest...

*

Though the little slip of a girl didn't even seem to notice, the damp made her tunic stick to her slim, sleek little body in ways that were very enticing. Kanda Har, for all his size, had always had a liking for small femmes, and this little cutie was about as sweet as they came.

Then they were off, and he couldn't focus nearly as much as he'd like on that pert little tush with its short tail and tightly-clinging tunic doing pretty close to nothing to hide its supple firmness. Instead, Kanda Har's good eye shifted this way and that, though he kept his head turned to one side, letting his gleaming replacement eye stay trained on the little mink's general vicinity. Though he missed the eye of flesh and blood that had been there, the rhino had to admit that there were obvious advantages to being able to look very nearly in two directions at once. It was because of his ability to give two things attention at once that Kanda Har noticed that the streetgirl was taking even more twists and turns than really seemed practical, even for people in straits as dire as their own.

"What're you playin' at, girlie?" he asked, pulling her up short with what, for him, was a gentle tug of his massive hand. Even as he said the words, he realized they'd come out more gruff and suspicious than he'd really meant. Sure he knew he couldn't trust this little slip. But that didn't mean she was going to hurt him. After all, she didn't know anything about his troubles, while he knew pretty much everything she'd endured at a glance - hers was a story that was all-too-common, after all.

"I'm leaving tracks!" she exclaimed in girlish exasperation, and quite suddenly Kanda Har realized just how...innocent this little cutie was, despite her rough upbringing, an upbringing she forcibly reminded him of when she added the explanation of the streets being as dry as an old woman's cunny, which just made the burly male smirk ever-so-faintly. Streetwise, yes, but there was something sweet about this one, something precious. He'd picked up on it slightly before, though only unconsciously, and knew it had probably been the reason for his helping her in the first place, even knowing it would cost him precious time, and perhaps his life.

Not that Kanda Har's life mattered all that much. After all, he was getting to be an old man, and what was one old rhinoceros' life worth anyway?

In a burst of inspiration, the old pirate stepped forward, his arm wrapping around the little minkfemme with gentleness that surprised him, holding her tucked tightly but still not too tightly against his side, before he started moving forward, his smirk turning to a slightly relaxed smile, almost too faint to even be noticed, as he enjoyed the feeling of her so-soft fur against his thick, rough skin.

"Just tell me where to turn," he said in a soft tone, for her ears only, and then started off, demonstrating just how fast he could really move. For all his years, Kanda Har reflected with more than a little pride, he hadn't lost it.

"Alright. You can put me down. We're here," she suddenly said, and the hulking male came to an almost instant stop, his immense weight letting him halt his momentum quite quickly once he focused it downward instead of forward. Setting her gently down, Kanda Har's good eye widened slightly in surprise as she showed him the entrance to her secret place, and he made sure to stick close behind. Despite his assessment of her inherent innocence, the former sea captain had to admit: he was impressed. This little cutie knew how to make a secret hideout, and a security system to match it. Of course, he had to follow quite slowly behind the agile mink, for though he had a decent sense of natural balance and stability, the hulking Kanda Har was, as he could tell the clever street urchin was thinking as she deliberately slowed down for him, painfully bulky compared to her.

Breathing a little hard at the end of the trapped passageway, more from concentration than from the exertion, Kanda Har followed two steps behind the little mink as she made her way into what he sensed was her most private sanctum.

"This was an old bronze and casting works, but no one's been here in years," she explained to him as they walked forward into the dimly-lit area. "This was one of the furnaces." The little femme went on to welcome him to her home, and he returned her little bow with one of his own, removing his hat as he bowed with a flourish, and then setting the battered and almost shapeless tricorn down on the table with the candle.

"Thanks," replied the rhino to the unspoken invitation that he could use her refuge for his own purposes, before she turned away from him and started to pull off her boots. Kanda Har had been about to say something more, words of reassurance to the effect that he'd try not to wear out his welcome, but they died on his tongue as she bent over into a crouch to tug at her laces, not seeming to realize that in so doing, her damp tunic continued to cling to her body, riding up in the back almost all the way to her waist, exposing very nearly everything to the gape-mouthed rhino. The only modesty that remained to her was her tail, which tucked down between her trim, tight little cheeks, barely concealing her pinkest parts from his view, and quite distracting the older male so that he didn't hear what else she'd said after her welcome, save for...wait...did she truly intend to...?

She most certainly did. At first, a lingering remnant of Kanda Har's politeness remained, deeply drilled into him as a calf by a domineering mother, whose presence he'd been more than happy to shed as soon as he was able to stow away on his first skyvessel. This caused him to turn his head slightly, so that only his good eye remained trained on the threadbare blanket, watching the sweet sideways silhouette that was revealed to him as the little minkfemme (he didn't even know her name...) pulled her tunic over her head, the fur clinging to her body ensuring that nearly nothing was hidden from his eye. Her breasts were pert, the cold-perked nipples obviously upthrust, and obviously delightful little muzzlefuls, the thought of tasting such sweet little treats making Kanda Har have to wipe his mouth, his loose sailcloth trousers starting to feel quite confining. The girl's belly was trim and flat, the toned surface of a girl used to using her body for a living in all sorts of acrobatics. Likewise her cutely-rounded little rump and supple little legs were also perfectly formed, showing all the marks of a life on the run...and yet, because of her species, Kanda Har knew that he could outrun her with ease. For all her obvious agility and speed, it wouldn't be at all hard for the huge male to catch her with his powerful hands, to subdue her, and then to do with her as he pleased. It had been so long since he'd been with a woman, and the memory of sweet female juices on his tongue and dripping down his muzzle and chin made the powerful brute clench his teeth.

It was as he was in the throes of these powerful, rising passions that Kanda Har drew closer to the thin blanket, and it was just as little Cika was turning to face away from him, bending over to scrub her lithe little legs, that Kanda Har turned his head, letting his glowing eye take over watching. For that eye, the blanket might as well not have been there at all, and when little Cika hiked her tail to the sky, she was really and truly exposed to the large and powerful male, baring her most precious treasures to his lusty gaze.

He'd stepped beyond the barrier. Kanda Har suddenly realized that both of his eyes were now looking at the tasty minkgirl only when she turned her head, still bent over, presented like she was in heat, her eyes meeting his own.

"Well?" she said, the slight catch in her voice making Kanda Har come up short. "What are you waiting for? Do what we both know you're going to do."

For only a moment, the burly old skycaptain hesitated. But only for a moment, brief and fleeting. Then he grinned, and reached forward with his good hand, and first gave the girl's upraised, presented little bottom a gentle squeeze and slow caress, followed by a slightly more firm pat as he drew his hand back.

"You're a mite too delicate for a fellow like me," the older rhino replied with a wink, his tone teasing, his fingertips ever-so-briefly brushing against that extra-sensitive little spot right at the juncture where the tail met the tush, just firmly enough to let the minkfemme that Kanda Har knew how to please the ladies if they let him. "I'd likely pop you like a water bladder, and that would just spoil everyone's fun." Then he took a step back, turning away from the girl, his head lowering slightly as his voice, softer now and more sincere, betrayed the slightest hint of regret as he gave the real reason for his indiscretion, and Cika's very near miss. "Sorry: it's...been a while."

Now withdrawing, Kanda Har seated himself on an old sack, making sure that he remained facing the opposite direction - he didn't know if he'd be able to resist temptation like that a second time - and began to tinker with his arm. Breaking through the wall of his new-bought tavern had given it quite a jar, and though the craftwork was very fine and sturdy, made to be used in extended and heated battles, the old skyfarer had long since made it a habit to almost compulsively work on his arm, opening it up and cleaning each little piece before carefully setting every last gear and cog and sprocket back into its proper place. He'd done this maintenance so many times, the big male could honestly say that he probably knew his replacement parts better than the gearlayer who'd made and installed them in the first place.

"When you're done there," Kanda Har said casually over his shoulder to the dressing femme, "come over here. There's something I think you ought to see." He smirked wryly, the expression intended mostly for himself. "Guess you deserve it, putting me up here. And it's not like I'll have much use for this old thing." He shook his head. "Older even than me."

If and when the lithe little mink would approach, the rhino would half-turn toward her, and then held out his metal arm. His good hand fiddled with some complicated hidden catches near the shoulder and the elbow, and then, quite suddenly, the entire wrist portion of the arm folded back, letting a small, dark bundle pop out into the metal palm. It was a tiny sphere, perhaps the size of a large marble, wrapped tightly in thick black velvet.

"This," said the older rhino with a slight, sad smile, "is my greatest treasure."

As he said these words, Kanda Har unwrapped the little sphere, and then let what lay beneath rest in the center of the velvet, on the palm of his metal hand. It was small, at least at first, a golden orb that seemed to glow with an inner light, which reflected in Cika's wide eyes. The little orb was obviously of great worth as it was, but as she watched, it would slowly expand, tiny panels and inner mechanisms shifting and whirring every-so-faintly as it grew in size, until it was big enough to just barely fit in both her small hands, or one of Kanda Har's.

"It's not the orb," Kanda Har explained, glancing up at the mink's momentary avarice. "It's a nice little bauble, but I've had ones of greater worth before, and I might have them again. It's what the orb means." And as he said this, the fingers of his good hand traced the slowly shifting outer surface of the sphere. As Cika watched, she would likely come to a sudden realization: it was a map! A tiny scale-model globe of an entire world! And etched into its surface, on one out-of-the-way part of that world, was an almost imperceptible "x."

"X marks the spot," said the rhino, seeing that Cika's eyes had indeed followed his fingers to their conclusion. Then, quite suddenly, he extended his good hand. "My name's Kanda Har Trask," he said pleasantly. "What's yours?"

**

Cika bit her tongue tip to keep the whimper that built in her throat from escaping at the caress and pat on her bum from the rhino, the whimper almost becoming a sigh when he touched the spot just under her tail and causing her to feel suddenly warm. However, her jaw dropped in surprise when he turned away after giving her an amused wink, though she really didn't catch all that he said to her. The one thing the minkfemme did hear clearly was a muttered "...been a while."

The rhino stepped back into the other area of the old furnace and sat down, leaving Cika a chance to wrap a bit of cloth about her body that she cinched into a tuck under her left arm like a sarong. She didn't know why she was exhibiting such modesty now that her new-found companion had seen enough of her that there was nothing left to the imagination. Of course, the mink girl had expected to be violated, to be used and cast aside. The Ancients knew enough other males had wanted to do the same. That the rhinoceros hadn't acted on his lust, something that was quite clear in the eye that he'd been born with, not to mention the rather noticeable bulge in his trousers, was rather astonishing.

As she made sure her impromptu wrap was secure, she took a moment to give the rhino a good look.

He wasn't young, but he didn't seem that old, either. He did look worn, and as he began to tend to his clockwork appendage, the rhino looked...tired. Like he'd seen too much, done too much. Then there was something in the eye that wasn't mechanical. It was a certain quality that Cika had seen a few times when she was able to look at her own reflection and realized that, like her, he might need...a friend. That had been a terrible thing for the minkgirl to admit to herself, that despite the hardened exterior she tried to convey, to wear like a suit of armor, she was, and had been for some time, rather lonely.

Shaking her head at her own whimsical musings, Cika tried to go back to looking at the rhino to get a 'feel' for him. He was no stranger to violence, of that she was completely certain. He was used to going without the finer things that so many others strove for. He'd lived a rough and tumble life. Then there was the matter of his clothing, the way he had a sort of rolling gait, despite his physical solidity, and that told her that the rhino had to have lived a substantial portion of his life on skyships.

Of course that realization alone was enough to briefly fill her head with all sorts of fantastical images of herself on such a vessel, plying the ether as whim and fancy took her, maybe choosing the course of a freebooter, possibly a captain of a merchant ship and heading to exotic ports.

When reality set back in, Cika shook her head to clear it of her damnable childish fantasies and she looked around at her 'home'. The minkfemme was a street thief, barely stealing enough to keep herself fed and living in an abandoned factory. Who was she fooling? Fate didn't smile upon those like her. If anything Fate enjoyed toying with lost souls like Cika, lifting their hopes before dashing them to pieces on the jagged landscape of irony.

"When you're done there, come over here," the rhino told her in his deep voice, his words sounding almost...gentle. "There's something I think you ought to see." He smiled, the expression looking happy and sad at the same time, though it was genuine. "Guess you deserve it, putting me up here. And it's not like I'll have much use for this old thing." His expression grew wistful. "Older even than me," he said, his tone softening a little more.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Cika stepped up so she could see what he had and gasped inaudibly as he touched different spots of his arm so that a small compartment opened up. A small velvet wrapped item that looked like a little ball appeared from his wrist, almost seeming to plop of its own volition into the palm of his mechanical arm.

"This is my greatest treasure," the rhino told her as he gingerly peeled away the black velvet.

The minkgirl's eyes widened as the contents of the cloth were revealed and she spied the golden ball that almost seemed to draw the light from her salvaged candles so that it took on its own luminescence. She had no idea what it was, but something like this could feed her for a year! Before she could ask what exactly it was, the shimmering little sphere began to whir and click and grow. As it changed, Cika made the connection that the device was a map of some sort. The rhino's words that it wasn't the orb that was the true value, but the information in it barely registered as she was suddenly immersed once again in fanciful visions of skyjammers and adventures in the ether.

Then her eyes were drawn to the thick, meaty finger that pointed out a peculiar feature. "X marks the spot," he told her.

As she leaned closer to the tiny globe and map, she was brought up short as the rhino extended his hand to her, his callused palm facing up.

"My name's Kanda Har Trask. What's yours?"

Swallowing so that her voice wouldn't tremble, the minkfemme tore her eyes away from the curious device and looked at Kanda Har's good eye as she straightened up. "Cika." She took the hand and was again caught off guard that someone so large, so strong and looking as if he could play rough and tumble with anyone alive held her paw with an almost dainty gentleness. "I...I want to...to thank you. You kept Tammy-ammy...er, Tenpenny...um, the tiger...him from finding me."

Kanda Har Trask gave her a little smile, but before he could say anything Cika darted to the far corner of the old furnace chamber and rooted around a pile of rags that covered pilfered straw. She kept the item that she'd dug out hidden in her arms, cradling it to her body as she returned to the rhino and held it out.

"It...it's not much, but when I got sick last year, I used this to help with the cough. It's brandy. I...you...I'd like you to have it." She gave Kanda Har a small, almost embarrassed smile as she put the dark colored bottle in his good hand. As he looked at her, she fought the urge to hide her face and grind her foot into the brick flooring in an uncharacteristic moment of shyness. Not wanting to look weak in front of her new friend, the minkgirl gestured towards the orb with her chin. "So...what does the map mean?" she asked and tried for a winsome tone.

*

It was a childish thing, really. Scutch-lizards and furfish and little kids did it all the time when they wanted to make friends: amble on up with their favorite toy in an appropriate appendage, and offer it to someone to see if they wanted to be friends, the answer coming quick in how the other fellow used the toy in question. Picturing himself as a furfish made Kanda Har smirk slightly, though he pushed the mental image aside for the time being, even as he gripped the map-orb with his padded fingertips, turning it so that the "x" was more clearly visible.

"Tam-annie," the rhino corrected her as he gave her tiny hand the gentlest of squeezes of greeting. "And you did me a favor in return, so we're even, if you care to keep score. I'm glad to meet you, Cika." His expression turned wry. "You may not be quite so glad yourself, once you find out what meeting me really means."

This last was added almost as an afterthought, his tone of voice lower, though the keen-eared thiefling could probably hear it anyway. Despite himself, and despite promising himself that he'd behave, that he'd respect the ancient laws of hospitality that even pirates honored, Kanda Har let his eye play over Cika's pert, cloth-covered bottom when she turned away from him, and especially when she was bent over, poking around in the pile of rags where she apparently kept her breakable stuff, the rags working nicely to provide some protective padding. He snapped his eye up, however, the moment she turned around, hoping she hadn't noticed his wandering gaze...a gaze that widened slightly as she held out the small bottle.

"Thanks," he said softly, his tone and manner reverent as he took the small bottle of red-amber liquid, a flick of his thumb popping the cork. Leaning over slightly, he brushed the end of his broad, blunt muzzle against the lip of the bottle, breathing in the scent, savoring it slowly, before he lifted the bottle, and slowly sipped it once...twice...thrice...and gone, or nearly so. For such a huge creature as Kanda Har, even small sips would be the large gulps of other creatures. Still, he'd left just a little fraction at the bottom, something that for Cika would likely be quite enough to make her a bit tipsy.

"This is definitely the sort of thing that needs to be discussed over large quantities of cheap alcohol," Kanda Har remarked as he held out the bottle to Cika, obviously offering her the rest. "Or smaller quantities of the good stuff. And this is the good stuff." He was feeling the burn of the potent alcohol in his belly as he watched Cika tip back the last of the brandy, taking it perhaps a little too fast for someone of her size, probably because she didn't want to look weak in front of him. The old captain barely restrained his smirk when the little silver-furred femme began to cough as the fiery stuff burned its way down her throat; after all, he didn't want to embarrass her. "Now, let's see..."

Holding up the ball, Kanda Har tapped the side of his head with his good hand, his fingers making a slight metallic ring as he adjusted the light of his replacement eye, widening the beam and the brightness until it shone down like a spotlight on the golden, softly-whirring orb.

"This," he said, pointing to the far end of the sphere, which he turned to accommodate his directions, "is us. Well, it's Highloft, this fine and lovely city in which we both find ourselves outcast and adrift." The slightest twist of his padded metal fingertips made the orb's surface shift, the inner mechanisms adjusting to show maps within maps, while Kanda Har lovingly stroked a fleshy fingertip along its surface to show the course he seemed to have memorized. It was obvious even to Cika's untrained eyes that the journey was a long one, and it crossed several spheres. "This is the safest route," he explained, his body feeling relaxed now with the brandy now percolating into his systems. "There are other ways, but it's easy to end up dead taking them. And at the end," his finger came at last to a stop, once again, on the 'x,' "is the treasure of Captain Ebenezer Craw."

Even a young city-dweller like Cika would have heard the name of Ebenezer Craw. He was a common subject of the most wild and outlandish tales of piracy on the skyways. Part hero, part outlaw, the dashing crow was a romantic figure to most, though he was hated by the rich and by nobles like the Tammany family. Not quite the "rob-from-the-rich-give-to-the-poor" sort, but close, as he was known to be quite free with his money, while still always managing to save a little away, bit by bit, until the legend of the treasure he'd amassed over decades of successful piracy became as large as the legends of his life. Now that he was dead, of course, the treasure became all the more legendary. And here, having landed in Cika's life from out of the pale blue sky, was a man who said he knew the way to that legendary treasure - the treasure of Captain Ebenezer Craw!

"No need to go all wide-eyed on me, Cika," Kanda Har laughed as he watched the skinny little mink's expression. "It's not nearly as vast a sum as the stories say. Still, treasure you can touch and handle is a lot more interesting than the sort that swims through your dreams, believe me. I helped Captain Craw bury that treasure, one of only a few, and I'm the only one left alive of that number. It's...well...it's a nice sum, certainly enough for two people to live lavishly for the rest of their lives, or to let their children and grandchildren and generations yet unborn live well if it was used modestly and invested wisely." His expression darkened suddenly. "It's not really enough to kill someone over, or so I'd think; certainly it's not enough to give a good score and more of pirates any more than a week's worth of drinking and wenching." He shook his head in slight confusion. "What is Talia thinking...?"

The rhino's eyes raised, meeting Cika's.

"I'm on the run myself," he admitted finally. "From Captain Talia Redcoat and her crew. They want the treasure, I suppose, though I can't fathom why. As I told you, it's a nice sum, but it's nothing compared to what they could get from a single rich haul after raiding a heavy-laden Rasceen treasure galleon, and for less work at that. I guess that's why I'm sharing this with you: if I die somehow in the trouble I'm sure will follow, I'd rather those cut-throats not be the ones to get their grubby paws on the treasure. So why not you?"

He shrugged, and then held out the golden ball to Cika.

"Just touch it like this," he said, moving his fingers on both hands nice and slow to demonstrate, "to shrink it down. The rest'll come with trial and error, don't you worry - you can't hurt it, after all. It's made sturdy, using means old Ebenezer never thought to explain to me before he died, but however it works, you can bash it over a guard's helmetted head, and it won't take any harm; trust me," he added with a wink, "I know from experience."

Watching as the little silver-and-grey-furred minkgirl took the orb wonderingly into her small hands, Kanda Har smiled as he watched her agile fingers quickly take to the subtle mechanisms, far faster than he ever "got" the little device, certainly. This one was a natural, that much was clear. She'd probably have had a life as an engineer on the skyships or perhaps in the bowels of the machinery that kept some of the artifical floating cities aloft, that ones that weren't built on good, semisolid ground floating in the aethers, if only she hadn't been born to such a low lot in life. Maybe she could have even taken up the lofty profession of plumber, fixing the pipes that carried the water that kept all cities alive...Kanda Har knew he'd like it if she'd fix his pipes, certainly...

Grunting softly as he shoved that thought aside, Kanda Har focused his attention on Cika's cute, fine-featured face instead, with its shining black eyes and tiny, delicate black nose and long, soft whiskers that were almost invisible against the obviously so-soft grey of her fur.

"Those sky-devils want the treasure," said Kanda Har once more, before his face set in resolution. "I suppose the best way to keep them from getting it is to get it first. Want to come along?"

**

Listening to Kanda Har, Cika's imagination was enflamed with words such as 'treasure', the effect only compounded as the brandy filled her belly with its warmth even as her tongue and throat still burned a little. The minkfemme had to shift her feet a little for a wider stance as the drink flowed through her with astonishing speed, her neglected belly being devoid of food only aiding the strong liqueur.

Then the rhino mention Ebenezer Craw!

If there was ever a hero for one like Cika, it was the Infamous Captain Craw! His exploits were like something from the most fanciful stories, too numerous to count. The old bird had done everything from plundering ships, both merchant and battle vessels, to liberating entire treasure hordes from under their owners watchful eyes to romancing queens and princesses, and seducing fair maids in tales that were as romantic as they were daring! Craw was a master with sword, saber and cutlass, deadly accurate with a pistol and twice as deadly with a rifle! By and large, he was a hero and symbol to those that were like the mink, sharing in his wealth, laughing when it ran dry as an excuse to take to the ether yet again.

Stifling a small hiccup, Cika watched as Kanda Har showed her how to work the map before telling her that it was nigh indestructible. His manner was easy and open, and Cika moved closer to the rhino, entranced in his story. Then he mentioned Talia Redcoat. While not nearly as famous as Ebenezer Craw, the vixen was well on her way to notoriety. Where Craw was an outlaw hero, scoffing at law keepers and nobles alike, Talia was spoken of in hushed tones, the fox that dyed her fur bright crimson known for her bloodthirsty nature, of unparalleled violence. It was even said that she had once ripped the heart out of a captive and gnawed on it, promising the same to the others that watched in terror if they didn't divulge the information she wanted.

And apparently Captain Redcoat wanted the orb that Kanda Har had; the key to the treasure of Ebenezer Craw himself!

When the rhino smiled and put the orb in her paws, Cika's breath caught in her chest. Almost of their own volition, her fingers caressed the sphere and it was almost as if the orb and its map could read her thoughts, magnifying some areas, shrinking others. A slight shift of movement caused her to look up at Kanda Har's face, his expression almost wistful for a moment.

"Those sky-devils want the treasure. I suppose the best way to keep them from getting it is to get it first." The brow over his good eye dropped in a serious expression and his mouth became a firm, determined line. "Want to come along?"

Cika's eyes grew so wide that the whites were visible past the black depths. After all her dreams and musings, fanciful imaginings and hopes, here was what she had always wanted! An escape, a chance to be something more than a thief and urchin!

But there was more to Kanda Har's offer it seemed, and as she looked from his good eye to the mechanical one, she felt something in her shift, a change in her reality. He honestly wanted her to come with him! Her heart in her throat, Cika leapt forward before she knew what she was doing, her arms barely making it around the rhino's thick neck as she clung to him. "Just try and keep me from coming with you!" she exclaimed in a harsh whisper as her eyes began to sting with unaccustomed emotions. "We'll get a ship and a crew! People will talk about Captain Craw, but their best stories will be about Captain Kanda Har Trask and his Phantom mink!"

The little thief giggled, picturing the two of them, Kanda Har in a fine greatcoat of deep blue and gold trim, a matching tricorn with jaunty plumage of feathers with Cika next to him, dressed in tight leathers, sword on her hip, pistols in a sash as they sailed the ether in the fastest skysloop ever built! Or better yet, a frigate! One even better than the ship Ebenezer Craw had commanded!

As she wiggled happily, the chance meeting with the rhino turning into the best day of her life, she felt how happy Kanda Har was to have her pressed against him. He'd already mentioned that it had been a long time since he had enjoyed a bed companion, and the minkfemme knew that males could get so worked up that they lost their reason. With a quick kiss to the thick skin of his cheek, she slid down and stepped away even as his hand had been reaching for her.

Cika passed the orb back. "I won't let those bastard curs of Talia Redcoat's find you," the minkgirl declared solemnly. "We'll show them not to trifle with Captain Kanda Har Trask! And we'll get a ship and crew. But you need to eat, and so do I. I'll find you some ale, too." She pointed to the pile of straw and rags. "It's not a good bed...but you can rest. I'll get some food," she said turning for the exit before he could reply. "One way or another," Cika added.

Moving to the grate far more quickly than the two of them had come in, her feet knowing where to land from long practice, Cika paused to ensure there was no one outside the iron grate before removing the wood block and exiting.

The crowds on the streets had thinned, the various and diverse individuals of Highloft having found the places that they wished to be with only a few wandering about. Cika found it easy to avoid them, or the occasional knot of night guards, and it was certainly easier to keep an eye out for the tiger, Tammany. Of course her route was through alleys and the narrow chinks between buildings that few save someone her size could squeeze through.

Cika soon found herself at the rear door of the 'Maelstrom', a tavern that offered not just drink, but food that was more than just passable and the ability to hire chambers and companions to warm more than just the bed. The minkfemme had found a few good marks in the establishment, but she'd never pilfered from it.

As with most places, the kitchen let out to the alley, making it not only easier to haul out the refuse, but also to vent some of the excess heat from the ovens and cooking hearth. The one time she'd peeked into the kitchen, the cook was so busy drinking and smoking dream-leaf that she'd been sure that a hoard of cackle birds could have taken up roost and it wouldn't have bothered the old black tomcat in the slightest. Fortunately the dream-leaf smoke was as thick as the plume coming from the hearth.

Slipping through the door, Cika saw that the cat was fast asleep, a thick rivulet of drool seeping from his mouth and snoring happily. With a grin, the minkfemme snagged a sack of turnips, dumping the half wormy roots out on the floor and began to add things that were far more appetizing. Bread and a half wheel of cheese went in her newly acquired bag in between glances at the cat and the door to the common room. A handful of miloplums, a joint of whatever the meat of the day was also went into the sack.

Hefting the sack, Cika figured that she had enough food to satisfy even Kanda Har's appetite and was about to leave when she spied a rack of bottles. They were coated in dust, and the minkgirl had learned years before that dust on a bottle meant that it was either expensive, hence good, or so vile that no one would drink it. Though, it stood to reason that if it was vile the owner of the tavern wouldn't keep it. Of course there was some kind of sigil pressed into the wax near the base of the tapered neck, and that was normally a good sign as well. Figuring her odds at a little better than fifty-fifty at finding something that the rhino would like, Cika tucked the bottles into opposite sides of the sack and headed for the door. A quick look back showed that her decision to flee with her loot had been a good call as one of the serving wenches had come back to the kitchen, though her head was turned away as she screeched a response to someone.

Shaking her head as she retraced her path, Cika cursed her stupidity. The bottles might have been too much, and a greedy thief was a nicked thief! Greed equaled stupidity in her mind. Fortune had smiled upon her, though. In fact, it seemed as if the Fates and Fortune were positively beaming at the minkgirl this night! Granted, there had been the mishap with Tammany, but meeting Kanda Har was definitely worth the trouble that had followed that particular incident!

He had saved her life, of that there was no doubt. Then, once in the safety of her home, he could have forced his lusts upon her, but had refrained. Kanda Har Trask owed her nothing, yet he'd treated her like...like she was a person. A real person, and not a street waif, petty thief, or something unsavory to be scraped from his boot. For that alone, Cika felt that if he owed her nothing, she owed him everything, just for that simple kindness.

There were only two more turns before Cika made it to the safety of the old bronze works, though the sound of a gruff voice full of anger and venom pulled her up short.

"How can a thrice damned rhino his size just vanish?" the voice snarled.

Daring a peek around the corner, Cika saw a pig, his ears jingling with the gold earrings in them, his eyes narrowed in towering anger. The yellow furred dog that had his back to the mink only shrugged in response before turning to follow his companion. At seeing the dog's face, Cika couldn't help but gasp, his face disfigured by the amount of flesh that had been removed, leaving his teeth exposed in a horrific, permanent snarl. Of course the noise she made drew the eyes of the two individuals. Before she could dart from where she stood huddled under the rusted and warped awning of the building that formed the alley to the rear of her hideout, the minkgirl found herself hemmed in by the ruffians.

"You!" the pig snarled, his fingers closing on the bit of cloth that Cika had wrapped herself in. "Have you seen a rhino in these parts? A clockwork arm and mechanical eye?" He shook her hard. "Speak up! Have you?"

Cika trembled under the rough, grasping fingers that twisted cloth and fur painfully. "Y-yes..." she squeaked, Cika's ears folding back in fear. "H-h-he w-w-wa-was ta-talking to a t-tiger in the tav-vern down the way, m-m-mi-milord." The mink swallowed hard and pointed. "Th-the Tempest Cloud! Not an hour ago, I saw h-him, I-I-I did!" Cika nodded firmly. "S-saw hi-him 'fore m' poppa wacked me good an' tol' me ta git home!"

The two toughs glared at her before the pig released her and headed in the indicated direction, Cika maintaining the façade of terror, though not all of it was feigned. Once the pair was out of sight, she bolted for the entrance to her hideaway and made sure that the wood block was in place, alert the entire time for possible eyes upon her.

Kanda Har looked up as she reentered the old furnace from where he lounged on the straw padding. Cika set the bag down where they could both reach it and grabbed his good arm with trembling paws and related what had just transpired, leaving out nothing. When she was done, the minkfemme looked up at her new friend.

"They were part of Captain Redcoat's crew, weren't they?" Before the rhino could answer she tightened her hold on the arm she held, liking the feel of the thick skin under her pink pads and began to stroke him absently. "Doesn't matter," she added with a bit of steel in her tone. "I'm not going to let them get you." She looked up and smiled at Kanda Har. "It's you and me, now!"

*

It was a good thing he'd drained off most of that brandy, Kanda Har speculated as the lithe little minkling suddenly hopped into his lap, her arms going around (or mostly around) his neck as she hugged him with youthful enthusiasm. After all, if he hadn't, this delicate street flower might've done something...rash. As it was, the rhino dearly wished that the erection he'd nearly forgotten about, and which had just started to flag beneath his trousers (it took such a long time for the blood to flow in either direction in that immense appendage), wasn't quite suddenly being squeezed quite firmly within the heart-shaped crease of Cika's pert, soft-furred bottom. It was almost a relief - almost - when she stopped that confounded wiggling and slid off of him. His metal hand, reacting to his desires as it usually did, had been reaching for her, to do what, he didn't really know, though he hoped it wasn't anything...untoward.

Then she was off and away, and the rhino closed his eyes, forcing his breathing to slow. He looked down at the prominent bulge in his trousers, and gave a slight snort before reaching down and starting to tug at the laces at his waist.

"Best deal with this now, rather than regret it later," he murmured softly, making sure what little he could hear of the sneaky little thief as she made her way through her own traps faded into the distance and was gone. He had time, after all...didn't he?

-

Dawson was understandably annoyed at Peels. Though the loss of the yellow dog's lips certainly hadn't improved his looks any, it had given him an unexpected advantage: it made it that much easier for the canid to taste the air. His sense of smell already significant, Peels had been made into a perfectly-adapted tracker by that single minor adjustment to his body. Of course, he'd have rather had his face back - it had gotten hard to even buy women. Despite his improved senses, however, Peels couldn't track the big rhino past a certain point, no matter how he tried. The trail ran into this one alley, and then quite suddenly vanished. The pig himself was no slouch at using his snout, but nothing compared to Peels, and before too long the pair were utterly stymied.

It was in the midst of this state of rising irritation born of confusion that the little slip of a gel appeared. For his part, as Dawson grabbed the pretty, though skinny, gel and started to shake her, urgently grilling her on what she knew, Peels just positioned himself to keep her from getting away, without interfering. For all his hideous appearance, Peels wasn't the sort to rough up a gel, though he didn't stop Dawson...well, at least not yet. If the black-and-white pig got any rougher, though...but no, she spilled what she knew pretty fast, and Dawson let her go, the gel immediately scurrying away. Something hadn't smelled quite right about her as she'd talked, something that made Peels get the distinct impression that she was lying, but, for now, he let it go. After all, a rhino of Kanda Har's size couldn't hide for long, no matter how well he'd managed to vanish for the time being. Peels wouldn't call her on it and risk Dawson or maybe some of the other blokes getting too rough with the gel - she was cute, after all, and he wouldn't like to see her pretty face get uglied up with bruises.

"Let's go meet up with the others," Dawson grumbled irritably to his yellow-furred companion. "Check out this Tempest Cloud tavern and see what's up."

Little did the piratical pig realize, but at that very moment, the elder Count Tammany had just arrived at the scene, where the younger Viscount was only just barely restraining his obviously steaming temper.

"Outwitted by an urchin, you say?" the elder Count said with unflappable calm, his tone dripping with disdain for the very thought of being involved in anything that might sully him with the presence of commoners. "Quite an embarrassment, I dare say."

As he said this, the Count casually tossed a few gleaming golden coins to the floor as though it were no more than trash. The tavernkeeper and his wenches immediately dove for the discarded prince's ransom, which had the added effect of ensuring they didn't pay nearly as much attention to the conversation between father and son, and would also prove far more cooperative in anything that might proceed from that conversation.

"I suppose you'll be wanting revenge, then?" the elder tiger continued, leaning his weight on the clenched paw of gold that topped his cane, a paw that had more than once been stained red in...various altercations. "It simply doesn't do to let oneself be outwitted by the masses, after all. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and a troubling stain on the reputation. But revenge," the elder tiger finally smiled. It was not a nice smile. "Revenge is very sweet, and when done properly, very, very memorable."

"Yes, father," answered the stripe-furred Viscount, lowering his head in proper filial deference, though they both knew the younger tiger would eventually make an attempt at the life of the elder - his success both at the deed and concealing his involvement afterward, in fact, were very nearly traditional prerequisites for obtaining his inheritance. "But where to start? This gutter-strewn slice of the city is riddled with alleys and countless holes for the lowest mongrels of society to hide forever."

"There are ways," the elder Tammany replied, turning to look out the window, his eyebrows raising ever-so-slightly at the sight of a small cadre of ruffians approaching the tavern, "if one is willing to deal with those of low birth and lower calibre."

At that moment, Dawson, flanked by Peels and the Rat Brothers, Tosh and Rogan, pushed their way into the tavern. The other three came up short at the sight of the Count and Viscount, recognizing that there was likely to be trouble here with such well-dressed and powerful-looking males standing there in the dingy world of the streets. Dawson, however, being far too foolhardy and eager for advancement for his own good, marched straight up to the obvious tigers in the room.

"Which of you yobos was talking with a rhino earlier?" the black-and-white striped pig demanded, obviously expecting his shipmates to back him up, and not seeming to notice that they were holding back near the door instead. "Clockwork arm and glowing eye? We was told one of you was seen with him by this little minkmite who'd just left the tavern, so she must've been on the scene."

"Providence speaks once more," said the elder Count, patting his son on the shoulder. "We haven't spoken with any rhinoceros, my good man," the broad-shouldered tiger responded as he turned his attention to the intruder on their conversation, casually lifting his cane to his shoulder (and incidentally placing it in a perfect position for a blow to the pig's skull should such be required), "but we *are* looking for a mink." His smile was subtle, unnerving even for Dawson, and the pig paused, starting to realize that he might have made a mistake in addressing these two in the first place. "It seems to me," he continued, "that if we find our mink once more, then you will likely find your horned friend."

"You heard my father," said Viscount Tammany, taking a step forward, his own steely blue eyes a stark contrast to the green ones of his father. "Where did you find this mink? Take us there at once."

-

The old rhino usually slept in the nude anyway (or mostly so, at least - he tended to keep his arm on, and a dagger on his ankle, though he did take out his eye so it wouldn't disturb him to be constantly seeing the entire room), so it wasn't such an unnatural thing for him as he settled back on the pile of discarded sacks, rolling his shoulders back once and then again as he peeled off his greatcoat and then the faded white jerkin beneath. Kanda Har took an assessment of himself as he looked down his body, unbuckling his belt as he did so, grateful he didn't need to take off his boots - feet like his were made for heavy use, after all, and he'd only ever worn footgear to especially formal functions. His arms were still built like mainmasts, as were his broad and stumpy legs, as he reflected upon peeling his breeches open, and rising to his knees as he pushed them down. The rhino's chest was still broad and powerful, his neck similarly thick and strong and nearly impossible to grip in any hold. Fingers teasing against his dark grey nipples, Kanda Har sharply intook his breath, as those were some of only a very few places on his thick-skinned body where he was truly sensitive. Those hands continued to stroke down his body as he knelt there, naked, on the sacks where he intended to bed for the night, feeling his way along the prominent bulges of muscle along his ribs, briefly over the slight lovehandles that he'd allowed to grow in his attempt at retirement, and then over his still-hard stomach, which was only just barely starting to show the first signs of middle-age paunch, the solid lines of his washboard musculature still very clearly visible.

Then his hands reached lower still, to the other sensitive part of his body. It always felt like such a production to pull out the heavy manstaff that swung between his legs, the thick-knobbed, rigid thing grotesque in the rhino's eyes. His liking for smaller females had always created problems for Kanda Har, and more than once, no matter how gentle he'd been, his partners in lovemaking had complained of him being much, much too big for them, of being frightened by his significant member, of worrying that he'd hurt them. It was for this reason that he shuddered at the lightest little squeeze of his fingertips around that swollen shaft, so very sensitive, and so very needy, biting his lip the only thing that kept him from moaning at the intensity of arousal that had been building up inside of him for far too long, and now fanned to full flame by the callipygian minkling that had been kind enough to trust him, to let him share her safe house.

No, he wouldn't hurt her. He wouldn't dare to try anything with her that might cause discomfort or pain. That meant that he had to be silent, however, so as not to draw any attention to this hidden place, or to himself in case Cika returned with that stealth that was her wont while he was otherwise indisposed. To better aid his concealing his actions, the huge rhino turned himself around, his back to the entrance. In the dim light of the room, his state of undress might even be completely unnoticed, so long as one didn't get too close. So resolved, Kanda Har's metal hand started to slowly stroke along his solid, almost unyielding length, the darker grey cap swelling until its concealing lighter-colored hood was pushed back, exposing it to the dimly-lit air of the abandoned boiler. His breathing coming faster now, more ragged, Kanda Har started to pick up the pace, losing track of time, of his surroundings, of everything except for...

It was the sound of those light feet that snapped Kanda from his self-pleasuring reverie, his hand of flesh, the one that had been gripping the rags and sacks beneath him, tugging those closest to him over his groin, concealing it from view...barely. He turned to look at little Cika as she grabbed his arm tightly, almost making him dislodge the cloth preserving his scant modesty, even as she hugged herself against his thick, naturally armored flesh, burying her sweet face against his shoulder. Stroking his bared skin absently, she told him everything that had happened, and Kanda Har fought his way back to full awareness with difficulty, the urgency of their present situation forcing him to give the matter as much of his attention as he could manage...and also forcing him to exert the rest of his attention very deliberately away from the soft, warm slip of a girl that was pressed against his naked skin.

"It's all right, Cika," Kanda Har murmured softly, turning his arm slightly, so that it circled around the slim mink's waist, his broad palm stroking her back soothingly. "Yes, those are the ones who are looking for me. This place doesn't hold scents well, though - I don't think they'll find us that way." Then his expression turned serious, and his good eye flicked toward his gleaming one, as though looking at something only he could see. "It's too late for them now, if I'm measuring time and the passing of the light right. There's no point in trying to find a place you've hidden as well as this by starlight. We should be safe tonight...but tomorrow, they'll be back, I'm sure of it. We'll have to be gone by then."

His mind whirring like the soft-sounding gears of his arm, Kanda Har looked up toward the ceiling, then nodded as inspiration came to him, and he looked back to Cika's pretty face, his fingertips working into the muscles at the back of her neck with the expert skill of one who was well-versed in giving a good massage - actually a typical warrior's skill in Kanda Har's homeland, and a part of the training he'd had while still in his youth, working to follow in his father's footsteps as bodyguard of his country's nobility.

"I know exactly where we can go to get a ship," he said, those wonderful fingers doing such very nice things to Cika's neck and shoulders and back. "Windspray still owes me a few favors, and I believe tomorrow will be the perfect time to cash them in." He smirked wryly. "I hope you get along with Windspray. She's a really nice girl." Then he rolled his eyes. "Never shuts up, though."

**

Kanda Har's words filled Cika with a surety that they would be able to escape, mentioning a friend that had a ship that they could use to make good their getaway and embark on an adventure that was beyond belief. The minkgirl looked up at the rhino, feeling that strange flood of emotions again that were so strange. They made her feel happy and warm, and she liked it. As his thick fingers rubbed deep into the muscles of her neck in a way that no one ever had before, she felt tension leaving her, almost like water being poured out of a bucket.

Not since the short time with Tully, the red panda waif that had shared her hideout prior to this one and her affections, had another touched her with anything even remotely resembling the tenderness that Kanda Har did. To say that it was nice was a complete understatement, and Cika rapidly discovered that she liked the rhino to touch her, her thoughts drifting to his actions when she finished bathing, the feel of his hand on her rump, the hungry, almost desperate look in his good eye.

As he continued to work at the minkfemme's neck and back, she lowered her head, almost sighing with the feel of the restrained strength in the hand that touched her, the force enough to be pleasurable and soothing. As she snuggled tighter against him, her eyes opened and it was only then that she realized his only concealment was a substantial portion of the rags that comprised her sleeping pallet. She'd been so worried upon her return that Cika hadn't even noticed.

Her dark eyes trailed down the broad chest, the still defined stomach, following the lines of his hips that were visible on either side of the bundle of cloth with bits of straw that only covered his maleness. When Tully had taken her virginity, he had fit well inside of her, of course, he wasn't much taller than she was. What her bedding concealed was far larger than what her red panda had been gifted with, the bulge easily the equivalent of her forearm.

As Cika realized just how endowed Kanda Har was, the little mink realized that she had been missing the other urchin and his touch something fierce in the past year. Then there were the times that she had listened to the whores throughout this portion of Highloft, comparing the males that hired them and the prowess of each. If the talk of the whores was to be believed, Cika was looking at a different kind of treasure right in front of her.

Without lifting her head as the rhino continued to knead the muscles of her neck and back, Cika began her inspection all over, noticing that Kanda Har's skin was completely devoid of hair and fur, though not all of it seemed to be so thick, almost like armor itself, and she couldn't help it when her paw lifted and she caressed his closest male nipple. The skin, while warm, was surprisingly soft, and the sudden shiver that ran through him told her that the dark coin of flesh and the little protrusion was just as sensitive as her own.

The solid muscle underneath was intriguing as well, the way it felt under her paw pads, almost as if Kanda Har Trask was sculpted from warm stone. From there her hand moved to the other side of his wide torso, her tiny claws racking against the skin before trailing down his belly. It seemed as if there was no part of the rhino that wasn't rippled with muscle, like a living statue, carved and sculpted to be just so.

When Kanda Har moaned low, Cika looked up into his good eye, though before he could say anything, she placed the fingers of her free hand against his lips. The hunger she'd seen earlier was back, and it had not one whit to do with the sack that contained the fruits of her kitchen raid. Likewise his chest was heaving as he sucked in deep lungfuls of air, his whole body working like one of the bellows in the foundry the sought their refuge in.

As she continued to hold his one-eyed gaze, the mechanical eye having been removed and set aside, her fingers still over his mouth, her other paw slid down his tummy, the tips of her tiny claws and soft pads finding the divot of his navel as they continued their sojourn. The heat from his nethers as she slipped under the rags covering his maleness was intense, almost scaldingly hot, and it seemed as it that warmth traveled through her paw, up her arm and into her own body.

Then Cika found what she sought.

By the Ancients! He was beyond huge, and as she tried to wrap her fingers about the girth of his staff, Cika realized she'd have an easier time trying to pleasure herself with one of the support timbers further in the bronze works. The mink pushed the rags away, exposing the fullness of Kanda Har to the cooler air of the old furnace and looked upon him in full for the first time.

He would do her serious harm if she tried to accept him as a female should, of that there was no doubt. But Cika hadn't forgotten some of the things that she'd overheard, often thinking about the tales the whores traded as she touched herself in the solitude of her little refuge.

Finally pulling her fingers away from the rhinomale's lips, Cika tugged loose her cloth wrap, letting it fall away and paused to give Kanda Har a mischievous smile before getting up and sitting down on the burly male's lap, though facing away from him. She might not be able to accommodate his sheer size, but there were other ways to bring pleasure.

Tucking her feet under the heavy sac of his balls and alternately curling her toes against the enormous orbs, Cika wrapped her arms and paws about the staff of flesh, snugging it tight against the soft fur of her body while her mouth took as much of the dark colored end as she could fit. Arching and stretching while all but embracing the huge phallus, the minkfemme worked Kanda Har as best she could, even losing a little of her own self in the attention she gave. Over and over she slid her body along the length of his shaft, her own little slit enjoying the contact against steamy flesh as she ground against the rhino. While she used her body and all of the agility that years of thieving and having to use small points of access while maintaining her silence, Cika's mouth all but devoured his end, her tongue slipping into the slit of his maleness as far as she could, finding the heavy, musky flavor of his cock quite enticing, spurring her to even more fervent pleasuring.

Cika liked the feel of the hot flesh of her friend as it pressed against her body, she liked the feeling as the dark grey flesh tugged at her fur and the way it seemed as if her small breasts had been made specifically to embrace the enormous cock. The mink also reveled in the feel of him under her pads, the variations in his flesh, the hood that was pulled tight with Kanda Har's full arousal, the way the veins bulged under the skin and the occasional twitch as his seed boiled within his balls.

She loved him with the whole of her body, wishing she could take him proper, but that didn't diminish her enthusiasm in the slightest. All that mattered was his pleasure. But she was also receiving almost as good as she tried to give, her little slit dripping near constantly as she ground herself hard against the massive other horn Kanda Har sported, feeling the heat flow from him into her and back with copious amounts of her own juices.

When Kanda Har finally gave vent to his lusts, it was a font of scalding, thick ropes of rhino seed that the minkfemme gobbled up greedily, the sheer mass almost a meal in and of itself and she tried to prolong his pleasure, curling her toes hard against his sac and moving her tiny feet to massage his testicles hard against his own body as her mouth still bobbed up and down on the head of his maleness. He filled her belly with a warmth that wasn't too unlike the brandy, and just as intoxicating.

Cika milked her friend as well as she could, swallowing one last dribble of his essence, feeling his member soften now that he was satiated for the moment. The mink was diligent in ensuring he was properly clean before tending to the remnants of the rhino's passion from her own chin and muzzle before releasing him, a tender caress to his diminishing erection. She then turned around, smiling at the panting, disbelieving rhinomale before slithering up his body where he reclined and wrapped her tiny arms around his enormous chest.

She didn't care what he did to her in return, all she knew was that she would do anything to keep Kanda Har in her life, the few hours that they had been acquainted bring her more warmth and joy than anyone else ever had.

"Don't ever leave me," she whispered tremulously as she placed her head on the expanse of his body, easily picking up the deep, steady drumming of his heartbeat before nestling her head up under Kanda Har Trask's chin. "Please don't ever leave me."

*

The large rhinomale's body was as devoid of hair or fur as almost all his kind, nothing getting in the way of Cika's view save for the rags hastily pulled into place - and she could tell that they'd been pulled hastily, that Kanda Har had been trying to disguise what he'd been doing, much like a boy walked in on by his parents. It was a silly thing, actually, such a big and powerfully-muscled male being bashful about showing off his well-earned (to say nothing of his natural) endowments, but there it was.

More silly than surprising was the effect Cika's gentle touch against Kanda Har's exposed dark nipple had. Instantly, she could feel herself suddenly in possession of power over the much, much larger male, his whole body shivering at the light touch, showing a truly unexpected amount of sensitivity. It must really have been a very long time indeed for the big guy, if he was that easily affected by such a delicate pair of hands as Cika's, and so very quickly. As she pressed both her hands against his chest, and then his belly, Kanda Har's stomach rose and fell with a faster pace, his hands reaching back to support his weight as he lay partially back, his upper body at about a forty-five degree angle to the floor. His eye was wide, his mouth slightly parted as he watched Cika, saying nothing, doing nothing, save for the occasional low, needy moan. She had him completely in her power, his body trembling just a little under her touch, and then more as she slipped beneath the rags that were only just barely covering the parts that made him elementally male.

That touch...that was all it took. Instantly, as Cika gently wrapped her fingers as far around the rhino's immense grey-skinned staff as she could manage, Kanda Har's whole body tensed, his immense hands clenching with crushing force on the rags on which he lay. His hips arched, and every muscle in his belly became tensely-defined, every little bump and ridge clearly visible. His legs kicked slightly, the tightly-corded muscles like steel cables, the veins and arteries of his neck standing out in full relief. The swollen, dark grey plumlike tip of his cock was swollen, throbbing, and leaking quite copiously.

For all of this impressive display, however, Kanda Har didn't make a move to touch little Cika. He seemed afraid of hurting her, his eye, watching her through all of this, showing as much concern for her as it did his own desperate, bestial need. As she dropped her wrap, so casual-seeming in her decision to act, a short spurt of precum jetted out, painting his chest. The next little burst, a warning shot certainly, landed on Cika's downy-soft breastfur when she seated herself, her feet gently toying with his swollen, heavy sac, as grey and...substantial as the rest of his body.

"Ancients," Kanda Har whispered as Cika wrapped herself around the pillar of his manhood, his body lying back, his hips arching upward into the all-encompassing softness of the lithe mink's body as she stroked herself against him, using her entire body like a sexual organ. "Cika..."

Then Cika's pretty, delicate mouth closed over the throbbing, swollen head of the rhino's upthrust cock, and Kanda Har's voice died in his throat, his whole world reeling as his good eye squeezed tightly shut. On the makeshift table nearby, where he'd left his mechanical eye, the eye lit up suddenly, its view filled with the image of the sweet little mustelid girl starting to grind herself against the rhino's massive grey shaft, the swollen vein along the top of his penis perfectly fitting between her dimpled cunny lips, which clasped tightly against his rigid flesh, leaving a trail of her slick juices, visibly darkening his grey skin with the passing of her own swollen, needy sex against his own.

And then it was just too much.

"Cika," he gasped warningly, the only warning the mink got before Kanda Har's whole body arched upward, his voice rising to a savage bellow as he hit his peak, her eager efforts driving him over, no amount of self-control able to keep him from that inevitable and oh-so-pleasurable precipice. Cika's trim little belly would feel like it was bulging from the sheer volume of the rhino as he came...and came...and came some more. He wasn't kidding about it having been a long time! But Cika held on with sheer musteline determination, until spots flashed before her eyes, and she'd drained him right to the dregs, unconsciously making cute high-pitched growls as she fought determinedly to not let go, no matter what the cost, her liplock unbroken to the very last drop.

"Please don't ever leave me."

Kanda Har was vaguely aware of the quiet plea as Cika snuggled her soft little body against his thick, hard form, the top of her head stroking beneath his chin like the affectionate nuzzling of a cat. Then, as the haze of orgasm receded, his afterglow brought with it that startling degree of clarity that it always did, and Kanda Har's great hands reached up, tendely stroking Cika's sides, fingertips teasing at the delicate skin beneath her thick, soft fur.

"I want," he said softly, his voice a rumble like distant thunder through Cika's whole body as she lay against his chest, "to taste you."

A look into his eyes would reveal this wasn't just some passing desire to repay the favor she'd shown him. No, the hulking rhino really wanted to taste Cika...and a great deal more. His huge hands were lifting her almost before she could react, turning her around, until she was facing toward his semisoft member, which seemed unwilling to go below the halfmast state. As she watched, that mighty organ would quickly start to fill once more, the hulking brute obviously growing steadily more and more excited by what he saw, and felt, as his powerful mitts closed on Cika's pert tushie, squeezing and rolling and then spreading the mink's bouncy little buns. She felt his hot breath steaming on her tail and the tiny rosette directly beneath, and then on her delicate pink petals, only moments before his thick, calloused thumbs spread her tightly-clasped labia apart, peeling her open like an especially ripe, juicy fruit.

The old saw "bull in a china shop" would occur to Cika for a brief moment, even as Kanda Har's nostrils flared, taking her clean, sweet, healthy scent, the scent of a young and energetic and sexually-charged teenaged girl before he breathed out, making her whole body shudder with the powerful blast of those strong lungs. Then she would have a hard time thinking at all as the mighty male's muzzle would mash against her tiny pink quim, and he started to feast.

Her ears filling with the juicy, luscious, obscene sounds of Kanda Har's muzzle sucking, slurping, tugging, practically devouring her most sensitive places, Cika might have cried out - she really couldn't tell in the throes of sensation washing over her like the waves of a sky-tsunami - but she knew she was cumming, her whole limber body squirming on the rhino's firm chest and stomach, her little tushie held still by his immense hands, forcing her to simply endure it as those astonishingly strong lips latched onto her hooded clitty, and didn't let go until she squealed like a newborn kit. Desperate for some point of stability in the storm, Cika reached out with her arms, and wrapped them around Kanda Har's member, standing hard, tall, and proud once more, pressing her cheek tightly against its surface, slick with his cum and her juices as she rode out yet another orgasm, her bottom tensing, her inner walls rippling until it felt as though her belly would burst from the tension wracking her lithe, supple young frame.

Then Kanda Har was sitting up, his huge hands slipping beneath Cika, guiding her forward, her soft-furred body stroking against his shaft all the way up. Her eyes widened as she felt the swollen, plum-shaped tip slip through her cunny lips, parting them slightly as she was slid forward, onto all-fours. Surely he knew he wouldn't fit? Surely he wasn't about to...oh! At that moment, just when Cika was almost about to relax as the rhino's glans passed her teeny cunny without full penetration, she felt it prod gently against her even tinier tailhole. That would never fit, never in a million years! His hips thrust forward, but instead of penetrating Cika, as her body tensed up in preparation for bracing herself, her pert rumpcheeks instead tensed around his shaft as he began to stroke himself between them, like an especially thick sausage squeezed between far too little bun. Every time he pulled back, the wicked rhino made sure to nudge his thick member against Cika's precious pink tailstar, leaking copious precum onto it and down onto her trembling slit, making her whole body tense in expectation. But the expected penetration never came, the burly beast instead going back to stroking himself between the precious girlish mounds of Cika's well-shaped bottom, his huge hands squeezing them tightly together to make an especially snug channel, the movements of her tail just serving further to give him pleasure as it stroked against his shaft, and caused her tushie to flex in such very nice ways.

With a deep grunt, Kanda Har suddenly drew back, his huge hands grabbing Cika's hips, hiking them upward even more, her bottom lifted and presented for...the Ancients alone knew what. Those same hands then stroked up through Cika's soft fur, then cupped her lovely little breasts, rolling them with slow, sweet attention, gently squeezing the perked pink nipples that capped each pert and perfect mammary between his thick, powerful fingers.

Meanwhile, Kanda Har's muzzle was nibbling down Cika's tail, his powerful tongue teasing and caressing the delicate, extra-sensitive spot right beneath, the sensation about the same as what a male would feel at having that sensitive spot immediately behind his balls handled with similarly expert care and attention, sending delicious tingles up and down Cika's spine. That tongue dipped lower, now gently prodding and slicking up Cika's tense pink tailhole, circling the clenching ring, sending a host of so-very-dirty sensations through the young mink's body. Her instincts told her that this was a forbidden place, not somewhere that any male should touch her, and certainly not in the way that Kanda Har was touching her. But...it felt good, sending a sensation of warmth tingling to her taut little tummy, making her squirm despite herself, her arms wrapping around his cock once more, pumping it enthusiastically, his precum running down in rivers, wetting the fur of her face and breasts.

With a snort, then, Kanda Har pulled his muzzle back, leaving Cika's aching cunny and tailhole feeling tingly and neglected. Despite herself, she gave a frustrated whine, wiggling her little tushie back at the male behind her, pleading without words for him not to stop. She didn't have long to wait, as Kanda Har's hands left her breasts, and instead went to her upraised, presented rump, gripping her tushie firmly, holding her quite still despite all her efforts to the contrary. Then she would feel the gentle prod of something sizable against her needy little quim. His cock? No, that was still gripped firmly in her arms. Then what...? Her answer came in a flash of insight: his horn! The feeling of this revelation passing into her was almost immediately answered by an even more powerful feeling: that of having the rhino's horn plowing into her with even more force and power.

His head bucking, Kanda Har grunted and snorted like an animal as he messily, juicily "gored" little Cika's cunny with his blunt-tipped horn, careful even in the throes of his passion to keep from going too far, from potentially tearing some of the tender tissues within her most precious places. His head bucked and jerked, the muscles in his neck standing out firmly as he thrashed from side to side, very thoroughly and very completely rutting the hot minkling like she deserved for the pleasure she'd already shared with him.

Then another realization would hit Cika, just moments before a second contact would impress itself upon her body: Kanda Har had two horns!

The careful rimming and preparation of Cika's tailhole made a good deal of sense now, as the second, smaller horn suddenly prodded against her wriggling little butt, and then squeezed its way inside, nice and slow, as Kanda Har calmed down his pace, giving Cika the time she needed to adjust to this new penetration. That was about all she got, however, before he began to rock his muzzle forward and back, puffing and blowing like a true animal, every blast of hot, ragged breath almost searing across Cika's hyper-sensitive lovebutton, followed not long after by Kanda Har's fingers on his good hand, even as he pressed downward with his horn, adding just that much more erotic pressure as he squeezed himself against the pleasure-giving pad of flesh behind Cika's pubic bone.

Cika went wild, yowling like a cat dunked in a rain barrel, her arms clenching and pumping as she stroked her diamond-perked nipples against the rhino's rigid shaft, using the energy of her orgasms to drive her body. There wasn't any way Cika could silence herself, no matter how she tried to exert her will, so she popped the glans of Kanda Har's cock into her mouth instead, muffling her cries as flashes of light filled her vision, popping flashbulbs going off behind her eyes as her whole world started to reel to and fro. It was just too much! It was too much! Too much! Too...

-

Cika woke to a sensation of gentle warmth, and the most wonderful relaxing feeling of having her fur lovingly brushed by somebody who knew how to do it right. As her senses gradually returned, albeit reluctantly, for she was very comfortable, the little minkthief would realize the soft light and warmth of the room was emanating from Kanda Har's eye, resting on the makeshift table a short distance away. The candles around the room were all snuffed out. She herself was resting in Kanda Har's lap, just as naked as he was, her cheek resting on his mostly-deflated cock, which lay flopped against his thigh, still leaking a thin trail of cum, clear evidence that he'd had at least one more orgasm at some point, though the exact timing of the event escaped Cika's pleasure-fogged memory. He had found her fur brush while she'd been out, apparently, and was using the old soft-bristled thing to very tenderly stroke through her fur, careful to work out each little knot and tangle with her fine-toothed comb with such delicacy and skill that she almost didn't notice. For such a big guy, Kanda Har could be so very gentle with those huge hands of his when he wanted to be.

"Had to make sure the cum didn't mat your pretty fur," the male explained in a soft voice, before he continued his careful, loving attention to Cika's thick fur.

**

For one that gave the first impression of being a dreadfully dangerous brute, the mechanical eye and clockwork arm only adding to such an assessment, Cika believed that Kanda Har preferred to act as he was that moment. He was incredibly tender, so very gentle, and it seemed that he was enjoying grooming the minkgirl's fur almost as much as she was relishing the attention. It was a first for her, never having had another dote on her...not even her mother, at least from the vague memories she could recall.

She couldn't help the sigh that slipped past her slightly swollen lips from where she had dined on the rhino's maleness, and as she looked up, there was a gentle, pleased smile on Kanda Har's face. A smile that she put there. That realization filled her with a warmth that was almost as good as the pleasuring her friend had bestowed upon her, knowing that she had made him feel good. Cika also believed that he was finding the tending of her pleasurable as well and simply let him work his magic upon her.

When he finished, the minkling nuzzled his massive cock, enormous even when spent, and pulled herself up and placed her tiny paws on either side of his face then looked into his eye for several moments before pressing her muzzle so very gently to his grey lips. Cika turned the languorous kiss into a heartfelt embrace, her wide, black eyes closing as she felt his normal hand and the mechanical one wrap around her body. It was the safest she'd ever felt in her entire life, and fought back a tear that threatened to spill.

"I wish I weren't a mink," she whispered in his ear, pressing her cheek hard against his in an affectionate nuzzle. "If...if I were bigger I could take you in me proper." Cika sighed bitterly. "If I weren't so tiny I could make you happier. But I will try." The minkgirl nibbled his sensitive ear. "I will always try to make you feel as wonderful as you make me feel."

Cika felt his chest swell as he inhaled while his arms tightened about her delicate body incrementally, tightening the embrace. As she leaned back, Kanda Har letting her, she looked in his eye once more and nodded before giving him another kiss. Then her look became chagrined.

"Damn it all!" the minkfemme husked. "I almost forgot!"

As she started to move away, the rhino let her, though his fingers gently traced the line of her flank before caressing her bottom, watching intently as she twisted and bent over to retrieve her sack. She pulled out one of the bottles first and passed it to her friend with a smile and a wink before also laying out the bread, cheese and meat. Her tummy was still happily full of Kanda Har's love and the only thing that appealed at the moment, apart from the half flaccid staff that lay between the rhino's thighs, was one of the miloplums. Cika giggled a little as her teeth broke the dark red skin and the sweet juices rolled over her tongue and she wondered if Kanda Har would find her as sweet as the fruit. He had certainly seemed to like the way she tasted!

The rhino cracked the bottle, taking the sealing wax and cork out with one deft twist of his clockwork hand and gave the minkgirl a wink and grin before upending the bottle. When he smacked his lips, it seemed to be in appreciation of the contents, and that made Cika all but beam. She liked to make Kanda Har happy.

"You know, it might not be a bad thing for you to also teach me how to shoot and use a sword. We might run into trouble again. Oh! And tell me about your friend, Windspray!" she prodded after he lowered the bottle from his lips and began to pick at the food. "What kind of ship does she have? Is it fast?"

Before he began to tell the mink of his friend, Kanda Har reached out and ran a finger along Cika's jaw, stroking the soft fur and causing her eyes to flutter at that simple touch while her breath caught in her throat, that simple touch quelling the animated questions that would have continued spilling out.

*

Kanda Har did like little Cika's tush. It was firm, nicely rounded, obviously made for quick bursts of frantic speed and acrobatic leaps. It was also very nice against his palms, and he enjoyed touching her bottom just slightly more than he enjoyed looking at it. But then, the rhino had always had a hard time resisting an especially nicely-formed rump, about as much as he had a hard time resisting a cute little thing like Cika.

"I expect I'll have plenty of time to train you in all sorts of things," Kanda Har said as his good eye lingered on Cika's presented bum as she turned to retrieve her stolen goodies, no longer ashamed about admiring her lovely little body. "Don't wish to be anything you aren't, Cika," he said as she turned back to him. "Trust me when I say that you can take me...but it'll take time, effort, courage, slow going, and a lot of lubrication. Well, at least the first time or two," he smirked a bit, giving her a wink (blink? It _was_his only eye...), his mechanical eye on the nearby makeshift table whirring slightly the moment his flesh eye closed, giving Cika the immediate realization that it was still working, and probably still able to give him images. That, of course, meant that he'd likely been watching her while they made love from two angles, rather than just one. "These probably aren't the best accommodations for that sort of training, though."

As for thinking Cika was as sweet as a miloplum...well...he certainly did stare as she bit into the fruit, his expression obviously pleased to see her so happy, before he lifted the sealed flask of fine liqueur to his muzzle, and tipped it back. Lowering the bottle after Cika's slew of questions, then wiping his mouth on the back of his good hand, Kanda Har smiled, stroking Cika's delicate jaw.

"You got us a girly drink," he said teasingly, before offering the bottle to her. "Not a bad thing, mind. Here, have some, and you'll see what I mean."

As Cika did indeed have a sip (at first) of the sweet, fruity, and yet subtly potent alcohol, its strength the sort that sneaks up on you after a while, rather than smacking you straight in the gut after the first swig, Kanda Har leaned back on the sacks, using his fleshy arm as a pillow, while reaching out and easily lifting little Cika up and onto his firmly-muscled barrel belly, letting her straddle him there and reposition herself as she pleased, though he shifted arms, resting his head on the mechanical one while making an obvious niche against his side with his fleshy one.

"Windspray's about your age, I'd say," he began. "About a year or two older, as I think about it. It's hard to say exactly with her kind: seabirds like her people don't usually keep track of time like we civilized folk do. I once asked her when she was born, and she said 'In the summer.' Mostly she makes her living on a little skyfishing skow. It's nothing fancy, but it's got the capacity to go a very long way out. I met the white bird when she was out on the docks about two, three years ago, getting harassed by some other skyfishers, a group with a bigger boat who didn't want any small-timers as competition. So," he shrugged, "I handled 'em. We've been pretty good friends ever since. Nothing like...what we've done ever happened, though; Windspray's...well...she's really energetic, but she's also kinda naïve. She's a sweet girl, though, and I'm not gonna be the one to make her lose any of that innocence." He rolled his shoulders in a broad shrug as he leaned back slightly, resting his head against the wall nearest the rag bed, and picking up the bread, tearing it apart with ease so as to start his own meal. "I'll let somebody else have the honors there, well, as long as it's a nice somebody." The rhino smirked. "I guess I feel like a father to her, since she's kinda far from home and all that, cute little birdy wanting to get out, see the world, and finally go back home to her little island with lots of stories and lots of money, at least by her people's standards. Which, of course, means the obligatory beating of any young pup that doesn't live up to my standards. Nothing personal, just what a father's supposed to do, as I understand these things."

As he finished speaking, Kanda Har tore into the bread, but though it suddenly became obvious to him that he was hungry, he forced himself to slow down, take his time, and let the food settle slowly into his system, giving his body a chance to process it all, getting the most out of every bite. While eating, though, Cika would see that the big rhino was gradually getting more and more tired.

"It's gonna be a big day tomorrow," he said finally, sitting up slightly, his mechanical fingers finding and then fiddling a little with his eye as it rested on the table, before he lay back down. "There - that'll wake us up before dawn. We'll need to get started early, before the search parties get going in earnest." The big male heaved a long, slow sigh, forcing all the tension out of his body despite the obvious tension that his words would have normally carried. "Get some sleep if you can: once we get going, we're gonna hafta hit the ground running, and not stop until we're well out from the harbor."

His great arm wrapping around Cika firmly, holding her against his body, his warmth soon settling into her own soft fur, Kanda Har let his eye close, and did his best to take his own advice. There'd be plenty of time for worry and fuss later - right now, it was time for much needed sleep.