Tale of Infinity: A Slave for Forty Warriors
~Episode 1: Two Years Left~
The road stretched on forever, and the horizon spanned out twice as far. As the smooth, wide dirt path crumbled under the wooden wheels of the wagon, Kensin Thorpe sat, almost sprawling over the driver's bench, reins in hand. He was a huge, proud beast of a man, a brawny lion as impressively broad as he was impressively tall. At his feet, a polished, perfectly-fitted, nigh-impenetrable and positively sweltering suit of armor lay, folded neatly in a stack with his long sword placed squarely on top, easily within reach.
The armor had been put to good use that day, having just earned a score of dents, slashes, grooves and even a few well-placed scorch marks from a skilled, yet stupid runeman who had made the irreversible mistake of making himself an enemy of Thorpe and the forty other hired swords under his command.
The day was in early afternoon and the sun shone high in a cloudless sky, still hot and bright enough to nearly inflict pain by simply looking straight ahead. In the scalding heat, the massive, quadruped horses at the wagon's yoke were rested, fed, watered and fresh, and they were the least of Thorpe's worries.
Like he did each hour, the lion leaned around the corner of his wagon's canopy and began to verify a headcount.
"Check!" he shouted to the ram at the reins of the second wagon in the convoy. Thus started the procedure. The ram, named Vols, called back to the wagon behind him, and the third wagon would do the same until they reached the end of the convoy. The beastman at the reins of the rearmost convoy would shout "One and five!" meaning "First wagon with five men." The wagon ahead would then say "Two and nine!" meaning "Second wagon and nine men in total." Eventually, the chain of shouting would echo back up the line until Vols would call back with a resonant "Nine and thirty-nine!" and within five minutes, so he did.
Nine wagons and thirty-nine men behind mine, and Rikk and I make forty-one. Well, there's forty-_three, but that's not for much longer..._
Just as he had considered his secondman, a squawk blared out from behind Thorpe, deep within his covered wagon, closely accompanied by a hectic flapping of wings and a rustling of feathers. It had been the twentieth time that day.
Rikk had been busy. Thorpe could only imagine the unholy depravity happening in the depths of that very wagon.
She thought he had been joking, or at least bragging a little too much to be believed, but as the sensations overwhelmed the quivering, whimpering bird, she realized that she was about to lose her bet. Her client might very well bring her to climax ten times before he found release even once.
Atima squirmed atop her customer's lap, refusing to be bested at her own profession. She felt the foreign flesh twitch inside her; he was close, but he stopped her.
"Alright, you've done enough." The mercenary gave her a rough pat on the rump, then leveled a finger to the back of the wagon, atop his bedroll lay Atima's sister, sprawled, eyes glazed and even more out of sorts than she. "Let's give her another go, shall we?"
"Um, alri--!" Atima twitched and let out a yelp as her customer lifted her by the rear--with surprising strength given his small stature--and shoved her onto the floor next to him. Her legs felt dead and her lungs like they had been impaled by pure fire. Once she found the strength to sit upright, she once again laid eyes upon her benefactor.
The rat, whose name was Rikk, if memory served, lay back on his elbows between a sack of vegetables and a barrel of whiskey. His slim, taut physique begged to be touched, now more than ever, as he wore not one thing, save for a flask tied loosely around his neck and a smirk on his lips, and thanks to his current, erect state, Atima could easily tell that the rat's heart was positively racing.
"Fates alive, you're gorgeous," he breathed, easing himself to his feet and taking a swig from his flask. He placed a hand on each of his hips, which he then thrust forward with a stretch and a yawn. "Mmmm. However," the rat murmured, sauntering towards his besieged conquest with a mischievous spark in his eye. "You'll have to work harder if you want..." he paused, standing over the bluebird, where he then pressed his sac against the tip of the bird's beak so that his cock--as rigid as it was slick with her juices--rested along the top of the beak, the head pressing right between her eyes. "Well... you know."
Without any provocation, Atima opened her maw and ran her fine, avian tongue along the underside of the rodent's member. A twitch and a spurt of precum soon followed.
"That's the spirit," Rikk groaned. "Now, wait here." He turned his attention to Atima's sister, still prostrate on the bedroll and nearly unconscious, only held awake by her enthusiasm.
"Ready for another go, love?"
"You know it," Prell, Atima's sister, replied, able to form words, but little else. With a moan, she lifted her legs until her feet rested above her head. Prell had always been remarkably flexible; it made her the somewhat more popular of the sisters with customers. That and the fact that she was a tad more outgoing and... ambitious.
"Just wondering, is 'perfect' too strong a word?" the rat said, laying his member atop the entrance to the jay's convulsing sex. He hadn't even penetrated yet, and she was already getting worked up. "Are you perfect?"
Nothing else was said after that. Nothing needed to be said. Any further attempt at witty repartee instantly devolved into inane giggling and moans. Eventually, one of those moans elevated into a wail of unprepared adrenaline. Prell's legs locked around the rat's hips, his muzzle buried between her plush breasts.
He had just bitten her.
Atima winced, but didn't feel disgusted. Before every round with the rat, he had bitten her as well, very lightly and just enough to barely draw blood. Just as she recollected, Atima mindlessly traced a talon up her leg, stopping briefly on a fresh bite. One on her calf, one on the outside of her thigh, one on the inside, a few on her abdomen, her shoulder, her neck. Grand total, she had been bitten 9 times, but not once between the breasts, as her sister just had been. Nonetheless, she didn't dislike it, though uncomfortable, it possessed a certain, predatory nature. They were prey in his den, and he did with them as he pleased. There was something about the idea that appealed to her. Well, appealed, might be a bit too strong of a word.
Prell screamed, then fell limp, then began to squirm.
"There's no way." Atima sat, slack jawed. She hadn't been paying attention, and in less than ten seconds, the rat had brought his sister to climax yet again. "That's simply not possible."
"Oh, it's very possible, Rikk assured her, licking her sister's breast before rising to his feet and crossing the wagon, back toward her. "Care if I demonstrate?" He pointed at his groin, showing that he certainly needed further attention. "On you?"
At first she was scared. Under normal circumstances, she would hesitate, but with the rat paying her, she had little choice, if any at all, so she laid herself back, resting on her elbows before spreading her legs and drooping her head in a shame that she hated to love.
"Good girl. By the way, I haven't forgotten about our bet."
"Wait. You were serio--? EEEEEEK!" before she could finish her sentence, the rat dove upon her, pinning her down, biting her on the neck, and penetrating her, all near simultaneously.
"How many have you had?" Rikk grunted as he thrusted. "Nine, was it? Well, rest assured, I could go on for ages," he leaned in closer and breathlessly whispered the last few words. "but I'd really like to get off."
Atima whimpered, accentuated by gasps as the rat's rhythm increased in both timing and intensity. The rat stood, lifting her by the hips but leaving her shoulders on the ground. They rocked back and forth as the wagon bucked from side to side.
"Here it comes!" he grunted. "Ready for the big one?"
The sensations were so great, she felt like crying out in pain. She wasn't ready. What if this climax was her last. Without time to think, she briefly, honestly considered the possibility that the sheer height of the next orgasm would indeed kill her.
And then it hit. Like a waterfall, the force of the euphoria pinned her down, taking control of her trembling, supple form. Muscles locked, muscles strained. She tightened her grip on her glorious, temporary captor, riding each thrust with a wail and a strained gasp.
And then it was over, for both of them. She felt the warmth inside her. The rat was finally satisfied, or so she thought.
"Let's call it a tie, shall we?" He chuckled, licked her under the beak, and crawled forward until he sat upright on top of her chest. The rodent cradled her head and guided her gaping, drooling maw toward his slicked, shiny member. "Lick it clean and we'll call it a day--. Woah!"
Something pulled him off the bird. A force he couldn't have anticipated. Atima's sister threw the rat on the floor and mounted him in reverse with surprising strength, clenching his sac in her talons to keep him docile.
"Leave that to me, sugar," Prell cooed. As she bent forward and gave him a long, powerful lick. "I haven't had a taste yet."
"Oh-hoh-hoh!" Rikk clamored as the feisty bird took over. "Someone's working for a little extra, I see!"
Following the telltale metallic jingle of gold changing hands, an exhausted voice panted, barely audible to even Thorpe's fine hearing.
"Whew! That'll do, girls. See you next time I'm around."
At Rikk's dismissal, Thorpe skirted himself even closer to the outer edge of his seat to make room the two female winged folk to emerge, having just finished pleasing his right-hand man.
A shaky talon reached from behind and planted itself on Thorpe's bare shoulder. As the lion glanced back to find its owner, his eyes met a rather voluptuous jay; she was trying to appear composed and calm, but one does not simply calm down after a particularly fulfilling afterglow. She, along with her very similar-looking partner--who was probably her sister--made her way off the wagon with a slow, delicate wobble and a look in their eyes that Thorpe knew all too well.
Both wore nothing but a knife strapped to a thigh and a newly-acquired coin purse strung around the neck. Otherwise, however, they were completely naked; clothes hindered flight, and as the first sister jumped off into the field next to the road, everyone else down the line took fervent notice. There were more than a few lewd, loud comments made by the men on Vols' cart, especially after the first girl stumbled on the side of the road, having not properly accounted for her velocity in jumping off the wagon, and toppled until her legs splayed in the air, exposing even more of herself for all the world to see.
The second jay took a moment before joining her sister. She turned and gave that same look directly at Thorpe. It was the look of a strange type of guilt, like she felt almost guilty about taking money for the services rendered, she had enjoyed her session with Rikk so much. Thorpe wasn't very familiar with avians. Rumors were, their ancestors had looked radically different, specifically the head and wings of an eagle, and the body and tail of a lion, but he doubted it. All he knew for sure was that winged-folks today stood on two legs like everyone else. They had two talon-like hands and two talon-like feet, with wings on their backs. A far cry from the so-called "majestic" creatures they claimed to be in past years. Regardless, the two blue-plumed birds were very striking, beautiful and, judging by their posture and Thorpe's knowledge of his secondman's prowess, likely very grateful that they didn't need to use their legs to travel.
After the two had fallen behind the wagon, with a few experimental flaps, the two took off. For a moment, it had appeared that the two had left, but to Thorpe's slight surprise, both of the avians came back. She circled around the front and came to a hover above the horses, floating slowly left and right.
"Hey!" she called to him from on high. Luckily, she managed to drift so little that her wingspan consistently blocked out the sun.
"Well," Thorpe breathed in deeply and sighed in relaxed pleasure. "I must say it is truly a privilege to have such a comely form lend me shade for a while!"
"Quite the charmer, I see!" the talkative jay shouted before she was distracted by her sister, who was fidgeting, wringing her hands and showing signs of impatience. After turning to her sister and gesturing for her to wait, she continued. "You're the leader, is that right?"
"That's correct! Did you enjoy yourself? My friend back there has quite a reputation!"
"Well..." she started to say. It seemed Thorpe's words incited a shiver in the winged girl. She was definitely shivering from arousal. "He's earned_it! He's a little... _bitey, but still. I guess it adds to the experience."
"Was there something you wanted to say besides explaining how my second lays a woman?"
"Just this," she started to explain as she took the coin purse that hung from her neck and held it at arm's length by the strings. "He paid me too much!"
"Rikk gets that a lot! Usually, the ladies he hires tend to give him a discount!" Thorpe answered before giving another snap to the reins. "They enjoy their time with him!"
"Not what I meant! I mean this is not what I charged him!"
"He tends to be a tad extravagant at times! What'd he pay you, twice as much?"
"I think three times!" she guessed, weighing the bag in her hand. "Just tell him we'll be happy to see him again, free of charge!"
"He'll pay you anyway!"
"Maybe!" she shouted, slamming her wings down and rocketing skyward. "Thanks!" she shouted as she swooped over the cart, hurtling through the air back the way the convoy had come, with whistles and catcalls abounding down the line as the two prostitutes slowly shrank from view.
Before Thorpe could order his thoughts again, he heard another rustling directly behind him.
"So now we're back to forty-one," he said over his shoulder.
"And not a woman in sight," Rikk almost moaned in disappointment as he planted both hands on the back of the bench. With a hop, he somersaulted into his seat next to his commander. "Again."
"Did you even get their names?"
"The bold one is Prell. The shy one," he paused, taking in a breath and savoring the sound of her name as he let it escape. "Atima..."
"Well Atima might-" Thorpe began to scold his friend as he turned to face him, only to find the dirty rat even more naked than his avian friends. He didn't even bother with a knife or coin purse. The lion cut off his own sentence and jerked his vision forward. He wasn't offended, just caught off guard. In Thorpe's experience, clothing merely served as a form of protection from the elements; the only clothing Thorpe had bothered to wear on his well-muscled frame was a paltry pair of burlap trousers, and that was only to protect his hide from the rough wood.
Mere nudity, on its own, was hardly taboo, but Rikk's disarmingly casual posture, mixed with the overtly sexual sight of his throbbing, rigid cock put Thorpe in an odd situation indeed.
"I could just tell you the time, you know," the lion suggested.
"What're you talking about?"
"You didn't have to make a sundial for yourself."
"Well, now that you mention it," Rikk protracted as he twisted his hips left and right, admiring his shadow. "Which way is due north?"
"You shouldn't squirm about like that," Thorpe warned for the sake of a joke more than simple concern. "If you take a splinter to the balls, I'm not helping you. I will laugh."
"Well, it's too damn sweltering for clothes," the rodent sighed and relaxed, letting his erection dip into his navel. "Deal with it."
"I've dealt with it, and _that's_not the problem."
"What is the problem?"
"Atima might raise some unwanted attention."
"How so?"
"All that gold? You overpaid her beyond reason!"
"She earned it!"
"I don't care. She thought it was strange enough to specifically mention directly to me. Do you know what that means?" Thorpe didn't wait for the rat to respond. "I'm sure she realizes we know each other very well. That means she can assume I'm familiar with your spending habits. Even then, she had to explicitly tell me how much you overpaid her. You don't think she's going to show her coworkers about how much she just earned? Her friends?"
"So what?" Rikk began to squirm under the pressure, licking his incisors like he always did when nervous. "We're pretty close to the border, right? That means in a few days, we're out of Bethenian jurisdiction. It's fine."
"Let's hope so," Thorpe shrugged. "It's after noon. Are you familiar with this area?"
"Uh, no."
"Neither am I, and I doubt they are either," Thorpe grimaced, pointing a thumb back to the rest in the convoy. "I don't want to set up camp in unknown territory. And since I don't know when the next town is, I think it's probably best if we stop at the first inn we can find."
"You mean like that one?" Rikk suggested, pointing ahead, to the horizon.
At his second's insistence, the lion squinted at the small figure on the horizon. Eventually, he could tell it was a church spire. It wasn't just a roadside inn, definitely a town.
"Get the map."
Without another word, the rat spun around the dove back into the carriage. After an absurd amount of shuffling and noise, the rat poked his head out with a crumpled roll of parchment clutched in his fist. "Found it!"
"Why must you be so dramatic about everything?' Thorpe rolled his eyes, snatching the map out of Rikk's hand.
"Because drama is fun."
"For you..." he insisted, handling the scroll while simultaneously trying to keep hold of the reins. Eventually, he surrendered in a huff and passed the scroll back. "You read it. I'm too busy driving.
"Sure thing," Rikk nodded, vaulting back into his seat and unrolling the map. After a brief moment of analysis, he shook his head. "How long since we left Madiil?"
"The whole morning. You were having fun for a while."
"Well, if I'm reading the map right, the town ahead is the last until the border, or the last one worthy of being on a map, at least."
"That's Dena?"
"Yeah."
"You see, that's where we can get rid of some of this gold!" Thorpe fully expressed his annoyance by giving a light slap to the back of Rikk's head, the rat flinching so radically that he almost kneed himself in the snout. It wasn't a reaction out of pain, but surprise. Visibly embarrassed by his overreaction, Rikk retaliated with a halfhearted jab to Thorpe's shoulder, to which the lion could barely feel, let alone react.
As the town of Dena slowly drifted closer, Kensin weighed his options. He considered how he would manage he'd convince a whole score of men to remain with the convoy and tend the horses while another score would have their fill of food, drink, and women. It wasn't an easy deal to sell, unless they were to stay for two nights. That way, one half his men would go to town on the first night, and the other half the second night. It wasn't very practical, but morale was always something to consider.
If things went according to Thorpe's ever-evolving plan, then this would be the last stop before they met the Bethena-Sulan border. They would potentially spend the next few years in a very foreign land.
"Rikk," Thorpe said, leaning so his head hovered over the rat's shoulder to make sure he was clearly heard. The rat bolted upright at the mention of his name. Apparently, he had been very deep in thought.
"Y-yes sir?"
"Do you speak Sulan?"
"Very little."
"And the rest?" he tilted his head back, gesturing to the rest of the convoy.
"Some do, but the rest speak about as much as me."
"As much as I," Thorpe corrected.
"You speak Sulan, too?"
"No, I-- Never mind." Thorpe shook his head, almost readjusting himself to sit upright before he entertained a thought, just as it floated across his mind. His head remained over the rat's shoulder, where Thorpe crinkled up his nose and took in a good whiff.
Usually, for one so usually covered in a consistent layer of dirt and dust, the beige rat tended to be surprisingly benign in his odor. Unfortunately, his recent romp with his feathered friends had resulted in him stinking of sex and sweat.
"Um..." Rikk hesitated, confused as his commander lowered his head and made sure to get a good sniff of every inch of the rat. "What exactly are you doing?"
"Exciting you further, by the looks of it," Thorpe commented on the condition of his secondman's secondman as he sat back up to keep an eye on the road ahead. "but mainly, I'm trying to determine whether you're presentable or not."
"Presentable for what?"
"I'm going to give you a chance to improve upon and possibly break your bad habit."
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that once we settle the wagons outside town, you're the one to go in and decide where we stay."
The rat's ears perked up at the proposition. "Do tell me more."
"Choose any place that can easily fit thirty men, and feel free to pick a nice_place. You can even pay them _handsomely_if you so desire. Just don't pay them _three times what they ask."
"Since when is generosity a bad habit?"
"Also, you reek like death itself, so before you go into town, take some cleanser, find a stream, and wash up, and dress like you're important." The lion snapped the reins for emphasis. "Image is important, you know."
"Actually, I'm trying to ration out my cleanser, doubly so recently, since you use half our supply every time you bathe thanks to that ridiculous mane!"
"I resent that," Thorpe said, taking a good, proud fistful of his own hair and giving it a firm tug. "This mane stopped an arrow. Saved my life. Remember?"
"Are you talking about that time my crossbow misfired and nearly killed you by accident?"
"Still. Saved my life."
By the time the two had finished bickering, Dena had grown to a near-menacing size. The church spire itself proved to be surprisingly impressive for what appeared to be a moderately-sized border town. Before the convoy came too close, Thorpe took Rikk by the wrist and placed the reins in his hand.
"Take us off road, but make sure we're on flat enough ground to make a good camp."
"Aye."
Thorpe leaned around the edge of the cart and waved to gain Vols' attention. He waved and gestured to the direction in which Rikk was turning, ordering the ram and the rest of the convoy behind to follow them off the beaten path. Trusting Rikk to keep control of the wagon until he found a suitable spot, the lion allowed himself to arch his back and stretch from the long ride that had begun early that morning. Specifically, after having recently defeated that runeman.
"Thorpe," Rikk said, his tone surprisingly serious.
"Yes?"
"How did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"What you did with that mage?"
"Runeman, my friend. There are no mages as there is no magic."
"Same difference!"
"Hold that thought." Thorpe held a finger to his lips, and then turned to the horses. "Woah."
At his order, both horses at the yoke came to a slow, steady stop, right in the middle of a wide, open field, with a dense forest to the side.
"Alright." The lion turned to the rat, somewhat reluctant to return to the conversation. "Continue."
As the other wagons started to pull up around them and the men began setting up camp, Rikk continued in a substantially-lowered voice. "I know you're... good with runes, but-"
"Please. I'm average at best."
"Exactly my point! You snatched that rune out of his hands and you..."
The rat failed to find the right words. That morning, just before daybreak, Rikk had been the only one to witness his commander singlehandedly take the target while the rest of their number had been busy with the coward's small army of guards. It appeared the rat wanted to forget what he had seen, since he couldn't truly understand.
After failing to try to calmly state what he remembered, he simply backed away verbally and asked. "What spell did you use!? I didn't even..."
"I used Rathk."
Rathk. Runespeak for "push". It was, by far, the simplest spell ever invented. It didn't surprise the lion that Rikk didn't believe him. It was as if he had claimed to have called the runeman in question an ignorant cur, with the runeman bursting into flames as a result.
"Please, don't joke about this. I'd really like to know."
"I'm serious."
The rat stopped and stared, brow still heavy with doubt. "Fine. If you won't tell me, just don't tell me-"
"Get the rune," Thorpe ordered.
Rikk blinked. "Where is i-"
"Behind me."
At his command, Rikk perched his abdomen on the top of the bench and slowly tipped himself towards the back, his wormy tail snaking back and forth as he searched. His legs and tail snapped straight and erect once he found what he was looking for. Tucking his knees upward and pulling himself back into the seat, Rikk's hand swung over Thorpe's head, producing the stone. The rune floated, suspended under a long chain of mysterious, black metal, attached by way of a hoverlink enchantment.
Though the rat had been quick in retrieving the rune, he was hardly dramatic about it. Instead, his eyes marveled at the bright, glowing blue stone as hit dangled in front of the tip of his snout.
"It's... warm."
Thorpe nodded. "It isn't some usual rune. A spell as big as the one I ended up casting this morning... it would have nearly drained a lesser one." He tapped the stone, examining as closely as his rodent friend. "This one still looks full." Slowly, he took the rune out of Rikk's hands, held the rat's chin in the palm of his hand and looked straight into his eyes. "You realize now why no one else should use this but me."
Rikk nodded in his master's grip. "Yessir."
"Good. Now go get the other leaders."
"Right away," Rikk confirmed, vaulting onto the ground and taking off into the forming camp. Just as he had disappeared, Vols had arrived to take his place.
"Sir?" the ram asked as Thorpe dismounted. "How are we organizing the men tonight? I doubt you plan on unleashing all forty on the town at once."
"You're right," Thorpe said as he rounded the horses. "In a minute, I'll give orders to the other leaders. I'm going to need you to carry out Rikk's orders as well." He strode up next to the ram, crossed his arms over his chest, and waited. "So, were your men jealous of Rikk's... entertainment throughout today's ride?"
"Hardly, sir." The ram answered, turning and leaning on the side of the wagon. "They, of all people, ought'a know how expensive birds can be. Still interesting, though. You know you've got a distinct business advantage when you can just get on the convoy with your customers and fly back once they're done."
"Otherwise you have to stop in town."
"Yeah," Vols nodded nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I haven't much of a taste for birdfolk. In truth..." the ram's voice trailed off. He rested his hands on his hips as he divulging his personal preferences. After a brief pause, he spoke; Vols was never one to leave a sentence unfinished. "I'm inclined towards canines."
"Huh," Thorpe uttered, brows raised. "Same here."
Before they could delve further into the conversation, the two other leaders had arrived, following closely on Rikk's heels. Once the tiger and sabertooth joined and they all stood in a circle, Rikk took his place standing right next to Thorpe, showcasing how downright tiny he was by comparison. Even standing at full height, he only came up to the lion's second row of abdominal muscles.
"Orders, sir?" Latsif, the tiger, requested.
"Everyone, round up your crews. Have each one go and find someone roughly the same size. They're going to arm wrestle to see who goes first. The winner will come here with me and we'll go into town when ready. The rest will tend camp tonight and go into town tomorrow."
"Awful generous of you, sir." Dirk, the sabertooth, commented, crossing his arms to match his commander. "Takin' the extra time and all."
"Thank you," Thorpe nodded in acknowledgement, uncrossing his arms in order to not match his subordinate. "That's all for now. Dismissed."
As the others disbanded, Rikk climbed back into the wagon and started preparing to carry out his own orders. In surprisingly short-order, he emerged, carrying a large sack that was almost bigger than he was.
It immediately deflated Thorpe's confidence in his secondman's capacity for thrift. "I assume that's not all gold..."
"Of course not, sir. I packed a small tub of cleanser, my flask, my good luck charm, a change of clothes, and..." he paused, looking back in the bag to make sure. "Yep. The rest's gold."
For the first time in a long while, Thorpe took up a stern tone with the rat. The lion leveled a finger and raised his voice. "Go back in there and only take half_that much gold! Also, take your rapier _with_you, because even with half of _that, someone will almost definitely try to rob you!"
"Y-y-yessir!" The rat stammered, stumbling back to drop off what must have been half of his share. Once he was finished, he emerged again with a much smaller sack of money. With slightly-drooping ears, he sulked into the woods to find a stream and clean himself.
Thorpe struck the heel of his palm against his forehead, slowly shook his head, and went to join his men and oversee the setup of camp.
"She's back!" The squirrel nearly shrieked with delight, so excited, she nearly fell off the Inn's backyard wall. Perched meticulously on the pointed fence, the girl watched, enthralled at the sight as an armored, heavily armed, panting coyote emerged from the forest, lugging her prey over her shoulder. The coyote--both a huntress and the head indentured servant of Rindel's Inn and Brothel--struggled, but managed to drag a huge, dead elkenthorn by one of its three long horns until she saw the squirrel's enamored gaze.
The canine grunted, laughed, and scoffed all at once. "Yeah, Tieli. It's me."
Once she cleared the tree line and laid the beast's head onto the ground, the coyote shouted, up towards the squirrel. "Would you mind opening the gate for me?"
"Sure thing!" The squirrel continued to shout as she climbed down the other side of the wall. "That's quite a catch!"
"In a way, I didn't catch it," the coyote hollered back as the tall, wooden gate churned open in front of her. "I snatched it away from some slitherdrakes."
Tieli gasped, covering her mouth as Aurore dragged the quarry past her. "Doesn't that mean this is poisoned?"
"No," the canine grunted, sidling her way to the food shed as she explained, now dragging the prey by one of its hooves. "They don't sting something they intend to eat. If they're hunting, they just maul it with their claws or break its neck."
She let go of the elkenthorn once she reached the shed, where she unlatched and opened the door without a response from the squirrel, entirely unprecedented behavior from the talkative rodent. Once she turned around, she saw why. Her morbid description had made Tieli uncomfortable; the squirrel looked away, hands behind her back and one foot atop the other, like she had just been scolded by a stern parent.
"Sorry," she grumbled, rolling the elkenthorn inside the shed's doorframe before activating the most expensive of Rindel's possessions. She whispered the runeword.
--Surcom--
In an instant, hundreds of small, bright inscriptions along the shed's floor and ceiling lit up in a bright, piercing blue, filling the nearly empty shed with a strange tinted hue, like it had colored in the air itself.
A preserving field. It slowed down time to an almost nonexistent crawl. If Aurore stepped inside the shed, she would be trapped in the temporal sinkhole until someone came along and broke the runes' incantation. Anyone could do it; they just needed to say the word.
"I'll never get tired of that, though," Tieli meekly pointed at the shed. "That's nice."
A lush, warm voice washed over Aurore from an unseen, familiar newcomer.
"It sure is."
The coyote spun around and slammed the shed door shut in excitement, heart racing and tail wagging. A slender, brown ermine stood two meters away, hands on her unclothed hips.
"Welcome back, Aurore," The stoat sighed with a wide, sly smile on her face; she could barely contain her longing. "Surprised you managed to catch anything. I could smell your heat from the inside of the tavern."
"Carmen!" Aurore strode forward, arms wide. Their embrace had always been the warmest thing the coyote had ever felt, but the way Carmen nestled her head against Aurore's neck was the most comforting thing of all. "And I'm all yours again, love. Was it three days or four? I lost track and right now numbers fail me."
"Four. Four days," Carmen murmured, burying her snout under Aurore's collar and nibbling at the coyote's fur. "Four days too many."
"Tieli," Aurore tried not to moan as a hand slid up her Carmen's back and cradled the back of the ermine's head. "Tell the girls I'm back, and tell them there's meat tonight."
"But," Tieli hesitated, head cocked to the side. "I thought they heard me yell. Half the town probably heard.
"Don't take this the wrong way, honeynut," Aurore whispered. "But when you raise your voice, most of the girls just... tune you out. Go tell them in a quieter tone and they'll hear you."
"Oh." Tieli tucked her hands into her chest, eyes wide and intrigued before she bounded off, surprisingly not offended. "Okay, then!"
After a moment of respite, Aurore whispered in Carmen's ear as she felt the stoat lick at her collarbone. "Where were we? Four days too many?"
"That's right," Carmen groaned. "And I hate it when you're out hunting. Don't get me wrong. The food's good, but there aren't too many people around here for me to..." she paused, running her hand down Aurore's hardened leather breastplate and under the coyote's arm, placing her hand on one of the few places on Aurore's suit that lacked plating: her rump. "...appreciate."
"You really enjoy 'appreciating' me, don't you?"
"Mmmm. Consistently the best lay I've ever had," Carmen admitted, hand clutching at Aurore's left cheek. "Time and time again." She slapped the coyote upside the rump, feeling the firm weight bounce in her hand. "Tell me, Aurore, how can something be so big, yet so cute at the same time?"
Aurore wasn't given a chance to answer. The shed behind her let out a piercing, grinding wail, followed by a wide, pervasive crackle as Aurore's runecast flickered out.
"Did you say the word wrong?" Carmen asked, pulling her head back from Aurore's neck in surprise.
"Probably."
"You know, your power isn't bad," Carmen said, worming out of Aurore's grip as she opened the shed. "You need to work on your accent and pronunciation. That's what makes a ward inconsistent."
Without a response from Aurore, Carmen let the door swing completely open, pressed her palms together and stood in a stoic silence. With a deep breath, she spoke from the very bottom of her soul.
--Seurcoumn--
The ward snapped into place before the runes even lit up. A gout of air blew past Carmen's face as a layer of dust on the bare ground floated upward until it slammed back down. The ward solidified with a huge, universal CLAP!
The inside of the shed glowed. Instead of a mere blue tint, the shed looked like it had been filled completely with stained glass. "That will stay until the world itself falls down."
"No doubt."
"And even so, I could have carved better runes into that floor. Didn't need a runemaster."
Aurore sighed as they both held each other again, this time in a more solemn mood. They both hated keeping Carmen's secret, but they loved being together.
For the years they've known each other, Carmen had always been the most intelligent and powerful Aurore had ever seen in using runes. Her knowledge, skill, and connection with the supra-physical energy was easily among the elite in sheer power alone, even without taking into account her fearsome versatility and ironclad consistency, but they both kept it hidden.
If Rindel found out, no doubt he'd sell Carmen to some Academy where she would be conscripted into the Bethenian army. They would never see each other again. Secrecy was their only option.
"Four months, right?" Aurore said, cradling Carmen's still form.
"What's that?"
"Less than four months and your contract's finished. You won't have to hide from a master anymore."
"Looking forward to it," Carmen nodded, angling her head up and kissing Aurore. She snaked her hands down Aurore's front and undid her armor's leggings. "That reminds me. Only two years left for you, right?"
Aurore froze, even as her britches fell, exposing her loins to the gentle summer breeze. "Is that today?" Her birthday. She had been sold into slavery on her birthday, nearly two decades ago. So long. She really had lost track of the days.
"It is," Carmen breathed into Aurore's ear, dragging her fingers up the thick, coarse fur of the coyote's inner thigh. With a carnivorous grunt, the stoat flicked her wrist, slapping at the coyote's vulva with the palm of her hand. The force of the moist pat caused Aurore's knees to buckle; they shook as Carmen dipped a finger into her red, swollen sex. "Tell me something. Have you been feeling excessively submissive recently? Did that succulent scent entice anyone, regardless of species or gender, to have their vicious, ruinous way with you?"
"Not yet," Aurore sighed, her jaw tight and tense.
"Now show me that cute tail of yours."
"Yes, ma'am." Aurore allowed herself a hollow half-smile as she kicked her leggings off of her ankles and into her hand. She spun about, wedging out of her boots as she did, with heart clamoring in joyous lust, amplified by her deep, enthralling heat. The coyote held both arms to each side, allowing Carmen to rapidly, expertly undo the plentiful clasps, buckles and straps, pulling a crossbow off her shoulder, a slightly splintered buckler off her back, and a short sword off of her hip before slipping her canine lover out of the remaining armor.
All that remained was a cheap blue tunic that had been rustled and displaced by the armor, scrunched up under her breasts like a cheap brassiere. Aurore gripped the hem and pulled it down to her hips, tugging it tight around her torso and barely covering her rump before Carmen's hands gracefully weaved under the garment's shoulders and slipped the fabric gracefully off of her back.
"Tell me, Rorey, Why would you wear something like this when it barely covers that gigantic arse of yours?" Before Aurore could answer, Carmen gasped, filing her agile fingers through the pale, beige pelt that was Aurore's back. She found a small, deliberate puncture wound at the center of a brand new bloodstain. "Where did you get that?"
"It was just a close call," Aurore sighed, massaging her breasts, sore from the tight, heavy armor. "Barely punctured the skin."
"It went through your shield, the knapsack under it," Carmen listed, looking over Aurore's discarded attire. "And y-your armor--"
"And it barely punctured my skin! It was an accident."
"Aurore, you were attacked. Who did it?" Carmen pressed.
"A drake." Aurore raised a hand and silenced her lover before she could interrupt. "Now wait. I got lucky. I know the subspecies isn't from around here, but it was only a paralyzer. He wasn't poisonous and I didn't die, obviously."
"How did you get away?"
"I got lucky," Aurore grumbled, wanting to change the subject. "Don't worry about it. It's done now and I'm not going out hunting again for a while." She turned around and held Carmen's stern, angled jaw in both hands. "Now we can relax."
The stoat stared, the look on her face unreadable. Eventually, she stood on the tips of her toes and left a long, deep kiss on Aurore's lips. Their tongues lazily pressed against and slid across each other as they let their worries melt away. The coyote quickly felt within her a long-awaited want rise further. In a rare, forward act of longing, the canine reached behind Carmen and gave her a slow, long pull on the tail. The stoat pulled away with a smirk.
"You can relax," Carmen corrected, giving Aurore an additional peck on the nose before dismissing the coyote with a firm pat on the rump. "I need to prepare something for you."
"No. Don't bother with presents," Aurore said, walking to the workers' quarters and calling back over her shoulder. She couldn't fight the smile that crept onto her muzzle. "If you get me something, the other girls might hate themselves."
"Just shut up, let me watch that body walk across the yard without any clothes on, and I'll get to work on something I know you'll like."
In a silent, obedient gesture, Aurore turned around as she walked. She caressed her breasts as she crossed the wide expanse of the closed compound, allowing the stoat to take in the sight and to commit it to the deepest of memory. Obviously, she took the most ardent pleasure in the coyote's feminine, hardy curves. Though Aurore possessed more muscle and scars than what was expected of a woman, she had a body that alone was sensual, carnal enough to make her the most sought-after of the entire brothel.
As she finished her slow spin, Aurore added a small swing to her hips as she walked, enticing Carmen further until the coyote opened the door to the workers' stables and disappeared from view.
She always hated that term. Stables. It made her feel like livestock. Then again, the way the girls reacted to her presence, Aurore couldn't deny that the description was, at times, accurate.
"She's back!" an unrefined, unrehearsed cloud of words washed over Aurore as she shut the door behind her. Roughly two dozen other girls of varying species, sizes, and statures sat frozen in the midst of numerous activities. Most were talking among their many, small groups, some were exercising, and a few had even paired off, writhing together on their beds in what seemed like a hasty, tasteful lust. Every single one had paused to look at her.
"That's what I said!" a squirrel shouted over the shocked silence, the only words Tieli could manage before almost every single girl--save for the ones caught mid-coitus--jumped to their feet and rushed towards the coyote, hoping to have a word, embrace, or perhaps a sneaky grope as Aurore passed through. Words ran over her like rain, constantly pelting her with sentences that lacked owners.
"Why were you out hunting for so lo--"
"--at you. You're so strong--"
"Is that blood?"
"Happy birthday!"
"It's her birthday?" The inquiry rippled through the crowd as a pair of gigantic, bovine arms wrapped around Aurore's waist, scooping up the coyote and pulling her into an enormous, bovine chest. Aurore didn't have time to object as her entire head was buried inside some monstrous cleavage.
A cow, Alela, had taken the reunion to heart in every way. A huge, gentle hand held firmly onto the back of the coyote's head, the other sliding around and under the canine's buttocks, more a maternal way of holding her off the floor as opposed to an overtly sexual gesture.
"I was worried," Alela commented, directing her speech towards the mere tip of a snout that had managed to protrude from between her massive bosoms. "That you would be late for your own birthday."
"Thanks for your concern," the extruding muzzle groaned, mostly out of exertion, as the caring bovine carried Aurore to her quarters. All the other workers slept on mere cots with no way of protecting their privacy. Aurore, as head indentured servant, was instead given a makeshift room at the end of the barracks-like building, made from a few loose curtains. No one bothered to shut those curtains, instead just watching as Aurore was laid down on her own bed, finally allowed to relax.
Something Aurore found strange about the brothel was that, even though it sat only a few scant miles from Sula, a country primarily consisting of dogs, she was the only canine in town. Surely, there would be the occasional wolf or dog that would pass through and spend the night, but aside from that, every moment she was aware, Aurore found herself surrounded by people that looked nothing like her. A half dozen alien faces looked down at the only canid that they knew with any degree of familiarity, yet they all had grown so familiar, it was one of the only things that could make Aurore feel truly relaxed.
The usual array of questions bombarded her lax, exhausted body. With her being the only servant allowed to make regular trips outside the city limits, that was to be expected. This time, however, she did not answer. She focused instead on the aches and pains that rapidly made themselves known. She slowly torqued her hips to the right, knocking a crick out of her back before tugging a leg straight, then out to the side to loosen a cramp.
The questions continued, but Aurore didn't listen, feeling more distant that usual. Comfortable, but detached, the coyote rolled onto her front, buried her hands under the cool bottom of her pillow, and waited to fall into a deep sleep. She didn't have to wait long, but in the short amount of time she spent awake, a hand wandered down her front and ended up between her legs. Something had happened in the woods, and the more she thought about it, the more it affected her. As she drifted into a deep, troubled sleep, one thing remained in her mind.
Did that really happen... in the woods?
Something rustled. At the edge of Aurore's senses, she heard someone urgently searching through something just at the edge of the wide, covered hay bale that was her bed. When she opened her eyes, she saw a huge, fluffy squirrel tail and nothing else. Tieli quietly hunched over a wooden crate that Aurore used as a nightstand, rummaging through its contents. The curtains had been shut around them.
"How long have I slept?" Aurore asked.
"Little more than an hour," Tieli replied with surprising sternness; the look in her eye was serious, until Aurore lazily reached over, grabbed the squirrel's tail, and tugged the little rodent on top of her.
"And what are you doing?"
"Just what you told me to." Tieli lazed back over Aurore's chest, clutching a tiny jewelry box the size of her hand.
"How did you find that?" The sight of that box in someone else's hands made Aurore's heart race. Her hand darted forward, grabbing for it, but Tieli was too quick.
"You told me to get it!" she squeaked, rolling over Aurore's legs before sitting upright atop the frantic coyote's ankles. "Now I really want to know what's inside!" Tieli paused, watching the wide-eyed apprehension on Aurore's face. The squirrel's ears and tail fell down flat as she began to understand. "You were talking in your sleep again."
Oh, fuck me...
"Really?" Aurore curled her torso up, resting on her elbows, faking a chuckle and staying calm. "Sorry about the confusion. What did I say?" She managed to make it sound like innocent curiosity, as opposed to outright paranoia.
"Just that you wanted me to get this." Tieli meekly raised the plain, yet elegant box, staring intently, as if she wished to see through the polished wood. "You wanted to show me what's inside. Now that you're lucid," she paused, looking up with deep, wide eyes. "Do you still want me to open it?"
Tieli was superstitious and heavily so. Everyone knew it. If there was a single old wives' tale that the squirrel didn't believe wholeheartedly, it was because she hadn't heard it yet. One of the most well-known Bethenian superstitions was also one of the most simple: those who talk in their sleep have something to hide. It was a universally unfounded claim, but this time, it was entirely true.
Aurore only had one option if she wanted to lower Tieli's suspicion.
"Be my guest," Aurore smiled, her head tilted to the side. "Careful, though. It's valuable."
Tieli, now with a new desire to be as gentle as possible, tenderly undid the clasp and silently hinged the lid open until it came to a rest at a straight angle.
A small handful of exquisite treasure shone beneath her gaze, each piece carefully folded and arranged. However, there was one artifact, off to the far right, which took ardent hold of her attention. She gasped, stunned at its beauty, and quickly pulled a delicate, intricate silver chain up, above the tip of her nose. The necklace held in place only by two graceful claws pinching it, entirely secure.
The most striking aspect of the necklace wasn't the chain, but instead, a jewel at the chain's center. A perfectly clear, almost invisible crystal sphere hovered under the center link in the chain. It sat suspended by nothing more than the enchanted chain's energy.
"It's so beautiful." Tieli slowly placed the box to the side and focused solely on the flawless gem. "Aurore, how did you buy this? Where did you get _all_of this?"
Stolen. Every single thing of even remote monetary value in Aurore's possession had belonged to a guest in Rindel's Inn at some point, until the coyote snuck it off their person. Though she had been burgling for years, never had anyone figured out her vice.
"I saved up for it." Aurore's jaw pulled tight and tense, as it always did when she lied. "That one is yours."
Tieli immediately trembled from shock and exhilaration. "But, this is _your_birthday. You can't--"
"Just help me with something first. Something easy."
"Yes. Anything."
Everything Aurore said next she improvised instantly. With no time to prepare, she was merely covering her tracks.
"Carmen loves me very much," Aurore began, speaking slowly to give herself time to make up the next sentence. "Right now, she's finishing some kind of gift. I don't know what, but it's very involved, and no one else here can afford a gift for me, so once Carmen gives her gift to me, everyone is going to feel awful."
It was the most tortured, far-fetched half-truth possible, and Tieli bought into almost all of it.
"Other than you and Carmen, there are four other girls who're actually paid," Tieli objected.
"And among the Serving Mistresses, Carmen is paid more than the other four combined, so whenever she comes by with my gift," Aurore reached forward and closed Tieli's hand around the necklace. "Pretend to give this to me and it's yours, no questions asked.
"Well, alright." The squirrel's voice wavered, uncertain, though she accepted the proposal.
There it was. The most absurd bribe ever devised. Aurore sighed as she pulled her feet out from beneath Tieli's rump and slid them under her own. The coyote leaned forward, across the space between them, and calmly, weightlessly pressed her lips on the tip of the squirrel's nose. "Thank you."
Tieli froze, eyes shut tight as Aurore pulled away. Shivering with hesitation, she grabbed the coyote by both ears and pulled her in for a kiss as brief as it was deep. Her tongued forced its way past Aurore's teeth, licking the tip of her tongue before she pulled away. Having made her move, the squirrel rested her head on Aurore's shoulder, with the coyote suddenly breathless from the unannounced intrusion.
Tieli's hands slid around to the back of the coyote's neck, clenching tight and taking a fistful of fur in the process.
"Aurore," Tieli said. Her voice still shook, but this time for a very different reason. "You're so much bigger and stronger than me, but... do you always enjoy being... dominated, like I just did with that kiss?"
Only in bed, Aurore thought to herself in the hanging, prevalent pause.
"Anyway," Tieli spoke up, having instantly changed subject, along with tone and volume in her voice. Tieli pulled out of the embrace and presented the necklace to her, overly official in the way she spoke. "I wish to give you this, my lovely friend."
She was acting. Badly. Aurore knew it. From that, Aurore also figured why she was acting. Aurore glanced over her shoulder and found Carmen waiting, foot tapping, right behind her as the deceptively timid squirrel played her part in a strange, unknowingly dishonest bargain.
"It's wonderful!" Aurore took the "gift" in cupped hands, admiring her contraband. "Thank you so much!"
"You deserve so much more," Tieli sighed, pulling into another embrace and resting her head against the coyote's breasts. Her arms tightened around Aurore's body, caressing the curve of her waist and hips before she took advantage of another opportunity. She ran her tongue over one of the coyote's stiff, protruding nipples.
Tieli pulled away and wiped her lip. "You smell very nice," she humbly observed.
Before Aurore could reply, Carmen stooped down and rested her chin on the coyote's shoulder. With disproportionate, inappropriate bluster, her hands clapped down on Aurore's breasts and gave both a hearty squeeze.
"Stand," Carmen ordered.
As Aurore adjusted her weight and rose to her feet, Carmen hefted the canine's greater weight and shoved her through the curtain, causing her to stagger and stumble into the hallway until she met the opposite wall. Carmen followed every step. She pinned Aurore's shoulders back, placed a knee between the coyote's thighs, and drove their muzzles together with enough fervor and noise to draw the attention of every single girl in the building.
Aurore squirmed under her dominant lover's influence, moaning as the stoat's lips parted hers for all to see. One of Carmen's hands pulled away from her shoulder. It trailed down her front, groping at her breast as it passed by. Claws raked over her stomach before glancing off the shivering, firm surface. Carmen broke off the kiss, looked straight into Aurore's eyes, and flicked into the obedient coyote's clitoris.
No one within earshot had heard a wail so loud in their entire lives. Aurore's legs failed under the weight of the unholy stimulation. With nothing to stop her fall, the canine slid down the wall until her rump hit the floor. As soon as she began to breathe again, Carmen straddled the coyote's snout, pressing Aurore's sensitive nose against the stoat's elegant lips.
"Give it a kiss."
Aurore did as she was told without an iota of hesitation, planting a quick, solid peck on Carmen's twitching cleft, the display garnering a few gasps and sighs of approval from the myriad onlookers, which had started to form into a crowd.
"Did you all see that?" Carmen called out in a loud voice. She shouted loud enough for her voice to echo from the back end of the hall.
"No. Could you do it again?" someone in the crowd regretfully piped up.
"Shut up," Carmen snubbed the comment. She took Aurore by the hand and helped the canine to her feet, gently guiding her back to her room. "Go get your... _work_attire," she ordered the coyote before delivering a massive swat on the rump, all to the sparse, yet loud cheers of their fellow servants.
"Listen and listen well," Carmen continued, crossing her bare arms over her bare breasts. "You know I love making that big, tough bitch of mine squeal for all of you to enjoy, but this time--" Carmen went on with her announcement as Aurore quietly slipped a hand under her bed, found her servant's collar, and stepped back out into the hall where she took her place behind Carmen. "--I'm giving her a fucking she'll never forget, and it's only me and her this time. Got it?"
Silence answered her.
"Just so we're clear," Carmen pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. "No one goes in the tavern for at least an hour, and if you really need to see the two of us fuck," She pointed to the slightly wet patch of floor where Aurore had just sat moments ago. Where the coyote had just been willingly groped and violated. "Just recreate that little display in your head until the orgasm hits you."
With her ultimatum delivered, Carmen spun on her heel, grabbed Aurore by the tail, and led her out of the stables.
"Don't bother us!" Carmen shouted into the stables before slamming the door shut. After brushing her hands on her thighs, she took the collar out of Aurore's grip and clasped it easily around the canine's neck.
Aurore's fur was very course, and bushy, especially around her neck, almost appearing like a mane. Whenever her collar was fastened in place, it pressed down on the thick fur, giving off an odd mix of an unnatural, yet domineering appearance. It made Aurore look like a savage beast that had been trained and broken just enough to submit to absolutely anything.
"That is such a good look for you," Carmen murmured, breathless and shaking her head. She then spun the coyote about and pointed ahead at the main building on Rindel's property: the inn-cum-tavern. "March."
"Carmen, why do I have the feeling that you have something... dirty in store for me?"
Carmen didn't respond. Instead, she planted her hands on Aurore's rump--one hand for each buttock--and pushed her forward, making sure to give the occasional lift and squeeze with every few steps.
Though she appreciated the treatment and attention, Aurore's heart raced for an entirely different reason. As she felt a bossy, lustful stoat slide her graceful hands around to her wide, inviting hips, she began to worry. Tieli had been inches away from revealing Aurore's worst secret, something that could warrant a longer contract as a servant, or worse: permanent enslavement.
At first, she stole for revenge and nothing more. When a patron would break the rules, such as refuse to pay for services rendered, strike one of the girls, Aurore would take it upon herself to pocket something extra from his baggage, caravan, or even his own pockets. She would pawn what she stole. She would sell it, or sometimes simply give it away on the streets just to get even, but before long, it had become more than simple payback. Aurore realized that she enjoyed it, nothing more than a game.
She would rationalize, always finding a reason to take something of value from the occasional customer, completely unwarranted, except in her own mind. It some small degree, she knew it was wrong, but oftentimes, she found that some people had far more than they deserved.
"Oh, come now," Carmen groaned, pausing to nibble and lick the back of Aurore's shoulder as they emerged from the back hallways of the inn and made their way into the large, expansive tavern. "You may be the submissive one, but you're hardly bashful about it. What's wrong? Something on your mind?"
Aurore took the hint and quickly corrected her posture. "Oh. Nothing. Just anxious," she sighed, turning to look into the eyes of the stoat as they stood still in the center of the empty pub. Behind them was the bar, and to their front, two tables long enough to seat fifty men.
The coyote pouted her lips and kneaded her hands, wringing them against her breasts as she adopted a look of innocent, nervous uncertainty. Carmen loved that.
"What are you going to do to me, lover?"
"Oh, you just get on a table," Carmen ordered, coming across as in sardonically annoyed with the coyote's arousing behavior.
Aurore obeyed, pulling away from the stoat's grasp and practically gliding over to one of the two long tables that trisected the floor. She picked the one closest to the latched front door, gently placed her rump on the edge, then laid left leg over her right.
"You know," the coyote spoke softly, crossing her arms under her breasts and lifting upwards, allowing them to spill over her forearms. "That game I caught out there, the elkenthorn."
"What about it?" Carmen asked, wandering longingly behind the counter and laying her torso down, resting her head on her hands.
"I didn't catch it," she taunted. "I bargained for it. Wandered so far away from town, I discovered a camp of savages."
"Oh, did you? I'm sure that most definitely happened."
"Oh yes. It did. They took a very special liking to me. Let's just say I had to work for that meal, if you know what I'm implying."
"I get it," Carmen winked, vaulting over the counter with one hand and something clutched behind her back with the other. "How long did they make you their fuck-toy?"
"Didn't I tell you?" Aurore stared, puzzled. She uncrossed her legs and spread them, one knee over each corner. "I lost track of time. That was why."
Carmen seated herself on one of the bar stools before resting her own chin on her fist, pretending to be deep in thought and letting the joke continue. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Simple," Aurore replied, biting her lip and leaning back on her hands. "You've got a lot of work to do to impress me."
Carmen smirked, as if whatever she held behind her back would easily do the trick. With a slow, measured sense of the dramatic, the stoat brought forward a small leather pouch. Aurore dropped her façade and looked toward the stoat with honest interest. To her surprise, curiosity, and anticipation, Carmen's hand dipped into the bag and stayed there.
"Close your eyes," the stoat ordered.
Aurore shut her eyes tight and had to suppress a moan. She liked the way Carmen talked.
"Now," Carmen continued. "No matter what happens, don't ask questions, because I'll be focusing. Don't worry, I'm going to do something... fun."
The coyote nodded; she couldn't deny the reflexive twitch of the flesh between her legs.
"And just so you know," Carmen uttered to the coyote, then breathed in deeply. "Yes. I have been practicing."
PLAP!
Aurore gasped before she could even process what had happened to her. Something long, slick, and cool unfurled over the coyote's thigh, slithering about like a snake. Another appendage looped its way under Aurore's arms, under her chest, and around her breasts before pulling her torso back, sliding her along the table until she hit a writhing mass of what had to be tentacles.
"Impossible," Aurore whispered, her eyes opening as the otherworldly creature lifted her body into the air. She looked around and saw nothing.
She merely floated in place, tantalized and groped by a being that didn't exist. Instead, the coyote found herself floating inside a mass of shimmering air that she could neither define nor understand. Aurore looked across the room toward Carmen; the stoat sat on a stool, a glowing rune clutched in her hand, her eyes shone a bright, burning blue.
"Constructs?"
Physical apparitions forged from the energy of runes, and shaped by the imagination and will of the user. Carmen had mastered one of the most difficult elements of runecraft. The coyote tried not to make a sound, and couldn't anyway, as an invisible tentacle had forced its way into her mouth.
The tentacle on Aurore's leg coiled its way around her thigh, quickly making its way to her groin. It teased the inside of her vulva before pulling away, sliding over her abdomen while its kin worked to turn her over. Once the canine found herself facedown inside the perverted, strong-willed mirage, she found that she couldn't suppress anything, from moans, to gasps, to tiny yips of enjoyment, especially once a few of the tentacles began to caress her buttocks. The tendrils cupped and pulled at her rump, some sliding through and parting her long, scruffy fur and gliding over the strong, flexing muscle.
"Carmen..." The trembling coyote could barely muster a single word, yet she could easily manage a startled yelp, which she did once the errant construct struck against her rump.
The geist then spread her legs. Yet another appendage prodded at her twitching sex. Carmen let out a smirk.
"I know."
The construct's limb plunged into Aurore, eliciting a shameless scream, easily loud enough to be heard from outside, even in the street. A few more tendrils forced their way into the coyote's mouth, muffling her. The construct was no living creature, so Aurore wasn't afraid to bite down, and as she did, she closed her eyes, discovering something fascinating.
When her eyes were open, her sight would overpower all her senses. The clear creature emanated a strange, warped haze that was impossible to visibly define, making the construct feel more like a shapeless cloud than a slithering mess of slick tentacles, but once she closed her eyes, her sense of touch took over. Aurore could feel every inch of the manifestation's pliable, tough skin, every cord of clinging slime. As she felt something prod against the base of her tail, Aurore realized that this endlessly complex creature, existing outside and beyond her mind, was well within Carmen's understanding and constant attention.
The stoat was a genius. The tentacle creature had been of her design, every aspect simultaneously held in her consciousness, from the temperature to the texture, to even its moisture.
And so Aurore closed her eyes, allowing the kraken, a creature that had never existed before and would never exist again, ream her from both ends. She rocked her body back and forth, meeting the challenge of each tentacle's thrust, with each thrust teaching her a new, interesting meaning of the word "defiled." Each probe and lunge made her clench and shiver in places she somewhat knew existed, but only barely, until eventually, she grew too tired to support her own weight. Her arms gave way, with only her rump lifted off the table.
She was too weak to hold her own weight, but the construct was not. As if on cue, yet another tendril swiftly wrapped itself around Aurore's waist, hoisting her into the air and thrusting into her so hard, she nearly fell out of the creature's grip.
Her eyes flung open. Her legs shot straight. She had just experienced what might have been the perfect thrust.
Without giving her time to breathe, the construct pressed Aurore against the wall, and over the course of the next few thrusts, pushed her farther and farther up the wall by the intruding force and the restraining tentacles' efforts to keep her from thrashing.
Eventually, she reached the balcony, and for the briefest of seconds, she was given the slightest respite. The invading tentacle paused inside her as the remaining tendrils turned her around and bent her over the banister. The invader doubled back and coiled around itself, thereby doubling its width. Given the invisible nature of Carmen's construct, the sight to an outsider must have been nothing more than a heat-haze-filled room, with a naked coyote hanging from the balcony, her vagina wide open with an obscenely easy view of her cervix.
Then, the tempo doubled and the muffling tentacles left Aurore's mouth, leaving her free to moan and shriek to her heart's content, but she didn't. Now, she was in the eye of the storm, in the midst of the mindless rut with more energy within than without. At the center of the plateau with only a short way to go until she began her climb to the peak.
It was the strangest part, but it was Aurore's favorite.
The tempo refused to slow down, and so did Aurore. The hits kept coming, and with each one, her abdomen collided with the banister. Soon enough, the entire balcony shook to their rhythm, even when the creature redoubled its pace.
She was drooling. Aurore barely knew it and cared even less. She could see the long trail of drool hang from her snout, fluttering about with each ragged breath, beginning to pool on the floor.
It was about to start. The climb to the peak.
She felt another tentacle prod under her tail, ready to make a second intrusion. The creature let go of the coyote's right arm, knowing perfectly well what she was going to do with it. Without a thought, Aurore reached back, grabbed her tail in her fist, and with that same fist, spread her right buttock to the side. She wanted it, badly.
"Please..." she wheezed. "Please, do it..."
A single thrust inside, and then it stopped. Everything stopped.
The restraints pulled away. The unreal master let go of its very real pet. Even the imaginary slime dripped away at an accelerated rate. Lastly, both tentacles beneath her tail fell away, but not without Aurore making her best effort to keep them inside her. As they extracted, she could even feel an invisible string of slime stretch between it and her, like a kiss goodbye.
And so she rested, alone, naked, perched on the rail of the balcony. Aurore looked back, hoping to see even a hazy shadow of the beautiful creature that had dominated her, but it was already gone. Evaporated and dissipated.
Her tail drooped just a little.
"Let me see those eyes."
A stoat's slender hands took hold of Aurore's jaw and turned the coyote's head around to face her lover. Somehow, Carmen had snuck up on her, standing on the balcony in front of the coyote with an unrivaled pride in her eyes.
"Uh huh," the stoat muttered. "Glazed over, again. I love it when I get you so hot and bothered that you lose consciousness."
"I'm na..." Aurore shook her head. Her words had begun to slur. "I'm not unconscious, I just get... into it--"
"Think of a species," Carmen interrupted, leaning in until their noses were a breath apart. "Something masculine."
"Wha--? WOAH!"
Without any introduction or even any warning, Carmen shoved her off the balcony. For half a second, she was weightless as the rest of the world ascended around her. Before she had time to think, something, or someone caught her, in big, burly arms. Aurore looked up, into the eyes of her savior, and found a massive silverback gorilla.
The ape's musculature was, in a word, insane. He stood with a posture that belonged on a different species, however, it merely looked strange, not bad. Such a straight back made the abdominal muscles all the more prominent. His arms, at the biceps, were nearly as large around as her waist, and the muscles on his neck made her wonder where his shoulders ended and his back began.
"Uhm..." Aurore stammered, wiping the drool off her chin as the ape adjusted his hold on her, keeping her weight in one arm, palm firmly gripping her rump.. "Sir, the inn isn't ready for business yet, but if you're looking for some company--"
The gorilla reached up with his free hand and grabbed Aurore's breast. He squeezed tight enough to draw a yelp out from the coyote's throat as he looked straight into her eyes.
"You should be more careful."
A deep, otherworldly rumble emanated from the gorilla's throat. It wasn't some coy little tease, but a stern ultimatum.
Just as suddenly as he had caught her, he lay her--not very gently--on the long table that had nearly broken her neck. A tad rough, but it gave Aurore to see the rest of the gorilla's body. The legs were somewhat short, as to be expected, and he wore very little in the way of clothing, only a tight, white loincloth which seemed more like an undergarment than any form of legitimate apparel.
It soon proved irrelevant as he tore the loincloth off his hips and tossed it to the far side of the room, allowing her eyes to fully wander.
"I'm sorry," Aurore murmured, climbing onto her elbows, head cocked to the side. "Have we met?"
The ape grinned, and as he reached downward and readied himself, Aurore noticed something new. The edges of the gorilla's form began to shimmer and waver. Then, the strangest thing of all had happened. Intricate, ancient symbols lit up, all over the ape's naked body, then, he solidified once more.
_ _
"If you get yourself killed,"
He wielded his cock like a club, swinging it from one hand to the other with a clap; he stroked it.
"There'll be nothing left for me to enjoy."
He grabbed her by the ankle, slid her hips closer to his, and began to line himself up.
"You will be mine, forever, no matter how much you'll want your old life back. No matter how much you'll want him back."
_ _
"Wait, what?" Aurore, paused as the ape leaned over her, lifting her leg and wrapping it around his waist. One thrust and he would be in entirely. "What're you..." Her words were meaningless. The gorilla savored his dominance by pushing his cockhead in, slowly. Every inch drew out a fresh, deep whimper, right until their hips met, gently.
Aurore's body threw itself back as the gorilla's actions overthrew her. Her back collided with the table, her breasts bounced apart erratically. And that was just with one, almost nonexistent thrust.
"I'll be waiting."
As if the gorilla had never even been there, Carmen leapt through the construct and on top of Aurore, dissipating the intruder like a cloud of smoke, but the presence of some type of penetrator remained inside her, and after giving Carmen another good look, she realized why. She still held the rune in her hand. The light inside was almost extinguished; it was nearly depleted.
"What was tha--?"
"Focus, babe," Carmen interrupted again, pressing a finger to her lips and the nearly spent rune against the coyote's inflamed sex. The stoat held out her free hand inside the coyote's eyes, index finger against thumb. "Let's get you off." She snapped.
The ghostly member within lunged as deep as it could go. Aurore's back arched as her head collided with the table. She squirmed and shrieked as she was penetrated, again and again.
Well over a meter and a half tall, just over eighty kilograms, and the coyote couldn't fight her way out from under a little weasel nearly a head shorter with two-thirds of Aurore's weight.
"You know, stoats are designed to take out prey more than three times our size." Carmen sighed, nestling her hips between Aurore's legs and brushing her eager mons against that of her stir-crazy little toy. "If I didn't love fucking you so much..."
The stoat had to crawl a short distance just to whisper in Aurore's ear.
"You wouldn't stand a chance against me."
It was exactly what she needed to say, just as the digging, stabbing member found her most sensitive spot.
Every last muscle in Aurore's body pulled taut, fell dead, and collapsed at the same time. Her abdominals quivered with the force of her climax, so intense that she forgot to scream. She couldn't. Carmen's jaws clamped around her throat, and so they stayed until the sensation had passed.
The feeling, the force had passed over her, and for the moment, so had Aurore. Carmen eased off of her bite on Aurore's throat, leaving a damp patch of fur on the front of her neck. Before, Aurore's eyes had glazed over, now, they were entirely blank. The coyote's jaw hung open, tongue panting out the side. The tongue patted against the table as it slid out of the canine's mouth. The coyote had been turned into a tamed dog, at least for the time being, and in that time, she acted like it.
Aurore embraced Carmen, bringing her snout up close and licking her all over, like a pet would her master. As she did, one of her hands reached down the stoat's back, prying between the rodent's legs and lightly slipping her fingers into her dominant's sex.
Carmen let the big dog have her fun, and as the licking started to let up, the fingers dug deeper, harder. She let out a moan through closed lips, and sighed. "You're a good girl."
The stoat's orgasm proved much gentler than the one Aurore had received. It washed over her like a breeze as opposed to a typhoon, but she loved it all the same. It all culminated in three small words. Aurore kissed Carmen deeply and breathlessly muttered. "I love you."
"Just two years left," the stoat murmured in Aurore's ear. "I'll wait for you, then I'll carve a house out of a mountainside in the blink of an eye, and you'll be my wife."
"And you'll be my husband?" Aurore joked, musing as she gently pushed Carmen into a sitting position to straddle the coyote's hips.
"The way I just dominated you? The way I always dominate you? You're damn right; I'll be your husb--."
"That. Was. Amazing."
The two lovers turned their heads and looked at the stranger that stood in the doorway. A beige rat, roughly Carmen's size and stature, if not a tad shorter, leaned on the doorframe, drooling not entirely unlike Aurore had moments earlier. He had a bag hung over his shoulder, filled with something that must have been as heavy as he. At some point, he seemed to have worn some kind of formal attire, a tan, pointed hat with a ridiculous feather stuck in the brim, a green, baggy shirt with dark green pants that seemed a few sizes too tight, even around his knees, as he tried to fit his dripping, rigid flesh back into his pants. His thin, wormlike tail whipped back and forth as he waited, watching for what the two women would do next.
"Can I help you," Carmen chewed on every word as it came out, especially the last one. "sir?"
"Just shut up," the rat's voice wavered with excitement as he tossed the bag in front of him, with an unreasonable number of gold coins spilled out. "And take my money."
Well, I think we all know where this is going. We've got a bunch of unruly, horny badasses, with a leader who's a bit of a control freak and has something to hide. On top of that, we've got a down-and-dirty servant girl with a bit of a kleptomaniac streak.
Plus, the title's a bit of a dead giveaway.
So here we go, everyone. This is a project I've been mapping out for nearly two years.
This is not fanfiction.
This is an original story. It's a long-runner that may take years to complete. A massive fantasy world with its own history, nations, and "magic" system.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and are interested in the story, along with the scenes that make it... more fun.
Also let me know in the comments, who is your favorite character so far? This is gonna have a huge cast, and I intend to flesh out every single one of Thorpe's forty men, so as I introduce and define new characters, let me know what you think!
(By the way, a blurb is that paragraph you read on the back of a book to figure out what it's about. *the more you know*)