Earning His Stripes, Part 1
#2 of The Spellsinger Tales
Ok. For starters, this is a rewrite of my very first story here on SoFurry. It was my intention at that time to post it and leave. I didn't expect to get any feedback on it whatsoever. It just seemed a waste to have written it only to delete it, as I was prone to doing at the time.
That being said, here a few things to know concerning the story line and the characters.
Jon-Tom, aka Jonathon Thomas Merriweather and Roseroar are the creations of author Alan Dean Foster, and appeared together in the third book of the Spellsinger series, The Day of Dissonance. If you have read the books, then this needs no explanation.
This story starts where that book ends.
Gneechees are from the original books. They're essentially will o'wisps, the souls of former living creatures, and they are attracted to magic.
Jon-Tom is from Earth, but was pulled over to another world. On this world he can do magic, using music. His instrument is called a Duar. It has two sets of strings that fade into another dimension.
Outside of this, I think the rest is self explanatory.
Roseroar decided to return with
Jon-Tom and Mudge. While it was obvious that she needed to cross the ocean to
return home, she was also curious to meet the cause of all this trouble, the
wizard Clothahump. "Ya know, darlings," she said in her most dulcet tone,
"I'm been wunderin about this old turtle who incites so much dedication in
his friends."Mudge about choked "See
here my enormous striped warrior, he usually has us by the balls, 'e does. I'm
dedicated to me body parts, I is, and don't have much choice in these
matters." Jon-Tom smiled. "Mudge is
impolitic but right. If I ever want to get back home it will be up to
Clothahump, so I don't have a whole lot of choice either."Roseroar shook her head.
"I not sure I believe that sugah. You at least have a good heart, and if
your friend here could stop thinking with his privates, he might find he has
one too." Mudge coughed into his hand. To
Jon-Tom, it sounded like an oath. Roseroar's ears didn't miss it either.
"Say whatever you like, honey, I think I can see right through ya!"After a long but uneventful
voyage home, the trio made their way through the Bellwoods and finally to
Clothahump's tree. It is pointless to mention the arguments that ensued over
the fact that Clothahump knew everything, so why didn't he know about the
medicine in Jon-Tom's pocket. After that was over, an introduction was made to
Roseroar. She had been prepared to dismiss the old hardshell, but just stepping
into the old, dimensionally expanded oak was enough to impress her.After a few days of reasonable
hospitality, Roseroar decided it was time to be heading back home. The wizard
had done her one favor in sending a message to her home, detailing her abrupt
disappearance. However, she had little idea on the route back. The wizard wasn't
much help "I know I have a map somewhere around here, but if I gave it to
you, I probably wouldn't see it again." He held up a hand to forestall any
complaint from the tigress. "If you were better attuned to magic, I could
implant the route in your spacious skull, but I won't even try. I could cause
more harm than good with a spell like that." Roseroar started to protest
again, but Jon-Tom spoke up first. "What about me, master?" he asked
with some deference. "What about you,
spell-singer?" "Could you try the spell
on me? I've been through a lot, and have come out it more or less intact."
"Less, if you want my
opinion," growled the wizard. Jon-Tom smiled. Clothahump
rarely was emotional, leastwise in a flattering way. That meant that he
approved of the idea. "Assuming that your inferior brain can handle the
spell, you do realize that this would mean losing another couple months of your
life trekking through the wilderness and back?" "I've thought about that,
but I would have Roseroar for the first half, and I might just be able to spell
myself back on the return trip." Clothahump rolled his eyes.
"You are charitable my boy. No, No, not in helping this deserving
creature, but in sparing her your unpredictable magic. I am glad you did not
offer to magic her home. Who knows where she would end up?"So it was decided. The wizard
prepared his ingredients, said his incantations, and suddenly there was a flash
of light. It was so bright that Jon-Tom couldn't see. But emblazoned in his
mind was a map, or rather a globe. He thought of the tree, and suddenly on the
map he was there. He remembered the store they traveled to recently, and the
globe spun and stopped on the village. On a whim, he wondered where Roseroar
was from and the globe spun back across the ocean and stopped several hundred
miles from where they were. It wouldn't be the worst trip he was ever on.Jon-Tom came out of his reverie being slapped by the
wizard. "My boy, are you OK?""Yes, I'm fine, except for
my cheeks. Why are you hitting me?" "I thought perhaps I lost
you. You've been sitting there slack jawed for the past five minutes. More so
than you usually do that is." Good ole Clothahump, thought Jon-Tom. Always
concerned, but never really showing it. The wizard looked him over. "So,
do you know the way?" "As a matter of fact I do.
Come to think of it, this spell would have come in handy a long time ago. I can
spin this whole planet in my head and see every mountain, river, lake, tree,
stone..." He drifted off again only to
wake up with more slaps. "Damn it boy, the spell worked better than I
figured it would. You seem to have a greater brain capacity than your outward
intelligence suggests. Try not to invoke this any more than you need, or
else it may lock up your mind permanently. On the other hand, the spell is not
meant to last forever, so the strength of it will fade over time. Just stick to
your route and things should go fine." Jon-Tom wasn't listening. His mind
was somewhere over the southern jungles.A day later the tigress and the
spell-singer left the comfortable confines of the wizard's tree and headed out
towards her home. The first day or two was through relatively familiar (at
least to Jon-Tom) country, so the going was easy and uneventful. On the other
hand, having along the huge warrior gave any bandits second thoughts about
trying anything. On the third night they were sitting around their campfire,
roasting a large lizard she had caught. Up to this point in their trip, their
conversations had been focused on learning more about each other. Roseroar had
been skeptical of his descriptions of his home world. For his part, Jon-Tom had
been careful as to how he presented the relationship between humans and other
species. Here in this world, many were on equal terms and humans were
considered inferior by some. Therefore, the discussion of zoos and pets had
been skirted around.In answer to her question along
those lines, he was necessarily evasive. "Let's just say that for the most
part, the different species stick to their own kind. There isn't a lot of
mixing, so to speak." Roseroar nodded knowingly.
"Well sugah that makes sense I suppose. Mixing, as you call it, doesn't
make for cubs, if that's what you're setting out to do. But that doesn't mean
you can't get friendly like. I don't approve of your otter friend, but he
certainly has no problem with finding willing ladies." Jon-Tom had to agree.
"Mudge has gotten into more trouble over his affairs than I care to count.
There hasn't been a trip we've been on together where he hasn't indulged."
Roseroar smiled. "My point
sugah. He isn't discriminating." He couldn't argue with that. If it was
female, Mudge likely made a pass at it, a comment about it, or if he was lucky,
went to bed with it.""Roseroar, that's Mudge.
I'm just not that type." She snorted dangerously close
to his face. "Honey, I'm don't think you know what type you are. You keep
telling me you stick to your own kind, but you wouldn't touch that girl you
rescued from the pirate ship. She was your kind and she wanted you to mate with
her!" Jon-Tom turned red.
"Roseroar, she was too young..." "Spell-singer, you have
got some screwed up ideas in your head. I'm not saying I liked the girl, but
she was certainly old enough for you to mate with, even if it was only for a little
while. What's wrong with you? Were you emasculated as a child or something?"No!" he shouted,
angry now. "It's just that..." She sat and stared at him, their eyes locked. "Oh never mind, you
wouldn't understand." Her stance softened.
"Sugah, I think maybe I do understand. You see, you are looking at the
outside of everything. Close your eyes." He looked at her warily. She
laughed. "Trust me Jon-Tom, if I wanted to hurt you, it would have
happened a long time ago. Have a little faith in little ole me. I just want to
show you your problem."He reluctantly closed his eyes.
"Now, I want you to just listen to me. I want you to imagine that I am of
your kind. Use your mind to put a human face to my voice." He sat there,
the flickering light of the fire dancing across his eyelids. But try as
he might, all he could see was a tiger, a beautiful, svelte beast rippling with
muscle, and yet somehow soft and caring. A bulge started to grow in his
trousers. He forced it back with a snap and jumped up.She smiled. "You couldn't
do it, could you? You see honey, you accept me for who I am, and I accept you
for who you are. That's the way it should be." Jon-Tom backed away a little.
"I can't do this, Roseroar!" She smiled, showing white
fangs. "I'll tell you what. I'll give you one chance to prove me wrong.
There is no one here to see us, so you won't need to worry about talk." He
balked but before he could voice dissent, she was already stripping off her
armor. He had seen her naked before, but with her fur, it didn't register to
him in that way. Now she was stripping with a purpose and he was it. He
stood and stared as she removed her accessories. In no time, she was standing
before him, a huge mountain of striped flesh. "You see, Jon-Tom,
nothing to it" When he didn't speak or move she edged in close and
whispered, "Take them off. If I do it, there may not be much left to put
back on."He shivered a little as his
gaze surveyed the beautiful tigress. His mind was racing. It went from one
extreme to the other. What if he couldn't maintain an erection? The fact was,
he was scared out of his wits. What if he could keep an erection and she didn't approve
of his abilities? Roseroar purred in his face.
"Darling, you have been in more dangerous predicaments than this one. Give
it a try. If worse comes to worse, we go on with life as before. If it works,
then our trip gets a little less boring for its duration. The choice is
yours."Something in him snapped. What
the hell, he thought. After all, I do think she is beautiful, sexy and really
exotic. What was the word he had used before? Svelte. With that notion, life
sprang forth unfettered in his loins. He unsnapped his lizardskin cape and
spread it on the ground. His shirt was over his head and off in no time. His
boots proved to be more stubborn, mostly because he was in a rush to get them
off. Then it was his trousers. He shivered a little in the night air. Roseroar appraised him from across the fire.
"Honey, I still think you're too skinny, but I will say this, you got more
meat between your legs than any tiger! And this here lady is ravenous!"
She lay herself down on his cape, and motioned for him to come beside her.
"Ya see. I told ya you just needed to think it through. It's not like I'm not
willing. And you sure are!"Jon-Tom knew what to do with a
woman, but wasn't quite sure what to do with a tigress. She had no qualms, and
directed him on top of her stomach, missionary style. "Honey, right now I
don't feel like doing anything special, so to speak. I need satisfied and I
need it now! He was worried that her insistence might cause him to backfire,
but instead his cock grew even harder. He ran his hand down her belly, causing
her to rumble in delight. His hand reached the protuberance he knew was her
vulva, and spreading the lightly furred lips, he slipped a finger into its
depths. Roseroar arched her back as he worked in three fingers. The tigress purred in his ear,
"That's good sugah. But the minute those fingas come out, I want your meat
in there. Do I make myself clear?" Tom-Tom responded by kissing her chest
and running his free hand across her fur.He repositioned himself on top
of her, and guiding his cock with his hand, pushed the head in past her lips.
She arched her back, nearly causing him to fall out. They both realized what
was about to happen and each pushed against the other. He entered her halfway.
While this doesn't sound amazing, she was so tight from contractions that it
felt to him as though he was fucking a much smaller creature. For her part,
Roseroar growled intensely as he slid in. It was the first time she had had sex
in months and she hadn't been in the mood to wait until she was home. And she
hadn't lied; Jon-Tom's penis was far different than any male tiger she had been
with.Jon-Tom pushed a little harder,
driving his cock ever deeper. It apparently wasn't fast enough for her, for she
grabbed his buttocks with her two big paws and gave a tremendous push. He had
never thought about it before, but he was certainly glad she had retractable
claws. As it was, he found himself balls deep inside her. For the moment he
didn't move, finding the feeling ecstatic. So did she, for before he could
start moving again, contractions started around the head of his cock and worked
their way down to the base. They grew in intensity until they were almost
painful. Then all at once his body responded and let go in a flood. Roseroar,
who still had her paws on his ass, pushed his body against hers, jarring him
repeatedly, his crotch grinding into hers until he felt they were going to
meld.The two lay there for a while,
gasping for air. One paw reached up to stroke his hair. "Thanks sugah! I
really needed that." He could only smile back. She was still twitching
internally, and his cock was still hard. He may be human, but something told
him that there was something they had that others didn't; staying power.
Without saying a word, he slowly starting moving his hips until his thrusts
were long and deep. Each time his cock was almost out, he shoved it back in
again to its full depth. She got caught up in the rhythm, and those big paws
found his buttocks again. When she started to climax again, he let her do the
work, ramming him in as hard as she could. She certainly had more muscle for
the job, even if he was going to be sore in the morning. She collapsed in a
heap, twitching and shaking in delight. She grunted when he pulled out."Roseroar, roll
over." She did, wobbling a little as she turned over onto her paws.
"Now, head down and tail in the air." She complied. Grasping her tail
to get it out of the way, Jon-Tom sunk into her anew from this fresh position.
If she was tight before she was even more so now. He could feel the ridge of
bone from her pelvis, and her internals muscles where still taut. She came
within a few minutes, growling in pleasure. As she came again, Jon-Tom could
see her anal sphincter contracting in time with her cunt. Throwing caution to
the wind, he pulled out, his cock wet, and pressed the head against her anus. She started and growled a
little, but didn't stop him. He pushed a little harder, and as she relaxed, he
slid in. She looked back at him. "Now sugah, this is new to me. Is there
something wrong with the other hole?" Jon-Tom smiled back. "Not
a damn thing. I thought since things were going so well, I might teach you a
few tricks so maybe you won't think I'm such a prude." She rumbled a little.
"I'll go along for now. If I don't like it, you better vacate when I
say...or else." So saying, she gave him a squeeze with her ass that
made him swoon."Not a problem!" If that
squeeze was supposed to be a warning, it hadn't worked as it was intended. He
gently pushed his cock in, slowly going deeper. No complaints arose from the
front of the tigress so he pushed in all the way. He then pulled back out until
just the tip was in, held in place by the tightness of her sphincter. Reaching
down, he found her cunt and slid a finger or two in, and then pushed his cock
in deeper. He could feel its hardness from within her cunt. The dual action was
having a considerable effect of Roseroar, and in no time she was climaxing
again. Jon-Tom pulled out his fingers, grabbed her haunches, and started
slamming away on her ass. Her climax was literally crushing his cock as he
came. It felt like each pull back was squeezing the sperm out of his member.
She collapsed on the ground, partially pulling him with her. He had just enough
presence of mind to slide his legs forward. He landed hard on the ground, a leg
sprawled on either side. His cock was still in, and was going to remain there
until she was able to move.She recovered quickly. If she
had had any reservations about anal sex, they were gone. She sat up, her back
still to him and pulled up along his length. She then pushed back down again.
If it weren't for the slipperiness, it would have felt like someone trying to
ripe it out by its roots. "Mmmmmmm. sugah, if I hadn't tried it, I
would never have known what I was missing. Are you sure that you don't want to
stay with me? I can make it worth your while!" Jon-Tom wasn't in a
position to protest. Actually, he was in no mood to protest, except for the
fact that she was going to have to move eventually. She outweighed him by
several hundred pounds, and likely didn't take that into consideration while
she was presently using him to scratch her itches."Roseroar, we have time to
discuss it. For now though, my frailty is showing through. Is there a chance we
can change spots?" She understood immediately and
wasn't insulted, but being in a good mood teased him. "Honey, I don't know
what you think I am, but I've got stripes, not spots.'' He choked back a laugh. "I
know what you are, inside and out now. But really, you need to
move." She started to comply, but as
his cock slid down to the end of the tunnel, she stopped. Instead, she leaned
back until her arms reached the ground behind them and pushed her bulk off of
him. She was still in place, but the greater portion of her weight was
removed. He flexed his back to loosen the kinks, but she mistook that for
action on his part and pushed down. And pulled up. And so they started again. "Sugah" she said
after a while, "I like this new way, but I think I might prefer the usual
for a while." It wasn't a question really, and she pulled herself free of
him (not without a sigh) and wiggled her huge frame across his crotch. She
found what she was seeking, and slid herself on top of his cock, pushing it
into her cunt in one thrust. This time they weren't finished
for nearly half an hour. It took that long for Jon-Tom to blow; in the meantime
Roseroar suffered through three pelvis wrenching climaxes. The two lay
exhausted, he quiet, she purring/rumbling loud enough to wake the dead. She
rolled over to face him. "Honey, I want to thank you. I have never, in all
my years, ever had a better time with, well...anyone!" Jon-Tom smiled. "Roseroar,
I have never, in all my years, ever had a partner that even comes close to
you." But then his brain overrode his better judgment and allowed a stupid
question to rise to the surface. "Roseroar, how old are you?" She found the question
unexpected, but not insulting. "Why don't you guess?" He sat and mulled it over,
trying to figure out her age without saying something stupid. He finally
shrugged his shoulders in defeat and said "I don't know. Thirty five?"
She gazed at him for a long time. "You don't know a thing about tigers, do
ya honey?"Jon-Tom shook his head. "Well, at least you admit
it when you don't know sugah. I'd rather deal with acknowledged uninformed
ignorance than stupid bluster. I'll have you know I'm sixteen years old!"
Jon-Tom fought down panic. Sixteen! That was barely older than the girl on the
trip. Roseroar meanwhile watched with amusement the changes going across the
spell-singer's face. After getting her fill, she calmed him down.
"Sugah, you're used to dealing with your own kind. How old does your
species get to be?" He though a moment before
answering. "My great grandfather lived to be 93 years old." She nodded. That's right, your kind can live a
long time, assuming nothing kills them prematurely. Now, when is your kind
considered mature? And don't lie to me." He again thought this over.
"Well, to be honest, it depends on what you consider mature. Being old
enough to breed...errrrrr.... having babies isn't necessarily the right age to
be considered mature." She smiled; something that was
generally unnerving since it looked more like a snarl. "Exactly. If I was
thirty five, I would be old and maybe even getting feeble already. You see, you
have to think outside your own kind, in more ways than one. That old turtle has
outlived generations of other animals, including your kind. Therefore, if you
compare our lifespans, I am plenty old enough to make up my mind and do what I
want. Do I make myself clear?"Jon-Tom's head was still swimming,
but it all made sense. Besides, she hadn't acted immature. And then it struck
him; she had always acted older. Mentally and physically she was, even if in
years she was much younger than he was. "I guess so Roseroar. This world
still has a lot of concepts that I have to come to grips with." "Well, sugah, that's OK.
Seems to me you made great strides in learning here tonight." He couldn't
argue with her on that point. He had always considered sex outside his species
to be something abhorrent. It wasn't his fault, seeing that nearly every animal
on Earth was considered to be inferior to humans. That's not to say that he
hadn't heard of it being done; after all, there were lots of sheep jokes making
the rounds at the college. He decided that that particular bit of
knowledge probably shouldn't be shared."I have to agree. I must
say, I didn't know what to expect but this blew anything I've ever done right
out of the water!" She eyed him thoughtfully.
"I'm not sure what you just said, but I'll take that to mean you liked ole
Roseroar" He smiled dreamily. "You
are the greatest female I have ever met, species notwithstanding!" "You had better believe it
Jon-Tom. And just think. You and I have several weeks ahead of us, maybe more
if you're not in a rush!" He didn't take too long to
think that one over. "If I could figure out a way to spell-sing myself
home, we could have a lot more time together." She roared with laughter. "Honey, I like
the way you think!" Then she got thoughtful. "Ya think ya'all can
play some melodies on that duar without conjuring up anything. Your boat was
nice enough, but I don't think we need one right now. I'm in the mood for some
good ole music"He was tired, but several songs
ran through his memory that he thought she might like. He felt a little
uncomfortable having the instrument across his chest while he was buck naked,
but then it couldn't be all that weird. A lot of rock singers used to strip
their shirts off during concerts. His fingers brushed across the two sets of strings,
getting a feel for the notes he wanted. He cleared his voice and looked at
Roseroar. She was watching him with keen interest. She had never been as
critical of his ability as had Mudge or Clothahump. This made him feel more
inspired. As the first notes flowed off his instrument, the tigress' eyes lit
up with a light of their own. Jon-Tom wasn't sure if this was the song or a
trick of the firelight.His song held her
attention. She looked as though she was under a trance, mesmerized by his
voice. Jon-Tom was even held a bit in awe of himself, or rather of the duar. It
was producing sounds it was never made to produce. The boys from Styx would
have been proud. It was a classic tune, Lady,
and he was putting all of his present feelings into it. He was so into playing
that he didn't notice the gneechees brightening the corners of his vision. By
the time he recognized them for what they were, he was too engrossed in the
song to stop. Besides, a quick look showed that nothing was materializing.
Roseroar was trying to see them too, but stopped when she remembered that they
couldn't be seen by looking at them directly. Besides, she was more intent on
watching and listening to the spell-singer.When he finished, there were
tears in her eyes, a very un-tigerish thing. Her voice was a mere whisper.
"I would be willing to be any kind of lady, any time you wanted it
sugah!" He smiled across at her.
"I accept as long as it's always going to be you on the inside!" At
that moment there was that prickle of magic in the air and in a flash the
tigress was encased in gneechees. Just as quickly they disappeared, leaving
both subjects sitting there in amazement. "What just
happened?". "I don't know," said Jon-Tom,
looking around to see if anything had changed. There was nothing altered about
their surroundings. He felt the same and she looked the same so what had just
happened? He relaxed a little. So did she. "Sugah, are
you telling me you have no idea what you just did?" "I've told you before, I
don't always have a lot of control over my magic. Heck, when I conjured you I wasn't
even trying to do magic, just like now." She accepted his explanation
and pulled him close. "It was a lovely song." The two fell asleep
under the stars.