What Lies Beyond the Walls, Book II: Chapter 7
#7 of What Lies Beyond the Walls: Book II
Log-a-Log finds an unlikely surprise waiting for him at his doorstep, while Benrath discovers that the only beast he can trust is himself.
XXXI
Daddy's Love
A/N: The following chapter does have very brief underage content included in it. Nothing exactly happens on-screen, but it's enough for someone to easily connect the dots and figure out what's happening. Just felt like giving a heads-up.
The young beast couldn't stop thrashing around and whining as the heavy shrew tried to grab him. The tiny beast whimpered and crawled away, using the two bodies as a shield. The older, thicker beast grinned and started to approach the small one."Cummon now! It's okay, li'l one! I'm ye father now!"
The older beast held out a paw and gestured for the tiny shrew to come over. The small shrew sniffled and shook his head.
"Cummon, son. Ye dun' wanna be weak like ye parents were, do ya?"
The older shrew reached down with his right paw and slowly pulled a bloody rapier from its sheath. He pointed it at the small shrew and grinned.
"Well, do ya?"
The small shrew couldn't understand. He whimpered and tried to shake the cooling bodies again, but they didn't move. The older shrew shook his head and scoffed. He walked over to the tiny babe and picked him up with both paws.
"There we go!"
The small shrew started to yowl and snarl as he jerked his paws and legs around. The bigger shrew giggled as he moved his paws around in an attempt to keep the babe steady.
"Jus' kill 'im, Chief. Bugger ain't no good to ye," said another shrew.
The big shrew looked at the babe's eyes and grinned. "No...he's perfect. He's got that spark--that fire in 'im. He'll be jus' like his ol' Dad! Wouldn't ye like that, my son?"
The babe responded by snarling and snapping at the old shrew with tears running down his face. The big shrew chuckled and gently rubbed the babe's head.
"Yeah...yer absolutely perfect. Such a fine leader ye'll become one day...fine leader indeed..."
Log-a-Log Brugo was inside his hut again, sitting in his chair with his head lying on the table. A small puddle of drool was resting near his mouth, and his kilt was damp after he involuntarily urinated in his sleep. The corpulent beast snorted multiple times, mumbling and smacking his lips. He grimaced a few times, his head filled with disturbing images he couldn't comprehend. The shrew squinted and wiggled his big nose. He could still hear all the screaming and swords clanging in his dreams. He still remembered all those shrews he failed to protect, all the beasts who ended up falling because they didn't follow his orders. He even remembered urinating on their graves and grinning down at them, glad that they were slaughtered so he could replace those idiots with more competent beasts. Then all the screaming and clanging stopped. Log-a-Log couldn't tell whether it was the massive boom or the stinging stench he noticed first. The burly shrew snorted again and lifted his head, sniffling and exhaling multiple times.
"Fuckin'...Barlo?"
Log-a-Log blinked a few times and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He held his head and accidentally knocked over one of the empty bottles of shrewbeer onto the floor. Brugo took a few deep breaths before he placed his paws on his giant gut and passed gas. The shrew shut his eyes and waited until the vile sputtering stopped before he opened his eyes and exhaled. He put his paws on the table and stood up, groaning as his plump belly kept gurgling and sloshing around.
"Urgh...oi, Barlo! Fuck ye gone to?!"
Log-a-Log sluggishly dragged his footpaws towards the hut's front door. The same stench filled his nostrils again, causing the shrew to turn away. He reached behind and grasped the seat of his kilt just to make sure he didn't soil himself too. He blinked and grumbled; the smell certainly wasn't coming from him. Log-a-Log grabbed the door handle and opened the door.
"Barlo! Where'd--FUCK!!"
Too many to count. Too many bodies spread around the ground. Their eyes lit up in the darkness. Their bodies were only illuminated with the campfires. He saw them before he saw his own shrews. Lizards. Dozens of them--hundreds, perhaps, if they were hiding beyond the trees. Log-a-Log swore softly and flicked his eyes in each direction. They were all around the river, surrounding his shrews and the boats. Many of them looked like monitors, their bodies large and bloated, their weapons dripping with blood. Log-a-Log noticed a few other reptiles he had never seen before as well--some thin and small, others tall and bulky. His shrews were there too, but the ones not lying on the ground either had a sword around their throat or they were standing in a defensive position with their rapiers out, ready to strike. Log-a-Log looked left and right as he stepped out into the open, exposing himself.
"Magnifizent, izn't it?"
Log-a-Log heard a deep hiss and looked forward. After a few seconds passed, a tall dark green monitor appeared from the crowd and slowly walked forward. He casually approached the chubby shrew and licked his choppers.
"Such a vazt army! Zo many lizardz...zo many belliez muzt be filled tonight. How lucky I muzt be to ztumble acrozz you tazty shrewz!"
Log-a-Log looked around when he heard more lizards either hissing or muttering "tazty shrewz" under their breath. The shrews still alive were snarling and backing away. Except for Barlo Arvack, who stomped towards Log-a-Log and pointed his rapier at the monitor.
"You try it. Ye jus' fuckin' try it!"
The monitor lizard stared at the skinnier shrew and hissed. "Try what?"
Log-a-Log flicked his eyes back and forth. Barlo was ready to die fighting, but he could tell that the beast was sweating and shaking. The shrew turned and noticed all the other shrews around the river--they were hopelessly outnumbered. Then he turned and looked back at the green monitor in front of him.
"Ye think we ain't ready ta walk through the Hellgates? If we all perish tonight, we're gunna make sure we take a whole lotta ya with us!"
The monitor growled and reached for his cutlass. "If you inzizt."
Log-a-Log looked at the two creatures and started to grin. "Oi, oi, 'old up a sec! Lower ye weapons! ALLA YE! LOWER YER WEAPONS NOW!!!"
The shrews looked at the Chieftain with confusion while some of the reptiles started to walk closer to the shrews. Barlo looked at Log-a-Log with wide eyes.
"Wot are you doin'?!"
"No, Barlo, wot are ye doin'? Don't ye know this be a good, good pal o' mine?"
Log-a-Log laughed raucously as he walked over to the monitor lizard and stood by his side. He slapped the beast on the back hard and sniffed.
"Where ye been buddy?! If I 'ad known that good ol', um--"
"Krazzak."
"--Krassak were in these woods, I woulda told me Guosim t'stand down!"
Log-a-Log turned away from the lizard and stepped out into the crowd with his paws raised. "THIS HAS ALL BEEN A MISUNNERSTANDIN', FELLOW SHREWS! My-my friend here--he didn't mean ta ambush us like this! Poor fella ain't even know we was 'ere!"
Benrath, who was standing beside Kallin and a few other shrews, turned and stepped towards his father. "Dad, they killed some of us! I caught two of 'em eatin' Balor's fuckin' corpse!"
Krassak looked at Benrath and snorted. "An' you shrewz murdered many of my fellow lizardz. We only ate the corpzez 'coz we were zo damn hungry!"
"You eat yer victims?"
Krassak hissed and folded his arms. "Got a problem with that?"
Log-a-Log butted in and chuckled awkwardly again. "Th-the point is, he attacked us, we attacked them. But now--now it's aaallllll fine! 'Cos it were merely a misunnerstandin'! As o' right now, I want none a' ye t'harm any o' these reptiles, savvy?"
"Dad--"
"Chieftain!" Barlo shouted. "We--ye can't be fuckin'--"
"ARE WE CLEAR OR NOT?!" Log-a-Log bellowed.
Krassak stepped beside Log-a-Log and grinned widely. "My fellow lizardz! Zeemz like yer Mighty One haz...made a miztake! Lower yer weaponz; we do not need them now. Theze shrewz are indeed our friendz!"
Krassak put a scaly paw on Log-a-Log's left shoulder and looked down at him. "Ain't that right, pal?"
Log-a-Log looked up at the lizard with an anxious smile. "Ye bet it is!"
Krassak raised his left arm and gestured for his lizards to lower their weapons. Several of them looked at each other with as much confusion as the shrews, but they did as they were told. All of the shrews murmured and flicked their eyes between one another, but after looking at their Chieftain, they proceeded to drop their weapons as well. Those who didn't lower them placed them back into their sheaths or waistsashes, still staring at the reptiles with caution.
"Now then...since all that's sorted out, please, be kind ta our guests! Make 'em feel welcome 'ere! Have 'em sample our famous shrewbeer; mingle with 'em, like we do t'all o' our 'friends'!"
"Dad, wot--"
"Shut up, Ben," Log-a-Log snarled.
The corpulent shrew turned and looked up at Krassak with a grin. "I think it's best if the two o' us have a chat inside me personal hut."
"Zeemz like a good idea. Gila! Get over here!"
Log-a-Log turned and blinked before he saw a massive, odd-colored reptile jogging towards the monitor. He hissed, letting Log-a-Log see his pale tongue.
"Wot iz it, Mighty One?"
"I want you to accompany me while Log-a-Log an' I have a 'zivil' converzation."
Log-a-Log turned away from Gila after catching wind of his breath. Gila merely hissed dryly and nodded.
"Wotever ye want, zah!"
"Che--CHEIFTAIN! Are ye seriously considerin' this?! We should be cuttin' this lizard's throat!"
"Yer more than welcome to join us, Barlo! An' I suggest ye watch yer tongue! Wouldn't want ta upset me ol' friend 'ere! He don't like ta get upset, do ya, Krassak?"
"No," said the lizard, as he crept towards Barlo. "No, I do not."
Log-a-Log looked at both individuals and chuckled. "Come along now! Let's get this mess sorted out!"
The two lizards nodded and followed Log-a-Log towards his hut, whilst Barlo kept his distance and walked behind Gila, ready to attack if need be.
He still had trouble walking, but at least he was capable of standing now. The small shrew stood inside of the hut, looking up at the older, thicker shrew with his kilt and tunic on. The older beast grabbed a mug of shrewbeer and quaffed the remainder of the glass in only a few seconds before slamming the glass down. The small shrew looked around the hut, wondering why the place was filled with weapons and various empty bottles. He blinked as he looked up at the thicker shrew again; the larger beast licked his lips as he walked towards his son.
"Lookit ye. Gonna be big an' strong, jus' like yer ol' father, won't ye?"
The short shrew responded by sticking his thumb in his mouth and sucking on it. His father blinked.
"Now, remember wot I told ye, son: full-grown beasts don't do that no more. Ye gotta stop suckin' ye damn thumb like that--yer almost two seasons old! Ye wanna grow up havin' everybeast teasin' ya?"
The young shrew had no idea what his father was talking about, so he continued to suck his thumb. The shrew's father huffed and rubbed his forehead.
"Never mind, we'll worry 'bout that later."
The shrew kept sucking his thumb as his father walked towards him and placed a paw on his prickly head. The young shrew grimaced; his father smelled like shrewbeer and musk. The bigger shrew rubbed his son's head for a moment before smiling.
"Ye thirsty, son?"
The shrew stopped sucking for a moment and looked up. He blinked and nodded, much to his father's delight.
"Good! 'Cos I got a special present for ye, son!"
The shrew resumed sucking on his thumb just as his father grabbed his kilt. The young beast watched as his father slowly pulled it down, exposing himself. He kicked his kilt aside and sighed heavily as he sat down in front of the young beast with his legs spread apart. The shrew looked at his father's private area and whimpered quietly.
"No, no, no--it's okay! Cummon son, yer awright! Hehe, one day, when yer old enough yer shaft'll be as big as this!"
The young shrew was still apprehensive. He didn't want anything to do with his father.
"Lemme show ye. See this right here? This be a shaft! All males--like ye--got one. Heh, yers is very tiny right now, but it'll grow as the years go by. An' these round things down 'ere, jus' beneath the shaft? Those are the balls. They're very important, son--make sure they never get hurt. Y'see, the balls here create milk. An' the milk moves up into the shaft, then squirts out right 'ere, at the tip. Females don't got shafts or balls; they 'ave nasty, rank li'l slits, and blood comes out of 'em. But us males..."
The shrew glanced away as his father laughed and slowly rubbed himself. "We have precious, precious shafts. An' the milk we produce--the milk I have fer ye...it's the best tastin' thing in the world. It's very easy to get it, son. All you gotta do is suck. Might take some time, but don't worry. It'll come out."
The young shrew still didn't understand. All he saw was a strange-looking part of the shrew's body that was leaking clear fluids onto the floor. The shrew thought it was some kind of water; he figured the milk would come out later. He took his thumb out his mouth and mumbled as he slowly walked over to his father's shaft. He got on his paws and knees when he was close enough, and then he started to open his mouth. The shrew's father started to breathe heavily.
"Good boy...th-that's...that's a good boy...
Barlo and Gila stood far away from each other, their arms folded. The shrew couldn't stop scowling while the bloated reptile couldn't stop grinning and flicking his tongue at him. Log-a-Log and Krassak were sitting down at the Chieftain's table, discussing their situation as they ate crunchy shellfish.
"I must admit, I almost shit m'self when I saw ye horde! 'Ow many lizards ye got now?" asked Log-a-Log, his mouth filled with mackerel.
Krassak drank some shrewbeer and gulped hard before he set his mug down. "Why'z that important?"
"'Cos it'll help me determine a few things."
"What thingz?"
Log-a-Log paused. He reached over and stuffed a giant shrimp into his mouth. He chewed on the seafood noisily, not caring that he didn't remove it from its shell. "Tell me...wot is it ye want, Mighty Krassak?"
"A rapier shoved up his arsehole sounds nice," Barlo growled.
Krassak ignored him and answered. "What I want...hmm. What iz it that everybeazt wantz? Food. Shelter. Zomething to entertain them. It'z zimple thingz that I want. I don't underztand why everybeazt elze can't give uz what we want without a fight."
"Neither do I."
Krassak started to grin slowly. "The food I dezire comez from the flesh of the kindbeaztz I kill. The shelter I dezire iz of the homez I ranzack, of the villagez an' communitiez I take over. An' my entertainment...you ever watch zomethin' burn to the ground, Chieftain?"
"Many times."
"Such a joy, ain't it? To look at thiz carefully...thiz structure that zomebeazt zpent zo much time an' effort into building! An' then a zingle zpark turnz into a fire. Fire zpreadz quickly, destroyz everythin' it touchez, leavez nothin' behind but the tattered remainz of what uzed t'be a nize, constructed home. That'z what I enjoy, Chieftain."
Log-a-Log swallowed the other piece of shrimp he shoveled into his mouth. "Destruction. Heh. Lotta beasts love that! Now, as fer me--"
"Fuck this," Barlo snapped.
Gila snarled noisily when Barlo took out his rapier and stomped towards Krassak. The Chieftain and monitor lizard rose from their seats just as Barlo pointed his rapier at the reptile.
"Kill 'im! Take out yer blade an' put it in this cold beast's skull!"
"Barlo, I am tryin' t'ave a conversation here. There's no need--"
"Are you off yer fuckin' nut, Chieftain?! We-we--there's no good in wot yer doin'! We can't ally ourselves with this beast--he'll devour us alive! He'll be the death of the Guosim! Is that wot ye want?! Ye really wanna sit 'ere an'-an'-an' talk to this creature like some civil beast?!"
"Yes."
"Pirates, the Long Patrol, slavers, mercenaries--we can't keep doin' this, Chieftain. Ye 'ave t'draw a line somewhere! This monster is a cannibal who jus' told ye he spends his free time burnin' shit up an' killin' innocent beasts!"
"Lower yer weapon," Log-a-Log growled.
"Thin-think about it, sah! Ye wanna make sure the goodbeasts don't get wind o' all the shady shit we do? Kill this lizard! Set his head on a fuckin' spike--let everybeast 'round here know that nobeast fucks with the Guosim, that we protect this forest an' these waters from vile creatures like him! Kill 'im now or I'll do it for ya!"
Log-a-Log flicked his eyes up at Barlo as the shrew gritted his teeth and held his rapier firmly. Then he looked at Gila and Krassak, both of whom were grinning and reaching down to take out their weapons. Perhaps his loyal guard was right. Perhaps he was making a mistake by even talking to these beasts. After all, it'd only be a matter of time before they betrayed or killed him once they served their purpose. So Log-a-Log stood from his chair and snorted. He nodded quickly and sucked on his teeth.
"Yer right, Barlo! Who the fuck d'ye think ye are, comin' 'round 'ere killin' me soldiers, takin' us hostage an' thinkin' ye could waltz in 'ere hopin' to make sum kinda deal with me?! I'm Log-a-Log fuckin' Brugo, the leader of the Guosim, the finest soldiers ye'll ever see roamin' on these rivers! An' I dun' take kindly ta beasts like you who think they c'n overthrow me shrews without even a proper fight!"
Krassak chuckled and shrugged. "Zo what? You gonna kill me now? You'd rather zacrifice all yer zoldierz juzt to make a point an' keep yer pride intact?"
Barlo spat near the lizard. "Fuck you. We ain't scared o' some fuck--"
Log-a-Log grabbed the back of Barlo's head and slammed it against the table. The shrew shouted and dropped his rapier just as Log-a-Log lifted his head back up. He grunted and slammed it down a second time, and then a third, breaking his nose in the process. The fat shrew moved quickly; he removed a knife from his waistsash. And then he snarled as he shoved the blade into Barlo's scalp. Log-a-Log's second in command made a few odd gurgling noises as blood oozed down his head. Log-a-Log removed the knife and stabbed him a second time, and then Barlo stopped moving. But the Shrew Chieftain didn't care. He stabbed him several more times over, grunting or snarling each time the blade emitted a squelching crunch and punctured Barlo's cranium. By the time Log-a-Log finished, there was blood all over the table, as well as the shrew's paws and knife. The Shrew Chieftain panted a few times before he shoved Barlo's corpse onto the floor. He inhaled sharply and proceeded to sit back down.
"Well, I...I think I jus' answered yer question!"
Krassak flicked his eyes down at Barlo before staring at Log-a-Log again. "You want dead shrewz at yer footpawz?"
"Wot I want is fer beasts t'lissen to me. Wot I want is fer beasts t'do wotever the fuck I tell 'em to. Wot I want is the same thing you want, the same thing Badger Lords an' vermin warlords an' pirates want: power."
Log-a-Log sighed as he started to wipe his knife clean. "I spent many seasons usin' me mouth as a weapon, makin' sure I got other beasts t'do my work fer me whilst I sat 'ere on me fat arse an' drank, ate, an' fucked when need be. But as ye c'n see, I'm much older now."
Log-a-Log looked down at his immense gut and patted it twice. "An' clearly much fatter. As fun as it is sittin' 'ere, mindin' me own business, well...I'm like you, Krassak. I love fire. I love watchin' things burn. But I didn't notice 'til now that I'm only startin' the fire, settin' things alight. I never stick around t'see wot I lit burn."
Log-a-Log grinned menacingly. "I think it's time I change that."
Gila lowered his arms and hissed as he walked beside his leader. "An' why should any o' uz ally ourzelvez wit' you? The Mighty One here iz the only beazt I'll follow!"
"Ye all need me. Without me, ye'll be wonderin' 'round these woods lookin' fer random shit t'do. I take it none a' ye know yer way 'round Mossflower?"
Krassak shook his head.
"Good. 'Cos I do. I know these rivers, these woods, the quarries, groves, villages, which paths t'take to avoid Redwall, MSB camps--everythin'. The Guosim knows all. I know all. An' I have many, many friends. I c'n meet up with certain beasts, get 'em t'lower their guard. Then you an' all yer lizards c'n sweep in an'--"
"Fuck 'em all in the arze," Krassak finished.
Log-a-Log laughed boisterously. "Ye catch on quick! But yes, that's wot I'm proposing! I have all the knowledge ye need t'navigate Mossflower an' avoid unwanted attention properly! But you? Ye 'ave all the beasts I need. Ye have the strength in numbers that'll greatly help me--us...help us get wot we want. We both wanna set fires. We both want power. An' we both hate this fuckin' forest. So y'see, we must form a partnership. Together, we'll crush anybeast who stands in our way, an' we'll take this forest fer all its worth!"
Log-a-Log raised his right arm and extended his bloody paw forward. "Do we have a deal?"
Krassak Ralfur stared at the shrew's grin. He thought for a brief moment about what the Chieftain was proposing, about how their future plans would turn out. He couldn't help but smile and laugh as he reached over and gripped Log-a-Log's paw firmly.
"Deal."
He knew it was gonna happen again. It always happened; half the time he rarely tried to hide it. And the young shrew knew his friend would find it just as hilarious as he did. The two creatures snickered softly as they crept inside the hut. One of them was taken aback by the stench while the other was grinning.
"Phew! Ye sure he didn't go already?!"
The other shrew shook his head. "He always gets like this. A big meal, a few shrewbeers, an' he's stinkin' up the place in no time!"
The young shrews crept over to the giant beast sleeping face-down on his cot. The large beast snorted a couple of times before a ghastly sputtering nose erupted from his behind. One of the shrews plugged his nose and scowled.
"Geez. Didn't know ye father was such a gasbag!"
"Shh! Wait-wait--it's 'bout to happen!"
The two shrews watched for a moment as the old shrew kept grunting and groaning in his sleep. Everything was silent for a moment until the shrews heard a deep crackling sound. And then the hut was quickly filled with more sputtering noises, accompanied with faint squelches. Both shrews broke out into a fit of laughter as the sleeping shrew sighed. The old shrew's son collapsed to the floor, almost on the verge of tears as he rolled around. The other shrew quickly backed away and waved a paw in front of his face.
"Ugh! He does that all the time?!"
The other shrew sniffled and tried to speak in-between his laughter. "Ev-every--every fuckin' time! It's like clockwork mate; I'm start--startin' t'think he do it on purpose!"
The young shrews broke out into laughter again, no longer bothered by the odor. The sleeping shrew mumbled and slowly opened his eyes after hearing the cacophony. He sluggishly got out of bed and flared his nostrils once the smell filled his nose.
"...Fuck is that?" he mumbled.
"Oi, oi, Chieftain! Heheha, ye...I think ye got some mud in ye kilt!"
The Shrew Chieftain blinked and sniffed the air again. Then he quickly reached behind and grabbed his bottom. His eyes grew wide. The Chieftain looked down at the two beasts laughing at him and started to grit his teeth. He made a fist with his right paw before he looked at the beast who was plugging his nose and chortling so hard he sounded like he couldn't breathe. The Chieftain snarled as he grabbed the shrew by the throat and head. And then he jerked the shrew's head around until he heard a series of faint cracks. The other young shrew stopped laughing and gasped as he watched his father toss the other shrew down. Then the Chieftain looked at his son and snorted. The young shrew didn't even have time to stand before his father started punching him in the face. He shouted and lied on the floor, panting and holding his paws up in defense. But his father continued to beat him mercilessly, punching and slapping him across the face until he started to bleed.
"Ye think it's funny? Ye think spyin' on me when I'm indecent is fuckin' funny?!"
The Chieftain kicked his son in the ribs, causing him to yowl. The young shrew sobbed constantly as he began to shake his head.
"I'm--I'm sorry! I'M SORRY, FATHER!"
The Chieftain punched him again, causing blood to spew from his mouth. The irate shrew was about to beat him some more until he realized he could easily kill his son if he punched too hard. He stared at the young crying shrew as he snorted constantly and tried to calm himself down. The Chieftain grabbed the waistband of his kilt and started to pull it down.
"Y'know wot? Since ye think it's funny watchin' yer father shit hisself, HERE!"
The chubby shrew tossed his soiled trousers on top of his son. "Clean it up! I want me kilt spotless by the time I finish bathin'! An' don't ye dare tell anybeast else 'bout this, or they're gonna end up like yer friend! Unnerstand?!"
"Y-yes! I...I unnerstand...I'm sorry--"
The shrew shouted again when his father kicked him in the stomach. The Chieftain scoffed as he stomped towards the door.
"Fuckin' twat," he muttered.
The giant beast walked outside and slammed the door shut, leaving his sobbing son to carry out the grotesque deed.
He didn't like the way they looked at him, how they talked, how they smelled. Was his Chieftain mad? They were all staring at the shrews at though they were pieces of meat, nothing more. Jurlick couldn't deal with it. Mingle with them? Make them feel welcome? How could Log-a-Log possibly consider them to be his friends? How could these shrews possibly work with them? There had to be a reason behind all this--there must've been a greater purpose over working with such vile creatures. Jurlick tried his best not to look at or bump into any lizards, but it did no good. Anytime he walked past some of them, the lizards would either hiss at him or give him uncomfortable stares. Jurlick's spine went cold when one lizard walked behind him and sniffed him. Jurlick took out his rapier and turned around, scowling.
"Back the fuck off," he snarled.
The gray lizard stared at Jurlick and grinned widely. Then she hissed and laughed in the beast's face. Jurlick grunted as the reptile bumped into him and walked away; the shrew lowered his weapon and exhaled. He didn't know if he could stay in the Guosim any longer. Unless these lizards left and Log-a-Log decided to turn his brain on, then the Guosim wasn't the tribe for him. Jurlick was about to start walking away when he heard somebeast else creeping up behind him. The shrew exhaled as he turned around and looked at the monitor.
"I told ye, go the fuck away!"
Jurlick stared at the tall, bluish-gray reptile and froze. The large beast looked down at Jurlick and licked his teeth.
"An' wot'z your name, tazty shrew? Mine'z Rowgat."
Jurlick would've been fine exposing his name to the beast. But when he looked down at the lizard's shorts, he noticed the ominous bulge he had seen many times before when he was aroused. Jurlick snarled as he reached up and shoved the scaly beast backwards.
"I don't prefer males ye fuckin' faggot! Go find somebeast else t'stick yer cock...err, cocks into!"
Rowgat quickly stomped back over towards Jurlick. The shrew swallowed hard, and then yelped when Rowgat grabbed him and picked him up off the ground.
"I'm lookin' at him."
Rowgat's snout was so close to Jurlick's face that he could smell his putrid breath. Jurlick whimpered when the creature's pale tongue came out his mouth and slapped against his nose. Jurlick panted a couple of times before he smiled awkwardly.
"H-he-hey! Hey now, I'm sorry! Who-who ye enjoy stickin' yer cock into ain't none o' me business, is it? But, um, but I-I don't...I'm into females, Rowgat. So mebbe-mebbe ye could find somebeast who does prefer males?"
"Or maybe I can throw you on the ground, ztick my cocks in yer mouth to shut you up. How'z that zound?"
"Wait-wait--I-I know somebeast! Yeah, yeah! I-I do--oh, y-ye'll love him!"
"Yer juzt ztallin'--"
"He's Log-a-Log's son! Ben-Benrath Brugo's his name!"
Rowgat blinked. He gradually lowered Jurlick to the ground and hissed. "Go on."
"Oh-oh...y-yeah, Rowgat! He's--he's one o' the biggest faggots the Guosim has t'offer! Real chubby too--ye-ye like chubby beasts?"
"Very much zo, yez."
Jurlick snickered. "Then yer gunna love Benrath! He's got a big ol' belly, although nowhere near as big as his father's. Nice arse too now that I mention it. Benrath's...he don't care. Otters, rabbits, reptiles, vermin, shrews, hedgehogs--he'll bend o'er fer all of 'em. Fucker can't stop takin' it up the arse. His breath always smells of somebeast else's seed; he-he's always musky an' smells like he were jus' in a fuckin' orgy. Sometimes he'll gather up some shrews an' let 'em all tug one out in front of him, whilst he sits on the ground an' lets everybeast come all o'er his body."
Jurlick stepped close to the monitor and rubbed his chin. "I got an idea," he said, his voice low.
"Wot?"
"You...you gather up any lizard in yer clan o' army, wotever the fuck it is, an' ye wait near the grove 'side the river. Ye know where it is, yeah?"
Rowgat nodded. "Yeah."
"Awright. I'll-I'll go fetch Benrath meself. He's kinda shy 'round ye lizard folk. But he's pent-up too--ain't had sex in o'er a week. I'm sure he'll be delighted at the present I'm about to offer him."
Rowgat laughed and patted Jurlick's head. "Zoundz like a brilliant plan! You go an' fetch the chubby cockzucker. I'll find zome lizardz an' we'll wait 'til we zee him. 'Bout time we had another orgy..."
Jurlick chuckled nervously as he removed the lizard's paw from his head. "Sounds good t'me!"
The shrew walked away from Rowgat and started to jog in the darkness, hoping to find Benrath before Rowgat changed his mind.
Benrath was just as confused as everybeast else. Vermin were one thing, but lizards? His father had to be drunk; he had to be running his mouth off again or somehow figuring out a way to use these lizards to his advantage. The shrew leaned against one of the logboats, keeping his eyes on all the lizards and snakes that walked or slithered by. Benrath glanced to his left and saw Lugo shuddering and gripping his knife's handle.
"Stay calm."
"H-how the fuck am I s'posed t'do that?! Lookit 'em! Lookit 'ow many--"
"I know. But if they see we're afraid, y'know wot they could do to us."
"No, I don't know. That's wot worries me mate!"
"Then stop shakin'. My-my father will handle it. He'll manage to make this all work in his favour...he always does."
Benrath heard more footsteps in the distance and moved from the tree. He waited until the figure in the distance revealed himself from the darkness before he relaxed and sighed.
"Jurlick. Ye frightened by all these lizards too?"
The other shrew shook his head. "No, it's not that. Cummon--I need ye right now!"
Benrath raised an eyebrow. "For wot?"
"I think some o' them lizards are about to attack the Chieftain! He got drunk again--I think they're leadin' him to a trap! We gotta go now!"
Benrath didn't need further explanation. The second Jurlick broke off into a sprint, he followed him. Lugo stared at the two beasts and trailed behind them, finding Jurlick's story a bit off. The three shrews jogged through the forest for a few minutes. Benrath and Lugo couldn't see Jurlick grinning, nor could they hear him snickering softly. When the beasts arrived beside a grove, the trio slowed down, and Lugo started to scowl.
"So where is the Chieftain?"
Jurlick blinked. "Close by. Yer gunna see 'im soon."
Benrath and Lugo walked around slowly. They heard a series of footsteps and heavy breathing all around the grove. They could see a campfire in the distance, along with several brawny beasts with thick tails crowding around it. One of them turned around and looked at Benrath and Lugo. He moved away from the group of lizards and stepped towards the shrews.
"Which one of you iz Benrath?"
"That'd be me," Benrath boasted as he stepped forward. "Who the fuck are ye s'posed t'be?"
Rowgat chuckled. "Zee, when you mentioned the word 'fuck'..."
Benrath stared at the scaly beast before his eyes grew wide. Lugo started to pant.
"Jurlick, wot d'ye--"
Lugo started to gasp as he was stabbed in the neck. Benrath turned and glared at Jurlick as he stood beside Lugo with his knife jammed into his throat.
"The fuck?! Wot--OW! GET OFF! GET THE FUCK--JURLICK!!"
Jurlick removed his blade from Lugo's throat. He watched as the shrew collapsed onto his stomach and continued to gurgle and gasp. Jurlick chuckled softly as he stepped away from the dying shrew and looked at Benrath and Rowgat. The giant lizard was dragging Benrath by his head, digging his claws into his scalp as he hauled him over to the campfire.
"JURLICK! HELP ME!"
"Why the fuck would I do that?"
Rowgat snarled as he shoved Benrath to the ground beside the burning logs. The shrew quickly got to his footpaws and pulled out his rapier. He panted as he looked around at all the monitor lizards slowly closing him into a circle. Benrath ran towards the nearest lizard he could find and ran his rapier through his side, causing the lizard to yelp.
"You try it. Any a' ye, jus' fuckin' try it!"
Benrath looked at Rowgat again and noticed he stepped to the side so Jurlick could aim at him. Benrath gasped when he spotted the sling in Jurlick's paws. He defended himself as the beast launched his rock, and then yelped when the rock bounced off his right paw. His grip loosened just long enough for one of the lizards to sneak up behind him and snatch the weapon away from him. Benrath jerked his head around and shouted, only for another reptile to grab his tunic. The shrew snarled and shoved the lizard away, ripping his tunic in the process. Two of the lizards hissed at the shrew and began to step closer to him. Benrath panted as he started to take out his dagger and began to spin around. The shrew stumbled as he stepped near the campfire; he yelped and backed away. A lizard spun around and tripped Benrath with his thick tail, causing the shrew to drop his dagger. By the time he realized he dropped it, another lizard kicked it away. The shrew looked at some of the monitors and frowned. The beasts were beginning to lower their trousers.
"No..." he whimpered.
All he could do was stare. Some of the lizards were fully erect, their hemipenes exposed and releasing small amounts of pre-ejaculate. Others were hissing noisily as they spread their legs. Benrath whimpered again when he saw one of the lizards' slits widen so the two copulatory organs would emerge. Benrath got to his footpaws again and screamed when somebeast grabbed his kilt and yanked them down. The shrew tripped again, right into a lizard's arms. The lizard snarled at him and shoved him away while Rowgat kicked him from behind, and then kicked his kilt aside. The shrew shouted as he landed on his stomach, leaving his bottom exposed.
"There we go! Now you juzt hold ztill..."
Benrath sobbed as he began to crawl away. "NO! GET THE FUCK BACK! GET--HELP!!"
That was all he could do now. Jurlick just stabbed him in the back, and Lugo must've bled out by now. But surely there was somebeast else out there who could fend off the lizards and rescue him. With any luck, he'd be able to get away from the foul beasts before they assaulted him. Rowgat pulled down his trousers and slowly approached Benrath.
"Wot the fuck is alla this?!"
Benrath froze. He almost thought he'd break out into a fit of joyful tears. Three of the lizards stepped aside and revealed the beast who came to Benrath's rescue. Benrath smiled and let out another sob as he quickly rose and ran towards his father.
"You came! S-s-see--I knew it! I knew somebeast would hear me!"
Benrath cowered by Log-a-Log's side, shaking as he pointed at the lizards. "Th-they tried...they were gunna rape me, Dad! They..." Benrath's eyes started to water. "Jurlick killed Lugo! He-he told us ye were in trouble, led us o'er here! The second the lizards saw us, they cornered me an' Jurlick murdered Lugo in cold blood!"
Log-a-Log flicked his eyes at Jurlick, who was standing near the lizards as if they were going to protect him now. Then he looked at all the scaly beasts around him and gritted his teeth.
"Is all this true?"
Rowgat stared at the Chieftain and shrugged. "More or lezz."
Log-a-Log started to clench his paws into fists. "Ye fuckin' twats! Here I am tryin' to conduct business with ye leader, an' ye think ye c'n spend yore free time tryin' to rape my son?! My son! None a' ye fucks c'n claim him! None a' ye 'ave any right to treat him this way! An' none a' ye, absolutely none o' ye scaly bastards is gonna stand 'ere an' thrust yer slimy cocks into me son behind me back!"
Benrath stared at his father and started to smile. Maybe he was hard on him at times. Maybe he shouted or got angry when he didn't need to. Maybe he was a drunk who needed to lose some weight. But no matter what his father did, no matter how much of a turncoat he could be to other beasts, at least he still loved and cared for him. Log-a-Log turned and faced his son. And then he grinned widely and showed off his teeth.
"At least, not until I 'ave a go at 'im first."
Benrath went cold. He stared at his father with wide eyes and whimpered. Log-a-Log took a step towards Benrath and started to rub his groin.
"...Wot?"
"Cummon son! It'll be jus' like ol' times again!"
"Ye...ye promised," Benrath croaked. "Ye-ye told me ye'd stop..."
"I say many things, my son. Not all of which is true."
Benrath started to sniffle and pant. "Ye told me ye wouldn't do it no more!"
"I know son, but I can't help it. Yore so...so perfect. Ye c'n suck me off like no other beast I've met. An' the way ye squirm..."
Log-a-Log shuddered and started to drool. "It's been so, so long, my son. An' I'm in a very, very good mood tonight! So I'll make ye a deal: ye don't scream too much, an' I'll be gentle. Ye'll hardly--"
"FUCK YOU!!" Benrath wailed. "Ye told me ye were gunna stop! Ye-ye told me ye'd treat me like a real son! You fuckin'--"
Benrath shouted and fell down when Jurlick bashed him across the head with a thick stick. Log-a-Log looked down at his son with the grin still on his face whilst the lizards moved and formed a circle around the two shrews. Benrath moaned softly as he reached backwards and groped his head. Log-a-Log snickered as he stood behind his son and grabbed his kilt.
"Ye weren't even two. Ye weren't even two seasons old an' ye sucked me off like a fuckin' quean!"
"No..." Benrath whined.
"Admit it," Log-a-Log said as he dropped his kilt. "Say ye enjoyed it. Say ye like suckin' yer father's cock."
"No!"
"Say ye enjoyed all those times I came to yer room and thrust me way inside ye while ye slept!"
"NO!"
"Cummon, son! I know ye wanted it! I know ye enjoyed it 'cos sometimes ye'd come when I did too!"
"FUCK YOU!! GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME YOU--"
Benrath shut his mouth when Log-a-Log kicked him in the face. The rotund beast growled as he stood in front of his son.
"I'm irritated now. Ye know how I get when I'm irritated..."
"Da...daddy please. Please! I'm-I'm sorry! I'm sorry for--"
"Irritation leads to anger. Anger leads to pain. I'm assumin' ye dun' care 'bout how much pain you can take?"
"PLEASE! I'm sorry, Father; I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me..."
Benrath was sobbing now, sniffling and wailing as the tears started to run down his face. All the lizards around him offered no help and kept staring at him. Some of them were already stroking themselves, as if they knew what was coming. Benrath sniffled noisily before he shut his eyes and shook his head.
"I DON'T WANNA DO THIS ANYMORE!"
Log-a-Log slowly walked over to his son as he continued to cry and crouched down beside him. He reached over and patted his head as the shrew slowly opened his eyes.
"Too bad, son. 'Cos I do," he whispered.
Benrath shouted as his father slapped him across the face and knocked him down. Benrath shook as he found himself on his stomach again. But this time around, Log-a-Log pinned him down before he had the chance to crawl or stand up. The Chieftain's son panted and pleaded as he jerked his legs around and clawed at the ground. More lizards were starting to masturbate, and from the way it sounded, one of them was about to ejaculate. Benrath kept screaming for help, kept hollering and shouting out Jurlick's name, thinking the beast would help him. But Jurlick stood idly by with his arms folded, grinning as widely as Log-a-Log did. Benrath whined when Log-a-Log shoved his head into the ground. He could hear the pudgy beast panting and growling from behind. He could feel his father pressing his paws down on his back as he took position. At that point he felt like giving up; he knew what was coming now. But the beast kept clawing at the ground, pulling up grass and dirt as he wailed uncontrollably.
He never got used to it. Even now, the pain was agonizing. Benrath shut his eyes and moaned as his father thrust into him and towered over his body. He could feel his father pausing for a moment, and then his length started to tear through his insides. Benrath clawed at the ground a few more times before he gradually stopped. It was too late now. The shrew whimpered as his father moved back and forth, grunting and panting with each thrust. Benrath could smell his father's rank breath as he panted on the back of his head; he could feel his heavy belly pressing up against his spine. He felt like the overweight shrew was crushing him as he raped him. All the lizards were laughing at him or hissing wildly, stroking one of their hemipenes so fast that pre-ejaculate was leaking out. One of the lizards standing beside Benrath came and squirted his seed against the right side of Benrath's face. Log-a-Log must've been aroused by the action, because he started to thrust into his son much quicker. Benrath stopped crying so much and resorted to moaning and whimpering. All he could do was wait.
His body went limp. Benrath couldn't even tell if he was shaking anymore. His father's moans and snarls were much more boisterous to his whimpers. Benrath shouted when Log-a-Log dug his claws into his son's back, gripping his tunic so hard his claws tore the fabric and scratched his flesh. His father was beginning to slow down; his grunts were heavier and his moaning was deep. Another lizard came, this time spraying his creamy fluids a few feet in front of Benrath's face. Benrath heard a few hefty grunts from behind as Log-a-Log thrust into him hard. He paused, and the Chieftain started to inhale sharply. Benrath felt his father thrust once, twice, thrice, and then he bellowed. Benrath squeaked. All the fluids gushed inside his anus in a short amount of time. He tried to push it out, but the semen kept flowing, filling up his rectum. Benrath whined and waited as he listened to his father panting from exhaustion. The fat shrew kept his penis inside for another minute until he started to become flaccid. Then Log-a-Log rumbled as he pulled out. The heavy beast exhaled noisily before he rubbed his forehead and chuckled.
"There. That weren't so bad, now was it?"
Benrath didn't even have the strength to tell the beast "fuck you." He lay very still and continued to whimper as he felt his father's seed oozing out of his hole. Log-a-Log walked over and put his kilt back on as Rowgat approached him.
"He's all yores!"
Benrath's eyes grew wide. He thought it was all over until he remembered that the lizards were still surrounding him. Benrath sobbed as he sluggishly reached forward and started to drag his body along the ground.
"N-no...please..." Benrath said weakly.
"Been a very long time zince I fucked one a' you shrewz," Rowgat growled.
Rowgat jogged towards Benrath and pounced on the shrew. And then Benrath started screaming again once he felt the lizard plunging his shaft into his anus.
Benrath was lying on the floor of the giant logboat hut, shaking and whimpering, his anus sore. Log-a-Log bent over and licked some of the seed from his son's bottom before he chuckled.
"Ye did good t'day, son! Didn't even scream much."
Benrath shut his eyes and huffed twice. He stood on wobbly legs as he let his father's ejaculate dribble from his anus. The beast sniffled and rubbed his nose as his father threw himself on his cot.
"Come to bed, son. I'm sure ye must be tired!"
"...Dad?"
Log-a-Log blinked. "Hmm?"
Benrath slowly turned and stared at his father, still naked and bruised. "I...I don't wanna...this has to stop. I'm...I'm tired, Father. I'm..."
"If yore tired, then come sleep with me."
"Fifteen seasons now...ain't that enough? I'm almost sixteen; haven't ye done this enough? Aren't ye tired yet?"
"No," Log-a-Log said bluntly.
Benrath shook his head. "I can't do this anymore...ye-ye have...ye have to stop."
Log-a-Log sat up on his cot and blinked. "Is that wot ye want? I thought we were havin' fun!"
"Th-this isn't fun, Dad! I just...please."
"It's not fun havin' somebeast laugh at ye when ye shit yoreself in bed, but ya did that, didn't ya?"
"Dad..."
Log-a-Log began to frown when he saw his son looking down at the floor. The big shrew stood up and walked over to his son. He reached over and gently rubbed his head in an attempt to comfort him.
"How 'bout this: after ye turn eighteen seasons, I'll stop. Ye'll be free t'do wotever ya please; ye'll be free to fuck whoever ye wanna. Jus' two more seasons, Ben. I think that's more than fair, don't ye?"
Benrath sniffled and nodded. "Sure...sure, yeah. Two more seasons...I guess...I guess that'll work."
The Chieftain grinned and chuckled. He wrapped his arms around his son's back and pressed him close to his enormous gut. Log-a-Log patted his son's back and rubbed his neck.
"I love ye, son. So very much. D'ye love me?"
Benrath nodded. "Yes."
"Then say it," Log-a-Log snarled. "When ye love somebeast, ye say so."
"I...I love you, Father."
Log-a-Log snickered. "That's right. My son loves me."
Log-a-Log lowered his arms and looked down at his son's face. "Now come to bed with me."
Benrath stared at his father's grin. He flicked his eyes down at his penis just long enough to notice that he was flaccid. But Ben knew that'd change the moment he woke up. Nevertheless, Benrath didn't have a choice in the matter. He knew how his father became when he was angry. He had to listen. It was the only option.
"Okay."
So many times he thought he'd be used to it. He thought his anus would become numb. He thought he could block it out, pretend that something else was happening. But every single time, he cried and screamed. And every single time a lizard came, his entire body felt sorer. Now he was numb, unsure if he could physically stand anymore. His tunic had been torn so badly that one of the lizards ripped it off. A few bite marks were on his back, along with various cuts and some bruises around his spine. His entire body stank of musk, saliva and semen, as if he just walked away from an orgy. He could still taste some of the lizards' seed (and in some cases, urine) in his maw. His anus felt like it had been ripped in half over and over again; even now, it still felt like somebeast had fallen asleep on top of him with their shaft lodged inside his rump. A very large puddle of semen was resting on the ground behind Benrath's bottom. At some point, his bowels cut and he left a nasty pile of excrement behind him as well. But the lizards kept raping him, regardless of how filthy his rectum was. Benrath shut his eyes and croaked. He was hoping his body would shut down and carrying his soul on to the Dark Forest.
"Ain't that just a damn shame? The son of Log-a-Log, a victim of nasty lizard cocks. HA! Can't say I envy you, buddy!"
Benrath opened his eyes and looked in front of him. Jurlick was standing there, grinning and folding his arms.
"How's it feel, Ben? Hmm? How's it fuckin' feel, to be humiliated in front o' everybeast like that?"
Benrath didn't care anymore. He just wanted help. The shrew whimpered as he slowly raised his left arm and extended a paw. Jurlick looked at his paw like it was riddled with the plague and slapped it away.
"D'ye think I'd jus' forget? Hmm? Ye think my brain would cut off, that I'd forget wot ye did t'me, that we'd suddenly become friends?! Ye emasculated me in front o' my friends! Ye took a shite in me fuckin' mouth! An' I'm s'posed--"
Jurlick raised both paws and chuckled. "S'awright! S'awright now! S'aaaaaaalllll good! Hehe, Tileer, Lugo, Menryl--they're all dead 'cos o' me, Ben. Ye ain't got no friends left, do ya? An' now yer nuthin' more than yer father's li'l bitch."
Jurlick nodded slowly and sucked on his teeth. "Surprised ye ain't come too. The way ye must fantasize 'bout havin' cocks shoved up yer arse--I thought ye'd be beggin' yer father t'do that to ye! Ah well. Least I enjoyed m'self. An' from the look on yore father's face, I'm sure he did too. ...Oh, right. 'Fore I ferget..."
Benrath looked up at Jurlick as he lowered his kilt slightly and took out his penis. Then Ben shut his eyes as he felt warm fluids splashing against his face. Jurlick laughed as he urinated on the shrew, hoping to get some of his waste inside his mouth. Benrath didn't move or try to shield himself. He merely tilted his head down and let the yellow fluids splash onto his head.
"There we go! ...This don't make us even though. Only reason I ain't takin' a shit on ye is 'cos I don't gotta go right now. But I'm sure I c'n rectify that in the mornin'!"
The fluids stopped splashing, and Benrath slowly lifted his head back up. He let out a hoarse shout when Jurlick kicked him in the jaw.
"Do us all a favour an' just kill yerself. Be a lot easier that way!"
Benrath didn't look at Jurlick anymore. He waited until the beast walked away from him, laughing and mocking the shrew behind his back. After a moment, Ben was alone. There was nothing nearby to give him strength, nobeast around to help him. All he had was Lugo's body, his scars and bruises, and the mess behind him. He shut his eyes. Benrath thought about crying some more. He thought about walking into the river and letting the current take him away. He thought about submitting to his father's demands. Maybe that would be best. Maybe he'd be better off submitting to them all and being a slave to his father and the lizards. Maybe he...
No. No more. He was done with that. As Benrath lied in the soil feeling sorry for himself, a feral, primal instinct started to lift his spirits again.
Rage.