FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

_ ALDAMERE _

I.Vacant Vagrance

II.

III.

IV.

1.

It was birdsong that woke him, but that was nothing new. Most sunny mornings the town was stirred awake with such rhapsodic tones, flowing from the house next door. The people would wake, one or two angry, the rest elated, and the brave would begin marching towards the source of the noise, finally stopping in the shade of the homes second floor terrace.

The song would continue, sometimes for minutes, sometimes longer, all the while visitors outside would stand mesmerized, waiting eagerly for the next chorus.

Then it would stop, and all would be quiet. Each soul in the crowd would stand still, holding their breath, waiting for the familiar noise of a door creaking open as shadows danced over their faces.

All would look to the railing, eyes adjusting to the sun that only barely peaked the tiled roof. And finally, Ms. Flutts would come into view. The tip of her head would just barely be visible, serving only to make the crowd more excited as they fidgeted in anticipation

She would stand still a moment longer, waiting, pacing herself, finally drawing a deep breath and striding forth into full view of the crowd below. Her blue feathers would be shimmering in the sun, faded lightly with age. Not a single one would be out of place, and each beautiful quill would move slightly in the morning breeze that flowed through the town streets.

So then would the cheering start, slowly at first, beginning with simple claps and quickly rocketing to chants and whistles as she performed a deep stage bow for her audience to see, smile radiating across her flawlessly groomed beak.

But as much as Vulk wanted to enjoy the new days song, he couldn't allow himself too. Not today. Too much still needed to be done. Too many final preparations still needed to be finished.

But... considering how warm the sunshine was, a quick shower could probably be squeezed in. It wasn't often the water would be at such a perfect temperature, and that was just too rare an opportunity to pass up.

Giving one last full body stretch, muscles snapping, fingers and toes touching each end of the bed, he threw off the thin sheets and rose, naked body silhouetted by the morning sunlight. Peeking his head over the window sill, he could see a crowd already starting to gather outside.

"Lucky bird." he murmured to himself, before walking to the nearby bathroom doorway. He wondered if people would ever cheer for a wolf like himself at some point in his life. Not that he wanted the attention, he was getting enough of that already.

The room was dim and musty, stone floor still cool from the night air. The suns rays had not yet pierced the rooms single skylight, but they_were_ shining onto the rooftop water barrel, as expected. He eagerly stepped into the room, washing supplies in hand.

His pads stung as they made contact with the cold floor, but he didn't care. He was fortunate enough to have a place to stay, let alone bathe, and especially to have a friend wealthy enough to afford such amenities. Complaining wasn't something he felt was right at this point, not about this anyway.

He grabbed the rope hanging above him and gave a light pull, the sluice attached to it rising with a faint squeak. Water began to trickle down, puddling in front of him and working its way towards the drain. Dipping his toes in it to double check the temperature, he pulled the rope the rest of the way down and stepped under the stream flowing from above. The water soaked into his fur quickly.

Suitably drenched, he lathered up a handful of soap and began generously covering himself. The cleaner he could get himself the better, since he didn't have a clue when his next shower might be. Probably not for awhile at least.

Using his fingers he pushed the soap deeper into his fur, letting it free as much dirt and grime as possible. No place was safe from the onslaught as he massaged it into his body, covering as much of himself as possible.

First his arms, then his chest, what parts of his back he could reach, and his legs, all beginning to shine cleanly beneath the running water. Lastly he drove the suds into his loins, vigorously covering the thin fur of his sheath and scrotum, parting his legs so the water could too cleanse the area.

The process brought about a pleasant tingle, and he could feel his heart rate go up as his penis began to poke out of his body.

He looked down, watching as it grew, ambient sunlight giving it a wet shine.

"Do I have time to?" he wondered, running through the days plans in his head.

If everything was on schedule, a delivery would be arriving soon. But listening carefully, he recognized the song coming from next door. It was one of Ms. Flutts' favorites, and was only _juuuuust_halfway done. No person passing through town would be able to resist stopping to hear it finish, especially people weary from hauling goods.

But maybe he had gotten the one soulless person in the country to bring his purchases. The one person focused solely on the job and nothing else, who would gain no joy from the blissful music.

But probably not.

Vulk decided to bank on the former. He had a few minutes before the song would end, and a few minutes was all he really needed.

Taking his right hand he cupped his testes, gently moving his jewels between his fingers, focusing on the sensations it brought and letting out a happy sigh as faint pleasure spread through his lower half. He felt his heart pumping faster again, working to finish the job it started as his penis began growing once more.

The skin of his sheath pushed aside as it grew, stretching and pulling back, growing tighter until it came to a stop against his swelling knot. With his hand Vulk pushed gently on it, and it moved comfortably into place behind his now full erection.

Wetting his hands again under the water, he stopped, taking a moment to enjoy the weight and tenderness of what was hanging between his legs. He turned slightly, letting the stream of water hit his penis directly with its warmth, sending levin sensations coursing through his body.

He grabbed hold with his right hand, fingers barely reaching back around around to his palm. With his left he held his knot, tightening his fingers around it as he began to move up and down. The water splashing over him provided enough moisture to move with no resistance.

He worked himself harder, tightening his grip slightly as each second passed. Soon his body was trembling, and his penis quivered as he slid his hands back and forth, increasing the strength of his grip even more as the pressure inside him began to near its peak.

The song outside reached it's final refrain. A few eager spectators clapped early, but stopped soon after realizing their mistake.

"Aaah..." Vulk sighed, closing his eyes and moving faster still. He was dribbling with pre-cum now, which added to the slickness of his motions, bringing forth a new degree of sensation and pleasure.

"Ah, Ah gods..." he whispered, his breathing quickening as he reached the final point before he would finally cum.

Ms. Flutts reached the final note of her song,and operatically held it as Vulk rapidly pushed himself past the point of no-return.

He tightened every muscle he could, trying desperately to hold onto the sensation he felt as it intensified through his rapid strokes. It overpowered him quickly, and the pressure he felt became too much to bear. His body rebelled, unlocking everything he'd been working so hard to keep tight.

"Aaah!" he cried, opening his eyes and watching as his body spasmed, crowd outside beginning to ravenously cheer.

His muscles pulsed and he sprayed forward, the sensations of bliss fading rapidly with each as he stood, shaking. After a few more seconds they stopped, and his softening penis hung between his legs dripping a weakening stream of cum, while the whistles and cheering outside ended.

Not one of the best orgasms he'd ever had, but it would do.

2.

Taking deep and relaxed breaths, Vulk grabbed a bucket and filled it, throwing it onto the mess he'd created until no trace remained. He had only just walked out of the room when he heard knocking begin at the front door.

"Just a moment!" he hollered out the bedroom window, buying time enough for him to throw on some loose clothes.

Scampering into the hallway, Vulk raced to the front of the house, eager to see who had been knocking. He nearly tripped over a side table as he ran.

Reaching the front door, he gave an eager pull and swung it open, happy to see that it was indeed the delivery. The one delivering it to him, however, was the opposite he had expected. Instead of a hulking bull or ox, standing in front of him was a relatively small feline lass.

"Hello sir!" she said merrily.

"I'm sorry that I'm a little late with your delivery, but your neighbors singing was just, well, enchanting to say the least."

Vulk leaned on the door frame, peeking over her shoulder and seeing a plethora of crates stacked inside her cart.

"Don't worry about it, she is quite a singer. Do you... Actually, wait, I'm sorry, how are you dragging that cart around? You're not exactly... "built" for it.

"Oh, that. I'm just covering while my partner takes a break. He's the one doing most of the pulling, but I can handle the cart around towns like this well enough. Hard work though."

"Huh. Do you have something for me?

"Oh! Yes, yes I believe I do. Are you a mister... Vulk..."

The woman flipped through the pages of her notebook, looking carefully for something that she would not find.

"Yes, yeah, that's me. I asked the salesman not to use my last name. It should all be payed for, too.

More flipping, her skilled fingers rapidly flicking past corner after corner.

"Ah, yes. Yes. It says everything right here. You're purchases are right here in the back, if you'd please follow me."

Vulk nodded, and followed her to the cart. She stared into the pile of crates for a moment, then lifted a finger, pointing at one on the edge. With a grunt he lifted it and began walking back to the door, delivery cat walking closely behind him.

"Wow, you're really strong" she quipped.

Vulk dropped the box in front of the house and turned to face her.

"Thank you. Don't I need to sign something? Tell your boss I got the package alright?"

"Oh yeah! Here, just, hang on... here... Ah! There it is."

After rummaging through her pockets, she handed Vulk a small pad of paper with lines running across it, already bearing a few signatures. He quickly scribbled his name and handed it back alongside a handful of silver coins.

"Oh wow, thank you for the tip."

"Don't mention it."

Vulk turned back to the door, lifting the crate once again. He couldn't wait to get inside of it and see the fruits of his many labors.

"Excuse me, Mr. Vulk?"

But that would have to wait. The girl, for whatever reason, was not yet finished with him.

"What?" he bluntly replied. She started playing with one of her ears, tilting her head down slightly while she spoke again, probably trying to look cute.

"I... Well I was thinking, I don't have any more deliveries for a little while. Maybe there's another tip you'd-"

Her voice was cut off as the door closed with a loud thunk. He didn't need to keep listening, it didn't take much thought to know how her sentence would end. If he had any interest in casual sex he'd go to the brothel.

It wasn't that he was uninterested in it, how could it be? He thought about it as often as the next late twenty-something, which was often.

...Extremely often.

But he wanted his first time to have at least some meaning to it. He hadn't had much of a childhood, and to toss away one of the few untouched things that remained seemed in poor taste. No, he wasn't ready to throw himself fully into the grown, sex crazed world that surrounded him, not just yet.

Setting the box down in front of the dining table, he pulled open the lid and began to take out the contents, placing them gently before him.

First out were a set of black leather garments, top and bottom, fresh and gleaming from the tailors. Beneath them were simple underclothes. Standard cloth, but well stitched. Exactly as he had ordered.

Following those was a well made satchel from the city seamstress. Lightly pulling up on it's straps, Vulk was happy to see he could lift it easily. His weeks of hauling stones around the town had done more than increase his stamina, just as he had hoped.

Placing it gently on the table, he untied it's many pouches and began to empty their contents.

A fresh tinderbox, twine, a length of rope, a blanket, everything he'd ordered was present and accounted for. Everything, save for one final object. Turning back to the box, Vulk eagerly peeked inside again, grabbing the final item resting at the very bottom in the shadows.

Unsnapping it's buckle, he pulled off it's leather sheath and brought the polished metal into the light, sending a whimsical reflective patch flying across the ceiling.

The blade was spotless, no nicks or scratches shone upon it anywhere as he began to swing it in front of him, slicing the air with a myriad of light whistles.

It was perfect. Not too long, not too short, and with just enough heft to maintain a firm grip without risk of losing control. The city blacksmith truly was a master of his craft, and this blade was clearly well worth it's cost in gold. He couldn't have hoped for anything better.

Packing everything back up and sheathing his blade, Vulk reached for a nearby piece of paper and inkwell. He needed to write down a final goodbye to the friend who'd been so generous to him. But nothing fancy.

He felt bad that he didn't know enough different words to express his level of gratitude, and made sure to write that down as well. Hopefully his friend would forgive him for leaving so suddenly.

Note finished to his liking, pack hung on his back and sword by his side, Vulk left. He closed the front door of the house gently, locking it and leaving the key underneath the welcome mat before walking the short path to the road one final time; stopping to look back at the cozy home he'd been sharing before continuing on his way to the market.

"Maybe now I can put this shit behind me." he thought.

"Maybe now people will leave him alone for helping me, too."

3.

When he'd first arrived in town, he was treated well. For the most part anyway.

Nobody glared at him as he passed by. Nobody sneered or spit in his direction. Most people were even friendly at first, welcoming him and giving him small gifts. And he returned the favors, helping people with chores and odd jobs for scant amounts of coin, far less than would have been charged elsewhere. He liked to help people.

But as the months passed, news finally trickled down from the mountains, and everything began changing.

People who he had helped only days prior wouldn't answer his knocks on their doors. Others averted their eyes when he walked by, beginning to whisper to their friends behind his back. Shops wouldn't sell to him, and at least one person threw a rock at the back of his head, nearly knocking him out. The wound had needed several stitches to close.

Worst of all was that Tusse, his only friend in the world, was getting treated the same, if not worse.

Insults were drawn on his door, windows smashed, plants destroyed. His backyard garden had received an ample shipment of salt sometime in the last month, after being torched of course.

But he took it in stride. He shook off the insults, he shook off the threats, but Vulk could not. It wasn't fair he was being treated like that for harboring him; for helping him in his time of need. So a few weeks ago he'd sent in an order for goods, and now that it had come, so would he go.

But he couldn't travel without rations, he wasn't that stupid. He'd been on his own long enough to know that food and water were necessary to doing anything successfully. Once he'd purchased an ample supply of each, he would finally leave town and head into the forest, letting fate choose his path.

After that he didn't have a plan. Maybe he'd work as a mercenary, maybe a bounty hunter, anything that didn't rely on him being in one place for too long, at least for the next few years until people forgot about what happened. He just didn't want other people to suffer because of him.

Market Street was fairly empty as he turned onto it. It usually was when it wasn't the weekend, but there were still a few stalls with fruits and vegetables; and the brick and mortar stores were all open, signs squeaking on their hinges as the winds blew.

Stop number one was the bakers, one of the few that still allowed him inside. Whether the owner hadn't heard the rumors yet or simply didn't care, Vulk was thankful for it.

Opening the door, Vulk was greeted by a blast of hot, yeasty air, nearly knocking him to the ground. A small bell rang as the door closed behind him.

"Just a moment!" a familiar voice cried out, and Vulk began studying the seemingly endless loaves on the shelves, patiently waiting.

All manner of bread sat throughout the room. White's, brown's, even strange colors made from imported grains. The basket that would have held the bakers family recipe was already empty, as it usually was shortly after being filled.

Despite the well stocked shelves and tables, Vulk couldn't see the one thing he was after. Hopefully it would be in the back. He moved to the counter to wait, but stopped as the baker stepped into view from his kitchen.

"Well hello Vulk, I haven't seen you for awhile. How have you been? Find everything you needed?" the portly baker asked.

Vulk scratched the back of his head for a moment, hesitating, buying some time to think about the best way to go about the conversation. He didn't want to come off as eager to leave, but he didn't want to make the baker feel bad that he was doing so either.

"I've been well enough, all things considered. But I'm going on a little trip, and I'm looking for something specific." he casually replied.

"Bullshit." The baker snapped.

"Don't pull that on me Vulk, you're a terrible liar. You're leaving because of what the other townsfolk are saying, aren't you? I can hear that your pack is half full."

"Right... the rabbit ear thing. It's more of what the townsfolk are _doing_that I'm leaving." Vulk mumbled.

The baker threw the bowl he was cleaning onto the counter and walked over to Vulk, placing a hand on his shoulder and leaning down to look him in the eyes. The bowl rolled over the edge at the same time, falling to the floor with a clang, but the bakers eyes did not waver.

"You've never done any wrong by me, Vulk. You've been a wonderful help ever since you arrived, and I know that there's no way you could have done what's being gossiped about. You're too gentle a soul for that. Too caring. And that's why you're trying to leave. You don't want other people suffering because of you, right?"

Busted. Vulk looked to the ground, saying nothing.

"Answer me, Vulk."

"Y-yes, yeah. I guess." He squeaked out.

Walking back behind the counter, the baker picked up his bowl and began polishing it again, knocking away the specks of dirt that had stuck to it after the fall.

"I won't stop you Vulk, not if this is what you think needs to be done. But your compassion is going to get you killed someday, so please be careful.

If you ever need a place to lay low for awhile you're welcome here any time. Everyone within a three town radius could stop shopping here and I'd still be set."

"Not if they burn your store down."

"I'll build a new one. Long as I've got the family recipe in my head I'll never have a problem with money. Stop justifying making yourself miserable. Now, what is it that you're after?"

"I need hard breads... stuff that's not going to go bad for awhile." Vulk said as he leaned onto the counter.

"You need crackers. That's an insult, Vulk, to think that a chef of my caliber would have such things laying around."

Vulk paused before answering.

"Well, do you?"

"Yes..." the baker shamefully answered.

"You're not the first to ask. I have a few boxes of them in the back that are still fresh enough. How many did you want? Enough to fill the rest of your pack?"

Vulk took off his bag and placed it onto the counter, opening the top.

"About half as much. I still have some other things to get."

"Hold on."

Vulk could hear him beginning to rummage through his stockpile after he had returned to the back of the store. Then a crash and an earful of profanity as, Vulk assumed, something fell that shouldn't have. And then, oddly, the sound of loudly crinkling paper, followed by more profanity.

"Gah! Fucking paper cuts! Why is this shit so thick!?"

Vulk couldn't help but snicker at the rant echoing through the store, and surely through the open windows into the rest of town as well.

The baker returned, and dropped a beautifully wrapped package on top of the counter. Vulk eagerly picked it up and placed it gently into it's new home.

"There you go, even wrapped it up all pretty for you."

"Wow, you really didn't have to do that, sir. How much do I owe you?" Vulk replied, pockets jingling as he dug for whatever scant number of coins he had left.

"I'm not charging you for crackers, Vulk. Consider it a parting gift."

"Sir I couldn't, please. How much would thi-"

The baker interrupted Vulk, talking in a firm, unyielding tone.

"I'm not charging you. Now get out of my store before I kick you out, because I know that's what it'll take to get you to stop."

Speechless, Vulk quickly put his pack back on and walked to the door. The baker was far from someone he could win an argument with.

He called out one more time as Vulk stepped outside.

"And get those coins out of your pockets! Highwaymen can hear that noise for miles!"

4.

Feeling uneasy about what had happened, Vulk continued on his way down the street. Next up was the butchers, for whatever else he could find that would last in his bag. And then the general store next to it, he couldn't let himself forget that.

While he walked, he thought about what the baker had told him.

_"Am I really too compassionate? Is that even a thing?"_he wondered.

He didn't think he was particularly compassionate. He was far too busy being worried and depressed to be compassionate. But the tip about the coins was certainly a good idea. He would move them into his bag after he finished buying supplies, if he even had any left.

The butchers was far on the other end of the street, close to the town gates. Vulk stopped by the carts at the halfway point to get a snack. He'd forgotten to eat anything for breakfast.

Only one cart here wasn't empty, and had a fair amount of local fruit resting on it. They weren't terribly fresh, most had bruises or scuffs, but a few stood out among their brethren. Grabbing an apple, Vulk looked around for a list of prices or the person running the stand, but saw neither.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" he called, pausing for an answer that never came.

"Alright, I'm leaving a few coins where the fruit was."

Dropping a what he thought was fair onto the cart, a few copper coins, Vulk continued down the road eating his treat.

Before long he found himself in front of the the butchery, strands of sausages and other sweet meats hanging whimsically near the entrance. He tossed what was left of his apple into a nearby barrel and walked through the open door, mouth watering from scents of fresh meat and spices.

"Hello! Welcome to... hm."

The butchers cheery greeting screeched to a halt as he looked up and saw who had entered. Vulk did his best to ignore him, and walked over to the shelf holding the dried goods. At least he hadn't gotten kicked out.

There was plenty of fantastic things to choose from, but Vulk opted to grab a few chunks of dried beef instead. He didn't have enough coin to use anything fancier to fill his bag, and there were certainly worse things he could be eating.

"How much?" Vulk asked, dropping his meager selection on the counter.

The butcher glanced at the meat and grumbled his answer.

"Five silver."

Vulk's jaw dropped.

"Five silver? I saw someone buy more than this the other day for half as much!"

"Are you going to buy it or are you going to get the hell out of my store?"

That answer had already been decided for him. He needed food. The next nearest town was quite a journey away on foot, if the maps were correct. And that didn't even count inclement weather or events.

He could forage for things well enough, but he wasn't going to be taking down any deer with a sword. Not unless he was willing to throw it and hope, which he wasn't. He was a little naive, sure, but he wasn't stupid.

"I don't... have five silver on me." Vulk muttered, bringing his hand out of his pocket with the few coins he had left. The butcher rudely grabbed them from his hand and pointed to the door.

Vulk understood.

"And don't come back." the butcher hollered out as he left.

The worst part was that he wasn't even surprised when things like this happened anymore. It didn't make it hurt any less, though.

Another minute of walking found Vulk standing before the village gates. The massive oaken doors were one of the only two entrances through the stone wall that surrounded the small town. And, due to circumstance, this was his only exit.

The only exit from the life that had been, and the only entrance to whatever might come next. At least the few people who cared about him would be safer.

As he was staring at the doors, thinking, the guard sitting atop them called out.

"Are you leaving, sir?"

Vulk snapped back to reality, shaking his head and remembering what he was doing.

"Sir?" the guard called out again.

Vulk took a deep breath, quashing the butterflies rising in his stomach, preparing himself.

"I'm really going to do this. I'm really going to leave. I'm going to."

"I'm leaving, open the gates!" he shouted back, and immediately the sound of crunching gears and locks began to ring out as the guard disappeared.

The doors began to part, a fierce beam of sunshine landing on Vulk's face as they moved, blinding him for a moment.

Cupping a hand above his eyes, he moved forward, slowly stepping through the gates and taking a last look at the town that lay behind him, vanishing from his sight as the gate closed.

"When will you be returning?"

Vulk turned his head and looked up to the guard, shouting his reply and running forward down the road.

"I'm not!"

5.

Rain steadily pattered on the soft ground and plants, creating a natural timpani.

Beneath the rock jutting into the air above him, Vulk shivered, his damp fur unable to keep him warm in any sense of the term.

The trip to the forest was uneventful. During the few hours he had spent walking along the cobblestone road he hadn't seen a single cart or wagon, or even person.

But it was nice. It was quiet, and peaceful, and he'd been able to run through all of the survival skills he knew in his head. It was important to be prepared for things like this.

By the time he'd reached the forests edge it was just past midday, and while clouds had rolled in, there weren't close to enough to cover the sky. Stepping off the flattened stone to where the road became dirt and dust, he'd continued onward. Thinking back on it, that was probably his first mistake. He should have quit while he was ahead.

He'd walked along the forest road for another few hours, eating a few crackers as he moved, picking a few berries here and there, and then reaching to take a drink from the canteen that he'd forgotten to buy from the general store. Mistake number two.

So much for being prepared.

"No worries, I'll just find a stream and buy one once I get to town and do some work." he'd thought to comfort himself, though he didn't believe it nearly as much as he wanted to.

Through some fluke though, he had managed to stumble across a river. A simple wooden bridge rested over it where the road had been sliced in two.

It was clean and pure, and he drank happily from his cupped hands. Then the thunder started overhead. He turned his face upwards to the now dark grey sky, and cursed himself for not noticing the storm blowing in sooner.

Hopping up the riverbank, he crossed the bridge and hurried further down the road, looking for any sort of natural shelter he could make use of. It was too late to build anything, but he could always find a pine tree or overhang. Anything that would keep his supplies dry. Being wet got you killed in the wild. He'd heard the horror stories and seen the "Missing" posters.

Then he saw it, A large rock formation in a clearing to his left with an empty space beneath it. The perfect spot.

As he ran closer he could see the places where others had camped and made fires, and was happy to know he wasn't the first in this situation.

There was plenty of room beneath the great stone, and he could sit comfortably beneath it. There was even a small indent behind him where his gear wouldn't have any chance of getting wet. It really _was_perfect.

Stowing his pack and taking a seat, he looked to the sky and waited patiently for the storm to start, hoping to watch the lightning arc across the sky. Mistake three.

A few minutes passed, and with another bang the sky unleashed it's payload, drenching everything in the area with a torrent of water. Some of the drops ricocheted off the stones nearby and sprayed onto him, but that wouldn't be an issue. A fire would dry him much faster then he would get wet.

Unbuckling his pack and grabbing the tinderbox, Vulk moved to light the dry wood he hadn't gathered in the short time before the rain started.

He'd wasted the few precious minutes before the rain sitting under a rock when he should have been gathering as much dry tinder as he could carry. Now he was going to be stuck sitting in the cold with wet fur. Worst of all, now he remembered that he felt like an idiot.

He always felt like an idiot.

So he curled into a ball beneath the rock, trying to stay as warm as he could while the rain continued to drench his surroundings, breath slowly becoming visible with each deep sigh he let out.

He closed his eyes and half hoped he wouldn't open them again, slowly drifting into a depressed and comfortless sleep as grey twilight colors began to dance around him.

6.

Warm.

He felt warm.

Why did he feel warm? He was cold and wet when he fell asleep.

He didn't feel wet anymore either. Was he dry?

"Oh shit, I'm dead. I died. I froze or a highwayman found me and I died." he thought.

"I didn't actually want to die, that was me just feeling sorry for myself. But... I guess this isn't so bad. At least I'm not cold, and I guess I always wondered just what happened when you died. Not with any particular eagerness, but-"

A loud pop came from his left. Vulk opened his eyes and found himself staring at a familiar wall of granite, everything basked in a strange orange glow.

"Oh... Well, I guess I'm not dead after all. What's going on though?"

On his right the forest was dark. The clouds had mostly cleared, but droplets of water still hung in abundance from the natural flora, each a glittering souvenir of the earlier downpour.

Turning to his left he saw a fire burning by his side. A small pile of twigs and wood scraps sat next his bag, along with a small hatchet, it's meticulously sharpened blade reflecting the world around it. Vulk sat up and began looking around, trying to figure out what had happened.

His bag was untouched, still in the exact place it had been stuffed into. He too was untouched, his sword still hung by his side, not a single hair on his body had been moved.

"But why would someone do this? Who would go out of their way to help me?"

Whoever it was clearly hadn't heard the rumors, but Vulk was grateful nonetheless. He only wished that he could have thanked the kind stranger. Especially for the hatchet, another item he had of course forgotten to get.

Vulk was starting to think he wasn't cut out for adventuring. But what else could he do? Arson allegations had a tendency to stick to people, even if they hadn't been charged. Especially when it was the store of the wealthiest merchant in the area. Once money was fighting against you, you were screwed.

"Man, fuck me."

Vulk peeked his head out from the overhang and looked at the stars twinkling above him.

As long as he didn't give up, he thought, he could make it. He was too resourceful and hard headed to give up that easily. Every time he screwed up now was one less mistake that could happen later on. At least that's what he kept telling himself.

He didn't really believe any of it. He didn't believe a lot of what he told himself.

He crept back under the rock and tossed a few pieces of kindling onto the dying fire, watching it flare up once more. He didn't know what time it was, but it would probably keep him warm until morning. Probably.

Hopefully.

He moved the hatchet into his bag and curled up again beside the flames, quickly falling asleep, this time much more comfortably, and with a faint smile on his face.

7.

The first rays of morning sun cascaded through the treetops and onto Vulk. He stirred, still dreaming about being in his bed from before. When he reached out to grab a pillow and found only a handful of rocks was when he realized where he was. He opened his eyes and lifted himself, sitting upright as he surveyed the small clearing.

The fire by his side was in the last throes of life, sputtering only faint wisps of smoke. He pushed the few pieces of smoldering charcoal onto the dew laden grass, and they extinguished with only a few hisses of protest.

Moisture still hung in the air from the rain, but water had stopped falling from the trees. Everything was quiet now. Vulk couldn't help but miss the singing he was usually roused with. He wondered what song Ms. Flutts had chosen for today.

Pulling his pack from it's resting place, he quickly strapped it on and began walking back to the road. He'd leave the remaining kindling for the next person who needed it. If everything wasn't still wet, he would have gotten more to place there as well.

The road was dark and damp when he returned to it, but the trees had provided enough cover to keep it from turning to mud. Before heading further into the forest, Vulk headed back to the river he'd crossed. Sleeping with his mouth open was probably something he would need to stop doing.

The river beneath the bridge had swollen considerably overnight. It gushed forward, foam spraying as the water was pierced and sliced by the stones. It was too dangerous to climb down to it. Worse, the water was still too low to reach from the bridge.

Vulk leaned onto the bridge railing, thinking.

"I'm not leaving without a drink. I can figure this out."

He took inventory of what he had to work with.

Rope, more rope, and rope.

He wasn't going to risk his clothing, or his bag. He could tie rope to his sword's sheath and lower it into the water, but that risked losing it, and if it didn't, it might rust his weapon when he placed it back inside. Tying himself to the bridge and repelling down was stupid too. What was he thinking with that one?

"I've got it."

Grabbing his rope he, frayed one end as best he could, almost unraveling it, then tossed it into the river, giving it a moment to soak. With a firm pull he dragged it back up to the bridge, dripping wet and with a surprise latched onto it.

"A Jawfish?" he said to himself, pulling the small fish's teeth free of the rope, gripping it's tail tightly to keep it from wriggling free.

It certainly wasn't a trophy catch, but it was big enough to be a meal. Once he made sure it wouldn't bite him back, anyway. He sure as hell wasn't going to let any of those razors near his face... or his fingers.

Sticking his claws into its gills, a quick twist saw its head go flying into the river, snapping it's mouth once more on the way down before landing with a splash.

Dropping the fish for a moment, Vulk grabbed the rope and wrung it over his mouth, taking in a cool gulp of water.

"Well that worked." he thought, and repeated the process a few more times, quenching his thirst at last. No more lucky catches, but that was fine. One was more than enough.

Vulk tossed the rope back into his bag, leaving the damp length hanging out to dry. Picking back up his fish, he continued on the path away from the bridge, merrily eating his surprise meal.

8.

The weather held steady as he moved. No more clouds hovered above him, no rain, no anything. The forest was still quiet. And now, in the beginning hours of twilight, basked in radiant hues of orange and red. He'd seen only one other person on the trail today, a merchant pulling a small cart of knickknacks.

That made sense. Anyone with anything valuable or with any common sense stayed on the guarded roads, even if it meant taking three times as long to reach their destination. But not this one. Either his goods weren't worth anything or he simply didn't care.

The hair of his muzzle had long since turned grey, and a deep scar running from his left eye to his chin left his face in a permanent scowl. But as the two had begun to converse in the midday sun, he was surprised at just how pleasant the grizzled merchant was.

"So why this road? You aren't... worried? About someone going after you and your little cart?"

The old fox laughed.

"You mistake age for weakness, pup. I can hold my own, whether it be with a blade or with words. I've been on these roads long enough to know that as long as your cunning grows faster than your age, there's nothing to worry about.

Let's sit on those rocks over there. As much as I hate to admit it, these old legs are tired and need a rest. It's been ages since I've had a good chat with a stranger like yourself anyway."

He ducked beneath the pull bar of his cart and slowly made his way to the roadside, letting out a great sigh of relief as he sat down on the waist level stones and pulled off his simple boots. Vulk followed, eager to hear more from him. Maybe he could learn a tip or two about traveling.

"So how long have you been a traveling merchant? Where do you get your goods? Do you have any stories about your travels?"

The merchant held up a hand towards Vulk, signaling him to stop.

"You're very inquisitive for a wanderer. That means you're either very new, or very stupid. Asking questions is what gets you killed in this world."

Vulk turned his head and looked sadly at the ground while the scolding continued. The merchant stopped, once, Vulk assumed, he had noticed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have harped on you like that. It's not often you meet people on the road so eager to interact in a way that isn't stabbing. You caught me off guard."

"I'm... sorry?" Vulk answered, feeling more than a little confused.

"Nah, don't worry about it, pup. After you get a scar like this you start to react to things with a little more instinct and a little less forethought. Before we keep talking would you go to my cart and grab the flask right there? I need a drink."

Vulk nodded and walked to the cart, unstrapping the metal container from the ropes holding it. The sloshing that came from it as he walked back only reminded him how thirsty he was again. Which was very, very thirsty.

He hadn't had anything to drink since morning. The noise only made him realize how big a mistake it had been to forget to get his own.

The merchant eagerly grabbed the flask as Vulk held it out, unhooking the top and taking a large swig.

"Aaah, here's to good company, young one." he cheerily spoke, extending his drink and waiting for Vulk to clink it with his own. An awkward pause followed as the two stared at each other. The merchant broke the silence first.

"Do... you not know how this works? I hold out my drink, you move yours into it, we each say "cheers", and then we enjoy said drinks. Usually to intoxication, when you're not traveling, anyway."

Vulk stood, trying desperately to think of something to say that wouldn't make him look like more of a fool.

"I, uh... I mean..."

"Out with it, come on. Don't waste my time acting stupid."

"I'm not acting! I don't have one!" Vulk barked, and immediately realized the great many ways he could have phrased his sentence better.

The merchant chuckled.

"Wow, you are new to this. Go look in my cart, I think I picked up another one awhile ago."

Sure enough, beneath a few layers of metal scrap and ceramic, there was a an old, beaten up canteen. As Vulk returned to the rocks the merchant grabbed it from his hands and filled it partly with his own, handing it back quickly.

"There. Now, cheers."

The clank of hollow metal echoed out. Vulk took a massive gulp, and then another. The clear red liquid burned his throat and left a bitter taste in his mouth, but it was cool and refreshing all the same.

"Never seen anyone slug down firegrass nectar that fast. I'm not giving you more, so maybe you shouldn't drink it all."

Vulk lowered his drink and took a deep breath of air

"Sorry, I haven't had anything to drink since morning, and I've been walking all day, and-"

Again the merchant brought up his hand, and again Vulk stopped.

"Forgetting a way to carry water when traveling is quite a difficult mistake to make, even for a rookie. How exactly did you manage that?"

"I just got unlucky."

"Unlucky huh? How about before I answer your questions, you tell me your story instead. It sounds like something I'd like to hear."

And so Vulk had relayed his story. His youth, what happened in the city and why he'd left, how people had turned on him again, being overcharged for the meat, everything.

The entire time the old merchant listened intently, never turning his attention away as Vulk talked. Once he'd finished, the merchant spoke to him with an unexpected softness.

"Well, now I feel bad about riding you earlier. I apologize as much as you'll accept it, I hadn't realized."

"You believe me?"

"You don't seem like the type to do that. If you were you would have jumped me as I passed by.

It's a sad state the world is in, where people are so quick to cast judgment for a handful of gold. I've been through some things myself, and I can understand why you were so eager to leave and put it behind you. I hope you'll find the freedom you're after."

"Thank you. Are you hungry? I don't have much but I'd like to repay the drink. And, well, you listening to me I guess. Not many people have done that."

The merchant shook his head side to side, looking surprised.

"In your state and offering strangers your food. Either you're too nice for your own good, or you really are stupid."

Vulk held out a handful of crackers to the fox.

"Believe it or not, I've heard that before."

9.

And that had been it. The two had eaten peacefully in the noon sun, the merchant telling tales of his travels, offering advice to Vulk where he could. When the two finally decided to part ways, he'd insisted Vulk keep the canteen as a gift.

"For keeping an old fox company, despite his attitude." he'd said, despite Vulk's pleading refusals.

Now standing at a crossroads, wooden signpost before him half rotted from age, he recalled the merchants final words as they had begun walk away from each other.

"There's a fork about an hour ahead in your direction. If you take a left and keep a steady pace, you'll reach an inn just after nightfall."

"I don't have money to stay at an inn." Vulk had pitifully said back to him.

"I know the owners, nice couple. If you tell them I sent you and promise to work it off, they'll give you a room."

"What if I don't work it off and just leave?"

The old merchant chuckled a final time.

"Why do you ask such things? We both know you will."

And the merchant was right. If anyone was kind enough to give him a place to rest, he'd feel too guilty to take off. Maybe he was too nice.

Swinging a left, Vulk continued on, the next few hours passing quickly and without incident. It was just as the first few pinholes of light appeared in the darkening sky that he smelled it.

It was faint. Incredibly faint. It only barely registered, but it was there. A strange, earthy scent. Though he'd never taken it in before, Vulk found it... mesmerizing.

This strange alien smell, faintly damp and musty, had him entranced. The more he sniffed it, the more his mind raced, and the more he lost his ability to focus. He knew what this was, somehow. He just couldn't put a name to it.

He lowered himself to one knee, to see if the ground had any better a grip on the scent, and the sound of slicing air rang out above him, followed by a loud thunk.

Vulk snapped his head up, watching the arrow vibrate harmlessly in front of him, wedged deeply into a tree.

Diving behind a log to his right, he clutched the hilt of his sword tightly and waited, snapping off its clasp. If he tried to make a move other than keeping hidden, he'd almost certainly take an arrow to the face, and that was hardly how he was planning to go out. Not that he really had plans for that, but he still didn't feel like dying right now, surprisingly enough.

Time slowed, minutes passed. No, it was only a handful of seconds. A handful of time where the only thing Vulk could hear was his own pounding heart.

From somewhere behind him, somewhere close, he heard the brush rustling. What surprised Vulk more than the attempted murder was the voice that came out once the movement stopped. A female voice.

"Fuck! I can't hit a damn thing once the sun starts going down. Oh, wait, no, I was spot on. Where did he go?"

More footsteps, some closer, some farther. When it sounded like they were a distance away, Vulk took his chance and leapt to his feet, sword unsheathed and raised to strike. He'd take his attacker out with her back turned.

He shot up, and was met with the tip of an arrow scratching at the front of his nose. The huntress looked at him and slowly tilted her head to the side, mocking him while she spoke.

"Hi there. You left footprints."

Vulk froze. His arms weren't anywhere close to a position that could help him. If he made even the smallest twitch he would no doubt receive the arrow he'd dodged only moments before. There was nothing he could do but play it out. Play and hope.

"H-hi?" he managed to spit out, voice trembling alongside the rest of his body.

"So, what brings a wolf like yourself down out of the mountains?

"I, um, traveling? I could ask you the same thing, your fur's the same color as mine."

She had to be almost the same age as him, a year his senior at most, and from a similar place. Only mountain wolves had grey fur.

"You could, couldn't you? But why would you do something like that with an arrow in your face? And your wanted poster says you've done a lot more than "travel". A lot more."

"Wanted poster!?" Vulk blurted out in surprise, forgetting his situation.

The sudden noise made the huntress jump, just a little. Vulk seized the opportunity and ducked, swatting at the bow and knocking it's arrow loose. For once, something he did worked. As he righted himself, the huntress twirled behind him.

The moment he lost sight of her was when he felt the dagger press to his throat, blade cutting through his hair with faint snaps. Served him right for thinking things couldn't get worse.

"You've got some stones, huh? I find it pretty hard to believe you don't know about the price on your head, the posters have been in the mountain villages for a few weeks now. And it's enough to live comfortably for_years._"

"I don't, I mean I, I..."

Vulk took a deep breath as he tried desperately to form a coherent sentence, trying to steady his nerves. He was in a trouble now. He'd been in trouble before, but this was something else entirely.

But what he inhaled wasn't the brisk night air, but the intoxicating scent he'd gotten a faint whiff of only moments ago. This time it was intense, concentrated. It could only be coming from the girl with the knife to his throat.

His body screamed for more, and Vulk suddenly realized what it was. He had known from the moment he took it in, but now his brain had caught up. He knew exactly what was happening.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? Or wolf, in this case? You don't seem quite as talkative now." she said slyly, enjoying herself.

Without thinking Vulk blurted out the words resting at the tip of his tongue.

"You-you're in heat. I can smell it."

10.

Silence enveloped the two as they stood in the shadows of nightfall. The knife was still held tightly to Vulk's throat, and he was still panicking and cursing his luck. But something was different. In a single moment, a degree of the malice that hung in the air had faded.

The blade fell away. Vulk clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, knowing what was about to happen. But... nothing did. He opened his eyes again and saw the same shaded forest in front of him. He was still alive.

He jumped forward and turned on his heel to face his attacker. She stood silently, dagger resting loosely at her side.

"Why did you...?"

"Arson, rape, murder."

"What?" Vulk said, shaking his head. Only one of her words held any meaning to him.

"That's what's on your poster. Arson, rape, and murder."

She punctuated each word of the trio with a pause.

The arson Vulk understood. That was why he'd left to begin with. That's what he was more or less framed for. But rape? Murder? Something wasn't right. But before he could ask questions the huntress spoke again.

"You caught me at a bad time, and now I'm too flustered to gut you properly. Just know that if we meet again, I won't miss with the first arrow."

"Wait, I-"

She bolted into the treeline on the side of the path before he could finish, her dark leather outfit camouflaging her almost instantly. The sounds of moving brush and snapping twigs faded almost as fast as her figure had. She was gone.

Vulk stood on the path, motionless, blinking a few times as he tried to figure out what had happened.

"I don't... I don't even know what's going on with my life anymore."

Remembering the inn he had been working his way to, Vulk realized a dark forest road was hardly the place to get contemplative. It had to be close, maybe around the next corner. As he began to move once again, however, he ran into a new problem.

"Ack!" he hissed as he felt a sharp pinch. Looking down to where the pain came from, he discovered that he was rock hard.

"Of all the fucking times."

11.

The sky was completely dark and littered with stars, though faint hues of lighter blues could just barely be seen above the trees to his left. After a few minutes of incredibly nervous waiting, Vulk was finally able to start off again, eagerly looking forward to sleeping inside.

Out of all the times he'd slept somewhere strange or different, last night had easily been the worst. Tonight was steadily reaching the point of breaking that record though, and he couldn't wait to get indoors.

Behind the next bend laid only more forest. Vulk sighed and kept walking, hopes that he would reach the inn in time fading with each tired, slowing step.

Further along he made the next turn in the winding road, and he finally saw something that raised his spirits. A faint sparkle. A twinkling of light peeking at him through the trees.

He picked up his pace, rushing forward as fast as he could manage, closing the distance and cresting the next turn, finally laying his eyes on the source. He stopped and took it in, part of him not believing what he saw.

It was a beautiful two story cottage, large but not overwhelmingly so. Many of the small windows on the first and second floors had light spilling from them, some casting the shadows of their occupants.

The veranda and terrace on the front each held a handful of people, some talking amongst each other, nursing drinks; others opting to silently gaze into the stars above.

He'd made it. He'd made it to a real shelter, and without dying or getting maimed. He felt incredible.

Wiping away a tear, he ran on towards the building.

12.

The large double doors gave immense resistance as Vulk pushed against them. They were moving, slightly, but they were stuck on something.

If a guest inside was leaning against them, Vulk didn't want to be "That Guy" who jettisoned them onto the ground by forcing the doors apart. He would wait a minute before trying again. Hopefully his knocking had caught their attention and they would move. He even waited an extra minute to be safe before pushing on them again.

They swayed inwards slightly, then stalled, something still firmly blocking their progress.

Frustrated, Vulk leaned back and kicked forward as hard as he could, driving his heel into the wood. The doors snapped forward, skidding briefly on the ground where they had been caught and slamming into the walls behind them.

The few occupants inside the foyer glanced up from their drink and books, scowling at Vulk in annoyance before turning their attention away from him again. The lizard behind the counter at the far end paid no mind to the noise, and continued polishing her glassware as lanterns lighting the room flickered in the breeze.

"O-oops." Vulk whispered, and gently moved the doors back into place as silently as he could. Once they had clicked back together, he started his walk towards the counter. As hard as he tried to look like he belonged, he knew he was doing a poor job. Still, the few scattered souls around him paid no mind as he moved, which was appreciated. As long as he didn't make himself look too stupid, this might just work out. Past experiences, however, told him that would be a lot harder than he'd hope.

"Hi there hun, what can I get you?" The middle aged lizard asked, lowering the beer glass she was working on and looking at Vulk intently.

Her voice was gentle and soft, but still held a faint hint of the rasp most lizards had. Vulk could count on one hand the number he'd heard without it. He liked it though, it lent something special to the words, something strange and pleasing to his ears.

"Hi... I need a room."

"Alrighty, it's ten gold a night, or fifty for the suite."

She returned to the glass in her hands, leaving Vulk to sit awkwardly on his bar stool, not really knowing what to do next. After a second, she turned back to him again, looking confused.

"Are you going to get a room, or did you decide on something else?"

Her face was still lowered, but her eyes watched from their corners, glinting with suspicion.

This was not going well at all.

"No, no, I still need a room, but..."

"But what? Do you want the cheap one or the expensive one? If you want a deal I guess I can throw in some food, but the prices are fixed."

"Well, I, um, there's the thing."

Vulk leaned over the counter, dropping his voice to a whisper. The innkeeper did the same, look of suspicion replaced by curiosity.

"I don't... have any money"

"So... how were you planning on staying here?

"Well I heard from... from... I forgot his name. I'm sorry, I've just... I've had a hell of a night and earlier someone told me you might let me stay here if I worked it off and I'm trying really hard not to look stupid but I don't think I'm doing a good job and I got att-"

The lizard leaned back and nodded her head knowingly.

"Ahhh, alright. You must be talking about Thorn, he left just this morning. Old fox, greying hair, kind of... pretty rough?"

"Yes! Yes that was him!"

"Well if Thorn said you were alright, then you must be. He's the best judge of character I've ever seen. My husband's outside right now, but once he comes back in I'm sure we can work something out. As for now, how about I get you a drink and you can tell me about your evening, my treat. You look like you've been through the wringer."

"Thank you ma'am, thank you so much."

She walked to the far end of the counter and began rummaging through the shelves beneath. Vulk let out his breath.

Things worked out after all. He needed to stop letting himself get worked up about small things like this so much. It wasn't worth the stress. He kept telling himself he was clever enough to get through the rough patches, but mental preparation did little when you were actually in the field experiencing strange and new things like people trying to murder you.

If that was something he would need to get used to, he had doubts he could.

"Anything specific you'd like, honey?"

"No thanks, too sweet for me ma'am."

She laughed softly and turned her head back to him.

"I was calling you honey. And call me Liss, I'm nowhere near fancy enough to be called a ma'am."

"Oh, okay, Liss. Do you have anything without alcohol?"

"Cider it is!"

She slammed a glass onto the counter in front of Vulk, making him jump in surprise. In a blink it was filled to the brim with a thick brown liquid, fragrant foam resting on top. Beads of sweat were already sliding down the glass to the beautifully stained wood beneath.

"Now, tell me about your night. You look positively ragged."

"Alright. I met... Thorn, about midday on the trail, talked with him, shared some food, then he gave me a canteen and told me about this place."

"Mhm, go on. Thorn wasn't a jackass? He doesn't mean it, he's just from a life that appreciates being... direct."

Vulk took a deep gulp of cider. He felt it as it slithered down his throat, and shuddered as it hit his stomach. It was amazing to drink something cold on a hot, humid night like this.

"Aah, no, no he was really nice. Well, after we talked a little. He was kind of brusk at the start."

"Yep, that's Thorn alright. But what else happened? I'm sure your talk with Thorn didn't leave you in the state you're at now."

Another gulp. The liquid sloshed around as Vulk placed it back on the table, sending a few drops splashing out of the glass. Liss quickly wiped them away and went back to leaning in front of him, arms crossed and head resting on them as she listened intently.

"I got attacked by someone about half an hour from here."

Liss' brow raised in surprise.

"Attacked? Goodness! By whom? Was it bandit? I know this is a back road but it's never been that bad. I can't believe it, I'm glad you're alright at least."

"Um... thank you. It was some crazy girl trying to claim a bounty on me. At least that's what she said."

"A bounty? Now why would a sweet character like you have a bounty?"

"It's a long story. Trust me. I don't even know what's going on now."

"I've got all night hun, go ahead and-"

A door slammed somewhere further into the building. Liss turned towards the noise and shouted.

13.

"Rex! Come out here!"

"Why!?" A deep, graveled voice shouted back.

"A guest has a question!"

"You can't answer it? I've got more to bring in!"

"It's about money!"

Thuds began moving towards Vulk's position. He could feel the vibrations grow stronger as they neared. Drops of cider in the glass bounced and made growing rings, faster and faster as the thuds got louder. Finally a massive, clawed hand reached it's fingers around the left side of the doorway behind Liss.

The scales were a dark forest green, nails black. It had long since lost it's natural gloss, instead showing years of dedication and hard labor across each segment of thickened flesh.

It was opposite Liss', who's skin was still soft and vibrant, save her hands, which were only just beginning to show signs of age and wear.

An arm appeared, large and musclebound, a worn sleeve covering it from above the elbow. The figure attached to it pulled itself into view from the shadows.

"What is it honey? I still have a bunch to bring in if we're going to remodel those rooms."

His voice was calm and kind, contrary to what Vulk had expected based on his form alone.

He stood at least six feet tall, entire body swollen with muscle, head nearly clipping the door frame. Superficial scars dotted his left arm, save for a single large mark on it's back where an impressive slash had clearly been delivered in the past.

Massive size and pressure aside, Vulk couldn't help but notice that his eyes belied his rough and tumble appearance. They were sky blue, and glowed with a strange compassion. But that only raised more questions about the large, jagged scar on his arm.

"Our friend here has a dilemma, Rex. Maybe you can help him out?"

"Ay?"

He turned his head to Vulk's position.

"And what dilemma might that be?" he grunted.

Vulk shuddered, growing nervous yet again sitting before the giant lizard. Eyes aside, he was still a monstrous being.

"I need a room." he squeaked out.

"Well, you're in the right place for that. It's ten gold for a-"

"Rex, sweetie, he doesn't have any money."

The conversation stopped. Vulk could see Rex was thinking deeply about something, his eyes moved left and right, head tilting as he worked through whatever was in his head before speaking again.

"Well sorry kid, better luck next time. Once you have some coin then I'll be happy to help."

"Rex!" Liss snapped. He winced and ducked his head in reaction.

"But we're out of rooms, Liss! I just rented out the last one when I was outside!"

"You're going to turn away a pup down on his luck who's already agreed to work it off? Give him the suite then!"

"The suite!? Liss are you crazy!? We can't let him have the suite, what if someone who'll actually pay for it comes!"

Vulk calmly took another swig of the cider in front of him, enjoying the show and hoping immensely that it would end in his favor. He really, really didn't want to be outside tonight. He didn't have any energy left to be nervous.

"Liss do you know how much money we would be down if we didn't have the suite open and someone came?"

"Rex nobody has rented the suite in two months! And nobody's going to until merchants start traveling for the Harvest Festival in another two months! I have to clean the suite at the end of the week anyway, so why not let him have it? It's not going to hurt us one bit to let it go for a night or two!"

"But Liss!"

"REX!"

He winced again.

"I-I-Fine! He can have the suite!"

Rex huffed off into the shadows he had come from. Vulk watched the empty door frame until the thumps stopped, and a door again slammed somewhere far away.

"Liss, was that... was that really necessary? Is he going to be alright? I didn't want to cause problems."

She laughed softly, putting away the glass she had finished polishing.

"Don't worry sweetie, he'll be fine. He likes to pretend that we're in the poorhouse and need every last coin, but that's a lie and he knows it. He's just been under a lot of stress lately. We both have."

"Can I ask why?"

"Just getting busy for the rest of the year, hun. Supplies need to be ordered, renovations need to be done, all while keeping our customers happy and the rooms cozy and clean. He- No, we each get like this for a few months around this time until things finally get settled. As much as Rex won't admit it, you working in exchange for a room would be quite a help."

"I promise I'll do what I can, miss. I won't let you down."

"Liss, sweetie. And I know you will. You're room's up the stairs at the end of the hall. And we'll be getting you up early to work, alright?"

"Yes, of course. I appreciate this so much, thank you."

"No, thank you hun, I know you'll do a good job. I'm going to go finish some things up, so you should run off to bed. Here's your key."

14.

Vulk dashed up the spiraling stairs, almost knocking over not one, but two now unhappier travelers. The door at the end of the hall grew larger and larger with each bounding step forward.

Doors to his left smacked shut as he ran by, light jangling ringing out as bolts were drawn. Below the banister to his right he could see Liss beginning to blow out some of the lanterns that adorned the walls.

The noise echoed out as he slammed face first into his rooms door, sending him sprawling backwards from the impact. Vulk brought a hand to his face and rubbed his painful snout.

As he lifted himself from the polished floorboards he couldn't help but notice the few people still left below him were all looking his way.

Trying to save himself from the looming embarrassment, he slid towards the wall and quickly thrust the heavy brass key into the lock, giving it a firm twist. The door snapped towards him instantly, finally free of it's holdings.

Vulk stepped into the room and pulled the door shut behind him. After a few more dazed steps further in, he finally realized his surroundings had changed. He surveyed the room from left to right, his jaw dropping until it was only hanging by his cheeks.

In front of him laid a wall filled with massive windows. Each was carefully adorned with ritzy curtains, half drawn shut, the others allowing the light of the full moon to pour steadily into the room, basking everything with ethereal greys.

On his immediate left was a small desk filled with shelves, a large mirror resting on top. Past the desk was a massive wardrobe, wood darkly stained, handles of what could only be silver polished to a mesmerizing shine.

In the middle of the far wall between two of the massive windows was a large granite fireplace. It was built into the wall, chimney flush with the paint on either side of it. Leaning against it was a supply of finely cut logs, uniform in size. Great care had been put into the display.

Bookshelves lined the far right wall, a mix of old and new tomes resting inside. But Vulk didn't look long enough to see any names, he was too infatuated with what was at his right side, directly across from the fireplace.

Draped with blue silk, flawlessly made with nary a wrinkle or stain, was a king sized bed. It was the most beautiful thing Vulk had ever seen in his life.

He took a tentative step towards it, then another, stopping by it's side and running his hand across the top layer of sheets.

"Wow." Was the only thing he could force out of his mouth in his awed state.

He quickly disrobed, leaving his garments in a pile next to the bed. His naked body left a silhouette in the moonlight as he took a final look at the star filled sky.

He threw back the top corner of bed sheets and jumped in, resting his head on the down stuffed pillows.

It was so soft. Softer than anything he'd ever slept on before. The sheets wrapped around him as the air pocket he'd created drained away, cradling him snugly with their warmth and comfort.

He fell asleep seconds later, and unknowingly drifted into a strange land of murder and magic.

15.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

The strange noise rang out, seeming to come from the very walls of the cave itself. Vulk looked away for a moment, confused. More than long enough for the dragon to take a swing at him and knock him into the back wall.

"OOMPH!" he cried as the air left his lungs and he collapsed to the stone floor.

He couldn't catch his breath, he couldn't breath at all. The impact had knocked the wind from him, paralyzing his midsection.

He grabbed his blade, bringing it behind him as he made one final charge against the beast. It was his only chance, the final option before his breathless state left him too weakened to fight.

*KNOCK* KNOCK*

Again the strange noise resonated from the walls, and the entire cavern shook. The floor began to collapse behind Vulk, and he nearly lost his footing as he increased his speed, raising his sword higher as stalactites rained down from above.

He wasn't going out like this. He'd at least take it down with him.

The dragon swept at him again with it's massive claws. Vulk made a flying leap into the air, bringing the sword high above his head and heaving it down as the dragon looked up and opened its mouth, ready to swallow it's attacker.

"RAAAAAAAHHH!" he screamed.

"HELLO? YOU IN THERE HUN?"

Vulk's eyes snapped open, taking in a wonderful view of the rug that had been beneath the bed. The same rug that he now had an unfortunate mouthful of.

"I know you're in there, none of the windows are open. Time to greet the day, sugar."

"I'm awake! I'm coming, sorry!" Vulk yelled back as he began untangling himself from the sheets that had wrapped themselves around him. He must have really been out cold, he never moved around in his sleep. It was amazing what a good bed could do.

He quickly threw on his clean set of garments, opting to leave behind the leather he would usually have put over them. If he was going to work, it'd be too hot to be wearing that, and he wanted to do as good a job as he could.

"I'm coming out now. Um, I know the door swings out, I don't want to hit you with it."

No response. Vulk cracked the door open a few inches and peeked out.

"Liss?" he asked, slowly pushing the door to the wall, but the hallway in front of him was empty. He took a few tentative steps forward, closing the door and continuing to the stairway.

Three steps down the spiral he was blasted by a wave of mouth watering aromas. He'd had good food before, but this, whatever it was, was on another level entirely. He'd never smelled anything as intoxicating. Well, aside from the strange girl who'd tried to kill him. He rushed down the stairs, eager to get closer to whatever was making his mouth water.

No other guests were awake yet, or at least not in the foyer. Every chair was placed perfectly against a table, each candle centered, surrounded by a ring of wildflowers.

The surfaces they rested on brilliantly reflected the light of the few lanterns still lit from the night before. Vulk was impressed at the level of detail that was put into making everything look nice here. He also felt bad about ruining the hard work of someone else, but at least he would make up for it.

A light clanging came from the door frame behind the counter. Vulk moved to investigate, but stopped before entering the next room, not wanting to barge into anyplace he wasn't wanted.

"Liss? Hello?" he called out, hoping for an answer.

"Come on back hun, first door on your left."

Vulk crept forward and into the room in question, straight into a bubble of warmth and spices. It stunned him for a moment when it hit him.

"Hey hun, glad to see you're still here."

Liss was leaned over a humble cast iron stove top, stirring something in a pot while something sizzled next to it, out of Vulk's sight. She was draped with simple, fitting blue garments, a white apron protecting them from any culinary splashing.

Rex was seated at a small table against the wall to Vulk's right, reading out of a small leather bound book sitting on the empty plate in front of him. Every few seconds he would grasp a nearby pen and scribble something down amongst the pages, but for what wasn't something Vulk expected an answer to if asked about it.

"Go ahead and take a seat at the table. It'll be ready in just a moment, then we can all eat." Liss said with a smile on her face.

Vulk inched closer to the table and noticed there were only three chairs. Rex's, one next to him, and one across from him. He couldn't help but think that this had been planned in advance.

Rex raised his eyes from the book and stared at Vulk as he approached. His face was like stone, eyes set in a statuesque glare. Vulk stifled an uncomfortable laugh as he recalled the legends of old, where serpents could petrify the unwary traveler with only a passing glance.

Thankfully Rex was neither snake nor statue, but Vulk still moved cautiously and avoided eye contact as he lowered himself into the seat. Rex continued to stare out of the corners of his eyes, blindly flipping the pages of his book in an attempt to mask his behavior.

Liss smacked a large plate onto the center of the table, startling both of them. She snickered as she sat down next to her husband and began to make her plate.

"Rex, if you're going to stare at him like that he might get the wrong ideas about you."

Rex quickly looked around the room, pretending not to understand the comment.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, honey. I was going over our finances."

"Of course you were, Rex. Sausage?"

He nodded his head, and Liss moved several links onto his dish as he pocketed the small book.

"What about you, sweetie?"

Vulk eagerly nodded his head up and down. Not only was he getting a place to stay, but he was getting food as well. Maybe his luck really was turning around.

"Liss I would really prefer if you didn't call him pet names."

She turned to her husband, raising a single brow. He quietly went back to eating from his plate, head down.

"I'm sorry, my name's Vulk. I don't think I ever got a chance to say it last night."

"Don't mind him, Vulk, he's still sore about letting you stay here. He has the frame of an adult but the attitude of a hatchling."

"Lissandra..."

Minutes passed in silence. Eggs were piled onto plates, more sausages were cooked, each time greeted by the sound of silverware on ceramic.

The pile of food in the center of the table began to vanish more and more slowly. The scratching of plates becoming softer, and the sounds of contented eating slowed to a crawl.

"So..." Liss said, breaking the silence.

"How about continuing with the story you started the other night, Vulk."

"Which one?"

"Why you have a bounty hunter after you, hun. You mentioned it be-"

"BOUNTY HUNTER!?" Rex shouted, rising to his feet and slamming his hands onto the wooden tabletop, sending a jug of water careening to the floor.

"You let a felon sleep here!? For free!? He could have killed us Liss! He could have killed us and every one of our guests! Have you lost your god-damned mind!?"

Liss had no reaction to the sudden outburst, and continued to slowly finish off what was on her plate, face showing a look more of annoyance than anything else.

"Rex, Thorn said he was alright, and he's been through enough to know if a person is good or not."

"Thorn!? Did Thorn tell you himself or did this kid say it!? For all we know he murdered Thorn on his way here!"

"Sit down, Rex. Does it look like this pup could hurt a fly?"

Rex threw his arms up and began to march out of the kitchen doorway, shaking his head and mumbling to himself in a rage. A few seconds later a door slammed nearby, and a cool burst of air flowed through the room.

"Ma'am, if I'm going to cause problems then really... I can leave. I'll find another way to repay you, I promise. I don't want to be more trouble than I'm worth, and I really appreciate you letting me spend just one night here."

"Like I said hun, it's just that time of the year. Rex always had a short fuse to begin with, more so with the stress going on now. But he couldn't hurt a fly either, so don't worry your head about it. He'll warm up to you soon enough."

"I think you might be a little too optimistic."

"We'll see, hun. We'll see" She said with a tired smile.

"For now, how about helping me clean up in here while he cools off."

16.

Vulk was elbow deep in an impressively large sink, scrubbing away at things unseen beneath the foam. He finished with another plate, and raised it to the surface to place on the drying rack.

This was nice. Mostly.

It was good to feel like he belonged somewhere again, even if the sensation was a weak one. If he wasn't so sure that the rumors and posters bearing his visage would reach the inn sooner rather than later, he would have asked to stay longer. It was nice being somewhere that could loosely be called a home. He hadn't had much of that in his life.

"Thanks for helping me, hun. Breakfast time is a little crazy here, not having to do the scrubbing is such a help for me. I almost forget what it's like to have a break now and then." Liss said as she walked into the room, arms filled with dirty dishes. She began to scrape off what food was left on them into a basket by the sink.

"Not a problem, Liss. I'm just happy to pay you back for the room. You don't know how much it meant for me to sleep inside."

She dropped her load of dishes into the basin, splashing bubbles onto Vulk's face, then walked to the oven and checked on something baking inside.

"Don't mention it sweetie. Looks like everyone's finished eating, so that's the last load of dishes for you. Would you like me to help you finish?"

Vulk lifted his head and gave her a strange look.

"Ma'am, I-"

"Liss, darling, please."

"Sorry, Liss, I thought I was the one who was supposed to be doing the work?"

She laughed, turning away and starting to walk out of the room, grabbing a book off of a shelf near the doorway.

"I'm sorry, but it's been months since I've been able to stop moving, I've almost forgotten how. I think I'll go sit out front, near the flowerbeds and read for a bit. Come find me when you're done, there's always something more to do around here."

Her voice sounded forlorn as she mentioned the flowers, but Vulk understood why. Working all the time no doubt took it's toll. It must have been even more of a drain for someone so many years ahead of him. He felt happy to give her a chance to rest. Maybe he could end up doing the same for Rex.

A half hour passed after she left the room. Vulk was finally able to drain the water in front of him. He was pleased to see he hadn't missed any dishware as it was whisked away to some underground place.

Everything in the drying rack next to him sparkled from the sunlight bouncing onto it. With that done, now he needed to find Liss and receive his next chore.

"Aaah! Fucking hell!" Rex's voice shouted from somewhere outside. Vulk's ears perked up at the faint noise.

Should he go help? Rex had said the night before that he was cutting wood. If he'd hurt himself with an axe, there may not be enough time to get Liss and travel back to him.

As doubtful as Vulk was about that possibility, he decided it would be a good idea to investigate, just in case. Liss could surely do with a few more minutes to herself anyway.

17.

The door to the backyard had been hidden away in a small nook, and It took Vulk longer than he would have wanted to admit to find it. Peeking through, he saw the only place the shouts could have come from, a small shed across the yard hidden in the woodland shade.

Dew jumped onto his legs as he ran across the grass. He hated getting his feet wet, he always had, but he hated the thought of getting stabbed by someone hunting him even more. It was a necessary sacrifice.

"God dammit!" Vulk heard Rex shout again, and he picked up his pace, now jogging towards the building and coming up on it quickly. He didn't bother knocking when he reached the door.

"Sir, are you alright? I heard you shout." Vulk cautiously asked, peering through the entrance. The last thing he needed was an axe being thrown at him.

"Oh sure, come to strike me down in my moment of weakness, what a surprise."

Sarcasm hurt less than a sharpened blade, and Vulk pushed the door open fully. Rex was standing with his back to him, clutching his shoulder, axe laying on the ground near his feet alongside a few pieces of split wood.

"What happened?"

Vulk saw Rex let out a deep sigh, clutching his shoulder tighter as he exhaled.

"Nothing. If you're not going to rob me then go get my wife. Otherwise this is the perfect chance for you, isn't it?"

"Sir, maybe a chance is what you should have given me to begin with. If I'd known coming here would have bothered you like this I wouldn't have. But I needed help and Thorn said I could trust you, and I hoped he was right."

"And how can I trust you? You already told me you're wanted. How do I know you didn't just kill Thorn and work your way here to continue your little spree."

Vulk stepped inside, closer, inching towards Rex. He had to play his cards right, this was going to be his only chance to leave a good impression, he could tell.

"You can't trust me, I know. But I haven't done anything to you, your wife, or your business yet, you could at least give me some kind of chance."

"You want me to give you a chance? Then leave so I don't have to worry about you along with the rest of everything I have going on right now."

He was only a few feet away now, and Vulk could see why Rex was clutching his shoulder. It was hanging inches lower than it should have, dislocated. Clearly causing a lot of pain as well.

He'd seen it happen before, enough times to know how to remedy the problem.

"I think I can fix your arm, sir."

"I think you can scram. If you want to help go get my wife, she'll -ah, hey! What're you-!"

Vulk pushed down hard on Rex's back, bending him at the waist. This was either going to work out with Rex trusting him more, or by ruining any chance of getting along with him and having to run away into the forest under threat of violence.

"Please, just don't hurt my wife." Rex pleaded.

"Hold on, I can do this."

Vulk grabbed the dislocated arm and held it almost flat to Rex's side, a small space dividing the two. Keeping his hand on Rex's lower arm, he walked in front of him, careful to keep the arm as still as possible. With his other hand he gripped Rex's collarbone firmly, hoping it would give him some leverage.

"This is going to hurt, but it'll help your arm." Vulk tried to console, but he doubted it was going to have much of an effect. He took a deep breath, thought for a second about how stupid he was being, and pulled Rex's arm forward as hard as he could.

"Graaaaah!" Rex shouted, nearly overpowering the loud "pop" that came from deep in his shoulder as his arm shifted into place. Still clutching it, he straightened himself out, and Vulk could see tears running down his face as he lifted his head.

Vulk stood in front of him, waiting for Rex to either say something, or swing at him.

18.

"You... hm." Rex grunted. He rotated his arm a few times, gauging the extent of the damage that had been done, wincing in pain a little each time he brought it above him.

"Rex! Rex are you alright? I heard you shout." Liss yelled as she ran through the open door.

"I... yeah... I'm alright Liss. Log bounced when I swung at it, popped my shoulder out. Our guest seems to have fixed the problem."

"Well, that's a pleasant surprise. I didn't know you had any medical knowledge, Vulk."

Vulk shrugged.

"I don't."

...Probably not the best thing he could have said.

"Oh. Well, it was still lucky you were here, otherwise he'd have needed to go into town. Do you need anything Rex? Should I take you to the clinic anyway?"

"No, no. I'm fine, just... sore. Do we have any willow bark left in the medicine chest?"

"I'll see what I can rummage up. Don't hurt yourself any more, dear."

Liss hurried out of the shed, leaving Vulk and Rex alone again. Rex grabbed the axe from the ground and thrust it at Vulk.

"You want to make yourself useful? Split those logs. Fuck if I can now." he grunted, and walked over to a work table, taking a seat. Vulk shrugged again and placed a log onto the chopping block, a different one than had caused Rex's injury.

*WHUMP*

The axe slammed down, cleaving the log in two and sending the halves flying. Vulk grabbed another log from the pile and set it up again.

*WHUMP*

Another perfect cut.

And another.

And another.

*WHUMP*

Piece after piece of wood went flying away as the minutes passed. The axe was starting to get heavy, but Vulk continued. He had a point to make.

"Why?" he heard Rex ask between swings.

"Sorry sir? What did you say?"

*WHUMP*

"Put the axe down. I asked why."

Vulk dropped the axe to the ground with a thud.

"Why what, sir?"

"Why do you have a bounty on your head?"

Vulk sighed, thinking of the best way to explain his situation.

"Well?"

"Sorry, it's a long stor-"

"I've got all day with this arm now. Tell me." Rex interjected, seemingly unhappy with how long Vulk was taking.

"I got into an argument with a shopkeeper in Alvial, the city up in the mountains"

"I'm aware of where Alvial is."

"Right. It was about five months ago. I got into an argument with a shopkeeper, it was about something stupid, I don't even remember what. That night his store burned down."

Rex scratched at his chin, suddenly much more interested in what Vulk was saying.

"The owner of the store, not the shopkeep, the actual owner, decided it was my fault it happened."

"You couldn't prove you were innocent?"

"I did, It was ruled an accident."

"So what was the problem then?"

"The owner of the store had enough money to turn the city against me anyway. Nobody would talk to me, I couldn't find any work to do, so I left. I stayed with a friend in Eldale. Then news from the mountains finally reached..."

"And you left again. That doesn't answer my question. If you were innocent then why do you have the law after you?"

"I don't know, sir. I wish I did. When I was attacked the other night she said I was wanted for a bunch of different things."

"Things like...?"

"Things... like rape and murder, apparently. I don't know where those came from. That news must have just reached Eldale after I left."

"I see. Those words don't exactly help your case."

Taking his cue from the silence enshrouding the two of them, Vulk picked back up the axe and continued his work.

*WHUMP*

*WHUMP*

"I'm sorry."

*WHUMP*

Vulk almost thought he'd imagined it. He turned back and gave Rex a puzzled look.

"I'm sorry... for acting the way I did."

"What?"

"I still don't know if I can or should trust you. But I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance. You're right, I should have at least given you the benefit of the doubt."

"I understand, really. If I owned a place like this I would have been concerned too. And I know you've been under a lot of stress lately, getting things done."

"Oh Liss told you that, did she? Figures, but she's right. I'll try to be less... cross with you."

"Thank you sir."

Vulk gave Rex a small smile, a grin of acknowledgment. Rex returned nothing but the same look he'd been giving Vulk since he'd arrived, but this time his eyes didn't seem quite so piercing.

It was something.

19.

Liss appeared in the doorway yet again, carrying a tray of food.

"Sorry, I was eavesdropping a bit. That's terrible what's happened to you, hun, but I'm so glad you and my better half are getting along better. I brought you both something to nibble on for lunch, and I found some bark for you, Rex."

"Thank you honey."

Rex's voice when talking to his wife was filled with compassion. Vulk could tell they really did feel deeply about one another, disagreements aside. Maybe that was something he would feel some day too, if things worked out.

"I didn't know what you would want, Vulk, so I brought you a little of everything, and a cool glass of cider. I hope there's something you'll like."

"Liss you really didn't have to, really. You've been more than kind enough to me already."

"Oh hush, I'm happy to help someone in need. So does Rex, even if he won't admit it."

Vulk caught Rex rolling his eyes as he bit into his sandwich.

"Thank you very much Liss."

"Oh don't thank me yet, honey, I'll have more scrubbing for you to do later."

Both of them laughed, and Liss left quickly. Vulk and Rex each ate in silence.

Once the food was gone and the cider drunk, Vulk got back to chopping as Rex worked on something with a handsaw. Maybe he could try and make a little small talk.

"You look a little funny with that bark sticking out of your mouth, sir."

"Don't push your luck." Rex mumbled back.

Nope, bad idea.

He didn't plan to push his luck though, and so the work continued. Log after log, splinter after splinter.

Every so often Rex would call him over, to hold something he couldn't while he made precision cuts, then send him back to the chopping block.

While he was working, Vulk caught Liss looking in on them more than a few times through the corner of his eye, usually through a window. The fact she cared enough to make sure they weren't killing each other made him feel nice. He could get used to this kind of treatment.

Slowly the colors of the day faded away, blues turned to reds, whites to purples. Vulk's arms were the equivalent of sponges now, not sore, but tired. He and Rex still hadn't talked much, but there were small spurts of conversation here and there. It was at least progress, and he didn't think Rex had disliked him as much as originally thought, which was good.

Liss' voice floated over from the Inn, and his and Rex's heads moved in unison.

"Rex! Send Vulk over, the dinner rush is starting. You should come over too, I think one of the doors is about to fall off it's hinges!"

Rex turned to him.

"You heard the lady, get over there. I'll be over in a minute, need to pack these up."

Gently placing the axe down against the block, Vulk began the slow walk to the other building, arms dangling by his sides. He'd never been more tired in his life, but at least he had a roof to sleep under. It was a fair trade off.

"Ah, there you are hun, thanks for running over. The food's already going out and the plates are just about to start coming back. Our guests certainly know how to eat."

Back into the sink Vulk's arms went. The water felt amazing on them, and somehow he managed to find the strength to get everything cleaned as it was dumped before him. It felt like it took an age, but Liss eventually stopped bringing more. The sky had turned an umbral black by the time he finally drained the basin again.

When he turned around he saw the table once more topped with food, Rex and Liss each sitting across from each other. Apparently, his seat was next to Rex's this time.

"Take a seat and have some dinner, honey. You've earned it."

"Thank you, again."

He couldn't think of much to say, he was ready to fall asleep where he stood. Bending his legs for the first time since breakfast brought about a loud pop from each of his knees. As soon as he was down, Rex began talking to him. Vulk had to force himself to stay awake to listen.

"I want to thank you for your help. You cut more wood in a day than I've been able to in the past month. I don't know how you did it, but I think I can finally say you've earned your stay."

"I... thank you, sir. Very... much."

The words were barely forming in his mouth, and it took more energy than he had to get them out. Each movement of his tongue was agony.

"My goodness Rex, I think you may have worked him close to death."

"I didn't expect him to actually work the entire time, Liss. And who am I to turn down his help? I'm just as surprised as you are."

Liss placed a hand gently onto Vulk's shoulder and leaned closer, talking softly.

"Honey, if you want to go to bed you can go. Rex and I can take care of the last few things today, you've done more than enough for us."

"Are you sure, Liss? I can still help, really. I don't want you to let me stay here longer than you need..."

"You can help us by getting some rest, hun. You're no good to us if you pass out and hurt yourself. Don't worry about the stay."

Rex grunted in the background.

Vulk had no energy to argue with her. He rose from the table, swaying lightly, and slowly clambered into the foyer and up the stairs. The door to his room felt like it was made of cast iron, but with the last bit of his energy he pulled it open enough to slide through. The moment he collapsed onto the bed he fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.

20.

Vulk's eyes fluttered open, dilating in the nocturnal light of the outside world.

He'd been dreaming about the dragon again. Another epic battle, another death so close to slaying the beast. Tusse had always thought dreams were premonitions of the future, and never shut up about his own. If this one meant anything, Vulk didn't have a clue as to what. He didn't think he'd want to know, either.

But... no, that wasn't why he'd woken up. He hadn't gotten to the point where he would try in vain to slash his way out of the beast, slowly losing himself in a stygian void. Something else had caused him to wake. But what? What was it this time?

He squinted, eyes still adjusting to the light as he swept them across the room. The moonlight wasn't as strong as it had been in days prior, but it was still enough to see. Problem was, nothing seemed to be out of place.

But something had woken him up. Something had to be there, he knew it. He squinted a little harder, double checking the dark corners of the room.

Nothing in the right. Nothing in the-

No, there was something there. Something too dark, clashing against the rest of the shadows.

There was definitely something-

Vulk's adrenaline began to flow. He started breathing quicker, shallower, body going into panic mode.

Out of the corner two yellow eyes stared back at him, studying him. Eyes that froze him in place like the beasts he'd whimsically thought of earlier. Only this time, they were all too real.

Beneath them appeared a set of glistening, razor sharp teeth.

21.

His sword was on the floor next to him. There was no way he could reach it before whatever was staring at him jumped. Each of his limbs was tangled in the bedsheets as well, so that wouldn't work either.

The eyes rose higher, bouncing slightly as they moved closer to him, inch by agonizing inch.

The teeth came out once again, twisted into a carnivorous grin. Each tip shone like polished ivory. Each no doubt eager to sink deep into his flesh.

Vulk squeezed his eyes shut, but then forced them open again.

"No. I'm not closing my eyes this time. I'm done being afraid of this." he thought, trying to rally himself. It sure wasn't working though. He was still terrified. He just didn't want to go out like a complete pansy.

One more step forward and it would be in the moonlight. Just one more and he would at least get to see what was going to take his life.

Finally it moved again. Vulk's panic increased, knowing his encroaching death would be laced with terror and pain. He pulled the bedsheets up to his face, leaving only his eyes above it as he shook in fright.

"Oh, I'm... I'm sorry, hun. I didn't mean to scare you."

Liss stepped into the light, draped in a simple purple robe. She sounded hesitant, perhaps a little fearful.

"Li- Li- Li-?" Vulk stammered. He had to force himself to catch his breath and gain control back over his tongue.

"Liss!? What are-"

"Shhhh, people are sleeping." she whispered, bringing a finger over her pursed lips, quietly stepping closer. Vulk dropped the sheet and lifted his torso, resting with his arms behind him. He was still in shock.

"Liss, what's going on? Why are you in here?"

Liss' eyes glanced away from him for a moment, but she kept moving forward. She seemed as confused as he was.

She sat down on the bed parallel to Vulk's legs, leaning on her arm as she looked at him.

"Liss what's going on? Why are you in here? Did something happen?" he said with concern, making sure to keep his voice low.

She waved his questions off, shaking her head.

"No, no it's nothing like that. I just... I don't know, I don't know why I'm in here..."

"What's wrong Liss? You look... distraught. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Vulk, you amaze me with how caring you are. You've been through so much but the first thing you do is try and help. I eavesdropped a little while you were talking to Rex, I'm sorry."

"No, that's fine, I saw you a few times. It was nice to know you cared enough to keep Rex and I from going at it."

She looked away again, brow furling as her eyes shimmered in the light.

"That's... not why I was watching you. Vulk I do think you can help me, I think you're the only person who can."

"Sure, do you need something brought in, or out? If there's a problem with a guest I guess I can try to..."

Liss sighed, her look changing to one of desperation. Her eyes were pleading with him, begging him for something.

"Vulk I was watching you work with Rex earlier, and you just... you reminded me so much of him, of back when we had first met and fallen head over heels for each other. I haven't been able to get that thought out of my head. All I've been able to think about is you and the resemblance, nothing else all day since I saw you chopping that wood."

She paused, turning her head to look out the window towards the sky.

"Liss?" Vulk asked, right as she began to turn back to him.

"Vulk I... I-I want to... sleep with you."

Vulk's mind went blank. This was not what he had been expecting to hear, though it explained why she had snuck into his room instead of knocking.

"I... um... um..."

He couldn't think of anything. Going from adrenaline, to shock, to... this, had frazzled his poor psyche. He could barely even take in the information coming at him at this point.

"Liss, you're- you're married!" was all he could blurt out in as quiet a shocked whisper as he could.

"I know I know, but... but... No matter what I do I can't get the thought of you out my head. You're so young, and strapping, and- and Rex and I haven't bed each other in months... we've been so busy and tired, and I still love him more than the world but I just- I just can't even think straight now. I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

She scooted herself further onto the bed, beginning to crawl half over Vulk on all fours. She threw the corner of blanket covering him off as she reached his chest, revealing him. They each looked down in unison.

"Uh..." Vulk droned.

Liss looked back up and smiled sweetly at him.

"I know how you canines work, hun. I know it takes a minute for you to get going."

She lowered herself closer to the bed and brought her arms in front of her. With one hand she gently cupped Vulk's scrotum, just firmly enough that Vulk could feel each of her fingers as they raised and fell, gently massaging him.

With her other she pushed back his sheath and exposed him, holding his penis with her first hand. It quivered in the cool air, free of it's prison, but Vulk was still paralyzed.

She placed a single finger at its base, slowly beginning to inch it upwards as it quivered lightly again, glistening in the pale light as it tilted under her control. Every curve, every vein and muscle vibrated as she slid her soft, scaled finger over them.

He'd never had someone touch him like this before, and it felt amazing. Even being so confused by what was going on, it was incredible.

He couldn't stop himself. He was going to cum and he couldn't stop it. He couldn't even open his mouth to say anything, every part of his body had locked up tighter as she moved.

Liss finished her stroke, moving agonizingly slow as she neared the tip. She ended with a small flick upwards that made his penis bounce.

It was too much.

22.

"Nrrng..." Vulk grunted, grimace on his face. In one fluid motion he swelled and came onto Lissandra's hands. She stopped moving and stared at them.

"O-oh... I... Oh."

She rose up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, looking blankly ahead with her hands in her lap.

"Liss, I... Are you alright?" Vulk whispered to her. What had just happened probably wasn't what was supposed to have happened.

She continued staring forward, but then wiped her hands on the bed and lowered her face into them, covering it. Vulk heard her sob.

"Oh gods Vulk, I'm- I'm so sorry. I didn't... I didn't know you were..."

She lurched again and gave another deep cry. When she lifted her head Vulk could see tears running down her face.

"I shouldn't have done this. I should never have done this. This was a mistake and I'm so, so sorry Vulk. I don't know what happened to me, I just- I don't even have an excuse, I'm a bad person, I'm unfaithful to the man I love and I- I just-"

Vulk wrapped his arms around Liss from behind and hugged her tightly. He didn't know why, but it felt like the right thing to do.

"You're not a bad person Liss, don't say that. I can't begin to understand your life and what you're going through, but don't cry. Please don't cry. I've been through hell and I can't watch you cry..."

The full impact of everything that had happened in his life up to now was finally starting to hit him. Every hardship, ever unfair swing life had taken at him, they all came back in an instant. He was starting to tear up himself.

He'd been abandoned, abused, run out of his home, attacked, had those he cared about hurt. It wasn't fair, not any of it.

If he'd let it affect him, he wouldn't have be able to keep moving. So he'd shrugged it off and marched along, locking it away deep inside of himself in some lost, forgotten corner.

But now, watching someone else crying in front of him, someone feeling the same things he had, it stirred something. Some long ignored part of himself starting to overflow.

He was different now. Life had been hell, and he had changed, but no more bullshit. No more saying he would get through things, or that he would be alright. He shouldn't have to say it to himself, not if he really believed it. He wasn't going to let his past control him like this.

He would remember, and it would hurt, but it wasn't who he was anymore. He was going to live the way he wanted. No more dwelling on the past, no more running from his problems, no more excuses.

And right now, he wanted to help the person crying between his arms.

"You're not a bad person Liss, don't ever say that. You're one of the nicest people I've ever met. I know what you're feeling, I know the pain you've got. I... um... I want you to sleep with me Liss, please.

Flirty bedroom talk was something he would need to work on.

Liss gently took hold of his arms and lowered them, looking over her shoulder as she sniffed, face still glossy with tears.

"No... no hun, you don't have to. It's just been such a hard year, and I... I lost control of myself. I'm so sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I hope you can forgive me. I just want to forget this even happened, I don't know what's wrong with me."

Vulk rested his head on her shoulder, still maintaining his lock around her. The hairs of his snout stood on end as they touched her cool skin.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Liss. Please..."

She let go of Vulk's arms, and wiped away the remaining tears on her face. With a final sniffle she spoke again.

"Are... you sure, hun? I don't want you to do this because you feel bad for me..."

"Please, Liss. If anyone would introduce me to the adult world, I'd be honored if it were you. I think it'll help both of us."

23.

He was already getting stiff again. His body craved more. What better a way to christen the point where he truly changed himself than this. And if it could help someone else, all the better.

Liss turned and pushed him gently onto his back, straddling his waist with her hands resting on his chest. Neither was crying any more, but stains of what had been still shone on their faces.

"You're absolutely sure about this, hun? You really, really don't have to."

Vulk nodded. It was the only thing he could do, all the blood in his brain had already rushed elsewhere.

"Okay... If you're really sure."

Liss started to fumble with the knot keeping her robe together, but her hands were shaking too much to progress in undoing it. Vulk saw the correct strip and reached up, giving it a tug, and the knot fell away into two lengths. Liss grabbed each side of the opening and threw her arms back.

The robe slowly fell from her body, each of her newly uncovered scales sparkling a radiant green in the silvered moonlight. The shadow of her slim figure cast itself over Vulk, no longer burdened by it's coverings. Her vagina was puffed in excitement, and a single bead of fluid glistened at the top of her slit. She let out a deep breath.

"Alright hun... Here we go. This is the last chance to tell me no, like you should..."

He said nothing. The end of his tail flicked in excitement.

She grabbed Vulk's penis and angled it towards the ceiling, pointing it straight up. It throbbed once, twice in her hand, scant amount of cum from what had just happened trickling down its side. She slid herself forward until she was over it, knees just above each side of Vulk's waist. Glancing down once more to make sure everything was lined up, she began to lower herself.

The gap between the two of them closed slowly. The moment Vulk made contact with her, cool liquid ran down him and matted his fur. His penis bucked at the strange yet wondrous sensation, but Liss' firm grip held it in place. She paused and waited for it to stop, then continued her descent.

The tip of Vulk's penis vanished, gently pushing aside the walls of her vagina. It was cool, colder than his own body temperature, but not nearly enough to be uncomfortable. It only added to the incredible experience.

Liss moved further down. Vulk could feel her against him, each curve of himself being hugged by her. Not constricting, but not loose either. He'd never felt anything so amazing before.

"Ooooohhh..." Vulk lightly moaned as she finally stopped. Liss took his arms and placed them around her waist, beginning to grind back and forth on top of him.

He could feel each and every inch of her cool flesh sliding across him, over and over and over again. He couldn't describe it as anything other than ecstasy. His penis tingled and throbbed, sending pulses of energy through his body as Liss skillfully maneuvered on top of him.

"Ah.. Ooooohh..." Lissandra quietly moaned, closing her eyes and increasing her speed as the seconds passed.

"I'm... I'm..." she whispered to the air, and her entire body shuddered.

Vulk could feel her tighten and loosen around him, again and again as she began to breath heavier. He could only figure that she had just came.

He pulled down lightly on her thighs, not even aware that he was doing it. Liss took his hands and placed them back on her waist and scolded him through labored breaths.

"I know what you've got down there sweetie. *Pant* You don't want to hurt me now, do you?"

Another gush of fluid ran down Vulk, flowing over him and onto the bed as Liss picked up speed again. The sensations in his body were getting stronger, and his penis began to throb more intensely as Liss shuddered once again, a new wave of contractions taking hold of her. He was going to cum soon himself. Was he supposed to do something?

His penis felt like a lightning rod. Liss was tightening against him more with each pulse of her vagina, and he could feel her slipping across him more smoothly with every small movement she made, every wondrous ridge and curve of her insides gently pressing against him.

There was pressure building inside of him again, deep in his groin. His testes slowed their bouncing and drew back, stiffening in preparation of what was about to happen.

"Liss, I'm... I'm going to... I'm going to-"

"Go ahead honey, go right ahead. We're not compatible *Pant* species." Liss moaned back to him.

He could take no more. Vulk's muscles loosed themselves, no longer under his control.

"Gnnaah!" he moaned as he thrust upwards, feeling an intense spray escape from himself.

Liss loudly gasped and shuddered a final time, setting off another wave of tightening and loosening, each of her contractions matching his own.

"So... warm..." Liss barely got out, struggling to speak against her labored gasps.

As Vulk felt himself shooting deep into Liss, the pressure inside of him began to wane. Slowly his muscles stopped, as did those of the beautiful lizard on top of him, and they each looked into the others eyes, waiting for their bodies to fully complete their jobs. Both were still, panting, speechless as the sky behind them began to lighten into its first morning colors.

"Thank you, thank you so much hun. I've... I..."

She sounded relieved. Relieved and exhausted.

She collapsed onto Vulk's chest without finishing her sentence, slipping off of him in the process. She began quietly snoring into his fur as he fell back into his own world of dreams shortly after, happy and satisfied.

There were no dragons to be fought this time.

24.

"Ack." Vulk grunted.

Sunlight was pouring into the room, stinging his eyes as he tried to open them. It had to be late morning. He'd overslept.

Sitting up, he shielded his eyes with his hand. He felt fantastic. Even with all the work from the other day, not one of his muscles ached, and he felt as clear headed as ever. He lifted his arms over his head, pleasantly stretching his muscles, taking a deep breath of the fresh air flowing in through the open windows.

"Aaaaaah. Wow, what happened to make me sleep like-"

Wait, he hadn't opened the windows last night. He'd barely had the strength to reach the bed, let alone throw those massive plates of glass open. What happened?

He'd gone into the room, stumbled to the bed, and then... well he couldn't remember after that. He assumed that was when he fell asleep. But... wait, no, something happened after. Something scared him, he remembered that specifically.

Something had woken him up, and it was still dark, and he was scared. Was it a nightmare? No, no it was something different than that. It was... It was Liss, he remembered the purple. Liss had snuck into his room and woken him up, and then-

All the groggy memories rushed back to him in an instant. Every movement and bounce that had occurred in those early morning hours played back in his head, all at once.

But no, that couldn't have happened. It must have been a vivid dream, nothing more. Right? Just a dream fueled by his desperate libido. That just wasn't a possible thing that could happen, not to him.

Vulk grabbed the sheets covering him and threw them to the side. The stains hiding beneath held the answer to his question.

"Oh gods, oh gods I slept with Liss. I reaffirmed some things about myself too, but I slept with Liss" he murmured to himself.

This could end very, very badly.

He reached for his clothes that he'd left next to the bed.

And kept reaching.

His fingers touched the cool wooden floor. He peeked over and saw that it was bare, which meant that now he was too. What the hell was going on?

He leapt to the floor and checked the other sides of the bed, hoping maybe his clothes had gotten kicked somewhere else, but they were nowhere to be found. He couldn't even find his pack. All of his things were gone. But folded over the desk chair in the corner of the room, was something new.

He grabbed the thick moss colored robe and threw it over himself, desperate to cover up. It was several sizes too big for him. It could only be Rex's.

Cinching the loose garment around himself as tightly as he could, Vulk crept to the door, cracking it open.

The hallway in front of him was empty, but he could hear the clattering of silverware and the voices of guests eating their meals. There was something else, too. A pleasant, happy melody, just loud enough for him to be able to pick up.

There was no way he was going anywhere undetected, even if there was entertainment happening below. Plus he had to find his gear. Where did it go? Who would have taken it? How was he going to explain any of this without letting slip what happened?

He was so confused.

Tiptoeing down the hall he peeked over the banister. The room below wasn't as full as he'd thought, but there were still plenty of people. Wonderful.

He somehow managed to creep down the stairs without drawing attention to himself, and let out a sigh of relief as he tried to figure out what to do next.

"Vulk." A deep baritone rasped behind him.

Close behind him.

And he knew exactly who it was.

25.

Vulk turned around, slowly, shrinking more as he rotation. Now he was face to face with Rex, still stone faced, eyes still piercing into him.

"You seem to be wearing something of mine."

"I.. I'm... I-I-"

No matter how he tried, Vulk couldn't think of anything to say that would save him. Every sentence he tried to spit out shattered into fragile pieces, spilling from his lips.

"It looks good on you. She was right about it being too big though. Sorry I didn't have anything smaller."

"I-I-I-what?"

"Are you okay Vulk? You seem... flustered. If you're worried about your things, they're fine. The missus thought your gear must be dirty after all the work the other day, and she wanted to get them scrubbed down. Normally I would object, but, well..."

He pointed behind Vulk, who turned to see what he meant. Among the tables and hungry patrons, Liss glided over the floor, humming to herself as she elegantly stacked plates and delivered food. She had the look of one trapped in perpetual bliss. Vulk hadn't thought it was possible for someone to be seem so happy.

"Vulk, my wife hasn't sung in years. We started this inn as a labor of love, but as the years went by... it turned into something else. But once you showed up, you did something."

He'd done something to Liss, that was for sure.

"You've made me realize a lot of things about myself, and my better half as well. You fixed something... Something we both desperately wanted to, but didn't know how."

He put a massive hand on Vulk's shoulder, lowering his head to match Vulk's eyes.

"You've reminded us that we still love each other just as much as the day we met. And I'm never going to let myself forget that again. Thank you, so much, Vulk"

Rex's eyes no longer held an unyielding glare, but glistened with the same emotion Vulk had noticed when he first saw him. Now Vulk was more dumbfounded than ever.

"You can stay here as long as you'd like Vulk, we'd be honored. Well, as long as you keep working like you did yesterday." Rex said, a small but noticeable grin spreading across his mouth. Vulk hadn't even thought Rex could move his muscles like that.

"Thank you sir, but I can't. I've realized a lot about myself while I've been here too, and there's a lot of things I still want do."

Rex sighed a knowing sigh and gave a slight nod.

"I figured. Just know you're welcome here any time, no matter what trouble you may be in. I know you're not a bad person, and I'm sorry again for my... behavior."

He extended a hand, and Vulk did the same, instantly regretting his choice as it was crushed under Rex's strength. Vulk had to force himself not to wince or pull back.

"You're clothes are still drying out on the line. Let's go sit, I've still got something I want to... talk about."

Oh no. He knew. He had to know. He said his last line with too distinct a pause not to know. On the road three days and already dead. That had to be a record.

He unwillingly followed Rex to a seat by the counter, partly out of fear and partly because Rex still had a vice grip on his poor, throbbing hand. Rex took out a small pouch and tossed it in front of him, metallic clank ringing out as it landed.

"What is this, sir?"

"Payment." Rex grunted back.

"Payment? Payment for what?"

Rex rolled his eyes and sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"This is where the wife and I started to disagree. You did a lot more work yesterday than either of us expected, more than what would have payed for your room. She insisted we... I, pay you the difference. I would have said no, but... how could I say no to that."

He was looking past Vulk again. Vulk turned just in time to catch Liss happily placing cut flowers into a vase at the center of the counter, still humming to herself. Before she walked out of the room she took a deep breath of their aroma, smile on her face growing.

"You hungry? There's still some breakfast left in the kitchen. I'm going to go tidy up the front, see if I can't get some of the shingles hammered back down."

"Thank you, sir, again."

"Don't thank me. This is just paying a debt. We're all squared away now, as far as I'm concerned. Though it's really Liss' opinion on that that matters. You go ahead and eat, by the time you finish I'm sure your things will be dry. If I don't catch you again before you leave, I'll wish you good luck on your travels now. Thank you again, Vulk."

Rex left the table, barreling through the front doors with none of the resistance Vulk had dealt with before. Vulk got up and moved to the back of the counter, heading towards the kitchen. He didn't think he could eat with all the knots in his stomach from thinking Rex knew what happened, but he would try.

26.

"Aah!" Vulk yelped in surprise as he walked through the kitchen doorway. Something had wrapped tightly around his chest, nearly knocking him over.

"Mornin' hun. Sorry I took your stuff, but I wanted to send you off as fresh as I could. I figured your things were a bit grimy from yesterday, even though you've only been on the road a little while now. I saw you talking with Rex, did he give you the extra money?"

She was resting her head on his shoulder, softly speaking into his ear. It felt nice.

"Yeah, he did. Thank you for cleaning my things too, Liss. I kind of had a freak out when I couldn't find my clothes."

"Mmmm, I've got plenty of things I should be thanking you for too, sweetie. Rex and I had quite a talk earlier. Even with being together all these years we still had some things to learn about each other. And if you and I, ehm, well..."

She cleared her throat and dropped her voice to a whisper.

"If we hadn't gotten to know each other as... closely as we had last night, I never would have had that conversation. He wouldn't have either, if you hadn't fixed his arm. There's something special about you, Vulk. You really did something amazing for both of us."

Vulk wasn't sure how to talk about what had happened, or even if he should mention it at all. The compliments only made him more nervous to say anything, flattering at they were. Luckily, Liss began to speak again before he could sink his foot too deeply into his mouth.

"I like to think that everything happens for a reason, hun. As bad as you've had it, I think you were supposed to find your way here and help us. And, mmmm, the sex was quite a bonus."

"Thank... you?"

She laughed and loosened herself from his torso, strutting towards the doorway with joy in her steps.

"You go ahead and get something to eat, I'll go get your things. It should all be dry now. Shame though, you look wonderful in that robe."

Vulk got a plate and helped himself to what was left of the breakfast meats, and a few eggs. His hosts had been so nice to him, he almost didn't want to leave. But something was telling him he needed to keep moving, and he decided to trust the feeling. Perhaps he had done everything he needed to here, like Liss had said.

27.

Within minutes she returned, arms filled with his belongings. Vulk excused himself to change back in his room.

"I don't know why you need to do it in your room, hun, It's not like you're hiding anything from me. Oh! And don't worry about the sheets, I'm the one who cleans them." she whispered as he walked past her, making him grin in embarrassment.

They had indeed made quite a mess, and the bed sheets told a _very_passionate story now. Once he'd returned to the room, Vulk covered them with the top layer of covers before he dressed. For now, and hopefully forever, it was a story that would best remain untold.

Pack slung and geared in his leather, Vulk waved goodbye to Liss, who waved heartily back and gave him a wink as he pushed open the doors. He hadn't seen Rex, but that was alright, since they had already said their farewells.

Taking his first few steps out of the building, he found himself already missing it, but also eager to move on to the next adventure. They'd said he was welcome back any time, and Vulk hoped he would get to see the couple again soon. But not too soon. And hopefully with less people out for his head as well. Just the single one he knew about right now was too many.

The day outside of the Inn was beautiful, even more than yesterday, and the day before that. Each step kicked a small cloud of dust behind him, and right as he was reaching his stride he heard his name being called.

"Vulk! Wait!"

It was Rex, running to him from further back on the trail. Vulk began to walk back, to save him some effort.

"I'm glad I caught you. You had just left when I thought of this." he said, pulling out a small square of paper from inside his shirt.

Examining it, Vulk could see several arrows, pointing in different directions. Not anything he could make heads or tails of.

"Um..."

"If you're going through the rest of the forest, follow those. All the roads will take you out eventually, but those roads will take you out the quickest, and there're a few houses right outside the woods that way, too, in case you need anything by then. They're all nice folks."

"Wow, thank you so much, sir." Vulk replied, finally understanding the map.

"Don't mention it. It's still a few days away on foot, if you're not running, but it crosses another river about halfway, so you'll get a fill up. Good luck again, Vulk, it was an honor to have you stay with us."

Rex disappeared as quickly as he'd come, turning behind a bend in the road. Before he was fully out of view, he waved happily to Vulk one last time.

Now Vulk had a map through the forest, and any remaining nerves quickly faded away.

28.

He marched on, his memories of the past few days keeping him company. He only saw a few other souls along the trail, most traveling back from where he had come from, and none in any mood to talk to a stranger.

The rare few people he stumbled across going the same way as him were either left behind in his wake, or turned off onto a separate path as he neared them. How any of them knew where they were going in the infinitely deep maze of forest roads was a mystery to him.

He only barely had a clue where he was going, and he clutched his map tightly each time he saw a traveler disappear from his sight.

As the sun sank behind the trees before him, so did Vulk's stomach, beginning to growl at him in protest of his dietary schedule. He hadn't eaten since morning, and he was getting very hungry.

"This spot will work." he thought to himself as he moved off the road, nestling between two fallen trees, just out of sight.

The dried grass beneath them crackled as fire tore through, warming the pocket Vulk had nestled in.

"It's only for a little while. Once it's warmed up I'll put the fire out, which should be just around nightfall. Nobody will notice a thing."

The few stones Vulk was sitting on heated quickly, and he found himself struggling to stay awake. It was surprisingly cozy where he was. But, if he didn't eat anything he would surely wake up in the middle of the night, stomach growling angrily at him again. He grabbed his pack and opened it, eager to fill himself.

"What on earth...?"

Sitting atop his things was a package, ornately wrapped in white paper. Tied to it with a string was a folded note. Vulk pulled it loose and opened it, reading the words that appeared before him.

"Hey hun. I know you're probably sick of it by now, but I just wanted to thank you again for everything. You really have no idea just what you did for us. I made you a little something to eat, I hope you like it. Good luck on your travels sweetie, come back any time, we mean it.

P.S.

I'm sure you know, but if we meet in the future, let's keep what happened between us our little secret."

Vulk was tearing up again.

Unwrapping the paper revealed a thick sandwich, meticulously crafted with homemade bread and plenty of meats. He ate silently, and had to wipe his eyes clear several times before he managed to finish it.

Done, he snuffed out the flame and rested his head on a pile of leaves, falling asleep quickly.

29.

The early morning calls of various woodland critters signaled Vulk's third day on the road since leaving the company of Liss and Rex. He pulled himself up out of the bush he'd hidden himself in and flicked off several burrs that had stuck to his forehead during the night. It was going to be yet another nice day. Not a cloud in the sky and plenty warm , It was an unusual snap of nice weather.

Branches snapped as he wrenched his bag free of their grasp, and he pulled out a small piece of meat to snack on while he moved. If he was right, today he should finally break through the treeline and into the fields beyond. With each step the sunlight broke through the trees ahead of him more and more. He hoped it was a good sign of how far he had left to go.

Yesterday had been more of the same. He'd woken up and hit the trail, passed a handful of people who were none too social, ate from some berry bushes he'd found, and went to sleep.

He'd covered a lot of distance the past few days, and as nice as the scenery was, he was eager to move on to the next adventure. Hopefully one that wouldn't maim him... and maybe with some more sex.

He really hoped it would have more sex.

Vulk couldn't help but laugh at the thought that his experience at the Inn had left him with more blood in his crotch than his head. But it really was something else, no wonder people were so crazy about it.

He walked along, around each bend and over each dip. He found the river Rex had mentioned and refilled his canteen, drinking as much as he could and filling it again.

The trees were beginning to thin, replaced by tall bushes and shrubs. Grass was becoming abundant, but looking forward only yielded more trees, still too thick to see through.

Finally, after another hour of walking, he finally saw it, a fragment of blue sky piercing through the trees ahead of him at eye level.

He had finally made it. Almost. He'd almost finally made it.

He picked up his pace, ignoring the road that curved to his right and sprinting through the scrub. He tripped on a root, but quickly caught himself and kept going.

The bushes thinned around him rapidly, and with one final push he shoved his way through a thick bramble and into the space beyond.

The skyline before him stopped just at the crest of a hill about a mile onward. To his left were a handful of boulders and shrubby plants, to his far right was the path he should have been following. In the distance were the homes Rex had described, tiny on the horizon, with vegetable fields visible even at this distance.

He eagerly jumped forward, raring to race across the field to them.

Wait.

He stopped himself, and took several steps back to where he had been standing when he first broke through the wall of bushes.

Something wasn't right. He didn't know what, but something had caught his eye. Something close.

Vulk looked around, clueless. What had his subconscious seen that he'd missed? He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Wait, the rocks. Something about the rocks wasn't right. What was wrong with the them? They were just plain, grey and white speckled rocks.

"No, wait. There really is something wrong with those rocks."

Something about the formation closest to the forests edge, behind a few others. Something was off. The outline didn't look right. The shadows didn't play off of it as they should.

He moved toward the pile. Yes, something was definitely off about them. Being closer, Vulk could see why.

A large slab was leaning against a group of stones, but the crack between them wasn't the right size or shape. It almost looked like the stone had been stained behind it. He peered around it and saw it was hiding a cave, nearly blocking the entrance entirely. Squatting low, he squeezed himself through the opening and into the dark, because why have any caution at this point in his life?

30.

It wasn't actually that dark inside the cave, at least not this part. Enough sunlight was getting through the opening that he'd pushed himself through to light the way ahead, albeit dimly.

In front of him, several feet further on, hung some sort of large sheet of fabric. Getting closer, Vulk realized it was a rug, being used as a blockade. It's ornate pattering looked nice in the natural light.

This was getting more interesting by the second. Why would this be here? Some sort of hideout? Vulk cautiously grabbed one of its sides and pulled it slightly towards him, peeking through the opening he made.

The narrow tunnel turned into a natural ramp, leading a few feet down into a massive circular room.

"Amazing." He thought to himself as he stepped further inside.

The room was natural, the walls were rough and the floor packed dirt. But someone had decorated, with more than just the few small torches flickering on the walls.

The end half of the room was covered in rugs of varying size, a pile of pillows was strewn about nearby a small wooden desk, and there were shelves and crates scattered near the walls of the space. The center of the room held a large pit dug about a foot down that held the smoldering remains of a good sized fire. It explained the large pile of logs and tinder next to the ramp.

"I wonder who lives here? I wonder if there's anything valuable, either."

Theft had never been a strong point of Vulk's. He'd avoided it every chance he'd had in the past, which was more often then most would think. But he wasn't sure if this counted. Everything here was probably already stolen from someone else to begin with. He silently tiptoed to the furnished portion of the cavern to get a closer look at the desk and few shelves that visibly held things.

The plush carpets felt nice under his feet. Warm, soft, with just enough sink to relieve some of the pressure from standing. The desk was bare, so Vulk grabbed one of the drawers and pulled it out.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, staring at the pile of gold and silver coins that rested inside.

He slammed the drawer shut, holding his breath, freezing up in place. There was so much he could do with all that money. It was more than he'd ever seen before in his life!

Fiddling with the handle of the second drawer, he checked inside of it too, finding a small wooden jewelry box. Popping it open he was taken back again.

It was filled with jewelry.

Ornate jewelry.

_Valuable_ornate jewelry.

Some of the stones inlaid in the pieces were massive. He left the box open on top of the desk and turned his attention to the nearby shelf, pulling open the bottom doors.

Nothing but old books. Nothing he would ever want to read, either, though there were some titles he recognized. Disappointing compared to what he'd already found, but it hardly dashed his excitement.

The shelf above held another display of assorted coins, this time large silvery white disks among them.

"Holy... crap, those are platinum coins!"

Now Vulk's heart was racing. He'd discovered a literal treasure trove. He was never going to need to worry about money again! Well, at least not for the foreseeable future. He shuddered in anticipation at the thought of what might be in the rest of the containers throughout the cave, and he was already starting to plan on what to spend his newfound riches on.

The top shelf was empty, save for a few old, broken arrows and a wooden bow. He'd always wanted to learn how to shoot, but never had the chance. Now that could well change. He'd never hoped more that someone, particularly the person living in this cave, had died to a wild animal attack or highwayman more than this single moment in his life.

He worked his way over to one of the crates next to the wall. It didn't hold the treasure he had hoped for, but it was filled with dried fruits and vegetables. The one next to it had meticulously wrapped pieces of dried meat, all kinds, some that he couldn't even name.

"Oh no."

He wrapped back up the few pieces he had uncovered and placed them carefully back into the box. Next up was a barrel near the entrance ramp. It had to be filled with some sort of supplies. Hopefully something useful, or even better, valuable.

"Oh this is very bad."

Vulk rushed towards it, popping the top off and peering inside. There were a few small, rusty pickaxes, and a large spade that was broken off at the head. Worthless, but why the picks? Was there something else here? More likely was that they were just trash from a bygone traveler.

"This could well have been the worst mistake I've ever made."

Vulk froze, his brain finally overpowering his excitement. He ran back to the shelf by the desk and stared at it, a crippling fear washing over him.

He'd seen this bow before.

"Oh my gods. Oh no, no no no no no no no no no no no." his mind trailed on.

This was the bow that had been inches away from his face several nights ago. The same one that had nearly killed him, twice. Never in a single moment before did he feel terror greater than this. Not even with an arrow to his face.

This time he was stuck with nowhere to go, and nothing to hide behind. He needed to leave, now!

Vulk gasped as he heard the sound of ruffling cloth coming from behind him. He spun around and grabbed his blade, trying to unbuckle it from the sheath as fast as he could.

But it was too late.

She'd already seen him.

31.

She stared at him, blinking a few times and rubbing her eyes, likely in disbelief. Vulk was still desperately fiddling with his sword, growing more panicked with each failed attempt at pulling it out.

"Well, I leave home for a few days and my job gets done for me. Um... thank you?"

Frustrated, Vulk pulled the sword as hard as he could. The bindings snapped, ruining the sheath. He dropped it to the ground and took on a fighting stance, sword pointed at his assailant.

"Put that thing away, you're going to hurt yourself." she taunted.

"I'm not afraid of you."

And he wasn't afraid of her. He was terrified.

"Well then maybe you should have been, because you're definitely not leaving this time."

She pulled her dagger out from behind her, it's razor sharp blade sending light beams scattering across the cave walls. She gave Vulk a smirk.

This was it, do or die.

Vulk charged forward, sword extended to his left.

"Raaahh!!!" he shouted as he sprinted, catching the girl by surprise. She hopped backward out of his reach as he swung, glaring at him with a look of both annoyance and boredom.

Maybe she wasn't quite as surprised as he'd hoped.

She went for a low counter, lunging at Vulk's legs. He sidestepped and backed away, keeping several feet between him and his assailant. He let out his breath and took in another, holding it as he thrust his blade forward.

He remembered what had happened the last time he got a good inhale of the girls scent. If that happened now, he was done for. His brain would be so clouded over by instinctive lust that he wouldn't be able to keep fighting at a level that would let him stay alive. He had to keep holding his breath, and he had to try and end this fight quickly. Eventually he would have to start gasping for air, and he was as good as dead if that happened.

The two circled around the pit in the middle of the room, gauging each others movements, waiting for the right time to strike. Vulk took the lead once more, stepping forward and swinging high. Again the girl dodged as if he were swinging at her with a stick.

"Ack!" Vulk hissed as the girls dagger slashed into his arm. A large gash appeared in his leather sleeve as he stepped away, but he was barely scratched. Lucky him, but he doubted _that_would last very long.

Another exhale, another deep inhale.

She was just moving too quick. His weapon was too slow to catch her off guard, and she refused to play anything but defence. She was smart. She knew how to handle the situation a lot better than he did. He needed to change tact.

Vulk stepped forward again, sword raised in one hand. The girl sidestepped, and Vulk swung at her with his open hand, claws out. He scraped against her chest piece as she took another step backwards. She looked down at the large scratches that had appeared in the leather, eyebrows raised in surprise.

Maybe if he did something like that a few more times he would actually hurt her, and not just her clothes...

"I payed good money for that..." she muttered, turning her attention back to Vulk.

"Now I'm done playing. You owe me a leather top." she growled at him, striding forward.

Vulk went to swing at her abdomen, but she skillfully caught the blade on the hilt of her dagger and redirected it into the wall next to them. It shattered in a spray of stone fragments and metal shards, sparks flying everywhere.

"I hope you didn't pay much for that piece of garbage." she said, mocking Vulk again as she laughed at him.

He'd actually paid a lot for the sword. The damn blacksmith had ripped him off, he could see where the air bubble had been in the metal.

Vulk reared back and threw his broken blade at the girl, missing widely. It clattered along the floor kicking up more sparks, reigniting the fire that had been g in the center of the cave with a heated roar.

He still had one option left. Not much of one, but it was still a chance.

He grabbed at his pack, swinging it around and holding it in front of him like a shield. As the girl taunted him again, he carefully untied the knot holding it closed, just out of her sight as he took a slow step backwards.

"Alright, now you're just being pathetic, come on. At least let me kill you while you have _some_dignity left."

Exhale. Inhale.

She jumped into the air, flying towards him with the dagger aimed at the center of his chest. At the last second Vulk sprung his trap, pulling the hatchet out of his bag and swinging at her with the blunt end. The dagger flew out of her hand when he made contact, but she backflipped away before he could follow up. But now _he_was the one with the weapon.

"My hatchet!" she shouted as she bounced back into a fighting stance.

"Your hatchet!?" he shouted back, charging again and swinging at her neck.

She ducked, and Vulk threw himself off balance with his follow through. She grabbed and spun, yanking his arm over her shoulder, forcing him to drop the axe and pull away before his arm could snap. He managed to get another slash in with his hand before shoving her back.

The sound of tearing leather masked the footsteps as they moved back into their positions a safe distance from one another.

Exhale. Inhale.

Vulk stared at the girl, and found himself unable to look away. His last swing had ripped open a hole in her chest piece, exposing most of her breasts. Once she noticed where he was looking she gasped and tried in vain to cover it, but a single hand was not enough.

Vulk was starting to pant. He couldn't hold his breath any longer, and the fighting had made a cloud of the girls scent around him. He could feel himself starting to lose his clarity.

His attacker was out of breath as well, and had her left hand covering as much of her chest as she could. It wasn't close to enough to keep Vulk from seeing her bosom as her soft pink nipples began to harden in the cool air; the right poking through the fingers desperately trying to hide it away.

The two stared at each other. Vulk desperately tried to think of what to do next.

"Bone her."

He had to act quickly, he was beginning to get hard. The fantasies trying to force their way into his head were not conducive to surviving a life or death battle.

"Screw her!"

He needed to focus and stop staring at her chest. Her beautiful... luscious chest, flawlessly proportioned to her frame...

"Fuck her like the rabid beast you wish you were like!"

Vulk shook his head hard to each side, trying to wrench free of the thoughts corrupting his mind.

"No, no, you can do this. Focus Vulk! Focus! She's trying to murder you, stop thinking about her perfect tits!"

32.

Vulk took a step forward, then another, and so did the girl across from him. He quickened his pace, preparing for one final attack. She began to march towards him with matching speed.

They were rapidly closing distance. Any moment now they would collide, sooner if she made for a surprise attack. Vulk didn't have a clue about strategy at this point. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing, but he wouldn't go down without a struggle, he'd decided on that much.

As they met parallel to the roaring flames they wrapped their arms around each other, clawing wildly in all directions. Amidst the growls and snarls, large pieces of leather and cloth began to fly away from their bodies. Vulk tilted his head and locked his lips around the huntress, who reciprocated his actions.

The storm of flailing claws continued. More ripping, more tearing, each noise and step echoing off the cave walls. Finally the last few shreds of clothing were tossed away, unlucky pieces hissing as they dropped into the flames. Vulk hugged her more tightly, and she did the same to him, bringing their bodies closer as their passionate kiss continued.

Wait, no. Wait. This wasn't right. What was he doing?

In a brief moment of shared clarity they pushed each other away, making their naked shadows dance in the firelight. The girl lost her balance and fell onto her back, barely catching herself. She barely seemed to notice the impact.

"Oh gods just do it already!" she loudly moaned as she brought her legs closer to her body, knees sticking high into the air she spread her legs and revealed herself.

She was swollen and deep red in blush, puffed inches away from her body. The surrounding hair was matted heavily. Droplets of moisture readily fell away from her, reflecting brief glimmers of firelight before they smacked onto the ground.

Vulk took several shaking steps towards her and dropped to his knees, moving forward even more as the stone floor scratched at him. He was directly in front of her now, and his penis began to throb harder as instinct took full control of him once more.

Hand on each of the girls thighs, Vulk slid himself forward and deep inside of her. She squealed in pleasure as he pushed deeper and deeper. They each let out a gasp as his knot furiously swelled, locking the two of them together as close as they could be.

She fit around him perfectly, there was no hint of open space or looseness anywhere. Every single inch of him was being wrapped tightly by her, and he could feel the tip of his penis rubbing snugly against her cervix.

Vulk began to push and pull against the girl as much as their binding would allow, wet smacks echoing through the cave as he worked. The girl continued to gasp and moan as he moved.

Minutes passed, and he continued thrusting himself forward, picking up speed quickly as he got closer and closer to orgasm. The moaning and panting of the girl grew louder and more frequent in turn.

This feeling, this sensation of being so perfectly fit inside of another, to hear them moaning louder and louder in ecstasy drove some deep, primal aspect of himself wild. He had to keep going. He had to go faster, push against her harder. He needed more of it. He needed to finish her off.

Vulk leaned down closer to her chest and snuggled his face between her breasts. He turned his head to the side and slowly slid his tongue over the left, the girl crying in pleasure once more. She reached her arms around his head and grabbed two large handfuls of his fur, pulling him tighter to her. Vulk could barely breath with his mouth so full of cleavage, but he didn't care. He didn't care at all, it was a wonderful problem to be having.

"I-I-AAAAAH!" the girl screamed. Her hips began to shake violently, and her vaginal muscles clamped down hard around Vulk. The sudden pressure sent him over the edge, and he came alongside her, instinct forcing him to loose a deafening howl into the cave around them.

His penis bucked and shook. Vulk could feel an incredible amount of fluid leaving him with each undulation. The pressure around him was growing rapidly, and semen began to squirt out of the edges where the two were joined as he pumped still more inside of her. Neither his or her orgasms showed any signs of slowing.

Both continued to moan loudly as they kept sliding against each other, muscle spasms barely beginning to wane. The girl kept trying to speak, but all that left her mouth were strange chirps. Each time she tightened around Vulk another would force itself out of her mouth.

Vulk's body was desperately screaming for oxygen, feeling as if everything inside of him had been drained, lungs included. He was still ejaculating into his attacker, but the sprays were growing further apart, with less leaving him each time. Very slowly the pressure both inside and around him faded, and his orgasm ended, with the girls seconds after his own. Her arms fell away from him, and he lifted his head up from her chest and took a desperate mouthful of air, gasp echoing off the walls.

Mind suddenly clear, Vulk quickly looked down in shock. What had just happened? How had he known to do any of that? _Why_had he done any of that?

His would be slayer was laying silently on the ground, eyes closed, mouth half open, arms in awkward positions at her sides. Her rump sat in a pool of fluids, both hers and Vulk's own. She wasn't moving.

"Oh gods... Oh gods I killed her. What have I done?" Vulk slowly spoke, awestruck.

33.

The sun was already losing it's battle against the coming night. As it rested nearly sunken into the horizon, a cool breeze blew through the rocks and bushes, sending leaves scattering into the air on journeys of their own.

Firae stood silently next to the wanted wolf, watching as the first stars began to poke through the darkening sky.

"I'm surprised you didn't run away." she said, breaking the silence that had enveloped the two since she'd woken up.

He stayed silent for a moment, then replied.

"Well... I couldn't really go anywhere. You woke up before my... Um, before my knot went down."

Firae smiled and leaned on his shoulder, he realized what she was doing and held her weight surprisingly quickly. She couldn't kill the person she was resting on, not after the fucking he'd given her. She still felt just, so incredibly full and satisfied, more than she ever had before, even after the hours that had passed to this point.

She'd had sex before, plenty of times. She'd learned early how easy it was to manipulate people, and sex was always something people were willing to give anything for. Lock combinations, information, blackmail worthy secrets, you name it.

But what happened earlier, that hadn't been just sex. That had been an amazing combination of instinct and passion. She'd never felt anything like it before in her life.

It was as if he'd been made specifically for her. He was the first other grey wolf she'd seen since leaving her home those many, many years ago. He was the first other person she'd ever felt any sort of connection with. It was something... natural. Something wonderful.

"I... Um... So you're in heat, does that mean...?" he awkwardly struggled to ask. She giggled and quelled his fears, watching as relief swam over his handsome face.

"No, no, I've got herbs for that. No worries."

"Oh... alright."

The two were quiet again. Firae tried to think of what to say next, but could not. Instead she enjoyed the sunset with her new friend, knowing they would only be together a few more minutes at most. But maybe... No, that was ridiculous.

After a time, he spoke again.

"I really need to get going..."

He sounded sad. Forlorn about something. Leaving? She could understand that. She'd felt the same way when she'd first realized she was alone in the world. She was used to it at this point.

But... Maybe... Maybe she could-

"No. No, it's not an option." she thought, scolding herself for thinking of such a thing in the first place.

Her bounty pulled away from her, leaving her to stand on her own feet. Everything suddenly felt colder.

He began to make his way towards the road, but Firae called out to him before he could vanish into the consuming darkness.

"Wait!"

He kept walking, either ignoring her or not hearing her shout.

"Vulcann, wait!" she cried more loudly.

Vulcann. That had been the name on the poster. The name that had committed atrocities that would get even the most pious man executed by the church. The name that could have never done such things. There was just no way he could have, not with a tongue and eyes as caring as his.

Vulcann stopped, turning his head back to her.

"I... I..."

What was she doing?

"You won't be able to get away from what you're wanted for. It'll follow you until you finally get caught."

She needed to stop. This was a terrible idea. This would ruin everything.

"I can help you. I know how to stay hidden, I know... what it's like..."

He cocked his head in confusion as he listened to her babble.

"I know what it's like being alone..."

Why couldn't she stop? Her brain screamed at her to close her mouth, to let him walk into the dusk and away from her forever, but she couldn't. She didn't want to be alone anymore. She was so tired of being alone.

"Please... Please don't- don't leave me alone! I don't want to be alone anymore..." Her final words were choked with tears that began to run down her face. Why was she doing this? Why was she so upset? She'd been alone for so long, why now? Why him?

She watched as Vulcann stood in place, contemplating. The seconds felt like hours as she waited for an answer. She just couldn't be alone anymore, she needed someone to be with. She needed_him_, and she knew he needed her too. He was special, too special to let walk off into the death that waited for him.

He took a step towards her, and then another. That was all the answer she needed.

Firae sprinted towards him, jumping into his arms and wrapping hers around him, hugging him tightly. The two locked muzzles beneath the stars, affectionately kissing each other while they embraced.

She didn't notice until they had stopped, but she'd stopped crying. She looked into his sparkling eyes as he spoke to her again.

"Call me Vulk, nobody's called me Vulcann in a very long time."

"Okay, Vulk, I will." she sniffed back.

They returned their mouths to each others, the sun finally receding below the horizon. The new day was already beginning, and for the first time in years Firae didn't feel the crippling sadness that had so eagerly jumped at her once the sun set.

Tonight, she was not alone.

-END