Adopted
Story by SomaticDream on SoFurry
Local nobleman learns to stop worrying and love yeen musk.
Adopted
>Dear mother
>I have been claimed
>I write to you now at the twilight of my journey, deep in the land of the gnolls
>In my exalted wisdom, and unbridled ambition, I made my way henceforth from the bosom of our dearest birthright, the high-walled castle of our family's noble line
>I sought to know the untamed lands beyond the borders of decent society
>I wished to make a fortune writ only in my name, unburdened by the shadows of my forebears
>I thought myself invincible, capable of enduring a life of endless peregrinations
>Oh, what a fool I was
>What depths of suffering I was to endure
>Not three days hence from my departure, I was ambushed by marauders in the burrow of a shaded copse
>The gnolls came like shadows made of teeth and claw
>I am sorry, mother
>All the sword fights in the yard, the tutelage of my father's greatest men at arms
>All of it was wasted the second my eyes fell upon those spotted beasts
>Never in my life had I felt such fear as when I heard their cackling ring through the trees
>They had me ten to a man, surrounded on all sides
>They wore little but boiled leather and painted fur
>They carried little but hungry eyes and thirsty blades
>In an instant, I lay cowering in the hard-packed dirt as they robbed me of my belongings
>My prostration caused them unending mirth and elation
>As all my worldly possessions were divided and fought over, one of the foul creatures took an interest in my person
>She was unwashed and nearly ungarbed, wreathed in an armor of bone and braided hair
>She raised my chin with the flat of an axe
>I gazed into her animal visage
>Her slitted eyes burned into mine
>And. . . .
>Oh gods
>The stench
>The sheer stench of this creature
>Mother, I shan't be able to describe it properly
>It was a fiendish malodor of unthinkable barbarity
>Her odor would have sent children screaming to their sires
>Her scent would drive the most devout priest into raving apostasy, cursing the name of any creator who would inflict its existence upon the world
>She snorted in my face, ignorant of the malediction that spread from her body
>“Hu-mon scared?"
>I was too overwhelmed to offer a response
>She cooed, rubbing my cheek with the back of a massive paw
>“No scare. No fight, no harm. You knowing?"
>Her grasp of the common language was atrocious
>Every broken syllable made me ache for what I had thrown away
>And all that I had been reduced to now
>Some foolhardy scion that was soon to have his throat slit on the side of the road
>I was going to die
>All at once, I began to weep uncontrollably
>The cackling of the gnolls only grew louder
>Many nudged me with the hafts of their weapons, clucking in barbaric tongues
>Steel glinted under the shaded trees
>Suddenly, the she-beast rushed for me
>I screamed in mortal terror
>But, instead of being devoured, she wrapped me in a furred embrace and snarled at her fellows
>They seemed quite as shocked as me
>A heated argument ensued, spoken with equal measures of guttural word and slabbering jaws
>I continued to lie nestled against her bosom
>Her teats eclipsed my head, and her horrible scent seemed as thick as bottled sewage
>Soon, the other gnolls went away with tucked tails and growling breaths, pilfering through my supplies once more
>My embracer turned me around as if I was no more than a doll in her arms
>Slowly, she wiped a tear from my face with a black padded hand
>“Caasi," she said, bumping a fist to her chest
>An expectant look crossed her slitted eyes
>When I did not find the strength to respond, she said “Caasi" again, as if I was simple-minded
>Another fist crashed to her chest
>I took a heaving breath, about to beg for my life
>but this only filled me with more of her foul aroma, and my tolerance of it snapped into gags
>“No scare. Safing's the must. Ek sal jou beskerm. How you say—"
>She paused, searching for the word
>“Igama? Your star?"
“No!" I screamed, trying to escape from my prison of tawny fur
>This only caused her to grip me tighter
>“No scare! Wish learn star!"
>I couldn't stand the stench of this beast one second longer
“By the gods," I cried, “your odor—"
>“Ah! Urodor!"
>She poked a gruesomely long claw to my chest
>“You star Urodor! Me star Caasi!"
>My struggling had won me no purchase
>She was impossibly strong
“That is not my name! Let go of me at once! My father—"
>With nary a twinge of effort, she lifted me like a bride
>Her effluviant companions were already fading into the trees with my belongings
>She followed with haste, just as ignorant of my protests as her own malfeasant hygiene
>“Urodor! Umuhle kakhulu, Urodor!"
“M-my father! He can pay you!"
>She smiled like I was some tittering babe in her arms
“Ransom!" I cried. “You can sell me for ransom! My father has many creditors!"
>“Uphephile manje."
>Her voice was as soft as her fur
>“Sizobhebhana, Urodor. Sizobhebhana."
>Caasi had been braiding my hair for an hour
>Mother
>As my name is Aizar Myolous, Esquire, House of the Interrogative
>Believe me
>I tried to resist
>“Cease your ministrations!"
>The grassy meadow echoed with her cackling
>“Same!" She fluffed the thick, beaded fur on her neck “Same, Urodor!"
>Mother, we were not the same
>She was garbed in bone and decorative trinkets
>Judging by the continued tugs on my scalp, she was attempting to mold me into a doppelganger
“I am nothing like you! Let me go!"
>We had been sitting alone in the waning sun for quite some time
>Her tribal consorts were sharpening their weapons near the edge of the glade
>Their glances towards us were always held with open scorn
>It was obvious that they disapproved of Caasi's attempt to take me hostage
>We were of similar minds in that regard
>“Urodor! Feelings!"
>Caasi grabbed my hand and ran it through the bone pauldron on her shoulder
>She carved a path down her chest, through tangles of painted beads
>Down over—
>I had to use my full weight to pull my hand away
“My name is not Urodor! It is Aizar! Second heir to the Interrogative!"
>She hummed in amusement while braiding more seeds into my hair
>“I did not say Urodor! I said your odor! Your odor—"
>“Umuhle uma umemeza." She poked me in the chest. “Urodor." A hand to her chest. “Caasi."
“Unhand me, you odiferous wench!"
>I struggled for what felt half a span before she allowed me some freedom
>I stood on the grass, and she remained sitting, and yet our eyes were still at equal level
>“My father will find you musty marauders! He will send entire regiments to burn your hovels into ash!"
>She merely tilted her head
“Listen! Allow me an exit, and I shall forget this ever occurred! No retribution will fall upon your bloodline!"
>Her ears folded back
“Perhaps I'll be generous! I'll have my father send a caravan of soap, merely to fix the humanitarian disaster that is your hygiene!"
>“Urodor," Caasi said, not looking at me. “No shout. Quietings."
>I followed her gaze
>Her effluviant bandits were all watching our exchange at the end of the glade
>Some had already risen to their feet
>Almost all, to a man, looked ready to floss my entrails with a sword
>“Want kill you," Caasi said. “I stopping. Claim, by right."
>A massive paw wrapped gently around my arm and pulled me against her bosom
>“You claim. You live."
>Slowly, the wretched visages of her tribesmen turned away
>The sound of growls and sharpening steel rang across the meadow
>“Braid for you. Kuyinto yomkhosi. How you say—" She paused. “Letting? Accept?"
“Oh, I'm being ordained as a savage, is that it?"
>She shrugged, digging bits of copper from a skin pouch
“You don't . . . you don't care at all about my family, do you?"
>She began to hum a gentle tune while braiding my hair
“I. . . ."
>My family name had been at the forefront of every conversation
>Every peasant bowed their head
>Every member of the gentry thought me little more than a branch in a family tree
>Everyone had some hidden agenda relating to my patronage
>Everything I had ever done was shadowed by my birthright
>It was why I had left
>Why. . . .
>“Urodor!"
>She turned me around in her lap, her hand full of painted glass beads
>“Nicing! You go of the way!"
>She took another lock of my hair and set to threading it between padded fingers
>Her slitted eyes were focused
>Her black maw spread in a smile
>Over the grass, her tumaceous tribesmen were still glaring with hostility
>They would surely cut me down if I tried to run
>By the Seventh Bell, what barbarous calamity had I fallen into?
>“Caasi," I said, keeping my voice down. “Please. Let me go."
>Without warning, she leaned forward and licked my cheek with a barbed tongue
>She found much diversion in my shuddering
>“Liking?" She threaded more beads into my hair. “No sticking. Need do again."
“No, I do not like! And stop using the infinitive! That is not how you conjugate—"
>She licked me again
>Mother
>I swear on my birthright, mother
“Let me go, you odorous ogre! You musty monster! You stinking swine!"
>Her grip tightened at my back, like the lock of a gibbet
>“You liking, Urodor."
>Underneath her armor of bone and beads
>Her fur was softer than jasmine
>Warm as the sun
>The color of bread and gold
>There was so much of it to be found
>So much to explore
>None of my arranged courtships had felt like her
>None had been so exotic
>So alluring
>So. . . .
>So horribly putrid in scent
>She squeezed me tighter, locking my face against a teat
>I gagged against her flesh
>“Mark. You marking, Urodor." She let me pull up just enough to gaze into her animal visage. “You claim."
>Her grin was nearly feline in its deviousness
>“You mine. Everyone know."
>She sniffed my neck, as if to make sure, and found it confirmed.
>“Mine."
>She hugged me
>The entire world became her scent
>Pungent
>Balmy
>Miasmic
>Hers
>She braided my hair until the stars were bright
>The rest of her tribe appeared with blade, torch and plunder
>They were a nomadic people, a motley caravan of warriors and beasts of burden
>We journeyed through the night, roaming deeper into the barren savannah
>From snippets of conversation, I gathered that Caasi's people had roused the ire of the local garrisons
>They were fleeing back into the hinterlands
>And I would have to go with them
>I was never restrained
>Never once was a dagger held to my throat, as I might've expected from my father's enemies
>But, mother, you must understand
>I had no chance to flee
>Every gnoll, save Caasi, watched me with open suspicion
>They ran their fingers curiously through the beads in my hair
>They sniffed my neck like dogs
>Every time, they would find my scent shocking
>They would glance between Caasi and myself with amazement
>And they would slink off back through the grass, as if the scent they had found had been as a warding spell against any ill-intentions
>Personally, I found it just as repelling as they did
>Every time I caught a whiff of my own skin, it reeked of her
>I bathed in every stream and lake we crossed to little result
>Her pungent aroma suffused through my skin like a cattle brand
>But, in my heart, I had no doubts that Caasi's insistence on marking me with scent and bead was the only earthly protection I had left
>Aside from the she-beast herself
>She never left my side
>As the days went on, and her tribe scoured the open plains for forage and game, she taught me the ways of her people
>The first time I expressed hunger, she dragged me off to hunt down a boar
>In her antediluvian language, she instructed me on the proper use of a javelin as she gored the beast from afar
>She guided my hand through the process of butchering, making sure I did not ruin the pelt
>I never found her lessons the least bit patronizing
>Not like some of the tutors father had hired
>In fact, she seemed overjoyed when I killed my first rabbit
>Her native tongue was effusive with praise as I managed to patch my tunic with its fur
>I was shown how to dry the meat and pay honor to the rabbit's soul
>She showed me how to fletch arrows, forage for edible roots
>Every successful performance was rewarded with hugs and licks
>For the most part, I did not resist these affections, as I needed her scent to ward off the other tribesmen
>Maybe I found these displays endearing, in the way one might endure licks from a pet
>During those perilous days, I was not quite sure of my feelings
>I was not sure of anything, to tell the truth
>. . .
>Mother
>Perhaps I have been unfair in my portrayal of Caasi
>You might well be thinking that she was unfathomably primitive
>This was not the case
>In the tribe's endless ranging across the savannah, she would often pause and admire the beautiful vistas
>She held deep respect for every animal she slew
>At night, she would paint cords of bark and weave them into complex tapestries
>Her tent was a veritable gallery of art, all the walls adorned with majestic creatures and vibrant landscapes
>There was a wooden totem she always kept in a small shrine, carved to appear as a stack of gnollish faces
>Often, I would find her praying at its base, whispering the same phrase repeatedly
>“Uyakhunjulwa"
>It took some prodding for her to elucidate its meaning
>“You are remembered"
>Many of the faces appeared to be elders
>Some were children
>One was a male that had received special care in its carving
>She would gaze longingly into his eyes, her voice barely a whisper
>Slowly, over the chasm of our separate languages, I found a deeply aching soul
>During the first few nights, I. . . .
>Well
>Mother
>You must understand
>I found sleep difficult to attain, in those early days
>I had never slumbered on anything less than feathers and silk
>And my thoughts were an endless tide of fear and worry
>I would fret about my future
>I would remember all that I had thrown away in my arrogance
>I would be convinced the other tribesmen would soon defy Caasi's claim and anoint my head on a filthy pole
>I had never felt more lost and vulnerable
>But, in the deepest depths of my misery, Caasi would speak softly to me
>She would take me in her arms and lie me down upon a bedding of scattered furs
>She would stroke my hair
>As I laid my head against her chest, she would hum the songs of her people
>We would lie there together, listening to the fire that burned inside her tent
>The smell of smoke and earth would blend with her musty scent
>And we would make love
>Mother
>Of all the culture shocks I had experienced, this was the most shattering
>She was voracious
>Unrelenting
>Hungry beyond compare
>All my life, the noble princesses I had courted had been regal to the point of austerity
>They had seemed as delicate as a porcelain cup
>Caasi was not delicate
>There was not a trace of restraint in her carnal acts
>Every orgasm came as a revelation
>Every time, I would be amazed that I had survived the process
>Every time, she would have me moaning her name for all the tribe to hear
>And, every time, she would hold me tightly against her bosom as sleep took us both
>Under the smoldering flames, she would whisper to me in her native tongue
>The longer I listened to the alien words, the more beautiful I found their timbre
>It felt as if they were spoken by the wind and trees, as if the language was the voice of nature itself
>I heard her voice not as some fearsome savage
>But a friend
>A companion
>A fellow wistful soul
>I felt sure that she had enjoyed our love for its own sake
>I felt confident that she did not have some devious machinations in her heart
>She was not using me for her own ends, as I'd known from every other lover
>She did not wish to further a bloodline
>She did not want a union to solidify some political alliance
>She appreciated me for who I was, and not merely what I could give her
>I could feel the truth of this, nestled in the quiet foreign words, the gentle hush of her breath
>And, lying there in her arms, I would settle my head against her chest
>I would breathe in the same musty scent that had sent me retching upon our first meeting
>And it would make me feel safe for the first time in my life
>Eventually, the seasons began to change
>I stopped tracking the movements of the tribe against my cartographic memory of the region, hoping to escape whenever civilization drew near
>Instead, I made myself useful
>Caasi continued to teach me the ways of the hunt on the long marches across the savannah
>Seeing that I possessed much less stature than the other gnolls, she fashioned me a bow from sturdy yew and decorative twine
>I practiced every day with hand-fletched arrows
>As you know, mother, I had received my fair share of archery lessons
>Soon, I found myself the best marksman amongst all members of the tribe
>The gnolls, for all their beastly strength, did not possess the fine dexterity to properly wield a bow
>Their claws and padded hands were far more suited for melee and javelins
>When I managed to kill a fleeing rabbit at fifty paces, Caasi insisted that I join one of the tribe's hunting parties
>I had known this day would come, but it still left me aghast
>The other tribesmen considered me something akin to Caasi's babbling pet, one that served best when it was neither seen nor heard
>I was at the very bottom rung of the pecking order
>Every paltry share of meat I received for supper confirmed it
>But Caasi, bless her heart, made a stubborn diversion of talking up my prowess to the warrior chieftain
>I could see her spend every last ounce of social capital she had left, trying to earn my admission to the hunt
>In the end, she was successful
>By the early dawn, I was leaving for the woodlands with a squad of hunters
>But every one of their painted faces had leveled me with a sneer
>And they made no attempts to slow their gait for my sake
>I was dead weight, their eyes told me
>Some burden to be tolerated
>Nothing more
>It filled me with an indescribable rage
>I followed their grueling pace until I was exhausted
>And, when they had sighted a gazelle drinking at a stream, I loosed an arrow in a blind fury
>My horrible aim seemed designed to confirm their suspicions
>The gazelle fled through the trees
>We followed at a mad dash
>But soon the forest ended, and we could see the bobbing tail of our prey as it absconded through the tall, brown grass
>The gnolls refused to go further
>Under the merciless gaze of the sun, the open savannah would offer naught but a slow, miserable death
>There was nothing the tribe feared more than a scorching midday heat
>And, staring down the empty horizon, there was not a lick of shade or water to be found
>With their fur, and general size, it would be foolish to continue the pursuit
>I had no such qualms
>I ran headlong through the grass
>Bow in hand
>Beaded hair dancing in the sunlight
>Mother, you should've seen me then
>My savagery was an enlightenment
>I could hardly remember my days of careful study
>All the lessons on etiquette were lost in the wind
>There was nothing but elation as the gazelle disappeared amongst the fronds and light
>I was ready for this
>Caasi had taught me the art of tracking
>I stalked deep inside the brush, following every footstep
>There was nowhere that my prey could hide
>Soon, I was upon it again, but the gazelle fled in graceful bounds before I could notch
>I could never hope to match its agility
>But I pursued it again, and again, and again
>In the endless plains, it found no hope of quarter
>Always, it would flee, and I would follow, and it would flee again
>Its strength was waning
>I was drenched in sweat, half-mad from the burning light
>By the time the sun had fallen well-past its zenith, it was dying from sunstroke
>I slaughtered the creature just as Caasi had taught me
>I paid respect to the life it had lived
>Then, I took its corpse upon my shoulders
>And I trudged my way back to camp
>Night fell
>My bare feet were torn to bloody ribbons
>I was a shell of flesh and sweat by the time I saw the cook fires
>Most of the gnoll sentries were shocked to see me alive
>I hardly managed to toss the gazelle at the feet of a butcher before I was fainting
>I woke to Caasi's frantic voice in my ear
>She sounded as if she'd been torn in half with worry and anger
>But the warrior chieftain barked an order
>She stepped back
>The massive, scar-ridden gnoll sauntered over and kneeled at my position
>His eyes roamed over my burned, filthy skin
>He looked at the empty stew pots near the fire
>None of the other hunts had been successful
>I was the only one who had returned victorious
>A touch of amusement crossed his maw
>He looked me in the eye, offered a hand, and said: “Onukayo."
>I asked Caasi for a translation
>She replied: “Stinky one."
>I took the chieftain's hand while laughing hysterically
>He plied me with the ceremonial warrior's drink, a noxious mix of berries and fermented milk
>We danced around the fire, singing songs deep into the night
>It was the first time I had ever participated in their festivities
>It felt as if I had never belonged anywhere else
>I became outrageously drunk to the sound of celebration
>I raised my voice with a chorus of beasts
>I danced and ate and sang until Caasi was forced to drag me back to our tent
>We made aching, vicious love until I was too insensate to do anything but lie content in her arms
>It did not end there, of course
>I had proven my worth
>I was onukayo
>Caasi assured me the phrasing was more poetic in the native tongue
>By the way the other warriors spoke it with fair greeting, I did not have reason to doubt her
>Soon, I was indispensable to every hunt
>With the revelation of my endurance, the gnolls shifted their tactics
>They would flush their prey from cover, and I would harry it with arrows
>All who escaped would be hunted down through the plains
>Soon, I found myself fought over between the rival hunting parties
>Everyone laid claim to my participation
>I had never once been in such high demand
>In my old life, I had always been the spare child
>The second heir
>I could sit with my father on the dais, but I could not speak
>It had not been my place
>Soon, the chieftain decided that my place was leading my own party
>I had my pick of the finest warriors
>And every successful outing only solidified my place as top hunter
>From then on, my shares of meat were only shadowed by the chieftain himself
>Mother, you should've seen the way these towering gnolls would look at me
>Not long ago, I had been little more than a hairless welp in their eyes
>Now, their gaze held nothing but respect
>And it was mine
>My respect
>I had not earned it from a family crest stitched into a tunic
>I had earned it with sweat and skill
>It was mine
>For the first time in my life, it was mine
>I suppose I should arrive at the purpose of this letter
>I'm quite certain that the stories you've heard of me were more ghastly than the truth
>Mother
>Yes, it is true
>I was involved in the ambush of father's men
>It was not any sort of targeted retribution, I assure you
>At the time, the gnolls had ranged near civilization again, as they were want to do whenever they wished to trade for medicine and other complex amenities
>Of course, any attempts at bartering were responded to at the ends of pikes
>More than one garrison was mustered in response, as if we had been a hair's breadth from storming the ramparts
>I was quite surprised that diplomacy had been attempted at all
>Caasi explained to me that it was a point of honor amongst the gnolls
>They would give civilized society the chance to treat fairly
>Once that inevitably failed, they would turn to banditry
>In their culture, if a basic offer of entreatment was rejected, then all warfare was permitted
>All tribes must help each other, just as every natural creature helps the other to survive
>Willingly or otherwise
>Umngane noma Inyama
>Friend or Flesh
>Any tribe who is not useful as a friend will find use as a foe
>But allow me to be clear, mother
>I would not denigrate myself into some common cutthroat
>The gnolls were not distinguishing between soldiers and peasants, as there was no such distinction amongst themselves
>I made great pains to elucidate the difference
>And to say that the gnolls found this revelation acutely horrifying would be an understatement
>They had assumed that every member of civilization was a trained warrior
>To them, their actions had been akin to slaughtering an innocent animal without due cause
>In other words, an incomparable act of shame
>They were even more aghast to discover the degree of isolation inherent in the common man
>They considered our lack of communal cooperation to be a grievous poison upon the soul
>All these goliathan gnolls began to treat me as if I'd endured unimaginable suffering in the loneliness of my previous life
>I did not correct them
>And, thus, they now approached the role of bandits as they would that of a hunter
>That is, granting respect to any creature that was merely doing its best to survive
>Naturally, mother, I became the face and voice of every robbery
>Holding a bow of yew and twine, I would translate our demands to any carriage who crossed our path
>My hairless visage would be a point of calm amongst a sea of snarls and tawny fur
>Not a single robbery ended in bloodshed, thanks to my interference
>We took only the necessities
>Medicine, food, and textiles
>Not a single ounce of metal was involved in the exchange, whether that be gold or steel
>Regardless
>Showing mercy inevitably led to escaping witnesses
>Perhaps I should've known that word of my presence would spread
>Perhaps I should've anticipated father sending a search party
>Maybe I thought he had never cared enough to look
>Maybe I only wished this was the case
>. . .
>Well
>Mother
>I assure you
>I only recognized Rebith after I fired the warning shot
>I stepped out through the brush, ready to begin my speech—
>“Aizar!"
>It felt as if I'd heard the name in a dream
>Something strange, and yet immediately familiar
>“Seven Bells, lad, is that truly you?"
>His bald, ugly pate was just as scarred as I remembered
>I could see the hard lines of his face as clearly as when he had smiled through my training lessons
“Hou jou vuur vas!" I shouted. “Moenie aanval nie!"
>Around my father's men at arms, the bushes came alive
>Javelins and axes glinted off every leaf
>They were surrounded
>Outnumbered
>Rebith had a face as white as bone
>All the knights in his coterie were gaping at the sight of me
>I could only imagine my appearance
>Wreathed in beads and fur
>My hair braided more finely than a carpet
>Every ounce of decadent fat burned into hard cords of muscle
>“Aizar," Rebith said, thunderstruck. “Fuckin' stars, lad, what have they done to you?"
>“Bamba izikhali!" I shouted. “Hulle is vriende!"
>The circle of gnolls huffed, but did not advance
>Slowly, I approached my old mentor.
“Is sister Rosen still consorting with that dwarven prince from Valrynn?"
>Rebith took a moment to speak. “Aye, well, that's not official record, so to speak."
“Oh ho! I'd wager she's built a step stool for him, by now."
>“Calls him her “giant of Lannister", so I've heard."
>I found myself snickering
>Rebith managed a twitch of the lips
“Ah, well," I said. “Some people never change, I suppose."
>“Aye. Suppose not." He gave me a poignant look. “Aizar."
“That is no longer my name."
>“Name like that ain't somethin' you can toss aside, lad."
“Rebith," I said. “Turn around. You've found me, and now you may leave."
>“Can I, now?"
>There was a motley of clinking plate as his men shuffled uneasily, staring at the ring of gnolls
>“Don't rightly seem that way," my old mentor said. “Then again, seems you ain't quite the savage you're pretendin' for."
“There is no pretend." I motioned with my bow. “Go on. Tell my father—"
>“Hlukana nomuntu!"
>Caasi was at my side in an instant
>More accurately, she had pulled me to her side
>“Ngeke uthathe ngisho unwele olulodwa!"
>Half of Rebith's men appeared to soil their gambesons
>My face was full of fur, breasts, and beads
>“You no take! He is tribe!"
>All the gnolls thumped their shields in solidarity
>“You poison! You lie!"
>I was struggling valiantly against her grip
>“Gone, patriarch! None but tribe!"
>The gnolls roared
>Rebith drew his greatsword
“Stop!"
>I disentangled myself from Caasi, waving my bow
>“Yiba nokuthula!" I shouted. “Be peaceful!"
>At my back, there were hackles and teeth
>At my front, there was steel and arrows
“Rebith," I said, pacing forward, “tell my father—"
>And it happened
>A gust of wind hit my back
>It travelled the short distance between us
>And the scent it carried made my old mentor shiver in disgust
>He looked at me as if it was the most vile stench he'd ever suffered
>And that look of repugnance instantly set my blood to boil
>It was the same sort of contempt I'd seen on father's face when I spoke of attending his parties
>It was the same grimace I'd seen whenever I dared to be present amongst the regency
>It was that exact same breed of scowl that always appeared whenever I forgot my place as second son
>And, most of all, it must've been the same expression I'd made all those months ago, when I'd met Caasi
>The woman who had saved me
>The tribe who had lifted me
>The scent that I carried now was the one that had spelled the dawn of my new life
>I had long ago stopped smelling the musk of my beloved
>I had gone blind to her musty signature the same way one goes blind to the scent of their own home
>Now, standing here with the remnants of my heritage, I realized that I smelled just as hideous as the rest of the gnolls
>And I wouldn't change that for all the noble patronage in the world
“Rebith," I said. “Tell my father that his son is dead. There exists now only Urodor, the onukayo of the plains."
>The grizzled old man at arms was sweating through his cuirass
“Tell my father that the next search party he sends will find naught but braid and bow in return."
>I held my hand out backwards
>And the pads of Caasi's hands found mine in an instant
>She came forward, wrapping me in her arms, burying me in fur and bead and musk
“Finally," I said, notching an arrow. “Tell my father that I. . . ."
>Rebith's eyes were as white as snow
>I remembered our laughter as we danced with swords in the chilly winter dawn
>Those days were long in the past
>I did not care
“Tell my father that I have nothing further to say to him."
>Steel plate rattled against mail
>Every knight in the coterie looked ready to beg
“Yenza umgodi!" I shouted
>The gnolls formed a hole in the perimeter
>I motioned with the tip of an arrow
>Slowly, staring wide-eyed at the towering gnolls, Rebith and his men began to retreat
>Soon, they were fleeing through the trees
>And the gnolls began to chant
>Their booming voices echoed through the forest
>The air came alive with song
>It was the most beautiful word of my life
>Onukayo!
>Onukayo!
>Onukayo!
>Onukayo!
>Onukayo!
>Mother
>I wish to paint a picture of the man who was your son and where he is now
>I am kneeling at the shrine of Caasi's ancestors, writing this on parchment I stole from a traveling minstrel
>I have written the entirety of these words while listening to her snore on a bed of furs
>The sound has only emboldened my resolve
>All through the day, the gnolls have granted me a respect due only to the strongest warriors
>Abandoning one's tribe is considered an unrivaled pain of the soul
>And they say I've borne the wounds with grace
>The celebrations lasted far into the night
>My mouth is still sweet with the taste of fermented junjo berries
>All night, Caasi had never let me escape her grasp
>She had spoken my name at every given chance
>“Urodor," she said, as she plied me with meat and fruit
>“Urodor," she said, as she finished the ibhiliyoni notch in my hair
>“Urodor," she said, as she guided my hand to the wet embrace of her thighs
>Mother
>She fucked me, mother
>I wish to describe the experience to you now
>And I do so only because I know it will cut deeper than any threat of violence
>I was thrown over her shoulder to the cheers and hollers of the tribe
>Our tent was a soft embrace of smoke and dimming firelight
>My body was thrown into a pile of scattered furs
>And she was straddling me
>Kissing me
>Barely able to tear off my clothes in the throes of lustful desire
>I thought of all the dainty princesses my father had chosen for me
>And I laughed in mad jubilation
>She took offense to my outburst
>She moved her flank from my hips to my face
>And she planted her rosy, drooling lips to the waiting embrace of mine
>Mother, you see, the gnolls were not well-practiced in the art of cunnilingus
>I'm sure you find the procedure quite unbecoming, as well
>But they possessed a considerable snout, no lips, and a tongue designed to strip flesh from bone
>The smooth and pliant embrace of my mouth was nearly divine in Caasi's eyes
>And she'd grown quite insistent that this act of love become a daily occurrence
>I was only too happy to oblige, mother
>I dare say I've eaten her cunt more times than I've seen you in person
>I'm quite certain that her screams of ecstasy gave me more pride than anything you've ever said
>And not to belabor this point too much, mother, but I had barely finished swallowing her emissions before she was licking the rest off my cheeks
>Have I described the richness of her fur?
>Would you like to know how it glowed in the firelight?
>Should I tell you how her breasts would heave in my hands?
>Perhaps you'd like to imagine the weight of this gnoll-woman pressing down on your son
>Running her hands over the symbols painted on his skin
>I'm sure you can picture the hunger with which she ravaged me
>Do you remember those scant few dinners we shared, where the only sound was the scraping of forks and knives?
>There was no such silence here
>Caasi was panting madly as she impaled herself on my cock
>She barely had the restraint to spare my pelvis
>Her pounding was so vigorous that the fire shook with every plunge
>Of course, I had come to enjoy the pain
>It was feral
>It was passionate
>It was honest
>Mother, I cannot begin to describe the feeling I had when this gnoll-woman leaned over me with all her unkempt fur and braided jewelry
>When she pinned my hands to the piled furs, I laced my fingers between hers
>When she leaned down to give me a clumsy kiss, I returned it in kind
>And, when none of this slowed the savage pace of her fucking, I could not help but moan into her ears
>From her reaction, you'd think it was the most beautiful sound in the world
>She licked me
>She took my hands in hers
>And she fucked me harder than I'd ever been fucked in my life
>Mother
>I screamed her name
>I felt as if my orgasm had cured me of my heritage
>There was nothing but her left in its wake
>Mother
>Oh, mother
>There is more I could write
>I could've filled entire libraries with the depths of my scorn
>But that would not be honest of me
>Not anymore
>Those would be the words of the man I had once been
>Aizar Myolous, Esquire, House of the Interrogative
>And, as I sit here now, listening to the snores of my beloved
>I realize that I did not write this letter for your sake
>I wrote it for mine
>I wrote it to bury the man I had been, once and for all
>I shall end it here, mother
>This was the only time I had tasted our native tongue in weeks
>I doubt I shall ever use it again
>Because my name is Urodor
>And my only desire now is to crawl back into bed with the gnoll named Caasi
>Wrap myself in her arms
>Breathe deeply of her musty scent
>And feel at peace