Ch. 34
Imported from SF2 with no description.
I felt like a snake, an absolute traitor. I knew what was coming, and I didn’t want to say a word about it. As Wendy dusted herself off and put out the smoldering remnants of the fire I said nothing. As Staccato started back down the road, I didn’t say a word. For hours.
“You’re awful quiet today. Don’t tell me you’re jealous!” Wendy teased, as we made our way through the woods. “Oh come on, you had to know what was coming. I sure did!” She said, with a smirk as Staccato wound his way down the road.
“You know, maybe he doesn’t need to hear everything?” Staccato said, in a huff. I didn’t need to translate it for him. It seemed, Wendy understood his tone, if nothing else.
“I wasn’t going to tell him everything, but I mean, obviously he knows, right?” She said, with a laugh, patting Staccato’s side. “He could probably tell by how I was walking last night. And here I told you to be gentle!”
Staccato huffed and grumbled, but kept to the road.
“Actually… Wendy…” I didn’t know how I was going to say it. I really didn’t know. But I couldn’t keep silent. I couldn’t betray her, or him like that. “I’m fine with it, you know that. You both do. But … Penance... You really hurt her.”
“What do you mean?” Wendy asked, as Staccato slowed his pace. He shook his head, and grumbled to himself.
I sighed, and Staccato spoke up. “Saw it coming. Don’t even blame her.” He shook his head and tapped an impatient foot against the ground. “Yeah, I caught all that last night. I’m glad you were there for her.”
“You brushed her off, before you spent time with Staccato. Again at the campfire. She loved him, one-sided as it was. It hurt her when you separated her from him. It hurt her the way you treated him all this time, and it hurt her the way she never had a chance, once you decided you wanted him. But so much more than that… it hurt her that she didn’t even seem to matter, didn’t seem to exist at all to you.”
“And true to form, once you set your sights on something you want, we take a back seat.” Staccato added, before grumbling quietly to himself. At her insistence, I translated it. She fell silent, and for a moment just stared at Staccato, defeated.
Wendy shook her head, and slid off of his back, looking him in the eyes. “You really think she’s right?” She asked, as I slid off his back to join her. “You do... what have I done?”
She looked at me, tears welling up in her eyes, and it broke my heart to see. I knew she hadn’t done it out of cruelty. She wasn’t trying to be unkind. She didn’t know. She didn’t understand.
“I don’t have any answers, Wendy. All I know is what I saw. I know she’s hurt. I know she tried to find comfort with me last night. I know that last night, and this morning again, she said she wanted to go with me.”
She shook her head. Mute, confused silence as I stared at her. “She talked about how you used to be. She said you don’t even talk to her anymore. Not in any real sense, like you used to. That you changed. She said the past few days are the happiest she’s been in a long time… but I mean, think about it… if this is the happiest she’s been, and she’s hurting so bad, what does that say about the rest?”
Wendy stared at me, a long moment passing with her eyes locked to mine, hurt, anger, confusion, but… she shook her head and reached for the pokeball on her hip, tugging it off to try and press it into my hands.
“Not like this.” I said, one hand reaching out to rest on her shoulder. “Not like this. You need to talk to her. You need to tell her how you feel. She needs to know.” I said, pushing the pokeball back into her hands. “I want to believe this can be fixed. I want to believe the two of you can find your way.”
For a moment there, she just stared. She glowered at me, her hand tensely clutching the pokeball. “So she tells you all of this, and not me? She doesn’t try talking to me about all this when you’re around?” She snapped, grinding her teeth. “How am I supposed to fix this or find my way if she won’t make me understand when I’m getting things wrong?”
Staccato stepped in, nudging her back firmly with his head. He didn’t say a word, but his eyes bored into her, and he stamped hard against the ground. Every time she tried to speak, he nudged her again. Until she fell silent. Finally, he turned to me. “Don’t be an idiot. The problems those two have are a hell of a lot bigger than a talk and a hug. This time, we’re both just in for the ride.”
Neither of us said another word, and Wendy didn’t protest as we continued on. There was no laughter, it seemed not even the birdsong really reached us. Staccato carried us in that silence until the sun was high above, breaking through the canopy, a few brilliant streams at a time.
That afternoon, we stopped for a break, and Wendy went off to sit by herself while I threw together lunch. Staccato stayed with her for a time, but eventually came over to me, while I heated up soup over a low fire.
Staccato broke the silence first, uncharacteristically quiet for him. “I know you’re in a tough spot right now.” He began two other sentences, both fell silent after the first word. “I know you well enough to believe you want to be a good friend, to help. To fix things.” He fell silent for a moment, and looked to Wendy. “As a friend? Don’t.” He said, finally meeting my gaze. “Wendy made her choices. She had every opportunity. I love her, I do. But she can’t pretend she’s blameless. She needs to face this. For her sake, don’t try to fix this.”
With that, he left me to my thoughts, and returned to her side, settling in while she sobbed and sighed, leaning against him for support. Lunch was a very muted affair, and I packed up the leftovers quietly.
When we got back on the road, she seemed a little better, and we shared idle conversation about our childhoods. I learned a little about her parents, and life on the ranch, and the smell of a herd of tauros moving across dusty plains.
We took our time, and I ended up lost in thought as Staccato carried us along, easy stride setting miles behind us until the sun began to sink behind the increasingly thick treeline.
That night, I let the trio I could out. They took my silence as their cue, and we set up camp on one side of a large meadow. It was a beautiful sight. Wildflowers and grass swaying like waves beneath the moonlight.
Wendy sat, opposite, some yards away, silently staring at the pokeball she held. I could have gone over. Could have talked to her, but I didn't. Penance stayed close to me. Nobody questioned it, they just let her have her quiet place. Let me have mine.
Mira understood my mood as the four of us gathered in the tent, and her touch was a soothing balm from the stress of the road. Cocoa set up behind me, rubbing my shoulders. Tempest curled up, holding my legs.
Penance just sat nearby, watching us. I didn’t pry. Her thoughts were not forthcoming.
I cooked. Enough to feed us all, as it had been for some time now. A comforting familiarity to feed my girls. Comforting to feed Wendy, and Penance as well. Little I could do for Staccato, but he seemed content to graze. I imagined it wasn’t the first time. He also seemed to not mind being left to his own thoughts for a while, either. Well enough, I supposed.
He finally came back as I served up dinner, in the middle of the meadow. As close to neutral ground as I could manage. Penance sat next to me, a familiarity that didn’t go unnoticed from Wendy, who made quiet eye contact with me, but couldn’t find words.
“It’s been a long road, hasn’t it?” I asked, between bites. “Not just the walk. I mean. All of it. From the start of your journey. Hell. From the start of mine.” Penance looked up at me, and I ran a hand over her head, chuckling softly as she half leaned, half fell against me. Wendy sighed, but nodded at my statement.
“It really has.” She said, quietly. She let the silence linger for a moment, staring at Penance tensely. “For all of us.” She added, nodding at last. “Penance… you want to stay with him, don’t you?” She asked, gesturing at me with a sulky expression. “I guess… I can’t really blame you.”
Penance didn’t dignify it with a response, just looked up at me, her tail wagging. I gave her neck a scratch, and she nuzzled against me. That was her answer. It didn’t need words. Mine was a little more complicated.
“Wendy,” I said, with a smile. “You act like it’s too late to be a better friend. It doesn’t have to be some horrible thing.” I said, as I ran my hand over Penance's head. It seemed obvious, in retrospect, but at the time, it was a hard conclusion to come to. “Come with us. It’s not like my tent doesn’t have room. I already promised my girls we’d take a break, so there’s no reason we can’t go here and there and cheer you on from the stands. No reason why you couldn’t detour with us now and again, take in a show or make new friends.”
Staccato stared at me for a moment, as if trying to discern my intent, but finally, he laughed. “So that’s your answer? Tell her to stop everything she’s doing, and just stay with you?” He paused, then laughed. “Alright. Not the worst plan I’ve ever heard. Except the part where she’s stubborn as a snubbull. Actually," He paused, the spark of realization glimmering in his eyes. "They both are. I get it. You're smarter than you look.”
Wendy stared at the sky for a while, quiet, contemplative. I tucked into dinner, and let her have her thoughts. Penance just rested her head on my knee, staring at nothing in particular.
“I was … going to give her to you.” She said, breaking the silence and startling me back to the conversation. “When we got there, I mean. I ... “ She hesitated, and sighed. “I don’t know how to fix all the things I’ve gotten wrong.”
I shook my head at that. “No easy answer. But it doesn’t get better unless you’re both willing to try.” I said running my hand over Penance’s head as she looked up at me. “Penance loves you, Wendy. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be so hurt. It wouldn’t matter because she wouldn’t expect anything of you. She wouldn’t believe you were capable of better. Understand?”
Penance nuzzled against me. “Hey, don’t talk like I’m not right here.” She scolded me, though her tail betrayed her mirth in doing so. She turned to Wendy, before looking up at Staccato.
“I get it. You aren’t interested in me. You’re a jerk, you know. You could’ve said something.” She admonished him. But she sighed. “But I understand. I’ll stop pining away after you. Just… don’t do stuff right in front of me. At least… not for a while.”
Staccato snorted at that. “As if I wanted to.” He replied, but sighed after a moment. “I didn’t know. Back then. Before all this. I didn’t know. I would have told you.”
“It’s not all bad. I mean… I think maybe I’m looking for something different.” She replied, nuzzling into my leg again. She looked up at me, and licked at my fingers as I tried to scratch her neck. “Tell Wendy I don’t want to leave her… Yet, at least.” She paused, and met my gaze. “Because I know it would hurt you.” She told to me, firmly. “But I want to travel with you. If it has to be one or the other, I mean.”
Wendy sobbed with relief as I said so. “If that’s what she wants, then that’s where we’re going to be.” She said, as Penance crossed the distance between the pair. Wendy scooped her up, burying her face in Penance’s thick fur. “That’s where we’ll be. I know I owe her that much, a hundred times over.”
She looked at me, smiling as she held Penance in her arms. “I’m not ready to let her go. Not without trying. Not without a fight. But if it’s one we just can’t win… I’m going to ask you to take care of her, okay?”
I nodded at that. “As if you had to ask. But…” I paused, and sighed. “There’s no delicate way to ask this, is there? If Penance wants to join me for a while, here and there… just… trust me, okay? I won’t do anything to hurt her.” With that, I gathered up the dishes, and went back to clean up. Wendy sat and chatted to Penance and Staccato for a long time.
Mira wrapped her ribbons around me as I sat down on my sleeping bag. “It’s good to see you smiling.” She said, halfway hopping up to touch her nose to mine. “It’s good to hear them talking. I think she’ll be okay. I think maybe they all will.”
Tempest laughed. “It’s about time you made a friend, you bastard.” She quipped, ruffling my hair with a heavy hand. “Though she’s going to have to get used to hearing us. I’m not stopping for her.” She said, leaning in to kiss me before laying down beside us.
Cocoa smirked at that, but came to me, guiding my hand to her udder. “I think we all need your attention, you know. I haven’t been milked in a while, and…” she trailed off as Mira halfway slapped a ribbon across her open mouth.
“Hey now. I wanted to tell him.” She said, as she stared up at me. “Stay up with us a little, tonight. I want you… and I know they do, too. You’re about to put Penance through her paces, we all know that… so tonight, put us through ours. Don’t let us feel left out.”
I laughed, scooping her up, kissing her. “Not a chance I’d leave you wanting. Any of you.” I said, reaching up to caress Cocoa’s cheek. “Come here, honey. I’m thirsty.”
It took some time to properly drain her, but we all pitched in, and I refilled the bottles we carried. They’d keep ‘til the morning, and would be a fine breakfast. I wondered, with a little personal amusement, if our new traveling companions would take to Cocoa’s milk like we had. Doubtless, they wouldn’t mind when I cooked with it, at least.
I stripped down to make ready for bed, when Mira came to me. She almost sloshed as she settled into my lap, stroking me all over with her ribbons as Tempest and Cocoa watched. We were gentle with each other. My hands held her sides, helping her balance and taking some of the weight as she lowered herself onto me. She didn’t push me to climax, just held me in her paws, in her ribbons. Held me, and kissed me and took her pleasure, hitting peak, again and again for a little while.
Finally, satisfied, she moved aside. Cocoa was a lot more energetic, and after several minutes of grinding and bouncing in my lap, she moved onto hands and knees, wiggling her hips at me as I slid in to take her from behind. She wasn’t quiet at all, and I supposed I didn’t want her to be. We had each other, while a satisfied Mira, and eager Tempest watched. I didn’t hold back, my climax flooding her while she cried out. She all but crawled beside Mira, falling over in an exhausted, breathless heap at the top of the sleeping bag.
Tempest stared at me for a moment, before pushing me down onto the sleeping bag, my head coming to rest on Cocoa’s chest. She growled, and nuzzled and kissed and licked and worked her way down from my chest to my cock. With a teasing aggression, she lapped at it, cleaning me of the mixture of my conquests so far. Her heavy hands kneaded my thighs as she took it into her mouth, bobbing over it while her tongue slipped past to caress my spent, sensitive orbs.
It took her a little time to get me back up, but when she did, she moved with a predatory swiftness, her hands pinning mine down above my head as she settled in astride me. She sniffed at my neck, and bit my shoulder as she sank down on my cock, spreading her walls wide open, rocking back and forth on my hips, forcing me to her back wall. For a while, she pinned me down, her crimson eyes locked to mine as she set the pace, the depth, the angle. Any time I tried to move, she growled, snarled, and glared. The message was loud and clear; I was hers, tonight.
If Cocoa was a little loud, Tempest willfully put on a show. Her voice rang out as she took me, and her tongue caressed me, everywhere she could reach. She whined, whimpered, moaned, all while suckling on my fingers as she shuddered and trembled with orgasm. She didn't let up at all, just got louder and louder as she took what she wanted. She let me have very little say in anything, guiding my hands where she wanted me to touch, pinning me as she sank herself down atop me. I could have struggled, maybe... but I enjoyed it, too. I loved how vehement, and certain she was about it all.
By the time I was able to peak a second time, I was bushed. I didn’t let Tempest slide off of me. Just laid back and pulled her into my arms, still buried inside her. It was almost too much, the way her walls clenched and rippled as she rode out her climax. But my peak was what she was after, and with a satisfied, breathless little whimper, nuzzled against my chest. She looked almost bashful, staring up at me as she brushed her nose against my collarbone. For every bit I had been hers before, she was mine now.
For the first time in ages, I fell asleep feeling like things really would be okay. The girls all ended up falling asleep half piled up together nearby, and I stretched out comfortably on my sleeping bag. The warmth of Tempest’s fur was a welcome feeling on my bare skin.