Ch. 3
The further adventures. Fun. Excitement. Hiking!
I awoke to the sound of rain falling, a light misting turning into a stronger downpour. Claire watched through the half-open flap as the water turned the ground to a sodden mess, and sighed dejectedly. From where we were, I could tell it was going to be like this for hours. Maybe all day. The clouds hung heavy, and were growing darker still.
"I hate the mud." She said, sulking. "Shall we pack up and get moving?"
I laughed, and reached down to run a hand through the rockruff's fur, as she sighed in agreement, looking up at Claire as if for direction. I couldn't quite touch on Claire's thoughts, but the general feeling of annoyance was palpable. "Eh, I can handle the work. You two rest easy." I said, as I dug the pokeballs out of my backpack.
The last touch of thought from Claire was a sense of longing, and also of appreciation. She didn't want to be apart from me, but also really didn't want mud and water. There was, at the edges of my vision, a moment of color. Unexpected, hazy. A sensation like water, there. Then gone.
Rockruff on the other hand glared at me, and swatted at my hand, nuzzling my leg before staring back out at the rain. So with a shrug and a laugh I reached down to run my hand through her thick fur.
"You do realize this means a proper bath, right?" I asked as she looked up at me. She offered a playful bark and a wag of her tail, as I began to dress.
Taking down the tent was easy enough, the ground had saturated to a point that the stakes were little more than a formality. Slinging the pack over my shoulder, I whistled a song to nobody in particular, and we began to weave our way through the undergrowth further into the woods.
All in all, I thought it was a pretty pleasant day, the rain never bothered me. Always meant it would be a little quiet, a little calm. Nobody likes to go out in it, so there was never a rush or a crowd.
And then the skies darkened.
Beneath the thick canopy of the forest, I was about as safe as I was going to get, trudging through the sodden soil, feet finding purchase only after sinking in a few inches. Wet, sucking noises as my shoes, ill suited to the terrain, and less to the weather, were promptly half-full of mud. My clothes were waterlogged. Utterly drenched, and despite the cover of the trees a chill wind began to work through the canopy, driving the rain. Cold? It was frigid. My fingers were feeling numb. The rain was unrelenting. Despite all of the exertion I was shivering. There was nothing I could do but keep moving forward. Grin and bear it. Follow the compass.
Yet still, the rockruff at my side seemed unperturbed. Soaked, muddy, and calmly walking next to me, as though it were nothing at all.
It bolstered my spirit, her presence. We were fine. She was fine. It was just a little rain. Just a little cold. I could keep going. Over the next hill. Then the next. I had been worried maybe I got us lost, but the tree line broke as we crested the next hill. Looking down from there, I could just make out where the river split the valley. The normally blue ribbon a dull mud brown as the swell of the storm brought it up the muddy banks. The ground would be rough, so thoroughly saturated, and worse the lower we got from the hill. Going further up stream wasn't going to make much difference. The closest bridge was, by my map, a fair few miles away.
"What do you think. A bit of hiking to the bridge and follow the road for a while?" I asked, through clenched teeth. I caught my breath, taking a knee to caress the rockruff. "Ready to call it quits and get carried?" I asked, as I scratched along her shoulder, fingertips brushing against the stone sharp points, dislodging matted, muddy fur as my nails raked through it.
I didn't realize a rockruff could look that offended, but with a sigh and shake of her head, she nudged my leg and led the way for the next little bit, down the incline and to the lower rolling hills leading into the valley.
"Fair enough." It was, if she was willing, who was I to complain? Still, I couldn’t help but envy her stamina. I was bushed a few miles ago. The pack was, despite being reasonably water resistant, almost sloshing. It felt like I’d just been carrying the rain with me as we walked. I was grateful, maybe for the first time, for all the stupid things they taught me over that boring year. Everything important in my bag had been protected, this whole time. Of course, that protection hadn't applied to the idiot who was carrying the bag. Sure, take a warm coat. You won't need a rain slicker. It was a lesson learned.
It was easier ground to cover, all things considered, once we were out of the trees, and steeper hills. It was still about as close to a swamp as you could get without an angry farfetch'd chasing you off, but at the least, it didn't require three points of contact to proceed.
By the time we'd reached the bridge hours later, the rain had let up. It was almost annoying to see the afternoon sun peeking through the cloud cover. After everything we had just gone through, it felt almost insulting. With a groan and a sigh, I basically let myself fall over on the cold, smooth surface, rockruff curling up at my side, one paw draped over me, drifting off almost immediately.
I knew better than to let myself fall asleep there, but try explaining that to my exhausted body. As soon as I hit the pavement, that was pretty much that.
When I awoke, it wasn't on pavement. A worried looking braixen was watching my face intently, and there was a moment of mental static, the noise of what felt like ten thousand words, tinged in a worrying shade of yellow-green, followed by a silence of thought so profound as to be deafening. Then a single gentle question.
"Are you alright?"
As I sat up, I recognized the uniformity of the room. It was one of the overnight rooms in a pokemon center. It was late evening, and quiet. I realized how much I ached, as I pushed myself upright from a hard, plastic covered medical bed.
"How did I get here?" I asked, reaching out to caress Claire's cheek.
"You don't remember?" Claire asked, tilting her head. She sighed, her small hand coming to rest on my forehead, pushing me to lay back down as she began to explain. Rockruff let her out of the pokeball when I wouldn't wake up. She had less idea what to do than anyone, and it was nearly an hour before the local nurse Joy, who just happened to be driving by from a visit to one of the nearby miltank farms found us.
"So we helped put you in the truck and brought you here. Honestly, you worried us all so much!" She scolded me, before wrapping her arms around me. "We're here at least for the night. Nurse Joy insisted. So when you are done scaring us half to death, go get a shower, and I'll dig out your clean clothes."
"Yes mom." I said, ruffling her hair as I scooped up a still slumbering rockruff from atop my legs, to let her down in the warm spot I was leaving. She replied with a mental burst of angry static and a shake of her head.
"Don't you start! Just go, while I clean up the mess. Honestly! Take this a little more seriously, why don't you?" She complained, but after the burst of annoyance gave me a gentler mental nudge. "I don't want to have to be without you. Next time... don't spare my dignity if you need my help."
I left the door open just a hair behind me, as I turned on the shower. The water was almost too hot, almost. It was going to be worth looking like a boiled lobster when I was done. Dirt and mud and sweat washing away, my clothes left up in the sink. I should have been more courteous, perhaps. But I enjoyed the luxury of a real shower after what had been a longer day than I'd intended. A few minutes passing in the dull roar with my thoughts just adrift a while. Distracted as I was, I didn't hear the door open, but it didn't quite surprise me when Rockruff joined me. Her nose against the back of my leg pulling me out of the moment.
"Guess even a dirty girl wants a good bath once in a while, hm? Or are you just making good on this morning's promise?" I asked, sitting down in the tub, scrubbing mud and dirt out of her fur while she stretched and basked in the hot water.
After a few minutes of work, she shook herself off and sat between my legs, looking up at me quietly as I ran my hands over her wet fur.
"Thank you." I said, scratching beneath her chin. "For being there today. For letting Claire out. For all of it. Every muddy, rain soaked step."
She leaned into my hand, nuzzling against it, the sharp protrusions beneath her fur scratching against the skin a bit. It almost hurt, but she was gentle, and stopped after a moment.
"Tempest." I said, regarding her for a long moment. "How's that sound to you?" I asked, rubbing behind her ear. "Because you're no fair-weather friend."
She tilted her head, and after a moment, her tail began to wag, sloshing water back and forth in the tub before giving me a confident, affirmative bark. It was the happiest I'd ever seen her, and her excitement was infectious.
"Tempest." I said, picking her up to touch her nose to mine. I laughed softly as she licked my face, but that melted into a moan as her tongue found my lips, with a force and fervor unmistakable.
I let her down in my lap, still kissing her beneath the slowly cooling water, and felt the unmistakable heat of her womanhood pressed against my rising need as she shifted herself against me, slowly grinding that hot, wet flesh along my shaft.
"Soon." I told her, promised her, as I reached down to line up the tip of my cock against her too-tight depths. "You know it won't fit yet..." I said, as she rocked herself against it, whimpering as she tried vainly to stretch herself wide enough to let it in.
It was to my immense surprise that, with a slightly pained gasp, she sank down on me, my tip and maybe an inch or two stuffing her completely full, pressed hard against her back wall as she looked up at me with an expression that said quite plainly "I told you so."
It was so tight it hurt. Doubtless she felt the same kind of pleasure-pain but she offered no protest as my hands slid to her sides, pulling and pushing her over my cock. I was careful not to try and get it any deeper, but neither of us were gentle with one another, she whimpered and pushed back, looking over her shoulder as I savored her tight pussy gripping my shaft with every stroke.
She nipped at my hand after a minute and I let her take the lead, her paws on my chest and stomach backing her into me, at her pace this time, slower, lingering with my tip pressed as deep into her as she could manage. All I could do was watch as she took what she wanted.
Her eyes met mine and my touch on her cheek was automatic, savoring the warmth through her fur beneath my fingertips, sliding lower, down her body to tease at her tail, and at her ass.
I don't know what I expected, she yelped, and clamped down on me, her velvet vice squeezing me tight. But she didn't move or pull away, a startled glance over her shoulder the closest to resistance I got before I sank that digit into her.
I gave her a moment to get used to the feeling. To get used to being rubbed inside from both sides, before my free hand slid to her back, holding her still while I pistoned up into her from beneath, her body bouncing on my cock also forcing her to take that digit in her ass.
All she could do was whimper and whine, her paws feebly trying still to push her body back into me harder, but it was obvious she was completely out of her depth, overwhelmed as I abused her holes. Every thrust, every push brought me fully to her back wall, my finger sinking deeper each time.
I don't know who came first, but she actually bit me when she did. Not hard enough to break skin, but hard enough to surprise me, my hand on her back tightening as I painted her cunt white, what little room there was left quickly flooded, leaving my seed dripping down my shaft before she pulled off, and began licking my neck and face.
After a few moments of that eager affection, she tried to hop out of the tub, but found that hopping, and walking were both more or less out of reach, and settled instead for just laying on my stomach, panting and staring up at me with her ocean blue eyes.
So I took my time, washing up, myself, and her as well once more. As gentle as I was with her, she still whimpered as I cleaned her poor, battered pussy. Though she offered a tired, feeble wag of her tail when I asked her if she was okay.
"Tempest..." I said softly, kissing her once more, tenderly, rather than passionately as before. "Let's be more gentle with each other next time. I don't want you to get hurt."
Her response was a nip at my shoulder before finally, successfully hopping out of the tub. One good shake later, and she gave me a teasing, knowing lift of her tail, head over her shoulder to regard me, before slinking out of the room, the cool air rushing in to replace the steam as I watched her sweet little ass disappear around the corner.
"Or not. Your call, I guess." I mused to myself before hauling myself to my feet to rinse off. It was a harder thing to do than I’d expected, fatigue and the aches and pains that came with it leaving me leaning against the shower wall for support.
A few minutes, I lingered in the rapidly cooling shower, soap and water swirling down the drain before I stepped out, Claire regarding me from her seat on the counter top. She'd watched the entire show, I realized. "She likes it rough." She quipped, with a teasing glint in her eyes. "You're going to have your hands full when she's bigger."
"Don't I just know it." I replied, as I began to dry myself off. "Between the two of you, it'll be amazing if we manage any training at all."
"As if you don't love knowing that."
I had to admit, she was right about that. As I hung the towel over the shower, I turned to face her, still sitting on the counter. I was utterly sated from Tempest, but my hands, and my tongue moved of their own accord, pulling her into a lewd, wet kiss. She made no protest, just moaned into my shoulder as my fingertips slid between her legs. She rocked against my hand, right there on the counter. Another kiss, and her eyes locked to mine, mental static building to a wave of pure, absolute pleasure, her moisture covering my hand as she probed my mouth with her tongue.
Finally, with a playful shove, she nudged me back to the bed. Sitting down was the last thing I remembered for some time.
It was with a familiar mental nudge that I began to stir, it was still before dawn, Claire sat beside me, legs dangling over the edge of the bed, fresh fruit and bread in hand, and a silent urging to quiet. She'd seen to the cleaning, the laundry, to breakfast, even to re packing my bag after it had dried. Honestly, what would I do without her? As she fed me I felt the weight at my ankles, Tempest was sound asleep. Claire ran a hand, tender and soft, over my forehead. I had a sense, for just a moment, of being tended to like a sick child. It was embarrassing, for all that it was very sweet.
I hated to admit how hungry I was, having been too exhausted to eat after yesterday's ordeals. It would be one of my fonder memories, being fed like that, the touching, the tenderness and warmth. It took quite a bit longer than I'd imagined to eat a meal that way, but it was time well spent. She curled up alongside me and we both dozed a while, until we were awakened by the local Nurse Joy knocking at the door frame.
The conversation was a handful of the usual admonishments about inclement weather, exposure, and not putting my pokemon at risk out of stubbornness and pride. Really, it was the stuff of an exasperated teacher forced to dole out the same lessons every week. A speech I’d heard a dozen times during my licensing requirements. I felt guilty for putting her to the trouble, and kept my mouth shut while she lectured. Internally, I took back every unkind thing I'd ever thought about any other trainer who'd had similar dressings down within earshot of me. I realized, with some wry bit of amusement, that there was no way this was the only time I'd be hearing a lecture from someone.
Finally, with a last brief examination, we were let go with one last warning to pay attention to the weather forecasts. The day was already well begun as we got back on the road, walking side by side this time.