Chapter 238: A Day of Honest Work

Wood was heavy. Less heavy when you had more than one person to manage it.

“What? Why laugh?” Lucia asked as Ann snickered to herself.

“Dick joke. We’re handling wood.”

“Oh. Hah.”

“So he really just kinda melted on you? I figured he’d be more assertive than that.” Ann grunted as they laid the log into the angled ditch they’d been directed to. Kat was busy helping another person, and both she and Ann were dying under their hats, having to keep their ears hidden. This kind of work warmed you up. They’d come right here after Ann had ordered the doll. Beth had been ecstatic to get the commission and had tried to undersell her work like Palidius warned. Once the woman’s payments were done, she'd gotten right to work.

“Yes. Why surprised?”

“Well, the way I’ve seen him act with women he’s always the one making the moves and talking sweet. Figured he’d be like that in the bedroom, too.”

“Alright, ladies, go get the next one. Once that’s set, you can get to sharpening the rest,” Norvik, the Bultrong in charge of the operation directed. He was tall for one of his kind and proudly boasted of some Mulsfar blood in his ancestry.

Ann and Lucia trudged off to where the logs had been stacked up. Only a couple were left, and other teams were handling the rest.

“Well, can be. Depends on night. Can be in charge, and is nice. Make heart do… dance? Words weird for it. Usually show through Bond. Easier.”

“Could use more than the least words possible,” Ann said, digging her elbow into Lucia’s arm. “Don’t think anyone would care.”

“Eh. Habit. Skill matters, too. Used to quiet because. But no. First night like that. Second night he lead. Was exciting. Felt prey. Struggle. He strong lover.”

“Oh? Wait, you two wrestled before fucking? I figured you’d overpower him no problem. Boy has some muscle to him, but he’s not actually that strong. Hell, I think I’m stronger.”

The two squatted and hoisted the log over their shoulders, putting it between them. It was uneven, with Lucia being significantly shorter than Ann, but the Thrundol didn’t complain.

“Hm, not real battle. Don’t give all. Play? Prey also not right word. Um… moment.” Lucia walked in silence for a few seconds behind Ann. “Vulnerable, Bren says.”

“Still crazy you two can talk through that thing, and from so far away.”

“Know. Strange. Never alone. He avoids. Respect. Still know there. But, that word.”

“I get it. You’re kinda opening up to him and letting him take the lead. You’re used to being this huntress wild thing, and giving up control feels unnatural?”

“Not wild. Bad stereotype. Still, have idea. His words confuse. Make feel good. Hands know places. Good places. Works around tusks well, too. Is sometimes tough for even Thrundol.”

“Hah, I can imagine. You all ever get locked together if someone’s got some curly tusks?”

“Like elk? Hm, sure someone. I no know. Tribe long with slight curve. Further south smaller, but bend or up. Not sure Bortislav.”

“Don’t think… hup,” Ann rolled the log off her shoulder, letting it thump heavily into the ditch as Lucia did the same. “Don’t think most people here do. I sure don’t.”

“Alright! Thanks, ladies. Grab yourselves some water and take a few, then grab some saws and get to sharpening. It’s an endurance run, not a sprint. Don’t exhaust yourselves,” Norvik directed.

The two found Kat by the water barrel, taking a flagon each and taking a load off on a bench.

“Ye two doin’ alright?”

“Yup, talking about Bren,” Ann said, taking a deep drink of her flagon.

“Gods, ye can’t believe how much I’m torn between wantin’ tae know, an’ not. Like, me brother, but also, ye’re so damn good together it makes me so curious! Maddenin’.”

“Can tell. Don’t mind,” Lucia shrugged. She had to tip her head back and let the water fall into her mouth since the flagon was too wide to fit between her tusks.

“Feck it, fine. Tell me what he’s like,” Kat sighed.

“Well, she said he’s an absolute gentleman and a complete wet noodle on their first night. Lucia did all the work, and he just laid there.”

“Huh? Bren ain’t like tha’. No way.”

“Caught off guard. Was sudden. Forced wrong word.”

“Taken by surprise, yeah. We get it. You took control of the situation,” Ann shrugged. “Kat’s done it to me plenty of times.”

“Shite, Rosalyn’d do it too, if she was taller.”

“Kat, she did it to you back in Korvas a couple times. You just didn’t notice what she was doing.”

“Like feckin’ when?”

“When she wouldn’t stop walking in front of you when we went out to the market that one time? She knew you were staring. You think it’s a coincidence she ‘tripped’ right in front of you as soon as we got into the room? Or that you fell right on top of her? Or that her robes were all hiked up and she wasn’t wearing anything under them? Kat, the girl works just as hard to get you riled up as you do pinning her to the bed. Hell, she had her hand in your pants at a resturaunt at one point.”

“She dropped ‘er damn spoon!”

“On purpose! Holy shit, you thought getting fingered like that was an accident?”

“Uh, no? Not wit’ how ye’re sayin’ it…”

Ann wished she could see Kat’s ears. They must be glowing crimson right now! Her cheeks sure were, but the princess could attribute that to the cold.

“Run in family,” Lucia laughed.

“Right? They really should be actual siblings.”

“Enough embarrasin’ me. We’re supposed tae be embarrasin’ Bren,” Kat pouted.

“Big dumb,” Lucia laughed.

“Oi!”

Ann grabbed Kat’s hidden ear and pulled her into a kiss. “My big dumb.”

“Ye’re feckin’ right,” came Kat’s breathless reply.

“So. Yes. Bren good lover. Knows body well. Both of ours. Hands work right. Touch right. Kiss right. Thrust right. Maybe cheating. Bond gets fuzzy. Wider? More open? Emotions strong. Easy to tell when do thing right. How I did right things first night.”

“Ye used yer mind link tae get ‘im off better? Damnit, kinda jealous o’ that ability.”

“Kat, when have you had trouble with any of us cumming with you?”

Kat’s brow creased. “Never?”

“Who’s Chosen am I?”

“Does that count as its own type o’ cheatin’?”

“I really can’t help it if it does. I’m not even using the two big skills I could to make things even more insane. Well, three? Kinda haven’t needed to for you two.”

“Wait, ye’re holdin’ back? Now that’s not fair.”

“Yes. Not fair. Why?” Lucia pressed, turning this questioning session on Ann.

“I dunno, never felt like I needed to?”

“So ye could be meltin’ me brain even harder an’ ye haven’t?”

“Sad.”

“Do you want me to use the skill that lets you feel every single ounce of my lust towards you two on top of your own while I’m in the middle of an overload? I can barely handle myself, and having that on top of your normal… uh… haze you go into? That’d be insane.”

“Would want,” Lucia nodded, sipping her water carefully.

“What she said!”

“Also I’m really still worried about Stoke the Flames and how it manipulates emotions. I use it so rarely, but I sure did on Arunaea and she practically started drooling. Scared I’d literally addict you two if I used it more often. That amount of feel good chemical so regularly can’t be a good thing for your brain.”

“On a regular… Ann, ye turn me an’ Rosalyn intae livin’ puddles o’ lust fer yer dick an’ other parts every three days at a minimum, an’ we both know none o’ us ‘ave that kind o’ patience outside a dangerous situation. Hells, me gash is leakin’ right now since we didn’t get a chance last night. Ye know how it feels when yer insides cramp cause they want somethin’ in there?”

“You’re ovulating is what that means,” Ann groaned.

“Aye! An’ it hasn’t stopped since we got together. Swear tae feck, if ye put that skill back tae normal potency, ye’d have the same result as if ye put it all the way tae extreme. I’ve got no idea what ye’re doin’ tae me, but it’s been happenin’ fer a while.”

“I… what?”

“Noticed. Looks. Smells. Definitely smells. Can tell when couple days. Knew when women in tribe ready make child. Kat and Rosalyn smell like that all time.”

“I… WHAT?” Ann shouted, garnering a few confused stares, before the other villagers returned to their work.

“Yes. Strange effect.”

“Also I’d ride yer dick right ‘ere if ye asked me tae. Not sure why, but holy shite, the desire is there…”

“Kat!”

“What? I know ye wouldn’t ask me tae do it, cause ye’re decent, but by Orenous’ glorious arse, I’d do it. I’d climb up in yer lap, pull me pants down, an’ ride ye until ye filled me up. Others could stare all they want, cause ye’re mine.”

“Easy there, dragon,” Ann warned. Still, Kat’s eye was fixed on her futile attempts to hide the raging boner she had, and the wet spot it was making on her kilt as it leaked her glistening pre. Her breath was short, too! She was really that close to asking Kat to do just what she’d described. Gods, she’d mentioned it on their date, too. She really had wanted to take Kat there after that sparring match. To hell with anyone who might see. That was her mate. Her pack.

We may agree with the lizard on this one. Waheela chuckled. A show of dominance that strong is enticing.

We are not having this conversation.

If you could bring your mate within, we might share as a true pack.

Nope! Nope nope no no no no no! Not thinking about this! Bestiality is where I draw the line. Nuh uh.

As if this is my only form.

Ok, we’re talking about that, but LATER!

“Ann, ye good?”

Ann shook her head. “Yeah, sorry, Waheela was not helping with the current conversation.”

“Oh, she want ye tae bend me o’er this bench an’ claim me as part o’ yer pack?”

“Nearly word for word, and that she’d get in on it, and something about the wolf not being the only thing she can look like, but I’m just going to decide to forget about that for now, because that’s incredibly worrying.”

“I… wait, I wanna know what it is!” Kat gasped. “Waheela, if ye can hear me, tell ‘er! I wanna know!”

“I’m putting you back in the muzzle if you do,” Ann growled out loud.

“Why?” Lucia asked. “Kat muzzle? Sex thing?”

Ann glared at the Thrundol. “You’re fucking with me.”

A grin tugged at Lucia’s lips around her tusks. “Am.”

“Damnit, we’ve got work to do. Come on.”

Lucia and Kat laughed as they followed Ann.

She knew she was blushing. Blushing really hard, too. Something primal inside her was incredibly aroused by the ideas Waheela and Kat had put into her, but it was just wrong. Right? Waheela was being mercifully quiet, but she knew that ancient creature was still thinking about Kat. She rarely stopped thinking about the pack except when Orenous showed up, and then it was pure rage and angst.

Each of them got an axe and started chopping away at the logs buried into the ground. They didn’t have to be perfectly sharp, but they had to be pointy enough to seriously hurt something blindly charging the walls. Warped could be smart, but a lot of them weren’t, and spearing a few bigger ones like this would help should an attack happen.

Lucia had been moved away to help someone else this time, so it was just Ann and Kat working on their assigned sets of spikes.

“Why… ugh, why don’t… hah. Why not sharpen first?” Ann grunted, swinging the axe.

“I’m just doin’ it like they told me. Not rockin’ the boat. The rest seem fine.” Kat wasn’t having nearly as hard a time as Ann was. She was timing her swings easily between sentences, just chipping away as she went.

“So, that whole hyper horny thing is new for you? I… not that I don’t… don’t take that wrong, I’m just trying to make sure.”

“Hah, ye’re cute,” Kat chuckled, cutting off a chunk of the log. “Nah. Liked ladies. Enjoyed sex plenty. This, though? This is somethin’ new. Kinda weird how me shame… is gettin’ eroded. Also funny how that’s a kink fer me.”

“Bit of a hypocrite there,” Ann grunted. Her next swing lodged into a knot, and it took a good bit of wiggling to free the blade.

“Guess I am. Not gonna sweat it fer that. Whew, that’s one down. Next!”

Ann shouldered her axe and started off towards the next log. “You think Rosalyn’s been feeling like that, too?”

Kat shrugged. “I might not ‘ave been payin’ as much attention as I thought I was. Still, girl legit wants yer pups. Don’t think it gets much more desperate than tha’.”

“Do you?”

“Eh? Maybe someday, but we’ve talked about this. Too busy.”

“Still like the idea, though?”

“Not sure? Honestly, wit’ me likin’ girls, I was plenty comfortable wit’ the idea o’ not havin’ any o’ me own. Gotta say, me belly bein’ all big wit’ child doesn’t really appeal tae me. Still, we’re young. Might ‘appen later?”

“Yeah, when I’m your age,” Ann laughed. She squared up on the front of the log and started hacking away at her half.

“Was always goin’ tae be a thing. It’s what it means fer an Alfhindur tae be wit’ someone who doesn’t live as long. Kinda why a lot o’ us an’ the Bultrong keep tae eachother. Hurts less.”

“You think we’re going to… you know?”

Kat sent a piece of wood flying. “Sorry! Eh, dinnae? We’re all walkin’ uncharted trails. Even wit’ people like Alruna an’ Eldest, our shite’s different.”

“For now.”

“Fer now,” Kat nodded and lined up her next swing. “Who knows. Could grow a horn out me eye socket.”

“Or teeth around it?” Ann’s arms hurt as she made another bad swing. Kat really made this look easy.

“That’d be feckin’ wild. Give Alruna a run fer her money. Imagine an eye an’ the teeth?”

“Mascara would be wild for that,” Ann giggled.

“What’s mascara?”

“Eye makeup that makes your eyelashes longer. Kinda goopy?”

“Oh, ye mean khol. Call it that cause we used tae use coal fer it. Use soot more often now. Aye, that’d look a wee bit hilarious. Might take tae colours other than black.”

“Give your teeth a rainbow paint?”

Kat laughed, making her final chop, then moving in to start chipping off the rough spots. “Ye wonder what Rosalyn’s gonna get?”

“If we’re talking about freaky stuff, uh, well, more than two legs would be the easy one.”

“She’s got a third when she wears that ring.”

Ann laughed at the image. Rosalyn really did look silly with the massive dick on her, but in an incredibly hot way. Next time, she’d match the skin colour to the Druid, so it looked more natural. “Oh, ew, what if she gets the sheep ears, but keeps her human ears?”

“Wait, both at the same time? That’s an option?”

“Her growing a second head is an option. I’m just throwing shit out there,” Ann huffed as she started carving her side down from the roughest cuts she’d made. “Hell, I’m pretty sure I’m going to get weirder and weirder. It’s my fault all of you are going through this.”

“Could be. Think ye’re gonna stay a wolf?”

“Dunno. What do you think, Waheela?”

Your form is mutable. Our presence merely encourages the changes.

“She has no clue. If I do, it’d be cool to get parts like you two. Some lizard stuff, or horns? If I don’t get wings, I’m going to be really sad.”

“Or metal bits. Could ‘ave some really narsty claws.”

“If they bleed like Eldest of All, no thanks.”

The stake was sufficiently sharpened, so they moved on to the next, and the next. Conversation about their changes dominated their time, distracting them from their increasingly tired muscles. Lucia joined them after she was done, watching the pair finish up. She had her own ideas on their transformations, but was more normal about it. The woman was more concerned about how she and Bren would be mutating.

Saying their goodbyes, the trio headed back into town and found Bren sitting and chatting with Rosalyn and another man.

“Oh, welcome back! You look ravishing, Lucia!”

Lucia stumbled slightly, then sat silently next to Bren with their shoulders touching.

“This is Sly. He is one of the local trappers and has been informing Rosalyn and me about the local wildlife.”

“Traps?” Lucia perked up.

“Standard snares and pressure traps. Nothin’ fancy,” Sly replied with a rustic accent. “Just enough to catch the little critters an’ get the big ones real fussy.”

“Oh. Still. Talk later. Tomorrow before leave. Traps good.”

“Uh, sure, lady.”

“She is Lucia, my partner I told you about,” Bren explained. “She has a very terse way of talking, but do not take offence. Did you three have a good time?”

“Yup. Got some good talkin’ in. Worked up a hell o’ an appetite, too. We ready tae meet Alruna an’ Tarnu fer dinner?”

“Oh please. I’m starving,” Rosalyn groaned.

“What from? Ye’ve been sendin’ mail?” Kat laughed.

“Do you know how many people can cram inside a little office like that?” Rosalyn shivered and grabbed onto Ann. “Too many. Shaking makes me hungry, so yeah. I’m hungry. Let’s go eat!”

Ann couldn’t help but muss her fluffy hair up. “Yeah. Let’s go meet Palidius’ family.”

Sly perked up. “Oh, if you’re eating with them tonight, could you tell Gretchen I’ve got that pelt she wanted?”

“We will deliver the message. Good day, Sly,” Bren said as he stood.

“He was pretty nice,” Rosalyn said as she waved back at the retreating form of the trapper.