Three days.

She’d been running for three days now! running, running away from those monsters! No, not blood thirsty monsters that were set out to eat her. Rather, these were humanoid monsters in the skins of humans who of course did want to eat her just not in a monstrous way. No, perhaps that too was monstrous.

Nicks and cuts all over her body, she tried to desperately cover them up with her ragged robe. But it wasn’t working. Some of the cuts had already festered and smelled atrocious. It was a good thing there weren’t anyone around to smell her because if they had, surely they would have figured out she was a runaway slave. At least that’s why she kept on running more and more.

But all was for naught. After all, just as she took another step, her feet stayed in the same spot but her body moved ahead. “Huh?” She wondered in disbelief staring at her red ankles and the feet which were at least half a meter away. Huh?

The searing pain came soon after as she crashed on the dusty ground.

“ChiAH HA HA HA H!” Laughter came from the distance. A man, a thin man with three scars on his face. Brown hair. And just behind the man, her owner….

Biting her teeth hard, she barely stayed conscious. She could scream, she could wail, she could pass out. But that didn’t change the fact that she would be butchered alive by them. So, despite the pain, despite the struggle, she had to crawl. She had to get away from here.

Even if it was futile, even if she couldn’t, she- “ARGHH!” She got pinned to the ground with a sword on her back. Her vision blurred. Her ears dropped, her abdomen burned but soon went cold as her life source leaked.

“I told you not to damage her,” the owner clicked his tongue. “How the hell am I going to get any resale value now?”

“Just sell her to a brothel. No one cares if you can move in bed or not,” the man shrugged.

“Do you have any idea how much wolf eared woman even costs, you idiot! Brothels can’t make that kind of cash in years. why do you think I hired you, you dolt!”

Apparently the thin man hadn’t realized he’d been pinning a demihuman down because of the robe.

“Oh, so Wolf eared woman are valuable?” A voice. A different voice.

Who? She wondered. Her eyes really droopy. She could faint any moment now. She could die… any moment now.

But she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to die. She… she wanted to live.

“Wh-who’s there!” The owner scrambled.

“Mind your own business pal,” the thin man licked his lips. “I’d rather not kill someone today.”

“Hmmm,” the voice came closer. Woman. Very beautiful one at that. White hair, a really petite build; gorgeous dress. On first glance she looked like she was fifteen. But on a closer glance, the owner could tell… those eyes… she was definitely older. Definitely dangerous.

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“This isn’t what it looks like Madam. She’s a runaway slave.”

“Ah, there’s slavery here,” she wondered aloud. “Oh yeah, I think I remember now. Memories been kind of funny. Too many people.”

What was she even saying? Didn’t matter. She didn’t seem to be actively getting in the two of the duo, so they could care less.

The owner pulled out what looked like a blue bottle of liquid and sprayed it on the bleeding wolf girl below. Her legs didn’t grow back but they at least stopped bleeding.

“Now then, if you’ll excuse me,” the thin man picked up the girl.

The woman shrugged. “Yeah sure.” It wasn’t her problem by the looks of it.

Yet, the wolf woman- she spread her hands towards the girl. “Help-!”

“Why?” The white-haired girl said. “Why should I?”

“Exactly!” The owner chuckled. “I run a shop down the black street. I’ll give you a discount if you just not interfere,” he was in a hurry, and he felt something wrong with the woman, so he really just wanted to make the deal sweet and run.

“I-I can’t serve you, but,” her breath on fire, she stared. “MMGhh!?” The thin man grabbed her mouth and together they dashed off.

Meanwhile, the white-haired lady, Clyde shrugged watching them go. “Not my problem.” She, or rather he had better things to worry anyway.

Except something bothered him… that tail though…. He never really cared for girls with animal qualities. They bored him. However, he remembered one of his classmates raving about how this fictional wolf girl had the literal best fluffiest tail in the whole world and just petting it would give you mental peace. Obviously, the girl was fictional and so was the tail but… “Fuck it,” he lowered his body, picked up the two dangling legs on the ground and dashed straight ahead with goblin legs. Took a minute before he caught up. “On second thought, I’d like to keep her,” he declared.

The thin man bit his gums hard and shoved the girl at the owner. “I’ll take care of her!” He produced a thin blade from the air. The very blade he’d shoved into the bleeding girl.

Clyde checked the man out, maintained his distance and when he realized the man wasn’t charging in, he too just waited.

“What’s wrong? Afraid of my sword?” the thin man taunted. “I wouldn’t mind if you just run away miss. I really don’t want to kill anyone today.”

But Clyde just smiled and stayed back, almost as though mocking the man.

“Tch!” He charged in. He was a master of the sword, a real prodigy. He’d been fighting since the age of five. First kill at 7, double kill at nine. A rogue mercenary who lived to hunt and kill. He couldn’t let this small girl throw him off!

Yet- the moment he swung his sword at the girl, the girl shrunk and ducked just below the sword inching closer- was the moment he realized- it’s not human.

But he realized a second too late as the girl hugged him, and then melted. It wasn’t just her though, his clothes and skin, and then muscles and then everything melted as he watched powerlessly.

Clyde popped back up, yawned, proceeded to absorb the shivering owner and reattached the girl’s legs with his own healing potion. “Wow, didn’t think that’d work!” He’d kept a sip of the potion and shoved it down the girl’s throat.

The girl was just as dazed as the dead owner… “Wh-who are you?”

“I’m Cly-Claudia. You?”

“Jen.”

“Well nice to meet you Jen. I saved you for one reason and one reason only.”

“Wh-what is that?”

“Your tail. Turn.” Clyde commanded.

Shaking, she got on all four, facing the other way. The cuts and bruises didn’t heal just from a sip of the potion but they weren’t festering anywhere. She didn’t have much cloth on her body. The robe was covering her till now but with it gone, most if not everything was exposed.

Looks fluffy enough? Brown almost orange tail with a bit of white…. Hmmm…. Oh, it is fluffy! Smooth, and fluffy… so soft…. Ah, stroking it feels nice. Hmmm… maybe a bit more pressure? That too feels nice!

“Mmh… mmmh…” Meanwhile the girl let out muffled sounds… and slowly moved her hips. “Ah!” Her legs gave up as she panted on the ground with flushed cheeks.

Did she like… climax?

From a bit of tail stroking?

The fuck?