We continued to search the hillside for another two hours. While we found plenty of signs of the mountain lynx in passing, we didn’t spot the creature.
I continued to use the improved eyesight and hearing from my earlier shifts to try and find any evidence or spot the creature. However, it appeared that there were no animals in the area, save for the herd up the hill and the occasional field mouse that I only ever spotted near to us in the grass. The forest was eerily quiet besides those two presences.
So, as soon as the sun began to dip towards the horizon and the light began to fail, I hurried the girls back to camp.
The scent of the bubbling stew filled the clearing as we got closer and both girls only gave up a token protest in regards to cutting off the search.
“I don’t like it. The only reason the wildlife goes silent like that normally is due to the presence of a large predator. Hanging around in the twilight is a bad idea, a lot of predators hunt in that time.” I mumbled while settling onto one of the two rocks we had rolled over by the fire to serve as seats for me and Rieka. I had assumed Kass would just use me as a seat or perch as the mood struck her.
“Uh, Liam?” Rieka’s question got my attention from where she was stirring the pot and I looked up. She was pointing between herself and Kassandra with a quirked eyebrow.
“Not that I am dismissing the threat you two present, but it’s not quite the same. Sure, you two will smell similar to a predator, but not entirely like one.” I rolled my eyes at the pout that Kassandra sent me still. “Don’t make that face, Kass. You do not smell of musk and sand like a snake normally would and that is just one example.”
“Spend a lot of time smelling me, do you?” Kassandra teased, the pout melting away immediately as she had the opportunity to poke at me.
“Hard not to. Considering I end up wearing you like a belt or a backpack so often.” I teased right back and Kassandra blew me a kiss.
“You love it and you know it.”
I was about to respond in kind when Rieka interrupted our playful flirting with an announcement of her own.
“Food is ready. Kass, go grab the bowls from the tent?”
“Yes, milady!” Kassandra threw her friend a mocking salute and slid through the tall grass to the tent to begin rummaging about. Her hips swayed back and forth while she was headfirst in the tent. This motion sent her russet skirt swinging distractingly while it followed her bouncing hips.
“How are you holding up, Liam? Kass not driving you too far into distraction?” Rieka asked gently and I snapped my attention back to her.
“Hrm? No. She’s not distracting me too much.” Rieka’s clear, light giggle made me blush slightly. “Maybe just a bit. But, she’s always like that.” I defended, which only made Rieka giggle louder.
“That’s not what I meant, Liam.” She snorted between giggles.
“Well?” I prompted her.
“I was meaning if she was actually giving you the space you need. Kass doesn’t exactly respect the personal space of people she likes, as you know. What I wanted to know was if she was stifling you. That way I could talk to her if she was.” Rieka asked gently, a kind smile on her lips.
I took a moment to consider Rieka’s question and to study my wolf-eared companion who was inquiring after my well-being, another thing I was finally getting used to.
Rieka was still dressed in the light-gray blouse and tan riding-pants she’d started the day in, though the outfit was a bit more dusty than it had that morning. She looked elegant, with her collar buttoned to her throat and a blue ribbon tied in a bow at the base of her throat while her sleeves were buttoned to the wrists. This was not even considering the fact she was kneeling on packed earth next to a fire pit, stirring a bubbling cauldron with a small ladle.
She’s even got perfect posture while kneeling there. I thought with mild amusement while Rieka used a stick to hook the hanging pot off its space over the fire and set it on the ground by the ring of stones that contained the fire.
Not saying Kass isn’t elegant in her own way, Rieka is just more reserved than my Nugget, precious little minx that she is. Nothing wrong with that. I forcibly dragged my mind back to her question to give her an answer though, not wanting Rieka to think I was staring at her.
“Kass is doing fine. I’m not used to getting a lot of positive attention from people, let alone women. So her being openly affectionate is actually helping me a lot.”
“Damn straight! I’m wonderful like that.” Kass interjected, having returned with the bowls balanced in both hands and a grin on her face. She’d also taken a moment to don a shoulder-wrap of dark-green to keep the chill off, though her blouse remained open to showcase the curves of her chest supported by her underbust corset.
The dwarf lamia wound her way over to hand the bowls to Rieka before turning to smile up at me with her hands on her hips, posing quickly a few times before bursting into giggles that sent her curves shaking in alluring ways.
“Such a dork.” Rieka muttered, though she was smiling. “Just make sure you don’t go hounding Liam too much, Kass. The last thing we need is to scare our human away.”
“Never! Hounding is your job after all, miss wolf-princess.” Kassandra teased before slithering away with a squeal when Rieka brandished the ladle at her friend in mock offense. Kassandra took the opportunity to hide behind her ‘protector’. She used her coils to quickly wrap around and climb up my seated form until she had enclosed my waist with a double wrap of her coils while she was pressed to my back. “Protect me, Liam!”
“I think you might deserve it this time.” I teased back, reaching around my side to tickle the redheaded menace. Kassandra squealed and wriggled away from my questing fingers while Rieka dished up the bowls of stew for us with a snort of amusement.
“Even you’ve betrayed me, Liam! Whatever am I to do.” Kassandra cried mournfully, and I froze at what I thought was earnest hurt in her voice. Self-recrimination began welling up in me suddenly at the thought of betraying her without any warning.
Kassandra must have noticed that the playfulness had immediately fled me. She threw her arms around my neck to hug me tight and press a kiss to the side of my head.
“Silly man. I was just teasing. I know you’d never betray me.” She murmured quietly and I relaxed once more.
Where did that reaction come from? I wouldn’t expect to feel that guilty normally. I thought while leaning into Kassandra slightly.
“Darn, I’ll have to work harder to twist him to my side then. Otherwise, I’m going to be forever outnumbered.” Rieka rose from the fire with two wooden bowls full of stew and strode over, her tail slowly wagging behind her, to hand them to us. She’d include a sturdy, camp spoon of forged iron in each bowl and I inspected mine curiously while the girls argued a bit over my head.
“You don’t have to twist him, Rieka.”
“Then how am I going to win any arguments?”
“That’s easy, join our side! I told you before that I’m happy to share him. Clearly you recognize this since you keep calling him ‘our human’.” Kassandra chirped gaily.
“Kass!” Rieka’s protest was scandalized and I looked up from the bit of twisted metal at her. She was blushing furiously and glancing rapidly between me and Kassandra. I could feel that the dwarf lamia was grinning up at her friend from her spot pressed to my back, even though I couldn’t see it.
“What? It’s true. And you don’t need to sweat a political marriage any more than I do. We’ve covered this before! Why not have fun?”
“Easy there, Nugget.” I interceded to keep Rieka’s head from exploding, though I was blushing now too.
Who would have thought that Kassandra was so vociferous about this? I know she’s talked about Rieka possibly being interested, but damn! That thought got me to study the wolf woman in front of me.
Rieka was blushing furiously, a normal state for her when Kass decided to get saucy, but she was also stealing glances at me and I could see her tail begin to whip faster when she caught me looking at her. Her ears were back but she looked shy and anxious rather than worried or afraid.
Huh. Maybe my crazy, little snuggle-noodle was right about Rieka being interested.
“Liaaaam!” Kassandra whined in protest at me interrupting her teasing. I stroked one of the coils around my waist with my free hand and she slumped against my back with a happy sigh.
Digging into the confidence that having Kassandra close and openly affectionate like this was giving me, I decided to let Rieka know that I wasn’t against the idea either. But, I had to be at least a bit more subtle than the ‘brick to face’ teasing that Kassandra was using.
“Ease off your friend, Kass. You’ve made her aware of the fact. Respect that she needs time to think it over. If Rieka is interested in getting cuddled to death by us, or more, she’ll let us know.” I chastised Kassandra gently after taking a moment to consider it. Not quite subtle, I know. But it was all I could come up with under the pressure of the moment.
Rieka’s ears popped upright in interest and her blush faded slightly. She clearly got the message I was sending and her tail stirred even faster.
“Thank you, Liam. I think you are one of the few people who can actually get Kass to calm down when she’s on a roll.” Rieka said with a small smile.
“Magic hands and all that.” I winked up at her, wiggling my right hand in the air for a bit from where it had been stroking Kassandra’s scales.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Sure are.” Kassandra moaned quietly in my ear, sending goosebumps down my neck. “Especially in my hair. Stroking and…tugging. You know what I mean, right Rieka?”
The wolf-eared princess blushed again slightly but nodded eagerly before turning to go and serve herself a bowl of stew.
“Seriously, Kass...” I murmured under my breath and got a quiet chuckle in return.
“I am serious. Just watch, Liam.” Kassandra giggled and leaned back to settle her bowl on my shoulder and begin eating.
I was thankful that she ate in a ladylike fashion, given that if Kassandra chewed with her mouth open it would have driven me crazy to have that noise in my ear. Instead, I was tormented with happy groans and sultry hums as she enjoyed the savory stew.
Rieka filled her bowl and, rather than settle onto the other stone that sat a short distance away, returned to sit on the grass next to us and lean one shoulder into my leg.
I glanced down at her and noticed a faint blush gracing her pale skin, but Rieka said nothing. Instead, she focused on her stew intently and her ears twitched slightly. The positioning of her on the ground and me on the rock set me at almost the perfect height to stroke the top of her head between her ears, her favorite spot as I remembered.
Guess I’ll eat in a bit. I thought with a small smile and let my hand settle into her hair. Rieka made a happy groaning noise that somehow managed to sound ladylike despite everything. She leaned into my hand, pressing her side into my leg. Such an endearing dichotomy. She looks so fine and proper but collapses against me like an affectionate pup when she gets her scritches.
All three of us sat there by the fire as the sun dipped below the horizon and the speckled expanse of the cosmos rose above us, glorious in its colors and many twinkling lights.
<><><>
I’d expected there to be leftovers from dinner that night, but Rieka and I only got the single bowls from the pot of stew. Kassandra managed to finish the rest of it quite happily. I’d wondered at first where she put it all. But after some thought, I rationalized that, despite her shorter height, Kassandra’s serpentine lower body added quite a bit of mass. So naturally, she would need more calories to fuel her body. I hadn’t noticed on our previous trips as, besides the one overnight by the lake where we’d become lovers, we’d only taken day trips and just snacked while we walked.
When Kassandra had finished scraping the pot and Rieka had finally gotten her fill of head-scratches, I was finally allowed to eat my own dinner. We then cleaned up the dishes and banked the fire before heading to bed in the tent.
The tent was set up the same as before. Rounded and around ten feet across, the entire thing was held up by a mixture of pressure from the guylines and the central support pole. It looked a lot like a squat mushroom or a miniature yurt in my mind. Thick, meadow grass provided a lumpy, but sufficient, bed to sleep on. I did hope that we would be able to track down this mountain lynx for the contract soon. It would be nice to have cots to sleep on and a few more comforts if they were easier to transport.
Then again, I doubt a cot would support this. I thought with a smile as Kassandra snuggled into my left side, tucking herself under one arm while her coils wrapped around my legs and threw an arm over my chest. She then tugged the blankets from our combined bedrolls over us. Kassandra was dressed in just a shift that barely covered her hips and I was in my boxer-briefs.
The last time that we had camped out, Rieka had chosen to sleep on the far side of the tent pole from us but had ended up migrating closer in the night from the cold.
This time, she surprised me and plumped down on my right side with her blankets. She then wrapped herself up in her covers and burrowed into my side. Rieka was wearing a shift as well as a pair of loose pants as something to sleep in, so not as revealing as Kassandra but still comfortable. She also didn’t throw an arm over my chest like Kassandra did. But, it was clear she wanted to be close.
Rieka hadn’t bothered to brush out her hair after my scratches had messed it up some, which made sense as sleeping would make it worse anyway. Given that, I stroked the tips of her ears lightly and felt her tremble just slightly and relax minutely at my touch but not speak.
In order to reassure the kin woman, I resumed my head-scritches gently while the three of us got comfortable. Rieka relaxed even further, almost instantly this time, under the sensation and Kassandra giggled quietly.
I shot Kassandra a questioning look, but my mischievous lover just grinned up at me and stole a quick kiss before nestling into my side again for warmth and giving me one more good squeeze with her coils.
I drifted off that night between the soft warmth of my two summoners, thoughts of where this might go and how much of a lucky man I was wandering through my head.
<><><>
Kassandra suddenly lurching was what woke me. Given that she was wrapped around me like a pair of pants, it wasn’t surprising. The tightening of her coils on my legs actually made my back pop.
“Huh?” I mumbled, blinking my eyes open rapidly. The canvas above me was just beginning to glow in the light of the rising sun.
“The ward line. A predator or threat just crossed it.” Kassandra murmured in my ear and I finished waking abruptly.
“How many?”
“Just one.” Kassandra shifted silently, unwinding her coils from my legs and allowing me to move.
“I’ll go check it out.”
“Be careful.” Rieka had woken now and shifted to speak over her shoulder.
In the night, Rieka had shifted around to press her back into my side and had been using my right bicep as a pillow while she hugged my arm to her chest. It took a bit of maneuvering to extract myself, but the girls were nearly silent as they moved.
I heard a rustle in the grass outside and then a scratch of claws against hard earth from the direction of Kassandra’s ‘cold box’ construct.
Rather than risk warning whatever it was, I gestured for the girls to be quiet and focused for a moment to pull on the ‘second best’ set of eyes I had researched.
My eyes expanded and changed while my ocular nerves rearranged themselves in a feeling that I could only describe as ‘squidgy’ for half a second before I blinked my large, owl eyes and looked around.
The formerly dim tent was now clear as day, though the color was washed out of everything save for the faint hints of hidden colors glimmering in various places like Kassandra’s scales or plants through the edges of the flap.
Kassandra was nearest to the outside wall but had her spell rod in one hand. Sleep had disheveled her even more, leaving her with a sexy mane of bed-hair and one large breast nearly tumbling out of her sleeping top.
Rieka was in much the same condition, though her bed hair was somewhat contained within the remains of the loose braid she liked to wear and her clothes were in a bit better shape. Her slim tummy was exposed from the top riding up. Rieka had her rod in hand as well and looked ready.
Gesturing again for them to wait, I edged to the tent flap and unlaced it just enough to peek through.
The campsite was washed in the barest rays of early morning light. The sun hadn’t even crested the horizon and was only beginning to lighten the world. The fire pit was untouched and I saw nothing nearby in that direction. Shifting slightly, I looked towards where the ‘cold box’ had been set into the ground and spotted a rather fluffy-looking creature with pointed ears and a stubby tail scratching at the hardened earth lid on the ‘cold box’ before bending to sniff at it in the dimness of the early morning light.
The creature looked like a lynx to me, though it was a good size or two larger than the ones I was used to and a cloudy-gray in color.
At least it’s not as big as the crag hunter. I thought and turned to gesture towards the girls.
And nearly bumped directly into Rieka.
The wolf kin woman had crept up behind me without a sound and was only inches away when I turned. She lurched when I turned into her but I caught her by the hips and steadied her. Shifting to put my mouth right by one pointed ear, I murmured as quietly as I could.
“Pretty sure that is the mountain lynx. It’s over by the little pit-thing we stored the babbit meat in.”
Rieka gave a whole body shiver as my breath tickled her ear. She nodded and shifted to peek through the open flap. This ended up with her partially sprawled across my lap and I had to be careful that my hands on her hips did not slip somewhere inappropriate when she moved. She surveyed the scene for a moment and then looked up at me and nodded with excitement in her eyes and mouthed ‘my bow’ with a questioning look in her eyes. I wondered at how well she might be able to see and remembered that wolves tended to have good low-light and night vision as well.
Must be something else she inherited, like the ears.
Glancing around, I found her unstrung bow by the wall of the tent behind me and carefully passed it to Rieka. I helped her string it, the maneuver being awkward to do without using leverage against the ground for the sturdy bit of wood, but we made it work. I wondered for a moment why she wasn’t using a spell before I remembered that the hide would be worth a lot more if it wasn’t damaged. And the girls’ spells tended to be destructive by default.
I wonder how good of a shot she is? Hope it’s good enough. Would hate for her to just injure it and then we have to track it. I thought, helping to steady Rieka as she unlaced the door more and half-stood in the entrance of the tent.
How would I go about using a spell here? Would an earth-spike work well or would it dodge? What about a pit trap to hold onto it…no that would cause it to panic. Hmm. I considered how I might use my earth magic while Rieka steadied herself and set an arrow on the string.
Holding Rieka by her hips to brace her, I tried not to stare at her butt. Instead I focused on her bow since she was blocking my view of the animal. I saw the bottom part of her bow bend and the string take on tension before she exhaled sharply and there was a quiet whizzing noise as the arrow cut through the air.
“Yes!” Rieka cheered a moment later and surged out of the tent, still barefoot and in her sleeping clothes. I followed after in just my boxers, using my Shape-Shifting to give my hands fighting claws while I used my owl eyes to survey the early morning of the clearing.
The hardened earth around the ‘cold box’ was heavily scratched from the mountain lynx’s claws. It had even managed to knock the rock off the lid and pry it up.
The animal itself was sprawled only a few feet from the partially-open hole in the ground. An arrow stuck out of its side, just behind the shoulder. The animal thrashed a few more times as we approached and sent rippling disturbances through the grass. It went limp a moment later and was dead still by the time we got close.
The grass all around the dead mountain lynx was frozen solid and it cracked under my bare feet, splintering and turning into powder as a result. Clearly, it had lashed out with its magical effects in its death throes.
“Damn good shot, Rieka!” I congratulated her as she surveyed her kill.
“I used to practice a lot back home. It was a way to train my accuracy without having to use mana.” She said demurely, but her tail was wagging up a storm behind her and I nodded in understanding.
Settling a hand into Rieka’s hair, I rubbed the base of her wolf ears. She let out a quiet, happy moan and leaned into the attention.
“Why don’t you throw on your boots and something to keep warm? I did some research on pelt preservation and we need to get the hide off the carcass as soon as possible. It’s early as all get out…But the longer we wait, the more chance of something going wrong. I’ll drag it over by the treeline so we can process it.” I said after about a minute of giving her the ear-rubs and scritches she enjoyed as a reward for the excellent shot.
“Yes, Liam.” Rieka said, her voice clearly distracted and distant. She shook the distraction off a moment later. “I’ll throw some wood on the fire too. Kass won’t want to come out and join us in the cold, but it’ll help tempt her out as the tent starts cooling off without her ‘heater’.”
“Hurry back. I want to get my pants back on as well.” I urged, glancing down at my boxer-briefs and chuckling. The morning chill was a bit biting, but I wasn’t freezing. I considered letting go of one of the two shifts that I had right now to get a fur coat, but I didn’t want to leave myself either unaware or weaponless right now.
“Will do, Liam. Thank you.” Rieka said, blushing furiously as she took in my mostly bare state. She turned away to hurry to the tent and get changed, but paused for a moment before she doubled back.
Rieka stepped to my side and, with a little hop to get the height, pressed a quick kiss to my cheek. She fled back to the tent a moment later and I stared after her. From her blush and fleeing, I thought she was embarrassed, but it was hard to tell. Her cute, blonde tail was wagging even more furiously though.