Dragonkin Ch. 02

Author's note and warning: the following story contains subject matter for mature audiences only. I won't list all the possible "offending topics", I'll just warn you that I don't get offended by much and I tend to forget what things might offend other people. All characters are adult.

Constructive criticism invited.

No actual dragons were harmed in the creation of this story.

Lissa

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Chapter 2 - Beginning

Catrin followed her father into the woods, wincing a little as he led her directly through the trees without finding any trail and the random sticks and rocks let her bare feet know why boots were invented. She briefly considered asking him to stop so she could put on her leather soft-soled boots - he called them socks - but decided she could live without them. She had to keep them good for winter, when being barefoot could cost her toes or worse. She wiggled her toes a little, enjoying the feeling of them rubbing against things unconfined, and watched her step more carefully.

The forest here was dense, old wood. Undergrowth only managed to survive a short distance in from the border with the farmland. After a few meters the ground cover cleared, leaving mostly a carpet of leaves and pine needles, and the walking became easier, except where trees had fallen and small areas around them sprouted vines and bushes of all sorts, including berries that Bradan and Catrin harvested whenever they came upon them. Often the logs were meters in length, covered in moss and vines that felt soft and soothing to Catrin's feet as she balanced on top and ran along the length until her father would change direction away, or she'd come to a place where the branches were too thick and she'd have to jump down and go around, enjoying the contrasting feeling of evergreen needles pricking at her soft instep and toes. Going from soft and squishy to dry and prickly woke up senses that had become complacent.

Bradan started out looking for the easiest places to walk, trying to avoid thickets and bushes that may have brambles or thorns that might scrape up Catrin's bare legs. Most of the forest was easy, but every once in a while he would find a long run of thicket or brush that would take him far out of his way to go around, and by mid afternoon he was too frustrated to bother, using one of his words to hack a path straight through. It wasn't good for the sword, but he could have Catrin fix it up when they found a place she could set up a workbench again, and he had a better one from the soldiers they'd disposed of.

The sound of water trickling over rocks alerted them to a stream to one side of their path, and they turned to chop through a heavy growth of bushes and brambles. Within just a few minutes they were able to see a wide, shallow stream flowing lazily over a bed of rocks and pebbles, its banks thick with underbrush and mossy rocks. They pushed through the remaining undergrowth and climbed onto a nearly flat stone that sloped gently into meandering water, staying near the top where the rough gray stone was clear of moss and algae.

Starting to push the straps of her pack down her arms, Catrin stopped and let her father do it for her, shivering a little as he removed her vest at the same time and a light breeze caressed her sweaty body, raising goosebumps and stiffening her nipples. When he tugged at the laces holding her skirt on she wiggled and let it fall off, wiggled her bare bottom at him, and stepped carefully down the rock. The moss felt dry at first touch, but as her feet crushed it the rock became slick and she had to move slowly to avoid sliding and losing her footing. Stepping into the water itself was a minor shock, causing her to gasp and pull back suddenly, losing her balance and falling, her bum slamming down on the rock. She yelped as she slid into the icy water.

Sitting in waist deep water, Cat reached underneath her to feel her sore bum, then leaned back on the slippery stone, letting the water run over her from toes to neck. As the water rinsed the sweat and urine from her scratched legs, removing the burning she'd been feeling for the last couple of hours, Catrin sighed in spite of the cold. She closed her eyes and wiggled her toes, letting tense, abused muscles try to relax. She wanted to use her magic to make herself feel better, but that was a tedious process requiring a lot more concentration than she could muster while feeling so many bruises, scratches and cuts. Her mother had taught her only the most minimal control of her magic, and only so that she wouldn't accidentally kill anyone with it. She sighed and let the numbing water remove the pains even though it was adding a different form of discomfort, and let her mind drift.

After only a few minutes of watching his daughter heal, Bradan had to turn away. The desire for her body was always calmed by seeing the magic work. It didn't matter that she didn't know she was using it, just having the curse was bad enough. Actually, that she used it without even knowing it probably made it worse, since that meant she also didn't have control of it; not that he believed anyone could truly control magic. As his lust faded he cut away the brush around the big rock and then a little back from the bank of the stream, making a clearing that would be a suitable camp for the evening. He had just finished lighting a fire when Catrin returned from the stream, dragging her pack with one hand and carrying her clothes in the other, smiling drowsily. She always looked so alluring in that mood and Bradan had to focus on making a dinner to suppress stirrings he had no intention of fulfilling.

Curling up naked by the fire, using her clothing as a pillow, Catrin looked at her legs, bemused. They had seemed so scraped and raw before she had rinsed them off in the stream, yet now they bore just the merest hints of pink scratches. She considered that maybe letting her pee run down her legs as she walked had irritated them into feeling worse. She shrugged and turned to the fire, letting the drowsiness of her cold bath last a little longer while she watched her father cutting some animal up for cooking. He puzzled her. At times he would be touching her affectionately, caressing her small breasts until her nipples ached, kissing her deeply, even, rarely, caressing the soft mound between her legs. Other times he seemed to be trying to avoid seeing her, turning to face odd directions or getting up and moving away to do small tasks that didn't really need doing.

Cat listened as the fire hissed and crackled softly, melding itself into the sound of water tinkling over rocks, breezes whispering through branches, and various wildlife commenting on the day. It never occurred to her to break the peace, as she didn't have any questions she wanted to bring up and hadn't been asked any. She stared into the flames, watching them dance, then looked around the clearing at the darkening trees, barely noticing when her father pulled her to sit up cross-legged. Taking the hunk of unidentified half-cooked meat he handed her, she ate slowly, staying in the half-awake daze the cold water had lulled her into. When she finished eating she tried to wipe the grease from her hands onto her thighs, then, enjoying how it felt, up over her tummy and breasts. Lying down by simply tipping over on her side, she dozed, one greasy hand between her thighs, the other cupping the side of her face.

Bradan sat close enough to his daughter for their knees to bump while they were eating, but he could tell she didn't notice him. Giving a mental shrug, he ate in silence. When she fell over he lay down behind her, spooning, wiping the grease from his hand on her side. As his hand slid along her side he felt a stirring again. He let his hand slide lower, spreading the fatty juices of his dinner over hip, then down to cup her butt cheek. He slipped his other arm under her head and across her front, cupping a small breast and teasing the nipple with his messy fingertips. When she moaned and leaned forward into his hand, he took the other hand further down her bum, slipping a finger over her little puckered opening, gasping as her butt cheeks clenched, seeming to pull at him. He pushed inward, the grease making it easy, and listened to her moan as she clenched his finger tightly then relaxed, repeating it invitingly.

It wasn't the first time he'd been tempted to use her bum while she was incapacitated, but he was afraid that if he started he might not stop before taking her virginity, cutting her value considerably. Reaching around her body he fondled her breasts and soft little mound until he felt her shudder in orgasm, then cuddled her a moment before moving to the other side of the fire where he could relieve the pressure playing with her body always created in his. As he started slipping into sleep he told himself it was for the best that she had the curse, it would help him keep his hands off her until he could get her sold. Fortunately, most people didn't care about the curse so it wouldn't reduce the price he could get, and in some places it might increase it.

Stretching, Catrin woke feeling good all over. She stroked her pussy a little, tickling herself, then stood up and stretched again, looking across the remains of the fire at her father starting to wake up. Once he was blinking at her she fussed, "we could have been eaten by a dragon, Father!" She buckled on her sword belt and thigh dagger, remaining naked otherwise, "you always told me when out in the forest you take turns sleeping because you never know what hungry beast is going to wander through." Walking to the edge of the clearing she spread her legs, letting her father watch her release her morning water, hoping it would excite him at least a little. She liked the way it felt coming out of her and running down her legs.

Before she was completely finished she wiped herself with her hand and started walking toward the stream, absently licking her taste from her fingers. "I'll get some water if you can find something to eat for breakfast. Want me to start a fire?" She bent down at the waist to pick up a small bucket from beside her father's pack.

Watching his daughter had Bradan's feelings bouncing around. Watching her wearing just weapons had aroused him, then her stream built on that. Watching her taste her own pee had cooled him a little, only to heat him up again as she bent over, giving him a perfect view of her bottom and pussy, golden droplets sparkling at the little opening. He shook his head and reached for his boots, thinking it was too early to be trying to fight his baser nature. "I'll get the fire and find something to eat." He wasn't going to let her do any of that cursed magic if he could help it.

Smiling and shrugging, Cat continued to the stream to fetch water. Her father always tried to spare her from doing any work, as if she was some pampered town girl, and since it seemed to please him she let him; he wasn't around often enough for it to get tedious. Stepping slow and careful around the larger rocks she waded into the stream, finding the algae didn't seem to cover the rocks near the middle. She stepped foot to foot, scraping a little to let her feet enjoy the rough stone sensation as she filled the bucket, then waded back out and to the clearing. Since her father wasn't back yet she started to put together some of the wood he had collected the night before, preparing a fire.

Stepping back, Catrin focused her attention on igniting the smaller bits of wood, practicing the control her mother had, reluctantly, taught her, and giggled as the first tendrils of smoke appeared, clapping like an excited child when the flames followed. She fed the fire carefully, then smiled up at her father as he arrived with a couple of rabbits, "See? I got it!"

Throwing down the rabbits, Bradan stomped to the fire and kicked it apart, stamping out the parts that had started burning, growling, "I said I would get it and I'll get it!" Crouching down and picking up the bits of wood, leaving out any that had been tainted by Cat's magical flames, he prepared to start a new fire.

Tears in her eyes, Catrin tried not to sniffle as she turned around, picked up her skirt and fastened it around her waist, then donned her vest. Moving to a large rock between the clearing and the stream she climbed up and perched on it, her bum resting on her heels, her knees pressed to her chest, and wrapped her arms around her legs. She tried to figure out what she had done wrong as she watched her father.

Bradan finished setting the fire after a bit of fussing with flint and steel, then turned to the rabbits still sitting where he had thrown them down. "Why didn't you get these ready to cook? They aren't going to skin themselves," he chastised Cat as he grabbed them and threw one toward her.

Catrin let the rabbit hit her and fall to the ground, then looked down at it. "You yelled at me for helping. Not helping any more." She rested her chin on her knees and looked at the fire.

As he started cutting into the joints Bradan shrugged, "suit yourself. That's your breakfast. Eat it with the fur on for all I care." He ripped at the carcass angrily, making a mess of the butchering.

Getting down from the rock, Catrin pulled her dagger from her thigh sheathe and picked up the rabbit, quickly skinning and gutting it. Looking at her father still fighting with the one he had, she went back to perching on the rock watching her breakfast cook.

"Here, girl, help me with this." Bradan tried to make his voice sound casual as he held up the remains of the carcass he was mangling badly in his irritation.

"No."

Bradan whipped his head around toward his daughter in shock. As far as he could recall it was the first time she had ever refused him anything. "What?" Noticing the tears on her cheeks he frowned, "what's wrong with you?"

"You yelled at me and messed up my fire."

He growled, "I told you not to do it. Of course I yelled when you disobeyed."

Looking at him quizzically, Catrin sighed. "You didn't say don't, you just said you would get it. I had time and wanted to show you what I learned to do myself. Then you messed it up just to be mean. Then you said you didn't care about me." She huffed, "and it don't matter what I do, you can't yell at me."

Bradan returned to trying to dress his breakfast, eventually getting it into a usable state to put on a spit and cook. Propping it over the fire he tried to sit beside Catrin and put his arm around her but she moved away. Throwing his knife down, he stomped to the stream, slipped on the moss and algae, and landed hard on his butt in the icy water. Wincing, he got up to a crouch to rinse off his hands, then stood and looked up and down the stream, baffled as to what he should do about Cat.

Seeing her father mad at her bothered Catrin, but she was still mad at him being mean. He'd never yelled at her before or ruined something she'd done. When she first taught herself how to fix daggers he'd been proud and praised her, the same with each of the new things she learned on her own. She had taught herself a lot since he was rarely home and her mother was useless, and he'd always been supportive. Now he was yelling at her and ruining things she did and wouldn't tell her why. She wondered if he was just trying to drive her away, if he didn't want her around.

It was nearly noon by the time they were traveling, in silence. Catrin thought about turning back to Derry, since she was unwanted, but didn't think she could find it on her own, so trudged along behind her father. She kept as much distance as she could, while keeping him in sight, to try to avoid bothering him. A tear rolled down her cheek as she realized that if he didn't want her around then he didn't want to make love to her either. He must have been just playing with her, using her as a toy, all those times he'd put his hands on her so intimately. But then, so did most men when their women weren't around, although Paul was the only other that kissed the same way. She decided that when she had a chance she'd go back to Derry and see if Paul wanted her. She sniffled, wipe at the tears on her face, and trudged on.

At first Bradan had tried to walk at a pace suitable for Cat to walk beside him, but he soon found that no matter what pace he set she was always at least six feet behind, and usually more. He'd tried looking back to see that she was keeping up, but many times she wasn't even visible, and the times she was made him regret looking. The tears on her cheeks and the empty look in her face hurt in ways he'd never hurt before. It made him angry, filling him with an urge to violence, but there was nothing to strike at, which made it worse. He'd tried to tell himself she had deserved the rebuke he'd given her, but somehow he couldn't make himself believe it, which in itself was a puzzle; he could always convince himself he was right. Blaming the taint of magic worked for an hour or so, but the hurt of her sadness pushed even that away.

He looked back and didn't see her nor any signs of her moving through the trees. He stopped, listening, and heard nothing but the breeze and the critters, although he knew she could move nearly silently, making less noise than he was capable of hearing. Sighing, he moved on a little more, looking back occasionally until he caught a glimpse of her pale skin between some trees a little way back. Wanting to get the day over with, he increased the pace a bit, but making sure it was one she could match easily, and set his face forward.

When they stopped it was too dark to do anything more than make a small fire and eat some dried meat before settling down to rest. Bradan tried to settle down beside Catrin near the fire but she moved away, at first appearing to be just going for her waterskin but then sat on the opposite side of the fire once she had it. She hadn't taken off her vest and skirt, and that made Bradan feel worse. Seeing her dressed when she didn't need to be just made it more obvious that she was hurting. Bradan went to sleep rather than face it.

Catrin woke to find herself sitting up facing the remains of the fire, her father tapping her shoulder and handing her a piece of dried something. She washed it down with a sip of water, stood and put her pack back on, relieving herself of extra fluid at the same time, not even considering whether her father was watching or not. He couldn't really see anything anyway, since she still had her skirt on from the day before. Making sure her sword and dagger were properly tight, she stood silently, waiting for her father to start moving.

Two more days passed the same way. Bradan started to wonder if he would remember how to speak if a reason to came up. He'd watched Catrin become more and more withdrawn. Her tears had stopped but her sullen silence and nearly dead countenance was somehow worse. Waiting for her to get mad and yell at him had turned into admitting that it would be a bad idea. It would be easy for him to turn that into a fight he could blame on her, and in his more honest moments he knew that is what he would do. Manipulating people is what he did, what he excelled at. Well, had excelled at. It didn't work on Cat at all. He suspected it was because she was too honest with herself; manipulating people usually involved letting them trick themselves. He was also good at doing that to himself. Usually.

The forest gave way to a large clearing, once underbrush and then tall grass had been chopped away. Bordering a large lake, most of the grass was of a shorter variety, barely reaching halfway to Catrin's knees, with scattered clumps of head-height stands. As she got closer to the lake Cat could see that the grass ended a few feet away from the water and a strange, to her, white sand took over, sloping gently into the water. She'd heard of sand before but had never seen it. Rushing toward it, she dropped her pack along the way, then wiggled her toes, then feet, into the odd feeling substance. The new sensations on her sensitive feet distracted her from her melancholy mood.