Casus Belli Ch. 15: To Mate or Not to Mate

Its purpose was rather clear, and made her shiver a little, but not as much as the large almost finished wooden pillory did. She sincerely hoped she would never have to witness their use, especially the pillory. Her master led them down the stairs, and then across the square to the nearby stables. Karu greeted them as they entered, with this low vibrating sound she had never heard before. "Go say hello," Bashuk told her, before he headed towards the back of the stables.

Cassandra did as she had been told, and Karu gave her a warm welcome, literally, as she had done before, making her splutter again. "How disgusting," she whispered, while rubbing the huge beast beneath her chin, after she had wiped the saliva off her face. The kurtz blinked a couple of times, and then she started to purr, as before. "It's okay," Cassandra whispered, "I know you're just showing me your affection." The purring increased, and she again got this feeling there was more to these kurtzes than met the eye. A large hand closed on her shoulder, making her jolt. "We aren't within the privacy of the pack," Kasho's voice sounded softly, "so you aren't allowed to speak unless spoken to or given direct permission by your master or the male your master has assigned to watch over you."

She turned her head around, and locked eyes with the big orc. "I'm sorry Sir," she answered, "but Lord Bashuk told me to go and say hello to Karu..."

"Ah, I didn't get that," Kasho reacted, and then he winked, "I wouldn't have punished you anyway. Just remember to be careful, alright? If you break the rules in public your master will be forced to punish you in public, because not doing so would be seen as weakness. Understand?" She nodded, and then she turned around and hugged the big orc. That was when another orc, one she didn't know, appeared next to Kasho.

He was about the size of the smaller males of the pack, but a lot older by the looks of it. He chuckled, "I heard too, but I wouldn't have told on you either, because Karu's friends are my friends... Does that mean I get a hug too now?"

Cassandra looked back at Kasho, who shrugged, "Bodun's offering you his friendship, which is something a prize never can have enough of..."

She turned back towards the older orc, blushed, and then she leaned in to him and hugged him too. Bodun reacted by caressing her hair. "Well well," a familiar voice sounded suddenly, "what's this then?"

Her master's voice made her recoil from the older orc, and as she looked in the direction it had come from her eyes met his. He was carrying his saddle, and to her relief he didn't seem to be upset. He proceeded to put the heavy saddle down on the rack it had come from. "Your prize just chose to become friends with Bodun," Kasho declared with a chuckle.

"Is that so?" Bashuk reacted, and then he walked over to the older orc and gave him a big hug. "Long time no see," he said, "I didn't realize you were at Bromodin."

"I went to the south-west with Yasso and his engineers, to ensure their boltozes were in prime condition, as you ordered me to, because of how important that was. My normal place is with my Warlord's animals though, so once the campaign had concluded, and the war was won, I headed for Iriskan. I got delayed on the way here though, at Rovan, because there were some wounded kurtzes there needing my attention." He sighed, "I arrived just half an hour ago, and learned I had just missed Yasso..., and that he had acquired himself a prize." He was looking at Bashuk, and cocked his head to the side, "How did you manage that, if I may ask?"

Her master smiled, and then he reached out and ruffled Cassandra's hair. "Someone found me the exact right girl..., and once I had the exact right girl Yasso was done for..."

Bodun said nothing at first, he just took a step and plucked her off her feet, and before she could even yelp, she already got this big hug. After a moment he put her down again. "I was so glad to hear he had a female again. I was afraid that, with the war over, we were going to lose him."

Cassandra didn't understand, and looked up at Bashuk questioningly, who was getting really good at reading her. "Yasso lost everything," he said softly, "his pack, his kin, the lot. In such a case, once the male it concerns concludes his presence isn't really needed anymore, he often leaves us." She now understood, but with their old lands lost, where would Yasso have gone? Her master reached out and gently rubbed her cheek. "Yasso would have sought solitude, and then he would have left us for the afterlife," he all but whispered, and Cassandra swallowed hard as she finally did understand. "But now he won't be leaving us anymore," her master continued, "because of Lily."

"Yasso now has a reason to live again," Bodun chimed in, "a female he's responsible for, and in due time that responsibility will grow, when cubs are born." He reached out and caressed her cheek, "You were an important part in convincing Yasso to choose life apparently, which means you have real reason to be proud of yourself."

She blushed, and then she watched Bashuk enter Karu's box and start tacking her up. He fitted her with her headgear, which was a bit-less design she noticed, and then he left the box to pick up the large and heavy looking saddle from the wooden stand. He re-entered the box, Karu squatted, and he swung the saddle across her back, after which Karu got up again, and her master proceeded to hitch up the leather belts keeping the saddle in place. Unlike with a horse's saddle this one wasn't positioned between the front and rear legs, but on top of the rear ones, as that was where the kurtz's center of gravity was.

With everything buckled up Bashuk checked the saddle, and then, with a light tug on the reins, Karu squatted once more. She watched intently as he shortened Karu's nearside rein, and then held on to it while he placed a hand on the lower part of Karu's neck, the fingers intertwining with her mane. He then used his other hand to grab the front edge of the main saddle, placed a booted foot in the stirrup, and mounted her in one swift move. The squatting aside it was just like mounting a horse really. Her master gestured at her to come closer, and she swallowed, before complying.

As she got near Karu's size became intimidating once more. "Don't look so scared," her master chuckled, "Karu likes you, would never do anything to harm you." He reached down towards her, and after a moment's hesitation she reached up and grabbed the offered hand. He lifted her off her feet like she weighed nothing as usual, and then she was being lowered on the smaller saddle attached to the front of his own. She placed her feet in the stirrups, which seemed to be at exactly the right length already, and then she noticed how smooth the leather felt against her naked bottom, and other even more private parts of her anatomy.

Bashuk tugged on the reins, Karu rose, and Cassandra leaned back against her master as she did. She ended up much higher than on horseback and promised herself never to fall from the saddle. "Slide forward a little," Bashuk ordered, and as she complied, she felt that the pommel of the saddle actually had a built in ridge too, be it a smooth one, which parted her labia. And then her clit contacted the small leather clad pommel knob and a soft moan escaped her. "If I ever catch you making love to the saddle," her master reacted, sounding solemn, "I'll stop, dismount, and give you a good seeing too, on the spot, no matter where that spot happens to be, or how many bystanders might happen to be watching..."

Karu moved a little, to restore her balance, and an even louder moan escaped her. "That goes for inside the stables too," Bashuk chuckled. She looked back up at him across her shoulder, and he groaned softly. She said nothing, as she wasn't allowed to, but put up six fingers instead, and then she moaned softly as she rubbed herself against the pommel. He groaned in frustration. "Damn you girl..., after tonight I'm so going to reclaim you..., you won't be able to walk straight for a week..." She smiled at him, broadly, and he groaned anew, even more frustrated. He tugged at the reins again, and Karu groaned in turn, and then she squatted once more. "Sorry girl," Bashuk told the kurtz, "I know you've been pent up in here too long already, and are eager to stretch your legs a little, but it's not going to happen today."

The kurtz turned her head, and a big orange eye stared back at him accusingly. "Soon," Bashuk said softly, "I promise..." Karu started to purr, and Cassandra looked back at her master in surprise. "I told you she was a smart girl," the huge orc told her, smiling.

They returned to the keep, and as they entered the entrance hall, she found the pillory had been finished too. While ascending the ceremonial stairs the sounds made by carpenters at work returned, and when they arrived at the third floor, she discovered a small podium like the one on the first floor was in the process of being erected there too. Cassandra locked eyes with her master. "The third floor is only accessible to my guests and the inhabitants of the keep, while the first floor is basically accessible to anyone who has business inside the castle," he explained. It still wasn't clear to her. "A naughty prize would prefer receiving her punishment at the third floor over receiving it at the first floor..."

She blushed, and he ruffled her hair, "Just make sure you remain a good girl, and you'll have nothing to worry about..." Cassandra nodded frantically. "It's not just for the prizes," he then said, "but for any female in need of some discipline." They entered the private quarters, and then the private chambers, where they found Denora and Vala behind the reception desk. "Time to call it a day," Bashuk told the two, who smiled appreciatively. She followed her master to the living room, where they found the rest of the pack relaxing on the couches. Bashuk headed for his comfy chair, and once he had sat down and patted his lap, she was quick to accept the invitation.

Once she had snuggled up to him, she checked around. Syldan was sitting between Batul and Bolar, and ignoring Yakha, who had sat down on the empty couch opposite her. Denora and Vala appeared next, and laid claim to Batul and Bolar's laps respectively. Cassandra was willing Syldan to get up and join Yakha, to no avail of course, and she wondered if Yakha had managed to come up with something to win Syldan back without physically hurting her. It didn't appear like he had, which made her feel sad, and also made her wonder how this was going to impact the mating of the other girls.

"So did you get to mount a kurtz too?" Polly then asked her out of the blue.

She nodded, "Yes, but we didn't ride."

"We watched Lily leave with Yasso," Moiga chimed in. "Gods those beasts are big, and dangerous looking."

Cassandra smiled, "They are, but Karu, my master's mount, is actually rather nice..."

"Once you girls start learning to ride, we're also going to familiarize your horses with the pack's kurtzes," Bashuk said, "so the whole pack can ride together when necessary." He grinned, "Which will include getting you girls familiarized with the pack's kurtzes too..."

The girls looked anxious. "Don't worry," Cassandra said, "once they know you, they're really friendly."

Vala pointed at Batul, "wasn't it one of those beasts that..."

"No," Kurgan interrupted her with a chuckle, "it was a spadz that ruined Batul's good looks."

Batul pouted, and Denora snuggled up to him. "They're just jealous of that token of maleness decorating your face," she said softly, making the scarred orc smile.

"I don't want to get near any of those, ever," Leavy chimed in, "I'm not in need of 'tokens of maleness' decorating my face, or any other part of my body."

"Spadzes are held in a separate stable," Yakha replied, "where they are kept on chains, and outside the stables they're always held short by their handlers. Also, there aren't that many of them, and the ones allowed outside are all males. The brood mothers, of which there are just a few, are all clipped, and they are never allowed outside. We don't want spadzes to be able to reproduce in the wild."

"What does 'clipped' mean," Polly asked.

"They have their wing membranes largely removed," Kasho told the girl on his lap, "to prevent them from flying."

Polly's expression turned sad in response. "It's necessary Polly," Bashuk chimed in. "Spadzes are cruel carnivores with a voracious appetite. We created them, they are our responsibility, and we just can't risk them to ever become a threat to the sentient population."

Polly produced a small smile, "Yes, I understand, but still... Isn't there another way?"

"No," Kasho said while caressing her hair, "there isn't. There are uncomfortable things in life that simply can't be helped, and this is one of them."

They chatted for a while, and when dinner time arrived Moiga and Polly set the table, after which they all moved to it. Denora and Syldan served the food, and when the lids got lifted from the plates, she immediately recognized the smell; roasted rosk. The dish represented one of her more pleasant memories of the recent victory celebrations. "Oh yummy!" she exclaimed, while the other girls were sniffing the air and clearly still trying to establish what they were looking at exactly. "It smells nice," Polly said, while looking at the plate filled with roasted meat, "but I don't recognize it."

"It's rosk," Cassandra answered, "it's an orcish beast, and it's delicious." The girls all looked back at her, questioningly. "I had it at the victory celebrations," she explained.

"The rosk is a domesticated animal," Durgat chimed in, "it's our primary source of meat. They are easy to keep, and they eat about anything."

They ate, and the girls all agreed with her assessment regarding the taste of rosk. Once they had finished dinner, and the girls had cleared the table, they returned to the couches. The next activity would see Cassandra in bed with six males, and Bashuk in bed with six pack-girls, making the girls, ALL the girls, a little nervous. Denora countered with a serving of Kurgun fireborg, and Bashuk had the good sense not to get in her way when she presented his prize a glass too. Cassandra snuggled up to him, while nursing her glass, to show him her appreciation. Bolar then got up, and left the living room, to return a couple minutes later, holding a small oddly shaped leather case.

Cassandra watched him sit down next to Vala, studying the leather case. It was thin, curved, and about a foot long. Bolar opened the small brass clasp on its front, folded back the top cover, and pulled out this curved object. It was made from a warm reddish-brown wood and consisted of a long row of small pipes. She suddenly recognized it for what it was from Yakha's description, it was the musical instrument he had told her Bolar played. The latter put the leather case aside and took the instrument in both hands. The pipes slowly diminished in length from one end of the instrument to the other, and he kept them vertical as he moved it up to his lips.

Bolar blew across the tops of the pipes, and a beautiful warm sound resulted. He then started to play this merry tune, and the girls visibly relaxed while they listened to it. "What kind of instrument is that?" Vala asked the moment he lowered it from his lips, "it sounds beautiful."

"It's a circe," Bolar answered, and then he checked the girls' happy faces, "would you girls like to hear some more?" They all nodded enthusiastically, Cassandra included, and Bolar lifted the circe to his lips once more. Vala snuggled up against him, and he played for almost an hour, with each tune merging flawlessly into the next one. When he lowered his wind instrument once more a short silence fell, and then the girls outdid each other complimenting him. Bolar's cheeks darkened a little, and Cassandra realized the big orc was blushing.

"Please, play some more," Syldan begged, after which Bolar checked with Kurgan, who gave Leavy a kiss and then got up in response.

Cassandra watched him approach, and when he stopped in front of her master's chair she knew her time had come. "My Lord," the big orc addressed her master, "your pack's males are claiming your prize for the night, as agreed..."

Bashuk lowered his face, and nuzzled her hair, "Enjoy yourself," he whispered into her ear, and then he cradled her and got up.

Cassandra blushed as she was handed over to Kurgan. The big orc cradled her just like her master had, and then she noticed the other males getting up too. She checked the girls' faces next, and to her relief they all seemed okay with the proceedings, there were no signs of jealousy in sight. And then Kurgan moved towards the bedchamber. Inside a surprise awaited her, as there was a second bed, placed against the one already there. It took her a moment to realize that it was an exact duplicate, and what that meant. She swallowed, it was the bed that used to be inside the bedchamber a floor below, it was the bed that once belonged to her father, to her parents.

Kurgan dropped her to her feet "We moved the bed in while you were away visiting the stables," he said, while the other males closed all the curtains, "we saved it from the brothel," he added, in a tone that told her he had noticed her mood change.

The males surrounded them, and many hands started touching her, gently. "We're going to take you to bed now," Yakha's voice sounded softly from behind her, "but nothing's going to happen that you don't want to happen. This night is all about you, and about what you desire."

It took her thoughts away from her parents, and it also stimulated her naughty side. She took a step forward towards the nearest bed, turned and sat down on its edge. "So what if I desire to watch you males make love to each other?" she then said, looking up at them, barely managing to keep her voice steady.

Eyes widened in confused faces for a moment, and then Yakha laughed loudly. She grinned mischievously in response, and the expressions on the males' faces changed. "Let's get her!" Kasho growled, with an amused twinkle in his eyes. The next moment six big males were dragging her to the center of the bed, and then the tickling started, and she was laughing and floundering between them.

When it was over she found herself lying between Kurgan and Kasho, panting. "Just to clear things up a little," Kurgan said with a smile, "you are in control of what we do with you, not about what we do with each other."

"So, if you would just like us to snuggle up to you and keep you nice and warm till morning that would be okay," Kasho chimed in, "but we are hoping you'll allow the six of us to truly pleasure you, and turn this into an experience you'll never forget, of course."

"Six males eager to please you, to fulfill every sexual desire you may have..."Batul's voice whispered somewhere behind her.

Cassandra moaned softly at the prospect, while all kinds of depraved sexual scenes filled her thoughts. Slowly a scenario condensed inside her mind. You filthy slut, the familiar voice in her head said accusingly. "Alright," she said, "first demand is no roughness, if only because I want to live to see another day." The males all grinned most cutely. "Secondly," she said, "no light..."

"Ehm..., we can see in the darkness..." Durgat reacted.

"I know," she answered, "but I can't, and I want this to be an experience with the males, and not with six individuals." The males all nodded, and then they got up, and she watched them undress, feeling nervous. It wasn't going to be the first time she saw them naked, but that first time she had just been an onlooker, this time she was going to end up the focus of their attention. Soon six big, masculine, and very virile orcs were surrounding the huge double bed. Cassandra swallowed, and when they moved on to the bed she whimpered softly.