For The Whored: Beyond Ch. 29

Katie stood up. Her and Ryan had been sitting in the audience listening to Lydia teach the children to sing. They had stayed through Elunara being shot at, and Varian and Elunara's fight.

"Where are you going?" Ryan grabbed her hand.

"I need to go help Tippy."

"Help her with what? She seems more than capable."

"Just... something."

Ryan stood up. "I'll help too."

Katie smiled and pushed him back down. "No, don't. I want to do it on my own."

"Are you sure?"

"Stay, watch the show. Tell me if there's anything else to worry about. I need to go catch up to Tippy." Katie made her way down the steps as Ryan watched her with a frown. Jogging out of the amphitheater, Katie spotted Tippy. "Tippy!" She called. "Tippy, wait!"

Tippy stopped and turned around. She watched Katie jog up. "Girl, should you be doing that?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Elunara gave me one of her shots this morning. I was hoping to... well..." Katie began fiddling with her fingers.

"To what?" Tippy started walking again.

"Do you need any help with Sunwood's basket again?"

Tippy considered. "Technically, no. But, if you're willing, you may take him his basket."

"Is he...?"

Tippy sighed. "Girl, I can't read your mind. Full sentences please."

"Is he alright?"

Shaking her head, Tippy sighed again. "I don't know, he was very upset. At least as far as I can tell. Tauren don't have the most expressive of faces."

"Oh."

"However, you may find out."

--

Loaded down with Tippy's basket, Katie juggled it into place. "This seems heavier than yesterday."

"I sent enough food for two lunches." Tippy winked. "Sit with him, he needs more friends."

Katie smiled at various people she'd met on her usual wanderings around the portal lake area. Loaded down with her basket, she couldn't wave, but she nodded her head at the pandarians near portal lake. One of these days she was going to ask for a ride in that hot air balloon.

Humming to herself, she followed the path she had taken the day before, happy with the beauty of the Grove. She had asked Ryan if he'd like to join her in the Grove, because she had wanted to write about the scenery, but he had gotten strange and blushy. Then he asked her to go to the amphitheater instead. If he knew she was coming back to the Grove, perhaps it would have embarrassed him again. She couldn't have that. Besides, she wanted to check on Sunwood, and she had this niggling fear that Sunwood would tell Ryan about her fainting spell and then Ryan wouldn't let her do anything by herself again.

Reaching the cottage and sitting the basket on the porch, she knocked smartly on the door. After a moment or two, she frowned. Maybe he wasn't home. Taking out her journal, she started to write a note, but couldn't think of a thing to write.

After a moment more, the door opened, and Katie was still standing there staring down at her blank page. She missed Sunwood's shocked expression.

He shook his head. "You've returned."

"Oh!" She jolted as she looked up. "Sorry, I was lost in thought. I've brought us some lunch."

"Us?"

She smiled brilliantly at him. "Tippy made a double batch, so that we may eat together."

"I would be honored." He breathed.

Hefting the basket, Katie smiled. "Let's see what I brought then."

She started to step forward, but Sunwood blocked her path. "Not inside."

Katie blinked at him for a moment. "Alright then."

He closed the door behind him and gestured towards the grove. "There is a sunny spot nearby."

"Sounds good to me."

Sunwood took the basket from Katie's hands. "This way."

They were quiet for a moment, as Sunwood tried not to stare down at her, and Katie searched for the words she wanted to say without offending him. "I heard about that girl's temper tantrum." She finally said.

"Oh." He looked away.

"I wanted to make sure you were alright."

His neck snapped with the force of his attention. "What? Me?"

"You were so kind to me, when I had another one of my spells. I just wanted to make sure... well, it wasn't very nice of her."

"Katie..."

She looked up at him fully. "How do you know my name?"

"I asked Tippy."

"Oh." She blinked for a moment. "You asked... well, I guess that makes sense." With a sigh, she looked around. "The Grove is very pretty. I wanted to come out here and write down some descriptions, but when I asked my friend, he got all weird on me."

"He?"

"Oh, just this guy I met here. He's very sweet. But anyway, he wouldn't come near the place. I wonder why."

"There are..." Sunwood hesitated. "many possibilities." He stopped at a secluded spot and considered. Feeling heat come to his face, he directed her away. "Over here. The sun is bright over here."

"Oh, this is a lovely spot." She twirled around. "So sunny. And the way the light dapples through the trees over there. Yes, I would like to sit here."

Sunwood sat the basket down and lifted the lid. A thin blanket was tucked inside. He tugged it free and spread the blanket on the ground. Sitting the basket in the middle, he sat down and just watched Katie examine the trees and the light. The way the light danced on her golden crown made his chest go tight. The flare of her skirt as she twirled from one spot to the next made him twitch in places. The scent of her was driving him crazy. No, unless she fainted again, she would not be allowed in his house.

"It's just so pretty here." Katie bounced over to him and held out a flower. "Look, I found a peacebloom. Isn't it pretty?"

"You like peacebloom?"

"Oh, I love all the little flowers."

"What is your favorite?" He began to unpack the basket, unwilling to fall prey to his baser emotions.

"Don't have one." She flopped down beside him and took out her journal again. "There's just too many to fall in love with."

"Fall in love with." He murmured.

She peered down at the basket. "What did Tippy send us? I am quite hungry."

"Soup and sandwiches." He unloaded the duplicates and sat the rest of the food aside for later.

Katie eyed the sandwich. "Oh, umm, you eat some of this stuff?"

"I may be mostly vegetarian, but even I can enjoy a little meat in my diet every now and then. You may think me perverse."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you. I just..."

"Because I am a cow, I don't eat meat?"

She held up her hands. "No! I meant... well, I don't know what I meant." She cupped her hands in her lap as a tear slid down her face. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean..." She put her hands to her face. "Oh, I'm so stupid."

"Don't cry." He whispered, reaching out. "I'm not mad or insulted. I had a similar discussion with Tippy."

"You... you did?"

He sighed and leaned back. "In the Horde, you have to mix with other races... as a Tauren, we might live on a vegetarian diet. When we interact with the other races, it was somewhat easier to just adapt. Sometimes they want to shock you, sometimes they are just generally ignorant. Most of the time, just to prove something, you have to eat the food you are given. I found I am fond of some of the foods that I should revile." He took a bite of his sandwich. "Besides, we learned to hunt just as you humans did. The eggs of birds, the body of birds, the meat of wolves. Anything we hunt, we use all of the parts. Not just fur and teeth."

"And you're not mad at me." She whispered.

"I don't see why I should be." He reached out and brushed a tear off her cheek. "Your emotions are very surface, are they not?"

"I'm sorry." She winced and jerked back.

Sunwood frowned and pulled his hand back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch you."

"No, you're fine." Katie wiped her cheek. "I guess I'm used to daddy getting mad at me for crying over every little thing."

Something hardened in the pit of Sunwood's stomach. "Tippy told me all I need to hear about your father."

"Please don't be angry with daddy, he just gets..."

"No one should hit anyone, especially their child, and not one as delicate as you."

She puffed up her cheeks. "I am not delic— ok, maybe I have a little fainting problem..."

"I felt it when I tried to heal you. You may not feel it, but you are frail."

Placing her hand on her head, Katie sighed. "I just want to be like everyone else."

With a stroke to her forehead, Sunwood traced her face. "It will be alright. Elunara is there for you."

Katie smiled up at him. "You're right about that."

He jerked his hand away and pulled it to his chest. With a cough, he shoved his sandwich in his mouth.

"Can I ask you something?"

Clearing his throat, Sunwood nodded.

"Why do you only wear a loincloth?"

Heat rose into his face. "I stowed away my vestments so that I will not be a threat to anyone here. No one thinks I am with a Horde raiding party if I have no clothes. Does... it bother you?"

Katie blushed. "No. Not really." She nibbled on her sandwich and considered. After a few moments, she quietly sighed. "I'm sorry that they treat you this way. Make you live on the outskirts of town, yell at you in crowded inns..."

"I live here because I enjoy it. How people treat me elsewise is of no importance to me. I was aware of how I would be treated if I defected from the Horde."

"Well, they're all stupid." She declared. "I think you're very nice, and if they'd take the time to get to know you, they'd say the same."

He choked. "You've met me twice."

"And you took care of me when I fainted. You're sweet, and I like you. So, there."

Considering her words, he ate some of his soup. Heat rushed to his face and other parts of his anatomy as he considered the girl beside him. He didn't know enough about her, but he intended to find out. Reaching out, he brushed her hair out of her face. "You are kind. An anomaly. There is no one else like you."

"There should be more like me." She took an aggravated bite out of her sandwich and then started downing her soup. "People are dumb. They have a perfectly nice person hiding in the woods, and they don't come down here because you're a Tauren."

Sunwood chuckled. "How do you know? Maybe I have parties here every night."

Heat slammed into Katie's face. "Oh, I'm such an idiot. I'm just assuming that because no body told me about you that..."

"I have no friends?"

"I'm so sorry. I'm a terrible person."

"You're right though."

"That I'm terrible?"

"That I have no friends. Well, I have Elunara, and I have Tippy. But neither person has the time to come visit me unless they want something. In fact, no one comes here unless they wish to borrow my strength. Even then... I am a last resort."

"I'm so sorry."

He shook his head. "Worry not for me. Worry for yourself."

"I do enough of that, thank you." Katie fiddled with her skirt. "My mother died when I was very young, to what we do not know. I'd rather not go to meet her soon."

"That would be tragic."

"Is it wrong that I want to write this story so that someone will remember me?"

Sunwood jerked up straight. "Katie..."

Tears began to run down her cheek. "When I die, I want to leave something to be remembered by. I remember nothing of my mother. Her looks, her voice, her smell? It's all gone now. I have nothing. No idea. I was only two when she left us. Only a little thing. What if I do the same to my child? I couldn't bear not leaving them with something."

Reaching out, he rubbed the tear off her cheek with his thumb. "Katie, you won't go that way. Elunara will see to it. You'll see. You're under the care of a goddess. A goddess who has turned her own daughter into something like her. Have you heard Lydia's story? If not, you should. It will bring you hope."

Katie gave him a watery smile. "If you say so. Oh, listen to me going on. I... I need to go. I shouldn't burden you with my troubles." She started to stand, but Sunwood grabbed her wrist.

"Don't go. Not now."

"Well, I guess I should at least wait on the basket."

He wanted to ask her to stay forever, to be with him and only him, but he knew it wasn't his fate. A thousand words ran through his mind, a thousand scenarios played out before him, but the ones he wanted to cling to were just pitiful fantasy.

"Come back tomorrow." He finally said.

"Alright, I will." She smiled at him. "Oh, that reminds me. Do you like to read?"

Sunwood smiled. "Is this another conversation where you're going to get embarrassed for making an interesting assumption?"

Katie's face went scarlet. "That's not what I..."

A deep rumbling laugh escaped his lips. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. I don't seek out books, but I know how to read. You said you were working on one?"

"Well, yes. I just wondered if you'd like to read it when I'm done."

"Yes, I very much would." He brushed his finger under her chin. "I'm interested in anything you do."

"You shouldn't say that." She laughed.

"And you have no idea." He whispered, fighting those baser urges again. Whatever scent she wore was intoxicating to him. If it wasn't a scent, if it was purely her, he was dying to find out.

"The food is gone." Katie murmured, looking down at the basket. "I should take this back."

"My dinner is also in there, so let me take my food home, and then you may take the basket back to Tippy."

They stood up and Katie grabbed the blanket, folding it neatly. Tucking it under her arm. She fell in step by Sunwood. "That explains why the basket is always so heavy, if it has more than just lunch."

"Tippy often sends me breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I have my own garden, but I am terrible at making more than a salad. Tippy does have the best food in town. Unless, of course, you cook?" Heat crashed into his face as he realized what he had said. He was glad that the fur on his face made it impossible to see his blush.

Katie was oblivious. "I had to learn to cook. Daddy wouldn't let me get by with not. I learned by the women in other farms. Tippy has been showing me some of her recipes, but she is a secretive one. Won't tell me special ingredients. Nothing I make comes out quite like she can."

"Tippy tells me you help out around the inn?"

"I'm a compulsive neat freak, I guess. Always tidy, always cleaning. I guess I can blame daddy for that too. He set store by a clean house, meals on every table."

A muscle in Sunwood's face twitched at the mention of Katie's father. He could imagine what it took to drive such habits into the poor girl's head and body.

At the cottage, Sunwood motioned for Katie to stay on the porch while he went inside with the basket. He desperately wanted her in his home but knew the consequences. If last night was any indication... Storing the food, he emptied the basket. Turning around, he caught sight of the bed. He had slept in the garden all night after that initial attempt to sleep in that annoying bed. As comfortable as it was, the smell still persevered. Walking to the bed, he pulled up a sheet and sniffed it. Burying his face in the sheet, he could still smell her lingering scent mixed in with his. Dropping it, he turned for the door.

"Forgive me, I got distracted." She had her back to him.

Katie turned and looked up at his face, the sunlight catching her hair. "Oh, it's alright, I was just writing down something I saw." Taking the basket from him, she smiled her brightest. "It was good to see you. I'm going to go sit by the training yard if you want to find me again."

Resisting the urge to scoop her up and toss her into his bed, he closed the door behind him. Watching her walk away, he licked his lips. Tomorrow would be interesting.

--

"I can't believe he suspects my mother!"

Elunara sighed and watched Jordan pace his room. She sat on his bed, completely naked, legs spread. "The timing is a little odd. But I trust her."

"She's already been through hell, and now this. She's so upset right now. It was everything I could do to calm her down." Still in his regalia, he gestured to the door.

Elunara slid off the bed and stepped over to Jordan. Slipping her hands under his pauldrons, she began taking his gear off.

"This is completely absurd."

"Don't worry about it, Sugar." When he was down to his pants and shirt, she grabbed him by the arms and slung him on to the bed. His eyes went wide with shock and his mouth dropped open. Climbing on the bed, she crawled up his body and stopped with her crotch above his face. "Do keep talking." She sat down, grabbing the straps attached to the wall above the headboard.

Jordan blinked up at the pretty pink folds and curly hair above his face. Running his fingers through those short hairs, to the folds beneath, he reached out with his tongue and began to lick. She moaned and tugged at the straps. He buried two fingers inside and licked around his fingers, taking little folds into his mouth and sucking, before running his tongue up and down them. Up to that hooded nub he ran his tongue, twirling and teasing it as she wiggled and gasped. Down again to the bottom, he adjusted his hand and buried a finger in her ass. In and out he pumped his fingers while his tongue worked up and down. Sucking and gently nipping with his teeth. In and out, up and down, he found his rhythm. Pulling loose his fingers, he buried his mouth in those slick folds, getting his tongue deep in as she ground her crotch down against his face. Moving his tongue again, he licked that space between her lips and her asshole, sending a giggling shiver through her body.

Pulling free, Elunara slid down his body, her sticky wet center trailing down his shirt. "Why Jordan, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"You shoved your crotch in my face." He accused.

"I distracted you from your troubles." With a grin, she moved her hand down to his pants and freed him from the confines. "Now, as a good and dutiful wife, I'll continue my job..."

Bucking her hips, she slid her wet heat over his throbbing dick, bouncing her hips, taking him in. Shoving down hard, she caused him to grab wildly at her hips. He grabbed her hips and began thrusting her up and down over him, as she arched her back and dug her fingers in his chest. Their legs tangled together, sliding and writhing. He exploded inside of her, pressing her down to take the full load of him.

Panting, she stared down into his eyes. "You know, it just occurred to me that all of my husbands have blue eyes."

Jordan laughed and raked his fingers through his blond hair. "You attract a certain man, I guess."

"Or I have a particular taste I just recognized." With delicate movements, she trailed her fingers over that starburst pattern in his cheek. "You're so beautiful."

"I wouldn't agree."

"You don't have to." She kissed that scar. "It's my opinion and I'm sticking to it."

He ran his fingers through that long purple hair. "Well, you're gorgeous, and that's my opinion and I'm sticking to that."

"Then we're in agreement."

--

Katie hummed to herself as she carried the heavy basket down to the Grove.

"Hello, pretty girl."

A voice stopped Katie's reverie. "Oh, hello." Katie smiled at the man.

"Whatchu got there?" Said another.

Katie hefted the basket. "Just a basket of food from Tippy's."

"You're a pretty little one." A third man appeared from behind one of the trees. "Coming down to the Grove by yourself."

"I enjoy it. It's beautiful down here. But, the food is getting cold, and I must go see my friend."

The first man put his hands on Katie's shoulders. "You're not going anywhere."

She tried to smile, but the other two men approached her as well. "I really need to be going." Trying to wiggle out of the first man's grasp, she backed into another.

"Coming to the Grove," Said the second. "Spending time with a Tauren."

"You're one of Elunara's little projects." Said the third.

Katie looked from man to man. "I don't understand."