Full Moon Strays Ch. 08

Johan was the next to fall, so to speak. Talia was licking and sucking like a she had a lollipop. It didn't take her much longer before her proverbial sweet tooth was satisfied. Johan unloaded with a grunt and a grin.

'How typically male,' she thought amusedly, swallowing down her treat.

When Johan's staff slipped from Talia's lips, Tarloh went to town. He grabbed her waist with his powerful hands and thrust into her so hard that his testicles slapped against her mound.

"Gimme!" Talia shouted. "C'mon big daddy."

"Big daddy?" Anya said.

"Don't knock it," Talia replied as Tarloh hammered her.

Those participants who were already spent watched with some appreciation for the animalistic display going on before them. Tarloh wasn't just having sex with Talia . . . he had mounted her and was taking her for a ride. And she was grunting happily as he went. The sound of skin slapping skin was almost like thunder in the metal-walled building. A fine sheen of sweat was covering Talia's back as she braced her hands on the floor. Something deep inside her was building and Tarloh's substantial manhood was drawing it out.

"Ooh yeah," Talia mumbled. She didn't need to announce what was happening. Tarloh's suddenly hindered progress by the tightening of her vaginal opening. She was breathing hard and loving life.

Anya, Shield, Croc and Johan all started applauding as Talia enjoyed her orgasm.

"They're really quite good at that," Croc mentioned.

Anya rolled her eyes. "You have NO idea."

But Tarloh and his favorite mate weren't through. Talia pulled away, stood up and then jumped up against his chest. He grabbed her as she slid down onto his cock one more time. He spun and pushed her against the wall with a not-too-delicate "thud" and started back up again.

"Hey!" Anya said with a laugh. "Don't damage the walls! I just paid for those!"

Tarloh and Talia couldn't care less. The leader of the Strays was thrusting like a piston and Talia's legs were wrapped around his sizeable waist. She grabbed a double handful of his beard and pulled him into a ferocious kiss. She bit his bottom lip lightly before sending her tongue into his mouth. She wanted to be inside him as much as he wanted to be inside her.

Anya's fears about damage to the metal walls almost turned out to be realized. There was a lot of clanging followed by a groaning noise, but the groan turned out to be Tarloh. He had finally lost control and was releasing a huge stream of cum into Talia's body. She was clinging to him like a second skin, direly in need of breath after kissing him for the last minute. Finally it was over, and he stopped pressing her against the wall. It creaked when pressure was removed and the cause was lowered to the floor.

Talia snuggled against Tarloh's chest. "I think . . ."

"Yes?" Tarloh asked when she paused.

She grinned at him and then her friends, "I think that I'm just getting warmed up."

"Hey!" Anya said indignantly. "That's my line!"

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A week later . . .

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Robbie and Natasha were both cranky as hell by the time the Strays arrived at the slaughterhouse. They had gotten a message on Natasha's cell phone on where to go, but then her battery went dead so they couldn't call back. They had returned the car, taken cabs out to the nearest gas station and then hiked back in. Lothar got help carrying the heavy magical jewel all the way. His magical battle had taken a lot out of him. That, and not having ever been to this new Den before, prevented him from teleporting.

"They're back!" came a cry from a window as the weary travelers approached. Talia and Tarloh came sauntering out and embraced their friends, happy to see them all still alive. Robbie explained that the Raptors would be joining them that evening when darkness allowed them easier passage through the skies.

"This is big," Natasha said, "and they wanted to be here for it."

"I'm not sure what good the rest of us are going to do," Tarloh said, putting a big hand on Lothar's shoulder. "The rest is pretty much up to you."

"No pressure," the pudgy man said. But he felt comforted. He had as much support as someone could ask for. He motioned towards the backpack that held the Heaven's Eye with his chin. "We better get this inside. I'm gonna need to work with it for a while . . . match my will to its. Whoever created this thing had serious mojo and I don't want to make any mistakes."

"We'll get you set up," Anya said, giving the man a hug. He got a stiffy just being NEAR a woman like Anya.

"Hey guys," said Nathan excitedly. There was another man beside him when he emerged from the building.

"Snake?" Mindy exclaimed, embracing the thin man. Snake was one of the Strays who had left after the last battle with the Hellspawn. He was a thin man whose Talent was the ability to run at tremendous speed across or even up most any surface.

"Yeah," he said with a blush. "Nathan told me what was up and . . . and I felt like crap for leaving anyway so . . ."

"Don't," Mindy interrupted. "Don't beat yourself up over it."

Arthur nodded. "No one should be here unless they're sure they want to be."

Snake nodded back. "I'm sure now."

Tarloh had just got done hugging Mindy and her brothers as well as Arthur. He picked up Natasha and Robbie in a single bone-crunching hug.

"Careful," Robbie gasped. "We're still in a lot of pain."

Tarloh put them down. "Let's go inside. I figure we all have stories to tell, and it will be easier if we're all there at the same time."

"Where's Red?" Robbie asked, looking around.

Tarloh looked towards the head of the trail that led towards the cave. "She's up there. Follow the scent. You may want to have a few words with her," he said mysteriously.

Robbie's eyes opened wide. "Wait. That's the voice you use with her whenever she needs to talk to me about something stupid I did."

"Yeah," Tarloh said, leading the others inside.

"Screw that," Natasha mumbled as she looked at Robbie. "I'm going with you!"

The two of them wandered up the trail and found Red applying brick and mortar to the front of a cave, creating a fairly serviceable looking wall with an opening for a door. It didn't take much to notice that she wasn't moving as well as she should be. She had some visible bruises and cuts on her arm that were in the process of healing. She hadn't noticed them yet because they were downwind of her.

"Hey Sis," Robbie said.

Red spun around, an enormous smile creeping onto her face. She dropped what she was doing and picked up her "little" brother in a fierce hug, though it obviously pained her somewhat to do so.

"Hey, I'm okay!" he said. While they did love each other, Red hadn't always been so overt in her affection towards her only remaining kin. "What's got into you?"

"Nothing," she said, suddenly trying to compose herself.

"Then what the hell happened?" Natasha asked, touching a bruise on her cheek.

"Oh that? It's . . . " Red sighed. What was she going to say? That she ran into a door? And that it was carrying a knife and brought a couple of friends? "I'm okay. Really. It looks worse than it is."

"If it WAS worse than it looked, you'd be in a pine box," Nat grumbled.

"Nuh unh Sis," Robbie said. "You make me tell you everything every time I've done something . . . what's the word?" he asked, looking at Natasha.

"Rash?"

"That's it."

Red growled. Neither her brother nor her friend seemed particularly intimidated at the moment. The she sighed. "Come on it," she muttered, walking towards the back of the cave. "I'll explain."

"Jane here?" Nat asked nervously. She wasn't sure if she should be there, thought it would probably be okay because Robbie was chaperoning.

"She's at work," Red said. "After what happened out east, she decided she needed a job." She decided just to dive right in. She told them everything, from the bus-ride out to Jane's home town to Red's total break down.

Robbie was staring in amazement. His sister had ALWAYS been the reliable one. What she had done was so un-Red-like. "PLEASE tell me you've got that out of your system," he said at last.

"Yeah. I think I've seen the error of my ways. Or at least felt them," she groaned as she leaned back against the wall.

"We can have Arthur take a look at you in a bit," Nat said.

"He's probably tired and . . ." Red started, but her brother wasn't having any of it.

"Let him help. Arthur was actually able to rest on the trip up. Luckily, none of us got injured," Robbie said.

"I'm impressed," Red said with genuine respect. "It's hard to lead troops into battle and bring them back."

"Yet you've been doing it for how many years?" Robbie asked. "And you never complained." Robbie was as open with his sister as he had been in years. "Red I never realized how hard what you do is. I've done it once and . . . and I don't WANT to do it again. I stunk at it. The only reason we all made it out was because we worked as a team. I'm not putting myself down. I just not as much of a leader as you are and I'm okay with that."

"I don't know. I think you're not giving yourself enough credit." She looked at him and ruffled his hair, then gave him a hug.

"Okay, now you're REALLY creeping me out," Robbie said, though he didn't mind so much.

Red smiled at him. "You've grown up." She looked him in the eyes. "Jane . . . she was asking Tarloh and them about how it started. About when we first met the Strays."

Robbie's mood sobered quickly. "I hadn't thought about that in a long time."

"Me neither. Afterwards, I just started thinking back to Mom and Dad and the promise I made. I think that's what started this," she said, looking at her bruises. "I've been doing one thing so long that the idea of changing things this much was a bit overwhelming."

Natasha smiled as she and Robbie helped Red to her feet. "You're a strange bird," she said. They walked down the trail to the main building. "And for everyone's sake, I hope you never change."

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Later that evening . . .

------------ ------------------ Jane was moving through the forest at high speed, wanting to get home. She'd gotten a call on her cell that all the Strays were back and she wanted to see them. In her many magical braids she was carrying some snacks she had bought with her meager money. She'd also grabbed all the hot dogs from the grill that had been there a little too long. There was always someone in the Strays who would eat that stuff.

She scurried up to the building and clambered inside. And she was in for a surprise. When she emerged into the main room, she saw a huge man with wings . . . bat-like wings. He turned and seemed to growl at her. Jane screamed.

The Strays came rushing forward, prepared for anything. The Raptors had arrived just half-an-hour earlier and they had been trading war stories. No one had thought to call Jane and warn her.

When Tarloh got to the front of the room, he wound up being more amused than alarmed. Jane had extended eight magical braids to defend herself against this intruder with anything at her disposal. "At her disposal," at that moment, was a steel folding chair, an old vase, a branch, two rocks, a jelly doughnut, a bag of chips, a jar of salsa and metal pipe.

"Woah there girl," the big man said with a grin. "It's okay. This is Otlivant. He's one of the Raptors . . . they're allies."

Jane was breathing so fast she was practically panting. The other Raptors and Strays were watching as Tarloh tried to talk the nervous girl into relinquishing her . . . weapons.

"Hey," said Raid as she ventured into the whirlwind of silky-smooth tentacles that was Jane. Jane instantly began to calm down and wrapped her arms and hair, weapons and all, around her girlfriend. "There there," Red said softly. She knew she was making a scene, but she also knew that Jane was quite capable of hurting someone if she got spooked.

Besla leaned in and whispered to Robbie, "This is your sister's mate? She seems . . . fragile."

Robbie shook his head. "Don't judge a book by its cover. That girl has saved every one of us at some time or another. Even before she had her Talent, she saved my ass just by being brave at the right time."

"I shall take you at your word," Besla said, still unconvinced.

Jane's head was resting comfortably on Red's chest and she was calming down. She felt a little silly at the fuss she had made. "Sorry everyone," she said, blushing a bit and hiding behind Red as she released her from those braids. One strand held up a doughnut to the harpy that had been called Otlivant. "Chocolate glazed?"

The harpy just stared at her, looking totally perplexed. Everyone else just started laughing.

"Now that you're all calmed down," Mindy said, rushing forward to hug her friend.

"Mindy!"

And just like that, the tension was broken. Jane finally noticed that Red was looking much better. Arthur must have worked some of his healing mojo on the red-haired beauty. Jane had to give him a hug for that.

But there was one person who didn't feel all that jovial. Chris had been staring at Croc for hours. Sure, he had gotten a hug from Anya when he had returned with the others, but then she had been on the arm of that . . . outsider all evening. He hadn't cared all that much when the guy had shown up, but now . . . Chris wasn't sure what was going on. It's not like Anya had ever been exactly loyal to a single person before. But she seemed different with this guy now. She'd said that she liked Chris because he was a gentleman. But had she been ribbing him? Was she really that smitten with bad boys?

Jane was at a table, trying to lay out what little she had managed to bring. She wasn't particularly good at socializing, so maybe if she played the quiet hostess role . . .

"Hey," came a smooth voice from behind her.

Jane felt a bit clammy. She turned around, still holding a jar of salsa she had forgotten to pour. "Nat . . . Natasha," she blurted.

Natasha looked her over. "You don't like me do you?"

"No," Jane started. "I mean . . . I don't know you. I can't . . . It's just . . . "

"I complicate things?" Nat asked.

"You scare me," Jane said, finally looking Nat in the eyes. "You want Red and . . ."

"I want Red to be happy. And I've never seen her as happy as she is with you." Nat smiled. "Sure, I wanted her available so we could play our stupid little drama out every time I came around. I knew that wasn't going to last. But I'm going to be around a lot more, assuming the universe still exists in a week or so. The Strays need my help and, quite frankly, I miss these guys. I know you're freaked about me being around. You don't need to be. Red is yours. But you're going to have to accept my presence. Red seems to think you've got a little iron in your spine that most people can't see. I hope she's right. I'd like to be friends Jane. But that would take two of us."

Jane was staring at her shoes and gripping the hem of her mustard-yellow work smock. "I'd like that," she said softly. "She always says you brought out the best in her." Jane raised her face again. "That counts for something."

"I may have brought it out, but you get to keep it. I'd say that puts you ahead." Natasha was pleased that Jane was smiling now.

"What was she like?" Jane asked. "When you first met her? She said she was . . . butch?"

Nat laughed outright at that. "You have no idea. She . . ."

"INTRUDERS!" came a shout from Shield. He had reestablished a warning system a hundred yards or so out around the complex, and it was triggering alarms in his brain.

The lycanthropes immediately went to the windows and sniffed the wind.

"Hellspawn?! Again?!" Michael exclaimed.

"And Shadow Hounds," Mindy added. "Together? Those things never . . ."

"Cravens," Besla said. While a harpies sense of smell was not nearly what her comrades was, she could hear the shrieks of the winged demons in the distance.

"Damn it!" Tarloh said. They just were never going to get any rest. "Why the hell . . ."

"It's the Elder God," Jane said. Part of the Shoggoth would always be stuck in the back of her mind, and she suddenly sensed a familiar energy. But the Master's power dwarfed its servant's, even when trapped in another dimension. "Somehow it's directing them."

"Shit," Red growled. "It knows we've got something that could stop it from escaping."

Lothar nodded. "It may not be able to get at us directly, but anything that has any magical sense knows its coming by now. Every living thing is going to have to choose a side, and my guess is they've made their decision."

"They've chosen death then," Red replied grimly. It was time to do what she did best. She looked at the assembled forces, all of whom seemed to turn instinctively to her. Even Besla and her Raptors were listening.

"Okay folks," she started, "here's what we're going to do. They're coming in from the west. Besla, get the Raptors out the back. Fly up but stay out of the moon. Wait until their forwards are in, then attack their rear. Get them to panic when their forces are split." She watched as Besla nodded and the Raptors fluttered, pattered and slithered out the back. "Shield . . ."

"Yes ma'am?"

"Don't bother trying to cover all the exits. Hold the main doors. Make 'em come in one at a time through the others. That gives us four points of attack. Gruesome threesome," she said to Mindy, Matthew and Michael. Take the corner next to the kitchen. Johan, Snake and Nat," she said, "you three are upstairs next to the railing. Nat, you take point on that." She looked at her co-leader. "Tarloh, take Robbie and Chris and hold next to the offices. Nathan, you're with me and Talia next to the loading dock. Lothar, you hide in the management office and do whatever you can to support the different crews. Unless you'd rather bug out now. No one would blame you if you did."

"No," Lothar said. Courage was a strange rush to him. "I'll stay."

"Thanks," she said. "Arthur, run independent. Help whoever needs you." It was time for Red to make the order she hated more than anything. She looked at Jane. "I need you to grow up," she said softly. "Right now."

Jane simply nodded. "I'll do anything for you."

Red kissed the girl's forehead. "You, Anya and Croc will do more good outside than in," she said. "You can move through the trees faster than anyone. Stay high. Distract them and let Anya and Croc take them out by surprise. Only expose yourself if you have to," she added, her voice expressing what her words could not. She wanted Jane to be safe more than anything, but she needed Jane's skills if the Strays and Raptors were going to survive. "Okay," she said, addressing the crowd. "You know what to do. Do it well and we may just make it through the night."

The Strays scattered, getting to their posts just ahead of the invaders. The attackers were numerous but didn't seem particularly well organized. They flooded in through a few narrow openings and were met with teeth and claws. Red had morphed into her full were-puma form. She had bone in her teeth and death on her mind.

------------ -------------- Outside . . .

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Jane had no taste for battle. It piled up on her tongue and dripped from her mouth as bile. Yet she found herself suspended from two large trees, looking down at a pack of rat-like beings called . . . she thought Anya had called them caval. Their participation in this was also strange, as they were a race of scavengers. Something powerful had driven them to fight. Sometimes, Jane heard wings and cries from above as the Raptors fought for control of the heavens.

She saw one of the rear caval vanish into nothingness. Croc had grabbed another victim and drawn it into his dimensional rift. The group turned and one of them was leveled by a float club. 'There's Anya,' Jane thought. She grimaced. It was her turn. Magical braids wielding heavy branches descended from on high, bludgeoning the unsuspecting creatures into a fine state of unconsciousness. 'They'll never get to Red,' she told herself by way of consolation.