Merchant & Monster Girls Ch. 03

During the trek back to camp, Reina lagged behind. She felt a little awkward with her new family, but she was also giddy.

'I can't believe I finally found a herd-mate!' she thought. 'He's not what I imagined he'd be; he's not even the same species, but he didn't mind my oddities or disfigurement, and he... he actually kissed them!' She put her hands to her face, blushing at the memory.

'Speaking of kisses, Azalea kissed me, as well, and on the lips no less. What did that mean? Did it mean anything? Is that normal? What is considered normal for humans and fairies? I guess I can only try to play it by ear and see how things develop.'

Arriving at Devin's camp, she assessed her new home. "Your camp looks clean and well organized. I would expect no less from my herd-mate."

"Thanks! I try to keep it that way. Food scraps tend to attract wild animals, and I like knowing where everything is."

Reina looked toward the wagons. The largest barrels had round stone plates on top and bottom, lashed together with rope. Ice clung to the sides and rim of the barrels.

"You mentioned you were a merchant. What do you sell?" Reina asked.

"Before I answer that, how much do you two know about human society?"

"I have not had many interactions with humans. When I was very young, my parents took me with them to the human capital, but all I remember is a lot of people and tall buildings." She shrugged.

"The Northern kingdom is an alliance of demi-human tribes and the old kingdom of Lindone. There are three major human cities: Thawdenn, Iceford, and Merport, with a smattering of smaller towns and homesteads across the region. Because of the poor growing environment, milk is an important staple, especially during the winter months. Because there are very few holstaurs this far north, compared to the Middle Kingdom, sheep-girl and satyr milk have become the primary alternative -- mainly because they endure cold better, and sheep girls have the added benefit of producing wool," Devin explained as he started to break camp.

"So you're a milk merchant?" inquired Reina.

"Mostly. I buy milk wholesale from Thawdenn and resell it in Iceford or one of the smaller settlements, charging a slightly higher price, plus a delivery and handling fee. I sometimes also barter for other demi-human commodities: lamia venom, sheep-girl wool, spools of arachne silk, pollen from alraune, the occasional order of milt, and caviar from Merport, plus a few other things."

"That sounds like a lucrative enterprise."

"It's a modest living. Everyone needs something to be moved from one place to another, so I figured the prospects with that as a profession would be stable."

"Are these stone plates responsible for this?" Reina asked while tapping the ice on one of the barrels.

"Yes. Those specific ones are called chill runes. Think of them as a pre-cast spell. Runes are flexible and convenient for non-affinity users. They can be applied to many different materials for a variety of effects, but they have many limitations, too, mainly duration and availability. I'm not sure exactly how they are made, but I think they take blood as a fuel source."

"Impressive you have multiples of these."

"Enough for each milk barrel, but they'll expire soon, so I hope you don't mind the hasty departure, but it's almost noon, and we have quite a bit of distance to cover. We'll be heading out as soon as we are packed," Devin announced.

When the wagon was fully loaded, and Devin was hitching up the bay, Reina put a hand on his arm. "May I be allowed to pull the wagon?"

"You can, but why?" he challenged with a stunned expression.

Reina patted the old bay. "I can't, in good conscience, let this elderly horse do all the work alone. I would like to assist her."

"That's fine with me, but I don't have a spare harness. I'll have to rig something, and it probably won't be comfortable."

"I am not concerned about a little discomfort." A warm smile broke out on her face.

Reina positioned herself next to the bay as Devin tied some spare rope into an assortment of loops. Then he placed them around Reina's lower torso and behind her front legs.

"How is it? Not too tight?" Devin checked.

"It's a little rough, but it will suffice."

Devin climbed into the driver's seat, and Azalea took up her favorite perch on his shoulder. He gave the reins a test pull. "Can you feel that?"

Reina felt a little tug on her left side, then the other. "Yes."

"Let me know if you become too tired," he offered.

With a flick of the reins, the wagon jerked forward. Reina watched the bay, timing their movements together. Progress was slow at first, but Reina soon settled into a complementary gait.

As they neared the treeline, Devin pulled the wagon to a halt. "How are you feeling, Reina?"

"This is quite invigorating," she panted, "although this area is getting a bit sore." She rubbed where the rope was chafing her skin.

Devin thought for a moment, then rummaged around the wagon bed.

"This might help." He placed some burlap fabric between her skin and the rope. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you."

Devin stood on the wagon and poked his head above the trees, checking the highway for signs of people. Seeing none, he climbed back into his seat, and the trio made their way down to the road.

"What a magnificent example of human ingenuity," Reina commented.

"Half right. The king's highway is the cooperation between humans and demi-humans."

"I remember my mother mentioning it when I asked her about human culture once," reminisced Azalea.

"It was the answer to the problem of particularly harsh winters that would strand many tribes and stymy trade. Though, I think it's mostly taken for granted now," Devin mused.

When she was guided to the edge of the road, Reina had to maneuver a bit to clear the lip of the embankment. Its construction was mostly crushed rock overlaid with packed earth, slightly higher than the surrounding environment. She stopped a moment to wipe the sweat off her forehead. "It has been quite a while since I've exerted myself this much. I don't know how this poor creature managed it for so long." She patted the bay's head. "So we are headed to Iceford, herd-mate?"

"Yes, but we'll make a detour to my friend's homestead," Devin answered.

"I have never been to this part of the region. Excuse me for a moment." She pulled up the blanket covering her backside, squatted, and urinated.

Devin cocked an eyebrow. "Do you have a pee fetish or something?"

Reina hid a smile behind her hand, "For many demi-humans, urine contains a great deal of information about an individual, but to answer your question, no, I do not. The fact you've seen me urinate so much is purely coincidental. In this specific instance, though, there is a custom among Whitehorns called poronkusema. When we start a new migration into a region we are unfamiliar with, we measure the distance based on how often we need to empty our bladder."

"That's one way to do it, I guess."

"Maybe I should have done the same thing when I flew here from my village," Azalea quipped.

--

The sun was slowly warming the crisp morning air as the trio set off west. Usually, Devin passed the dull kilometers daydreaming of a more exciting life, but now that he had it, he was glad for the long hours. He needed time to plan and think about certain changes he'd have to make in the future.

"Reina."

Looking over her shoulder, "Yes, herd-mate?"

"Is this something you want to do full time, or until I find a new horse?"

"If your cargo doesn't get much heavier, I am confident I can fulfill this role."

"I don't usually fill it beyond this amount. I'm assuming you are equally confident in snow?"

"Yes, more so, even."

'That would lessen my concerns quite a bit. Horses are expensive, and Gylan might not even have a spare to let me borrow or sell.' He thought.

For his bay's sake, he never did much winter trading when the snows became deep. This might be an opportunity if Reina was offering and proficient at winter travel. He had to consult with a wainwright about getting a proper harness for her.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Reina would stop roughly every seven kilometers and urinate. Azalea passed the time humming or sketching the landscape, but she eventually grew bored and pulled out a separate sketch pad bound with a thick cord.

"Hey, Reina!"

Reina's ear swiveled backward at the sound of her name.

"Can I sketch your butt?" Azalea requested matter-of-factly.

"You want to sketch my what...?!"

"Your butt! It's very cute, and I want to preserve it for...posterior-ty!" Azalea grinned at Devin.

"Haven't you seen enough of her butt?" Devin solicited.

"Can you ever have too much of something that's nice to look at?" challenged Azalea.

"It beats staring at trees the whole time," Devin relented. "If it makes Azalea stop making bad puns, then please say yes, Reina."

'Why am I so embarrassed whenever I interact with Azalea,' Reina thought. Aside from the threesome they had this morning, when her embarrassment was superseded by her horniess, she always felt a bit flustered around her.

Blushing, Reina pulled the blanket up, giving the two an eyeful of her shapely rump. They didn't say anything, but she could feel their eyes wandering over her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Azalea start to sketch.

"You have a graceful walk, Reina," Devin extended.

"Th...thank you, herd-mate."

Each footfall was firm and sure as her legs and haunch muscles tensed and rippled with the strain of each step. She shook her head just as a breath of wind caused the filigree in her antlers to catch the light, scattering the sun across the silky hair fluttering behind her. It definitely enhanced her assumed queenly persona.

"I'm done!" Azalea announced two hours later.

She handed Devin her sketch pad. He held it up, comparing it to the real thing. Azalea's giftedness was quite evident. Devin was impressed by the way Azalea used shadow to imply the location of her muscles and provide depth to the finer details of her more intimate bits, especially the grooved lines of her anus and slight creases of her labia. The attention she applied to Reina's fur stood out the most, creating the illusion of movement and softness and making the image seem more real than it should.

"Subject matter aside, you're an amazing artist," he commended.

"One of the few things I'm great at," She said smugly. "That sketchbook contains a collection of all my most memorable and favorite drawings. Flip to the beginning and see!"

Devin turned to the first page, and it made more sense why Azalea chose Reina as her theme.

"Azalea, your collection is extensively detailed drawings of demi-human genitalia?" he asked, incredulous.

"Uh-huh! Well, not all of them, but they are all people I've met, or care about. Aren't they amazing?! Look at all the different shapes and sizes! Isn't this one cute? Can you believe how big that one is? Isn't the shape of this one fascinating?!"

Devin shook his head. The sketches weren't sexual in nature. They were so academic that they just needed labels for it to be some kind of indecent demi-human field guide. "Not sure I want to ask if you peeped on all these people naked so you could draw them."

"Of course not! That would be rude and creepy. I casually go up to them and ask. It's not my fault if they think I'm a Leannin Sidhe."

"A what?"

"They are cousins to us fairies, but eccentric and obsessed with art, drawing, composing music, singing, stuff like that."

"So you don't clarify that you're a fairy."

"Well... not exactly, but it's fine. They were all happy to pose for me."

Halfway through the sketches, the theme changed. Devin had to ask, "Is this your village?"

"Yes. It's very boring, but quaint enough to live in, I suppose."

Very much in tune with the natural surroundings, her village did look cozy. There were tiny doors and windows in trees, fallen logs, and the sides of hills. Its fairy inhabitants looked similar to Azalea, with a wide array of brightly-colored clothing. The scenes looked like what you'd find at any human town: fairies perusing market stalls, some singing to small audiences, all of them going about their daily lives.

The last two pages were a panorama.

"Oh, that's my classmates after we graduated. They wanted to relax after all our studying, so they went to the communal baths to unwind."

"They didn't invite you?" Devin inquired.

"No, but I went anyway. It's normally used by the whole village, but it was early enough in the day so we were the only ones there."

Azalea pointed to a spot in the upper left corner. "The bath is fed by a large creek diverted into two channels. The first feeds five waterfalls where we wash before going into the main area."

Azalea pondered over the picture a moment. "This is Lilac under the first falls, she has a well-rounded knowledge of many topics, especially anatomy. Unlike me, she has no problem remembering all those unnecessarily long names. Next to her is Magnolia, she's soft-spoken and very clumsy, in a cute way".

"Any examples?"

Azalea put her hand to her chin. "We once went foraging in the forest. She tripped over a root. Luckily, I was behind her, so I had a front-row seat, and it was my first time seeing under her dress. She has a beauty mark on her left cheek. Also, I'm sure she has the biggest clit out of all the girls."

"You would notice things like that," Devin commented and laughed.

She circled her fingers and looked through them at him. "As an artist, I have a quick and discerning eye for detail, life-mate."

"Indeed," Devin said amused.

"Where was I? Oh yes, this lovey-dovey couple is Camellia and Reed. They've been together for years. They go everywhere and do everything together. She says her long, golden hair is high maintenance, so she has Reed help wash it, but I think it's just an excuse to feel his penis between her thighs."

"I can relate! I appreciate a certain fairy's thighs wrapped around mine."

"You did?! I'm glad, life-mate!" She pounced on him, hugging his neck. They shared a kiss before going back to the picture.

"The second channel feeds the main bath. I think it can fit twenty-five fairies comfortably, maybe a few more if they sit on these mossy rocks surrounding the edge.

"Life-mate, here's a fun little secret. This moss feels really good on a bare pussy. Imagine soft, bunny-girl fur between your legs. This one especially makes it easy for a little stealth masturbation." She leered at an unassuming rock protuberance.

"Easy to hide wet spots in the bath," Devin speculated.

"That was my exact thinking, too! Too bad it's not a hot bath, or else it'd be easier to hide a flushed face as well." She giggled.

"Let's see, who else? Oh, this is Chrysanthemum. She's quite athletic. It's fun to watch her boobs bounce around when she exercises. She doesn't talk much, though. When she's bathing, she just eats the fruits hanging from these vines and people-watches. Unlike these two," Azalea said and tapped the page, "Myrtle and Hazel, they love to gossip, mostly about Hyacinth. They don't do it maliciously, though.

"Speaking of which, this is Hyacinth." Devin followed her finger to a fairy with tied-up blonde hair and a pair of alluring emerald eyes. "She's the class tease, always flirting with the boys. She's giving poor Sorrell a handjob while he watches Lily grope Marigold. I say poor because she has a bit of a mean streak. She never brings them to climax, always leaving them with blue balls. I overheard some of the boys say her hands feel amazing, so maybe it's worth the discomfort. Now that I think about it, they do get them more often in the bath. Maybe it takes more work to get them hard in cold water?"

"And this is Lily and Marigold?" Devin asked.

"Yep, Lily has the flattest chest in the class. She enjoyed groping all the big girls, especially Marigold, who's the largest aside from me."

"She never groped you?"

"She did. Got my nipples hard on quite a few occasions, but when my little nymphomania secret got out, she stopped."

"So, let me get this straight. You went to the baths with your classmates even though they essentially ostracized you for having a high sex drive?"

Azalea twiddled her thumbs. "Even if I can't get close to people and they don't talk to me, I still like to be around them."

Devin scooped up Azalea and cuddled with her for a moment. "I hope our time together makes up that."

Azalea nuzzled him back. "It already has, life-mate! I've been happier than I've been in a long time! It hasn't even been two days, and already I've had so much fun with you. and now that Reina's here, it's been double the fun!"

Reina smiled. "I too am looking forward to our future together, Azalea."

Devin set Azalea down. "So, fairies aren't normally as horny as you?"

"Faires, no... pretty conservative, the bath thing was just them goofing around. Our Leannin Sídhe cousins, on the other hand, are much more so. They express their sexuality through art, so they can get away with the 'its art' excuse. Pixies, though, the little addicts, sex to them is basically saying hello. The one time I went to one of their villages looking for a life-mate, four of them were going at it in the town square while casually discussing what to eat later. No one batted an eye. They'll do anything whenever, wherever."

"And that didn't appeal to you?"

"It was tempting, but Pixies just love the pleasure. For me, sex is fascinating to study and learn about; the pleasure is just a bonus. Also, they never leave their villages, that sounds boring to me."

Devin nodded his understanding and flipped to the next page.

"Oh, that one is my mom and her husband when they moved to the orc village!"

A fairy with a face resembling Azalea, except a bit older with a smaller bust and short wavy hair, was standing on the open palm of a large, well-dressed orc.

"You keep saying husband. Is he not your father?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, he isn't."

"Oh. I thought it odd you didn't call him dad. Wait, didn't you say fairies can only have offspring with other species?"

"Huh? I don't think so? Maybe I didn't explain it well enough. Fairies can mate with other fairies, demi-humans, or humans, but offspring will always be fairies. Anyway, mom remarried and that picture was when she made her public announcement of marriage."

The way Azalea hurried away from the topic of her biological father, Devin surmised she didn't want to talk about him.

"The adjacent picture is the day after their marriage."

Azalea's mom was in the bath, sitting on her husband's erect penis. "He's a bit of a shy sort when it comes to nudity around anyone but mom, but she managed to persuade him, saying she wanted to make sure they were both clean before drawing the lovecrest.

"This was the first time we had all bathed together. I was sitting across from them. Mom was scrubbing his penis a little too vigorously and ended up making him cum all over me. He was mortified, but mom and I had a good laugh while reassuring him it was alright."

'I see where her lewd side came from.' Devin thought.

"So, your mom has a lovecrest too?"

"She does, she is the one who taught me, but her's...has some unique additions." Azalea trailed off. "Anyway, she was able to take him first try, no problem. That's why I thought maybe you'd fit in me."

"Well, your mom is, well, a mom. She had you, so that was bound to stretch her out a bit."

Azalea sighed. "I hope so."

The second-to-last page had a full-page image of a penis.

'This one looks oddly familiar,' he thought.

"Azalea."

"Yes, life-mate?"

"Is this my penis?"

"Isn't it lovely! I loved snuggling up to it this morning."

"Is that going to happen every morning?