Rustle 3

He grabbed the stunned one and the dead one and headed back for the wagon. One swordsman was vomiting; the other two were dealing with an angry ferret each. He threw the archers in the wagon for Mara to deal with and ran from bravo to bravo, punching them in the head and knocking them out.

He yanked the arrow from his arm and felt warmth flood through his body as Mara cast Minor Healing on him.

He left the unconscious thieves for the twins to guard and took off, back into the trees, to find the runner. It took fifteen minutes, but he only really needed to follow the sounds of ragged breath and the stench of soiled breeches to find the man. The man would be keeping those pants when they stripped the thieves of their possessions. Russell had no use for dirty pants.

As Russell carried the struggling archer back to the wagon, he and Mara mentally discussed the loot. She said they would leave the men with their clothes but take armor, weapons, coins, and anything else. He agreed. He picked up the stray weapons and arrows on his way back to the wagon.

He held that last archer while Mara tied him up - then he picked up each of the swordsmen and tossed them into the wagon. The twins helped Mara empty the men's pockets and find all of their hidden valuables and weapons.

By the time they got to town, Russell was following the wagon in his griffin form again. Merritt shook his head and laughed as one of the guards called him out to meet the approaching wagon.

They transferred the prisoners, Merritt handed over the paperwork from the duke, and then he looked over the loot.

"I can give you three silvers each for the swords," he told Mara. "Two each for the bows if you include the quivers and the arrows. I can't do anything with the armor but I can put it in the duke's auction for seized property and give you the money when you return if you're okay with that."

"A gold and five for the weapons and a script for the armor and the other stuff?"

Merritt nodded.

"Agreed," Mara said.

"It'll be just a minute," he warned her.

While they waited, she turned the wagon around in the courtyard and got it ready to head back south again. Several minutes later, the guard captain brought her the money, as well as the receipt for the goods she was leaving with him for the auction.

"We'll be back with the next batch when we catch them," she told the guard.

"We appreciate it," he replied.

They stopped at the trader's camp to do a little business and then headed back towards Media's. At the bandit's nest, Mara placed a half-dozen watchers around the area so that they'd know when they needed to return. Once that was done, they pointed the mare towards its paddock and the cool grass that was waiting for it. When they got home, Russell made sure that the hard-working horse had plenty of water.

They slipped into the bedroom and got Media's cream for her. She brought warmed up bowls of stew to the table and sat with them to drink her special brew.

"I'm planning to go investigate the old wizard's place tomorrow," she told Media. "You want to come look with me?"

"I really don't want to leave the house - or let anybody in the duke's city know that I'm still alive - but that's too intriguing of a chance to pass up - even though I think it's unlikely that you'll find anything of value after this long."

"I know. I'm also planning to do a reading while we're there and I would covet your help with that."

Media nodded, and took another sip of her tea. After a minute, she gave a little snort of laughter.

"What?" Mara asked, grinning.

"If we get lucky and find the old bastard's potion, I was thinking I could kidnap a street urchin of my own," Media said, winking at Russell.

Russell shook his head and worked to finish his second bowl of stew.

It was late, but Mara was horny. Soon enough, Russell had her bent over the end of the bed. He gripped her firm breasts in his fists as he slammed his cock into her clasping channel. Both of them were sure that Media was lying in her bed, fingering herself to their loud love-making but they both needed to relieve a little tension from the day before they could go to sleep.

"Fuck me, beast," Mara demanded.

Russell's balls slapped against her slippery slit each time his cock slammed balls-deep inside of her. He groaned as he felt his climax approaching and he prayed hers would hasten.

"Cum for me, Lady Mara," he ordered. "You've a fine cunt, my lady, and I'm about to fill it with peasant seed."

"Fuck you, you vile man," Mara gasped.

"Cum for me, my queen," he urged.

"Gods, I love your cock. I'm so close!"

Russell slid his right hand from her breast, down her stomach, and teased the flaming thatch above her channel. He massaged her mound but didn't touch her clit or her hood - but the motions he made fed stimulation to it just the same.

"Awww, fuck," she keened.

"Cum for me, sweet lady," he whispered into her ear.

He covered her clit with his fingers and held it tightly to her body as he slammed into her from behind. Her breath caught as the intensity of the vibrations from his deep fucking threw her over the edge of the chasm. As Russell felt her channel clench down on him, he surrendered his hold on his own release. He groaned in ecstasy as she thrust her ass back into him and seated his fountaining cock at the mouth of her womb.

"Fuuccckk!" she moaned.

She fell forward onto her face, unable to hold herself up any longer as her climax sapped her body of all of the strength that remained within her.

When they could breathe again, Russell turned her over and tossed her onto the bed. He crawled on top of her and then turned his body to face the other direction. He cleaned her vulva with his tongue, but left her goo-filled vagina alone. She sucked and licked at his cock to cleanse his body as well. Once they were both bathed, he turned to face her, kissed her hard and tried to tumble to her side. She, however, pulled him to her chest.

Once he relaxed with his chest on her tits and his softening prick nestled into her still-trembling nether folds, she pulled the blanket over and closed her eyes. Russell was already asleep.

~~~ Inn ~~~

They woke, the next morning, to rainy drizzle. They decided to put off the trip to the wizard's house. One thing turned to another and the trip to the duke's city was delayed even longer.

A week later, the watchers told Mara that more bandits had moved in.

Before the thieves got a chance to even initiate one attack, a large ape came out of the trees behind them and destroyed them. Mara and Media came pulling up with the mare and the wagon to transport the bodies. Russell loaded the slumbering outlaws aboard and then sat down in the dirt and began transforming into a sleek and dangerous-looking black panther.

Two hours later, they had dropped off the prisoners, sold the weapons to Merritt, left more loot for the auction, collected their earnings from the last sale, and were headed to Mara's old home. Before they left the city gate, the redhead got the names of a couple carpenters that the captain thought would be good choices for restoring her former residence.

Mara's property wasn't large enough to have space for a shed or a stable so their first task was the visit the closest inn and make arrangements for the wagon and the mare.

The redhead held the door of the inn open. Russell walked inside and sat down. It was just before midday so there was a decent crowd in the common room. The innkeeper was still trying to figure out what to do about the monster sitting on the floor when Mara approached with Media following, smothering a huge grin.

"Your largest room for three nights," Mara told the man. "I've a mare and a wagon that will need space in the stables."

"I ... you ..." the man sputtered.

"Send for the duke if you want, tell him the brigand-slayer would like a word."

The man looked at her for a moment and said, "A gold a night."

Mara stared back at him and said, "Three silvers - including breakfast and dinner for three - and that's twice what you usually charge. Don't lie to a witch."

"I ..." he gulped.

"I'll agree to four silvers, but my cat gets a haunch of fresh beef or pork for each meal."

Just for giggles Russell licked his forepaw and brushed it against his face, pretending to make himself look a little more presentable. Then he stared at the man.

The innkeeper turned to the peg-board and picked a key from the selection. He turned to Mara and said, "Pay in advance. You'll be billed for damages."

"In that case," she said. "I keep all personal possessions of anybody dumb enough to attack us and you have to dispose of the bodies."

She handed him a gold and a silver and said, "Lunch for three as well. I need to see some contractors about getting my old place fixed up."

The innkeeper surrendered the key, took the money, and hollered for the barmaid - who was standing in the doorway to the kitchen - watching the events unfold with her chin hanging so low that it nearly touched her chest between her ample breasts.

Mara looked at Russell and said, "Pick a table."

Not an eye in the place blinked as the big cat walked over to the table in the corner, clamped his fangs onto the seat of the chair to pull it out, and then climbed up to sit down, resting his forepaws on the table.

The witches sat down on either side of him and looked over to the waitress. She cautiously approached the table and said, "Ladies and ... uh ..."

"Sir," Mara offered. "He's really just a big pussy cat."

"Very good, madam," she said. "Stew okay? Ale or mead?"

"Stew and mead for me," Mara said.

"The same," Media added.

"A small haunch of something fresh for Mr. Kitty and a bowl of water, please."

"Back in a moment," she said, turning towards the kitchen.

They sat for a minute or two before Mara sensed something coming.

"Door?" Mara asked Media.

The older witch nodded.

Russell slunk from the chair, skirted the tables to move to the front of the room, and stood by the inn's entrance.

A moment later, a man opened the door, stepped halfway inside, looked at Mara, and drew a throwing knife. He immediately clawed at his stomach and lurched forward to vomit on the floor. Russell shouldered the door closed and clamped his fang-teeth around the belt that was holding the man's pants up.

The returning barmaid waited as the panther pushed the sick man through the dining room - towards the chair that the redhead had pulled out for their guest.

"Call for the city guard please," she said to the innkeeper.

He nodded towards a man near the door and pointed outside.

Mara took the slumped man in-hand, collected his blade, and laid it on the table. She produced a length of rope and tied him to the chair. Russell returned to his seat. Once the redhead was back in her spot, the waitress approached the table.

The girls had started on their food. Russell was already picking the bone clean from his meal. He lapped at the water in the bowl, trying to spill as little as possible.

Merritt came into the inn with his sword drawn, followed by the man who'd gone to retrieve him. A few other guards were gathered outside.

"Problems?" the guard captain asked Mara.

"I don't know who he is," she told him, "but he came in here looking for me. As soon as he spotted me, he drew this dagger and would have thrown it if I hadn't incapacitated him."

"If you'll remove your rope, I'll take him. I'll get you a receipt for his stuff. Do you want to take his coin purse now?"

"You take all of it. I trust you to give me an accurate accounting. Maybe something there will give you a clue about who sent him."

"Very good."

Mara removed the rope. Merritt retrieved the knife, grabbed the man by his shoulders, took him to the door, thrust him out to the others, and said, "Search him. His shit belongs to Lady Mara. Don't lose any of it or she will know."

Merritt stepped back into the room and looked at all of those gathered there.

"This is Lady Mara," he said loudly. "She is a friend of the duke's. Even if you don't feel an obligation to his lordship, I would caution you that it would be in your very best interest to treat kindly with her and her friends. She has killed or captured more brigands than any of you lot have ever even thought about. I have worked with her several times now. She is generous and kind with those who are nice to her. She is a deadly foe to those who would make themselves her enemy. The only reason the bloke with the dagger is still alive is because she knows the guards are interested in ferreting out plots against her. Otherwise, you can be sure that he would have died painfully. As you, no doubt, observed, he was never really a threat to her."

With that, the guard captain turned, left the inn, and closed the door behind him.

~~~ Wizard ~~~

By the end of the day, workers were getting Mara's house cleaned up so that they could begin repairs and improvements.

After making arrangements with the contractor, they had visited the wizard's place. It was huge - half of a city block. Mara and Media made their way to the center of the rubble, cleared enough space to do their work, and began their tasks.

The first order of business was a reading. As they started, a vindictive spirit attacked. Media acted quickly and locked the fiend down. Once that was done, they identified him and confirmed that it was the last remaining bit of the wizard's spirit.

He didn't really want to leave but he was tired of being tied to the useless property. After getting him to tell the two of them what he remembered from his experiments, the witches began the ritual to give him the release that he wanted.

Once he faded away, the girls could focus on their previously-interrupted reading. They communed with the property and worked out a few more secrets that the wizard had kept from them. It took the rest of the day, but they found a few flasks and bottles that had survived the fire - as well as a cache hidden away in a secret cellar. It wasn't the thing Mara wanted most - the potion that had transformed Russell - but it would be valuable for her studies and experimentation.

As dusk settled, and they looked over the property, Media convinced Mara that she should sell her old place and move here. They could clear the rubble, rebuild the house and the workshop - and still have room for a shed for the wagon and stables for two or three horses.

They returned to the city gate but Merritt was off-duty. They left word for him to visit the inn whenever he was available.

Back in the common room, the bar maid was slightly less nervous about bringing Russell his food and drink. Media tried to get her to pet him but the woman was still too terrified to attempt it. Mara gave the woman a silver coin as tip at the end, apologizing for leaving the vomit on the floor for her to clean up earlier in the day. The woman thanked her, quickly hid the coin, and returned to her work.

In the bedroom, they found two beds. As they settled in, Media produced a tin cup and handed it to Mara with a wink. Russell groaned. The elder witch said she would take the ferrets for a quick walk. She left the room and headed down the hall.

The redhead stripped off her clothes and told her lover to do the same. She set the cup on the end-table and lay in the middle of the bed, telling Russell to feast on her cunt. He moaned as she slid his cock - which was now aching for release - into her mouth. He groaned as, somehow, she managed to take him all the way down her throat until his balls rested against her nose.

She waited until he had her at the brink of an orgasm and then she shoved him all the way back inside of her gullet and repeatedly swallowed around his thick cock. With the convulsions that racked her body, she was barely able to grasp the cup without dropping it to get it under his cock-nozzle as his balls shriveled and jet after jet of his milky spend blasted into the cup.

She closed her eyes and massaged his balls as she let the glow of her climax suffuse her body. The cup slipped and the last few drops fell onto her lips. She giggled as she licked them away and then leaned up to suck the remnants from her lover's prick. Russell made sure she had the cup safely out of the way and then collapsed onto his side, panting.

Mara threw the blanket over Russell's nakedness when she heard Media returning. Another patron was passing the doorway in the hall when Media opened it to step inside. His eyes widened as he spotted the naked redhead with the tin cup in her hand.

"On your way lecher," Media warned. "I'll turn your ass into a fucking frog."

The man nearly killed himself in his hurry to get down the stairs. Media laughed as she closed the door. She accepted the cup from Mara, added a little mead from the tankard she'd gotten from the barmaid on the way through the common room, and sat on her bed to savor her bedtime snack.

Russell was already snoring. Mara moved the pillows to the foot of the bed, lay down next to him, and pulled the covers over. The twins climbed on top of them and curled up to go to sleep as well.

~~~ Architect ~~~

The next morning, Merritt joined them for breakfast. He got them in contact with an architect who met them at the wizard's place and sketched out the design for what Mara wanted - which was actually just a repeat of whatever Media suggested out loud.

They improved the exterior aesthetics of the home but, otherwise, the basic structure was the same. In addition to the shed for the wagon and a stable for the mounts, there would be a private garden area for growing herbs and sitting under the stars.

Once the designer had the plans the way they wanted them, they told him to get bids from a handful of builders who could do the job. The architect would be paid to oversee the project and make sure everything was done the way it should be. The builder would be paid to clean the place up and create the new structures.

Mara talked to the innkeeper and added another day to their stay. She agreed to a half-gold for the additional night (and meals) but only because things were going well and she knew - once the construction was complete - she would never be paying for a room at the inn again.

As the barmaid brought their food, Mara told her, "I'll be looking for a housekeeper soon. If you know somebody who is trustworthy, send them to me."

The woman looked at her for a long moment and said, "My younger sister has a six year old son. Her man was killed in the mine and she can no longer pay the rent."

"Where is she now?"

"Living at our mother's," the woman replied.

"Can she - and the boy - come here? I'll buy their dinner if they will come and talk to me."

"Let me see," she said, disappearing into the kitchen.

She had cleared away the plates and refilled the tankards when the door of the inn opened and a thin woman holding the hand of a little boy stepped within.

"He is beautiful!" the boy gasped, slipping free of his mother's hand, and running towards Russell's chair.

"Erick!" the woman gasped, darting forward, leaving the door ajar.

"It's alright," Mara urged her, "just watch."

The woman cupped her hands to her face and stared after her son.

Media lifted the boy to her lap.

Russell leaned over and licked his face as the boy giggled.

"His tongue, mother! It's like Reginald's! He's just a big kitty."

Mara pulled out the empty chair and the woman collapsed into it, still covering her face with her hands. The innkeeper frowned as he moved to close the door but he didn't say anything.

"Have you two eaten?" Mara asked the woman.

She nodded but still didn't speak.

The barmaid returned.

"Nella this is Lady Mara. She's looking for a housekeeper."