Tales from the Goddess War Ch. 00: Gryphon

Editor's note: this story contains scenes of non-consensual or reluctant sex.

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Kaylie was pulled out of her uneasy sleep by the early morning sounds of the manor farm. On the barn floor, far below her refuge in the hay loft, teamsters' voices made a low chatter among the sounds of horses being led out and hitched into their team. Horses whickered and chuffed, turning her initial panic into a deep aching homesickness.

She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling hot tears making tracks over her dirty face. Another day on the run, another day of constantly gnawing hunger, another day of the terror and loneliness of being hunted down in a strange kingdom, far from home. Angry, she wiped her arm over her face, getting rid of the tears. Crying like a child with a lost sweet wouldn't help her. She was beyond the law, a deserter from her Laird's army and trapped in enemy lands.

Kaylie had been born as Moibeal Brìde-Ceilidh ap Dòmhnallach to the Clannad MacMhiadhchain, although the village cleric had been probably the only person to use her full name when she'd been dedicated to the Goddess at their little chapel. Every child was taken, soon after birth and presented to the sigil of their Holy Protector, the Green Lady, in hopes of a long and fruitful life.

And for the first nineteen years of her existence, the Goddess had seen her through the mix of good and bad that marked every life in the little village.

And then, the cavalry of Mad Gregor, the Laird's War-Chief and Heir, arrived at their village. She'd been out in the fields, far from the secret places the villagers maintained for these kind of events. Gregor's outriders had caught her in the open with nowhere to hide. They ignored her pleading, not even letting her say goodbye to her family. Kaylie had been conscripted, like so many others, into the latest expedition against the Elvish settlements, far to the east.

She was given an iron cap and a plate with straps to wear over her chest, both ill-fitting. Instead of a sword or bow, she struggled to carry an unwieldy 12-foot pike with the other conscripted soldiers. Shackled and guarded at night, they marched at the rear of the column, in the dust raised by thousands of boots that led the army.

Week after week, they trudged on. Days bled into each other, an monotonous cycle of dust, heat, and stink. She'd tried to keep the calendar straight in her head, but soon Kaylie had no idea how long they'd spent staggering through the dust clouds. It had felt like forever.

Then, one morning, her world changed again.

The night before, Gregor's army camped beside a broad and shallow river, noisy in its rocky bed. In the setting sun, Kaylie saw that the meadows on the opposite side of the water were invisible beneath the camp of the defenders, their white tents and pavilions glowing golden in the setting sun. It was a stark contrast with the human camp. Of course, the nobles had their own pavilions. Their favored rank leaders even had tents, but the majority of the rank and file huddled out in the open to sleep. Kaylie collected her evening meal and managed to get it down before she fell asleep where she sat.

She opened her eyes again in the pre-dawn half-light, woken by some unknown sound. Yawning, she peered through the early-morning ground fog. There were a series of thumps, and then a high, burbling shriek from her left. A low thrumming sound came from the direction of the river and she got up, confused. She went toward the noise, finding a knot of conscripts gathered around a man who lay kicking weakly in the dirt. A long shaft protruded from the chest of the man, nailing him to the soil. As he went still, Kaylie's eyes focused on the silver and gray fletching.

A hissing whisper grew in the sky above them and the conscripts looked up, just as the second flight of arrows struck. Another gray fletched arrow hammered through the face of the man next to her, emerging from the back of his head. He dropped to the ground without a sound.

In contrast, there were screams and shouting all around her. Another whispered thrumming from the river sent Kaylie running. Her helmet chest plate felt like anvils, and she pulled them off, leaving them behind as she took cover in a stand of trees.

She stayed hidden through the rest of the day, hearing the noise of the fighting. The thunder of hoofbeats mixed with unearthly bird-screams above them. Once she caught sight of gryphon sky-calvary, wheeling and diving as they harried the humans from above. Kaylie had no idea how long battles were supposed to last but the noise of fighting died away long before the sun had reached its peak overhead.

Still, she stayed hidden, waiting. They'd been told over and over that desertion was a death-sentence. If the humans won, (unlikely), she'd be hung from a tree-branch and left for the ravens to pick clean.

And if the Elves had won...she had no idea what they'd do to a human survivor, but it probably wouldn't be pleasant. She stayed on the leafy floor of the little copse until well after dark. Then she got up and began to run.

Three days later, she'd come across this large manor and had climbed into the empty hay loft of a horse barn. It was the most comfortable place she'd slept since she'd been dragged away from home.

Once the barn was quiet again, Kaylie crept down the ladder and stole a couple of handfuls of oats from the feed bin. She'd have to eat it raw, but it would quiet her noisy stomach. She'd keep heading west today, looking for anything she might have remembered from the march here.

Kaylie kept to the forest, skirting clearings and any signs of habitation. She hoped that the gryphon-borne elf scouts couldn't see her under the trees. Otherwise, her doom would be announced with the arrival of an arrow in the back. Or maybe they'd just have a gryphon bite her head from her shoulders. It didn't matter that she didn't want to be here, never wanted to be a soldier, never wanted to take part in a battle. An sky rider wouldn't know that and probably couldn't care less if he had. All her life, she'd heard stories about the elves and their cold hatred of humans. It was best to stay hidden from the sky, as much as she could.

A few hours after midday, Kaylie came to the end of the forest. There was a long grassy slope leading down to another river she didn't recognize, and more stony forest beyond that. She knew she had to stay under the trees until darkness, but the oats had made her thirsty and the light glinting off the water was too much for her dry mouth to bear for long.

This stretch of river seemed to be empty. Boulders were strewn across the land here, probably making the idea of farming this side too daunting a prospect. Kaylie lay on her stomach on the bank, drinking until her insides sloshed. Then she left her clothes on the back and used river sand to scrub herself as best she could. It would have been nice to clean her clothes as well, but she'd already been in the open too long. She'd have to be content with whatever dirt the river would wash out as she waded across.

The canvas armor she had was even heavier when she reached the other side. Kaylie began the long process of darting from one boulder to another as she headed for the treeline. As she dashed from a large scatter of boulders, there was a faint whistling rustle from above that turned into a triumphant scream from just over her head.

Before she could find a better place to hide, Kaylie felt a thud through her boots. She spun and saw one of the creatures examining her with intelligent eyes. It had no rider but as the Gryphon folded his wings, she saw that he wore some kind of harness made of green leather. It didn't matter, whether wild or elf-trained, her fate was the same. The majestic beast's beak could easily clip the head right off her shoulders. Or, from the look of the massive claws on its feet, disemboweling her wouldn't be much of a bother either.

She was weaponless, not even a stone or stick in sight. Kaylie breathed a prayer to the Goddess and stood her ground, tired of running. It watched her for a moment then paced to her left. She turned to watch as it circled her. The gryphon made a chattering noise, reminding her of ravens croaking at each other. It paced back in the opposite direction, keeping her pinned against a large boulder. Kaylie clambered up on top of the boulder and it froze, gaze locked on her. Kaylie closed her eyes, face to the sky. Her blood would run down over the rock and into the grass. Her end would bring life to the grass and tiny things, who would pass that life on themselves. It was not a bad death, just sooner than she'd hoped.

"Receive my soul, Green Lady," she whispered and the massive gryphon struck.

Instead removing her head or entrails, Kaylie's legs were buffeted, knocking them from under her. Before she had time to fall, Kaylie was seized by the gryphon's talons. Still, nothing pierced her skin and she opened her eyes again as her body was laid on the top of the boulder, face down on the sun-warmed stone.

The gryphon above her shifted and Kaylie felt a thick talon sliding up her back, from the base of her neck, to the backs of her heels. There was a feeling of coolness and she knew it had to be her blood running out over the rock. The pain was too great to feel and she was grateful. Next, it's cruel curved beak would begin snapping and tearing, ripping her apart...except none of that had happened. Her heavy canvas trousers and jacket had been sliced away, falling down her sides. She was confused and risked picking her head up to look back at it. The raptor's head regarding her didn't show any emotion that she could see. It stood on the ground beside the rock, one paw on her back as it sniffed the air.

A cry echoed down to her and she froze as another gryphon circled low and thumped to the ground. Her captor greeted the newcomer with squawks and chattering as the second twitched its wings into folds and paced closer. Kaylie watched, amazed. She didn't know much about gryphons, no human did but they were believed to be larger versions of hawks and falcons, vicious predators who killed without a moment's hesitation.

Kaylie jumped when the beast holding her down made a sort of muted trumpet noise that seemed to have a questioning note. The newcomer replied, making a complex set of noises that sounded much like language to her. Were gryphons actually intelligent enough to speak? The second gryphon paced closer, studying her with obvious intelligence.

The heavy weight was removed from her back and Kaylie scrambled to her knees, kicking the remains of her pants away. With her feet free, she might be able to escape, given half a chance. But the first gryphon squawked angrily, knocking her flat onto her stomach again. Kaylie squeezed her eyes closed, waiting.

Again, a deathblow failed to land. Kaylie jumped as something brushed the skin of her back. She risked a look behind her and saw the gryphon behind her, paws on the stone to either side of her body. Something was emerging from its belly and Kaylie's eyes widened as she realized the gryphon's penis had emerged. There was a pointed tip that curved slightly. The shaft was shaped oddly as well, ending in a wide, bulging base that thickened as she watched.

"You've got to be joking," Kaylie muttered as the beast crouched lower.

She was hardly a blushing maiden, Kaylie had grown up on the farm and was familiar with all kinds of animal and their mating habits. Later, she'd imitated them with a special friend. But it had been her life as a conscript that showed her even broader horizons.

Two of the senior file leaders had chosen her as their tent warmer that first week. They were as impatient as any of the other sergeants and hadn't bothered to wait their turns. Every night for weeks, they'd taken her at once, one at either end. But this was another order of strangeness by far.

Kaylie felt the tip of his cock rub against her hip. It was very warm and the clear fluid it was coated with was slippery. The gryphon grumbled in frustration as it shuffled slightly. The penis flopped over, sliding up the inside of one leg. Her captor made more of the complicated grumbling sounds. She looked back over her shoulder and met its intelligent gaze. No matter how strange it might be, he was indeed trying to get inside of her.

Even though she'd been prepared for death, Kaylie still had a strong desire to survive. She mumbled a quick thanks to the Goddess, grateful for any kind of choice at all. With luck, she'd survive a little longer. They couldn't hold her down forever, there might be a chance to escape later.

"Great Lady, grant your mercies," she whispered before spreading her legs wider and edging back, further beneath the gryphon's belly. His grumbles took on a different note and he thrust again. The head of his cock slid along her inner thigh and pushed hard against her sex.

Kaylie gasped as she reached back and spread herself open, as gryphon pushed again. This time she moaned as the head pushed between the lips of her sex. The gryphon made a triumphant noise and thrust again. Instead of filling her, the slippery head instead slipped upwards and lodged against her rear hole. Kaylie tried to grab the cock and move it back between her legs, but the gryphon didn't give her a chance. He pushed harder and Kaylie grunted as he pushed into her ass.

She took deep breaths as his cock pressed deeper, straining to relax around him. She done this many times as a girl, it was a sure way keep a child out of her belly. It was usually uncomfortable at first, but her young body had instinctively known how to find pleasure in all kinds of ways. Often, Kaylie had been driven to multiple spasms of pleasure, shoving her bottom back against the intrusion, wanting more.

Kaylie closed her eyes and concentrated on those memories, feeling her back-hole stretch. The gryphon pulled its penis slowly back and she took a deep breath and spread her ass cheeks wide to lessen the discomfort from the strange shape and size. The beast pushed forward, burying about half of his cock in her. It wasn't burning as much as she had thought, but she felt incredibly full.

He pulled back and pushed forward again, a little slower now that his prick had found a target. As he moved in and out of her, Kaylie was pushed and pulled across the stone below her. The rough surface teased her nipples and her cunt began to moisten. There was the feeling of slippery warmth, melting in her lower stomach as her body began its first climb into the realms of pleasure.

Not bothering to wonder, or fear, or even think, she braced her arms, wanting more of him inside of her guts. Hot tears wet her cheeks again. Kaylie wasn't sure if it was grief or the shame of enjoying this violation. Kaylie began to pant, grunting as the gryphon forced more of himself up her backside.

There was another scrabble as the second gryphon got his claws on the rock in front of her. The rock was scored with lines as it pulled itself up, presenting her with another erect cock. This one was a bit more graceful than the first and his cock bumped her face on the first attempt. She simply opened her mouth and ran her tongue over the head, before she could pause and think about it. The second gryphon pushed forward slowly, starting to pump her mouth in the same sort of rhythm as the one behind her. The cock in her ass and the depravity of the act filled Kaylie with growing lust and she reached under herself and began to rub at her clit as she was shoved back and forth.

Kaylie began to cum and pushed back against the gryphon, forcing as much as she could into her ass. The gryphon roared and she felt the cock expand in her ass, cum flowing into her, hotter than she would have imagined. There was more than she would have imagined as well, and Kaylie grunted as she felt stream after stream dousing her insides. She'd begun to moan around the gryphon in her mouth but her voice turned into animalistic grunts as Kaylie abandoned herself to the pleasure of another orgasm. Behind her, the cock in her ass was withdrawn as it continued to spasm and she felt the hot cum splatter and run down the back of her legs.

She could sense the pace of the one in her mouth quickening as well and without warning he exploded in her mouth. Kaylie swallowed all she could, but it wasn't long before it was running out of her mouth. The second gryphon pushed forward as it came and she felt the head slip into her throat, the cum being fired into her belly. She had the sudden thought of the hot cum in her stomach meeting the flood in her ass and she came again, gurgling and gagging on the clock down her throat. It withdrew after a moment and Kaylie coughed and tried to recover as the two gryphons groomed themselves.

Then there were voices from the trees behind her. She sat up on the rock and saw two slim figures wearing forest green emerge from the forest's edge. As they came closer, she saw that their heads were covered by gray-green cowls and cloth masks covered their faces from the bottom of the throat to the bottom of the eyes. Her heart sank and Kaylie realized that she hadn't had a chance after all. These were Cloud Ghosts and she was lost.

These Elves were legends, used to terrify children in stories for generations. Every account included the danger of encountering them. Even being in the same county where one had been sighted was considered to be deadly peril. And here were two of them, watching her as they approached. They were speaking quietly to each other in musical tones but their voices fell silent when they came closer. One came to the rock she was sprawled on and the other approached the gryphons, who had retreated a little.

The Elf in front of her unfastened the cowl and mask, letting the cloth fall around her shoulders and throat. It was an Elf woman, unnaturally beautiful, like the rest of her kind. Her eyes were what drew Kaylie's gaze though, they were a deep indigo and not nearly as cruel as she'd imagined them.

"They both mounted you?" she asked in perfect Common, albeit with a lilting accent.

Kaylie just nodded and those dark eyes studied her closely. The other Ghost made the same kind of grumbling noises at the gryphons. Kaylie wasn't too surprised to hear them answer her.

She called to Dark-eyes, saying something that sounded more like a brook in summertime than any language Kaylie had ever heard. The dark-eyed Elf laughed and replied in kind. The other stepped closer and lowered her mask, revealing another beautiful Elvish woman, this one with the greenest eyes Kaylie had ever seen. Green-eyes nodded at her and made a complicated gesture between her breasts. Dark-eyes nodded and made a graceful motion that Kaylie took as being told to stay where she was.

Then they both turned to the gryphons, going over and speaking with them for several minutes. Dark-eyes took something from the back of one gryphon and came back to the stone where Kaylie waited.

She put the bundle on the edge of the rock and stepped back. Kaylie opened it and found gray-green pants and tunic. There was a small twisted metal broach there as well as soft leather shoes. She looked up at the elf, confused. Dark-eyes nodded at her.

"Aren't you going to kill me?"

"Kill you!" Dark-eyes laughed. "We wouldn't presume to question the wishes of the Great Mistress and she has most definitely chosen you through her servants over there. We have all been chosen this way. When you are dressed, we will journey back to our camp. It is a long walk but we've seen you make longer treks since you fled the battle."

"I'm sorry, Lady Elf, but I don't understand"

Dark-eyes smiled at that, for just an instant, and it lit her face. "I'm no noble lady. We've watched you from the sky since you fled the river. We wouldn't have harmed an unarmed traveler simply trying to return home. Perhaps your stories would have convinced your Lord to stop sending his subjects to their doom."