The Gun & The Whip

The Captain drew a rifle and began shooting the dragon, one shot scoring an eye. The dragon recoiled and shook, the cats flying off with chunks of its flesh and blood dripping from them. Its head again snaked back and struck at the flying Raj who attacked fearlessly. Sound, fire, shadows and screams ripped the silence of the Dale apart. The battle would be decided today.

The dragon, undecided where to strike due to the ferocity of the attacks did what dragons do. Flames erupted directly at Raj, the tail whipped and crashed against the rocks where the Captain stood firing and the beast launched himself into the air.

The female cougar attacked without concern for her well being, she was lost in the wild mind of the cat, unable to discern her true nature she tore at the gut of the dragon as it lifted and ripped scales loose from the soft underbelly. With a wild growl and a ear shattering scream she almost lifted off with the dragon but withdrew her claws and fangs in time to just fall back on the lawn of the Dale. The fall stunned her for a moment and she lay motionless on the sward.

The male raced to her side, his snout pressing against her side and rolling her to her back. When her eyes opened he snarled a greeting and then turned back to watch the reptile in the air. His eyes glowed an unnatural blue and the sword marking on his back was dark and threatening against the tan hide.

Raj dodged at the last instant, hacking down with the sword of the Questors and scoring across the good eye of the dragon. The fire breath of the dragon caught a wing and he tumbled from the sky afire into the pond of the dale which sizzled and steamed when he splashed in. He disappeared beneath the surface of the water and didn't surface which sent the Captain diving from the cliff wall of the falls to rescue his old friend and bodyguard.

The cats stood alone, the female still woozy from the fall the male reared on two legs and screamed defiantly at the confused reptile. The dragon, blinded and frightened heard the scream and fell from the sky like a meteor to strike at the cat. He slammed into the cat with his talons and his jaws came down to close on the cougars head.

It was the final mistake the dragon was to make. The spirit of the Questor rose in the beast, the claws and teeth akin to the sword that had so tormented and beaten the dragon time and time again. This time was different, the blade was the cat, the spirit was a Questor, not a shaman, and the cat struck straight up through the roof of the dragon's mouth before he could close it on the cat. Deep, deep, deep into the dragon's skull the claws tore until the brain was scored and bleeding, the jaws were jammed, and the dragon's head dropped to the lawn of the Dale as if he had been beheaded. His jaws slammed shut on the cat and the screams of the cat were echoed and intensified by the echo of the dragon's final death cry. The Dale shook and then there was silence.

The female rose weakly to her four paws, she staggered to the dragon's head, the hair on her back stiff and tight, her tail close under her to protect her exposed sex, and a soft mewl coming from her throat. A heart rending screech erupted from her at the sight of the Questor, now returned to human form with a dragon fang piercing his shoulder, blood pouring on the hallowed ground of the Dale. She bent and licked his face and began to bathe the surely mortal wound with her tongue, when she too began to revert to her original form. In a matter of seconds she was naked, kneeling next to the young man who had so caught her fancy and saved her life over and over. Tears streamed from her face over his lifeless body and she lifted her face to the heavens and cried as women have always cried over their men.

The surface of the water broke, the Captain's head surfacing and gasping for air, then Raj's face was pulled into the air where he struggled and finally drew air into his lungs as well. They both looked around and spotted the dragon's carcass on the grass, then the girl kneeling by its head with tears flowing freely from her beautiful eyes.

They came out of the water, quietly, with grim looks on their faces. The Captain looked down at his son in shock. It had been ten years and now that he had found his son he had been taken by the dragon. It mattered not to the Captain that his son had been felled as a hero, as a vengeful force of good in a battle as old as time itself. He would have to take the man home to his mother and explain to her that her boy was gone. Raj looked at the man, the last of the line of the Questors. With him would pass a lineage that went back to the kings and knights of the Crusades. He would have to return to the Himalayas to tell the master of Questor valley that there was no one to take his place when he passed, not a task he relished.

The Captain lifted the man in his arms and carried him into the cave where the adventure had changed and placed his body on the altar. He wept then. His sobs filled the cave and echoed down the tunnels of the mountain.

Quietly, without notice the were-cat appeared. He looked at the Captain, the girl and nodded to Raj. His eyes then focused on the body on the altar. A strange ululation rose from him and his hands wavered in strange patterns over the body of the young man. Raj watched with a curious look on his face, he'd heard chants and a rhythm similar to this before back in the cave of the Tiger clan when the Questor and his mate fireinnereyes had sent the Ruination back to the hell it came from. There was something akin to the rituals practiced by the monks of the Palace and this strange beast in the midst of the western wilderness.

The girl could take no more, suddenly realizing she was naked she slipped out of the cave into the waterfall and leapt into the water beneath. She swam across the pond and curled up on the soft grass on the other side, the dragon's corpse lay lifeless close by and she cursed the beast who had taken the young man before she had truly got to know him.

The chanting increased in volume and tempo from the cave yet she looked down at the water, her eyes fogged with tears and sorrow at the loss of the Questor. When the sound stopped she didn't notice at first, the moans clutching at her soul hiding the fact that the Dale had gone completely silent.

Her eyes rose to the waterfall. The sun set red against the hills.

Darkness descends quickly in the desert night, tonight was no different and the view of the waterfall was obstructed by the tears in her eyes. A piteous sob tore from her throat and her head rolled back to peer into the night sky with a heartfelt prayer that the young man had not suffered and was safely entrenched in whatever afterlife he believed in.

Her head dipped back down and she was startled by a shadow that moved quickly along the ledge from the cavern to the cliffs of the Dale. She rose with her hand to her heart, frightened, alarmed and yet expectant. It had been a most unusual couple of days and there was little that would surprise her at this point.

The large cougar that leaped from the cliff to the lawn of the Dale was however beyond her expectations. Her heart beat rapidly, both terrified and for some reason rejoicing. Her mind dimly recalled the experience of being the female cat and she peered carefully at the large feline approaching her. A blaze like a sword shone from its back and its eyes were a terrible shade of blue.

It snarled at her, the large teeth showing and then the rough tongue lolling out as it sat calmly before her. Her body reacted in a strange way and she snarled fiercely at him. Her breath caught and she whimpered at the way she felt. The change came over her instantaneously, the claws erupting from the ends of her fingers which curled back into her hands and became paws. Her ears laid back flat against her head and her shapely body coiled and twisted as the muscles of the hunter expanded and delineated her form. Teeth split the jaws of her beautiful mouth and her eyes stretched and filled the massive skull of the cat. Her head snapped back and as she rose to her hind haunches her paws struck out playfully at the male who was curiously watching her.

This time was different, she felt the change, she felt the alien nature of the mind that she shared with the beast. She recognized the male for who he was, the Questor, somehow brought back from the edge of death. She realized as well that he was here for her, this was the moment.

The male moved quickly, before she could situate herself he was atop her, his massive jaws closing on the back of her neck and forcing her to her belly on the soft grass of the Dale. He twisted her neck and held her tight as he mounted her from behind. His claws raked across her flesh as she struggled and the marks of his mastery stood out clearly on her tan coat. With a growl he pushed into her, his haunches coiling and then thrusting forward brutally.

She screamed at the invasion, but was unable to resist his strength and lust. Her body answered his as the thrusting and fierceness of his assault intensified. Soon the air was filled with growls and whining mewls, the scents of the cats' lovemaking spreading across the holy place and echoing off the cliffs.

Again and again the male drove into her. In his mind's eye the female was the beautiful cowgirl Valerie. The vision of her face increased his fury and the powerful cat ground viciously into her.

The girl responded in kind, her mind shattered by the events of the day yet filled with need for the treatment she was receiving. She was his, there was no doubt in her mind. She had been born for this moment, for this event, to be taken and owned by one such as him. She would never return fully to the innocent young girl he had been drawn to from the start.

It would be impossible to say when it occurred but the two found themselves back in human form. He was taking her from behind, her face resting in the crook of her arm on the grass. His hands caressed her from her quivering thighs up across her hips and back and then snatched her head back with his fingers coiled in her curls.

He spoke her name softly, "Valerie". Her eyes widened and she moaned in ecstasy as his cock pummeled her and sent her soaring higher and higher.

She whispered back, "Rick". Her hips flailing and thrusting back to take the onslaught, to embrace it, to grab his soul and yank it from him through his cock.

The orgasm was nothing like she had expected. Her entire being was infused with fire and need and a yearning for something that she could not quite identify. Her body rocked and shook and tightened and then she erupted on his manhood with a single shriek. Her eyes rolled back in her head, her lips parted, her tongue traced the cracked flesh and she exploded in a frenzy. The warmth of her washed over him, triggering his own powerful release. Lightning raced down his spine, gathered in his testicles and then burned from him in a jet of jism into her hot, receptive cunt. Massive blasts filled her repeatedly and finally spent he fell across her driving her to the bed of grass.

The two lovers breathing slowed and their heart beats merged as one while they both marveled at the magic of their union.

Finally the girl squirmed out from under him and then curled against his form, both of them searching the suddenly star filled sky of the desert. His head rolled to look at her, his eyes soft with desire. She in turn looked deep into his a slow blaze roiling in the depths of her otherwise tranquil mien.

He spoke the words she never expected to hear, "you are mine!" She rose to her knees and wept in front of him.

The lightning crackled down from the sky and licked at her, the Questor had found his mate.

Epilogue

A bullet ripped out of the dark night smashing into the Questor's back. He fell forward, the girl catching him as he tumbled to the ground and looking around for the source of the shot. He looked up at the girl with a mixture of disbelief and humor on his face and said, "nice to meet you Valerie," then slipped into the darkness yet again.

Her eyes were wide, she'd found him, she'd lost him, he had come back and now it appeared she would lose him again. Stunned, she sat over the young man with his head cradled in her lap, blood seeping from the wound to the soft blanket of grass in the Dale.

A horse whinnied in the darkness, a curse rang out and the horse dashed for the exit to the Dale. In the moonlight she could see that it was the old gunslinger who had sworn revenge on the Questor. She could also see that a dark figure had moved in the way of the charging horse and was not surprised to see a cougar leap high to take the man down off the horse. The were-cat had returned to his original form and he still guarded the sacred dale. His jaws closed on the throat of the gunslinger, ripping his head almost off as he twisted savagely and brought him to the ground. A ferocious scream rose from his maw and it was over. The gunslinger lay dead and shredded on the ground, the cat bent over him. The cat rose and walked around the corpse finally stopping and urinating on his face, then disappeared back into the darkness.

The girl found the Captain and Raj kneeling beside her looking down at the Questor. The Captain rolled the Questor to his stomach and checked the wound. A laugh burst from his lips as he felt the edges of the wound. The Bowie, in its sheathe on his back had saved the Questor from the bullet piercing his lung or heart. It had caught the edge of the blade and protruded from the wound far enough that it was easy to pry out.

In a matter of moments the wound was dressed, the Questor woke and the girl was looking into the eyes of the man who had mastered her. A grin etched its way onto his face as he saw the concern she displayed.

She cuffed him up beside his ear, a combination of a whimper and a laugh in her voice, "well hello Rick, its nice to meet you too." Then she rose with him as he took her into his arms and kissed her softly in the moonlight.

"Father, good to see you, tell mother I'm fine and I'll be better soon. The Questor looked at Raj and shook his head. "You have served this family well Raj, what will you do now?"

"Well lad, I think I'm going to stick around here for awhile. Something about this place intrigues me, and it reminds me of home."

The Questor looked at him curiously, noticing a nod between his father and the eagle warrior. Then he shrugged, he had a feeling something was going on that he didn't know about but this wasn't the time to worry about it.

Merl stepped from the cave onto the ledge carrying the Questor and Valerie's clothes. They both noticed suddenly that they were naked and the blush that came over them almost illuminated the dark night. There was much laughter and joy at the realization that the night was almost over, that the terrible evils had been put to rest and that all seemed good for the future. As the sun rose over the Dale, Rog and a couple of members of the posse rode into the Dale, they had found the horses of the Questor's group and brought them with them. Once they were settled and saddled and situated the group slid back up onto horseback and headed into town.

Two days later, sitting in the saloon the Captain turned to his son. "Rick, I must be getting back to your mother. The ship is waiting in San Francisco and I've been away from the sea for far too long."

The Questor smiled, now that his parents knew where he was he would see them again. His mother would probably have the Captain turn the ship straight back around and head for San Francisco. He rose to his feet and walked to his father, a handshake turning into a long embrace of the two strong men. He hoped it was soon.

The Captain turned to Raj and jerked his head towards the door, Raj walked out onto the wooden porch with him and there was a low voiced conversation. They could see the men talking through the window but not hear them, and then Raj shook the Captain's hand and returned into the saloon.

The train left the station an hour later, they heard the whistle blow and all raised a toast to the man leaving.

Months could be spent telling the events that transpired then. Suffice it to say that the Questor took the girl as his own, bought the land where McKee had ruled over his ranch, and was a frequent visitor to the Dale with his girl. The ranch became a sort of retreat, not a lot of ranching there, mostly close friends and allies that found peace in the solitude. The Dale was restricted. Only the Questor and his girl would walk the verdant lawns, swim in the clear water and there were cougars there now to protect the land from others.

Raj built a home high on a mountain top, it was rumored that the strange man from a far distant land would fly high in the skies above the lands watching for something. Many people spotted a huge eagle that soared far above their vision, looping and diving and having great sport in the desert skies.

Rog and the Indian girl were married. They lived on the outskirts of town and Rog eventually became the sheriff. The girl Alice died soon after when she was bit by a rattlesnake while riding in the desert, her body was found days later, swollen and gaseous.

Valerie's father looked kindly on the young Questor and waited patiently for the pitter patter of little feet, but none came soon.

A storm blew in from the East, terrible, filled with tornadoes and winds, ghosts and spirits and ravaged the town for days. Finally the sun came out again and things started to return to normal. Deep in the tunnels beneath the mountain something dark stirred. Strange rumblings echoed in the obsidian blackness and screams filled the shafts. A dark flame rose deep in bowels of the earth and a gate appeared, dark, forbidding, quiet, filled with menace. An evil laugh rang out in the doorway and a shadow moved through. Tall, dressed in black, a face too terrible to behold.

The Dark Gate yawned in the depths, Ruination was come.

©TantrickQuestor 2008