The Story of a Lifetime Ch. 05

He looked at the unfolded paper in my hand for a moment, then shook his head. "Your drawings mean little to me. I know that you are crossing our land, and that you are not of the chaluum."

"I'm sorry," I told him, "I didn't know. I was merely trying to cross from one place to another. I have not hunted your food, nor burned your wood." I hoped that if I made it clear I had done no harm, I might be able to leave. "I have not come to take from you or yours. I am no threat."

He stared at me for another long moment before answering. "I know that you have not hunted here - I've followed you all night. As for being a threat, you are holding a weapon."

I looked down at where I still held my dagger in my right hand behind my leg. Very slowly I moved my hand to show the blade, and then slid it back into the sheath. "I will go back the way I came," I promised him. "I'll go right now, I won't even stop to rest."

He shook his head, and I felt my stomach clench again. "It is not a good time to travel alone. Many wolves live here, and not all are as well-behaved as mine." With that, he patted the enormous wolf again, who was looking a bit less hostile now that the tension was diffusing. "And if you go back the way you came you will be crossing further through our land. I will lead you to our Southern border, and you will leave there."

My heart finally slowed down as I realized I was not going to be summarily executed and eaten. "Thank you," I told him, my quavering voice giving away how scared I still was. "That is very generous. My name is Amaranthea."

"I am Zerchin," he said, then simply turned and started walking. I blinked a few times as I tried to process the new situation. Then I ran forward, trying to catch up with the departing chaluum.

I followed Zerchin as the dim light of sunset turned into full darkness. "I've never heard of a chaluum before," I told him when the path got wider and I could walk beside him. "Are there many of you? Is this whole forest your homeland?"

He turned and regarded me as we walked. "You have many questions. Yes, we are many. We have tribes and large families, many communities. There are even more chaluum this season; there are many pups running around my village, and they will grow to be great warriors and hunters and crafters."

"Lots of pups is good," I agreed, finding myself with more time to watch him now that we had a smoother path and I didn't have to watch my footing. I also took a moment to check behind me, and found that huge wolf following us, watching intently. Its paws made almost no sound, despite its huge size. "Do you have any... pups of your own?"

He lifted one side of his lips, showing the teeth in his muzzle. "I do not. I have not found a partner, despite my efforts. We will stop here for the night."

I looked at where he'd beckoned, and found that the trail wrapped around a wide, squat tree. There were branches underneath it, and the ground was relatively smooth. "We cultivate many spots for rest," he told me as he strode towards the tree. "We move around a lot, and plan ahead accordingly."

I stood near enough to see him, but not too close, and pulled my bedroll from the top of my backpack. Sitting on the blanket I took off my coat and propped my back against the tree. I was still nervous around Zerchin's feral form, and even more so around his huge wolf companion, so I wasn't planning on trying to sleep any time soon.

"Do you have any pups?" His question surprised me, since it had already been several minutes since we'd lapsed into silence.

"No, I don't have any children... pups."

"That is a shame. You seem insightful despite your initial foolishness, you were brave enough to try to ward my wolf off with nothing but a knife, and you are more pleasant to look at than many of the hairless folk. You would make a good mother."

"Thank you," I told him, a little unsure. I was sitting next to what looked like a feral werewolf, and he just called me pretty. I decided to change the subject to something a little more comfortable, and fished around in my bag until I found my rations I'd brought with me. I took two portions of heavily smoked fish, and held one out towards him. "Can I share some of my food with you? It's meat, but it isn't raw - it's cooked over a fire in such a way that it keeps fresh for longer."

"Yes, we also smoke meat to preserve it," he said, and I felt a little foolish for having just made the assumption that his people hunted and ate raw meat like wolves. He did take the offered food, so I guess he wasn't too offended. "Thank you."

We ate our supper mostly in silence, until Zerchin tore about half of his dried fish off and threw it towards the wolf that had been watching him eat. The huge beast snapped the fish out of the air, and I was caught between delight at seeing it act like a big dog, and horror at the show of teeth. I guess I was more impressed than scared, because I giggled when the wolf sat down very attentively and watched Zerchin, attentively waiting for more treats.

"Begone," he told the wolf. "You aren't a puppy, you're a grown lady. Act like one."

The wolf flopped down onto her side, and I laughed again in spite of myself.

"I have spoiled her," he informed me with a sigh. "She hunted just this morning, but already she is bothering me for food. If she was actually hungry, she could go hunting for food." The last part seemed directed towards the wolf, who twitched one ear at him but otherwise did not react.

Zerchin reclined against the broad tree, stretching as he got comfortable. I stared at him, watching his limbs move as he shifted, then watching his muzzle open as he yawned.

He turned towards me, and I blushed slightly as he caught me staring. "Sorry to stare," I told him.

He gave what I assumed was a grin. "It is reasonable to be uncomfortable around me. I would go further and give you space, but the woods are unsafe and it is wise to stay close together."

"I'm not scared of you," I told him, and was surprised to find that I meant it. "Just curious. You look... a lot different from the people I'm used to."

"Yes, that is true," he agreed. "You are smaller than my kin, and lack fang and claw. And your lack of fur is... odd." I laughed, and he gave me that grin again. "But your legs are most interesting - they bend all wrong."

I laughed again and straightened out my leg, and he watched the motion carefully. "You walk around on just your toes," I told him. "My feet are flat to the ground."

"It's a marvel you can even move."

I stood up again and did a slow turn, demonstrating that I could indeed walk. He watched me all the while, still half laying down and half propped up. I guessed that having a tail made it tough to find a comfortable way to sit.

He stood up across from me, and did the same motion that I had, turning slowly on spot. His knees were more bent than mine, and he had a tail that stood out proudly from his bottom. I stared at him, marveling at the way his joints moved. So different from me, and yet so similar.

He finished his circle facing me, and we said nothing for a few moments as we stared at each other. There was only about four feet between us.

"May I, uh," I stuttered, suddenly nervous and feeling foolish. I had started reaching out towards him, but caught myself. "Can I..."

He gave that grin again and took a small step forward, holding out his arm towards me. We were hardly speaking, but seemed to perfectly understand each other - we were two very different creatures, but both curious.

I reached out and gingerly touched his arm, feeling the fur. It was fluffy, but not as soft as I had somehow expected. I sunk my palm into his fur, ruffling it a bit as I felt the texture.

He held out a hand, and I let go of his arm and offered him my own. His hand had fingers like mine, tipped with claws. The underside of his palm and fingers was hairless, which probably helped the chaluum to use tools, and the skin was a dark color. He placed one finger on my arm and slowly moved it along my skin. Goosebumps broke out along my whole arm at the soft touch, and he paused, staring at the raised skin, before continuing to stroke my arm with his hand.

My arm had dropped to my side, and his palm was still on the forearm. I had barely even realized we were standing so close. My heart was beating so hard that it throbbed in my ears. "Can you hear my heart?"

He glanced down at my chest, and I wasn't sure if he was staring at my breasts or trying to look through the flesh and bone to the heart beneath them. "Yes," he told me, "it's beating faster. Are you scared?"

I could feel the thundering of my heart, but didn't step away. "I'm not afraid."

"No," he agreed. "You don't smell like fear."

"What do I smell like?"

He leaned in close, until his nose and mouth were beside my face, then breathed in deep. "You smell aroused. But I am not of your people."

"You're right about what you smell, and I don't mind that you're not a human," I told him. "I don't have as strong of a sense of smell as you do, but I think that you don't mind that I'm not a chaluum."

His hand was still on my arm, and his face was so close to mine. "I don't mind," he said.

I put one hand on his chest, and let it sink into the thick fur to the muscle beneath. His hand slid up my arm and to my shoulder, then to my neck.

I let him lift my chin up as his fingers trailed along my neck, then my chin. He pressed his nose against my neck and inhaled sharply. His nose was so cold, but his breath was hot as he breathed in my scent.

My hand was still on his chest, but the other was on his waist, and starting to trail lower. His own hand was on the back of my neck, holding me close to him. His hot breath was on my neck, in my ear. His other hand was on my arm, stroking the skin, playing. I wanted to let him explore.

I reached down and took hold of my shirt, pulling it over my head in a smooth motion. Then I pulled off the bandeau and dropped it on my shirt on the ground, and undid the braid in my hair to let it fall in a curtain on my shoulders and back.

Zerchin stood, transfixed, staring at my exposed skin. I took one of his hands in mine, and placed it on my breast. "We like to be touched here," I told him.

His hand gently squeezed the flesh, holding my breast and tracing a thumb over its tip. Maybe the women of his people were built the same, because he seemed to know what he was doing. His other hand was on my stomach, gently trailing his claw against the tender flesh. I knew that he could tear my skin without a thought, but somehow the danger held in check by his tenderness made it even more exciting.

One of my hands was on his stomach, but the other I dropped down. I found what I was looking for, and tenderly wrapped my hands around the shaft that was now protruding. It was thick in my hand, and getting harder by the moment.

I glanced down between us, and saw his cock as I stroked it. It was an intense that stood out against his darker fur. It looked enough like a human's, except that there was no foreskin, and there was no distinct head like on a man's (or orc's, or minotaur's, or...). My musing was interrupted by his head lowering down to my chest, and the sudden warm of his tongue on my nipple.

I tilted my head back and sighed contentedly as his tongue flicked across one nipple back and forth, and then the other.

I slowly stroked his shaft, and felt it swell in my hand.

I stepped back, keeping a hand on his length to make sure he knew to follow me. Then I had to let go of him long enough to grab my pants and yank them down, stepping out of one leg and then the other. I stood before Zerchin nude except for my socks. It seemed only fair, since he'd technically been nude in front of me this whole time.

He was staring at me with a hunger so primordial that it sent shivers down my spine.

I held his gaze with mine, and took a step back. He mirrored the motion, moving towards me as I stepped back. Another step back, and another, then I was standing at the edge of my sleeping roll. I said nothing, just stared as he took another half step towards me, closing the distance again. With each step he took, his bright red erection swung between his legs. I kept my eyes on his eyes, but had to stop and glance at the member in question as he moved - it was definitely different looking than a human's, and the sight of it sent tingles of anticipation through my stomach. It was long, and red, and a lot thicker at the bottom than the top.

He was close enough to touch now, but I didn't. I dropped slowly to my knees on my thick blanket. A small voice in the back of my mind protested at being lowered in front of this animalistic creature, it told me that I was in danger.

I ignored that voice, slowly turning until my back was to Zerchin, still on my knees. I tipped forward, dropping to my hands and knees, then turned to look at him over my shoulder.

He was staring down at me, the look of hunger magnified tenfold. I was on all fours in front of him, my ass pointed towards him, and he knew exactly what I wanted. If the slight twitching of his cock was any indication, it was exactly what he wanted, too.

"I assume your people do it like this," I told him.

He dropped to his knees behind me, hands falling on my hips. A shudder went down my spine at the feeling of his rough paws on my soft and sensitive skin. "Yes," he answered, his voice deeper than it was before. "Although usually a female lifts her tail up and to the side to signify that she is ready and willing."

"I don't have a tail, but I'm very much willing."

"Yes," he said again as he leaned towards me, lowering his face towards my exposed body. "I can smell your lust, your hunger."

His voice sent shivers down my spine again. I was about to answer when I felt a line of heat flash across my pussy. Whatever I had been planning on saying was lost in my sudden moan. He passed his tongue across my wetness again, and I dropped my head down between my arms.

His tongue was hot, and as long as the minotaur's, but Zerchin's motions had a hunger that I had never seen matched.

His tongue swiped against my sensitive folds again, again, and I felt heat flushing my face. He pressed his face harder against me, his cold nose jolting me as it pressed against my asshole. He pushed forward with his tongue, sliding it all the way into me, and flicked it in and out of me. I distantly felt my hands gripping the blanket under me hard enough for my knuckles to go white.

His tongue was long, hot, wet, and hit me perfectly each time he moved it. I knew that from this day on, any time I heard the words 'tongue fucking', I would think of my Zerchin.

He changed his angle of attack, and his mouth was over my clit. His hot tongue passed back and forth across it, and my sharp inhale turned into a gasp. His focus on that spot was definitely intended, and I wondered if chaluum females had clitorises too.

His assault continued, intensified, and I felt myself beginning to slip. "Oh, fuck," I moaned, although my voice was mostly muffled as I buried my face into the blanket underneath me. "Just like that. Just like that."

I lost control then, and felt myself hurtle off the rails as he continued moving his tongue on me. A bolt of pleasure shot up my back, and I felt my spine arc as I came on his mouth. I moaned loudly into the night air as my whole body clenched and unclenched. My hands tightened, bunching the blanket in my fists as I held onto it like it would keep me from flying away.

Silvery sensations shot up and down my limbs as I shook and moaned. His tongue pushed deep into me again at the apex of my orgasm, and I shuddered at the delicious warmth.

He withdrew his tongue as I shuddered again, and I heard him shuffling closer.

"You taste delicious," he told me, his head right over my shoulder. "I could taste your arousal and your climax."

Gooseflesh spread up my back under his hot breath.

I felt something hard and very hot against my ass as he laid his erection between my cheeks. "Do you want this?"

"Yes," I hissed at him.

He shifted slightly, rubbing his cock against my back side. It was hotter than I expected, and I was sure the heat would sear me. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes."

He shifted again, and the tip of him slid down, between my asscheeks and past my rear entrance. He pressed himself against my folds, and I sighed in anticipation.

He pressed a paw against my mid-back, directing my body without words. I obeyed automatically, lowering my face and chest onto the blanket so my ass was above my head. As I pushed myself down, I arched my back, giving him a full view of my waiting pussy.

He must have liked what he saw, because he kept one clawed hand on my back. With the other he lined himself up, and I felt the very tip of him slide between my lips for a moment until he was fully lined up. Then he was pushing forward, and the narrower tip pushed into me, and I felt myself starting to spread around the new intruder.

I moaned in appreciation as he sunk into me. I was hot, wet, and ready, but he moved with agonizing slowness. He didn't pause, though, he just kept inching forward, slowly sliding deeper as my body spread out and took him in.

It stung slightly as my pussy stretched. He wasn't quite as big around as the minotaur, but he wasn't small either. Zerchin pressed against me, and my body yielded before him.

I felt the tickling sensation of fur against my ass as he pushed forward, until I felt the firm base of him against me. He was all the way in, bottomed out, and my ass was pressed against his pelvis. I sighed in relief that there wasn't more of him to go in, and marveled at how quickly I'd adapted to having this wolf-like creature as a lover.

"Are you okay?" his deep voice rumbled, and I nodded. "Good."

He shifted his hips, and suddenly his member was moving the other direction, sliding until he was barely inside. Then he pushed forward, and impaled me again with meticulous slowness.

He took his hands off my body, and leaned forward, pushing me down more. He braced himself on either side of my shoulders, and suddenly his huge body was fully over top of mine. I felt small there under his weight. His head was above mine, and he lowered his face until his mouth was by my ear. "You feel fantastic," he told me.

"So do you."

He pulled back and thrust again, and I gasped again in pleasure. He chuckled a low satisfied note in my ear as he pushed in again. It stung this time, and felt like he had gotten even bigger. There's no way he was still growing, right?

Again and again he thrust, and any concern of mine was taken away by the rhythm of our bodies.

Each time he drove himself home I felt the tip slide along that sensitive spot on my inner wall, and push at my innermost depths. The repeated motion was spurring on a heat building in me, and I didn't fight the mounting pleasure.

His huge mouth was still by my ear, and his hot breath made shivers run down my back as he thrust again, again, again.

The thick fur pressing against my ass was both distracting and comforting as I found myself pushing back against him, meeting each of his thrusts with the force of my own body. There was something delirious and delicious about submitting to this primal, animalistic creature, and I felt my whole body responding with heat to his movements. With each thrust he was marking me, claiming me, and my body seemed to naturally accept his dominance.

My mind and pulse were both racing, and the delightful heat was building with each deep thrust. Zerchin's hips were like a piston, pumping himself into me again and again.

His thrusts started being shallower, not going as deep, but I felt something wider press against my pussy with each motion. But I was right on the edge, and hurtling towards it in spite of the reduced stimulation.