TRC - Searching for the Sky Ch. 07

"What?!" she snarled, thoughts of throwing her arms around him were quickly replaced with throttling the arrogant human. "Why the hell would I need your forgiveness for killing that piece of shit."

Kal held up a hand, "Not that. I was in the wrong, for the safety of you, the pack, and our children, he needed to be dealt with."

Daxas noticed that he left himself off of that list, however, after what she saw of the battle that was probably fair. The slaver wouldn't have tried to attack her and the girls unless Kal had been winning.

"Perra helped me realize something tonight when I talked with her, I was more upset that you didn't let me know you were about to kill him than over you actually doing it. If that makes sense."

Dax's shoulders slumped, "Yes, it actually does. The thought never crossed my mind. I was just so filled with rage that he would smile about killing my pup... our pup. As much as I don't want to admit this; I don't think I did it out of any sense of protecting anyone, at that moment I couldn't see through the blinding hatred. If I had told you first and you said no, I probably would have ripped his throat out instead."

Kal wasn't sure what to do with this information but quickly realized that it didn't really change anything. Though her reasons weren't what he thought they were, the situation was still the same. "Either way Dax, you went against my wishes, taking the life of a man I had chosen to spare. I'll admit that my way of thinking was naïve, but you still took that choice from me and that's what I'm forgiving you for." Kal dropped to one knee and looked up at her, "Now I'm asking you to forgive me for being an idiot about this whole mess."

Dax gave him a mischievous smile. Stepping up to him, she put a hand on his forehead and pushed until Kal fell over onto his back. She then straddled his head and dropped down pressing her sex to his face. "Yes, I forgive you, but you need to make up for the last few weeks of fucking my girls and not me," she said.

Smiling, Kal looked up at her, "I plan on doing that and a lot more tonight," he said before his hands came up to her hips and pulled her down while his tongue went to work.

Out by the fire, Alina rolled her eyes as a long moan came from Kal's room. "Told ya," she said to the other girls followed by a round of laughter.

"Alina!" came Dax's voice followed by a quieter, "stop that for a second."

The retriever snerked, "As if he ever stops when you ask him." Then louder, "Yes Dax?"

"Hunting parties tomorrow morning, we'll be staying here an extra day."

"Two!" called out Kal.

"What do you mean two?" asked Dax.

"Because we're going to need the extra day to recover from being sore," he replied in a conspicuously loud voice.

"No we won't, you have magic."

Alina looked at the girls around her and said in a quiet voice, "should we tell our annoyingly fit alpha that he doesn't even heal himself when he gets sore from too much sex?"

The dog girls and Ria all shook their heads

---

They ended up spending the extra night, but it was more for the human than the wolf. Daxas was definitely sore but wore it proudly, like a badge of honor. Kal didn't want to chance ruining the mood by stopping and putting his vambrace with the stamina rune on and was exhausted, sleeping through the most of the second day. The pack was hardly sympathetic for either one.

During that time, Kal didn't bring up the idea of Dax becoming one of his women. Partly because he never felt the moment was quite right but also because he was afraid that Perra was correct and the wolf girl would turn him down.

It was only a couple of days later that they took to the woods with a long detour around the first small city Kal had come across in his travels. Barunis had been born off of Carriston's misfortune, turning the surrounding forest into a booming lumber industry. However, the city's council was smart enough to understand that Carriston would find a solution to their water problem or the larger city was going to collapse. Either way, that source of income would eventually dry up. They used the money they made to upgrade their sawmills and invest in a small fleet of transport wagons along with brokering trade deals with most of the nearby towns and cities. When Carriston discovered its underground river, Barunis's income took a hit but quickly recovered.

He couldn't help but stare longingly over at the city as they caught a glimpse of it through the trees. Kelthor only drank watered wine and it had been months since his last mug of ale. Sighing, Kal put it out of his mind, Perra had mentioned something about Dwarves, he understood they were fantastic brewers.

The crossroads loomed closer during their final week of travel and Kal became noticeably more agitated as he tried to come up with a way to broach the subject of bonding to the wolf. It didn't help that he was now close enough to be getting pressure from the rest of the girls as well, all of whom agreed that Daxas should be the next one to join them.

When they were three days from their destination Kal finally called her into his room, patting the bed next to where he was sitting. He really needed to take a look at the book for the tent again and see if it could make some chairs along with the beds.

"Do you remember when you broke down and offered me yourself right after I 'purchased' you?"

Daxas nodded, frowning at the memory of her moment of weakness.

"I told you then that I could make you mine in a way that you wouldn't truly understand. We've talked about how Perra and the others are bound to me and what that entails. I've come to care about you a great deal... No... that's not right. I love you Dax, and I'm offering that to you again," Kal tried not to cringe. While his words were heartfelt, they came across more like something he would say at a council meeting.

Dax didn't seem to care, throwing her arms around him with a cry of happiness before kissing him soundly. Pulling back, she smiled and looked him in the eye, "I can't."

Kal blinked repeatedly, her actions and what she just said not quite coming together in his head. "What?" he asked.

"By your description, this bonding gives you a type of ownership over your women. Within the pack, I can't have anyone over me and stay the alpha. That doesn't mean I'm not extremely happy that you asked, I just can't accept."

"Oh," said Kal, looking crestfallen.

"Don't be sad. The girls and I have talked about this day a lot while we were at the tower. I asked each them if they would still see me as their alpha if I became bonded to you and they all said no. I'm sorry, as much as I would like to be with you in that way, I can't turn my back on my pack. I love you too, but you don't need me the way they do."

"Perra said you would probably say no, this must have been why."

"She's a smart woman," said Daxas as she stood up and straddled his lap, taking his face in her hands and kissing him soundly. "What about all of us?" she asked, pulling back and looking into his eyes, "Even without my encouragement all of the girls would say yes. They love you, Kal. While your attention has been split among all of us and Kelthor's lessons these last few months, for the most part, you've been the sole focus of theirs."

Kal shook his head, "I thought about that and I don't want them to restrict themselves. I'm trying to put together a place where humans and monster girls can live peacefully. If I'm successful, there is a possibility that one of the girls may find a mate who can love them back properly and doesn't have his attention torn a dozen different ways. Bonding all of you and claiming you as mine would take that away from them."

"You told me you allow the alarune to continue hunting for men," the wolf pointed out.

"I did," he said nodding, "Aradelle is a carnivore that hates taking lives. Even small amounts of a man's seed can mean she won't have to kill any forest animals for quite some time. If I'm gone for months or years she will need to take advantage of whatever source presents itself. If she were to take another man while I was away it would not be with the intention of forming a lasting relationship. She'd get what she needed, with Bea's help if possible, and let him go."

"Why would Bea help?"

"Bea's dust would increase how long 'Dell could go before capturing another man. The experience of feeding her with the help of the dust is... interesting, if not entirely pleasurable."

Daxas thought for a second, "If Aradelle is a carnivore then how could Bea have been safe around her all those years?"

"We're getting off-topic but one of her first ancestors realized that killing her mates and pollinators was counterproductive. Over the years, it developed into an aversion to killing sentients then evolved into a general dislike of taking lives. Which is why she's the only one who has that freedom."

"Would you give that to the others?"

"No, absolutely not. Sorry if I sound like a tyrant but the women I share this bond with are too important to just let go."

"And you wanted me to join them?" said the wolf cocking an eyebrow.

Kal nodded.

Dax winced and held a hand over her chest, "Now it hurts even worse to tell you no."

"It shouldn't, you'll be living close by so I will be able to come and see you. We just won't have the same kind of closeness I share with the others. I still care about you a great deal."

"Not 'love' anymore?" she asked smirking.

"Yes, I still love you," he said with a semi-serious glare, "I was trying to make this a little easier on us."

Dax laughed as she stood up and headed for the door to his room. When she turned around the look of confusion on his face was plain. "I'm going to tell the girls what you told me and give them the chance to change your mind about accepting all of us. I've already called dibs on our last night, so I'll see you then," she said, smiling as she walked out.

---

That night and the next, the girls came in groups of two and three, trying their hardest to convince him to take them all. The sex was fun, brief, and quickly overshadowed by the intimate discussions he had with the women before nodding off.

The girls back home were split on the idea of taking the whole pack. Gerda and Bea both saw it as a showing of their man's virility and strength while Perra and Aradelle balked at adding anyone besides Daxas. Bas was too far away to chime in, but he had a feeling she would lean towards Gerda's way of thinking.

With the crossroads where he would be parting ways with Daxas and her pack literally on the horizon, Kal fidgeted as he sat upon his bed waiting for Daxas to come into his room. His breathing quickened with apprehension as he listened to the wolf wrap up her discussions with the dog girls still sitting around the fire. It was time to make a decision.

Dax pushed aside the flap that acted as his door and stepped inside, stopping as the fabric came to rest behind her. Studying his face, her expression went from mildly surprised to a sad smile before she walked over to him.

"Dax I..."

"Shhh," she said as she leaned over, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Don't talk, just make love to me tonight," she said, pressing her lips to his.

Kal did well to hide his surprise as he reached out and pulled her onto his lap, holding her tight. After the last couple of nights where the physical aspect was almost an afterthought, he had expected more of the same from the wolf girl. Since this was going to be their last night together for a very long time, he spent the next few hours doing his best to make sure it was a memorable one.

---

Kal slowed to a jog, then a walk, before finally stopping where a road intersected the one they were traveling on. Far to the south, he could make out the mountain range and the dip indicating the pass that would lead to Perra's hometown, and eventually back to Telsin.

Daxas stepped up next to him, looking off in the same direction. "I hope you're right about there being no wolves in the area. I've trained the girls as well as I could in three months, but they still wouldn't last more than a few seconds against a wolf pack."

Behind them the rest of the girls were standing up, their arms changing to human while leaving their back legs canine. The pads on their paws were better suited for dealing with the occasional sharp rocks on the roadway than tender human feet. At nearly five months along all of the girl's bellies were sticking out significantly and a few had started leaning back slightly to counteract the weight.

As the girls got bigger he asked them if running on all fours was getting uncomfortable, not only for the added girth about their waist but also because even the smallest of the girls' chests had increased by an impressive amount. All of them said no and that it was actually easier to carry the extra mass when supported by four legs instead of two. Some quick experimenting one night revealed a subtle change to the muscles in their torso when completely shifted to their more canine forms. Not only did it tighten up and offer extra support for their growing tummies, it also kept their breasts from hanging down where they might swing up and slap the dog girl to in the face as she ran. As soon as they switched their arms back to human, the muscles relaxed and everything hung normally, regardless if she was standing or on all fours. This explained why he hadn't noticed any of the times he had slept with them, the only time any of the girls kept their front paws was when he took them from behind.

"Perra did as much checking around as possible and nobody has seen any wolves in decades," said Kal reassuringly. "If the southern forest is occupied then maybe you should check out the woods here on the north side of the mountains. I'm sure Aradelle won't mind having another friend in the area." The young mage glanced at the woman standing next to him, "Dax... we never got to talk last night," he said, nervously.

She turned and put a finger over his lips. "Hush, Kal. We didn't need to. Your decision was written all over your face. I didn't want to hear it then and I don't want to now. Maybe when you are done with this quest of yours you'll change your mind. I wouldn't bet on the girls changing theirs, especially since we will all have constant reminders of you running around in a few months," she said, running a hand over her stomach.

Kal chuckled, "When I get back Ikuno will probably be pissed at me for letting this chance slip away."

"It hasn't slipped away, it's just postponed. I would like you to reconsider your decision to only allow me access to you when we get back. I know that you are hoping to create a city where we can all live happily, but until that time comes men will be a rarity in our lives."

Kal raised an eyebrow, "I know I asked you to stay away from running off with any of the guys in Telsin but there are other towns in the area to choose from."

Daxas shook her head, smiling. "That won't work, our time with you has spoiled us."

"I do my best to be a good lover, but I feel there's something more to what you just said."

The wolf chuckled, "You're willing. More than that, you actually want to be with us. That's something that only Alina had the pleasure of experiencing before you rescued us. None of us want to go back to cornering or capturing men to deal with our lust. Not that we will have to worry about heats until our pups reach their second year anyway."

"If you won't go into heat for the next two years anyway then why does it matter?"

"Because it gives them something to look forward too. Speaking of looking forward, where is Gerda? I was hoping to meet her," said Daxas looking around.

"Down there," he said, pointing to the road below them. "Some of her sisters were murdered for their eyes when she was younger, she won't come up until she knows I'm alone." He looked back up at the wolf, "I'm sure you'll meet her once she gets to know you a bit better. I'm glad you brought her up, I'm supposed to tell you that you won't be seeing Ikuno's cave on the way to your new territory. Gerda sealed it up before she left so it's indistinguishable from the rest of the rock face. I'd say you could check out the bathhouse that's up on the mountain trail..." Kal looked at the ground, "Oops, I guess I wasn't supposed to mention that. Perra's been using it fairly often as she gets bigger."

Daxas and the girls had to hold back from laughing as the mage started talking to the ground. "Gerda! They were going to introduce themselves to Perra on their way through anyway!" He lifted his head and looked off to the southwest before looking down again, "See? If Perra knew when they would be arriving at Ikuno's she'd be happy to invite them up for a warm soak."

"That seems a little odd. We've never even met the woman and she's inviting us to take a bath with her?"

Kal shook his head without looking up. "Not really, she trusts my judgment. If I feel you are safe for her to be around then she accepts that. Gerda wants to see you the same way but is working through more than a century of paranoia. If... nevermind." He was about to say that if she was bonded to him the golem wouldn't have such an issue but felt bringing that up would be unwise.

"If she's waiting for us to leave then I guess we shouldn't make her wait much longer ," said the wolf, sadly.

Kal sighed, "I guess you're right. Ria," moments later the ghostly sprite plopped down on his shoulder, "it's time to say goodbye."

Kal and Daxas embraced as the sprite went around to the dog girls bidding each of her friends farewell. Farewells that seemed curiously intimate with a couple of them, he'd have to ask her about that later.

When he and the wolf separated, the girls came up one by one for hugs and kisses. Refia lingered a couple of extra seconds to take long deep whiffs of his neck, crotch, and armpits while telling him that she wanted to memorize his scent. It was a strange experience for the mage, especially the armpits, but smells were her thing, not his.

Dax stepped up to him once more as Alina moved away, joining the rest of the girls waiting for their alpha.

Kal leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers, "I'm going to miss you."

"Come back safe," she whispered, her voice catching in her throat. "To all of us."

He smiled, "I will."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Daxas gave him a quick peck on the lips and turned sharply before he could see the tears forming in her eyes. Gray fur-covered paws hit the ground as she dropped to all fours, trotting south toward their new home. The girls all cast a final teary-eyed glance in his direction before following close behind.