Westrons Pt. 22

- "There's no way to know, until we try."

I didn't wait. I stripped off my clothing, and stepped into the water. It was a little colder than I was expecting. But then, I wasn't really here to wash.

I moved into the stream, until the water was just above my knees. Isa took off her clothing, and came into the stream. She stopped about six feet away from me.

The light was fading, but I could see her clearly enough.

She clasped her hands in front of her privates. It didn't seem to be out of modesty; I suspect that she didn't quite know what to do with her hands.

Isa was pretty. She was smiling, an expression which really suited her. But my eyes drifted lower, and I swallowed nervously.

Strong shoulders, well-developed arms ... full, high breasts, deliciously round, with lovely pink nipples. Her stomach was virtually flat, her hips gently rounded. She was slender but strong, slim but stacked.

She let me look my fill, and then turned in profile. Her breasts weren't round, after all; they were beautifully shaped, like gourds, and her nipples were erect.

Isa turned her back to me, and bent over, cupping some water in her hands, and lifting it to her chest. I could only admire the classic lines of her back and hips, and her tight, muscular ass.

Female. Definitely female.

She turned again, to face me, grinning broadly.

- "Was that what you wanted to see?" she laughed.

- "You're ... fantastic. Very ... yes."

- "The Change seems to know, somehow, what our partner would like." she said.

- "Score one more for the Change." I said.

- "May I look at you, now?"

It's not so easy, to stand naked and let someone look at you. It may be even harder if it's a friend whose opinion matters to you. I made an effort to keep my hands at my sides, and let her see ... everything.

Yes, I was fully erect.

I counted to thirty (it seemed like fair number). Then I took two steps towards her.

- "Could I ... kiss you, Isa?"

- "Yes ..."

I stepped closer, and put one arm around her shoulders. She stepped towards me, so that her prominent nipples brushed against my chest. She was still smiling as I inclined my head and sought her lips with mine.

For a brief moment, I felt her teeth ... and then only lips, soft and warm. Then her lips parted slightly ...

I moved the tip of my tongue between her open lips - to meet her tongue, coming the other way.

The sensations were too powerful. I put my cheek against hers, and wrapped both my arms around her.

She did the same.

- "Oh, Cook." she breathed. "It's going to be alright."

***

"She has a great body." said Koroba, the next day. I had to agree.

"You are so lucky."

- "I knew that when I met you, Koroba."

- "Huh. Sure."

***

Tallia set up another tent for herself, right next to my command tent. It was a very straightforward attempt to give Isa and me some privacy, if we decided ...

I finally managed to think like a Westron for a moment. It wasn't a question of 'if', but of 'when'. Tallia was just being practical, and considerate. So I simply thanked her.

- "You're very welcome." she said.

***

Isa was still giving me time, and space. We'd kissed again - more than once - and it was very nice. But if anything more was going to happen between us, I would have to be the one to initiate it.

I invited her to have an evening meal with me - and then made sure that no one else would be around: no Colonels, no bodyguards ...

Isa was no fool; she realized immediately that we were the only two people in the tent. She grinned. But she didn't comment; she had the good sense to let me take the lead.

I asked her about her family, and her home. She answered my questions, rather briefly. When I pressed for further details, she smiled.

- "Are you truly interested, Cook? Or are you just trying to put me at ease?"

- "Both, to be honest."

She responded to my renewed questioning, and then began to ask me about my family, and my home. I replied with more or less the same story I'd told Kanitz, years ago. Isa was less suspicious, but more sensitive; she understood immediately that I wasn't very keen to talk about those subjects.

- "Tell me about your education, then." she said. "How did you learn your tactics? Do all Pylosians know them?"

Our conversation flowed freely; she was one of the easiest people to talk to that I'd ever met. I already knew that, of course. It was one of several reasons why I liked Isaal. Isa. Shared interests, intellectual curiosity, a good heart ... and a great sense of humour.

We ran into one of those brief silences, when the conversation died for a moment. Good friends don't fret about these moments, because they don't feel the need to fill the void with unnecessary talk.

- "I feel like I've known you for a long time." I said.

- "I felt that way before my ... change." she said.

- "This is so odd."

- "It's never happened before, that I know of. A Penchen and a Pylosian."

- "A Penchen and any other species."

- "Yes. That, and the fact that I didn't expect to be a female." she said. "You'll have to be patient with me, if you want to copulate."

- "I don't. Not yet, at any rate. I'd rather make love, first."

As I'd expected, Isa wasn't familiar with that expression. She understood the concept immediately, of course - she'd been deeply in love once before. But she was also gratified (and a little turned on) that I was thinking along those lines.

For a change, I knew exactly what I was doing.

Both Kanitz and Tudino had remarked about 'verbal foreplay' - the way that compliments contributed to their arousal.

Isa was a female for the first time. Her body was virgin, too. She would need all the help she could get to make the experience a positive one. She'd already asked me to be patient.

But she was smiling. Happy, and obviously willing to try.

- "Could I ... see you again, Isa?"

- "If I can see you, too."

- "Of course." I stood, and let my fingers drift to the top button of my shirt.

- "Are we really ...?"

- "I hope so."

We matched one another, button for button.

"Isa - could I undress you?"

- "Yes."

I undid the last three buttons, looking her in the eye the whole time. Then I leaned forward and kissed her. She met my questing tongue with her own, to fence and spar with me. Delicious as that was, I wanted her to know how much I appreciated her female form.

Slowly, I drew back. Then I took hold of the tails of her shirt. Ever so slowly, I drew them apart. I let my eyes drop, to watch the body I was unveiling. Isa could see me looking, as I revealed her flat stomach, her surprisingly deep navel, and then her remarkable breasts.

I released a deep breath - it came out as a low whistle. Isa grinned as I showed my appreciation for her new body.

- "Amazing." I whispered.

- "The Change knew what you would like." she said.

- "Really?"

- "We think so."

I knelt before her, and began peeling her tight breeches over her hips and ass.

- "You need a new uniform." I said.

- "I've requested one. But it may take time." she said, with a grin.

Isa was one of those very few people who look better naked than clothed. I have to admit it: I stood and stared.

She let me enjoy the view for some time, before stepping forward and reaching for the remaining buttons on my shirt.

She took her time, for her own pleasure as much as mine. Isa brushed her fingertips over my nipples, and lightly scratched her nails down my sternum. Then she leaned closer, and kissed me.

But she showed remarkable restraint, and returned to undressing me.

- "I love a kilt." she said. "Especially yours. It makes me want to run my hands underneath it ... front and back ..."

She did exactly that.

Her hand found my erection, and curled around it. She stroked me a few times, slowly, with exactly the right degree of pressure. Then she reached for my scrotum, and gently cradled my balls.

I reached for her breast, and lightly squeezed. Considering that they were only a few weeks old, her breasts were full, firm, and perfectly shaped. I lightly ran my thumb around her nipple.

- "Oh!" she said, with a little start. "That's different!"

(I knew that you would like them.' she told me, later. 'But what a pleasant surprise, to find that I do, too.')

I ran my hands down her sides, to the swell of her hips. Her skin was smooth, and warm. I trailed my fingertips across her belly, and then lower.

She was watching my face, and saw my look of surprise.

- "Jiril shaved for me, when I asked her - hair kept getting in my mouth. I hope you don't mind ...?"

- "No. Not at all."

Westron females were reasonably attentive to their personal hygiene. But in a military camp, without showers or baths, and with thick, untrimmed pubic hair ... well, you get the idea. In hemmer, of course, it didn't matter in the least.

But completely shaved? That was an invitation, if I'd ever heard or seen one.

I manoeuvred Isa onto my camp bed, and trailed kisses across her breasts. I used my tongue to toy with her nipples, before shifting my attentions a little lower.

- "Oh! Yes ..." she gasped, as my tongue ran across her lower lips. Clearly, she'd been anticipating this - waiting for this, for quite some time.

I could have done much better - I would do much better, in future, I promised myself. My goal tonight was to get her juices flowing. On another occasion, I could go down on her for the sheer pleasure of it, rather than as a prelude to love-making.

There was no way of knowing how difficult intercourse would be for her, and I wanted her to have a positive experience - as positive as I could make it.

She seemed to be as eager as I was, or even more, as she pulled on my arms, to draw me up beside (and on top of) her. Isa reached between our bodies, and took hold of my cock. She placed the head directly at the entry to her wet pussy.

I tried to be gentle; she was having none of that. Isa knew better than I did. She had no hymen, and there was no blood.

She was tight, but as she told me later, that was more a function of my (relative) girth than of her virginity. 'My body was made for you, Cook.' she explained.

I was far more nervous than she was. I held back, afraid of hurting her. I regret to say that it wasn't among the top 3 most wonderful sexual experiences of my life.

But we got better.

Much better.

***

Penchens and Westrons had one thing in common: they loved to talk about sex.

The day after our first coupling, Isa claimed that she was a little sore (she later admitted that she was fibbing, just a bit). She insisted that it was her turn to perform oral sex on me.

Mother of Creation ...

Westrons weren't into oral. They didn't dislike it; they just rarely got to it (When they were in hemmer, the females had one track minds. The males had no minds at all).

Kanitz, Tallia and Esyle were more flexible, but most of what they knew about oral sex they learned from (or with) me.

Penchens belonged to a different school of thought, when it came to blowjobs. Isa approached it like it was the best possible thing to do while away an hour - or a weekend.

- "It's partially because I was male, once." she admitted. "I remember what Jiril did, that felt good. But it's also just being Penchen. We have a year - or less - to make our partner happy. Oral sex is an art form, I think."

She made love to me with her mouth. With that kind of example, how could I not reciprocate?

The only drawback to sex with Isa was that I couldn't devote every waking hour to her. There was work to be done, an army to run.

A war to prepare for.

***

I didn't neglect the army. The regiments continued to stick to a rigorous training schedule. We cut down on live firing exercises, but that was only to save powder.

The soldiers still grumbled as I made them march, or respond to unanticipated tactical situations. For example, I put two Penchen regiments in the field, and feigned an attack by skirmishers in open order by Votuda's rifle company.

The moment General Leydz responded with his skirmishers, I unleashed Tudino's rifles on his flank.

Leydz had the good grace to admit that he would have been in trouble. Isa, though, protested.

- "Were you just trying to embarrass us? That was hardly a situation we're likely to encounter." she said.

- "Unless you fight Westrons. Or somebody who copies our tactics."

- "Hmm ..."

That was the closest we came to a disagreement that autumn and winter. Isa had a simple plan for every day: train the army, work on the training schedule, make love (twice, if time permitted).

We never skipped out, in the middle of the day, or sneaked away to have sex (I will admit that I thought of it, though). Isa was patient, and could wait until the end of the day to jump my bones.

She was also much smarter than I was. After fifteen straight days, wherein our love-making got better and better, she tapped my sternum with a fingernail.

- "You can't forget Tallia. You should go see her."

I hadn't forgotten Tallia - not entirely.

Oops.

I invited my Chief of Staff to have a late dinner with me. "I've been neglecting you." I said.

- "You see me every day. All day." she answered. "But yes ... you have."

- "Umm ..."

- "It's nice of you to think of me ... even if it was Isa's idea. She apologized to me, yesterday, for monopolizing your time."

My face fell. Tallia knew me far too well.

"It's alright, Cook. It's understandable."

- "It is?"

- "If I was her, I'd want all of your attention, too. Do you not remember how we were, when we first started copulating? I do. You were tireless. And I remember how you looked at me - all of the time."

- "Still do."

She smiled. "Maybe. But you're thinking of Isa, right now - and that's who you should be with. She'd say the same, if the roles were reversed."

I kissed Tallia on the cheek, and hugged her. "You're incredible."

- "You can come to me when you really want to." she said. "But we have the rest of our lives. Isaal only has the rest of this year."

***

I shouldn't have, but I did compare the two women.

Tallia was more beautiful, in absolute terms. She was perhaps the third most beautiful woman in the Westron lands, after the Queen, and Kanitz. She was also an organizational genius, without whose help I might not have been able to run this army.

Isa was pretty, but in a more tomboyish, athletic college girl way. She was intelligent, with a first-class military mind, and could discuss technical matters with me. And her body - the body she'd changed into - was simply spectacular.

Tallia was sexually demanding, though she usually got her way by flirting, or by displaying herself to me, until I took the initiative. She was eager to learn, and frequently pestered me to teach her something new.

Isa, on the other hand, often took the lead. Feminine wiles were something new to her; she was more often quite direct.

It wasn't a competition, though - fortunately for me. No matter how things went, I seemed to come out the winner.

***

I found myself having long conversations with Isa. The Penchens, she told me, were the most insular species on the continent. Unlike the Woles, they had little interest in their neighbours - except for their wars.

Even then, they didn't seem to care about causes or objectives; it was enough to know when the conflict would begin, and on whose side they would be fighting.

- "But we are also insufferably arrogant." she said. "Penchens aren't curious, because we don't believe that Westrons or Crolians have anything of value to teach us."

- "That could be dangerous."

- "It certainly is. That's why I'm so glad that you're opening our eyes, with you tactical innovations. We do have a great deal to learn."

She also explained the Penchen sexual dichotomy: they had very high libidos, once they'd undergone the Change - but there was virtually no promiscuity among them.

"Can you imagine a greater betrayal?" she said. "When someone changes, to be with you, and then you go off with another?"

- "It never happens?"

She shook her head. "I didn't say that. There are, regrettably, a few exceptions. But in most cases, who would you go to? We don't interbreed with Crolians or Woles. Westron females are in hemmer too infrequently - and for too short a time."

"A Penchen female can't even begin to attract a Westron male. That's why the few stories of betrayal I know of always involve two Penchens betraying their Change partners. It's horrifying."

"I can't really speak for Pylosians. You're the first one I've ever met."

- "And you're the first Penchen to change for a ... non-Penchen."

- "Yes." she said. "But I don't want to be famous, Cook. I just want to be with you."

*****