"Azan!.."
The voice of an old king called out for his son. Not in the throne room, but in his bed chambers. Azan found himself before his father, who lay bedridden and defeated by time. The king struggled to speak with a raspy breath. "Azan.. you are to leave the kingdom of Juno to your elder brother, Siris. You, however, will be sent away to deploy in royal division to combat the Vakrah empire."
Azan's eyes flickered as the chamber maid listened over the conversation. "You're.. you're sending me away to war?"
King Aldius nodded. "It's an important role, my son. A duty fit for a king.."
"Lies.."
"Uhgh! Ah!"
Those words echoed in his mind even now as he found himself in Kinell's chambers again. Trusting deeply into her petite blue feathered body with savage aggression, admittedly, he got a bit too rough with his motions.
Kinell could easily tell that Azan was troubled by something. Azan confessed as she lay on his chest later. "I'm being sent away by my father.. I'm sent to war.." her eyes widened. This even caught Azan by surprise. "Oh? Are you upset that you're losing a high-paying customer? Or does this whore actually have a soul?"
Kinell slowly leaned over his body angled her head sideways in an enticing way. However..
Her black talon of a hand connected across his face as she began to shed tears on top of him. "Please.. stop saying things like that! Sure. We weren't meant to be, but I wanted to live in that fantasy! There were moments that made me want to believe.. that you'd free me from Ydran's brothel and sweep me away.. and we'd make love over and over again until.. we'd have children and live in a peaceful house and... and.."
Her words seemed genuine. But Azan struggled to believe these were her actual thoughts. Could it be deception? Manipulation? Either way, in the back of his mind, that was indeed a fantasy he shared with her.
His grizzled face hardened as he gripped her arm. He expressed himself the only way he could. He muttered, "If this is to be our last time.. Let's make it last.."
"Ah!"
Pushing her on her hands and knees, he thusted into her once more. With each heavy thust, memories of violence and war bled into his mind. Decaying corpses and many lives being snuffed out before his eyes. Memories of what gave him the claw scars on his body. The middle-aged veteran grunted and moaned as his thrusting intensified.
As he thusted into her small body, memories of this very position recalled that night. That night with the golden eyes..
Elsewhere..
Atop a road that travels along a mountain path, Luna overlooked the precipice. Ragnar approached next to her, "How are you?" He asked, observing her now slightly visible baby bump. "Might take a small break." Sitting on a downed tree, they watched the clouds go by as they relaxed near the vacant road.
Ragnar opened his mouth to speak. "Things have gotten complicated, huh?" Luna nodded in agreement. "Yeah.. to think one night was all it took.." Ragnar then elaborated. "Well.. according to tribe tradition, nights of the first full moon of spring is an ideal time to breed. That's just going by what they claim, though."
Luna then comforted her womb. "I have no regrets.. it's just.. all too sudden.." Ragnar leaned down and pressed his head against her womb, listening to the life stirring within her. He closed his eyes, smiling along with her. His voice came out. "I must consider your safety even more now. For your sake and our child. That being said, we'll have to plan where and when you'll deliver our child before we embark on the voyage.
Luna sunk her head, feeling a little bit like a burden to the journey. She could already feel that her body was slowing down, and her hunger was always a constant interruption. Regardless, she stretched and got up and pushed forward down the dirt road, along with Ragnar.
Rain began to fall from the sky, a strong rain. Their cloaks were a water-resistant material, but not waterproof. They found themselves at the bottom of the mountain path and at the foot of a small town border.
An overhead sign says Vanbrill. However.. the walls were charred and stuck with arrows. This town was long abandoned and destroyed by the fires of war. All the buildings were burned and covered in moss. Any bodies left behind were nothing more than bones, human and beastmen alike.
They ventured through the ominous village, seeking potential shelter from the downpour. Luckily, they spotted an intact structure that had shattered windows, but the roof wasn't burnt away.
"Gah!" Ragnar forced the abandoned door open, which was rotted from years of neglect. The chairs and tables were toppled over from a potential struggle that must've ensued in the past. Cobwebs, dust, and a damp scent lingered throughout. Thankfully, no remains were within, so they felt comfortable to relax from the rain within. They created a fire within the hearth and warmed their bodies, and dry their soaked clothes.
Luna placed her hunting equipment on the table and sat on the floor before the fire. Ragnar observed the nearly naked white-haired woman, who was nearly shivering from the wet rain in nothing but her underwear. He sat next to her, watching the fire dance in a hypnotic trance. She cuddled up to his warm pelt, running her hand through his dense fur. "Kinda wish I had your body.." she exclaimed, He replied with a soft chuckle. "Hehe. As long as I'm around, my body is also yours, Luna, so don't be afraid to make use of its warmth." Rolling onto their sides, they nuzzled next to the fire, Ragnar wrapped his arms around her body.
"This is nice.." She exclaimed with a relaxed sigh as they embraced each other. The rain pounded the roof overhead all night, engulfing all surrounding noise. Movements in the shadows scudder about. A paid of black hands slowly removed Luna's bow from the table, and the small shadow escaped into the rainy night.
The next morning, the sun shined warm rays on the wet abandoned town. The scent of moisture was in the air, and the rays bled to the floor of the abandoned dwelling.
Ragnar slowly sat up as Luna unconsciously reached up at him, begging with her arms to stay next to her. Ragnar caressed her face and smiled back. He straightened his back and scanned the room.
"!!" His eyes widened in realization. He calmly yet urgently called out to Luna. "Luna! Our satchels are missing, along with your hunting bow!"
She leaned up quickly. "We've been robbed? How did.."
Ragnar concluded in realization. "With the sound of the rain and the scent of the burning wood, we probably wouldn't have heard the thief skulking about at night. Damn!"
Luna stood up. "There still might be time! We can track him!"
Ragnar dawned his traveling garb and gripped his tribel hand axes. He nodded as they used their tracking skills through scent and experience. They noticed a pair of washed away footsteps in the mud, leading out of the abandoned town.
They nodded at each other and began to split up, forking apart and tracking the unknown thief.
Elsewhere. A youth fires arrows into a stump. "Whoa! I might be able to hunt creatures with this! No more scavenging for berries anymore!" Leaning down, the kid riffed through the bags, finding money and dried meat. His green eyes glistened. "Hah!? Finally some meat!"
He stopped for a minute as the wind blew through the trees suddenly. "There's no way. Sure, that guy was a lycan, but I doubt they would be able to track me this far from that destroyed town."
Not long after, he caught a wiff of something in the wind. Freezing for a moment, he tried to run out of pure instinct. Appearing before his eyes was a white towering lycan. Falling back, he covered his face in fear as Ragnar got a good look at him.
A young beastmen with a red pelt with a bushy tail and a tip of white at the end. His legs and hands were dark brown with dull claws. He was in tattered drab clothes.
Luna's voice fell from his flank as he cowered on the ground. "Huh? Is it just a kid? Is that a lycan?"
"No." Ragnar answered as he stood over the child. "Looks similar to a lycan, but he's actually a Kitsune."
The child began to apologize as he leaned forward in a guilty manner. "I'm sorry! I'm just so hungry I couldn't resist." As he said this, he clenched his hands into the dirt.
"Kah!" In almost an instant, the Kitsune threw dirt in Ragnar's eyes, staggering him. The kid then made a mad dash for one of their satchels as Luna dashed after him as well. The Kitsune then drew a small dagger and was about to slash her until.. he noticed her coat was open, revealing he small baby bump. He hesitated, and Ragnar lunged forward, grabbed the kid by the head, and forced him to the ground. "You little!.." Ragnar growled, his eyes red with anger.
With his head pinned down, Ragnar restrained him with ropes.
"Isn't this going too far?" Luna asks Ragnar. However, he reposted back. "Hah! That boy drew a knife at my pregnant mate! If anything, I'm going easy on him. He should consider himself lucky that He's just a kid! Otherwise, I would've bashed his skull open!"
Luna was a bit concerned at Ragnar's outburst, saying. "Sometimes your anger worries me, Ragnar. But, you are quite justified in your actions." Luna turned her attention back to the Kitsune kid. He responded apologetically. "Look.. I didn't know you were pregnant. Otherwise, I wouldn't have tried to attack you.."
Ragnar grumbled. "You put us through a lot, kid.. were are your parents anyway?"
"I don't have any.. They died sometime ago. I've been living by myself for a while now.." He responded with his head lowered. "I see.." Ragnar replied as he turned around and looked over to Luna. "Let's go.."
"Huh? We're just gonna leave him bound up?"
Ragnar shrugged. "He's a Kitsune. He'll find his way out of the bindings. After all, he needs to learn a lesson after what he did.." Luna stood up with a scowl. "No.."
Ragnar stopped, looking over his shoulder at Luna as she continued. "Are you.. also gonna treat our child with such cruelty as well?" Ragnar rubbed his face. "Luna.. don't go comparing this, now.."
"No! You listen! There are times like these that make me wonder if I truly know who you really are!" Her words fell as Ragnar relented. "What do you want me to do!?"
Luna turned her attention back to the kid and spoke softly. "Hey, sorry about all this. I can tell you've had it rough." The Kitsune's green eye flickered as she spoke. "How about.. you come with us until we find someone to look after you?"
The young Kitsune fell silent, uncertain of how to respond to the question. He stutters. "W-why are you trying to help me? I just tried to steal from you and attack you.."
Luna shook her head. "I know you were just trying to survive. And if you come with us, I'll teach you how to use my bow, okay?"
The boy's mouth quivered. "My.. my name is Rinku.."
Luna smiled. "Nice to meet you, Rinku." She untied his bindings and stood up with a nervous expression. Luna looked back at Ragnar and smiled. "You see? Compassion can sometimes work, rather than just your brute force discipline."
Ragnar reflected on how his tribe dealt with stealing and assault with their own. It wasn't a pretty picture. Needless to say, he still felt justified in his actions and didn't completely understand Luna's lighthearted punishment.
He begrudgingly conceded. "Very well.. We'll see if your methods work, then." Ragnar became cold and distant as he walked away with Rinku and Luna following out of the forest.
"So where are you guys going?" Rinku asked with curiosity written on his face. Luna opened her mouth to speak. "Yachron is where we want to go. But that's not happening for some time. So we'll reside in Port Richwood until we're ready."
Rinku had a look of wonder overcoming him. "Wow.. Yachron? That's across the sea from what I hear. What's in Yachron?" Ragnar, who walked behind them, spoke up. "Somewhere you ain't going, if case your wondering."
Luna answered regardless. "Me and Ragnar want to escape these war-torn continents and start a life where our companionship is accepted." Rinku paused for a moment. "Wait.. so you two really ARE a couple. So that means that baby of yours.. is."
"Yup! It's that big pouting beastmen back there!" Luna said as Ragnar sighed with discontent. "Luna. Why are you telling him all this? Shouldn't we keep these details to ourselves?"
Luna thought for a moment and looked Rinku's way. "I see no harm in it. Why would it be a problem?" She asked, turning her attention back at Ragnar. He spoke with caution. "I'm just saying.. If I'm not mistaken, we're still in Juno's territory. Therefore, if we go around telling people of our relationship, we put ourselves at risk."
Luna admits that Ragnar has a point, but it was hard to imagine it being an issue with Rinku. From what she could see, Rinku is just a lost child of war and was just trying to survive in his harsh and unforgiving world. It was hard for her to picture him doing something underhanded with this information.
Luna could see Ragnar was a bit upset about something since something about his eyes and body language was off. "I'm sorry, Ragnar." She said as her softened his look. "I realized I've been brushing off your opinions on this matter. Is bringing along Rinku something you are against doing?" Luna's amber eyes relaxed with deep understanding.
"It's not just that.." He muttered. "I fear for your safety. That being said, I just hope that you air on the side of caution when sharing our relationship and intentions so freely." Luna gave a warm smile. His words of concern made her feel grateful to him. "I see. I apologize, Ragnar."
He crossed his arms and deeply lowered his head at his, appreciating her understanding. "Uhh. Guys?" Rinku asked with his eyes flashing. "I hope you guys don't mind, but I'm hungry."
Luna smirked. "Oh yeah, speaking of which, we didn't even have time for breakfast, right Ragnar? Let's set up somewhere and cook something up." As her words fell, Rinku became exuberant as Ragnar watched how Luna seemed to latch onto Rinku. He cracked a smile, understanding completely as to why Luna is so quick to accept Rinku. "Maternal instincts, hm?" He thought to himself.
Overlooking an empty valley filled with trees and mountains, they made a small fire and cooked some small game they caught earlier. Sitting around the fire, Luna watched with amusement as Rinku ate as if he was on the brink of starvation.
"It's been a while since I had a decent meal! I never had much luck at catching prey!" Rinku said with a mouthful of food.
"How long have you been living on your own?" Ragnar questioned with his blue eyes narrowing. "Hm? Oh, probably a year or so?.. I haven't been keeping track."
"So.. how old are you?" Luna asked with curiosity. "Hmmmmm." Rinku fell into deep thought, crossing his arms. "I think.. I'm 12? Maybe 11? My birthday probably passed during that time."
Ragnar continued. "So. Did your parents die around that time?" Rinku lowered his head, hiding his face. "Y-yeah.." Ragnar noticed something about that response. It was as if he wasn't being completely honest with what he claimed.
After some time passed. That began to continue their journey with Rinku tagging along. He seemed like an innocent with eyes full of wonder. At some point, Luna showed him how to properly draw a bow, loosening a few arrows into a rotting stump as practice.
Ragnar silently watched the two as his heart warmed a bit. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it was a wholesome sight.
A few days in their travels as night graced them once more. The sky was clear with a blanket of stars shattering into a million peices before them. Luna and Ragnar looked up at them as if it were firework sparks being let loose in the sky.
Luna nudged next to Ragnar, embracing the large beast with a snicker. Ragnar felt her ever-growing womb with a gentle motion. The heat from their mouths began to heighten as they kissed with uncontrollable ecstacy. Luna glanced over a Rinku, who was in a deep sleep near the fire.
Luna gestured with a head tilt, signaling Ragnar to take their antics elsewhere. Before leaving, Luna placed a blanket on Rinku as he slept.
A furry white body heaved under the moonlit fields. Ragnar wrapped his strong arms around the woman who returned the same embrace. Wrapping her legs around him, she moaned on each heave. Ragnar was lovingly gentle as he did this, absorbing her loving body with every ounce of his being. He rested his black snout on her neck, inhaling her scent as he intensified his motions. Her head tilted back, and her body trembled with pleasure.
"Gah!" Luna couldn't take the sensation anymore as Ragnar followed. Clenching his teeth, he gasped with his motions slowing and body melting against hers. They both slowed to a stop as Luna transfixed to the velvet sky above. He entered her gaze as he focused completely at her, cuddling her body with his hands.
Later, they both relaxed on their backs, taking in the night sky. "Do you think it's worth it?" Ragnar asked, breaking the silence as Luna rested on him. She responded to the question with unease. "What do you mean?"
Ragnar elaborated. "We're going on a dangerous journey just so we can be together without consequence. Is it truly worth it?" Ragnar then went on a revealing explanation. "Honestly, I sometimes I fear myself. Every time I see you in danger, I lose all sense of reason. That seems dangerous, isn't it? It's down to a point where I would've killed a child who was going to attack you. I don't know what it is, but I can't focus on anything but you. It's actually.. a bit pathetic, really.."
Luna felt his serenity and honest words. She could tell that Ragnar is beginning to question himself and his motivations up until now. Luna opened her mouth to speak. "That's what love does, right?" Ragnar listened as she explained. "Love can bring counties together and life into this work, but love can also corrupt and drive man or woman to the brink of insanity. It's up to you to manage the balance. Will you let it engulf you? Or will it be your humble guide? It's up to you, Ragnar."
He thought deeply from those words as they lay under the raining stars overhead.
Meanwhile, in Juno.. In the brothel known as The Endless Dream. Shadows lingered in the overhead rafters, watching and waiting for their moment to strike. Midnight approached as the halls went quiet, and the shadows lowered down. They communicated with hand gestures. One in particular was ordering the group of two others.
They approached the door to the room where Kinell resided, with Azan's arms around her. "This is my last night with you, Kinell. After this, I'm gonna be away for some time.."
He said as they were both in a naked embrace. However, they seem to have been calling it a night at this point as Azan was just about to grab his things. Kinell spoke up. "No.." Azan turned at her as she continued. "Why can't you just.. oppose your father? Or anything of the sort? Why must you do everything he says?"
"I have no choice, Kinell. He's the king." He answered with a grimace. Kinell lost her patience and squawked angrily. "Well, fuck the king! Why can't you.. just be a man and do what YOU want!?"
Azan held back the urge to grab the woman by the throat. Instead, he spoke with a dark veil over his eyes. "Is it what I want? Or is it what YOU want?"
Grabbing her bird-like body and forcing it to the ground, he gritted his teeth as he spoke. "Watch your tongue, harpy! If anyone were to hear you! There would be.."
"Be what!?" She snapped with her black beak. "Reprecussions, right? But remember, IF word got out that you were fucking me as often as you have, there would be Reprecussions for you, would it not!?"
"You winged bitch.." Azan bellowed deeply with his eyes full of the hated of a savage warrior.
Grabbing her by the throat, he clenched hard as his eyes shed tears. "We can not be together! No matter what you try!" He scathingly spoke until another voice fell into his ear suddenly. "Better not continue doing that, sir."
Azan let go of Kinell's throat and turned his eyes up, seeing a black beastmen sitting in a chair with two shadows behind him. Azan rushed to his feet, realizing his sword was not with him here. It's always confiscated at the entrance of the brothel..
Azan spoke, addressing the shadows at the other end of the room. "Who are you? Assassins?" The shadow relaxing in the chair returned with amusement in his voice. "Hah! If that was the case, you'd be dead already! Actually, it's quite the opposite!" The figure lowered his hood, revealing a jet-black Grimalkin with duel swords on his back. "We're here to set you free, Prince Azan.."