Part 19: Lull

DISCLAIMER: Underage character(s) involved.


Note: This item has been rewritten and edited. All text in rose is BRAND NEW MATERIAL for this chapter of the story. In addition there are many minor changes to the original text itself. Please enjoy this new, expanded version of Part 19 and be on the lookout for updates to the next parts!


THE THREE KANA were briefly detained at the front entrance to Lord Mahakhi's household, the guards looking over the Moru they had purchased and murmuring to each other. Lieutenant Djuta was too tired to listen much to what was going on, though he did watch as Ameni and Thi'usa were led away, back to the Moru quarters; the human stared at him over his shoulder as he went, and Djuta couldn't help but stare back. There was just something strange about that human, to always wish to be around the Kana.

The Moru were another story. The guards would not let them pass into the household without first seeing the physician. After some more arguing with Captain K'tasai and Lieutenant Ki'ukha, it was revealed that they had little interest in their Moru, for surely a little girl and two docile males were hardly any bother; yet the big Moru Djuta had brought back with him was another story altogether.

"Who knows if he doesn't have any sort of diseases on him?" one guard mused aloud.

"He does look kind of ratty," another said; the big Moru's ears flared and his lip curled back just slightly yet he somehow managed to hold his tongue. "It'd be best to quarantine him, at least temporarily..."

"Do whatever you wish," Djuta groused aloud, just to make them cease. And so one of the guards took the big Moru by the arm and led him off through the hall. K'tasai put his hands on his hips.

"Now how is it, Lieutenants, that you have such an issue with Lord Djuta's Moru yet not with mine--? Nor with Lord Ki'ukha's? What sort of disease is this that you are seeking, that it chooses only particular Moru?"

"I should like to hear about this also!" Ki'ukha cried, and then flushed, as if regretting having spoken up.

The remaining guard blushed as well. "It--it is nothing personal, I insist, Lord, yet--"

"Yet, what? Ki'ukha's Moru look to be big and strong themselves. You are worried for the females? For aside from ogling her wings you said not a word about Tiths'hit..."

"As I said perhaps there is something wrong with him! Your Moru looks perfectly healthy." He glanced at the young Moru, who reddened just a bit and crept behind K'tasai's wings. "And so do these two--maybe Lord Djuta's came from a bad seller or something."

Djuta spoke up again, growing quickly annoyed. "Then quarantine the girl, too," he snapped. "For she came from the exact same seller. And while we are quarantining, you might as well take Rithukh'het, as well. I suppose she looks mangy?"

The guard at last took notice of the last Moru with the group, who was standing so quietly behind her master as to be almost invisible. He turned bright red and ducked his head.

"In all truth, Lord, I just do not like the look of that big one! And I think perhaps it would be best to check him out, just in case. Not to offend, but he--he is rather unpleasant to be around."

"You were around him for all of two minutes," K'tasai retorted, but Djuta just waved.

"Fine then. Do whatever you wish so long as you are truthful about it. If you had just said so in the first place, it would have saved us time. I do not like the look of him either."

The guard blinked. Then he waved them through, and they were allowed on to their rooms without further interruption. Captain K'tasai went one way with his little Moru, and Ki'ukha went another with his two males; Djuta set foot in the direction of his quarters, and Rithukh'het silently followed.

"There are days I hate being a Kana," he muttered as they went. He slowed his step a little and peered over his shoulder; Rithukh'het paused and stared back at him, yet he wasn't even looking at her. Instead he stared back up the hall, and a slight frown settled on his face.

I am mad if that strange Moru wasn't staring at me the entire time we walked through the market, and into this household...come to think of it he stared at me that same way when Ameni was talking to me, too.

Where could I know him from...?

He furrowed his brow and tried to think over all the Kana he had known who had been wounded in battle, and made Moru, yet the big Moru's face and baleful stare didn't seem to fit any of them. And he had always been good with faces. Something about those strange pale eyes seemed vaguely familiar, yet he couldn't place it. He had never fought alongside a Kana such as that; he would have remembered, otherwise.

He started to walk slowly again, lost in thought, yet the longer he pondered it the less he was certain that he had ever seen the Moru before after all. It made no sense for them to know each other. And the Moru hadn't said anything to him...perhaps it was just his imagination...

The fur on the back of his neck suddenly prickled and he sucked in a breath, halting abruptly. Rithukh'het jerked to a stop as well and tilted her head, looking at him with concern. Djuta lifted his head and glanced wildly around him, his hand going for the pommel of his sword; it was the same feeling he got when in battle, just as an enemy was ready to descend upon him. Years of training had honed his senses to make out the faintest sound of another weapon being drawn, of a sandal softly striking the ground, of a wing slicing through the air, and although he had not heard a single one of these things, still, the feeling he got was the same. His fingers wrapped around the grip of his sword and his head spun to the left, his teeth baring and wings flaring out to make him look bigger than he actually was. A hiss escaped his mouth.

He blinked, uncomprehending. His stare had fallen on the main courtyard just beyond, its side open to the hallway, a slight breeze rippling the water in the pool at its center. Djuta's muscles untensed and he let his sword slip back into its scabbard, his brow furrowing again in confusion. There was nobody out there. He knew that. Yet the strange prickling feeling in his nape remained, as well as a great sense of unease, as if he should not be here.

Djuta took a hesitant step forward. Then another. He began to drag his feet, slowly walking away from the entrance to the courtyard, and once it was out of his sight and they were again closed in by two walls, only then did the unease at last start to abate, until by the time they were almost to his quarters he felt like a fool for ever having reacted in such a ridiculous way. Since when had he been afraid of courtyards?

When he reached his door and pushed it open, he had to step aside, almost forgetting about the Moru he'd brought along with him. He flushed a little as he let her inside, noticing the odd little look she gave him as she passed. His ears flicked and he grated his teeth, mentally chastising himself for acting like a frightened pup.

My nerves must be fraying. Perhaps this is why Ameni-human was so insistent that I get out of the house. Perhaps it shows. I can hardly be a good Kana if gardens start scaring me.

He scowled when he imagined what a laugh Resikh would get out of hearing about this. Then he glanced into the room to see Rithukh'het still standing waiting for him, and remembered that she belonged to him, and so he would have to take care of her. He had never had his own Moru before; and so to suddenly be stuck with one for who knew how long was a sobering thought.

She stared at him with large dark eyes, her hands folded in front of her and a curious look on her face. With a resigned sigh Djuta let the door swing shut.

* * * * *

Tiths'hit followed her new master through the household, past numerous rooms and columns, ever deeper inside the large building; she had never before been inside one so large, so although she kept her head down for the most part, still she couldn't help but glance up in awe every so often. Though only thirteen--quite young, even for a Moru--she knew what was expected of her, and she refrained from panicking, although her heart beat quickly. After all, it wasn't as if she had no clue what to do, although she wasn't certain if she would know how to do it.

After her capture from her original tribe, and her placing on the selling block, the other females with whom she had been kept had been most kind in informing her of what was expected of a pretty young Moru such as herself. She would be sold to a Kana, they informed her, and would most likely be expected to bear children. If she could do this, then she was likely to be treated well for as long as she could bear pups, just so long as most of them were Kana pups. If she could not do this, then she should at least try to gain her lord's favor through the arts of love; these the females told her about in detail, until she quailed inside; yet they reassured her all the way. It was only customary for the elder females to teach the younger how to keep their masters happy, and Tiths'hit's lessons were no different.

"Take heart, bitty one," a strong, hard-looking female told her. "I was called to my master's bed when I was barely your age, even. Because I knew what to do, he was most kind to me, even though I never gave him any Kana sons. Perhaps you shall be fortunate, as well."

"But also be aware," a thin, frail Moru added, "some masters are not so kindly as others. When I delivered myself of a daughter, my master beat me most soundly. I could not get about on my own for several days without assistance."

"There will always be cruel masters," the first one retorted, "yet this is a well-known trader; perhaps we shall all go to good homes. I doubt he would sell us to one without worth."

"Some of the most important Kana are those with the hardest hands," the thin Moru said, and left it at that. So Tiths'hit was not certain what to think.

They had already told her of all the different things she was expected to do as a Moru--nesakh'ai, hakh'tua, ahi'akhta, and some of the more exotic techniques that even some Kana did not know about--though the activities lost most of their meaning in the telling. If they had been housed in any other tent, the older women would have easily shown her by example, yet in the tent of Ukuti, they were kept separate from the males. So when Tiths'hit still wasn't certain what exactly she was meant to do, a pair of the younger females simply demonstrated on each other, which caused all the other women to start laughing so loudly that those males who could peered into the back of the tent, saw what was going on, and quickly retreated; a moment later more laughter could be heard coming from the front. When Tiths'hit had craned her neck to glance into the males' side of the tent a few of them had blown kisses at her and grinned and one even grasped at his crotch; she blushed furiously and ducked back into the protective circle of the older women, several of whom stuck their tongues out at the males and started mocking them.

"Keep to your own half, curs! Else Ukuti-Master will come after you with his whip! We can easily sway him to our side, but you boys will not be treated so pleasantly!"

A few of them traded insults, but it was all in good fun; another female told Tiths'hit that if anything, they all wished the trader would do away with the barrier already, as it was growing tiresome being without males for so long. Except for Ukuti himself, of course, who on occasion was known to wheedle them into servicing him, though so far he had never asked any for nesakh'ai. And while he patted Tiths'hit on the head and pinched her cheek and called her silly names a lot, he never tried to touch her as her future master was expected to. Once the two more adventurous females were done demonstrating what Tiths'hit was expected to put up with she felt even more anxious than before--and being told that yes, the activity would hurt, just made her want to curl up in the corner and disappear. She could only hope the hard-looking female was right, and luck would fall on her side, and she would end up with a kind master and not a brutish one. It was much to hope for, but it was the only comfort she had.

Apparently, this was to be the day she would find out what her fate was to be. A pair of Kana arrived and haggled with Ukuti, who as always attempted to overcharge them on anything that even remotely caught their interest. While the shorter of the two poked around at a stout female named Rithukh'het, the taller one nudged his way through the group toward her. She saw he had noticed her almost immediately, and his eyes fell upon none of the other females. The Moru who had instructed her firstly nudged her elbow and whispered in her ear as he approached.

"His lappets--he is a captain elite. I have heard of him. He is a well-known Kana warrior. Be good to him, and I believe he will treat you well."

Tiths'hit swallowed and nodded mutely. The Kana stopped before her and tipped her head up, examining her as the other females moved aside. He walked around her in a circle and looked her up and down, murmuring to himself. He showed especial interest in her wings, stroking one slowly so the breath caught in her throat. The touch brought butterflies to her stomach.

She stood still even when he reached beneath her short dress and pinched between her legs, though she couldn't help but flinch and yelp at the unexpected gesture. He looked her in the eyes and she saw that his were dark gray, intense eyes even for a Kana.

"Iat'ah?" he asked. Untouched?

She nodded.

He gave a short nod of his own and stood, taking her by the arm and leading her away to the other Kana. She cast a quick glance back at the rest of the females to see them watching her depart. She hoped they would go to worthy masters as well.

And so now...after haggling with Ukuti, she was his. She had heard from the shorter Kana, who purchased the stout female, that her new master's name was K'tasai. An old Kana name, meaning "fierce flying one." Several times on their walk back from the marketplace he reached out to touch her wing, and each time she shivered.

On reaching the big household, they were detained briefly by the guards, while her master and the other Kana--plus a third who had joined them--argued over the fate of one of the other Moru who had been purchased that day. Tiths'hit peered at him from behind K'tasai's wings. He was a big brute, probably once a Kana himself, and she did not like the way he looked at the others around him. Fortunately he was taken away and K'tasai tapped her arm and she followed him away from the entrance. Then she made certain to keep her eyes lowered, though the towering columns attracted her interest more than once, and she couldn't stop peering up at the painted murals along the walls.

"You are interested in them, little one?" She glanced up abruptly at the tall Kana who had spoken, his head still raised by his eye looking down at her. She blushed, but he merely gave a slight smile and gestured at the wall.

"That is the great river. And this, over here, is the Moru rebellion of Leader Antakh." Tiths'hit examined the wall painting of a large group of Moru being led by a winged Apsiu, battling against a tribe of Kana, as they passed by. "He supposed because of the virtue of his wings that he should be thought of as free. He was raised by humans, who put strange ideas in his head. He had a good many decent Kana fooled with his act of being one of them, but he was eventually found out, and then this scene happened."

"To have really happened, Lord...?" Tiths'hit asked in a small, cautious voice.

He flexed one wing. "Some say it did, some say it did not. This was long ago, when Lord Set still lived in Kemet, so none may know for certain by now. But there are still pockets of 'Free Apsiu' dwelling about here and there. Some say the story was a tale told merely to explain their presence...but stranger things have happened." He glanced down at her. "You know where you are?"

"H-household of general-Kana, Lord."

"This is right. His name is Mahakhi." He paused and then asked, in flawless Moru: "Do you feel more comfortable speaking in this tongue?"

Tiths'hit's head popped up, eyes wide. "You--you know my tongue, Lord--?" she blurted out in surprise. The other females had told her that not many Kana even bothered learning the language of their own slaves, as talking wasn't considered much of a necessity.

K'tasai's mouth twitched in amusement at her reaction. "I make it a point to know such things," he said, and slowed to a stop. She saw now that they stood outside a door, which he opened; her face grew red again and she stepped past him and went inside. He followed her in and shut the door behind him. Tiths'hit stood with her hands clasped in front of her, nervously looking about. His quarters were bigger even than Ukuti's tent, and his bed alone was more ornate than anything she'd ever seen in there. The Kana yawned as he walked past, his great wings stretching, and she stared at them as he walked further into the room. For some reason she was mesmerized as they rose into the air and descended again. They were beautiful wings; she wondered if all Kana possessed such beautiful wings. Why had she never noticed Kana wings before?

He turned to see her staring at him. She flushed and ducked her head, but not in time to avoid seeing his slight smile. He came back toward her, and a moment later his knuckle gently raised her chin to look at him.

"Your name, little one?" he asked, his voice gentle.

Tiths'hit blinked, her breath hitching. "You...you know my name, Lord."

He tilted his head, still with that amused look. "True, but I wish to hear you say it. A Kana and his Moru should always be properly introduced. And so..." He tilted his head the other way. "Your name?"

"Tith...Tiths'hit, My Lord."

"Tiths'hit. An unusual name. Little Reed."

She nodded, barely.

"Well my Little Reed...I am K'tasai, and welcome to your home. Though this is not my home...we are merely guests here, for now." He made a slight face. "But I will not have you staying in the Moru quarters. A delicate little reed deserves more than that, truly?"

Tiths'hit blinked again, uncertain what to say. The females had never told her she would be questioned in such an odd manner.

"Of course," K'tasai answered for her, and she bit her tongue, reminding herself to start answering him before he could grow impatient. "Please allow me to dispense of all this," he added, and grimaced and moved away, unlatching his heavy pectoral and placing it on a small table. She stood and watched as he removed his armor and all of his jewelry but his earrings, stretching his limbs and sighing, rubbing an ache out of his neck. "Sickening, walking about in this heat all day, dressed to the full...I barely have a mind to try it again," he groused, as if to himself. "The next time I set foot in a Moru market it will be in the evening, when the sun is not so damned hot. It is a wonder you did not all swelter to death in that horrid tent."

Tiths'hit stared at him as he stretched and the funny feeling tickled the insides of her belly again. Seeing him stretch his wings made her want to mimic his motions with her own, although she had never had any reason to try her own wings before. They twitched as she stared at him, nonetheless. And she had the odd desire to touch his back, just to see what he felt like, though the mere thought made her blush and keep her hands to herself. She unthinkingly let her eyes wander down and saw how his kilt rode low over his hips--she could see the line of his pelvis, and his tail flicked absently to the side. Her ears grew hot and she quickly averted her eyes, the fluttering feeling in her stomach almost nauseating her.

She started when his actions suddenly struck a chord with her; after a day spent in the market, in this heat and in that armor, he was likely to be sore. She remembered what the older females had told her about pleasing their masters, and though she quivered a little, she stepped tentatively forward when he turned around and held out her hands in an asking gesture. K'tasai glanced down at her with a mildly surprised look.

"You are hinting something, little one?" he said after a moment, and she blushed when she realized her gesture was not as clear as she'd hoped it was. She ducked her head, still keeping her hands held out.

"My Lord...is tired after the day in the market? You are sore...?"

He stared at her a moment more, as if gauging her offer, before his eyelids lowered and he nodded.

"Yes, somewhat. You know the skill of massaging? Or you believe you can play at it passing well?"

"I...I have not learned it, Lord, yet I will try to help, if I can..."

"Very well. I would like a nice rub, if you can manage one. Over here, you may do so."

He stepped toward his bed, pushing aside the gauzy drapes and lying down upon his stomach, folding his arms under his chin. Tiths'hit approached and sat down beside him. She knew barely anything of massage, though she had seen it done once or twice, when Ukuti had desired it from his stock. She took hold of his shoulders and began to knead slowly, working her way down his back. His fur was warm and velvety, his muscles hard and smooth, just as they'd looked to be, and she marveled over his lean contours. He must be an excellent fighter.

K'tasai gave another deep sigh and his eyes drifted closed. Tiths'hit worked at the small of his back, digging in her fingers but making certain not to claw him. "Mmmm...yes, right there...I must have pulled something earlier today," he murmured as she kneaded. His tail flicked and he stretched one wing. "Ah, it begins to feel better already. You are most skilled at this, little one."

Tiths'hit blushed with pleasure. Her gaze traveled up to his wings, which stretched and flexed as she rubbed at his back, and again she couldn't stop staring at their beauty. She slid her hands up over their bony frames, knowing that they must be sore as well. As soon as she touched the membrane they stretched into the air at their full length and K'tasai suddenly murmured and arched, causing her to let out a tiny gasp and pull back. His wings dropped and he turned his head to look back at her with a faint, lazy smile. His breath had sped up.

"Little one," he said in a thick voice, "you'd best be advised that to stroke a Kana's wings is to also stroke his desires. I thought perhaps you should know."

Tiths'hit blushed even deeper and nodded hastily. What a thing to learn. She suddenly thought of the strange feeling that had overcome her when he had touched her own wings, and the butterflies rose in her stomach again.

He sat up, startling her a second time, and touched her face. "Enough, Little Reed...my muscles feel better already. You have much skill in your fingers, for one of your age. Your age, which is it, by the way?"

"Thir...thirteen, My Lord," Tiths'hit whispered, keeping her eyes downcast.

"Mm. You are very young, but very beautiful." He leaned forward and lightly kissed her cheek. She didn't know if she could flush any harder. He smiled at her slightly and his fingers gently ran down her neck.

"I assume you learned things from the others with whom you were kept...correct?"

She nodded.

"Mm." He took her hand and held it in his own. "Little Reed...the reasons I have bought you, and brought you with me, are threefold. One, is that you have wings, and I greatly treasure these in a female. Yours especially are most exquisite."

The color rose in Tiths'hit's cheeks, but she felt another surge of pleasure inside.

"Two, is that I have been away from my females for some time now--they have yet to be brought here with the remainder of the tribe, and moved into my house which is not yet even built--and I have been desiring a pretty one to spend some time with. And three, is that of all the females I saw in the marketplace, you were the prettiest, who caught my eye like a pearl amongst stones."

Tiths'hit couldn't help it. She started giggling. Immediately her ears burned--to laugh at a Kana was most disrespectful, as well as stupid--and she covered her mouth and tried to stop. K'tasai blinked at her, then smiled; Tiths'hit let out her breath. She was relieved he didn't become angry. According to the other females, Kana could be brutish if they felt they were being mocked. He merely stroked her wing as she giggled, and the butterflies zoomed up into her throat. She let out a tiny gasp and her wings flared, unbidden. Her laughter abruptly stopped and her eyes widened.

He only continued to smile. "There, little one...you feel it, surely? The feeling you get, when I touch your wings. A sort of soaring feeling, yet constricting, something begging to be released deep inside you. This you feel?"

Tiths'hit nodded, haltingly, uncertain how she would have described the feeling had she been able.

"This I feel as well, I felt, when you touched me; only perhaps it is stronger in me, as I have felt it many times before and you are not used to it yet." He kissed her again, but his lips remained against her longer this time; he pressed his muzzle lightly to her skin, taking in her scent. Tiths'hit's breath left her. She smelled his musk now, and recognized the scent, from the one or two times Ukuti's attention had lapsed and a few of the Moru had sneaked into the other half of the tent to mate. She hadn't smelled it in a long time, but she had not forgotten it.

He gently touched the other side of her face. "You know that which I desire? Surely?"

She nodded. K'tasai lightly nuzzled at her neck before pulling away.

"Then let us waste no more time...though no time is a waste, with you, pretty little one." He grasped her fingers in his own. "Come, take my hands, I will show you all you need to know to make us both happy..."

He turned himself over, slowly lying back upon the bed. Tiths'hit allowed him to lead her, until she sat upon his waist with her legs on both sides of him. He smiled up at her. She felt awkward in the strange position, with her dress riding up her legs, but said nothing; perhaps it was best, with their difference in size. His hands slowly ran down her sides, coming to rest upon her slim hips; her cheeks felt as if they were burning and she trembled. The butterfly-feeling was very strong now, mixed with a sort of nausea. Her master caressed her for a moment, before his hands moved to the edge of her dress.

"Please remove it for me, little Tiths'hit."

She obeyed, pulling her dress up over her shoulders and off of her head; he took it from her and dropped it upon the floor. She instinctively covered her breasts with her hands before he gave a low chuckle, taking her hands again.

"No, no, little one...let me see...they are very pretty."

"They...they are small," Tiths'hit whispered, staring down at his flat stomach with much embarrassment. None of the other females in the tent had been as small and flat as she was.

The Kana's mouth twitched in amusement. "Of course they are, silly one...but they will grow, with time. And you will be even more beautiful." He rubbed her fingers. "Please, help me remove my kilt; I should like to feel all of you, not to be impeded by this flimsy thing."

The Moru obeyed this as well, undoing his belt and helping pull off the linen that separated his hips from hers. Once she had done this, he reached down and undid his loincloth, letting it fall aside; she stifled a gasp and turned away. His sheath was swollen and distended already, the sac lying against his legs. He murmured with laughter and stroked her breast.

"Do not be afraid...this is what we all have, underneath."

He reached beneath her to gently finger the moist lips that parted between her legs. She stiffened; the feeling was not a good one. Nevertheless, he took her arms and brought her down over him, and nuzzled softly at her neck as he began to stroke her wings; the breath escaped her in a low moan, and she arched as he had, shutting her eyes.

"Yes..." he murmured in her ear, his hands moving slowly. "This is what you like, I can tell...you feel as I do...all females do, once they are stimulated in the right manner...not all Kana take the time to do this, and their females go unsatisfied...but I have known for a long time, that to bring pleasure to my mate, is the best way to bring pleasure to myself..."

One hand still rubbing up and down her wing, his other hand touched her buttocks; her tail rose in the expectation of mating. She felt his fingers beneath her, gently prodding inside her, and whimpered, tightening; he kissed her cheek, his voice husky.

"Untouched, as you claimed...and so it will hurt...but only for a moment, and then you shall enjoy. You are ready, little one?"

Tiths'hit was not ready. Nevertheless, she had nothing else to say. She gave a weak nod, her breath quick.

"Very well...just allow me, feel yourself relax, and I will take care of everything, my sweet little Moru..."

His hands took hold of her hips. As she watched through slitted eyes, the fat sheath resting in its nest of curly brown hair slowly swelled even more, a deep purple tip emerging from it, a bead of pearly fluid forming at the end. She trembled. His strong hands lifted her from him and she could feel the fluid between her own legs--where had it come from? Her wings rose, to balance her; her knees bent as he brought her down. She tensed and stiffened. He nuzzled at her ear, whispering into it.

"Relax, little one...relax and let me...let me in, to taste the sweetness of your bud...offer this to me...and relax...I will not ever harm you, my little one..."

Tiths'hit let herself go limp. K'tasai brought her down, panting, his eyes slitted. His grip was strong and sure. Her knees bent as she finally felt the throbbing tip of his penis press against her opening. She bit her lip and whimpered. Her master's hands gently eased her down onto him. She felt the thick member slowly push inside, slowly, so very slowly, until it broke through her maidenhead, making her cry out in pain as her blood flowed from her to dampen him. He let out a guttural sigh and arched his neck as she sobbed. Her hips met his, long shaft impaling her deeply, and his fingers sank into her tender skin. Tiths'hit bit her lip again and sniffled. Her master took her arms and brought her down to him, lips closing around one budding nipple and sucking softly. She moaned, surprised by the strange feelings which started coursing up and down within her.

"Yes..." he murmured again, after breaking away. The sharp pain inside her was dying away into an aching throb. "Already you feel it, yourself, as well...your thik'ahi...right here..." He shifted his hips upward and she gasped and tightened, feeling him press against her in front, stimulating a wild pleasure inside her. "...This little spot...the tenderest spot upon all females...I know how to reach it, perfectly, to drive a woman to the heights of passion...many times within one coupling." He nuzzled at her ear. "Rest assured, little one...I will not harm you...indeed I will bring you the greatest ecstasy you have ever known, and ever shall...if you will let me, and trust me..."

Tiths'hit nodded, panting softly. He was her master; he should do as he wished. K'tasai smiled at her and let her arms go. She sat upright upon him as he lay back, and he took her hips again, digging his feet into the bed. Her thighs squeezed him and she placed her hands against his stomach. With a slow murmur, he gently eased himself up into her, earning a long, deep breath.

And Tiths'hit's master began to thrust.

She shivered wildly. Her eyes rolled and her wings flared. K'tasai gave a contented grunt as his hips began to roll, pushing up against hers. His head tipped back and his tongue lolled; she could tell he enjoyed her. Her wings rose wide, and he let out a soft growl of pleasure. The pleased, lustful look in his eyes told her. Told her he was attracted to her, found her beautiful. Found her desirable. She had never expected to be found desirable, so very soon.

A Kana captain elite, groaning with desire for her. Tiths'hit trembled and whined. Oh! The feeling!

Her own pleasure was such that when they were briefly interrupted...by the strange human from the market, no less, who wished to speak with her master...she barely even noticed, and did not attempt to cover herself up out of embarrassment. And when the human had departed their play only increased. K'tasai smiled up at her and stroked her thigh.

"What say you, pretty little one? I have only a short time left with you, I am afraid...important matters call me...though my time with you is important, as well. Thus we must finish, as is most desirable. Mmm. Yes. You have a most wonderful feel to you, Little Reed. I shall miss being apart from you, but rest assured, I will be back, and when we leave, you shall come with me. Do you like this?"

"Y...yes Master..." Tiths'hit whispered, panting and moving, swaying forward and back, forward and back.

Her master chuckled. "Very good...very good, little one. Allow me...I regret cutting this off so abruptly...yet you will end this night happy and satisfied, even if I shall spend the next hours longing for you..."

He took hold of her hips again, and, bringing her close to him, slowly rolled over so she was now beneath him. Once he had done this, he gently pinned her arms to the bed and began thrusting into her deeply and hard, rubbing ever harder against her thik'ahi, causing her to shriek madly with desire. He puffed and grunted as he moved, his lappets swinging, Tiths'hit wanted nothing more than to kiss him, as deep as she could, to taste his tongue against hers for some reason. Instead, he nuzzled her neck, then flicked his tongue over her breast, and she screamed and arched when he let out one last satisfied grunt, his seed releasing inside her. Her cry weakened and died and she sank back into the bed, tears blurring her eyes. K'tasai panted heavily.

"Oh...oh gods...oh gods..." Tiths'hit whimpered, shaking badly. She had thought that maybe some part of it would eventually feel good, as the other females seemed to enjoy the act, yet everything they had told her so far had led her to believe it would be mostly unpleasant...and so ending up lying spent and trembling, with the butterflies still fluttering in her belly and tingles racing up and down inside her, and a not-too-unpleasant ache throbbing between her legs, was quite a surprise. She wondered if it always felt like this.

Her master's lips brushed over her collarbone and he whispered to her thickly.

"Yes...this was most good, was it not, truly? Alas, my sweet little flower bud." He kissed her upon the mouth now and she placed her arms about his neck, her hands caressing up and down his wings as their tongues met, murmuring her pleasure into his mouth. He broke away after a good moment spent such, and smiled at her, one finger lightly tapping her nose. She stared up at him through glazed eyes.

"As I said...alas...I have to leave you now. But take your rest. I will return here once I am done, and I may not be so slow and gentle then."

Tiths'hit giggled. K'tasai smiled and kissed her cheek. Before she could protest he had raised himself from her, and her body felt chill and empty without him, yet she curled herself up into the pillows and watched him dress, admiring the smell of his musk upon her. She knew that when she flexed her wings he looked upon her with desire, as she looked upon him; and this was a thought good enough. She knew he would keep his word, and return to her.

"Master...?" she called as he started for the door; he paused long enough to look back at her, raising one eyebrow. She snuggled into the bedsheets, her cheeks still flushed pink.

"Yes, Little Reed?" he prompted.

Her face grew pinker. "I wished to ask...since I do not know. Nesakh'ai...is it always so good?"

K'tasai stared at her for a moment before the corner of his mouth curled up and his tail swished.

"If you thought that this time was good, little one, then the next time will only be much better. I promise it."

She giggled and slipped down into the sheets as if to hide from him. The Kana turned and left the room, and Tiths'hit curled up again and imagined what the next time would be like.

She could barely wait to find out.

* * * * *

The main hall echoed loudly with the voices of the many Kana present within. A few were still coming in late for various reasons, and the incessant talking seemed to be going nowhere. It was a good thing General Mahakhi was just as busy talking else the noise and disorder might have peeved him.

Nehef and Ahai'ikh counted the empty seats. "Two, three, four..." Nehef murmured, his voice almost lost in the din. "Lord K'tasai was to sit right over there...and Ki'ukha over there, though gods know why he was even invited..."

"He is a lieutenant elite. Why else? I know, I know; you wonder why that is, yet I do not claim to know of his luck," Ahai'ikh said in response to Nehef's questioning look. "Where is Djuta, by the way?--and Lord Resikh, while we are at it?"

"I sent Res to dredge up what stragglers he could find! So I am guessing he will be returning shortly with those two. As for Djuta, who knows. Did he not get himself a Moru, as well? If so, perhaps we should not question it..."

"He bought a Moru?" Ahai'ikh asked with some surprise as they set foot out of the noisy room and into the hallway.

"Yes, he did. You are in such disbelief?"

"What does she look like?"

"I was told she is a plump little thing, with rather wide hips, but nice fat breasts to match." A grin slowly spread across his face. "If only I had met up with him! I would have warned him. The plump ones are the frisky ones!"

"I still cannot get past the fact that he bought a Moru," Ahai'ikh mused aloud.

"What, you find it so unbelievable? For what reason?"

"He has simply never had a Moru before. He has never even gone shopping around for one."

Nehef snorted. "Neither have we!"

Ahai'ikh's face went red. "Well, we have our own reasons. He does not! It is about time he got himself one."

"It should be about time that--"

"Oh, close your damned muzzle already! Like I have to guess what you will say next!"

They turned the corner into the next hallway and halted, blinking in surprise at the scene that lay ahead. Several guards were exclaiming and scuffling at the end of the hall, apparently fighting with each other. When several of them fell to the floor the lieutenants at last noticed that they were in fact trying to subdue what looked to be a Kana in Moru dress, who bellowed and struck out at them with bound arms. His tattered wings flailed in the air and the two watchers relaxed just slightly.

"For a moment I thought everyone was having an orgy without me," Nehef said. "Now how much would you like to bet that that is one of the new Moru acquired today...?"

Ahai'ikh frowned and they started forward again. "Djuta got a female. Who else purchased any...?"

"I heard Ki'ukha and K'tasai got lucky, though not with anything like that. Hai! What's going on here?" he yelled to the struggling guards. One of them glanced back and relief flitted across his face.

"Lords--! We detained him at the gate--to take him to the physician, just in case--and now he--"

A fist slammed into his face before he could finish what he was saying, and he crumpled to the ground. The big Moru snarled and bared his teeth as the other guards rushed at him. The lieutenants bristled, then picked up their pace.

"Whose one is this--?" Nehef exclaimed, slipping out his sword and trying to find an opening in the struggling mass.

"Lord Djuta's! He got him for the hu--"

The big Moru reared up and threw the guards off of him again. They piled onto the floor in a messy heap. Nehef gasped and ducked when the Moru's bound arms swung out at his head, then he dodged to the side.

"We got his arms tied," one of the fallen guards said, "though little good it is doing--!"

"What's his damned problem?" Ahai'ikh shouted, jumping about on his other side and also seeking an opportunity to strike without killing.

"He does not wish to see the physician, nor to go to the Moru quarters! He seems to have this stupid idea--"

"I am KANA!" the Moru bellowed, roaring and swinging at Nehef again. Nehef just barely avoided getting pummeled before the butt of a sword crashed into the Moru's head. He staggered and slipped down onto one knee, dazedly shaking his head; then he snarled and started getting to his feet again. The guards and the lieutenants gawked.

"Is his skull made of lead--?" Nehef had enough time to ask, before the Moru raised his arms like a cudgel and ran at him, letting out a noise that threatened to knock the roof off. Nehef bared his teeth in panic and brought up his sword as if it were a spear, but at the last moment the big Moru's yell cut off abruptly and he tumbled to the side, landing with a crash and nearly taking Ahai'ikh and one of the guards with him. They ogled him before jumping back slightly, and Resikh and the other guard who had just arrived stood where the Moru had been standing seconds before. Resikh winced and rubbed at his shoulder, his sword drawn.

"I will be feeling that for weeks! Is he dead?"

Nehef forced himself to catch his breath and stooped down to check the Moru out. "Unfortunately, no," he said, snorting with irritation. "Just knocked out good. You are not a murderer just yet, not that I would complain."

Resikh made a face. "I thought for sure I had killed him! And so now we still have to put up with him...?" He turned to the guard beside him. "What were all of you doing, anyway? Why wasn't he taken to the Moru quarters, or at least sent along with Djuta--?"

"Lord Djuta wanted no part of him, Lord! As for the rest--well--we just did not like the thought of him being put in there with the others." The guard paused. "We did not tell Lord Djuta and the others the entire truth, for we did not wish to offend...but he has a bad look to him. Plus you have just seen he can be violent! If we placed him in with Lord Mahakhi's Moru..."

The big Moru let out a low groan, moving slightly. The rest of the guards hissed and jumped back, drawing their swords with a collective sshhhhhkk. Resikh rolled his eyes and waved his hand to still them; the Moru did nothing more than turn his head on its side and open one eye blearily, panting and blinking at the ceiling.

Resikh leaned down over him. "I assume your head hurts?"

Nehef rolled his eyes in amusement. "You have always been the master of understatement, Resikh."

"What..." The Moru squinched his eyes shut, then bared his tusks, though he seemed more dazed than anything. "What did you do to me...?"

"Exactly as you deserved. A Moru with a head so big as to challenge a gang of Kana should have it knocked in a little." He stood up and crossed his arms. "If you detest the physician so much, then you can go straight to the Moru quarters." He sliced his hand through the air when the guards started to protest. "Where you should have gone in the first place."

The big Moru snarled weakly. "I said I am Kana..."

"And you may claim this all you like. But so long as your wings are all a-tatter, you will be staying either in the Moru quarters, or in the jail. Which will it be?"

The Moru fell silent, apparently thinking. After a moment or so he twisted his head around a bit more so his eyes fixed blurrily on the lieutenant's. They focused a little and he blinked again, then scowled slightly.

"You are Lord Resikh...?"

Resikh's ear twitched. "This I am, though you can call me Resikh-Kana. Now which is it, the Moru quarters or the cells? Mind that if you keep acting up in this fashion, we will choose the cells for you."

"There are other Moru in the stables...? The others who came in with me?"

Nehef made an impatient noise. "Where else would they be! Res, why do we not just cave his head in and be done with it? We were supposed to have been at that meeting ages ago."

"I sent the human to dig up Ki'ukha and K'tasai. So quit worrying about them! As if Mahakhi cannot guess what they are occupied with? I am only here to see to this thing since it's taking up much more time than is warranted! Though cracking his skull sounds like an awfully decent idea!"

The big Moru rolled over onto his side, making them take a step back and draw their weapons again. He managed to drag himself upright, his chest rising and falling as he panted.

"The Moru quarters," he muttered. "I will go there."

Resikh's and Nehef's faces twitched unpleasantly. "You will go there what?" Resikh demanded.

The Moru's scowl grew even darker and his lip curled back. "I will go there, Lords. If My Lords would please take me."

"How can we even be assured he will cause no more trouble?" Ahai'ikh asked as Resikh grasped the Moru by the cord binding his wrists, pulling him to his feet with some effort. "After all he has nearly done out here--!"

Resikh responded by pricking the Moru's side with the tip of his sword. "I will behave myself, Lords," the Moru grumbled through clenched teeth. "I apologize for the trouble. I am not used to being--being Moru--just yet."

Resikh sighed. "Well, you'd best get used to it, with all the time you have had in which to do so." He gestured at the others, and the guards began filtering back to their posts, casting suspicious glances back as they went. "If I hear of you causing so much as one mite of trouble in there, then you will promptly be moved to the cells. And then you may wait for the general to deal with you himself." He looked to the remaining lieutenants. "Is this all that needed to be done? If so, I'll show him back there myself. I cannot believe how much time has been wasted today because of such silly things as this."

Nehef and Ahai'ikh peered at the evil look the Moru was giving Resikh, but shrugged. "Eh...we only just heard of this incident ourselves," Nehef said. "So truthfully, we are as peeved as you. The physician! What sort of idiots are they...he seems all too healthy to me!"

Resikh nudged the Moru in the back and started walking. "Will you two please explain to Lord Mahakhi what's keeping me? And I'll be there as soon as I can."

Nehef and Ahai'ikh looked skeptical but obeyed, turning and heading back to the main hall. Resikh nudged the Moru a second time but had little trouble convincing him to continue walking. The Moru kept his head lowered and his wings tucked close to him, a dark look on his face, but didn't seem ready to try anything else.

The lieutenant halted him outside the Moru quarters, where another guard stood, staring at them curiously. "I will remove your bonds," he said, "if I have your word as a former Kana that you will behave yourself. These are the Moru of General Mahakhi. If anything upsetting were to befall them, you know upon whose head it would fall--and I do not mean my own." He narrowed his eyes. "Do you value your head, Moru?"

The big Moru scowled a little but kept his eyes downcast. "I will behave myself, Lord. I just did not like how I was treated at the door," he added, as Resikh cut the cords around his wrists. The lieutenant took a step back and looked at him as he rubbed his wrists as if they chafed.

"Well, what they did was rather stupid, yet they had the right to do it. And you should not have protested. As it is I will be sending someone to check on you soon enough to make certain you keep your word, because if you don't, I will then have every reason to keep mine." He nodded at the guard, who opened the door; the big Moru cast a small bitter look over his shoulder before retreating within, and the guard closed the door behind him.

"Something I should know, Lord...?" he inquired. Resikh shook his head.

"Just a Moru who does not know his place. I am heading back to the meeting. Keep a close eye on things."

"Yes, Lord."

Resikh turned away from the door and made his way wearily back up the hall, rubbing at his eyes and flicking his tail in irritation. If Djuta were not with that new female of his... Resikh's ear twitched and he told himself to save thoughts of punishment until later, and he continued on to the meeting.

* * * * *

Perhaps seeking out and punishing Djuta would have been the better of the two ideas after all, with the dark looks Mahakhi kept shooting Resikh all throughout the meeting. Resikh glanced repeatedly toward the doorway the entire time the different Kana rose and spoke their pieces regarding the delegation of city posts, yet nobody else ever arrived save the tardy K'tasai and Ki'ukha, who by now both looked ready to fall asleep in the middle of things. K'tasai, at least; Ki'ukha was more interested in staring at his superior officer than in listening to the discussion, and Resikh grated his teeth at the way the lieutenant was practically drooling over the dozing captain's foot.

"Perhaps someone should have bought Ki'ukha," Nehef grumbled to Resikh under his breath. They sat side by side, and Resikh glanced at the empty space to his right with an irritated snort.

"He has always been so responsible! Now the moment he gets a Moru of his own he plays hooky! And that human is just as bad--where in the Duat is he? How can he have possibly gotten lost? I thought Thi'usa was to lead him here..."

"Ameni-human knows his way around this place! Perhaps you'd best be asking where he is not!"

"They are both making me look bad..."

"This is what you get for keeping such lousy friends." Nehef jerked and sat ramrod straight when the speaking captain cleared his throat, frowning in their direction. Nehekhi sat not too far from Mahakhi himself, staring into his wine cup, and Nehef took the chance to nudge Resikh in the ribs. "Well, at least we are in good company in being so bored. 'Hekhi looks just about ready to doze off in his drink!"

"I do not even have a drink to doze off in."

"You are just bitter because your best friend would rather be with his Moru than with you! Just wait until this is over, then we shall go out and get all piss-drunk, and tomorrow, if there are any left, I will see if I can snatch up a Moru for you..."

Resikh wrinkled his muzzle. "I do not want one! They are too much trouble!"

Nehef scoffed. "Oh, that dumb brute today was the exception! I meant a nice Moru. Pretty, and well behaved--"

"And boring."

"No, no, no; you must have a dried-up beetle husk for a heart! On the contrary. A pretty and well-behaved one who nonetheless is passionate--and willing to try new things--"

Resikh finally yawned as another captain stood to take the place of the first. "This sounds more like something you are looking for. Me, I have no desire to try new things, whatsoever."

"Feh! You do have a husk for a heart!" Nehef wrinkled his own muzzle and tossed his head. "Who could resist such a thing? Wouldn't you love a sweet pretty Moru to come running up to you whenever you return to your rooms, and throw her arms around you, and yell--"

"Master! Master!"

The lieutenants' ears flicked and their eyes widened. Everyone turned toward the entrance as a Moru came running in. Most of the Kana started murmuring in a mixture of mild offense and curiosity; K'tasai snorted awake and sat up a little straighter, looking on with interest. Mahakhi himself frowned as Simit came running up to him, panting and breathless.

"Simit--?" he exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Simit paused to catch her breath, and pointed toward the doorway. "Master--trouble--in Moru quarters! Human to send Simit--guard attacked--to say to fetch Mahakhi-Master, to be important!"

The rest of the Kana started talking even louder. Nehekhi rose to his feet with a panicked look on his face, but Mahakhi gestured sharply for him and everyone else to remain calm. "The human sent for help! This means he is fine. Who is it, is anyone else hurt--?"

"No, Lord--Moru fine. None hurt! But guard attacked--and human to go running--to say important. Do not know what."

Mahakhi finally stepped down from his dais and jerked his hand at Nehef and Ahai'ikh, who had been crouching lower and lower as if to become invisible. Resikh jumped up to join them. "How many beers do you want to bet that this has something to do with that dumb Moru?" Nehef muttered as they jogged toward the door. "I knew he was a bad seed the moment I saw him try to bash my head in!"

"Moru?" a voice boomed, and they both cringed and ducked their heads; Mahakhi had overheard them. He glowered at them so fiercely that they meekly saluted.

"Er...yes, Lord...there was an unpleasant brute causing some trouble with the guards earlier, and this sounds as if it could be he..."

Mahakhi's lip curled back. "I will not even ASK right now why a MORU was causing trouble for my own GUARDS! You can expect me to grill you about that AFTERWARDS!" He turned toward the doorway again. "Whose Moru is this, anyway, that he should be running amok in my own household--? Which one of you would be so stupid as to let that happen--?"

When they didn't immediately answer he glared over his shoulder at them. Nehef and Ahai'ikh looked ready to sink into the floor; Resikh went red but said nothing. Oddly enough it was Lieutenant Ki'ukha who jumped up from his seat suddenly and yelled.

"I remember! That big Moru! He belonged to Lord Djuta! And he was giving him this very unpleasant look all the way back here--"

"Djuta--?" Mahakhi's brow furrowed, then he scowled and stormed out the door. "I WILL THRASH HIS EARS ONCE I AM DONE WITH THIS MESS!"

Nehef and Ahai'ikh moved to follow him but Resikh grasped Ahai'ikh's wrist hard enough to sting. The other two lieutenants glanced at him and their eyes widened.

"Brother!" Nehef exclaimed, the rest of the Kana in the room starting to rise and talk in consternation. "Your face is stone white! What is it--?"

"That big Moru," Resikh said. "He recognized me somehow."

The other two frowned and at last turned toward him, huddling on both sides. "What do you mean? How could you tell?" they pressed.

"He asked if I was Lord Resikh..."

"He knew your name because we said it aloud! This is nothing important!"

"But why then would he make note of it? And then he asked where the other Moru who had been with him had gone. The other Moru! The human and Thi'usa. Why them specifically? They were with Djuta in the market."

Nehef's face screwed up. "You are losing me, Brother!"

Resikh shook his head in frustration. "I tell you that he knows us from somewhere! Ki'ukha himself said he had an interest in Djuta in the market--and if he was so desperate to be with the Moru who had accompanied them--"

"He was not interested in the Moru," Ahai'ikh murmured; Nehef frowned at him. "He was digging up information on Djuta." He lifted his head and looked at Nehef. "Would the Moru know where Djuta's quarters are--?"

Nehef's hackles prickled and he drew his sword. "I do not know, but I think I know where that Moru is headed! And I think Mahakhi will find someone has beaten him to the punch!"

They all whirled about and raced for the door, the rest of the gathered Kana watching after them in puzzlement as they vanished into the dim hallway.

Continue:

"Part 20: Oblivion" 


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