FSE

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It rained harder than it ever had as a lone warrior charged through the muddy field. Despite the flashes of lightning and the inability to see more than five feet in front of his face he charged on with his horse, with the only thing on him other than his weapon was a wooden box that he nestled under the crook of his arm. "C'mon Hershel, we're almost out of this!" he yelled to his horse as they continued to plow their way through the storm.

Suddenly as a particularly close bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree he saw something else fly past his vision, a black arrow that belonged to those who chased him. The human cursed his rotten luck, he had charged into the heart of the storm in order to lose those who pursued him, but instead they seemed to have caught up as a second object whizzed past his face. They were no doubt helped by their foul magic, the warrior thought to himself as he gritted his teeth and pushed on even harder, the same magic that resided in the case he had carried with him. If he could get back to his kingdom then the guards of the realm could help him, but until then it was just him and his horse in a rainstorm being attacked by people he couldn't see but who could obviously see him.

The warrior could feel his horse continue to slip and stumble on the muddy terrain despite the equine's training as one of the finest warhorses in the kingdom's stable, and as they rode on he didn't even know for certain if he was riding in the right direction. All he could rely on was his instincts, everything else was lost to the pounding of rain against his armor and the continued shots that were fired in his direction. Once or twice an arrow grazed off his armor, luckily the sturdy metal prevented any significant penetration as he clutched the box even closer to him. Part of him wanted to stop his horse and call his attackers out, but if they could get close to him with arrows while he moved he shuddered to think what would happen if he stopped and gave them a true shot.

Another flash of lightning illuminated the landscape in front of him and he felt his heart jump in his chest as he saw a large wooden bridge in the distance. It crossed over the Briar River, which with the recent bout of storms had swelled considerably. Not only was it an important landmark to him but also offered him a chance to escape as he shifted his weight carefully on the galloping stallion. He felt around in his pockets before he felt the smooth surface of the glass and pulled out a small vial that glowed with intense orange light.

The warrior could hear the waters rage below him as mud turned to wood as the steed's horseshoes dug into the hard fibers. "Burn in hell you black-hearted demons!" he shouted as he threw the vial down behind him as hard as he could, and as soon as the glass shattered the area erupted in bright orange flames. The rain did nothing to quench the magical fire as it quickly spread over the bridge and began to consume the wood, blackening the timber quickly as he continued to ride. He could feel the heat of the flames against his armor as he looked back to see if he could spot his pursuers in the light of the inferno that hopefully held them back.

There was another crack of thunder as he saw three shapes in the shadows just beyond the scope of the fire, as well as another of their arrows that streaked towards him. It was too late he realized with the flames and his set path across the bridge he would make himself a target, he could only watch as the black arrow found purchase between the plates of his armor and sank into his side. A searing pain shot through the warrior's body as he let go of the reins, his horse whinnying as a second arrow hit it in the flank.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion to the warrior; as both he and his horse began to fall to the bridge the box slipped out of his hands and drifted away towards him. As his armored form landed with a loud bang he saw the container hit the boards as well and the lid of the container split open. Instantly his vision was filled with a blinding light; he tried to put his hands out to stop it but a pulse of magic splintered the wood beneath him and pushed him and his horse away from it. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see the creatures that pursued him try and cross the still fiery bridge to try and reclaim it.

"If I can't get it back," the warrior said as he spat out a bit of blood and drew his Warhammer from his back, "then I can at least make sure it doesn't fall into your hands!" He hefted the mighty weapon as high as he could before he brought it down on the box. The magically imbued metal shattered the already broken wood and then both the splinters and his hammer seemed to hang suspended in time when it touched the glowing object inside. It seemed endless to the Warrior as the light continued to burn his eyes, but finally time seemed to start up again and when the full force of his Warhammer hit the artifact it exploded in magical energy.

Both horse and rider were thrown clear from the bridge as the wood all the way down to the supports shattered from the sheer force. The warrior closed his eyes as he waited for death to greet him, whether it would be from the trauma of the explosion or the force of his body as it smashed against the rocks before. Surprisingly it was water he splashed into, the cold liquid flooded his armor and quickly weighed him down as the current pushed him downriver. Despite his miraculous fall the fatigue of being chased, his grievous wound, and the icy water that pulled him down would surely be the end of him as even at that moment he felt the blackness of unconsciousness overwhelm him...

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When the darkness finally receded from his vision once more the warrior no longer felt the chilled grip of a watery death against his body. On the contrary, he actually felt rather warm and covered by something very soft and fluffy. When he regained his composure and the last of the veil of sleep lifted up from his eyes he looked around to find himself in some sort of tent made of animal hides. The strong smell of herbs and hickory smoke filled his nostrils as he tried to lift himself up, only to find a sharp, stinging pain in his abdomen force him back down. When he did manage to lift his head he found himself covered in the pelt of a dire wolf, the head of which he thought might have been mounted on a plaque that leaned against one of the tent's walls.

As the warrior continued to lay there his mind tried to both figure out what happened to him and how to escape his current predicament. He looked around and mentally cursed when he saw neither weapons nor armor in the tent with him, and as feeling returned to his limbs and he was able to move around more he found that his clothes had been taken as well. Though he was never one to let modesty come in the way of his survival being naked gave him relatively few options on how to proceed. The dire wolf pelt was far too cumbersome and heavy to wrap around him, especially with his injury. The only thing he could do was try to move out from under the thick fur and move to the entrance of the tent, even if it was just to see who had interned him in such a place.

As a few minutes passed it turned out that he wouldn't need to resort to such a thing as he heard the tent flap open and the soft sounds of footsteps coming towards him. The warrior quickly feigned sleep as his captor came to his side and got close to him. When he felt the pelt get lifted off of him he slowly opened an eye and what he saw was a black-furred foot in front of him. It caused him to do a double take, which the creature seemed to notice as the wolf fur was quickly laid back down on top of him.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know you were awake," the warrior heard as he looked up and saw the creature for the first time. It was a Nunkari, one of the beast people that dwelled south of his own kingdom. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, while their nations weren't allied they had good relations between them, particularly in the trading communities. The anxiety and fear drain out of his body as he put aside his paranoid planning, at least for the moment as he looked at the creature that had gone to a nearby table.

As the Nunkari took a mortar and pestle and began to grind herbs the warrior took the time to analyze him. While it would have been angry to call him such the warrior couldn't help but think how close it looked to a common skunk, if a common skunk had the ability to speak, walk on two legs, and have hands for fine detail work. He hadn't had much experience with the Nunkari though, aside from some rather fearsome Nunkari that trained with them when the caravan they guarded had stopped at the capital. At this point it didn't matter though, all the warrior cared for was that he didn't appear to be prisoner and he was receiving medical attention that he no doubt desperately needed.

"I have a poultice and tincture for you to drink," the herbalist said as he gave a small bowl filled with a mixture that smelt strongly of garlic and rosemary. "It's not the most pleasant thing in the world but it will speed the healing process and help continue to neutralize the poison that I found in your wound. I want you to drink it all while I change your bandages, just take it slow and you'll be fine. My name is Jin by the way, since you are now conscious enough for an introduction."

"My name is Kalin," the warrior replied as he took a sip of the liquid which was less unpleasant then he had originally guessed. "I have to say that I was surprised that I didn't wake in the grand halls of the Maker. Do you happen to know how I came to be in your abode?"

"You're actually very lucky, we had just arrived in this area and after we weathered that storm a few of our hardier members decided to go out and try and fish on the river," Jin explained while he pulled back the dire wolf pelt, exposing the human's naked form save for a set of bandages wrapped around his midsection. "From the looks of you when they dragged you into my shop I thought that you had met your maker, but it turned out to be mostly the poison that caused a paralytic state. You've been here for two weeks now, and there were times there that I thought you wouldn't wake up at all until now."

Kalin's head reeled as the Nunkari carefully took off the bloody cloth and began to apply a sweet-smelling blue paste to the arrow wound in his side. While the wound continued to burn and throb the poultice seemed to numb the surrounding area, something he was thankful for as he laid back. As his body twitched occasionally from the application he realized that he had a pressing question for Jin. "Perhaps after you're finished I could have my clothes and armor returned to me?" he asked.

"I'd rather you still take a few days, even though your wound is closed I'd hate to see you open it up again after all my hard work," Jin replied while he began to bandage the naked man. "Your armor and clothes were also quite damaged, some of it had to be broken after what I would assume was a tumultuous journey down the river. If it's your nudity that bothers you I can find a pair of like sized clothes that you can wear while you rest."

"You are not the first to see me naked Jin," Kalin chuckled. "I have received battle wounds before, but a pair of clothes would be nice as I would like to walk around even if it is carefully. Now that my strength is returning to me I can tell that I've been laying here for far too long, my strength has weakened."

Jin just nodded in response and finished his treatment before he stood back up. As he did his large, fluffy tail brushed up against Kalin's face and chest and a tremor raced through his entire body. It was far softer then the pelt he had lain against and it was warm to the touch before it left him as quickly as it came. The herbalist took both empty bowls and put them back on the table, then wiped his hands and left the tent. A few minutes later Jin came back with some bread, cheese and a bit of blue-tinted water on a tray that he left next to him.

"Now don't rush it, but if can try to eat something," Jin instructed. "I'll look into getting those clothes for you so you don't have to stay under that dire wolf pelt while you recover. Try not to stand on your own for a while yet, if you need anything just shout for me and I'll take care of you."

The warrior nodded and the Nunkari gave him one more check over before he left. With the tent to himself once more Kalin ate all of the food, his stomach growling ravenously for something more substantial though like Jin he knew he couldn't rush such things. He also drank the entirety of the strange-looking water, which had a pleasantly fruity taste with a hint of licorice to it. Once he had finished his meal he laid back down, feeling a bit lightheaded. Whatever medicine he had been given certainly packed a punch, he mused before he let the tethers of sleep drag him down into unconsciousness once more.

It was three days later before Kalin found himself out and about in the Nunkari village, seeing all the animals he had recognized from their feral forms run around, laugh, and otherwise act as his human society would. Jin stayed by his side the entire time and escorted him around the area, letting Kalin know what everything was. "Now you said that you wanted to send a message back to your King, correct?" Jin asked as they got to one of the larger tents.

"Yes, I must tell them of what happened to me on my mission," Kalin replied. "I fear with the time that has passed they think I'm dead and may try to send more troops to succeed where I did not. Hopefully my mission update will get there in time to prevent that."

"I understand, now we don't have a dedicated mage in our group so we're going to have to go by messenger hawk," Jin explained as he opened the tent flap, where inside an anthro red-tailed hawk sat in with his yellow scaled legs up on a table as he appeared to be asleep. "This is Hawthorne, she can get it to them in a timely fashion."

"I have to admit this isn't want I expected when you said messenger hawk," Kalin admitted.

Jin just grinned before he kicked the table and startled the female avian awake. She grumbled and looked up at them and Kalin gave her the scroll of paper that he had written ahead of their meeting. After he told her where it needed to go and stressed the urgency of the message she sighed and nodded in understanding. She took the scroll and put in a leather satchel that hung from her shoulder, then went outside. The two males walked out after her just in time to see her take a running start and take off, the wings of her back flapping hard as she gained altitude until she was out of sight.

Once the message had been sent the two went over to the largest tent in the village, which was dining hall for the entire group. Kalin had quickly regained his appetite of the last few days and even some of the larger Nunkari were surprised with how much the human put away. Today was no different; by the time he and Jin had gotten to a table the warrior's place was filled with several helpings of thick meat and vegetables that he dug into with a fervor.

"So is it part of being a soldier, or do all humans eat with such gusto?" Jin joked as he ate his own food, which had consisted only of a few greens some bread.

Kalin grinned and had to chew forcefully several times to get the mouthful of steak down before he could respond. "We're trained to eat fast, not a lot. I think it was either my long-term internment without food or possibly a side-effect of that cursed poison but it seems like I can never get full. I'm actually a bit embarrassed about it, I'm hope I'm not putting any undue stress on your village's reserves from my habits."

"Don't worry, we got it covered," Jin reassured. "Now that you mention it though, there's something that I've been meaning to ask you ever since you regained consciousness. Now you don't have to tell me if you can't or don't want to, but I was wondering about the events that got you poisoned and delivered to me on death's door."

For the first time since they had sat down Kalin had stopped eating, putting down his fork as he looked down at his plate. He had originally only intended to tell the other male about the battle on the bridge, but as soon as he started talking he found himself spilling everything: Kalin and his entire squad had been tasked to go into the Darklands and take back an artifact that the Kiythran, a species of shadow elves, had stolen after a raid on one of the human mage academies. They had caught up with the thieves but didn't realize that the Kiythran had brought nearly half their army as a back-up. Though their squad fought valiantly one by one they fell to the dark creatures, until it was him and their squad commander that broke through and managed to take back the item and the commander sacrificed himself to allow Kalin to get away.

When he finished his story Kalin was surprised to find that others had started to listen as well and by the time he was finished he had amassed a small group that had hung on his every word. "In the end I never made it back, both my horse and I had been grievously wounded and I decided to destroy the magical artifact rather than have it fall into their hands," Kalin explained. "I thought that I would take my last breath on that bridge or in the river below, but thanks to the kindness of your village it appears that my date with the Maker has been postponed. Many blessings upon all of you and the Nunkari, I owe you my life."

Kalin's last words were met with a raucous cheer as the group dispersed, all save for Jin. "Well it seems that you make friends quick." The herbalist said as he cleared his plate. "I was wondering if you would perhaps like to repay some of that debt by helping me gather some herbs near the river. I thought I could take you to where we found you, maybe you might be able to find something that you lost."

The human nodded and finished up his food as well, and once the two had cleaned up they gathered their supplies and began to walk up river. It was the first time since Kalin had arrived in the village that he had left its safety, and without his armor and weapons he felt more than a little vulnerable. He knew it was mostly paranoia, the Kiythran would never have been able to follow him this far down the river and with the artifact destroyed there was no reason for them too. Instead he started to focus on what he could possibly find at the site, even though his armor was destroyed there was the chance that the current had swept his Warhammer or other supplies down with him.

Once they had gotten to the river he saw how he had been spared; the water spilled out over a wide rocky shelf and below it the level only reached up to their ankles. Even with the force of the storm the area wouldn't have gotten much higher, though as he looked back a few rocks he realized that had he drifted any further it would have sent him to the bottom of a small pool where his body would have likely stayed. His body shuddered at thought and he quickly turned back to the shallows to see what he could find while he picked herbs for Jin to use. Even though he tried to pace himself he found his side throbbing after a while.

"Kalin?" Jin asked as he turned to see the human grab his side and grimace. "Quick, get to the shore so I can check your wound."

The two slogged their way back to dry land and Jin took off the warrior's shirt, seeing a spot of blood on the otherwise white bandages. "Ah, I knew I shouldn't have had you work this early," the skunk scolded himself as he lifted the edge of the bandage and took a peek. "It looks like you didn't tear anything completely open though, so I want you to rest here for a bit while I finish up my gathering."

"I should have realized my own limitations, I thought the wound had healed better," Kalin apologized.

"Don't worry, part of it is the effect of the poison preventing it from healing properly," Jin replied. "That poison is certainly nasty, intended to bring out the maximum amount of suffering from whomever they use it on. My herbs seemed to be neutralizing the bulk of it though, you'll be back to swinging swords and shaving your chest in no time."

Kalin looked at the other male in confusion, who in turn seemed to tilt his head in surprise. The human explained that he had never shaved his chest in his life and that it had always just been naturally smooth. As he looked down at himself he saw what Jin was talking about, the middle of his chest all the way down to his abs were covered in a light dusting of white hair. There was even a treasure trail that led downward, but neither of them wanted to venture a look down there. Jin started to explain that it might have been a side effect of the herbs, and as he rubbed a furred hand against the humans chest Kalin let out a grunt that caused the skunk to recoil.

"No, it didn't hurt or anything," Kalin reassured as he slowly stood back up. "Just surprised at the feeling was all, you go and keep picking, I'll take a rest here." What the warrior didn't want to admit as he walked over and sat down at one of the tree stumps was that it felt rather good to have that area rubbed. Before he put on his shirt again he carefully examined the tiny hairs, and as he rubbed the affected areas he could feel that same small hum of pleasure, though it was nowhere near what he had experienced when Jin touched them there.

A sudden cry out from Jin caused Kalin to bolt upright, and as he looked he saw that the skunk pulled on something that was buried deep in the muck. When Kalin walked closer he saw what the other male was pulling on, the intricate wood carving that he recognized belonged to his favored Warhammer. Despite a warning from the herbalist he came up behind him and started to pull as well and the combined effort overcame the suction of the mud. Both of them fell back into the grit of the shallows as the head of the Warhammer was exposed, gleaming in the light of the setting sun as the two panted from exertion.

"Well, looks like our expedition has been quite fruitful," Jin remarked as he turned and looked up at Kalin with a grin. Kalin couldn't help but smile back and pushed the skunk off his lap before he got to his own feet. There was something about the Nunkari's enthusiasm that was contagious, most of the time he was surrounded by equally stern-faced, somber individuals that focused either on the orders they were given or the training they underwent to better execute those orders. But as he and Jin dragged the heavy weapon to shore and together, along with the herbs they had gathered, brought it back to the village he began to see a whole different side to living, a side that he admittedly rather liked.

Finding his weapon however reminded him of the duty that he had to his own Kingdom, and that as soon as he heard word back from his message he would likely have to leave as soon as he could travel. Though he had foiled the Kiythran their work was not finished, though they were protected by the most powerful mages in the land their kingdom had tried to avoid an open war with the Kiythran for many years. With such an open act of aggression however it appeared that would no longer be the case, and the sooner he could get back the faster he can join their ranks to avenge his fallen comrades. For now though he had to focus on healing and regaining his strength since he could hardly lift his own hammer without the help of Jin by his side.

Once they had secured the weapon in the herbalists shop Kalin once more took his spot under the dire wolf pelt, Jin giving him his medicine before he left for the night. As the powerful herb mixture began to take hold one thought the warrior had was he knew he had to repay the skunk somehow for everything. Perhaps on their next venture he would ask what Jin how he could repay him for his kindness, it was only natural to repay one's debt after all. The last thing that crossed his mind before he fell asleep however was the feeling of that hand against his chest, where the hair on it began to grow slightly longer...

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Over the next few days Kalin continued to recover, and though he started to recondition himself to his usual training routine he could feel the loss of strength that occurred from his time infirmed. He continued to work with his Warhammer, and though he could lift it and do some simple moves anything more vigorous threatened to reopen his wound. Every time he would go out into the field and practice Jin would accompany him, often with a book or some other task to do while he watched. While Kalin had told him it was completely unnecessary it failed to stop the skunk Nunkari from coming along.

As sweat dripped down Kalin's face from his latest set of exercises he noticed a silhouette against the pure blue of the sky, a mere dot that seemed to grow bigger with every second he stared at it. He called out to Jin and both of them watched as they saw the shape of an anthro hawk, which came straight at them before it landed on the ground. "Nunkari delivery, at your service," Hawthrorne said as she rummaged around in her leather satchel.

"My my, that was fast," Kalin remarked in slight surprise, which only drew a smirk from the avian as she pulled out a scroll and gave it to him. "What's this?"

"New orders I guess, that's what the people said," Hawthorne replied with a shrug. "They said it was your eyes only, so I haven't had a look at it. Must be important though, paid me a rather abundant sack of coin for me to get it to you as fast as possible."

Kalin nodded and broke the official wax seal of the scroll while Hawthorne said her goodbyes to him and Jin before flying back towards the village. "The mages are concerned at the ease of which I destroyed the magical artifact." He said as Jin looked over his shoulder at the writing. "They think that while I may have caused a reaction and release of energy that the artifact itself is still intact, probably somewhere at the bottom of the river. They're dispatching several artificers along with two squads of knights to come here, and that in the mean time I need to keep a look-out on this area until they get here."

"They want you to stay here?" Jin asked in slight confusion. "There must be miles and miles of river you came down and more after that, what do they think you could do here?"

Kalin shook his head and picked up his Warhammer. "It's not about the artifact, but those who are looking for it," Kalin explained. "If it wasn't destroyed like I thought that means that the Kiythran are going to be scouring everywhere to try and get it back before we can. If the current was strong enough that night to wash my weapon all the way down here then a small trinket like that magic item is no doubt at least around here if not further. We're going to have to put the village on an alert, these creatures are ruthless and if they discover it then everyone there might be in a lot of trouble."

The two hurried back and informed the rest of the Nunkari village on the message that had been given to Kalin, which despite the two males' best efforts a panic had begun to spread throughout the citizens. Though the warrior tried everything to keep it to a minimum he knew they had good reason too; the village had very few soldiers and no mages to keep back a major Kiythran raiding team. After several hours of deliberation Kalin broke off from the arguing Nunkari and walked back to Jin's tent. He set his Warhammer aside and sat down in the makeshift bed that the skunk had prepared for him, which while impromptu was far comfier then the single dire wolf pelt and the dirt floor.

After a few minutes of just staring at the floor with his hands crossed Kalin stood up, grabbed his weapon and refilled his travel pack, then walked back outside towards the edge of the village. In the distance it appeared that the argument continued to rage on, and he just shook his head as he slipped past two huts and out into the open forest. By then the silence had surrounded him once more, the sounds of the forest the only thing that broke it as he marched up the hill. But though he thought he had started the trip alone he soon heard the sound of rushed footsteps behind him. He immediately stopped but continued to make the motions of movement and as he watched the path he saw a black-furred head poke out of the bushes and look straight at him with a sheepish grin.

"Good evening Jin," Kalin said in an unamused manner as he crossed his arms.

"Hey there, I saw you walk off and thought that I would come along to give you your medicine," Jin joked before an intense stare from the human dissolved the grin from his face. "Look, I had a feeling that you would do something like this at one point or another so I had a bag stashed away for the occasion and when I saw you leave I'd thought I'd follow."

"Go back to your village," Kalin ordered sternly. "You and the other Nunkari have helped me so much already and I don't want to overstay my welcome anymore then I already have. Now I will not allow the Kiythran to cause any suffering to a place that took me in at my direst hour or to a person that went to great lengths to heal me. If I can find their scouts I can lead them off further down the river and away from your village. They know who I am and that I was the one that held the artifact last, and if I'm going to be a moving target I can't have anyone dragging me down."

"Drag you down?" Jin retorted as he pushed himself the rest of the way out of the bushes, a bow in his hands. "I know this area like the back of my hand and I do hunting as well as my herbalism work. I am quiet when I want to be, at least more than you out here dragging that hammer around."

Kalin scowled, but as he looked back at his heavy weapon he knew that the skunk was right. Even with his strength almost back to normal and without his armor he had trouble traveling with it. His side also ached already where his wound was, something he hadn't even noticed until he had stopped to talk with Jin. As much as he hated to admit it he could use the Nunkari's help, even if it was just to help him with his wound and carrying his things. Jin appeared to sense the human's wavering opinion and he dived back into the bushes and pulled out a large, curved blade.

"I was going to suggest this falchion tomorrow, but when I saw you leave I went and got it quick," Jin explained. "Another reason why I wasn't exactly silent in my approaching you. It's lighter but from what I've felt it's got the same general balance, you can give it a try when we break camp tomorrow."

At first Kalin tried to argue that there was still time to travel, but Jin wasn't having any of it as the skunk began to set up a small tent. The human didn't even think of bringing one along, all he had was a bedroll to endure the elements. At first he thought about continuing his plan to sleep outside, but when Jin ushered him inside to take a look at his wound he realized that it was better in the tent then out in the open. As he took off his shirt and Jin looked at the now mostly healed flesh they both noted that the hair on his chest had gotten thicker than before, now covering his pectorals and abs with dark hair, but when Kalin wondered out loud what prompted the growth Jin shrugged and guessed that it was a reaction to the medicine causing the follicle stimulation.

Once the examination was complete they began to settle in for the night only to find that Jin's tent was only meant to hold one comfortably, and though it wasn't noticeable before as they set their bedrolls up the lack of space quickly became apparent. The warrior was about to leave the tent to sleep outside when the two heard the soft pat of rain against the side of the hide. Although it wouldn't be the first time that the warrior had slept in the rain it wasn't an experience he would care to repeat if he could help it, especially as a peal of thunder rumbled in the distance. Jin took the bed roll from Klaine and laid it out over his, then laid down on one side of it facing the tent. Kalin took the hint and laid opposite of him, which kept pressure off of his wound as he looked at the side of the thick material of the tent.

After a few minutes the body heat of the two males made the air inside comfortable, Kalin feeling the soft fur of the Nunkari on his back. During the examination he had stripped down to his leather briefs, and he just now realized that he hadn't put his clothes back on once they were done. As he looked over his shoulder at the other male he realized the skunk had also taken off his tunic and pants, and as the human looked further down and saw the pair of similar undergarments he was surprised to see that there was a clasp where the material went over the tail base. He had always wondered how their kind had put their clothes and had just surmised that they had to shove their tails into whatever they wore every time they got dressed for the day...

Kalin looked up to see Jin had shifted and was now looking at him, and the warrior realized with mild embarrassment that it looked like he was staring at the other male's rear before he turned away. As he turned back around and muttered his goodnight he could hear the skunk chuckle to himself which only caused the warrior to become even more flustered. He wasn't sure why, he could have just said what he had done was just out of curiosity for the species but instead all he did was shift his position and try to get comfortable. He could still feel Jin pressed against him, particularly that fluffy tail against his backside, but as he slowly got acclimated to it the soft fur of the appendage actually felt rather comfortable as he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning Kalin awoke to the sounds of birds chirping, the rains that had come during the night had passed and he could feel the warmth of the sun through the thick hide of the tent. Behind him Jin seemed to stir as well and he felt the shift of the fur against his back tickle his skin. The warrior got up slowly and stretched out, then took a look at his wound to find that the skin was still stitching up nicely. When he looked further down though he saw that his briefs were slightly pushed down, and when he tried to pull them all the way back up there was a strange resistance that caused him to frown slightly.

"Hey Kalin, if you're up I have breakfast ready!" Kalin heard Jin shout from the outside the tent. He started to call back that he would be out in a second when his entire body froze as he realized that the Nunkari was currently outside and that something else was brushing against his bare skin. With great care he slowly got up into a sitting position and turned his body to where the skunk had been sleeping, but when he looked down he saw nothing. In his confusion he looked around the other side, and though he could still feel the sensation of fur brushed up against his back he couldn't see what the cause was.

Just as he was about to call the sensation some sort of phantom feeling from his slumber next to the Nunkari all night the skunk popped his head in through the tent flap. "Just looking to see if you-" Jin started to say before his eyes went wide and his sentence stopped dead in its tracks. Kalin followed Jin's gaze directly behind him and out of the corner of his eye he some something black and furry flit in his vision. The warrior reflexively reached back and grabbed it, and as he did so he felt a sharp jolt of pain at the base of his spine that caused him to yelp.

In Kalin's hand was a skunk tail, one that was just like the Nunkari in front of him except that it was attached to his own body. He began to feel panic rise up in his chest as he reached behind him and felt a thick pelt wherever he could reach on his back. The new fur seemed to end just below his neck and above his rear right where the new appendage was anchored to him. During this time Jin seemed to regain his faculties and rushed inside the tent, his hands stopped just short of touching the warrior as he continued to feel the alien sensation of fur on him.

"Jin, what happened to me?" the warrior asked when he finally managed to calm down enough, feeling a sheen of sweat break out on his body as he laid down on his stomach.

"I... I don't know," Jin replied as he looked down at the black fur that dominated the human's back, save for the white stripe that ran down his spine to the tip of the frantically waving tail. "No herb I've ever heard of could do something like this, not even the magically infused ones. If I didn't know any better it looks like my fur transferred itself to your body when we slept back to back last night. But that's impossible... nothing but powerful transmutation magic should be able to do something like this."

Kalin sighed as he started to get up, only to feel a powerful tingle of pleasure roll through his body as he felt a pair of hands run through his fur. At first he was going to rebuke the Nunkari for touching him like that, but it felt so good all he found himself doing was laying there for a while as those hands ran all the way down his back and through the fur of the tail that he had somehow groan. After a few minutes he jumped and caused Jin to fall back a bit when he realized he could feel his erection begin to press into the bottom of the tent, something he didn't wish to have or try to explain as he shuffled away from the Nunkari. The two males shared a look as Kalin tried to pull up his pants, only to find the base of his tail continued to push them back down. Finally he had to borrow a spare pair of Jin's briefs, the skunk showed him how to undo and do the clasp on the back before he left the tent to give the human some privacy.

Jin had started to take the food he had made out of the pot when Kalin stepped out into the clearing, the human awkwardly left the tent as he tried to control the new appendage enough to not catch on the flaps. "So... how are you feeling otherwise?" the Nunkari asked as he handed Kalin a plate of roasted vegetables while he tried to sit down without doing so on the new tail.

"Strangely well to be honest," Kalin replied as he started to eat. "Despite the anxiety of growing this... thing and the fur I've felt better than I have in ages. Still not at my full strength, but full of energy and ready to continue on our journey."

"Wow, I wish I had your composure," Jin commented with a small grin. "If I woke up with something that wasn't there yesterday I would have run screaming back to the village."

"I have a mission to tend to and I am first and foremost a soldier," the human explained. "Whatever magic this is it isn't killing me and there is a squad of mages that can take a look at it when we get back. I can worry about such things once we have led the Kiythran away from your village and we've secured the artifact."

The two continued to eat for a while longer and then quickly broke camp before they started out through the woods once more. From there it was only a few hours of travel before they reached the river once more in the same area that they had visited the first time. Kalin looked in the river shallows while Jin stripped down and dove into one of the deeper sections of the river to look. The human soon found while the pool had caught many items that drifted downriver, including pieces of treated wood he guessed had come from the bridge, the artifact was not a part of his salvage.

Kalin wiped the sweat from his brow as the sun climbed overhead and waded back to the shoreline. He called over Jin as well and the wet skunk swam over to him before he flopped down on dry land, his fur clung to his lithe body as he laid on his back to catch his breath. The two sat for a few minutes and let themselves dry off in the sun as they came to the conclusion that the artifact had probably been washed further down the river.

Once the two had properly rested they gathered their gear and started to follow the river downstream. With no way to find the magical item themselves the talked about the next phase of their plan, which was to find any Kiythran scouts and lead them away from the village. They began to trek through the forest between the massive trees, a far clearer path for the two since the river's edge was choked with all manner of plant life. By the time night had fallen once more they had reached a bed in the river that provided them with easy access to the water and a clearing where they set up camp.

Dinner was far more relaxed then their morning, Jin had brought some fishing equipment and together the two managed to catch enough from the river to provide a decent meal. Kalin was surprised at how well the skunk could cook but once the food was ready all he could think about was filling his belly. While the two ate they made idle talk, though it was mainly Jin asking questions about the city that he had come from. Once they were finished they washed their dishes in the river and then packed the rest of their food away. Their conversation went dead as they both stood in front of the single tent, the two looking at one another before their gaze went back to the cramped living area.

"I suppose I can sleep out here tonight," Jin finally said, which prompted a look from Kalin that caused the skunk to wave his hands in the air. "I know you think you've healed enough that you can go about your normal routine, but you aren't healed yet and anything I can do to help keep your injury from getting worse I'm going to do. Since your... other condition seems to have not improved and we both seem uneasy about what might happen if we sleep together it's only reasonable that the healthy one would sleep outside."

Kalin shook his head and sat down on the log they had dragged towards the fire to serve as a chair, his tail swishing about incessantly. "It's not going to be a problem actually, since we're in an area that could be stumbled upon by the Kiythran at any time we're going to have to take shifts sleeping," the warrior explained. "I'll take the first watch, then once the moon is at its zenith I'll wake you up and you'll take the next watch until morning comes. Got it?"

Jin nodded and began to crawl inside the tent, and as he did Kalin couldn't help but think that he saw a mote of disappointment in the Nunkari's face. The moment quickly passed however and the tent flap was secured, which left Kalin with his thoughts as the fire crackled. He set himself up with his back to the river to keep an eye out for the forest, which is likely where they would be attacked from. Once he was sure he had the best position he took out the falchion that Jin had given him and began to sharpen it to keep his body busy and his mind awake.

Except that the warrior's thoughts were preoccupied with his traveling companion and what was happening to him. It was no coincidence that his transformation seemed to be into the same species as the Nunkari, and though he didn't suspect Jin of any foul deeds that didn't mean something else wasn't out to get him. Part of him wanted to go on alone, to secure what supplies he could and leave the herbalist to find his way back to the village, but when he thought about that he felt a pang of regret deep inside him. It wasn't the first time he had felt it, but up until now he had been distracted with their travels or the mission at hand to really think about it.

The thoughts plagued Kalin throughout his entire watch on what he was going to do with Jin... and his feelings towards him. What had started off as gratitude towards the one that had saved his life he knew now that things had started to evolve to a place he didn't think was possible. While it wasn't the first time he had heard such emotions play out between travels, even those who were both male, he often thought it was only a lustful act that was brought on by the deprivation of a proper outlet for such feelings back in the city. Now as he sat there and stared at the tent he had started to feel the same, but since he had never had such compulsions before he wondered if it was the same magic that had warped his body was also clouding his more disciplined thoughts.

Kalin was so deep in his thoughts he hadn't realized that the moon was completely overhead until it started to reflect on the surface of the lake, which snapped him out of his thoughts. He got up and relaxed his sore muscles and tried to push such ideas out of his mind. It was something he would have to think about later, he rationalized to himself as he walked over to the tent. He noted with some degree of relief that nothing else seemed to have changed on him as he opened the tent flap and looked inside.

The human's eyes went wide as he saw Jin sprawled out, throbbing maleness in one hand and the other rubbing his chest before his eyes snapped open and he let out a surprised shout. Kalin stumbled backwards and landed square on his tail, which caused him to cry out as Jin grabbed the edge of the bedroll in a desperate attempt to cover himself. Once the skunk's privacy was reestablished Kalin could hear the sound of clothes being hastily put out before Jin stuck his head out of the tent flap and looked up at the human.

"Sorry about that." Jin apologized sheepishly as he stepped out of the tent, fully clothed and armed with his bow and arrow. "If we could just pretend that never happened I'll go ahead and take my watch now and you can get some sleep.""

Kalin found himself merely nodding in response as the Nunkari walked past him and out into the field, taking up a similar position to his own watch post. The human took one last look at Jin, who seemed to actively avoid meeting his gaze and trimmed one of his arrows, then ducked back into the tent. He didn't know what had just happened but he knew that it hadn't helped the surreal situation they seemed to be in. Even though it had just been a brief glance the image had stayed with him, the strange fur-covered, yet humanoid body that laid out, tail flitting about as he stroked between his legs... he shook his head of the sight, cursing his poor luck that he had walked in right at such a time.

As he laid there on his back, his own tail swishing slightly at his side, Kalin unsuccessfully tried to summon sleep to his body and mind. His mind continued to replay the scene that had just occurred, though eventually he started to get preoccupied with a small circle of light that flitted about on the top of the hide tent. Soon his curiosity and want to try and preoccupy himself with something other than his embarrassment caused him to sit up and try and touch the bright spot. Before his hand got up to it completely the spot vanished, and when he looked at his hand he found that the light was now on the tip of his fingers.

The warrior got on his hands and knees and slowly followed the beam of light to its origin, which was a small hole in the tent. When he pressed his finger against the frayed edge it felt sticky, though the substance had hardened slightly which seemed to be how it became open in the first place. He was about to go back to his pack to grab a needle and thread when he caught something out of the corner of his eye, a vision that caused him to double back and actually look through the hole.

There, clear as day from the light of the bonfire, he could see Jin as he sat there and cleaned his arrowheads. From where Kalin sat he had the perfect vantage point, and when he looked down he saw stains on the hide floor of the tent right where he knelt. Kalin rubbed against the discolored spot and though it was dry he saw flecks of white that clung to his fingertips. "That dirty skunk..." Kalin mused quietly as he continued to stare out the hole until a tingle in his fingers caused him to look down.

Kalin gasped as he watched his fingernails turn a deep black and grow pointed into Nunkari claws, fur sprouting from where he had touched the marks on the tent that quickly spread up his arms. His breathing quickened as he fell backwards and held his hands up, feeling each individual hair poke through his skin as the black and white fur cascaded up his arms. At first he thought this was it, that whatever magic had been wrought upon him would finally finish the job, but as it reached his shoulders the wave of thick hair came to a stop just as it merged with the pelt that had formed on his back. For a few seconds he felt the muscles up and down his arms as though to see if they were really his, the human stunned in awe as he looked his new appendages over.

A sudden rustle outside the tent caused him to make a dive for the dagger he had hidden under his satchel, but as his new fingers closed around the hilt of the blade he saw Jin pop his head in. "I heard a noise!" he shouted, which caused Kalin to cover his ears from the sudden sound as Jin looked around the tent. "I thought you might be in trouble and I came to help if I could! Also... when did you get fur on your arms? And look at your ears!"

Kalin looked at the skunk in question before he felt what the other male had seen, the flesh of his lobes stretched and grew covered in a soft layer of fur as he felt his skull shift. He pulled his hands away but by then they had already moved up to the top of his head, groaning slightly as his head rearranged itself for the animalistic configuration. When he finally felt his skin stop shifting on his head, feeling his usually kept hair was more unruly as he shook his head of the sensation, he walked out to the river and washed his hands with the curious Nunkari behind him.

"So it appears that you are the catalyst to this transformation," Kalin stated as he shook the water out of his fur as Jin looked at him in surprise. "I found a hole in the tent... and started to change when my fingers touched the stains on the floor."

"Oh?" Jin replied, then his expression went from confusion to shock to shame in a matter of a few seconds. "Oh... I uh, just..." the Nunkari tried to explain as he grabbed his tail nervously and began to pet it. "Look, Kalin, I should have told you beforehand that I had feelings for you. I tried to push them away but tending to you wound but seeing you naked all those times, watching you train... I just couldn't help myself. When you got up suddenly tonight to wake me up I had miscalculated the time I had and figured it would be better to be caught then to try and cover it up."

"So all this time you've been sticking around because you're attracted to me?" Kalin asked, which caused the skunk to slouch deeper in shame. "Here I thought you were just really dedicated to your craft, though now that I think about it my wound has been pretty much healed over for a few days and yet you continued to check it." This caused the half-transformed human to smile a little and the Nunkari to chuckle despite himself. "But I have to ask, why torture yourself with all the secrecy?"

For a few seconds Jin fidgeted in place, but when it was clear the warrior wanted an answer he sighed. "You were a stranger, I didn't know whether you were interested in females or males," Jin confessed. "For all I knew you were one of those people that hate our species, and though our kingdoms are formal with one another I knew that such a prejudice can exist. I wanted to try and find out more about you but I was getting constant pressure from my village elders to discharge you and send you home, had I not agreed to have you eat from my food rations they would have kicked you out as soon as you could walk properly."

Kalin just stood there with a slightly shocked expression on his face, which was tinged with guilt when he heard that the other male had given up food just to keep him around. He hesitantly put his hands on Jin's shoulders and, when he was sure that the transformation didn't continue from the touch, patted him in reassurance. When the skunk looked up at him his lower lip quivered slightly, which Kalin quickly put a hand against to stop the other male from crying.

"While I wish you could have trusted me after the time we spent together, I can understand why you didn't tell me," Kalin reassured. "To be honest I've never thought of being with a male before but the more I'm around you, the more open I become to such an idea. Now that this is out in the open let's see if we can't work this whole thing out later, right now though we have Kiythran to hunt down, an artifact to recover, and your village to save before we can think about this strange transformation and our feelings towards each other. Just... promise you won't pleasure yourself while staring at me anymore, alright?"

Both Jin and Kalin laughed slightly before the Nunkari pulled the human in for a hug. Kalin just smiled and let the other male squeeze him, but soon he had to pull Jin away as he started to feel his chest tingle. The skunk gasped in horror and pulled away when he realized his mistake, but Kalin could already feel the light fur on his chest shift as he pulled off his tunic. When he got the garment off their eyes widened as Kalin's stiff nipples poked out from the fur while the flesh underneath it began to swell. Soon his pectorals were completely enveloped by the expansion and the two stared as an unmistakable pair of furry breasts grew from the otherwise male physique. Kalin groaned despite himself as he reached down and checked his groin, only to find with relief that his manhood was still there and as big as he remembered.

When the growth finally stopped Kalin started to pant, his pert breasts jiggling slightly as his chest heaved up and down. Jin continued to stare at the new additions with a dumbfounded look, and when his hand reached out to touch one of them Kalin slapped it away which seemed to snap him out of his stare enough to look up at the human. The transformed male looked down at them himself and slowly brought his own hands up to them, and as he gently squeezed them he was met with a strange pleasure that caused him to bite his lip to avoid moaning again. For a few minutes he continued to prod and massage them, as though if he did it enough he might break whatever illusion caused them.

When it was clear they were going nowhere he went to the river's edge and looked at his reflection, seeing a radically different creature then he was used to. Gone was the human warrior, save for his face, and in its place was a still muscular skunk Nunkari with a pair of firm breasts that stuck out from his hardened chest. As he examined himself he quickly felt exhaustion overtake him, whether from the tax of energy from the transformation or something else he turned around and wordlessly dragged himself back to the tent. Jin attempted to help but both seemed anxious to touch each other as Kalin got into the bedroll, hoping as he closed his eyes that he would wake up to entirely different scene then what he fell asleep too...

**********************************************

When Kalin woke up the next morning he looked down to see his breasts still there, looking down the white fur of his chest to the mounds of flesh that still settled there. The warrior sighed and got up, though he couldn't help but give them an experimental squeeze as he sat there. Almost immediately he felt that pleasurable sensation once more, though it wasn't the same lightning bolt sensation when he first got them. As he looked down past the mountainous curves he saw with some relief that his maleness was still there, and in fact looked a little bigger then what he remembered it. Whatever spell or curse he was under perplexed him and as he tried to make his tunic fit around his new assets he hoped the mages were well on their way to his location by now.

The sun had hardly poked out from beyond the horizon as Kalin made his way out of the tent and saw Jin once more in the process of making breakfast. The warrior felt bad at the awkward state that they had left things at before he went to bed, which seemed to have carried over into this morning. Even now the Nunkari refused to make eye contact with him as he sat down at the fire and was wordlessly handed his food. Kalin tried to think of something to say to try and alleviate the situation but all the two of them ended up doing was sharing in the silence as they ate.

Once again after they had finished eating they broke camp and continued on their journey to find the Kiythran. While Kalin would have requested they traveled silently while so potentially close to their objective the silence was not welcome. By noon though both males found their attentions focused to something else, the signs that another creature had been in the area not too long ago in a clearing next to the river. After a quick examination of the area Jin found a trail the creature had left that headed further downstream, the Nunkari mentioning that whoever it was had a very large stature.

While Kalin wasn't one to sneak around he followed the skunk's lead as they followed the trail down the river. It seemed to follow the river quite closely, a sign that they had found their Kiythran scouts. They continued their careful following for a while until Jin suddenly stopped and looked around in confusion. "What's wrong?" Kalin whispered as he looked around as well.

"The trail... it just stopped," Jin explained as he knelt down to the ground. "I've never seen a trail go cold so quick, it's like-" the Nunkari never got a chance to finish his sentence as a huge cloaked figure fell from the nearby tree and pushed him to the ground. Kalin instinctively reached back for the falchion and released the Warhammer he had also been carrying, his now much lighter body sprung forth in a hard downward blow to rend the creature in half and protect Jin.

The enemy had anticipated his attack though and dodged to the side and Kalin's blade ate the dirt instead. He quickly pulled it out and swung in an upward cut but to his surprise the heavy blade was deflected upward by a metal gauntlet the creature had on before that same arm came at him. The warrior dropped the falchion and grabbed the metal-covered hand, then landed several punches into the creature's ribs before it twisted out of his grip and landed a blow to his stomach so powerful it knocked the wind out of him. As Kalin tried not to double over he made a lunge to try and grapple the larger male, but the enemy slipped out of his grip save for the hood that he managed to pull off and reveal a very equine head that shocked him.

The larger male spun around and got in a defensive stance, but as soon as they made eye contact the creature's eyes widened and he dropped the posture. "Sir?" the horse-morph uttered in surprise, which caused Kalin to pause as well. "By the stars, is that really you Kalin?"

It took a few seconds for Kalin to connect all the dots, but the distinctive speckled black and tan patterning on the creature's muzzle quickly confirmed his thoughts. "Hershel!" The two hugged tight as the warrior was reunited with his loyal steed, though with how the horse had changed he doubted they were going to have the same relationship as before. "How did this happen to you, you can speak! And you've changed so much, I would have thought you were a Nunkari on first glance!"

"You're one to talk about changing." Hershel replied as he ran a hand through Kalin's skunk tail, which caused the transformed human to change. "Thank all that your face is still relatively unchanged, otherwise we could have been at this a while. As for the whole speaking and walking on two legs thing I couldn't tell you what happened, after we both fell from the bridge I thought I was done for but a pair of elven traders that had stopped near the river while the storm blew over found me caught on rock and managed to fish me out of the stream. As they nursed me back to health I started... well, I changed, and before long I was holding conversations with them as my body turned into this."

Hershel opened his cloak and revealed his body; the tunic and pants that he had one looked tight on his heavily muscled form and instead of feet his legs ended in a pair of hooves. Kalin also noted, to his own embarrassment, that his old stallion was generously endowed as the groin of his leather pants strained to keep it all in. Before Hershel could say anything about the sudden redness his former rider had on his face Kalin looked over to Jin, the angry skunk brushing himself off after he had picked himself off the ground.

"Hershel I would like to introduce you to Jin, he was the one who saved my life after the Nunkari found me further down the river," Kalin introduced, Jin nodding at the horse-morph who looked at him. "Jin, this is Hershel. He uh... he used to be my warhorse. It appears whatever is affecting me has changed him too."

"Well now we can remove the thought that it was my medicines that caused the change," Jin stated as he moved closer to Hershel and examined his form. "It appears that this is definitely some sort of transmutation based magic, I wish I was a mage instead of an herbalist so we could figure this out quicker. But I have to ask, what are you doing out here and why did you ambush us?"

The jovial demeanor of Hershel's face fell into a bit of a frown as he looked down. "The Kiythran..." he spat out in anger. "I was out gathering wood and when I had come back the ones who had taken me in were gone and their cart had been ransacked. I found their cursed arrows in a nearby tree and I had been tracking them ever since. When I heard noises behind me I thought I had overshot their group and climbed a tree in order to give them a fight to try and rescue the elves."

"Well you certainly gave someone a fight," Kalin commented as he rubbed his still tender gut. "Where did you learn technique like that?"

"From you," Hershel replied quickly as his face brightened once more. "All those years of training with you, riding into battle with you, I guess some of that rubbed off on me because when we tussled it felt almost instinctive."

The two continued to talk until Jin reminded them that they all had a similar goal they needed to chase, and the two soldiers snapped back into mission mode with a curt nod. They waited for a minute for Hershel to dig the traveling back he had hidden in the nearby bushes, then the three started to continue onward before Kalin stopped them and took the heavy Warhammer off his back and gave it to Hershel. "Here, a proper warrior needs a proper weapon and thanks to Jin I can give this to you," Kalin explained, seeing the warhorse start to tear up in appreciation for the generous gift before the large male shook it off and gave him a vow to keep it with him forever.

With his load lighter Kalin once more walked behind Jin, the earlier anxiousness that they had felt evaporated with the reuniting of his old friend. They had begun to talk again, though they kept quiet as they walked until the sun set and the forest grew too dark for them to travel unaided. They set up camp again and for the second time since their journey started Kalin was reminded of his inadequate packing as he watched Hershel put up a rather large, two person tent. The horse explained that it had belonged to the traders, and when he saw the smaller version that Jin had set up he respectfully asked if they would like to switch. Jin and Kalin looked at each other before they agreed and once they had finished switching their living arrangements around Jin started to cook while Kalin and Hershel went down to the nearby river to try and catch something to accompany their rations.

The two sat silently side by side as their lines bobbed in the eddy of the slowly flowing water, until finally Hershel turned towards Kalin. "So Jin seems like a pretty nice guy," he stated, which Kalin merely nodded in reply. "So is there anything going on between you two?"

"By creation, I've known you as more than my warhorse for less than a day and we're already talking about such things?" Kalin sighed. "Are you okay with your former rider potentially being with a male Nunkari?"

"I used to be a horse, why would I care about such things as long as you're happy?" Hershel replied bluntly. "Though my thoughts back when I was just a horse are hazy I do remember on more than one occasion that I had noted we spent very long stretches of time alone together, whether on a mission or just training. I was concerned I think, and now to see Jin fawning over you and when you told me about how you transformed while we traveled I sort of assumed you may have been together."

Kalin fidgeted slightly, his normally stoic warrior demeanor faltering slightly as he looked out into the water. "I don't know Hershel, everything just feels upside-down right now and I've sort of been focusing on the mission to try and keep sane," he confessed. "He's interested in me but every time we touch I transform more and I'm not sure where it will stop, especially after I grew these," he motioned to his chest, which caused Hershel to get a sheepish grin, "so I've been trying to keep my distance in order to try and preserve what's left of my humanity until we can meet the mages."

"I uh... I know what you mean actually," Hershel said nervously, Kalin looking at him in question before the horse continued on. "I wasn't sure to tell you this but the elven maiden that had found me was a mage, her brother was a trader and she helped him with alchemical reagents. As soon as the changes started she knew what was happening to me, and when I was finally able to tell her our story she said that when you tried to smash the artifact you transferred the power into you, which flowed into me too. Then one night I thanked her for her help with a hug and suddenly my legs and arms just snapped into this configuration and my chest became humanoid."

"I already know that contact causes the transformation to speed up," Kalin interjected.

"But here's the rub, at that point I also had started to fall for her but didn't know how to handle it, as you mentioned up until a few days prior I had just been a horse," Hershel continued. "When I told her this she said that the same feelings and the magic that courses through our veins seemed to react to the strong emotion. At that point I was given two choices, if I left then the magic would reverse and I'd go back to my old form, but if I stayed with her the spell would run its course and the transformation would be irrevocable."

"I assume you took the latter course."

"Well I thought you were dead, and what's a warhorse without its rider?"

"Did you sleep with her?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I mean did you-"

"Yes."

"And she was alright with essentially sleeping with a Nunkari?"

"She actually said that she was really into them, in a way I had become her ideal lover. Right before she was captured we actually did this thing where-"

Kalin quickly stopped his old friend and shook his head, then the two returned to their long forgotten fishing lures. What the warhorse had said resonated with him, but now that he knew his options the situation just got more complicated than before. He was thankful he had some time to think without the skunk, but soon Jin would call them that their dinner was ready and then he would have confront his feelings once more.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hershel looking at him while he chewed anxiously on his lower lip, and after a few minutes Kalin finally asked him what was up. "So what's it like to have breasts?" Hershel asked with a small chuckle.

"By the stars..." Kalin sighed as he put his palm to his forehead.

A few hours later Jin and Kalin were in their new tent, Hershel asking to take the first watch so the two could get some sleep. With more than adequate space they were able to put in both their bedrolls with room to spare, and as Kalin stared up at the ceiling Jin just laid there with his back to him. The human stared at his fur-covered hand, wiggling the blunted claws as Hershel's words played out in his head over and over. It would be easy to get up early and leave Jin at camp, leaving the sleeping Nunkari so he could dispatch the Kiythran with Hershel and then regain his humanity as time purged the magic from his system.

"So, your horse seems nice," Jin spoke up which knocked Kalin out of his thoughts. "What's it like talking to someone that you used to ride?"

"Strange," Kalin replied simply. "He's been with me through thick and thin though, and I always used to see him as a fellow soldier rather than a mount. Now more than ever I see him as my brother-in-arms, if he comes back to the capital I think he would make a fine soldier and I look forward to fighting the Kiythran beside him now."

"If he goes back to the capital?" Jin noted.

"Yes... it appears he's fallen in love with the elven mage who rescued him." Kalin explained. "My guess is once we rescue them he will be settling with her instead of traveling back to our kingdom."

There was a moment of silence between the two, but before Kalin could say anything else Jin spoke up. "So what's your plans after all this is done?"

"I... I don't know," Kalin said as he grabbed the skunk by the shoulder and rolled him over to face him. "Jin... Hershel's mage said that if we stay together I'm going to continue to change until the spell runs its course, and then my form will be permanent. I care about you deeply, but giving up my old life is a huge sacrifice for anyone. Just think, how confident would you be if you would change into a human by being around me?"

"I suppose... I suppose you're right," Jin admitted as he looked away. "I just never felt this way for anyone before, even when you were human, but to be honest the more you've changed the sexier you've become. Plus I've always been into males and females, and you've got the best attributes of each in my opinion." Jin sniffed and turned away in an attempt to try and keep his composure. "Sorry, I didn't mean to throw that all on you on top of everything else, it's a big decision and only you can make it."

As Jin turned away once more Kalin couldn't help but stare at the skunk, mainly because of what he had just said and how those words resonated with what Hershel had said. His ideal mate... the elven mage had told Hershel that he had become something that she was into, and just now Jin confessed the same thing to him. He also realized the similarity in that both of their changes accelerated because they had mutual feelings for one another, but was that part of the magic itself or something that naturally happened? But he already knew that answer, it was something that he had asked a mage a long time ago out of idle curiousity.

Magic can't make you fall in love.

After a few minutes Jin had tried to close his eyes and feign sleep when he felt that strong, furry hand on his shoulder again and was turned onto his back once more. The Nunkari was about to say that he didn't want to talk anymore when he felt a pair of human lips press against his muzzle. His eyes snapped open in shock, just in time to watch as fur similar to his own cascaded over the human's face. Kalin's remaining humanity quickly disappeared as those lips pushed harder against Jin's, Kalin's lower jaw and nose swelled outward as his nose flattened against his face and turned bright pink. By the time the human's muzzle formed completely their tongues had slid into each other's mouths, the skunk able to feel it transform slightly as it slid into his maw.

When their embrace had finally ended both males had started to pant slightly from the exertion of their passion on each other. "Kalin, I though you said..." Jin started to say before he felt a finger on his lips, Kalin's new muzzle curled up in a coy smile as he pulled off his tunic. As those perfect furry breasts hung in front of Jin no more words escaped his mouth, all he could do was stare wide-eyed as this muscular skunk creature rubbed his body against him. The Nunkari was so enraptured by the situation he forgot himself and leaned himself up to wrap his lips around one of those nipples, Kalin responding with a low moan as he quickly undid the rest of their clothes.

Within a few minutes the awkwardness between them had evaporated, and though Kalin could still feel his insides shift slightly the transformation had already been forgotten in the haze of lust they both shared as that warm tongue continued to swirl around the sensitive flesh. After a few minutes the former human had enough foreplay and shimmied further up Jin's body until the underside of his cock rested against the skunk's muzzle. Jin didn't miss a beat as his tongue slid down the shaft, which caused Kalin to grunt as their tails brushed against one another. The Nunkari's strokes were long and deep, and just before it seemed that Jin was about to take it into his mouth his tongue brushed against something between his legs that caused Kalin to shudder and lift up.

"Damn... what was that?" Kalin asked himself as his fingers pressed against the area where Jin had licked. At first he felt nothing, but as a second furry hand joined his own they both felt what had caused the sudden sensation of pleasure. It was an opening, what had been small at first seemed to split wider and deeper as their fingers sank into it. Kalin's eyes nearly rolled back into his head and his cock throbbed wildly as they continued to push in deeper, until finally he pulled his and the other skunk's hand back as he started to pant wildly.

"Well, I think we both know what that is," Jin said as he watched Kalin regain his composure.

"Yeah..." was all Kalin could say as he held his stomach, feeling his internals shift more dramatically inside him until things finally stopped moving. "I feel... settled now, I think the magic has run its course just like Hershel said."

"You mean..." Jin stammered slightly as he looked at the herm skunk Nunkari that sat on top of him, his eyes wondering over the absolutely gorgeous furry form that to him was the perfect mix of male and female traits. "You can't change back?"

Kalin shook his head, but before Jin could respond he began to back off the male beneath him and gravitate backwards. Jin watched with wide eyes as Kalin backed all the way up to his throbbing erection, which had been stiff ever since they had kissed, and slowly began to lower his new sex onto it. Considering that the transformed male had just grown it Jin was happy to let Kalin control the show, which Kalin was more than willing to do as he pressed the head against the folds of flesh between his legs. Both skunks groaned as Kalin felt his new femsex get spread apart by Jin's length.

"Kalin... don't stop..." Jin breathed out as Kalin slowly lowered himself onto the Nunkari's spire. While the warrior was no stranger to the feminine sex it was the first time he was on the receiving end of such things, and though he tried to mimic their part he found the pleasure to be too much and his knees buckled, which only caused gravity to take over and slide him down the rest of the way. Kalin gasped as he felt Jin buried deep inside him, their furry groins pushed together as he took a second to allow his body to adjust.

When Kalin finally got used to the sensations enough to move he pulled up, his own cock throbbing as it rubbed against the Nunkari's stomach before he lifted off. Eventually he got himself into a rhythm, his breasts bouncing with each impalement until Jin reached up and started to squeeze them. This sent the herm into a frenzy and the two creatures began to buck and thrust against one another as Kalin felt a very unusual bliss build up between his legs. He quickly realized what it was when he felt his male organ begin to tense up in a very familiar matter, both of his sexes orgasming at the same time that caused him to nearly pass out as he felt the very strange sensation of Jin climaxing deep inside his slit with several jets of Nunkari seed.

After about a minute the two basked in the afterglow of each other's bodies, sweaty and cum-covered fur pressed against one another, they heard the clearing of a throat that caused them to stop dead and their eyes to go wide...

*****************************************

"So... heard everything, huh?" Kalin asked quietly with embarrassment as he and Hershel trailed behind Jin, to which the horse-morph merely nodded in response. "Sorry about that old friend."

"No apologies needed, I remember when I had undergone the same thing and I know firsthand the sensations can be rather intense," Hershel replied. "For now let's focus on the task at hand and talk about such things later."

The two nodded at each other and continued to trek through the woods until Jin stopped them before he examined the dirt in front of him. They were close, he stated as they crept through the underbrush, and from the looks of it they hadn't been hiding their tracks at all. Hershel stated that they probably didn't think anyone was dumb enough to follow them which caused them to grin. About half a mile later they saw it, on the edge of the riverbank were several tents that had several Kiythran around it. It was strange to see the shadow creatures out during the day, Kalin knew that they were nocturnal creatures that preferred moonlight over sun.

The three ducked down behind a small ridge just above the campsite, Kalin and Hershel devised a plan of attack in the dirt as Jin watched them work. It took a few minutes but after some careful explanation all three males were up to speed with the plan of attack. Hershel and Kalin began to creep forward as Jin stayed behind, arrow already nocked on his bowstring as he waited for the signal.

At the edge of the encampment stood two armored creatures, each of them with a longsword and shield as they circled the perimeter. The Kiythran soldier in front had just started to turn the corner and walk down the riverside when he heard a loud gurgle from behind him. He turned backwards to see his companion falling to the ground, an arrow sticking out of his neck as black blood seeped out onto the ground. Before the other soldier even had a chance to move to his friend he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head just in time to see Hershel run up and twirl his body around before the head of the Warhammer he wielded smashed into his chest so hard it sent the creature flying several feet into a nearby tree.

By now the Kiythran camp had become aware it was under attack but by then Kalin and Hershel had breached the perimeter and had a trail of bodies behind them. One of the creatures on a makeshift lookout tower aimed a poison-tipped arrow at them, only to find a different arrow become lodged in their skull. "I'm going to find the elf, you find the leader!" Hershel shouted, the skunk warrior nodding before he dug his falchion into the stomach of a charging Kiythran.

As Kalan continued to fight he began to have flashbacks of the night on the bridge, the pouring rain and taking an arrow in the stomach before he plunged to what should have been his death. He channeled that anger into the fight, his blade stained black as those who tried to shoot him down were taken out by Jin's arrows. By the time he had made it to the middle of camp he found no one else to fight, and as he panted he wondered if they had caught the scouting party unprepared and had completely obliterated them. His thought was quickly counteracted as a blade whizzed by that sliced through the flesh of his shoulder.

"You..." the Kiythran said as he emerged from the shadows. "I know you... the one from the bridge. The magic of the artifact is in you, no wonder it doesn't work right now. I would have thought after we slaughtered your human friends you would have ran back to your pathetic kingdom as soon as you could move."

The Kiythran suddenly moved his blade so fast that Kalin could hardly comprehend it, an arrow that was intended for him dug into the nearby tent as he looked up at the shocked face of Jin. "I'm guessing you helped him, now once I kill you I'll have your pelts as blankets for my home."

Kalin gritted his teeth as he braced for the attack, which came so swiftly he had very little time to deflect the blade. The second volley came as quick as the first, and Kalin could hear Jin cry out as he suddenly found himself on his back while another arrow hit the dirt a few inches from his face. "Time to finish what I started." The Kiythran said as he raised his sword up, ready to plunge it into Kalin's chest.

Before he could even start down though the Kiythran found himself engulfed in bright purple flames, Kalin shielding his face as the creature darted away and put himself out in the nearby river. The warrior looked around for the aid to find Hershel holding the elf in his arms, who had a hand outstretched that glowed with purple light. Kalin stood up quickly as the Kiythran got out of the river and charged towards him once more, only to once more be assaulted with magical energy. This time it was the opposite effect, frost forming around his entire body as the air temperature plunged.

The Kiythran turned and growled at the mage, but the distraction caused him to miss the arrow that plunged into his leg, followed by an armor shattering blow to the chest from Kalin's sword. For a few seconds the Kiythran staggered there, black rivulets of blood running over his hands as he looked like he was about to charge forward once more. Instead he pulled something out of a small pocket in his armor, and before anyone could run forward he threw it on the ground and the area was filled with a black smoke. By the time it cleared the Kiythran was gone, only a small puddle of blood remained where he had stood.

"Shadow teleport spell, that's the last we're probably going to see of him for a while," the elf spoke up as Hershel carried her towards Kalin, shaking his hand. "Thank you for helping Hershel rescue me, my name is Lyenne."

"Kalin," Kalin introduced as Jin ran up behind him. "This is Jin, he's my... um..."

"That's his lover," Hershel interjected, which caused both skunks to grin sheepishly. "Turns out he was under the same spell I was and it also had quite the effect on him."

"Wait, this is Kalin as in your rider Kalin?" Lyenne asked in astonishment. "I guess that magic did a number on you, from what I heard you were a human, and male..."

Kalin cleared his throat slightly, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Still am, in a matter of speaking," he clarified before quickly changing the subject. "It's too bad that Kiythran got away, probably took the artifact with him."

"You mean this artifact?" Lyenne beamed as Hershel held up the crystal that started it all. "Hershel told me about it, so when I was captured I thought I would keep an eye out for it. I saw them fish it out of the river and memorized its astral signature so when I was saved by Hershel I led him straight to it."

"Lyenne, you're amazing!" Jin grinned. "So now what do we do?"

"Head back to the village, wait for the human mages to get there and then tell them we did most of the work for them." Kalin explained. "They're going to be happy about this, hopefully enough to help with my transition to a Nunkari, no way I'm going back now."

"Same here," Hershel agreed.

"Well I would hope not, would hate to have to raise our child in the capital after how crowded you told me it was," Lyenne said, a smirk on her face as Hershel nodded for a few seconds before the words finally sunk in and he looked at her in shock. "I told you that I really wanted kids, looks like that magic granted one last wish because I can already feel it."

As the two celebrated their new addition Jin and Kalin walked down to the water's edge, stepping over the bodies that laid there. "Looks like Hershel and Lyenne are going to be quite the happy family," Kalin stated, though when he heard nothing he looked at Jin and saw him fidget anxiously. "What is it? Wait... you didn't really want kids too, did you?" When Jin didn't respond Kalin's eyes went wide. "Did you!?"

***************************

A few months later Kalin and Jin held each other's naked bodies in the large bed, Jin's hands gently rubbed on the gravid stomach of the skunk herm. After only a few weeks he had started to show, and by that time the two lovers had already moved into Jin's home. Kalin buried his face in Jin's chest as they cuddled, the smell of fresh herbs in the other skunk's fur that he had grown used to.

"Hershel said he and Lyenne want us to come over for dinner once you were finished with your work," Kalin said as he rolled onto his back at the edge of the bed, stomach and breasts giggling freely. "You're going to have to help me up."

"I can think of something else I want to do to you," Jin replied with a smirk as he stood up and walked in between the herm skunk's legs, both their cocks springing to attention as his hands traveled over Kalin's stretched out stomach and up to his breasts. Kalin could feel his lover's maleness push against his feminine sex, a feeling that he had gotten quite used to, though Kalin also took Jin in the tailhole sometimes. Both skunks shuddered as Jin pushed inside Kalin, who shuddered and grabbed onto the bedsheets.

The warrior could do little else with his gravid belly but lay there as his partner began to slide in and out of him. He was unused to being in such a situation, but ever since he had moved into the final months of his pregnancy he had come to depend on the herbalist for more and more. Jin didn't mind it, especially when it came to the positions they were in as his tail flicked back and forth with each thrust. Their bed creaked as they built up a momentum, Kalin's toes curled up as they continued with their rutting rhythm. His cock was stimulated just as much as his slit, sandwiched between his huge belly and Jin's furry stomach.

Both skunks cried out as Jin came hard, holding onto Kalin's legs as he came hard into the femsex of the herm, Kalin's own maleness slicking their fur as they climaxed. As they panted heavily they heard the screech of the messenger hawk and they looked at each other sheepishly. Jin slid out of him, which caused Kalin to cry out slightly from the sudden removal, and they cleaned themselves up as best they could and got dressed. Jin helped out Kalin first, which allowed the herm skunk to get out the door first and see the messenger hawk in the air.

Kalin watched as Hawthorne flew down to the home that he shared with Jin, the Nunkari hawk carrying two satchels as she landed and walked about three steps before she had to lean in against the side of the wall. "You owe me one Kalin," the hawk muttered as she took one of the satchels and handed it to him. "The warrior's guild said that's the last of your earnings, and that they've taken care of the paperwork and you are now recognized as a citizen of the Nunkari kingdom with the rest of your... erm... family."

"Thanks for saving me a trip to the kingdom Hawthorne, I don't think that Jin would have appreciated me traveling in my condition," Kalin chuckled as he rubbed his swollen belly, the black and white fur of the pregnant skunk bristled outward with his leather top only able to comfortably cover his breasts. "Plus I'm not sure I want to go back to my old stomping grounds looking like this."

"Why, I think you look beautiful," Jin chimed in as he came up behind Kalin and kissed him. "He is right about the traveling through, I just don't know why they wanted to see him so badly."

Hawthorne shook her head for a few seconds before a sudden realization seemed to hit her and she pulled open her other bag. "That's right, they wanted me to give you this," she explained as she dug out a scroll and handed it to Kalin. "They said that if you're still interested in lending your talents to the kingdom they have a mission for you, something about potential activity in the old citadel that was sacked a few hundred years ago and left abandoned. Said with the way you handled the Kiythran this should be no problem and they're willing to compensate you for your troubles."

"We take out one scouting party and retrieve a magical artifact and suddenly they think we're some adventuring group," Jin said with a chuckle before he read the scroll.

"Did someone say an adventure?" the three turned their heads to see Hershel and Lyenne as they walked up to them, the elf's stomach just as round as Kalin's as she held it lovingly. "As fun as that sounds these two are about ready to pop and then we have to take care of the aftermath." Hershel grunted as Lyenne punched him in the arm, then grinned sheepishly. "I mean kids."

Hawthorne just shrugged and started to walk back towards the village. "Whatever, they said that if you decide not to they were going to mount and exploration team and do it themselves," she relayed to them. "Now if you'll excuse me I just flew all the way from your kingdom to home and my wings are tired, if you need anything else delivered go ahead and fly it there yourselves."

"She's always so cheery after a long flight," Hershel stated before he looked over Jin's shoulder and began to read the scroll himself, his eyes widening. "Wait a second, they're offering how much just to take a look at this place?"

"You can't be serious," Kalin said as he sat down, feeling his child kick inside him.

"I'm just saying it's a lot of money," Hershel replied.

"Of course it would look that way, you used to get paid in bags of oats," Kalin shot back, which caused the other three to chuckle despite themselves.

"Even if we did entertain such a notion there's no way Kalin or I would be able to participate," Lyenne pointed out as she sat down next to the equally pregnant skunk. "I'm not having our kid in the middle of some gods-forsaken ruins because we had to rush out to beat the kingdom to explore them."

Hershel and Jin both nodded, but as they all looked at Kalin they saw he was deep in thought. "It takes the kingdom at least a year to finally get their act together and send out a party," he explained, looking at Hershel and the brightening gleam in his eye. "It's why they tend to contract things out to outside explorers or mercenaries. By the time they even get close to being ready both me and Lyenne will have our kids and they could be looked at by a sitter while we go make some very real coin."

"Guys, we can't be serious," Jin said finally as he held out the scroll. "We can't do this, we're not just some adventuring party now looking for gold and glory, are we?" The other three looked at each other curiously, and even Jin looked like he had started to doubt his own words as he looked down at the scroll again.

"Are we?"