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Meet in the Middle

"Hey Dunx, could you pull up the line? I think we got a snag." Crystal said to her mate. The red fox was busily working on cooking them up a meal on the deck of their new fishing barge, a fully stocked ship meant both as a kitchen and as a fishing boat with a stove, counter tops, and makeshift cutting board near the bow. They were still new to the job, but they were loving every minute of it so far, and the setup made it perfect for feeding them on the job.

Dunx put a peg in the wheel to keep it from veering off course as he hopped to the side of the ship, grabbing the rope to pull it up. "I've got it, babe! Thanks for reminding me." He hoisted up the ropes, one knotted segment at a time to reveal a series of traps that each had a single lobster in it. They grabbed at the wood, pushed at the nets, and tried their best to get out, only to have Dunx throw them into a large tank on deck one by one. His white fur was getting matted with the ocean spray, but a bit of magic was able to dry him off.

But after the first couple, Crystal interrupted him. "Oh, no. I just need them for dinner. Toss those traps back down, we'll come back and pick them up later." She was over a barbecue, tossing some sauce in a pan with noodles in it. "I have a delicious meal prepared, and I need two lobster for it. One for you, one for me."

He hesitated a moment without tossing the rope, net, and traps back into the ocean. "Why would I not bring them up, save them in the tank, then catch even more?" His paw remained gripped to the rope knot, still teasing another tug.

Crystal paused a moment then nodded. "You make a good point, yeah. Toss em in, we'll enjoy the two best sized of the catch, then we'll come back to these traps tomorrow."

Both Dunx and Crystal were just off shore in an archipelago of tall cliff islands all jutting out from the shallows, a place they'd heard was a veritable harvesting ground for the best lobster and other delicious sea life. Their time aboard their old navy ship known as the Northern Frost of Unity had given them a new appreciation for the sea, and after a long time there, they had saved up, went on their own, and were in their first months of running a fishing boat off the northern coast of Rissen. They had done plenty of preparation before making the significant change in their lives, but it was still a potentially deadly profession.

Mostly they caught and trapped lobsters, but they would also trawl for schools of fish just off shore past the sand bar, which would in turn make for something good to sell back on land. Fish, lobster, and a few other delicacies sustained them well, and the two of them were able to enjoy quite a lush life, unless they were accosted by pirates looking to plunder their booty. Their booty being the catch of the day.

"So what are you making for dinner?" Asked Dunx as he dumped the final traps into the tank on board. There had to be a dozen or more lobster in there, but he couldn't tell because they kept moving and crawling over one another. "I imagine it's steak and potatoes, right?" he joked.

"Yeah, with some carrots and corn and....stop it, you." She laughed, tossing the sauce in the pan some more. A delicious but faint aroma was wafting up from it, as it was a creamy, cheesy sauce to go with the noodles and Lobster. "Nothing truly special, just some traditionally boiled lobster on a bed of flat noodles and a four cheese alfredo and butter sauce. The hope is that you'll eat the noodles and dip the lobster in the sauce. Nothing special, but a nice way to eat while on our break."

Crystal made a habit to cook for the two of them after a particularly long time at sea, and they'd been out for two days straight, so they needed something hearty.

Happy, Dunx wiped his hands off and leaned in close to give her a kiss on the cheek, nose tapping her as his tongue gently stroked her fur. "Well that sounds delicious, and I look forward to seeing what comes of it. What do you need? How long will it take?"

She scooped up some of the sauce from the pan and offered it to Dunx. "Here, try some. If it's done, then I'll be boiling the noodles and butter poaching the lobster immediately."

He tasted it and melted into a content smile as he gave a thumbs up. "Delicious, as always. Those fools on the Northern Frost of Unity are missing out on a great chef; Can't believe they never hired you in that position after all those attempts. So, what Lobsters do you want from the haul?" He leaned over the tank and looked down, using a poking stick to prod at them one at a time. "We going for something hearty, or something simple? Sell the big ones and eat the small ones? Share one big one?"

"I was thinking we each get a small one. Nobody buys them and they end up going to waste, and there's a lot of noodles and sauce here, so I was thinking their meat would be the garnish to the primary meal of pasta." She grabbed a handful of salt and tossed it into the smaller of two boiling pots of water on the back burner. She wanted to make sure the noodles were infused with just enough seasoning without overcoming the flavor of the sauce she'd been reducing. "Just....do you know how to kill em first?"

His ear flopped down as he stopped himself from reaching in to grab one of the lobsters. "What do you mean? Don't you just toss them into the water?"

Crystal shook her head and waved him off, grabbing a large cutting board before walking over to the tank. "No, no. That's cruel. You have to kill them first. I'll show you, then you can try on yours. If you mess up, well...enjoy the pinch." She smiled and winked at him. While she stared his way, her hand darted into the tank to pluck the smallest lobster like a snake striking its prey, pulling it out of the water and slamming it down onto the cutting board. While she held it down, she walked back over to her counter and grabbed a large chef's knife, then stabbed it through the back of its shell just behind the head, slicing its face in twine.

Dunx gulped a bit, watching his mate as she tossed the lobster into the boiling water.

"Go on, you have about thirty seconds to do the same to the meal of your choice. Any longer and the two will be too different in flavor and texture. Go." She commanded, while turning her back to him so she could toss the sauce once more and drape two servings' worth of noodles into the smaller pot.

He nodded slowly and reached into the tank, grabbing a medium sized lobster by the shell, only to have another one of them pinch the side of his hand. He winced in pain, but yanked the lobster out, regardless - he had a meal to prep and couldn't wuss out about it if he wanted to prove himself as being a strong seafaring hunter! Despite his machismo, the other lobster remained tight on his hand, even as he hopped over to the counter, grabbed a knife, and stab-chopped his meal's face in half. After throwing it into the water next to his mate's meal, he flailed about with enough force to make the lobster let go and fly off into the water.

"Noooo!" He groaned as he leaned over the side of the ship. "That was my....I dunno, meal ticket I guess." He held his swollen hand close to his chest as his three tails flicked out behind him. Then, after he calmed down just a bit, he raised a fist to the sea and yelled. "Have it back! We don't need it!"

"Calm down, dear, our meal will be ready very soon, and if you let that get the better of you, then it'll ruin your appetite. Just enjoy it." Then, she grabbed another frying pan, tossed some oil in it that spread across its surface thanks to the rock of the boat, and she used tongs to pluck the noodles out of the pot to the sound of a wonderful sizzle. She then took half the sauce and poured it on top, tossing it all together as the bright red chunks of pepper dotted the food. When that was done a mere few seconds later, she poured it onto a plate and repeated the process for Dunx's plate.

Two plates full of pasta, and two boiling lobsters that had been hissing screaming in the pot. She used those same tongs to grab her lobster first, cutting the tail off and peeling the underside open to expose the flesh within. A rapping motion of tongs on claws loosened the meat from there, and she forced it down onto her plate in an artistic way recreating the basic shape of the lobster as if it were resting atop the pile of pasta. Again, she repeated it with Dunx's plate as well - though his was notably bigger. Right before she grabbed the utensils, she sliced off some butter and let it sit in the cradle of the lobster tails, to which it immediately melted and filled.

"Dinner is served!" She declared, grabbing both plates and walking them past the tank to the hut under the hull, where their table was set up.

She sat, he sat, and they both thanked the sea for its wonderful bounty before pouring wine and lighting the candle in the middle of the table. It was fastened, since the boat was still rocking on the light waves between the tall pillars of rock that stabbed out from the shallows.

Dunx raised his glass and smiled, nodding gently. "May I propose a toast to us, to this wonderful meal, and to our decision to retire from the CDA?"

She raised her glass and smiled back, lightly touching his with hers. "You may." They both took in a gentle sip, before enjoying the meal that was everything they hoped. The scene was quite serene and quiet, save the gentle sloshing of waves on the hull; at least, that was until they decided to start reminiscing on that fateful day when they made their decision.

The day was young and the air was surprisingly cold for a ship anchored in the south Ijumulian Ocean, near the archipelago that gave the ocean its name. The alarm had went off and both Dunx and Crystal had been woken up to start their duties aboard the Northern Frost of Unity, also known as the SS NFU, which was equally cumbersome to say aloud.

As the couple hopped down from their bunk - Dunx on the bottom and Crystal on top - a steward and deck-lad had made its way into the below-deck barracks to summon them personally to the captain's office. The little guy was a serpentine saurossin, with a long prehensile tail and the cutest little button nose.

Though the entire crew was woken early in the morning as the overnight navigator saw the first light of the sun over the horizon, the mated pair of Dunx and Crystal were both a bit sluggish on this day because they both knew why that little serpent deck-lad was summoning them.

It was their two year anniversary since being drafted to the SS NFU, and it was time for them to be commemorated for their service. In the Coastal Defense Authority - at least the Yelfrit wing of it that both Dunx and Crystal were from - recruits were obligated to serve just one year, and every month they served after that a bonus was added until the two year anniversary where gifts and commendations were in order. They could quit any time after one year, but the two year bonus of a full month's salary was hard to leave on the table.

Problem was, the captains didn't know what they had planned; Their vacation and bonus would be supplied, and both Dunx and Crystal had planned to use that on some of their own personal investments. Captain Yelena and quartermaster Sanfrit were pulling them into their office to give them a badge, only to be informed that the two would be parting ways with the unified royal navy of the CDA.

The lovers held hands while dressed in the white, gray, and golden brown of their uniforms as they walked to the captain's quarters. Usually, either captain or quartermaster was piloting the ship with navigator giving directions from atop the mast, but this time both were waiting for them in their personal den.

To their surprise, the ceremony was quite low-key, with the two ship leaders taking turns to speak kind words to the mated pair of Dunx and Crystal. Commendations this and medal that and all sorts of naval jargon about their continued service, capped off by a twin salute and a pleasant reminder that their service would be appreciated and respected aboard the ship for the foreseeable future. When Crystal stepped forward, bowing in respect, to tell them they planned on retiring, the two captains merely smiled and nodded.

In something of a surprise twist, it had turned out that Yelena had heard whispers in the past about their plan, and had already concocted a leaving gift bag and plans for a great party in their honor. Someone had told her through the trail of gossip that they had plans on leaving the service, and in turn the two canine leaders had spent time, money, and effort on an explosive party for them.

That night, the ship was ablaze with fireworks and magic as the crew went to war with the concept of silence out on the open ocean. One crew member - the burly laurossin named Styreks - made a joke about waking the fishes before heading off to bed. Food was had, hundreds of blokes drank and sang and shot bolts of fire into the sky, every explosion reflecting off the gently rippling surface of the water before the two retired to their bunk.

Private or not, they couldn't bare to not express their love for one another. The Barracks were open, with dozens of bunks lining the walls two high, and it was all in one large room with a few masts stabbing through from the hull to the top of the crow's nest serving as the only obstruction of view. Still, Crystal threw her uniform onto the ground and tugged Dunx on top of her, tail wagging and legs wrapped around his waist.

She kissed him, then threw his silly hat off his head and bit his ears. In return, he whipped his shirt off, followed by his pants, leaving the two of them grinding hips against each other despite him still being reserved within his sheath. They didn't consummate their love for one another, at least not at first. No, they kissed and nibbled and cuddled together for what seemed like hours, occasionally taking a break to look each other in the eye, smile, and then return to their fun.

Eventually, she couldn't hold herself back so she gripped his sheath to feel his knot had swollen inside it, pressing out against her fingers. Gently, she peeled back the soft and stretchy flesh to reveal every inch of his throbbing member. She rubbed and squeezed it around the base as she guided him into her, her hips grinding down against the knot in a vain effort to get its swollen girth into her tight confines.

Thanks to her desire, she didn't let him go until she'd had his seed inside her. With paw wrapped around his knot, she forced them to switch positions so he was on his back and she was on top, where she could then casually grind against him and tug his cock.

Before long, he found himself unable to resist the pleasure of her flesh, combined with the grip she had around the base of his knot and he shot burst after burst of seed into her one after another as though they were tied. Together, they collapsed on the bed in each others' embrace, his length still throbbing inside her to pump more of his essence into her depths as they fell into slumber.

That day was virtually perfect for the both of them from the pleasant wake up, the commendations, the respect from their friends and fellow allies, and that killer party capped off by a night of passion to end it all. The next day, they were dropped off at shore in South Yelfrit Port, where they used the bonus money they'd been left with to purchase a barge. At the same time, they noticed a large hippogryph and chimera girl on a similar barge with a similar kitchen setup inside it.

"Do you remember just how shocked Captain Sanfrit looked when we first told him that we were retiring?" Dunx asked as he dipped some lobster in the cheesy butter sauce and coiled some noodles around his fork. "Could have sworn his jaw dropped right down to the table!"

Crystal smirked and ate her meal, rolling her eyes. "It's so cute when you mis-remember things for the sake of a story. No, dear, they knew we were leaving before we did. Actually, I was more shocked when they casually thanked us for our service and gave us a fruit basket filled with Booze." She looked over to the corner of their cabin where the very basket was sitting, since they rarely drank alcohol, especially while on the job.

Dunx scoffed, but it was a gentle and loving scoff. "You ruin everything. Can't we just pretend that they were bamboozled or something? The story is a lot more fun when we get to pretend that we rocked their world. Just like you rocked mine!" He held his hand out to invite her to hold it across the table. "So what are the plans after dinner?"

"Dunx, let's eat first. Worry about what's after dinner once it's settled in our bellies. Or I might have to make a meal of you to calm you!" She winked, then took a big bite of lobster and noodles. "And we don't want that again, do we?"

Rather than respond to the positive or negative, Dunx simply took a bite of his own, staring her directly in the face with a sidelong grin and a gentle affirmation that such a threat didn't scare him. "You say that like it's a bad thing." A few moments passed before he grabbed a towel to clean his fingers, quickly dabbing it on his cheeks. "Well, I'm stuffed." He said as he stood up. If this were a normal situation with normal people, that would have indicated that he was upset or something, but the smile on his face combined with the fact that he wasn't the angry type indicated something else entirely.

His mate was left at the table, not knowing what his intentions were as he walked past. Sure, he had a larger lobster and a bigger plate of pasta than she had, but she didn't know what it was that he was doing so she took one big bite and followed him to the deck. When she emerged from the cabin, she saw that Dunx was standing next to the kitchen, chest puffed out and all three of his tails swaying in the cool sea breeze. "And what's the explanation for this little diversion?" She asked, sidling up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"No reason, I just felt like enjoying the air for a bit. Gets really stuffy in the cabin when we're eating. Next time we should eat out here." He explained as he caressed her arm as it squeezed his belly. "It's much prettier between the cliffs."

They remained in each others' embrace on the deck of their barge, occasionally shuffling in place to counter the rocking brought on by the waves. Dozens of hundred meter tall pillars of rock stabbed towards the sky around them from the sea floor, each with mosses and plants growing out of each crevice and crack as well as a few plants and trees on top. Behind them, a shore with a beach on a nearby island that they were anchoring near at night.

Eventually, Dunx turned and looked to his mate and touched his nose to hers. "Let's go to shore early tonight? Just the two of us, a bottle of wine, and that wonderful lube you picked up in Koluman International Trade Annex before we retired. What do you say?"

She booped him back with her finger. "Sounds like a wonderful idea, but let's finish dinner first. I'm still hungry and I don't want it going cold." When she turned to walk away past the lobster tank, she was particular about swaying her hips and waving her tail towards him. Every step, she lost a piece of clothing starting with her shirt and ending with her pants, which she kicked to the side right before disappearing into the cabin.

Dunx felt a swell and tightening in his sheath as he made his way to the cabin with her. Like her, he kicked his pants and shirt off to the floor of the deck before finding she was sitting with nobility and poise in her chair with her back to him. Her position frustrated him a bit since he felt like she'd teased him into something sensual, but she was just sitting there while she calmly twirled the noodles around her fork.

"What's the meaning of this?" He demanded with a jovial tone as he stepped up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"The meaning of what?" She cooed at him with an air of fake innocence, leaning back to look up at him while spreading her legs in a way that exposed her breasts and the plump folds of her vulva between her thighs. "I haven't the foggiest idea what you mean."

The thought and desire to take advantage of her came over him, but Dunx knew this behaviour and since she was larger than he was, he knew better than to fall into that trap. Instead, he sat opposite her, eating up the meal while staring at her exposed form and fighting to hold back his member from emerging from within his sheath. As they sat there, twirling and enjoying their pasta, he felt the pressure grow as his knot threatened to swell to full girth within him and force his tip out.

In spite of the temptation before him, he kept his cool right until both were done their meals, to wit he patted his belly and leaned back, inviting her to do the same. She knew what he was doing, yet turned to return to the deck of the boat, further teasing him.

"What are you doing, Crystal?" He asked, noting that she was dancing circles around him in such a thorough tease that he could actually feel the gooey mess of his excitement dribbling down over his sheath and balls. When he caught up to her, he saw she was at the helm of the boat, pulling up the anchor and raising the sails. Within seconds, a powerful lurch pushed them forward, and she deftly guided them through the pillars of rock, turning them towards shore after making a wide turn around the obstacles in their way.

All the while, Dunx simply sat in confusion, wondering what she had in mind. He had mentioned wanting to go to shore, maybe she was excited and impatient for that as he was? Maybe she wanted him inside her in more ways than one? Either way, he was eager to please her so he quickly returned to his spot near the hull with her, helping her to navigate around the rock pillars headed towards shore.

Due to the nature of their barge - a wide and flat ship with great stability but not much speed - they found themselves grounding on a sand bar a few dozen meters out from shore. Crystal tossed a switch, throwing down the anchor to keep them in place, then locked in the wheel with the peg again before leaning over the side to check the depth of the water and diving headfirst into it. Within seconds, she was already at the surface and swimming at great speed to shore.

When Dunx looked over, he could see through the crystal-clear water it was about two meters deep - barely enough to dive, but enough to hop in without worry of getting hurt. He launched over the banister and quickly touched down on the soft sand, kicking off it and broad-stroking his way towards his mate.

"Keep up, babe!" She called back to him in between hops and powerful dives that propelled her. Before long she was at a place that she could easily stand in without the water being over her head, so she tiptoed her way to the shallows, which quickly stepped up to the point she was only submerged to her waist.

He quickly found the same place, and when he was sure he could run, he hopped forward, tackling her in the water mere meters away from the foamy surf. As he pounced her, he weight his body down on her back and bit her neck playfully, only she didn't fall to his smaller frame. Instead, she carried him on her back until they were almost out of the water; only when the lightly surging waves no longer came up past her ankles did she turn and flop onto her back, tossing him off her.

"Hey, that wasn't nice!" He protested, but then immediately crawled over to her and plopped his chin on her chest, letting the water caress his belly. Despite his arousal, he found the feeling of sand lightly caressing his exposed cock tip helped curb his urges, so he remained on his belly.

Crystal flopped her head back and started scritching him between the ears, eyes glancing up to the sky with her head just out of range of the water so she could see and hear without anything interfering. "Do you remember what I said to you the first time we left shore in our own boat?"

"To be honest, I don't know what particular thing you're referring to, but I'm going to guess it was pretty important?" He crossed his arms under his chest, elbows propping hip up against the lightly shifting sand as his weight partially buried him.

"I suppose you could say that."

The weather on that day wasn't as clear as they would have liked it, leading both Dunx and Crystal to reconsider using that time as their release date. Still, they powered forward. Too much time, money, and effort had been spent building to that day, and it was their time to truly break free. They wouldn't let a minor inconvenience like bad weather get in the way of their symbolic rebirth.

Of course, the joke about rebirth made Crystal desire him inside her in another way, thus teasing a bit of a private session between the two of them throughout that day.

Dunx was testing the helm for reliability and responsiveness while Crystal was testing her kitchen supplies both above and below deck, for the sake of posterity. They were still at port, so even if something went wrong they could get it fixed and repaired before leaving. When both were satisfied with their respective station checks, they met in the middle and stared lovingly at one another for a few minutes before saying anything.

Neither knew for certain if it was a good idea to leave the safety of the port, since the wind was picking up, the skies were gray and smothered in thick dark clouds, and the waves were choppy enough even to make their barge rock back and forth. Out of curiosity, they asked a random passerby what he thought of the weather, and if he - as a trained sailor - recommended it for them to sail in.

The black, red, and gold hippogryph shrugged his shoulders, and said that it didn't matter much. The wind was strong, sure, but it wasn't enough to wreck a mast or capsize a ship of any berth, let alone the width they had constructed their fishing trawl to do. Once they were convinced of the level of safety, they packed up, untied the mooring line, and were off even against the lingering fear that their inexperience was not factored into the decision.

Still, they quickly left the docks, with a heavy heart and adrenaline pumping through their body. This was it, their significant rebirth on the high seas. Northbound they sailed, high above the shores of Balico and past it towards the rocky cliffs of Balico where they were now enjoying a meal. On the way, the weather grew increasingly turbulent, and the wind became so powerful that they could barely speak to one another over the howl of it.

While the wind whipped at their sails, surging waves assaulting the hull, and a light rain pelted the deck, Crystal leaned in close to Dunx and shouted something at him with an adventurous smile on her face. He didn't know what she said, but he smiled and nodded back, all while doing his best to keep his hands on the rope tied to the sails for stability.

In truth, he didn't ponder much at what she said, since he imagined it was something about how fun it was, or how she wasn't going to die without a fight or some other powerful yet fun anecdote. Still, he couldn't get that excited, almost sinister look out of his mind and that was the only reason he knew what she was referring to when she asked about what she said.

"Oh, wait, I remember now. Yeah, I remember what you're talking about, but I still have no idea what you said. Why's it important now?" He admitted, slowly rolling onto his back in the sand next to her. He was staring up at the lightly clouded sky, his ears assaulted by the constant yet gentle crash of the waves.

Crystal brought both knees up and threw her head back into the wet sand, crossing wrists behind her neck. "Well, I don't want to be too sappy or anything, but I did say that-" She was cut off by the sound of a snapping branch just beyond the nearby treeline. The sudden sound had her flipped over onto all fours, tail up and hair standing on end from nape of the neck to base of her haunches.

Dunx wasn't quite as shocked or startled by the noise, since he had spent time on tropical islands in the past and having creatures such as snakes or leopards stepping on or weighing down sticks was no big deal, even if it was louder and closer than he was comfortable with. However, the timing couldn't be worse, since he was nearing the time he was about to find out what deeply moving words she'd said to him in the midst of a raging storm. "Probably just a snake or something, babe."

"Probably, sure, but we can't know for sure, how about we-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Dunx leaned in and pressed his lips to her cheek, cradling her chin with one paw as his tongue gently lapped at her fur. "Let it go, there's nothing I can't handle out here, that much I promise you. Now what were you saying about this life altering quote of yours that I so foolishly have ms-remembered? Or not remembered at all?"

She melted into his touch, purring as best she could without being a feline. "N-nothing. It's really no big deal. Let's just have our fun here, with each other, in the now." She grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pulled him onto her as she rolled onto her back. Her hands caressed his side and tickled at the base of his spine where all three tails twitched and pulsed against her touch. "I like to think I'm much better and happier now than I was on that day."

His lower body tingled as she massaged him through the thick fur, but he couldn't help but linger on the question of what she'd said. "Happier than the day we collectively realized our life's goal of starting a fishing boat of our own?"

"Yeah, of course. That day was pretty stressful, and the storm scared me. Sure, the adrenaline of making such a drastic change in our lives was a significant injection of pride into my ego, but it was also a potentially catastrophic source of anxiety. That bloke that we talked to before leaving, his ominous look when he said it'd be fine did not exactly fill me with courage. It was like he wanted us to fail. When the storm grew in potency, I began to worry that others - such as that hippogryph - knew something we didn't about the seas, and that we were dangerously under-experienced. One thing after another piling up to make me worried we were going to die." Though her words were dire, her expression was one of relief and contentedness.

Dunx tilted his head and lowered his bottom ear. "Really? I was having a great time. I thought you were enjoying the adventure with me."

"I was, but not without worry. But like I said, in the end what matters is that we're here, now, together with our boat floating just off shore. There's no worry, I know a lot more about the job and the dangers involved, I knew all I need about capturing lobster and raking a net through the depths to get a school of fish. It's a good life, and it affords us time together, where we can-"

Again, she was cut off mid-sentence as another snapping sound echoed out from between the trees a few dozen meters down the beach. "What the fuck was that? Seriously? Whatever it was, it moved!" She got to her feet and shook the sand clear of her fur, brushing it off as she glared towards the treeline.

This time, Dunx didn't assure her or talk her down from her shock, but he got to his knees, wrapped his arms around her lower legs, and tackled her to the ground on her rump. Before she could protest or kick, he parted her legs and dove in between her thighs, soft tongue lapping at her plump canine folds.

Her maw opened to chastise him, only to freeze with her tongue out, eyes rolling back as she felt his tongue on and in her. Slowly, she fell onto her back with her elbows spread for balance and her head arched so that she could keep an idle eye on the trees. Even with the sensuality and pleasure that his tongue was delivering to her flesh, she couldn't help but worry about what might be watching or crouched and ready to attack.

"Hmmmmm." He hummed into her as he repositioned himself between her legs with his body out in the shallows. His tongue deeply penetrated into her, parting her folds to expose the glistening pink of her depths with every lick. The humming intensified as he started to use his whole head to nuzzle and massage her inner thighs, complimenting the tongue movements. While he was up close with her, she brought a hand down and used two fingers to spread herself open, a third middle finger lightly tapping and rubbing the tiniest little clit within the crook of her triangular vulva.

She pressed her knuckles down against his snout to force a couple of digits into herself, but then immediately pulled out to let him bury his tongue in her again. Still, her head remained thrown back and flipped upside down to keep an eye out at the trees, but she was finding her resolve for caution waning as her nethers twitched and clenched against his tongue.

Crystal's depths were quite sweet to him, mixed with the light aroma of sea foam and canine musk right up in his snout that urged him forward with a series of light nuzzles and nips at her inner thighs in between his loving licks. When he returned to her depths, the very tip of his tongue lightly swept past her clit, making her whole body twitch, accented by a light yelp of pleasure. "Hmmm, good, good." He mumbled into her before shuffling forward, his body covering hers as he pressed her to the sand.

Dunx pressed his hips to her, the motion and angle peeling his sheath back to expose his flesh as he rubbed the underside of his shaft against her plump lips. At the same time, he leaned into her and bit at her neck, and only then did he notice that she was staring at the tree line so he grabbed her cheek and guided her towards him until he was able to lock in a kiss, jaws interlocked and eyes closed. That would get her mind back to him.

There was only a tinge of resistance in her body - not one of despair or reluctance, but of worry and fear. She wanted him, she wanted him to do this to her, but she couldn't pry her mind away from the dangers that lurked in the nearby shadows. Still, a kiss that deep and passionate was hard to avoid, so much so that she barely noticed when he grabbed himself and slipped the tip between her folds.

His form bucked up against hers as he plunged his member into her until the knot pressed to her plump lips. The kitsune's spine moved in waves, massaging her body and chest en route to a passionate bucking motion, his tails up high and flicking as he clenched his pelvic muscles to further intensify his pleasure and the girth of his member. His tongue explored her maw, dancing with hers as he undulated his body in waves, repeating motions to grind his knot to her lips.

She wrapped her legs up around his midsection, holding him in close as she caressed his cheek, still kissing him. Another snap came from the trees, followed by the rustling of leaves coming in closer to them, but she ignored it at his behest. Instead of focusing on what might be, she focused on what was by clenching her muscles tight against his member with enough force to nearly squeeze him out.

But Dunx felt her passion and used it for their mutual gain by slamming his hips into hers, the bulge of his soft knot squishing and squeezing against her folds while his hands explored her neck, cheeks, and shoulders. He could feel her hand sliding down between them before it came to squeeze his knot, and that was yet another thing that made him twitch and grind into her.

Unlike his mate, Dunx was able to ignore and distance himself from the potential threat of danger nearby. He didn't care and he wasn't worried thanks to the capabilities he possessed, so he was able to single-mindedly focus on mating with her. The pressure of her fingers and lips allowed his throbbing knot to squeeze in through her vulva, allowing his girth to lurch forward into her pussy with ease.

She let out a howl of pleasure, pulling away from his kiss and dipping her spine upwards into him, legs and thighs wrapped firmly around him to keep him in place as the bulging lobes grew inside her. She grunted and yipped into the air as her paws clawed at his chest, tail flicking out beneath them both and feet curling in pleasure. "Th-that's right!" She gasped, only to be distracted by another rustling nearby, this time closer than any of the other times. For a brisk moment, she thought she saw the angular curve of something poking out between the shadowed tree trunks.

Of course, her distraction was limited by the swelling pressure of the knot inside her and Dunx's series of pecks, kisses, and licks all over her face and neck. Though he was already deep inside her with his member throbbing to life as strands of pre-seed lubricated her walls, he was also pleasuring her in other ways with his hands and lips, like a proper mate should. Of course, his focused mind was also he cause of an absenteeism that left him open to attack.

In the final moments of his tie locking inside her, he caught a glimpse of a large creature stepping out from the jungle's tree line. It was a gryphon, much larger than the both of them and coated with snowy-white fur and feathers, but dotted and slashed with black mottling and stripes, a light golden brown around its neck. It was staring right at them as it walked forward, like a lion hunting prey with belly low to the ground.

Crystal jerked herself out of the trance of pleasure she was enjoying to roll on her side, her motion tugging on his knot and threatening to release it from her depths. The two of them stared helplessly as the gryphon stepped closer, its front talons sinking into the sand and slashing strips in it with every step. They didn't know what to say or what to do, and they were tied together so it wasn't like they could get up and run, so Dunx raised a hand, preparing to defend himself by any means necessary.

"Put that down." The gryphon commanded. "I'm not some feral beast you have to defend yourself from." Her voice was deep, a sort of androgynous where it could be a male as well, but Dunx could tell what it was and what it meant.

"So why are you....watching us?" He asked, sidling up next to his mate to relieve the pressure from her pulling his knot. "Why come out now?"

The gryphon slowly bowed, closing her eyes as she stepped forward. "What does it matter? I'm hungry, and I think it's about your time to pay the beach tax."

Crystal barked at her. "What are you talking about with a beach tax? Nobody owns this beach, and this is the dragon nation, you have no more place here than we do!" She was naturally defiant, but even more so due to the fact that she was filled with Dunx's knot. "So back off, bird."

"You think you have a place to stay here? Couple of fishers on the open seas think they can settle down wherever? I get the impression you don't actually know who I am, or what I represent in this region of the Ijimulian. So allow me to introduce myself. I am Ceylon the Commander of the Seas, captain of the Spirit of Dalonia, and you're intruding on my vacation spot."

Dunx and Crystal both went pale - well, Crystal went pale, Dunx was already as white as could be with only the faintest hint of blue highlighting his body - as they realized what that meant. They spent two years at sea aboard the Northern Frost of Unity, one of the largest naval ships found in the region. The only ones larger were the flagship of the CDA known as the Gem of the Ijimulian, and the dreaded pirate ship known as the Spirit of Dalonia. The Spirit was the flagship of the navy's opposing force known as the Nautical Liberation Force, a conglomerate of pirate and merchant ships set to oppose the rule of the land.

And, if this gryphoness was to be believed, she was the captain of the ship. Only half of that made sense to Dunx, since he was to understand that the Spirit of Dalonia was headed by a drake, not a mare, though the colors matched the paintings he'd seen. Of course, his defiance manifested in a potentially lethal way. "Prove it." He commanded. The moment the words left his maw, he felt his knot shrink inside her, at least until she clenched up in response, further drawing more into his loins to keep them tied together.

Ceylon pulled away and tilted her head a bit, beak curved in a grin while her eyes narrowed. "Really? You're going to test me while you're helpless? I've just said I'm hungry, you're perfectly meal sized and unable to move, and you have the audacity to command proof of my status from me? Curious, and somewhat foolish." She walked around the two of them, keeping a tight circle with each step, never taking her intense blue eyes off the lovers.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that." Crystal clarified, gently shifting her weight until she was over top of Dunx, squatting on his hips with him on his back in the sand. "I mean, he'd never be that stupid, I don't think." She glared down at him breathing heavily as she tried her best to sutbly force his knot from herself in vain.

Still, Ceylon kept circling them like a vulture. "Well, I'm sure you could satisfy me, feed me, and prove your worth to me and I might be able to keep you around, eh?" Her tail whipped around like a snake, the end splitting into three pink-fleshed jaws, each with four rows of needlepoint teeth. "Or maybe I can just enjoy you both more directly and be done with it."

Dunx had a thousand things going through his mind as he tried his best to think up some sort of witty retort. The two most glaring curiosities were concerning Ceylon's intentions and the authenticity of the claims of being a captain. When the gryphon first arrived, she claimed to not be a threat, yet was here insinuating she'd make a meal of the lovers. Furthermore, she claimed to be a captain, but there was no crew or ship in the region. Something wasn't adding up.

"If you are who you say you are, why are you here, alone on the shores of north Rissen? Did your crew leave you stranded here alone? Did they tire of your shenanigans and shanghai you?" Again, the moment the venomous barb left his lips, he regretted it.

In one fluid motion, Ceylon dove up close to him, leaving her beak hovering just above his snout while she glanced up and down between the two lovers. "Do you really think it to be smart, insulting my intelligence? Even if I'm not who I say, I'm still a predator, alone on a beach with two delectable morsels before me." As she spoke, Dunx could catch glimpses of the bright red flesh in her maw, lined by similar snake-like teeth along the ridges of her gums. She was drooling a bit, but not nearly as badly as her tail end was salivating at the promise of two delicious, tied lovers.

Against his own established bravado, Dunx shook his head and held Crystal to his chest. "I apologize, just...if you're hungry, I suppose we could go back to the barge, get you some fish, and-"

"Do I look like I eat fish?" Ceylon asked, shaking her head with a look of disdain.

Both Crystal and Dunx glanced nervously at one another, eyes darting back and forth before answering. "Y-yeah, you do." Crystal affirmed. "Your avian parts, they....look a lot like one of the sea-raptors of my home land. You look exactly like a fish eating gryphon."

Ceylon snapped her beak towards them, holding back just far enough to keep from biting down on either of them, the hooked tip raking through the long fur between Crystal's ears before stepping back and sitting back on her haunches. "I suppose you're right. They call me an osprey, and they are known for eating fish, so I suppose you're right. I tip my cap to you both. Good point." As she conceded, her tail snaked its way up and under her wings to open its maw, drooling a slimy puddle at her feet. "Oh, stop it, you. There's plenty of prey out there."

"Are you talking to your ass-end?" Asked Dunx, his inquiry meant more as a genuine curiosity than an insult or jab at the gryphon predator.

"Well, yes and no. I'd say my tail has a mind of its own, but it doesn't; I just like to personify it to scare people I plan on feeding to it." She winked once, then leapt forward, letting her tail lash forward, striking like a snake only to come short, as her beak had. The motion still splattered the both of them with saliva and a faintly pink ooze from its gullet before all three jaws snapped shut.

Dunx and Crystal flinched, holding each other close before noticing that the snake-like tail hadn't actually grabbed them. When they looked back up through squinted eyes, they saw Ceylon standing tall over them, chest puffed out and eyes glaring down at them.

"Are you going to toy with us or let us go or what?" Crystal asked, a defiant yet vulnerable tone in her voice. It was clear that she was cracking under the gryphon's taunts and aggressive jabs.

As she spoke, Ceylon's tail closed up and nuzzled her like a puppy into her heck, the lips between the three jaws leaking thick gooey mess all over the place, gumming up her shoulder. "Why would I want to let you go? I can tell just by looking at you that you're both quite delicious! No, you'll be in my bellies soon enough." She rolled over onto her back with wings spread for stability in the sand, three feet up and one rubbing her lower torso as she licked her beak.

Finally, Dunx was feeling his knot shrink inside her, and this time he could tell she wasn't going to make the mistake of clenching again. They'd hopefully be able to bolt out away from the gryphoness and be able to make it back to the boat before she made a meal of them. As such, Dunx decided to stall her a bit. "So, why would you want to eat us instead of something cooked? You're not a feral beast, so it's not like you need raw meat. My mate here can cook a mean lobster dish, if you're into that."

"I can cook myself just fine." Ceylon asserted, her tail slithering forward to curl around the back of Crystal's neck, squeezing it tight in a gentle constriction without obstructing her ability to breathe. "But go on. Sounds to me like you're begging for your lives, but as I said that's not necessary."

"Because you'll eat us anyway?" Crystal scoffed.

"No, because I have no intention of killing you. What good are you to me dead? My ship needs a crew, and I can see you're both very talented. Far as I'm concerned, eating you is a means to an end." She shrugged and rolled back to her feet, pulling her tail away from Crystal's neck.

Both lovers were confused. Sure, they engaged in some playful nomming fun between the two of them, but nothing about this sinister gryphon indicated she was anything but malicious towards them. Curious and confounded, Dunx shook his head clear of the confusion to ask, "So you want to eat us but....what then? What could you possibly want with us?" Just then, he felt a lurch as his member jerked free of her tight depths. They glanced each other int he eye, knowing what was next.

"Well, we could always use more cooks and fishers. But, really, I guess the only way to test your mettle is to have a go at you regardless of what you have to say. Go from there."

Before Ceylon could do anything, Dunx pushed Crystal off himself and jumped to his feet. The two of them lunged forward into the shallows, only to have Ceylon's tail strike at him from behind, wrapping the three jaws around either side of his skull and the top of his head, neeldepoint teeth digging into his flesh through the fur and pulling him back off his feet. He watched helplessly as Crystal splashed away, paws slicing through the shallow water.

When Crystal noticed what was happening, she slowed to a stop and turned to look back at Dunx, shaking her head in disdain. "N-no."

"Well that was rather foolish, wasn't it? What did you think was going to happen when you tied to swim for your barge? That the sea bird with able wings wouldn't catch you?" She deeply sighed as her tail spun Dunx into a series of coils. "I told you that you don't have to be scared, I have no intention of hurting you here. I'm just hungry and want to keep you for myself!" As her tail squeezed, it forced Dunx's gaze to catch a glimpse of her meaty, plump black fleshed rump and moist mare vulva up her plot. It would have been enticing if she wasn't threatening to eat him, and if he wasn't mated to Crystal.

"What are you going to do now?" She asked, standing defiantly against Ceylon, fists balled at her sides and tail stiff out behind her. "What do you want from us?"

Ceylon narrowed her eyes as her tail released its grip on the back of Dunx's head. "I don't mean to be rude, but I've been very clear with my intentions. I don't know how much clearer I could be; I need crew, ones with your skills and interests. And I can't think of a better way to introduce you to my world than this!" She glanced back to her tail, which positioned itself to slide all three maws over Dunx's snout, one on either side and the third cradling his chin so he could see but not speak. "So if you want to join your friend here, might wanna come back to shore with him. Like I said, I promise you'll be fine, but you have to trust in me."

Dunx shook his head, fear in his eyes. Though Ceylon's words were of peace, her words were certainly aggressive in all the wrong ways. A single tear welled up in his eye as he told her through his gaze to run.

But she didn't run. She stepped forward, fists still balled up as she got in close enough for Ceylon to attack. "Do your worst, bird. I can't bare to leave without him, and you won't part us."

"Exactly!" Ceylon said as she stood up tall on all fours, chest puffed out and beak agape. Before Dunx could call out or she could resist, the grypon pounced on her with front talons forward and beak gaped open wide to completely engulf her from head to chest, with the curve of the beak stabbing at her lower back and tongue caressing her chest between her breasts.

Dunx wanted to call out, to protest this affront to his mate, but the tail held him as tight as a snake would to force him to watch helplessly. While he mumbled and cried out into the soft flesh of the tail's maw, he saw Ceylon lift her up high off her feet and into the air, where she bobbed her head and opened beak as far as it would go, a distinct Crystal-sized bulge sliding through the gryphon's gullet.

In a desperate attempt at saving Crystal, he jerked to get free of the tail, only to have it squeeze tighter to the point it nearly made him pass out. As the blood was forced into his head, his vision blurred and grew fuzzy, leaving the image of his mate swirling and throbbing like a painting caught in the rain. When his sight returned to mostly clear, he was greeted with an up-close image of Ceylon's gullet wide and hungry, Crystal's kicking and thrashing feet resisting his gullet.

The gryphon was too hungry to let that go; her maw flesh was dripping with saliva and the back-facing teeth inside her beak ensured that she could move only in one direction. Bit by bit, her calves were swallowed up by Ceylon's fleshy maw, leaving only her feet and tail sticking out when the gryphoness closed her beak up tight and gulped. A clearly defined, yet writhing shape of her slid down her gullet, pressing out with knees and elbows and hands every bit of the way. After an initial lurch, she seemed to rest in Ceylon's crop before sliding into the avian's belly.

And that was it. Dunx was defeated, coiled by a tail too strong to resist even with his powers, and a maw prepared to swallow him face first. As the hope drained from him, he felt the tail's length shift around him, gently loosening and freeing up almost a meter near the end where the maw was wrapped around his snout. Having given up, he actually leaned into it, the stretchy nature of it expanding to accommodate his muzzle with ease.

Deep down inside, he wasn't too worried anymore. He'd been eaten by many, many others in the past and survived, and contrary to the gryphon's aggressive nature, she had said time and time again that the prey would be fine. Dunx knew such a thing was possible, so at this point he was focusing on all the different ways he'd be fine. At least the predator in this situation was kind, by swallowing her all at once instead of chomping down or drawing any blood. Even Dunx was - aside from the extra tight squeeze and sharpness of the teeth on his snout - being gently cradled.

Yeah, it'd all be fine. Nobody would put that much effort into reassuring prey they would be fine if it wasn't true. No, of course not. Even as the three jaws slid over his snout to smother him in soft pink flesh, he couldn't help but concoct a dozen scenarios in his mind where he'd meet her in the middle, somewhere inside Ceylon he'd see Crystal again, and they'd go to wherever they would end up together, as it should be.

The outreaching jaws inched their way over him so their lips were over his cheek, so he closed his eyes and focused on the sensations of Ceylon's tail-based gullet stretching and expanding to accommodate him. He even nuzzled into the malleable flesh, noting that it expanded with ease, and despite Ceylon's thin tail, he had no doubt it'd be able to swallow him with ease. Even more expansive than a similarly sized snake.

One by one, the coils released him as the three toothy jaws forced their way past his ears, over his skull, and down to his shoulders. At this point he had kept his breath held, for fear of what would happen if he tried to inhale, but that didn't stop him from pushing up and into the surprisingly soft flesh that smothered him. He could feel the jaws clamped down around his upper body, the crooks in the three cheeks stuck on his shoulders until he squeezed them in to make it easier.

Ceylon had won, no point in resisting in a way that could hurt him or make him bleed.

As such, he soon felt the tail's maw rotate and force itself down, all three jaws grabbing and pulling at his flesh a bit at a time until the gullet had engulfed his entire upper body. He was naked, so it wasn't like any clothes would get int he way. In one heaving lurch, all the muscles of the tail's length extended so that the jaws slid over him and past his hips, leaving him standing straight in a fleshy cocoon of gryphon tail with only his tails and legs below the threshold.

Then, in a sudden squeezing motion, he felt the tail hoist him into the air, inverting him so his feet were high in the sky and his head was angled down. As he wriggled and writhed about inside trying to get a proper, comfortable position, he found that he was able to move and shift easily, pressing his hands out into the flesh as though it were a thick membrane moreso than a thick-walled gullet. He could even see the faintest wisps of diffused light through the thin pink flesh, feathers, and fur around him, allowing him to see vague shapes of the trees and rocky cliffs nearby.

Every motion and grind he made let him slide a little bit deeper, the distended gullet dipping at his location and stretching out against his snout, palms, and feet. With another clench around his feet, he felt the jaws close behind him to trap him inside, cutting off any chance he had of escaping. That moment, he chose to relax and inhale, filling his lungs with the slick fluid that smothered him and filled in the racks and wrinkles of the gullet flesh around him.

At first he felt a sharp pain in his chest that made him twitch and writhe in pain, only to find that it actually calmed him in an odd way. Gradually, with each passing second, he felt more serene and accepting than he was when he first felt the jaws slide over his face. Content, he folded his hands over his chest, feeling the squish of the fluids that soaked his fur between his fingers. Slowly, the muscles tightened from feet to hips, forcing him through the slide of her tail until his forward-facing snout hit a tighter, more enclosed space.

He must have reached the point the tail met the rump, as he could feel the plump cheeks squeezing his snout and the pale light of outside was dimmed before the clenching muscles of the tail forced him into her torso. With the aid of a pleasured wriggle, he found his entire body sliding through that tight bottleneck to burst through another tight opening into a more roomy area. Might have been the belly, except he couldn't feel Crystal nearby, and that made him panic a bit.

As he reached forward, he found the back wall of whatever pouch of internal flesh he'd made it to, only to have the muscles in the tail coil in a tight wavy S-bend, spine asserting pressure on his lower end. Another lurch forward and he found himself flipping around inside her, resting with rump up and head towards a firm plug-like surface, his entire body in fetal position with tail curled up between the legs that were all folded on his belly.

The peculiar location, the abrupt end of the passage, and the firm rim of flesh his head came to be near indicated that he was in her womb, but was deposited there through the tail. Interesting and peculiarly sexy, but also a little odd.

Nearby, he could hear and feel the gurgle of her belly and the throb of her heart, lightly accented by the similar writhing of another form just beyond the fleshy pouch of her womb. He extended a paw to press against the womb's wall, to which Crystal matched in the gryphon's belly. As he was making a connection with her, he felt an odd massaging sensation coming from the position of what he assumed was a cervix in the shape of fingers.

Best he could figure, Ceylon was caressing herself, fingering or fisting at her own depths to put Dunx away for good. Of course, that was the best he could make out before an inescapable fatigue took over him and he fell into a light sleep that stripped him of the lucidity he needed to keep his focus on his lover. The gooey fluid around him seemed to fill up every bit of her womb, leaving him floating into nothingness.

Around him, a sudden lurch of fluids escaped all at once, leaving him soaking wet but still sensually smothered in the soft walls of Ceylon's womb. Before he could comprehend where he was an what was happening, all the muscles tightened around him and he felt his snout forced through the now-gaping cervix and into her birth canal.

Due to the difference in size between Dunx and Ceylon, he slid out with ease, lurching through her pussy and onto a hard wood floor beneath him in a gooey puddle of albumen. He shook himself clean and coughed a few times to clear his lungs of the fluid, and as he looked up he saw around him a massive frigate, with two snakes in the rigging, Ceylon squatting over him, and a few other dragons and humans all watching intently. Next to him, was Crystal in an equal state of awe at the scene around them.

As he glanced over the side of the ship, he saw the familiar cooking pot flag of his own fishing barge, and that familiar image helped him to realize that, yes, he was fine. As he blinked to clear his eyes of goop, he saw that Crystal felt the same way.

"Welcome to the Spirit of Dalonia!" Ceylon introduced with sincere excitement.