The Bard in the Blizzard

Story by Isiat Squire Carcer on SoFurry

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#2 of Legends of Hyrule

So, this story might have been a new record for me. 5000+ words in 4 hours and 20 minutes. I had a blast writing this little continuation, and there's hopefully still more to come! (geddit? :P Lames jokes, I'm sorry.) I always did want to either get art of or use Kass in my writing. Sorry, but whomever works on the art department for these new games with anthro characters is clearly a Furry, I mean, just look at the Spyro remaster :P

In this continuation, Shadi ventures into the snowy regions of North Western Hyrule, only to get lost in a blizzard, and who should appear to rescue her but everyone's Favorite traveling Minstrel, Kass! Enjoy!

UPDATE: Awesome new cover art by FA: khaleesi. Grah! I Love it!

The ever lovely Shadi (c) herself

Breath of the wild and so on (c) Nintendo


In hindsight, attempting to tackle the Hebra mountains by most accounts, was foolish in itself for one as small as her. The stubborn little tan furred lioness had been heedless to advice, and reading the posted warnings written in the Rito's nigh illegible version of Hylian chicken scratch hadn't exactly been the easiest thing. Besides, who posted notices about this kind of thing!? She figured that board had been there for the last hundred years, and the faded paper on it just as long!

Her long, fluffy tipped tail curled around herself tightly, defensively warding of the snow that was gusting through the mountains, quickly shaping up to be whipped into a blizzard at a moment's notice. At best, she could see perhaps fifty feet ahead of her, and the snowfall was becoming more intense by the minute. When she'd set out a few hours ago, it had been perfectly calm and clear dammit!

She shivered from head to toe, her teeth threatening to chatter from the bitter cold. Even with the thick snow clothes she wore, in the face of the blizzard it felt like she may as well have been wearing naught more than a thin shirt and leggings. She plowed forward though- going backwards simply risked her loosing her way, and any attempt at lighting a fire out here would simply result in wet sticks and sparks.

She turned her head, using one hand to shield her eyes from the wind. Behind her, her tracks were vanishing as quickly as she was making them, the howling gale erasing any trace of her presence even as it threatened to do likewise to her.

Great. I couldn't find my way back in this if I wanted to. She thought bitterly, dragging her feet through the heavy white powder that was quickly turning to slush up to her knees. Her teeth were chattering now and her ear tips burning from the cold. She hadn't been able to feel her toes or fingers for a few minutes now, and she was sure that if she locked at a reflection of herself, her nose would be glaringly red.

Well... At least whoever found her would have lots of pretty sketches of the hills in her journal and photos on the Sheikah slate at her belt. Assuming anyone found her and she didn't just end up buried beneath ten feet of snow. She wrapped her tail around her waist, and hunched over, trying desperately to keep as much heat in her core as she could as she staggered forwards.

Her head was spinning, the howling wind holding an eerie melody, like it was whispering the final notes of her life. She couldn't feel anything now, her entire body beginning to go through the stages of shutdown as the cold seeped into her very core, chilling her right down to her bones. The edges of her vision were starting to fade, and futilely, she tried to brush the ice forming on her eyebrows away.

The notes seemed clearer now, even over the howling wind. Something else was howling along with it... No, not howling. It wavered, rising and falling in an even tempo, defying the chaos of the blizzard with its ordered and low swinging notes, all perfectly punctuated and timed together.

Why can I hear music? Who would be out in this... Playing music of all things?!

She pressed onwards, a renewed burst of vigor for life sustaining her that little bit longer that she needed, fighting through the flurry of white in front of her. She could barely see her outstretched paw as she stumbled onwards, following the sweet sound of the melody like her life depended on it. She opened her mouth to call out, but her voice was snatched away by the tempest the moment her lips parted. Frantic in her search, her tripped over a buried stone, and found herself engulfed in a blanket of white.

In a frenzy, she tried to right herself, digging fistfuls of the snow as she quietly croaked out in a plea for help. The music had stopped she realized as the cold overcame her, her head swimming in and out of consciousness as in desperation, she let out a pathetic mewl. There was nobody out here. I'm going to die, covered in snow and frozen. She slumped, taking a long, last breath.

A massive, feathered hand thrust through the snow, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt and hauled her effortlessly out of the powder, lifting her up and pressing her against a thick, broad chest of feathers.

"There you are! I knew I heard somebody calling. You're fortunate I have sharp ears!" The male spoke with a gentle, soothing tone, much like that sweet music earlier. Shadi found herself wearing a deliriously dopey smile as the huge Rito carried her like a babe in his arms. "Let us get you out of this wind and by a fire to warm up."

His camp wasn't far, set up inside the mouth of a cave with a fire roaring beneath an iron cookpot, some kind of vegetable soup bubbling merrily inside of it. He deposisted her on the bedroll beside the flames, draping a thick blanket across her shivering form as he fetched a mug of the still steaming soup, thrusting the cup into her shaking paws.

"Drink that. You'll feel much warmer in no time." He said, settling down onto the ground nearby. It was only now in the dancing firelight Shadi got a good look at her hulking hero. He was unlike any other Rito she had seen. Most were lean and lanky, thin and strong, but without any real defined muscle to them.

This one was almost their polar opposite. Thickset and towering, his beak was the size of her entire head alone, with a coat of vibrant blue and gold feathers, and plumage of red adorning his crown. He looked over her with soft, golden eyes though that betrayed a far gentler nature than his figure might portray, a smile crossing his features.

"You were lucky I was out here. Much longer and you might have been lost forever out here, or worse. Go on, drink up." He insisted, reaching out with a single feathered finger to tap the bottom of the warm cup clasped between her paws. She slowly brought it up to her lips. The soup felt like it was near scalding, but she figured that was simply because of how cold she felt.

It was rich, thick and flavorful with the taste of herbs and spices readily apparent, and just a few moments after the first gulp disappeared down her gullet, her entire body flushed with renewed warmth, the sensation immediately returning to her extremities. Her teeth quickly stopped chattering, and by the time the mug was drained, she felt like she had been curled up beside the fire like a lazy cat all day, pleasantly warm from the tips of her ears to the tip of her tail, which swished happily behind her.

Finally, she found her voice again, offering the Rito a polite smile and a gentle nod in thanks for well... Saving her life.

Her chuckled, returning the gesture with a gentle incline of his head, his black beak opening as he spoke.

"I suppose you're wondering what I was doing out here? My name is Kass, I'm a... Storyteller of sorts, but my main role is a traveling minstrel. I'd heard hearsay of a tribe of Lizfols in the mountains who play strange, tribal rhythms around their fires in the night, and was hoping I might be able to listen in for inspiration for a new sonnet I'm composing." He gave a polite shrug, reaching around behind himself to drag an odd wooden box up into his lap.

Shadi watched with an odd fascination as he undid a leather strap in the center, and popped a cover off of each end, before she realized what the sound she had heard was! An accordion!

"I... I heard you playing through the blizzard. I was following the sound when I tripped and fell. I was sure I'd just been hearing things."

Kass chuckled heartilly, straining the box's folds apart with a low note as he warmed up with the instrument, noodling a soft melody as he watched her.

"Did it sound like this perchance?" he asked.

"Exactly... I'm... I'm Shadi." She finally remembered her politeness, having been so distracted with warming up that she'd all but forgotten to introduce herself. "I came here to try and find out all I could about Hyrule... The records are very, very old where I'm from. Nobody had bothered updating them for decades, and so when we heard it the calamity had ended, I set out from-"

"The farlands, beyond the Ocean? I've only ever met one other with one of those slates on their person. I figured that more must have survived with those who fled generations ago." He smiled, gesturing to the Sheikah slate that was still tied to her waist as the sound of his playing filled the cave, the warmth of the fire and music chasing any traces of the cold away as surely as the soup had.

"And he was quiet a big deal, as it turns out... Perhaps you will be the same in your journey." he commented like it was more of a suggestion than a hypothesis, giving her a playful look with those bright eyes of his.

"You're... Not like the other Rito I've met. I just came from the village-"

"Ahh! Perhaps you met my wife then? She has plumage like the blue sea, and my five daughters are hard to miss." There was a wistful tone in his voice, and Shadi got the sense that perhaps he was a little homesick. She did recall the pleased looking Rito woman however, herding a flock of children along the paths with her wings.

He predicted her next question with a glance, pausing in his playing for just a moment as he cleared his throat.

"The life of a traveling minstrel isn't an easy one, but the stables and cities pay well for an uplifting tune, and for my recital of the champions. Many have tried to replicate my feat, but none can get it quite right. The water is always purest from the source, after all." He started back into a new song, gently rocking the accordion as his long, feather fingers on his wingtips danced across the keys, provoking the box to produce sweet, soothing notes.

"I do miss them from time to time, but my roads always lead home in the end, and there are many delights and comforts to be found on the journey after all! Take yourself for instance. If I hadn't been traveling, the world might have been devoid your pleasure much sooner than it ought to be."

Shadi nodded again, grateful that he had saved her. Slowly, she reached over and drew something from her pack, pulling her journal out along with a few graphite pencils. Lit by the fire as he was, it was too perfect a scene to pass up the opportunity to capture.

Noticing her, Kass shifted slightly, picking up his instrument and playing with a fresh energy about him.

"Make sure you get my good side, yes?" He offered in a quiet tease, setting himself as still as he could for her while still being flexible enough to continue his recital.

True to form for someone trying to document everything she could, she did her best to capture him as faithfully as she could, from the details of the feathers around his eyes to the way the leather vest and what little fabric he did wear as modest coverings had clearly been crafted to fit his unordinary stature. The graphite scratched against the paper, and satisfied with her first drawing, she quickly flipped the page to start another.

They chattered idly as she drew, and Kass played various tunes he'd learned from his adventures, regaling her with tales of his journey, of his favorite sites to visit, and the best places to sleep out under the stars. He stoked the fire when it grew low, fetching some more wood to keep the flames burning brightly before he shot her a grin, winking at the feline slyly from beside the stone ring of the firepit.

"Maybe a different angle? You'll want to get all the details if this is a history book you're writing after all." He suggested, quietly setting his accordion down as he stood, and reached up to unbutton his vest. Shadi's cheeks and nose turned a bright pink as he slid the coverings off, setting them down beside the bedroll before he lay down on his side, his taloned feet close by the fire, and his head propped up on the end of one wing. "Like this, perhaps?"

Shadi's blush didn't fade at all as she tried to hide behind the leather-bound book, before she peeked bravely over the top of her pages.

Gods be damned, the bird is a Daddy! Her mind squealed excitedly within the confines of her head, and she quickly started drawing to distract herself. As a specimen of masculinity went, he was superb. Despite being a father of five (Or more, for all she knew!), he was chiseled and built like he could carry a horse over his shoulders without breaking a sweat. Soft, downy white plumage covered his chest down to his thighs, where his legs cut off to the more traditional taloned lower common to other Rito.

She sketched quickly, but with all the detail she could, before setting the journal down, and fetching up her Sheikah slate in her paws, snapped a quick picture as well.

"So..." Kass started casually as she tucked everything away again, but paused at his word. "How much all have you learned of the Rito, Shadi?"

She blushed, the image of her being bent over that stump outside the village immediately flashing to mind.

"Uh... Far more than I had expected to." She stammered the honest answer, before a feathered hand lightly reached out to cover her paw, stopping her just short of setting the slate away with her other belongings.

"May I?" He politely asked. She hesitated just a moment, before relinquishing the slate to him. He'd been more than polite and gracious to her... it really was the least she could do to repay him for rescuing her.

Fascinatedly, he ran his fingers across the screen, bringing up the records of her journey so far, checking over the entries and notes she'd added to it.

"Hmmm... It's not quite complete yet, not but you've made some good progress..." He chuckled, flicking through her pictures before he stopped at one in particular, reading the attached note.

Shadi knew instantly which one it was by the way the naked avians chest seemed to swell, a low chuckle escaping him as he turned to slate to show the two nude Rito running up the walkway.

"Had a run in with those two, hmmm? Your notes on Rito anatomy are... Not quite correct. Perhaps I could help you detailing them?" The large male suggested with an all too knowing sort of smirk on his beak, and if Shadi's face could have turned a brighter shade of pink, it would have.

She stammered for a response, even as he body thrummed at the prospect of seeing just how to scale Rito anatomy was...

"What, uh... What about your wife?" She reminded him with a raised eyebrow.

"She knows the road is lonely, and that every bird leaves the nest sometimes. So long as my heart is hers, and I return at the end of the journey, I'm sure she won't mind. I'm sure if you run into her again, she'd even compare notes with you." He added with a soft laugh, before petting the side of the bedroll near himself.

"After all, the nights are long and cold up here, and you'll need to be out of those clothes before you catch another chill... Body heat is the best way to share warmth out here in the wilds."

Yes, share body heat with you warming under my tail... Despite her reservations, she had stripped down in what felt like record time, laying down next to Kass as the Rito pulled her back against his chest with one massive wing engulfing her like a bearhug, his feathered fingers gently groping at her breasts. The touch made her body tense, and a quiet gasp escaped her as she made herself relax and sink back against his soft plumage.

"There you are... Those two couldn't have possibly taught you what a proper Rito mating is like, the savages. Besides... They're not me." He said with a playfully arrogant 'ho-hum' sort of trill sound. He lowered his face into the soft fur of her neck, and gently groomed there with the end of his beak, placing what felt a slow, tender row of kisses across her life vein. She purred, tilting her head to expose herself further to his exploring, the lioness submitting herself to the bird's affections.

"Typically, Rito start with grooming each other... Some sweet nibbles here..." Kass began as he suckled softly on the side of her throat, before scooting down slowly with practiced motions, his feathery digits pinching her nipples between them, rolling the sensitive nubs.

"A soft pinch there..." He continued as she let out a breathy moan, feeling her entire body reacting as if he was playing her like an instrument, strumming all the right notes.

"Gentle pets... Elsewhere..." He gave a soft, warbling squawk, as his feathers dipped down lower between her thighs, finding the heat of her outer lips, already beginning to pinken with her arousal.

The touch was electric, running his feathers across the length of her slit, teasingly parting them softly around his fingers as he probed at her defences. Shadi's arousal matted the feathers as he stroked her gently, building her up slowly with each careful brush of his hand.

"After all, the opening is the most vital part of a first impression. If a male makes a mistake there, his chances of successfully wooing his chosen mate are greatly reduced." Kass spoke with soft tones, his voice projecting clearly and as smooth as silk as he rolled her onto her back, his beak closing over one of her nipples.

Shadi's back arched as she hissed in pleasure, pushing her breast up against his hard beak while the avian's thick tongue brushed over her body again and again in tight little circuits of the quickly stiffening nipple, tracing her dark areolas as he explored the pleasures that her unique body had to offer.

She didn't resist at all, eagerly groaning in bliss as she lifted her hips as well, spreading her thighs as one of Kass's large feathers pushed into her moist honeypot gently, the sensation unlike anything else she had ever experienced. Her juices flowed like nectar, sticky and slick as it clung to his gently gyrating finger and her inner walls alike, her body twisting with his touch.

"Hmm... You might be a tight fit there kitten. Think you can handle it all?" He asked her with barely a hint of concern. If anything, it felt to her like he was simply daring her to. Shadi reached her paw out, feeling along his thighs until she reached his hip, her own nimble digits wrapping their soft, leathery pads around something hard, and thick, and long that throbbed as she grasped it, her hand not fitting all the way around his girth. A trickle of messy precum dribbled down over her digits, and she gave him a few swift strokes, drawing more of the aromatic liquid from his copiously leaking tip.

"He's huge! There's no way~" Even as she thought it, she was biting her lip and moaning an affirmative to the bird, primal lust overruling what concerns her rational mind had. She could deal with being sore afterwards, as long as it meant he fucked her with that log that could make a stallion blush.

She nodded firmly, her pre-slickened paw gliding up and down the bird's smooth breeding rod as her nether lips trembled in anticipation, moisture clinging to his feathers as he rolled his wingtip, shifting and grinding his dexterous knuckles around before he finally withdrew, letting the entire feathery digit glide like a brush across her clit.

She bit her lip, stifling a cry before the feather came up to her lips. Almost on instinct, she took it into her mouth, sucking his finger clean of her honey.

"Make all the sweet music you want Shadi... There's nobody around for miles who can hear. Only you and me..." Kass's voice whispered in her ear like silk as he popped her nipple from his beak, sliding up behind her and pulling her comparatively tiny frame against his chest, the curve of her rump cheeks cradling the thick girth of his maleness between them.

He shifted again, reaching between her thighs to angle his jutting shaft against her sex lips, and Shadi gave a soft whimper that was a delicious mixture of anticipation, nervousness, and arousal all rolled into one.

"Shhh... Relax, and breathe... Let me show you how a real Rito takes his mate." That was the only warning she got as one wing wrapped around her torso from beneath, the other holding her hips tightly as he pushed himself against her with a grunt.

Her body didn't resist the intrusion at all, opening like a flower in the spring to accept the generously endowed bird as he spread her around his girth like a ripe peach, delving deep and not halting until his tip was pushed firmly against her cervix with more inches to spare before her rump would be pressed flush against his hips.

"Ahhh~ We'll need to work on that little bird... Your kind might not have wings, but I promise I can make you soar." He chirped as he drew back, huffing loudly as her clenching body fought to keep him hilted inside of her passage. The next thrust drew a long and loud moan from her, unashamedly enjoying the feeling of this studdly Rito plowing her fields. Her paws reached back, grabbing handfuls of his firm rear just beneath his fanned tail as he thrust into her again, her grip helping him drive another inch into her, dimpling that innermost barrier.

She let him hear her sweet music alright, crying out and squirming in his gentle, yet firm embrace. The male held her steady as Shadi tumbled wantonly over the edge of her peak, her body squeezing and milking the male in her eagerly as her claws left rows of scratches to remember her by on his rump. She clung on for dear life until at last her body calmed, and she took in a heaving breath, trying to recover. Her tail was raised and pressed against his chest, and her slit messily kissed the base of his shaft, smearing kitty cream across the downy fluff of his groin as she wriggled in his lap, drawing out the last little teases of her climax.

Good lords, he's thick! If he can do that with just a few thrusts... Her thoughts turned to a fine goo, much like the smears of cum across Kass's waist. Gently, he picked her up as he shifted into a sitting position, turning her atop of him so that she was face to chest with him, having to look up to meet his gentle, but still hungry gaze.

"Are you ready to continue?" He asked, and Shadi couldn't have disguised her nodding as anything but unbridled enthusiasm. She shifted as if to plant her knees on either side of him to ride the bird, but he stopped her, guiding her feet to wrap around his back above his tail instead.

"Trust me. You'll want to hold on for this..." He warned her, rising suddenly with the feline still impaled upon his length, her moans echoing as he pushed her against the fire warmed walls of the cave, before he gave a mighty buck upwards into her, sheathing himself completely. Every last inch of him hilting in her heavenly depths, his hips mashed flush against her own.

Shadi's cries filled the cave like his thick, meaty bird breeder filled her body, forcing her to fight her bodies tightness just to take him all inside. His tip had roughly shoved past her cervix, hammering into her womb relentlessly as she panted and purred and moaned all at once, her mind set adrift in a sea of pleasure with only the massive male's cock anchoring her to reality.

Her second orgasm crashed over her like the first had, suddenly and with strong enough force to bring her to her knees if she hadn't had them already wrapped around his waist. His own warbling bird cries of joy mingled with her feline yowls of a queen being bred, forming their own little symphony as the shadows in the cave danced around them.

Her long hair was tossed back, her tail thrashing uselessly below her as wet slaps of mating rang out, the Rito picking up his pace as he drove her quickly through a third and then a fourth orgasm immediately after, making her cum like a whore while he threatened to pump his own essence deep inside of her ripe and vulnerable body. She hadn't even considered needing to bring the herbs for a contraceptive tea with her, but if she'd know just how much of this she'd be doing in her first weeks, she might have considered the idea more seriously!

"Ahhh, Shadi... Our song is nearly over..." Kass warned, and headless of any possible risk, she tightened her thighs hold on his hips, letting him know exactly where she wanted him to sow his seed. Content that that was her consent for him to finish where he was, Kass tightened his own hold on her hips, taking feathery handfuls of Shadi's pert and plump rear as his thrusts entered their final stage.

Eager, rough, lustful, uncoordinated fucking. Feral, fast pumps. Kass's hips lost any semblance of tempo as he let her know exactly how a real Rito bred, thrusting as deeply and as firmly as he could. His breath hitched, the thick girth spreading her sweet sex apart throbbing rapidly as his crescendo approached. Once, twice, three time he bucked sinking himself to the hilt each time, before on the forth, he plunged as deep as he could reach, his tip pushing past her cervix to be nestled tightly by the ring of muscle as he spilled his quintuple proven virility into her welcoming womb.

Shadi moaned, joining him in a final climax as she felt his warmth fountain and bloom inside her very core, her body massaging and tugging on his length as she instinctively sought to draw every last drop from him, intent of making sure his breeder was well and truly drained. Her core was flooded with the male's milky white essence, penetrating deep as the millions of Rito swimmers went to work.

After almost a minute of panting and having the Rito's beak curling into the soft fur of her neck, nibbling and warbling sweet nothings against her, did either of them finally move, Kass slowly and carefully carrying her back to the bedroll where he lowered himself down with her, still firmly hilted deep into the kitten.

"Ahhh... Sweet relief... I needed that... Thank you." He crooned over her almost protectively. Shadi just wiggled back into his embrace, fighting off any chill that snuck in against a blanket of Rito feathers.

"You know, I'd be happy to give you an encore if our paths ever cross again... Any chick of yours would be as beautiful as the rest of my daughters."

Shadi snorted at that. Yeah, males here were predictable. Fuck, breed, and sleep... But even so...

She clenched her body around his shaft inside of her, giving his bird breeder a good, rippling squeeze. "Mhmm... Still sounds like the blizzard is blowing out there to me... I'm sure we can check in the morning... Now about that encore..." She growled naughtily as she rolled onto his chest, forcing the male over onto his back, earning a pleased warble from Kass.


Shadi awoke finally when sunlight pieced in from the cave mouth, reflected around the curve in the tunnel off of the snow that had piled against the wall. The fire was still burning dimly, but the warmth against her back had left, the big Rito having apparently been off to an early start. She untangled herself from the blankets, dressing slowly once she had cleaned the mess between her thighs, and helped herself to some of the remaining soup left in a cup by the fire to stay warm.

There was no sign of Kass, and peering outside, she saw his footprints only led a few dozen feet into the snow before he'd evidently taken to wing, soaring off to his next destination.

She rolled her bedding up, tying it tight as the pleasant ache between her legs reminded her of the fun of the night. She stretched and shouldered her backpack, ready to get a move on now that it was clear, when a quiet thump stopped her. Turning, she found it's source. A leather bound book had evidently been tucked beneath her pack, and curiously, she picked it up, opening to the first page.

A bright blue feather flittered out from between the pages, and she caught it with a deft swipe of her paw, reading the scratchings just inside.

Shadi,

I thought you may enjoy having these to share the joy of song with your people, as we shared our own music. May the wind stay beneath your wings, and your travels be safe and glorious. With luck, our paths will cross again soon.

Your friend,

Kass.

She smirked, shaking her head with a soft laugh. Inside the book were pages upon pages of handwritten songs, each neatly laid out on the sheets, every note crisp and clean. She tucked it away in her backpack, before slipping the feather into her hair, tying it into a ponytail behind her back as she set off from the cave, quietly whistling to herself as she walked.

Behind her in the cave, the shadows shifted, the figure of a many tailed fox stalking behind her before it slipped of the wall into the snow, attaching itself to her own shadow as she marched away, blissfully unaware of the new companion she'd picked up on her journey.