FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Aalum could feel the cold seeping in through the huts' entryway. He wasn't a very spiteful man by nature, but he had to admit; This particular winter was on his bad side. Even the fire he'd stoked in the middle of the hut's center didn't do much to help stave off the cold. He resorted to bundling himself up in a vast quilt, sitting cross-legged by the fire, covered head to hoof in the blanket, like an agitated horse burrito.

That was, until the entryway opened up slightly, a figure sliding in through the overcast light outside. They were considerably shorter than he was, though they were bundled up tightly in furs and a cloak. He stared up as they shook off the snow, watching them in the firelight. "Still snowing?"

The figure laughed. It was feminine, and it reminded Aalum of sunshine. "As always, yes," she replied, soon having discarded her snow-sodden cloak.

Mina was a cervine, of the deerpeople. She was slender, but shapely where it counted. The two stared at each other, grinning. Aalum instantly felt much warmer, and soon she joined him in the quilt-burrito. His arms wrapped around her waist, gripping the slightly younger doe around her stomach. He rubbed her constantly, his lips meeting her neck. She let out a soft breath, leaning into the young stallion's chest. Aalum exhaled from his nostrils. "My parents are asking us when we're going to be mated."

Mina turned to let her lips grace her lover's, the tender kiss lasting for longer than either of them anticipated. "What did you answer them with?"

"With the spring thaw and when my alchemy apprenticeship is finished, we'll be formally mated."

The doe's hands were clasped around Aalum's tightly, fingers intertwined. "Good," she chuffed, their lips meeting again.

Several minutes passed, with neither of them feeling the cold any longer. The two simply embraced, their lips and tongues meeting constantly. Like all good things, however, it must end, and so they split apart after a few tender breaths. "I think everyone in the village knew we would be mated to each other one day- Ever since we were children."

"I don't doubt that. My earliest memories have you in them."

"As if it was destiny?"

"Perhaps, but I'd sooner deny fate, if it demanded we're not to be together."

"You flatter."

"I speak the truth, nothing more."

"And if the Shamans come for you?"

There was a damning silence.

"I don't see how they could discover me."

"You can't keep it a secret forever, Aalum. You have the power. They can sense it. I'm just afraid they'll find you."

"They can certainly try."

Mina let out a breath, steaming from her rosy face. Aalum kissed her cheek, earning a giggle before they properly embraced again. They sighed, pulling away. Mina placed her forehead to her stallion's. "My mother's been asking if I'm with child yet."

"Is she that eager?"

"Yes! She wants grandchildren, for some reason. She's relentless."

"Does she know that I've been using... That, to make sure we're ready when the time comes?"

Aalum was alluding to how he used his Shamanistic abilities to ensure he and Mina can be together without producing a child... Yet. She chuckled. "No, but I'm certainly thankful for that. How'd you find out how to do that, anyhow?"

"A human merchant I met three winters ago told me of a concoction he claimed would prevent a child from being conceived."

"Wise man," the doe shifted in Aalum's lap, cocking her head to the side, her ears shooting up at noises and chatter outside before relaxing. "Though, to be honest, I've been ready to bear your children for years."

Aalum snorted. "It's only been half a year since you and I came of age. Years, you say?"

"You and I've both been wanting each other since we were rowdy, growing kids. Of course I've been wanting your children."

"Well, I've been trying to give them!"

"Then you should try harder!"

They both had a good laugh, but were cut short when there was more chatter, closer to their hut than before. In the snow, sound travels shortly, and much of the village was silent after the snowfall. Aalum's ears pricked. "There it is again."

"Are we expecting company?"

"I don't believe so."

Aalum's guts felt off. He'd felt it before- Anticipation. The negative kind. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen, and no matter what, he wouldn't like it. He gripped Mina tighter when they heard the crunching of wet snow outside their hut, and voices from the other side of the entryway.

It opened. Three figures stood silhouetted in the light, entering before the entrance closed behind them. They removed their hoods to reveal tattooed faces. One was a stallion, much like he, but another was a lapine, with long ears, visibly female. The last was a wolfess, black fur, with a stern look about her. Those eyes pierced Aalum's own. He felt his insides churn.

"Aalum, son of Uri and Reytha?"

He swallowed, feeling Mina shaking in his arms. He gave was a small nod. He gripped Mina tighter.

"We're with the Shamans, though I suspect you already knew that."

Aalum's voice felt weak as it left his lips. "Yes."

"Then you know you have to come with us."

He could feel Mina shivering, though not from the cold. There was a glint of light from her cheek, a wet spot streaking down her face. Her voice was shaky. "Please."

The wolfess' stare lessened, the older canine's eyes softening somewhat. There was still the sternness, but now she seemed... Sad, almost. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice."

"But we're to be mated. Please, don't do this."

Aalum felt like he was unable to speak. The wolfess let out a breath, a hand rubbing her lightly decorated face. From what Aalum had been taught, those marks, piercings, and streaks of dyed fur signified the wolfess as a senior shaman. The lapine and stallion accompanying her shot a look her way. The woman gave a sigh.

"So was I, once."

Aalum nearly tripped on a stone. He swore aloud, his mind returning to the present.

He was older, now. He had once hated them, but that was three decades ago. That same wolfess had gone on to mentor him until her passing. He respected her, for she understood his pain. She, too, had felt it. It was a burden many Shaman carried. They were to suffer, so those they love didn't have to. His pain had dulled. The once-sharp memory of their separation had been enough to tear him apart, once. But like a blade, it had dulled. After being handled so many times in his mind, it felt blunt. He understood with rational hindsight he didn't have in his youth. Aalum could feel the greying in his hair, even as he ran his gloved hand through it.

The cold of the snowfall didn't bother him. He strode through the snowbanks with ease. He'd long since mastered the art of travel, as did all in the Order. He kept his eye on the horizon, on the small stack of smoke he had mentally fixated on as his goal. No doubt a human caravan. He'd find shelter there, he was sure of it. But during the trip, he had time to think.

The Roots of the World had started calling to him at a early age. He understood, however, that this would mean the Shamans would find him, and take him away to become one. To be a Shaman was noble, and a high honor. But they would not be permitted to settle down, to raise a family, or to truly love and stay with someone they cared for. It was a grand irony, to Aalum. The Shamans must be removed from those they love, in order to protect them against both mundane and magical threats. Both of which he'd experienced countless times with his tenure in the Order.

He'd reached his destination rather quickly, no doubt thanks to his skill in navigating terrain. There were covered wagons assembled in a half-circle, several fires in the middle. In the light of the early sunset, the cloaked and bundled stallion peered into the clearing.

Human caravanners. They looked to be merchants with their families, with a few escorts alongside. There was idle chatter and some laughter among them. One escort peered his way. Even under a hood, Aalum saw the man's eyes widen. He said something under his breath. Within moments, all eyes were on him.

He drew back his cloak's hood to reveal his face. It had the piercings and subtle dyed markings of a Shaman. The human caravanners had started to slowly reach for their weapons; Blades and firearms, but they hesitated when they saw that he was a Shaman. Of course those that traveled through the beastkin territory knew of their Order of the Shaman.

The hands that had once been reaching for their weapons ceased, drawing back into their cloaks and blankets. Aalum simply nodded his head, though there was hushed conversation around him in the human language. He could speak and read it, of course, but they didn't know that. He heard some ask each other questions about him, others state they'd never seen a Shaman before, and one feminine voice whispered something about being excited to finally see a stallion in person.

Aalum's gaze turned to the human woman who made the stallion comment. The stallion's voice was firm, but quiet. "In the direction you're headed, you'll see more before you reach your destination, no doubt."

That earned him a stunned silence from all in attendance. He let out a small, amused chuff. "I'll be camped some bit away for the night. Have a nice evening."

Setting up camp was easy, and he found himself undisturbed throughout the night, though he listened intently on the chattering from the caravanners. They talked, unsurprisingly, about him for some time, trading rumors about the Shamans and their secrecy before moving on, recounting where they'd been, discussing their personal lives, and what they would do upon their return to civilization.

They described several small settlements they'd been through on the way, though none particularly stood out in Aalum's mind. He'd no trouble listening in on their conversation, two men chattering above all the others. One was rugged, their accent more pronounced.

"Remember that one village we passed on the way here?"

"We didn't pass through, we skirted the edge of it."

"Aye, but still. It seemed more like a ragtag conclave than a proper settlement. Houses and huts, yes, but from what I could tell, it didn't appear to be any type of beastkin I'd seen."

"I've seen places like it before when I was down further south, some years back. You find more settlements like that on the outskirts of territories, where there's more mingling among the different races and species and whatnot. Don't have a name proper for 'em, but I call 'em Border Camps. They're appearin' a lot more than they used to."

"Why's that?"

"I dunno. Maybe there's more peace 'tween the beastkin than before. I've seen quite a few half-breeds between the species now, certainly more than before. Met a girl when I was down south, like I mentioned, who was half zebrafolk, but half... Wolf, I think? Didn't get a good look at 'er, but still."

"I've a hard time imagining a union like that being... Comfortable, for the wolf. Or was it the other way around?"

"Damned if I know. 'Sides, that ain't my thing."

"That deer woman in the village we skirted seemed rather... Charming, however."

"Feh. You talked to 'er, right? What was she?"

"An alchemist. I forget her name, but she was quite lovely."

"Lovely? You thinkin' of shackin' up with one o' them 'r somethin'?"

"No, of course not! But still, she was pleasant enough. Red hair, little dots of grey here and there. Green eyes, freckles on the cheek. She looked as if she was... I'm unsure. Do beastfolk age the same as humans?"

"Duzzit matter?"

"Well- Yes! I guess she was a little older, but I can't be certain."

"I find it hard t' believe you didn't catch 'er name, since you were so privy on oglin' her enough to recall 'er from memory."

"I don't remember all of it. Started with an M, I know that."

"For bein' someone good with numbers, you're sure terrible at rememberin' things."

"I got us this far, di-"

The half-circle went silent at the sound of encroaching footsteps. The same figure from before, tall and broad-shouldered, bound in a cloak, padded over to where the two men by the fire were sitting, bundled in blankets. The stallion's face was inscrutable.

The two flinched at Aalum's approach. Some reached for nearby firearms. A particularly burly, muscled man hefted a woodcutting axe in his hand. All was silent, save for the crackling of flames and the odd birdcall.

It was Aalum who spoke first.

"...Mina."

The two men the Shaman stared at shared confused glances. "Beg yer pardon?"

"The deer woman," Aalum stared, pointedly, at the younger of the two men. "Was that her name?"

He was a skinny lad, barely able to grow his first facial hair. The stallion swore he heard him audibly gulp. "...I think so. Y-... Yes. Mina."

Aalum spoke from the gut, not even thinking the implications over. "Where's this village?"

The young man pointed down the road, opposite of where Aalum was headed. "A day's walk in that direction. Take the left when you come to the fork after the river bridge."

Aalum stood there, not even staring, but rather looking past the man, out into space.

Odah had wanted to meet Aalum for something the zebra Shaman, both in his letter and by communicating through the Roots of the World, had described as "of great import". He didn't know what that entailed, but it sounded like something he needed to help with.

Still. After all this time... Mina.

The thought of her being safe through what he did had been one of the only things that kept him going during the lowest lows. It was his greatest motivation. As removed as he may have been, her memory never left. The ache never left, either. He merely stopped feeling it.

But now, knowing that she might be close enough to him now, after all this time... There wasn't a chance he would let this go. No. Not again.

He figured that, if he ran non-stop, he could make it by dawn.

He took off at a run, kicking up snow as he scrambled to his campsite, hurriedly repacking. There was a shout from behind him as he took off into the lightly snowing horizon. "Was it something I said?!"

It would be difficult to describe Aalum's thought process as he ran, continuously channeling tiny bits of the earth's power to keep his stamina up. Running through the snow was no issue, and he had as much energy as the world could offer. His naturally powerful legs carried him far and fast, but his mind was already much, much further away.

He could remember her face. Bright, with eyes he was constantly lost in. She had ed hair, ruffled and partially braided. She liked to have a feather in it, plucked from Aalum's first hunt. Her body was a delight he had found nowhere else, and her passion was unrivaled. Her hands were soft against his face. She kissed him. "I love you."

The past melted away, but now, it appeared... Different. He was taller. His body was dark, thick, and corded with muscle. There was a mare before him, one he didn't recognize, on her knees, staring up at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but instead one large hand came to her chin and cupped it, a thumb going to her lips to keep them closed. "No." The unfamiliar, deep voice echoed through time in his head. This body felt unfamiliar and foreign, yet it was his. Once, in a past life. "No words."

Aalum immediately shook the intrusive past life from his head, once again shoving the unwanted, foreign memories back to where they belonged: In the past. He refocused, driving his hooves deeper into the snow and dirt of the road beneath. He could see the light grey on the horizon. Soon, the sun would rise.

The settlement was, to his surprise, as the human had described it. It was, in his eyes, a hodgepodge gathering of huts and buildings. Some appeared to be of cervine make, others had the hallmarks of equine carpentry, and a few even looked to be wolven. They had definitely been right; It was a border town. Despite the snowfall, he spied several inhabitants milling about, some with firewood in hand, others talking by the entrances to their huts, all of which had smoke rising from the center. The sun had since risen, painted white with the slow, languid snowfall. Aalum padded through the village, staring at the various huts and buildings. Locals stared at him pointedly, a newcomer, with the markings of what appeared to be a Shaman.

He avoided these people as best he could. A few cervines milling around, a pair of wolves, and even a mare strolled past, but gave Aalum a pointedly wide berth. That was, until the mare came within speaking distance. The stallion stopped her with a word; "Pardon."

The mare froze, jumping a little before she turned to regard Aalum. She was shorter than he, and thus stared up at him. The nervousness was obvious. Her hands fidgeted. "...Yes?"

"Is there a cervine woman in this village? An alchemist, with red hair, older, perhaps close to my age?"

The woman's eyes widened perceptibly.

"So there is?"

"Yes."

"Where is she?"

The mare blanched, despite her rosy cheeks from the cold. "...Is she-"

"In trouble? No, I've no business of the sort. I just want to talk with her."

The mare took a breath in, the words calming her. Slightly. "On the southern edge, by the stream. Hers is the hut with the carving on the front."

Aalum gave a curt nod, angling himself in that direction by muscle memory alone. "Appreciated."

The hut was as described. It stood near the frozen stream, a carving in the wall next to the door. It was in the cervine language, reading out "Alchemy", along with a carved relief of a leaf, with a mortar and pestle.

Aalum's guts churned again. Somehow, it was possible for him to be both anticipating, and dreading something he'd dreamed about for years on end. His mind raced in circles while he stared at the hut, a mere few feet away from... From what?

What if he was unrecognizable? What if he had become something foreign to her? Was she even here at all, or was this someone he didn't know?

His heart felt like it was about to drop into his stomach, even as his braid continued to run through every scenario he could think of and more. There was extremely little that could worry him in this world, and yet, there he stood at the foot of what was once his life's love, petrified.

He had to force himself to walk forward, step by step. Each impact of his hoof digging into the snow felt like an eternity. He arrived at the doorstep. He swallowed, took a breath, and extended a closed fist to the plain, wooden door.

He hesitated.

He couldn't bring himself to do it. His mind raced again, thinking of Mina. He descended into the past. Unable to control his thoughts, he dipped deeper and deeper into his well of memories. He broke the barrier between his own, and descended into the deep ocean of his past existences, but came hurtling back up before anything could be truly divined. However, a shard of the past came with it, piercing his mind, echoing.

"I'd sooner deny fate."

Knock, knock.

Agonizing silence greeted him. He could not tell, truly, how long he waited. The seconds felt like centuries passing before him.

The door jittered from the other side. Aalum flinched.

It swung open.

They were bundled, much like he was, though clearly intended for the indoors rather than travel. They were pale-furred, with small patches of cream dotting their coat of fur. They were slightly slender, yet with a curve in their figure, shorter than he by a fair margin. But their face sent a shock through Aalum's mind.

Her eyes were a dull green, set against a light bark face. Her nose ended in a patch of dark splotches. Wild, yet cared-for red hair topped her head, a long braid draped down the side, hanging to her shoulder. A bushy wildfire of hair erupted the back where it had been tied, cut short in the front. Flecks of grey and the subtle signs of maturity dotted her face and spots in that dull wildfire mane.

In her braid was a single feather; Dull, grey, and aged.

Mina was no less beautiful than last he saw her, what felt like a lifetime ago.

Their eyes met instantly. Her gaze, once inscrutable, now widened considerably. She stared at him. He did likewise, losing himself in her features. Time was irrelevant now.

She was the first to open her mouth, though it closed shortly after, as if she was about to speak, but the words failed her. He did likewise, almost greeting her, but falling flat.

The silence was finally pierced. "...Aalum?"

The stallion gave a hasty nod, but still found himself unable to formulate the words. Mina swallowed, but then opened the door wider, moving to the side, though she didn't speak.

Aalum entered, the door closing behind him. Her abode felt instantly warmer than the outside. In the center, a fire burned comfortably, a pot strung above it on a spit, with blankets, furs, and pillows strewn about the center. In one corner of the hut sat a desk and chair with vials, roots, bottled curiosities, and various other alchemical equipment, along with a bookshelf. A heavy bed, made for one person, sat in the opposite corner, covered with blankets. Decorations hung from the wall, some slightly enchanted in nature, and others for show. A dagger, a framed and lamellated letter, and a pair of carved antlers, among many other trinkets.

Mina kept staring at him, and he her. Now, it appeared, was his turn to speak. "...May I sit?"

The cervine blinked, then shot upright. "Oh! Of course," she gestured at the furs and seats around the fire pit. "Help yourself."

And so he did, draping his travel cloak on a rack by the door before occupying a spot next to the roaring fire, the smoke drifting up to a small opening in the center of the dome-shaped roof. Above that was a cone-shaped canopy, wide enough to cover the opening so no snow or rain came in, but so the smoke could leave. He felt much warmer already, letting out a relieved breath.

Mina quickly occupied his vision once more, sitting herself near him, staring into the fire. He did likewise, watching the flames lick upward, hearing the wood crackle and pop.

"It wasn't your fault."

Aalum turned to regard her. "...Pardon?"

She met his gaze. She appeared older, in the fire. Subtle wrinkles occupied her face, and the greying in her hair seemed more apparent. Though, still, he was enraptured. Her voice soothed him in a way he hadn't felt since. "...I don't blame you for leaving. It wasn't your choice."

He let out a sigh, his broad chest heaving slightly. "I know. For the longest time I blamed myself."

There was another pervasive silence, but the two continued to stare and study each other's features; He at unfamiliar marks across her body, and her at his numerous scars and markings. She was the first to ask. "What happened?"

Aalum redirected his attention inward, mentally gathering the words needed. "...They found me, obviously."

"After that. What... What was it like? What did you do?"

"I was trained, physically and mentally. I was taught what Shamanism was, how it worked, and what to do with it. I was sworn in as a full Shaman within a few years. I couldn't settle down, couldn't let personal quests occupy my time. To be a Shaman... Your whole life is dedicated to the Order, to its mission."

"...Which is?"

"You don't know?"

Mina rolled her eyes. This oddly comforted him, and they both appeared to relax, if only a little. "I know, of course, but never from someone who was in the Order. What do the Shaman think their mission is?"

"To protect the natural world and uphold a balance between civilization and nature."

"But not necessarily to protect people?"

Aalum sighed. "Correct. Something the Order likes to say is that 'the safety of the whole is of higher priority than the safety of the few or the one'."

Mina nodded, her head of fiery hair shifting. "Makes sense."

"You'd think so."

"You're not convinced."

"Of course not."

"Then why did you stay?"

Aalum spoke without thinking. "Because I thought I was working to keep you, and people like you, safe."

There was a small pause. Mina continued to look up at him. Aalum noticed she had a scar on her cheek, one that he didn't remember. "How did you get that?"

She unconsciously rubbed the pale streak running across her left cheek. "It's nothing."

Aalum wasn't convinced. He continued to stare at her rubbing hand, and the scar she tried to conceal. She let out a small breath. "I cut myself."

"When?"

Mina took in a sharp lungful. "A few years after you were taken... I..."

A hand placed itself on the cervine's shoulder. The stallion's grip was loose, a thumb brushing at her skin. She jumped in surprise, looked at his hand, and visibly relaxed. Aalum didn't think, but the unconscious part of his mind told him this was a sensitive topic. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Mina waited a few moments before continuing. "I tried to move on. I finished my apprenticeship with the alchemists, I met other men. I tried to court them. I liked some of them, but... It just didn't work out. I spent a few years alone. When one I had courted for two seasons split from me, I just..."

Aalum squeezed.

"Something was different. I felt like... Like I would never find someone. I fell. Hard. I did things I regret." She brushed her scar again. "I lost hope, if only for a little while. Every time I saw someone I knew, who knew about... Well, you, it was painful. I couldn't handle it. The pitied looks, the sad faces who viewed me as a failed woman."

Mina rubbed her face with the other hand. "I left in the dead of night. I didn't look back. I haven't been back since. It's been almost two decades."

The stallion nodded his head. It felt like his insides were made of broken glass. "...And our parents?"

Mina was silent for longer than was comfortable. "We know our parents were close, your mother and father, with my father. They grew distant. My father took it the hardest," Mina suddenly let out a sad chuckle. "He always did like you almost as much as I did."

This earned a chuff from the stallion. He rubbed her shoulder with a sort of tender touch he'd once forgotten while she continued. "I don't know what happened to them. I haven't even tried to talk to them since." She turned to him. "Do you?"

He shook his head. "Shamans are forbidden from letting personal attachments interfere with their duties."

A smile crept across her face. The stallion felt a rush of warmth at the sight. "And yet," she leaned further toward him, "here you are."

He smiled. "Fuck the Order."

She giggled in turn. It was music to him. "Fuck the Order, indeed."

He felt a grip on his hand. Her fingers met his, loosely draped across his larger digits. He returned the gesture while she spoke. "Knowing you were out there, working to keep people safe... I think that's one of the only things that kept me going. Just... Knowing you were still out there."

The stallion let out a breath. "I was much the same. It was hard... Beyond words. I think you're the only reason I'm still here."

Aalum and Mina exchanged glances, but they continued to stare, as if bound by some force beyond explanation.

Neither really knew who began the kiss.

But they didn't care.

There was a certain kind of indescribable feeling that came with holding your lover. In its absence, an ache grew. Over time, it became a part of their being, inescapable. It felt almost strange, now, to have a lifelong ache finally be silenced.

Aalum gripped Mina in both arms, and she likewise. Their lips were locked together, their eyes closed, entirely devoted to basking in each other's company. They sighed and groaned aloud, a great pressure released between them. Mina's hand caressed Aalum's cheek, the stallion's palm pressing into the small of his love's back.

The kiss was long, and they didn't care. Although it ended, they still remained close, their foreheads pressed together. Mina panted lightly, and Aalum felt his heartbeat becoming faster and faster by the moment. The cervine brushed her nose along her lover's, with a wide grin on her face. He let out a delighted, contented breath. "I still love you."

Mina giggled, clutching the stallion tighter, a hand stroking his chin and cheek. "I love you, too. Always have, always will."

"I take it you'll still have me as your mate?"

"Until the end and beyond."

Before long, they had moved themselves to the floor. Mina occupied Aalum's lap, the stallion's back to the comfortable furs and rugs below, caressing and doting on his mate above. Aalum's bodily reaction was more than obvious, given how he was both a stallion, and a rather large one. Even though Mina didn't outwardly seem to notice, her clothed lower half occupied the stallion's own trouser-hidden lap nicely. Though they hardly noticed, as they were preoccupied attempting to deepen their kiss as much as possible. One pair of hands were intertwined in the middle, fingers tightening around one another. Mina let out a huff, finally feeling herself bump up against a long, thickening guest down below.

Aalum grunted in response, the kiss parting, their tongues and lips still connected via a bridge of spittle. Mina face was radiating glee, but there was a lot underneath that, too. It took Aalum a moment to recognize the lust in her eyes. "I remember wanting to start a family."

The cervine's mate grinned, the hand not enveloping her own going to her deliciously plush rear end squeezing. "Never too late to start trying."

"Then -hnfh- what are we waiting for?"

"D-... Damn."

Mina's mouth was open wide, but her tongue lapped at her lips while she beheld Aalum's breeding tool. Long, thick, with a medial ring bisecting the pole of meat, and a turgid, blunt tip at the end, not to mention the fat, bloated pair of orbs that dangled heavily below. Aalum chuffed aloud, his ebony-colored prick giving a visible throb. "I wasn't done growing down there, turns out."

Mina had been lucky Aalum's hardness didn't hit her in the face when she got on her knees before the taller, kneeling stallion and tugged off his plain, thick trousers. Such clothing would more than likely hide the arousal of most, given how it was designed for winter travel, but it did little to conceal Aalum's flagpole, which now stood half-erect, but rapidly pulsing to life. Mina herself was still in her loungewear, with a simple top and a skirt to keep her covered, though she suspected it would soon be discarded. Rather, she was betting on it, even while her hands went to her mate's package, hefting those balls and the base of his tool. "You're... Huge."

Aalum shuffled a little bit, a blush forming on his cheeks. "...Am I... Too big?"

Mina giggled aloud, unable to keep from snorting once, for good measure. "No, I don't think so." Her mouth pursed, and before long, her lips impacted the tip of his member, kissing it. She gave an audible -smack- before retreating. "Or I just forgot how massive stallions are."

"Or I set too high of a bar."

She let out an indignant huff, but the smile on her face was obvious. She flicked the blunted tip of his equine hardon. "Oh, shush. None are as lucky as you. You're made to breed giant mares, not cute, innocent deer girls."

"I'd hardly call you innocent, my love. You're insatiable."

"But you'd breed me, even still?"

"Anytime, anywhere, I'd make you with child in a heartbeat."

"Good," Mina nodded, though her tongue lashed out at the underside of Aalum's endowment, slapping at the upper half of the length, all the way to the tip. "We'll start with right here, right now."

Aalum felt a shudder run up his spine, with his mate's efforts rewarded with a hefty shot of pre-seed, which splattered onto her face. She swallowed what she could with a wide, naughty, messy grin. The stallion ran a hand down and through Mina's hair. "Are you certain?"

Mina and Aalum locked eyes. She spoke, though both of her hands were occupied by the equine's mottled, leathery sack. "You don't know how much I want this; How much I want you to pump these in me."

The stallion let out a moan, her teasing clearly coaxing a reaction from his nethers. His prick once more gushed pre-seed, though she had been prepared for this, with her mouth wide open. She let out a delighted groan, swallowing as much as she could. The stallion bit his lip, doubtlessly wondering how lucky he was to have someone as naughty and carnal as he. The years hadn't taken their libido. "Turn around, then."

Mina's face was positively radiant while she swirled around to face the opposite direction. Her ass was absolutely delightful. Thick, swaying, with just the right amount of plush to match her taut, firm muscle. He enveloped it with both hands, as clothed as it was, though that was no match for him. A tug and a few moments of effort later rewarded him with the long-awaited sight of his mate's amazing womanhood and backdoor. Her tail lifted immediately, Mina staring over her shoulder at him, her back arched down and her rear end hiked up for him. The need on her face was obvious. But then again, so was his.

Decades were spent fantasizing about this moment. Mina spent countless nights imagining the two of them, reunited, finally able to feel him inside her once more. Aalum's mind never drifted far from envisioning himself, at last, able to properly make love to Mina. The opportunity had presented itself, and now, there was no way the two weren't going to take advantage of this reunion, immediately, to satisfy their carnal desires.

Aalum was swift in applying the blunt end of his tool to Mina's slick womanhood, feeling his slickened tip marry to her netherlips. The both of them let out a chorus of groans, but the stallion's hands tugged back on the cervine's hips and rear end, dragging her form back in an attempt to impale her. It was difficult going, at first. Aalum's size rendered it hard to spread her out fully, even though her thighs split wider apart, the woman looking over her shoulder, her spine shaking with every new sensation her mate's stallionhood gave her. The equine tensed, seeing those plush folds finally part wider and wider...

At last. The both of them let out deep, guttural sighs, and Mina clamped down on his length with a sharp, breathy gasp, grasping at the floor. Though her eyes welled with the pain of taking her mate's massive hardon, she adored the sensation of being filled. Her front slumped to the ground, her thighs still splayed out wide, though Aalum quickly took them in his arms to keep her rear end up at his level. That delightfully swaying rear end shook for him with each pleasure-wracked shudder, the stallion watching his lover contort in ecstasy while he himself worked to push deeper and deeper inside.

Inch after inch of meat filled out Mina's insides, and yet she demanded more, whining aloud all the while. Aalum snorted, nostrils flared with the intense effort of making sure he could slip more of his girth on in. He finally met resistance he couldn't overcome. He withdrew the inches he'd stuffed inside until only the flare remained. With a low growl, he gave them all back and then some, harder, faster, successfully jamming in yet more turgid inches of that swollen prick.

Each new bit of meat that Mina's insides swallowed made it easier for her to accommodate her lover, the whining, gasping woman's body shaking all the while. Now, it seemed, they were getting somewhere. A rhythm formed soon after, with the soft, pronounced sounds of wet flesh pressing against wet flesh ringing out over the crackling of the flames and light howling of wind. They lost their waking minds to the haze of pleasure not long after.

The stallion began to get relentless in his charge to fully hilt himself inside of Mina, it seemed, with the rocking of Aalum's wide, powerful hips. His mate wasn't one to argue, though she was too busy shuddering, her spread netherlips twitching and convulsing around his member, even as those inches slid in and out, that fat medial ring of his bumping against her walls. It popped inside with a long, trailing groan from the stallion, and a squeal of utter delight from Mina, her fiery mane of hair shining as she sweat, both from the fire's heat and the effort of mating with her massive lover.

The stallion's body likewise had a sheen to it, sweat furrowing his brow, though his eyes were continuously following Mina's rocking hips, jostling breasts, and delightful rear, even as he pressed more and more of himself inside. The deer shook and shuddered constantly, his member soaked with their combined pre-seed, though from how her legs curled up, the squealing of ecstasy, and how her hot juices flowed over his member, she had reached her own orgasm.

Aalum could finally feel that mottled, bloated ballsack of his press into the deer's body, the two giants swaying dangerously low and heavy, the plump things desperate for release. The stallion felt, and watched, the majority of his prick disappear inside of his mate. Hearing her cry out, feeling her release from his efforts... It was too much for even him to power through.

She drained his seed, coaxing his virility as he growled and humped away, even while his ebony tool erupted in an explosion of his ejaculate. It immediately sailed in engorged ropes, flowing directly into Mina's womb. It battered her insides, giving no quarter while painting those guts white, filling her from the inside-out. She twitched and gasped over Aalum's feral grunts and whines, even though his wet, messy "slaps" from his hips meeting her rear got even wetter and louder. Mina couldn't hope to hold in all of what he gave her, and thus it spilled from her impaled womanhood in bursts, making her howl with the delight of feeling that white-hot cream fill her where nature intended.

The stallion's orgasm was long and messy, as to be expected from someone who was as pent-up as he. But at last, he fully emptied himself, only then fully withdrawing from Mina's entrance with a rush of seed accompanying, splashing against the floor. The both of them shook and shuddered, gasping and panting, their breath hanging in the air.

They found themselves curled up on the ground, with Mina's back to Aalum's front, the two lying on their sides, though both of the stallion's massive arms were wrapped around the woman's body. Between her thighs, which sandwiched it nicely, sat a messy, seed-soaked equine member that idly pulsed, leaking out the last few drops of a hectic, hefty load. The two panted, not fully recovered, but still basking in the afterglow. The stallion's muzzle caressed the deer's cheek, and without thinking, she returned it, the two nuzzling close by the fire, with their breath wafting over the other, their sweat-dripping bodies intertwined.

It was some time before either of them spoke, the exhausted pair having spent the passion they'd been saving for each other. Between soft groans and breaths, Mina was the first to speak, her voice shaky, but the satisfaction dripping from it like honey. "That's... There's the Aalum I love."

The stallion had to focus in order to properly speak, his chest still rising and falling quicker than he would've liked. "...Fuck. That's what you... You do to me, Mina."

The pair's lips met once again, though their tongues and entirety of their mouths soon clashed, exchanging heated breaths and passioned grunts. Aalum couldn't help himself from dragging that half-hard tool of his back and forth along the deer's soaked, used netherlips and her delightfully plush ass. Before long, however, he stopped, seeing as he didn't have the energy to make good on his teasing. Not yet, anyway. Their kiss was separated, the both of them grinning like love-drunk fools at the other.

Aalum brushed Mina's cheek with the back of a hand. "Shall I make us something to eat?"

Aalum didn't know what he had intended to do after he had reunited with his love. He had to admit, he didn't plan much of this through. Safe to say, however, he was in no rush. Not anymore.

The smell of the stew he'd made was thick in the air, the pair eating from bowls on their laps. They were now bundled in a single blanket, side by side, somewhat leaning on one another. Mina laughed around a mouthful of potato soup.

"I'm serious," the stallion continued, "that's what the woman told me."

Mina snorted between giggling fits. "No! I refuse to believe any of this is true!"

The two had busied themselves, both with cleaning the mess they had made, and by sharing stories. It was Aalum's turn, as he was already mid-tale. He put on a laughably poor mockery of a woman's voice; "It's only a mere coincidence that this happens to be my dagger, covered in this man's blood, while it happened to be in my house!"

Mina had to swallow to avoid choking from laughter. "And she thought that would work on you?"

"People do strange things when they're scared! I punished her accordingly, but I let her brother off with a warning."

"A warning?! He was cheating on his wife with his sister!"

Aalum threw up his hands in surrender. "See, I'm not equipped to handle those sorts of things. All I can do is laugh from a distance at that woman."

Mina cackled with laughter, leaning against the stallion's chest for support. "So try and murder your brother's wife to hog his prick all for yourself! What a class act."

They both laughed for quite some time, nursing and quickly running through their bowls. The food was good and filling, the energy having somewhat returned to them both. Aalum idly brushed Mina's hair with a hand. "I guess the thing I missed the most -aside from you- is being able to settle down."

"You used to love traveling and hunting when you were younger. Did having to do it non-stop take the magic out it?"

"Exactly. For there to be travel and adventure, you have to have a home to leave behind and venture from. When you have no home, then it loses most of its charm. It just becomes a chore, getting from this place to the next."

"To be fair, you did end up seeing more of the world than most. That counts for something, right?"

Aalum shrugged. "I suppose, but like I said, I'd rather have a calm, quiet life than an adventurous, uncertain one."

The cervine turned to face the taller stallion, staring up at him, arms draped around his neck and shoulders. "Then take your life back."

Aalum's voice took on a rich, aroused tone. "I'd rather take you like a mare and breed you until we both can't walk."

Mina let out a delighted sigh, a small shudder traveling up her spine at the mental image. "Hnfh... I like the sound of that."

Aalum could once again feel his manhood rising from where it slumbered. "I'd like to be on bottom this time, you can ride on top."

Mina retorted as she gently worked to push her equine mate onto his back, until he gently pressed into the floor. "So my stallion's learned how to bottom."

The stallion-in-question blinked. "...Beg pardon?"

Mina laughed while shedding the blanket, once again revealing her now-naked body. It served to make Aalum's prick jump and swell at a much faster rate. "I'm teasing you. You obviously like girls, not guys."

Aalum bit his lower lip, both hands wrapped around Mina's thighs while she rubbed both of her hands along the topside of his meat, even though it pressed against her front, almost like she was measuring the outline of how it would fit inside of her. "...Well..."

The deer cocked her head, but the smile remained. "Well what?"

"That's... Not exactly true."

"Oh! You like guys, too?"

"A little."

"Huh," she perked up a little, her ears poking straight up, though her thumbs continuously massaged the firm, flared tip of his manhood. "I didn't know that."

"Neither did I until I was in the Order."

"What changed your mind on it?"

"A particularly feminine-looking lapine man I traveled with for two weeks."

"It's always the rabbits, isn't it? How'd it go?"

"It turned out that he liked to be the one to, uh, give it."

"...And?"

"And so he did."

Mina's face flushed red, but her smile grew wide, wider still, until it looked goofy. Aalum barked out with laughter, running a hand through his lover's hair, even while the woman used her wide hips to brush her rear end in circles against his lap. "You find that arousing?"

Mina bit her lip, a grunt escaping her, arousal dripping from her voice. "...I don't know why, but... Incredibly so."

"Now you feel how I felt back then. Keep in mind this was a long while ago."

"Did you have any... Other flings?"

"A few. Some men, mostly other women. There was a nice zebra mare when I was down in the southeastern badlands I stayed with for a month, five winters ago."

Mina continued to work herself up, with the stallion feeling his lap becoming sticky and wet with their combined arousal. The cervine's nethers drooled across his once-more bloated sack, and the stallion's own massive hardon leaked and dribbled drops of pre-virility from the engorged flare. The cervine still had a smile on her face, though her question appeared to be only half-joking. "Am I to assume there's a trail of bastard half-breeds marking where you've been throughout your time in the order?"

"No! No, not at all. I certainly hope not. Part of what I learned was perfecting, as other Shamans called it, contraceptive rites to prevent children from being conceived during sex, both for myself and for those who specifically asked for it that I met during my travels, for their own reasons."

"Like what we did before you were taken?"

"Exactly."

"And why aren't you using those rites as we speak?"

Aalum bit his lip, the hand not brushing Mina's hair going to one of her lovely breasts, taking and squeezing it gently. "Because I desperately want you heavy with my children."

Mina growled, arching her front forward and into his palm. Her face split, once more, into a wide smile. "Yes. Yes, please."

The stallion's nostrils flared while he snorted his arousal. "Let's get busy, then."

It was certainly a hard mess to clean up this time. While it had started on the floor, somehow they had moved to the edge of the hut, the two face-to-face, with Mina's legs hugging the stallion's waist, her back pressed to the wall while he bred her once again, their combined arousal flowing from their nethers in heavy ropes of the stuff, dribbling down and onto the floor.

The day passed before either of them noticed. No longer was the overcast, snowy light able to be seen from the small windows of glass. The day's routine consisted of more and more viciously thorough breeding sessions as the two began to become accustomed to pleasuring each other for the first time in a lifetime. In between, they ate, danced, joked, laughed, and told stories of their lives in the absence of the other. Some were sad tales of their mistakes, others were recounts of their prideful accomplishments, and still others were humorous memories collected through the years.

Mina's bed wasn't made to accommodate two people, but by the time night had fallen, they didn't care. It might've been uncomfortable, but for the both of them, wrapped tightly in each other's arms, exhausted, and happy beyond words, it was the best night's sleep they could remember.

The next day began with yet another bout of lovemaking, though it was sleepy and relaxed. It was more of an excuse to explore each other's bodies than anything, but in the end, Aalum once more buried himself inside of his mate, draining his virility, once more, into Mina's battered, ecstatic womb, much to her verbal delight.

The food was fantastic, and Aalum didn't care what it was. If Mina or he made it, then it was good, in his eyes. It was after said breakfast that he finally told Mina what brought him here. He had, the night before, told a few stories about the zebra and his brothers, but now he explained what his purpose was for being in the area.

"Odah specifically requested my help."

Mina nodded, her eyes fixated on his own. "Did he say how urgent it was?"

"His exact words, as far as I could tell, were 'as soon as is possible'."

Mina went a tad paler, but still, she took it in with a curt breath. "...Where is he now?"

"Up further north, along the border of the human kingdoms."

"That's not that far away."

"I suspect what we're about to deal with may take us further afield."

"So, what is this issue, then? It sounds... Dangerous."

"I frankly don't know. Odah's a bright boy. He's a capable sort, but if something's dangerous enough to make him nervous, then I'd rightly be wary."

Mina's gaze softened. "...What will you do?"

The stallion ran his hand through his hair. He'd been dreading this exact moment. "I... I intend to honor my promise to help."

His mate was silent, but after a few moments of deliberation, she nodded. "Good. As you should."

"I just..." He let out a breath, slumping somewhat. "I can't stand the thought of leaving. Again."

Mina was quick to take him in her arms, pressing his head to her chest. She kissed his forehead, his arms caressing her middle. "But this... I know this is different, I can just... I can feel it. You're coming back this time."

Aalum nodded, craning his neck to make eye contact. "I'd sooner die than not return."

Mina chuffed. "I'll kill you myself if you don't."

The stallion chuckled, holding her tightly to him. Their lips met in the middle, though Aalum couldn't be bothered to discern how much they had done so, it was so often. The cervine woman let out a soft breath before continuing. "Do you know how long you'll be gone?"

"No. Could be a few days, a span, or longer. But the most I'm willing to spend is a month. Odah's a good person and a talented Shaman, and I'm willing to help in any way I can, but..." He brushed her nose with his. "You're everything to me. No matter what it takes, I will come back, this I swear to you."

Mina felt something wet crawl down her cheek. She brushed the tear from her face. "I know."

Parting was hard. It always was, but it never got easier. The longer the stay, the more difficult it was to say goodbye. No matter how sweet the time was, farewells of this nature would always be a bitter thing to endure.

Aalum once more trodded out into the snow. On the upside, it had stopped snowing, the sun shining through a clear sky. It felt warmer now, but as bundled up as he was, he still felt cold. People seemed to be milling about in the morning light, running errands, chatting with neighbors, but a few gazed in his direction. He couldn't help but look back over his shoulder, beyond his traveling pack, back at his mate's home.

She was standing there, watching him go from the entrance. He nodded in her direction, turning back to continue walking.

He only made it a few more feet before he heard Mina yell.

"Wait! Aalum!"

He turned in time to catch her. They squeezed, kissing again- A final parting gift for each other. It was a long embrace, and one they were both loathe to end. But at last, it did end, the two staring at each other in the sunlight.

Mina placed a hand to the stallion's cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

And so he left.

Patches of green were finally appearing through the snowbank. It was about time, too. The others in the village were getting antsy. It'd been a long, snowy winter, but that just made the spring all the more welcome.

Mina kept herself busy, preparing the seeds that had been stored over the winter to be planted in the next few weeks, once the ground thawed enough. Though as she sat at her work table, the fire roaring behind her, in her cozy home, she still felt the absence. That ache had been shoved to the back of her mind, like a scar that never really healed, only for it to have been reopened, letting it hurt and ache anew. It had only been a month, and yet it was still too long.

She was rubbing her belly again, she realized; A nervous tick she'd picked up, but was ultimately unsure when she started doing it. She peered down, past her chest, at her toned, largely flat stomach. She could only hope. It was too early to tell, of course, but she swore, sometimes, she felt like there was some lovely newcomer stirring inside. She just hoped it wasn't her mind playing tricks on her.

The news that had come in wasn't good, either. Border clashes between the zebrafolk and the human kindgoms down south were common now. An actual battle had been fought in a zebra city. South's Eye Ridge, or so she'd heard. Casualties in the tens of thousands on both sides.

The timing was too perfect. Every time she heard a bit of news come in from a traveler or two, her stomach churned just a little bit more. With each new rumored death toll, she was terrified that Aalum's luck had run out.

But still, she hoped against hope.

A noise dragged her outside- What sounded like a yell. She stepped out into the light and looked. An aging wolven neighbor of hers had dropped a basket of firewood, she could see. She stepped out and began helping, much to the aging man's audible thanks. She saw him to his doorstep with a kind word or three before turning to venture back to her home next door.

There was a familiar shape, some distance away, walking through groups of talking and working people. Tall, lightly bundled, with a cloak, yet with a visible limp, and a left arm ending in a swath of bandages.

Her breath caught in her throat, but she rocketed forward anyway.

Aalum caught her with both arms, though he cringed at the impact. More bandaging covered parts of his body, including over one eye. But it was still undeniably him.

Mina clutched at him possessively. Her mate did likewise, grasping at her waist to bring her in closer, letting out a relieved sigh of his own. Mina shook in his arms, tears welling in her eyes, despite the grin on her face. He kissed her forehead. "I'm here," he cooed, running a hand through her hair. He didn't have the other hand anymore. "I'm here.

And I'm not leaving."