FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Dunes is set in a little faraway world where magic and technology (as they are want to do) don't quite get along with each other. Seeing as picking up a wrench and learning how to build sandcrawlers, electric lights, and (arguably most importantly) guns can be done by anybody, practitioners of magic seem to find themselves slowly outnumbered.

Naturally, none of this would have ANYTHING to do with a little trading city-state of Augustine, settled just perfectly in the middle of a great, expansive desert. The surrounding city states that depend on a nice, juicy trade route through the city, however...

---

Chapter 1 here introduces a lovely little wraith named Vera. She's a young, supple coyote. Enjoys long walks along the beach, despises sunlight like a curse, and has been surgically altered to be a part of the most elite snipers in the entire Augustine territory.

Under Augustine's rigid caste system, Vera has.... how you say... job security in spades. You stay up in a tower for twelve hours looking at boring.... BORING sand as far as you can see.... then you come down and go to sleep. Wash, rinse, repeat... And hopefully you get to go off your shift when the sun is setting! Although their rifle scopes are fitted with a special light-filter, any exposure to direct sunlight proves wonderfully uncomfortable to the wraith's surgically-altered eyes. It also helps when some uppity wraith decides they want to do something silly like not do their job.

Between long shifts of staring at sand and... well, more staring at sand... Vera does have one thing to look forward to every so often when she scans the desert...

---

Dunes: Chapter 1

By: Triller Lunas

Comments are always appreciated.

The sun fell lazily into the sandy horizon as dark orange rays splattered against the walls of Augustine. The solid sandstone towers sprouted up from the perimeter of the city like sentinels overlooking the endless desert in all directions, casting long shadows against the western walls of the city. Vera stifled a yawn into her palm as she leaned toward the tall window of the watch tower overlooking the west gate. She was sitting in the slim opening with one foot against the opposite edge, cradling a long, cloth-wrapped object against her shoulder and dragging her eyes across the horizon. Augustine was an island of life in a desert of sand for miles around, serving as an intermediate stop on a well established trade route, but it was the slow summer season and Vera had nothing to look at for the past month other than the same stretch of tan sands that rolled out from the needlelike watch tower.

Vera was born into the wraith caste, both of her parents coming from the same lineage, and was charged with keeping an eye on the desert for the first sign of trouble. Her tan clothing blended her seamlessly with the tower's sandstone and even from up close the coyote would look like nothing more than perhaps a trick of the waning light. She was covered head to toe with the linen cloth strapped tightly and intricately to her body, accenting every curve and contour of her slim figure while also providing a nearly invisible camouflage against the stone and mortar. Her head was covered with a small hood and her muzzle wrapped with more of the linen cloth. Her eyes were protected from the sun's glare by a pair of dark, round goggles that added to the tower guards overall look that matched their names: Wraiths.

Vera was somewhat content with her position; it was certainly better than being born to the slave or merchant castes. Her job was merely to do what was written into her genetic code by her parents: seek out trouble before it gets to Augustine and eliminate it. Times like the long summer months, however, made the coyote's attention wander inward to the small crow's nest of a tower in which she was spending most of her life. Inward to herself. She carefully set the cloth-wrapped bundle aside and opened her canteen from the tower floor. Tucking her muzzle cloth down, she took a deep drink of the somewhat warm water and left her mouth open for a few gulps of air to cool her tongue. Her goggled eyes stared down at the round little container before a glint from the desert caught her attention.

The cap immediately went back on the canteen and Vera slipped to a crouched position by the side of the window. Her eyes caught the glint again in the sands beginning to turn red in the sunset and her paw instinctively grabbed the clothed parcel at her side. She carefully unwrapped a long, tan rifle from the cloth and nestled the weapon up against her shoulder. The lens covers on the scope popped up with a flick of her thumb and she peered through the short tube. The desert sprang forward to meet her eye and she carefully scanned the dusty sands for the mysterious glint again.

A moment later she found it and locked on to the glint of metal cutting its way through the tan sand. Vera licked her lips slowly and kept the center of the object firmly focused in her crosshairs as it steadily trudged closer to Augustine's walls. Minutes passed in tense silence, Vera's breathing even slowing as the coyote kept her hairs right on her target. It was definitely a vehicle, and as it drew closer Vera could make out the outline of a Sand Crawler trudging its way over the soft, yielding sands. Sand Crawlers were a kind of modified truck that had large tank treads instead of tires able to comb their way through even the softest sand. Sand Crawlers were popular among traders, but also among raiders and troublemakers as well. One crawler could carry a platoon of such troublemakers right into Augustine if a wraith weren't watchful of it. Vera felt her grip on the rifle tighten.

The crawler swam across the burning desert as the sun dipped ever closer to sunset along the horizon and Vera began to make out more features from her view in the tower. From head on, the truck had no markings and was a nondescript tan. Not good. A few dozen meters closer the coyote could make out its driver, possibly canid and male, with goggles strapped over his face to protect his eyes from the sun and a red bandana drawn over his muzzle. Vera clicked the safety off of her rifle and began to steady her breathing. She followed the lazy trail the crawler took and felt out the complex calculations of wind and trajectory to her target. As the moment screamed for her to fire, Vera hesitated. She took another glance at the driver and strained her eye at the bandana again.

With a heavy sigh, Vera closed her eyes and relaxed her shoulder against the tall, thin window. She clicked her scope covers closed and set the rifle against the wall by the opening before plucking a rectangular radio up from the tower's floor.

"Wraith West to Gate West, d'you copy?" the coyote cleared her throat midway through the request and waited for the gate's response.

"Go ahead Wraith West."

"Good company coming in on the sands, our side. Be prepared for quick check." Vera smirked softly to herself, "And be on your best behavior, boys, we have royalty on the way."

By the time the Sand Crawler made its way past the west gate into Augustine, a mere whisker of the sun was just over the horizon's edge. It, too, soon slipped behind the curtain of endless desert and cast twilight over the walled city. Electric bulbs strung by black cords fizzled to life and provided adequate light on the dusty street as the lone crawler trudged its way toward the parking depot, a large lot of open tents and coverings for visiting vehicles. The lumbering truck had no trouble finding itself a spot to settle for the night and wedged itself under a tarp that would give the truck protection from the sun the next morning. The driver shifted the grumbling beast into park and switched it off.

Up close, a Sand Crawler was more tank than truck and hardly aesthetically pleasing. It was very boxy and windowless, utilizing small slots lining the sides of the vehicle as a means to view the outside world from within. They did have an amazing amount of space due to their design and were a boon to any traveling merchant with a large amount of cargo to trawl across the desert. The driver's door swung open with a rusty screech and a stout man swung himself out to his feet on Augustine sand-covered cobblestone. An attendant, a small apprentice of a mouse, quickly padded up to the wolf as he tugged down his red bandana from his snout and plopped his goggles up onto his forehead.

"Evenin', lord, welcome to Augustine, jewel of the desert." the mouse hastily bowed and stood up straight again, "Shall I arrange for your crawler to be filled and greased up and show you to the inn?"

As he spoke, the mouse's eyes wandered away from the driver and inspected the metal box on tank treads. The sands took a beating on any vehicle traveling over it and the boy already began making a list in his head as the wolf took his time in stretching his limbs. The mouse's attention only returned to the driver when the glint of metal caught his eye from the wolf's hip: a holstered revolver.

"Yeah, something tah drink and a soft bed'd be nice for me." he rumbled, turning to walk toward the back of the crawler, "Miss Hawthorne'll be needin better accommodations, though."

The mouse's ears twitched at the name and he tapped his lip with a small finger while stepping closer to the crawler for inspection. The wolf arrived around to the back of the truck and unlatched the doors to the cargo area. Almost nose to steel with the truck, the mouse carefully inspected the side of the vehicle before tracing a paw across its side and clearing away the fresh dirt that had accumulated on it. He gasped.

"E-Elizabeth Hawthorne??" he stammered, recognizing the colorful insignia emblazoned on the side of the truck and on the driver's bandana, "I-I had no idea. Forgive me, sir, i-is she-?"

"Tell the poor boy to get to work on our car before he worries himself to pieces, Bruno." a velvety, calm voice came from the opened doors.

The mouse scampered around to the back of the crawler and stood himself straight as a board before bowing down at the waist sharply. The wolf was helping a shorter, older feline down from the cargo hold of the crawler. The hold itself had been customized to fit passengers instead of boxes with two rows of removable seats lining the sides of the vehicle. As the female cougar's feet touched the ground, her cadre of bodyguards filed out behind her, all donning heavy flak vests or body armor along with rather intimidating-looking assault rifles on their backs. They funneled out in a circle around the cougar as she dusted off her own tactical vest and desert-camo pants.

"L-L-Lady Hawthorne, Welcome... Welcome to-..." the mouse stutteringly began.

"-to Augustine. Elizabeth, what brings you all the way to my humble little city?"

The deep voice behind the mouse turned him around to face a large panther covered in white silk robes. He smiled warmly down at the wide-eyed mouse and nodded to the truck. Dumbfounded, the boy nodded and quickly scampered around to the front of the crawler, muttering a "Y-yes, Sultan Vizaar" as the panther chuckled. He was a large man, towering over Elizabeth's men but not inducing fear from the older feline. She smiled and held out her slim paw toward the panther, grasping his wrist as he held hers. Immediately after the welcoming squeeze, the larger feline turned her arm to the side and leaned down to kiss the back of her wrist with a wry smile.

"Ever the romantic king of the desert." Elizabeth smirked, "It's good to see you, Mansur."

The panther released Elizabeth's wrist and held his arm out toward a waiting transport. It resembled a small jeep and seated four.

"Your men have full use of my city's entertainment if you will relinquish yourself and your possessions to my home for the evening." Mansur purred to Elizabeth's amusement.

"Of course." the cougar gave a quick wave of her paw and the guards began to disperse into the welcoming bustle of the city's nightlife as she turned back to the crawler's cargo bay, "Let me get my things. Paleth!"

As the cougar waited patiently, the sound of heavy scraping could be heard from inside as a toned, tan body emerged from the cargo hold dragging a large trunk behind him. As his feet touched the ground, Mansur's cheery disposition turned to a slight frown. The tan-skinned lizard that hefted the trunk from Elizabeth's crawler was covered head to toe in golden tattoos. They crisscrossed his body in angular patterns down his bare chest and back, his tail had thick bars of the metallic ink inscribed down the tip. His head was bald and served as further canvas to the intricate markings, the symbols marking him as property and the color denoting his owner as the Hawthorne family. His entire muscular torso was bare and a line of short, sanded grooves poked out down his back where there was once an impressive line of sharp quills. Paleth's hips were wrapped with a white silk cloth with gold trim, a gold and tan sash hanging down the front of his hips bearing the Hawthorne company's logo: a triangle with two older-model revolvers crossed before it.

"So, you brought... him." Mansur huffed, cross his massive arms across his chest and looking down at the lizard distastefully.

"He is an invaluable traveling companion and I assume there will be no trouble with bringing him to your home?" Elizabeth looked demurely up at the panther, idly scratching her neck with extended claws, "Come now, Mansur, don't tell me the mighty Sultan of Augustine is jealous of a lowly slave."

The large feline bared his teeth for a second then composed himself and turned back to face Elizabeth.

"Very well... but any trouble that revolves around the scaleskin will be of his own invitation." The panther huffed and motioned toward the jeep once again.

The cougar nodded understandingly and made her way toward the transport, Paleth keeping his disposition neutral as he followed his mistress and secured her belongings to the back of the jeep. Mansur sized up the lizard as he slowly walked around to the driver's seat, eying the modest, well-kept muscles that glimmered in the electric light with their golden tattoos. In contrast, the panther was a tower of bulky muscle whose definition was hidden under his long, silken robe save for his arms. He scoffed quietly and took a seat with the cougar next to him, giving Paleth just enough time to hop into the back before starting up the vehicle to a deep rumble and heading out down the sandy road.

"So, Elizabeth... you still haven't answered my question." Mansur spoke casually as he twisted and turned around the city's buildings.

There was the occasional citizen making his or her way throughout the streets, but the growl of the panther's jeep gave them enough warning to get out of the way as the feline sped past them.

"Just renewing a trade agreement with the Cereans, you know they're not too happy about the size of their borders." Elizabeth smirked softly, "They'd like a bigger shipment and a better deal."

"As long as those borders do not extend to my sands, I say any business for my friends is good business." Mansur grinned back.

"The Cereans know better than to do anything so... brazen especially to my friends. Besides, who would want a meter of your dusty land?"

Paleth grinned quietly to himself in the back seat and Mansur even cracked a smile. The lizard leaned his head back and watched the strings of light bulbs whiz by overhead. Further up between the taller buildings in the cities he could just barely make out the black cables that made up the maze of zip lines the wraiths used to get from building to building. During the day, the city looked as if it were under a large, black spider web, but at night the thick cables only occasionally blotted out a line of stars from the sky. The lizard raised an eyebrow as he thought he saw a black shape momentarily cross a few stars then disappear.

The jeep pulled to a halt just inside the city's palace gates and the thrumming motor was clicked off. Mansur hoisted himself from the driver's seat and came around to Elizabeth's side as Paleth made himself busy with the cougar's trunk.

"You have the same room as always, Elizabeth. I trust your servant can find his way up there and then make himself scarce to my presence." the panther spoke loudly without glancing over at Paleth.

Elizabeth made a soft nod to the lizard followed by a smile that relieved him slightly.

"Of course. It is a long trip out here to your city, I keep telling you to move it closer to mine." The cougar chuckled, wrapping her paws around the panther's offered arm and following him inside.

"But my dear, then your trip back to me would be longer!" Mansur laughed deeply and led the fellow feline past the arches of the main entrance.

Paleth hoisted the heavy trunk onto his shoulder and followed at a distance behind the two felines, making his way past the grand entrance hall with depictions of great battles on long tapestries hanging along the walls. The palace was alight with electricity, illuminating every nook and cranny especially those with expensive paintings or golden items. Paleth ignored the showy goods and made his way toward the gradually spiraling staircase. Servants of the palace quickly parted when they saw him coming, but took their time in staring over his strange appearance. He was used to the treatment from his last few trips through the city as the main population was made up of mostly canines and felines. The only time they'd ever seen a reptile of any type was probably the rare occasion when his mistress passed through. They probably thought all lizards have shiny gold "markings."

A short trip down a hallway later found the lizard standing before an ornate wooden door with brass fixtures. He tested the doorknob and found it unlocked and ready to swing into the guest room. Paleth stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, settling the trunk at the foot of a large, four-poster bed decorated with floral designs and silk sheets. The lizard took a seat on a nearby chair and stretched out a little after being cooped up in the Sand Crawler for so long. Though he was used to the desert, he didn't much care for the cramped conditions in which his mistress didn't mind traveling. With a steady breath, the tan reptile reminded himself of how worse off he could be.

His head cocked to the side slowly as the sound of trickling water became apparent from the next room: the bath. Paleth sighed and pined for a nice, warm soak to wash the dust from his skin. He stood up carefully from the chair and snuck over to the door leading to the hallway. A cursory glance out into the hallway proved it to be empty and Paleth was familiar with Mansur's tendencies toward serving his more distinguished guests lavish dinners. His stomach grumbled at the thought and the lizard shut the door again. Well, if couldn't partake of a little fine dining, a bath would be the least he could do to enjoy himself.

Vera planted her feet silently against the sentry tower near the downtown market place. Her paws tightly grasped the handles of a pair of dull black pulleys resting atop a thin steel cable. She hoisted her legs up and slipped into the familiar slim window before quickly detaching the device and heading toward the opposite window.

"Vera!" a sharp whisper came out of the darkness to her left, "What are you doing? You're supposed to be at West Tower right now!"

The coyote barely flinched at the fox's presence, already at the other window resetting her zip line pulley. The goggles that had previously covered her eyes were now resting on her forehead, exposing her dull, sandy eyes to the moonlight.

"I'm merely checking up on an old friend, Aziz." she gave the pulley a few tugs and looked over at the similarly-dressed male fox glaring at her.

"I won't cover for you this time. If they don't find you at your post at sunrise, it will be-"

"Twenty lashes, yes yes, I remember." The female rolled her eyes and perched up on the windowsill, "I'll be back before you even notice."

The fox huffed as she pushed off from the ledge and rolled across the wire to the next building. Vera zigzagged her way through the city, stealthily stalking the rooftops and wraith towers toward the palace. After carefully avoiding the royal guards stalking the inner walls and grounds, the coyote stealthily made her way around the ledge on the third story of the palace. The building itself was massive, able to be seen from outside the city walls and architecturally breathtaking. The wraith was careful to plot step to step, balcony to balcony without making so much as a scuffle with her feet. She mentally kept track of each balcony she ghosted across until reaching the fifth ledge. The shutters were closed and locked, but Vera produced two metallic tools from her hip that made the door-sized wooden shutters click open in little time.

The coyote peered cautiously inside, taking full account of the lavish room as her rifle slipped off of her shoulder into her paws. She set it carefully on the ledge beside the shutters and tugged her hood down from her head. Her tan headfur was marked with a red streak that traced down over her forehead and eye in a lazy, snakelike pattern and disappeared into her muzzle covering. As she stepped into the lighted room, she heard the soft splash of water to her right in another part of the apartment. Quietly, she crept around the main bedroom toward the continuing sound of splashing and peeked into the bathing room.

The entire room was covered with carefully sanded and smooth tiles and at its center was a circular bath nearly two meters in diameter sunken into the floor. She immediately noticed the tan-scaled lizard soaking in the waters with his eyes closed and his elbows resting along the edge of the pool. Vera grinned and carefully unwrapped the cloth from her muzzle and neck before nudging the door open. Paleth noticed the door opening only after it gently tapped against the tile wall, startling him from his relaxed repose. With a noisy splash, the lizard gasped and started to stand up in the waters, eyes quickly focusing on the figure in the doorway. Vera chuckled and allowed the reptile to make a bit of a fool out of himself before waving a paw at him.

"Boo." she chuckled as her sandy eyes traced down the lizard's nude, dripping front, "Please, don't get up on my account, Paleth."

Paleth blushed slightly and he immediately settled back into the bath with a light splash.

"Vera, don't you ever knock?" he frowned, his arms folding across his chest under the water.

"I'd be a very poor wraith if I did. How's the bath?" the coyote casually walked forward, her paws starting to unravel the lengths of linen cloth that clung tightly to her arms.

Paleth raised an eyebrow at the display and held up his hands.

"Wait a moment; you can't possibly be thinking of coming in here." the lizard frowned.

"I just came in for a quick bath," the canine flashed a toothy grin as her arms became bare, "Don't worry, the 'queen' won't even know I was here."

The red markings along her short hair and face were present along her arms as well, twisting out from her shoulders and spelling out complex glyphs down her biceps before branching out like a red skeleton along the top of her forearms and over each finger. Paleth held his tongue slightly as Vera casually loosened the cloth straps around her neck and shoulder, exposing more dark tan and brown fur accented by the fur marking of a wraith. He didn't know much about Augustine's strict caste system, but the coyote had explained to him once before about the meaning of the arcane glyphs tattooed into her fur. Needless to say, they easily identified with each other in their predetermined lots in life.

The linen around Vera's body was actually one long piece that the coyote loosened and tugged at various points along her body until the entire outfit slumped to the floor by the opposite edge of the bath. The coyote stretched lavishly and extended her arms above her head as she watched Paleth out of the corner of her eye. Without fail, the lizard's gaze fell upon the canine's slim, sexy body. She was slight and trim, littered with the red ink that traced down her breasts and over her hips in lazy, spiraling circles, a stark contrast to the jagged, gold peaks and angular edges etched into his own skin. Her shapely breasts jiggled softly when her arms fell back to her sides and the coyote bent over toward the lizard to fully show them off.

"You wouldn't refuse a bath to a beautiful woman like myself, would you slave?" she growled gently at him, her tail swaying behind her long, toned legs.

"Miss... Hawthorne-" Paleth began softly.

"-is not here right now. And I'm sure the sultan will keep her busy for the rest of the night." Vera stood up straight again, crossing her arms under her breasts with a smirk.

Paleth shuddered at the sight and gave up, motioning a hand toward the water. Despite his own duties with Lady Hawthorne, something about the coyote's confidence in her own body played on the lizard's baser instincts. As Vera slipped herself into the hot bath, Paleth rolled the word she had used around in his head. Slave. It was his official status under Elizabeth Hawthorne and a rank shared by many of his people. Coming from any other muzzle the term would have been slightly more insulting. Vera, however, had an odd sense of humor about it. Then again, she had a similar view about many things, especially their perceived lots in life. She settled deeply into the water with a relaxed hum and blinked her eyes open over at the lizard. The dull orbs, she had explained before, was the result of something they did to wraiths. It wasn't a popular topic of conversation, but Paleth always found himself captivated by the ghostly pupils counter-admiring his form.

"You're staring again, Paleth." Vera's voice teased.

His head's immediate turn to the side made the coyote chuckle as she pushed off from the bath's edge.

"It's been a while... I'd almost forgotten what you looked like under all that cloth." Paleth cleared his throat and felt the water shift around him from her movement.

"Well, here. Have a nice, good look, my slave." the coyote smiled wryly, caressing the lizard's smooth cheeks as she lifted herself up into his lap.

Paleth silently hummed, watching the female's chest slowly rise up just under his chin. He was no stranger to the female body, but something about Vera's straightforwardness always tested the lizard's restraint. Vera settled herself up against Paleth's front as water slowly trickled down her chest, looking very pleased with herself while the lizard tried not to stare at the inviting view.

"So very well trained... no wonder the queen brings you along everywhere she goes." the wraith chuckled and brushed the back of her fingers along Paleth's cheeks, letting their embedded symbols touch against each other.

Paleth turned his eyes upward and the coyote smiled deeply into the expressive green orbs, the twinge of jealousy marking her expression.

"Speaking of which, when did I suddenly become your slave?" Paleth spoke deeply, bringing his toned, mucular arms up from the waters and wrapping them around the canine's waist.

"Outside of this city, you may belong to Miss Hawthorne..." the wolf tilted his chin up and his head back as she leaned forward, "but once you cross my gate you belong to me."

Vera locked her lips with Paleth's warm muzzle as her fingers traveled along his neck and shoulders. After a moment, she broke the lip lock and buried his face firmly into the soft embrace of her breasts, letting him breathe in warmly as he planted another kiss against the soaked fur. Something in the bath and her clothing mixed together in her fur to create a scent almost like sandalwood that filled his slotted nostrils. Vera let out a soft breath from the embrace, lonely and eager for the touch thanks to the long hours spent in her tower watching the empty desert. She happily drank in every slight caress the lizard had to offer. His eyes reacquainted themselves with the sight of her lovely breasts before tracing his lips up across her left bosom to the small nub protruding from the damp fur. Vera gently bit her lip and ran her hands up onto the lizard's smooth, slick shoulders as she heard the moist pop of Paleth's lips parting.

The water stirred and the gasp from the wraith's lips bounced off of the tile walls. She felt the lizard's serpentine tongue caress and tease across her nipple as his lips encased the stiff protrusion in a deep suckle. He was careful with his sharp teeth and ensured that the coyote only felt warm, slippery flesh against her supple breast. Her fingers started creeping up and down his shoulders. Paleth leaned his head back and watched the coyote's tit gently jiggle as the erect nipple popped from his mouth, taking a moment to run a hand up her back before moving to her other breast. This was more attention the coyote's body had received in months, her mind trying to hold onto every touch and caress of the skilled servant. Her body trembled as his fingers seemed to trace out the intricate design of her tattoos along her back while his muzzle released her round breast from its grasp.

"Not feeling so talkative, Vera?" Paleth smirked up to the coyote, watching how her torso swayed and reacted to the sensation of his claw tips now combing through her fur.

A warm growl erupted from the canine's lips and she closed her eyes.

"We'll see how much you have to say when I'm through with you, lizard." she replied, bringing the slightest of grins to the lizard's stoic face.

The two lightly tussled into the waters, lips firmly locked together as Paleth's hands roamed the wraith's succulent body. How a kingdom could hide such a beauty away in a tower her entire life he simply couldn't comprehend. He delighted in every touch of her body and every soft purr of pleasure against his lips. Water began to lap up over the edge of the bath as the bodies wrestled for dominance. Paleth's natural strength was abruptly shifted from his control as Vera twisted his hands at the wrist and pinned him back against the concrete pool with a small splash. She looked at him hungrily, straddling his hips and keeping his arms at his sides as she soaked in the sexual tension.

Vera's hand abruptly lifted off from Paleth's wrist and the lizard squirmed upright a bit when it reappeared between his legs. She let out a deep, erotic growl as her fingertips played over the dark, black spire of flesh under the water, feeling the curve of the slave's member already growing hard to her touch. Her hand wrapped around the thick length and she stroked it lightly while watching the lizard's tempered reaction. She grinned.

"So very well trained... But I know how to bring out the lustful animal in you, Paleth." Vera spoke quietly, running her fingertips under the lizard's cock and tracing the small ribs lining just under the tip.

Paleth's tongue ran over his lips as the wolf pushed against his chest and guided him up out of the water. The clean liquid ran off his scales quickly whereas droplets lingered onto Vera's soft fur. The lizard sat back on the edge of the pool with his legs spread and hanging in the water, his stiff erection fully exposed and dripped before the aching female. He bit his lip as he watched Vera, without hesitation, rise up to the edge between his legs with her hands perching herself on his thighs.

"I'm sure a respectable monarch like her doesn't do this very often." Vera's voice grew soft and sultry to the slave's ears.

Paleth almost chuckled at the thought but didn't let it show as he watched the wolf gently grasp the sides of her breasts and lower herself a bit into the pool. He watched his hard, slick cock rise up between the wet, furry tits before her hands pinned his ebony length between the warm globes of flesh. Paleth shuddered and didn't dare close his eyes from the erotic sight, watching the alluring wraith slowly press her breasts upward along his throbbing member and then sliding back down as she shot him a sultry smile.

"Gods, Vera... you know just... how to tease me." the lizard stuttered his breath as his fingers gripped into the bath's edge.

The wolf only chuckled and squeezed her breasts tighter around his tip for a moment, fully encasing the leaking lizard length before sliding back down and letting it reappear just under her chin. The slave's claws gripped the cement edge tighter, trying to keep his short groans of pleasure in check and resisting the urge to arch his hips upward toward the wraith's soft, inviting chest. Vera began moving in a nice, steady rhythm as she watched the lizard's eyes pin firmly on her warm tits, watching his cock slide in and out of the warm crevice she created with the furry mounds. He was achingly hard and dripping with more than just water. The sensation of her soft breasts around his cock and the sight of the black length nestled perfectly between them caught his breath in his chest more than once.

Vera began alternating her grip, squeezing the warm pole between her breasts on an upward stroke, then releasing them just enough to jiggle back down into place at his base. Paleth had to close his eyes in concentration, already starting to feel the tingle of erotic pleasure building up between his legs. The wolf smirked and countered her companion's unwillingness to enjoy himself by craning her neck gently and lapping her warm, moist tongue along the lizard's tip. After only a few light slurps, the lizard was groaning openly and pressing his hips up to match Vera's slow pumping. His muzzle parted with sharp, aroused breaths as he watched the thick cock disappear into the wraith's talented muzzle from between her squishable tits. He felt the hot lips and tongue caress his tip and circle around his most sensitive areas before the canine muzzle slurped back and showed off the slick, dark length jutting up firmly from between her breasts.

Vera carried on the delightful torture while Paleth struggled to muffle his moans of pleasure. The coyote reviled in the lizard's pleasure, growing steadily aroused at the warm touch of his length against her fur but intent on bringing him over first.

"I know you can't possibly hold out for this long..." she purred, kissing his leaking tip as her tits jiggled back around the base of his cock, "Let go... give me just a taste of my lizard's cream..."

As those soft lips wrapped back around his tip, Paleth let out a sharp grunt and happily obliged the begging wraith. After only a single pump of her head down the thick shaft, Vera felt it throb up between her breasts and into her lips as the first hot load of his cum splashed into her muzzle. The burst of salty, savory seed gushed against the roof of Vera's muzzle before drizzling down along her tongue, sating her thirst for the feel and taste of a male she'd been denied so long. She drank it down along with the next pulse that came after it and the next after that, her hands keeping her breasts firmly squeezed around Paleth's base to feel each gooey shot travel up the long, thick spire.

After milking the last heavy glob of lizard cum from Paleth's twitching length, Vera leaned her head back and popped casually off of the throbbing meat. Her tongue warmly stimulated the lizard's tip and her dull, sandy eyes momentarily shimmered in the electric light as they looked up to see the shivers of pleasure she gave her partner. Paleth could hardly keep himself quiet with the erotic dance the coyote's tongue played over his twitching cock, still hard as it had been trained.

"Missed me that much, hmm?" the wraith grinned as she felt the stiff length throb a little slower between her breasts.

"Not as much... as you missed it, I'm sure..." Paleth gave her a sly smirk back, running one of his hands across her cheek.

Vera rose up from the water, letting her toned, athletic body press against Paleth's solid form as she took note of every twitch his cock made against her damp fur. His arms, carved with the gold tattoos down to his fingers, wrapped around her waist as she settled herself at eye level and embraced him with a deep, passionate kiss. From behind, his arms stood out against her brown fur and the red ink stained down to her skin like a pair of etched mandibles. Her waist just barely stood out above the water as her arms curled their way around his broad shoulders and neck, their kiss not yet broken. Her fingers gently touched the golden glyphs on his neck. He shivered.

Despite her sultry tone and almost authoritative posture, Vera's body burned with yielding lust. Her nipples poked out firmly from her furry breasts and the muted scent of her body had subtly changed to a thicker sandalwood smell. This only proved to make Paleth's body react in turn, throbbing against her stomach fur and eliciting a warm growl from the two of them between their desperately locked lips. Vera's hands moved quickly to her lizard's chest and she pinned him back against the bathroom floor with a wet smack. Their lips parted with a hungry gasp from the coyote as her fingertips roamed over the powerful body at her disposal. Paleth simply laid back with a muted grin, receiving a delicious view of the coyote's nude front as she worked her way down his torso to the thick rod of flesh standing up from his hips. They both trembled when she brushed a hand at his base.

"E-Enough being coy..." the canine hissed, slipping herself effortlessly from the waters and straddling the lizard's hips, "I've waited long enough to have your cock."

Paleth didn't say a word in reply, letting Vera pin his shoulders to the cool tile as her hips worked themselves into place above his. She let out a soft moan of eagerness feeling the lizard's wet cock glide against her dripping sex, her own sexual juices drenching it further. When she arrived at his tip, Vera gave another needy groan as his round head lined up perfectly between her soft, swollen outer lips. With a final adjustment of her hips, the coyote gently bit her lip and leaned back down into Paleth's lap.

His thickness spread her walls almost too quickly at first, but she stifled her initial yelp with determination to impale herself on the thick shaft. Paleth, himself, had to tense his own muscles in response to the tight, hot folds wrapping around his length like wet silk around metal. She didn't stop until her rear end rested firmly in the lizard's lap and she was able to let out a soft cry of pent up delight. Vera felt a wave of pleasure fog her mind, but shook it off carelessly as her inner muscles kneaded the thick, ribbed length inside of her. Paleth could feel every squeeze of her walls as she purred and enjoyed herself on top of him, her hands only pressing his arms tighter into the damp tile as she hovered over him.

Vera's body suddenly rocked upward and rolled her hips back down again as her pussy clenched around Paleth's thick length. The short burst of movement lead to a steady, thumping rhythm of the coyote's hips against the lizard's lap, pumping the smooth length in and out of her lips as the wraith squeezed every ounce of pleasure she could from the slave. Paleth's brow furrowed with concentration, the eager, needy squeeze of Vera's sweet pussy easily becoming more taxing than his usual session with the lady Hawthorne as the coyote worked months of sexual tension out on his cock. He could feel her breath against his chest from where she hovered over him and the lewd groans of pleasure and delight filled the room almost as much as the heavy slap of her hips down against his. With a sudden, sharp cry from her lips, Vera sat up straight and buried the ebony length inside of her, her rump pressing down onto Paleth's hips as her walls shuddered and clenched around him.

The lizard actually bit his lip as the wraith ground herself into his lap with a smile and look of absolute pleasure streaked across her face. As quickly as she had climaxed, Vera's hips seemed to drive her back up Paleth's cock with a soft huff. Her hands tugged the slave upright on the edge of the pool with surprising strength as her knees pinched tight around his hips. Her eyes shone an almost ghostly white into the lizard's and her lips curled in a broad, almost crazed smile.

"You feel exquisite, Paleth." she hissed, lust dripping from every syllable, "drive that thick lizard meat inside of me un... until I command you to stop."

Almost automatically, Paleth's hands wrapped around Vera's hips and tightened before raising her body up from his hips and plunging her right back down. The coyote yelped with delight as the thick shaft pierced her sex again and renewed the warm grip around the ribbed length. The lizard took over now as his hips ground up against Vera's body in time with his hands and her body. His own grunts started to mix with the coyote's squeals of delight as he drove himself into her on the edge of the pool. He could feel her inner muscles start to tense around his base and swiftly moved both of them across the bath with a loud slosh against the opposite side.

Vera found herself on her back on the wet concrete with water rushing up past the grates below her back, her legs locked firmly at the lizard's hips as he loomed over her and ground his throbbing cock deep into her pussy. She craved every noisy slap of their hips and every heavy grunt from the lizard's parted lips as he pounded her sex for every last drop of pleasure he could wring from her body. His hands grasped her tattooed breasts and squeezed the soft, furry mounts in his fingers and palms as she growled with utter delight, giving his cock a similar squeezing treatment.

"H-Harder... Faster" Vera hissed with delight.

Paleth's hands squeezed the coyote's soft breasts together as his powerful hips dug up between the canine's toned thighs. He moved his grip to her sides for a moment and leaned upright to watch each heavy slap of his hips make the canine's breasts jiggle and her cheeks darken a bit with an intense blush. She grinned up at him as his emerald eyes explored her body, feeling the warm, delicious curve of his cock spreading her walls just how she needed it after all this time. Her hands came up and cupped her bouncing breasts, plumping them up nicely before the lizard's eyes as she seductively ran her tongue over her moist lips. The look deliberately stated: "you can go harder than that." Paleth huffed at this, feeling more than up to the challenge.

Paleth leaned down and buried his muzzle into Vera's neck, giving her a soft, sharp bite through her fur and arching his hips to drive his ebon length faster into her tight, needy sex. Vera let out a heavy cry of pleasure that echoed against the bath walls as she felt one of the lizard's hands hastily push her own fingers out of the way to grope her breasts again. Her legs tensed around his hips and wrapped up tighter around his toned, firm body as she felt the scaly slave throb and twitch deep inside her clenching walls. Another nip to her neck and Vera's head leaned back with a squeal, feeling Paleth grin against her wet neck as he began to pick up his pace. Paleth felt her body exude heat like a fire, absorbing it readily into his reptilian body as his lips searched their way down her shoulder and over each swirling tattoo.

Every rough slap of their hips drew Vera's breath tighter from her lips, making her pant into the steamy air while Paleth sweetly ravaged her body. With his muzzle still searching around her neck, the lizard felt the familiar tension of pleasure built inside of him, forcing his hips into a faster, more erratic rhythm that Vera easily recognized. Her body arched up to his and her hands tilted his muzzle up to hers, sharing a deep, intimate kiss while his hips continued to work against her. Her toned, furry legs made sure to keep his thrusts short and deep while her slick, hot walls tugged at the throbbing ebony length buried inside of her. When the kiss broke, Vera could see her companion was lost in pleasure, eyes closed and teeth grit tight as his hips' pace momentarily spiked in speed. She shuddered below him and lied out across the cool tile, raking her claws dully over the lizard's back as her walls squeezed the thick, ribbed length tighter.

Paleth felt the heavy grunt erupt from his chest as his head craned back and his hips ground up against Vera's dripping wet pussy. The first pulse of his cum splattered against the coyote's warm walls and was quickly joined by another while the lizard groaned with ecstasy. The warm, overwhelmingly filling feeling washed up Vera with a shudder and she soon joined the slave with her own cry of delight, her pussy squeezing Paleth's cock for every warm drop of his seed and feeling the viscous fluid start to drizzle out onto the tile. Her paws froze along his back for the longest time, craving every seeping drop of pleasure she could wring from the lizard's cock as his breath washed down over her bare chest. Vera felt the lizard's hips start to pull back, bringing with it a heavy trickle of his seed until her legs locked back around his hips.

Paleth nodded down to her and brought his lips to Vera's again as he sunk back into the coyote's warm, sticky depths. They shared soft, loving kisses against the tile floor, Paleth's legs starting to ache from the awkward position but still propping him firmly against the coyote's body. Nearly half the water from the bathing pool had been sloshed out into the surrounding drain, leaving Paleth almost dry from his thighs down by the time his lips finally left Vera's. The coyote smiled up at him.

Paleth's hips made another move to tug out from Vera's tight pussy and this time the canine allowed it. She hummed warmly as she felt every rib of the lizard's cock tug and tease along her walls, bringing a good amount of his seed with him as well. As his tip finally slid from the tight confines of the wraith's pussy, Paleth brought their bodies close again, sharing another heavy kiss as he let his member slide back up against Vera's hips. They lightly tussled on the edge of the bath playfully and Vera soaked in every detail of the lizard into her mind while she still had the chance. She had leaned forward to kiss him when her ears perked softly. Paleth took note of her hesitant movement and watched her expression changing quickly from blissful to alert.

It wasn't until the click of the front door hit Vera's ears that the coyote immediately sat up. Paleth recognized the sound of Lady Hawthorne's voice and reacted similarly, trying his best not to slosh in the water. There was a frantic, quiet scramble for clothes as Vera gathered up the cloth in her arms, Paleth quickly drying himself and the surrounding area as best he could with a few cotton towels. Vera snuck over to the doorway and cautiously looked into the room.

"Really, Mansur, you've been a gracious host, but I must retire for the evening."

Elizabeth stood at the doorway of the apartment with the door half-closed. The rest of the archway was filled with the large presence of Sultan Vizaar. Vera felt a cold chill run through her at the very sight of the broad-shouldered panther.

"Oh, but I insist. There are so many things my fair city has to offer. But, if you prefer, I can show you many things your apartment has to offer as well..."

The panther's grin broadened as he leaned into the doorway a little, stopped only by a single finger on his nose. Vera could see Elizabeth shake her head as she leaned forward. The coyote felt a hand on her shoulder and snapped her gaze over to Paleth, already dry and in his sash, looking pleadingly to her. The canine felt a familiar pang in her stomach as she turned and embraced the lizard one last time, kissing his lips before bolting silently across the room behind the two felines.

"Now, Mansur, I insist I must get some rest. We have so much more of your beautiful desert to traverse tomorrow." the cougar smiled up to the flustered panther, a light smear of dark red lipstick on his cheek.

"Very... Very well, my dear." the sultan cleared his throat and gave a generous bow just as the lithe coyote made her way across the carpet, "But I insist you stay for at least a week on your return from business."

"That will be a very hard offer to refuse." Elizabeth grinned slyly to the panther before bidding him goodnight and shutting the door.

As the feline turned, she paused with surprise to see Paleth waiting at the archway to the bathroom. They froze for a moment, trying not to look guilty in their own rights before the lizard politely cleared his throat.

"I've... started a bath for you, Mistress."

"Oh, very good, Paleth. I've been craving one every since we arrived." the cougar let out an exhausted sigh as Paleth stepped aside and let her pass.

Vera silently closed the shutters on the window, her rifle slung over her back and her clothes still dangling from her shoulders as she glanced inside in time to see Paleth being dragged into the bathroom by his sash. She suppressed a hurt, jealous growl in her throat and closed the shutters tight, quickly renewing the lock and making her way down the building.

Vera sat against the wall of her perch while the sun rose across the city from her tower at the west gate. Her body was once again wrapped head to toe in the pale, tan cloth that melted her into the sandstone. She eschewed the window slats overlooking the city but stared at the wall in the direction of palace settled neatly in the center as her gun rested against the opposite wall. The usually cramped room felt like a desert of loneliness itself as Vera's dull eyes tried to scrape her gaze away from the dark sandstone wall. Her ear swiveled to the sound of radio static beside her and her head slowly turned to the device settled on the floor next to her gun.

"Tower West check. Repeat, Tower West check." The crackled voice came through with just enough clarity.

Vera lazily lifted herself onto her knees and walked to the radio, plucking it up by its olive green strap and pressing the button on its side with her thumb.

"Tower West confirm." she said in her usual, lazy tone.

Nothing else came from the small rectangular box and she let it drop from her hand, catching the strap before the sensitive equipment shattered on the stone floor. She let out a soft growl and plucked her rifle up from the wall, unwrapping it and taking a quick scan of the desert. She was met with nothing but the empty, tan expanse of sand as far as her specially-tinted scope could see. Vera grit her teeth and tugged the rifle away from her cheek. She slung it over her shoulder and stared at the softly-lit room. Her body and mind begged her to cross the ziplines again and for a mere moment, she considered it. Walking back over to the slit in the wall leading toward the city, Vera cautiously leaned her head out into the morning sun. Try as she could, her cloth hood could not shield the sun's glare from her eyes and she hissed, bringing her head back in. Even with her eyes closed, Vera could still feel the sting of the overbearing sun's rays on her sensitive eyes, blinding her with ease. It was easier to bear in the evening, but the morning and afternoon sun were intensely painful.

Vera brought her rifle to her cheek again and carefully maneuvered against the door slat. With her left cheek resting against the sandstone her eye was covered from the harsh light and she gazed through the shielding scope on her rifle. She focused on the palace, watching the windows for movement as the guards hustled around the gates. She caught sight of one in an unusual flak vest and followed him up to the palace's main doors swung wide open. Vera felt the lump return in her throat as the figure addressed Lady Hawthorne standing in her fatigues at the doorway alongside the sultan. She desperately searched out the rest of the cougar's guards behind them but would find no hint of the tan and gold lizard with them.

Mansur and Elizabeth shook hands and chatted for a moment before the cougar made her way toward the sandcrawler by the palace gate with the rest of her guard. Vera recognized the wolf leaning by the driver's door smoking a cigarette and looking only the slightest bit hung over until Elizabeth made her appearance around the back of the tank. The wolf quickly extinguished his smoke and trotted around back to open the doors. Vera struggled to steady her rifle as she bit her cheek with restrained jealousy and strained her focus on the back of truck as the wolf tugged the doors open. Vera had the old cougar lined up in her sights. One twitch and Elizabeth Hawthorne would be no more. A hand reached out from the back of the crawler and gently grasped Elizabeth's before pulling her carefully into the back of the crawler. It was a dark tan with sharp, shiny gold markings.

Vera sat back in the shadows of the tower, biting back tears as the rifle fell out of her hands. The crawler would be heading out the east gate and traveling with the sun. Vera couldn't bear to watch them go. She felt her chest tighten and her tears gently soak her clothing as her knees inched up to her chest. After a tense minute, she broke herself of the small fit and breathed in a slow, deep sigh. Her paws calmly laid out her rifle's covering on the sandy floor and the wraith began stripping it with a few angry growls and huffs. She laid out each metallic piece carefully on the cloth and cleaned it individually, going through her morning routine until her relief would arrive with the gold-marked lizard's features flickering in the back of her mind.