Flesh and Fur (Preview)
#1 of Flesh and Fur
So I decided to try my hand at writing again. After about... What has it been. Five years and change, maybe longer? Sounds about right, since the Fayer House project was quietly shelved.
Any who, the premise of this project is fun. It gives me an excuse to use two of my (retired) DnD 4.0 characters, The first is my Human Hybrid (Rog/Soc) Seraphina Crenshaw and the second is my Gnoll Fighter, Greifer.
Will there be a chance of the dirty? Depends on if i can maintain the drive for this project. Only time and my mental state will tell. I kind of hope I can keep it going. Most of my followers are from my stories, and it would be nice to give them something to smile about. :3
Specific characters © C. R. Ingtail
The Lost Forgotten Realms and its elements are owned by Wizards of the Coast.
The gnoll roared loudly as he strained against his binds, the strong iron cutting into his wrists as he desperately clutched towards the bucket. Even if he lead out with his torso, his muzzle just couldn't close the gap. ''Mwen pral manje ou!'' He yelled in frustration before falling back onto the spot in the middle of the room. He rubbed a hand against the cuffs. The men were smart, he begrudgingly admitted. The group ambushed him, fed him a heavy sedative to keep him quiet, then secured the shackles with thick rivets instead of with a lock.
His back stung with the welts and cuts from the whipping their leader had handed down. He felt ashamed to be sitting in a cell, nude. He had been starved and given little water over the past nights. Using the corner of a room for what few times he needed to relieve himself. He could stand for a hot bath, a gallon of mead and a whole pig right about now. Hell, he could almost kill for those right now.
What he was kicking himself about most was the fact that he went away from his order. They understood that he wanted to better himself, and that most within the order wouldn't be able to keep up with his raw power. So he took time away, keeping his colors on him in case things arose. ''Sa te travay anpil,'' he muttered to himself, just before he heard the key turn the tumblers to the lock on his cell.
Within moments a lithe blonde was tossed into the far corner, a thick white bandage wrapped around her head. The door was quickly closed and relocked, the fading voices wishing not to be 'cursed by the devil's words.' The gnoll quickly took a pose of dominance, however much the chains would allow him to. The woman seemed unmoved. ''Ou pa fe pe?''
The woman slumped to the wall behind her, pushing up against it to put herself back to standing. With only moonlight filling the cell, she could barely tell what was there. But her ears picked up the tongue, though she knew only a key word from the beast's sentence. ''L'gra? Kii jalla si l'gra vi garmth di tsil!''
''Strong words coming from woman!''
''Says the fool who is bolted to the floor!''
They both fell quiet, shooting hard stares at one another. Crickets chirped outside the cells window, and the tension was slowly building to a boiling point. The woman was the first to finally back down, her eyes closing, taking in a deep breath before she exhaled. She then looks down to the bucket, nudging it towards the gnoll with a foot.
The beast wasted little time, grasping the bucket with both hands and bringing it to his mouth. He didn't care what it was tainted with. He had not a drink in almost two nights. The water spilled down his chest, shoulders and stomach, and he dropped the bucket as he almost choked from drinking so quickly.
''Ha! Look at you,'' the woman started again, not even giving way to the stern, red eyed stare the gnoll shot. ''Acting like you haven't a meal in a whole day. Acting like the savage beast you are.''
''Seven,'' the gnoll managed out between coughs, the blonde soon going quiet. ''I have been for seven night. And I NOT savage! I bath and groom, unlike others of kind. Trained as noble fighter!''
''Too bad they did not train you in proper Common,'' she muttered out. She sidestepped upon hearing the gnoll yell, narrowly avoiding the bucket being tossed towards her hips. A glance behind her reveals that it has broken into chunks and splinters due to contact with the stone wall. ''Yikes! Sensitive much?!''
''What part of seven night you not understand?'' The gnoll settles into a kneeling pose, hands resting on his lap. He took his turn to recompose himself. He sensed that the woman had moved closer again, sitting herself down in front of him. Close enough to reach, if he wanted to. His eyes reopened to see the woman returning a strong and confident gaze. ''How you know Abyssal?''
''Hmm. Interesting first question.'' The blonde hummed as she recollected on her youth. ''Peeked at books at the school I was holed up at. Yes, I was able to withstand their power. But I only learned a few key words.'' As she nodded to herself, she finally noticed that his body was bare. ''Why are you naked?''
''The only clothing needed is armor. Which they took.'' He nods quietly towards the door. ''Fur does good job preventing rawness. How captured?''
The blonde sighed at that. ''Was ambushed. Near Corm Orp. Killed one, injured four. Think I took the flat side of a broadsword for my troubles.'' She tilts her head, as if she wanted to point to the bandages she acquired. ''You?''
''Same.'' A soft smirk soon formed across his muzzle. ''Killed three, hurt seven. Sedative darts.''
They both sat in silence now. They could hear several men conversing outside of the small cell window, their bodies blocking the light from the moon. The woman was in mild awe of the red glow the gnoll's eyes were giving, no doubt caused by the supposed demonic blood in his veins. They continued their silence when the men moved, bringing light back to the space.
''I am Greifer,'' the gnoll finally said, his voice cutting the silence with the grace of a new cadet holding a longsword.
''Seraphina Crenshaw,'' she returned. ''Please, call me Sera.'' They sat in silence again, but a soft smirk soon formed on her face. ''So how are we busting out of here?''