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Chapter VI : Stand Off and Stand Down

Frelic, with his cypress wizard's staff glowing an eerie blue-white held before him, took point. Karma, short cutlass firmly held in one paw, stood to his right, and Thissle was poised for battle at her Master's left side, her longsword pointed at the Kobold in an overhead en garde position. Shaasta and Hansen knelt at either end of the couch, Elf on the left with her crossbow cocked and loaded, and Squirrel on the right, short bow drawn, with an arrow ready to fly.

An intense silence permeated the air as the House of Willowpaw and the Goblin dog stared each other down for several interminable seconds. With a frightened whimper, the Kobold slowly backpedaled towards the open door, keeping her eyes on the wizard and his crew. Frelic suspected that there were more Kobolds or worse waiting out in the hall, and this one was most likely retreating to report her findings now that she knew what they faced.

Frelic's heart almost stopped when the diminutive monster's retreat was unexpectedly blocked. A black-furred paw gently gripped the Kobold's shoulder. The monster turned around and looked up to meet the liquid-emerald gaze of Makae.

"Are you okay?" the Mephit girl asked. She then turned her gaze to the quintet poised near the hearth, with their weapons drawn.

Makae put her paw to her mouth and gave a soft, startled gasp, "Oh my! Master Willowpaw, why do you and your party stand so, as if you have just encountered a monster?"

Frelic quietly gestured towards the Kobold the Skunkette maid was standing behind. Makae followed the Elf's gaze and cocked her head cutely to one side. After another long moment of intense silence, the golden-eyed creature broke out in a fit of loud, barking laughter. Frelic scowled, trying to guess at what this Kobold was scheming. Hansen drew the string of his bow back tighter and craned his neck, trying to peer behind Makae, looking for the other Kobolds, Goblins, or Trolls that surely must be lurking out in the hallway.

Thissle, keeping her eyes focused on the laughing intruder, whispered to Frelic, "By Paramour's fangs," she swore, "the Goblin dog has lost her mind."

"She's probably signaling to her comrades for an assault. Keep alert," he warned. "Makae! Get your lovely ass away from here! Do you not know danger when you see it, girl?"

Makae looked up and down the empty corridor, then back to the wizard, whose staff glowed brighter. She shrugged her dainty shoulders, "I see no danger, unless there is some unseen evil lurking out here that only adventurers can see."

The Kobold stopped laughing and an impish smile crossed her muzzle, "The only dangerous monsters here," she growled, her voice soft, low, and bearing a thick accent, is you five louts. Now put those toys away before I take you over my knee one at a time and paddle your asses until they catch fire!"

Now it was Makae's turn to laugh, while Frelic, Thissle, Karma, Hansen, and Shaasta exchanged puzzled looks, "You better do as she says," she advised them, "When Ms. Kez threatens a spanking, you better believe her bite is much worse than her bark." She rubbed her own licorice and whipped cream-furred bottom and gave Frelic an earnest and pleading look that told him the young maid was speaking from considerable personal experience.

The blue-white aura around Frelic's cypress staff vanished, and he gave first, the Furling Skunkette and then, the smirking lady Kobold a quizzical gaze. "Ms. Kez?" he repeated, "So you are Sharani Kez, Ashton's mate?"

"In the fur," she replied, performing a graceful curtsy, "and at your service, Master Willowpaw."

Frelic relaxed, looking quite embarrassed over the potentially deadly misunderstanding. He turned to his companions and ordered them to stand down. Weapons were secured once more in the rack beside the fireplace. The wizard stepped forward and ushered the ladies inside. They accompanied him over to the couch, sitting primly on either side of him. "Ms. Kez, I am truly mortified by our rash behavior," he apologized, placing a hand on the Kobold's paw.

"Oh please, honey," she said, laughing softly and patting the Elf's bare thigh, "call me Sharani. And I must admit, you did give me quite a startle. I take it Ashie neglected to tell you about me?"

"Well, Ashton did say that his mate was one of a kind," Frelic replied, "but talk about the understatement of the ages; I most certainly did not expect you to be a Kobold, Sharani."

Sharani laughed again, "Travelers do tend to do double and triple takes when they see me for the first time downstairs. But you and your friends are the only guests the Hightail has had who have ever greeted me with blades and bows. I haven't had a reception like that since I was a member of War Wizard Yanrik's horde."

"Well, I still feel bad about..."

"Don't," she cut him off, "I'm the one to take the blame. I should have properly announced myself before entering."

"Or even better," Makae suggested, "I should have come in first to introduce Ms. Kez to you."

"Well, no matter now," Sharani continued, "Nobody got hurt, and we all had a bit of amusement. Now why don't you introduce me to your charming little entourage, Mister Willowpaw?"

"You can call me Frelic," he said, then began the introductions. "First, this long-eared lady is Karma," he gestured to the Furling Rabbit.

Sharani looked her over and gave her a welcoming hug. Karma was rather surprised at how strong the lady's grip was, "My, such a lovely example of Furling beauty," she complimented her, then motioned for her to bend down so she could plant a kiss on her cheek.

"Thank-you, Ms. Kez," Karma replied, returning the peck on the cheek, "I'm Frelic's personal aide.

The Kobold gave a friendly smile and nodded, then stepped over to Thissle, "And this striking beauty?"

"Thissle, I'm one of Master Frelic's apprentices."

Sharani repeated her welcoming embrace and kiss, "Oh, such lovely eyes, dear, they sparkle with magick. You are really a Dragon, shapeshifted into a Human form, I presume, a Copper Dragon to be precise?"

"Why yes, I am," Thissle replied, impressed at their hostess' perceptiveness, "Was it the eyes that were the giveaway?"

"That and your hair, as well as that sweet lightning storm scent," Sharani sniffed at the air, "But that strong hint of cinnamon mixed in, I noticed that Karma also smells of cinnamon. Are you by chance a mixed breed, perhaps the Furling's half sister?"

Thissle laughed and put an arm around Karma, "As wonderful a thought that is, Ms. Kez, I really am a full-blooded Dragon. The cinnamon is naught more than an uptail perfume we purchased today."

Frelic reached down and picked up the bottle of spice oil, its phallic applicator still attached to the rectal insertion tube. He almost managed to suppress an amused grin; he noticed a hint of delicious muskiness in the air as Makae quietly squirmed next to him, "All of them have taken a dose of this up their butts as part of their preparations for their night out."

"Oh, expecting some deep south activity tonight?" Sharani asked. She gave Karma and Thissle a sly wink, slipped her paws under their ultra-short buckskin minidresses, and stole a playful pat and squeeze on their bare bottoms. Leaving the Rabbit and Dragon girls blushing at her brashness, she turned her attention to Hansen.

"Now, what of this sexy little bushytailed lad?"

The Squirrel, beating his Master to the punch, lifted the Kobold's paw to his muzzle, kissed it, and introduced himself, "Hansen at your service, m'lady; ranger, adventurer, and beloved pet to Master Frelic."

"Beloved pet?" she reached around and fingered the rose blossom nestled against his soft bottom, then padded around behind him and took a peek under his bushy tail.

"As I thought," she declared, giving the Squirrel a playful swat on his ass, "the hallmark of ol Varo."

"Purchased from the Southern Rose just a few hours ago," Frelic replied.

"Well you couldn't have done any better," she complimented the Elf, "Varo and Lilieblume sell only the best of the best, top of the line and cream of the crop, you know."

"And finally," Frelic said, putting his arm around Shaasta with his hand resting on her rump, "this delightful, fiery little vixen is my dear twin sister, Shaasta."

Sharani gave the naked Elven girl a thoughtful lookover from head to toe, "Shaasta, a lovely name for such a lovely lass." A hug and a kiss on the cheek, then the Kobold gently ran her paws down the girl's shoulders, sides, and hips, "And good taste there on your choice of fashion for the night. Snow Elf never goes out of style." She stepped back and gave Shaasta a sly smile and a wink, posing with a paw resting on fur-clad canted hip.

"Thank-you, m'lady," Shaasta replied, blushing at the compliments over her nakedness, "I am still working at getting used to being skyclad in public. It is not easy to adjust one's thinking to develop the confidence, but I am enjoying the challenge."

"Master neglected to mention," Hansen chimed in, "Shaasta is also an adventurer, highly skilled ranger, my lover, and another of his pets."

"Oh!" the Kobold exclaimed, giving Frelic a naughty teasing smile, wink, and nudge, "she's your pet sister? You Willowpaws grow more interesting and exciting by the minute."

Shaasta was blushing tremendously at Hansen's revelation of her status to Sharani, while her Master turned her around to present her ass to the innkeeper's mate. "Yes, m'lady," he admitted, "I do indeed own my sister. I purchased her at the same time I purchased Hansen."

Sharani fingered the petals of the rose planted up the pet Elf's butt then traced the glowing, slightly raised, silver pawprint and willow tree brand shimmering against the crimson background of her paddled bottom. "Beautiful," was her verdict, "absolutely beautiful."

Shaasta humbly bowed her head, "Thank-you, m'lady," she said, thrusting her rump out as the Kobold examined her assets, "I do try my best to keep it in top shape."

The Kobold gave Shaasta's perfect Elven bottom a firm squeeze and a hard smack and laughed, "Yes, Elf pet, you do have one of the loveliest asses I have ever seen. However, I was referring to your brother's mark. Did you design it yourself?"

Frelic nodded, "Yes, that is my own original creation. However, Lilieblume gets the credit for properly inking it onto her bottom. All I did was trace the lines with the Wand of the Masters." He turned his sister back around and again placed his arm around her, idly kneading her branded aft flesh with his hand.

"Well, you know, Frelic," Sharani said, "you must tell me sometime how you came to own these two sexy beasts. I'm sure it is a most exciting and titillating tale, considering they came from Varo's shop."

Frelic laughed and smiled, holding his sister close to him, her head resting on his shoulder, "Oh, it is indeed a hot little tale. And while we are at it, I am curious to hear your story. How did Ashton manage to score himself such a lovely little monster...I mean, a fine little lady Kobold for a mate?"

Sharani giggled and patted his thigh, "That too is a long story," she replied, "Sadly, I don't have the time right now, as I need to check on the cubs and help Makae here get ready for her date with you tonight. But I'll tell you what. How about tomorrow morning we exchange tales?"

"That sounds fine," Frelic agreed, "over breakfast then, before I go back to the Southern Rose to wrap up some unfinished business?"

"Business business or pleasure business?"

"A little of both," he admitted, "I need to be there to oversee the final preparations for another pet that I will be bringing home, and then I will also be taking Lilieblume up on an offer she made earlier that I have been mulling over."

"Well, sounds like you are going to have a busy day then, if that Halfling temptress has charmed the pants off of you."

"Master isn't wearing pants, m'lady," Hansen corrected her.

"Yes, I know that, silly," she replied. She brazenly lifted the back of Frelic's tunic and checked out his bare bottom, kneading and patting the soft Elven flesh."

Frelic looked rather startled and felt his face heat up, "Ms. Kez!" he exclaimed.

She slapped his plush, jiggly rump and gave him a playful scolding, "Oh, don't be such a prude, Elf. You definitely have no cause for shame back there, and should be quite proud of your assets." She released the hem of his skirted tunic, "I fully understand why Lilieblume wants to play with you. And if you have no objections, I will gladly come up here before breakfast and assist you in getting ready for your morning date."

"No objections, m'lady."

"Ms. Kez?" Shaasta interrupted, "Ashton mentioned that you and him have young ones."

"We do indeed, two lovely little cubs, Alfred and Delaney," she replied, "They are the sweetest little critters you can ever meet. They are having a bath right now before their nap. We had a long trip, and the cubs are exhausted. You will meet them soon enough. Now, I really must get a move-on. I have a lot to do myself, y'know." She motioned for Frelic to bend down. He did, and she wrapped her arms around his neck; his arms gripped her lower back and muscular rump, and the Kobold planted her hot muzzle on his lips. "It was a pleasure meeting you all," she said after she and the Elf disengaged. "We will talk some more later. Now, come along, Makae."

Mimicking the Kobold's protocols, the Mephit girl also gave Frelic a deep muzzle to mouth kiss. She raised her thick, bushy tail so that the Elf could properly grope her pillow-soft bottom, then followed Sharani out the door and down the hall.