The Guardian of Darksong Forest

Story by draconicon on SoFurry

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A little story commissioned by Amaranth including his character Loxi and my druid Nimana. There's been tales of a guardian that protects the vast Darksong Forest from those that would harm it, and gives rewards to those that would help it. Let's see what happens to Loxi here.


The Guardian of Darksong Forest

By Draconicon

The Darksong Forest was the subject of many rumors, both about the origins of the forest and about what lived in it. Stretching across most of western Valros, the Darksong Forest had somehow managed to maintain its borders against incursions. Where smaller forests had fallen to the lumberjack's axe, and others to the firepits of the peasants, it still stood as tall and strong and wide as it was when it was first mapped. Travelers could hunt and travel through the woods, but anyone attempting to harvest the trees disappeared, never to be seen again.

It was rumored that the forest had a protector, fearsome and strong, a mysterious creature with vast magical powers that ruled over everything beneath the boughs. Legends had it that it was a female, a powerful fey creature that had emerged from a tree and vowed at the start of creation to protect its forest, trees and animals alike. Other stories called the protector a devil, a creature from deep below that had claimed the forest as the start of its kingdom, and would tolerate none that wished it harm. Still other tales claimed that the protector was the last of the druids, holding tight to the greatest forest in the kingdom to ensure that her power remained strong, and would grant boons to those that dared to search her out with the right intentions.

It was the last legend that drew Loxi into the forest the day before, and it was the hope of that boon that continued to pull the ferret deeper into the forest.

Pushing another branch gently out of his way, the dark furred ferret continued pushing his way deeper into the forest. The slight bits of moonlight that slipped through the maze of branches above did not show against the ebony fur that covered most of his body, and the little bit of silver fur on his neck was covered by a tightly wound scarf. It was the only real piece of clothing that he wore, as he'd left his pants and his shirt and even his boots back at the borders of the forest. They were made of leather, and he was sure that a true druid would not take kindly to any visitors wearing the skins of slaughtered animals.

Only a loincloth made from wool and a scarf made from the same remained, leaving his lithe body exposed. So far, the night remained warm enough for him not to miss his clothes, but he hoped he could find the forest's guardian before long; he was all too conscious of how much of his body could be seen.

Loxi doubted that it would take much longer. The ferret had felt the eyes of strange watchers on his back for hours now, not all that different from the eyes of city guards at night; hard, focused, and suspicious. He did his best to ignore them, focusing his attention forward, rather than thinking about whatever was keeping tabs on him. They knew he was there, but they probably didn't know that he knew they were there; that could be an advantage later.

Toes curling to get a better grip on a rock, Loxi pulled himself up and on top of a large stone. It gave him something of a vantage point, and he paused, taking a look around for where he should go next.

While he tried to make sense of the land around him, attempting to find some path to the center of the forest, the ferret couldn't help feeling a bit of worry about what he was doing. There were too many things that could go wrong; whatever common sense that he had left after this long as a thief told him he'd do well to cut his losses and leave this idiotic adventure behind.

The only problem with that was that he had no idea how he was supposed to get out. Darksong Forest was dim at the best of times; at high noon, it was as dark as an open field under a full moon. In the dark, it was as close to pitch black as one could get. More than that, he'd lost track of the pebbles he'd been leaving behind, as though the forest itself was trying to keep him lost within it. In fact, he would not be surprised if that was the case; regardless of the legends, there was something peculiar about this place, something old and powerful, and there were stories of more than just the guardian here.

He'd have to keep going forward; he had a one in three chance of there being something profitable at the end, and if he was wrong...well, Loxi would take his chances against a demon or a fey over the forest. At least they were just a single creature, not an entire land arrayed against him.

As he slid his gaze over what little he could see, a little flicker caught his attention. At first, Loxi thought that it was just a little bit of moonlight that had gotten through, reflected off of a creature.

Then it repeated itself, another flicker. And then another, and another.

"I guess that's my destination," he muttered under his breath. Leaping down from the rock and twitching his tail minutely to keep his balance, the ferret slowly started making his way across the mossy, rocky ground towards the source of light. It was faint, but in this darkness, there was no mistaking it.

It didn't take long to reach it. Rounding the tree that partially blocked it, the ferret blinked in surprise. Rather than a candle or a lantern, or even a torch, it was a floating orb of light, blinking between dim and bright. It bobbed up and down, about the width of his hand, rising as it brightened and lowering as it dimmed. Yellow-green light spread out from it, the brightest of it almost blinding the ferret for a second.

More of them were spread around, and he found that they were lighting up the area between them, a small clearing. The ground was covered in a mix of moss and vines, and the light revealed that here and there a little flower poked through.

It also revealed that he was about as far from alone as one could be.

Stretched out along the sides of the little clearing between the trees were at least three packs of wolves - or one giant one - packing the holes between the trees as though they were cutting off escape routes. They were large, and their eyes bright, looking at him with a knowingness that the ferret seldom saw in people, let alone four legged animals.

In front of him, stretching ahead in two lines, were a collection of predatory cats. Jaguars, panthers, leopards; somehow gathered here, and not savaging each other. They sat regally, their two lines forming a hall of sorts, and at the end...

Loxi's eyes unconsciously followed that path to the center of the clearing, and his jaw dropped at what he saw. "It's...it's true..." the ferret gasped.

Placed at the end of the line of felines, in the very center of the clearing, was a throne of wood and leaves, with arms of cat claws and the top adorned with a wolf head frozen in mid-howl. Despite the feeling of age coming off of it, there were no scratch marks, no droppings, nothing to spoil the natural shine of the wood and the feeling of power that came off of it.

But that was nothing compared to the being upon the throne.

She was like him, Loxi saw, a two legged creature, but a bird rather than a ferret. Her beak bent in the predator's way, curved at the tip and sharp, and her feet were split into three talons and a heel spur. Her arms were feathered, leading down to fingers that were slightly clawed, but as soft looking as the rest of her. Eyes of green light looked back at him, focused on him with such power that he was forced to look down and away.

She was naked, he realized, and he blushed as he found himself staring at the feathery mounds at her chest. They were large, slightly perky, and his fingers twitched in unconscious need to touch them. Loxi found himself blushing further, and despite what lay further down, he couldn't stop himself from looking.

The way that she sat on the throne, relaxed, legs slightly spread, he could see what lay there. Between the feathers was a wet slit, one that looked as eager as it did tight. The ferret could see the moisture within slowly leaking out, droplets pushing down at the feathers around it as it leaked onto the throne.

His loincloth started to rise as he made himself look up at her face again. Bowing at the waist - and taking the opportunity to surreptitiously adjust himself - the ferret said, "My lady, I am Loxi Arcisi, a lowly ferret from the cities of the east. I have come here to beg your favor, in hopes that you might see fit to grant me -"

"I know why you come here." Her voice was powerful and high, cutting through his words the way a fisherman's spear cut water on its way to its target. "You wish my boon. You wish a favor. But do you know what it is you will have to do to get it?"

"I do not, my lady," Loxi admitted. "But I have come this far; would it not speak ill of me if I were to turn away now?"

"It would speak better of you if you had found what would needed to do beforehand," the falcon said from her throne. Her beak did not shift, but Loxi thought that he detected a smile on her face. "But you are right; you're here now, and it would serve no purpose for you to leave. And you have come on the right night, as well; I have need of another to ensure the protective magics are renewed properly."

She looked at the wolves, and as one, the canines moved forward. The great cats stood still, their eyes fixed on each other, seemingly ignoring the pack moving in behind them. Loxi could not help but be amazed at the sight; anywhere else, with anyone else, there would have been a great fight between the cats and the wolves. Yet, here, in this forest, at the command of the falcon, they did nothing.

A second gesture had the cats moving away. The falcon stepped off of her throne, and with nothing but a touch of her hand, made it disappear. The wood and the leaves, the wonderful carvings that any woodworker would give years to be able to do, sunk into the earth below, swallowed like a feast on a noble's table. In scarcely a second, no sign of the throne remained.

Loxi barely felt the thump of wood against his knees, and he looked down. The ground was closer. He had fallen forward, he realized, likely out of shock.

It was strange; it was like he was seeing himself, experiencing this through the eyes of another. His thoughts were almost...distant, separate, as though he had no connection to what was going on.

The falcon looked past his shoulder, and slightly shook her head. "No. He has come to me, and it will be me who takes him if he falters," she said. "Release your grip."

There was a moment of hesitation, and the falcon's green eyes lit up, glowing brighter than the orbs at the edges of the clearing. "Release him," she said, a tremble entering her voice. Not of fear, but of power.

In that second, he gasped, once more feeling like himself. Shuddering as he stared at the ground, on all fours, Loxi wondered just what he had gotten himself into. This went beyond mere authority; there was something old here, something powerful. Something had pulled him free from his body, and this female had the power to command it to put him back.

What boon might be worth this, part of his brain asked.

What a boon a person with this power could grant, another replied.

The scent of the falcon's arousal filled his nose as she stepped in close, and Loxi raised his eyes. Looking up, he was almost able to press his nose directly against her crotch, and only didn't with that movement because she was still standing half a step away from him.

They'd moved, he realized; he was with her in the center of the clearing. How that had happened, he didn't know, but with the power of this falcon, he was starting to believe many things were possible that he had formerly thought were impossible.

The wild animals formed two circles around them. The wolves were on the inside, and the cats on the outside. As he looked about, the air seemed to grow hazy, as though he were looking over a pot of boiling water, and Loxi found his heart beating faster. A strange feeling rose in his chest, fear and fervor entwined, rooting him to the spot.

Suddenly, he was face to face with the falcon. She had squatted in front of him, putting them on the same level. Loxi held very, very still as she spoke. "I am the Guardian of Darksong. Tonight, you will help me protect it for another year."

"How..." He swallowed, clearing his throat. "How may I do that, my lady?"

"My magic is powerful, but to reach over all of Darksong, it needs...help." She looked at the creatures around her. "I have done it myself many times, but when an outsider comes with no ill will, only a wish to give a favor to receive one, I take the help they offer.

"Tonight, the ritual of protection, of continuation, and propagation will take place, with you at the center, and my servants at your front, at your back, and beneath."

Her servants...

Loxi turned his head at the sound of the creatures approaching. Two wolves and a panther stepped forward. The male wolf and the panther were both panting softly, their mouths open and their tongues showing, and beneath their bellies hung dripping sheaths, a pink rod slowly sliding out of each. The female wolf dripped as well, though with a different fluid, one that showed a different sort of eagerness. Loxi could not stop a shiver of arousal going down his spine, nor could he stop his loincloth from rising further at the thought of what was about to happen. The musk smell in the air, normally so repugnant, was driving his body mad with desire.

Grabbed by the chin, the ferret was turned to face the falcon again. "You will submit to my servants, and they to you. In return, you will receive my boon, this I promise you."

"And...if I were to refuse?" Loxi asked, his breath coming faster, his mind feeling almost as hazy as the air around him. "Do I...do I have that choice?"

"You always have. But you will not take it." She chuckled, the sound almost a chirp in comparison to her powerful voice. "You have wanted this...wanted this for a long time, I believe. And now, you may have it without guilt. I'm you will turn this down."

He was embarrassed to admit that she was right. While he had never before considered offering himself to an animal in this way, the ferret would not deny that the fantasy of sheathing himself within a bitch in heat had stayed with him for a while, and the thought of a male's cock inside him was...not reprehensible. "And you?" Loxi asked, fully aware that his words were beginning to slur, his mind slowing. "What about...you?"

She smiled as she walked around him. She had barely stepped out of sight before he felt her leg against his side, and then a wet warmth upon his back. Her weight was so insignificant that he felt he could throw her off with the slightest effort, but he dared not. That warmth ground against him, and his face turned a brighter shade of red as he realized what she was doing. "I will ride you from above, as my wolf will ride you from below," she said.

The ferret was helpless but to watch as the other animals made their way towards him. Wolf, panther, wolf; as they approached, they circled him, with the males ahead followed by the female at the rear. They were fully aroused, the males out and dripping, much as he was beneath his belly, and the female dripping with her own need. Their looping path around him left a trail of their juices as they walked, and the musk in the air was growing stronger by the second.

It didn't help his arousal that the falcon continued to grind against his back, leaving an increasingly large puddle of her juices in the small of his back just above his tail. It dripped down along his sides, leaving him soaked, drenched, and he swore that a little bit of it ran down around his tail, puddling under his tail, running over the hole there.

As the wolves and panthers circled closer and closer to him, he started to feel a little thankful for the juices back there; they were large, and his lack of experience aside, he knew that they were going to sting going in. He just wondered which would be for his mouth, and which for his other end; there was little difference in the thickness of their tips, but at the base of the wolf was a tremendous bulge. He doubted that it would be able to fit inside him, but he wasn't sure if he wanted the wolf to try.

Suddenly, the trio broke their circle, darting in towards him as though he was their prey at the end of a long hunt. Despite the falcon's words, Loxi felt fear; was he about to die at their teeth, to fill their bellies?

No, the falcon had not lied to him. The male wolf rushed for his face, leaping up at the last minute. Belly fur brushed against the ferret's nose before Loxi found himself nose to tip with the wolf's cock. It throbbed before him as the male supported himself with his forepaws on the ferret's back, little squirts of metallic smelling pre landing across his face. It was hot, hotter than his own by far, but something made Loxi pant at the feeling, the smell; it burned with his own lust, and he opened his mouth before he could stop himself.

As the tapered tip slid inside of his mouth, rubbing against the roof of his mouth, he felt the greater bulk of the panther come at him from behind. Clawed paws pressed against his sides as the panther lifted itself up, and he felt its shaft against his rear. It throbbed, squirting randomly along his ass cheeks before the falcon took a hand in things. He felt her feathery arm against him, and felt one of her fingers against his rear as she guided the feline's shaft to his hole.

Barbs ground against his hole, pulling at his sensitive insides just hard enough to draw a whimper from his mouth. Stifled as it was against the wolf cock in his mouth, he must have been loud enough for the falcon to hear. She patted his side, still grinding on his back as she said, "It will be better; just hold out for a little while, and you will start enjoying it."

Loxi had little choice but to trust her; to pull back from either of them would be akin to asking them to savage him for it, and he had to admit, the cock in his mouth wasn't that bad. It was even a little tasty once he got past the metallic taste that the liquid had. The ferret pressed his lips to the wolf's cock a little tighter, starting to slowly push his head back and forth, sliding it in and out of his mouth.

The panther was harder to get used to; his barbs stung, tugging and pulling at the inside of the ferret's hole, but it also provided a strangely pleasant scratch-grinding sensation. When it got to a certain depth, it rubbed against a little bump inside, and Loxi's eyes went wide at that feeling. His sucking stopped as he found himself moaning, relaxing before pushing back instinctively, trying to find that spot again.

The males rocked the ferret between them, one thrusting forward and knocking him back against the other's cock, and then pulling back as he shoved himself in the opposite direction. It was chaos, musky, feral chaos as the two males used his mouth and his hole to pleasure themselves. Soft moans from the falcon above him reminded him of how she enjoyed it as well, as did the continued slow flood of her juices along his back.

It was not long before Loxi found himself panting between them. His body had gotten used to the taste and the smell of the feral creatures quickly, and the feeling of their large, furry balls brushing against his chin and against his own pair made him shudder in lust. His cock, the tip slightly hooked around the edge of his loincloth, dripped steadily to the ground under the assault from the two of them. The only thing that spoiled it for him were the pricks of their claws here and there, but they were surprisingly gentle. Only due to the falcon, he was sure.

The ferret jerked slightly at the feeling of something touching his cock. His mouth busy around the wolf's shaft, he couldn't turn his head to look, but he could feel the tongue tending to his shaft quite well. It was broad, powerful, licking more firmly than a normal person could, covering more area too. Each lick was quick, like...like a dog lapping at a waterbowl, he supposed.

"I said that there would be a servant behind you and in front of you," the falcon said above him, her voice husky, deeper, breathy from her excitement. "I also said...that there would be one beneath you."

Once again, his moans were stifled against the cock in his mouth. The smooth shaft pressed in deep with each thrust, the knot at the base pressing against his lips threateningly, but Loxi didn't fear for his mouth; it didn't open that wide, couldn't let it in. Still, he couldn't deny that it still stung a bit every time it mashed his lips back against his teeth, grinding against him.

It also made it a little harder to breathe, particularly when he felt a different wetness against the tip of his cock. Loxi had to breathe almost exclusively through his nose, and every breath came with a hearty filling of wolf musk. It wasn't unpleasant, and even made him harder, but it made him lightheaded, made it harder to think, harder...just...made him harder...

That wet wolf pussy pressed back against his cock as the feral bitch below him started to back up against him. Her fur was warm against his chest, and he shuddered as she lifted him up a bit as she backed up. Each little shift of her hips, each little buck back swallowed up a little more of his cock. He could feel the heat inside of her, feel the way that she positively dripped with need, and his hips started bucking on their own, trying to push himself further inside of her, the body's desire to breed overwhelming the mind's thought that this was a feral creature, not a two legged one.

His cock didn't care. It just wanted to bury itself inside of a willing hole and spill his seed. The panther's thrusts into his rear only encouraged him, shoving him forward even faster as the wolfess backed up against him. The falcon moaned approval at him, holding his tail up, keeping hold it, possibly for her balance, possibly just for the panther to keep having an easy entrance; he didn't know and he didn't care.

Furry haunches pressed against him, her legs against his thighs, her tail off to the side, and he knew that the wolfess was as far down his cock as she was going to get. Her body held him up, so he was able to lift his hands off of the ground, hugging around her chest as he bucked back and forth between her and the panther behind him.

It was so hot, so tight compared to the two legged females outside the forest. Loxi moaned around the knot pressed to his lips, shuddering as he felt himself squirt a bit of pre inside of the female. She seemed to like it, clenching around him, pressing firmly against him, pushing him to breed her hard.

He obliged, ramming his hips back and forth, shoving his ass back against the panther's cock, filling his hole for a moment before shoving forward to drive his cock inside of the wolf. He doubted she'd ever had a cock this long from a wolf - the one in his mouth was scarcely two thirds the length of his own - but she was taking it easily, not so much as a whimper of complaint. Loxi couldn't believe how willing she was, how tight and hot...how wet she was around his shaft. It was almost too good.

A part of him realized that he was getting into this more than made sense, but he didn't care. Too focused on the wolf below and the panther behind, his mouth became little more than a hole for the wolf to thrust in, and he barely felt that anymore. All he felt was the pleasure around his cock and in his rear.

Above him, he was scarcely aware that the moans of the falcon had started to be replaced by something else. Chanting, words, strange ones that made no sense to him. Some other language, he thought, trying to focus more on the pleasure again.

Yet, she held his attention. Even though he felt himself getting closer and closer, Loxi couldn't help but tilt his ears, his body straining towards the falcon as much as it was towards his three feral partners. Her words tugged at something in him, pulling, forcing him in towards her. It was like when he was looking at himself from outside, but different; inclusive, an intense embrace, rather than a separation.

And as he felt that, he realized that so did all the other creatures around him, and not just them, but the plants, and the forest itself. The plants, the trees, everything in the clearing was bent towards the falcon, pointed towards her in some way as she chanted. The orbs of light pulled in, circling around her, casting shadows every which way as they spun around her, faster and faster with each passing second.

With a shriek of immense intensity, the falcon went silent, just as the clearing broke out with all sorts of bestial howls and growls and moans. Something sparked in Loxi, and he felt his climax wash over him, his shaft twitching inside of the wolfess below, even as the wolf and panther filled him from both ends. Hot goo spilled across his tongue and filled his hole, and he felt the wolfess below shake in her own pleasure.

They were not alone. The falcon sprayed against his back, her orgasm coming over her, and the gathered males and females, both cat and wolf, covered the plants and the earth with their own fluids, only adding to the smell that permeated the air around them.

Slowly, the falcon dismounted him, and the other animals pulled back at her gesture. Loxi was almost sad to feel the warmth around his shaft pull off, but he supposed it was all part of the ritual, and it wasn't like the wolf could come with him, after all. A feathered hand grabbed him by the arm, helping him up, and he sighed as he pulled himself to his feet.

The falcon looked at him with the same expression she had all night, but he could feel a slight smile coming from her anyway. "Thank you for your service. Now, you may have your boon. What may I reward you with?" she asked.

Despite everything that had happened, the ferret smiled. He'd been looking forward to this, had dreamed of this since coming up with the plan, and he had just the thing for himself.

Leaning forward, he whispered his wish towards the falcon, and though she said nothing, the sparkle in her eyes said she approved.

#

The city of Val Kartos was a good month away from the Darksong Forest. It was one of the richest cities in the kingdom, and definitely one of the ones thieves tended to avoid if they were smart. Loxi had avoided it himself for a while, but now that he'd finished his business in the forest, it was time to make his mark on history. The manors of the city were loaded with loot, but guarded by thick stone walls and many guards...but the guards were only on the inside.

Smiling to himself at the base of one of the manors, Loxi almost found himself missing the forest. The Guardian had been friendly enough, but he was reasonably sure that she was happy to see him go. Another two legged person didn't belong in the forest; it was her domain. She had made sure he learned that, sending the wolves to 'escort' him to the forest's edge. Their snarls and teeth had been a good reminder not to come back anytime too soon.

Nevertheless, it had been the smartest decision he'd ever made to meet the Druid of Darksong Forest. Loxi smiled as he pressed his hand against the manor's stone wall. Not only had he learned something new about himself, and gotten on the good side of one of the most powerful beings he'd ever seen, he'd been given something to make him an even more successful thief.

Vines crawled from his sleeves, reaching up along the sides of the manor. They moved with the speed of horses across an open plain, and it took them less than a minute to climb the wall to the uppermost window, where the house's treasure room would be. Loxi grinned to himself, and tugged.

As the vines retracted up his sleeves, the ferret was pulled airborn, a wide smirk on his face. Breaking in had never been so easy.

He flew through the window and landed on his feet, taking a few steps before pulling himself to a stop. His entrance had been almost silent, and he doubted that any guards were just below to hear him. Nevertheless, he was quick, moving from shelf to shelf to pick up a few little items.

It took scant seconds to fill his pockets with gems and silver, and he went back to the window. He leaped, one vine sticking to the window as he fell, the plant holding tight as he lowered himself to the ground. Better than any rope, and more controllable, it let him land without injury.

Loxi pulled the vine back in, flexing his fingers a few times before chuckling. "Heh, I wonder if she'll need help again next year..." the ferret muttered to himself as he slipped into the shadows, disappearing into the darkness of Val Kartos.