FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

This comes as inspiration from a journal post looking for requests here: https://www.sofurry.com/view/601434

Originally this was supposed to be a 2-3000 word short story, but apparently I just can't write short-form stories. ^^ Instead it turned into this, almost 9000 word story. It has a bit of adventure, the storyline isn't the most original, but I hope you enjoy it, and enjoy the sex. If you are still interested in submitting a request, feel free to send me a message and I'll be happy to discuss it with you!

---

The slow, almost subsonic hum of the zeppelin's motors was almost soothing to the lioness as she stared out the window. The airship pulled steadily away from the tower peak where it anchored not too long ago. Similar peaks in bronze, copper, and steel stretched out among the city's other buildings, many anchored other large airships of various types. She could see cargo ships, other passenger ships, even the relatively sleek police ships that patrolled the airspace around the city. Despite all the steel, copper, and bronze that reflected brightly in the summer sunlight, they could not hide the light filth that coal burning, steam and machinery left everywhere. The city and its population nearing a million furs of all sizes, shapes, and species slowly fell below as the airship rose steadily into the clouds, on its way to the airstream that would speed its trip. Only when the city disappeared from view she turned back against her seat and a shuddering sigh escaped her lips. She clutched a dark leather bag to her chest and gave it a tighter squeeze in the presence of the steward, an elderly looking rabbit in a dark purple uniform and a kindly smile.

"We are underway now, no need to be nervous young lady. I've flown this route for years, with nary a problem."

She tried a wan smile as she looked up to the rabbit before she replied,

"I know how safe these are, but it's my first time...and some of us may be descended from birds, but I'm not sure the rest of us are meant to spend so much time in the air."

A light, almost fatherly pat on the shoulder accompanied by a reassuring smile greeted that comment. She managed not to flinch away.

"I'm sure you'll get used to it quickly enough, why don't you head to your cabin and get freshened up. I'm sure your bags are there already, our boys are quite efficient getting everything stowed."

"Thank you, I'll do that. I'm sure I'll get over it quickly."

Once she on her feet, it takes another deep breath before she feels confident enough that the very slight sway of the airship would not throw her off balance as she checks her ticket, and heads off to her cabin.

*

Well, if I'm going to be stuck in a big balloon that could come crashing to the ground at any moment, at least I'll be comfortable.

The sardonic thought stuck in her mind at a glance around the somewhat spacious cabin. A one-room stateroom, the king-sized bed occupied the majority of the room. The Airship Company must have spent a fortune on the furnishings, not to mention the additional fuel costs, because dark woods, with copper or bronze fittings, held the furniture in place in the cabin. A couple of portholes along the side of the ship allowed streaming light in. The sunlight illuminated the cabin for now, though a few small oil lanterns indicated the after-sundown lighting. Sure enough, someone placed her bags carefully in the center of the bed, and she immediately went over and made sure the small travel locks all the books recommended were still in place.

That small bit of paranoia out of the way she also spent a few minutes checking out the various nooks and crannies in the cabin. She couldn't find any spy-holes, or listening tubes, so she carefully removed the side panel in one of the room's dressers and placed her leather bag to one side. Replacing the panel hid the bag from cursory inspection, and another look around the room indicated nothing else out of place. With a slight shiver of relief, the bathroom received the next visit.

Oh dear Amanda, just what did you get yourself into?

She splashed water on her face, and looked into the mirror. The young, somewhat nervous looking lioness looked back at her. Not too unattractive, if she does say so herself, though she never really liked her exceptionally pale yellow overfur, though the cream covered fur down her body she considered her best feature.

Well, you're here now...no need to agonize over choices taken. You might as well enjoy the trip.

The water dripped from her muzzle and left little water stains on the light blouse across her chest. She plucked at the blouse, and the canvas jacket the books advised she wear during embarkation.

That's what you get for grabbing this in a hurry.

A quick dive through her clothing and she sheds her travelling outfit for something a little more casual, a simple sun-dress in a nice contrasting blue to set off her fur and her golden eyes.

Now then, you're going to be stuck on this thing for a week, you better get out there and make an appearance...

*

A quick tour of the zeppelin, and Amanda located the main dining room, the small bar, the observation deck and what laughably passed as a "gym" in the large airship. As a comfort cruiser, the spare amenities were well equipped, spacious, with obviously well cared for equipment, everything done in the same coppers, bronze, and wood tone finishes. No doubt, they tried to model it off a water-borne cruiser, though a water-born cruiser wouldn't send you ten-thousand feet to the ground if the ballast failed.

She suppressed such thoughts with a shudder, she knew the history, knew that airship accidents were few, and in the rare case when the engines did go down they could either drift with the air-currents like a hot-air balloon, or the crew could slowly drop air until they came to earth.

Sitting in the bar though, at one of the side tables, she couldn't help staring at the table, finding faint comfort in having so much air between her feet and the ground.

"First time flying, if I don't miss my guess?"

Amanda looked up at the smooth, tenor voice, somewhat surprised at the tall, lean antelope standing at her table. She'd been so self-absorbed; she'd completely missed his approach, which explained her hesitation before she replied,

"Oh, umm...yes, how could you tell?"

His eyes crinkled in amusement, and he cocked his head to the side before he pointed at one of the portholes just over Amanda's shoulder.

"Because you have been here over an hour, you haven't finished your first drink, and you've been studiously not looking out the porthole there."

He emphasized his points with a salute of the brandy snifter in his left hand, and a smile crossed his features. The explanation gave Amanda a moment to take a better look at him as well. Like many antelopes, his fur coloration was a bit darker then her own, though he accented it with a darker, well-tailored suit and polished brown leather shoes. A pair of long, graceful horns indicated his medium age, assuming he didn't trim them. He also apparently noticed her gaze, as a light clearing of his throat startled her into realizing she'd been silent just a bit too longer.

"Y...yes, I mean, no...I've never flown before. I've been on a few train trips, but nothing like this. It's something to get used to," in a sudden bout of contrariness she continued, "but if you're so blasé about it, you must do it all the time, right?"

The amusement remained in his eyes, his lips turned up in a larger smile at the turnaround question, and in a moment of what she considered brash confidence, he settled into the seat next to her.

"Oh yes...all over. It's almost old hat by now. Usually I'm travelling on faster ships though, this time I'm going to enjoy the more leisurely pace. I am Matthew by the way, Matthew De'L'Rell, and you are?"

At the introduction, he offered his hand, and with only a brief hesitation, hers joined his in a light squeeze of greeting.

"I'm Amanda Waitteger, Matthew."

A slightly electric feeling passed through the back of her palm as his thumb stroked against it in a slightly, familiar fashion. The unexpected sensation and his obviously admiring gaze returned the confidence to Amanda's demeanor. Here was something familiar, after all! She was quite used to others finding her attractive, and was quite used to fending off such advances. She carefully extracted her hand from his and managed a return smile when his face fell somewhat.

"Since you are such an experienced traveler, perhaps you can tell me...in a trip such as this, which is likely to be some time, how does one pass the time?"

A return of his gladsome expression preceded his answer, as though relying on his expertise made her subtle rejection fade away,

"Oh, well, since this a trip of leisure, they do their best to keep us occupied. They will have games and dances on the observation deck, many spend quite some time in the gym, or here in the bar, and of course, meals are scheduled. Usually every guest will eventually spend some time at the captain's table...but I'm afraid there is only so much you can do in transit. Often you will have to find your own ways to keep yourself occupied. If you like, I could accompany you while you find what the ship has to offer."

A light laugh escaped her lips as she regarded the antelope with a knowing look at the expression on his face.

"I thank you kindly for your...oh-so-generous offer, but I think I will be able to find the activities here quite enough for my temperament. I also brought along my own resources to pass the time," she finished her wine as she slipped from her chair as well, determined that even if she did not know where she was going to go next, she certainly wasn't going there with him.

"Of course, please enjoy yourself with everything on offer here. If you change your mind, I'm sure that you will be able to find me."

He finished with a graceful, if somewhat archaic bow at the waist. As Amanda left the lounge, she didn't notice his somewhat foppish expression leave his face, and his eyes follow her with a somewhat intense interest that only cleared when she completely left his sight.

*

Despite her somewhat haughty words that she'd be able to find plenty to occupy herself on the long flight, after a week of the same routine, even Amanda had to say that the charm of air-flight lessened. The limited space of the airship left few places a girl could explore, and the scheduled activities had a very predictable schedule. Breakfast in the morning, organized games of chess, backgammon and card games in the lounge throughout the day, a small lunch, dinner, and then music and dancing in the observation deck after the meal. Many of the passengers were couples travelling together, so more than once Amanda saw a couple giggle and excuse themselves for their private times. Even the continuous drone of the airship's engines faded into the background, though Amanda had to admit she'd not slept so well in quite some time.

Amanda tried to spend most of her time in the cabin, but the four confined walls wore thin after a short time, and she found she could not even focus on her books very well. She wandered the limited borders of the vessel when she could, watching furs as they enjoyed their trip. She chatted with a few, but the conversations were oft perfunctory and often strayed into topics considered a bore, such as politics. When things went such directions, Amanda made a polite excuse, and went her own way. She did keep her eye out for Matthew, given the small ship they often were in the same place, though he didn't again approach her, nor did it seem he do more than engage casually with the other passengers, even the small contingent of single females making the trip for one way or another.

For Amanda, the hours, and the days slipped by, one after another, and she quickly learned that routine is the order of business on such trips.

*

"You look positively mesmerized."

Amanda started from where she realized that she'd been staring at the swirl of couples on the observation deck as they danced to some stringed aria in slow, obviously practiced moves. Standing at her shoulder, leaning down in a conspiratorially fashion, was Matthew, this time in a deep green suit, with garish tie.

"Yes...well, I don't know the dance steps, and after a while, it does sort of look the same."

She offered as explanation, while she returned his smile and gestured to the seat next to her in invitation. He accepted with a slight shrug as he took his seat, with what seemed to be his eternally held drink in his hand.

"Mmmm, it is easy enough to learn, if you have the inclination. It does end up a bit staid and stuffy though, sort of like the Waltz. Everyone knows it, everyone tries not to screw it up, and they all end up looking the same."

His tone, though amused, had the small bite of sarcasm that made even Amanda hide a snicker behind one hand, while the other toyed with the glass in front of her, while Matthew continued unabated,

"It is rather like this trip, amusing at first, but when you end up doing the same steps over and over, it doesn't appeal for very long, wouldn't you say?"

"I would agree, but you seem to keep yourself busy enough...at least it seems you keep yourself occupied," her tone warmed with amusement at the poke, even though she'd never seen him succeed with any of the other female passengers.

He allowed a wounded expression across his face and held a hand to his chest,

"Oh dear me...how you must think horrible things of me. I have not once done anything that would impugn a lady's honor. I would never suggest it, especially for as pedestrian a method as passing time during the trip. "

"Mmmm," she demurred, "But it does happen, does it not?"

Raising an eyebrow at the question, a sly smile crossed his muzzle,

"Well of course, the fresh air, the thrill of travel, and often the boredom does get to the single contingent from time to time. Such dalliances generally do not last past the ship's arrival at port; after all, we all must go our own ways, yes?"

She nodded thoughtfully, while she gave him an appraising eye. He was eager, and she was never shy about what she wanted before...it was only her nervousness about the flight curbing her this time. She smiled, obviously deciding what was worth her time indeed.

"Then I suppose while we are spending this brief time going the same way, there's nothing wrong with finding the most...pleasant method to make the most of our time, is there?"

She offered her hand, and with an even wider smile, he took it gracefully and brushed his lips to the back of her palm.

"I suppose indeed...the only question is, does our way lead all the way back to your cabin, or shall we find our way to mine?"

*

It turned out her cabin was closer, and he even gave it an admiring comment, at least before she crushed his muzzle to hers in a hot kiss that set even his talkative tongue to better use. The purr started nearly immediately in her throat, she'd been some time since she'd a lover, and as she pushed his jacket down and started working on the buttons of his shirt, she could feel the fine, firm and lean muscles beneath her hands, which pleased her.

He was no less eager, as his muzzle met hers in kiss after kiss, only interrupted for hot breaths and the occasional nip or kiss to the side of her throat that set her purring into overdrive. His hands were no less active then hers, and they soon found the hem of her dress and slid up the back of her thighs until they found the lower curve of her ass. He surprised her as he clasped her to his body and pressed her towards the bed. He was stronger then he appeared, and she only managed to get his jacket pushed down and off before, the backs of her knees hit the bed. She sat back, while he kept a hold of her dress, pulling it up around her chest even as she dropped to his waist level.

A giggle passed her lips, suddenly realizing that her bloomers were definitely *not* something she expected she would wear when taking someone to bed, emphasized as he tugged the dress up and off her body. Without the dress, more of the soft, cream color of her stomach fur obviously extended the length of her body, covered only by a set of plain off-white brazier and matching bloomers, certainly not the sexy undergarments she suddenly realized lay at the bottom of her bags.

If he gave any indication at disappointment to her under things, he gave no indication, as he merely slipped forward onto his knees on the bed and straddled her knees, leaning forward and kissing her again. This time a low growl rumbled through her throat, and she reached up and clasped the handy holds of his antlers as she pulled him down with her onto her back. His body hovered over hers, and she suddenly needed to see it. Her hands went to his chest and grabbed the front of the shirt. She worked it free and started pushing it off his chest. Their kissing only stopped when it became obvious that he could not free his clothing from that position.

She could feel the damp warmth growing between her thighs and arched her hips up against his as he rose onto his knees. He shrugged off his shirt, and her hands went to the belt at the front of his pants. She nearly ripped it free with unrestrained claws as she opened his trousers and delved her hands inside. A slightly suppressed moan of pleasure escaped him as her hands found her prize, the hot shaft of a quickly growing cock, which she fished out from the folds of his trousers.

She stroked its growing length slowly and gave a light moue of pleasure as she saw the black shaft of his length growing under her ministrations.

"Mmmm, so lovely looking," the murmur passed her lips as it grew, not especially thick, but quite long as it reached up proudly along his lower body with her coaxing.

"I thought that was my line," he replied with a smile, having regained his composure somewhat as she fondled with his cock.

He bent over again into another kiss, though this time his hands roved. One slipped up along her side and raked her ribs, while the other...the other dipped between her thighs, beneath her bloomers. As his fingers found her slit, she arched her back and released a little sound of pleasure deep in her throat, repeated as his fingers found her opening and two of them slid inside her with a wet sound and a delicious stretching feeling.

"Ohhh...such a way to travel," she managed, rocking her hips up at his sudden forward actions, not objecting as his fingers delved deeply into her inner heat.

It seemed he found all the deliciously sensitive spots inside her body. She couldn't help herself; she humped up lightly against his body, while he pinned her down, his fingers stroking in slow upward motions and his muzzle buried against her throat where his teeth worried at the join between collar and neck. She encircled his back and did her best to hold on for that brief few moments her thoughts remained clear.

Her orgasm, when it came, was sudden and quick. It hit her as sharp spike of pleasure that clenched her muscles around him and forced tenseness through her body. It also left her not drained, but invigorated with the pleasure arcing like electricity through her.

"Now that's a luscious start to the evening...we shall have to see what else we can coax from you," she realized his tone was somewhat changed, amused, perhaps, but there was something beneath, something commanding, and he had not stopped. Though he withdrew his fingers, they'd merely moved to her bloomers, and he was tugging them down her thighs. A sudden bout of irrational shyness caused her to blush when the wet mess of her soft pussy fur came into view, though he merely winked to her and delved down.

"Ohhh...yessss...." Not expecting the pleasure so soon after a climax, his broad, agile tongue swept along her outer lips and up over her clit, which forced another arched back, raised hips, which he took as his invitation. His muzzle delved between her thighs, and she could only clench her hands to the bed-covers as the intense sensation of his talented tongue swept across her sex, caressed her clit, and delved deeply into her inner folds.

If she thought she was in control, any thought of that went out of her body as his fingers joined his tongue and explored her inner depths, coaxing another strong orgasm from her shuddering body. She was rocking her way through her third when she suddenly realized she wanted more. She panted and cracked her eyes and reached out, grabbed both his horns and pulled his muzzle forcefully away from her pussy until she could see his eyes.

"I want more. You need to fuck me...now," she growled at him between hot breaths, and then pulled upwards, trying to drag him up onto the bed with her.

She barely noticed that sometime he'd managed to remove his trousers, and was bare from the waist down now, so that his cock swung freely between his legs as he settled between hers. She reached between them and before he could to it himself guided the tip of his cock to the spread lips of her sex, well saturated from the multiple orgasms.

"Just fuck me...please," the words came out almost pleadingly, though she followed with a moan of pleasure and closed eyes as he acceded to her demand and pressed his hips forward.

She could feel his cock spread her open around it, stretching it not too much, and lacking the rough texture of a lion's vestigial barbs, though unlike a lion's it seemed like Matthew's cock went on and on, stretching inwards, making her hot pussy shape to it. His breathing was not quite as loud as hers was, though she could hear him grunt and give a hot breath as he sunk in. When his long shaft stretched her no further she opened her eyes, and noticed with a bit of surprise another inch or two of his black length extended from her spread thighs.

A rueful smile crossed his lips as he rolled his hips, shifting his length inside her, though not really withdrawing, though it was enough to provoke another soft smile. "Mmmm, other antelope females are not so tight...you feel delicious."

"Mmmphhh, antelope females can have you another time, right now I get you," she replied in a breath tone.

"That you do...so here I am," he replied, as he slid his hips out until his cock nearly slipped free of her, before thrusting fully back into her again.

The returning sensation provoked another groan from her, and she did her best to curl her legs around his hips as he started long stroking into her with as much of his length as she could take.

Words quickly faded in meaning as he sawed his manhood back and forth with epic control, keeping her arousal at high peak, but without her feeling the urgency of impending climax. She slid her hands up her chest, and finally realizing she'd never removed her bra it, simply pulled it up over her breasts and tossed it to the side so she could fondle her nipples in time with his thrusts.

She clenched him repeatedly, and soon she felt the slippery mixture of his thin pre-cum and her own wetness eased his strokes. As the strokes came easier, he increased his pace, while he placed his hands under her ass and lifted her somewhat so his thrusts angled in more quickly. Soon her breathing came in short, purring, gasping moans as she felt his cock pounding into her, though he never forced is length entirely into her, or painfully.

His breathing, his grunting, she caught the change in tone as his pacing changed, and soon his warning came,

"I'm...close..." between thrusts,

"Mmm, yes, go ahead and cum," she encouraged him, while she reached down with one hand and stroked rapidly over her clit and clenched with her thighs rhythmically at the same time.

He couldn't last long under that kind of sensation, and with a last few strokes, he pushed as deeply into her wetness as he could and held himself there over her. She could feel him shudder, and she could feel his heat pump into her. It wasn't enough to trigger her own climax, but her fingers and her squeezing around his heat accomplished that soon after...she could feel the pulsing ease just as her peak hit her and she released another growling moan.

Minutes later his cock slipped from her pussy with a wet plop as it dropped to the covers, releasing what seemed like more of their mixed cum then she'd ever think could fit inside her body. She moaned a little and sighed in pleasure, reaching down to get a small sample of their mixed wetness so she could taste. At the same time, he slid up onto the bed next to her and perched on his elbow, looking down at her, close enough she could feel his heat, though not directly holding her close. His other hand trailed over her chest, fingertip tracing light patterns through her fur between her breasts.

"We may only be travelling the same way a short time...but I hope this wasn't just a...single dalliance."

She purred and stretched out full length, before she reached down and slowly stroked up and down along his cock as it lay against his belly,

"Well...that depends really. Do you think we might just be able to find a common routine, to pass the days, of course," she commented with a sly smile, seemingly pleased when she felt his cock twitch and shift a bit under her hand.

"Oh, I think we can come up with a suitable routine that will make things go...as quickly as we wish," he tilted over her and kissed her again, while her hand coaxed him to arousal again, a pleased purr rumbling through her throat as they moved together once again.

*

The two of them quickly found that their routines soon found plenty of opportunity where they would spend their time in either his cabin, or hers. She found him certainly a capable lover, though he insisted that his cabin wasn't at all suitable for "feminine company" and so they more often ended up in her cabin. When they did enjoy each other in his cabin, she couldn't explain why he was so evasive about the space. He had no more clothing or clutter then she did, and in fact in many cases had much less. He proved quite adept at avoiding the topic though, and since most of his "evasions" involved at least one orgasm for her, she soon forgot about it, and she quite started to enjoy her trip.

*

The two found their routine quickly enough. They made their appearances at meals, and even spent much of the day with the other passengers, but at least once or twice a day, and often through most of the evenings they ended up in Amanda's cabin pleasuring each other. She found he had lovely stamina, able to go two or three times in a row, and often seemed like he truly enjoyed using his fingers, his tongue, and anything else handy as ways of getting her off as much as he could. They spent days like that, and Amanda had to concede that she'd not felt so relaxed in a very long time.

Amanda had her hips turned up, while she had her muzzle buried in the pillows, tail sweeping back and forth behind her while Matthew held onto her hips and thrust deeply into her from behind. He was using long, smooth strokes, and since they'd finished another round not too long before, the two of them were enjoying the slow, intense fucking with low purrs, sounds of pleasure, and breathy moans as they moved together. She licked her muzzle as she panted softly into the pillows,

"I think...I understand...the allure of slow travel...now," she admitted between thrusts, before she let a low laugh slip from her muzzle.

She arched her back up higher, giving him a steeper angle, but letting him penetrate her with all of his length that she could take.

"Mmmmhmmmm..." is all the grunting response she received, as she was accustomed when he was letting his own animal arousal control his actions.

She was content though, as his weight against hers felt oh so pleasurable, almost as good as his thick meat sliding back and forth. She was reaching back so that she could reach her clit with her fingers, wanting the spike of pleasure to accompany his movements, when suddenly their room flooded with light. It blinded her for a moment as she looked up with a started expression to the porthole, but quickly the light slid past. She glanced back over her shoulder at Matthew, who suddenly looked very serious before she asked,

"What?"

A chime sounded through the airship intercom, up until now she'd only heard it used for dinner announcements and weather reports. The captain's voice came over the speakers a moment later,

"Attention passengers, we beg your pardon for the interruption to your trip, but we are about to pass through the border, and we have been chosen for a border patrol check. Please have your passes, and your ID available, and I'm sure we will get through this quickly."

During the announcement, Matthew pulled out and tried stuffing his rather large erection back into his pants, while simultaneously looking very seriously out the porthole. He had not a trace of the traveling dilettante she recognized from the past several days of their liaison. He also muttered to himself as she rolled over, an expression of surprise on her face.

"Someone must have tipped them, otherwise what route..." he muttered, before he looked up to Amanda's face, "Well, game's up sweets...I suggest you grab that bag of yours and get ready to move, because I'm sure the Border Patrol doesn't just stop luxury cruisers at random."

"B...but, I don't know...what are you talking about?"

Her expression was incredulous, as she grabbed the bed-covers and tried covering herself. She looked at him as if she'd not spent one minute with him, as if she'd not just had him inside her. He grimaced and reached into her clothing and tossed her a pair of her panties, as well as a blouse and a pair of tight slacks.

"No use being evasive now, I'm talking about the bag over in your dresser there, the one you thought you hid well, and were taking out of the country. We don't have time now to argue, so be a good girl and get it, and get dressed."

He was almost fully dressed by that time, though he still had some evidence of what they were doing moments ago in the form of a bulge in his slacks. He ducked over to the door and opened it just a crack and peeked outside,

"We will have a bit of time before they can link up with us, but we need to get to my cabin...damnit, they must have had someone on board."

"W..who are you?!?" Her tone was hurt, and surprised, but she was numbly working her way into her clothing.

She finished working on her boots and headed over to the dresser, though she still hesitated as she kept her eyes on Matthew at the door. He turned his head and grimaced when he saw her expression and walked over to her. She didn't even interfere with him as he reached into the dresser, dislodged the panel, and thrust the bag into her arms. She clenched tightly to it as he grabbed her upper arm and steered her towards the door.

"Someone sent to make sure you got across the border all right. Now let's go."

His entire tone changed, his entire physical presence propelled her onwards. She found she couldn't resist him as he almost manhandled her to his cabin, in one or two cases forcing her into side rooms and passages as ship crew walked back and forth quickly. Amanda noticed the somewhat panicked look on the crew's faces, and realized that Matthew was right in that something was dreadfully wrong, especially when she felt a shock through the deck as something made contact with the hull.

She was just starting to recover her senses when they made it to his cabin,

"When...who sent you to, what's going on!" She protested, yanking her arm from his hand as she stopped just outside.

She glared angrily at him when he put a finger to his lips and left her there and ducked into his cabin. An exclamation of sound, and a sickening crackthump came moments later, and the door to his room opened and he gestured her inside.

"Come in, and I'll explain the best I can, I just have to get some things so we have a chance."

"Have a chance at what..." her voice trailed off when she entered his cabin and saw the rather large wolf in the center of the room, his neck bent at an awkward angle. Idly, she recognized him from her times on the observation deck. She clenched the bag tighter, "Did you kill him?"

" 'Afraid so..." Matthew replied with a glance at the body, before he went to his bags. She watched he reached into various compartments and pieces, putting together something vaguely...menacing looking. "He didn't give me much chance, really. I don't think he knew me, but I bet he was told to get rid of anyone that would make problems getting to you." He said with a pointed look in her direction.

"Ok...now what is it about me...and again who are you? I'm not going anywhere until you tell me exactly what you're doing with me."

He continued pulling various pieces out of his gear while he looked up at her, askance before he started, somewhat hesitantly,

"I was...sent. We know you are trying to leave with, well...whatever you have in that bag," he gestured to the bag, which she clutched tighter, "I don't know what it is, but I know it's important; some new way of transmitting power. I know that you worked with the person who invented it, and you probably understand it, now better than anyone."

"What do you...mean by that?" She asked, her voice hesitant.

"I mean you're now the only person who knows the research," he replied, very directly, while looking her in the eyes.

He finished putting together what looked like a rod of some kind, with tubes and prongs at the end, and he buckled it to his waist in leather webbing. Another device of some kind, he tucked into his pocket before he returned to her and gently grabbed her shoulders.

"They killed, or tortured everyone else, so now they need you," he continued simply, before he went back to the door and peeked outside quickly.

"Dead?" she blinked as she absorbed the information...the whole research team, all 20 of them, some of them just students, dead? It couldn't be...she was just going to present her research; she was just keeping it secure from people who'd steal the research.

"Yes...dead and I suspect that unless you want to spend the rest of your short life in some very unpleasant situations, you should come with me." He gestured her over, while still keeping an eye out the door.

She went over to him, and he placed a hand lightly on her arm before he looked back to her,

"For now we need to get to the lowest deck, stay close to me, all right?"

She nodded, again a feeling a bit of the numbness overwhelming her as she tried to process her entire team dead, tortured...most likely succumbing to massive pain while someone did horrible things to learn what they knew. Matthew took her and carefully pulled her out the door, and they swiftly walked towards the stairs to the lower decks, which she noticed were conspicuously close to his quarters. They almost made it to the stairs when behind them came the sound of raised voices,

"You two...stop! Present your IDs and prepare to be searched!"

Matthew grimaced and looked to her. She glanced back, where two massive boars in dark uniforms moved towards them, hands on holstered guns at their hips. He whispered so low that she could barely hear him,

"Just get ready to run when I tell you. Get down those stairs as fast as you can."

He gently fingered the rod at his waist and she briefly nodded and inhaled deeply. She could practically feel the two big slabs of the guards approaching, and then she realized that with their loud breathing, she could tell approximately where they were before they said loudly.

"The two of you, turn around."

She felt Matthew tense, and then push her forward quickly.

"Now, run!"

She felt him twist as she stumbled forward, quickly regaining her feet and running for the stairs. An exclamation of surprise, followed quickly by,

"Get her!"

Pounding steps behind her made her risk a glance back. One of the boars was struggling with Matthew, who was trying to reach the rod at his hip. The other was just a few steps behind her, though wasn't gaining on her at all.

The stairs were a minor obstacle for her; she leapt down first one flight, then the next. A curse, and the sound of heavy steps on metal indicated the other boar was not about to lose her though, not before she reached the bottom of the steps. She flew out of the staircase, but had to stop when she realized she had no idea where to go next. Two signs indicating "Engineering" and "Cargo" pointed in opposite directions, and with a flash of insight, she turned and took off towards the Cargo arm of the airship. Her breath rasped loudly in her ears, but she still heard the thump of footsteps, and another glance back confirmed the boar coming out of the staircase and spotting her.

Cargo turned out to be quite a sizable place, as she encountered row after row of strapped down boxes, cases and other supplies. She gasped hard, her heart pounded in her chest, unused to such intense sprinting as she tried to find another way out. A quick glance around showed no other exits, and with the sound of boots pounding decks coming behind her, she ducked down between the rows. Not more than a couple of moments later the sound of those boots hitting metal plating came to her ears.

"Lousy cat making me run. The commander didn't say she had to be in good shape when we dragged her back, maybe she needs an accident or two."

His rough voice made her shrink back a bit more, as she tried staying in the shadows between the rows. Then the sound that chilled her spine came from his direction, the deep inhalation of someone trying to find a scent. She remembered that boars had one of the best senses of smell, and she tried not to whimper as the scenting sound came closer. She heard other footsteps as well, as no doubt the soldier's partner came to join the search after dealing with Matthew.

"Ahhh, here you are!"

The boar turned the corner, a cruel smile on his tusked muzzle as he turned the aisle, putting himself fully between her and any chance of escape. She trembled slightly as he stepped forward and tried to scrunch herself into the corner. Then there was a curious sizzle-snap, and the small of ozone, and the boar pitched face first to the deck, muzzle just at her feet. Above him stood Matthew, the little rod in his hand and the smell of ozone coming from him. He grimaced and tossed the rod aside before offering his hand.

"Sorry about that, the first one was a bit tougher then I thought. It took some tussling before I could shock him. The stupid things' are only good for a couple shocks before they go dead though."

She reached a hand up to his and took it gently, and with a sympathetic smile, he pulled her up and pulled her close. A blush took her ears embarrassingly, before she realized he was drawing her back towards the door.

"You do have the worst sense of direction though, you took off in the exact opposite direction from the parachutes, didn't you listen to the safety lectures when you boarded?"

He tried to sound amused, teasing even as they headed to engineering while she stumbled along beside, as he gave her a gentle urging across the deck. She looked to him, there were traces of the enthusiastic lover she'd explored the past few days, but he hid them behind something else. He had a look of determination as he guided her through the narrow decks.

"So...you were assigned to get close to me," she started hesitantly, as a thought occurred to her. "So fucking me...getting me in bed, was just a method to do your job?"

He glanced back at her, and gave her an encouraging grin, "Oh, sweets, I may have ended up in bed with others for the job, but I don't think sex with you would be 'just' anything for anyone." He smirked, "Besides, as I remember, you're the one that made the first move to bed. I would have satisfied my mission just by being your travelling companion, where I could keep an eye on you."

He opened a heavy hatch labeled 'emergency' and dragged her inside. A glance back down the hallway led to another curse, and a slammed shut door followed by the 'ping' of metal striking metal.

"Something tells me they're going to be a little less worried about collateral damage now," he commented as he jammed a hastily grabbed fire axe through the hatch door.

Moments later the handle jiggled, and then a loud banging started on the metal door. He turned to the side, grabbed two large packs and handed one of them to Amanda, which she took. As she recognized the utilitarian emergency chutes, she looked up to him with a questioning look,

"Look, please tell me you at least listened to that part of the lecture," he started with an exasperated tone. At her nod, he pulled the pack over her shoulders and started tightening the buckles, "Well, how else did you expect we'd get out of here? We don't really have wings...just remember, the chute auto deploys."

He pulled out a length of leather strapping and tightly buckled the case from her arms tightly to her chest,

"Now try not to lose it, but if you do...don't try to recover it. If it goes lost, you can rebuild it, if you get lost, we have nothing. When you hit the ground, head west."

He wrapped a small device onto her wrist, inside a glass dome was a little spinner, and as she moved it twirled lazily. A small channel to one side appeared to let air into the chamber. He tapped the dome lightly and looked to her,

"It's set to go when the air reaches a certain density and spins that thing a certain speed. I f it doesn't work, pull the handle on your right shoulder and hope for the best."

He winked at her and shoved her to a side door, where he slapped a red 'emergency' button. Immediately, a loud hooting noise sounded through the chamber and the side door opened sideways, letting in a buffeting wind from their high altitude. She put her hand over her muzzle from the chill, and the howl almost covered the cracking sound as the handle from the axe started giving way.

"I'll be right behind you, don't worry...I'll see you at the ground."

He gave her one last grin, and before she could respond, he shoved her bodily out the door and into the screaming wind. She saw him turn back to the door as the axe splintered and a half dozen boars stormed the room, Matthew tossed something round and metallic, and then all was tumbling, screaming wind, and blue skies.

*

The wind ripped at her body, it seemed like the icy air currents wanted to tear the flesh from her bones as she tumbled this way and that in the air. Occasionally she flipped face up and got a glimpse of the airship high above, another, smaller balloon tied to it, and smoke pouring from the side where she'd flung into the abyss. Then the wind flipped her again as it twisted her around. Everything blanked from view when a low cloud enveloped her. Before she was through, a massive tug jerked her straight up and nearly caused her to blackout from the sudden shock. She gasped as she looked up at the dull green expanse of the emergency chute as it unfolded and none-to-gently slowed her descent.

When she floated out of the cloud, she looked up and tried spotting the zeppelin above her. It still looked like smoke streamed from the side and the smaller dot of the military balloon hadn't moved from its side. She realized she didn't see another chute, no sign of another fur jumping from either ship, and a small, quiet sob shook her body. Only then did she spare a look at her rapidly approaching landing area. The area was geographically a good border, a series of rolling hills that spiked up into medium height mountains, with a mix of copses of trees, and wide-open fields. She fell towards one of the fields between several stands of trees. She dredged up the safety lectures, and managed to steer herself closer to one of the areas of cover before the parachute dropped low enough, and her feet met the ground.

She remembered to unbuckle the 'chute quickly, she pulled the chute and pack in close to her body, gathering it up as she tried to pack it away as quickly as possible. She left the bag strapped to her body, since it freed her hands as she unclipped the emergency kit from the 'chute. It wasn't much, a few days food, a safety blanket, some water, and some bandages and first aid supplies.

Well...you seem to be out of one life-threatening situation, now on to the next I suppose.

Even the amusement in her internal voice seemed somewhat forced; she shuddered a little as the adrenalin from the past few minutes finally drained from her system. It took a moment before she realized it really was only the past few minutes. She took one more glance up, searching the sky for another chute, though none came to view.

He said west...he said I'd be safe to the west, but he lied to me about who he was, am I going to trust him?

Perhaps surprisingly, internally even she knew that she was going to follow his instructions. She did still trust him, he could have done much worse than just given her nearly the best sex she'd ever had if he'd wanted, and nothing else he'd done changed the fact that every step made sure she kept going that little bit further.

If a little bit further is all I need, west is as good a direction as any, I was trying to go west anyway.

The decision made, she stuffed the pack away under the crook of the nearest tree, and hurried west, towards the mountains in the distance.

*

She didn't know how far she traveled when Amanda finally realized that even her eyes started having trouble seeing in the lack of light of a cloudy, pitch-black night. She'd no idea how far she'd traveled, but the idea of getting caught out in the open appealed less and less. Luckily, the individual stands of trees had quickly thickened, and she now traveled through a rather dense mountain forest. The air turned almost as frigid as the air as she'd jumped out of the airship, and she quickly looked for a somewhat shielded area where she could get some kind of shelter.

A small out of the way nook in the base of a multi-trunked tree proved relatively dry and shielded from the wind. She pulled out the emergency blanket and wrapped it around herself while she curled up as tightly as she could at the base. She shivered as she tried to get a little sleep, and even with the chill from t he air creeping into her bones, managed at least a fitful slumber.

A soft cracking, a sound no wind would ever make stirred her to wakefulness. A glance up showed only a few hours passed since she tried to get to sleep and the aching in her body screamed at her to let out a moan of pain. The cracking continued though, so she gritted her teeth and suppressed the urge, while she slowly uncurled from beneath the blanket. Animal, or somefur, either way she was going to meet them as best she could as her eyes searched the brush in front of her. Another soft crack and the movement of a few bushes a few feet away drew her attention. She watched while she tensed the frustration, anger and hurt of the past hours gathering in the pit of her stomach while her legs bunched beneath her. At one more movements, she let loose a snarl and dived into the brush, colliding with someone and sending them both tumbling through the vegetation. Her claws extended, she tried to bite, and claw and slash at the figure, someone who was letting out quite the string of curses as he fended off her attacks.

"Ouch...bloody hell...damnit, why couldn't you do this back on the blimp."

Their momentum carried them over, and with a deft twist and flip, Amanda found herself on her back, looking up into some very familiar eyes as he pinned her arms across her chest and looked down at her. She struggled just a minute before whom it was processed through her brain, and she lay back and stared up in surprise,

"M...matthew?"

"You bet," he said, carefully releasing her and settling back onto her hips. "Glad to see that your survival instinct caught up to you, but next time you might want to check who you're tackling, before you rip them to shreds," he grinned ruefully, and she noticed he'd not gone completely unscathed, as her claws had left a few shallow cuts through the side of his muzzle.

"I...you said you'd be right behind me!" She glared up at him, while she struggled, though just a little; having his weight on her provided, some sense of...comfort she didn't realize she'd needed.

"I fully intended to be, but they just were not accommodating of my need to exit the ship, so I had to distract them a bit. Then I had to make sure they couldn't follow, at least not quickly. Therefore, it took me a while before I could pick up your trail. Oh, and you might want to be just a little more careful, you've been leaving stuff behind." He gestured to her, where she spotted a small rip in her blouse she hadn't noticed before.

"You...well, you...get off me!"

He chuckled and slipped off her, letting her arms go last as he settled to the side.

"I see you took my advice at least, good...that will make things simpler. I think we only have a couple more days of hiking before we get across the border, and to someplace safe." He looked to her, "That is, if you think you can stand me as your travelling companion, for at least a couple more days."

She blinked as she looked up at him and pushed herself up into a seated position, she considered a moment. After all, what real choice did she have otherwise? She looked him over a bit more and then growled deep in her throat,

"All right, we'll go your way, but you...Matthew, have lost all rights between these thighs, do you understand that?" She said gruffly, as she stood and headed back to her hollow, and the emergency blanket she left there in her frantic lunge.

"Oh, of course, my lioness ward. I would never do anything that might stain your honor on our difficult trip."

She glanced back at him, at that glimpse of the wit and tone he'd shown the first night they'd met, and she tried to suppress a smile. She turned away before he could see that she wasn't quite successful. She reached down and grabbed the blanket, while a thought suddenly occurred to her,

"Wait...Matthew, your name actually is Matthew, isn't it?"

He laughed suddenly, the rich laugh she'd enjoyed during their few days together; his eyes gleamed with amusement as he replied.

"Ohh, my dear, it seems we will have quite a bit to talk about on our way across the mountains, won't we."

With an unspoken familiarity, he settled down next to her in the hollow, and they pressed close, so their warmth helped fend off the dark night.

She looked up to him as she leaned against him, studied his face.

A lot to talk about? Yes....I suppose we do.

Were the last thoughts she had before she settled into a surprisingly easy sleep.