Rest Stop
"Rest Stop" by Haru Tatsuyo
He didn't care. He didn't care about the constant running. He didn't care about cheating death at every turn in the dark paths that he took with his charge. He didn't care that he was tired out of his mind. He didn't care that they looked like hell. Their fur was matted, bodies soaked and chilled to the bone by the rain, that driving, rushing torrent from the clouds. It beat against the sheet that made their shelter, located a long stone's throw from the quagmire of a road they had been traveling when the storm hit, just one of many that had come through the land during the rainy weeks of spring.
They were huddled together, the two half-breeds, taking shelter from the storm, whose winds stirred the branches of the trees above them, making them groan as if those winds made the forest ache, and protesting the rough treatment.
She was scared, so scared. The smaller fox-cat huddled up against the strong frame of the fox-wolf, who held her close, arms acting as shields to protect her from the howling winds and driving rain. They were soaked from head to toe, but they would manage. They had for the last few days, so why not now?
They lay on the inside of his long black leather cloak, spread like a blanket beneath them. The bedding that he had strapped across his back was soaked, so his cloak acted as a protector from the cold cloth of the bedding.
She shivered softly against him, the black tips of those ears flicking softly. She listened to the rhythms of his body, His heart, his breathing, yet also listening for the slapping of foot paws on the muddy road or the rustle of cloaks in the underbrush.
"Nobody's going to lay a paw on you... not tonight." The fox-wolf's low, soothing voice whispered into one of her cocked ears, getting a soft fluffy tail wrapped around his thigh in response, as if to say "I hope you're right on that one."
He smiled softly. It felt good to have someone reliant on him for a change. He was a vagabond, an outcast, used to being called a "dirty half-breed" by passersby.
His heritage was quite obvious, being a tall fox-colored wolf, a very unusual coloration for purebred wolves, and it gave him away immediately to those who looked long enough. His powerful frame made his dual-blooded nature all the more apparent. This strength of body was matched by strength of mind and will. He had survived countless brawls in bars and alleyways with those who had had the misfortune to consider him an easy target. He had defended his alleyway for most of his life, having been forced to the streets after the death of his parents on his 8th birthday. He couldn't really remember them well... but he had remembered a story about a wealthy grandfather. Would that man ever accept him, a filthy half-breed, if he ever found him?
But that didn't matter, he didn't care.
Not after he had her fall so unceremoniously into his life. Running was a common thread in their unlikely relationship. They met running, and they would probably die running. Why? Why run away? What were they running from? She seemed to be so quiet, so shy, and she was so afraid to tell him. Why can't she trust him? What could be so bad that he... he would...
"I..." she whispered, her breathing still slightly heavy from their hard traveling. She was relaxing now. Against him, leaning into his warmth to share with him, that warmth... It made his heart flutter to think about being so intimate with her.
"I guess I should..." she swallowed, her cat-like muzzle buried into his chest, her nose flaring, taking in his scent. It was thick, musky, and so subtly erotic... it made her head spin. "T... tell you about... why all of this is... happening." she finished. So shyly, so...
"It would be useful." He said, his voice holding the slightest bit of angst as he spoke, but he tried to mask it with pleasantness, or the best he could manage. He wasn't exactly one for etiquette,
She blushed, her maw flushing a bright pink beneath her white muzzle fur, the purple (he meant to ask her about that sometime, it couldn't be natural. So odd!) Fur of her cheeks darkening as she replied timidly, "You know of lord Valencourt, don't you?" She said voice still timid, quivering as she spoke.
"I've heard the name... usually from guards' mouths, telling me to get the hell out of town, but please continue!" He said, giving her more attention now, giving his thoughts of the next link in their journey outside of the "good" Lord's lands to rest. He remembered fondly of how she begged him to take her out of there as he beat off royal guards with nothing more than a dagger. Quite impressive, he thought.
"You can see that I am a half-breed, yes?" She asked, a little shame in her voice now, her head lowering to rest against his chest once more, finally starting to feel her fur drying out a little.
The fox-wolf had offered the suggestion of stripping down out of their wet clothes to help them dry out, but she had refused. He had sighed shaking his head, making a side comment about health before grace, which she raised her nose at, and giving a slightly aristocratic sniff before sitting down atop his cloak, dressed in a plain handmaiden's dress, the rough fabric an earthy brown, the hem of it flecked with mud from the road.
He, however, had taken his own advice, stripping off his leather jerkin and pants, leaving him in a long white shirt and a pair of undergarments. She had marveled at those now uncovered legs, so appealingly muscled. She felt she was letting her eyes linger too long to be proper, but she found she didn't really care. He had caught her looking and gave her a playful smirk, to which she blushed and looked away, watching water running down the far side of their temporary shelter, which the just so happened to have stolen from the last inn they stayed at. Dresses came in handy for hiding things.
His voice brought her back to the present, making her jump slightly as he growled, "Are you going to tell me what's going on or are you just going to test my knowledge of the obvious all night?" He asked, a little more bite in his voice than he had meant to use, feeling her recoil slightly at his stern response.
"Alright, alright..." she said quietly, her ears lowering in embarrassment as she decided to focus on something very interesting on his shoulder, a small scar. She stared at it, not daring to look back up at his face as she spoke.
"Well... I am one of Valencourt's bastard children. He left me with my mother and made her swear to never tell anyone of my blood relation to him, not even myself." She whispered, closing her eyes as she tried to prepare herself for his reaction. "My name is Miranda Helen Paddington" she said, waiting a moment, collecting her thoughts before continuing on. "Valencourt wants me dead, so that's why I'm being followed. His eldest child recently died, leaving me and his younger son Eldrich in line for the title of Lord. My lineage gives me a right to claim the throne from Eldrich in the event of Lord Valencourt's death. I think we both know that he would be rolling in his grave if he knew I usurped his little brat of a purebred son from his seat of power." She finished, her voice seeming to have gained some strength and anger behind it.
He tilted his head back slightly at this revelation, ears twitching once or twice; slightly taken aback by the magnitude of what he was getting himself into. "Well..." He said, wiping his brow slightly of a few drops of water that remained on his fur, "now I've heard everything... our good Lord can't seem to keep it in his pants can he?" He asked, smirking broadly before letting his gears start to work in the back of his mind.
He had three options here, he thought to himself. One, he could just overpower her, tie her up, and turn her in to the authorities and maybe get a hefty reward. His pouch of gold on his belt was getting a little too light for his tastes.
Two, he could stay with her and defend her from her pursuers. He knew she wouldn't have a bat's chance in Hell to escape from the band of Knights that were in hot pursuit of them. They had left them behind previously in sore condition, most likely having stalled them to care for the wounded, which maybe bought them enough time to wait out this storm before heading on. The only problem was that with her fur color, it made it nearly impossible to keep her disguised long enough to escape anyone's notice, making keeping the posy off their tails quite a chore.
Or three, he could just get up right now and leave her here. He already had a record, and he wasn't exactly one who enjoyed the rough treatment of prison, let alone for helping a political refugee escape the lord's clutches. It was the safe move, and being safe was what had kept him alive for this long, after all...
"Please don't go!" She begged as he pulled on his leather jerkin, having made his decision to get out of there as quickly as possible, but something was clawing at him, telling him deep down that this was the wrong route to go. Safe, maybe, but still wrong.
He turned to face her for a moment, growling softly, his brow furrowed, feeling frustrated with both her and himself for making him feel so damn guilty for doing this. "Look, if I'm found with you I'm as good as dead, alright? I already have a price on my head as it is and I don't need smuggling you out of the fiefdom to be added to my list!"
"Well then we're both as good as dead!" She shouted at him, tearing up as she looked up at that lean, powerful figure, set in sharp contrast against the forest behind him by a sharp flash of lightning. He paused, her eyes, those soft sea blue eyes capturing his light brown ones. He could see her tears leaking into her fur, but he steeled himself, turning, leaving her with his cloak as a parting gesture, and started back into the rain.
"Please!" she pleaded, starting to feel suddenly helpless. "I'll do anything! Just don't leave me to die here!" She said, having to shout to be heard over the rolling thunder that invaded that place, and to keep her from breaking down.
He stopped dead in his tracks, feeling a roguish grin crossing his lips, an eyebrow quirking as he looked over his shoulder, his voice soft, but its depth making it crystal clear, "Anything?" He asked in a quiet murr, his wolfish eye peering at her.
She knew exactly what was on his mind instantly. Just the way he said it, the way his body seemed to tense in excitement at that desperate plea. She sighed, "Yes... even that..." as he shoulders sagged in defeat, her eyes still tearful, yet holding even more fear in them than before as he slowly made his way back toward her, crouching under the shelter to slip inside, dropping down to one knee beside her, his eyes seeming to glow just like a pup's who had gotten a free sweet from a Turkish Delight vendor in Market Square.
"Well, I guess that gives me a good opportunity to use my earlier suggestion, to get you dried out!" He growled softly, but with the slightest bit of tenderness in his voice, seeming to have fought back instinct for the moment, his eyes seeming no longer cold and emotionless, but as if a flickering flame was behind them, warming the dark orbs as they slowly looked her over, noting every little detail of her body, which her wet clothes did not hide very well at all.
She was blushing brightly now as he began to undress, slowly unbuttoning his leather jerkin and shrugging it off with a roll of his shoulders, setting it down on the ground to be quickly followed by his shirt, the muscles of his chest, shoulders and arms putting on an impressive fluid display beneath her fur for her eyes, only making her blush even more, a paw coming to her muzzle to cover it, trying to silence a girlish giggle, but to no avail.
His ears twitched at the little muffled noise, and he couldn't help but feel a little self conscious about all this, and much to her surprise, started to blush as well, the light skin beneath the white scruff of his chin reddening, giving it away as the blush spread across his cheeks.
She had to admit though, she didn't even mind one bit about getting a good long look at the street tough, and whose pelt bore his scars, many of them across his chest, including a rather large looking gash across his belly, bisecting his bellybutton. He couldn't be more that twenty five.
She had just had her twentieth birthday a few weeks ago, and still a virgin, a feat for a female her age, especially a half-breed. In their culture, half-breeds were seen as nothing more than objects by the purebred furs, who took pleasure in using and abusing them to their hearts' content. Miranda was a professional ice queen; able to give any male the cold shoulder, but apparently she had met her match. Most men would already have claw marks on their muzzles if they were being as fresh with her as he was being. She had to admit, he had balls, and the body to back that up...
Her scent was changing... becoming more and more delicious by the second. He flared his nostrils, drinking it in, savoring it. He noticed her starting to shiver, his ears picking up her chattering teeth as she gazed up at him... she was cold... and it was his job to warm her.
His paws lowered carefully, yet swiftly to her blouse, unbuttoning it with ease before pulling it apart, trying to be a gentleman as he kept his eyes up as best he could, but he stole a glance at them as he shifted his weight from one knee to the other. He couldn't help but stare after that, taking in those orbs, as well as her nipples, perked taut by the chilly air, as well as her now missing wet blouse. He carefully maneuvered the blouse off of her arms and set it up against the tree that they were using as one of the ends of their shelter, having suspended the blanket by a piece of rope tied between two smaller trees, and holding down the corners with some stones he had collected from the road.
She looked up at him, blushing scarlet beneath her fur, shifting her weight nervously, her breasts giving a little bounce with her movement.
He smiled down at her as he made his move, lowering himself to her body, lying gently atop of her, his fur meshing with hers as his chest lay gently over hers, paws lowering to her sides as he held her to his body.
Miranda sighed happily; her eyes fluttering close as she relished this new feeling of closeness he was sharing with him, the way his chest fur brushed across her nipples, sending little jolts of electric delight with every shift of his body on hers. What a feeling... so special, so warming...
He was rock solid in his pants now, the bulge easily visible, even in this darkness, and even more apparent grinding gently into her thigh through her skirt. He wanted her now. Intimacy was something he had been craving for months now but he wanted it to be with the "right one"... the one that would become his partner in crime, or even one to settle down with. They had talked, a lot actually, when they could find respite from the constant cat-and-mouse game of dodging mercenaries and knights gunning for them. But there was one thing he never told her...
"I have to ask... what's yo-" she said, only to be hushed by a finger rising to her lips, his muzzle an inch from her maw as he whispered soothingly in that deep soft voice, "it is of no importance..."
He resumed his gentle petting and stroking of her sides and back, slowly working the water out of her fur. She tried her best to reply, but her deep purring at his caresses made her words fail to reach her lips. Her eyes drifted shut once more as she found that this was too good for her to even care right now... just as long as he didn't stop, she didn't care who he was...
He couldn't help but chuckle as he leaned down and nibbled lightly along the side of her neck, tongue slipping from his maw to stroke tenderly across damp fur, making her melt into him, arms wrapping around him and pulling him into her, closer, the warmth between them growing stronger by the minute. "Just relax... enjoy..." he whispered warmly up to her.
He gave her a small, reassuring smile as he let his paws carefully move from her sides down across her hips, skimming across her soaked skirt before letting it rise to the button that held it in place and unclasped it.
She laid there, in a slight daze of feelings and sensations, her hips lowering to help his paws work her skirt slowly down her hips and thighs, giving a shudder as she was exposed to the night air, bared now. She blushed scarlet as she looked carefully up at him, her eyes showing slight uncertainty for a moment before it cleared, her lips quirking into a smile as she decided that there was no looking back now. She needed him so terribly now...
As he moved that skirt down to around her knees, he smiled as he felt her shimmy the rest of the way out of that drenched garment. He sniffed at the air, her smell now magnified, making his head spin in it. He felt his curiosity getting to him, and seeing as she was showing no signs of resistance to his caresses and disrobing her, he slowly crawled down her frame, the fur of his chest threading through hers as he descended, making her mewl softly, and claws scratching lightly through the fur of his back.
He couldn't help but chuckle at that pathetic little sound, giving her a devilish grin as he descended lower and lower, letting his muzzle nuzzle against her breasts lightly on his way down, making her squirm beneath him. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, he was between her knees, gazing at her. He noted that either purple was her real fur color, or she was very thorough with her fur dying, just making her puffy pink petals, which glistened in the flashes of brightness from the raging storm outside, all the more beautiful. He exhaled long and hard, then took a deep breath through his nose, getting drunk off her scent as his eyes gazed down at her, only able to sigh as he breathed out again, "beautiful..."
She almost couldn't believe this was happening to her, closing her eyes and biting her lower lip with a fang as his breath washed over her, making her shudder and gasp, spreading her legs wider for him. She didn't know why... but she trusted him down there... so close to her... and then she felt it. Rough wet muscle pulling against her cleft. She gasped even louder and arched, giving a pathetic mewl of pleasure as she surrendered herself to him, tail snaking down to wrap across his left bicep, squeezing it with every lick he gave her.
His mind seemed to freeze up at that taste, getting stuck on taking long laves at her, eyes seeming to haze over as that taste erupted over his tongue. So sweet, so hot, so perfect! A perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness. He smiled happily as he let his paws rise to stroke gently across her inner thighs, fingers kneading gently against them. His tongue strayed upward and she gave a squeak and a throaty moan, her head throwing back, legs spreading lewdly for him in glorious surrender to this pleasure.
"Do it again... please!" She begged, her tongue poking slightly from her lips as she looked down at her, chest rising and falling so quickly, her breathing shallow and shaky. She was totally lost in it, feeling like she was drowning in pleasure, and tying to stay afloat, while at the same time she felt like she was floating steadily away from her body, away from her mind as the pleasure intensified.
He smirked as he looked up at her, murring softly, "what, you mean this?" He asked, letting his tongue slide out to grind firmly against that little bud he had noticed, letting it slowly stroke across her erect clit lazily, and then suddenly assaulting it with a barrage of quick, rough licks.
She shivered and gasped, but this pleasure didn't last long as he slowly pulled back, looking down at him with a slight pout, "Hey..." she said, her eyes looking down at him with disappointment.
He smirked as he looked up at her, "Don't worry... I think you might like this more..." he whispered, diving down suddenly to press his tongue to her slick entrance, then suddenly pounded it down her passage, long canine tongue reaching into her unexplored depths.
She gave a soft yowl as she bucked her hips upto his maw, "Ah!" She said, surprised by this sudden fullness she felt, that wet, rough muscle grinding against her insides, making her squirm and writhe, her paws reaching outward to her sides, claws digging into the ground, gasping and pounding her hips up to his ever eager muzzle, mewling pathetically to him for more.
The taste... God the taste! So perfect, now engulfing his tongue, taste buds bursting with the flavor, letting him get the full array of it, savoring it's finer qualities as he drilled his tongue back and forth quickly, swirling it around in her passage as he did so, trying to find the spots that got her the most pleasure. He felt her starting to shake as he seemed to find the right spot. He stopped momentarily, then started to grind his tongue firmly against that spot, smirking as he did so.
It was too much. "Oh... Oh God yes!" She mewled, the soft sound rising to a loud yowl as she felt her mind shatter into a thousand tiny shards of stained glass, glinting and glimmering in the flashes of light in front of her eyes, flashing all the colors of the rainbow. She felt herself sinking, her body starting to sag, her back, which had been arched so high he could only see the tip of his tail, wagging back and forth in the air like a flag above them, sagged, hitting the leather with a soft "thump", her arms spread out, claws withdrawing from the soft earth. She could have sworn that earth had shattered beneath her with that violent upheaval of her body and mind.
He smiled up at her then, dutifully lapping up the surge of her juices that had spilled from her core, once again savoring her flavor, growling happily as he finished, relishing every time she twitched beneath his tongue and paws. With that finished, he slowly rose to his knees, unclasping his belt and unbuttoning his pants, pushing them down quickly. And there he was, that thick, swollen angry red rod freed from its prison, glistening in the open air.
She couldn't help but gasp at the sight. Such a beautiful part of him... and she wanted it... wanted it so bad... if his tongue had felt good... what about.... Then he saw what was at the base of it, that thick, swollen knot, steadily growing as it slid from his sheath, the angry red of it contrasting so well against his pure white belly fur. She had to touch it... her paw reaching out to his cheek weakly, giving it a tender caress before drifting across his chest, her claws scratching gently across his skin, making him give a soft snarl of discomfort before it reached that perfect part, slowly letting her paw cup the thick shaft, her fingertips dancing across the slick flesh. "I..." She began but was interrupted by his sudden movement.
He gave a low growl in his throat before moving his paws to cup under her knees, lifting them, her crotch now bared to the open air, making her gasp, laying her head back and turning her head to the side, exposing her neck to him. He murred softly down at her as he rested his lips gently against hers, giving them a tender lick as he rocked gently into her teasing paw, "Yes?" he asked, giving her a small nuzzle to the cheek.
She whimpered softly as she lay there, panting heavily, whispering, "That was..." only have him finish "incredible?" She couldn't help but giggle tiredly as she nodded down at him, paws reaching down to stroke across his head, "Yeah... incredible." She sighed, eyes closed in relaxation before she felt him rising, that low growl in his throat triggering her instincts, naturally submitting in her dazed state.
He smiled softly as he gazed down at her, that beautiful body... now all his. He lowered his body slowly back down atop of hers, noting how hot she felt. He had obviously done his job... but she had said anything... so why not go the extra mile for her... he might as well.
He rocked forward gently, his thick canine meat dragging across her nether lips now, making her shudder and moan. He licked softly across the side of her exposed neck as he whispered, "It's okay... I'll be gentle..." as he started a slow, steady rhythm of rocks against her body, tongue lolling slightly as he stroked across the thickly furred backs of her thighs, petting and stroking them, but still keeping them lifted.
She could only nod silently, purring with delight at these sensations, ears pinned back in submission as he teased her, whining, "Please... no more teasing.... I need it..." She said desperately, her breathing getting a little ragged now with his ministrations.
He gave a small nod, whispering in her ear, "alright... here we go then..." before he lined up with her, tip pressing gently to her entrance before he pushed steadily forward, feeling some resistance from her before his tapered tip popped up into her, surrounding it in warmth, drawing a moan from them in unison, giving her neck a little love nip before slamming down into the nape of her neck, making her cry out in both pain and pleasure as she felt his fangs sinking into her flesh through her pelt. "Mine..." He growled throatily as he finally, after what seemed like a year, he was up to his knot inside her, holding his ground now as he waited for her to give him the go ahead to continue.
She gasped her head arching backward as he took her. God, so big! She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him into her velvety depths, it hurt, a lot actually, but she kept quiet, the claws driving into his back being the only sign of discomfort she gave him, yet it was enough to make a momentary pause halfway in to look up at her, trying to read her expression to see if he had hurt her. She looked down, reading his face and whispering, "Its fine... you're just... really big..." She said, feeling her cheeks flushing even harder. He had nodded and continued, much to her delight, all the way down to the knot. She waited, waited... soaking in the moment, of being filled for the first time. Sure it was painful... but it was worth it... and brought a feeling of contentment and peace to her, even though her body was unsure about moving on. It just felt so right to feel this fullness, this warmth. Then the kiss came, his lips on hers, tongue sliding between her lips to tangle with hers, the sensation making her shiver, hips giving an experimental rock against his.
He nodded, knowing what this meant, and started rocking back and forth slowly... gently... with tender loving care at first, her legs tightening around his waist, the heels of her foot paws grinding down into the base of his tail, her tongue battling his for dominance, but his larger tongue easily overpowering hers, his chest rumbling as he started to steadily pick up his pace, hips starting to bump into hers, his knot threatening to take her. He adjusted himself to get a better angle, rising up off her with his arms, planted like pillars on either side of her head, his eyes looking down into hers, his ponytailed brown hair draped across his shoulder as he continued on, savoring it... it just felt so good, to be in her, her body accepting his like a silky, moist glove.
Then she made her move, noting his eyes closing, smirking as she jabbed the inside of his left elbow, making it buckle, his body falling down to the side, hearing him growl angrily, "what the hell?!" as he fell on his side, his eyes wide with shock as she suddenly rolled him over onto his back.
She was now perched atop him, his rod still inside her as she looked down at him coyly, placing a fingertip on his lips before he had time to say more. Now wasn't a time for anger. "Relax..." She purred, "I heard taking a knot for the first time really hurts... and I want to control this part, alright?" She said, giving him a small smile as she slowly stretched out on top of him, paws planting on his upper chest, fingertips rubbing in soothing circles as she maneuvered herself downward with care.
His ears had to perk up higher to catch her words over the sound of the rain, now sounding more like a monsoon than anything else. He shuddered as he leaned his head back, closing his eyes, scooting over a little to get fully back on their makeshift mattress. He always wanted a female with a little fight in her. "Alright... just this once..." He said, grinning.
"You mean as much as I da-ah! Damn well please?" She purred, being interrupted by a soft cry of pain, tinted slightly with a moan, as she continued to work her way down his swollen knot, feeling it spreading her so incredibly wide.
It hurt so much, but it hurt so good! She had never felt anything like this... and after another minute of this pleasurable agony, she sunk down to where her hips joined his, panting, her eyes closing, "Damn... that's... really fucking big... so deep too..." She said, grinning down at him before she leaned downward, letting her lips gently caress his before slowly rolling them over, looking cutely up at him as she whispered, "As you were, sir..."
He chuckled softly, leaning down and kissing her passionately as he started to roll his hips in short quick bucks, chest resounding with low growls as he put his all into it, rising to a low crouch to get more leverage, his knot locking them together, restricting his movement to around two inches, but it was enough, God it was...
She was writhing now, whimpering into the deluge, "Th... that's it... don't stop, please, please don't stop!" She moaned, arching her body up into his as he snarled in pleasure, feeling his peak coming on fast now. Their hips were slapping wetly against one another sharply now, and she was starting to scream her delight. "Yes... that's it! Yes! YES!"
He felt her walls spasm around him, milking his meat, her orgasm demanding him sew his seed in her. He couldn't help it, it was all too much, the inferno between them seeming to consume him as he shuddered, his shaft twitching violently, hissing through gritted teeth, "Oh God... Miranda!" he gave a whine as she felt him send him over the edge, howling joy into the night, his head arching backward, and she joined him, well as much as a half fox could, but she tried.
They panted... panted... his body seeming to be frozen after they fell quiet, still as a statue for several seconds before he dropped atop of her, making her give a slight squeal at the sudden weight on her, but he quickly rolled them both to their sides, his legs tangling with hers as they lay there, cuddling, resting their eyes... her head on his chest, listening the only sound left in that place being their breathing, the fluttering of their hearts and the dripping of water from rain soaked leaves. The storm... the storm was gone now, leaving the forest in peace... perfect.
"Sir, did you hear that?" A voice asked behind him. He turned slowly, baring his fangs at the hare who asked him the obviously stupid question.
"I have ears, boy, of course I heard it!" The black wolf, black as night, if not even more so, glared at him, lamp-like yellow eyes so sharply contrasted by his fur. "I will have to ask you not to ask me any ASSININE questions from now on, squire!"
"But sir... shouldn't we-"
"No... I will give them tonight," He said, clutching an armored fist tightly before finishing in a snarl, "Then their pelts are ours!"