For the Love of Gems

Story by Runa on SoFurry

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Art - olympiaxylaige

Writing - Runa

Kishin - Kishin

Ceylon - Runa

Just a cute little story about a stern and power hungry adventurer looking to plunder the loot of the Cradle of Dalon. In this story, Kishin finds that the Dalonian Gods are a bit more devious and yet more generous than she ever imagined, as a tiny dog-sized Ceylon implants a gem of power in her womb and is tasked with fetching it from the fox-demon!

I am not 100% sure of Kishin's behaviour, so I hope I got it right!


For Love of Gems

Life is a never-ending quest for riches, happiness, and power. It doesn't matter if you're a hardy adventurer, a queen, or a humble parent, everyone wants money, happiness, and power. The third was especially true for Kishin, who had a life of wealth, but her happiness was muted by her insatiable need for power and prestige.

Her goal in life was to grow ever more powerful with the use of gems, artifacts, and relics that would command the respect she felt she deserved. This journey of hers, a self imposed quest of indeterminate significance, had taken her to Yesa, the western continent. In the heart of this continent was the Cradle of Dalon and the capitol Klyneth; it could be assumed that with power came the source of that power, in one way or another. She wanted that.

She was walking northbound with a caravan of merchants towards the capitol - walking, because she was too big to fit in the carriage that she was offered. During her travels, she had been told of great riches in the mountain range near the Cradle of Dalon, in the tallest peak of the tallest mountain range in the world. One of the feline traders had mentioned rumours (many unsubstantiated) about the trove of treasure there.

"So where is it?" She asked, the tendrils that splayed out from the plumage around her neck twitching in barely contained excitement. She knew it was in the mountain, but a mountain was a massive landmark to explore. She needed more guidance.

The feline - a gray and brown mottled specimen of literally half her height - answered as best he could. "Well, nobody knows for sure. We all know there's something of immense power in the valley in the mountains, but nobody knows for sure precisely what's there, where exactly it is, or how to get to it. The mountains are too steep for most to scale, no flyer can get that high, and any intrepid explorers who attempt it disappear and are never seen again. 'Tis a death trap, but for some the thrill of the hunt is plenty enough to draw them there."

Kishin rubbed her chin a bit and flicked her ear as she gazed out north bound over the horizon. She could actually see the pale silhouette of the mountain they were speaking of in the distance, and it indeed looked quite a bit steeper than any mountains from her home land. Still, she had immense power, as well as a bag of tricks of her own. If the mountains contained a veritable hoard of powerful relics, it would be worth her time to at least check it out. "So what would be the best way to approach the range?"

"Well, I don't think any way would be smart if you are genuinely looking to climb, but the highest anyone has ever gotten and came back to tell about it was up the south summit. The peaks are shorter there, and the slope of the mountain isn't as steep. Still, I wouldn't recommend it without making peace with your loved ones before leaving. Do you have loved ones?" The feline looked up at Kishin with a meek smile on his face.

Though it was clear he was flirting with her, she dismissed him as they continued to trek northbound on the pathway. Her mind flitted from one potential relic to the next. In her travels, she'd gathered information about some artifacts that were rumored to be hidden high in the peaks and valleys of the mountain range that held the Cradle of Dalon, including a staff with a concentrated ademane gem that could inflict pain on those it was aimed at from afar, a gem that could control the minds of those around the user, and a blade that could produce wounds that would never heal.

Truth be told, she wasn't interested in harming others, but having the relics would still grant her the power she desired. As said by the great Philosopher Ilorek, "Power is best acquired through means where those under your influence do not fear you, but respect you; if they know that you could be feared, then they will not give you reason to make them fear you." OR something like that. Basically, be kind, but make sure people know that you're best kept happy and loved, so you don't have to use the power you have.

Still, the allure of any of the rumored relics hiding somewhere in the Cradle of Dalon overcame her worries or apprehension about the danger involved in scaling the summit. She had been to all sorts of hostile environments, and her body was far more malleable and adaptable than most gave her credit for.

Her eyes rarely left the horizon, where she tried her best to focus her mind on the journey ahead of her, only pausing to think about eating or sleeping when the caravan paused to rest their horses and laurossin steeds. When nightfall came, her journey to Klyneth nearly half complete, the rest of the felines set up camp and slept while she disappeared into the darkness.

She had no need in being slowed down by common folk when on her quest. Her legs were long as she rarely fatigued unless in particularly cold temperatures, so they were just slowing her down. Westward she trekked through the forests and fields until she found another settlement or road so she could find her bearings.

The tallest peak of the mountain range stabbing skyward on the horizon remained an ever present beacon, guiding her to her destination at every step. Her travels took her to the small village of Sparol, which had a major trade route cutting through it and a massive sprawl of farm land surrounding it. After getting something to eat, she immediately left the village and headed north on her own at a pace thrice the caravan's.

Her trip from Sparol to the foothills of the mountain took her a full day, but she still refused to let any fatigue overcome her. The promises of powerful relics kept her going, and she just kept eating the food she brought with her as she hiked her way up and up in altitude well beyond the trails and roads.

About half way up, she noticed the vegetation of the thick forest thinning along with the air growing cool and light. Clearly there wasn't enough oxygen to support luscious jungles at this height. As she found a clearing, she looked out to the plains that spread out below her; she could literally see the great Uring strait to the south over the horizon from half way up the summit. She couldn't help but pause her journey to fully appreciate just how high up she was.

"Beautiful." she whispered to herself as she sat on a felled tree trunk, relaxing her body a bit as she let her gaze go out of focus, resting into a mini-nap. The thin air this high was what was weakening her, not the climb itself. Her malleable flesh rarely tired from exhaustion, but the cold and the thin air could sap her energy, something she was growing increasingly aware of as she continued on her trek.

After resting for an hour, she regained her composure and carried on as the mountainside grew increasingly steeper until she was practically climbing a straight-up cliff, digging her claws into the rock for balance. She could see a plateau above her, so she continued until she reached it.

Once she finally flopped her way onto the platform, she was greeted by what might have been the most beautiful image she'd ever seen that didn't involve a mountain of gold and gems. Strewn out in front of her was a massive, vegetation-filled valley wrapped around the tallest peak in all of Dalon. She had climbed higher than the bed of the valley, which was surrounded by equally steap mountan peaks tight against one another, with her in what seemed to be the only mountain pass that actually allowed her in without having to scale to the very tip of the mountains.

Much to her delight, there was something special about this valley, something foreign. The vegetation wasn't the typically green foliage at sea level, but an almost bluish teal, with the plains a gentler green and the vast forest closer to blue with what seemed like highlights of orange, red, and yellow.

Directly in front of her was a massive lake that must have been a dozen kilometers wide, with one end of it dissipating into a delta of tributaries that converged into one river that flowed over a series of cliffs that followed the valley to a lower level on the opposite side of the massive mountain in the middle.

All in all, the valley was in a horse-shoe shape wrapped around this peak, with the eastern edges of it dropping off into a steep cliff into lake Safra, filled with the blue-green vegetation dotted by splashes of warm colors. Clearly something was special and different about this area, so her enthusiasm for promised relics quickly resurged and encouraged her to bound her way down the slope into the base of the valley.

The entire time she was slowly descending into the plateau at the base of the valley, she was imagining all the things she'd do with the relics once she found them. But first, she had to think about how she'd properly explore the mountain, large as it was. Deep down inside she wasn't too worried, as she had all the time in the world to explore the "Cradle of Dalon", and she got especially excited at the prospect of being hailed as the only one to successfully visit this valley high in the mountains that no other had returned from.

That self congratulation was what made her hesitate a bit. Climbing the summit wasn't all that challenging - at least not to her - and there didn't seem to be any reason that this location was beyond the reach of others. She was larger and more powerful than most, but it made no sense to her that no others had returned. What was so special about this place that seemed to trap those who attempted to reach it? The air was thin and cold, but it wasn't so cold or thin that she couldn't breathe. The summit was steep, but nothing an intrepid explorer couldn't conquer. Was there some beast in the forests here that would eat people? Perhaps an enchantment that would drive folks mad?

An enchantment. Suddenly it made sense! This place was one of mythology and legend, supposedly full of riches and powerful relics, yet nobody had ever come here and returned, there must have been some sort of massive enchantment laid on the valley that would wipe memories or drive unwanted visitors to madness! This revelation didn't discourage her one bit, instead it encouraged her to push forward with renewed vigor knowing that there must have been something special here for her to acquire.

The bluish-green forest had tendrils right up to the base of the mountain she was on, so she happily bounded her way into its thick, dark teal foliage on her powerful legs, the tendrils of her plumage snaking their way out behind her, snagging on leaves and ferns as she rushed through the underbrush. She took note of the trees around her and the vegetation that filled in the blanks between each of the thick, moss-covered trunks. The trees here were no bigger than the ones at sea level, but they were thicker and branched out wider at a lower height, creating an even thicker canopy than the jungles she was used to. The foliage near the base was so thick that she could barely see a dozen meters in front of her face, even though she was much taller than the average bloke. There were flowers and ferns of all sorts of warm colors, such as red, orange, and yellow.

However, as she moved, she felt herself growing a little fatigued again, losing her energy faster than before. This alarmed her at first as she found herself having to stop and lean against one of the trees, chest heaving as she drew in one heavy breath after another. "Well then. Maybe I should slow down a bit." She muttered to herself, the sound of her voice feeling muted in the thick vegetation of the dark jungle.

The stubbourn part of her wanted to carry on towards the base of the massive mountain that was the destination of her quest, but a large part of her felt a little lethargic. Despite the jungle being thick, the air was cold and thin, sucking the energy out of her. She knew the cold was her weakness, but she didn't feel nearly weak enough that she feared for her life or safety, she just needed a nap.

Yes, a nap. Nothing wrong with taking a break. She did just travel for nearly two days straight, culminating in the scaling of a mountainside that had supposedly never been conquered before, she deserved a break.

She slowly sidled up next to one of the thinner tree trunks nearby, digging her claws into the dirt in between the gnarled roots that were splayed out around its base. She slowly laid down, curling up into a fetal position with her large tail up between her legs as a pillow between her head and a moss-covered root. Yes. She deserved this nap.

However, she wasn't perceptive enough to notice the rustling of branches a few meters away from her, up in the canopy. She was completely oblivious to the tiny, dog-sized gryphon that had been watching her and following her along as she darted through the underbrush. This gryphon had struggled to keep up with the larger Kishin, due to the thickness of the trees and the branches that blocked the passage in the canopy.

Now that Kishin was asleep, this gryphon was able to take a break and watch over her, the cute demonic-looking fox creature curled up and snuggling her own tail no longer a moving target. The gryphon's black beak curled up at the corners in a devious grin as she hopped down from one branch to another, eventually resting just a few meters above Kishin's resting body.

"Well now, I see that you're finally succumbed to my gem. It looks like it's time for you to go away." The gryphon muttered to herself. This gryphon was Ceylon - albeit a much smaller version of Ceylon - a well known mythological figure that was proving to be less myth and more of a legend here in the Cradle of Dalon. She used what powers and abilities she had to telepathically enter the dreams and thoughts of Kishin as she napped, plucking bits of relevant information from her mind.

It took only a few minutes of concentrated telepathic espionage to figure out all Ceylon needed to know about Kishin's personality and goals here in Ceylon's home. "So I see you're here to plunder our cache." She said to herself. As she spoke, her tail curled up underneath the branch she was sitting on, the emd of its spade-shaped tip peeling away like a flower to reveal three toothy maw-petals, and in the middle was a sky-blue gem resting in the moist fleshy blossom. She closed the tail maws back up around the gem and hopped down next to Kishin, careful to not wake the unwanted guest.

Curious and interested, she hopped up next to the demonic-looking fox creature and laid a talon on her cheek. "Maybe if I give you what you are here for, maybe you will leave. Maybe." a teal glowing mist emanated from her black-fleshed talon and penetrated Kishin's fur, swirling around her head before getting absorbed. Ceylon was performing a special spell to keep Kishin asleep, for she had devious intentions with her.

Convinced of her own effectiveness, Ceylon pressed her tail against Kishin's side, poking and prodding at her to see if she was in a deep enough sleep to not be woken by her. To her delight, Kishin didn't move one inch, not even a gentle stirring. Perfect.

Further emboldened, Ceylon hopped onto Kishin's hips, eyes trained on the demon-fox's eyes, making sure she didn't wake from her slumber. Her long, thin tail had a bulge in the end where the gem was resting heavily in her tail's maw, so she was going to use its muscular length to deposit the gem deep within Kishin.

Of course, this gryphon was the devious type, so she wasn't going to be going down the fox's maw; no, this gem would be deposited deep within Kishin's womb. Problem was, Kishin's tail was curled up and pressed tight between her legs so she could snuggle against it, locking off access to her birth canal. That's where the long, prehensile tail came into play. But first, she needed to explore a bit more, make sure she wasn't getting in over her head.

Ceylon quickly hopped down off Kishin's thigh into the soft moss and grass of the jungle floor, rubbing and nuzzling at the thick bushy fox-tail that was held tight up under her rump, between her inner thighs, then up against her belly and chest so she could rest her head on it. She was naked, as many of the furred denizens of Dalon preferred to be, but her sex would still be easy to access if the fur would part away from it right.

She used her beak to nuzzle in between thigh and tail, burrowing in between the layers of fur before finally catching on the flesh and bone buried deep in the pillow of thick fur that smothered the tail. She used the hook of her beak and all the muscles in her neck to tug and tug until the tail was pulled just far enough to the side to expose Kishin's purple flesh. Ceylon knew she wasn't in hear, for her vulva were not engorged or moist, so she wiggled a talon in between the tail and vulva to inject some of her magic into the sensitive flesh, a curative spell meant to give pleasure.

The gryphon needed to pay close attention while she was using her magic to please Kishin, rubbing idly on the female fox's clitoris while squeezing and inserting a few talons into her sex. Pleasure like this could wake anyone up, even someone influenced by an anaesthetic spell specifically conjured to keep the 'victim' asleep. Kishin stirred this time, but she didn't kick or move much, though her motions did produce a little more lax in her tail so that Ceylon could further pry it farther away from the fox's vulva.

The more she rubbed and the more energy she funneled into Kishin's sex, the gooier and slimier her vulva became. Before long, Ceylon could literally feel drips trickling out over the lips and fur surrounding her opening, coating Ceylon's talons and forming thick, gooey trails from digit to digit. This fox-demon was especially aroused! With this revelation in mind, Ceylon's curiosity and desire got the better of her, so she leaned in close to nuzzle against the plump flesh of Kishin's vulva, using her beak to pry the lips open as she slipped her tongue inside to get a taste.

Kishin stirred again, this time moving her entire body and rolling onto her back, tail tugging free of her inner thighs as the fox laid out on her back, legs spread and arms draped over the gnarled roots of the tree, head laying gently against the moss-covered base of the tree trunk. Ceylon could see she was still clearly asleep, but her body was in a very inviting position.

Right in front of the gryphon lie the purple flesh of Kishin's vulva, gooey and dripping with bits of fluid. Ceylon leaned in and nuzzled her beak in between the plump lips, tasting her and expecting grape but being sorely disappointed, even though she had a subtly sweet flavor. When she pulled her beak back from the folds, there was thick, sticky strands of goo trailing from flesh to beak, tongue to clit. She was especially viscous!

Of course, Ceylon couldn't contain herself, so she pushed a single talon inside the fox-demon's sex, feeling the flesh part with ease, the muscles loose and welcoming paired with the slickness of her unconscious arousal. So inviting, in fact, that Ceylon felt the need to slip a second talon inside, this one sliding in almost as easily as the first. She swished both talons in and out, parting the lips and opening Kishin up to get a look inside, the fleshy folds and wrinkles heaving and throbbing with each of her slow breaths.

Another devious thought came over the tiny gryphon's mind, but she shook it off as she reminded herself she had to plant this gem in her. She quickly pulled her talons from Kishin's flesh and licked off the juices before hopping up on the fox-demon's belly. Vanilla! That was what the semi-sweet flavor was! The aftertaste had a gentle hint of vanilla! Delicious! Suddenly, she didn't want to push the gem in using her tail, she wanted to go in headfirst!

Still, she needed to be fast. The sleep spell wouldn't be powerful enough to keep her asleep while she burrowed her way deep into her womb. No, she needed to use the tail and get it over with; she would stick around until Kishin woke, and explain the situation to her and tell her to leave the valley. Simple.

Ceylon laid herself flat on Kishin's belly, each of her legs sprawled out, paws resting on Kishin's inner thighs, their lips nearly touching - kissing, even. She curled her prehensile tail downwards, pressing the tip against the now-soaking lips. Her tail flexed the muscles along its length, increasing the pressure against Kishin's opening until the bulbous tip with the gem in it popped in, the petals of the maw spreading out a bit as she wiggled her rump and forced it in deeper and deeper.

Much to her surprise, she never quite found a cervix to force her way through, or at least not one that was discernibly tight that she had to loosen up to get to the womb. No, she just kept pushing until almost all of her tail was buried deep in Kishin's sex, the tip of it in the womb. She clenched all her muscles in the tail maw and gullet, slowly forcing the gem out in waves of contractions until she felt the hard surface of the gem slip from the tail maw to deposit heavily in Kishin's womb.

The gryphoness wanted to continue to pleasure Kishin a bit more, so she wiggled her tail tip and the length of it in slow, powerful motions as she slowly pulled its length from her depths with a wet squishing sound. She felt Kishin stirring a bit more, so she looked up to see that the fox-demon was awake and looking down at Ceylon as the last of the tail escaped her sex.

"What the?! What are you doing?" Kishin demanded as she tried to grab at the gryphon on her belly.

Ceylon was anticipating hostility the moment he saw her wake, so she was able to hop back and fly upwards and backwards onto a tree branch above Kishin's reach. "Oh nothing, just bestowing a gift upon you." She tried her best to stay high, as Kishin proved to be far taller than most other travellers.

"Hmph. A gift, you say? Highly unlikely." She got to her feet and glared at Ceylon with narrow eyes, a pent up aggression clearly bubbling under the surface.

"Oh yes, a gift. I know why you're here, lady Kishin. I can see deep into your heart, and I can see you are on a single-minded quest to plunder our relics here in the Cradle of Dalon. Well, I offer you a bargain. I will let you leave here with one of our relics, but only one, if you promise to leave and never return. If you chose to-"

"You'll let me? Hah, I care not for the permissions of a pet gryphon." Kishin laughed, her tendrils extending outwards in all directions from the plumage on her back, slowly stretching their way up towards the gryphon in the tree.

Ceylon easily hopped up higher and away from the tendril's reach, sensing the need to explain further. "No, it's not like that, Kishin. I'm giving you a gift, a trade, a compromise. I give you this gem, and you leave and never return to the valley. We will let you have it, it's yours."

Kishin's ears fell down to the side as she tried to decipher this creature's offer. She couldn't quite place the intent, fearing it was a deception or a trick. After all, she saw no gem, and the little gryphon didn't appear to have any real strength. She was still fatigued due to the cold and the thin air, but she had just enough cognition to want to ask more questions, get some more information. "How do you know my name?" she asked, changing the subject a bit.

"Your name? It's not hard to find out information about someone while they are sleeping." Ceylon answered. "And your mind isn't well guarded in the thin air of the mountains. I could tell you all you need to know about your past to prove that point, but I can tell from the look on your face that you believe me. So, I'll make this simple, you take the gem I've given you, and you leave. If you try to return, we will catch you, and we will ensure you never have the desire to return, or you will lack the ability."

Kishin laughed aloud. Threats, now? "And what makes you think I'm scared of a pet-sized gryphon like you? I could stomp you underfoot or swallow you whole. You are but a snack, a tasty morsel to me!" She was too amused at the threat to continue trying to chase the gryphon through the branches with her tendrils.

"Not a threat. A negotiation. Tell me, Kishin, who do you think enchanted the relics you're here to plunder? Who's magic is forever imbued in the crystals or potions here? Mine. It's me and the others who have created them, and if you know me by my title, Ceylon, then you know how powerful those relics are and how much more powerful I am. I am offering you a crystal that can influence the thoughts of others, a powerful gem for someone like you. I am offering it to you. I am not reluctantly giving it to you for fear of my life, I am giving it to you as a gift so you might be satisfied and move on, forgetting about this place." Ceylon's eyes narrowed as she explained the gem and the intentions behind the gift. Their gazes were locked for a solid minute before Kishin spoke.

"But why? If you're so powerful, then why not just eject me from the valley, never to be heard from again? Why not try to kill me and be done with it?" The look on her face betrayed her words, for it was clear she was opening up to the idea, but was trying to be strong in the face of the creature that somehow managed to do...something to her. She still wasn't sure about the details. After a while, she just blurted out, "Okay, so you have this gem, show it to me!" the corners of her mouth curled up a bit at the prospect of a gem that could control others with ease, or at least influence their thoughts.

Ceylon could tell that Kishin had broke down and accepted the gift, so she hopped down branch to branch until she was almost at head height of the massive fox demon. "It's inside you, Kishin. If you leave now, when you reach the foothills of the mountain, you will have it delivered from your womb; you will give birth to the gem like an egg, and that's when you can use it. Not until that point."

"Inside me?" Kishin pressed her hands on her belly, trying to feel around for the gem.

"Yes, it's safely resting in your womb." Ceylon repeated.

"Prove it." Kishin demanded. "Prove it, and I will happily leave." She was trying her best to hide a smile under a facade of toughness and a faux stern nature, but it was kind of obvious that a giddy joy was washing over her.

Ceylon cocked her head to the side and chirped gently. She smiled at the thought of returning to Kishin's womb, tasting that gentle vanilla. "Okay, get on your back, lay down again just like when you woke up. I will pluck it from your womb, and you can have it now, but Kishin, don't try to use it on me. It won't work. Remember, I enchanted the item, it won't work on me."

Kishin's heart started beating rapidly. So many emotions were flowing over her all at once. She was confused at Ceylon's offer, yet excited at the prospect of having a powerful, mythological gem of power in her possession. She was apprehensive about having been violated by the gryphon that had supposedly implanted a gem in her womb, yet aroused at the thought of feeling that same gryphon fish it out of her, body fully inside her. She was excited and angered and happy and confused all at once, and yet she had no idea what to do short of happily laying back into the roots, with her arms laying out and her legs spread. She rubbed at her own clit gently as she parted her lips, inviting Ceylon in to do her work.

The gryphon clicked her beak and flutter-hopped down from the branch to land on the ground beside Kishin's tail, between her legs. "Okay, so, this shouldn't hurt as long as I channel my magic into your body as I go."

Kishin took in a deep breath, her apprehensions melting away as her excitement grew. "Oh, I wouldn't worry too much, I'm quite stretchy, if need be." She was trying her best to act strong, like she was angry, but she wasn't. No, there was no point in remaining angry, if she angered this gryphon, she may lose the generosity she'd been given, and she may not be permitted to leave with the gem. No, she had to be appreciative, and if Ceylon was able to read her thoughts while she was asleep - a fact that angered her - then it was likely she could do so while awake as well. Kishin knew the cold was weakening her mind and that she didn't have the defenses she would at sea level or at the right temperature, so she accepted the gift, happily relaxing with her legs parted and her flesh exposed beneath the mounds of fur on either side.

She grunted and tried to hold back a gasp as she felt Ceylon's beak parting her lips, paws massaging at either side of her opening as the gryphon pushed and kicked at the ground for stability and grip. Her lips parted easily, and spread open as Ceylon's talons slipped in next to her head, stretching the vaginal canal wide enough to allow the gryphon's shoulders through.

Ceylon was in her own heaven, flesh smothering her and pressing down hard against her head, cheeks, chin, and ears, that's why she needed to get her talons in there to open up the canal a bit, the tender fleshy wrinkles of Kishin's cave-like depths dripping ooze and lubrication all over her beak. She kicked at the dirt, doing her best to avoid Kishin's floofy tail as she burrowed and nuzzled in deeper, her beak sliding deeper and deeper as her neck muscles shifted her entire head back and forth, rotating while pressing, side to side.

Once Kishin's lips had slid over her shoulders, she flattened her wings tight to her back and pushed in a little deeper, the vulva sliding over the back of her powerful, feathered limbs and squeezing them tight against her torso.

Kishin had a look of apprehension on her face as the gryphon pushed and squirmed inside her. She could see the faint outline of Ceylon's head and beak pressing out against her lower belly, as well as the poking sensations of talons prodding at her tender flesh. She laid her paw on her belly, squeezing Ceylon in tight as she tried to stop her from going any deeper, but just then she saw her belly light up from within, a soft sky blue glue penetrating her abdominal wall as she looked down at herself. Her eyes lit up, a dozen thoughts coursing through her mind as her heart sped up, vaginal muscles tensing up and squeezing the poor gryphon's form.

Ceylon let out a squeak from within as she felt Kishin's lips purse and tighten around her midsection, forcing her in a bit deeper. Suddenly, everything was lit up and she could see everything! The pale blue glow of the gem illuminated Kishin's womb from within, and Ceylon could see it right in front of her, the light reflecting off the thick, gooey fluids of her reproductive system. Her head, beak, and front talons were all inside, and she could almost certainly reach out across the soft, tender flesh to grab at the gem, but she wanted to try something else.

She kicked again at the dirt, one last time, as she wiggled her hips and moved her body in waves from chest to hips, the motions coaxing her form deeper and deeper into Kishin's womb until she was able to reach out and grab the glowing gem. However, rather than spread her hind legs as an anchor and pull herself out, she squeezed her form thin and pressed out her elbows as an anchor within Kishin's womb, pulling her entire form up with ease as she curled up int he fetal position inside the fox-demon, tightly gripping at the gem in her talons.

Almost instantly, she felt a powerful motion as Kishin panicked, the muscles contracting around her and the pressure on her back from a paw pressed on the belly from outside nudging her towards the birth canal. Her tail was still sticking out between Kishin's vulva, so she quickly pulled it in next to her, wrapping up around the gem and over her head and back between her wings. She could feel Kishin's muscles contracting as she tried to push out, the rapid throbbing of her heart just a little way away. It felt so close.

Kishin wasn't entirely sure what to think. She could demand the gryphon leave her womb, but there'd be no way Ceylon would hear her through her abdominal wall. She was grunting and squatting down, trying to force her out with contractions, but it was to no avail. Instead, she tried something else. Normally, she'd just have her body melt and leave Ceylon in a pile of her own goo, but the temperature was keeping her from being able to control her form with quite that control, so she stayed squatting as the tendrils from her back extended downwards, slipping their tips past the base of her tail to penetrate herself.

She'd done this before, as the tendrils had a motion that was quite pleasant, but this time she was using them to plunge into herself and grab onto Ceylon's leg and tug her out. It didn't take long at all, and her concentration was more on the gem than it was on her arousal, though the feelings were quite pleasant. She was using her hands as balance on the roots as the pair of tentacles plunged into her, the tips wrapping around each of Ceylon's legs to tug the gryphon out.

Kishin was careful to not pull too quickly or aggressively. After all, Gryphons had both claws and talons. If Ceylon really didn't want out, she could dig those sharp weapons into Kishin's flesh, and though the fox-demon's flesh was able to heal, she wasn't as sure of its regenerative properties in this temperature, so she went slow but strong, pulling at the gryphon's legs only a centimeter or so every few seconds.

The gryphon certainly didn't want to leave the confines of Kishin's womb. The flesh was so snug around her, so comforting and cozy, not to mention the taste of the fluid that quickly secreted from the walls to fill in the negative space around her. She felt the tendrils tugging on her and she tried to splay her body out to make it harder to yank her out, but the tendrils were too long and the walls of the uterus and vaginal canal were just too slick and soft to gain any traction without digging her claws in, something she had no intention of doing to Kishin.

Once her lower body was pulled from Kishin's womb, Ceylon felt a powerful lurch as she was yanked through the birth canal with a wet, sloppy slurping sound followed by the fleshy hollow of the fox-demon's gaping hole, which quickly closed up as she clenched it shut. She felt herself being held, upside down, by Kishin's tendrils with the gem in her talons, fluid dripping from her every limb that she licked up as it dribbled over the side of her beak.

"Here!" She offered, extending her talons with the gem in it. "See, it's glowing! That means it's working!" Ceylon giggled a bit as she dropped the relic into Kishin's open hand, still licking up the birthing fluid off her beak with a wide grin.

Kishin kept a stern look at the gryphon for deceiving her, or at least tricking her into trying to disappear into her womb, but then got a look at the glowing gem and forgot about the trickery that had been played on her. She still wasn't happy about it, but her excitement about the gem overcame her apprehension. "So, how does it work?" She asked as she dropped Ceylon to the moss-covered roots beneath her feet.

Ceylon shook the remaining goo from her feathers and preened her wings and feathers of her upper body and tail as she explained. "Simple, really. Keep it in your possession, and as long as you try to exert your will over others, the weaker willed will bend to your whims, the stronger willed will be weakened by its power. Just be careful. If they see it glow while it's in use, they will be onto your deception and will be harder to control. You really should have kept it in your womb, where it would be eternally useful without giving itself away." she finished up preening and flutter-hopped back up to the lowest branch of the nearest tree.

"Oooh, it is pretty." Kishin cooed at herself as she held the gem up to her face, the glowing relic reflecting in her eyes. She panted heavily, her long tongue lolling out as she smiled. She barely even paid any further attention to Ceylon as she started to walk away towards the mountain pass she'd initially emerged into the valley through.

There was a bit of disappointment in Ceylon's visage as Kishin walked away. There was hope for more questions or excitement, but instead the fox-demon just up and left. Ceylon had to focus her mind on Kishin's thoughts as she disappeared into the thick foliage of the jungle, capturing hints of desire and an eagerness to try out her new gem. She also had intent to return at a later date to try again, maybe getting another relic the second time.

Little did Kishin know, Ceylon had put another enchantment on the gem while it was in her womb; the gryphon had anticipated deception, so she put a mind-wiping enchantment on it that would erase Kishin's memory of this place upon her first use of it. With any luck, she'd be smart enough to leave it in her womb or belly so she didn't mistake it for a useless crystal.

But deep down inside, Ceylon really wished Kishin would stay around for some more fun. Despite the cold weather, her womb was so warm, so inviting, and she was so big!

Well, it was only a matter of time before the intrepid explorer would rediscover the Cradle of Dalon and try again, and Ceylon would be ready. There was a lot they didn't try that they could have. Who knows, maybe Ceylon would just follow the fox-demon back to town and see what she was truly capable of at her proper core temperature without the dizzying effects of the thin mountain air.

Maybe one day.