Stitching Strangers
Stitching Strangers
With only a knapsack to store his sleeping mat and a change of clothes, Exilo had set out on an adventure one day, when he grew bored with his present lot in life. Well, he enjoyed his lot actually, living with his sister in a quiet place, but sometimes he just wanted to walk and walk and never look back. So he did.
Tall, but not too tall. Slim, but with a bit of a belly. All and all, he was somewhat average to the eye. Most of his fur was brown, red when in the right light but now on this overcast day, most definitely brown. The brown fur yielded to black at all four of his paws, just above the elbow or knee, his muzzle, and the ears. Still, he was average, save the scars on his face. Technically, one scar starting on the right side, and then spread in to two on the left half of his muzzle. He liked the scars. They made him interesting.
"And it will get there by two nights, right?" Exilo asked, giving the letter to the messenger hawk.
"Yes sir!" the hawk replied, moving a wing over his eye in a salute. "I will be there ASAP. Come wind nor rain nor snow nor shine, nothing will stop me from delivering this letter. Come hell or high water, I will get this letter to its destination as soon as possible. That's what ASAP means. It means-"
"Now, please," Exilo said.
"Yes sir!" The bird flapped his wings, kicking up a gust from the sandy streets. Exilo growled, annoyed, and covered his eyes to block out the dusty assault. Stupid birds.
He had no real destination. Maybe he would go back to his homeland, meet other wolves, maybe some of his father's family; go back to where ever the hell his mother was from and see if she had any kin there. This city was just a place to rest since he was sick of camping and wanted a nice bed if just for one night. And after that bird, he wanted a bath. A nice warm bath instead of washing in the river, but business was first: he had promised to write to his sister every chance he got. And now with the letter in the air, he set off to restock on supplies. First stop: the tailor.
"Is this the biggest size you have?" he asked. "Anything that might fit me?"
This land was cold and Exilo wanted a jacket, especially if he backtracked to the East and headed up North, he would definitely need something to keep him nice and toasty.
"Well," the she-wolf mused, scratching her chin and mentally taking in the male's measurements. The wolf was quite short, even for a female, but a nice size, so she clearly wasn't sickly. She had white fur and a black ring around her right eye, not quite touching her eye, but circling around it. Her right ear had three piercings, three silver rings that were aligned on the edge. Clothing was a black shirt with a small red ‘X' in the middle of the chest, and her belly was uncovered so he had to smile and lick his lips. Sad to say, she had pants on: black shorts that went down to her knees and a silver chain for a belt. It was when she wagged her tail that he saw the silver tail ring, squeezing the bulky fur a bit before the tip. "No."
Exilo sighed.
"But I could make you something up if you like, sir."
The male wolf reached into his vest pockets and fished out the few coins he still had to his name. "How much would it cost?"
The tailor nosed at the coins in his palm and shook her head. "More than that."
And he hadn't even bought his rations yet. "Well, thanks anyway." Exilo turned to leave.
"Hey, big guy," the tailor called. "Would you be interested in a job?"
"No, thank you. There is no way I could do this work."
"I wouldn't expect you to do the tailoring. I just find myself in need of a second pair of paws." She cocked her head to the side, taking in his measurements again. "I'm understaffed. I could use some aid. I can give you room and board and make up your clothes as payment. Even if you don't want a jacket, the things you have on look as if they are coming apart at the stitches."
Exilo looked down. His clothes were tattered. Scrapes and scratches on his pants and his shirt from a variety of fights he had been in littered his apparel. Some highwayman thought him easy prey or sometimes a street fighter for whatever money spectators would throw. Why was he still wearing his knuckle duster? He pulled it off his hand and dropped it back in his vest's pocket. The vest may have been old, tattered, and cut, but he would never ever part with it.
"It's a good deal, big man. And I could really use the help."
It was a good deal, and Exilo needed to conserve his remaining funds. He needed clothes and someplace to sleep. "Is this going to end with me chopped into pieces and buried in your basement?"
"No."
"Alright, I'll take it."
"Wonderful!" the she wolf squealed. She took Exilo's paw and began dragging him along towards the back of the shop. Exilo kept having to duck under every door way or low hanging lantern. Yes, his size was definitely a problem now. The she-wolf seemed to pay no heed to his difficulties, and scurried along.
"I'm Exilo," he added, realizing he hadn't introduced himself formally.
"Pae," the she-wolf responded.
"Pae? That's an odd name."
"Yeah, cause we just got a million Exilos. Sounds Russian. I'll just call you Exi."
"My name is Exilo."
"And I'm going to call you Exi, Exi!"
Exilo sighed. He was far too tired for this. "Where's my room?"
Pae huffed. "Fine, you can stay here."
Exilo stepped past her, and inside. It was nice room actually; somehow he had been expecting a broom closet with a blanket. It had a desk, a chair, a bed, a lamp, and a window that looked out into the town. There was a notable covering of dust and the door hinges squealed from lack of use, but he didn't say anything. "You're old employee's room?" Exilo asked.
"Sorry for the dust."
Exilo shrugged. He had certainly slept in worse.
"I've been meaning to clean it up and rent it out. This way I get an apprentice. It's been long enough."
Exilo smiled, nodded, and watched Pae leave, taking special note of her tail as she turned and headed down the hall. The bed was a big, bigger than his sleeping mat actually. Soft down cushioned his rump and he yawned sleepily. Wow. He was more tired than he realized. He had down a lot of walking, a lot of sleeping on rocks. He really was tired, so tired, that he didn't even think of asking Pae where the bathroom was so he could wash his fur clean.
"You best be getting some sleep," the she-wolf said. "Cause tomorrow, I'm putting you to work."
Exilo yawned again, slouching down and putting his head on his shoulder. "Alright," he growled, closing his eyes.
Work wasn't the right word for what Exilo went through the next day. Torture was more like it. He had done a lot in his life, worked a lot of places, but this just wasn't work.
"For the last time, this is how you do stitches!" Pae growled. Dexterous fingers looped through the fabric with expert precision. In, out, in, out, hypnotic in the speed. When done, she tied it off and pulled the excess thread a bit, snapping it cut with her teeth.
Exilo took a deep breath and turned to his own project. "In, out, in, out," he muttered. He tried, in, out, in, out. He yelped suddenly, and lifted his thumb to better see the needle that had sunk nearly half way into the pad.
Pae growled again, plucking the needle out. "You're such a baby." She poked her own thumb a dozen times with the needle, and each time the pad stayed firm. Taking her demonstration a step further, she pulled a lighter out of her pants pocket. Sparking it, she held her thumb over the dancing fire. "Cool, huh?"
"Kind of creepy, actually."
Exilo looked back to his work. He took another deep breath and pinched the fabric, pushing the needle through. He was much more careful this time, taking the needle and pulling it through, working a stitch out. He tried for the second stitch, and pricked his thumb, drawing blood in the black pad. "Damn it!" he roared, earning a bop on the nose from the rolled up newspaper Pae was holding.
"Keep working on it," she muttered. Exilo did, putting such focus on the project, he didn't even notice as Pae left, coming back a moment later with a step stool. Her trusty tape measure wrapped around his chest, on the pectorals. She scribbled the measurements on a scratch of parchment. "Now your right arm. Now your left."
Exilo obeyed each of her commands, and smiled to himself when he managed to get the stitches straight three times before, again, pricking his finger. His thumb was really starting to hurt. Pae looked him over. With the measurements, she could do his shirt just fine. But not his pants. Not that he said he wanted pants, but...She grinned a sort of coy smile and lowered onto all fours, before very carefully slipping under the table.
Now under him, kneeling at his chair, she placed a paw on his knee and carefully pulled the tape measure from his clawed toes all the way to his groin, pushing a thumb between his legs playfully. That earned a sudden shout. Exilo pushed off the table, the chair tipping over and he fell back, landing with a loud crash.
"Now, Exi, if you're going to be a tailor, you got to learn to ignore these distractions."
Exilo panted, and started at the white she-wolf, her tail wagging. She was still on all fours and under the table like a devious puppy. "Stay the fuck away from my crotch!"
He growled, reaching under the table and grabbing her by the nape. He yanked her out and set her down, before pulling the chair close and continuing his work. More than the job he was supposed to be doing, it was just frustrating he couldn't get this quickly, like he could other things. This and cooking...he hated cooking.
This cloth wouldn't be usable after he was through with it. Even if the stitches were straight and orderly, he was getting blood all over it: crimson thumb prints or just wiping his hand on it to keep his grip dry. Why was the practice cloth white, anyway? Well, red now, but still.
"Have a preference of color for the coat?"
"Asparagus."
"What the fuck color is asparagus?"
Exilo cocked his head, gesturing to his vest.
"That is a fuck ugly color. You're getting myrtle." Satisfied, Pae scribbled the order down, before again reaching over and plucking a needle out of Exilo's paw. "Alright, that's enough for today. I need your hands intact for when we open."
It wasn't hard work, physically at least. Oh, what he would give for physical labor. He was built for that, he liked that. This was just torturous. But so was everything else the little deviant Pae put him through. People came in to pick up their orders, and he had to sift through the racks and racks of finished products to find said orders. People came in wanting their measurements taken, and some, little ones especially, just refused to hold still long enough for him to read the tape measurer and write the number down.
"How did you ever manage this all alone?" Exilo asked, during one of the blessed down times where the shop was empty. It was strange. Everybody, EVERYBODY, seemed to come in at once, and then just as quickly they were gone. Why everyone couldn't come in at a steady pace was beyond him. No rhyme or reason even, like people on their lunch break. Just floods, and then nothing. Floods, then nothing.
He gave a moan, lying on the floor behind the counter. His paws were throbbing from the prior work, and his head was feeling several sizes too small. And, for whatever reason, Pae was sitting on his chest, cross legged and staring at him with a wide smile. There was only a bit of trouble with breathing. Mostly she was light and he could manage.
Pae shrugged. "I just did. I didn't have a choice."
"I'm sorry I can't help more."
The she-wolf shook her head. "You're doing plenty."
He watched her. Her ears, her tail, her chest. He liked the angle. She was pretty. Nice fur, nice body, certainly a nice chest and rump. Her earrings he could do without, but to each their own. He was taken off guard when she shifted onto her paws and knees and leaned forward, brushing her muzzle across his. On the second pass, her tongue came out, rough and hard, and brushed his lips. The bell above the door rang. Pae casually stood up and walked around the counter to greet the customers, leaving Exilo wondering what had just happened. The cool air of the room lapped at the saliva still on his snout and lips. He flicked out his own tongue and tasted her remnants. "Exi, I do need your help," Pae summoned. He stood, leaning on the counter. There was work to do. Best not to think about it, at least until he had more time to really savor the memory.
The second day went like the first, only worse since his mind was so exhausted from the first day, but at least Pae didn't make any more moves on him. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? He wasn't sure.
The third day went like the second, only even more tiring since his mind was so exhausted from the first and second day, and Pae still didn't make any more moves on him. Well, this time, he made the move, and when she was reaching for something on a high shelf, he carefully moved behind her and took it down. She didn't seem repulsed by the sudden closeness. Her tail curled around his thigh and flanks a moment and she looked up, smiling, before slipping to the side and walking back to her work.
On the fourth day, he finally developed a short hand for taking measurements, and learned Pae's shorthand for giving receipts, which made finding orders much easier. Turns out there was some semblance of organization to the racks.
On the sixth day, he stabbed his thumb with a needle and didn't draw blood. Fire still hurt. He had learned that the hard way, when Pae grabbed his hand and put a lighter under him. Pae promised that the callus would grow in time.
On the seventh day, the shop was closed and Exilo spent the whole morning face down on the bed, head buried into the pillow, not sleeping but not able to move either. Only at night fall did he even try to get up. He managed to shift his head to the door to see Pae standing there.
"How long have you been there?"
She grinned, and gave a nice little shrug of her petite shoulders, which made her chest heave very slightly.
"Is it normal to feel like you head is several sizes too small?" Exilo asked.
"Something would be wrong if you didn't feel like an elephant was sitting on it," Pae smiled, walking over. She was smiling wide, at least until her nose quivered. She retracted, pinching her nose. "You smell. Damn, when was the last time you took a bath?"
"What year is this?"
Pae whined, backing away. "I'll draw you a bath, alright. Do me a favor: burn those clothes."
He hadn't taken a bath in so long. Brushing a hand past his ears, he found the bits of sand still clinging from the messenger hawk's take off a week ago. Exilo struggled to get up. His body wasn't tired, but his mind, it just refused to send out the messages out to his limbs. It took him a long time to peel his shirt off of his chest, and he sniffed it, before pushing it away. He did smell. He undid his belt and dropped it to the floor, stepping out of them. Then, in true canine fashion and now unrestricted by clothes, he bent over to all fours and stretched doggie style. It was at that moment that Pae came back into the room. Exilo's elevated tail was facing the door, in all its glory. He looked between his legs at Pae, who just stared back at the curve of his flanks, the sack of his furry sheath, the hanging testicles. "And I thought I was forward," she managed to say, keeping a perfectly straight face before falling onto her back and laughing hysterically.
"Do closed doors not mean anything to you people?" Exilo howled.
Through cackles, Pae managed: "You didn't close the door. Please..." She stopped, rolling onto her belly and pounding the floor. "Please, put on the towel!"Somehow, Pae managed to throw the towel to the ground in front of Exilo's feet.
Exilo huffed, wrapping the towel as best he could around his nether regions. It was still a bit small, but at least Pae stopped laughing out loud, only giggling and grinning every time he looked up at Exilo, who was blushing red under his fur. "It could be worse. Some bears come in every now and then from the North, and they don't have such fine builds as you. Don't wear many clothes either. Yuck, that furry ass in a thong." Pae traced a paw over Exilo's stomach.
Pae brought Exilo to the bathroom, where a steaming bath was already drawn. Cracking up, she turned her back and allowed Exilo to take the towel off and climb into the bath. The tub was huge, so huge that Exilo could fully immerse himself without any problem, which felt absolutely heavenly.
OH! That felt nice. Instantly he loosened as the water soaked deep into his fur. He growled lowly, sending a vibration through the water. He was so relaxed it took him a moment to realize not only had Pae stripped out of her clothes, but climbed into the bath, and that she was snuggling close, trying to wrap her arms around Exilo's torso and putting her ear on the wolf's left pectoral muscle.
Exilo opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, save a long stifled growl that Pae took as invitation to come closer, shifting so she was resting heavily on Exilo's chest. He froze instantly. As she continued to nuzzle him. "Is something wrong?" Pae asked. Maybe she could sense Exilo's hesitance. He was stiff and rigged despite the warm water's comforting effect on him.
"No," Exilo said after a pause.
Pae backed away. She placed her paws on his chest and pushed up, settling on his hips and staring at him. "Oh no. I'm so sorry. I thought...oh no. Oh, I'm so sorry." She stumbled out of the bath, slapping down on the floor wetly and slipping flat on her stomach. "Oh no, this is so embarrassing. I'm so sorry. I thought you liked me. Oh jeez."
"I-I do," Exilo said quickly, climbing out of the tub himself. He slipped on the wet floor and hit the ground. Reaching for Pae, who was already moving, he just brushed her tail as she fled.
"I'm sorry. Oh no, I'm so sorry." She turned to apologize again, only to come face to chest with Exilo. "I'm so sorry," she said, looking up. There was wetness in her eyes, not all of it from the bath.
Exilo brought Pae up to his arms, holding her in a wet embrace. "I...do...like you. I-I think. I'm not sure. But...I..."
"I went too fast. Damn it. It's just...I don't know what to do and I thought you liked me. And? Oh no." She buried her face in his chest.
"Really, it's not you." She was light. Easy to hold. His paw slipped down her back and over her tail, gently brushing her rump and getting a nice grip. He felt her tail wag, the silver band at the end glistening nicely in the light. He smiled softly and turned back to the bath. He swung one foot in, then squatted, slipping into the warm water, sitting up and still holding Pae close. She, in turn, clung a little closer to his wet chest. She was warm actually. Warmer than the water, and very pleasant.
He swallowed. "There's really, really attraction. I mean. You're really beautiful. And...That kiss. It felt kind of..."
Just do it, Pae thought, slowly pressing her muzzle forward towards his. The briefest of licks, then she backed up, whimpering lowly.
Again, there was the taste of her lips on his. He flicked out his tongue, tasting what she had left. Slowly, almost as if frightened, he stretched his paw forward to touch her, and his claw brushed her shoulder. She recoiled in fear, but he got a firm grip and slowly pulled her near, and gave her his own lick on the lips. She didn't recoil or back away. She closed her eyes, and he did his, and they simply tasted each other, getting used to it.
He felt his heat begin to press out from between his legs. At first he didn't notice. He was so focused on Pae he barely felt anything. His paws explored her body, claws sifting through the white fur and finding her breast, giving it a little squeeze that earned him a soft moan. But when the certain heat between his legs rose to a painful ache he gave a slight groan, turning his head to the side and nibbling at her jaws at a better angle. He distracted her as his paw slowly moved down her spine and to the base of her tail, and gently pushed her down.
"Nnn!" She shuddered as she felt him enter, forcing her body to try to relax. She attempted to move off him, but his paw remained firm, and she was trapped between it and his rising heat. "S-stop."
"Just relax," he said slowly, the words dripping out of his mouth and into her ear.
"Rrr...rrr..." More and more she could feel him fill her, a mixture of pain and pleasure, but the pain was making itself more known. She nudged her hips to the side, fresh tears pouring out of her eyes. "Please, stop..."
She was tight, she couldn't loosen. She whimpered and cried into his chest, not in pleasure. He had to stop, despite the ache that demanded action. He pressed his muzzle to hers, licking and nuzzling, suckling and kissing. It helped. She felt herself relax, and she closed her eyes and let him calm her with his softness of his tongue. His tongue explored, his snout explored, but his eyes were tight and his vision was dead. Only her scent and taste. That was all he could focus on. Nothing else and he just enjoyed her, not even bothering to thrust.
Pae started yipping happily, rubbing her fangs against his, her tongue tasting his, and now that he wasn't delving so intensely, that hot thickness between her legs became pleasurable. She pulled back. "A-alright. I'm ready."
She licked and kissed along his muzzle, but if she whimpered or nipped hard it was a sign she needed to adjust. Still, it went well, with few interruption or breaks. And, finally, he was all the way in. He felt his hilt touch her flesh lips. He pulled away from her jaws and just held that, closing his eyes and feeling his erection pulse harder and harder. Her walls reacted, squeezing him gently in return. Pae felt each pulse. Each seemed stronger than the last. There was a boiling heat inside her. Not from him, he was hot and inside, but deeper in the pits of her stomach she felt a pressure that begged for release.
"Sorry," Exilo murmured as he pulled back, then pushed forward into the warm mass of she-wolf and felt a final release. His gush, his pressure built then drain out of him in massive spurts. Pae yelped loudly, squirming and howling as he climaxed inside her. She continued to shudder until he was merely trickling liquid, and dropped down, exhausted, onto him.
For a long time, neither moved. Neither had the strength. The week of work had been exhausting, but this was in a different league. Honestly, he simply didn't want to move and break the comfort of this position.
So it was up to Pae. Slowly she lifted her head from his chest and placed her paws on his shoulder. She pushed up, and slid off him, shivering as his shrinking girth rubbed against her walls. She rose fully, holding it a moment, and he leaned forward and nuzzled at her breast, then flicked his tongue out, rubbing against the black nipple, a sharp contrast to the snowy fur around.
"Exi," she uttered, putting a paw at his head and pushing him back. "Stop that."
"Oh jeez, what did we just do?" he asked. Animal instinct started to clear from his thoughts.
"Mated," she said simply.
"We've known each other for a week!"
Pae stroked him, and bending her head, ran her tongue up the bridge of his black nose and to the start of his majority brown fur. "I don't know about you...Exi." She forced a smile. "But I really enjoyed it." She chewed on her lip. "I...think I really like you."
Exilo stared. He smiled. "We barely know each other."
"Well we got the sex out of the way. Everything can just go good from here on out."
Again, Exilo reached forward and took gentle hold of Pae, pulling her close to his chest. "Good from here on out," he smiled, cuddling and nuzzling her all night.