Amazonian Master

Josh Kendig

Stoham Baginbott

Copyright © 2024 by Royal Guard Publishing LLC

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Chapter One

“It's too early for this crap,” Troy muttered, cracking his neck with a sigh.

He reached over and adjusted his necktie. He’d just made it through the gate before fixing himself up and pushing the bridge of his sunglasses. The bright sun reflected off the shades as he walked down the runway towards the jet. He was the one responsible for making sure everything was safe and secure before takeoff for the private jet, a Bombardier’s Challenger three-hundred. The plane rested there, glimmering against the light while waiting on the tarmac. It was fueled up and ready to take off into the sky.

Troy shook his head, looking at the sleek, expensive CEO toy. He hated flying, though more than anything, he hated his job. Strike that - actually, he just hated his boss. The flying was still cool, and the job wouldn’t be too bad… if he had a different boss. As he started boarding, he couldn’t help but think how most people hated their bosses. It was practically an American pastime, like baseball. For Troy, it was just a normal workday.

As he ducked to step into the jet, he automatically turned toward the cockpit to check with the pilot. He was surprised when a hand grabbed his shoulder.

“Troy, baby, it’s great to see you,” said the man in the expensive black Italian suit. He gave Troy that crooked smile.

“Hello, Mr. Chandler.” Jack Chandler was the CEO of Jupiter Industrial, a weapons manufacture, and someone Troy couldn’t help but think was one of the biggest assholes he’d ever met. The guy fixed his jacket, lining the collar as he brought out that million dollar smile of which he was so proud. Chandler always strolled around like he owned the place, no matter where he was.

“Come on, Mr. Chandler? You’ve worked for me… what, two years now? You can call me Jack,” he said with a smirk. Chandler snapped his fingers, calling everyone to attention. He moved to his special commander’s chair, imagining himself to be the captain of this ship, where he orchestrated his work while in the air. He enjoyed being high in the sky and looking down at the world, imagining it was all his. Like clockwork, a stewardess came in with a bottle of champagne. It was a fancy bottle that cost more than what Troy made in a month. Yet, to him, it tasted like stale, two-day-old beer.

“Thanks, Veronica, always a champ. Aren’t you, babe?” He chuckled, looking at her ass. Chandler enjoyed the way she wore her flight uniform; it was clearly a bit too small for her, showing off her curvaceous body. Troy got a glimpse of a G-string peeking out when she bent over to pick something up from the floor. Veronica flashed a fake smile at Chandler with a nod. Troy understood exactly how she felt.

“Yes, sir.” Veronica spoke with a firm voice and a great smile. But Troy could see the truth in her eyes. Veronica was dead inside – or at the very least, she imagined shoving that bottle up Chandler’s ass. Troy imagined there was a higher chance that Chandler would try to pinch her ass before that happened.

“So, where are we heading to, Mr. Chandler?” Troy asked, keeping a professional tone in his voice. Chandler still hadn’t told him where they were heading, as usual.

“We’re going to Japan. Been meaning to check out a few things. Plus, I’ve got a few contracts that I wanted to settle with them.” He shook his head while leaning in. “But between you and me, I heard about this great sushi place from a pal. I want to try, figured I’d write it off as a business expense.”

“Alright, sir,” Troy said, while keeping a professional smile plastered on his face.

“You know, that’s what I like about you, Troy. You never ask questions, and you do what you’re told. Worth every penny. Of course, I got you for cheap after your fuck-up.”

Troy felt his hands tightening into fists at that. He had to remind himself to cool it. He needed this job, and couldn’t afford to knock his boss’s teeth in. Troy nodded and kept his smile steel tight.

“Yes, you’re right, sir. I do what I need to do.”

“That’s the spirit. Now relax, have some champagne before you get settled. Not too much of course. You’re always so serious, old sport,” Chandler said, trying to sound fancy. Over the last couple of years, Troy had picked up that Jack Chandler thought of himself like the great Gatsby, a self-made man. Troy knew the guy was full of shit. His fortune had been made by his dad, who owned a diamond mine and had paid to open a few doors to get him his position.

“Can’t, sir. You know I have to be at my peak in order to protect you.” Troy moved to take a seat on the nearby couch. He had to catch up on the new itinerary to make sure Chandler would be safe.

“Right, right, head of security, but hey, that’s why I pay you the big bucks.” He chuckled while he patted Troy’s arm and rolled his shoulder.

“So, while I’m there, want me to get you something nice? Oh, I know, how about a body pillow? I bet you’re pent up.”

“Sir, that’s inappropriate,” Troy said, the tone of his voice growing more annoyed as he looked at his boss for a moment.

“Fair enough. Don’t need another sexual harassment suit on my hand. Though, it’s just guy talk.” Jack snorted before getting comfortable.

“Yeah, guy talk,” Troy said. He forced himself to relax and let the moment and words slide off like water off a duck’s back. The plane started up, and within a few mInutes, they lifted into the air. A part of Troy wished he’d taken the drink; it would have calmed his nerves. As it was, his stomach was already sinking as they left the ground.

The flight went smoothly, sailing through the sky. Chandler had gone to take a nap in his private quarters. Troy didn’t mind, as he pulled himself up from his chair. He stretched out, then strolled towards the bathroom.

Troy took care of business before washing his hands. He looked into the mirror facing the man on the other side. He reminded himself that everything would be okay. The flight was running smoothly, but he still had that sick feeling in his gut that told him something wasn’t right. Those feelings had never led him astray.

He had casually checked the plane for bombs and then double-checked the plane’s inspection and maintenance logs. Everything looked good, and he couldn’t find anything that justified the feeling in his gut. So he stared at himself in the mirror as if his reflection would have a clue for him. His dark hair looked messy as he fixed it up. He moved his head to see the lines of his rugged chin with a five o’clock shadow. He was going to shave when he had the time. He took a deep breath, feeling the air fill his firm, muscular frame, as he cracked his neck and let the breath out.

“We will not fuck up. Just get to Japan, and we’ll be fine.”

He adjusted his tie, shook his head, put his sunglasses back on, and made himself more presentable. It was important to look calm. The first rule of security was never to let them see you sweat. You do that, and it could lead to someone taking advantage of the situation.

As Troy stepped out of the bathroom, he saw Veronica. She was hunched against the wall of the plane, looking annoyed. She gave him a nod when she glanced over at him.

“So how’s the spoiled prince?” she whispered to him, clearly frustrated.

“The prince is taking a nap, probably watching a movie in his quarters,” Troy said with a smirk, looking at the beautiful woman. Veronica only sighed as she finally was able to straighten up and relax

“Well, good for him, but I swear if he tries pinching my ass again…” the woman said while shaking her head. “If I didn’t need this job, and he didn’t pay so well, I’d….” Her voice trailed off while Troy nodded.

“Hey, I get it. It’s rough out there; even I have to deal with the bullshit.”

“Yeah, well, at least you don’t have him calling you Toots. I figured working this job I’d get paid a lot. Instead, I'm being ogled by rich old men and him…. I don’t know which is worse,” Veronica said while she shuddered and grabbed the bottle of bubbly and took a swig from it. A sour look crossed her face as she put the bottle down. “I swear, how do rich people drink this shit?”

“Who knows? I’d rather have some whiskey and a beer,” Troy said with a smile as Veronica did the same.

“You know, when all of this is over with, maybe we could get a real drink. I hear Japan really has a thing for American culture. I'm sure we could find an authentic American bar after we’ve dealt with Prince Frog.” She winked at him while Troy nodded.

“I’d like that; besides getting away from Chandler, I wouldn’t mind having a beautiful woman by my side.” Troy returned the wink as Veronica giggled and patted his shoulder. She seemed so relaxed.

“Coming from you, how could I resist? Besides, I’ll have someone more than arm candy next to me. If anyone tries to grope me, I’m sure you’ll put them in their place, big boy.” Veronica clarified this as she reached over and grabbed his arm, squeezing his biceps. “Troy, I've got a question for you?”

“What might that be?” Troy asked, raising an eyebrow, as he reached towards the bottle. Sure, it would be a little unprofessional, but a sip wouldn’t hurt anyone, especially with how well the flight was going.

“How is a guy like you still single? I figured with your looks and body, you’d have women crawling all over you.”

“Like most things, it's work. Can’t get away from it while babysitting that douchebag.” Troy smirked watching Veronica bend over with laughter. Troy admitted he liked listening to her laugh – it was stunning. Seeing a beautiful woman laugh was a good thing. He also liked the way her hair bounced. It was nice, and made her seem more carefree and full of life.

Then they heard Chandler calling out Veronica’s and Troy’s names, like a child wondering where his parents were. Veronica let out a low groan. She reached over, grabbing the bottle, adjusted her skirt and pulled up that fake smile, knowing it was time to put on a show.

“Time to get back to work. Wish me luck, big boy,” Veronica muttered, as Troy gave her the thumbs up.

“Will do, and good luck, Veronica,” he said with a warm smile before putting on a stern face.

Veronica was about to head out when she turned around to face him. “Call me anytime, I’ll give you some first class service.” She winked at him before heading back.

Troy felt a real smile on his face, imagining he might do just that. He pulled the curtains and walked back to his seat.

Eventually, Chandler strolled down the aisle and took his seat. He got comfortable, with a smirk on his face while his drink was being poured. He put on a comedy and watched it with great pleasure, as he pulled back and took a swig.

“Mhmm, great drink there, Vera. Always glad to have something so tasty from a sweet gal like yourself.” He winked at her, while Veronica just nodded. She eyed Troy out of the corner of her eyes, while Troy sat there listening to him.

“Of course, the view here is amazing.” Chandler turned his head, watching Veronica walk off, her hips swaying while Chandler bit his bottom lip.

“You know, that's an ass to kill for.” He smirked while he took another drink, raising a glass to Troy. “A toast for the future and dealing with the world's stupid shit.” Chandler dropped the drink back, before he leaned back in his chair.

“I think I might sneak back there, throw in the moves, and have her join me on this trip. You can be my wingman.” Chandler wiggled his eyebrows while Troy felt himself gripping the edge of his chair. His fingers sank into the plush upholstery while he held back his temper.

“Mr. Chandler, I think you've had enough. Sit back and watch your movie,” Troy said, keeping his voice steady but giving enough of a threat to warn Chandler to stop. Of course, he didn't realize this while he rolled his hand.

“Come on, Troy. It's just guy talk. Having fun… besides, you’re always invited. I'm sure we could find someone for you there. You need to get laid.” Chandler looked smug while he loosened his tie.

“I think I'll grab another drink myself.” Chandler smirked, pulling himself up. Troy suddenly had a gut feeling something bad would happen.

“Sir, sit down!” Troy spoke up, glaring at Chandler, who only rolled his eyes in response.

“Troy, relax, I'm getting a drink. Nothing is going to happen.” Chandler got up, and Troy rose to follow him. Chandler looked annoyed, like was going to say something – maybe even yell at him – until he looked into Troy’s eyes and saw something behind them. Like if he tried anything funny, Troy would put him into the ground. “Fine.” Chandler huffed before sitting back down.

Troy sighed in relief as Chandler returned to his chair, and everything seemingly went back to normal. Troy leaned back in his seat, finally relaxing a bit and turning to check his phone. He needed to make sure the security plans for Japan were in place. Seeing how long it had been since they had left, Troy realized there were still another two hours before they would make their landing. That was when he saw his phone begin to glitch out.

“What in the…?” He looked at it, thinking maybe they had hit a dead zone, but the way it reacted felt like a weird electric pulse.

“Hey, what the hell’s going on with the TV?” Chandler said, looking at the static that now filled the television’s screen. He was ready to get up and give it a smack when, without warning, the pilot’s voice filled the cabin.

Attention passengers this is your pilot speaking we're hitting some…. turbulence you might want to…buckle up….

There's a drawn out pause and the radio over them begins shrieking out static, like the pilot on the other end is trying to say more but isn't able to.

“Sir, you might want to buckle up. We’re hitting turbulence. I would suggest staying in your seats for the time being.” Troy could hear a sense of fear in the pilot's voice as static crackled between each word. Troy buckled himself in as his heart raced. He hated this part. He looked over, seeing that Chandler had gotten up to smack the television, trying to get it to work properly. Troy’s eyes twitched as he reached out to grab the man.

“Mr. Chandler, take your seat, sir.” He spoke carefully, keeping his voice calm and suppressing any fear he might have felt. While Chandler did so, the plane seemed to jerk around every couple of seconds. Multiple times the plane lurched, like it was dropping hundreds of feet in a moment. It felt like a crazy rollercoaster ride that kept stopping after short plateaus. Troy hated roller coasters.

“Fuck, they said it was going to be clear skies all over,” Chandler said as he started panicking. Troy raised his hand.

“It’ll be alright, sir. Just keep calm. It will be fine,” Troy said. He didn’t like the situation one bit, holding onto his seat for dear life. With the next drop, he looked out the window. For a moment, he thought the sky had turned red. His mouth dropped, watching the strange display. Something definitely wasn’t right….

Something terrible was happening, but panicking wouldn’t help, so Troy closed his mouth. Then, without warning, the plane's door flew open and a massive hole formed, sucking everything out. Screaming filled the air above the sound of the rushing wind. Troy heard Veronica’s voice calling out to him, but at first, he didn’t see her. He turned his head quickly, trying to find her. Troy couldn’t leave his seat without fear of being sucked out of the plane.

He saw Veronica running towards him, trying to take a seat. Troy reached out towards her, hoping there was a chance to save her. Yet before he could grab her, he watched her get sucked out into the sky. Her screams would haunt him for the rest of his life.

A moment later, there was silence, but Troy knew that couldn’t be right. The wind whipped around like a tornado, trying to suck him away. Troy focused, and sound slowly started coming back to him. He turned his head, seeing Chandler gripping his seat for dear life and screaming in utter fear as he prayed to God to keep him alive. If anything, he looked like he’s going to piss himself at any second. That was when Chandler’s prized chair gave a metallic groan, and snapped. Before Chandler could react, his commander's chair shot into the air and out the hole, taking him with it.

A second scream echoed from further up the aircraft, and Troy realized with horror that their pilot had met a similar fate. He was now the only person left on the doomed plane. He looked on in dread, imagining that he would soon be at death’s door.

Then the plane nose-dived towards the water. Troy’s eyes widened, flashbacks hitting him like cinder blocks. He saw his life flash before his eyes. He could still hear Veronica’s and Chandler’s screams in his ears. The horror spread across Troy’s consciousness... Then everything went dark.

It took Troy a moment to realize what had happened as he came to and looked around the cabin. He had a massive headache, and he didn’t need to touch the lump on the back of his head to know it was sizable. Water was rapidly filling the plane; it was already up to his waist. He tried to figure out where Chandler and Veronica were, but suddenly remembered that they had both vanished, sucked out of the hole in the cabin.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” he cursed into the silence as he undid his seat belt and stood. Water kept filling the cabin. He couldn’t waste time – he needed to get out of here, otherwise he was going to be a dead man. Troy took in a deep breath to steady himself. Wading to the cabin door, he pushed his body against the flow of the water. He moved slowly but steadily, as he felt the water engulfing the plane.

The plane was sinking so fast it was beyond scary, but he closed off his emotions. If he panicked now, it might lead to his death. Clear minds saved lives. Cluttered minds lead to death. That’s what his dad used to tell him. Troy knew that if he didn’t stay calm and focused, he’d drown.

As the water continued to pour into the plane through the hole, Troy fought back against the rush with sheer force of will, pushing his body to the limits as he forced his way through the opening and escaped. The pull on his body stopped after he pushed off from the side of the plane, leaving him floating in an ocean of darkness. How far was he from the surface? Would he have enough time to make it up?

Focus, damn it!

He took a moment to orient himself, so he wouldn’t make the same mistakes that people in this situation often made. Confused, disoriented people often swam down instead of up, leading to their deaths.

Troy concentrated and began swimming up, focusing on his goal to reach the surface. He held onto his breath for dear life, going as fast as was possible, trying not to overdo it. Steady, strong movements while staying calm, focusing on swimming. His mind raced, and he could feel fear running through him, but he kept control and focused on his goal.

I will reach the surface.

His will to live was strong as Troy kept kicking his legs. He thought of everything he still wanted to do, and everything he could do. It wasn’t his time yet, and he was going to reach the surface.

Bubbles escaped his lips as he pushed himself faster. He released a hard grunt as he felt his eyes stinging, but he kept them open. As he felt himself getting closer to the edge, he kept pushing. He grunted again when he began seeing light.

Almost there…

His muscles felt like they were on fire. His lungs were burning as he kept pushing, his fingers at the edge….

Then he felt himself hitting the surface of the water, and he gasped for air with a hard cough as he tried sucking in every ounce of air he could. He looked around with another cough. He saw what seemed like miles of ocean in every direction, reflecting the rays of the sun. His mind reeled as he bit his lip.

“Fuck… Fuck!” he cried out, trying to figure out what to do next. From what he could tell, he was in the middle of the ocean, with nothing on him he could use. He was one hundred percent royally fucked.

Focus, Troy.

He calmed his breathing and focused his mind on the problem.

Relax and use as little energy as possible to float.

As Troy tried his best not to look into the sun, as he rested in the water. He was doing all he could to stay afloat, while allowing his exhausted body to recover. He silently wished that a boat would pass by, so maybe he could get help. So far, he saw no one around. Just him and the waves. Troy wondered if there were other survivors from the plane crash – or had they all died, and he was the only one left? So many questions came over him, but for now, he had to keep going. He had to push himself. He had to survive. That was who he was, a survivor.

At least for now, he floated on, the tides dragging him off and leading him to God only knew where.

While he floated, he counted waves so he could periodically look around before going back to floating. As he glided with the current, time slowly drifted by. A few hours passed before something felt different with the waves.

That’s when he saw it. Troy wasn’t sure if this was his mind playing tricks on him or if this was real, but what he saw in the distance looked to be… an island? God, please let it be an island….

Whatever he was looking at became the focus of his weary efforts. He just had to keep going and make it there. He wasn’t going to drown – he was going to live. He just needed to keep pushing forward.

“Just keep swimming…” his voice dragged off, as he started swimming towards whatever it was. His arms felt heavy as he swam, but he kept up his steady pace. His body ached as he contInued driving himself forward. A part of him was tempted to try and take his shoes off now that he was swimming rather than floating. It might make it easier to swim in the short term, but in the long term, with land in sight, it could screw him over later, so he kept them on.

As he contInued kicking his feet, swimming towards the island, he could feel his arms growing heavy. Troy was pushing himself to his very limit. The land mass grew larger the closer he got to it. He blew out a hard huff as he coughed, pushing harder to reach it.

“I won’t die! Just keep going… just keep swimming!” Troy growled as he went faster, ignoring the pain, ignoring his body that demanded he give it a rest. He could see darkness wrapping around his eyes, as he thought he was going to pass out. Troy could only watch the island, as he imagined it would be his very salvation.

Then his consciousness faded, and his world went black.

Troy coughed up sea water as he opened his eyes. He was lying on a beach as waves crashed near him. His body aching, he looked around. He could see that he was on a wide beach, with a cliff nearby. His head ached as he tried to lift it to see the top of the cliff. He let out a long sigh, closing his eyes until the pain receded. Slowly, he began dragging himself away from the edge of the water, not wanting to risk being pulled back by the tide.

He shook his head, and after a few moments, he forced himself to stand up so he could walk inland past the high-tide mark. He found a large piece of driftwood and had a seat on it, facing away from the ocean and towards the cliff.

“I hate flying,” Troy said while he pulled off his jacket. It was so sodden and heavy, and he felt like he was sweating like a pig in the thing. Troy looked around trying to get a good idea of where he was. As far as he could tell, he was on an island.

No shit, Sherlock.

The beach behind him had plenty of sand but was small as he looked left and right. On both sides, the beach ended as the waves crashed against the sheer faces of the cliff. Fortunately, in front of him was a bit of scrub and a few trees before the enormous cliff rose above them. At the top of the cliff, Troy could see trees piercing the heavens. He found himself wondering what was up there, and how big was the rest of the island. The cliff face itself rose up, if he had to guess, at least twenty feet – a tough climb in his current condition. But that was for another day.

Troy shook his head in annoyance. He took off his button-down shirt, dropping it in the sand beside his jacket as he began thinking of what he was going to do. He didn’t have much time, as the sun was starting to set in the distance. The first thing he was going to need to do was get a fire started.

“Alright, Troy, you’ve trained for stuff like this,” he told himself. He looked at his surroundings. His location would get him through the first few days, though that was if he was lucky. Troy knew that eventually he’d need shelter and food, yet with what little daylight he had before the temperatures dropped, the fire was his top priority.

He then began looking over what he had. Everything counted as Troy examined each item he possessed, cursing to himself. He had a pack of wet cigarettes, and a cracked lighter with no fuel. It must have broken during the crash. That was fine; his trainer had shown him what to do if you needed to start a fire without a lighter. He’d just need to take more time. At the very least he had the materials near him to do that – some dry grass or brush, a bit of wood, and pressure.

In his other pocket was his wallet and the most useful item he had: his Ka-bar tactical knife. It was a staple he’d used in combat. It wasn’t the best for survival, but it would do

It seemed he lost his keys in the crash. He cursed again. He could have used them to start a fire. It looked like Troy was going to need to do this the old fashion way.

His phone was damaged, making it completely useless. Looking at the cracked screen and the water leaking from the device, he wondered – even if it still worked, could he even get a signal out here in the middle of nowhere? It hadn’t worked on the plane just before the crash.

Troy knew he had to make a plan. A part of him wished there was a second person with him to help take some of the load off. If Veronica was here, maybe she could have given him a hand. She was confident and knew how to work hard. Hell, at this point he would have taken Chandler. Maybe he could have found a use for him. At the very least, they could have gone out and maybe found something to eat or gathered resources while he worked on establishing a campsite.

“Let’s get started,” he said to himself, shaking off his thoughts as he started collecting the driftwood and setting it up away from the beach. The large piece of driftwood had sat on was big enough to give his small campsite some wind protection. As he quickly gathered wood, he kept an eye out for a piece he could use as a spear. He grinned as he found more than a few that might work, and he kept gathering until he had a large pile.

Pleased with the wood he’d found, he reached over, grabbing one of the longer pieces and started sharpening one end. The knife cut deeply into the bark as he pushed forward. Troy took his time, making a sharp point and removing the bark. As he worked deftly, he listened to the sound of the waves.

He quickly turned the stick into a spear and stood to practice some jabs. His hope was to spear a few fish and get something to eat. Who knew how long he’d be stuck on this island? In the meantime, it was one minute, one hour, one day at a time. He would establish himself here and survive. Eventually help would come.

Tomorrow, he could check out the other parts of the island. The trees above him indicated there was more to this place than rocks and sand below the cliff. After all, he couldn't remain on this beach past tomorrow. There was no fresh water here. Staying here on the beach would be the worst move, and multiple cliff-climbing trips could lead to his early death.

When he felt good about using the spear, Troy made his way back to the ocean. He slowly entered the water until it was knee-deep. He smiled as he saw plenty of fish darting around. His spear fishing skills were rusty, but he had done this before. He moved slowly, preparing himself to jab when the time was right.

Sadly, his first few attempts didn’t yield anything. The fish seemed to somehow know how to barely dodge the spear’s tip. Troy forced himself to focus and didn’t let the failures bother him.

A short time later, Troy screamed in triumph as he speared a foot-long fish. He couldn’t believe the rush as he walked back to his campsite. He grabbed a piece of wood and went back to the waves. Using the wood as his surface, he quickly cleaned the fish, throwing the guts back into the sea. Once he cleaned up, he returned to the campsite.

Next up was the fire, so he looked through the wood he’d collected for the best pieces to use. Once he had the wood selected, he worked on a shaving nest for the coal, grabbing bits of dried-up bark and cutting it off with his knife. After he put it at the bottom and made a trench, he shaped his stick for the fire plow. That was when he started rubbing the plow stick in the trench at forty-five degrees with hard pressure as he moved them back and forth, nice and fast, as he let friction do all the work.

He watched it begin to smoke. It wasn’t much as he slowly saw a coal grow at the base of the trench by the shavings nest. When he saw a slight glow, he moved down to blow down on it, and the flames burst to life as the nest caught. He watched it grow, slowly feeding it more shavings and sticks. The fire consumed the various bits of driftwood he put there. It didn’t take long for it to grow larger.

“Alright, got the fire going. Let’s dry my clothes and get supper ready.”

Troy used some more driftwood for stakes to hang his clothes near the fire so they’d dry. Once that was done, he looked around for some vines to use. One of the small trees nearby had a few growing around it, so he collected what he could.

Using the vines to bind the wood, he quickly built a lattice above the fire and placed the cleaned fish on it. He would have liked to have fileted it, but he was going to need every bit of protein and fat he could get.

Troy kept himself busy adjusting his clothes and turning the fish while resting on the large driftwood. He then sat there for a few mInutes, simply looking off at the ocean. Listening to the waves and watching the way the waves moved back and forth almost put him into a trance. But instead of calming him, a sense of unease kept growing. He had a bad feeling about the waves and even being so close to the ocean. It had a mind of its own, unpredictable and far more dangerous than any animal known to man.

He turned back to face the fire and the cliff beyond.

“I’m climbing that cliff tomorrow. No mistake, it will be a once-and-done thing. There won’t be a second trip.” He shook his head in annoyance, as he could almost imagine slipping. It would be best to put all his focus and energy into climbing it under the best possible conditions. His body was still too sore, and he hadn’t wanted to risk it so late in the day. After a bit of rest, he was certain he’d be able to make it.

His coat and shirt were almost dry by the time the fish was done. He pulled the fish off the fire and couldn’t wait long enough for it to cool before he was cutting pieces off. He may have burned his mouth, but the cooked fish tasted wonderful.

Even with the bones, the fish disappeared into his mouth in record time. Once he was done, he threw the bones and scraps into the ocean. He was glad he hadn’t seen any signs of rats or other vermin. Before he sat back down by the fire, he re-dressed and rolled his jacket into a lump that he’d use for a pillow later.

Night had fallen and the temperature was dropping. As he sat near the fire, he looked up into the sky to check out the stars.

It was then he realized something about this place was off. The stars weren’t in the right places, making completely different constellations. The North Star wasn’t where it should be; there weren't any visible stars in that area at all. The Big Dipper was there, but somehow it was upside down. That should have been impossible.

Troy just scoffed off the craziness. It had been a long day, and for all he knew he was seeing things. He had bigger fish to fry. Tomorrow he was going to need to climb the cliff and find fresh water.

Still that feeling he didn’t belong here sunk into Troy, as he tried to push the idea away. It was a new environment to which Troy was unused. He was comfortable being in a city, surrounded by buildings and the noise of traffic. This wasn’t his element, so it would take time for him to adapt to his surroundings.

He let out a long sigh as he watched the fire and listened to the ocean, thinking to himself.

I will get out of this. I know I’ll be able to...

He thought back to his life, just thinking about what he was going to do if he got back to it. Troy simply sighed as he rested there, letting his mind wander.

His past came back to him, like a truck speeding down memory lane. His mind went back to when he was an up-and-coming agent. He remembered how his first shift guarding the POTUS had gone. It might have just been him standing there for over eight hours, listening to foreign policy, but he clung to it, every second. He had been so proud to be there. He chuckled as he remembered how his old partner Wake had tripped and spilled a glass of wine on some lady’s cocktail dress. Troy couldn’t help but feel a bit of nostalgia at the thought of his old friend.

He added some more wood to the fire and got comfortable. Between the fire and being out of the breeze with his dry clothes on, he was warm enough. The weight of the long day and the stress of his situation slowly left him as his eyes closed.

The next morning Troy woke up and looked around. It only took him a mInute to realize where he was. He remembered the situation he was in as he shook his head. He sat there for a few mInutes looking off at the ocean, unable to help but admire its beauty. The place was gorgeous, but he had to remind himself he had much to do.

He got up and took care of business before gathering his things. After everything was back in his pockets, he looked over the wood and his spear. He decided it wasn’t worth trying to climb with any of it. He took a few minutes to stretch and loosen his muscles.

He was surprised at how good he felt. He was sore, but nothing like he thought he’d feel. Even his head was doing better, although he still had a small lump that hurt when pressed.

He turned around, looking towards the cliff, taking a deep breath and preparing himself as he headed over to the edge. He spent thirty minutes looking around to find his best footing. This wasn’t a climbing wall at the gym.

Once Troy finally found the perfect place to begin his climb, he spent another fifteen minutes looking over the path up. He’d be following a couple of crevices that would help him with holds. After several large breaths and a minute of psyching himself up, Troy climbed. His fingers gripping the edge of each rock, his rough grip holding on as he slowly made his way up the cliff face.

Pushing himself, he focused on each placement and next spot. The rock and strain were tough, but his greatest struggle was thoughts about Jack Chandler that kept jumping into his mind. He couldn’t help but think of all the things he planned on doing if he ever saw Chandler again. Scenarios of how he’d quit or let his own stupidity come to light kept bombarding his mind.

Fortunately, Troy’s focus was sufficient not to be distracted even as he felt a harsh wind as he was halfway up. He paused in firm holds to weather the wind and rested for a moment as Chandler popped into his head again. He let himself give in to his rage for a few moments.

“Fuck, I swear if I see him again, I’m going to shove my boot up his ass. And when he gets it out, I’m shoving the other one up there for good measure,” Troy growled in annoyance. He knew he wouldn’t be that stupid and the annoyance was as much with himself for not dealing with the situation, but it felt good to vent for a moment. Troy moved his thoughts on to what else he might do once he got off the island, keeping his mind busy on other things.

The wind died back down, and he contInued making his way up. His muscles were still sore from yesterday, yet Troy knew he could handle it. He focused on the process and the next hold. After a few more minutes, he bit his lip as he looked for the next hold. Finding it, he pulled himself up, continuing even if the progress was slow. The sounds of the ocean and the waves hitting the rocks under him was a distant background noise. He just kept going.

Troy felt his hand slipping as the rock he had grabbed broke off. He immediately returned to his last position as the rock bounced down the cliff face to the ground below. Even returning to his secure position with good holds, his heart raced.

“Shit!” He took a few deep breaths as he waited for his heart to slow and to rein in his thoughts. Anxiety and fears of falling tried to shake his resolve, but he weathered that storm, forcing himself to focus as he looked for the next hold. As he looked, he muttered to himself.

“When I get back home, I’m moving to Colorado, or Tennessee. I’m staying the hell away from flying and the ocean. I might be in the mountains, but I sure as hell won’t be climbing them by hand.”

With another deep breath, he decided on a closer hold and slipped back into his zone. Before he knew it, he was just below the edge.

Unfortunately he couldn’t feel any good grips, and there were loose stones on top. First he used one hand to search and then he adjusted to use his other. The lack of holds closer to the edge meant that he had to use the crevice itself to work his way up to the edge.

It was exponentially more difficult than how he’d been climbing, but he knew this was his only option. Sweat dripped down his face as he repositioned himself and slowly inched up the crevice to the edge of the cliff.

When he finally reached it, his legs and arms were screaming at him, but he forced them to obey. He gathered his will and strength, pushing off with his legs and heaving with his arms. It was just enough to get his chest up and over onto the ledge. He squirmed and clawed his way up as his feet kicked. Troy slowly dragged his ass up and fully on top of the cliff. He lay there for a moment as he tried to catch his breath.

“Finally,” he groaned.

Once his breathing was back under control and his legs and arms stopped shaking, he pushed himself up to sit and glanced over the edge of the cliff. He saw his little camp and the beach below.

Even from this height, which wasn’t as high as it had seemed from below, the whole area looked small. He was glad that he’d made the effort to climb the cliff rather than resting longer down there.

He sighed as he saw his spear, wishing he could have brought it with him. He knew he wouldn’t have made it up with it. It was all part of the hard decisions you have to make in survival situations. He had his knife, and he’d make another spear, hopefully before there was any trouble.

“Not worth going back down… Goodbye little beach, and thanks for being there when I needed you.” Troy waved and turned to see what awaited him.

A grin spread across his face as he turned and saw a large jungle standing high as the land expanded away from him. As he walked towards the trees, he rubbed his hands together and wet his dry lips.

“I’ll make another spear, but first, there has to be a stream around here somewhere,” he mumbled as he headed into the forest. He reached down, unsheathing his combat knife. His thumb pressed against the hilt and he was prepared as he carefully walked into the dense foliage. It was thick enough that it was difficult to see any branches or limbs on the ground.

After a few minutes of walking through the forest, Troy realized something was wrong. It was beyond quiet – not even the sounds of birds or insects.

“Something is not right,” he whispered as he looked around. It had been a while since he’d been in a forest, but he knew that when it was this quiet, something was ready to strike.

His walking slowed as he crouched, taking each step more cautiously and ready to meet an attack. Nothing came, so his walking through the vast jungle gradually sped up as he tried to follow the descent of the land. He felt the humidity in the air, and he had to keep wiping the sweat from his brow.

Troy took a deep, steadying breath as he contInued walking. It was then that he noticed the marks. Some of the trees had long thick claw marks running down the trunks. They were deep, wide gouges that seemed larger than even what a grizzly might make. The way they went down the tree, he couldn’t tell if they were used to mark the creature’s territory or to sharpen their claws.

“Oh, that ain’t good,” Troy whispered as he stepped closer to one of the trees, his hands touching the large gash. It was huge – much too large and deep for it to come from an animal Troy had seen before. He quickly focused again, trying to keep on edge as he kept going. He was fairly sure something was watching him at this point. It could be in his head, but his gut was certain it wasn’t. The best he could do, though, was to be prepared and keep making headway. Maybe he’d be able to get out of whatever creature’s territory without a fight. If it came to a fight though, he’d be ready. He might not be able to win, but he was going to do whatever it took to survive. He slowed his breath as he walked on, focusing his attention to his surroundings.

When he found himself met with that contInuous silence, he cautiously contInued walking, listening for any noise. If there was something here, he would hear it. If it tried to attack him, they would soon learn that their prey would bite back. Troy gripped his knife tightly, ready to strike.

Suddenly he paused, realizing he could hear something. It was faint, but he heard what sounded like water crashing. Troy’s heart skipped a beat as he started following it, while staying cautious. His steps quickened as the sound of water increased with each step. He felt on edge, but the knowledge of nearby water was a massive relief to his sense of survival.

Little did he know a shadowy figure was following behind him, hiding high in the very trees as they watched him almost curiously. They began moving, silently and swiftly, passing from tree to tree as if they were out on a stroll. They moved like the wind as they followed behind Troy, always keeping him in sight and watching every move he made, their heads tilting as they watched him.

It didn’t take long for Troy to break out of the dense jungle and see it. A long, drawn-out river cut through the jungle, turning and flowing away from him heading north, showing crystal clear water. Troy sighed in relief as he scouted the riverbank for a good spot to reach its waters. The stretch of land past the bend provided excellent access.

Still he waited watching the river and the surrounding area. After a while, he decided it was as safe as it was going to get, so he cautiously made his way down to the water’s edge.

He kept his weapon ready as he used his left hand to take a handful of water. It was slow, but he gulped down each handful quickly, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings. He kept repeating the process as he slowly quenched his thirst.

The water felt cool on his lips, and Troy reveled in it, even taking a handful of it and pouring it over his head. It was refreshing and tasted better than what he was used to. Troy could almost imagine that it was cleaner than the water he was used to drinking. He chuckled as he thought, At least it doesn’t have any plastic particles in it. Troy felt relief, and crouched there drinking as much as he could.

Having quenched his thirst, he focused more on his surroundings. He sighed again as he hadn’t realized how worn out he was until that very moment. Between the climb and the stress of moving through the jungle, his energy level had taken a beating. Looking up at the sky, he suddenly noticed something.

“What in the…?”

He could barely make out what looked to be large clouds of black smoke rising above the treetops. He wondered how far off it was, given how the land dipped and how high the jungle trees grew. It made him think there might be civilization nearby, and it was probably close to the river running north, in the same direction as the smoke.

That’s when Troy realized his attention had stayed too long on the smoke in the distance, and he instinctively lunged to the side as suddenly heard something in the air behind him. He quickly turned and saw a spear flying at him. He continued his movement as he dodged, rolling out of the way as the weapon flew right past him, missing him by mere inches.

Ignoring the spear, he scanned his surroundings for his attacker. He barely had time to take in her appearance – just that she wore a leopard-skinned loincloth and top, had a mask over her face, and had long white hair. She jumped from a tree branch and hit the ground running towards him.

“What in the…” Troy said before his attacker came right at him with another spear in hand as she tried to thrust the weapon into his gut. Troy dropped his knife, twisted, and grabbed the spear, using his own strength to turn it and pulled it past him. His move pulled his attacker closer, and he quickly twisted back, elbowing her in the side of the head and yanking the spear out of her hands.

There was one thing Troy learned from all his years of fighting and training. There was fighting – the flashy kind where you showed off, and made it a big show for people to watch.

Then there was real fighting. It was quick and on-point, causing serious injury if the person had the knowledge. Troy knew at this moment there was no time to show off. He would not be taken down, so he continued his assault.

He instantly recognized that his attacker wasn't trained as she stumbled to the side, looking dazed. He followed up the elbow with a powerful punch in her solar plexus, knocking her back and onto the ground.

His opponent didn’t have time to react as the blow forced all the air from her lungs. As she tried to breathe, he captured her hands, crossing them over her chest before he knelt on them. She tried freeing her arms, but she still wasn't able to fully take a breath. He had her arms pinned tight against her.

Troy bounced his weight on her chest, making it even harder for her to breathe. As her struggles died down, he snatched his knife off the ground and placed it right against her neck.

“Stand down. Move an inch, and I’ll slit your throat,” Troy said while scanning the trees for any other attackers. She tensed as if she were going to try something, so he bounced harder on her chest. He didn’t really want to slit her throat, but he would if she forced him to do it.

She finally relaxed, but didn’t say anything. He wondered if she understood what he was saying. She simply lay there, catching her breath. He guessed she was glaring at him, but at this angle, the mask hid even her eyes.

“Who are you, and why did you attack me?” he asked as he pushed her into the ground more. He kept his voice stern, and never faltered as he glanced around his surroundings before focusing back on her. Her long white hair was almost silver and beautiful. His eyes widened in surprise when he noticed fluffy ears protruding from her head.

“What the…?” Troy said, confused by what he was seeing as they twitched and turned. They reminded him of a fox’s ears. He wondered what he was dealing with.

“Where did you come from?” he asked. He still wasn’t sure if she even understood him, so Troy kept his frustration in check. That was when he heard more sounds of movement. He looked around, not letting up his pressure on her arms and keeping the knife by her neck.

An entire group of people wearing wooden masks stepped out of the jungle, surrounding him. Each of them held a spear pointed at him, and based on their similar loincloths and tops, they were all women. His eyes narrowed as he considered the lunge and leap into the river.

“Of course.” He gritted his teeth, knowing it would be extremely difficult, and there was a high probability that one of them would spear him. Sure, he could kill the woman on the ground, but that wouldn’t help him get out of the situation. It wasn’t like how it was in the movies, where one guy took down a horde of people at once. They would easily overwhelm him with their spears if he tried to fight. He doubted that he’d be able to take any of them with him, except the woman under him.

Troy wanted to live, so he knew his best option was to negotiate. He held up his left hand, motioning for them to stop. “Wait. Surely you don’t want your friend to die. Can we talk about this? I was getting a drink from the river when I was attacked.”

They edged in closer before they stopped, without dropping their guard. He simply held still, keeping his hands in place and staring at them. His eyes turned dark as he imagined what his next steps would be. His mind and body were ready to take action, but still he held himself back, waiting to see what they would do.

“Come with us, man-thing,” one of them said. He didn’t know which one because he wasn’t able to see their faces, but he nodded. He breathed an inward sigh of relief that they spoke English.

“Alright, but to what end? This woman wanted to kill me, so how do I know you won’t try the same?”

“Release Inu!” another voice spoke as he glanced at the person that seemed to say it. The woman he held onto must have been Inu, as he kept himself calm.

The first person that had spoken said, “The chief must decide your fate. It was not right for Inu to seek to kill you without permission. But you are in our territory without permission. The chief will decide if you are allowed to stay; if not, you will be taken to the edge of our territory and released unharmed.”

Troy was able to tell that the speaker was a woman with large horns, a very muscular and toned body, and huge boobs. He wondered if she was some kind of a buffalo-girl based on her horns. After another mental sigh of relief, he still was not sure if he should release Inu. She had been very intent on trying to kill him, and if he released them, she might attack.

“I’ll come with you, but… Inu stays with me. You don’t harm me, and I don’t harm her. I’ll also make sure she doesn't attack me.” He waited as they processed what he said. As the group looked at each other, he wished he could read their expressions to gain whatever insights he could. Their bodies were on edge, but the buffalo-girl looked at him and nodded.

“Very well. Come, man-thing – though you harm her, we kill you.” She looked pointedly at Inu as she continued, “Inu will not attack you.”

“Very well then.” He slowly stood and helped Inu up. He kept his knife out and held onto her arm with his left hand.

“Follow me,” the group leader said before she turned and started walking. He nodded and nudged Inu to follow, which she did. He walked along as the others in the group took up positions around him. As he walked, he couldn’t help but notice Inu’s fox ears and how they moved, trying to catch every sound. He wondered what this village and chief were going to be like.

Chapter Two

The day certainly hadn’t gone to plan, but at least he’d found water and other people. Troy couldn’t believe what he was noticing about the others. Inu wasn’t the only one with different ears. He could even see tails on a few of the women warriors in front of him. He wondered if he’d stepped into some weird fantasy novel, but he reined in his thoughts. One step at a time, and one hour at a time.

He glanced back to see the warriors behind him with their spears ready. His back felt very vulnerable as they contInued heading north through the dense jungle. The humidity in the air had him sweating like a pig as he followed along. There was a slight breeze against his face, as the sounds of the jungle became noticeable once more. He listened to insects playing their light tunes. Had the situation been different, the walk would have been very pleasant, other than the humidity. As he kept moving, he stayed just behind and close to Inu. At one point she glanced back, and he could tell the fox woman was sneering at him. He couldn’t imagine what she was thinking.

For the moment, they were at a stalemate, but he felt good about what their leader had said. It was definitely a step up from the ‘one wrong move and he might be dead’ type of situation that he had envisioned.

Still, he had to be careful and keep scanning his surroundings. For the time being, he’d trust these people as little as possible, while keeping an eye out for an escape. He had a feeling they didn’t trust him either, but were giving him the benefit of doubt because he hadn’t killed Inu immediately when he had overcome her. For now, they both had to work with what they had.

As they continued walking, he took more notice of Inu. He was still amazed that her fox ears were real. It was fascinating watching the way they twitched and moved. He couldn’t help but notice Inu had very tan skin, as if the sun had kissed it. He was impressed with her muscular, defined, and lean body. Her leopard-skinned loincloth and top gave tantalizing hints to the curves beneath. The way her tail swished back and forth. That caught Troy off guard

Troy could almost picture her in America being an Olympic track star, going off to winning the gold medal. He wondered what her face looked like, and if it matched her body and lovely hair. He’d just have to wait to see about her and the rest of the women of this village. He just hoped they would keep their word and the situation wouldn’t escalate when they reached the village.

“So what are you, Inu? What’s with the ears, and tail?” Troy felt tempted to touch them, so see if they were as soft and fluffy as they appeared. But he knew that if he tried anything like that, he could end up with a spear in his back. The warriors behind him were still on edge, even though it looked like this would end peacefully.

“I don’t have to explain anything to you, man-thing,” Inu said in a rough tone. Troy thought he heard her growling at that, but ignored it.

“Well, I’m not a man-thing. I’m just a man. My name is Troy – Troy Thunder. Can you tell me where I’m at? I washed up on shore at the bottom of the cliff back the other way.” He spoke in a hushed tone so only the two of them could hear as he continued scanning the jungle and the women warriors. They were all various shapes and sizes as they surrounded him, but they were all definitely women.

“Well, man-thing, we’re heading to the village,” she said, sounding more irritated. Troy was still puzzled as to why she had immediately attacked.

“Why did you attack me?” he asked while adjusting the knife. He glanced past her to see that the trees thinned up ahead as he saw the village in the distance.

“The man-thing was in our territory, stealing our water. No one touches our water.” She growled again as he watched her fox-like ears stick up and swivel around independently. He could almost imagine the woman had a sneer on her face as they neared the village.

“So your village claims all the water in the river as long as it’s in your territory? So have you killed all the animals that drink from it? And the birds?”

Inu didn’t respond, as he pointed out the difficulty in claiming all the water. As they neared the village, Troy was able to see how simple it was. A wooden palisade surrounded it, allowing for two gates at opposite ends of the village. There looked to be about a dozen huts, with one of them being larger and more central than the others. The huts seemed to be sturdily constructed of large logs, and provide enough room for perhaps two or three people.

Once they passed through the gate, they kept walking toward the largest hut, which seemed to have precedence over the rest of them. Troy imagined that this must be where their leader lived.

The village seemed peaceful. The sun was high in the sky at this point, as he felt the breeze and listened to the wind whistling through the trees. He could have imagined this being some hippie commune in the middle of South America, except for one thing: everyone he saw wasn’t exactly human, and he only saw women. They were walking around or sitting, but somehow they looked like they were mostly human with a feature or two of an animal.

As they passed one hut, off to the side was a woman sparing with a practice dummy. A sharp thud rang out as her spear struck the dummy as she delivered her strike.

What he noticed, though, was that she had a long black tail, cat-like ears, and dark hair. He wondered if she was a panther-girl. Her stance and fluidity as she was stabbing and striking reminded him of a cat. Other than the ears and tail, she was a gorgeous woman with long midnight hair in a messy ponytail.

Her form was good for her strikes, and she was very easy on the eyes as he watched her. After a moment, she turned to see what the commotion was. Troy smiled at her, but she just looked at him with a blank expression on her face.

“Release Inu…. Our leader wishes to speak with you,” the leader of their group said, while Troy contInued holding onto his blade.

“Only if you promise to release me after all of this with all my weapons. Otherwise I’m keeping a hold of her as insurance. I don’t want to hurt her,” he said in a stern voice. His grip tightening on Inu’s shoulder, and she let out a low-pitched growl at that.

“We agree, and no harm will come to you if you agree to release Inu,” the party leader said. She looked at the others, and they all nodded in agreement.

“Thank you,” Troy said as he released Inu and sheathed his knife, but didn’t fasten the holder. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice; he had to trust them at some point, if he wanted to negotiate.

As soon as he released Inu, she pulled away, running towards the leader of the group of the warriors and ducking behind her. From behind the large warrior, Inu pointed at him.

“Kill the man-thing, Misery!” Inu yelled. She was furious as only those who have been humiliated would be.

Before Troy could draw his knife from the sheath, the party leader turned her back on him to face Inu.

“Inu, silence. That is not your right to decide, and we keep our word. It’s up to Bella to decide if he’s immediately leaving our territory,” Misery said, her firm voice. Troy could feel her eyes on him as she glanced back at him.

Troy was glad that clearer heads were in charge, and the embarrassed fox-girl wouldn’t be able to have him killed out of hand.

Inu crossed her arms and said, “I say we shouldn’t bother. The man-thing stole from our stream.”

“Inu, go train. You have much to learn, especially after your display,” Misery said, her rough voice growing annoyed. “Keep walking, man-thing, and ignore Inu.”

“My name is Troy, alright? As I told her before, it’s Troy Thunder, not man-thing,” Troy said, letting a bit of his frustration and annoyance flavor his tone.

“Please follow me, Troy Thunder. Bella will want to speak to you.” Misery said, and she turned and continued walking towards the larger hut. He nodded and followed after her. Hopefully the village leader would be in a good mood about having a visitor.

As Troy followed along after Misery, he realized that all of the women were watching him. They stopped what they were doing and came out of their huts, staring at him like he was a freak. Troy kept quiet as they walked past them, as some of the women scoffed and went back into their huts. Throughout the whole walk, there wasn’t any sign of any men, only women.

Troy found this quite strange but he didn’t have much time to think about it before they stopped in front of the largest hut. Misery gestured for him to stay as she walked to the front door, which she proceeded to open. Holding the door, she motioned for him to enter, so he did.

Once inside, she shut the door. The large hut was strangely empty on the inside, featuring only a single large chair on the other side of the room. In the darkness, he could tell someone was sitting in it, but he couldn’t make out her features. As he waited for his eyes to adjust, he continued looking around the hut. There wasn’t much light coming in, which was why it took a moment for him to notice the bed hidden in the back corner.

Troy noticed a hearth off to the side. Just seeing the fire made the room feel even hotter as he began sweating. As his eyes finally adjusted to the low light, he raised an eyebrow as he turned back to the throne-like chair. The woman sitting there gave him a focused gaze as she looked him over. He returned the gaze, holding her eyes as he realized she was completely naked. Her eyes were a stormy gray, like clouds rolling over the ocean. She had the face of a supermodel, although she seemed older, possibly in her late thirties. Her beautiful eyes stared deep into his own and seemed to glow gently as the woman leaned forward.

Troy forced his eyes to stay on hers as her swaying breasts called for his attention. That was when he realized that her eyes reminded him of those of a predator. They gave him a feeling of what a wolf’s eyes might look like as it was ready to pounce on its next meal. Yet at the same time, her smile and demeanor softened the look. There was definitely steel behind her eyes that spoke of her willingness to do what was necessary for her people.

She rested her chin on her bare knuckles while she sat there, taking stock of him. When she spread her legs wide, Troy wasn’t able to stop his glance down to what she revealed. He forced his eyes back up, getting a good look at her pussy, her toned stomach, and her beautiful breasts. They looked firm and well rounded, with puffy, hard nipples. He licked his lips as the thought of what he’d like to do to them ran through his mind before his eyes reached her lovely face again. That’s when he realized she had long bunny ears lying on top of her head. The fur perfectly matched her hair, which is why he didn’t notice them before. She was a real bunny girl, and she was smirking at him as if she knew what was going through his mind.

“Misery, it’s good to see you returned. How was your hunting?” she said in a firm, elegant voice. It was unlike the others, and Troy found himself thinking her accent sounded almost Germanic. He grinned while his peripheral vision enjoyed the sight she was giving him.

“Bella, the hunt didn’t go as we planned. Inu found this man-thing… Troy Thunder, as he calls himself. He was drinking from the river in our territory when Inu found him,” Misery said as she bowed her head.

Troy added, “That’s when she immediately attacked me without warning or trying to talk at all.” He turned to look at Misery as she nodded, agreeing to the truth of his statement.

Standing so close, Troy finally got a better look at her. She was even taller than he’d thought – at least a foot taller than his six feet. Everything about Misery spoke of her physical power: muscular arms, toned legs and body. Aside from the horns and tail, she would have looked perfectly at home at a professional gym or on a national shot put team. Being this close also put the size of her breasts into perspective. She had the largest rack that Troy had ever seen. It looked almost comical, as it looked like she had a pair of watermelons attached to her chest under her top. Though given her size, they fit her perfectly, and Troy certainly wouldn’t be laughing if he got his hands on them.

Troy was wise enough not to say something stupid like, ‘Doesn’t that hurt your back?’ He kept quiet as he returned his gaze back at Bella.

“Hmm,” Bella said. “Well, I think you found something far more interesting. Please send the others back to the hunt. I would like to… examine this… Troy Thunder… for myself.” She grinned as she turned her sights back on Troy.

“But Bella, what if he tries to hurt you? He took down Inu with no effort, and held her hostage as insurance on the way back to the village. I should stay to make sure he doesn’t harm you.” Misery said, trying to keep a calm look, but concern filled her eyes as Bella raised her hand.

“It’ll be fine, Misery…. I don’t think the man-thing, Troy, is going to hurt me. Based on what you’ve said, if he’d wanted to, I’m sure he would have harmed me by now.” She smirked as she looked him over again.

“Are you going to hurt me, Troy Thunder?” Bella asked in a calm tone. It felt sensual to him somehow, and then she stood and walked over to him. She stopped just in front of him and caressed his cheek.

“What is your intent for being here in our territory?” She asked before licking her lips. Troy could feel those predatory eyes on him, conveying just how hungry she was for him.

Troy said calmly, “I don’t intend to hurt anyone. I just found myself here. I don’t even know where here is.” He spoke clearly, hoping Bella might help him and tell him where he was. He looked questioningly into her eyes. She smirked as she continued caressing his cheek and she stepped in closer. Her hard nipples swayed and almost touched his chest. Troy felt like she was trying to seduce him.

“See Misery, our lovely Troy has no plans to hurt me.” Bella calmly looked back at the buffalo woman, who nodded. Misery let out a grunt as turned and left the hut, leaving the two of them alone.

“Thank you for being so forebearing in your treatment. I’m sorry about my girls. They’ve never met a man-thing before,” Bella said as she turned around. Her hips swayed, calling to his eyes, as she walked back to her seat. She sat down, getting comfortable and spreading her legs again. He kept his focus on her face.

“I’m not a man-thing. I’m just a guy. How’s it possible they haven’t seen a man before? Do all of the women here have beast parts? Do you think of yourselves as beastgirls or monstergirls or just women?” he asked, finding himself more annoyed than he thought he’d be by being called a man-thing.

“Oh, I know, though most of the girls think a full man is simply a myth, so they weren’t able to identify you as a man. We use the general term of ‘man-thing’ to denote the most important aspect, as opposed to what kind of beast traits you may have. We think of ourselves as Amazonian women, first and foremost. Lily, the mother that began our village long ago, didn’t want us to focus on our beast traits, but rather on our solidarity as women, and she named us ‘Amazonian women’.” The seriousness of her tone and the look on her face were the only things keeping Troy from thinking she was making a joke.

“Would you care for a drink? I’ve got a special brew on the table.” She pointed over to the side, keeping a smirk on her face. Troy looked over at the table, not sure what to really say, but didn’t think it was the right time to drink, as he shook his head.

“Thanks, but no. So what is this place? And why is it that they've never met a man?” he asked. The craziness of the situation eclipsed even his desire to know where he was. The curious part of him, the one who wanted to know more, simply listened.

“Well, you are on the island of Ernom. Though we are sure it has gone by many names before. I like Ernom a bit more, and it is good enough for our simple tribe. As for why it’s been a long time since any have seen a man-thing…. There hasn’t been a man on the island for nearly twenty-five years. The last one, Hanz, died around that time, and none of his children were male. The girls don’t remember him because the children were kept away from him. He had a temper in his old age,” Bella said calmly as she got comfortable.

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that,” Troy said, raising an eyebrow as he thought about a village filled with only women. “Though this still leaves a few questions – like why you all have a few animal features.” He watched Bella closely, trying to get some sense of her as she talked. Everything he could read gave him the impression that she was answering honestly and openly.

“I’m afraid I don’t have the answer to that,” she replied with a shrug. “It’s just how we were born. Though I’m sure the women of my village find you just as funny-looking as you find us.” She smirked, biting the tip of her finger.

He grinned back. “I don’t believe ‘funny’ is quite the word I’d use in describing any of you.” Troy wasn’t sure what else to say, so he remained silent after the long pause.

“So, how did you end up on our island? I know you’re not a native,” Bella asked while leaning back. Troy let out a sigh and told her about the events that lead him to the island and to the river where Inu had attacked him.

“I see – so you’re trapped,” she said, simply looking at him.

“Yeah, in a sense, but I’m hopeful that help will arrive eventually.” Troy figured Chandler would have some contingencies set up in case he ever went missing. After all, a lost hot-shot billionaire would hit all the news feeds. He was sure it would be on the six o’clock news and everyone’s social media feeds.

When a normal person went missing, no one noticed. Unfortunately Troy was firmly in that category. No one would be looking for him. But he was sure a search-and-rescue team would be searching for Jack Chandler and would arrive in no time.

Bella nodded while she raised her arm.

“Well, if that’s the case, please stay in our lovely village.” She smirked, looking towards him. “Though we expect you to help – just because you are our guest doesn’t mean you can laze around.” She giggled, looking at him and thinking about what ‘work’ he might get up to. Her giggling turned into a sensual chuckle while she got up. She walked over and caressed his shoulder.

“I can do that,” Troy replied. “I’m not the kind of man who would sit around doing nothing.”

“Hmm, that’s good to know. However, I have a simple question. What would you do if you can’t get off our wonderful island?”

Now that had been a question Troy hadn’t thought about. He opened his mouth, ready to say something, though he found no ready answer as he simply went quiet. He didn’t want to go down that path yet. There was still plenty of time for him to be rescued.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out in the long run, but for now… we’ll have to make special arrangements, plus a bit of protection.” She tapped his chest with her hand. Her long rabbit’s ears seemed to twitch as she turned back towards her throne. He wondered if she was trying to show off her ass on purpose because of the way she moved. He had to agree that her rump was worth showing off as it bounced at each movement.

“We’ll have a banquet and see who might host you for a time. It would just be until you’re rescued or we can figure out where we can provide you more adequate shelter.” Her tone softened a bit as she clapped her hands.

“Sola, please present yourself? I know you’ve been watching, my dear.”

There was a moment’s pause when, without warning, a woman appeared from the shadows. She too wore a loincloth and top. She was petite in height and build, with a toned body and a narrow waist, like all the other women he’d seen so far. She had short dark hair in a bob, but her eyes captured his attention. They were dark gold, with slit irises that looked very reptilian.

She looked towards Bella before she asked, “Yess, Lady Bella? How might I help you?” She glanced back and forth between Bella and him. Troy noticed that her skin had a bit of a scaled complexion, and when she spoke, her tongue stuck out, revealing it was forked at the tip. She moved with grace, although he thought he heard a bit of a rattle when she stepped forward out of the shadows. As he looked more closely at her skin, he noticed the diamond patterns etched into it. He couldn’t tell if it was tattooed or if she was really scaled.

“Sola, I want you to show our new guest around. You and Misery shall be… protecting him for the time being. Make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble.”

Bella gave him a wide smile as Sola nodded, looking over towards him.

“Hello. I am Ssola,” she said, showing more of her lisp.

Troy nodded and thought about saying he was fine and didn’t need any protection. He decided that declining Bella’s offer might offend her. It would also be good to have them help him acclimate to his new environment, so he decided it was better to accept it with grace.

“Nice to meet you, Sola. Call me Troy,” he said simply, imagining that she would try calling him man-thing far too much if he didn’t tell her his name.

“Hello, Troy. It’ss an honor to meet you.” She nodded her head with her greeting as she moved in closer to him. The way her body swayed as she moved reminded him of a rattlesnake as he raised an eyebrow.

“Sola, make sure his presence doesn’t cause any trouble. You know how some of our villagers can get a little… excited. Let Misery know about her duties when she returns from hunting.” Bella smirked as she sat back down on her throne. “Show him around and introduce him to all the girls. See if we have some clothes he might be able to use, and maybe a bath? He smells like the sea.” She licked her lips at that, and Sola nodded.

“Ass you wish, Lady Bella.” Sola moved, taking his hand to lead him. She smiled wide, revealing sharp teeth, as she led him out of the hut.

Bella sat there watching as they left, a big smile on her face. She would be ready for the night and had preparations to make.

“Prepare yourself, Troy Thunder, because I have a feeling you will be here for a very long time. I believe we’ll be able to make you forget about leaving or being rescued within a few nights.” She chuckled as she imagined what the tribe would do with such a fine specimen of a man. It had been so very long since any of them had seen – much less felt the touch of – a man. Hopefully, this one would be staying with them for a very long time.

As soon as they were outside, Sola pulled him close. These monster girls didn’t have much of an idea about personal space. Troy grappled with his reaction as the snake woman’s body was so close to him, and her eyes were focused on him, with a slight smirk on her face.

“Which would you care to have firsst, Troy? A bath… or new clothess?” she asked.

There was something about the way her lisp sounded. It felt sensual somehow, but he tried not to think too deeply about it. Pushing his mind on the question, a hot bath sounded nice. His skin felt dry and crusty, especially after being in the ocean and sweating so much climbing the cliff. He chuckled when he thought of those old movies where the hero found himself in a pot of boiling hot water, prepared to be the tribe’s next meal.

“I think some new clothes should be the first thing we get, but a bath following that would be wonderful.” He stepped back and motioned with his hand for her to lead the way.

“Ass you wissh; we’ll vissit Frey,” Sola said with a nod, and soon they headed off towards another hut. It was the farthest one off to the right. He followed close behind Sola, raising an eyebrow. He stared at the way her ass swayed for a moment, but reminded himself to stay professional. He needed to keep focus and figure out everything he could about this village and the island.

It seemed like it only took a moment to reach the hut. Maybe he’d been a bit too focused on her ass while they walked there. Sola reached over, knocking on the door.

“Frey, we have ssomeone here that needss a fressh sset of clothess. It'ss the man-thing, who callss himsself Troy.” Sola’s voice was drawn out as she looked back at him. She smirked while her tongue flickered out again, tasting the air before licking her lips. He grinned as a part of him found her tongue very hot, especially its length.

The door opened up and revealed the cat girl that he’d seen training when they’d walked into the village. She had the face of an angel, with long black hair that went down to her waist. Cat-like ears sat atop her head, flickering. She had an ample chest. Her top did a better job displaying her cleavage and titties than hiding them. She looked at him with dark emerald eyes as she put on a wide smile.

“Troy….” She rolled his name around her mouth before she grinned even wider. “Troy, welcome. It is wonderful to have a man-thing in our village. I’ve been hearing so much about you!”

“I’ve only been here a few mInutes, and my reputation has already preceded me, huh? Sounds like a small town.”

Frey grabbed his arm, and with almost unnatural strength, pulled him right into the hut. He stumbled forward as he looked around. Various bits of animal skins filled the interior. A bed made of furs, with fresh straw underneath, stood off to the side. She looked over at him before turning back to look at Sola.

“Why don’t you join us, Sola?” she asked the snake woman as she turned to examine Troy. “Troy, please take your clothes off. I want to get a better look at you, so I can correctly size your clothes.”

He looked back and forth between the two hot women. “Well… could we have a bit more privacy?” Not that he didn’t mind stripping, but they looked at him like they were about to eat him. He decided it would be best if he only had to deal with one of them if he was getting naked. The cat-like woman stared at him like he was dessert, her tail swaying back and forth looking even more like a cat.

“Oh sorry – Sola, please leave. I forget that some people like privacy,” Frey said with some excitement while Sola looked annoyed.

“Fine, but I will wait outsside,” Sola muttered. Clearly she had wanted to get a peek, but she did as she was told. As she headed outside, Frey’s eyes turned back to Troy; they sparkled as she gave him all of her attention.

“Alright, she’s gone now. Strip,” the cat woman said, a big smile filling her face. Her voice sounded positively giddy at the idea.

Troy raised an eyebrow, finding she was way too excited to get him out of his clothes, but he still grinned back at her. Troy wasn’t ashamed of his body and didn’t mind showing it off. He simply nodded as he removed his shirt, revealing his muscular chest, with scars running down his body. Years of fighting, and various incidents from his work, had taken a toll on him, leaving visible signs of what he’d endured. This included a few round ones on his chest which had been very close calls. As he took off the shirt, he thought he heard a faint purring sound.

He tossed his shirt to the side, letting it land on the chair that sat in the corner. Troy could feel Frey’s eyes on him, like a house cat ready to pounce. Troy chuckled to himself as he took his pants off next, dropping them to the ground and kicking them aside. He stayed in his underwear, finding the situation a bit ironic. After all, the girl should have to buy him dinner if she was going to get the full show. He grinned as he saw her looking stunned, her eyes wide as her tail excitedly swished back and forth. It was nice to have an effect on her.

He stood there in only his underwear for a long moment before he slowly turned around, showing his scarred body and muscular tone. While he was pale under all the clothes, his honed muscles and strength were easy to see.

Frey’s eyes widened, as she stared at him longer than he expected. Troy almost thought she was drooling before she looked away. She looked embarrassed by her actions as she took a deep breath and rubbed her chest over her heart.

“Wow,” she muttered with her mouth hanging open. A feeling sparked inside of her that immediately warmed and made her tingle as she looked at the man.

Of course this was the first time she had ever seen a man-thing. His build and muscle were not like the others in the village, and she deeply wanted to feel his body. As he turned around, his broad back, lean hips and tight ass caught her attention. She bit her lip as she imagined rubbing her whole body against him. She had the desire to touch, taste, and experience every part of him, and she blushed as he turned back around to see the fire in her eyes.

Troy stood there, watching the way her face and intensity underscored her desire for him, and he grinned, enjoying the attention. He was used to having women check him out, whether it was at the gym or on the dance floor. Those nights out he could normally pick up a girl, have his fun with her, and leave her at the end of the night. Yet the sight of this woman, who looked like she was ready to pounce on him, gave him a thrill of excitement.

Quickly he shook his head, reminding himself he was in a new territory and needed to keep his wits about him. He needed to find out as much as he could about this island, and be prepared when the rescue team came. He reminded himself that the goal was to get off the island and back to civilization.

Not that a bit of fun wouldn’t be nice, though….

In the end Troy gave Frey a confident smile, mirroring her intensity. He could almost see the way she shuddered at that smile. He could tell that she was rubbing her thighs together and squirming. As her body twisted, he could tell how turned on she was, yet he didn’t want to give into his own desires. He forced his mind down the well-worn paths of thinking about baseball, and multiplication tables. It would have been better if he didn’t have a boner while in just his underwear, and with Sola outside.

Troy imagined the snake woman would run in here if she heard any suspicious noises and she might even stab him without waiting to assess the situation. He didn’t intend to be a stiff corpse or have a boner through this.

“Well, now that I’m exposed, what do you need me to do? Normally I’d have a girl buy me dinner before I drop all my clothes, or at least expect her to do the same.”

Troy smirked, putting on the charm. It had worked in the past to seduce a girl or two. He needed to get more information and make an ally. If there was one thing he learned in his lifetime, it was to always try to make a stranger a friend. When you did, they would be there to help you out in a sticky situation, rather than walking by and minding their own business.

Charming her was easy because not only was his body reacting to her beauty, but he was intrigued by her exoticness. The way she was blushing and lusting for him was really turning him on, too.

Frey quickly darted her eyes away as he saw her coming over to him. She bent over just in front of him. For a moment he felt a rush of desire as he thought she might be focusing on his rapidly-hardening cock. Unfortunately, she focused on the clothes on the floor. Her tail swayed back and forth as she grabbed his pants. Her eyes darted to him and he saw another blush, before she resolutely focused on the cloth. She started looking over it, seeing every stitch, as she tried to understand how it was woven. Her eyes shone brightly as she stared at it, excitement spreading across her face as she turned to him with utter amazement.

“This is amazing. How was this done? Who made it?” Frey said, her tail swishing around as she was examining his pants, taking in every detail. Troy raised an eyebrow and chuckled at how intensely she was trying to figure it out. It seemed strange the way she was obsessing over his pants. She kept moving her hands over the material, trying to stretch it and spread it apart so she could better see the weave.

“What did they use to keep the seams together? This doesn’t seem like silk. It’s amazing.” She started pulling the material harder, like she was trying to rip it apart, but it resisted. She bit her lips, passion and confusion battling in her eyes as she continued focusing on the pants.

In frustration at not understanding the material, she said, “They don’t rip apart… How is that possible? Seriously, you have to tell me. Where did you get these? Who made these amazing things?” She turned and looked up at him with large questioning eyes, while Troy could only rub the back of his head.

“Well, I bought them at a store, not really sure how it was made. Sorry, not much of a seamstress,” he answered calmly, while she looked at him.

“A seamstress? Interesting…. It’ll take me time to try to create something like this…. Can I keep these? I wanna study them,” she asked, her eyes pleading with him. Her hand grabbed the zipper, pulling it up and down. He smiled at the excitement on her face. Then his eyes were drawn to the way her firm breasts moved, swayed, and bounced.

Damn….

Troy had to think of something else and avert his eyes. He was having enough trouble keeping his lower body in check.

“Sure… but the underwear stays with me. So, what can you make for me to wear while you are examining my pants?” Troy said while Frey looked around.

“Sure, no problem. Here, let me make you something quickly.” She turned and grabbed some of her animal skins as she started. She first examined him, feeling his body as she measured him. Her hands grabbed his muscles, squeezing them, as she was getting the best idea.

“Going to take a bit of work, but I can do it,” she said as her hand reached down, giving his ass a squeeze. He looked at her, eyeing her smirk as she rubbed his thighs. It was a struggle for him not to pop a stiffy right then. But he managed to keep his cock in check, although it desperately wanted to stand proud at attention.

“Go ahead and get comfortable. Have a seat on the bed. It’ll take a little bit,” she said, while turning around to focus on the furs. He turned, sitting down, and raised an eyebrow.

“So… what can you tell me about the village or the island?” He realized it was a really general question. But it was small talk, and there was so much he didn’t know. It had been the first question to come to mind, though it didn’t seem like Frey had taken notice of that. She looked at him with a wide smile, reminding him of the Cheshire Cat’s grin as she tilted her head.

“Been here my whole life. Born and raised by the tribe, like everyone else in the village,” she answered. She looked back down at her furs, letting the work speak for itself as she examined the various furs around her. At different points she paused, thinking of what might be best to use.

Troy had lots of questions in his mind, but in the end, he could only watch as she worked. After a few minutes, she reached around and grabbed a stone hammer. It was small enough that it wouldn’t have been able to pierce human skin or even leave much of a bruise. He wondered what she was going to do with it. For some reason he envisioned her using it like a tattoo pen where she’d put ink on it and inject it into his skin.

But as she moved over to the edges of the furs, giving quick downward strikes, he thought she must be doing some kind of sewing without the thread. She embedded it into the furs and leather, following along what would be the seam. It didn’t make sense to Troy because it should just pull apart easily when she was done. He shrugged as he gave up trying to understand how it would work.

“So what is it like?” Frey asked in return. Troy raised his eyebrow, wondering what she meant. She hadn’t given him enough information so in the end, he responded, “What is what like?”

“The outside world? I’ve spent my whole life in the village. I’ve always wondered what it’s like beyond the island.” She was quick to answer with a cheerful tone of voice as she continued working on his clothes.

“Oh, well, it’s quite a bit more advanced than this village. There are lots of buildings, large cities, and more people than you could ever count or remember.”

“Is that so?” She turned around with her eyes widened, as a thought came over her. “What about the clothes? I mean, you’re wearing something so fancy, and different.” she asked, pointing over to his button-down shirt.

“Well, my clothes are a bit more different. We normally wear t-shirts or regular pants. The material is mostly made by machines that get the weave incredibly tight and consistent.”

“Fascinating – I might have you describe those to me.” She looked giddy at the thought as she reached over and pulled away what looked like a long loincloth.

“Here, try this out.” She walked it over to him, stopping within inches of the bed to smile down at him as she held out the garment. Troy caught a tropical scent, realizing she smelled like wild berries.

“Well, try it out. Come on,” Frey said. She looked even more giddy as she bounced on her toes in anticipation, like she was about to spring out of her top. Troy nodded and stood, finding they were almost touching as she excitedly looked at him. He took the garment and began wrapping it around him, over his underwear. He tucked the end of the piece in and stood there for a moment. He was a bit surprised that the loin cloth held and didn’t unravel. It was tight, but fit fine. As he looked down for a moment, he couldn’t help but feel like he was cosplaying as Tarzan at this point.

“Hm, how about a shirt? I mean, not that I don’t mind the look.”

“Oh, I think you look perfect. I’ll get it started on it but that should do for now…. Sorry, never really made a top for someone like you.” Frey tilted her head with a smile as she grabbed his arm, giving it a firm squeeze. Troy could tell she was a touchy-feely person. Right as he was wondering if this was going to turn into something, she turned away, making a beeline for his shirt on the floor.

“Well, I appreciate it. I wouldn't mind a shirt, especially when it gets colder.” Troy said.

She nodded as she picked up the shirt and started obsessing over it, like she had with the pants. She seemed a bit more thoughtful as she used the buttons.

“I don’t mind… come by anytime. I would love to hear more about what clothes your land has. Also, to pick up your… shirt.” She turned around and bounced on her toes again, jouncing her titties as her loincloth revealed more of her tight ass. It seemed like the woman was ready for so much more, and he found himself speechless as he reined in his thoughts. It sounded like an invitation, but either she was being really coy or she was just that innocent.

“I’ll stop in and check on your progress, and maybe we can talk more too.” He wasn’t fully sure how his time in the village was going to work out. He didn’t really care about the clothes he wore. He just wanted to wear what was expected of him. It sounded like the Tarzan apparel would work. He chuckled as he thought about the change of going from wearing a suit every day to just a loincloth.

Maybe I should work on my Tarzan yell….

“Alright, I’ll be working on your new clothes. Have fun with whatever else,” Frey said as she turned back to the various animal skins.

He nodded as her response confirmed what he was thinking. She just was that innocent and didn’t know anything about men or how to act around them. It made sense, but put all the responsibility on him.

It appeared it was going to be an interesting day. He was in a village full of beautiful monster girls, and he was the only guy.

Yep. This will either go really well or really poorly. Here’s hoping for really well.

He stepped out, the sun hitting his eyes as he squinted. He hadn’t realized how dark it had been in the hut. He had to take a moment adjusting to the sun.

Troy took a few steps before he stopped and enjoyed the sun for a moment. He realized he wasn’t going to ask for his clothes back. His loincloth felt a bit weird, but he figured that feeling would go away pretty quickly. A breeze sent some air through the gaps, causing him to shiver. He chuckled as he thought that it might take him longer than he anticipated to get used to wearing the thing. But for now it would do. With his leather shoes still on, he must look quite the sight.

Sola stood there looking at him. Her eyes widened as she stared at him. She was taking in every inch of him, observing his scarred and muscular body . Like a predator finding her prey, the snake woman looked at him hungrily.

“Sso, did you get what you need?” she said, though Troy noticed her cheeks turning bright red. It was interesting, because he thought he heard the shaking of a rattle coming from her.

“Yeah, it looks like it. So what else do we have on the list?” he asked while adjusting himself a bit more. He felt another cool breeze run through the gaps in the loincloth.

Sola turned and started walking, so he followed alongside her. As they walked, he heard gasps from some of the villagers when they saw him. Sola looked over her shoulder, giving them the evil eye. Troy just smiled and kept walking.

“Yeah, so what's the next thing on the list?” Troy asked again.

“It’ss to get you cleaned up for tonight.” Her voice was soft, and she drew out each syllable as she glanced at him.

“Um sure, let’s do that… Where would that be?” he asked, keeping his voice as soft as hers. Sola nodded with her head, turning around.

“Follow me,” Her voice hissed out in her sultry voice.

He chuckled as they walked back the way they’d come. He followed her carefully, trying not to focus too much on her swaying ass.

He could still feel the eyes of the other villagers on him, but he didn’t look around to see who was there. Those that were walking around seemed to stare at him as they passed. He tried to shrug it off, since he knew most of them hadn’t seen a man before, but he still felt a bit like a piece of meat.

He passed by one of the women who was a bit more direct in meeting his eyes and smiling. She had the ears, tails and antlers of a deer woman. He grinned as he admired both of her racks, which were equally impressive. As he passed her, her top accidentally slipped down, giving him an even more-impressive view. She quickly realized what had happened, and blushed so red that he was sure it was really an accident. She reached down quickly, picking it up and rushing off.

Troy followed Sola for a few more moments as he saw a small fenced-in area that she led him to through a side opening.

“This is a private spring. Please wash and clean yourself up. Tonight we’ll prepare you for the big feast.”

“Sure thing… What's the celebration for?” he asked, more curious as he followed Sola along a path into the trees.

“We’re celebrating a good year of hunting. It’ss alssso the celebration of the founding of the tribe by thosse who came before uss,” Sola said. The trees opened onto a small clearing where he saw the spring. The place was empty beside the two of them, and she smirked, walking over to the water.

“You can come here asss you much ass you wissh. I would be careful though, because the treess only give the impression that ‘s secluded. I’m ssure that you will be watched by the otherss when you come here,” she said. She dipped her foot into the water and grinned back at him.

Troy raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Didn’t think I would be so popular.”

“For many of us, you are the firsst man-thing we’ve ever sseen. I’m ssure that it will be interesting how the others might react. The water’ss wonderful. I’d join you, but I have much to do before tonight. Rest and relax. I’ll be back later to get you,” she said as she looked him over once more before she left.

Once she was out of sight, Troy stripped and slowly stepped into the water. It was a soothing cool that still caused him to shiver, but he slowly lowered himself into it. After all, he had agreed to take a bath, and this was so much better than that. The water from the spring overflowed to create a small creek, which meandered away from the village.

Just before he sat down in the water, he heard a gasp and a giggle. He chuckled and sat down anyway. The cool water felt wonderful, pulling the heat and sweat from him and relieving his aching muscles. He lay back with a heavy sigh, sinking deep into the water. He just lay there, enjoying the soothing coolness and relaxing.

At some point, Troy looked up, noticing black smoke in the sky. He wondered what it could be from. It wasn’t enough to really bring him out of his sense of enjoyment, though. He slowly washed himself, keeping his mind and body relaxed.

Chapter Three

Before Troy realized it, it was dusk, and Sola was standing at the side of the spring watching him with a big smile on her face. It took a few moments for Troy to shake himself out of his fugue and stand up to walk out of the spring. Sola didn’t say anything; she just watched, eying him like he was dessert for the upcoming feast. Troy chuckled as he slipped on his underwear and loincloth, wondering if really he was going to be dessert. It took a moment more to fasten his knife sheath to his thigh.

The two walked down the dirt path back to the village. The air felt thick with humidity, and the unbridled heat of the day was just starting to diminish. Having just come from the spring, Troy still felt cool even in the heat, at least for the moment. He imagined it wouldn’t be long before he was sweating up a storm.

Sola still wasn’t saying anything. She seemed to be keeping an eye on their surroundings and on him, making sure she was ready for anything. He noticed that she didn’t seem affected by the heat, and a part of him guessed it was because she had lived in the jungle all her life and was used to it. Another part of him imagined it was because of her serpent heritage.

They returned to the village, walking through the clustered huts. Troy was curious about how many women lived in this village. How long had they been surviving out here? Did they ever go outside their territory? Sola’s watchfulness underscored the danger the villagers felt, even in their home. As a former security guard, he didn’t want to let his guard down either, as his fingers reached down and touched his Ka-Bar knife. He knew it was always better to be prepared and ready for danger. Life gave very few second chances. He glanced at Sola again, and then looked at another woman just outside her hut. Something about the place felt good – like he belonged here and could trust these women.

There were far worse places to be stranded than a village full of gorgeous monster girls.

He just needed to stay alert and see what he could find out, while still hopefully having some fun. There was a part of him that knew things could still end badly, but Troy was going to give it his best shot.

As they got closer to the center of the village, the smell of cooked pork caused his stomach to growl. He hadn’t eaten all day, and his stomach was reminding him – loudly. He not only felt hungry, he felt like he could eat a horse.

“Hmm, smells good,” he said.

“Yess, Alora can cook a fine meal when sshe is given the right ingredientss. Thiss time sshe brought out all the sstopss,” Sola replied, while they contInued walking.

In the center of the village, a very long table had been set up, and it was full of food. There looked to be about a dozen women hovering around the table, waiting to eat. The sight of all that food made Troy’s mouth water, but he kept his cool as they headed over to join the group. The food caught his eye even more than the beautiful women; it looked amazing, with so many vibrant colors that he could hardly describe them. If it tasted half as good as it looked, he could see himself stuffing himself silly.

On the far side of the clearing, past the table, was another group of women. He grinned as Sola directed him toward them, and he recognized a few of them. Misery, Inu, and Frey were sitting together, and each of them held a different expression as he walked up to them.

Misery looked bored, with her head resting on her fist as she waited. Frey was looking over the shirt he’d let her borrow, apparently still obsessing over the stitching. Inu… she looked like she was ready to stab him. Her hand was gripping her spear tightly, and she frowned and bared her teeth when she met Troy’s gaze. Troy chuckled and shook his head. Somehow he thought it looked kinda cute… in its own twisted way.

Everyone’s heads turned, so Troy looked to see what was going on. That’s when Bella stepped out of her hut. She was wearing a fine leopard skin robe that was long enough to cover her body. As she walked forward, the sound of drums came alive, punctuating each of her steps. Her hips swayed with the rhythm of the drum beats like she was an exotic dancer. She shook out her hair as she walked, looking wild and sexy and drawing everyone’s gaze.

As she reached the table, she struck a pose, and the drums stopped. She held the pose for a moment before relaxing and looking around. She let her gaze rest on each person of the tribe for a moment before turning to linger on Troy. Her sensual red lips curled into a smile.

“Today, we honor the anniversary of when our tribe was created, and we celebrate a wonderful hunt. It appears the great gods are smiling upon us.” Bella looked around at all of them, making sure that everyone felt included. Each of them gave her their unbridled attention as they looked with honor and respect towards their leader, their queen.

Once again she stopped her gaze on Troy and watched him in a way that felt like it was piercing his very soul.

“Yet tonight is not just to celebrate that. For tonight, it appears the Gods have given us a truly magnificent gift. For the first time in over twenty-five years, a man-thing has arrived in the flesh from the outside world.” Bella’s eyes never left him as she gave him a seductive grin. It only took Troy a moment to realize that the rest of the tribe were watching him like a pack of hungry animals ready for their next meal. He wondered how this was going to work and what their expectations might be.

I’m not opposed to having some fun….

“He is our guest. We should make him comfortable for the time being. So tonight we celebrate and make him feel like he is one of us! Hopefully he’ll be a part of our village for a very long time. However, he still hopes to be rescued, so for now, he’ll be our guest.” She bolstered her voice, showing her strength and excitement. All of the women roared in their shared excitement and agreement, while Troy simply watched them with a smile.

“So who will allow our guest to stay with them tonight? For now, we’d like a different woman to host him for a time, so that he might be able to get to know each of us.” She wagged her eyebrows and added, “Hopefully in a very intimate way, but you’ll be able to work that out between the two of you… or not.” The tension ratcheted up as the tribe of all women looked at each other.

Troy could tell they all wanted to say something, but none of them were wanting to go first. There was a moment when he felt like they were about to battle each other.

“I volunteer!” Misery said, excitedly as she raised her hand. When she realized how she had reacted, she composed herself, clearing her throat and collecting herself.

“I mean… I shall host Troy, Lady Bella. After all, I am the strongest one in the tribe.” She eyed the other women, almost daring them to challenge her for the first night. Troy couldn’t help raising an eyebrow at how Misery had done that. The rest of the women looked at her and went silent. It was as if none of them dared to challenge the buffalo woman, and since that decision was made, they weren’t sure what to do. Misery looked at each of them with a smile before looking towards Troy for a long moment.

Bella nodded. “Very well. Misery shall host our fine guest for a bit. I’m sure she will show him every respect and care while he stays. For those that would like to host Troy on another evening, please see me later and we’ll come up with a schedule.” She looked around and didn’t see any questions, so she sat down.

Everyone followed suit and sat down to eat. Silence settled over the gathering, and Troy felt like there was more to this. He didn’t mind being hosted by different women, and it would give him the opportunity to talk with each one individually.

Troy took some of the food and began eating. Flavor blasted him the moment the food touched his tongue. He couldn’t help the hmms of delight he made as he savored every bite. It was like taking a bite into a steak from a five-star restaurant, and he couldn’t get enough of it. The seasoning seemed perfect, and he enjoyed every morsel.

“I see you’re enjoying your meal,” Misery said as she looked at him. He glanced back at her and nodded. For the first time, he really got a good look at the woman’s face. She was beautiful, with a slight button nose, and her eyes were the type of gray that matched an oncoming storm. Her smile brightened her whole face, making it that much more attractive.

“It is,” Troy said. “My compliments to the chef.”

“It was a group effort, taking the hard work and help of the entire tribe,” she said simply. She looked to be taking his compliments pretty seriously.

“Fair, I don’t think I’ve had something as good as this in a long time.”

“Hmm, interesting. Very interesting. I’d have thought you’d have been used to much more fancy food than what we’ve made. Though, we take care and pride in what we make,” she said, while Troy nodded.

“Well, I can agree with that. So, I’ll be staying with you for the time being… which one is your hut?” Troy asked, carefully trying to read her response to understand some of her expectations. It seemed like the buffalo woman was more serious than jubilant as she pointed off to the right side at one of the larger ones.

“You’ll be staying there. I’ll watch out for you. Just to make sure there’s no trouble,” Misery said while she sat by him. He bounced as he felt the bench rock. He nodded, though found it odd she would volunteer as the rest of them looked like they were about to jump into it. He wasn’t getting the vibe that she was looking forward to any intimate interactions.

“No problem. I’ll be on my best behavior,” he said. He wondered what her expectations were, although he knew he wouldn’t try anything funny. He was a professional and a good guy. There’d be time to find out if she was interested in him, and they might have some fun.

Part of him thought back to when he and some of his former coworkers were talking shit about what they would do if they were stranded on an island with only women. Most of it was well… guy talk. Yet now he was living in a real-life scenario, and it seemed otherworldly. The women at the table continued eating and talking. While he listened to them talking to each other, he went back to eating,

“So, do you have any rules for your place?” Troy asked Misery, figuring it would be better to ask now rather than to screw up later and find out the hard way.

“Don’t do anything stupid. You do, and I’ll have to break your arm,” Misery said simply as she hinted at a smile. Troy wasn’t sure if this was her flirting or threatening…. He’d take it as both by the way she smirked and went back to eating.

After everyone was mostly finished eating, someone lit an enormous bonfire in the middle of the village. The ladies that had finished eating jumped up and ran over to it. A few of them started playing the drums and the rest started dancing. Troy continued eating slowly as he got comfortable, so he could watch the woman dancing. They were quite the sight, as they were very enthusiastic as they danced. If he didn’t know better he’d have thought some of them were drunk. His eyes were glued to their movements, their curves, and the way they swayed their hips. They let out cries of excitement as they danced around the flames, looking more animalistic and wilder than the women he knew. They laughed, hugged and rubbed against each other, howling and singing as they danced.

Troy fell into a daze watching, when without warning, a woman with cat-like features stood beside him. He instantly realized it was Frey and looked up at her. She was giving him a soft smile.

“Would you care for some honey wine, Troy?” She held the glass bottle swirling the liquid inside back and forth, with a sensual smile. She moved in closer with two cups in her hand. Troy watched for a half second and nodded.

“Sure?” he said, questioning it, as she poured the liquid into a wooden cup. Troy looked at it for a second. Normally he didn’t drink – it led to so much trouble, especially if he was working. Then he reminded himself that he wasn’t on the job at this moment. He looked at the drink, watching how the golden liquid seemed to swirl in the cup as he lightly tilted his wrist back and forth. That was when he made his decision and took a drink.

Troy tilted his head back, as he let the drink wash down his throat. The drink was sweet and refreshing – it reminded him of mead. He felt it enter his system and, after a minute, he put down the cup. Troy let out a refreshed sigh as he shook his head. It was definitely better than beer. Sure, it wasn’t something he would normally drink, but when someone offered you a beverage as good as this one, there was no way he was going to reject it.

Frey watched him, clearly curious about his thoughts on the drink. She rubbed her hands together, almost nervously.

“Thanks… Frey. I appreciate it,” he said. Her tail swished as she sat down by him. He noticed she still had his pants resting around her shoulders.

“You’re very welcome. These pants – they’re magnificent, by the way. I think with a bit of time, I might be able to make my own version, though of course the quality won’t be as good as these,” she said. Her warm smile reached her eyes, causing them to twinkle as she focused intently on him.

“Hey, if it helps you, then that’s great. I’m sure you’ll do a good job making your own version,” he said. When he leaned back, a couple of dancing women caught his eye. They couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other. The way they moved their hips back and forth, swaying their bodies, added a bounce. The women seemed to watch each other like they were the only two people in existence. The soft smiles on their faces and their focus as they rubbed up against each other made it seem like they were intimately sharing themselves. Their breasts pushed together as they moved with the drums’ rhythm. It was a combination of erotic dancing and pure beauty.

Troy couldn’t help but watch every second of it. One of them was tall, and Troy thought she might be a bear-girl because she had small fuzzy ears with dark brown hair and a small fuzzy tail. The other one looked more mouse-like with larger ears atop her head. She had long and wavy light brown hair. They squealed and laughed out loud as they enjoyed dancing together.

“I see you’ve taken notice of Leso and Bria.”

“Leso… Bria?” he asked, finding himself not sure if he should have a laugh or groan. He could almost hear the pun in their names.

“Careful… they get a little jealous if someone looks at the other one a bit too much. I think one other girl looked at Les too long…. Misery had to put her arm back in place.” Frey paused, as she was trying to remember who it was, but finally shook her head, as it was a distant memory.

Troy paused before shrugging. Of course many of the women would have already partnered with other women. They all weren’t anxiously waiting for him to wash up on their island so they could know the touch of a man. He still felt like everything seemed to be surreal, almost like he was in a dream. A little of that dream seemed to have shifted. That’s when Frey grabbed his hand. She had gotten up and gave him a big smile as she pulled him off the bench and onto his feet.

“Come join me. We should celebrate!” she said excitedly with her Cheshire smile as she moved in close. She stared up at him, her big wide eyes waiting for his response.

“I mean, sure.” He couldn’t reject a lady offering him a dance. He was born in the south, and his southern pride wouldn’t allow him to reject such an offer. As she pulled him along to the bonfire, he could hear her laughter.

When they were close to the bonfire, he felt the heat of the flames pushing against him. Frey laughed even louder and stripped her top off, waving it around as she started bouncing to the rhythm. Troy was shocked as she completely captivated his attention. Revealed in all their naked glory, her firm breasts bounced as she moved her hips. He could feel her joy and excitement as she danced, and her body swayed with the rhythm of the beating drums. He stood there, amazed, as he watched her exuberance for life, and he didn’t care that he was staring at her. She let out another joyful yell and turned her attention on him as she moved in closer.

Her body took on a pure erotic form as she twisted and turned, almost glowed with passion as he felt her get in closer. Her scent and the smell of wild berries washed over him as she danced next to him. It took everything in Troy not to get an obvious erection by the panther woman.

With the sounds of the drums going off, his heart raced faster as he joined her dance. He focused on her as she spun around, her tail whipping through the air as she raised her hands. She was like an exotic belly dancer. Her hips were hypnotic as she moved in closer, making sure they touched before dancing back a bit. Her pearly white teeth were sharp and deadly as they were displayed in her wide smile. She moved in closer, continuing to brush him with her hands and breasts. Her tits bounced, demanding his attention as Troy moved with the motions. The high of the music and the dancing hit him hard, and he felt the drink also start to affect him.

The night went on as the bonfire slowly died out, and many of the villagers returned to their huts. Troy had danced primarily with Frey, but at one point she had pulled in others to dance with Troy. He ended up dancing with five of the tribal women, and during short breaks, talked to a few of them. Needless to say, he drank a bit too much, but it was fun, and everyone was in high spirits. He switched to water so he could enjoy the night more.

By the end, he was surprised that Frey wasn’t to be found when the celebration finally quieted down. Misery was waiting for him, so he followed her back to her hut. The extra hours of dancing after switching to water meant that Troy was sober as he walked through the door.

Misery’s home was a wide-open space with an extra enormous bed. It had apparently been designed specifically for the muscular buffalo woman. She sat down on the bed for a mInute, looking at him.

“So, are you going to join me?” Misery said, the slight slur in her voice revealing that she had drunk a good deal more than he had.

“In your bed?” he asked while Misery nodded, looking a bit more confused as she patted the bed next to her.

Troy sat next to her. “We need to talk about what you want if we’re sleeping in the same bed.”

Misery blushed bright red and wouldn’t look at him. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder as he continued, “I’m getting the feeling that you’re not ready for us to have sex. That’s okay. We don’t have to do that. I can just sleep, and we don’t have to even touch, unless it’s by accident.”

She nodded hesitantly before glancing to meet his eyes for a moment before looking back down and whispering, “Thanks. I don’t know what I’m doing, and I hate feeling weak. This makes me feel very weak. Can we just sleep? You make me feel all tingly but I really need to go slowly…. I don’t know how this is going to work.”

Troy squeezed her shoulder. “That’s perfectly fine, and we can go as slowly as you want. Just know that I’m attracted by your powerful and lush body. If I happen to cuddle with you during my sleep, it’s only because you’re so attractive.”

Misery blushed red again before whispering, “It’s hard for me to believe that you find me attractive. I’ve always been the big strong one with huge boobs. But other than my boobs, the girls haven’t found me very attractive. Thanks for being so understanding. Umm… if I end up cuddling you while I sleep, it’s only because I really like your confidence and you’re making me really tingly. Um… I’m going to lay down now. Um… thanks, Troy.”

She lay back on the with a smile on face before switching to her side with her back towards the corner. She closed her eyes with a gentle sigh as Troy chuckled to himself.

She looked even prettier as she lay peacefully on the bed. He lay back on the bed and let out his own sigh. It had been a long day, and he just let his mind drift as he rested. His muscles had a low ache from all the dancing, but it had been fun. His mind popped from one thing to another, but kept coming back around to the fact that a very attractive woman was in the bed next to him. He tried thinking of other things, but her curvy body pulled at his attention. He could even feel her body heat.

Based on her breathing, she was already sound asleep with a smile still on her face. Troy wasn’t sure when he’d be able to rest. He was still hard as a rock and aching from his blue balls. Dancing with naked women, especially with all the attention Frey had given him, had kept him on edge all night.

He had hoped that Misery would help take care of it, but no such luck. She was very shy concerning her sexuality and having sex. If only he’d been staying with Frey…. He stopped himself from going down that road. He didn’t need any more frustration.

He let out another large sigh and got himself comfortable, turning on his side, facing away from Misery with his head resting on his left arm. He lay there, barely feeling the blanket covering his body. His eyes closed as he tried to relax and drift off, but he still felt the heat of her body against his back.

He took a deep breath and started counting; it was going to be a long night. He focused on counting and breathing while ignoring everything else. Slowly and eventually, he fell asleep.

Troy lay there for hours when he woke with the urge to pee. He vaguely remembered a dream where he was about to take a piss, and knew he wouldn’t be going back to sleep without getting some relief. He groaned as he slowly rolled out of the bed, being careful not to wake Misery.

As he came to his feet, he looked down at Misery. His mouth went dry as he saw Misery peacefully lying there, her naked body exposed to him.

Damn. She’s hot… and I need to not be thinking about this.

Another groan escaped his mouth, as he shook his head. “Shit,” Troy grumbled quietly as he turned and stepped toward the door. He had to take care of his business now.

He stepped out of the hut and looked around. It was still fully dark, as he imagined it would be. The stillness even amidst the jungle noises surprised him. No one was about to notice him, and he wondered if they had guards set.

Troy headed out and around the hut towards the jungle at the back. The cool air felt good as he stepped closer to the jungle to take a quick piss. He was already feeling the urgency when he found a good spot near a tree. He sighed, lifting his loincloth and taking quick aim before releasing. A wave of relief hit him as he heard the sound of his warm stream of piss hitting the tree. He felt so much better.

“What are you doing?” a harsh growl said as Troy raised an eyebrow, the last bit of piss leaving his cock as he looked over. It was Inu; the soft young fox woman looked pissed off. He shook his dick and let the kilt drop.

He chuckled over the thought of her being pissed off about him pissing off. “Taking a piss, what do you think?” he said, trying to not sound like a complete asshole. Inu watched him, growling,

“Yeah, and what are you doing with a weapon? Planning to attack the queen?” Inu raised her spear while Troy stood there, keeping a calm look.

“What weapon?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, while Inu continued to growl.

“The one you’re clearly hiding under your loin cloth!” Without warning, she reached over and grabbed his half-standing chub. Even with the relief, he was still more than a bit keyed up. Troy’s eyes widened as she gripped his member tightly.

“Woah! That’s not a weapon. Let go of that unless you’re serious about giving it attention,” Troy groaned. Her hand gripped his member tightly as she seemed to get more angry as she watched him .

“What is it then?” Inu exclaimed as she began pulling at it. Her face looked confused as she pushed back and tried to get a better grip. She pulled back again, repeating the process. “Why won’t it come off?” she said, clearly annoyed while Troy grunted.

“Damn. I didn’t think you wanted to have sex or get me off. That’s a bit rougher than I’d like, and you don’t seem to be in the right mood. Are you sure you want to do this?” Troy grunted louder; he felt superb, but he wasn’t expecting to be in such a strange situation. He shook his head, knowing she had no idea what she was doing.

Without warning, he swept her spear aside, broke her hold on his cock, grabbed her, and pushed her against the tree. A frustrated expression filled his face as he spoke up carefully.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he growled, clearly not wanting to deal with her bullshit. It was clear she didn’t understand what was going on, and she had a chip on her shoulder about something.

“My problem? You come into my home and act like a big shot! You defeated me and made it look easy! I’ve worked my whole life to fight, and you took me down like nothing!” she growled.

Troy shook his head as he gave her a deadpan look. “Listen, your fighting style is weak. I am not here to hurt anyone. Otherwise I would have hurt you for grabbing my junk.” He saw confusion in her eyes, and it seemed to be overriding her anger. “So how about you drop the attitude, act like an adult, and let’s talk?” he said simply as he lowered her to the ground and let go of her. Inu looked at him for a moment, shocked by how quickly he had turned the tables on her.

“How did you do that? I mean, so far so… Wait, if that’s not a weapon, what did I grab?” Her voice was filled with confusion, while Troy rubbed the bridge of his nose. This was going to turn awkward quickly.

“You grabbed my penis, Inu…” He wasn’t sure how he was having this situation, “Alright, how old are you?” Troy asked.

“I’m eighteen. Why do you ask? Wait… Oh, my god! Oh, my god! This can’t be happening!” The fox woman's eyes went as wide and round as dinner plates as she started hyperventilating. Troy sighed in relief as he shook his head. He was very glad he didn’t need to explain things further.

Her eyes locked back on the lump in his kilt as her mouth opened and closed with a slight squeak. After a few moments, she got her breathing under control, as her anger fired up again.

“Why the hell were you whipping that around?” she exclaimed as she looked at her hand and rubbed it against her skirt.

“You’re the one who was grabbing the damn thing. I was taking a piss.” Troy fired back, more annoyed by the woman’s reaction.

“Still you could have… Oh, by the gods,” she huffed as she crossed her arms across her chest, unintentionally showcasing her breasts.

“Listen… just go back to your place, and we can forget this happened,” he said. He kept his eyes on hers as he placed his hands on his hips. Inu stared at him, clearly more annoyed.

“We’re not done. I will never stop until I beat you, Troy. You humiliated me,” she growled as she looked at him.

Troy groaned. “How about this… If you’re that desperate, I’ll show you a few things. You need more training to improve your fighting style. You’ve trained too long with the same attacks and defenses to the point your reactions have gotten sloppy.”

“They have not! One of our finest warriors trained me. I can fight!” she growled, clenching her fists.

“FIne, then how about a sparring partner? I can keep knocking you onto the ground until you figure out how not to let me or you ask me to show you how. You want to better your defense and improve your skills, right?” Troy said simply. She struggled with her anger for a few moments, but then seemed to be thinking it over, until she looked at him and nodded.

“Fine,” she said. “Let’s forget this happened.” Clearly, Inu wanted this encounter to end.

Troy grinned. She wasn’t going to get away unscathed.

“Fine, we’ll talk about this in the morning… meet me around noon.” He waited until she was about to turn away to continue, “Unless you’d like to continue your hands-on exploration of my cock? It was a bit rough, but I’m sure with some pointers, we can both have a good time.”

Her mouth dropped open as she went bright red in embarrassment. She sputtered for a few moments before she bent to grab her spear and ran off into the night.

Troy chuckled as he shook her head. She wouldn’t be forgetting about tonight for a very long time. “I swear, this place is getting weirder and weirder.” He sighed while taking a suitable moment’s pause. He looked down and realized his dick had finally softened up.

“Well, at the very least, that’s gone.” He smiled and headed back to the hut. Getting into bed, he lay there, trying to get back to sleep. Once again, he shifted to his side facing away from the sleeping Misery. That’s when, without warning, Misery moved up behind him, spooning him. Her right arm went over his chest as she unconsciously pulled him, bringing him in close. He could feel her large titties pressed firmly against his back as she cuddled into him like he was a teddy bear. He sighed and just didn’t bother fighting it.

The next morning, Troy groaned, stretching out and popping his back as he yawned in bed. He grunted as he looked up to see Misery walking naked around her hut. Her body was quite the sight as she unconsciously showed it off. He tried not to stare, but some things had to be appreciated, especially as she bent over. showing off her thick ass as she put her clothes on.

He sat up in bed, feeling a bit sore after everything that happened last night. “So, how did you feel last night went? I know at some point last night, I felt someone cuddling with me.”

She blushed as she glanced to meet his eyes for a moment. She whispered, “It was really nice. I didn’t mean to, but it felt really good when I woke up this morning. My whole body got really tingly, and I was really tempted to turn you to face me and wake you up…. I quickly got out of bed before I did something wrong.”

“Misery, it’s fine. I wouldn’t have minded at all. I told you I’m attracted to you, and I’m glad you enjoyed cuddling.”

“Is it okay if we do that tonight? I mean, go to sleep cuddling? I think that would be really nice….”

“Sounds like a plan for tonight, although it sounded like I might be moving around to visit other ladies in the village.”

Misery’s eyes narrowed, and she huffed. “I’ll talk to the queen. I think it will be okay if you stay with me for a little while.”

“As long as you make sure it’s okay. I imagine there are some other ladies that would like to host me for a bit as well. I’m open to whatever you all think is best.”

She nodded and smiled, as she finished adjusting her top. Her jiggling breasts made it hard for him to think until she finished.

“So, what’s your plan for the day?” he asked with a big grin on his face.

“I’ll be preparing a hunt, and checking over some traps,” Misery said as she looked herself over, and now that she was fully dressed, she grabbed her mask. Troy looked at the mask and wondered what the significance the mask had, but it was something to ask about on another day.

Misery smiled and said, “See you tonight,” before she left, taking her spear. Troy yawned again before he got up. First thing, he went behind the house to do his business before he walked around the village for a bit, exploring the place. While there wasn’t much to the village, everything here seemed so peaceful. The women were happy, like there wasn’t a problem in the world. Compared to his old life, it seemed so surreal. Other than the jungle sounds in the background, it was also quiet. Everyone was busy going about their business in a good mood. It was completely different than his normal day dealing with stupid shit. Watching the villagers walk around and perform their duties just made this place seem even more idyllic.

As Troy walked around, he said very little, not wanting to interrupt others working. He wasn’t one of many words anyway, especially when they weren’t needed. While he was walking along, he came across Leso and Bria. They were working on what looked like a small cart. A wheel was off on one side.

“Hey. Mind giving us a hand?” Leso called out. Troy nodded and walked over next to them. It looked as though one wheel had broken, and they had fixed it.

“Mind lifting this end up, so we can slip the mended wheel back on? We’d ask Misery, but she’s off on her hunt.”

“Yes, she’s always off on her hunt and never around to help a couple of girls,” Bria said. She looked at Leso as her calm voice seemed to trail off..

“Sure, let’s see what I can do.” He reached over and began lifting it up, using his knees not his back. As he felt the cart lifting, he let out a grunt, feeling the strain as the two women moved, pushing the wheel back on. They soon locked it in place. Leso gave him a smile, her mouse-like ears twitching back and forth as she looked him over.

Leso told him to release it, and he slowly lowered the cart without complaint. It had been heavier than he was used to, but he’d powered through it just the same. He stretched a bit as he stood back up.

“Our hero! It would have taken a few more of the villagers if it weren’t for you,” Leso said as she smiled at him, watching him while Troy had stretched.

“No problem, glad to help,” he said simply as Bria moved in closer to the other woman.

“If there’s ever a time you need help, please ask – and we mean anything,” Leso continued. Bria slipped into a side hug with Leso which Leso returned, so they each had wrapped an arm around each other. Bria wasn’t smiling when she looked him up and down. Troy could most definitely see the warning sign as he shook his head.

“Just doing my part. After all, I’m a guest here, wouldn't it be fair to let you guys struggle.”

The two women looked at each other with a smile as Leso leaned in kissing Bria on the cheek. She seemed to eye him for a good long mInute before pulling back.

“That you are, so we hope you feel welcomed. Do you need a tour of the place? ‘Cause I’m sure Bria and I could show you some of the best spots in the village.” She spoke up emphasis on that.

“I’m good for now, but I’ll take a rain check.” Leso kept glancing down at his loincloth, like she was imagining what it looked like and what it would be like. It was rather strange, especially after dealing with Inu, who didn’t seem to know what he had. Yet these two, Leso was obviously interested, but Bria wasn’t feeling it. It would be best if they sorted out their relationship first without him getting in between.

“I better go. If you need anything, you should be able to find me,” he said, while turning around. He tried not to look at them too much, remembering what Frey had told him about how Bria had broken someone’s arm. Jealousy was never a fun thing and was an indication of relationship or maturity issues. As good as Leso looked, it wouldn’t be right to test that relationship until they had figured it out on their own.

He headed along, looking over a few things when, without warning, Inu arrived, almost bouncing off of him as she tried to tackle him. She latched onto him to stay on her feet.

“Where have you been?”

“What?” Troy asked, finding himself annoyed that he was being attacked by the fox woman again. Her grip on him didn’t lessen even after she had her feet under her. She pressed her body against him, pushing in close, sending one set of signals, but then still had the constantly pissed-off look on her face.

“You said we would begin sparing, but you hadn’t arrived at the training field,” she said coldly. Troy could feel his brain pulse, clearly getting more frustrated with this woman.

“Well, if you hadn’t attacked me, you could have, you know, just talked to me. No reason to tackle me every time I turn around, just because you think I’m not where I should be,” he said as he yanked her off him and set her down. Inu pouted with a shake of her head that caused her hair to fall in front of her face. She looked cute, but she was more work than not. Troy just wanted to tell her to fuck off at this point.

“I haven’t eaten. We’ll spar after that, but you need to learn about patience – and manners.” He imagined he would start with getting her to learn some breathing techniques to calm her down. She definitely needed more focus and mindfulness, but that would have to come later.

“Fine, but hurry. I don’t have all day. I’ve got to check out some defenses.”

“Defenses?” he asked. He hadn’t seen anything like that since he’d gotten here. In fact, the village seemed fairly open to the surrounding jungle.

“Yeah, we have traps around the village, protecting us from attacks from the jungle. We have to make sure none of the more dangerous predators make their way into the village. Did you think we just lived in the middle of a jungle without defenses? Are you daft?” Inu said as she stretched, not realizing her tits had popped out of her top. Troy couldn’t stop his smirk as they bounced free, and he admired them. When his eyes got back to hers, they were just switching from shocked confusion to anger as the fox girl realized what had happened.

“You bastard!” she snarled, quickly putting her girls back in her bra before stomping off and muttering to herself. Troy shook his head, as he wasn’t sure what was the fox girl’s problem. Inu stopped a few feet away and turned back to him, fury on her face as she raised a hand, claws out, gleaming in the sunlight. She looked as if she was ready to cut someone. Troy watched in annoyance as he called out.

“What the hell is with you? That certainly wasn’t my fault. You know what? Never mind.” Troy shook his head and turned away from her, heading towards the cooking area. He seriously doubted if the work needed to sort out her issues would be worth any possible enjoyment. He could only shake his head.

“What were you going to say?” Inu called out belligerently as he walked away, clearly ready for a fight.

Troy called back over his shoulder without stopping, “Nothing. You’re pissed off, and I’m going to get some food.” He needed to keep his temper in check, and didn’t need the drama. It was better this way, both for him and Inu.

He headed off to where Misery had told him Alora prepared the food for the village. Apparently Bella had put her in charge of all food preparation because she was so good at it. Everything the hunters caught was brought to her to be cooked.

The smell of meat coming from the cooking area met him before he even got close. A large fire was going in an open space, while he could see Alora moving along a line of animals hanging from a covered line. He nodded with approval of keeping the hanging meat out of the sun and letting it drain. The woman chose a medium-sized animal from the line and tied down the legs to work on it.

She held a knife as she skinned what looked to be a small two-headed deer. Her knife moved with certainty and skill as she quickly skinned the animal. When she was done, she untied it and moved it to a large nearby table as she brought it down. Once it was lying on the table, she wiped her brow with her forearm as she glanced behind her. Troy realized she looked more like a bear, with soft fuzzy ears and a more curvy body. She barely fit in her loincloth, showing off her more succulent side.

“Are you Alora?” Troy asked, as she turned fully around to face him. It gave a very nice view of her barely-contained upper assets.

“That I am, and you’re Troy, aren’t ye?” she asked with a smokey tone in her voice. She smirked as she reached over to pick up a cleaver, chopping off one of the deer’s heads without looking.

“That I am. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you as well. What are you about?” she said with an enormous grin as she turned and moved the deer head aside with the cleaver. She turned back to face him as she waited for his answer.

“Just getting some breakfast, that’s all.”

“Well, no one must have told you, but breakfast ended at one finger after dawn. But seeing how you’re new here, I’ll cook something small. Lunch is just jerky, hanging over there. Supper is one finger before sunset. Tomorrow morning, make sure to get here earlier.” She turned and grabbed a small loaf of bread that looked to be sourdough. Grabbing another knife, she deftly sliced it in half and walked over to the roasting pit. She sliced some meat off the roast, expertly letting it fall across the bread until there was a large pile. She stabbed the knife into the roast, freeing her hand to make him a huge sandwich. She held it out to him as she grabbed the knife again.

“Take this, it should do you. Come by and grab some jerky there for lunch if you get hungry, alright?” She smirked while he looked at it. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a simple meat sandwich. He simply nodded as he watched her eying him up and down. He was getting the vibe that she was the hungrier of the two, and he was on her menu.

“Alright, when is that?”

“Sun’s zenith. It will be after Misery and the other hunters bring us the next kill. Always good to keep a steady supply.” She licked her lips as she brought her arms in front of her, mashing her large breasts together and drawing his attention to them. Troy absent-mindedly nodded, as his eyes were slow to move back up to hers.

She met his gaze with more than a bit of heat and said, “By the way, if you wanna taste some sweet honey, come by my hut. You’ll get a personal taste test.” She winked at him. Troy’s mouth went dry, as he licked his lips before he grinned. He couldn’t quite believe what he had heard, but it sounded like he definitely had options for finding some relief tonight.

“I’ll take a raincheck on that.”

She gave him another wink and a nod before turning back to finish butchering the deer. He took a bite of the sandwich and headed out. The flavors washed over him again, making him moan at how good even just a plain sandwich was. He wasn’t expecting one of the women to be so direct, but he didn’t mind. It was refreshing compared to how flighty Inu was. He let out a long sigh as he enjoyed eating his sandwich. Damn, this was good.

Chapter Four

Troy sat down on a log at the village’s perimeter, taking another bite out of his sandwich. He stayed there for quite a while, enjoying the food, relaxing, and listening to the jungle’s music. He closed his eyes, breathing in the clean air. It was strange – he felt like he should be missing the bustling sounds of the city, yet…. Everything was calm, and his troubles seemed far away. He was so removed from his old life, and all the mistakes he’d made.

Troy could almost imagine never being found, and just leaving everything behind. He could live his life out here in this jungle with this tribe…. It was more than tempting. It was only a matter of time before a harem of the village women would form. They needed a man to build their next generation, and he could use his expertise to help them become stronger and safer. Also, the women were so open and straightforward.

Even with Inu – she wasn’t trying to deceive or manipulate him, she just didn’t know what was going on with herself. He chuckled as he thought, She just needs to get laid. Not that he was going to jump into that. He had plenty of other opportunities that appeared to have little drama involved. He sighed as he imagined building these relationships of honesty and openness, with no glaring looks at him or people scheming behind his back. Obviously they weren’t perfect and neither was he, but hopefully he could learn from the mistakes he’d made. Free from that, Troy Thunder could finally be dead back in his old world, and he could have a fresh start in this tropical paradise.

Though when he thought about it, the crazy world hadn’t been all bad; he had his friends and his old contacts. At least a few people might miss him.

There wasn’t anything he could do about his situation, though, and that was the underlying thing that frustrated him. He needed to figure this out, but it was firmly out of his control. He wanted to do something about being rescued, but knew he needed to focus on the here and now rather than just waiting, especially since he was doubting that he wanted to go back.

He got up and stretched, having thoroughly enjoyed the sandwich and the time chilling. He chuckled as he thought about the ‘Netflix and chill’ he needed with one of the women. He shook his head as he decided not to push things. He was comfortable enough in himself and in control of himself that he could wait for them to decide about forming a harem.

He took a large breath and decided to do some stretches and breathing exercises before he went to find their sparring area. He needed to stay in shape and keep working his body out. The longer he stayed here, the more the ladies would look to him for strength and training. He’d have to see what they had to push themselves physically. He was fairly sure they wouldn’t have any weights or structures for exercising. It didn’t matter though – there were plenty of opportunities to work or build.

After Troy stretched for thirty minutes, he sat back down on the log, taking long drawn-out breaths. He tried focusing his mind and letting all his worry and stress disappear. Trying to clear his mind, he listened to the jungle noises, imagining there was nothing else but him. He was focusing on his breathing and finding his inner zen when he heard branches snapping.

“Inu, if you’re wanting to spar, give me a-” That's when he heard it: a low, rough, soft growl. He paused, realizing it didn’t sound human as he glanced over his shoulder into the jungle, and there he saw it. A giant wolf? Would that be a dire wolf? It was taller than him, and looked to be twice the size of a normal wolf. It even had four eyes. It snarled, showing its large razor-sharp teeth as it stepped forward.

“Oh shit,” Troy said as he did the only thing he could do. He leaped in a rolling dive off the log, just as the wolf’s jaw snapped close where his head had been. He rolled to his feet, running like hell along the perimeter of the village. Now was the time he wished he’d made another spear and had it ready. On instinct, he dove into the jungle at an angle behind a tree and heard the sound of the wolf slamming into its trunk. It had moved to the inside of the village perimeter as it was chasing him. Now Troy was weaving through the trees as he ran, trying to stay somewhat close to the village. He didn’t want to find the traps Inu had mentioned that should have kept this monster out.

He contInued running, using the trees to his advantage, as he dodged and tried to think of something. As the wolf chased him, it let out a series of hard growls as it hit tree trunks or branches while trying to catch him. Fortunately, its large size hampered its speed. After a few thuds, Troy risked a quick glance behind him. Its eyes were intently focused on him. It didn’t look like it was ever going to give up.

Shit.

Relief flooded him when he saw a very large tree coming up with a large branch within jumping reach. He put on a burst of speed as he analyzed the situation and figured out when to jump. He was completely focused as he reached the spot and parqued off the tree and up to the branch. He didn’t stop as he leaped to the next branch and began climbing up.

Pulling himself up and over another branch, Troy grabbed the trunk as the beast ran into the tree. He grunted, firmly holding on as he looked down. The wolf was shaking off the impact before it started running around the tree, looking up to see if there was a way to reach him. It circled the tree slowly as Troy grinned. He was at least twenty-five feet high and very secure in the tree. The wolf bared its teeth at him, snarling, and growled as it kept pacing, never taking its eyes off him.

As Troy’s heart rate started to come down, he got a bit more comfortable. He might be up here for a while. He was a bit confused by the lack of response from the women in the village. He hadn’t been screaming like a girl or anything, but the chase certainly hadn’t been quiet. And yet, nothing. None of the warriors came to see what was going on. He figured that was one more thing to ask about when he finally was able to come down. Fortunately, he’d just eaten, so other than wasting his time, he was good to go for quite a while. If the monster stayed long enough, it’d get an unpleasant shower.

The beast had managed to trap him, but Troy was perfectly safe. The tree was much too big for the massive dire wolf to take down. The way it snarled at him made Troy wonder if it was smart enough to realize what a stupid mistake it had made.

“Fucking dumbass,” he called down to the wolf, “Not that I mind of course. You’re just screwed because I won’t come down until you’re long gone.”

He watched as the wolf circled around, growling and pacing. Even as crazy jacked as this monster was, it still looked like a mutant wolf with just animal intelligence. Troy counted his blessings about that. If it had a human’s intellect, it would be able to make it half-way up the tree and leap to get him.

Troy sighed as he settled in. He sat there for at least two hours as the sun rose, the creature just watching him. Every so often it stepped towards the tree and sniffed the trunk. Its eyes never left him as it occasionally tried to jump up the tree to reach Troy. The beast's thick claws scored the trunk as it tried, but Troy was too far up with other branches between them.

Troy just kept waiting and felt his ass going numb while he grumbled in annoyance. He would have loved to have a decent rifle, but there wasn’t anything he was going to do with his knife. He wasn’t stupid enough to even think about leaving the safety of the treetops to attack the monster. He could picture how that would go down, with him dead and eaten. At the very least the monster would need to get a drink by sometime tomorrow. There would be opportunities to run back into the village without having the monster chasing him.

“Where did you come from?” Troy asked. He couldn’t help wondering what it was and how it had gotten past the village’s defensive traps. As he watched it, he had a silly idea, but he was bored anyway. He reached over to a small branch, grabbed it in one hand, and broke it off. He waved it around excitedly until the monster was eyeing it.

“Alright, good boy… Fetch!” He threw the stick as far as he could. The branch flew over to hit a nearby tree with a nice thwap, followed by it falling through the branches to the ground. The wolf-thing followed its flight and turned to face the other tree as it heard the noise, but then it just looked back at him.

It looked back and forth a few times, and Troy hoped it would move along. Unfortunately, the beast huffed and refocused on his tree. This time it stretched as far up the trunk as it could get and started scratching it with its claws.

“That ain’t going to do you any good, pup,” Troy yelled down.

It was making some deep gouges, but the tree could withstand it. It continued scratching away, its claws sinking deeper into the tree with a force like a grizzly bear.

Another hour ticked by before the mutant wolf gave one last growl. It then turned and ran off towards a faint commotion in the distance. There was a moment of relief as Troy watched it run away, and he stood up on the branch to get some blood flowing to his legs.

He checked his surroundings as he moved, trying to see if the wolf was still around. When he was ready, he quickly descended the tree and took off running straight for the center of the village.

He felt lucky, but he wasn’t slowing down or looking back until he had reached his destination. Troy could easily picture that thing tracking him down – his scent was all over the place. He was going to need to get serious about multiple spears and defenses for the village. He ran through the palisade and onto the village’s main path before he slowed down. He stopped for a mInute, breathing deeply as he let out a long sigh. There was so much more work to be done here.

“Is something wrong, Troy?” He looked up and saw Bella. She stood just outside of her hut, clad in her leopard skin robe. A soft smile crossed her face as she walked up to him.

“Yeah… I just ran into a giant dire wolf. It’s got four eyes-”

“Oh, you’ve met the Forgal.” Bella interrupted, her smile still in place, as if she was talking about a pet cat.

Troy stared at her for a moment before raising an eyebrow.“The Forgal?” There was a moment of silence, and he thought back to his encounter with the creature as Bella nodded.

“Yes, it’s been around since before I was born. It hunts in the area around the village, but we have protections in place that keep it away. Just don’t bother it, and it won’t bother you… most of the time.” Bella’s smile was almost smug.

“Well, that’s how I’ve spent my morning… up a tree, waiting it out. It didn’t seem to have any difficulty getting through your defenses to the very edge of the village. I think I’ll need to check on your defenses myself.”

Bella’s smile warmed back up as she licked her lips. “That would be an excellent idea… for another day. Misery stopped by and had a talk with me earlier this morning. I understand you didn’t have the evening you were expecting last night.” She took his hand in hers as she turned and started to lead him away.

“Please, come with me, Mr. Thunder,” Bella said in a sensual voice as she guided his hand down her side and held it on her hip. Troy could see and feel the way she swayed her hips as she walked and unconsciously followed her steps. He heard her chuckling softly as she led him to her hut. A few of the other villagers watched them go by, but Troy only had eyes for the beautiful bunny woman in front of him.

She led him straight into her hut, but released his hand as she kept walking. Troy stopped to see what she’d do. He quickly glanced around, and it was clear they were alone. As she walked to her throne, her robe slipped to the floor, revealing her naked form.

Troy’s mouth dropped open as he took in her sweet tight ass, with a fluffy bunny tail just above her mouthwatering buns.

“I take it you don’t like to wear clothes?” he asked as his eyes drank in her beauty.

“I wear what I need, but I prefer to feel the world against my skin.” She spoke carefully as she turned and flipped her hair to the side. The motion drew his eyes to her bunny ears a split second before her bouncing boobs refocused him. She grinned as she sat back, crossing her legs and looking at him before his eyes had dropped her pussy. Her body looked as though it was glowing.

“So is there anything you might need… Bella?” Troy asked, finding himself a bit curious as she took a seat on the throne. The way she sat back made him think they were going to have a conversation before the fun began.

He thought that was an excellent idea, and didn’t mind the view at all. He could tell her nimples were hard, and he noticed she was rubbing her thighs together. This wouldn’t be a long conversation.

“There are many things I need, though I want to know how you feel about our little village now that you’ve stayed here a day. The people?” she asked in a calm voice as she played with her hair and licked her lips.

“So far, it’s been interesting, and the girls are friendly,” he replied calmly, even though images of bending her over the throne went through his mind. While it was clear she was expecting more from him, he thought he’d keep it simple, so she’d get to her point. Bella nodded.

“Very well. I’m glad you’ve been treated well. Everyone in the village has a part and needs to help the community. You’ll be assigned a very special duty. One that I believe you’ll enjoy a lot.” She kept looking into his eyes as her hand left her hair to glide down to her breast, where she started playing with her hard nipple. Her other hand cupped her left titty and gently began squeezing it.

“Yeah, I think I might really enjoy my duty. What is it exactly that you would like me to do?” He put his arms behind his back, standing professionally, pretending he didn’t notice what Bella was doing and not caring about the obvious effect it was having on him below the waist.

Bella raised her eyebrow with a small smirk on her face as she looked pointedly at the growing tent under his loincloth.

“Interesting… I’m very happy that you find me and the other ladies so arousing. That had been one of my fears, but you obviously are a more open-minded and strong individual.” Her smile warmed even more as she slowly started spreading her legs while continuing her work with her hands.

She softly said, “Well, your duties are going to be rather simple,” as she let out a soft moan and wiggled in her seat. “I want you to do whatever the girls need, no matter what it is. If they request help with something, simply do it. We’ll take care of the rest. I already know about Inu’s drama, and you’ve handled that very well. Just be with the woman you are with and do what she needs done. I promise you that I’ll make sure any needs you have are completely met.” She smiled while she leaned back. Her fingers kept kneading her boobs and tweaking her nipples, and he could see her wet pussy glistening in the light.

Troy lost focus for a few moments at the sight, before he was able to put some words together. “Alright then. I can do that, and I’m already looking forward to it. Before things get crazy, I do have some questions.”

The tribe’s chief looked at him, while licking her lips before she bit her bottom lip.

“What would you like to know? Please don’t make me wait much longer though. I couldn’t sleep last night thinking about you, and then I heard what happened. I promise we won’t stop fucking until you’re worn out.”

Troy chuckled. “I’m starting to think you’re my dream woman. I’ll keep it really brief then. What happened to the last man here?” He raised an eyebrow. It seemed strange that there were no men at all – that should have been impossible.

The rabbit woman sighed. “If you want to know, I’m not really sure. We woke up one morning, and he was gone. One of the warriors said she’d found signs that he’d left like our elders do, but he didn’t say goodbye and we didn’t have a life celebration. We think he just left, but it was a long time ago. He was much older than our elders then, except maybe Mango. He never got along with her and some of their arguments were legendary. Now that I think about it, I believe at that point he’d outlived all of them except Mango, and only his daughters were left. As far as children are concerned, all the women have only ever had female babies, and we don’t know why.” She looked off, like she was struggling to remember a distant memory, before she shook her head.

“Though if I did know for certain what happened to him, I’m not sure if it really matters.” Bella let out a long sigh as she looked back to Troy. Distracted as she was by the memories, her hands had kept caressing her breasts. Clearly she was intent on what she wanted from him and kept trying to tease Troy. He focused on her big beautiful eyes, drinking in their depth and letting her gaze as deeply as she wanted into his as he pushed forward with final two questions, for now.

“I appreciate your answer.. It’s better to have as much information as possible, though. Has there been anyone else that has come to this island? Where the hell is this island, anyway?” He wondered if any of them had seen anything from the outside world, other than the rare man that showed up.

Troy was broken from his thoughts by Bella standing from her throne and walking towards him. Her hips swayed back and forth as she walked up to stand in front of him, staring up into his eyes.

“There will be times for this question my beloved Troy, Now that I have your full attention. Let’s see if you have your duty down as a part of this village,” she whispered as she pressed her body against his. Troy enjoyed the feeling of her body pressed into him. Looking down at her, he smiled even wider as he felt her rabbit ears rubbing against his cheek. They were soft and fuzzy, just as he’d imagined.

He knew exactly what his task was but wanted to hear her say it. “What would the beautiful woman want?” Troy asked, as he placed his hands on her hips.

She ran her hands down his toned chest and abs to catch his loincloth and push it down. Once it was below his ass, she had to use a hand to push his hard cock in to allow the kilt to fall to the ground. She kept her hand on his cock and started slowly rubbing it as her eyes stayed glued to his. She searched his face as she pressed her body against him, trapping her hand and his cock between them.

She tilted her head up, while biting her lower lip with lustful desire, and whispered,“I want you to take me, mate with me, and fuck me until you no longer have the strength to continue. My answer to you now and forever is ‘yes’ to anything and everything you desire with my body. I want to experience it all with you.” She spoke in a hushed seductive voice before she leaned in to nuzzle and kiss his neck.

Everything about her set him on fire, and he was well past the doubting stage. He wasn’t afraid of enjoying the paradise he’d landed in, and they were all adults. He really liked the idea of them dealing with the issues between them and him focusing on being and enjoying each woman he was with at the time.

All those thoughts flew by in a millisecond, as his hands ran up her sides to catch her under her armpits and lift her up as they kissed. Her lips tasted divine and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He could feel her hard nipples drilling into his chest and her wet pussy pressing against the surface of his cock.

As they kept kissing, he pressed his tongue into her mouth and their tongues began dancing. She ground her wet pussy up and down his shaft until Troy knew he had to move things along. He hesitated a few more moments as he enjoyed her mouth and passion.

He broke off their kiss, and as they both caught their breath, he lifted her even higher as he grunted out, “On my shoulders.”

Bella reluctantly released her hold on his waist with her legs, and raised her hands above her head to grab a log across the top of the hut used as a rafter. She pulled herself up, allowing him to release her so she could put her legs on his shoulders before he grabbed and supported her ass.

She settled her weight back on him as she started to say, “Why are you-” when his tongue connected with her wet pussy. She moaned loudly as Troy focused on her.

“Oh… yes…”

Troy grinned as he continued licking. She tasted so good, like honey with a hint of cinnamon. He couldn’t get enough of her, but he focused on listening to find what really did it for her.

“YES! Right there!”

She melted when he lightly licked around her clit and followed it with a broad hard lick. When it only took three more flicks of his tongue before she spasmed, he mentally chuckled, thinking of an old commercial with an owl and how many licks to the center of a Tootsie pop.

He had his own dessert to enjoy as her thighs pressed hard against his head and a wave of her sweet nectar washed over his mouth. He kept licking and kissing as she shook and bounced. She gasped and moaned as she rolled from one orgasm to another from his attention.

She had seriously needed this. Minutes flew by as he kept pleasing her until her legs finally started to relax, and he could hear her saying, “No more…. Please… I can’t take any more…. It’s hard to breathe….”

He felt her lift herself up barely and quickly readjusted his arms over her legs, catching her sides to take her weight again. She immediately let go and fell over his shoulder, breathing heavily.

Troy chuckled as he gave her tight ass a swat and teased her fluffy tail. When she didn’t respond, he wondered if she’d passed out. He walked to the back of the hut and found her make-shift bed. He gently moved her to a princess carry before lowering her onto it. Her eyes fluttered as he released her and her hands moved to catch his, placing them on her breasts.

She sighed as he started massaging them. After a few minutes, she whispered, “I saw the stars and the heavens open. I’ve never known that level of bliss and wouldn’t have thought it were even possible in that position. What’s it going to take to get you to fuck me and fill me with your cum, Troy?”

Troy grinned and raised his eyebrow, just to see what she’d say.

“Now come on, wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy fucking the queen and have the whole village hear you pleasuring her?” she contInued on, reaching down with her hand to grasp his cock.

“Is that what you want?” Troy asked, watching her, his cock already hard and throbbing.

“Oh yes. As the leader, I need to be an example. Our society needs a new generation, and you are clearly a gift from the gods themselves. After what just happened, you might be a god yourself. It was amazing, but please… I want you in me. I want this wonderful cock deep in me. Please?” She moaned as she contInued rubbing his cock. It felt good, but Troy had more control and patience than she could imagine. He wasn’t done melting this beautiful woman, even if she thought she’d reached as high as she could.

“And if I refuse? Maybe I’m not done enjoying the other parts of your body yet.” He grinned, knowing she didn’t have the strength to argue nor the will to deny herself more pleasure, even if it wasn’t part of her plan.

Bella took a moment to focus back on his eyes as she looked at him with a hungry expression. He wondered if she’d had a Challenge Accepted moment as she let out a wide smile and focused on rubbing his member. Her fingers lightly moved back and forth, teasing his length. Troy enjoyed every second as Bella moved in closer.

Her hushed voice whispered, “Well, I’m sure we can let things progress naturally. I’m confident we’ll get there together.” She leaned in closer with her rabbit ears flicking against his forehead as she took hold of his hand. Her soft fingers caressing against his hardened rough ones as she brought them to her face to caress her cheek. She kissed and then sucked each one as she moaned and gazed into his eyes. Then she guided his hand down her neck to place his hand on her firm breast. She moaned again as he cupped her breast and positioned herself so he could almost fall forward into her.

“I remember there was a saying the elder ladies had, ‘The man-thing prefers a virgin.’ Well, lucky for you, I’ve never allowed myself to be deflowered using a finger, tongue, or toy. None of us has ever been touched by a man.” She winked as she lay back, spreading her legs and jiggling her breasts. She thought she was completely irresistible and he’d be driven insane with lust and take her. But that wasn’t how this was going to play out.

Now Troy had fucked women before. Sometimes it was his job when he was undercover – suspects that might cause trouble or were a threat to security. They’d send him in, he’d put on a little charm, and he’d get close enough to suss out their real motives and plans. A couple of times, it had led to discovering an assassination plot.

Other times, the intel was barking up the wrong tree, and it was a night of fun where he walked away, leaving only a rose. Everyone had a good time, and they didn’t end up in jail for trying to kill the president. So he knew his way around a woman. He stared down at her gorgeous body, just waiting to be taken.

He reached up, ready to remove his tie, until he touched his bare chest, remembering he wasn’t wearing regular clothes. He watched her eyes, as they traced over his scars, and her breathing increased as they turned her on.

She was right where he wanted her. “I’m quite sure we’ll get there, too. But if we’re going to do this, I’ll be leading this dance, Lady Bella.”

“Please, just call me Bella. When it’s just us, call me that. Your cock is magnificent and I can’t wait to feel you taking me. I can feel the waves of your power with each throb of your dick even now.” Bella smirked as she lay back, as she was ready for something new. She gave her hips another wiggle as she spread her legs some more, showing off her wet pussy.

“Well, Bella, in the heat of the moment before, I didn’t get a chance to truly appreciate your body as I would have liked. I’ll be doing that now. Don’t worry, we’ll get to the part you’re looking forward to soon enough.”

He knelt down on her make-shift bed in between her legs, as his hands ran up her inner thigh.

“Oh, I’m glad to see you're headed in the right direction. You just need to use your rod instead,” she murmured with a smile, clearly trying to get more from him.

“You’ll have to see,” he replied in a husky voice as he bent farther down and moved her legs so he could kiss the back of her knee. Bella watched, surprised, and she let out a light moan, feeling the way his lips went up her body. His fingers caressed her gently, as she took long breaths. As he focused on touching and kissing her leg, she felt that strange tingling feeling shoot through her and build with each caress. Troy contInued moving, letting his hands and lips do the talking. He slowly moved up her legs as he kissed her inner thighs.

His fingers caressed and massaged the backs of her thighs. They were muscular, every inch honed to perfection. She wriggled her legs, giving him as much access as possible. As his head neared her pussy, he did more than kiss her thigh, giving it a gentle bite. Not hard enough to leave a mark, but enough that Bella could feel it. It broke her out of her daze as she raised her head, looking down at him with wide eyes.

Her breath was hard and heavy, almost to the point of panting, and she kept trying to catch her breath. Her breasts bounced with every jostle and adjustment. Troy kept smiling as he worked, and she watched him.

“Oh wow. We’re doing it again, aren’t we? I… I don’t know if I can take that again. It was too powerful!” she gasped. Her eyes widened as he moved up to kiss her slit and admire her bush. There was no shock that the carpets matched the curtains. Now, while he wasn’t the biggest fan of hair down there, Troy would never complain. As he moved closer, he was able to kiss her slit better and reach the full length with his mouth.

“Fuck… yes…. Please don’t stop….”

This time, his nose rubbed her bush as he pressed against her pussy and licked her. And this time, he was able to slip his hand in to rub her mound and clit when he went lower.

The rabbit woman was already sopping wet, and her pussy seemed to pulse in anticipation of more. He wondered if she felt like she was in heat.

“How’s this feel compared to before?” he asked with a cheeky smile. Bella’s only response was to grab the back of his head and push him back down there as she arched her back. Troy knew what that meant and returned to work, letting his tongue do all the work as he held her legs apart. Her whole body was completely focused on his every movement. She felt herself shaking – she couldn’t control it, even if she wanted to. It felt like something was ready to explode, eclipsing even her earlier bliss, as she pushed her pussy deep into his face.

“By the gods, yes!” she moaned out, not expecting him to do something like this again. “Yes!” Bella screamed as she felt his tongue plunge into her sacred place. Her whole body arched as her head tossed from side to side. The biggest earth-shattering climax was coming, and she couldn’t let him stop.

“Oh, gods!” she moaned as she reached down, her hand pressing against his head. She felt him lick every inch, as her hands guided him and his head rolled.

She had prided herself on being strong in front of the tribe, showing her power and wisdom. But before this dominant man, she felt small, almost vulnerable. It was like she was meeting the gaze of a true predator and knowing she was his prey. There was nothing she could do to stop him. She was his, and his alone.

She felt herself become overwhelmed as her heart raced, unable to stop. She let down all of her walls and gave herself over to the pleasure. The rest of her thoughts disappeared in the face of the waves of bliss crashing through her. She arched her back as far as her spine would allow, wanting to feel his tongue deeper in her.

Troy didn’t relent as he rolled faster, thrusting his tongue back in and out as he got a taste of her delicate sex. As she arched her back, he lifted her waist up, so she slipped her legs over his shoulders. His hands pressed her pussy harder into his face, and she couldn’t stop moaning. It was like music to his ears.

He had spent a good few mInutes exploring, taking his time, as he teased the tribal leader. Her hips rocked as she ground herself against his mouth, and his fingers played a beautiful melody on her clit. She panted, moaning and groaning in a complete daze, drowning in bliss. Troy could feel her pussy tightening, like she was about to burst.

Troy knew what to do, lifting himself and moving up her body. He left one hand rubbing her excited clit, but it wasn’t the same. A wicked grin spread on his face as he heard her cries in protest.

“Troy, please…. Please don’t…. Don’t tease me…. I need you!”

“You’re mine!” he growled as he leaned in, kissing her neck, giving it a light bite. Bella’s eyes widened as she turned her neck, giving him better access.

He bit her harder, making her moan and then gasp, “I’m yours! Always yours and only yours! Take me, please!” He lifted himself up again and positioned him over her. Bella gasped, feeling his hard cock pushing against her wet sex.

She was literally begging him to take her as he looked at her.

“You’re mine, Bella. Every part.” Troy met her eyes as she stared up into his eyes in amazement. She nodded. Her face reflected a sensual awe as she raised up her legs. Troy grabbed them, pushing them back toward her chest as he placed the head of his cock at her entrance.

Troy plunged his firm rod into her and deflowered her. She screamed “YES!”, feeling her hymen break as he took her. Troy sunk his cock in as deep as he could before pulling back, all but the head of his dick coming out before he sunk it back in again. She moaned in pleasure.

“Yes, take me! By the gods!” Bella cried out in utter delight, feeling how Troy fucked her tight channel.

Troy grunted as the waves of pleasure crashed against him. Her pussy was tight and felt so damn good. It had nearly been too tight at the beginning, but she’d had enough foreplay so that they were able to struggle through popping her cherry – and that was even with her being literally dripping wet. Troy pushed forward, keeping a firm and slow rhythm, giving her time to adjust so as to not hurt her. She clung to him with a look of dazed awe on her face as she tried to deal with all the new sensations.

“You’re so tight. It feels fantastic.” he growled, allowing his hips to go a bit faster. Troy groaned as she started gripping him with her channel. It felt amazing but made his thrusting more difficult. He adjusted his knees and then grabbed a hold of the bed, so he could pound more deeply into her. Bella moaned loudly with each thrust, gripping the bed so she could help push him deeper.

“Keep going… you’re so big! I want it all!” she groaned as she struggled to get him even deeper. Her head arched back, as she felt herself closer to an orgasm. Troy kept going, chuckling as he thought that he’d make sure she felt the Thunder.

Her hands opened and closed on the bed as she hissed, “Yes!” Her breasts bounced back and forth with each powerful thrust.

“You like that? Say it! Say my name!” Troy could feel himself ready to burst at any moment. The rabbit woman growled as she groaned.

“Fuck me! Troy!” she screamed out. She didn’t care if the entire village heard her at this point. She had never felt such pleasure and never wanted it to end.

Her hips rolled as she felt every inch of him slam deep inside her, spreading her pussy with his thick meaty member.

Bella screamed, “Troy!” as she was hit with the hardest orgasm she’d ever had. Her whole body locked up and her mind went blank. A raging fire roared through her body, exploding every nerve in a crazy way, over and over again. As she climaxed, her pussy juices squirted out, covering his member and thighs. Troy released his control as he thrust his hips faster and faster, giving in to the pleasure and his desire to claim this beautiful woman. Then, without any further warning, he exploded, unleashing his load into her. Hilting into her as deep as his cock could go, he held himself there as he filled her to the very brink with his hot cum.

Each of his spasms triggered another orgasm for her as they were both overcome with pleasure.

They stayed like this until Troy was completely drained. As he slipped out, he released her legs and rolled off her and onto the bed. Bella lay there, struggling to catch her breath as her body shook with aftershock orgasms. Her legs hurt from the position they’d been in, but her mind couldn’t register it, as everything else drowned it out. Minutes flew by as she caught her breath, and her body slowly came back down from the mountaintop.

“That was… amazing. That was more intense and fantastic…. My mother never said anything about that,” she whispered as she lay back and closed her eyes. Troy turned to face her and caressed her shoulder. It caused another bout of shivers, which brought a bigger smile to his face. It had been amazing, and it had been too long for him. He relaxed, as she focused on the last few shivers he was wringing out of her. Watching the effect he had on her felt great.

“I’m glad you liked it,” he murmured as she finally was able to focus on him with a smug smile. Being sexually sated and satisfied was a very good look on her.

“Hmm, could we do that again? I don’t care if I can’t walk tomorrow. I wouldn’t mind going again… you know, to help begin the next generation for the tribe,” she said, licking her lips. She couldn’t believe it could be like this, and she was going to do everything in her power to make sure he stayed. This was too good to let go.

Troy chuckled as he saw the look of determination and hunger in her eyes. He wondered if that was because of her rabbit side, but pushed it off. It didn’t really matter. It would be fun to have another round, but he wanted to cement who was the leader in this relationship.

“How about another time? That way you can recover.” he said with a confident smile. He kissed her forehead before he got up and put on his loincloth.

“Where are you going?” Bella asked with wide eyes. She couldn’t believe he wasn’t staying so they could do it again.

“It looks like I’m late for some training. Don’t worry though – I’m sure I’ll be back, so just rest up till then.”

“Troy, wait! Before you go,”

Bella watches Troy stop looking at him for a minute seeing the way he turned to her his clothes halfway on “Earlier you asked me about the island, well you’re the first outsider we’ve seen in the last twenty years. We stay in the area surrounding the village, except for the hunting parties, who stay in a larger area that surrounds ours.” She paused, watching him closely admiring his strong form wishing he'd stay to ravage her once more but knew she had to let him go off to perform his other duties. “It’s safe here because the Forgal protects this area. As for where you are? We at least know the name of the island. You’re on Anderelt. We don’t know where it is in our larger world.”

“ Anderelt… interesting, very interesting.” Troy memorized the name as he thought it sounded a bit familiar, but shook it off.

Troy smiled as he looked back at her from the door, before he waved and left. Bella watched him go with passion lighting her eyes. The smell of lust and sex covered her, and she really liked the warm glow she felt. She was a bit annoyed that he hadn’t taken her again, but he was right. They would be together again – very soon, if she had anything to say about it. She couldn’t help but smile, as her plan was already starting to work very well. When the tribe was finished with him, Bella knew that Troy would never want to leave any of them. At least, that’s what she hoped.

Troy walked out of the hut, stretching. He realized he felt like a million bucks – much better than he had in a long time. He stretched his neck and grunted as he rolled his shoulders with a satisfying popping sound. He started to walk through the village, taking in the warm sun and enjoying himself as he headed toward his destination.

That’s when he saw Inu charging him. She looked furious as she headed his way, so he stopped and waited for her.

“Where were you? You promised to come train me at the outpost. I’ve been waiting for over half an hour,” Inu snarled. One of her eyes twitched in obvious frustration. It was clear she had forgotten about what had happened earlier, as she tapped her foot impatiently.

“Well, sorry, I got busy with a few things…. Also, there was a Forgal.” He paused, making sure that he was correct about the creature’s name. In truth, it didn’t seem like a good name for something like that. Maybe if it had been called ‘the beast’ or even ‘Fenrir’... but he pushed that idea off.

“You dealt with the Forgal?” Inu said. Her mouth almost dropped open at the very idea that he might have fought the creature. Troy simply nodded, while the fox girl could only raise an eyebrow. It was as if she couldn’t believe what he said.

“You fought the Forgal, and survived?” The way she said it was a mixture of surprise and disbelief. Troy almost imagined she was about to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming.

“By the skin of my teeth. But yeah, I survived. Fortunately there were a few really big trees,” he said.

She leaned in, looking deep into his eyes, as she was trying to suss out if he was telling the truth. But then, she looked more curious.

“Why do you smell like Lady Bella?” she asked suddenly.

Troy shook his head to her question. He imagined Inu would lose her shit if she knew he and her leader had basically fucked each other silly after he escaped death – especially since it was one of the things that had kept him from helping her train.

“We were discussing a few things…. Don’t worry about it. Let’s get started on some of your training, alright?” Troy figured it would be better to distract her right now than try to explain that he fucked her leader’s brains out just a few moments ago. Though from how some villagers were looking at him, word of mouth was going to spread about what happened.

They headed off towards the training grounds. Inu led the way, her fox tail swished back and forth. The walk gave him an excellent opportunity to appreciate it. He couldn’t believe how fluffy and soft it seemed to be. He imagined burying his face in it, but realized they weren’t anywhere near that point in their relationship. Hell, he wasn’t even sure if her crazy was worth the pleasure. But there was something about the fox girl’s beauty that really pulled at him.

“Misery, it’s good to see you,” Inu spoke up as she looked over at the giant of a woman. Her words broke Troy out of his thoughts – and his focus on her backside. Misery was walking up to them, and he turned to see her carrying what looked like an elk.

“Hello Inu, what are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be collecting water?” she spoke calmly while she eyed Troy.

Inu rolled her eyes before she said, “We’re going to train.”

“So you’ve convinced Mr. Thunder here to help you learn to fight better?” Misery asked as she looked Troy over. He noticed her nostrils flare, but she didn’t say anything about what she may have smelled. He just grinned back at her, before noticing that the bison woman had a bow slung across her back. He made a note of that. They had bows and arrows as well. It looked like it was just a shaped branch, which meant there was room for improvement if they had decent material with which to string it.

“He’s planning on showing me some of his outsider fighting style. Though I suspect it won’t be as effective this time, now that I know what to expect,” Inu said in a smug tone, clearly confident about what was going to happen. Troy shook his head, knowing that confidence was just poorly-placed pride in what she thought she knew. Her lack of caution and humility could easily lead to someone’s death. Misery looked at him with a small smirk on her face.

“Is that so?” She paused for a second and turned to Sola, who had joined her. “Well, I’m quite interested in seeing this. Sola, would you be willing to take this elk back to the kitchen? I wanna watch this sparring session.” She hefted the dead animal over to the snake woman, who grunted as the elk was added to the rabbits she already carried.

“Fine, Missery, but you owe me.” She hissed as she stumbled for a moment from the weight. She rebalanced and pushed onwards, going towards the kitchen. She muttered something about people carrying their own kills under her breath as she walked away.

Troy turned to see that Inu and Misery had already started walking. He quickly caught up, and they headed towards the training area. It was a vast field outside the village palisade. The grass was lush, and there was plenty of room to maneuver. The grass should soften the landing a bit. Off at one end of the clearing were some training dummies built from wood and dry grass. Inu walked over to the center of the area, stretching as she went. Misery hung back with a slight smile on her face.

“So, are you ready to get your ass kicked?” Inu spoke up confidently as she cracked her neck. Troy just watched, her shaking his head.

“With that attitude, this is going to be painful for you. Remember, you’re the one who insisted on this, so don’t blame me when it hurts. We’re just training.” He wasn’t planning on hurting the woman, but her attitude was an indication that she’d be cocky and impulsive. It was the exact opposite of how she should be taking this. He’d try not to hurt her if he could help it, but some lessons needed reinforcement.

He quickly stretched out and loosened up. The cool air hit his chest as he watched Inu getting into a fighting stance, her hands up as she growled. Troy watched her carefully as he crouched in a more defensive form. He could almost picture exactly what she was going to do based on his examination of how every part of her body was moving.

Her frame was small but muscular and she focused on slow deep breaths, preparing herself mentally. She bared her teeth at him, and then she ran straight towards him. She growled as she brought her arm back, ready to throw the first punch.

Troy saw it coming as he dodged easily, moving to the side. Grabbing her arm, he pulled it and threw her over onto the ground. Inu was surprised and dazed when she hit the ground. Troy rolled her over, twisting her arm to the side as he controlled her with it. He kept her in a submissive pose on the ground as he attempted to help her see reality.

“You ran in head first, leaving yourself unbalanced and wide open. It was obvious that you were trying to punch me before you even got close to me, giving me plenty of time to dodge and use your momentum against you, ” he said. He had seen the rookie mistakes happening, though to be fair, when he was first starting out, he had done that also. Most people thought it was just rush in and attack, attack, and attack to take down the opponents. He blamed movies for the idea of that. Though since there was nothing like that on the island, this had to have been more of an Inu thing.

“Gah! Let me go and fight me like a warrior!” Inu cried out in frustration. Her face turned bright red as she was held down by Troy’s control of her arm. She was clearly annoyed that she hadn’t been able to make even one strike. Troy only shook his head and crouched down beside her.

“I am fighting like a warrior. You are fighting like a child. Giving into your emotions won’t help you fight better. You have to focus and read your opponent. You can’t just rush in and hope for the best. We’re only training, so use this time to get better.” Troy released her arm as he stood back up.

Inu immediately tried to attack him with a sneaky move, swiping her claws at his legs. Yet he was faster, jumping over her swipe. He dropped down with a knee to her back as he caught her arm under his weight. All the air rushed out of her, and it took her a moment to realize she was trapped again. He hoped the extra time to get her breath back would help her cool down.

“I was in a better position, and you should have rolled away to get back on your feet. I could have landed on your head or your neck – either would have probably killed you. Who taught you how to do this?”

“Bull. My teacher taught me that one must strike first and not let the enemy back down.” There was a falter in her anger as bad memories came back, but she shook her head, returning her focus on Troy.

“Interesting. Now, she wasn’t necessarily wrong, but you have to assess the situation. I’ve proven to you that I’m more experienced than you are. That means you should be cautious. I'm guessing your former mentor was used to fighting in large groups surrounding her, allowing her to focus on one individual. I’m also guessing that she was more like Misery and had the physical size, strength, and stamina to overpower someone smaller than herself. If that’s the case, her style won’t work for you, and she should have realized that. Where is she?” Troy asked. He released her and stood back up. He was glad when Inu didn’t try to take another foolish swipe at him. He imagined he would have to talk with Bella about the women’s training. He couldn’t remember seeing a bull woman. Misery was the closest woman he’d seen that would fit that description.

Inu though looked away at his question, her fury quickly turning into sadness. The look was one Troy had known all too well. He crouched back down as she shifted to sit up. He was ready to put a hand on her shoulder as a comforting gesture. But when his hand started to move, Inu shook her head and turned partially away from him.

“Gone. She went to the mountain area… and never came back.” There was a sadness in her voice, so Troy figured Inu had really felt close to her and looked up to her. Troy shook his head as he thought how best to handle what he needed to say. He’d try not to slam Inu’s mentor too much. There was no sense in making his words harder to hear than they were already going to be.

“Well, she didn’t train you well for your size and strength. She was probably just sharing what worked for her, with her strength and size. It seems like you at least paid attention to what she said. But maybe you’re misremembering her instructions?”

Inu didn’t take this well and without warning she turned back at him, throwing a nasty right hook. Troy moved to the left a few inches, letting the attack pass by him. It barely made a light breeze as it went by his chin. He chuckled as he stood back up. Inu almost fell to the ground from the momentum. Troy imagined that if she had hit him in his crouched position, it would have knocked him right onto his ass.

“The mistake is you're too busy attacking without thinking through the possible consequences of the attack. You're letting your rage take over and throwing all your energy into your attack. You’re not even realizing when it’s the right time to strike. There’s no thought to defense, so you’re leaving yourself wide open with each attack.” He spoke up clearly as he rested his hands on his hips. But soon brought them up in front of him with his palms flat, like he was a boxing coach. Inu looked at him with confusion.

“Stand up and try striking them.” He watched her as she stood, set her feet, and she threw a right hook. She went all out again, banking on her fist hitting his hand. He quickly knocked her fist off with his left hand, making her miss his right hand and lose her balance as she overextended.

“What in the–?” Inu cried out. She tried to strike again using her left. Troy repeated the process of knocking her strikes away, as she slowly put less confidence and power into her punches. He didn’t act smug about it; he simply let her figure out that she needed to adjust her punches based on how certain she was of hitting something. He watched the vixen with a small smile on his face.

“Try again,” Troy said, remaining calm as he stood there. Inu might have been pulling her punches, but her frustration at not getting past his hands was eating at her. Her eyes turned red, and if looks could kill, he would have been dead already.

She kept trying, and Troy started tapping her shoulder after knocking her punch away. He wanted to prove the point of how undefended she was after each attack. Inu tried fighting back and striking, but Troy kept moving his hand so she wasn’t able to hit either hand, or even block him from tapping her shoulder when she knew it was coming. Inu started growling, as she kept getting more frustrated.

“What the hell? You said to hit you.”

“Yeah, but I’m not going to make it easy for you. You’ve got to earn that, and I’m demonstrating how someone that’s faster than you could easily take you out by waiting out your attack.” Troy smirked as he kept returning to the same position with his hands held up.

He felt good and was relaxed as he let his body react to her movements. After some time, Inu growled as she put more effort into controlling her punches and trying to strike quickly before returning to a defensive stance.

Troy changed up his response to her quick strikes at the palms of his hands. This time he smacked her fist down by giving her hand a firm wack on her wrist. She pulled back, shaking it in pain.

Troy could almost imagine that she was cursing under her breath, but that was when something popped into the fox girl’s head. Her ears twitched back and forth, as she thought before her next attack. Troy kept his face the same as he watched her shift her stance and her legs get ready to jump. She was telegraphing what she was going to do loud and clear.

Inu smiled, thinking she was clever as she executed the idea that had crossed her mind. She jumped into the air, scissoring her leg forward as she attempted to kick Troy in the chest. Troy had expected that and smiled as he pulled back. He caught her heel and lifted it into the air. Inu’s eyes widened as she hit the ground on her back in the next moment. A sharp pain ran up her spine, which she tried to hide.

“Nice try, in attempting to change things up. But next time, don’t be so predictable or noticeable. Your opponent is watching you and analyzing everything about your body and your movements… just like you should be doing to your opponent.”

A part of him had been tempted to let the kick land. If there was anything he’d learned back in his training days, it was how to take a punch. His learning had been through the path of pain for every inch of progress. He’d bled for his opportunities until he learned enough to keep that from happening… mostly. If it did, then it was best not let them see you bleed. But that had been only another stage in his training until he progressed so they couldn’t hit him.

He stepped back, giving her time to recover and stand. He grinned as he shuffled his feet back and forth, remembering his boxing days. He prepared for whatever she came up with next, analyzing every inch of her. He was reading her like a book.

Inu furrowed her brow as she stood back up, rubbing her aching ass. She was annoyed by what he said and felt overwhelmingly frustrated. Her face and heart were filled with determination. She would figure this out and get better somehow.

Her clear conviction was something Troy liked. He could respect it, and use it to help her improve. It looked like she was willing to take the lumps to learn. It reminded him of himself back when he was first starting out. But determination wasn’t the only thing she needed.

Her tail swayed in the air as he watched her go for another kick. Troy stepped in, lifted her leg, grabbed her tail and turned her, so she went face-first into the ground. He crouched beside her again as she struggled to recover from the jarring impact.

“You’re learning, you’re determined, and you’re willing to endure pain. But still you need one more thing. You need to accept your short-comings and ask for help. I’ve proven to you in every moment of our training that my skill and experience is superior to yours. Yet, you still haven’t humbled yourself and sought my help. You’ve continued to try and prove that you’re somehow better, contrary to the reality you’re experiencing. Yes, you can learn by continuing to fail against a superior opponent, but it’s a waste of time and effort if there’s a better way.”

Troy stood and stepped back. Her face was red from her frustration and fury, so he prepared himself to deliver another smackdown.

Inu growled as she jumped to her feet and ran at him, overwhelmed with anger by Troy’s words. She moved in trying to strike at him with her claws extended. “I’ll kill you!” Inu screamed in utter rage.

As she tried to attack him, Troy shook his head and launched into action. Once again, he grabbed her arm after dodging her swipe and pulled. He quickly flipped her, using her own momentum and adding some of his own strength, throwing her down hard on her back.

The impact knocked the air out of her lungs, and she struggled to catch her breath for a bit. When she was finally able to take a deep breath, she lay there looking up at Troy. He’d stayed standing and was watching her. Inu was having a difficult time understanding how she couldn’t touch him, why her moves were worthless against him.

“I can keep this up until you learn if I have to,” he muttered.

She tried to swipe at him and he casually kicked her shoulder, rolling her over onto her stomach before he dropped on her back. Once again, she could barely breathe as she struggled to get his weight off of her. She tried wriggling and pushing, but she didn’t have the strength to get his knee off her back.

Troy held her down as she felt her heart racing faster. Her anger was overwhelming – she could almost imagine her head ready to explode. She just had to figure this out, but every thought in her head raced away. Finally, she heard a voice call out.

“Alright, that’s enough!” Misery said loudly.

Troy glanced at her and stood, letting Inu catch her breath as she lay on the ground. Her face was in the dirt as she took long deep breaths, feeling absolutely humiliated.

Misery walked over and looked at Troy with a slight grimace. Her deep concern showed in her eyes as she looked down at Inu, lying there. A part of her felt bad for the vixen, yet she knew that Inu had put herself in such a position.

“She’s still young. You could have gone a bit easier on her.” Misery helped Inu up, while Troy shook his head.

“Can’t. If she wants to be a fighter, she’ll have to learn from experience. Going easy on her won't do anything but hold her back. If anything, that’s what I think Bull did.”

Misery shrugged as she looked at Inu. Inu was pouting with her face towards the ground.

Troy continued, “We can contInue this tomorrow. I’ll tailor your training based on how you decide you want to learn.” His face remained calm as he held out a hand to the young fox woman. When she saw it, she growled as she glanced up at him. There seemed to be a hunger in her eyes, like she wanted more. Inu looked down at his hand and paused, like she was ready to take it, but then she stepped back.

“Whatever,” she grumbled before she turned and stalked away. Her tail angrily whipped back and forth as Troy and Misery stood in the field, watching her departing form.

“I could say you should be kinder to her. She’s lost a great deal,” Misery said. She watched the young fox walk off, clearly full of anger, like she was ready to rip someone’s head off at any second.

“She wanted me to show her how to fight, and the first rule of fighting is you have to be ready to learn.” Troy shook his head.

“Still, I will say your fighting technique is interesting and effective,” she replied. She sat down on the ground, so Troy sat with her, getting comfortable.

“Yeah, I continued to improve and sought to learn more over the years. When you’re in my line of work, it’s better to be cautious and humble than to leave yourself open to an attack and get killed.”

“Sounds like you had an interesting job,” Misery said while she leaned back. Her top barely held her massive bosom up while it offered an excellent view of her ripped abs as she stretched back. Troy ignored it as he nodded.

“It could be especially exciting some days, but for the majority of the others, it was quite boring.”

“What was it you did?” she asked. She was curious what role had pushed him to train himself so well. As he thought about his answer, she shook out her hair. Troy wondered how to best explain his job.

“Recently, I worked as head of security for a guy named Jack Chandler. I protected him and made sure he was safe. He was kind of like a tribe leader for a company that built weapons… and an asshole.” He sighed, not really wanting to think about Jack or his previous job.

“Before that I was a part of something far bigger. I protected the president…. You can imagine him as the tribal leader of the entire country where I’m from.” He thought about trying to explain all the ins and outs of that, but shook his head.

“That’s fascinating. Why did you quit working for this… president?” Misery asked. As she watched him closely, she popped her neck, and the firm cracking pops made Troy wince.

“I’d prefer not to talk about that. It was not the best time in my life. Not that I didn’t like the job, it’s just… things changed.” He rubbed the back of his head with a sigh. How long had it been since he talked about that chapter in his life with anyone? He grunted. Never. He could hardly think about it even now, much less talk about it.

“Well, I’d love to hear about it. I’m sure you have other interesting stories to tell.”

“Maybe one day.” He turned, looking over, seeing the sun already setting. It surprised him, as he didn’t think they’d been out this long.

“We better head back. Supper should be ready, and it’s not good being out of the village at night. I talked to Bella, and she said it was okay for you to continue staying with me.” She blushed before she continued, “Is that okay with you? I know I’m not ready for much yet, but I hoped we could snuggle when we go to bed before we fall asleep.”

Troy smiled. “Sure. We can snuggle before we go to sleep.” Troy was so glad he’d spent time with Bella earlier. Misery’s snuggling was probably not going to lead to anything anytime soon, but he grinned, thinking about resting his head on her massive pillows after an exhausting bout of sex with her leader.

He rolled to his feet and offered Misery a hand up. She grinned as she took it and stood up, making sure to brush him with her titties. They both just smiled at each other as they headed back to the village.

Chapter Five

That night, after the sun had set and the moon began slowly traveling through the sky, everything was calm. The villagers were reading themselves for a night of rest. The day’s work was finished, and their stomachs were filled.

Lady Bella sat at her throne, thinking about how her world had changed on this day. So many thoughts were running through her mind, as memories of their shared passion sent tingles throughout her body. Needless to say, most of her thoughts centered around Troy Thunder, his place in the village… and his place in her life. She wasn’t sure how to feel, but she knew she wanted to keep him by her side, sharing their passion every day. The strange man had come into their lives – her life – and completely up-ended it. It was hard for her to not think about him and sex. Her lady bits trembled as the memory of his powerful thrusts replayed in her mind. Truly, he was a gift from the gods.

Her mind was having a hard time letting go of what he had done to her. The way he had taken her. Bella couldn’t help but smile at the thought it felt like nothing she had ever experienced. Her stomach felt warm, and her pussy tingled. He had filled her so full, and she had leaked his cum for hours. She knew that she wasn’t pregnant, because she knew her cycle intimately. It wouldn’t be for another few weeks, and she was thankful for it. Once she was pregnant, others would need to be prioritized, and she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to do that.

Fortunately for her, the other women in the village weren’t seeking Troy out. Troy had quickly fallen into a routine of sleeping with Misery, but seeking out Bella during the heat of the day. Misery had yet to satisfy him, so Bella more than willingly put every effort into meeting his needs and desires. Their sessions left her in a satiated, blissful state – she was completely addicted to his lovemaking.

In the quiet moments after their passion, they’d grown closer. Just the sight of him gave her tingles now as her body anticipated what was to come. Troy was still guarded though, focusing on training more than anything else. He wasn’t taking any liberties with any of the women, which spoke to his character. Unfortunately, Bella knew she couldn’t keep him all to herself. And if he wasn’t going to seek out the women, then they would need to seek him out.

So Bella found herself forced to take the next step. She’d start by getting to know how the women of the village felt about this man so she could influence them and add any needed encouragement. With each day, Bella found it harder to understand why they weren’t begging Troy to take them. Obviously the sound of their pleasure was well-known to the whole village. She couldn’t contain herself when Troy brought her to such heights. She was reluctant to think about her feelings about the man to whom she’d become addicted, and she needed to help the others act upon their own.

The first woman Bella was meeting was Sola. Bella had seen how Troy looked at her and how she had returned his gazes. There was definitely some interest already there. Bella just needed to give it a nudge or two.

The snake woman entered the hut with her normal graceful stride, her hips swaying back and forth. As the door closed behind her, the snake woman bowed her head in great respect as approached the throne.

“What is it you’d like for me to do, Lady Bella?” Sola asked. Sola was always willing to help, and she took her job as Bella’s guard very seriously. She never wanted to leave Bella’s side and was willing to die for the woman.

“I want to know what you think of Troy Thunder.”

“What do you want to know?” Sola asked, looking curious at her leader and her queen.

Lady Bella rested her chin on her knuckle and raised her eyebrow. “Whatever you can tell me. What do you think about him? How do you feel about him? How have your interactions gone with him? How do you feel about the time I’ve spent with him? What have you heard, in speaking with the other women of the village, about how they feel about what Troy and I have done?”

Sola chuckled. “Everyone hass heard… and ssome have made it a point to gather nearby to hear even better. Everyone I’ve sspoken to has been enviouss of your time with him. I think many of the coupless have reacted with their own noisess of pleassure. I could hardly ssleep a wink lasst night, even after you finisshed.”

Lady Bella fought the urge to smile. It had been quite a night, there was no denying that; the two of them had enjoyed a wonderful evening before Troy had returned to Misery’s hut. Leaning back, Bella had to rub her thighs together because of the tingles the memory had caused.

“But as I said, how do the other villagers feel about Troy? How do you feel about him?” She looked at Sola with that calming smile.

“Troy iss… interesting, and ssome of the villagers find him very attractive,” Sola muttered. She certainly thought he was attractive and had spent a significant amount of time fantasizing about being in Bella's place. It had become the source of many conversations and gossip around the village. Everyone was bragging about how it would be for them and wondering who was going to be next, but no one had stepped up to lay claim on him for themselves. It was especially difficult because every mating Troy had with Bella increased in passion and cries of pleasure.

“I see, and how do you feel about him? Are you interested in having him for yourself?” Bella winked as she watched Sola blush at that.

“Well… I wouldn’t ssay no, if he was interessted. I’m ssure many women will become hiss wivess if he choossess to sstay.” Sola licked her lips and had to hide a shiver that ran down her back. She knew she wanted a spot, but wasn’t sure how to make that happen. She needed to be prepared and ready to protect Bella at all times. Everyone was already wondering how many women it would take to satisfy Troy. He’d always left Bella exhausted, while he’d been full of energy. Sola frowned as she thought about how some of the women would try to join him to control him, so they could use their influence over him to increase their power in the village. There were others that would just cause a lot of drama. Sola couldn’t imagine that Troy would have much patience with that.

“Who do you think he will pick to join him?” Sola asked.

Lady Bella leaned in and smiled. “Well, my fine guard, I know that I have found my place in his harem. I don’t think it would be wise of us to wait for him to seek out others. I imagine you’d like to join him. You’re beautiful and strong, while your role of my guard is similar to his previous role. I’ve seen how he looks upon your curves and how your hips draw his attention. I’m sure he wouldn’t complain if you seduced him.”

She stood up from her throne as she walked over to the blushing Sola, patting her shoulder with a lush smile. Sola was an intelligent woman, but the girl had never experienced the loving touch of a man. Bella knew how difficult it could be to overcome the inner doubts and fears of rejection. Sola was too young to remember the last man, but Bella was getting to know this one… intimately. Troy wouldn’t thrust his affections on someone without encouragement because he didn’t want any of the women to feel obligated. Bella would deal with figuring out how to get past the breeding aspect at some point later. For now, she just needed to add good women to Troy’s harem to make sure he stayed.

Sola searched Bella’s face for certainty. “Are you ssure? He hass looked at me with dessire?” It was hard for her to imagine that Troy would be looking at her curves when he slept with Misery with her massive breasts. That wasn’t even mentioning the passionate sex he was having with Bella.

Bella squeezed her shoulder as she nodded. “You are beautiful, my friend, and he desires you. If you need any help, I’m sure that I can give you some pointers. You just need confidence in your beauty. Show him what you got, and be clear that you desire him when you’re ready. But don’t wait too long.”

Sola’s eyes were wide as she was trying to process what her queen was telling her. She was good enough. Troy desired her, and Bella wanted her to be a part of her family with Troy. “Are you ssure?”

“As sure as the Forgal is vicious,” Bella said. She would do whatever was in her power to make sure Troy was surrounded with good women who would share him with her.

“Thank you, Lady Bella. You’ve given me much to think about and to prepare for,” Sola said while she pulled away from her queen.

“Think also about the other women that should be at Troy’s side. Honesty and kindness are foundational to the family we want to build. I want the best chance for all of us to be happy, especially Troy. So think about who else may need some encouragement to join us.”

“Thank you for your trusst in me. I will also sseek out thosse who are worthy of being a part of Troy’ss harem.”

“We will keep Troy Thunder satisfied and happy… and here as long as possible,” the rabbit woman said, as Sola nodded, blushing more at the idea of a harem actually forming.

Troy woke up at the crack of dawn, and as he lay there he couldn’t help but smile. In truth, he was getting used to his life in the village. Misery was still very skittish about anything sexual, but he enjoyed waking up with his face pressed between Misery’s breasts. They were so soft and warm, and better than any pillow. It was an experience some men would kill for.

Misery enjoyed sleeping naked at night, but she shut down very quickly when anything but the most basic touch happened. And she couldn’t bring herself to touch him. That wasn’t to say there weren’t nights he would wake up and find her arms wrapped around him like he was a giant teddy bear. Thankfully she had a soft touch to her; otherwise he could imagine the buffalo woman could crush him with her immense strength.

Misery was also a sound sleeper, to the point where Troy suspected that he could drop a grenade in her hut and she wouldn’t wake up. It was tempting for him to take advantage of that, especially when he woke up lovingly held to her breasts, her large nipples begging to be taken. But he didn’t. He didn’t know how long it might take, but he would conquer those mountains when Misery was ready – and not before.

Yet when dawn hit, like clockwork, the buffalo woman would wake, immediately get up, and head out for morning patrol. Troy remembered the few times he’d been fast asleep, and the next thing he knew he landed on the ground. Misery would shoot off the bed as dawn hit, knocking him off the bed in her haste to get up and ready.

Of course, that meant Troy was also up and might as well prepare for his day, which resulted in him visiting with Bella to soothe her desires and his blue balls. She couldn’t get enough of him and was increasingly vocal in her pleasure. For some reason, it didn’t matter how long he pleasured her. She was always exhausted by the end, while he was bursting with energy and didn’t have any issues going extra rounds. It was a massive ego boost, and he wondered if his new vitality and stamina had something to do with the island.

But other than his interactions with Bella and Misery, the villagers hadn’t seemed open to developing relationships. He worked with more than a few of them and tried to make sure he remembered their names. They were cordial but pretty much let him be. None of them asked for any special attention, and some were even reluctant to ask for help in general. They were content with living their lives.

So far his life on the island was like the ultimate medieval fantasy paradise. The village was filled with only beautiful beastkin women. With them only having daughters, they were just like an Amazonian tribe. Of course, most of them weren’t like Misery who definitely fit that mold, but they were all beautiful women. What more could anyone ask? The most he had to do was manage to survive and enjoy his time here. With everyone working together, it seemed like the tribe was doing well. If anything Troy had to go looking for work, just had to pull his weight. He didn’t want any of the women to be able to say he wasn’t doing his fair share. Which based on how they watched him, the girls made sure he did and would know if he didn’t.

In the hot afternoon Troy let out a hard grunt, as he lifted the large jug filled with water over his shoulder. He’d just pulled it up from the spring and sweat was running down him as he gripped the container tightly. He looked at the older woman with long graying hair and with a toothy grin filled with sharp teeth. She was the oldest woman in the village, and Troy remembered what Bella had said about her.

“Thank you, Master Thunder.”

“It’s Troy, Mango,” Troy said. Some of the women had started calling him master, especially Mango. Obviously he hadn’t asked them to, and he wondered if she was influenced by how the previous guy had wanted to be addressed. He supposed it didn’t really matter. It had started just after he and Lady Bella had slept together that they had started calling him master. Troy just kept repeatedly telling them to just call him Troy.

Mango also seemed to forget and returned to calling him man-thing. He couldn’t help but wonder if she had a bad memory, or if she did it on purpose to annoy him. Either way, he just ignored it because it wasn’t worth expending the energy to deal with it.

Mango turned around and headed back into her hut, using a walking stick. “Mind your steps on the way back!” The tribe referred to her as an elder. If Troy had to guess, she was in her sixties or seventies.

“No problem, Mango,” he said. He didn’t mind helping the old woman out. Mango led him back into her hut, and then she sat down with a loud sigh. A soft smile spread over her face.

“You know, you’re the first man I’ve seen in twenty years. You’re so much nicer than that jerk Hans. Just the sound of his voice always made me sick to my stomach. He was always finding fault with everything I did.” She spoke calmly, like a sweet old lady, as she rested back in her chair. She pointed her cane to a spare seat, so Troy sat down there respectfully.

Mango grabbed a couple of cups as she made them tea, her fingers going over the leaves as she handed him a cup.

“So what happened to the last… man?” Troy asked. There was a firm silence between them as Mango slowly took a drink as she shook her head.

“I figured he went up to the mountains, never came back. I said, ‘Good riddance’ when I heard about it. I was glad he was gone and things settled back into a peaceful routine. You’ve seen those pillars on the mountain with a dark cloud around their tops? Many have gone there, but none have ever returned.” She shook her head.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s how it goes, though that is a cursed land, but legend says that’s where our ancestors came from, and where we return when it’s time….” She took quick sips. “I plan to head up there near the end, like many girls have, but I’ve still got some years left. When we are close to the end of our lives, we go back to where it all started.” She looked at him very directly before she continued.

“There's a legend about those pillars. It’s said the gods came from there – our makers – and from that mountain the first man-thing and woman-thing came down. Legend says they were forged from the water and the land there. As they survived and created a new home, they started a tribe. The first man-thing was named Mocala, and the first woman-thing was named Lily.”

Troy nodded and kept eye contact with her so she’d know he was listening. She smiled at him as she took a drink again and continued. Nostalgia softened her worn features as she fondly remembered when she’d first heard the story. It had been decades before, when she was a small girl. For a moment, she felt like the years seemed to fly past her, returning her to that time and place so long ago. She could almost smell the burning of logs and hear her own mother telling her about the stories of her tribe, and how it was birthed to what it was today.

“They had started the tribe and raised many children over the years, both boys and girls, till Mocala grew old and began to weaken. He decided to return to the home of the gods, while he still had some strength, and left behind his love, and their children.”

Mango's face lit up as she remembered something, and she excitedly said, “Then the guardians came! It wasn’t long after Mocala left that the first guardian appeared and drove off all the male children. It didn’t eat them but they weren’t ever seen again. The remaining girls and women lived in fear until they realized the guardian wouldn’t hurt them and was only protecting them and the village. It was during this time that Lily named us the ‘Amazonian women.’ Three years later another man-thing arrived, somehow making it to the village past the guardian. His name was Tulio, and he was the next man-thing. He was the gift of the gods, and he laid with the next generation, producing the next tribe of women. It was from that time that the women only gave birth to daughters. When Lily was near the end, after enjoying time with many granddaughters, she joined her mate by returning to the mountain.” There was a moment of silence as she paused, thinking about the story.

“Over time since then, there have been various man-things. Many of them were beast-men, in fact, but there was never more than one man-thing at a time. The village developed its own structure, and as women, we had to make do with surviving on our own. Each woman developed skills to better serve within the tribe. It was difficult at first, especially learning to hunt in the guardian’s territory. That was when we discovered there were other guardians protecting other areas of the island. The tribe quickly learned to stay within our guardian’s territory.” She grinned and sat up straighter, thinking about the accomplishments of the tribe. It took her a moment before she continued.

“Man-things continued to show up on occasion. Some came from the sea, lost to storms, while some crashed down from the sky and made their way to the village. We consider them gifts from the gods, and the cycle has continued to this very day.”

Mango eyed him for a moment before she smirked. She looked like a cougar ready to pounce on her next meal. Troy said nothing, as he wondered how reciting the tribe’s history had invigorated her.

“That was until you arrived – a new gift from the gods, I suppose.” She grunted as she put her cup down. She had finished it and gave a sigh as the energy seemed to leave her.

“Though I wonder how successful you’re going to be, Mr. Thunder? Can you keep the cycle going, or will you wander off in search of who knows what? More than a few of the past man-things left after a short time, eager to find something on the island or find a way back to where they came from. It’ll be interesting seeing what will happen with you. I suppose we’ve all heard you with Lady Bella, so at least you’ve begun.” She chuckled, but it turned into more of a cackle. Even so, she kept watching Troy to see what his reaction would be.

“Well, Mango, I’m not planning on wandering off, and I’m looking forward to how I can help the tribe. ” He smiled as he finished drinking his tea. That was when the hut door opened. It was Sola, her tongue flicking out as she stepped in, glanced around and looked at Troy.

“Excusse me, Elder Mango, I wass looking for Masster Troy. Do you have a few minutess to talk? Would you please come with me?” Sola blushed a bit and wouldn’t meet his eye, so Troy raised an eyebrow as he looked back at Mango. She simply smiled and shooed him off.

“If you need anything else, let me know.” Troy smiled while he stood and walked to the door, giving a light wave. Mango smirked and let out a chuckle.

As Troy turned to follow Sola, he heard Mango mumble, “The signs… what did that dream mean? Will the village be abandoned and reduced to dust?” Troy quickly turned back to her but wasn’t fully sure how to react to that. Mango had a look of surprise on her face as Troy stared at her. Yet then, the old woman gave him a mischievous look as she broke into a weak cackle.

That didn’t sound weird at all.

When he didn’t say anything, she finished cackling and said, “Oh, don’t mind me. But hey, if these young women can’t keep you satisfied, I can show you something you can only dream of, if you come over late at night. Those young girls aren’t the only virgins.” She winked at him with a lewd expression on her face as she focused her eyes on his loincloth. Troy found himself flabbergasted by this and didn’t know what to say.

Sola almost shrieked, “Mango!”

The elder shook herself and plastered a fake smile on her face before shrugging her shoulders. “Kidding, kidding. Now go on, leave this old lady alone to enjoy her tea.” She smirked and didn’t blush at all, reaching over and taking his cup. Troy nodded, not sure what to think, and as he turned Sola pulled him out of the hut.

Sola kept hold of his hand as she led him away. As Troy followed the snake woman, his eyes automatically dropped to follow the movement of her hips. Something about the way she moved, swaying her luscious curves, stirred him up. He licked his lips and glanced up to meet her eyes as she glanced back over her shoulder. He smiled and she blushed before quickly turning back to face forward.

Busted. But she didn’t seem to mind….

She had been acting odd lately when she was around him, not saying much – not that she’d said much to him in the first place. She generally had been simply remaining silent, but he always felt her eyes on him when she was near. It was time to find out what she needed.

“What is it you want?” he asked carefully.

She waited until they were clear of the huts and there weren’t any other women near them before she responded.

“I want to sspeak to you about a few thingss.” She spoke with a hissing sound that sounded less like a lisp and more like a sexy drawl. Maybe that was just because it brought his attention to her tongue and mouth. He focused his mind, because clearly something was going on. Troy raised an eyebrow. She licked her lips again and blushed as she crossed her arms in front of her, framing her pert breasts. Needless to say, his eyes may have dropped to assess the situation for a moment before returning to her face. She was grinning, and rather than deal with that, he pushed forward to find out what she wanted.

“Alright, what do you want to talk to me about?”

“I heard what happened with the Forgal, sso I’m concerned for your ssafety when you get near the edge of the village. I’ve been tassked with protecting you, sso I need to know when you plan to be near the edge of the village or leave the village.” She gave him a weak smile and a questioning look, as she wondered how he’d take the news.

Her tongue flicked out, causing him to be distracted, as Troy remembered that snakes used their tongues to sense heat and taste the air. Was she looking for something specific in his body heat, or trying to sense a change in his pheromones? He forced his mind back on track to answer her.

“Well… I don’t know that you need to protect me. That being said, I have been wanting to join the hunting party or do some exploring at some point. I've always been very aware of my surroundings. The Forgal isn’t going to catch me by surprise again.”

The snake woman shook her head. “Sstill, I sshould know about any time you want to leave. I have a duty that I won’t sshirk. If you don’t tell me, then I’ll be forced to follow you around most of the day.” She grinned like she’d just won the argument, and leaned back on one hip, showing off one of her long slender legs.

Damn, she looks good.

“Listen, I don’t want you doing that. It would be a waste of your time, and it’d probably annoy me. I’ll try to let you know when I’m heading out, if I can find you, but I’m not going to wait long. It’s as simple as that.” He raised an eyebrow more cautiously.

“I believe that will work, but I don’t want you acting like you can’t find me. Ssomeone alwayss knowss where I am. Assk Bella, Missery, or Frey – they will know, in casse ssomething happenss.” She moved in closer, looking up at him. Her tongue flicked out again, and he swore he could feel her hot breath as she stared into his eyes.

“Well, okay then. I’ll let you know when Misery takes me hunting or I go out to the training area.” He turned, ready to leave, but she grabbed his shoulder. At first it was a hard grip to stop him leaving, but then she caressed his upper arm.

“Lissten, you sshould be careful. All of uss are concerned for you, and it’ss mine and Missery’ss job to protect you. We won’t let anything happen to you… ” Her voice dropped at the end, and Troy thought he heard her whisper, “because you mean too much to uss.”

“What do you mean by that?” he asked as she looked away. Sola took a moment before she looked back at him with a soft smile.

“I jusst want to make ssure you undersstand that we’re… that I am here to help you. If you need anything at all, just let me know. I will alwayss be available to help you….” She smiled and licked her lips again before she rubbed her arms, jostling her titties, as she turned and walked away

Troy shook his head as his eyes were once again drawn to the sway of her fine ass. “Well, that was interesting.” It looked like there was another villager that needed some attention. Troy wasn’t going to rush into this one, though. He was planning on being here for a long time, so he needed to make sure he handled all of his relationships carefully.

That was the most that Sola had ever spoken to him before. Troy felt that it was a little odd that she was being so forward now, but maybe she was hitting that time of the month when she was extra-horny. Whatever the reason, he was going to take this slow, especially as Bella was insatiable.

By the time he broke out of his thoughts, Sola was long gone, so he walked back toward the main part of the village. He figured he’d see what else he could do around the place or if anyone needed help.

As he walked through the village, he enjoyed the feeling of the sun beating down on him. A couple of moments later, he heard Leso calling out to him.

“Hey, Master Troy!” Leso called out. He glanced over to see her raise a hand carrying two large empty buckets. She looked like the four buckets in her hands weighed more than she’d like, even though they were all empty. He turned towards her and met her yellow eyes as she moved towards him. She looked more mouse-like, her large ears flopping. Troy nodded his head at her. A part of him groaned inside, guessing what she’d want him to do – another heavy water-fetching task.

“Um, yeah, Leso?” he asked, keeping his eyes locked on hers. Both halves of the lesbian couple didn’t take kindly to wandering eyes, especially when those eyes wandered over their partner’s bodies.

“Please, call me Les. Everyone does. Would you mind helping me out?” she asked.

Troy nodded, moving over towards her.

She handed him two buckets as her nose twitched. She swiveled her head back and forth for a moment, like she was trying to take in her surroundings.

“Sure, so we’re getting water? And please call me Troy.”

Les motioned for him to follow her. “Thanks, I need to get some water from the hot spring. We don’t have to heat it as much, so it saves us time. Normally, I can get Bria to help me, but right now she’s busy doing some other work. So I’ve got to do it by myself.” Les muttered, clearly looking annoyed, but then her attitude picked up. “But now, you’re going to help, so I don’t have to struggle as much.

“No problem, Les, I don’t mind. Besides, it’ll give me something to do.” She headed out to the edge of the village; it was clear that she knew a faster way. Passing through the brush, he stayed on guard in case he saw signs of the Forgal. As he followed Les, she spoke up.

“So how are you taking being a part of the tribe?” she asked. She glanced back to observe him, but Troy just shrugged.

“So far, so good. I’m just getting used to a lot of things.” He felt the buckets hitting his leg as they moved towards the spring. The water steamed and he realized she’d led him to the pool that everyone soaked in, rather than the more-pristine pool. She grinned and said, “We’ll be boiling this and it’s easier if you don’t have to bend down.”

Les walked down into the spring with the buckets until they started filling with water. Her leopard skin bottom floated up and somehow her shirt had gotten splashed as well. Troy, realizing what was happening, looked away.

“What’s the matter? Get in here and fill your buckets!” Les called out, seeing Troy who was facing away from her and not getting in the spring.

“Um… the fabric isn’t hiding anything, so you’re exposing yourself. I don’t imagine Bria would be too happy,” he said. He focused on looking her in the eyes but was still able to enjoy the view.

Les rolled her eyes. “Come on, we’re adults here. Get in here and get this water. You’re getting the same view Bria gets when she helps, so she doesn’t have any reason to complain.”

Troy snorted. “Fine, but if Bria finds out and attacks me, it’s your fault.” He walked down into the spring, letting the buckets fill with water.

“If she tries, I’ll bust her up,” Les said. “Though if you try to look at her like this, I will rip your eyes out, ‘cause she’s my girl.” Les said with a possessive smirk.

Troy snorted. “Hmm, clingy, aren’t you?”

“Hey, she’s my wife…. So what’s it like with the boss? I hope she’s giving as much as she’s getting.” Les asked. Troy stopped looking at the buckets in his hands to stare at her. Her eyebrows were jumping on her forehead, and she was smirking.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, playing it off, though it appeared Les wasn’t buying it.

Les snorted. “Troy, do you think we can’t smell Lady Bella all over you, or that we don’t have ears? Our boss is quite a screamer, if you haven’t noticed. I don’t know what you’re doing to her, but damn, you’ve even given me second thoughts.” She smirked. The buckets had long since gotten filled, but she wasn’t moving to leave yet.

Troy didn’t mind – the hot water felt really good on his legs. “That loud, huh? Well, maybe we’ll try to keep it quiet from now on.”

“Hell, no! Better not, ‘cause this is the happiest Lady Bella has ever been. Besides, the sounds of her moans and screams really get Bria in the mood. And I’m not giving up having her extra-excited when we crash for the night.” Les grinned while Troy rolled his eyes.

“Well, you’re opening up to a complete stranger – you know that, right?”

“Hmm yeah, you are a stranger, but I think I can trust you. Besides, if you tell anyone, my better half might rip your… thing off?” She pointed and Troy looked down. His member had worked itself free; somehow, he hadn’t noticed because of the water. Yeah, that was it. It was because of the water and not him thinking about Bella screaming in ecstasy while he pounded into her. He casually reached down and moved his loincloth to cover himself.

“Pretend you didn’t see that.”

“As you wish. Though when I tell this to Bria, she’ll laugh. Understand that we tell each other everything.”

“Good to know – that’s a sign of a mature relationship.” Troy didn’t mind Bria knowing about this, as long as she handled it like an adult. He hadn’t asked for the view or done anything wrong.

“Alright. Let’s get going,” Les said as she walked up and out of the spring. He followed along after as they carefully stepped out and the water ran off of them. Troy had to admit it had felt refreshing.

He chuckled as he noticed that Les’s buckets had somehow spilled so they were only three-quarters full. Troy admitted he was showing off a little as he lifted his completely full buckets, his muscles straining. Maybe Bella or Sola might be watching as he followed behind Les. Who knew?

“Maybe I should have you come by and help me out more often.”

“Guess we’ll have to see.” Troy and Les made small talk as they walked slowly, careful to not spill the water. Les reminded him of one of his old coworkers. She’d been a sweet girl, mostly, though Troy wouldn’t forget that one time.

He and a few agents had gone to a bar, and some guy had made the mistake of grabbing her. Her immediate response was an elbow to the gut and a hard kick to the groin. He was squeaking on the floor and they had to call an ambulance. Rumor was that he lost one of his nut sacks after how much damage she had done to him. Troy had warned the guy when he first started trying to make his move, but he didn’t listen. So that one was on him, though Troy was glad there were plenty of witnesses so she’d gotten off the hook. Troy was sure the man had learned that fuck off meant fuck off. He chuckled at the memory.

“What’s so funny?” Les asked. They headed towards Les and Bria’s hut where a large cauldron hung over an unlit firepit filled with wood. It had taken them a while longer to get back because they’d been walking so slowly. Troy set one bucket down, and at Les’s gesture, poured the other into the cauldron. He picked up the other bucket and poured it in as well, followed by Les’ two buckets.

“Oh, just remembering something – an old friend of mine.”

“A lover?” Les said with a side glance, while Troy laughed it off, shaking his head.

“Oh, hell no. She was great at her job, and if we worked together, I’d have her back, but she was crazy…. Maybe she hated men, I’m not really sure, but she definitely wasn’t someone I'd date.” He snorted at the thought of taking her out. Jessie had no patience for small talk and loved to drink. It generally didn’t leave her in a good place for developing a relationship.

“Whatever happened to her?” Les asked while raising an eyebrow.

“Not everyone survives the business. Sadly, she didn’t make the cut, and she left to do other work. I never saw her again.” He remembered getting news after the fact. He wouldn’t have minded getting a beer with her to see her off, but she’d been long gone. She was a hell of a woman, and wherever she might be now, he hoped she was happy.

“But yeah, you remind me a bit of her. Nevermind, though. Anything else you need?” he asked.

She looked into the cauldron and checked the water level before shaking her head. “I think I should be good for the time being. If there’s anything else, I’ll let you know. Thanks for your help, and I hope the view was thanks enough.” She winked while Troy nodded and said, “Bria’s a lucky woman. I’ll see you later.”

He turned around and headed back to the center of the village. As he walked away, he heard Les mutter, “Damn straight she’s lucky.”

The village felt peaceful, and it was feeling more like home to Troy. It was a simpler life, but he didn’t care about a lot of the technology he’d left behind. He really appreciated not having his electronic leash, and not being at the beck call of a boss. The ladies of the village didn’t demand assistance and were actually appreciative when he did help. It was a very nice change from his old life.

Troy sighed as he glanced around. A hundred yards away, he saw Frey. She was talking with Inu quietly enough that he couldn’t hear any of their words. He felt tempted to see what they were doing, but figured it was best if he stayed out of it.

Inu had been pointedly ignoring him since their initial training. He’d hoped that she’d want to learn and humble herself, but she was still struggling with her anger and pride. Troy wasn’t going to push her, since she needed to decide for herself what she was willing to do to learn.

Frey had also kept to herself, which was a bit strange considering how much she’d flirted with him that first evening.

Maybe I shouldn’t have shown her how to weave a basket?

She’d been practicing ever since, because the villagers didn’t really have any containers that weren’t hollowed-out logs or gourds. He was waiting a bit before showing her how to make a fish trap based on the baskets. So far there was plenty of food, so there wasn’t any rush to get more.

“Hey! Mind giving me a hand?” a gruff voice called out. He turned and there was Bria, on the top of a hut’s roof. She was sweating profusely as she tied mid-sized sticks to the main roof supports. She sat back on her legs and wiped her brow as he walked over.

“What's going on?” he asked.

“Working on your hut. It’s supposed to be a fricken’ surprise from the boss, but since you’re here, you can get your ass up here and give me a hand!” She didn’t quite yell, but she was loud enough that her frustration was coming through in her tone.

“Sure.” He saw the pile of sticks and vines, so he grabbed some of each.

“Go ahead and hand me some more, please.”

Troy nodded as he handed more of both up to Bria. “Thanks,” she murmured as she turned back to work. Troy moved the ladder and climbed up on the side opposite her, tying down the first row of the lattice. Once that was done, he loaded up more sticks and vines before he climbed up on the roof to begin tying down the second row.

The hut wasn’t the largest, but it wasn’t the smallest in the village either. But he wouldn’t complain. He didn’t need to have the biggest or the best hut. As long as it was dry and had room for his own bed, he’d be happy when he moved in there.

“So how long have you guys been working on this?” he asked, as he kept working.

“A few days. Lady B wanted us to get it made, claimed it would make you feel more welcome. Personally, I think it’s so you two could fuck without stinking up her place. It’s probably also so other women can enjoy your company with a bit more privacy.”

Troy chuckled. “Everyone certainly knows we’re fucking.” Troy didn’t mind; he knew Bella was extremely vocal during their sessions. It hadn’t seemed too loud at the time, but on a quiet night, he could imagine her screams of pleasure carrying for a good distance.

“Lady B is very loud, although I can’t say I’ve heard you very often. I suppose there have been a few loud grunts, but Lady B’s screams really get the blood flowing and the mind churning,” the woman said. She sat back for a moment to wipe her brow as she gave him a nod.

He nodded back before the two focused again on the roof. It took a bit for Troy to get into the hang of it, but it was mostly tedious work. When he got to the end of a row, he almost slipped and fell off the roof. Bria laughed, but then showed him a few pointers before they got back to work.

“Well, I suppose I can ask Bella to try to keep it down.”

“Better not! Les hears Bella screaming, and it gets her more than a little wild. It’s like she can’t rest until she climaxes multiple times. Let me tell you, it makes the evening so much better.” She laughed, with a big smile on her face before it fell.

“Um… better not tell her I said that. Otherwise she might get really mad at me for revealing that, and I don’t even want to think what she might do to you if you went blabbing it around.”

Troy fought off the urge to snort. “Sure – your secret is safe with me. I’m glad to hear we’re inspiring others in the village, but we’re just enjoying each other.”

They finished up the lattice and started on the big thick leaves. It wasn’t too different from laying shingles as they started at the bottom and worked their way up. When he reached the top, Bria was waiting on him to finish. She used a piece of wood to cap the roof.

When she finished, she looked over the whole roof before she declared that they were done.

“So, when should I move in? Was there going to be a ceremony or something?” Troy asked as he stepped into the empty hut. It was simple and to the point. When he looked back at Bria, she was shaking her head.

“We still have to make a few things… like a bed! Ha ha ha! We also want to let the roof settle, make sure it’s stable, and add more leaves if it needs it. I’d give it at least a day or two before it’s ready for you to move in. I don’t know if Misery is ready for you to move out of her place, though. The gossip is that she’s still working up to having sex with you. But I’m sure that’s not news to you.”

Bria chuckled to herself before giving him a side glance and raising her eyebrows. “Um… I have to ask something. I know you sleep in the same bed, and I also hear Misery sleeps naked, so?”

“So what?” Troy responded, raising an eyebrow as Bria chuckled.

“How’s her rack? She’s got the biggest titties in the village, and everyone’s seen how they fill out her top.” Troy stopped there, a part of him went blank in confusion.

“Wait, why do you want to know? I mean you see them all the time,”

Bria snorted at that, shaking her head.

Yeah I've seen them, everyone does look great but you've got me curious, and you’re the first person that would really get a chance to feel those babies! Are they as great as I imagine?” Bria winked at him clearly wanting to know. He could see her expression which read; come on it'll be our secret pal.

Troy burst out laughing. He was surprised at Bria’s question, but was pleased that she felt confident enough to ask.

He grinned as he gave the correct answer, “I don’t think I should tell you because I’m sure Les would be angry at me.” He chuckled while Bria gave him a deadpan look.

“A girl can look. Besides, it’s not like someone’s trying to flirt with my Les, cause if they did. Bam! Right in the stomach.” She punched her hand and nodded her head. “But damn, Misery has an impressive rack.” She eyed him, giving him a questioning look that he found amusing.

“Fine, I’ll tell you.” He looked around, making sure that no one was around, especially Misery, as he moved in closer and spoke in a hushed whisper.

“They’re great, like the softest pillows you could ever imagine. It’s one of the greatest things waking up in the morning, nestled in between them. ” He smirked and was glad he could brag a bit about Misery. They still had a long way to go, but they would get there.

Bria’s eyes went wide and she grinned before smacking him on the back. She laughed with enthusiasm. “Good to know, you lucky bastard! Damn. Almost makes me jealous, if I didn’t have my Les.” She shook her head while looking off in the distance. Troy could see Les walking along, taking an empty bucket towards the spring. She was swaying her hips back and forth, as if she knew Bria was watching her.

“Hey. You’re lucky yourself there.”

“That I am, and don’t you forget about it.” She smirked again, raising her head with confidence and placing her hands on her waist. Her eyes stayed locked on her partner’s ass, and she licked her lips.

“Well, I better get going. I’ve got lots to do,” Troy said.

Bria absent-mindedly nodded, but it was clear she was focused on admiring her partner.

“Sure thing. I think Les might need some help with the water.” She headed off, quickly moving to catch up to Les. Troy just chuckled and headed off in the other direction. There was a lot of daylight left, and he was still looking for another good branch to make into a spear. As he reached the edge of the village, where the forest started to get more dense, he remembered what Sola had said and rolled his eyes. He certainly wasn’t going to go running to find her to escort him.

As he started looking for the right-sized branches on the ground or on the trees, he thought he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He froze, very slowly turning his head to get a better look. He didn’t see any movement, but he felt like one of the shadows in the distance shifted. After another couple of minutes, he went back to searching for a suitable branch.

“Could just be my imagination,” Troy muttered as he continued looking. He’d made one short spear, but he was hoping to find a longer branch that would work better. He wanted to make sure he was ready when he was able to join the women in hunting.

Sola finally eased into the hot spring’s water. It felt like she’d waited forever for Les and Bria to finish playing in the spring before they went back to their hut. Sola hadn’t wanted to intrude, but had been looking forward to unwinding in the spring.

It had been a long day, and everything had been quite frustrating. The village had been turned around since the arrival of Troy Thunder. She closed her eyes, ducking under for a moment before resurfacing and relaxing. The water felt so wonderful, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she let her thoughts drift….

In truth, she had a hard time not thinking about the man. Everything about him seemed fascinating; he was so different from the women in the village. All the other tribe members were discussing him or, if they weren’t talking about him directly, they were reenacting Bella’s screams of passion. It was hard to even imagine what he was doing that would cause her to do that.

Sola hadn’t wanted to admit it to Bella when they’d talked, but she was one of the ones that drew close to her hut when Troy entered. She was so curious, and the sounds and cries of pleasure made her so wet.

Her hands reached down to her small perky breasts, caressing them as she wondered what it would be like. A light moan escaped her lips as she tweaked her nipples and thought about what Bella had said to her. She’d seen Troy’s eyes on her ass and how he noticed every time her boobs bounced. She knew she was at the other end of the spectrum from Misery, but Troy certainly was interested.

Her hand slowly slipped down under the water, as she relaxed more, spreading her legs. She could feel the hotter water rising from the depths of the pool. Its heat matched what was growing between her legs. Her hands caressed her thighs, starting on the outside before moving to the inside. She shivered as she imagined she was feeling his hands, caressing her aching body. His hands were rubbing and caressing, slowly making their way to her sweet spot.

She moaned again as the fingers finally found her wet pussy, and she remembered when she’d seen his cock. It was so long and thick. It was hard to imagine what it would be like when it stiffened and throbbed with need. The need to take and claim her… to fill her hot, wet pussy… and make her scream…. She bit her lower lip as she gave into the fantasy, letting the fingers play the part of Troy’s cock. A few moments later, she ducked her head under the water as she screamed when she climaxed. The waves of bliss crashed over her as her tail swished back and forth in water. All too soon she surfaced, taking a deep breath and feeling very relaxed.

It had been too long since she’d had time to really relax. Rarely did Sola get to have these moments. She felt like she was always protecting the village, doing her duty, or watching out for others. She wondered what it would be like… if she was the one protected… if she could finally let loose.

Troy Thunder’s smiling face was all she saw in her mind’s eye as she soaked.

Chapter Six

Troy slowly stalked through the jungle with a spear in his hand, alert for any movement. He’d finally talked Misery into showing him their hunting area. With the Forgal and the possibility of other guardians in the jungle, he wanted to be extra careful. He snorted as he glanced around him again.

He and Misery had set out an hour before and were making their way towards the river, which delineated one side of their territory. Troy had a suspicion that the Forgal actually had a much larger territory because of the amount of food the village needed. The Forgal would need as much as three or four people, and it certainly wasn’t limited in where it went as the apex predator.

He knew the sun had moved across the sky and was reaching its peak, but he hadn’t been able to see it since he entered the jungle’s canopy. He also hadn’t seen any animals larger than a squirrel so far. He wondered how the village’s hunting parties were so consistent in finding large game. Hunting as they were now seemed to be a waste of time, unless this was Misery trying to test his skills or letting him ‘get his feet wet’ in the jungle.

He was moving along in parallel to a large game trail that led to the river, but hadn’t heard or seen anything yet. He’d seen plenty of trees that he could have used to wait for something coming along the trail. He wondered if the animals were used to looking up for danger.

Thinking about danger sent him into another round of watching out for the Forgal. He wasn’t going to let that beast catch him flat-footed again. After a pause, he continued sneaking through the brush, trying to make each step he took silent.

A moment later, he heard the snap of a twig and froze. He turned and readied himself to throw his spear. Misery was off in that direction, but he’d lost sight of her quite a while ago. He tightened his grip as he heard more movement getting closer. He was ready to give it a firm throw or to jab it forward, depending on what came out of the brush.

A few seconds later, Misery stepped out from behind a tree and he sighed in relief. Her mask covered her face as she walked over to him. He couldn’t read her expression, but she seemed at ease, so he lowered his spear.

“Did you see something, Misery?” Troy whispered as she stepped closer. She pulled her mask off so she could look him in the eyes. He wondered what she was thinking behind her usual calm look.

“Is something wrong?” she quietly asked.

Troy shook his head and raised an eyebrow to question why she’d ask. Misery set the butt of her spear on the ground as she leaned against it. Beads of sweat ran down her face; Troy couldn’t help but notice that they dropped to her chest to slowly make their way to the chasm of her cleavage. Her overflowing breasts glistened, almost inviting him to kiss and lick her vast tracts of land.

When his eyes found her face again, she was grinning at him. She was very confident in how her breasts were the envy of the village women. Unfortunately she was still painfully shy. Hunting and being in the jungle were the two other areas in which she was very comfortable and confident. She had an ease about her that was only found in mastering the environment.

She didn’t say anything, so Troy said, “No. Everything’s fine.” Since she was leaning against her spear and at ease, Troy leaned against the tree next to him.

“You seem worried about something,” Misery said.

Troy shook his head and looked around before responding. Obviously she’d know if there was something hunting them, and he didn’t know enough to be concerned about poisonous frogs or snakes. He was just sticking to the rule that bright colors are bad.

“Nope. I’m just keeping an eye out for the Forgal. There’s something weird about it – it didn’t feel like it was just an animal that wanted to eat me.” The creature was definitely strange – there was nothing like it in his own world. He could tell it was much smarter than the average animal; even at that first encounter, it was like it had a human’s level of intelligence. He remembered the look in its eyes, and he was certain that it had understood him.

“The Forgal won’t attack us so long as we leave when we see it and don’t try to steal its prey. It’s an unspoken deal – we don’t bother it, and it doesn’t bother us. I suspect you caught it on a bad day, that’s all.” Misery said.

She looked him over again, amazed that he’d managed to run into that ruthless beast and survive. If it had sought him out and attacked him , then it was a miracle that he’d survived. She was really impressed and couldn’t stop her eyes running over his muscular form.

Damn, he looks good enough to eat. Or good enough to eat me. Why can’t I let him have his way with me? Why do I shut down as soon as he starts making me wet? The number of times I’ve thought about him fucking me, the number of times I’ve dreamed of waking up to him pounding my pussy…. She sighed as she looked away. If only she could get her act together. She knew he’d make a powerful and passionate mate… she just needed to do whatever was necessary to get him to claim her as his own.

“Should we continue?” Troy asked as he took a step forward, but before he could take another, Misery grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. Troy looked at her questioningly, and she quickly pointed out the vines that he would have passed.

“Devils Vines. You don’t want to touch those – you want to give them space. They’re very dangerous. Just watch them for a moment.”

He nodded as he watched the vines. His eyes widened as they began to move on their own, slithering up the tree like a snake. Its movements were nice and slow, like they were dragging away something.

Troy shook his head. He’d never seen a plant move like this one did. “I’m glad I didn’t run into that earlier. I appreciate you being here to teach me about the jungle. It’s easy to forget how strange and dangerous this place can be.”

“Yes. You’ll find there are many unusual things in our territory. I can’t imagine what things might lurk on other parts of the island.” Misery paused and then cocked her head to the side, holding up her hand for him to be quiet. She gestured for him to follow her as she quickly started making her way back towards the village.

After a few moments, Troy could hear something running along the game trail. Misery led him behind a tree so they could peek around it to see what was coming.

Sola came running into view with a frantic look of her face, and Misery and Troy immediately stepped out onto the trail.

Misery said, “Sola, what’s the matter?” as Sola almost ran into her.

“We have to get back to the village now! It’s under attack!” She turned and took off running. Misery and Troy had seen the fear in Sola’s eyes as they rushed to follow her. It was a mad dash back to the village, and within moments Troy heard screaming and smelled smoke.

They ran even harder and broke out of the jungle at the end of the village. The village was being overrun by swarms of… beastmen, or maybe some kind of mutated monsters. They had weapons and were trying to corral the women as they set fire to the huts.

The three of them raced to attack, surprising the beastmen as they rushed them from behind. Misery, Sola, and Troy each impaled a different beastman in the back. Some of the other women joined in, jabbing their spears at the beastmen as they lunged forward.

As Troy withdrew his spear from the dead beastman, a wolf-like creature jumped at him, slashing for his throat with its claws. Troy twisted and used one hand to grab its arm, throwing the creature to the ground with its own momentum. It snapped its head back, looking at him with fury even as it was a bit dazed from hitting the ground. Troy quickly spun his spear and stabbed down with both hands, impaling the beast. His spear went through the creature’s body and into the ground beneath, getting stuck in the ground. The beast somehow didn’t die immediately, and kept swiping at Troy’s legs with pure fury. Troy danced back, leaving the spear, and looked around.

Five of the beastmen lay dead, and the rest had retreated back into the forest. The wolfish creature struggled some more before it let out a faint howl of anger and loss before it died. None of the women that Troy could see were injured, so everyone’s eyes turned to the burning huts.

A scream from farther in the village changed that.

“Grab a weapon and come on!” Troy yelled as he ran.

“I’ve got to get to Lady Bella!” Misery cried as she beelined for the leader’s hut. As they came around a corner, they ran into another group of the beast-things. Misery and Troy didn’t hesitate as they attacked, Misery bowling into the group like it was a mosh pit. Troy impaled a boar beastman, but had to lose the spear to meet another wolfman’s attack.

Troy dodged the wolf creature’s claws and punched it in the face. It hurt his hand, but only seemed to excite the creature. Sola shouted and quickly tossed her spear over to him. Troy caught it with ease and jabbed at the wolfman, who jumped back. Sola ran over and tackled another beastman to the ground before she pinned its arms and started wailing on its head.

The creature lunged at Troy, and he smashed its arm with the butt of the spear. Unfortunately, its arm not only held, but cracked the spear. Troy kept moving, jabbing with the remaining spear as he drew his knife. The creature was fast, strong, and unbridled. It dodged as quickly as Troy did, and they danced around each other as they contInued to move, deflecting and dodging the other’s attacks.

Troy lunged forward, stabbing with the spear, only to have it ripped from his hand and snapped in two by the wolfman’s claws. Troy twisted passed its arms and slashed it across its throat with his knife.

The creature tried to scream, but instead blood sprayed everywhere as it sank to the ground. Troy turned and looked for the next attacker. There were more creatures closer to Bella’s hut, so he ran that way. As he ran, he grabbed a spear from the body of a beastman and attacked two more.

One of the beastmen deflected his spear so it sank into its thigh rather than its chest. The other one blocked Troy’s slash with its arm, saving it from a mortal wound at the cost of that arm. Both were dead within a few more moments as Troy used their weaknesses against them.

As he lunged past them and attacked another creature, the tide turned and he saw many of the beastmen running away. Troy quickly tripped the last creature and followed it up by slashing its throat before it was able to attack him.

Troy turned to assess the situation as the last of the remaining beastmen fell dead. Misery, Sola, and some of the other women stood panting, looking worn out. They were covered in bruises and cuts, as they had fought their hearts out. Even though it had felt like the battle had lasted forever, in truth, it had only been a few mInutes.

“Is everyone alright?” he asked, trying to break the women out of their daze.

“I’m fine, sso iss Missery but….” There was a drawn-out pause, and Troy’s heart skipped a beat as he ran into Bella’s hut. The whole back wall of the hut was missing, and the place had been torn apart.

Bella was gone.

“Did anyone see Lady Bella?” Troy cried, looking at the women as he charged back out of the hut. Misery’s countenance fell as she nodded.

“I saw her being carried off through the back of the hut. They had her tied up, but I couldn’t go after them because of these things. They were in my way and wouldn’t die quickly enough. Why did they take her?”

Troy felt his rage flare as he was overwhelmed with anger. If he hadn’t been dealing with these bastards and wasn't so focused on the fight, he might have been able to get in there. Maybe he could have stopped them from taking Bella.

“God damn it!” he yelled before he got control of himself and calmed down. Being angry wasn’t going to do him or her any good.

“What the hell are those?” he asked, gesturing to the dead bodies. Why hadn’t they told him that the village could be attacked by these things?

“Those are man-things… at least, they used to be. I told you many of the man-things in the past were beastmen. That’s what these are - although I’ve never seen so many in all my life. They are more like beasts than the stories said.” They turned around and saw Mango. She stood there, clutching her cane for support. She looked tired, and her arm was bleeding as she walked forward.

“What the hell? They’re certainly more beast than man, unlike you ladies, who are more women than beast. None of them had human faces. And this is the first time the village had been attacked by these creatures? ” Troy almost growled in frustration.

Mango shook her head. “Yes. The Forgal has always protected us. I wonder how they got past it.”

“Wait a minute – were the male children that the guardians drove off beastmen?”

Mango slowly nodded her head. “Yes, because we’ve always had beast parts. Although, as you say, our tribe is more human than these are.”

“Okay, that doesn’t matter at this point. Lady Bella has been kidnapped. Since she was tied up, we can hope that they want her alive, at least as long as it takes for them to get back to their home. It’s safe to say their village isn’t in your territory, so it looks like I’ll be seeing what else is on this island.”

“Those that leave our territory are never seen again… they are lost to time….” Mango trailed off as her eyes got distance.

“Fuck that. I’m heading after them. I’m not going to leave Bella in their hands.” Troy wasn’t going to waste time – he was determined to save Bella by any means possible.

“You can’t go alone,” Mango said as she held her cane. She looked at the man with the determination of a warrior and the stubbornness of a crotchety grandmother.

“I’m leaving as soon as I can grab a few things. I can handle myself, but I don’t mind if someone wants to help. Their tribe is obviously bigger than this one, even if we whittled them down today. You’ll need to prepare for another attack. They know where the tribe is now, and for whatever reason the Forgal didn’t or couldn’t stop them. They will be back.”

“We’ll prepare so we can defend ourselves from another attack. Take Misery. You must take someone else.”

Mango nodded to the buffalo woman, who simply nodded back. “I’ll go. We will save Lady Bella.

Sola looked shocked. “I am going too! You never know what might happen, and there’ss safety in numberss.”

Mango shrugged as she nodded. “If you insist, but you know what the dangers are. If you leave our territory… you may never find your way back.”

Sola grinned and nodded at this as she stepped closer to Troy.

He simply nodded. If she wanted to, who was he to reject her? “Grab your best weapon, whatever supplies we have for camping, and some food that will last. We leave as soon as possible.” His fingers reach over, rubbing the hilt of the knife.

It took an hour before they were ready, but they got what they needed. Troy felt his fingers gliding over the edge of the spear. Bria had given it to him, claiming it was one of her favorites. She’d said that he better bring it back with him. A part of him was glad she trusted him, but another part of him wished that he had a gun. If only, but he’d work with what he had. While he waited, he sharpened his knife with a whetstone.

Alora had brought them a week’s rations, which Misery carried over her shoulder. Her face looked stern while she put on her hunting mask. Troy wondered at the importance of the masks, but let it go. It did nothing to change the mission, as he saw Sola wear one herself. There was a look of worry on her face before the mask slid into place.

“If you want, Sola, you could stay.” he said, reaching over to pat the snake woman’s shoulder.

Sola shook her head. “No. I am jusst preparing mysself so I will be able to focuss on our tassk.”

“Alright, let’s get going.” Troy rested the spear on his shoulder with his bag over the other. With one last look and a nod, they jogged out of the village.

I will be back, and I will save Bella.

He hoped they’d reach her in time, but focused on pushing their pace. They headed off in the direction that the beastly creatures had run off in. The jungle quickly became dense, so they had to slow to a walk. Misery led the way, effortlessly tracking the beastmen’s retreat. Sola followed behind him as they made their way into the unknown.

Troy couldn’t tell when they left the village’s territory. He was just putting one foot in front of the other, following Misery and trusting in her abilities in the jungle.

As they walked, Troy thought that under different circumstances, the outing would have been nice, exploring and listening to the jungle. There were the sounds of various insects chirping and birds singing, while the three of them remained quiet. He stayed aware of his surroundings, not trusting that the Forgal might not show up. Even so, he also kept track of signs those beasts had left. Based on the damage of their passage, they had continued running and didn’t bother trying to hide where they were going.

It made Troy wonder how intelligent they really were. Why weren’t they trying to cover their tracks? Surely they’d expect someone would come after them. Or did they think the women wouldn’t leave their territory? From what Mango had said, they never had before except for the aged. He shook off that train of thought for another. Why now? And why kidnap Bella? They had lost a good number of beastmen to the attack, so it didn’t make much sense. Fortunately the women had been more capable defending themselves with their spears than the beastmen had been attacking them with their claws. Whatever the motivation or impetus for the attack, Troy would find out and deal with it, permanently.

If only he’d had more time to train the women and erect better defenses. He shook his head, knowing that train of thought wasn’t helpful. The village had never been attacked like this before, so they wouldn’t have seen the need. When they made it back though, things would change. This island with its territories wasn’t so isolated now. The village would have to deal with the existence of another tribe of beastmen. Fortunately, he’d be able to help them navigate their defense and responses.

“So, is there anything you can tell about the beastmen based on their trail?” Troy asked Misery.

“Not sure. Even this far from the village, they’re still rushing without care to find the easiest path. I’d also say they are frustrated, based on the slashed vines and brush, like they cut at them as they ran by. They’re dangerous, but we knew that. My gut tells me they are lacking in intelligence and just react like animals.”

Troy nodded his head, as her thoughts matched his. That’s when he stopped, as he caught sight of a shifting of a shadow in the tree branches ahead of them.

“Wait….” He paused and pointed to the tree as he readied his spear.

Misery and Sola also readied their weapons as they slowly approached the tree. Troy wondered if it might be a lookout for an ambush….

“I know you’re up there. Come out!” he called out, with his weapon up and ready to strike. There was a moment of silence as he searched the canopy, seeing if he could find any movement. A few leaves fell before a loud crack filled the air.

A loud scream followed the crack as two women fell out of the tree. It was none other than Inu, who hit the ground first with a thud, followed by Frey, who landed on top of the fox woman.

“Ouch, what the hell was that for? Why’d you land on me?” Inu yelled. Her tail moved back and forth as she tried picking herself up. All the while, Frey struggled to get off of Inu as she grumbled.

“Ouch…. No, that hurts.” Frey pouted as she looked over at Troy with a weak smile.

“What the hell are you two doing here?” he asked, finding himself annoyed. Misery and Sola were in the same boat as they crossed their arms and glared.

“I would not let you go out here by yourself, even with Misery and Sola. It’s too dangerous, and I want to help!” Inu said, clearly annoyed at falling out of the tree and meeting him this way.

Frey said, “I tried telling her it was a bad idea and she should stay back but she wouldn’t listen to me…. I even tried offering to make her new clothes to keep her busy, but she still wouldn’t listen. I couldn’t let her go alone, so I volunteered to come with her.” Frey bowed her head, looking ashamed, as she wasn’t sure how Troy was going to feel about this.

“Right, well, you two better head back. It’s far too dangerous.” Troy said.

“No! This is where you’re supposed to think we are brave and accept us into the rescue party,” Inu yelled.

“I can drag you back if I have to,” he said while gripping his weapon. Inu, though, looked him straight in the eyes.

“Maybe, but we all know how much time that would waste. I’m helping and that’s all there is to it. Bella’s my leader too, and I’ve trained to be one of her guards. We ran far enough ahead just to make sure you wouldn’t bring us back. So I’m coming with you,” she growled, baring her fangs at him.

Troy grunted because Inu had a point. He wouldn’t waste the time trying to take her back. She’d obviously thought this out so she could call his bluff and convince him to keep going. Even if he were to drag her back to the village, he wouldn’t be able to keep her from following him again.

He looked at Frey and asked, “What about you? Are you going to head back now? Inu is with us, and the trail back should be clear.”

Frey looked afraid as she bit her lip and her feline ears twitched, but she shook her head.

“I’m coming as well. I may be the worst fighter in this group, but I can defend myself. I can be useful…. I’m more than just the village's clothes-maker; I help with medical issues, too. I can also identify various berries and plants you guys might encounter.” She spoke carefully and returned Troy’s gaze with determination in hers. This was something she’d decided she’d do, even if it was dangerous and her life might be the cost. Her gaze softened as her eyes begged Troy to allow her to stay. Troy let out a sigh.

“Fine. But if there's any sign of danger, I want the both of you to defend yourselves. If I tell you to run, then you get the hell out of there. I can’t babysit. You got it?” Troy looked at both of them pointedly as they just stared back. He wanted to chuckle because it seemed like they hadn’t really thought he’d let them join the party. Be careful what you wish for.

“Do I make myself clear? If I say run, you run.” He hardened his voice so it was more like a drill instructor.

Both women nodded and as one said, “Yes, Troy!”

He adjusted his spear and nodded for Misery to keep going. Inu and Frey fell in behind him, while Sola continued to bring up the rear. He shook his head at the big grins they had on their faces. That was two more women that he’d need to watch out for, but he wasn’t the type to control other people’s choices. If they were willingly to fight and possibly die for their queen, then he’d accept that and support them.

Troy lost himself in his thoughts for a bit as they quickly followed the beastmen’s trail. Misery slowed and held up a hand, pointing to something ahead. Farther up the trail in a clearing, there seemed to be walls. As they crept closer, Troy noticed they looked more like really big crates. He realized the sides were bars, and they were looking at old cages for large animals. Some were stacked two high.

As they drew nearer, it was clear that some of the cages had been made of wood, which had deteriorated. The metal cages were still intact, although rusted from their time out in the elements. They were the kind of cages that animals would be stored in while traveling across the sea.

“What the….” Troy looked over some of them, trying to see through the brush that had grown up in and around them. Most of them were empty; those that weren’t had fragments of animal bones inside them. Even the bones had mostly decayed since the creatures had died.

“What are these? Why would animals have been placed in them?” Inu whispered. She looked at the cages, not really understanding their purpose. Troy realized the idea of caging or shipping animals would be foreign to these women.

“They are animal bones,” he murmured. He was still wondering if they had been shipped here, or captured to be shipped somewhere else. And why would the animals have been left to die in the cages? Such a thing seemed wrong and inhumane.

Inu rolled her eyes. “I know that. Why are they in there?”

“They’re cages,” Misery said. “Why someone would have wanted to capture and hold so many animals is beyond me though. ” She seemed calm as she shook her head. Troy could tell that she wasn’t entirely comfortable looking at these things. Cages and prisons would be evil to people who were so free and close to nature.

Troy motioned for them to continue as the women turned their heads from the cages to refocus on the trail. After a few moments, they slipped back into their tracking mode as they followed the signs.

As they proceeded, Troy was surprised by the number of cages they passed. All of them were being reclaimed by the jungle. Vines had taken some cages, wrapping around and through them as they sought the small patches of sunlight peeking through the canopy. He would have expected more trees to be growing up in and around the cages.

The number and location of the cages completely baffled him. Who would have brought them here? They hadn’t just appeared here out of nowhere. There weren’t any signs of a road or path large enough to transport them, even after so many years. There were so many mysteries to try to figure out, but for now, Troy had to focus on the mission. Later perhaps, he would be able to puzzle out pieces.

“Troy-” Sola started to say before a large shape lunged out from behind a brush-covered cage and knocked her to the ground. It continued to move as it struck Frey’s legs, knocking them out from under her. She went sprawling on the ground and tried to roll away, but the wolfman pinned her with one of his legs.

Inu was the first to react, as she took a couple of steps to lunge at the wolfman with her spear. The creature barely moved, knocking the incoming spear away and striking her hard enough to throw her against a cage. She let out a hard grunt as she slid down to the ground.

The wolfman stomped on Frey and howled as he readied himself to fight Troy and Misery.

“YOU!” the wolfman yelled as he pointed a claw at Troy. “We fight! No fight, I kill prey!” He nodded at Frey at his feet.

“Misery, move back! Come on, wolf man, we fight here. Leave the woman and we fight!” Troy growled.

“Yes!! I will rip and tear flesh from bones!” the wolfman howled as it stalked forward away from Frey.

Sola ran forward and pulled Frey farther away from the wolfman towards Inu. Troy was glad to see they would be okay and ready to defend themselves if needed. He stepped back as he drew his knife, giving himself more room to fight the wolfman.

The wolfman was staring at him crazily as he came forward with his claws out. Troy could tell the creature was ready to dodge.

With a quick step forward, Troy jabbed with his spear ,only to have it knocked away by its strong arm. The wolfman howled in pain as Troy sliced its arm before both danced back from each other.

The wolfman wiped some of his blood with his other hand and licked it. “YES! We bleed and feast tonight!” It cackled as it lunged forward, swiping at Troy.

Troy jabbed with the spear before backstepping, but the wolfman grabbed the end. Troy wasn’t prepared for the strength of the shove. Even as he stumbled to the side, he slashed at the wolfman’s other hand, slicing off two claws.

The wolfman leaped on Troy, trapping the spear between them and knocking him to the ground. Troy was quick to stab it in its side, but it seemed not to care. Troy squirmed and kicked as he smelled the foul breath of the beast as it snapped at him.

A knee to the groin enabled Troy to kick the wolfman off and roll quickly to his feet. Unfortunately, the wolfman was up and stalking him. The spear lay on the ground. The wolfman was struggling with its wounds, but even so, it was intensely focused on Troy.

Troy waved it on as he readied his attack. The wolfman jumped forward with a clawed swipe aimed for Troy’s throat. Troy dived to the left, slashing the back of the wolfman’s leg as he dodged and he rolled to his feet.

Somehow the creature leaped on him, knocking him back. Troy stumbled, tripping over the metal debris surrounding them. The beastman landed on top of him, opening its mouth to bite his throat.

Before it could, Misery was there behind it, grabbing it by the waist and tossing it against a cage. Troy rolled to his feet and followed, not wanting to give the creature a chance to recover. As the beast stumbled away, Troy gave it a flying kick with all of his momentum, throwing the wolfman back against the cage. It howled and then whimpered in pain. Troy kicked it even harder in the chest and heard a loud crunch.

Everything went silent except for the wolfman’s raspy, struggling breath. The beastman was only now realizing that something was wrong; its eyes widened as it looked down at a bulge trying to escape its chest. It saw a piece of the iron bars had popped out of its chest with a spray of blood. The creature let out a hard gasp as it stared at Troy.

“Brother….” it growled in a weak voice, before it slumped over. Troy could tell the beast was dead.

That was a weird choice for its final words.

He shook his head and sighed as he forced himself to retrieve his spear. He gave Misery a nod. “Thanks for your help. I appreciate it.”

Troy turned to the other women who were standing and had been watching the fight.

Frey wouldn’t meet his eyes as she kept her face to the ground. “Sorry….” Her voice lingered on as if she was trying to find the right words. He shook his head.

“Don’t be…. We just need to be better prepared next time. We won’t let it happen again. It got the drop on us.” He sighed and looked at Inu. She gave him a nod and stood up a bit straighter.

Troy continued, “Come on. We’d better get going. We don’t have much daylight left.” The group headed out in silence, leaving the wolfman impaled on the cage bar. A part of Troy felt bad for not burying the creature, but they had a mission to accomplish.

They followed the trail, which turned into a real path after the cages. They went a bit farther before Troy had them leave the road for the jungle again. They found a small clearing deep in the dense brush just as it was getting too dark for them to travel. It was there Troy called it a night, and they built a small fire.

Troy used his knife to help start the sparks, and once the fire had lit, they sat around the campfire eating the few rations they had. Everyone was quiet, intent on their own thoughts about what had happened and preparing themselves for what was to come.

As everyone’s hunger was fed, Troy sat staring at the fire, watching the wood burn down before he threw a few more sticks on it. He was keeping the fire very small to reduce the amount of smoke. Although, judging by the canopy, he doubted a larger fire’s smoke would be noticeable at night after filtering through the leaves and branches.

The fire crackled as the girls finished and put away their food. They had been careful not to overeat, knowing it was better to conserve their resources.

Frey got up and moved beside Troy. “You’ve got some nasty claw marks on your back. Let me help with that.”

“Thanks.” Troy sat quietly as Frey bandaged him up. Inu and Misery threw a few sticks into the fire, as they listened to the crackling and stared into the flames. The feel of Frey's soft hands on his back was very nice, and he relaxed a bit as she tightened the bandages around him.

Troy’s wounds would heal, but he might have another scar or two. It would be something that would remind him of this day.

“So, that's what we’re going to be dealing with? More beastmen, with the majority being wolfmen? What’s the plan, Troy?” Misery asked.

Troy raised his head and nodded in thanks to Frey for her work. “Tonight, we get some rest. Tomorrow, at first light, we contInue along the trail. I don’t think it will be much farther. From what we’ve seen, it feels like we’re on an old road, moving towards a camp or settlement. My guess is the cages came from the direction we’re going, so I’m expecting more than a village with huts. The beastmen would have only been an hour or two ahead of us, so hopefully Bella’s alive. We’ll deal with whatever we find though,” Troy said with a calm voice. He still hoped she was alive, and was forcing myself to believe it. He let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

Inu asked, “What about the pillars with the smoke? It looks like we’re still heading for them.”

Troy shrugged. “We’ll see. I’m not sure what they are, but maybe we’ll get close enough to figure that out on this mission. We won’t be going out of our way to investigate them. Getting Bella back safely is our priority.”

All the women nodded, so he continued, “I’ll take the first watch. Misery, you’re next. I’ll wake you up in a couple of hours.” The buffalo woman nodded, clearly understanding the situation. She looked at the others before pointing to Sola and then Inu, so they’d know the watch order.

Troy nodded as he added, “I suggest you get comfortable and focus on going to sleep…. Tomorrow might be even more challenging than today. We’ll wake up before dawn.”

“Troy, I don’t think that's a good idea. You’re still hurt from the fight, wouldn’t it be better if you let me take your spot on watch? It would let you have more time to heal,” Frey said with worry on her face.

“Thanks, but I’m fine. I don’t think I could sleep right now, anyway. Don’t worry about my back – a scratch or two like that won’t take me out. I’ve dealt with much worse back where I'm from.” He shook off her concerns, but was pleased that she was concerned for him. Maybe all the flirting the first day wasn’t a one-off. Troy smiled at her before turning to look away from the fire. He needed to get his eyes accustomed to the darkness.

Frey was about to say something when Sola grabbed her shoulder.

“Besst to let him do thiss. We’ve sset the watch rotation, sso get ssome ssleep.”

She glanced towards Troy for a moment, before she nodded and moved to lay down. He only nodded as he kept looking off into the darkness. As his eyes got used to the dark, he assessed the damage to his back. He didn’t even remember when it had happened. He still felt the wounds stinging, but he’d learned to ignore that level of pain long ago. By morning, it would probably be mostly gone. It was what it was, and he would deal with it.

The girls turned in for the night, while Troy sat staring into the darkness, holding a spear and lost in thought. Every once in a while, he’d nudge a branch a little farther into the fire, to keep a small flame going as it slowly burned up one end of the stick.

Troy sat back, forcing himself to not think about Bella and wondering if she was alright. Instead, he intentionally thought of simpler times, like when he and his dad would go camping. Those were golden days. He smiled as he remembered when he and his old man used to hang out deep in the woods around a campfire. They’d talk and simply bond, enjoying being away from it all and seeing breathtaking views every day. He missed those times, and he really missed his old man. There was so much he hadn’t known to ask about, and he missed that voice of support and love.

Simpler times for simpler people. As he brushed with nostalgia, he looked back at the girls lying down. He chuckled inside as he could tell Misery was sound asleep. He wondered how difficult it would be to wake her for her watch. He wasn’t sure if the other women were asleep.

Tomorrow wasn’t going to be fun. This was not a grand adventure. This was a rescue mission, and the beastmen had shown themselves to be strong and dangerous. There was only the road forward for him. He would not give up and he would not turn away. He would save Bella or die trying. It was as simple as that.

Chapter Seven

Time seemed to stretch on his watch as the others slept, and Troy couldn’t help but think back to his old job, the one he had before working for Jack Chandler. It had been the position he’d sought for so long, and after losing it, he was still wrestling with its effect on his life.

The memories passed through him as he gazed into the flames.

It had been a hot summer’s day, and he was sweating under his suit as he put the car into park. Troy tugged at his button-down shirt, in annoyance. It was part of his standard uniform, but if he had his way, he would have ripped the damned thing off. But he was nothing if not but professional while on the job.

Troy was driving ‘the beast,’ or what some called Cadillac One. He watched the road, making sure to keep his eyes on the traffic. The roads had been cleared out for their arrival, and the other members of the Secret Service were in front and behind their car. The inside of the car was quiet, mostly due to the barriers of bulletproof glass, keeping them separated from the outside world.

The tinted window behind him lowered as the President of the United States looked at him in the rearview mirror. Troy focused on the mirror and gave a nod. “Are you ready, Mr. President?” He asked, his voice calm and steady.

“Yep. Let’s get this conference finished, so I can get back and sign this bill. Then when that’s done, we can get something to eat. ‘Cause I’ll tell you what, Troy – I’m hungrier than a pig at an all-you-can-eat buffet,” the President said with an amused smile. The white-haired man, who was called the leader of the free world, was in his second term. Although the stress weighed on him there was a tiredness at the edges of his expression, he was pleasant and jovial.

Despite his position, he still retained his down-to-earth sensibility and sense of humor. That and his personality, kindness, and determination had drawn voters to him, allowing him to easily win both elections.

“Don’t worry, sir. As soon as this is over with, we can get you home for dinner.”

“How about we stop over at a Wendy’s on the way home? Charlotte will be busy until later tonight. In fact, you can bring yours in when we get back, and we’ll sit down together. Get yourself something extra while you're at it,” he said with a light chuckle, handing Troy a cool fifty bucks through the window. Troy looked at it, shaking his head, and took the money.

Why couldn’t he DoorDash like anyone else?

Troy already knew why that wasn’t going to happen and shrugged. “Sure thing, sir. Let's just get you out of this meeting safely.”

This was an important meeting between two nations at war, and President Newman had been brought in to try and negotiate a ceasefire. Each side wanted America to take a side, but the President was determined to find a compromise without involving America’s military. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, yet felt it was a job he had to do. Both sides of the aisle were up in arms about it, but he didn’t care. He was going to save lives and find a solution before more bloodshed raised a higher and thicker wall of divide. His job was to bring the US’s influence to bear to propel the world towards peace, for the betterment of the people.

As the car rolled towards the building, Troy’s earpiece came alive with check-ins, as each agent noted their approach and gave their status. He mentally checked off each one, and slowed even more when he realized one agent had not checked in.

He reached over, pushing into his earpiece, and said, “Agent Wake, is everything secure?” There was a moment of silence as Troy waited for Wake to respond. He was going to give the guy a piece of his mind later; just because this was just another day didn’t mean they took this situation lightly. Finally, there was an answer.

“Looks Like it, Thunder. Sorry about that. We’re a go to bring in the President. The location is secure.”

“Copy that. We’ll talk about it later.” Troy finished pulling up to the building. His gut twisted as he put the car in park, and he had an itching feeling.

He caught the POTUS’s attention in the rearview mirror. “I’ve got a strange feeling in my gut, so take things slowly and carefully, please. Stay protected until one of us is in front of you.”

“Yeah, I know the drill. It’s probably all that White Castle you ate yesterday. You take the cake for packing away those sliders.”

Troy stepped out of the car and assessed the area before he walked over to open the door. He helped the President out as he continued looking around. The area seemed secure, and all agents had checked in. There were a few people walking a good distance away, but that was it. Troy nodded at the agent at the door and gestured for the President to lead the way. Troy slipped into step right behind him, staying close so his body covered the President’s from behind.

Once inside, the conference seemed to go forward without a hitch. Troy stood by the President's side, staying aware and spot-checking in with the other agents. When the meeting was finally over, there was a lot of publicity. The President had been able to use some economic incentives, debt reduction, and corporate tax relief to broker a deal. A ceasefire would be proclaimed, hostages would be returned, and NATO forces would be sent in to monitor the ceasefire and exchanges. Overall, another disaster had been averted… for now, at least.

The extra publicity added to the length of their stay, but everything was still going like clockwork.

As Troy led the way towards the building’s exit, he said, “Great job negotiating the ceasefire, sir.”

“Thanks, Troy. It’s a good feeling knowing you’ve done something positive for the world. I’m glad your gut didn’t jinx it. I told you it was the White Castle….”

Troy listened for the check-ins as they walked, and slowed as the exit was in sight. The agent next to the door nodded, but Troy stopped as the roll call continued. The car was outside, waiting and ready to take the POTUS back to the hotel.

The roll call finished, but it was still missing one check-in. Troy swore under his breath. “Check in, Agent Wake!” Troy stood for another few moments, waiting for a reply before he looked back to the president. “Wait here, sir. I’m going to check outside. We’re still missing a check-in.”

“Damnit, Troy. I’m fixin’ to starve if we don’t get some grub.”

“Watch him,” Troy said to the agent at the door as he stepped outside. He had to walk halfway to the car to get a visual on Agent Wake’s position. Without warning, a slight flash of light glared at his vision. Troy hit his earpiece.

“Wake! Damn it! Check in! Alert all agents, prepare to lock down!” There was static and he saw no one in Wake’s position. That feeling in his gut stepped over the edge of the Grand Canyon and went into free fall.

“LOCKDOWN NOW! LOCKDOWN NOW!”

“INSIDE NOW! LOCKDOWN!!” He ran towards the President. He felt each step as if it took a full minute.

Why wasn’t the president getting back inside? Why hadn’t the agent at the door pulled him in?

The questions flew through his mind as he raced for the door, counting down each step as he prayed the man would get inside. The president seemed to be frozen, just staring at him and disobeying his orders. Troy would never forget the shocked look on his face as he yelled one last time, “INSIDE!”

Troy leaped, his arms outstretched, to tackle the president back into the building, but it was too late. Just before he hit the president, the back of his head exploded, blood spraying everywhere. President Newman was killed by a marksman – shot right between the eyes. Troy stared in horror, his body unable to move, as blood began pooling on the floor. Pain blossomed at his shoulder, but he didn’t care. His focus was solely on the body beneath him. Troy didn’t need to reach over to check his pulse to know that the President of the United States was dead.

His earpiece screamed as the beehive emptied and agents swarmed, but he wasn’t able to process it. Once the area was secure, he was taken to the hospital, along with the President’s body.

The rest of that day, and an untold number following it, were a complete haze, like he was out of sync with reality and only catching a word every couple of minutes.

His mind replayed that fatal five minutes over and over again, as if it were trying to force what should have happened into reality. At some point, that gave way to replaying the same thing, to try to catch some hint how this tragedy had occurred.

In the end the world went silent, as he mentally shut down and isolated himself. He knew he’d done what he should have, but that still didn’t help.

Troy found out later that the man who assassinated the president had also managed to kill Agent Wake. There weren’t any alerts, visually or electronically, about Wake’s death. Somehow, he’d taken him out and taken his place, enabling him to wait for the perfect shot. The assassin had used this hole in their surveillance to assassinate the president. They never found the killer. There was no evidence left behind to help identify him.

Troy ended up going through an investigation, being questioned by a long list of agencies. He barely remembered any of it, but mechanically repeated the story and answered any questions put to him. It was standard when someone in such a high office was killed. Everyone was asking questions, and that didn’t even count the media. Troy was placed into witness protection for the duration of the investigation to limit his exposure. In the end, he had to answer questions in front of a committee set up by Congress, as well as the Department of Justice. Troy would have considered this the longest month of his life, if he could remember it at this point.

The verdict was that while Troy had done everything right, he had still been in charge, and the assassination had happened on his watch. Troy wasn’t jailed for failing his mission, but he was forced to leave the Secret Service in disgrace. Trust had been broken, and he was forced to leave in shame, left to deal with the consequences of something for which he had no control.

Troy’s mind zipped back to the camp as he heard a twig snap. He turned back towards the girls, as he realized one of them was getting up.

“Troy…” he heard someone whisper. He pushed the branch further into the fire so the flames increased, allowing him to see that it was Frey. She rubbed eyes as she sat down next to him, then let out a long yawn as she snuggled into his side. Her top barely held her in; if she moved the wrong way, her boobs would pop out.

“Oh, Frey…. What’s up? Couldn't sleep?” Troy asked quietly. Looking down at her at his side gave him a mouth-watering view. The top was barely there, and she was pressing those titties into him.

The fire flared a bit. He didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary in the jungle, but the soft cracking of the flames provided excellent ambient noise.

“How long till we wake up Misery?” Frey asked as she snuggled in more, taking in his warmth.

“Probably an hour. I guess it depends on how I’m feeling,” Troy said. In truth, he could have stayed up all night if he wanted to. He was used to sleepless nights. Sure, he might be groggy the next day, but he could take it. Still, he’d let the girls have their watch. He needed to be in the best possible state for the challenges tomorrow would bring.

Troy wrapped his arm around Frey as she snuggled closer, resting her head on his chest. It felt really nice. She smelled like apples, ripe for the picking as he felt her nuzzling against him, her soft fur caressing his skin. It reminded him of a friend's house cat. He smiled as he thought he heard the panther woman purring.

“So tell me more about the outside world. What was your home like?” she asked.

Troy shrugged. “What do you want to know?” He wasn’t sure what to really say. It was so different from this place. Would she even understand half the things he told her?

“Anything. I just wanna know as much as you want to tell me. Anything and everything about the outside world.” Her expression was avid as she looked up at him.

Troy rubbed the back of his head. “I mean sure, though there’s a saying where I come from… curiosity killed the cat.” The cat girl kept looking at him expectantly, wanting to see what Troy would say about his world.

Troy shook his head for a second, thinking about where to start. Since she was the tailor for the village, he told her about the clothes and a bit of their history, at least what he knew. She didn’t quite get the idea of machines making them, but started to understand the concept of a weaving box or tool that would help keep the weave as tight as possible. He paused after he went as far as he could with that topic.

She was still intently listening, so he decided to hit one of the main things he missed. “Well, there are a lot of great things I miss about my world…. One of them is indoor plumbing.” He felt himself chuckling, as he thought about being able to use the restroom with no need for a shovel and a soft leaf. Making the most basic of needs simple and comfortable was something he missed about modern society. He went on to describe indoor plumbing, and the concept seemed magical to Frey. She was completely in love with the idea, and didn’t really need to understand how it worked. The idea of not walking to the spring for water and having it available at a moment’s notice in the hut was amazing.

He cut the explanation short because she didn’t care about the process of how it would work, but she still seemed insatiably curious. As he paused, thinking about what else to share, Frey continued to watch him, her head tilted as she hung on his every word.

“What else?” she asked, eager for more. He smiled as he felt her tail swaying behind him. It was soft and fluffy as it brushed his skin. That feeling helped Troy choose his next topic and he started talking about one of the best luxuries from his world.

“Well, in my world, there are warm and comfortable beds, with the softest sheets, blankets, and pillows that cradle your body as you sleep – the kind that help you sleep for hours, without waking up sore. You never have to leave it unless you want to grab some food or need to use the bathroom. And speaking of the bathroom, you would probably love the showers. Imagine changing the temperature of the water to be as hot as you want it as it falls on you, warming your body as you clean yourself.” He chuckled while Frey looked even more excited. If she had a writing utensil and paper, he was sure she’d be taking notes.

“They also have tubs similar to the hot spring, but with jets of water massaging your muscles. Though I admit, your hot spring is pretty nice also, especially when you want to get in a nice soak.”

Frey chimed in, “And you just need me or someone to massage you in the hot spring so it would be like what you remember.”

“Heh – that would be better than anything I’d remember.”

She blushed as she nestled her head against his chest. Troy couldn’t help taking in more of her scent. She smelled better than any fresh apple perfume or candle, almost mouth-watering.

Damn, this is nice having her snuggled into me.

He simply enjoyed their closeness for a few moments. The pain in his back seemed to have faded to an annoyance more than anything. Frey looked up at him again, reminding him that she wanted to hear more.

“What about the people? What would they think about us? About our tribe?” She swished her tail again, and Troy could feel it rubbing against his back.

Troy honestly wasn’t sure how to answer – there wasn’t exactly an easy answer.

“That's complicated. Many people wouldn’t care for the simplicity and primitive style of living. But many people would be completely fascinated with you and your non-human parts. There would be plenty of men and women who would be really interested in the tribe.”

“Oh, how so?” Her voice softened a bit as she started caressing his chest, her ears twitching. Troy was very aware of Frey’s breasts pushing against him. The sensations of those soft mounds on his skin, and everything else she was doing, made it difficult for him to speak as he tried to keep his body from reacting. Something about her being in his arms felt right and made Troy’s heart skip a beat.

“Well, your beast parts are so beautiful and amazing. There are plenty of women that purchase accessories to try and look like you do naturally, because it’s so pretty. There are also a lot of men that deeply desire those exotic differences that make you unique.” Troy didn’t mention that he could also imagine that there were also plenty of people who would hate them for being so different. He didn’t need to burst her bubble, feeling that she needed some reassurance that she was beautiful.

“Really? You think men would be interested in me?” She bounced a bit in place, causing her breasts to jiggle and distract Troy.

“Oh, there would be a lot of interest in you. Trust me,” he said, while she made a light purring sound. Leaning in closer, she rubbed face against him, and Troy couldn’t help but think of it like a house cat marking her property.

“What about you?” Frey whispered. “Would you be one of the men interested in me?” She kept rubbing his chest as she waited for his answer.

“I mean… of course. It’s hard for me to imagine men that wouldn’t be attracted to your beauty. I think you’d be an amazing catch for any man.”

“Really? You think I’d be a great catch? I’m not really that impressive, compared to the others in the tribe….” She kept caressing him, and it was getting harder and harder for Troy’s body not to respond. It was even more difficult for Troy to concentrate on the conversation, even though he knew how much she needed to hear and be reassured of her value.

“Yes. You’re talented at sewing, you know how to heal and use medicinal herbs, and you have a great personality. And that’s just what I know in the little time I’ve been able to get to know you. I'm sure you’re able to do even more than that. Any man would be happy to have a woman like you.”

He gave her a hug as she pressed herself harder against him. Her purring deepened as he held her.

She whispered, “It’s hard for me to believe that…. I’m not strong like Misery, or flexible and confident like Sola. They’re powerful warriors who could have anyone they wanted. I'm just a seamstress, and there’s nothing impressive about that.” There was a moment of hesitation before she continued on.

“At least, if they weren’t so focused on their duty to protect Lady Bella, they could have anyone in the tribe. Even Inu could have her pick of the other women, if she wanted. I would be lucky if any of them even gave me a second glance, much less a strong, handsome man.” Frey glanced up at him with passionate eyes, looking deep into Troy’s.

He was seriously tempted to pursue her, even with the poor timing. Seeing how far she wanted to go would feel so good, but it wasn’t something he could allow himself to do now. He decided to change the subject. It would help deepen their relationship, while also turning their thoughts away from how close their barely-clothed bodies were and how it felt.

“What about you? You keep asking me questions, but you never talk about yourself.”

Her excited look faded a bit as her ears twitched. She held onto him tighter and thought for a moment about what she wanted to say.

“Oh… there’s nothing really special about me. Like I said before, I'm just the seamstress for the village. I stay in my hut, making things for people. I don’t go out much to talk to the other women. I’ve tried a few times, but the drama wasn’t worth it. Everyone’s pretty happy when I can stitch up their wounds, like when they stab themselves with a knife or spear.”

“Inu?” Troy asked, glancing across the fire towards the sleeping fox woman..

Frey nodded, nuzzling his chest. “She tries really hard and wants to succeed so much. With your skills, I’m sure you could help her beyond what even she could imagine. Even with your talented help, I’m not sure I could ever become a good fighter.”

“That’s not true. You are more capable than you can imagine. You just haven’t had someone to support and encourage you. You also need to appreciate what you know that others don’t. Didn’t you say that you knew about plants and poisons?”

Troy asked to point her away from her feelings of inadequacy. Focusing on everything not being right, or how things could have gone would lead to a cycle of depression, with little hope of getting out of the dark place without help. He’d been there and had to carefully choose the paths he allowed his mind to go down. He’d lost too many friends and been beaten down by things outside his control. He’d spent his time lamenting and that time had passed; he chose paths that led him forward and with the help of others, had been able to rise again. He wasn’t going back down into the mire again.

“Guess you’re right – my mother taught me. She was the village healer before she died. She taught me a few things, and wanted me to take her place. But I was never interested in that… I wanted more. I wanted to see what life was like outside the village.” She sighed. “Thinking of her makes my heart ache. I wish I could snuggle into her arms again and hear her voice.”

“Hey, nothing wrong with wanting to see more of the world, or remembering a loved one's embrace. I’d love to talk to my dad again, so I understand. I know when I was young, I could barely wait to get out of my small town. There was so much I wanted to see and do.” He frowned as he remembered the fight he and his dad had when he’d enlisted and left home at eighteen. It had taken years to rebuild their relationship, mainly due to Troy’s youth and lack of understanding. He was glad he’d finally wised up and prioritized the relationship before he lost his father.

“Troy, would you mind if I check your wounds?” Frey suddenly asked.

They had long since stopped bleeding, but he didn’t mind. “Go ahead.” His body missed her warmth as she got up. However, his eyes didn’t mind the better view of her body before she moved behind him. Her hands felt warm on his back as she loosened the bandages to have a look.

“They are looking really good, and you’ve stopped bleeding. That’s an excellent sign; they shouldn’t impede you much tomorrow. The scabbing will pull on the surrounding skin, though….” She rewrapped the bandages, but her hands didn’t leave his back. They touched and caressed as she assessed the rest of his back. She hit a few bruises, which caused him to tense for a split second.

“Just relax. I can free the stress running through your muscles. I’ll take care of it.” Frey leaned against him, giving her hands more weight and force to work with his muscles.

“I am relaxed. You don't need to do that, Frey.” He let out a large sigh, but didn’t admit how good her hands felt. It had been a long time since he had time for a massage.

Frey moved her head beside his to whisper in his ear. “I want to do this for you, Troy. You are strong, but you have regrets. It’s in your shoulders and how tense you hold yourself.” Frey said, feeling the firm muscles in his shoulders.

He wasn’t sure what to say about that. It was true because of the day’s events. It wasn’t something he could wish away; it would take time and effort to release, which would only be after the mission was resolved.

Frey said, “All of that tension and stress needs to be released, so you can focus tomorrow.”

“How would you suggest I do that?” Troy asked, but Frey didn’t respond. Instead, she contInued massaging his muscles and finding the knots with great accuracy. He marveled at how strong her fingers were, and he couldn’t help but think her constant use of her hands in making clothes was coming in handy.

“You’re really good at this. Did someone teach you?”

Frey paused to nuzzle the back of his neck, which sent a shiver down his spine. “Just another trick, like sewing and stitching wounds, that I learned from my mother, who learned it from her mother, and her mother before that,” she said carefully as she massaged around one of the cuts.

“He cut you worse than you let on…” Frey said. “How have you not mentioned it? If this was Inu, she would have been complaining the entire time.”

Troy snorted. He could almost hear the fox woman complaining, but then he realized she hadn’t grumbled about being thrown against the cage.

“Pure stubbornness, and you get used to the pain. Hey, I know she seems like a complete handful, but Inu didn’t complain about getting hurt earlier.”

“You are correct on both counts. I think that might in part be due to your influence on her. Her heart is in the right place, but she just has trouble expressing it.” Frey paused in her massaging to rub her face against his neck again.

“Yeah, I can see that, especially with how she wants to kick my ass.” Without warning, Frey’s hands left his back as she covered her mouth to quiet her laughter.

“Sorry – it brought to mind all the times you threw her on her ass that day. She was sore for days afterwards. Even so, I still envy her. Do you want to know why?” Frey asked as she went back to massaging him.

“Why’s that?”

“I’ve always wanted to leave the village, and see the rest of this island. But I’m a coward who never imagined I could go as far as I have on this trip.”

“Hey,” Troy said. “You’re doing it now. That’s something to be proud of. You decided to challenge the unknown and save your friend, no matter how dangerous it is.”

Frey hugged his shoulders and nuzzled the side of his head with hers. Troy lifted a hand and caressed her arm. Frey whispered in his ear, “I guess I have one more question for you… Troy?”

Troy raised an eyebrow, even if she could n’t see it as he responded, “Sure, what is it?” Her presence next to him felt good, and it felt like they had talked for a good hour at this point. He wondered what else she wanted to know.

“Back where you’re from, did you have a mate, or mates?”

Troy felt his mouth go dry, while another part of his body stirred. “No, um never had a mate… or mates. Why do you ask?”

The hug from behind shifted as he clearly felt her bosom sliding up his shoulders. He was certain he could feel her hard nipples through the thin fabric of her top. Frey kissed his earlobe as she moved, taking his hand from her arm and placing it onto her titty as it passed his shoulder. Troy didn’t pull away, and licked his lips as he felt her hard nipple in the palm of his hand. In fact, he could feel her heartbeat from her neck that was pressed against his ear. It was fast and running wild as her purring felt like a dull roar.

“Well, when we have saved Lady Bella, I want to be one of your women. I know Lady Bella is yours as well, and I’m happy to share you with whoever you choose. Please, would you consider me?” Frey nuzzled his head, not saying a word and allowing her bosom to embrace his neck.

His blood was already rushing to his lower body, but they both knew now was not the time. He whispered, “When we’ve saved Bella….”

Misery loudly said, “Uh-huh!”

They both looked at her in surprise. Troy hadn’t heard her get up.

She stood there arms crossed as she looked at the two of them, clearly frowning at what was going on. “It’s my turn to take the watch. I think it’s important for you two to get some sleep….”

Frey squeezed him tightly for one more moment before kissing his cheek. Then she bounced off of him and walked to Misery. “Thank you for taking your watch so seriously. Both of us will be able to sleep much better knowing that you are looking out for us.“

Troy found himself nodding in agreement, as he stood and walked over to where everyone was sleeping. “Thanks, Misery. Everything was quiet. Wake me if you see or hear anything suspicious.”

Misery nodded as they passed, and she went to sit in the spot he’d been occupying. Frey glanced back at him with a big grin and wink, although she was still blushing profusely. She lay down in the spot she’d been in before and patted the ground next to her.

He nodded and laid out his bedroll and blanket before lying down. Once he was settled, Frey grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.

Troy squeezed it back. “We’ll talk about this later if you want… I enjoyed our conversation.” He gave her a big smile, and Frey blushed and winked again before she released his hand and rolled over, facing away from him.

He barely heard her say, “Good night. I’ll be dreaming of you….”

He whispered, “Good night,” before he got comfortable and closed his eyes. He heard Misery shifting into her position, and he focused on settling his mind. It only took a few moments before he was able to fall asleep.

Morning came quicker than Troy might have wanted, as he woke to the sounds of multiple people moving around. As he let out a groan and pulled himself up, he saw the others were already around the small campfire. Frey was slowly chewing some meat, while Inu was scarfing hers down. Troy couldn’t help but imagine that she hadn’t eaten in days the way she wolfed it down. Misery walked over and handed him his knife. He knew he’d placed it as his side when he drifted off to sleep.

Troy frowned and shook his head. He wasn’t in the mood for dealing with his annoyance so early in the morning. He didn’t mind that Misery had used the knife, but the fact she’d taken it without his permission frustrated him more than anything.

“My knife….”

Misery handed it over. “Had to borrow it for breakfast.”

Troy sheathed it back up. “Next time ask, even if you need to wake me.”

She nodded and turned back to get his share of the meat. He stepped up to the fire and took the meat as she handed it to him. “Thanks.”

Inu looked at him as she paused somewhat in inhaling her food, enough to talk at least. “Don’t worry about it. Misery wouldn’t have lost it…. It’s a really cool blade, though. I’ve never seen something like that before – it’s so sharp!” She grinned as she eyed it in his sheath. “Who made it?”

Misery had wondered the same thing. It was a knife unlike any she’d seen before. The blade felt well-balanced in her hand and was sharper than any other weapon she’d seen. She wished that she could have her own, or even more of them. It was hard to imagine how powerful the tribe would be if they all had a knife like Troy’s.

“Not sure who made it, but an old friend gave it to me. I’ve had it for a really long time.” It had been his buddy Bob – another friend lost to a stray shot… but the knife and the memories remained with him. He considered both among his most prized possessions. After all, the blade had helped him more times then he could even remember.

How had it been so long since he’d lost Bob? The days and years had just rolled on, but he was sure that Bob was watching out for him in one way or another.

Sola said, “It’ss a wonderouss weapon. I wissh we all had one ass well.”

Troy nodded absent-mindedly before he stretched out, feeling his joints expand and let out a few good pops. Once he finished, Troy smacked his lips, feeling thirsty. Frey smiled at him as she handed him something to drink. He grinned back, looking forward to finishing their talk once Bella was safe.

The water was warm as it went down, but it wetted his whistle. He handed it back and looked towards the others.

“Alright, we should clear up camp and get going.” He began eating the meat as the girls nodded and finished their portions. He moved back to his stuff and packed it up in between bites. It didn’t take long for everything to be packed up, and Misery put out and buried the fire.

They gathered in a circle, ready to go, and Troy said. “Let’s do this. We are going to save Bella.” He looked each of them in the eyes as each of them nodded before he turned and led the way back to the trail.

They reached the trail just as dawn was breaking, pressing back the shadows of night.

“Quickly, quietly, and carefully. Let’s go.”

The ladies were quiet as the weight of their mission firmly rested on their shoulders. Each of them were preparing themselves for what was about to happen next.

The air had quickly become thick with humidity as they continued following the tracks. At this point, they didn’t really need Misery’s skills as the best hunter of the group to track them; it was clear the beastmen were following the path to wherever it led.

Troy took the rear, listening in case anything tried to sneak up behind them. It also gave him a tantalizing view of the women, which he had to constantly ignore. Their movements caused their hips to sway back and forth, focusing Troy’s eyes on their curves. That wasn’t even mentioning their tight asses. They were the kind that you could bounce a quarter off of, and seeing them wasn’t helping his concentration.

Focus Troy. Mind on the mission.

He quickly slipped into the zone as they walked, constantly shifting his focus and checking his surroundings. His spear was at the ready as the sun rose in the sky. They stopped for a water break around mid-morning, before they were back at it.

“How far are we going to have to go?” Inu asked. She was clearly frustrated, and Troy shared the same frustration. They had been walking for hours, and the trail continued leading them on.

“Don’t know, but we’ll get there,” Troy said calmly.

“If I didn’t want to kill them before, the frustration of following them, always ready to be attacked, certainly makes me want to even more. They are going to pay for this bullshit,” she grumbled.

They kept moving and everyone kept their frustration to themselves. Another hour passed before they heard loud grunting and the sounds of drums in the distance.

Everyone froze for a moment before they continued on in high focus. They crouched and used the brush as they approached the noise. It wasn’t long before the path opened up to a much larger clearing. They ducked into the brush and moved through it in parallel to the path.

The noise grew louder and a few moments later, they were able to see through the brush and into the clearing. There they saw many huts, with beastmen dancing and celebrating, their hands whipping in the air. There was a large fire with an animal roasting over it. It seemed the whole village was celebrating, even though they had lost many of their men.

Inu gasped and pointed to the far side of the village. A large stage had been erected. On it, tied to a large pole with her hands above her head, stood Bella, naked and exhausted. Her head hung and she seemed dazed. Troy had a suspicion that she’d been tied there since the beastmen had returned, and he found his hands tightening into fists.

He wanted to kill every one of them but it was more important to save her. He frowned as he saw that she was surrounded by beastmen gazing on her naked form. None of them ever got on the stage, so they weren’t able to touch her.

Why was she on display? What were they doing?

The beastmen seemed to either be celebrating or lying around, which didn’t make sense. It would take a lot of food to feed so many people each day. Even the large roast wouldn’t be enough for more than a fraction of them. He also didn’t see a reason for why they had attacked the village. He needed to investigate.

“Wait here…. I’m going to scout the village. Bella’s alive, but she’s the focus of attention. I want to get a better feel for their numbers, and see if I can tell who their leader is. Better yet – retreat a few hundred yards into the jungle and wait for me to return. We’ll make a plan then,” Troy said.

He looked them each in the eye before he turned and snuck through the brush, heading closer to the village.

“What are you doing? Troy!” Inu whispered, looking concerned. She was about to take a step towards him when Misery grabbed her shoulder.

“Let him go scout. He’ll be back soon. Let’s retreat away from the village and wait for him.” Misery led the way through the brush and farther into the jungle before they stopped and rested against some trees. She brought out a water skin and took a drink before passing it to the other women. A part of her worried about Troy, yet at the same time, she trusted him.

Troy moved carefully, listening to his surroundings and glancing at the smoke to stay aware of the wind as he studied the place. This settlement was much larger than the women’s village, and their wooden huts were better constructed. It appeared that the majority of the beastmen were wolf- or boarmen. He didn’t see any women other than Bella, which made this village’s existence even more bizarre. Mango hadn’t mentioned disappearing women, and there were too many men for even the women’s village to birth normally. It just didn’t make sense.

Troy noticed some beastmen talking, so he carefully moved within range to hear them, hiding in the shadows and brush while being careful not to make a noise.

“What do you think will happen with prisoner?” the boarman on the left grunted. His voice was gruff and sounded hoarse.

“Not sure. Boss say he break her and make her queen when she give in.”

“Hmm, bad move. We no bother with that tribe because of legend. It say if we attack Amazonians, then beastmen will stop waking in vault every week. Elders say it is truth, but new boss don’t care at all.”

“Yeah, but new boss said, ‘Things change.’ We find out if legend is true. If beastmen stop waking in vault, then we get more food!”

The other one grunted in response.

“Speaking of food, meat over fire smells good.”

“I got nothing. My nose no work,” the other one said with a heavy grunt.

“We should have thrown you off cliff for that. Useless nose?”

“Yeah, yeah. Come on. Let's get meat before it’s gone!” They began walking towards the firepit, allowing Troy to slip away and leave no trace of his presence there. Moving through the brush, Troy headed back to where the girls waited.

It was clear they were going to need to get Lady Bella out quickly, and a good distraction could work wonders. Once everyone was back in their village, they could prepare themselves to either move somewhere else or to fight for their lives. The beastmen had always known where they were, but now they were fine with attacking it.

He moved farther into the jungle. It didn’t take long to find where they should have been.

The girls were gone.

He heard a commotion in the distance, and quickly made his way back toward the village, staying even farther away from the path they’d originally been following. It didn’t take him long to return to the edge of the settlement and realize what happened. He saw the women being herded into a hut by a large group of beastmen.

He shook his head as he watched them slam the door behind the girls. Two of the beastmen stood guard, while a third ran towards another hut. The rest of the group gave a cheer and headed for the firepit to celebrate with some meat.

Troy’s eyes followed the other beastman as he opened the hut’s door and bowed to someone inside before he stepped in. In that split second, Troy’s eyes glimpsed the person inside the hut, and he couldn’t believe it.

It was Jack Chandler.

Troy paused as he reassessed the situation. The girls had been captured, and somehow Chandler had survived the crash – not only surviving, but apparently the new boss of this village.

The only good thing out of this situation was that Troy knew Chandler. He wasn’t a fighter, he was a manipulator and a con man. Troy could use that, especially if he struck quickly. The beastmen in the village were focused on celebrating or watching Bella…. It might be enough of a distraction that he could use it, if he could pass for a beastman at a glance.

Troy circled the village looking for what he’d need. After a few close calls, he saw where they were drying some skins on a line. Fortunately, no one was around, and Troy was able to steal a pelt with its head still attached. After moving away from the village, he set to work customizing his disguise.

He chuckled when he put on the mask. The skin hadn’t dried yet, but Troy didn’t care; it just meant it stuck to his head even better. The animal had been something like a deer and the skin still had the ears attached. With the mask on, he hoped the ears and fur for his head would help pass any cursory glances. He made some mud and lined the edges of the mask with it, so it would be less noticeable and hopefully stick better. His own loincloth was close enough to the beastmen’s that it shouldn’t be a problem.

Troy moved around the perimeter of the village to the spot that gave him the shortest, most unobstructed route to the hut in which he’d seen Chandler. After preparing himself, Troy hunched a bit and stepped out with confidence as he made his way towards the hut. He angled his face down so he’d be less recognizable.

A few beastmen glanced at him, but none of them interrupted their eating. In a couple of minutes – although it felt like ten times that – Troy stood before the door. He glanced behind him and didn’t see anyone watching him.He bowed to the closed door. The beastmen closer to the celebration could see him but not the door itself.

In one action, Troy opened the door, drew his knife, and he rushed in. Chandler had just lifted his head to see who was entering;he was lounging in a reclinable chair that looked like it had been salvaged from the airplane.

Troy quickly dashed to Chandler’s side and put his K-Bar to his throat.

“What? Where’d you get that…. Oh… Interesting mask there. Troy, my man, how are you doing?” He went to sit up, but Troy kept the knife at his throat, holding him in place.

Troy really didn’t want to listen to Chandler’s bullshit. He’d spent far too long doing that before they landed here. “What are you doing here? How did you survive the crash? I didn’t see you on the plane before it sank in the ocean.”

“Well, that is actually a very interesting story.” Chandler’s grin covered his face as he relaxed back in his seat.

Troy couldn’t help but shake his head. Chandler was such a weasel; his whole attitude reminded him of a James Bond villain, monologuing his evil plan. Much to Chandler’s annoyance, Troy kept the knife at his throat as he remained in place, listening to what his former boss had to say.

Jack screamed in horror, holding on to his seat for dear life. The plane plummeted, making him sick to his stomach as it felt like he was in free fall. He was sure he was going to die as dread filled him.

Why me?

The next moment something exploded and there was a massive hole where the airplane door had been. Everything that wasn’t fastened down flew into the air as the smaller things got sucked out of the plane.

Jack’s blood felt like ice when he heard the metal groan from under his seat, followed by a loud snap. He looked down, horror in his eyes, as he realized his seat was coming up off the floor. His hands clamped down on his arm rests with a death grip. The plane spiraled and larger objects started flying into the air. His seat lifted completely and was sucked towards the hole. He desperately tried to think of something to stop it, but his mind was completely blank as he screamed. As his voice went hoarse, he was shot out of the former door and into the sky.

Jack didn’t even realize he was still screaming as the plane fell away from him. The noise of the air rushing past him was deafening. He was having a hard time processing what was happening and fought for control of his body. Somehow, he released his seatbelt, and pushed the metal chair away from him.

He’d gone skydiving before, so he forced his body to flatten out and beat back the terror that sought to engulf him. Through blurring eyes, he saw an island, and so he tilted his body to go that direction.

Water or trees?

Either would kill him from the height from which he was falling. A huge gust of wind threw him sideways, changing his trajectory. The island and the treetops were coming too quickly and he pulled his arms and legs in.

The next moment, he slammed through some tree branches, still moving horizontally. Jack screamed as his back was beaten by branches as fell through the canopy. With a hard grunt, he landed on a large branch, his breath knocked out him.

Jack’s mind was in a daze as he slowly recovered and realized that he’d survived the fall. His ribs screamed at him when he chuckled, thinking how this must have been how George of the Jungle felt when he slammed into a tree.

Jack grunted and tried to sit up, only to lose his balance and fall off the branch. His suit ripped as he fell, and he gritted his teeth as his body was pummeled again. Every branch he hit on the way down was met with a hard grunt. Jack finally landed on the hard ground. He didn’t remember hitting it, and he’d already gotten his breath back. He must have been knocked out for a bit… but he was still alive and had survived.

Nothing can keep Jack Chandler down!

Jack slowly turned over and was happy to see that none of his limbs were at a weird angle. There was no sign of blood either. As he tried to assess where he‘d landed, a familiar skirt fell through the tree branches above him and landed on his head. It was one his stewardess, Veronica, had been wearing. He was pretty sure that was her name – or was it Vicky? He sometimes forgot the names of the women who worked for him, which was why Toots was a good standby for him to use. Hell, he just wanted them around so he had something good to look at while he worked.

“Oh well, she’s probably dead….That sucks. She had such an amazing ass…. Never got to hit that, but it felt fantastic when we bumped into each other. Heyo, at the end of the day… shit happens.”

Jack tossed the skirt away as he popped his neck. Somehow he’d managed to survive the fall. It was still slowly sinking into him. Truly Jack Chandler was one lucky man. Ha! Talk about needing to find some place to buy a lottery ticket!

Damn, I’m good.

“I’m alright!” he yelled out as he stood up. “Now, I’ll just make a call and…” He reached over ready to grab his phone, when suddenly he was surrounded by a large group of animal men, holding spears pointed right at him.

“Fuck nuggets,” he grunted. He slowly raised his hands, not knowing what was going to happen next.

I hate not knowing what’s coming next. But I am alive, and I’m sure as hell going to get out of this. I’m Jack Chandler, after all!

Jack pushed off any negative thoughts as he looked into the faces of the animal men surrounding him. None of them seemed to be very bright, and a smile started forming on his face. A group of thugs in need of a new boss… he just needed to sell it and make the most of the opportunity.

He whipped out his million-dollar smile, raised his head with the utmost confidence, and spoke carefully.

“Well, hello. I’m Jack Chandler. How can I help you?”

Chapter Eight

Chandler finished telling the story with that same fake smile on his face. His excitement and arrogance had been difficult to listen to, but when he finally stopped talking, Troy was actually amazed that he had survived. He wasn’t impressed, though – Chandler had always been a lucky bastard.

“Alright, that explains how you made it to the island. How did you get into this situation?” Troy asked.

Chandler could talk his way out of almost anything, but with a group of dim beastmen who wanted to fight first and ask questions never, how had he become the leader of their entire tribe?

“It was surprisingly simple. Apparently, the whole group saw me fall from the sky! They proclaimed that I was their prophet, sent to lead them into prosperity.” He raised his hand for a high-five. “Preach it, brother!”

Troy’s deadpan expression reduced his enthusiasm, so Chandler continued, “So, my plan is to survive on the island and lead them till I can figure out how to get off the Island. When I do, I’ve promised to use my wealth to help make their lives easier than they could ever imagine.”

Troy could see his grin on his face and knew Chandler was as full of shit as ever at this point. He just shook his head, letting the man continue his monologue.

“At first, I was giving the tribe’s leader some good advice. Just the usual stuff, helping with management decisions, like I used to charm the board during our meetings. I poured on the affirmations and let him know he was doing a fantastic job.”

Two beastmen approached the door and growled when they saw Troy with a knife to Chandler’s throat.

Chandler waved them in. “It’s fine! Troy and I know each. He has trust issues, that’s all. Just close the door and stand there. I’m telling Troy all about my rise to power here in the tribe! You can listen too, just don’t talk. Thanks, my boys!”

Troy was a bit surprised when the beastmen actually followed Chandler’s commands and took up the position at the door. This was definitely going to complicate his plans for getting out of here.

Chandler took one more moment to look over the beastmen, who had somehow slipped into a dazed state, blank expressions on their faces. Troy wondered if just thinking through Chandler’s conversation had overworked their small brains. On top of that, they seemed pretty exhausted. Troy couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for them. He knew what it was like having Chandler as a boss, and he didn’t wish that on any creature, no matter how mentally challenged.

“Keep up the good work, guys! You’re always doing an amazing job,” Chandler added. The beastmen didn’t respond to him other than issuing some grunts. They didn’t seem to really care what Jack had to say – they were simply doing their job and nothing else. Troy knew their look well.

Troy knew that Chandler was a lazy son of a bitch, but the man knew how to charm the pants off old men who had lots of money by telling them what they wanted to hear. Chandler had somehow been able to do the same with the beastmen.

Chandler seemed to be lost in thought for the moment, so Troy did the ‘continue’ motion with his off hand. Chandler came back to reality with a big smile, seeming to appreciate that Troy had been listening and wanted to hear more about his story.

“Well, life here on the island is fraught with danger. This whole village is like a weird sendup of Roman dominance with the ‘gladiator challenge dueling’ thing. These guys can’t get enough of fighting and have a whole system with traditions around it. Stupid… but where was I?… oh, yeah. Hunting parties often return with fewer men than when they left. Unfortunately, that’s how the old leader kicked the bucket. After a big funeral and celebration, well, the guys decided it was best that their new prophet lead them. Of course, I had to humbly accept. So guess what – I'm the boss now,” Chandler said, smiling like he was accepting an Oscar.

Troy knew that look and easily read between the lines. Chandler had found a beastman who was easy to manipulate, and had the leader killed. These creatures probably wouldn’t even understand the level of lying and deceit of which Chandler was capable. For all their roughness, Troy imagined they were fairly innocent. He wondered what he had used to buy their loyalty. He didn’t think that words would have been enough.

Troy had had enough of Chandler’s smug smile and his sick sense of entitlement. He had listened to him and given him the chance to monologue, appeasing his need to show off to an audience, one that would appreciate the circumstances, just like in a Bond movie.

“Alright,” Troy said. “Your men kidnapped the leader of another tribe of women. They’ve also taken into custody some other women that came looking for their leader. I’m here to negotiate their release. There shouldn’t be any trouble.”

Chandler tilted his head, clearly thinking everything over for a good mInute, before responding with a smile. “Yeah…. No, that's not going to happen.” He looked up at Troy and made sure he met his eyes as he subtly shook his head. “Listen, I know you’re good with killing me. You know that I’m good with telling my boyz to drag one or all of the women here to slaughter them in front of your eyes. But hey, neither of us wants that… I mean, death is on the line!”

Chandler paused and let his words sink in. Troy hated that he was right, and he was seriously thinking about killing him and taking his chances with the two beastmen at the door.

“Don’t, Troy. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I’d be dead, but so would you. Listen, I’m willing to call this as a no-harm, no-foul, and let you leave with the women that were just captured. Hell, I haven’t even seen them – one of them might be hotter than the bunny girl. It’s hard to imagine that though, because damn that chick is smokin’ hot! The rabbit gal is staying, though. I’m willing to bet you’d rather leave with your life and those women than kill me and yourself. My boys would be able to track you down even if you somehow made it out of this hut. You won’t be able to do it without noise or everyone in the area smelling the blood.”

Troy gritted his teeth. Damn! Chandler had him in a tight spot and he knew it. He couldn’t believe he’d let him go on and on rather than just quickly killing him. Of course, his plans to save the ladies would have gone south with that idea as well.

Chandler wasn’t the type to stay quiet for long. “The whole tribe knows about that village. Always has, from what I can tell. Every now and then, they’d capture some old lady and find out more information. But they had some stupid legend about consequences, and they were a bit afraid of the monster wolf. When I took over, I helped them see past all that. See, this village is delightful – sure it’s filled with people who can barely speak, but they follow orders easily. I don’t have to worry about board members, or rules, or consequences.”

Troy let him keep talking as he wrestled with his decision.

“But the problem with my boys is that this place is a complete sausage fest. I figured I’ll need a queen for my reign, so I told them to grab the leader of the other village. The story was that she was the most beautiful, and I’ll make her my queen. Perhaps they’ll be an heir or two in the picture before we get back to civilization. I always thought I'd make a great dad.”

Chandler’s words were like nails on a chalkboard to Troy. He so badly wanted to just end his life and silence his voice forever. Troy couldn’t stop the words out of his mouth. “You son of a bitch.”

“Oh relax, I’m not going to hurt her. I just want something pretty to look at… for now. With a bit of time, she’ll be overjoyed with the thought of maybe having a kid or two. I mean, that whole tribe needs to have another generation of women, right? I can tell you’ve already set yourself up in the other village as their resident stud. I’ve only got the one, while you’re banging the rest of them. I’m being more than generous, because obviously you do have me in an awkward position. Though, if you want her back that badly, I’m sure we could do a trade. If that's what you want, I can keep the women that were captured and you can leave with the bunny girl. They may not be as hot, but I can make do for now. Is that what you want, Troy?” Chandler asked with a smirk. Troy found himself more disgusted by this man.

“No one’s for sale, and there won’t be any trading.” Troy really wanted to kill him.

“Relax, I’m not going to hurt anyone. Okay, so we’re back to me keeping the bunny girl, and you having that whole village of ladies. I mean, I’m not closing the door on trading… ‘cause maybe we’ll come by and pick up another one every once in a while. I’ll have the rabbit chick, but my boys here need to relax and release that pent-up frustration, if you know what I mean. But hey, the rest of the women can be all yours to enjoy. We can even be allies and work together to get back to civilization.”

Troy couldn’t believe that Chandler thought that he'd even remotely consider helping him get back. That was so not happening.

“Come on,” Chandler continued. “I'm being nice. If I really wanted to, I'm sure I could send my boyz here to go take all of them. You need me to keep them from taking all the women, and I need you to not kill me. You can’t get out of this alive by killing me, and if that’s not an option, your next best move is to take my offer. It’s the best deal for both of us. My boys don’t know enough to care and will do what I say, so your village can be safe. If I’m gone, I know some of them are itching to find themselves a nice lady or two. Isn’t that right, Eliot?” Chandler grinned as he looked over at the large pigman, who just snorted as he stared straight ahead. It was like he wasn’t even paying attention as he guarded the door.

Chandler shook his head. “We’re men of the modern age! We deserve to be treated like kings among these very fine primitive people. Damn it, Troy, work with me here!”

Troy felt himself trembling with anger and a desire to end Chandler’s life… but his life and the lives of the women hung in the balance. Chandler hadn’t been wrong in his logic. The door to the Amazonian tribe had been opened and wouldn’t shut again. Chandler was a weasel, but he could be trusted to look after his own interests, which was why Troy had come to make this gamble, however much he hated that Chandler would come out on top.

Reluctantly, Troy said, “Tell Eliot to get the captured women and bring them here.”

“Yes!” Chandler said. “But first, you need to say the magic words. Do we have a deal? I don’t end up dead now or in my sleep, and you get to leave with those women without any of my boys tracking you down. Deal?”

“Damn it! Deal!”

“Eliot, get the captured women and bring them here. Leave them tied up, so they don’t get any ideas about fighting. Have one of the guards carry their weapons here, and tell the other guard that I said to go celebrate.”

Eliot grunted and left. “Anton, you can go to the celebration now. Have fun. Leave the door open when you leave. I’ll be fine here with Troy.” Anton didn’t even grunt before he left. He didn’t even seem happy about going to eat.

Troy kept shaking his head as he stepped Chandler, who stood up and stretched dramatically, with a big smile on his face. Troy motioned to the door, following Chandler outside.

Troy was glad that Chandler was staying quiet as he couldn’t believe this was playing out like it was. He should have had a better plan, and he swore to himself that he would when they returned to free Bella. His mind slipped into thinking about his next steps once he and the girls were safely away.

A few moments later, Eliot and another guard arrived, herding the women. The women were surprised to see Troy, and he quickly said, “No talking now. There will be time for that in a bit. We’re all walking to the edge of the village over there by the path.”

They nodded, and Chandler said, “By all means, let’s take a little walk.”

When they reached the path, Chandler said, “I’m glad we were able to come to an agreement. Drop their stuff, then come on, boys. We’ve got some celebrating to do!”

The guard dropped the women’s things, and Troy let Chandler walk away, even though it felt like something inside him died.

Misery started to speak, but he held up his hand. “Let’s get out of their sight and put some distance between us.” He hastily cut their ropes and sheathed his knife. He didn’t wait for a response as he started jogging away.

The women quickly picked up their weapons and took off after him. He didn’t let up for almost an hour. When he finally slowed and stopped, Misery was the first to ask, “What happened? What is that thing on your head? How were we able to leave? And what about Bella?”

Troy sighed, pulled off the mask and stuck it in his waist. It might come in handy. He quickly went over what had happened.

“So, you bought our freedom by not murdering their boss? And you agreed to not kill him in his sleep?” Misery asked

“Yeah,” Troy said, “about that. It seems that their leader is my old boss. There’s no surprise, but he is still the biggest douchebag I’ve ever met.” He figured he would tell them bluntly, like ripping off a bandaid.

Frey stepped forward, a concerned look on her face. “So what does that mean for Lady Bella? Is he going to hurt her? She’s still tied up on that stage, exposed to all those beastmen.” There was hope in her eyes, that maybe there would be good news in all of this.

Sola beat him to a response. “Sshe’ss sstill there becausse he ssaved uss rather than trying to free her and failing. Our capture forced him to act, and he chose to ssave uss becausse he thought he had a better chance of ssuccesss.”

Troy was impressed with her synopsis of what happened as he answered Frey’s question, “Chandler’s not planning on hurting her. In fact, he was really insistent that he keep her around…. He envisions making her his queen at some point.” Troy spat on the ground, clearly showing his disgust.

“What the hell? We’ll fight to the death before that happens!” Inu snarled with her arms crossed, looking more pissed off than ever.

Misery looked at him. “We are sorry for failing you, Troy. I believe the beastmen found the remains of our campfire and trailed us to where we were waiting.” She glanced at Inu before she continued, “There were too many of them, and we were quickly captured and bound.”

Troy nodded as each of the girls’ faces echoed Misery’s sorrow. “Thank you for saying that. Letting Chandler live was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make.”

“Sso, what’ss the plan, Troy?” Sola asked.

“We’re going to go back tonight and sneak her out of there…. I suppose the scouting of their settlement can be marked as a success.” He knew he couldn’t trust Chandler, and it was only a matter of time before the beastmen attacked their village again. He had to trust that Mango and the others were preparing the village’s defenses, and that they would be ready for the next beastmen attack. His mission was to save Bella, and he knew they wouldn’t be able to rush back the way they came with her.

“So what do we do before that happens?” Inu asked. Her arms were still crossed, and she was clearly ready to fight.

“Typically, I’d say we set up camp, eat some food, and rest to save our energy. But we know that isn’t going to happen – we’re all too keyed-up upset. So we’re going to circle the village by going another hour or two through the jungle until we're behind the stage Bella was on. Follow me, ladies.”

Troy led the way through the jungle, feeling confident in his decision. As they contInued walking, he noticed they were headed in the direction of the pillars they’d seen before. He also saw how different the clouds looked from that direction. They seemed lower, and more unnatural; he wondered if they were smoke or actually steam.

Once they were close to where he wanted to be, he kept going, looking for a good spot to camp. A few minutes later, he found one near a small stream. “We’ll camp here until midnight.”

Inu almost ran on all fours as she raced for the water, dipping her head down and taking a big gulp. Troy watched and somehow found it both amusing and sexy. She had curves in all the right places.

She whipped her head up and looked back over her shoulder at Troy, with water dripping down her face into her cleavage. “What are you looking at?”

“Just enjoying the view. We’d best fill our waterskins and eat a bit. Looks like we still have a few hours before full dark.”

“So how close are we? It felt like we walked a long way away from their village.” Inu said. She sounded annoyed and impatient, which was typical Inu.

Troy frowned, wondering if she’d even heard his earlier explanation or if she’d been too mad to process it. “We circled their settlement, so we’re about thirty minute’s walk to the stage where Bella was tied up. Hopefully this is far enough away, given the density of this jungle. I don't think Chandler will be expecting it, but even if he is, I still think this is our best opportunity to save her.”

“And what was that about their boss suspecting us?” Misery asked. She dropped the food bag to the ground and joined the other girls with getting a drink and filling her waterskin.

“We’re going to get Bella back tonight. Chandler knows I’m not going to leave her, but he may think I’ll wait and come back after I come up with a better plan. I’m not waiting. He might expect us to sneak in and will leave some guards, we just have to prepare for that. So normally say let’s get some rest, but no matter what we’ll be fighting soon: either getting to Bella, taking her away, returning to our village, or defending it from the beastmen. So we should train, at least for a while.” He looked at the girls, and they were nodding their heads in agreement. “Frey, I know you’re not an experienced fighter, so I’d like you to follow Sola and Misery’s instructions on using your spear to defend. Specifically, running to a spot, turning and defending with one jab, before doing it again at another spot.”

Frey met Troy’s gaze; based on the way her ears twitched, she was unsure of what he meant. “I’m not much of a fighter, that’s true, but I’m willing to do what I can to see us all, including Bella, back home safely at the village.”

“Hopefully,” Troy said, “you can put your knowledge of the body to good use, although in dealing damage rather than healing.”

“I mean… I don't want to hurt people, but these beastmen have already hurt my people. So if I must hurt them to protect us, then I will. I know where to strike with a knife or a spear to do the most damage to a person.”

Troy nodded. “Sola and Misery, I want you to help her out, while you practice or spar. We’re focusing on the basics, and the Run, Defend, Run maneuver. Hopefully with some instruction and practice, she’ll be better able to defend herself.”.

Sola smiled back at Troy and then at Frey. “I am glad you are sso sseriouss about protecting our people. It iss a mosst-worthy goal. We will try to help you ass besst we can, but you need to focuss, obey, and make every effort. Are you willing to do that, Frey?” Sola asked.

Troy didn’t seem to hear her hissing as much as he remembered, and put it down to him getting more used to her. The sight of her tongue still left him with some interesting, conflicted feelings. It looked absolutely wicked, but he could get that idea of what a blowjob would be like. Frey’s response pulled him out of that rabbit hole.

“I can try,” Frey said with a nod.

Once everyone had finished eating and drinking, Misery looked to Sola and Frey. “It’s time to train.”

The three of them stood and moved away to a clearing that would allow Frey to run thirty feet at least. First though, they started talking to her about her stance and spear placement when receiving an attack. He left them to that as he turned to Inu. He smiled at the determination in her eyes.

“We're going to spar a bit. But first we need to talk, so you understand something. What happened at the cages with the wolfman?”

Inu’s excited expression fell a bit when he spoke. She wanted to fight, to attack – talking wasn’t going to help much.

“Can’t we just get to sparring? I’ve been practicing on my own!”

Troy shook his head. “I need you to recognize something first. Just bear with me, and answer the question. What happened at the cages with the wolfman?”

She frowned and rolled her eyes. “He attacked us out of nowhere but didn’t target me initially. I attacked, and he threw me into a cage.”

“How did you attack?”

“I ran at him, and he threw me, like you did when we sparred before. Why?”

“Did you hit him? Or did you hit me before?”

“Well… no. But I’m sure I’m going to be able to. That’s why I’ve been practicing so hard.” Inu grinned happily as remembered all the effort she’d been putting into her practices.

“There’s the problem. If practicing by yourself would fix the issue, then it would already have been fixed. You would have hit the wolfman and he wouldn’t have been able to throw you.”

“Um…” Inu paused as she got her thoughts in order. “That’s how you get better! You practice and train! That’s what I was taught and that’s what’s worked for everyone else. It will work for me too.”

“It won’t work unless you understand what you should be doing rather than trying to do the same thing, but only somehow better. That’s where you are now – trying to do better, but not understanding that you need to do something different. Misery, Sola, or I could have told you that if you’d asked and listened. But you didn’t, and you prioritize your practice over humbling asking for help to really get better.”

“What?!? Sola and Misery have never helped me. They were always busy guarding or hunting or other things. Misery loves reminding me to get more water for the meals.”

“If that was your job, then it makes sense that they would want you to finish that before spending time helping you. Also, how many times did you ask? And when you asked, did you only ask for it right then, when you were ready to train?”

“Well… um…. Okay. I see that you may have a point, and a wiser vixen might have figured that out. But you’re going to help me now and show me what I’m doing wrong in my attack?”

“Yes, and I would have ever since our first sparring session. I was waiting for you to humble yourself and ask. You knew I was handling your attack without any issues, but you didn’t ask how I was able to, or what you could change so I couldn’t.”

She looked down and pouted for a moment. “You don’t have to make a big deal about it. I messed up and could have fixed my attack so the wolfman wouldn’t have thrown me. I get it already.”

Troy smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder, which brought her face up so she was looking at him. “Now you are ready to learn. Let’s talk through the attack so you understand. Go from you were twenty feet away from the wolfman.”

She tentatively smiled as she replied, “I adjusted my hold on my spear and ran at him, aiming my spear for his heart.”

Troy held up his hand and she stopped there. “So from his perspective, he saw you running straight for him and had time to react to each step you took as you got closer, right?”

She slowly nodded.

“And when did you slow down to stop?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t…. I was going to slam my spear into his chest with my full momentum, to make sure it went all the way through him.”

“But what would happen if you didn’t hit him?”

“Well, I was planning on running into him and knocking him down if my spear missed or was knocked away.”

“And that’s the real issue. At the point you got close to him, you couldn’t stop yourself before you were in range of his claws. He only needed to dodge your attack, and you were at his mercy as you passed him because of your momentum.”

“So…” Inu said slowly. “I should do a running attack?”

“How close should you get to use your spear?”

“Heh… not that close. Damn, that’s really obvious. And you were just telling them to work with Frey on Run, Defend, Run. I suppose the same thing can be said for me. My running attack should have been Run, Defend, Attack and I should have stopped outside his attack range but within mine or at most a step lunge out of it.”

“Exactly. The way you don’t let people throw you is you don’t get that close to them, and certainly not while you’re running.”

“I feel a bit stupid…. But knowing all of that, I think I can totally kick your butt now! I’m going to show you how quickly I can learn!” Her enthusiasm bounced back and she was ready to train.

Troy nodded as he hoped this was the beginning of a new phase in Inu’s development. He also knew she was a hot head – who knew what would happen as she had more lessons to learn?

Troy and Inu practiced for a bit with the spear until he felt that she demonstrated enough that she'd learned the lesson. She was stopping before she reached her attacker, defending his attack or attacking with a lunge thrust before stepping back to receive an attack. Troy had pulled her to him by grabbing her spear, and poked her in the side until she got a handle on her jabs.

She was feeling like she was a fighting warrior queen, so Troy had them switch to hand-to-hand fighting. A few smacks with the ground hadn’t encouraged her to ask questions… yet.

Inu huffed as she ran at Troy, as she tried another claw slash attack… again. Her body felt sore, and their sparring session had lasted longer than either of them had really planned. She raised her claws as she neared, slashing straight at Troy’s chest, only to have him dodge out of the way as she stumbled past him. At least he hadn’t thrown her to the ground again.

Troy shook his head, watching her getting more frustrated by the second. He was waiting for the light bulb to come on, but it didn’t appear to be making the connection.

“Why can’t I hit you?!” she screamed while flailing her arms around like no tomorrow. Troy twisted and redirected her own punch into her stomach before he stepped back. Inu coughed with a hard hack as she growled in frustration.

“It’s been longer than we planned, and you need a rest. Lower your voice otherwise they might hear you Inu,”

“I’m not done! How am I supposed to get better!” She screamed at him Ignoring his warning about being quiet. She came out of being hunched over with a wide swing.

Troy easily grabbed it and threw her on the ground. “You need some rest. And you need to think about what you’re doing. Come on. We’ll get some water.”

“I am not done! I have to be stronger! I don’t want to fail Lady Bella.”

“Inu, you’re in no condition to keep fighting.” Troy held out his hand to help her up and she slashed at it. Troy grabbed her hand, twisting her arm, and kept it in a pressure hold.

Inu growled in pain. “Ahh, my arm! Let go, let go.”

“Calm down and stay there. This is your rest time now. You’ll cool down where you are.”

She tried to struggle, but Troy kept up the pressure until she finally got the message.

“Fine… fine.” Inu muttered, letting her body go completely limp. Troy nodded, letting her go, as she pulled back, rubbing her wrist though she eyed him for a good second.

“You need to calm down and think. You’re trying to throw passion and anger at something that needs you to be calm and logical. You want to save Bella, right?” Troy asked as he crouched beside her

“Yes, but I have to get better. You said you would teach me to get better.”

“Doesn’t this seem just like our conversation the first time we trained?” Troy asked.

“All you’ve done is kick my ass.” She growled, her heart racing with burning passion as Troy found himself bumping heads with her.

“You’re hearing me, but you are not listening. Take a minute and think. Do you want to be a hindrance?”

Inu now backed down; clearly her emotions were running high. She said in a soft tone, “No… I don’t. But I have to be stronger! I have to be able to take those beastmen down! I will protect the village and save Lady Bella!”

Troy waited for a bit of silence before he asked, “Alright… tell me what’s really going on?”

Her head swung around and she glared at him. It took her a moment to even process what he’d asked because of her inner thoughts. “What are you talking about?”

Troy could see she was fighting back tears. Her emotions were raging inside of her. Her frustration and anger were fueling this, but there must be a core issue driving everything. “It’s obvious that there’s something really bothering you, something that has nothing to do with the attack or saving Lady Bella. So tell me – what’s going on? Let’s get that monkey off your back.”

“I don’t have a monkey on my back,” Inu hissed.

Troy shook his head. “It’s a figure of speech. Why are you so mad?”

She growled and squeezed her hands into fists in frustration.

Troy kept trying to help her. “Put away your pride and talk. It will do you some good. It’s just us. I promise… what happens here stays here.”

Inu watched him, wanting to scream, but she’d already done that. He was right – she was going down the same path they’d been down before. He’d helped her with the spear, and she knew she should trust him. She took a deep breath, trying to steal her nerves and find the right words to say. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I just… I just want to feel useful.” She spat it out like hot vinegar, the words tasting sour on her tongue.

Troy simply nodded, even though she wasn’t looking. “Why’s that?”

“I’m just not….” She trailed off as her thoughts and emotions hit her like a wave. The way he could take her down made her feel small. How he could knock her down without effort made her feel weak. She had always prided herself in how she could fight… but now, this man appeared and could kick her ass with ease. It disgusted her.

“Not what?” Troy asked.

His question snapped Inu’s attention back, as she growled. “Not strong enough! Fine. You want to know what is wrong… it’s YOU! You came in here, looking all high and mighty. You’re the special man that everyone is talking about.. fawning over. It’s disgusting! And on top of that, you can kick my ass with the least bit of effort. It’s an insult… to me and to my teacher. How can you even do that? It’s infuriating!” Without warning, she threw a punch. Troy caught it in his fist with a loud smack but didn’t hold it. Inu’s mask vanished, like all her emotions let out while insecurity lapsed over her. Troy went for it, striking while the iron is hot.

“See, now you know what has really been bothering you. Throwing that punch while thinking about it probably made you feel better, too. I’ve worked and trained hard for more years than you have, so I’m better than you. It’s just that simple. Should Frey feel that way towards you because you’re better than her? No. You focus your energy and emotions on getting better, not the competition. You have to use your mind and your body, disciplining both to achieve your goals. When we’re done, think about what and how you learned today about your spear attack, then remember this conversation. That said, you need to hit something a few more times. Hit me.”

Her right eye twitched, as she clearly wouldn’t have minded strangling him. She threw another punch, feeling her fist going faster as she focused on him.

Smack! Her fist hit his palm hard. She smiled because she knew it had to have hurt.

“Come on – don’t be shy. Let those feelings out, and don’t hold back!” He sounded almost excited as she growled, throwing another punch with the same result. She sped up, throwing punches with both fists.

It didn’t take long before her energy ran dry and she was breathing hard. She dropped to her knees as she caught her breath.

“I hope that helped by getting some of that frustration out. Rest and think about what I’ve said, and think about Frey in comparison with you.”

Troy left her there resting as he walked over to where the others were, shaking his throbbing hands. It would have been so much better for him if he’d had the mitts.

Misery nodded as he approached before turning back to Sola and Frey. They had taken a long break, but after some discussion were practicing again for Frey to learn something.

“Sola and Frey are working on the basics, and it appears she’s catching on. You seem to have much more patience than either Sola or me. How was dealing with Inu?”

“She’s opening up a bit – I think we made some headway and got something out of her…. I’m curious who her teacher was? I think she said it was Bull?”

“Yes, she was my teacher, too. She was bigger than me and very strong. She was a good teacher, one of the best warriors we ever had. When she fought, nothing could ever stop her. She knew how to hunt, how to capture, and how to fight. She protected the tribe for over fifty years.” Misery paused there, lost in her thoughts and memories of the woman.

“What happened to her?”

Misery sighed before she answered, “It's a shame what had happened to her. Even the strongest panther will one day go gray, and there will always be a bigger, younger cat out there. One day while hunting, another large monster attacked. We don’t know if it was a guardian from another territory or not, but this massive bear-thing barreled into our group, right as we’d gathered around a large elk we’d killed. It was about to attack one of the other women when Bull charged into it, knocking it aside. Unfortunately, she tumbled with the monster and received two deep slashes before the monster grabbed the elk and ran. The party quickly came to Bull’s aid, so she didn’t bleed out immediately. But it left its mark – her guts were shredded.”

Misery sighed and bowed her head in remembrance. “Bull knew she wouldn’t survive, so she headed up the mountains, where she could rejoin the creators. At least, that's what she believed.”

After a long pause, she continued, “We all miss her. Inu probably misses her the most. She was the youngest to be trained, and well, she just wasn’t the same when Bull didn’t come back.”

“I’m sorry for your loss; losing a respected loved one is difficult. I’m sure Inu was really hit hard by it.”

Misery nodded and after a minute asked, “Should we get ready?”

“Not yet. We want the fires to have burned down and hopefully, many of the beastmen to have passed out or gone to sleep. I want to make sure that we have the best chance of not getting caught. Besides, the girls should rest. It would be good for everyone to eat again as well.”

Misery nodded as she moved to get out the food. Once the rations were passed out, she stood by Troy again.

“I realize now,” Misery said, “that I should have been a better friend to Inu. I should have stepped into Bull’s role and mentored her.” She shook her head. “I was too caught up in proving myself as the new leader of the hunting party, and didn’t make time for her or any of the others. I was just too focused on myself.”

Troy nodded. “Welcome to life and maturity. Every one of us is guilty of that. In all my experience, it’s only been by my failures that I’ve seen or learned better. Keeping an eye out for everyone else while you're passionately following your own course is extremely difficult. I know I screwed up with that all the time. Unfortunately, it’s in hindsight that we see things most clearly.”

“Thank you for your words. I will make it a point to talk to Inu when we don't have the mission burdening us,” Misery was moved by his understanding and support. He hadn’t condemned her, but had empathized with her. He was so much more complex than she’d thought a man would be.

She’d always been told by Mango and a few older tribe members that the man-thing would just want to fuck, eat, and sleep. Yet Troy wasn’t like that at all. She almost chuckled, thinking, I’m sure he’d like to just fuck, eat, and sleep. He was concerned for them, and while trying to improve himself, he was trying to improve them, too.

Her thoughts stirred up her feelings for him. She’d be excited physically by how he was developing their relationship, but now her heart was moving toward him. He was a good man… a good leader… and would be a good mate.

She blushed bright red as she turned her head to look in the distance. Troy didn’t notice because he was watching Sola and Frey before glancing over at Inu. Misery wondered if the emotions stirring in her heart would help her become more intimate with Troy. She wasn’t sure, but she was looking forward to trying when they got back to their village.

Chapter Nine

By midnight, they had eaten, planned for the rescue, and gotten some rest. They only had supplies for another three days, but it would be more than enough to see them through the rescue – or so they hoped. Troy knew that food wasn’t going to be the biggest issue over the next day or two. Even then, he imagined that if it came down to it, they’d all be willing to miss a meal or two.

He’d spent a good portion of the night explaining the plan, so that each woman understood her role. When it was time, he got up and stretched. The girls followed his lead and did the same. “We’re leaving everything except the weapons here. Make sure everything is ready to be picked up easily as we run through here later.”

The girls nodded and finished moving their stuff in preparation. When they were done, they formed a small circle, with Troy looking at each of them. Frey looked the most nervous, as she glanced at Sola.

“Do you think I can do this?” Frey asked.

“You’ll do well, Frey.” Her forked tongue flicked out past her sharp teeth and big smile. “You’ll be sstanding, ready to defend and run. It’ss just like what we practiced. You’re the lasst persson in the defensse, sso we’ll all be with you. Troy hass planned well, sso hopefully you won’t be fighting at all. But even if you have to, you’re ready and you can do thiss.”

Troy nodded, affirming Sola’s words. “Alright, as we head out, remember the path back, in case we get separated. After we race back here, we’re going to follow the stream up into the hills toward the pillars. I have a feeling it’s a taboo area for the beastmen, and it’s away from our village, which is the direction they will expect us to go. Any questions? Once we start, everyone needs to be extra quiet.” Troy looked each of the women in the eyes again, getting a nod from each and making sure there weren’t any questions, before he nodded.

Troy led the way as they quietly crept towards the village. Each of them was focused on each step and listening for signs of any beastmen. It took just over thirty minutes before Troy smelled wood smoke and they knew they were really close.

Troy motioned for Frey to take up position behind a large tree. She nodded, looking determined. She was going to do what she had to rescue Lady Bella. Opposite her on the trail, Misery thrust her spear into the ground within reach of the path, so one of them could quickly grab it on the way back.

The rest of them continued on a bit farther before Troy motioned for Inu to take up her position. She quickly moved behind a tree, her spear ready, a smile of anticipation on her face. Troy thrust his spear into the ground opposite hers on the trail. This was a rescue, not a fight. The plan was to sneak in and back out.

The three of them continued creeping closer. A few moments later, they came upon the crude wooden palisade of the beastmen’s village. It was made of logs sharpened at one end, with the other end jammed into the ground. While they were tied together to form a rough wall, they had not dug deeply enough to fully secure the logs.

Troy motioned for Misery and she gave him a leg up so he could peek over the wall. It only took a few moments for him to verify they were in the right spot. Bella was still tied up on the stage. In the distance, there was a large group of beastmen around the bonfire, but there wasn’t a guard near Bella.

He dropped quietly back down to the ground and chose one of the logs. He quickly cut the ropes tying it to the others and pushed on it. It leaned in toward the village a few degrees, giving them space to handle it.

Troy then moved the one beside it, and cut through its ropes. Misery pushed it forward and backward very slowly before lifting it out of the ground. By the time it was resting against the wall, Troy was lifting a third log out of its place. Misery then focused back on the first log. Once she was done, a gap had been opened in the wall. Troy led Misery as they crept into the village towards Bella. Sola stayed behind guarding the gap as their first defense.

Quickly and quietly, they made it to the stage and crept up to where Bella was tied. Troy and Misery moved into position, and he crept up behind Bella and cut her ropes. She limply fell into his arms, and he passed her to Misery, who turned and hurried back toward the gap in the wall. They had both just jumped down from the stage, when a large wolfman came running at them.

Troy immediately charged at it while Misery continued on toward the gap.

The wolfman yelled, “Intruders! We duel! You die!”

Troy cursed himself that the creature had been able to yell, but he’d been too far away. He showed no mercy as he dodged the wolfman’s slash, slipped behind him, and slit his throat. Troy was running towards the gap before the creature’s body hit the ground.

Beastmen were running towards them carrying torches. Troy kept running, sheathing his knife so he was ready for the next step. Behind him, he heard Chandler’s voice, “What the fuck is going on? Stop him! They took the rabbit woman! You’re going to pay, Troy! You will see everything you love DIE before I kill you!”

Troy didn’t waste any time or thoughts on Chandler as he reached the gap. Sola was there, ready to protect him, and Misery was hurrying away with Bella in her arms. Troy grabbed a log and manhandled it back into the hole in the middle.

When it fell into place, Troy risked a glance back and saw the beastmen gathered around the one he’d just killed. Chandler was running toward the group from the safety of his hut.

As Troy moved the second log into place, he heard Chandler yell, “Come on! Don’t stand around looking at that dead guy. Get them!” He was losing his shit.

The second log dropped into place, and Troy quickly grabbed the third. He was amazed that there weren’t any beastmen at the gap yet, and none of them were racing over to try to climb the wall.

“What the hell are you doing? Go after them!” Chandler screamed.

Troy glanced toward them as he moved the log and saw that the beastmen who were still gathered around their dead comrade. It looked like they were performing a ritual or saying words over him. A moment later, he heard one of the beastmen yell back at Chandler, “Grok dead. We bury him with honor.”

The third log dropped into place, and Troy and Sola raced off after Misery. Just before they reached Inu’s spot, Troy said, “Safe and run!” As he ran past, he grabbed his spear and kept going. Inu fell in behind them.

Only a few moments later, he said the same thing as he approached Frey’s position. Sola grabbed Misery’s spear and waited for Frey to follow before she brought up the rear.

Back at the village, Chandler was still screaming. “We’ll take care of that later! Go! They’re getting away and I WANT that woman back! Bring the man also, I want him ALIVE so I can make him SUFFER!” His face was beet-red and he was spitting mad. He looked like he was ready to strangle someone.

The beastmen watched him for a moment before focusing on Grok’s dead body. They had lost one of their own, and it was important for the dead to be honored when they died in a duel. Now their leader was telling them to not respect their dead. There would always be time to capture his killer and retrieve the rabbit woman.

“But Grok?” one of the beastmen said.

“His death will mean nothing, if we don’t get them back! ARGGH! Why can’t any of you have a brain?! You five! You are in charge of the body and preparing it for a ceremonial burial AFTER everyone else gets back from capturing them! NOW GO!” Chandler kicked the ground, looking enraged.

The other beastmen looked at each other and started walking toward the gate. They were obviously still coming to grips with the change to their customs while trying to follow their leader’s orders. A few more followed them, but a silent majority stayed to help with the body.

“ARGGH!” Chandler screamed as he stomped back to his hut and slammed the door. He couldn’t wait to have his men attack that village again. He vowed that he wouldn’t rest until all of those women were put in their place.

No one screwed over Jack Chandler. He knew when all of this was over, Troy Thunder would be getting a termination notice… his permanent termination notice.

Troy and the girls ran hard and fast till they reached the camp. They quickly gathered their things, and Frey tried giving Bella a drink of water, but she was still passed out in Misery’s arms. They were only at the camp for a couple of minutes before they moved on, following a game trail upstream.

Troy slowed their pace to a brisk walk, so they would be able to conserve what energy they had left. His legs were already burning, so he knew the girls would start to struggle if he didn’t slow it down. It looked like they had a decent head start on the beastmen; they just needed to capitalize on it.

He glanced at Misery, who returned his gaze with a nod and a light grunt. Lady Bella remained in her arms, and Misery seemed to be holding up well carrying her. He focused on choosing the best path he could and wondered about the pillars. The village women always wondered what they were – now they were going to find out.

The path turned uphill and their brisk walk turned into a focused, taxing walk up a steep grade. Troy rolled his eyes as his leg muscles started to burn again. This wasn’t going to be an easy hike. In the distance, at the crest of the hill, he could see the tops on the pillars and the clouds surrounding them.

“There. We’ll seek cover there and hopefully hide out. That will give Bella a chance to recover before we head back to the village.”

The girls nodded, and Troy could tell they were feeling the effects of the stress, running, and now the hike up the hill. By the time they reached the top, they would be dead on their feet and need to rest.

Troy kept up a steady pace and the girls matched it, making it easy for them to hear if one of them was dragging. The first switchback came and went, and they kept pushing forward.

There wasn’t any sign of the beastmen, but Troy knew they’d be coming sooner or later. He just hoped they would turn in the opposite direction, and it would be hours before they came this way. Troy grunted, wishing he had taken time to set up some traps. Depending on how things turned out when they reached the top, he still might be able to find something to slow them down as they climb up the trail.

His legs burned like fire, and everyone was focused on putting one foot in front of the other as they made their way up the hill.

The group of beastmen skirted the village on the outside and made their way to where the wall had been breached. They turned and at a jog, followed the trail the man and women had taken. The path they had taken was easy to follow by smell; they could even scent Grok’s blood on the man.

The man may have killed Grok fairly, because some of the beastmen had heard Grok yell about a duel, but Grok had been their friend and their ally. By right, the man was due Grok’s honor and possessions, but he was an outsider. Had he not been stealing for the boss, maybe they could have considered him a brother and a fellow warrior. But the leader had commanded he be killed and the woman returned.

The group found the place where their prey had camped and followed their path upstream. Their prey was a good distance ahead of them, but the beastmen could tell their pace had dropped. The beastmen would catch them with time.

The beastmen followed quietly except for the occasional grunt until the path turned towards the hill. Their pace slowed as they looked up toward the sacred pillars at the top.

One of them, a more elephant-looking man with tusks sticking out of his mouth and large gray ears, stopped and held up his hand towards his brothers.

“Brothers, this is sacred hill. We forbidden from climbing it. All know the law. Great bird protects the heights.”

“We know, Borko. But we must go on. Must obey leader and avenge Grok!” A second beastman, with gator-type features, said as he looked towards Borko.

A third beastman chimed in, “The top… forbidden! Not reach top!”

“The skyfaller commands….” another said.

They looked at each other as they wrestled with what to do. The skyfaller was to be obeyed. That was clear in the laws of the tribe. If a man fell from the sky and survived, he should be their leader. They remembered their last leader, the old donkey, who had spoken against this skyfaller, claiming that he was a false god because there wasn’t a giant blanket with him.

Still, the law also said the hill was sacred and taboo. The tribe was never to go to the pillars at the top, and they were to kill any seen there. That was very clear as well.

The whole tribe knew that Eliot had killed their old leader on a hunt by command of the skyfaller. Although they were sad and disappointed to lose the old man, the law was the law. Many had seen Chandler fall from the sky, thus it could not be refuted that he was the skyfaller, even if he didn’t have a huge blanket. No one understood why a skyfaller would have a huge blanket, but this was what the elders had passed down to them.

Borko broke the silence. “We follow path up, but stop before top. Stench from above will remove their smell. We tell skyfaller we lost scent. Both laws met – yes?”

The beastmen looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Borko was glad that Eliot, as the skyfaller kept calling him, wasn’t around. Eliot was the dumbest of the tribe, but he was one of the strongest and most-loyal to Chandler. If he heard of this, the boarman would have murdered them for disobeying orders.

They pushed forward, listening for any sound. No bugs sang their sweet tunes – all was silent. There was no sign of the stars due to the constant clouds hanging over the pillars, which were getting closer. No beastman had ever tread here and returned. It was a cursed place.

As they got closer to the top, the stench of the place became worse. It wasn’t long before they could smell nothing else. Once again, Borko stopped and held up his hand.

“Brothers, it's time. Can any smell the man, Grok blood, or women?”

Each of the beastmen shook their heads in turn.

“We followed skyfaller’s command. We no can track in cursed land. Only death there. We return to village now.”

They all nodded in agreement before turning and starting back down the hill, heading back to the village.

Troy and the girls hiked up the hill as quickly as they could, knowing that every second could be important. As they closed on the top, the smell of sulfur and possibly coal smoke got worse. It made breathing more difficult, but they pressed on until they crested the hill, which opened out to a hazy field. They couldn’t see very far even – their visibility was only a couple of feet in front of them.

Troy had them hold hands as he led them, but he slowed the pace down even more. He thought it would be almost impossible for the beastmen to track them through this. Between the fog and the smell, Troy could easily set up an ambush for someone forced to only follow the signs of their footprints.

A few minutes later, something appeared out of the haze, and Troy stopped just in front of it. “Wait, hold on. There’s a fence here.”

Frey stepped forward, not noticing the fence until she ran into it. She shrieked as she scraped her arm on the rusted metal. Looking confused, she grabbed her arm and winced.

“What in the…” she whispered as she looked it over.

Troy realized they’d never seen a metal fence before. He looked up. He could barely make out the top of it, but was pleased that there wasn’t any razor wire.

“I’m not sure what this fence is protecting, but we’re going in. To do that, we’re going to try something similar to what we did to rescue Bella. Let’s move a few feet to the right.”

They followed the fence a few feet and were rewarded by a fence post. Troy grinned when he saw the metal lattice was only attached with steel fasteners and the base of the post showed no sign of cement.

He grabbed the post and started wiggling it. It was actually stiffer than the palisade logs had been, but Troy was very motivated. When the post was shifted enough, he loosened the fasteners and lifted the post until it was out of the ground.

“All right. I’m going to twist the fence and you’re all going under it to get to the other side.”

“What about Lady Bella?” Misery asked without a second thought.

Troy thought for a moment before he said, “Sola will go under first and kneel on the ground on the other side. Misery will kneel on this side and pass Bella through to Sola. We don’t have time to wait.”

Troy lifted the bottom of the post as he stepped back. The fence was old and had a bit of give in it, so he was able to lift it almost to his waist.

“Go. Misery, when the other girls are through, lift up on the other side so I can get through.”

Misery nodded and knelt beside Troy after Sola crouched under the fence. Sola took Bella and carefully moved away from the fence until she could stand up. Inu and Frey quickly crouched under the fence and scrambled to the other side, while Misery ducked under and pushed up on the fence post.

Troy let her take the weight and ducked under the fence as well, before taking up a position next to Misery. He took over pushing the post. “Alright, Misery, go join the others.”

She let go and rolled toward the other girls. Once she was clear, Troy let the fence back down. He turned and joined the girls, who were looking at Bella as Misery took her in her arms.

Bella was still out cold, taking shallow breaths.

“It’ll be alright, Bella,” Troy said softly as he caressed her shoulder.

Turning his attention to the other girls, he said, “Back to holding hands, and Misery – don’t lose sight of Frey. Let’s see what that fence was protecting.”

Troy led the way, holding Inu’s hand behind him. He didn’t let all the questions running through his mind about the fence or what this place might be distract him. There was no point in speculating.

About a hundred feet later, Troy saw the building. Oddly enough, the haze wasn’t so bad around it, so they had more visibility. It was large and made of pure stone. Pillars stretched up into the sky, billowing smoke out of the ends. It was clearly more advanced than anything Troy had seen since coming into the jungle island. His mouth dropped as it reminded him of old production factories before everything went high tech.

So many questions ran through his mind, but he didn’t have time for them. As he was looking up at the smoke stacks, he saw something huge flying through the sky. A loud, piercing shriek came from above.

All of them instinctively crouched at the creature’s cry and looked up, but the creature was lost in the haze. Troy was the first to move as he followed the building wall. “Come on. I don’t think it’s safe to stay out here. Let’s see if we can find a way in.”

The girls followed behind him. Inu asked, “Troy, what is this?” She was curious about such a building and what it meant.

“I don’t know. It looks like an old factory from my world… but I have no idea how or why it would be here.” The stone walls were old and weathered by age.

They continued following the outside of the building, making sure to stay in sight of each other. The building was long, so it took a bit to reach the corner.

They turned a corner and walked around to the other side of the building. A few moments later, they finally found a pair of large metal doors. Made of steel, they looked like they should be on the front of a bunker or a vault, although they appeared dark and rusted with age.

Troy tried pulling the doors open, but they refused to budge. He changed his grip and tried to move his hands into a better position on the handles, but still no luck in making them move. He sighed and said, “Little help, Misery? Looks like it will take both of us.”

He repositioned himself to give room for Misery as she handed Bella off to Sola. The buffalo woman moved in, cracking her knuckles as she grabbed the base of the door. With a quick count down, they both pulled and, with a bit of straining, the doors opened.

Troy looked at her and shook his head. “Let the record show that you still would have needed my help to open them.”

Misery gave him a simple smirk. “Sure. I totally couldn’t have done it by myself, boss.” Misery winked at him, catching Troy a bit off-guard, but he grinned back at her, encouraging her flirting behavior. Misery took Bella back, and they all turned to the open entrance. Troy led the way into the darkness.

The inside was cold, the air stale. A bit farther down the hallway, very dim lighting came from the floor. It reminded Troy of emergency airplane lighting in case of the loss of power.

Once everyone was inside, they closed the steel doors behind them with an audible squeal. Troy was glad they’d have a warning if something followed them from the outside. The girls were waiting for him, so he turned and led the way down the hall towards the dim light.

As they slowly walked down the dark hallway, a chill ran down Troy’s spine. He wished they had made a torch, or had something to bring light into the room. At least they could see the shape of the hallway by the dim light as they continued walking.

They were all grouped close together. The silence of the place was deafening. Frey pushed herself forward, and tugged on Troy’s hand, almost like a child would.

“Are we safe?” she whispered. Troy shook his head. He could feel their fear. This place was completely unknown and alien to them. Troy turned and gave each of them a hug, which seemed to help them.

“I still don’t know what this is, but it looks like a place from my world, where things were made. There should be doors on the hallway that will lead to rooms. Since we can see enough to find them, we’ll continue and look through the rooms. If we find a decent one, we’ll rest there.” He heard them sigh in relief, and he was glad they were able to trust him above their fear of the unknown.

He nodded and they continued down the hall. They soon saw a normal-looking wooden office door on the right side.

Troy walked over to it with Frey right behind him, still keeping a hand on his shoulder as he opened it. The door opened easily, and he stuck his head inside, seeing what appeared to be a simple break room. It had the same lighting as the hallway, but it was a little brighter – or perhaps his eyes were becoming more accustomed to that level of light.

The break room looked like it might have dated from the ‘40s or ‘50s. There were wooden chairs gathered around a wooden table. Off to the side was a lounging area with an old sofa and a couple of chairs that had seen better days. In the far corner were what looked like two vending machines.

Troy walked to the table and a pack of cigarettes lying there. He picked it up and smelled it, taking in the crisp smell of tobacco. It brought a smile to his face, but he also felt a twist as an old temptation ran through him.

Troy could probably use a smoke, but the thought of the tobacco burning as he inhaled and exhaled made him shudder. He’d conquered that feeling of addiction and wasn’t going to feed it again… ever. Besides, Troy had bigger fish to fry.

“This looks like it was a place to rest, so lay Bella on the couch over there. We’ll stop here for now. I doubt the beastmen will come here, and we haven’t heard any noises since we came inside.”

The girls nodded, and Sola said, “Thiss feelss more comfortable than camping out in the jungle, except for the temperature.”

Misery gently laid Bella on the couch. As they settled in around the lounge area, Troy moved around the room, checking it over. By the door he ran his hand over the wall, imagining where he might find a light switch. When he hit something, he flipped it, but nothing came on. It had been worth a shot, as he shook his head.

He moved around the room and was pleased to find a sink. He turned the knobs to see if it would work. There was a drawn-out silence, but he could feel some vibrations on the faucet, so he kept waiting. He was surprised when a trickle of water came out, followed by some gasps of air, followed by a steady flow.

Even in the dim light, from the residue of the water and its darker color, it was pushing out the buildup in the pipes. He imagined it would have looked a bleak rusty brown, if he had been able to see it better. That wasn’t much of a surprise given how long it had been since it had been used. He let the water run, and slowly it cleared out. After a bit longer, Troy took a quick taste. Everything seemed fine, and he was glad they didn’t have to worry about water. They weren’t planning on staying, but it was nice to have the most basic needs covered. He walked back over to the girls.

“There’s water over there if we need to refill our waterskins. How’s Bella?”

Frey answered, “I gave her some water, and she seems to be stirring a bit. The… couch… seems to be quite comfortable. That’s good news about the water and I’m glad the air doesn’t smell as bad as it did outside. That was a horrible rotten smell!”

“I know! It was like I couldn’t get it out of my mouth. In fact, I want to wash my mouth out.” Inu said.

Troy chimed in, “Do that over there by the sink and spit into the depression so it drains away.”

Bella groaned, bringing everyone’s attention back to her, as she shifted on the couch. Frey moved to give her some more water from her waterskin.

As she dribbled some water between the rabbit woman’s lips, Bella sputtered for a moment before she swallowed it down.

Bella’s eyes fluttered open and she strained to see who was around her, before she said with a raspy tone, “More… please.”

Frey quickly repeated the process, and she slowly drank more. When she finally stopped and pushed the waterskin away, her eyes closed and she passed out once more.

“At least she’s resting comfortably now. Go ahead and get comfortable. It’s time you ladies to get some sleep. I’ve got the first watch.”

Sola and Misery started to say something but Troy interrupted, “No arguments. Get some sleep first. We can talk about who’s next when I’m tired or you wake back up. Now, sleep.”

They sighed but didn’t argue as they lay down. Troy walked over to the table, waiting. He was planning to investigate the hallway outside, but he didn’t want to lead the whole group along the way. They couldn’t see any better than him, and more people meant there would be a greater chance of accidents in the dark.

He sighed, wishing he could really explore this place and figure out its secrets. But he knew better – they would need to get back to the village as soon as they could to help fight. There was no question in his mind that Chandler would attack soon, hoping to enslave all the women. It was only a matter of time, because that was the kind of person that Chandler was.

Troy glanced back over at the girls. Their breathing had deepened and he thought they were all sleeping now. They had all been exhausted from the long day and the tension. This place, as creepy and chilly as it was, still provided them a place of safety to rest. Hopefully when they left, they’d all be ready for the journey back, including Bella.

He’d wait a bit longer before he slipped out. Seeing the semi-modern furnishings and running water had given Troy a new goal as he searched the place. He wanted to find the electrical closet and see if he could power the place up. Who knows, maybe it would turn on the furnaces and warm it up for them. Hopefully at least the lights would come on… if he could find it. He temper his hopes, because searching in the dark wasn’t going to be easy.

He waited there for a while longer, before he took his chance. He moved to the sink, stretching his legs and seeing if any of the girls reacted. He took a drink, enjoying the cold water, before he checked on the girls again. When they still hadn’t stirred, he moved to the door and quietly opened it. He gave them one more glance before he slipped into the hallway and gently closed the door.

He moved a few feet down the hallway and waited for a couple of minutes for his eyes to get used to the dimmer light as he listened for any noises. Just as he was about to start exploring, he heard something from the break room door.

He turned just as Inu slipped into the hallway and quietly shut the door. She jumped in surprise when she turned and saw him. Troy motioned for her to follow him as he took her hand. He didn’t want them to wake up the others.

When they were away from the break room door, Troy turned and whispered harshly, “What the hell are you doing?! You’re supposed to be sleeping.”

“I wasn’t going to let you leave on your own. It’s safer if there are two of us together at all times. You know that! I don’t want you to get yourself killed,” she whispered back.

“I will not get myself killed.”

“Says everyone ever who went out to do something dangerous by themselves.”

“I wasn’t going far – I was just checking out a few things. Since this building is like where I came from, I’m hoping I might find something that will let us see better.”

“Well, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. So can you take me along? Please? I’ll do exactly what you tell me to.”

“Hmm. I suppose, but make sure to stay close and do what I tell you to do. ”

Inu’s hand flew to her mouth to stop herself from squealing in excitement as she squeezed his hand with her other hand. She couldn’t believe he was letting her go with him! She whispered excitedly, “Yes!” before she looked around. Suddenly, she didn’t know about really exploring this creepy place. She moved closer to him and whispered, “A-alright.”

Troy grinned at the fox woman as she struggled to conquer her fear. She even had a tentative smile on her face as her tail slowly wagged.

Damn, she’s cute.

Troy turned and slowly led the way down the hall to the next doorway. It was a small office. There were any other doors to the office, so they moved on to the next one. This one was locked, but with some wiggling and a focused shoulder shove, the door swung open.

It looked like another office, this time with a large desk, but it also had a door on the far wall. They both stepped into the room and started looking around. The dim emergency lights were a lifesaver.

They looked around the room for a moment, before Inu moved to the desk to examine it. Troy walked toward the other door as he looked around. There was hardly anything to see – the walls didn’t have pictures, shelves, or windows. He noticed a cloth hanging on the wall, but he couldn’t make anything out on it. That’s when Inu raised her voice above a whisper.

“Troy… could I ask you something?”

“And what would that be?” Troy asked, curious.

“The whole village knows you and Lady Bella have mated. Well… um… what was it like?” she asked. Her voice was soft, and Troy could tell she was nervous about asking. He really didn’t want to go into it, but he could tell it cost her to ask about it, so he answered.

“Yeah, we mated. And you want to know what it was like to have sex with your leader.” He turned back to her and walked to the desk beside her.

“Um, yeah. It would be nice to know, if that’s okay?”

“It was fucking amazing, as I’m sure everyone heard. I’m not going to go into any detail because that’s between Bella and me. Why are you curious about this? I’m sure you heard how happy Bella has been. Are you in love with her?” Troy wasn’t judging her; he was just curious about Inu’s motivation for the question.

Inu’s ears popped up and her eyes went wide as she blushed red. “No! I’m not into women. Everyone in the village knows how Lady Bella feels about your mating with her. Even the farthest hut can hear her screams of passion.”

“Listen, I don’t care if you’re into chicks. Honestly I’m surprised that more of the women in the village aren’t only into women. You live in a village with only women.”

“Damn it! I’m not into women! I’m into you!” She moved closer, and before he could process what she said, Inu grabbed him and pulled him down. It surprised him as she forcefully pressed her lips against his. She kissed him hungrily, and he naturally responded, pulling her body into a tight embrace as their kiss deepened. A moment later, she slipped her tongue into his mouth and their tongues started to dance. He enjoyed the feel of her body against his and their kiss for a few moments before he broke off the kiss.

“What…” he started.

She growled. “I want you, Troy. I’ve wanted you since I first saw you. I want you to want me! I want to know what sex is like!”

She slipped down her skirt and in one smooth motion took her breast strap off, so she was standing naked in front of him.

“This isn’t the time for craziness. We’re on a mission and it’s dangerous.”

“I don’t care. Please? I kept watching you walk around half-naked, exposing yourself and flirting with the others. I want that.. I want you… I want to be wanted…” She started crying as her head lowered.

He moved forward and embraced her, just holding her as she cried for a bit. “You are wanted, and it will get better.”

“Why did Bull leave me? Why doesn’t anyone in the village want me?” She squeezed him tight and she rubbed her cheek into his chest.

Troy continued holding her, even with his lower body reacting to the feel on a soft woman’s body.

Trying to comfort her here!

“It’s okay,” he whispered as he stroked her hair.

After a few minutes, she stopped crying. “Why is this so difficult? I want you… and I can feel how much you want me. Can’t we just do this? I want to be wanted here and now, even if this is all I get.”

“Listen… but…” He was trying to think of what to say, but the words weren’t coming. Before he could say anything else, she pushed him back against the desk so he was sitting on it, and she climbed up and straddled him.

“I want you, Troy. I need you! Please just shut up and fuck me!! Just let me, please….” She brought her chest close to his face, giving him an up close and personal view of her small, perky breasts. They jiggled and bounced, her hard nipples pointed at him.

Troy’s cock throbbed, and he wanted to suck on those nipples so badly, but he wanted to give her one last chance. “Inu, are you sure…”

She took his face in her hands and lowered her head so her forehead was against his. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. Please Troy… take me and show me how you can make a woman feel… please?” She was nearly begging, and Troy wasn’t made of steel. She’d really grown in the time they’d spent together, and his attraction for her was only increasing.

He kissed her hard, causing her to moan into his mouth and rub her pussy against his crotch.

Inu passionately returned his kiss and moved her hips back and forth, grinding against him. His cock was already hard – a naked woman had that effect on him except in extreme circumstances. As they kissed, he let his hands find their way to her tight ass. He cupped her cheeks and squeezed, earning another moan for her. He enjoyed the warmth as he squeezed and caressed her ass, imagining how he’d be bouncing it in a bit.

They kept grinding for a bit as they continued kissing. Inu couldn’t get enough of it; it seemed like she wanted to devour him with her kisses. A few moments later, she started wriggling her chest, and he got the message.

Troy slid his hands up her body to her breasts, causing her shiver before she moaned again. As he reached her breasts, she shivered again. Troy realized they were really sensitive. He mentally grinned as he focused on her titties. Her nipples were hard as he moved them between her fingers.

Inu had to break off the kissing as her breathing got heavy. “Yes… I’m all yours, Troy… play with every part of me….”

He was more than happy to fulfill her request, as he focused on her boobs. She arched her back, allowing him to slip his mouth over her left titty as he kept playing with her right.

He sucked, nibbled, tongued, and teased her hard nipple to the sound of her needy moans and groans. When he switched breasts, he got a little rougher with his hand on the other nipple. She went silent for a moment and then spasmed hard as she grunted.

Troy chuckled as he kept enjoying her titties, causing her to jerk every now and then as it caused another orgasm. She really was sensitive, and he loved seeing how much his attention drove her wild.

He kept having fun even as she slowly stopped orgasming and kept grinding against him. Her eyes were closed and she moaned every now and then as she lost herself in the sensations of what he was doing to her.

After a while, she dropped her head to his shoulder. At first she kissed his neck and the top of his shoulder. “Please… fuck me… do something… I’m all yours and you can play with any part of me,” she pleaded. After a few moments, she bit his shoulder – not hard enough to break the skin but hard enough to leave a mark.

Troy grunted, “Fuck!” as he used his free hand to smack her ass.

Inu yipped in response, causing Troy to smirk.

“Such a vixen…” Troy teased. “Always demanding… and always wanting more.” He rolled their bodies, putting her in the sitting position as she leaned back on the desk. Her tail whipping back and forth behind her in anticipation. The sight of her wanting and waiting for him to take her made Troy growl as he licked his lips.

Inu’s eyes widened in surprise and excitement, as she whispered, “Yessss…”

Troy stepped up to her and leaned over her, trapping her between his arms as he kissed the side of her neck. Inu turned her head, giving Troy full access to it.

“Now how about you learn to submit to your leader… your man… your mate,” he whispered in her ear before he nipped it with his teeth.

She shook as her tail went crazy. He held his weight with one hand as he moved the other to pet it. It was soft and fluffy, and Inu seemed to spasm as he kept caressing her. She kept mouthing the word ‘yes’, her breath getting heavier and her eyes half-closed.

“Do you like it when I pet your tail?” he whispered as he licked her ear. All Inu could do was moan and nod. Her body was shaking. She had never felt this good before, and her body didn’t know what to do with all of the sensations. She just knew that she needed him to keep going or she was going to explode.

Troy smirked while he kept rubbing her tail and running his fingers through her soft fur. “So soft… I could imagine lying on it, like my pillows when we’re curled up together naked after I’ve just bred you.” His voice was husky as he spoke, and Inu’s arms gave out as she lay back on the desk. Troy followed her as he kissed down her neck before slowly making his way back to her sensitive nipples.

“Please… fuck me… claim your vixen….” she moaned out as she felt her heart racing. It felt so good, and her pussy was dripping wet. She could feel it slowly running down her thighs. Inu wanted what only he could give… she needed it now.

“Such a beautiful vixen… but this foxy can also be such a bitch,” he growled.

Inu pouted at him, and he raised his hand, giving her ass firm a smack. Her asscheeks bounced as she cried out in a combination of shock and pain. Inu turned back, giving him a surprised look.

“Be a good girl!” Troy growled, giving her another swat.

Inu moaned and she licked her lips. “Your bitch… your vixen… only you get to handle me… teach me… control me.” Her eyes were focused on him with laser-like precision, and Troy felt like she was searching for his soul.

He moved his hands from that sexy tail to grab her ass, pulling her to the edge of the desk.

“You will be my good vixen….”

“I’ll be your best vixen and your baddest bitch, but only for you. Please fuck your little bitch….”

He grinned as he grabbed her legs, pushing them up over his shoulders, as he positioned himself at her entrance. He took his cock in his hand and moved it against her swollen clit, as she bit her bottom lip. He rubbed the length of her pussy before circling her clit again. She moaned the whole time and spread her legs wider.

“Please… please… fuck me. You bastard.”

Troy leaned in, giving her thick thigh a slap as the noise echoed in the room. Inu groaned in pleasure, her tail wagging. Her eyes were begging him as she licked her lips and kept glancing down at his hard throbbing cock.

“Well, since you said please… by the way, I’m not a bastard.” He smirked, pushing the top of his head against her hot, wet, pussy. He groaned and her mouth dropped open as they shared the feeling of how the tip of his cock pushed into her. She was tight, but being so wet helped as the head of his cock penetrated the young warrior woman. She almost lost it in pleasure, with her head rocking back just from the tip.

Troy paused in place for a moment, not moving, letting her adjust to him. When her breathing started to return to normal, he slowly pushed in deeper, inch by inch.

“It’s so… ahh!” Inu breathlessly moaned. Her body was going crazy in a mix of pleasure and pain. It hurt… but it felt sooo good. She tried relaxing and widening her legs. She was going to take every last bit of him, even if it completely rearranged her insides. She wanted it all, as deep as he could go.

“Damn… you’re so tight. You hot little vixen… just a bit more.”

He kept going until their hips met and he’d fully hilted into her. They both took a moment to just breathe and experience the rush.

Troy couldn’t believe how her channel gripped him and her every movement caressed his length, trying to pull him in deeper.

Inu couldn’t believe how full she felt as she felt his throbbing cock deep in her core. She wondered if she looked down to her stomach if she’d see the bulge. She could believe she’d taken all of it, but her whole body yearned for it to stay deep in her.

Inu started making circles with her waist, and they both groaned at the new sensations. Next she tried using different muscles down there while she made the circles. It was like fireworks were going off in her pussy and in her brain.

“That feels wonderful…. You’re tight, I feel every little thing. But now the real fun begins,” Troy grunted.

He’d barely begun moving as she squeezed his cock like a vice grip while he pulled out halfway before stopping.

Inu’s breathing hitched and she almost pouted at the feeling of loss. She kept her eyes on him though, in anticipation of the coming excitement. It didn’t disappoint as Troy finished pulling back and gave a slow thrust all the way back in. The feeling of being filled again almost made her lose control. Even though she didn’t, she knew it wouldn’t be long before she would be overwhelmed.

He started up a slow rhythm, moving his hips back and forth. Each thrust pushed her closer to the edge as the pleasure crashed against her. Inu pushed herself against him, pawing at his chest and feeling his scars. They were a sign of his strength and made him look dangerous, exotic, and powerful. This was her leader… her man… her mate… fucking his vixen… his bitch.

Her hips bucked faster as he pounded her harder. He was a bit rough, and as their whole bodies moved in their joining, the table creaked as it shook. Inu could feel her breasts bouncing back and forth with each thrust. When Troy leaned down and started sucking on her nipple, she wanted to scream to the world. She now completely understood Bella’s screams… and she would be doing the same. There was no way not to.

She tried to hold it in, but then he bit her right nipple. Inu screamed, feeling herself orgasm. She lost all control as she felt herself cumming on him and squirting as the bliss overwhelmed her. She felt like she left her body behind and lost track of time and feeling, being fully immersed in joy.

Troy kept going, and somehow she knew and felt it. This feeling shocked Inu… how he kept taking her… claiming her. With each thrust and hard grunt, he claimed her pussy and her heart. Her senses went wild, as his musk overwhelmed her and she wanted to rub her whole body against him. He kept going faster, as another climax washed over her with a scream. She couldn’t believe what she was feeling, with her nipples and clit so sensitive, and he just kept pounding faster. Then he reached down, rubbing her clit. Her mouth dropped open in a wordless scream.

Troy kept pounding her, his hips rocking faster. His body was filled with lust.. maybe a bit more… as he couldn’t get enough of her. He’d just slipped his hand down to rub her clit when she lost it again. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes rolled back. He chuckled as he moved his hands back to her hips, using his arms and legs for his thrusts. Inu moaned louder with each thrust.

Troy grunted, knowing his time was short as his balls tightened. It had been a bit since he had last done this with Lady Bella. Inu had brought out something almost feral in him with his need to claim her. Her words had lit an inferno within him. It was clear he was ready to nut at any second as he pulled their bodies in close together. Inu’s eyes opened again as she came back to reality and she pulled him into her with her legs. She threw her hand behind her head as she was overwhelmed, shaking in pure pleasure.

“I’m gonna cum!” he growled, warning her ahead of time.

Inu’s eyes widened, and she forced herself to make words. “IN ME… MATE!”

He would have laughed in another situation, and it helped him fight off his orgasm for a few more seconds. He’d been prepared to pull out. Yet Inu tightened her legs around him. Then it was too late, as he began pouring his hot thick load deep within the fox woman.

As his load pumped deep into Inu, she felt an almost transcendent level of peace as her body was completely overwhelmed with pleasure, shaking every inch of her. It was the most amazing feeling she’d ever experienced. She barely noticed as Troy collapsed on top of her, her body readily accepted his weight as she held him to her chest. Their hearts synced even as they raced, and Inu couldn’t describe what she was feeling. She didn’t care, as she held onto it and him. She was his now… and forever. She felt that truth in her soul.

Minutes slowly passed as they recovered, holding onto each other as they caught their breaths.

“That was…” Inu spoke softly while she tried to find the right words. Yet she drew a blank. Everything had been so much more than anything she had words for.

Troy smirked as he leaned in, kissing her neck. “You were good too.” He rolled off of her, allowing his semi-stiff dick out of her tight pussy.

They lay on the desk for another couple of mInutes, just basking in the afterglow.

“What is with you calling me a bastard, anyway?” Troy asked.

“It’s something Bull said to me. She knew the last few… men, and claimed they were always bastards, only wanting the tribe's women for their bodies. But she used that word to describe him, so it stuck with me.”

Troy shook his head. “Well, just so you know, I’m not like that. I’m not some bastard. Got it, woman?” He looked at her sternly to give his words some more weight.

“I don’t know… what we did… you were pretty… pervy,” she teased.

“Oh, you little brat.” He chuckled, moving in closer and giving her ass a firm swat. The vixen bounced in the air, giving him a saucy look.

That was when he saw a slight glint of light on the back wall. “Give me a minute. I need to check something out.” He got up and walked over to find a metal box against the wall on the right… and over the metal box was a large lever in the down position.

“What are you doing?” Inu asked with concern in her voice.

“Just relax. I know what I’m doing.” He reached up, pulling the lever up, and without warning, the lights came on. The whole room was lit up under yellow bulb lights that dotted the ceiling.

“And God said let there be light, and there was.” He snorted at that.

Inu raised an eyebrow.

Troy was about to explain it when his eyes were drawn to what was behind Inu. His eyes widened as he saw it. If Troy had been holding something, he might have dropped it.

“What’s wrong?” She asked before she whirled around to look behind her. That made her feel a bit dizzy after their session, but she didn’t care. She saw a piece of cloth hanging there, with a design on it that she’d never seen. She glanced back at Troy; he was still a bit shocked by it, but it didn’t mean anything to her.

A large flag covered the wall before the desk, red and white, with black marks on it. Inu didn’t understand what it meant, but Troy knew what it was….

He was looking at a Nazi flag.

“You’ve got to be shitting me.”

Chapter Ten

Troy couldn’t have imagined that he’d be seeing a Nazi flag today. Even as his mind filled with questions of timelines, age, and possibilities, he examined the flag. it was not in pristine shape; parts of it had been torn, and there were claw marks where it had been shredded.

Troy was disgusted by what it represented, even as concerns for what this facility might be battled with the questions running through his head. He ripped it down, stepping on it and grinding it into the floor.

Inu watched him in confusion but realized their intimate time had come to an end. She reluctantly began putting on her top and skirt.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “It must mean something very bad to you.”

“Trouble, that’s what…. It makes me very concerned about what this place is. Since the lights are on now, we’ll be exploring it, and putting an end to whatever scheme they have planned.” He shook his head, looking at the flag crumpled on the floor. If they were here, who knew what had been planned?

Troy walked over and pulled on his kilt. “Go check on the others. They’re probably awake with the lights coming on. And…”

Inu had started to turn to the door to leave, when she was pulled back into his arms. She sighed and nestled into his embrace, treasuring the feel of his strong arms around her. He bent and kissed her hard. The tingles started all over and she had to rub her thighs together.

Troy broke off the kiss. “You’re my vixen now.”

She grinned really big as she nodded. “I’m all and only yours, Troy Thunder.”

He squeezed her tight once more before giving her a kiss on her forehead as he released her. She blushed, her tail wagging as she turned to go back to the break room.

Once she was gone, Troy turned and survived the room now that he could really see. He shook his head and growled.

He hated the Nazis for what they’d done. He’d heard of some of the crazy experiments that had gone on at the time… and seeing the beastmen, he had to wonder if they fit into the puzzle of this place. Troy remembered something about a beastman waking every week. Maybe this was part of that somehow. Only time would tell.

Troy moved to the desk to search it, hoping to find out more information about this place and what they were doing here. He opened the first drawer, and there were some papers in it. Glancing over them, his high school German indicated they weren’t helpful. In another drawer was a German Lueger pistol. He examined it carefully. There were no bullets in the gun, but it appeared to be in working order. In the back of the same drawer, he found some ammo for it, and loaded the gun. A few good shots were infinitely better than no shots. He went to pocket it, and realized he didn’t have a pocket. He made sure the safety was on and held on to the gun and extra bullets.

In the lowest drawer on the desk, he came across what looked like a leatherbound book. It took him a moment to see the word imprinted on the cover. It read Tagebuch – in English, ‘journal,’ from what Troy could remember. Thank God for high school German. While he might not be able to comprehend it fully, he could hopefully translate enough to understand what it said.

He skimmed through it and found a good few entries. The owner of the journal was named Hans. The journal didn’t provide the man’s last name, but that didn’t matter. Maybe it would give him some clue what this place was.

Pausing in his reading, he looked through the rest of the stuff in the drawer and found one more thing of any worth – a bottle of whiskey. He looked over it for a second and poured himself a glass. After the month he was having, he could use a drink and imagined a shot of the stuff was just what he needed. He swallowed it down and grunted. It was strong… but wasn’t half-bad.

“Well, Hans, you’re an evil son of a bitch, and I hope you’re burning in hell.” He looked at the glass and took another shot to help him relax. He let out a deep breath as the whiskey burned his throat and warmed his insides.

“But you have good taste in whiskey, I will say that.” He put the glass down and shook his head. He put the lid back on the bottle and put it back in the desk drawer. He certainly didn’t want the ladies to be trying it, and he needed to get his bag if he wanted to take it with him. He knew he should go check on the girls, but he had a few minutes to dig into the diary.

“Alright, let’s look at your diary.” He muttered before opening the journal and roughly beginning the translation.

We call this world Andere Welt.

As far as we know, it is not on any map. When we sent out explorers to investigate around this island, the land masses they discovered were not from our world. This place is a complete mystery. Though it does not matter, we are here for important work – a great work, as we are under the orders of the Fuehrer Adolph Hitler.

The war is hitting Germany much harder than we imagined. When Project Berserk started, there was hope, but it has been dwindling with each communication. Upon discovering this strange island, we imagined our dream of creating the ultimate warrior would come true. We wanted the birth of a man with the strength and power of an animal, who would fight on the field and take down the enemies of the Third Reich.

We had discovered the island and this factory a few years ago, which had once been owned by a man named Monroe. He was some kind of a mad scientist that imagined he could turn beasts to men. Though his original experiment turned out to be a failure, his beastly creatures killed him, that old stupid fool.

His advances, though, pointed to something beyond what he would have been able to accomplish in our world. There seemed to be something else at work that increased his success. Our scientists tested much of the land, fauna, and flora of the island and discovered something strange. This island is not made of things from Earth…. It is like we are in an alien world that makes it look like ours. The air is slightly thinner, and the materials here are off, even as they share the same elements. It isn’t of Earth, which is impossible to explain, so we have accepted that this is another world.

Every few months, we find ourselves not cut off from our world. However, other than these few short windows in time, no radio signals make it back to the homeland. The longer we are here, the more difficult it is to be ready for the window, as the duration between them continues to lengthen without a pattern. We do not understand what is going on, though some of us have our suspicions. If it is true, this could turn the tides of war far more than Project Berserk.

When we revealed what we had discovered to the Fuehrer, he simply ignored it, preferring to focus more on the creation of the beastmen, trying to make them into his powerful warriors. He is solely focused on the possibilities of an unstoppable army. I’m afraid he might be losing his mind as the war rages on. On his orders, we expanded the experiments and started incorporating more resources of the island into the process. I worry for our men’s safety, as it seems some of the experiments are going off-brand. We’re running low on prisoners to experiment on.

I also fear what this island might do to us. What if one day we can no longer communicate with the outside world? WIll we be trapped here forever?

The Fuehrer has ordered us to remain on this cursed island, with all its secrets, to repeat the experiments until we succeed where the old doctor had failed. I have a chill in my spine at the idea of contInuing this, but I dare not go against his orders for fear that my own men will kill me. Or worse, my failure would be reported to the homeland and doom my family to the camps.

We had prepared and changed the old doctor's experiments. Coming up with something else… something far more powerful. Instead of the doctor’s idea of combining the DNA of animals and making them human, we instead went in and forced a woman’s egg to accept an altered animal sperm. We harvested a very large supply of eggs, after finding that freezing them in this island’s water allowed them to be unfrozen and used without any side effects or losses. We also found that we could use the special water as the basis for our artificial womb, allowing us to separate the fetus’s gestation from the woman. After many more experiments using blood and other resources from the native life to the island, we were able to speed the gestation time up exponentially, giving us hope for the homeland.

Unfortunately, our success with the difficult experiments was built on death and blood. Most of the experimental patients have not survived the ordeal. It didn’t matter that they were of the lesser blood, destined to the chambers. Some of the first creatures grown through our experimental process… they were monstrous abominations. We have kept them contained and fed, assuming the Fuehrer might have use of them.

Our control of the results developed over time, so that we were able to only produce male warriors. The female products that had already been made were taken by Herr Mocala and Frau Lily Sendler, to be raised as their own in a primitive village a good distance from our site.

We’ve kept the male products, creating a village below our encampment where they could reside. One of our best warriors was put in charge, preparing, training, and teaching them. Following orders and submission to authority have been the key factors in determining if each product has been successful.

Many of the animal species were removed from the process due to the lack of those factors in the product. The warriors we produce will be the spear of Germany when we send them out to fight the Allied nations.

Received a communication from the homeland, and what the Fuhrer desires, he shall have. Following orders as we must, and against my personal inclination to destroy these monstrous creatures, we are breeding the original abominations. With each interaction, I can see the intelligence in their eyes. I fear how intelligent they may be, and yet, our orders were to make them mate. What are they thinking? The idea of letting this beast breed? But I have my orders.

Troy continued reading through the pages, amazed at how well his German was coming back to him. This was something out of an old science fiction novel. The breakthroughs in medical technology Hans was casually mentioning could change life as Troy knew it… if it could or would be brought back.

And they were rapidly creating beastmen soldiers with the breakthroughs. He’d seen the village, and had been told that a new beastman woke up every week. The impossibility of it all was hard to take in, yet he’d seen the results first hand.

But what happened? Obviously, the beastmen had never made it to his world, so something must have happened. Troy didn’t care they had died, that was their due for the torture and killing of the patients and prisoners. Yet he wanted to know what really happened. He didn’t have to share it with anyone else, but just being able to know and have the option was important to him.

He sighed and focused back on the book. They’d done such evil things, and he wouldn’t condone them, but he wanted to know how it ended. The girls still hadn’t come to find him, so he had more time. He turned to the next page while mumbling under his breath.

“How did you mad men get the destruction you deserved?”

This is getting out of hand. These monstrosities are growing at a rapid rate. The first litter started breeding well before they were fully grown. They are worse than rabbits, and barely controllable. Is it the land? Has it affected their biology in ways we could never imagine? Containing the growing litter has been difficult enough, even as we await their next generation.

They are too much for us to handle. The next generation arrived, but there were too many. We lost a squad of men just trying to separate them. They grow too fast. They are becoming uncontrollable. We’ve run out of drugs to sedate them and even steel isn’t sufficient to hold them over time. We lost twenty people when one of recently-born monsters chewed through its steel cage. How is that possible? And our bullets don’t seem to do the same damage to them. We tested our guns and primitive arrows made from local trees. The arrows performed better than our guns in piercing the flesh of the monstrosities. We’ve used so many rounds of ammo that we are starting to run low. All because of these monstrosities! The foolish scientists didn’t put a backup way to stop these things and starving them doesn’t help. We fear what they might do if they were to go crazy. We’re using food to control and contain them.

I tried sending a signal out to warn the homeland, but we’re in a cycle again, and nothing will get through. I knew we should have destroyed the abominations when we first created them. We would have had enough firepower to do it then. I tried to warn my superiors, but they didn’t listen to me. They were blinded by pride and their own goals.

They escaped. Not one, but all of them! I knew they were smart! They might even have their own language for all we know, not that it matters now. They are free and killed half of us to gain that freedom. Everyone with access to the production area died, and the factory continues to make more product at the pace of one completed model a week.

At every opportunity, they have killed my men, but not the beastmen. Some of the abominations ran through their village and didn’t kill a single one. I wonder if they feel a kinship to the beastmen?

I don’t know how long the few of us left will last. We are being hunted even here in the facility. Every doorway is another chance for us to be slaughtered. None of the contingency plans are working. They know where we are, and our capabilities. A few of the others made a dash for the jungle, in hopes of escape. I doubt they did, but I’m left with the same choice.

I cannot stay so I must escape. First I have to get provisions from down the hall, then I will take my gun and wire cutters. I know my path and timing. I will run for the beastwomen’s village. Perhaps I can hide there, but if not, I’ll continue on to the shore past the cliff. They wouldn’t seek me there… maybe another ship will come from the homeland….

I am one of the SS. I am the peak of Aryan pride. I will survive.

The Fuehrer wanted us to create the Übermensch, the pride of the German people… and we succeeded.

Troy finished reading the last entry – the rest of the pages were blank. Mango didn’t mention Hans, and the gun was still here… so most likely he met his end while getting provisions.

Troy placed the book back into the drawer and shut it. He sat there for a long minute, contemplating what he had read. Just like Monroe, the Nazis had been destroyed by their own creations. He nodded his head at the irony and justice of it.

The information about the island and it being in a different world, while surprising, didn’t shock him too much. It had been the more plausible explanation of the beastmen and the ladies. His mind had already pretty much accepted that part.

The mention of a cycle to return to his own world was hopeful, but he wasn’t sure at this point if he would if he could… assuming he got everything with Chandler straightened out. And by straightened out, he meant making sure Chandler died and his influence over the beastmen ended.

“Troy… is something wrong?” He looked over, seeing Misery standing in the doorway there with her arms crossed.

“Um, no. Just thinking about everything we need to do, especially now that the lights are on and we have power.” He smiled and stood.

Misery watched him for a mInute before she replied, “Alright… though it’s my turn to be on the lookout. You should get some rest.”

“No problem…. You're right, I need some rest.” He picked up the gun and the bullets as he walked over to her. “Thanks, Misery. I really appreciate your strength and determination.” She blushed and he smiled as he walked in front of her back to the break room. He would have to think long and hard about how much he would tell them about their origins, if he ever did. For now, he decided not to. They didn’t need to know about these experiments.

He walked back down the hallway, seeing the walls for the first time with sufficient light. The darkness had been a kindness because they had a dark coloring, and many parts were aged and decayed. As he got closer to the break room, he realized one side of the hallway was covered with blotches of dried-up blood. This facility would forever be stained by blood and marked with death. Troy was looking forward to leaving this cursed place, but he had a special mission to accomplish first.

Troy came into the break room with a smile on his face, though. Misery stayed outside, so she wouldn’t make it harder for him to sleep. Bella was still lying down, out like a light. Sola was still sleeping, while Frey was sitting, looking intently at him. She patted a spot beside her that was next to Inu, who was sound asleep.

“Here, Troy. It’s time for you to get some rest.”

He moved over to her and sat down with a heavy sigh.

“Is everything alright?” Frey asked, the concern on her face growing as Troy shook his head.

“I’m fine. It’s just this place…. The light revealed more about this place than I think I wanted to know. The darkness had allowed us to be ignorant. But enough gloom from me – I need to rest, and I’m sure that will help my perspective when I wake up.” He lay down in the space next to Inu, and he was surprised when Frey lay down beside him. And then she moved closer.

“What are you doing?”

“What I need to do. You’re not comfortable, so we are going to….” She went quiet and wrapped her arms around him. In a long moment of silence she adjusted to mold herself to him, pressing her almost-naked body against him, as she held him close.

He kissed her arm and squeezed her hand as he relaxed.“Thanks.” It felt good to be held by a beautiful woman. He forced his body to ignore the feeling of her hot breath brushing against his neck and focused on the soft and steady rhythm of her breathing as he matched it.

As he slowly drifted off to sleep, he thought back to what he’d read, and decided there was no way that Nazis had been accurate about the beastmen and ladies. They were people, unlike the monsters that had created them.

As sleep took Troy, his mind flowed through the deepest reaches of his memories. He found himself once again in an interrogation room sitting by himself on one side of a table. Three people in the FBI were seated on the other side of the table as they questioned him. He chuckled as he realized the tie he’d worn that day hadn’t matched his suit. His interrogators had been on his ass for what seemed like hours, asking him for every detail as they had him replay the same five minutes. They peppered him with questions, like had Agent Jay moved any furniture inside the building, or when you stepped outside did you notice a flash of light from your right? So many of their stupid questions forced him to say, “I don’t know,” or “I don’t remember.”

After hours of doing his best to accommodate them, he finally said, “I told you everything I can. I told the President to stay inside, and he knew I was very concerned. When I knew there was a threat, I made every effort to block his body and get him back inside. I followed protocol.”

Troy tried to keep his annoyance out of his voice, as he adjusted his arm. His shoulder was hurting from the gunshot he’d received during the most devastating five minutes when those events had taken place. It was a parting gift from the assassin, using the same high caliber rifle that had taken out the president. In a way, Troy was thankful for the injury; it somehow soothed something in him, helping him believe he’d done everything he could to save the president.

“Listen Thunder, we’re just trying to get the answers, and the stories need to align. This isn’t like some two-bit criminal getting shot, you know.”

“I do, sir. Though I’ve given you every bit of information I have. There’s nothing else I can give you,” Troy simply said while he looked at FBI Agent Casey Stone.

“I know, but I still have to do my job.” There was a moment of silence as Troy felt beyond frustrated. He just wanted to get out of here, head to physical therapy, and get through the day. He imagined heading off to the bar and getting a drink. He just needed to get through this damn day. He had been forced to watch the burial of a man he considered his friend from the hospital. So he wasn’t feeling up to dealing with these agents grilling him time and time again. This was the fifth time this month.

“You know we're going to need your badge, Thunder.” Agent Casey finally said, looking at Troy as shock crossed his face.

“Why? I’m already on medical leave and will be for another two months. I did everything by the book, and I will be able to return to my job.”

“That’s above my paygrade. There’s a lot of powerful people who are pissed about this. The fact is that the President died on your watch. Now we have to deal with… President Moore. Before the country can move on from this tragedy, they need to blame someone, and till we can find the assassin, you’re the one holding the bag,” Agent Stone said. Clearly, he wasn’t happy with the situation.

Troy heard this and felt a shocking chill run all the way down his spine. It felt like the entire world had just stopped; for Troy, the seconds felt like hours.

Troy felt detached even as he knew his rage was boiling over. He wanted to scream and unleash his anger on someone… but he knew it would be useless. He was being fired, even after all his years of hard work and doing everything that he could to the best of his ability. All down the drain.

In the end, Troy handed over his badge. They had already taken his gun before he was sent to the hospital. The loss of his job felt like it left a massive hole in him. So much of his identity had been wrapped around his position, and he wondered what this new life without would be like. He mechanically watched as they placed his badge in a box and escorted him out of the building.

It had been a hard time after that. Once the investigations were done, he was cut off. The media was still going crazy, so he dropped out of sight, going completely off the grid. The fact that he’d semi-prepared for this situation meant that he had money and resources stashed already.

It had taken years for things to quiet enough for him to try to find work. Troy remembered the trouble and pain he’d endured on that front, even after so long. When people knew your name and the mistakes you’d made, they didn’t want to hire you, especially protecting important people. It was just dumb luck that he had gotten a job working for that asshole Chandler.

Rather than focusing on how much of an asshole Jack Chandler was, his dream shifted to a dark forest, where Troy was walking… lost and alone.

“Where the hell am I?” he shouted to the darkness.

“Troy… Troy….” the whispered voice was slow, almost haunting as it dragged out his name.

Troy spun to face the darkness where he’d heard the voice. To his shock and horror, he saw Agent Wake standing there, with the garrote half-way through his neck, and a dazed look on his face. The whole front of his body was covered in dried blood. Troy had seen that same look on Agent Wake’s face from the photos taken at the scene.

“Wake, what are you doing here? You’re dead.” Troy stepped back, placing a tree directly behind him.

“Yeah, well, I get that a lot, Troy….” His voice sounded dry. As he moved in closer, he shuffled with a limp.

Troy wasn’t sure if he was dreaming right now, or if this was really happening. It felt real, but Wake was dead. As he focused on the dead man shuffling toward him, a sense of dread and fear washed over him.

Troy mentally steeled himself as his emotions lost all control.

This is a nightmare.

The fear overwhelmed him… he needed to run. He had to get as far away from here as possible. When his mind screamed for his body to move, he couldn’t. His feet were stuck to the ground like they were cemented in place.

Wake shuffled closer, each limping step revealing more of his decaying form. Wake raised his bony hands, pointing his fleshless finger at him. It reminded him of the Grim Reaper, ready to call upon him with Death’s touch.

Troy expected him to say something, but he just shuffled closer and closer with his arm and hand stretched out and his finger pointed at Troy’s face. The agent’s other arm and finger joined the first, so Troy had two fingers pointing at him. Then Wake was close enough that Troy realized the skeletal fingers were aimed directly at his eyes. His heart raced faster, as the fingers kept getting closer and closer to his eyes.

Then, all he could see were the ends of those skeletal fingers.

Wake screamed, “You got me killed! You killed me, you bastard!” as he jabbed his fingers into Troy’s eyes.

Troy’s head exploded in pain as he felt the bone pop his eyeballs and drive into his brain.

Pain and darkness.

Without warning, Troy Thunder woke up. Bathed in a hard cold sweat, he jerked himself up into a sitting position as he looked around. He was back in the break room, and the others were asleep. He saw Misery lying down; she must have switched shifts with Sola because she wasn’t in the room.

He took long breaths while he tried to calm down. The nightmare had gotten to him and his mind was still reeling from it. He took a deep breath and lay back. As he got comfortable again, Frey snuggled closer, looking for his body heat. Her tail swayed back and forth, and she laid her arm across his chest as she settled back down. She looked adorable.

“It was just a nightmare,” he reminded himself. He closed his eyes, trying to go back to sleep. Hopefully, this time, his dreamscape would be something better. He lay there for a bit as he drifted off. He found himself falling farther into the darkness, but his dreams didn’t follow him. Not this time, at least.

The next time Troy woke up, he felt himself being nudged. He turned and saw that it was Inu waking him up. She nudged him on the shoulder over and over again.

“Get up, sleepy head. Come on, you’ve been asleep for far too long.” Inu was very awake and quite excited about him waking up. She grinned and gave him a quick kiss before her face turned red. “I had lots of thoughts about waking you up in other ways!”

Troy pushed himself up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, looking towards the beautiful vixen.

“Uh-huh. Well we’ll certainly have to try some of those other ways when we’re safe back at the village. I could get used to waking up to a beautiful vixen.” Standing up, he groaned. His back was feeling stiff as a board, and as he gave a small twist, the sounds of his back popping brought him a sigh of relief.

Inu gave him a hug before she moved over to sit by Bella.

He stretched out a bit more, grunting as he moved to work out his knots. By the time he felt a bit better, Misery walked over, handing him some water. He took a long, drawn-out drink.

“How’s Bella? You think we’ll be able to head back to the village today?” Troy asked, looking at the buxom buffalo woman.

She shook her head. “Lady Bella is still too weak. She needs at least another day’s rest before we can go.”

Troy nodded as he glanced over Bella on the couch. She was still peacefully asleep. Troy sighed as he really wanted to get out of this place, but this would give him the time he needed here.

“Alright, though we leave first thing tomorrow.” He could only hope the village was still in one place, and Chandler hadn’t been able to destroy it and capture the women. Trot knew that he would have to do something in revenge, and knowing that guy, he was just petty enough to destroy the village and everyone in it to satisfy his anger.

With the girls settled, and with enough supplies to survive till the next day, Troy decided to go on his special mission. He got up and headed out of the room.

Frey bounced out of her chair to meet him. “Um, where are you heading to?” Those beautiful eyes stared into him, and she clearly wanted to know what was going on.

Inu quickly came over to join her, looking excited.

“Just checking the rest of this place out.”

Frey immediately said, “I’m coming!”

Inu echoed her a moment later with “Me, too!”

But Frey turned to her, shaking her head. “No. You went with him last night, and we all know what happened. We’ll be taking turns, and yours was last night.”

Inu’s excitement deflated. “Okay. I will be a good sister-wife. Be careful… both of you.” She gave Troy a quick kiss on the cheek and went back to sit by Bella.

Troy looked from Frey to Inu and back, kind of amazed, before a smile spread across his face.

Frey grinned at him as she took his hand in hers. “I’m with you, Troy. Lead the way.”

He really wanted to spend time alone with Frey like he had with Inu, but he needed to spend this time exploring the facility. He had to find the production area and shut it down. Obviously the breaker in the office hadn’t affected the creation process.

“I need to see if I can find something, so we won’t have time for fun yet.”

Frey nodded. “I’m yours. That’s already decided, and that’s enough for me at the moment. Trust me, once this kitty gets going, our playing won’t stop for a very long time.”

Troy gave her a quick kiss before he led the way out into the break room. He quickly passed the rooms he already checked as they searched for more doors and halls to get to other parts of the facility.

Frey followed right behind him, keeping watch behind them as Troy focused ahead. Troy quickly gave up caring about being gentle. If the door didn’t open, it got a good kick or shoulder whether or not the door survived intact. It was rinse and repeat – find the next door, open it, check the room, and continue.

One smashed door led to a blood-stained hallway. All the doors along this hall had already been smashed open, and Troy moved to the first one. His face fell when he saw the skeletons – three in this room – before he moved on to the next doorway. Each room contained more skeletons, some with shredded street clothes, some with lab coats, and some without any clothes at all.

The bones lay there, in ransacked rooms where any furniture had been destroyed. Troy, overwhelmed with curiosity, checked over some of them to see how they might have died. Most had obvious claws or fang marks, while some of them had smashed skulls, like someone had bludgeoned them to death.

Frey looked at one of the skulls where a claw or fang had pierced it. She ran her fingers over the mark as she asked, “What made this?”

“I don’t know,” he lied. He knew this was the work of the abominations, one of which he suspected was the Forgal.

They continued to the end of the hall and found a much larger area with massive cages. The cage doors were open, except for a couple where the bars had been gnawed through and bent outward, making a hole. On one side of the room was a large hole where something had dug under the wall, leaving footprints on the way out.

Troy saw a set of keys laying on the floor near one of the open cage doors, and could help wondering if they had used the keys to free the others. Were they that smart? How many times watching the same thing, with the same results, before they wondered if they could do it too?

He had found the abomination area, but he still needed to find the production area. “Something got out here, but this isn’t what I was looking for. We’ll need to head back and check more doors.”

Frey squeezed his hand. “I’m with you, Troy.”

He gave her another hug and kiss before heading back to continue the search. A number of doors went by before they discovered another locked door. He forced his way through and they found yet another hallway. It had white walls, and seemed to be in better condition compared to the other hallways they had seen.

He led the way toward a door at the far end, the sounds of his footsteps echoing. Frey hurried behind him with the grace only a cat could have. The door at the other end was locked as well, but given its weakened state and Troy’s strength, it was quickly smashed open.

It led to another short hallway with several doors. The first door Troy tried opened easily. The room on the other side was fit to be in a horror movie. Frey almost screamed, seeing the small fetuses in glass jars on shelves along the wall. They seemed to effortlessly float; some looked like regular underdeveloped children, but others appeared to be pure mutations. Frey stepped back, barely registering the horrors she saw.

“What… what did they do to the babies?” she whispered, her mind trying to understand what she was seeing.

Troy pulled her into his arms and held her for a few minutes.

“Don’t look at them… just stay outside in the hall, alright? I’ll check these rooms, then we can get out of here.”

Frey stared into his eyes as she nodded, though not without looking pale as a ghost. After another quick hug, she turned around and left the room. “I’ll be right outside.”

Troy looked over the room, trying to determine if there was anything useful there. There were some desks and file cabinets with papers, but everything he found was research and experiment-related. There weren’t any schematics or engine designs. Nothing here was any help to him. As Troy walked to the door, he glanced at the glass jars and shuddered, wondering what sick and disgusting things these people must have done. He continued out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Frey stood there, tears rolling down her face as he moved in closer.

“You can head back to the others. I don’t mind,” he said, as he hugged her again, trying to let her know everything would be alright.

“No, let’s keep going…. Just give me a second,” Frey said. She took a deep breath and prepared herself, her eyes closed for a good mInute before she opened them and gave a nod.

They moved down the hallway, checking each door, but none of the rooms had much to them. A couple of them reminded Troy of doctor’s offices, but they were still uninteresting.

Frey shivered as they approached the last door at the very end of the hall, which was covered in shadows. The lights above it were either broken or burned out. “Do you have a funny feeling about that door, Troy?”

Troy shook his head. “No, why?”

“I just feel like there’s a wrongness with it – or what’s behind it.”

“It’ll be fine, I promise. I think what I’ve been looking for is behind this door. You can stay here in the hallway if you need to.”

Frey set her resolve. “I’m with you.”

Throwing caution in the wind and figuring that he’d take the full brunt of what might happen, Troy stepped forward, grabbed the doorknob, and turned it carefully.

The door swung open into a large room filled with various machines. Some of them reminded him of something out of an old science fiction movie. Lights flashed, while the different mechanisms beeped and chirped. Tubes and wires networked the walls. There was even a machine with beams of electricity flowing through antennae coming out of the top. It looked like something from a Frankenstein movie.

Large metal stairs descended to a lower floor, and he led the way to the top of the stairs, investigating the machines he passed. Troy and Frey walked down the stairs. In the center of the room, he saw a simple pod. It glowed with a gentle white light over it. He ignored the other machines for the moment and moved to it. The thing was covered in dust, so he wiped off the top with his hand, smearing grime across the surface.

He thought he saw something inside, so he slipped off his loincloth and used it to clean off the top. Frey appeared behind him, almost mesmerized by the pod. Troy kept wiping the dust off the glass, and then they saw it.

It was a beastman infant, one that looked as though it had big blue tick hound ears. Troy found it kind of adorable. Frey plastered her face to the glass as Troy slipped his kilt back on.

As she watched the infant, he circled the pod and found a control panel on one side. Amidst all the buttons and switches, there was a large red button on the right. Troy shrugged and pressed it.

More beeping and sounds of movement filled the air, and then steam began billowing out. Other machines started chirping, and then the pod slowly began opening up.

Troy stepped back out of the way as water began coming out of the pod. The sounds of beeping continued as the pod rose up. The steam cleared, revealing the infant. They watch him for a few moments in silence. Troy stepped forward and felt for the baby’s pulse.

“Is it…?” Frey asked.

“It’s alive…” Troy started to say with a smile. But then without warning, the baby began screaming. His voice roared and he began waving his arms back and forth. Troy reached in, grabbing the child, and took it out of the pod.

“There, there, little guy. It’s going to be okay.” Troy patted the baby’s back, trying to sooth him. The baby contInued to wail and flail his arms as Troy held on, trying to comfort it. He might not have been the best with kids, but he knew the basics and sometimes that was the best one could do.

Frey couldn’t stop staring at the baby, holding out her arms for him. He grinned as he transferred the baby into her arms. Almost instantly her motherly instincts took over as she held onto him, rocking him in her arms. The baby nuzzled into her, letting out a small cry before going to sleep.

“How did it survive there?” Frey asked, looking over at the devices.

Troy frowned as he looked at the pod and the machines around it. They had found the production area, where these machines and processes created new beastmen and somehow delivered them to the tribe below the hill.

As much as he was for life, he couldn’t allow this process to continue. The baby beastman in Frey’s arms would be the last one ever created by this facility.

“Frey, take the baby and wait for me in the hallway.”

She down at the baby before staring back at him. She knew he was going to stop this, but it had somehow produced a beautiful baby. How could that be wrong? She stared at him in confusion.

“It has to be done. Take the baby and wait for me in the hallway.”

Frey didn’t understand, but she trusted Troy. He was a good man and he loved her. He was a good leader and wanted to provide for their village. She chose to trust him in this, so she turned and walked up the stairs to the hallway.

Once she was safely out of the room, Troy looked around until he found a large wrench. He gripped it with both hands, as he went to the machines and started smashing them. He contInued to break them apart, even as his mind screamed how producing new life was good. But Troy knew in his heart that something like this should never be let out into the world. He couldn’t imagine the horror his world would have endured if this technology had made it there. It might have accomplished exactly what its creators had hoped.

Maybe Troy would regret this later, but it didn’t sway his conviction or stopped him from destroying each of the machines.

When it was all over, nothing remained besides broken glass and fried circuits. Smoke billowed out as he returned to the hallway where Frey was waiting for him with a tentative smile. He smiled back at her and moved to give her a side hug as she held the baby in her arms, nuzzled into her chest. It didn’t react to the noise or smoke; it just lay there cuddling into Frey’s arms as if it had already claimed her as its mother.

“No one should have this kind of power.” That was all Troy said before tossing the wrench back into the room, its job finished. Frey rested her head on his shoulder, and they enjoyed the embrace for a few more moments. Then Troy led the way as they headed back to the break room.

Chapter Eleven

A few minutes into Troy and Frey’s walk back, the infant woke and started crying in pure misery. He didn’t know what was going on. His face turned beet red, and his ears twitched as Frey rocked him, trying to comfort him. Yet nothing she did swayed the child.

With his screams echoing in the hallways, they finally made it back to the break room. Sola and Inu were standing outside the door wondering about the source of the screaming. They immediately started fussing over the baby as they went into the break room. Misery was gone, though Troy imagined that she might have gone to check the entrance of the building.

Troy hadn’t planned on a child to be with them. This was truly a curveball, and he shook his head. He looked over at Bella, who was finally awake and smiling back at him. His eyes were drawn to her beautiful body, and she leaned forward to give him a better view as she smirked.

“My hero. You’ve finally returned.” She still sounded a bit tired, but very sensual. Unfortunately, she still looked far too weak for a mad rush to get back to the village. Frey had passed the baby around, and Inu was holding him as Bella motioned for her to come closer. Bella held out her arms, and Inu gave her the still-crying baby.

“And who might this be? Surely I haven’t been asleep for that long?” she asked as she looked at the dog-eared baby with wide eyes and a big smile. The baby stopped crying and stared into Bella's face. He was perplexed and very curious about Bella’s face.

After a couple of moments, the baby yawned widely, ending with a burp. Bella laughed and handed the baby back to Frey. Frey smiled and eagerly took the baby with a sigh of relief as she cradled the nameless child. The little dog boy snuggled into Frey’s chest as he went back to sleep.

With the crying stopped, Sola moved to sit in one of the lounge chairs, while Inu lay back down to see if she could nap.

Troy said. “We just found him – it’s a long story. You’ve only been out for a day or two. How are you feeling?”

“I’m starving, I’m hurting, and I’m still tired. But I’ll be okay. Thank you for leading the team to save me.”

“I would have stormed the gates of hell alone to save you. I’ll always come to save you or make it back to you. We’re mates, and our place is together.” Bella licked her lips, and he saw the heat in her eyes, but he continued, “We’ll be heading back to the village soon. I want to get you back there and help prepare. Hopefully, Chandler and the beastmen haven't attacked.”

“Who’s Chandler?” she asked while he rubbed the back of his head.

“Well, he was once my boss. He’s a horrible person, and unfortunately, the leader of the beastmen.”

“Is he the one who had me captured?” Bella asked with a calm voice.

“He didn’t personally, but he gave the order to the beastmen to do it. He told me about it before we could rescue you.”

“Very well. If I ever meet him again, I shall have his head on a spear.”

“Which he totally deserves, and I don’t blame you,” Troy said.

Bella chuckled and looked over at the small child, raising an eyebrow. “So, what are you going to do with the child?”

“Not sure,” Troy replied, “but we’re not leaving him here. Frey has some very strong feelings about keeping him.” Troy looked at the small child. There was no way he could leave the child here to die.

Bella simply smiled. “Well, then both of you will be responsible for him. I think he’s already bonded with you.” She reached over, caressing the child’s ear. “Do you have a name in mind for him?”

The child yawned and opened his enormous eyes up. His head turned and his eyes focused on Troy. It was like he was looking into Troy’s soul.

“We’ll figure it out later,” Troy replied.

Misery came in, and was surprised to see a baby in Frey’s arms. She shrugged and didn’t ask any questions though. Sola got up from the chair and went outside to keep watch.

When she didn’t say anything, he continued, “Did the beastmen hurt you?”

“Other than tying me up and putting me on display naked, no. They didn’t touch me, except for being a bit rough in kidnapping me. Apparently, their leader wanted me only for himself and wanted me to be pure.” She smirked at Troy, giving him a knowing look. “He was already too late on that part, but I didn’t say anything.”

“So your village didn’t know about the beastmen’s settlement ?”

Bella shook her head. “None of us knew anything about it. A few years back, a sickness went through the village, and we lost our previous leader. I took her position, but she never had a chance to reveal any secrets she may have had. If I had known there was another village, I would have spread the knowledge with the understanding that we would always stay away from them. The Forgal keeps us close to the village, and it does protect us, although that seems more tenuous now. Needless to say, they had never attacked until now. It feels like everything is off balance now.”

Troy nodded. It’s Chandler messing with everything.

“We should try to get back to the village. Are there any reasons why we shouldn’t? ” he asked. He looked at Bella and Misery, who each shook their heads, before looking at Frey holding the baby. The baby let out a long sigh before another yawn overtook him. Troy found him rather adorable.

“Alright then, it’s decided. Pack up, we’re leaving.” Troy said. He poked Inu, who woke up, jerking her head back and forth as she blinked and looked around.

“What's going on?” she asked sleepily.

“We’re leaving,” he said simply.

Misery had gone to the door and called for Sola, who walked back into the break room. “It sseems like everything iss clear outsside, Troy,” the snake woman said she moved across the room to get her things, her hips swaying back and forth.

Once everyone was ready, they gathered in a circle. Troy looked them over, concerned about the baby and how weak Bella seemed to be. However, It couldn’t be helped, and staying longer would only deprive the village of their strength.

“Alright, let’s go,” Troy said.

They followed the path that had led them into the compound. The haze and smoke didn’t seem as bad as before due to a light breeze. Troy had Sola keep an eye on the skies, in case the huge flying creature returned.

Troy breathed a small sigh of relief when they reached the trail down the hill. They had passed the first hurdle, but the next large one would be waiting at the bottom of the hill.

The group carefully hiked down the path. Descending was much easier than the climb had been. When Troy reached the last switchback before the bottom of the hill, he noticed some movement in the trees. He quickly stopped the others and had them all crouch down.

“I believe the beastmen are waiting for us below. I’m going to slide down the rough hillside here and draw their attention. The rest of you sneak to the bottom of the hill and run when you get there. I’ll keep their attention and lead them on a chase. I’ll meet up with you at the village.”

“No, Troy. It’s too dangerous! I will fight with you!” Inu whispered.

Troy shook his head. “If we fight, we die. This isn’t fighting, and they want me and will chase me. Bella is too weak to run far or fast. It’s still going to take all of you to make it back to the village safely.”

“But…” Inu tried to continue.

“Go with the group. I’ll meet you all back at the village. This is the best plan for us all to get there safely.”

Inu reluctantly nodded and the others did as well.

“Alright. Keep low and make your way down the path. Don’t listen to what I’m saying – I’m going to act like I’m leading you all down from here. Stay down, get to the bottom, and run until you can’t hear anything. Then make your way to the village. I’ll join you there as soon as I can.”

There wasn’t time for hugs and kisses, so Troy motioned for them to get going. He waited until they were about a hundred yards from the bottom before he stepped out to the edge of the path, at the top of the steep slope of scree.

Loudly he said, “Let’s sneak down here. The beastmen are probably waiting at the bottom. They won’t expect us to leave the path here.”

Troy used his spear to help balance as he stepped on the loose rock and started sliding down. For a few moments, he was so caught up in staying on his feet, he forgot to make more noise.

“Careful here!” he shouted. “The loose rock is really tricky. Be careful but hurry! We need to get back to the village!”

He kept sliding and stumbling towards the bottom of the hill. He took a moment to glance toward where the path would have ended. He grinned as he saw beastmen charging out of their cover and running towards him.

“Look out! The beastmen are coming! Duck around that boulder over there and run! I’ll hold them off!”

By the time he reached the bottom the beastmen were close… too close for him to have a chance to run. He was fast, but these guys were faster. As he stepped out of the loose rocks, the beastmen slowed to a walk as they approached.

The big boarman, Eliot, led the way, hefting a giant club. Troy looked and saw the slitted eyes of a predator. Troy readied his spear, and then yelled behind him towards a large boulder, “Run now! Run around the base of the hill!”

Troy focused on Eliot’s center of mass and charged him. Eliot swung his club to smash Troy down, but his swing was too slow. Troy dodged around it, missing it by an inch, and thrusted his spear into Eliot’s leg.

The beastman let out a deafening howl of pain as Troy pulled back, ripping out the spear and retreated a few feet. Eliot gave a mighty roar – even overwhelmed with pain, he wanted to get Troy. “Attack! Jump him and bring him down!”

The beastmen with him all surged forward as they obeyed, quickly trapping Troy against the hillside. Troy raised his spear and jabbed out with it, but he couldn’t move quickly enough. A beastmen on each end jumped at him. He knocked the one on the right into the hillside and hit the one on the left with the butt of his spear, but two more pounced on him, as another grabbed his spear.

Troy spun around, trying to knock them off, but their weight was too much. In the end, there were just too many of them. Troy tripped, falling face first on the ground. He was flattened as more beastmen piled on, until his arms and legs were secured.

From his vantage point, Troy saw Eliot arrive, a club in his hand. He sneered at the beastmen. “Ha! The girls went down the opposite side of the hill. The only way to get there is by crossing the top through the haze and smoke!”

Eliot shook his head. “Then they dead. Great monsters live that way. Leader will be angry, but he will have you.”

Troy tried to lift his arms, but they were held tight. He hoped he’d given the women enough time and covered for them so the beastmen might not even look for them. His thoughts were brought to a stop as Eliot brought his club down, solidly tapping Troy’s head. As everything went fuzzy for Troy, he was lifted and dragged off as the fuzziness turned to darkness.

Troy slowly woke up, feeling like his head was about to explode. Nothing about his body, the time, or what he was seeing felt right. Troy forced himself to focus on what he was seeing, mentally shoving the pain down. After a few more blinks, things started coming into focus. He was on an all-too-familiar stage, in the same exact position that Bella had been in. He was in so much pain, he hadn’t noticed his hands were tied with his arms up in the air over his head.

He groaned. What the hell happened? Did they get away?

Troy tried to get his eyes to focus on the beastmen in the distance, but he struggled to get past blurring shapes. After a few more blinks and squinting, the fuzziness went away, and he felt like he was more aware.

“So, the great Troy Thunder is finally awake.”

Troy turned his head and saw it was none other than Jack Chandler. Chandler looked displeased as he paced back and forth, watching Troy. He finally stopped and gave Troy a firm slap across the face.

Troy didn’t give him the satisfaction of reacting. Instead, he spat in his face. “Go fuck yourself.” Troy couldn’t do much else; he was hanging by his wrists, barely able to touch the ground. His wrists felt sore already, but he was pleased that there weren’t any signs of the women. So they hadn’t attacked yet, and the village had more time to prepare.

Chandler looked furious as he wiped the saliva off his face.

“You know what I dislike about you, Troy? Your attitude. You never laughed at my jokes, and you refused my kindness. You could have just left and enjoyed your village filled with the other women but you had to kidnap that beautiful bunny girl.” He moved in closer, kicking Troy right in the stomach, swinging him away a bit as his feet dragged. Troy wheezed, trying to catch his breath after having the wind knocked out of him.

Chandler continued his monologue, “You aren’t the smartest man in the world. No wonder the President got murdered on your watch. No brains in that head of yours.” He shook his head in mock-dismay.

Troy remained silent, knowing words wouldn’t help, and Chandler just wanted to talk anyway. He knew he was right when Chandler started back up.

“I want you to suffer. You’ve pissed me off for a long time, and I want you to feel my pain. My boys are going to work you over until you cry for your momma. But even then, you’re going to stick around to see what I do with that village of women.”

Chandler clapped his hand and a few of the beastmen moved closer, including Eliot, who walked with a clear limp. Troy met his eye for a moment and felt like he saw a hint of respect or kinship.

“So,” Chandler continued, “ get comfy Troy, ‘cause this is going to hurt you more than it does me.” He grinned evilly as lifted a whip, making sure Troy saw it, before he cracked it in the air.

Chandler moved behind Troy so he could have room to use the whip. Eliot moved forward to hold Troy in place, and the whipping started.

As Troy closed his eyes and prepared for the pain, he took in a deep body, letting his muscles relax. It would hurt like hell, but he could take it.

Then it began, the sounds of the whip cracking. As it hit his back, his body reacted with winces, grunts, and groans. Nothing could have kept those from happening, but Troy did not scream or show any emotion. He kept his face as straight as he could when his body didn't force him to grimace.

Chandler contInued with a sadistic smile on his face. While he kept whipping Troy, the beastmen watched, remaining silent. As the whip continued to crack, Troy didn’t break and wouldn’t show pain or fear. He gritted his teeth as he took the pain.

“Why… won’t… you… break?!” Chandler screamed. He was frustrated, his arm was tired, and he could barely see any parts not marked.

Troy struggled to wet his mouth and lips enough to be able to speak. “‘Cause… unlike you… I won’t give up…”

Chandler was pissed off. He stomped over to Troy and threw a hard right hook. Normally, a punch like that wouldn’t have even hurt, but with how much pain Troy was feeling, he barely had the strength to hold on.

But Troy did, and slowly said as loudly as he could, “It’s funny…. I wonder how they would feel knowing I fell from the sky as well?” He tried to smirk but wasn’t too sure what his face looked like. “Maybe they’d follow me if they knew.”

“They wouldn’t believe you,” Chandler said, growling as he kicked Troy in the stomach. Troy felt himself blacking out, and the watching beastmen started getting fuzzy. They didn’t look happy with their supposed leader, but then their faces turned blurry.

Chandler turned to the beastmen and yelled, “What are you doing? Get back to work! Soon, we’ll be taking that village and the woman shall be yours!”

Most of the beastmen quietly complied as they turned around and walked away.

Chandler looked back at Troy Thunder and sneered at him. “Don’t think you’re going to get out of this punishment. When I’m done, death will be a mercy.”

Troy drifted in and out of consciousness. Time passed, but he had no clue as to how much. His back was a burning agony as each long welt screamed for his attention. As Troy became more aware, he focused on handling the pain and shunting it away from his mind. It didn’t lessen it, but it allowed him to think and begin to regain some control over his body.

Darkness intruded again, but still found himself awake. He felt completely disconnected from his body, and thankfully the pain, so he knew he was in the dark abyss of his mind.

A long drawn-out silence finally gave way to a soft growling, as something came up behind him.

Troy turned around and faced none other than Agent Wake again. His deceased friend stared at him with the deeply sunken eyes and swollen cheeks of a corpse.

“I’m dead,” it growled at him.

Troy found himself unable to move, just looking at his dead friend. “I know you are…”

Wake just stood there and did not attack him. He stared at Troy for the longest time before he asked, “So what are you going to do, Troy?”

A long centipede crawled out of his ear and down his chin before it fell to the floor and inched away from them.

“I don’t know,” Troy answered. “I mean, I can’t bring you back.”

“Not that. Are you going to let that punk keep hurting you?”

“What can I do? I mean, I’m tied up…. You’re just a dream, that’s all.”

Wake walked over, grabbing his shoulder. “It’s not the end for you. Besides… you have more to live for.” The corpse smiled at him, or at least tried to smile.

“Why are you helping me? You’re dead.” Troy asked, looking at his old friend and wondering what his subconscious was doing.

“‘Cause someone’s got to look out for you. Besides, like you said, this is all just a dream. But even so, a push from this side will help you get back to your senses on the other.” He smirked before throwing a punch into Troy’s gut.

Troy found himself wide awake as he looked around. He gasped for air as he realized he was still on that stage, hanging by his hands. His back was a roaring fire, but nothing like the inferno of pain it had been. He took another deep breath, trying to assess his situation. He was alone… on the stage.

He put the dream, nightmare, or what it was out of his mind. He needed to focus on escaping and ignoring the pain. He was going to survive.

He struggled against his bindings and found that they felt a bit more loose. “What the….” He knew they had been tighter earlier… but now, his wrists had room to wiggle. It was like someone had loosened the bindings – but why? As he moved his hands back and forth, he felt himself actually getting a better hold of his balance, and realized he was standing, feet fully on the floor. He knew he had barely been touching the floor with his toes before.

“Someone is helping me, so I have to make the most of it…” Troy focused on freeing his hands as he worked the base of his thumb and fingers into the rope. His thumbs screamed at him, but compared to his back it was nothing. He pulled his right hand down while pushing his left up, jerking and twisting his hands while forcing and stretching his bonds. Over the course of minutes, he made headway. He finally jerked his right hand free, though he might have dislocated his thumb. His left hand was quickly freed as well. Luckily, he found he hadn’t dislocated his thumb as he massaged it.

Troy looked around, searching and assessing what he could see of the village. He needed to avoid the guards, so staying where he was supposed to be until he had the plan made sense.

His heart raced faster as he looked around. He was ready to run for it, but his best hope was sneaking out. His eyes drifted over the huts, and then he turned to look behind the stage.

An old beastman appeared at the back edge of the stage. He had long goat’s horns and a white beard. The man waved for Troy to come to him quickly.

Troy crouched, ignoring the pain, and quickly made his way to the goat man.

“You come with me,” the beastmen said as he led the way to the part of the palisade that Troy had used to save Bella. When they got there, a bag lay nearby and two of the logs had been removed, just like Troy had done.

“We no have all night. Guards will switch soon.”

The old goat had reached down, picked up the bag, and handed it to him. Troy looked inside and saw that his knife and his supplies were there, but not the gun.

“Got what I could. Hopefully, they no notice. Now you get out of here,” said the goat man, even though Troy wasn’t finished.

“Why are you helping me? I mean, Chandler’s is your leader.”

“He no leader. He like child – weak, whining, make demands. Bad way to lead tribe.”

“What about the others? They seem to follow him without question.”

“They young. Believe story about one who bring us wealth. Elders said would fall from sky, like last one who ruled. Others believe Chandler bring it… but he not want to help us, only himself. Go, before others know you free.”

Troy nodded, though before he left, he quickly asked, “What’s your name?”

“Ramsay. Now go – you have no time. Not sure what Chandler will do next.”

Troy was ready to leave but he stopped, thinking to ask about the village, the beastmen, and the facility at the top of the hill.

There was an anger in Ramsay's eyes as he grabbed Troy’s arm, trying to push him forward through the gap in the palisade.

“Go – live to fight again. You stop him before he destroy us all!”

Troy nodded and went through the gap, and from there he ran his heart out. He would live to fight another day, but he would not forget Ramsay. He would repay his debt to the beastman. As he escaped from the territory of the beastmen, Troy also knew that not all of them were Chandler’s mindless followers.

The girls made it back to the village safely, all thanks to Troy. Frey was holding onto the infant, who cried in defiance at being jostled, bumped, and moved. He still clung down desperately to the panther woman, waiting for her to fix the situation. Frey had only been able to hold on to him as she ran. Now she rubbed the back of his head, reassuring him that everything would be alright.

The villagers had poured out from behind their defenses the moment they saw them. Frey kept the small baby close, while Misery and Sola took up positions right by Bella.

Bella’s expression showed a mixture of emotions as relief, guilt, fear and determination swept through her. She had to believe that Troy was alive, that he would somehow escape from the beastmen and return to the village. But there was no telling when that would happen.

“We’re going to need to prepare…” Bella said.

Les, holding her lover Bria in her arms, asked, “What are we preparing for?”

“War. The beastmen are coming again, and this time it’s life and death. Every villager will fight for their lives and all who call this village their home. Hunters, gather all the weapons. We will begin training the inexperienced immediately.”

Frey looked at Lady Bella before glancing down at the nameless child. She was worried about protecting him but she determined in her heart that she would do everything she could to defend him and the village.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to find Sola there, with Inu by her side. They were in this together and they would help each other.

If war was coming, then they would prepare themselves and win it.

Jack Chandler awoke that morning and discovered that Troy Thunder had vanished. He could barely control his fury – his face turned red, and his eyes felt they were going to pop out in rage. He screamed obscenities at the heavens above.

“Where is he?!?” he roared as some of the beastmen started to gather around him. “What the fuck happened? Why was I not informed that Troy escaped?!?” He stomped his feet in utter rage. When he saw Eliot, his second-in-command, he focused all of his anger at him. “What the fuck did you do?!”

“Boss, we as lost as you. He escaped.”

“You idiot! What if he had killed me?! I want to know who was supposed to be watching him!”

“We find him right away, Boss.” Eliot started to turn and gather a group together when Chandler backhanded the boarman.

“I don’t care!” Chandler screamed. “He will go back to the village. Get the warriors ready. We’re going to take the whole damn place. Whoever finds Troy Thunder, I’ll let you have any woman in that village to fuck anytime you want, except the ones I choose.”

Before the beastmen could move, someone in their midst started chucking with long, drawn-out laughs.

Jack looked through the gathering and saw the old goatman. He was leaning on his cane and had a smirk on his long, drawn-out face.

“What is so funny, goat?” Chandler growled.

“I look and see a fool. That is why I laugh. You run around like bird who has lost nest,” Ramsey said as he stepped forward.

“I am no fool, this was simply a miscalculation. I am the leader. I run this village.”

“Those who shout that they the leader are no leader.” Ramsey cackled with a vicious smile, raising his cane to point at Chandler.

If looks could kill, Chandler would have killed the goatman. “Are you challenging my authority?” He clenched his hands into fists. He had dealt with people like this man back at Jupiter Industrial. There were always board members who felt like they could stab him in the back without consequences. The old goatman even reminded him of one of them.

“I say, sit back and lick your pride. It clear Thunder beat you. He show more leadership than you.”

It felt like a knife in Chandler's chest. He saw red and grabbed the goatman by his beard. “How dare you mock me! I’ll… I’ll….” Without thinking, he threw a hard punch into the beastman’s stomach. When Chandler made contact he grunted, then pulled his fist back. The goatman just stared at him impassively. It felt like punching a wall.

The other beastmen looked back and forth between the two of them.

“You weak like child,” Ramsay said, “with same attitude.”

Chandler’s rage boiled over as he looked at the goatman. “If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it. Now leave.” He motioned with his head, while rubbing his knuckles.

“I give you advice: leave other tribe alone, and forget about Thunder. If you not, it will end you.” When he finished speaking, Ramsay turned to leave, hobbling away on his cane.

Chandler’s eyes narrowed and, looking around, he saw a rather large rock. He picked it up with both hands, and charged the goatman.

Ramsay didn’t see it coming, but he felt something smash into his skull as he fell forward. His head exploded with pain. He could hear Chandler saying something, but the agony was overwhelming. Ramsay couldn’t comprehend what the manchild was actually saying. He felt the heavy blow repeat itself, and he grunted and tried to crawl forward, but he couldn’t. Focusing his efforts on one arm, he was able to roll over.

He saw Chandler standing over him, the rock in his hands covered in blood. The rage in the man’s eyes screamed that he was ready to smash it down into his face.

Ramsay looked at him, and all he could do was laugh.“Baby tantrum….”

Then Chandler smashed the rock into the goatman’s face, caving it in. He roared to the heavens above. He looked more like an animal than a man.

When he was finally able to speak, he screamed, “Eliot, toss this bastard out, and get the men. We’re taking that village!”

Chandler’s whole body shook, and he felt lightheaded as he wiped the blood spatters from his face and turned to walk to his hut.

Chapter Twelve

Troy forced himself through the jungle, putting one foot in front of the other. His legs felt like they were on fire, and his back was ablaze with pain. Exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him, but he kept himself going.

Slow and steady would win the race. He’d stopped running within a mile of escaping the beastman’s settlement. He knew he’d need to conserve his energy for the long hike back to the village. Fortunately, he had an excellent sense of direction and was heading mostly straight there.

“Just keep swimming… just keep swimming,” he said to himself, keeping a calm tone. He listened to his environment as he kept chugging along. His feet, the beating of his heart, and the throbbing of his back and legs all seemed to sync together, giving him a tempo.

Time flowed as he made his way, with his mind cycling through the surroundings and the path he should take, and ignoring the pain and exhaustion.

He threw himself to the right against a tree, hitting it with his shoulder, not even sure why he did. Troy took a long breath as he assessed his surroundings with all of senses. Something was there, but he didn’t know how he knew.

He readied himself and took his blade out… and waited.

“Maybe it was just my imagination…” That was when he heard the growling, and the Forgal stepped out of the brush with a limp. There were cuts along its legs and chest. It must have gotten into a fight with either the beastmen or another of the abominations. It bared his teeth, growling as it focused its enormous eyes squarely on Troy.

The Forgal lunged forward, snapping at Troy as if it weren’t wounded at all. Troy ducked around the tree as the Forgal hit it, trying to swipe around it. As its claws ripped into the trunks, Troy dashed in to stab it in the side. As he jumped back, its maw snapped shut inches from his face. He could feel the stench of death from the Forgal’s maw as he dodged back diagonally behind the tree, keeping it between him and the Forgal.

Troy imagined he was closer to death’s door than he had ever been. The Forgal swiped at him again as he kept moving, using the tree as a block. Troy could tell the creature was getting frustrated and would soon commit to a full run around the tree. Based on the limp, he figured he knew the direction it would take, so he prepared his attack.

Troy was correct as the Forgal growled menacingly in one direction but leaped toward the other. He barreled around the other way and stabbed behind the creature's front leg into the shoulder, slashing deeply around the joint.

The next thing he knew he was flying threw the air and landed hard on the ground. The pain racking his body was difficult to overcome, yet he forced himself up. He still had his knife in his hand, clutched in a death grip. He knew he was on his last legs, but as he looked at the Forgal, he could see that it wasn’t doing too well either. The leg was completely useless, and it was balancing on its other three. There was also a steady flow of blood down the leg.

Troy knew this next exchange would decide between life and death. Through his pain and exhaustion, Troy gave into his anger and frustration. Determination spread across his face as he sneered at the Forgal.

“Come on! If you’re going to kill me, give it your best shot!” he yelled as he watched the beast preparing to attack. It dug its hind claws into the ground and snarled as it leaped, pouncing on Troy. He could see the killer intent behind the Forgal’s eyes as it hoped it could knock and keep Troy on the ground.

Troy tried to move out of the way, swinging his blade, connecting with the beast’s face, and saving him from a vicious bite. But his defense cost him the movement he needed to get out of the way, as the Forgal’s shoulder clipped him and sent him tumbling. It took a few moments for him to get back to his feet, and he saw the Forgal was in a similar state. It looked like it was having difficulty getting up on its only working front leg.

Seeing his chance, Troy rushed at the monster to attack before it got its balance. As he closed with it, it snapped with its maw which Troy barely dodged as he stabbed it in the neck. Before he could even take the knife out, the Forgal lunged forward using only its back legs, charging into Troy and knocking them both to the ground.

Troy rolled out of range of its mouth but had lost his hold on his knife. He didn’t have time to think, and as his instincts took over, he skirted a bite attack, jumped towards the beast, and landed on it’s back. His right arm wrapped around the beast’s neck.

The Forgal struggled against him, but his extra weight and the loss of one of its legs, it couldn’t buck him off. He still had to hold on for dear life, as the Forgal shook back and forth, trying to break free from Troy’s grip. Troy focused on tightening his hold and put every ounce of determination into it.

“You will submit!” he growled as he squeezed tighter, his muscles bulging as he let out a loud grunt. He felt his heart racing, adrenaline running through him like a wrecking ball. He tightened his hold using his left hand to pull his right arm against its neck.

“You will….” The Forgal abruptly rolled onto the ground, squashing Troy for a moment and knocking him loose. As Troy lay dazed, the Forgal rolled off and then pushed itself back at him as it tried to bite his throat.

Troy instinctively grabbed and lifted its jaws, so he was holding its lower jaw at the neck. But the momentum of its lunge pushed it on top of Troy. Troy used every ounce of strength to hold its maw back as it pushed down. Its deathly stench grew as it was mere inches from his neck, as it struggled to devour him.

As they struggled, Troy saw a glint on the ground beside him. Realizing it was the Ka-bar knife, he quickly grabbed it, barely holding the beast’s mouth back with one hand.

“Just die!” he screamed, as he stabbed the Forgal right in the neck. He felt the blade hilt into its flesh, as the beast let out a loud yipping sound. The Forgal continued pressing down, causing the knife to start cutting through its neck. The beast’s eyes went wide, looking down at him, as blood welled out of the wound. The blood flow turned into a stream, as Troy realized he must have cut its jugular. It stood there for a couple more moments before it collapsed on top of him.

It lay there for what seemed to be the longest time, its breath slowly shortening, like it was trying to hang on for dear life, holding onto every moment that it could. But in the end, its will wasn’t enough, and the Forgal died on top of Troy. He struggled to get out from beneath its weight. It took him a few minutes to work himself out, and then he just lay beside the body, trying to recover his breath and strength.

Eventually, he struggled back on his feet. His body swayed back and forth, as he felt every ounce of energy leaving him as he turned around. Troy took a few steps before collapsing, and soon passed out.

Troy woke to see that night had already fallen. His body ached so badly that he found himself barely able to stand. Yet he pushed himself up. When he looked down, seeing the corpse of the Forgal. It lay there, covered in its own blood and looking smaller now that it was dead. With a long sigh, he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep traveling in the dark. Here in this small clearing there was enough moonlight that he should be able to make a fire. He didn’t feel like he had the energy to skin the beast, but he decided that was what he needed to do. It would also provide him food for the night, so he might have the strength to reach the village tomorrow.

It just wouldn’t feel right leaving it, even if he could somehow keep going through the night. His old man and his granddad would never approve of leaving an animal you killed on the ground. He was in no condition to keep going anyway, so this wasn’t much of a sidetrack from his mission. He had to get back to the village and his women as soon as he could, but that would be in the morning. He had to be there to help and defend them when the beastmen attacked.

“You’ve caused so much trouble. You’ve probably killed more people than I will ever know. But you deserve dignity, not to die here alone and forgotten…. I’ll make sure your skin and body meet my needs, so even in death you’ll have some use. ‘Waste nothing’, as my granddad used to say.”

The memory of what his granddad had told him popped into his mind.

‘When one hunts, they don’t do it for sport. No, we honor our prey and know that their death has purpose. To do so would be an insult to these creatures, and for us as well.’ How he missed the old man.

Taking a big breath, Troy dropped to his knees beside the Forgal’s dead carcass. Troy knew how to skin it well enough, based on the other animals he had skinned in the past. It had been a long since then, but the lessons from his father and granddad had stuck with him over the years. He took it slow and steady to make sure the pelt was in the best shape it could be when he was done. He had no idea how long it had taken, but his stomach loudly argued for a meal.

Troy carefully folded the pelt and set it aside before building a small fire. Once it was going, he cut some meat off and started cooking it over the fire and on a rock by the coals. The smell of the cooking meat flamed his stomach’s anger as it impatiently waited to be filled. He was glad because otherwise he might have just fallen asleep.

Once the meat was cooked, Troy carefully ate so he didn’t burn himself. As his stomach was appeased, his eyelids grew heavier. Before he allowed sleep to overtake him though,he made sure the fire would burn down without spreading, and used the pelt for a pillow. As soon as his head hit the skin, he was asleep.

Troy woke with a start as he jerked himself up into a sitting position. Every part of his body screamed at him, but his mind felt clear. He took a deep breath before forcing himself up on his feet. They throbbed just like his legs, back, and arms.

It’s going to be another long day.

Troy sighed as he turned towards the village and started walking. His legs hurt and they wobbled at times, leaving him to walk with a slight limp. But he pushed himself forward.

Troy hoped that he’d reach the village before noon if he kept up this pace. The exhaustion of his body bled into his mind, and he walked with a single focus and quietness. Other thoughts didn’t intrude as he put one foot in front of the other, shortening the distance to the village one step at a time.

Inu took a spear in hand as she gripped it tightly. Something about it felt off, as she tried swinging it back and forth.

“Misery, everything’s going to be alright… right?” For the first time in her life, Inu felt doubt running over her. Always before, her enthusiasm and energy steamrolled any doubts, but not now. She wondered if she was maturing out of her innocent optimism.

“Not sure, but we’ll get through this.” Misery reached over, patting Inu on the back, though it didn’t help reassure the fox girl as much as she’d hoped. She wasn’t sure if Troy was still alive or if he was dead. If it was the latter, how would she deal with it? Losing her mate would be so much more difficult than losing a teacher. She didn’t know if she could handle never seeing him again. They’d only had one night together, and their relationship was just beginning. What if that was all she would have?

She remembered that night; it had been the first and only time she had ever experienced such pleasure. Her body and soul yearned for him to take her again and to feel his warm embrace. The way he’d held her, the power of his body thrusting into hers, and the feeling of him deep inside her, it was unlike anything she had felt before. Just thinking about it made her lady bits tingle as she started getting wet. Her heart fluttered at the memory and desire for more.

Those damn beastmen!

Her thoughts of passion quickly turned to fury at the beastmen who dared to separate her from her man. It was their fault Troy wasn’t pleasuring her even now. If she found any beastmen, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill them. Her spear would bathe in their blood, and they would pay for what they’ve done. She felt her heart racing faster, as Inu’s mind started to only see red rage, and the desire to end their lives.

She remembered that Troy had taught her to find a reason to fight and to use it. Well… Inu had found it in her desire to kill the beastmen in revenge for her separation from Troy Thunder. She would have her revenge.

Inu rubbed her stomach for a second as she felt herself getting hungry. “Who knows when I’ll get to eat in peace again? The beastmen might attack at any time. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to wait for them to come to us. I wonder what Lady Bella is planning.” Inu walked off with her spear in her hand, heading toward the kitchen with determination as she pondered how the confrontation was going to play out.

Her stomach hoped that Alora had prepared something. Though as she made it over to Alora’s hut, Inu saw that the chef was preparing herself for the battle ahead. She was sharpening a few of her cutting tools as Inu walked over.

“Kitchens closed,” Alora said, “but if you want, there are some rations in the kitchen. You can go grab a few.” As she looked at Inu, a look of concern spread over her face. “Inu, sweetheart, are you okay?” she asked, while putting down one of her knives.

Inu shook her head. “I’m fine, it’s just….” Her voice trailed off as she lowered her head.

Alora smiled as she moved over to stand by her and give her a side hug. “That doesn’t sound like you’re alright. Come on, tell me what’s going on?” she asked in a motherly tone.

Inu nodded and sat down next to the cook, before she told her all about what had happened, and everything that she and Troy had done.

Alora grinned and wrapped an arm around her. “Damn. Just hearing about that got me worked up. You are so lucky, Inu. I know it’s hard to see how things will work out, but it’ll be alright… It’s rough, but you just have to hang in there.” She smiled as her hands rubbed the young fox woman’s shoulder.

“But I was such a bitch to him. I didn’t think I’d — I mean, I thought we’d have more time together. And now I don’t know if he’s even alive.” Inu felt ready to cry. She hadn’t had these emotions hit her in years, not since her old teacher had left her to go up those hills.

“I understand, but you need to have faith that he will return and keep his promises. Surviving is the first step. Use that pain, and put it all into surviving,” Alora said as she kissed Inu’s forehead, as the young fox woman nodded. “Now go get some food and get yourself ready. Everything needs to be as sharp as possible.

“Thanks.” was all Inu could say before she walked away to get the rations. She felt a little better, yet a part of her was still numb.

It was mid-morning as the tribal woman stood in a large group, spears in their hand, anger and rage filling their eyes as Lady Bella stood before them. They had prepared themselves for battle, as she raised her own spear and pointed off towards the north.

She didn’t need to say a word. The way her body moved, as she held in her rage, and all the instruction that had been given before, was more than sufficient. The time for talking had ended – now was the time for action. They would not wait in fear for the beastmen to attack. They would meet them on their journey, snatching away their ability to plan how to deal with their static defenses. Bella trusted in their training and ability to fight together, hoping it would overcome the beastmen’s greater numbers and individual-focused fighting.

She would lead them into battle and they would overcome the odds or die trying. She’d seen what the beastmen were like with their new leader, and she would rather die fighting than be captured.

As she lowered her spear, she started walking, leading the march, as the rest of the village followed behind her. Frey was staying at the village to care for the baby. She was preparing to run away with the child if things went poorly.

Misery and Sola were right behind Bella, with the other women following behind them.

Misery sped up to walk next to her leader, her queen. “Are you sure about this? Once we begin this, many of us will not make it back alive, even if they aren’t trying to kill us.”

Bella let out a long sigh. “Not like we have much of a choice. They will come. Staying put might afford us better defenses, it also gives them time to plan and coordinate. I believe we are better served to meet them before they are set, and before they can effectively communicate their orders. Without orders, they will fight individually without strategy. We will end this one way or another, without giving them the opportunity to capture hunting parties or steal women away from the village.”

Bella steeled herself, closing her heart so she could focus on the coming battle. She had desperately wanted Troy to show up before they left but couldn’t wait any longer. The women were outraged and ready; waiting would have dulled their energy, motivation, and effectiveness.

She thought of the sacrifice that Troy had made for them, and how she owed him for saving her life. She would survive, so he could fuck her to death. She grinned. Now that would be the way to go.

She clamped down her emotions, and focused her eyes ahead. The battle was coming and she could not be distracted. On she marched, leading the village women forward, heading to the village of the man beasts.

Troy dragged himself to the village, finally having depleted every ounce of strength he had. Troy could feel his pulse pounding like a train. He looked around in confusion and fear when he saw that no one was around.

His imagination ran wild for a moment. Was he too late? Has the place been attacked? Had the women been kidnapped? So many questions bombarded his brain, as he cried out, “Hello? Is anyone here?”

“T-Troy!” a voice cried out in response. It was Frey, with a look of concern on her face as she ran towards him. She had a spear in one hand, and the nameless child in the other, with its small head pressed against her bosom.

“Troy! Troy!” Frey screamed as Troy fell to his knees, as the relief of seeing her washed over him and sapped the last bit of his strength. The panther woman dropped her spear as she quickly ran to kneel beside him and embraced him.

“Frey…” was all Troy could say as they hugged and Frey caressed his face in wonder. Her eyes widened in concern, as she noticed all the blood and cuts.

She shook her head. “Can you ever keep yourself from getting hurt?” She mumbled under her breath as she helped him stand and walk to her hut. She placed the small child on the bed off to the side as she began working on him. The feeling of the needle and thread going through his skin meant little to Troy compared to all of his aches and pains. Troy said little, and his body didn’t have the strength to react as she stitched him up.

“I wish I had more to help you with Troy. Is that the Forgal’s pelt? By the gods! It is! I can’t believe you’re in one piece. It’s a miracle you’re alive.”

“Guess I’m just lucky, that's all.” Troy coughed out, trying to get comfortable. The way the needle went through his skin stung, but he pressed on.

Once the stitching was finished, Frey got some salve and gently rubbed it into his back. It felt like putting aloe on a horrible sunburn. As the smoothing coolness spread over his back, he may have passed out for a few minutes.

When he came to, she was already done and was working on the Forgal’s pelt. She held it up. “I made some quick changes so you can wear it. It should protect your back while it heals, and you’ll look like a badass king.”

Troy took the pelt back and asked, “Where are the others?”

Frey remained silent for a good long mInute, like she was trying to find the right answer to all this.

“What happened?” he asked more forcefully.

Frey let out a long sigh, as she began telling him what Lady Bella had decided.

He listened carefully, nodding as he thought through what Bella was thinking and the justifications for her decision. When she was finished, Troy took a slow deep breath, gathering his will, before he stood up with a hard grunt

Frey reached over, grabbing his arm. “Troy, don’t! You’re already too hurt!” Her concern laced the tone of each of her words.

“I will be there to help them. Besides, I can’t just sit back and wait for them to possibly come back. I’m going to take your spear. I lost mine and had to fight with my knife.”

“You can barely stand, and it’s a miracle you’re able to stay awake, much less move. Of course, you can have my spear, but you need to rest.”

“No. Not while Chandler is out there. He’s got something planned, and he will kill us if he can. I can’t let him… I can’t let him hurt you or any of the women. I will protect them. I’ll have time to rest when the dealing’s done.” He grunted as he turned to leave.

“What? Wait! If you must go… then let me at least help you.” She moved over and grabbed a small leather bag. Her hand caressing it gently as she held it out to him.

Troy reached over, inspecting it. “What is this?”

“It’s a special powder my teacher had created. It’s supposed to unleash your inner beast, but when it wears off, you won’t be able to do anything for a day or more. You might not even survive it in your weakened condition, so use it as a last resort, got it? Damn it, I want you to come back to me! You owe me the fucking of my lifetime, and you better come back to give it to me!” Tears rolled down her face. Troy took her in his arms, holding her tight as he kissed her forehead.

“Nothing will stop me from giving you that fucking when I get back. When I return, the fear of the beastmen will be ended, and we’ll have all the time we need for the fucking.” He squeezed her tight, kissed her forehead again, and left. He walked out of her hut, put on the Forgal pelt, retrieved her spear and, with renewed determination, headed off to battle.

Troy pushed himself, following the women’s trail. His entire body might hurt, but the Forgal’s skin felt good against his back. He knew he needed to save Frey’s pouch for the most-opportune moment. He’d have one shot, and he needed to make sure it counted. He slipped back into his almost mindless march, pushing his body to put one foot forward as quickly as he could.

“Just keep going… Just keep going.” It became his mantra and his rhythm. He would make it there in time. He would protect his women. He would put an end to Jack Chandler.

Jack Chandler stood at the top of the hill and watched the small army of animal women coming towards them. A large smile grew on his face, as he imagined they had worn themselves out coming to meet them. His men had been bred for this kind of physical exertion, even if they had run the whole way from the beastmen’s village. His men might have been breathing hard, but they prepared themselves just behind him. He waved Eliot, his right-hand pig, over to him.

“Don’t slaughter them all. Leave some of them for the rest of the tribe. Do good, and you can pick a girl for yourself, except for mine.” He grinned as he headed toward the back. There was no reason for him to get his hands dirty as his warriors moved out of his way. Eliot looked down, watching the group of women coming towards them. Their spears were raised and they stopped a few feet from the bottom of the hill. He snorted, thinking how weak they looked compared to his tribe. He looked back towards his men and screamed out,

“Attack!”

Misery and Sola watched as the beastmen ran down towards them. The women were in formation and ready, just as Bella had planned. The beastmen had no formation as they raced down the hill with their weapons in hand. They had the tenacity of wild animals but were completely uncoordinated. Lady Bella raised her hand up and called out to the rows behind her, “Now!”

Without any other warning, a wave of javelins filled the air, arching over the first row toward the incoming beastmen. They whistled through the air as they descended, impaling a few of the beastmen and causing them to stumble and roll. Other beastmen couldn’t stop their momentum and ran into them, causing them to stumble.

Bella yelled, “Again!” as another wave flew out, targeting more of the beastmen and causing mayhem. “Throw at will! Front line, ready!”

The front line prepared their spears to meet the incoming charge, knowing their opponents would have issues shifting their momentum and be less likely to dodge.

Just before the first beastmen got to the bottom of the hill, Bella yelled, “Second row, throw and switch to spear! Third row, follow as needed!”

The beastmen hit the bottom of the hill and lunged for the women. Most of them met their end with a spear through their chests. A couple of the leading beastmen were able to dodge, getting close enough for melee, while the rest of the women focused on the next closest beastmen or those struggling to get up.

Eliot led the charge, deftly dodging the spear and knocking it out of the large bull woman’s hands with his club. He started to laugh but then she struck.

Misery’s arm slashed down, hitting his wrists and knocking his club out of his hands. Without holding back, she threw the first punch.

Her fist hit like an iron sledgehammer as she slammed it into Eliot’s face, stopping him in his tracks and dropping him to the ground. Shocked and dazed by such a feat happening, he stared up at the Amazonian woman.

Misery raised her thick muscled leg and stomped down, but Eliot quickly rolled out of the way as he growled.

“How dare you!” he bellowed, rolling to his feet and raising his fists, ready to throw hands.

Misery charged with her head lowered and her horns outstretched. “I dare! This one is for Troy!”

Eliot dodged her horns and laughed as he caught her fist in his hand when she threw a punch.

She slashed her head back, slamming him in the side of the head with her horn. He grunted and grimaced as he returned the strike back, aiming right for her face.

Misery lowered her head, feeling the hard punch connect to the top of her head. It shocked her for a second as she stumbled and caught her step, but she was thankful it had landed there. From an early age, she’d been told it was better to get your skull rattled than to lose all your teeth.

Sola had hoped to help Misery after she killed the first beastman that came at her, but a large serpent man moved into position between her and Misery.

He was legless, and had long cobra fangs as he hissed at her. “ssPrepare to be capturedss! ssYou won’t get away from meeess!” He spoke with a long lisp, as if he had to focus to create words rather than hissing. He brought out two stone daggers, holding them forward as he hissed louder, ready to strike quickly.

Sola growled, her fangs showing, as she jabbed with her spear. It was a simple feint to test his speed and reflexes. His response was so pathetic she wanted to laugh. While the snakeman was larger than her, she was much faster and more maneuverable. As he tried to strike her, she dodged and shifted her position.

Sola smirked as she thrust her spear in a lightning-fast attack. The cobraman tried to deflect it while he moved back. The problem was, he wasn’t fast enough, as the spear passed through his defenses, jabbed up through his mouth and into his brain, piercing his skull. The nameless cobra stood there for a moment, dead before his body realized it, before collapsing onto the ground.

Sola smirked. “It sseemss you were all bark, no bite.” She shook her head as her long forked tongue darted out. Without warning, another beastman tackled her, knocking her straight to the ground. Sola began kicking, wrestling, and struggling to push him, trying to fight the beast off her.

It growled as they wrestled for position and a free hand to attack. His elbow knocked her arm just out of position, allowing him to slash down the side of her face with a claw. The smell of copper filled Sola’s nose as she took in the scent of her own blood. They continued struggling, but the beastman’s strength and skill in wrestling outmatched hers. Her speed was as effective in this kind of melee.

He did something, and all of a sudden both of her hands were captured by one of his hands. She tried to break free, but she couldn’t. Sola watched with wide eyes as the beastly creature raised his other hand to slash at her face once more. She struggled but she wouldn’t be able to stop it.

But then a hard spear went through him from the side, piercing his chest and knocking him off of Sola. His blood still splattered all over her, and she rolled to get away and grabbed her spear.

“Are you alright?” Inu said, looking at the snake woman. Sola nodded and raised her hand, the fox girl reaching down to help her up. They grinned fiercely at each other and nodded. They had no time for further pleasantries as more beastmen came forward.

They turned around, back to back as they began striking. Various beastmen kept coming towards them as they contInued pushing them back.

Misery growled as she went blow for blow against the boarman, as their fists made contact with the other’s head. It was like the unstoppable force going up against an immovable object as they pummeled each other.

“Why do you keep fighting?” Eliot growled as he threw a right hook into Misery’s shoulder.

“Because I have to!” she grunted and grabbed his arm quickly, throwing him over her leg and slamming into the ground on his back with a hard grunt. Misery was ready to strike him down when an errant spear shot through the air, hitting into her shoulder. As it pierced into her, Misery grunted, stumbling back and ripping the spear out.

The battle contInued to rage on as it seemed that neither side was backing down, pushing themselves to their very limit.

Troy pushed himself forward as he followed the women’s trail as quickly as he could. That was when he heard the clamor of battle, the sounds of screaming, like a slaughter was happening. He ran forward, closing the gap until he saw it. The battle raged as both sides tore each other apart, fighting for pure dominance as they went spear to spear, claw against claw, with no end in sight.

He didn’t hesitate as he continued running forward toward the nearest combatants. As he ran, he took the small bag and poured it into his mouth. The taste was utterly bitter, and he wanted to spit it out, but he swallowed it down. He had to stop running for a moment when his body shook and spasmed, like he’d been tasered, but somehow he was able to stay on his feet. Then he felt an explosion of energy inside him, as he was overwhelmed with adrenaline. He couldn’t contain the mighty scream that turned into a roar as he raced forward, feeling like he could fight the entire group before him on his own.

His instincts and skills took over for him as rushed to the nearest beastman fighting a woman he didn’t recognize. He let his spear do the talking, stabbing through the beastmen, piercing their chests, necks, or heads before they dropped to the ground. He dodged and blocked as they began to take note of him and focus on him. They seemed to move in slow motion as he pushed forward, critically striking any beastmen in his way and deftly dodging their attacks.

The beastmen were shocked as they watched Troy fighting like a demon unleashed from hell, going through them like they were children against an adult. Even when it appeared some of them had stabbed him, Troy Thunder just kept fighting.

Many of the beastmen stepped back to watch in amazement. This man was fighting like the legends of their first teacher who had started the village. This was the kind of man, the kind of fighter, they had been told to hope for and give complete service to when he fell from the sky. This was a man they could learn from even as they followed him….

The Amazonian woman took advantage of this as they overwhelmed the men. Some of the beastmen they were forced to kill, while others surrendered, knowing that they had been bested and seeing strength in this leader.

Inu huffed as she could barely hold on any longer. They had just kept coming. When she took one down, two more seemed to take their place.

“How are you holding up, Sola?” she asked while she stabbed a bullman who had swung a club, barely missing her head. She thanked the goddesses for that one.

“Not good. There's too many of them!” she exhaustedly said, readying herself for the next beastman who stepped forward, even as she knew eventually they would overwhelm them.

A commotion came from the side, as a spear stabbed the beastman in front of Sola. Troy appeared and killed another beastman that came into range. Inu nearly dropped her spear in shock.

“Troy… you’re alive!” She pushed back another beastman as Troy stabbed the creature who was attacking her and pushed back the other beastmen around them. His eyes looked wild, and he was covered in blood. A dark pelt, like a long cloak, covered his back.

“Where’s Chandler? I’ll explain later, but where’s Chandler?” He spoke quickly as he kept moving, pushing back the beastmen and forcing them to retreat or die. He went into overdrive as he pushed towards the hill, looking for his former boss. Sola and Inu watched him, shocked, confused, and amazed, as the beastmen gave way before his strength and destructive power. He was single-handedly pushing the battle back from the women.

Jack Chandler watched the fighting, his face paling. He couldn’t believe how the battle was going, at the way his men seemed to be losing. He stepped back with rage on his face.

“What the fuck is wrong with you people? Fight harder! Quit being lazy sons of bitches!” He kept waving his hands, looking like a madman as he walked back and forth, frustrated at seeing his subordinates losing this battle.

“Cease fighting! Amazonian women, disengage! Beastmen, step back!” That was when Chandler stopped and saw him. Troy Thunder stood at the bottom of the hill, screaming, while his men obeyed and stepped back.

“I am a SKYFALLER and I CHALLENGE your LEADER,” Troy yelled. “I fell from the sky and landed in the ocean, swimming to this island. Even if you did not see me, you have smelled me and know the TRUTH! I am not from this island!”

Chandler growled with fury as he stood there, looking down at his former employee. “Lies! I am the one that fell from the sky and SURVIVED!”

“Come down and fight me, you coward!” Troy roared out, raising his hand and motioning for him to come down.

Chandler shook his head. He didn’t know how Troy was still on his feet after the whipping he’d given him. Chandler dramatically laughed and pointed at him. “Why don’t I let my army take you out? You think you’re so strong! I am the leader of these men! You are nothing but a peasant!”

Chandler was tempted to pull out the gun he had taken from Troy when they’d first captured him and just shoot him. He’d wondered where Troy had found a gun, but he wouldn’t waste the bullets on this man.

“Prove it! Come on and fight me, coward. Show your men how strong you are!” Troy exclaimed.

Chandler scowled at him. “I have no reason to. I’ve already won. My men will kill you.” He snapped his fingers and yelled out, “Men, kill him and bring me his head.”

This seemed to cause all the beastmen to turn and look at Chandler. The women had already stepped back, but took another couple of steps more, holding their spears as they recognized Troy. They were shocked to realize he was still alive. Bella ran forward, moving to his side and looking at him in amazement.

“Troy, my love, you’re alive!” She cupped his cheek, feeling how hot his skin was to the touch, like he had a fever, as Troy removed her hand.

“Yes, my love, but I must focus,” Troy said to her before he yelled, “I won’t go down that easily!”

Chandler looked towards his men and yelled, “Well, what are you waiting for? Kill him!” He waved his hand at Troy.

None of the beastmen moved as they looked at Chandler. Eliot stepped forward, waving his arms for attention, before he yelled, “Let skyfallers fight! Neither from our island. We smelled them and know. Let them fight, as first leader taught us!”

“YES!” Troy screamed. “We fight for the leadership of the village! Come on, . Your boys aren’t going to do your dirty work now. Looks like you have to soil your own hands and see if you got what it takes. Are you really CEO material?” How about you come down? Show them your strength!”

“Come on!” Chandler yelled. “Don’t fucking play his game! Just fight him! He’s not paying attention!” He looked like he was about to lose it and throw a tantrum like a child.

Eliot yelled, “They fight! We watch and follow winner!” He sat down. The other beastmen looked at him, and then Chandler and Troy before they sat as well.

“Don’t you get it, Chandler? You’ve got to prove your right to lead. You can’t hide behind falling from the sky!” Troy egged him on.

“We will watch this match and not attack! Let the Skyfallers fight for leadership of the beastmen!” Bella screamed out. She looked to Troy, her eyes filled with trust. She nodded as she moved her spear. Even if Troy somehow lost, Chandler would still die this day.

Troy nodded, knowing he wouldn’t let her down. He grinned, knowing that Chandler’s fate was sealed, as he turned to look back at Chandler.

“So how about it? Or are you too chickenshit to actually fight for what you want?!?”

Chandler gnashed his teeth and growled in fury. “I will bury you in the ground.” He couldn’t stop the smirk that grew on his face as he reached into his pocket, feeling the gun hidden there. He figured he’d have the advantage with his secret weapon, but he grabbed a spear with his left hand for appearances.

Chapter Thirteen

Chandler walked down the hill, watching his footing and using the spear as a walking stick. Troy watched him coming down, noticing his hand in his pocket and understanding what that might mean. Troy had to trust in Chandler’s inexperience and his ability to make a difference. He shifted his spear to his left hand and picked up a javelin from the ground with his right. Troy weighed the javelin in his hand as he thought through his plan, waiting for Chandler to reach the bottom of the hill.

Chandler finally made it down the cliff, watching him with a sadistic smirk on his face.

Troy shouted, “Whenever you’re ready!”

Chandler laughed as he stopped, grinned at Troy, and pulled the gun. He aimed for Troy's chest and pulled the trigger but it didn’t fire. He glanced at the gun, swept his finger across the safety, and went to pull the trigger again.

Troy threw the javelin as soon as Chandler moved and started running diagonally to his right.

Just as Chandler had re-sighted on Troy and pulled the trigger, the javelin slammed into his right shoulder.

The gun fired and Troy felt pain blossom from the top of his left shoulder as he closed on Jack. Troy slammed the spear against Chandler’s hand, knocking the gun away.

Chandler yanked the javelin out of his shoulder and raised his fists. “Fight me like a man, boy toy!”

Troy laughed as he dropped the spear. Beating his face in would really feel good about now. When he got close enough, Chandler threw the first punch.

Troy’s body was running on a combination of the drug Frey had given him and pure adrenaline. He quickly dodged, stepping back as the fist swung in front of him. Troy then took a quick step forward, throwing a hard right hook into Chandler’s stomach. It hit him dead center, and Troy weaved, throwing another punch right into his side.

There are two types of fighting. There was the flashy style you saw on television or in the movies, where the fighters moved around, showing off. Then there was real fighting, a knuckle-to-knuckle slug feast. Troy was doing this style as he pushed in closer.

Chandler coughed as he hunched over. He’d thought the gun would be enough. He hadn’t expected Troy to come right at him so fast. As he tried to weave like boxers did, his hands clenched into fists again. He aimed right at the man’s face as he threw a punch.

To Chandler, this was his destiny, his right to rule. His mind raced as he tried to figure out Troy’s movements so he could defend and attack. He went left, when he should have gone right, and he felt his stomach overwhelmed with pain. Then his ribs screamed in agony. He was sure that Troy had broken his ribs with just a single punch.

Troy moved in, ready to throw another punch as he went for Chandler’s skull. He wanted to knock him out as quickly as possible and finished this up. As he threw the punch, Chandler suddenly tackled Troy, and they both fell to the ground. Chandler had put his whole weight into the tackle and found himself on top of his former head of security.

“Fuck you!” Chandler cackled as he couldn’t contain his rage and madness any more, throwing as many punches as he could. Troy must have hit his head on the ground because he was dazed, but Chandler didn’t mind at all. He threw his punches, aiming right at Troy's face as he let all his fury out.

“You know, Troy, you always pissed me off. You were always holding me back. I paid you to protect me, not fucking treat me like a damn child. ‘Jack, don’t fucking do this, or “I advice you not to pick up that girl.’ Damn, you were never my parent!” He continued throwing punches, putting every ounce of strength into each one.

“I am the CEO of a multimillion-dollar company, and I build weapons for WAR! Yet you treated me like a fucking child. I do what I want when I wantI Compared to you I am everything!” He kept punching, putting all his strength into it, as he felt himself pushing his very limit.

Troy took every blow, coming out of his daze. He’d felt them land, but nothing could stop him now. He quickly rolled Chandler off of him and threw another hard punch aiming for his collarbone. His fist connected with a loud thwap followed by the sound of a crack filling the air. At least, Troy thought he heard his collarbone break.

Chandler screamed as he rolled away and struggled to his feet. He stepped back, reaching over and rubbing the spot. “Son of a bitch!”

The two men faced off again with fists raised, both injured, but fully in the fight to win.

Chandler grunted as he moved forward, trying to take back the offensive. Troy dodged and moved out of the way, letting him waste his energy with his chaotic swings, like a wild animal.

“Yeah,” Troy responded, “because that was my job. You stupid son of a bitch! What happened when you ignored me? You kept getting sexual harassment lawsuits, doing illegal shit, and having to settle out of court for big sums. But I helped you out. Why? Because you paid me! My job was supposed to keep you safe from yourself, you rich little prick!”

“Peasant! Minion! Washed-up loser!” Chandler screamed louder, fueled with anger as he tried to backhand Troy.

“But want to know the best part? Remember that damn trial you were going to face? The one you were worried about because of that mysterious witness? The one the courts were hiding to keep you from witness tampering?” Troy huffed, starting to feel winded. It seemed like the drugs were finally wearing down, and his movements were turning sluggish. Troy kept moving, though – he had to see this through.

“You goddamn son of a bitch traitor!” Chandler screamed, fury overwhelming him as he continued throwing wild punches. Hatred filled him until he lost conscious thought of what he was doing, except for trying to punish and hit Troy.

Troy dodged while watching his former boss and resting his body even as he kept moving. “No, not a traitor. I never had loyalty to you, Jack. That’s not what you paid for and you couldn’t have afforded it anyway. You’re selfish, you’re spoiled, and everyone hated your fucking guts.” His breaths were getting long and drawn-out. His body felt like it was winding down, so he kept trying to conserve energy, while Jack was wearing himself out.

“Yeah,” Chandler screamed, “but I’m the one who’s still alive! When this is all over, I’m going to fuck every bitch in that village. And I’ll do it over your corpse. And just to let you know, you weren’t going to be getting that Christmas bonus, either!” He cackled maniacally as he threw another wild punch.

Troy made his move, dodging the swing and stepping in. He decked Chandler with his right and followed him down to the ground, getting on top of him, not wanting his former boss to try and regain any footing. No more playing games.

This time, Troy pummeled Chandler’s face and upper body, his fists aiming for the right parts to do as much damage as possible. Troy could feel himself slowing down, but he kept on. Chandler’s blood covered his knuckles as he kept putting as much weight behind every punch. He aimed at his jaw, feeling his teeth breaking off.

Chandler screamed, spraying out blood and teeth, “I surrender! I surrender!”

“Not this time!” Troy yelled back as he kept punching.

Chandler tried blocking as he felt Troy’s bloody knuckles beating down on him. Troy didn’t relent, however. His shoulder hurt like hell, and his heart raced faster. He didn’t stop until Jack Chandler lay there, unmoving.

Troy got up, taking deep breaths as he let out a long groan. He looked at the beastmen watching him, before turning to Eliot.

“Is anyone else going to challenge me? I can do this all day…” He eyed each and every one of them. Putting up his fists, he showed he was the victor of the fight.

In some ways, this was all an act. Troy was barely standing upright. He felt drained beyond belief, but none of the beastmen moved from where they were sitting.

Suddenly, Eliot stood up and yelled, “Troy Thunder our leader! He is true skyfaller! We follow him!” Eliot looked at Troy and went down on one knee. There seemed to be more to it as Eliot humbled himself before Troy by bowing respectfully.

Troy looked at the boarman, who at one point had captured and helped torture him. But Troy understood him. He was a man doing what he thought was right and following orders. He didn’t say anything to the pigman, but Eliot spoke up first.

“What you want us to do?” Eliot asked, with a worried look on his face. Troy suspected Eliot was preparing himself for his own death.

“Make peace with the Amazonian women. Obey Queen Bella as you would me, and get rid of this trash where the animals will feed on his carcass....”

Troy was about to say something more, but that was when his vision went blurry. He toppled to the ground, everything slowly going dark.

Troy woke up, groaning loudly. He tried moving, but felt a hand on him. His head throbbed with pain, like someone had kicked him over a dozen times. He tried sitting up, but the hand held him down with little trouble.

“Don’t move….” He could barely open his eyes as he turned to look.

“What… what’s going on?” Troy asked, trying to focus on his surroundings.

“Troy, you need to relax. You’ve been asleep for five days.” He recognized the voice. It was Bella.

“What happened?” he asked, finding his memories muddled by pain, both from then and now.

“You passed out after the battle. You’re lucky to be alive, with how much energy you used, and then that metal object in your shoulder.” She paused for a moment. “We were lucky to get that thing out”

Troy adjusted his shoulder and felt pain shoot through hit him as looked over. There were leaves over the injury. Troy already knew it would leave a scar, but it wouldn’t be the first time. Maybe though, it would be the last time he had to deal with such a thing.

“What about the others?” Troy asked in a hushed tone. He felt tired as he tried sitting up again, though the bunny-eared woman pushed him back.

“Save your energy. Whatever Frey gave you is still affecting you.” Bella reached over and grabbed a skin of water, drawing it close to his lips. Troy drank as much as he could, feeling the cool water run down his throat. It tasted like heaven itself and he reveled in it. He tried drinking more, but Bella pulled the waterskin back.

“As for the others,” Bella said, “don’t worry. They’re performing their duties at the moment. They’ll come to see you once I inform them you’re awake.” She reached over, caressing his cheek as she moved in close and kissed his lips gently. “We were all worried about you, you know,” she whispered as she stood.

“Rest up, because your women are going to need a lot of attention and energy.” She gave him a wink as she left the medical hut, and Troy slowly closed his eyes and relaxed. He’d done it. He had protected them, and taken care of Chandler. He just needed to rest and recover… then he could enjoy his women in paradise.

Inu was the first one to arrive in the hut when he woke up again. She stood there adjusting her leopard skin top, enjoying how her movements captured his eyes. “So, how are you doing?”

He smiled at her, marveling at how beautiful the fox woman was. “Worn out, but better than I was before. Thanks…. How have you been doing?” Troy asked as he moved to make some room on the bed and patted it.

“How am I doing?” She paused for a long time, while Troy nodded. He wondered if he was going to need to repeat, but without warning, she slapped him across the face.

“Ouch! What was that for?” he asked, shocked that she would do such a thing to him.

“What were you thinking? You could have died! Or been killed? Or… Or!” Tears filled her eyes as she sat, hugging him tight. Inu suddenly cried her heart out. “Why did you leave me? I never want to be apart from you again!” she sobbed harder, feeling overwhelmed while holding onto him. Troy felt her hot tears running down his chest. He reached over, patting her back and petting her tail.

“There, there, it’s alright, Inu. I’m not going anywhere, I promise. I told you I would return, and I did. You can trust in me.”

“Damn it! I almost lost you and you know it! Don’t you dare do anything like that again to me… I mean us.”

Troy looked at her for the longest time, before reaching over caressing her cheek. “Hey, I promise you. I will not abandon you guys. I’ll always find my way to you. I can’t say I won’t do risky things, but I will protect you.” He smiled and moved in, kissing her forehead. He held her in his arms until Inu calmed down. After a bit longer, she pulled back, wiping her face.

“Fine, if you insist. But… get better. We are feeling very needy for our mate.” Her voice turned sultry before she turned around and rushed out of the hut. Troy could only chuckle; for all of Inu’s faults, she had a big heart. He needed to get better as quickly as possible.

He was next visited by Misery and Sola, though they had said little, mainly checking up on him. Clearly they worried about him, making sure everything was alright. Sola brought him some food from the kitchen and he took it gratefully. They had been feeding him over-cooked soups so that everything was as tender as possible. He just wanted to eat something with a little substance.

They talked a bit about how their days had gone since the battle, how they’d hunted, and so on. Troy listened carefully to all of it, wishing his recovery would speed up and was sorry to see them go when they eventually left.

It took another few days before Troy could finally leave the hut. His body hurt, but at least he could move. He was already looking forward to doing much more than just that. He began walking through the village. It appeared the place had gotten a lot smaller, though in truth, there were more people. The beastmen were helping to rebuild the damage they had caused, while the Amazonian women were giving them orders.

“What’s going on?” Troy asked, looking at Bella, who walked in front of him, her ass wriggling as she led him along.

“When you won that match, the beastmen bowed to you. You told them to listen to me, so I took charge in your stead. They consider me your mate, anyway. I ordered them to help repair our homes, and they’ve been a great help.” She looked towards one of them working and called out, “A little higher – Rosa doesn’t need to bend down to enter her house!”

“Rosa?” Troy asked, not remembering any super-tall members of the tribe while being here.

“Don’t mind that. We have some important things to take care of with the beastmen,” Bella said as she led him towards a hut away from the main area.

When they entered, Troy saw Eliot the boarman, standing there. He quickly dropped to his knees and bowed the moment he saw Troy.

“Um, stand…” Troy said.

“Boss, what you need from me?” he snorted out, like he was having trouble talking. He paused for a second as Bella reached over, patting his shoulder.

“What should you have this man do? There's no limit to what you can do.” She smiled at him, with a wide grin that went from ear to ear. He wondered if she expected him to do something horrible to the pigman. Troy admitted to himself that he did feel tempted, but ultimately Chandler had been the root cause. All the shit Eliot had done, and what the other beastmen had done to this village, all of it had been in the name of Jack Chandler.

Troy put his hand on the boarman’s shoulder. “I want you to help the village, and do what the girls request of you. Just make yourself useful, you and the other men….” He figured it would be better to be simple. He stopped for a second and a thought came over him. “What happened to Jack Chandler’s body?” He didn’t know why, but a sinking feeling in his gut seemed to take over him. He reached up, rubbing his shoulder. He winced before looking back at the pigman.

“I threw body into ravine after you fall down. We then follow Queen Bella’s orders, to come and fix this village.” He bowed low to the ground to both of them. “Sorry for damage. We follow orders from wrong skyfaller.” He grunted while Troy shook his head.

“Alright, well, dismissed. Go help rebuild things…. Also, if anyone hurts the girls, they’re banished.”

Eliot nodded and rushed out of the hut to go help. Bella grabbed his shoulders.

“You did well, my love. I was impressed with your understanding and sympathy for them.”

“I understand following orders. I’ve done it my whole life, and well, they didn’t know better. Many of them are very simple.”

“Hmm, so you are these beast-men’s king. Do you know what that means?”

“What would that be?” Troy asked, raising an eyebrow, looking back at the beautiful rabbit woman who leaned closer. Her naked breasts pressed against him as she licked her lips.

“Well, a queen must always submit to her king. If you desire, you can have as many women in the village as you wish.” She spoke in a seductive tone, her hand reaching down as she squeezed his ass.

“I’m imagining my queen before me now. We don’t need to talk about other women right now.”

“Hmm, you already have a harem of women you’ve claimed. I am the queen and first of your harem. Misery, Inu, and Frey have already been claimed as yours…. But you know of at least one other waiting for her chance. There are others you may choose to gift with a night or show your dominance by claiming them. I will facilitate bringing those you choose into the harem,” Lady Bella said with a mischievous smile as she moved in closer.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked, trying to play it safe.

“Oh, embrace it, Troy. I don’t care what it was like in your world. You’re here now, and you’ve got four women anxious for you to fuck them until they lose consciousness. So don’t play with me.” She caressed his chest, rubbing her hands over his pecs and up his shoulders. Troy felt a shock of pain run through him, but ignored it.

“Hmm, I guess we would have to see about that.” He paused and wrapped his arms around the rabbit woman, lifting her up as she wrapped her legs around him.

“I mean, I have to contend with so many girls, and I barely know any of you. How would I even survive?” He chuckled as Bella wrapped her arms around him and kissed his lips with a burning passion.

“Well, you have all the time in the world, because you’re staying, right?” she asked while looking at him, with her head tilted. Troy could only smile.

“I am a man of my word. I won’t be leaving my women, and if we should find ourselves separated, I will find you.” He looked deeply in the rabbit woman’s eyes.

“Good. Now let me handle the arrangements with any women you want to add to the harem. If it’s just for a night or two, to help with the next generation, feel free to sow your oats. We do have other things to discuss… but I think that can wait… especially a formal peace treaty with the beastmen village. We could also talk about getting you to open up a bit more… but once again, I think there are more pressing matters.” Lady Bella smirked as she squeezed her legs, catching his hard cock in front of her pussy.

“Oh and what might that be?” Troy asked, grinning and making her wait for it.

“ I don’t want you to worry about anything, and that’s not to say you can’t fuck any one of us whenever you want. Because you can… like right now. Oh, look… a bed. ” She smirked, reaching down and caressing his firm body.

“While I’m very tempted to make use of that bed, I can’t do that to Eliot. We’d best make haste to your renovated hut, and you’d better get your words out before we get there. I believe you’ll have a very limited vocabulary once we get to your bed.” Troy kissed her hard before he set her down.

She growled but took his hand as she led the way back to her hut… very quickly. “I have a feeling I’ll be hogging you for myself for a few days. As the leader of my tribe, I have that right, and it’s been a really long time since you’ve blissed me out.” Bella rushed faster after throwing him a wink over her shoulder.

Bella led him back to her personal quarters, pulled him to her bed, and shared a night of passion together as they made love. Both felt as if it had been a lifetime since they had shared their bodies and pleasure. Her cries of pleasure echoed through the village late into the night, announcing Troy’s return to health. When they weren’t fucking, they caressed every inch of each other’s bodies. Somehow, it was beyond words as they shared themselves and took pleasure in the other. Even in the simple way their bodies warmed each other as they lay together, recovering their strength to begin again.

Bella had found her man and craved his touch, feeling his body on hers and his cock filling and pounding her. Each wave of pleasure and mountaintop climax pulled her heart closer to him. So many cares drifted away in comparison to her need for him and to be with him. She knew she needed to share, and there would be time for that… but not right now.

Troy had never felt happier as he woke up with Bella in his arms. He felt alive and smiled with the memory of their night together. Bella had screamed herself hoarse from all the pleasure he’d given her. He chuckled, thinking about what the village would be talking about today. He grinned and kissed the top of her head, causing her to wake.

She kissed him back and blushed as she saw him looking over her naked body. “That was amazing, my king. But my body is still recovering from last night,” Bella said. Her naked breasts were still red, and she had many noticeable bite marks where Troy had marked her as his own forever.

“That was an amazing night,” Troy agreed.

“Excuse me?” a soft voice interrupted them. Frey came in, holding the small child.

“Is there something you need, Frey?” Troy asked, as he pulled himself up from the bed. Bella did the same, and Frey’s face turned a light pink

“I was wondering if I could speak with Troy for a bit, and I need someone to watch over the baby,” Frey said. The baby boy squirming in her arms, trying to look around and see what was going on. Lady Bella couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“Bring the child to me. I’m sure I can handle watching him while the two of you talk.” She winked at Frey and smacked Troy on the ass as they got up. He gave her a raised eyebrow, and she smirked, looking forward to getting his return attention. Her lady bits tingled, thinking how she was going to pay for being a bad girl. She very happily took the baby from Frey and went to sit on the throne with him.

After Troy had put on his loincloth, he and Frey headed outside. He let her lead the way, and he was pleased when they headed to her hut. When they got there, he could see she’d made an area for the baby to play and sleep so she wouldn’t need to share her bed. There were some wooden teething toys that someone had made. He also noticed she was working on trying to construct her own pants.

“I see you’ve been busy,” he said with a glint in his eyes.

“Yes, since we’ve had some free time, I’ve been working on trying to recreate your pants with some interesting results,” she said, waving toward some of her earlier versions. Troy could see her progression in the different versions and noticed the holes she’d added for tails.

He stepped close to her and pulled her into an embrace. “So, what did you want to talk about? Possibly our last conversation before the battle?” he asked, grinning at the beautiful cat woman.

She blushed beet red and had to lick her lips a couple of times before she spoke. “I like you, Troy…. I want to be with you, and be one of your mates.” She paused and gathered her resolve. “Damn it, I want the fucking of my lifetime from you. I don’t think I’m a screamer like Bella, but I want to feel that!”

“Is that so? You are mine, Frey, and I’m yours…. And yes… let’s see about that fucking of a lifetime.” He drew it out before he started kissing her neck, placing his hands on her hips.

Frey felt her eyes slip shut as her head instinctively tilted to the side. She moaned at the feel of his lips on her skin.

Troy continued kissing her neck as he slowly guided her towards her bed. This had been coming since his first day in the village, when she had flirted so hard with him.

“It’s just us, and you are my mate.” His voice was gentle as Frey continued moaning. Her pussy was tingling, as she felt herself getting wet. She unconsciously rubbed her legs together as she shuffled back toward her bed. So many emotions and sensations were already starting to overwhelm her. When he licked up her neck to her ear and sucked on her skin, she fought off the urge to shudder and whimper in desire.

She bit her bottom lip as she confessed, “I’m yours, Troy. I want you to use my body and take your every pleasure in me. Tell me what to do and I’ll do it. I want to make you happy and satisfy you. ”

“Don't worry. I will be very satisfied giving you the fucking of a lifetime. And that is only the beginning.” Troy said, knowing he needed to take this slowly. This was all new to her.

Frey pressed herself up against her man, running her hands over his hard body as she offered up her own. Her breath grew labored and hot and she felt on fire with need.

She pressed herself closer, as her swollen bosom stretched her top to its limit. She couldn’t stand the material separating them. She needed to feel his skin on hers.

“I’m having trouble breathing….” She pulled back for a moment, and with one fluid motion, pulled off her top and threw it on the floor. Her large jugs bounced free, surprising and capturing Troy’s full attention. While he was entertained, she slipped her skirt down as well.

“Those are magnificent….”

“And they are all for you. Just for your pleasure…. Take me, please? Show me what it's like… please?” She reached out, placing his strong hands on her boobs.

A look of happiness filled his face as he nodded. He moved his hands as he pressed her against the wall. His cock hardened in anticipation as he passionately kissed her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying the fill of her breasts smashed against him as she returned his kiss. As it deepened she lifted her leg, hooking over his waist, and began rubbing her wet pussy against him.

“I need you, Troy…” Frey started to speak when they came up for air, but Troy put his finger on her lips.

“I’m going to give you what you want.” Troy leaned in, kissing and sucking on the skin of her neck. One of his hands trailed down to caress her soft breast. Frey could only moan as her heart raced in reaction. Her eyes dilated as she opened every part of her body to his touch… to his commands. Even as she felt the pleasure of his hands squeezing and teasing her titties. Her nipples were so hard that almost hurt more than the pleasure he was giving her by playing with them.

“Troy, it’s…” she purred out. She leaned back against the wall as she held onto it. She was so wet, she had to spread her legs… she needed to open up. She wasn’t sure what all Troy was going to do to her body, but what he was doing now felt absolutely amazing.

Troy moved his hand down lower, exploring her firm, beautiful body on its journey to her lower lips.

“Troy, what are you… by the Goddess!” She moaned out, feeling Troy rubbing her clit and circling around it. He used his index finger to rub against her hot, needy pussy lips. His rhythm was nice and slow, teasing her. Troy felt her warm breath against him as she closed her eyes, focusing on the sensations. Her tail lazily whipped around.

“Hmm, feels good, doesn’t it? We’re only just beginning, my mate,” Troy said. He increased his speed, spreading her wetness up and down her pussy as he teased her clit.

Her breathing grew rapid as Troy continued to run his fingers against her pussy lips, shallow breaths escaping through her parted lips. Her lustful eyes flashed open and locked on Troy. “Yes, please – more, more!” She could barely think, her head feeling foggy as pure animal instinct took over. She opened her mouth, revealing powerful fangs, as she growled out, “More!”

Troy smirked and dropped to his knees, licking his lips. “Mhmm, time to try my cat’s pussy,” he growled out. He leaned in, giving her clit a quick lick while running his fingers over her fine pussy lips. He spread them apart, giving his tongue more depth. He smiled, knowing she was ready for him to take her.

But for now, Troy was taking his time. He felt famished from the night before. He hungrily kissed and sucked her clit as Frey went rigid.

Frey’s eyes widened as a wave of pleasure hit her, unlike any she’d ever felt. “Ahhhhhh! Fuck, yes!” she screamed, as her whole body spasmed. She ran her hand through his hair, holding his mouth in place.

He continued eating her pussy, letting her get used to his personal tongue bath.

“So good… your tongue’s… its….”

She let out a low moan, and Troy had to admit it sounded cute. He felt her tail batting his head and didn’t mind the soft distraction. He pushed his tongue in, running it through her labia, as he rolled it in clockwise circles. Close to her entrance as he used his other hand to rub and play with her clit. The cat woman squirmed against him, unable to hold back, wanting more and pushing her pussy into his face.

Troy said nothing, focusing on his task and continuing to show his cat girl everything he could as he licked faster. Listening to the sweet moans and panting breaths made him happy as she held on for dear life. Her hips ground against him as her other hand found her titty and started squeezing and pulling on it.

Frey knew how to get herself off, having done it once in a while. Though admittedly when Troy had arrived, she had to do it a bit more often. But the way Troy was treating her was beyond anything she’d imagined or felt before. Somehow she formed words, “Is this something they do where you're from?” She trailed off into another moan as she felt another small orgasm hit her. But she wanted more. She wanted him to continue as she felt her body needing more. She wanted his cock… in her… filling her… pounding her… She needed it.

Troy couldn’t say anything; his mouth was too full as he licked faster, lapping up every bit of juice her pussy produced. Her cries turned into sweet music as she held on tighter, playing with her tits as she purred, moaned, and groaned. Troy could feel his cock throbbing in anticipation. He knew he could pull himself away, take her against the wall, and fuck her brains out, but he would wait. He wanted her to realize how badly she wanted him. He wanted her to plead with him. Sex was like hunting. You didn’t fire the first shot till you knew you were on target. He had his bullet in the chamber. He just had to take the safety off, aim, and fire. However, he didn’t have to wait long.

“Troy… Troy, I can’t, please. I need more… I need more!” Frey moaned.

Troy smirked, thrusting his finger into her opening under his tongue and truly exploring her for the ridge bump deeper in. He groaned, taking in her scent as he focused on her clit with his tongue, and rubbed her G-spot faster.

Frey’s eyes almost bulged out as bliss crashed over her and she couldn’t fight it back. Her pussy tightened as she screamed out, “Sweet Goddess!” She was faint and dizzy as her body spasmed and jerked. She felt like she lost control of her body in overwhelming pleasure and joy.

Troy kept up his ministrations until she seemed to be coming back down. Then he gave her one more lick and pulled back. “Hmm, such a good pussy.” He winked at her as he pulled himself up with a hard growl. He pushed her into the wall again, as he lifted her by her waist with his throbbing cock between her legs. “I think I’ll have much more to show you later. Are you ready?” He was looking forward to all the fun they were going to have, but wanted her prepared for what was coming next.

Frey watched him, shocked to see the lust in his eyes. It was like nothing she had seen before as she nodded. She was so excited! It was finally happening! “Fuck me so I remember it when I’m old and gray. Do it exactly like you want,” Frey said as Troy groaned. He loved how that sounded – do what you want. He could get used to that as he lifted her succulent hips, raising her above his cock.

“This is what I want.” He pushed into her, kissing her lips with a passion unlike any other. Troy knew what he wanted, and what he wanted more then anything in this instant was to fuck his cat girl. He would claim her as his mate, and have her whenever he wanted. She was his, and he would be hers.

Frey returned the kiss, her lips locked against his as their tongues danced and teased. Her legs wrapped around his waist as her hands clamped down on his shoulders. Troy lowered her waist as he positioned the head of his cock just right and pushed against her entrance.

That was when Frey could feel it — his hard, thick cock spreading her pussy apart, and pushing in. The head felt huge as it spread her virgin pussy, and she let out a hard scream. She felt his cock push deeper into her tight wet pussy, filling and expanding her tight channel as it molded to him alone.

Troy grunted, feeling the way her cunt fit around his member, as if it had been meant for him. He steadily pushed until he hilted into her. It was tight, but in the end, he fit inside her like a key in a lock, and it felt amazing. Troy held himself completely still inside of her as Frey held onto him with everything she had.

“So tight. So good. I love your little pussy, Frey.” Troy murmured into her ear as he waited for Frey to finally relax, so the next part wouldn’t be painful.

“Please take me… I can’t take it any more. I need you… I want you. Fuck me!” She moaned out with her head buried into his shoulder. She could barely contain herself. Her pussy was on fire and his cock throbbed in response.

Troy kissed her and with a hard grunt, he lifted her up as he began to pull out. Frey moaned in response, feeling his massive member leaving her channel. She wanted to cry out in protest of the loss, but then Troy dropped her back down.

“Fuck!” someone screamed, and she realized it had been her, as the wave of pleasure her body had felt before filled her core again.

Troy moved at a steady pace, the sound of their skin slapping together a counterpoint to Frey’s moans of ecstasy. Her whole world spun; she felt amazing, holding onto him tightly while she rolled her hips.

Now Troy clung onto her hips, lifting and dropping her, impaling her on his rod with a hard grunt and loving every second. The two looked deep into each other's eyes, connecting deep within their souls. Troy felt a pang in his chest, knowing they were bound together as mates.

Frey held on, arching her back and giving everything she was to her man. “So good – more, faster, harder!” She found herself overwhelmed again, with her breasts bouncing as her hard sensitive nipples brushed against Troy’s chest. She focused on his pleasure as she squeezed his member, milking him for everything he had.

“As you wish,” Troy groaned, gritting his teeth as he pushed her into the wall, the force of his cock slamming deep within her.

Frey looked at him, hearts in her eyes. “Troy I think I’m gonna, I’m gonna… TROY!” she screamed as she climaxed, orgasmic bliss squirting out and covering Troy with her juices.

It was just the motivation he needed as he ramped up his thrusts. Moving like a wild animal, Troy let out a series of grunts as the walls shook from the force of their bodies joining.

“Like that?” Troy asked. “You want more of my fat cock?” He spoke louder as Frey moaned out.

Coming back to her senses, she screamed, “More! More, please! Don’t stop!” Frey couldn’t help herself – it felt like her mind was about to explode as Troy kept fucking her. No… to Frey, there was more to this. It wasn’t just wild animalistic fucking:this was lovemaking. She held on for dear life, feeling a second orgasm wash over her as she screamed in bliss again. She didn’t know how much more pussy could handle before she lost her mind and consciousness.

Troy continued for a few more minutes, time seeming to slow down for both of them in this burning passion. That was when it finally became too much for Troy. His balls constricted, with his cock straining to get deeper into her. “I’m going to cum, Frey! I’m going to fill your pussy up!”

His words had jetted out of his mouth before he could really realize what he was saying. Frey didn’t seem to care as she orgasmed again, screaming loud enough that the old gods could have heard her from the highest peak of the mountains.

Troy couldn’t fight it any longer, and he thrust once more as deeply as he could into her, joining their bodies as one. Nothing could have stopped him from unleashing his load and filling her to the brink. He felt her spasming in response to each of his pulses as he emptied himself into her.

She bit her bottom lip and collapsed over his shoulder. He forced his legs to move and turned them so his back was to the wall, before he slid down the wall until he sat on the floor with her in his arms.

Frey straddled him as she panted, taking long deep breaths. “I love you so much.” Her mind was dizzy from the intense orgasms she was feeling still echoing through her.

“Well, I see you two are having a good time.” They turned to see Bella, smiling, standing just inside the doorway with the baby in her arms.

“Bella, I know I didn’t ask if it was my turn… ” Frey muttered.

But Bella waved her off. “It’s fine, Frey. I’m actually impressed. Is that what everyone else in the village hears when I’m taking this handsome man’s cock?” She winked at Troy as she bounced the baby in her arms.

“More or less… I can’t believe I screamed so much… I’m not sure how I compare with your screams though.” Frey wasn’t sure how to feel about this, but Bella just smiled at them. She took a seat nearby as they caught their breaths. The baby closed his eyes and started snoring, not even noticing what was happening.

“So Troy, what will it be?” Bella said as she looked at him, watching Troy’s hot sweaty body and licking her lips, as he raised an eyebrow.

He wasn’t sure what she meant by that, so he asked, “What will what be?”

“Well, now that some blood should be getting to your upper head… I was wondering, would you like to give the youngling a name? What will you do with the new generation of the tribe… Daddy.” Bella smirked, as Troy found himself stumbling at being called ‘Daddy.’ It seemed off since he wasn’t the child's biological father, but he knew he’d be taking on the responsibility.

Troy looked down at the baby. He had never done something like this. Hell, he wasn’t sure what a good name would be for an infant. Yet Bella brought the nameless child to him. He caressed the child’s cute doggy ears as he looked at this sleeping face. What could he name him? He couldn’t come up with something stupid. A soft yet familiar voice spoke to him, breathing a simple name, and the voice was reassuring. He felt something brush against his soul, like an old ghost.

You got this Troy. I believe in you, man. It was an old friend.

“The baby’s name shall be… Wake.” He decided to honor his lost friend, as a part of him imagined this child would be strong and yet smart at the same time.

Bella grinned. “That’s a wonderful name. Sleep well, Wake.” She looked down at the baby, and Troy realized something. This was a chance for a new life, a new start for Troy Thunder. As he felt Bella move closer, his hand squeezed her rump.

“I promise that you won’t regret it, my king,” she added in a soft tone. It made him think of angels singing at that point when he looked at two of his beautiful women. Without warning, he saw Inu popping her head through Frey’s window.

“Oooo, does this mean I’m next? Damn, you can scream a lot louder than I thought you could, Frey! I don’t think I was anywhere near as loud as you two. If he’s the king, does that make all of us queens?” Inu enthusiastically asked before she pouted at Bella’s frown. She was still a bit of a brat, but her heart was full of love and excitement. Troy found himself laughing at how incorrigible she was.

Misery appeared next, her arms crossed under her massive titties, and with a frown on her face.

“Hush you. Bella is the only queen, and that’s that.”

‘I don't know, but everything I’ve been hearing ssoundss pretty interessting.” Sola said as she appeared from the shadows. Frey jumped a bit, surprised by her sudden appearance.

Troy shook his head, fighting off the urge to laugh. “I don’t know If I’m much of a king. I’m just a guy – I’m just Troy.” He smirked while he watched the girls, his heart fluttering for them. A part of Troy had wondered if he would ever get off this island and return home, but now, he knew he had more here.

In the end, whatever happened. Troy knew one thing. This was not the end of his adventure – it was only the beginning.

Epilogue

Jack Chandler woke with a start. He gasped and felt his body rolling down a hill and into some mud at the bottom before he blacked out again.

Five days… five long days of pain as Chandler dragged himself through the jungle. Trying to get as far away from the sight of his failure, he kept going. He cursed with each step, feeling himself overwhelmed with pain, the worst of it all in his mouth. That bastard Troy Thunder had broken every tooth. Chandler still spat out blood as his teeth cut his gums and tongue.

Still he persevered, walking through the jungle, enduring the pain, and hardening his anger. Each step refined his rage. If anything, the only reason Chandler was alive was because of pure, undying hatred.

He groaned as he limped on. Those traitors had done a number on him. They had left him there to die, suffering in pain until the end. He vowed revenge. He would return, and when he did, he would make all of them suffer, especially Troy. He would burn Troy’s life and loved ones to the ground and dance on their ashes himself.

He collapsed to the ground, pain shooting through him, as exhaustion overwhelmed him. The only thing keeping him going was the rage he felt, but he had to rest before continuing. He imagined all he would do, as he tried not gritting his teeth. That was when he touched a dark tree, and said, “I’ll sell my soul to make Troy Thunder pay.”

It was then he saw them. Stepping out of the darkness were men wearing silver armor and holding swords and muskets as they surrounded him. They stared at him with cold, dead eyes as one approached him. He was the largest man out of all of them, with olive-toned skin and with a wild beard. His eyes were black and dull, with a look of madness. He smiled.

“Hello there.” He spoke with a heavy accent and a strange rhythm.

Behind the men billowed a dark fog Chandler hadn’t noticed before. He pushed himself back up to his feet. A sense of dread ran over him when he raised his head and met the man’s eyes.

Jack felt a painfully broken smile spread across his face, as he suddenly realized this wouldn’t be the end of Jack Chandler. In fact, he imagined he would be coming back, and when he did, he would have his revenge.

The End

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