Asher's Futa Chronicles

And now we come to this week's guest stars: Alistair and Brooke. You'll be seeing more of them...pun intended.

Enjoy!

***

Chapter 19

ALISTAIR

"Brooke, slow down already!" I huffed, trying to catch my breath. "The Roadhouse will still be there when we get there."

"You don't know that, Al," my wife replied with her usual tone. You know, the one reserved for small children. "The last time, this place shut down for 1,000 years. I'm not about to miss it this time!"

She'd been like this ever since we heard about The Roadhouse's reopening. Well, that's not entirely true. We heard about the Wright's Temple reopening first, then we heard The Roadhouse had opened as well. Brooke didn't get impatient until she heard that The Roadhouse had already been open for over a year.

"You said you had no interest in it the last time," I grunted and shifted my overloaded pack. The straps had been digging into my shoulders since we started this trip. I didn't remember the straps hurting so much, but then again, it had been a good 40 years since I'd last used it.

"That's because I didn't know it was going to shut down!" Brooke said, glancing over her shoulder at me with her cat-slitted eyes. Once she saw my face, she stopped and sighed. "Sit down before you fall down," she grumbled.

"Gratefully," I huffed and let my pack fall to the ground before collapsing beside it in the shade of a tree.

Brooke had been setting our pace since we'd left home two weeks before. While she was only a hand shorter than I was, the smaller stride was quick, and her pace wore me out the first day. But I wasn't going to be the reason she missed out on this.

She came over and squatted next to me under the tree. The gentle musk of her sun-kissed fur immediately took my mind off my weariness.

"I warned you to keep in shape," she scolded me playfully.

"Round is a shape!" I countered and took another drink from my flask. But she was right, I was dreadfully out of shape. I wasn't ghastly obese or anything. I could still touch my toes when I needed to and could fit into most chairs comfortably.

Back in our adventuring days, I was lean and spry because we were always on the move. But that had been before we retired to our farm in the country and began enjoying "the good life." A century of that life had gone straight to my waist. I blame the fact that I learned to bake my own bread. Carbs are killers!

My wife grinned at me kindly before flopping down beside me in a small cloud of dust. She stretched out her legs and began grooming her fur.

I watched as she meticulously picked dirt, leaves, and other traveling debris from her sleek tortoiseshell coat. I couldn't help it, watching her do it was always mesmerizing to me...and arousing.

She must have sensed my leer, or she could smell my arousal, and paused in her cleaning to glance at me.

"Really?" She said flatly.

"What?" I said defensively.

"I'm filthy," Brooke said in disgust.

"Yes, you are," I growled.

My wife rolled her odd-eyes at me and went back to cleaning herself. Brooke had one bright aqua-colored eye and one deep amber. It had shown up after her first passing. Before that, they'd both been aqua. I had told her it was my bad influence that had caused it. She'd given me the same eye roll then as now.

"I thought you were tired," she said, not looking at me.

"I'm never THAT tired," I said and caught her glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. There was no way she could miss my state of arousal. "Besides, I'd forgotten how sexy you looked in your adventuring rig."

It was true. Brooke wasn't one of those stick figures who looked one meal shy of starvation. She had meat on her bones and thighs that could crack tree nuts. Not to mention the hips I couldn't help but stare at right now.

"I think you've been hitting that stamina flask a bit too hard," Brooke said. But I noticed she was glancing around, looking for anyone or anything that might be nearby. Maybe she was more in the mood than she was letting on. My nose wasn't as keen as hers, but from the way her tail was twitching, she was at least considering it.

We were in the wilderness, still a few days out from The Roadhouse. It was technically still the middle of nowhere, but you could never be too sure. There were always others like us out there who preferred the company of nature to that of a crowd.

"You know, we could always--" I started, but then she pounced, cutting me off.

"Oh, don't mind me," she was saying as her nimble fingers were delicately unlacing my pants.

"Who me?" I said as she reached into my pants. "I didn't say a word..."

"Nothing?" she said as her fingers took my stiff prick firmly in hand.

I kept my mouth shut and shook my head as a wild grin spread across her face.

She kept stroking me, looking around to see if there was anyone around. Normally, Brooke wasn't so nervous about being amorous outdoors. We lived in the middle of nowhere. But now we were in unfamiliar territory, getting closer to "civilization" every day.

Brooke gasped when the tendrils of the tree began to pull at her clothes.

"I told you to warn me if you were going to use magic," she narrowed her eyes at me, but made no move to stop me.

I continued to direct the plants. Guiding them to slip inside her blouse, opening it to free her chest. Her small mounds poked out from beneath her shirt as the tendrils worked their way down to her pants.

"I'm sorry, would you like me to stop?" I asked, still panting, but no longer because I was out of shape.

In response, she leaned over and ran her rough tongue over the head of my cock.

I gasped at the rough treatment of so delicate an area, but didn't stop her either.

"I didn't say that," she purred up at me, letting her drool coat my throbbing member.

"Well then," I said and began tugging her pants off via my nature helpers.

Brooke grunted with each tug until she was only wearing her blouse. The rest lay in a neat, folded pile beside us.

"Oh!" she said when she saw her clothes. "Folding them was a nice touch," she said and froze as the small soft shoots that had been undressing her only a moment before began to pat on her sex softly.

"You know I don't like it when you--" she started, but ended in a gasp as the tendrils began a pounding rhythm against her most sensitive areas that she couldn't ignore. Her body began to shudder as, despite her words, she began enjoying the attention.

But I knew my wife; she couldn't let me get the upper hand. I was about to say some smart-ass comment when she spun atop me and planted herself firmly on my cock.

I grunted with the continued rough treatment as she ignored me and began to work her hips up and down.

A low growl formed in her chest even as I could feel her body thrumming around me.

My enjoyment was short-lived, though, as her thick tail smacked me in the face. While the short fur of her tail was soft, the muscular power it had was enough to snap my head to the side.

"Hey, watch it!" I yelped and dodged as she took another swipe at me.

"What?" Brooke asked, her voice a sultry purr, but her hips were still pounding my midsection. "Don't like my tail in your face?"

"I like it plenty," I countered and gasped as her velvety insides squeezed me again. "I just don't want another black eye!"

"Aww," she began, still not slowing down on her rough fucking of me. Despite her cool demeanor, I could tell she was already building towards her own orgasm. "Maybe you shouldn't ignore what I want then--ULP!"

I'd caught her off guard. It was a wonder I'd managed to pull her muscular hips off my cock and up to my face. I dove into her steaming pussy, wasting no time in attacking the spot I knew she loved most.

"Hey!" She cried out in protest. "No fair!"

But I didn't stop until I heard her start to gasp as her thighs began to tremble.

"Fine!" she growled.

Suddenly, my cock was enveloped by her mouth as she flipped around with a feline's grace. Her sharp teeth scraped against the sides of my cock, causing me to pause.

I fought through the sensation and redoubled my efforts on her just as my own cum began to splatter the insides of her mouth. I moaned into her pussy and was rewarded with a long shuddering moan of her own as her orgasm flushed her body.

We clung to one another as we both worked through the erotic sensations we'd given one another.

I collapsed a few moments later, her body lying atop mine as this time we were both gasping for breath.

A loud rumble reverberated through my chest as her purring kicked into high gear. She turned herself around to lie beside me, facing me.

"I think I need my flask again," I said, looking down into her gorgeous eyes.

"Addict," she muttered and kissed me gently. "Now, all rested up? Ready to go?" she asked as she sat up and began pulling on her pants.

"Are you kidding me?" I chuckled. But I knew if I didn't get back up on my feet and get going, I'd never hear the end of it.

"You're so lucky we're bonded," Brooke said before patting my cheek roughly. "And cute."

***Ω***

BROOKE

I love my husband. I have since the moment I laid eyes on him...what, six lifetimes ago? Yeah, I think that's right. I'm not sure. Once you pass your fifth life, you tend to lose track.

Granted, back then, I was still just a young kitten on my first life, and he was just a local, horny druid with the "fetish." I mean, it was a bit stereotypical that he was into cat Fierces. But, to be fair, I was a really hot piece of ass back then. Still am, even if I'm past my prime this time around.

The fact that he uprooted himself for this little adventure of mine proves he's still got it for me too, in a bad way. He was really enjoying himself on our homestead, and honestly, so was I. It was nice to be away from all the prying eyes, the gossiping lips, the annoying laws. Being so far from civilization allowed us both to get back to our most basic natures.

But then we heard the rumble from the temple. Alistair put the word out for me, cause I was the one who just had to know what it was. Al was sure it had just been an earthshake. He said he'd been through one of those before, but I hadn't.

When the "grapevine" came back saying not only that the Wright's Temple had reopened, but that The Roadhouse was back as well, I got excited.

And yeah, "grapevine" is what Al calls his nature network. It's cute.

I'd been born too far away to visit the fabled Roadhouse back in the day, but I wasn't about to miss out this time. I doubt I had enough lifetimes left to wait if it closed again. Normally, my type of Fierce only got nine, and I was already on number six...no, seven!

Lucky for me, druids had indefinite lifespans. I couldn't imagine falling in love with someone who only lived forty short years or so. I mean, what's the point? By the time you're just starting to get to know one another, one of you up and dies? Rediculous!

Anywho, after our little break, Al and I were back on our way. And yeah, I like to play like taking THOSE types of breaks are annoying, but they're not. I mean, the man is amazing...in more ways than one.

Yeah, he's put on some weight since our retirement, but it doesn't bother me. He's still him, and he can still do all the things I love him to do. Now, if being a bit portly got in the way of us "taking a break," then I'd have to act.

But I have a feeling this little sightseeing trip of mine is going to help get him motivated again. Who knows, maybe we'd even stumble into a bit of adventure as well. I couldn't remember the last time we'd had to use our adventurer status. It might be fun!

"Yeah, they definitely saw us," Al said a few days later.

We'd guessed we were only a couple of hours away from The Roadhouse when we saw a large group of riders in the distance. Well, to be honest, I heard them first. Hey! Give credit where it's due!

"Can you see who they are?" I asked. The group was still a dust cloud on the horizon, but that cloud had turned our way.

Al stared out into the distance with blank eyes. He was borrowing the eyes of a bird or some such and using them to spy on the approaching group.

"Two dozen mounted men. Heavily armored," Alistair said. "Can't make out the charges, but they're uniform."

"Hmmm," I frowned. "Someone's military, then, best not to ignore them. You said they're heading our way?"

"Yes," Al said. "Seems they changed direction a few minutes ago."

"I wonder how they saw us," I said. We were traveling in plain sight, in broad daylight. But we were still far enough away to be easily missed by the naked eye. Plus, our soft step didn't disturb the land.

"It's pretty open country," Al said.

"Yeah, but we aren't kicking up a cloud of dust now, are we?" I said.

Alistair blinked several times as he separated himself from the bird and returned to himself.

"Well, it's still a free travel country," Al said. "We shouldn't have any problems."

"Last we heard, it was still a free travel country," I offered. "We've been out of touch for years now."

"Quit being so pessimistic," Al chided.

"Easy for you to say, Mr. Human," I needled him. "I'm a Fierce. Things aren't always so cut and dry with us."

"You worry too much," Al said. "Plus, I'm a druid, not a human."

I frowned at him and waved my hand at his mostly human body.

"Shut up," he said, shaking his head at me.

I'd won. I always won. That was why we'd been together so long.

We continued on our way and were intercepted by the riders half an hour later.

The group reigned in as they came upon us, forming a loose semi-circle in front of us. They hadn't drawn weapons, but they were keeping enough distance that they'd have time to.

"You didn't say they were riding war mounts," I hissed at Al.

Alistair shrugged at me.

War mounts meant they were looking for trouble. If you were just taking a ride in the country, you took a travel beast. If you knew you were going into a fight, you took a war mount.

In addition, each mount wore heavy armor. It took a special breed to wear heavy armor over even short distances. So, when I recognized the charges on their shields, I was surprised by how far they'd come. They bore the markings of the capital.

"The Roadhouse, do you know it?" One of the armored men asked. Each of them had their visors in place, blocking their visages from view.

"Yes," Alistair replied. "We're heading there ourselves."

"How far?" the man said gruffly.

"By our guess, an hour or so, that way," Al said. "But I must admit, this is our first time traveling this way."

The man glanced in the direction Al pointed and started to wheel his horse that way.

"Highness," the man beside him interrupted. "Perhaps we should walk the horses so they are fresh upon our arrival?"

Royalty, great. That explains the rudeness.

"Perhaps you're right," the man said and then ordered everyone to dismount.

I could hear the relief in the mounts as the metal-clad men dismounted.

As much as I could feel relief for the animals, now we had a royal escort tagging along with us for the final stretch. This was not how I wanted to arrive at what I considered a tourist attraction.

I tried to hang back, to keep Al and me from falling in with the men. But then Al opened his big mouth.

"So, what brings men of the capital so far out into the wilderness?" Alistar asked.

Al was typically a shy man around strangers. It seemed this group made him nervous, though, and he tended to babble when he was nervous.

"We've come to inspect The Roadhouse," one of the other men answered.

This caused Alistar to frown. "Inspect?"

"Yes," the one who'd been addressed as royalty answered. "A new outpost on the frontier has opened in the kingdom. It must be inspected for its usefulness."

Alistair started to ask another stupid question, but I cut him off.

"Naturally," I said. "It makes perfect sense to take stock of your resources." I hoped that would be enough talk. You didn't question royalty about anything. You never knew what would set them off. I'd seen more than one royal murder someone during a tantrum.

But apparently, Alistair's already weak social etiquette skills had atrophied during our retirement, as had his common sense.

"But," Al started, "I heard this was a Daemon outpost."

This caused the soldiers to chuckle.

"Daemons," the royal spat. "No Daemon has been seen in hundreds of years. They no longer exist."

I elbowed Al before he could open his mouth again.

"Any rumors of magic-dealing, red-skinned monstrosities you may have heard to the contrary have been just that, rumors," the royal said.

"Of course," I said and nodded, giving Al the side-eye that I hoped was enough to keep his mouth shut.

Alistair seemed to take in my intent and promptly shut up, finally.

Unfortunately, it was still a long walk, and in my experience, long walks were never silent. Sure enough, one of the other men spoke up.

"Why are you heading to The Roadhouse?" the unknown man asked.

"Us? Oh, we're--" Alistair started, but I cut him off smoothly.

"We're checking in with the adventurer's guild," I said.

"So, you are adventurers then?" the man asked.

"Retired," I offered with a tight smile.

"Retired? Then why are you checking in?" the man asked, puzzled.

"Oh, you know. New guild means new work, you know how it is," I said with what I hoped was a cheerful voice.

"No, he doesn't," the royal interrupted. "You see, he has a real job. He works for his country, helping his fellow countrymen and is well compensated for it. He doesn't have to go tramping about the countryside looking for scraps because he can't hold down a real job."

Alistair, bless the man, squeezed my arm before I could react. My knee-jerk reaction would have been to engage in witty repartee. The problem was that my conversations usually started and ended with a knife's edge in cases like this.

Besides, adventurers were always needed, especially on the frontier. We were a long way from the capital, and it wasn't like they were sending out constant patrols to help the locals. Regardless, helping peasants would have been beneath them.

"Well said," Alistair said in a rare display of decorum.

The fur on the back of my neck bristled, and I ground my teeth, trying to keep my mouth shut as we traveled on.

"I believe that's the turn there," Al said a short time later. He pointed to a wooden sign that, upon closer inspection, did indicate the entrance to The Roadhouse. It was a road that disappeared into a patch of woods with what looked like fresh tree cuts on either side.

"Mount up!" the royal called as each man obeyed. Without another word, the group rode ahead of us at a slow trot.

I waited until they were well out of earshot before speaking.

"What the hell was that all about?" I asked.

"That," Al started, "is the reason I prefer the country to civilization."