RedTails:  Awakenings
A Night Out, A Night In

By

Scarletdown


Chapter I : Back to the HighTail

	The trio padded up the cobblestone walk, passing by various shops, inns,
and taverns as they headed back to the Hightail Inn to relax and sort out the
recent events which brought them together in a union that could not quite be
called a family.  The central figure, short and lithe, was clad in a black
wizard's robe with matching black leather boots.  His cowl was down against his
shoulders; revealing his soft, rounded, boyish face; violet, catlike eyes; and a
silvery-white mane of shoulder-length hair, through which a pair of gracefully
pointed Elven ears protruded.
	Frelic Willowpaw guided his two charges, his newly purchased pets,
through the streets of Mistport, occasionally tugging gently on the leashes that
were attached to the leather collars clasped around their necks, to hurry them
along.  Unlike their Master, Shaasta and Hansen wore nothing save for their
collars; their skyclad bodies, healthy and trim from their previous life of
adventure, were on display for all to see and admire.  Shaasta was in a constant
state of blush as her Master paraded her sweet naked body through the seaside
town.  Like Frelic, she too was an Elf, and the soft features of her face hinted
that her Master was also her twin.  Her unconventional rescue from the Southern
Rose pet shop by her brother had startled and embarrassed her, and amused the
proprietor and his Halfling assistant.  Frelic handed over a full ten platinum
pieces to purchase her, and an additional thirty five gold pieces for the
Furling Squirrel known as Hansen, her adventuring companion.
	Her excitement at being rescued turned to vehement protests, which were
subsequently quelled by the burn of the paddle against her bare bottom, when
Frelic informed her that he was going to keep them.  Her mind was spinning as
she tried to think about this recent turn of events.  Never in her entire life
had Shaasta ever considered that one day, she would become not merely a personal
pet, but a pet sister, legally owned by her dear brother.  The naked reality of
her new place in life was starting to sink in as the cool, salty sea breeze
caressed the lingering fire in her rump, where the Wand of the Masters had
permanently seared her brother's personal mark into her flesh.  Still hot, the
enchanted brand, a feline paw print with a willow tree in its center, glowed
with lines of silver, a sign to all who viewed her soft, round bottom, that her
life now belonged to her Master.
	In addition to the glowing brand, the Elf girl's bottom possessed
another embarrassing feature which served as an additional sign that she had
been sold into a life of servitude.  Pressed against her nether cheeks, the
crimson bloom of a fragrant rose rode like a tail; it was the hallmark of the
Southern Rose pet shop, and Frelic had ordered her to wear it until it was time
to sleep.  The caress of the flower's thornless stem planted deep up her rectal
passage made her very conscious of her femininity and her status as a personal
pet.  At once, the feelings that coursed through her solidified in her mind with
crystal clarity; Shaasta determined that she would serve her Master the way she
was trained during her month at the pet shop.  It mattered not that Frelic was
her brother.  What mattered more was that Frelic was now her Master and Shaasta
was now a pleasure pet, her brother's pleasure pet; she would live to serve and
please her new owner.

	Hansen was also lost in reflection on the events of the past month.  But
unlike his fiery-maned companion, the little Furling Squirrel's, thoughts were
focused on ways he could serve, service, and please his new Master.  He felt no
shame or embarrassment as he padded up the walk, led on a leash by the Elf who
had purchased him.  His thick, gray, bushy tail held proudly high, revealing his
Master's mark on his rump, and the rose planted up his ass, he felt
overwhelmingly content and excited at the thought of living the life of a
pleasure toy.  His excitement was confirmed by the erect shaft that pointed
prominently out in front of him from the furry sheath between his thighs.  He
looked over the girl walking beside him to his right, the girl whom he had
shared many exciting and perilous adventures with, and with whom he had shared
many hot passionate evenings with during their travels.  This sweet creature had
opened his eyes and opened his mind to forms of pleasure he had never considered
before, and he was eternally grateful to Shaasta for simply being.  He gave her
a cheerful smile, coupled with a friendly pat on her soft, smooth bottom; she
returned the gestures, and the Elf's warm and loving smile nearly melted the
Furling's heart as they continued their walk through the streets of Mistport.

	Soon, they reached their destination, a three story, gray, stone
building that took up nearly two thirds of the block.  The entrance was a single
pine wood door in one corner of the building.  Above the door was a large wooden
sign featuring a painting of a Furling Vixen, down on all fours, with her bottom
and tail raised high in the air.  Above the vixen, the name of the establishment
was painted in bold green letters; this was the Hightail Inn.
	"Nice place, you picked, Master Frelic," Hansen chittered, admiring the
architecture and especially the sign.  "And I swear, that Vixen on the sign
looks remarkably like Mistie."
	Frelic had gazed at the Hightail's brazen sign many times since his
arrival in Mistport, yet strangely, the resemblance to that Vixen he had checked
out earlier, with plans to purchase tomorrow at the Southern Rose escaped him
until now.  The artist had captured Mistie perfectly.  The sweet expression on
her face, the strawberry-blonde hair, and those soft graceful curves made it
obvious who had modeled for the Inn's signage.  "Huh, you're right, Hansen," he
agreed.  "That is Mistie.  I'm ashamed that I didn't recognize her when I
inspected her earlier today."
	"Are you going to buy her from Master Varo tomorrow?" Shaasta asked,
"She seemed to really want you."
	Frelic smiled and nodded, "Oh yes, I will sign the papers for her
tomorrow, she will be coming home to WraithHold with us at the end of the week."
 The wizard held the ends of both leashes in one hand, then removed the round
wooden paddle from its hook on his belt.  He opened the door to the inn and
ushered his pets in ahead of him, giving each of them a firm, loving swat on
their bare bottoms as they passed through the entrance and into the inn's dining
commons.

	The big dining area was mostly empty at this time of the day, much to
Shaasta's relief and Hansen's disappointment.  A few of the tables were occupied
by inn guests, finishing up a late lunch, or relaxing with mugs of coffee, tea,
or cold mead and listening to the two bards, young adult gold and white Furling
cats, obviously brother and sister, rehearsing for tonight's performance.  The
bards took turns as one strummed a tune on an eight-stringed guitar and the
other practiced some dance movements.
	Flitting about the place was Furling Skunk lass, dressed in a white,
lace-trimmed apron over a silky green tunic which draped over the base of her
thick tail and provided a stunning view of her plush, furry, black and white
assets whenever she bent over.  She was busy arranging the tables and chairs and
wiping them down, dusting the torch sconces in the walls, sweeping the polished
wooden floor, and other typical barmaid tasks.
	Noticing the trio standing in the doorway, she smiled and padded over to
them, her tail and pleasantly wide hips swishing alluringly with her
well-practiced feminine stride.  She gave Frelic's hand a welcoming squeeze and
smiled cheerfully at him, her jade green eyes sparkling with innate
friendliness.  "Master Willowpaw!  I didn't expect to see you back so soon.  You
were only away for a couple of hours."  Her gaze then turned to the two lovely,
skyclad creatures Frelic had in tow, "Oh, I see your hunt must have been a
success.  I presume these were the two missing kits you have been searching
for?"
	"Yes indeed, Makae," Frelic replied, returning the cheerful smile and
greeting the Skunkette with a kiss on the cheek.  "I found them on display at
the Southern Rose pet shop."  He motioned his two pets to step forward, "The Elf
is my sister, Shaasta, and the Squirrel is Hansen, Shaasta's adventuring matey."
	The Mephit grinned warmly at the naked, collared, and leashed pair, and
gave them both a friendly hug, "Welcome to the Hightail Inn," she said, "I'm
Makae, one of the chamber and barmaids here.  Please, come have a seat, and I
will fetch drinks for the three of you."  She led them to a corner table close
to where the Feline bards were rehearsing.  Frelic unclasped the leashes from
his pets' collars, then stripped himself down to his short, black tunic and
matching black knee-high leather boots.  He folded the robe neatly and placed
it, along with his equipment belt, beneath a chair, then Makae motioned for them
to sit, and she took their drink orders.

	"Coffee with vanilla cream and a dash of cinnamon, I presume, Frelic?" 
she asked.
	"As always, dear," Frelic confirmed.
	"And you two?"
	"Coffee sounds good," Shaasta agreed, "with hazelnut and a drop of
honey, please."
	"And a tankard of honey mead for me," Hansen requested.  "And can we get
something to eat?  I'm ravenous."
	"Certainly, sweet cheeks," the Skunkette giggled, "I'll see what we have
ready." She spun around gracefully, and sauntered off to the kitchen, her lovely
furry bottom jiggling with each step.

	Hansen's gaze was locked on Makae's backside until she disappeared
through the double doors that led into the depths of the Hightail Inn.  He then
put a paw to his chest and grinned at his Master and stated the obvious, "By the
Mink, she's one hot little honey."
	Frelic smiled back at his Furling pet and nodded, "That she is, dear. 
That she is, indeed.  Makae is a real sweetheart; she is, always cheerful and
bouncy, always with a kind word to say, and always ready and willing to lend a
paw."
	"So, have you boinked her yet?"
	Frelic sighed and exchanged an exasperated look with Shaasta, then gave
a soft laugh, "Hansen, you are incorrigible," he declared, "Is that all you ever
think about?"
	"Oh, not at all, Master," he swore, "I do think about other
matters...from time to time, but pretty lasses with lovely asses do fill about
eighty five percent of my thoughts.  So, have you boinked her yet, Master?"
	Frelic sighed again and shook his head, "No, I have not," he replied, "I
only met her just yesterday when I checked in here."
	"Well, I'm sure your chance will come before we head home," Hansen
assured him, "It would be a shame for my Master to leave here without getting to
bed down with a babe like that first."
	"Thank-you for your concern, Hansen," Frelic said, hoping the touch of
sarcasm was detectable in his voice.
	"No problem," It was evident that the Furling completely missed the
sarcastic tone after all, "I only want to make certain my Master is happy.  So,
have you at least spanked Makae?"
	Shaasta was trying hard not to laugh out loud at the persistent intimate
questioning her dear friend was subjecting her brother to.
	"No, I have not spanked her," Frelic again replied, making a mental note
to take the impetuous Furling over his knee for a lengthy lesson in manners. 
"However, I have been able to give her bottom the occasional friendly swat," he
admitted.
	Hansen nodded, "Well, that's something at least.  A sweet, furry bottom
like hers is just made for spanking, you know."
	"As is a sweet furry bottom like yours," Frelic warned, placing the
paddle he had recently purchased on the table; the look he gave the Squirrel
served as a sufficient warning that this time around, the paddling would not be
for pleasure, at least not for the pet's pleasure.
	Hansen got the message this time, and let the subject drop, then watched
the two feline bards; dressed in thin, buckskin tunics, practicing on the stage,
their movements graceful and precise, and the music hypnotic and relaxing.
	"By the Mink," he softly swore, "those are a couple hot honeys.  Have
you boinked them yet, Master?"

	Fortunately, Makae returned just in time, and the Squirrel's attention
was diverted from the performers to the tray the Mephit set down on the table. 
She distributed the tankards with their drinks along with a set of ceramic
plates, and steel knives, and forks.  A platter with a loaf of fresh potato
bread accompanied by a stick of butter, and a pair of large bowls; one half
filled with steaming, shredded, fried potatoes, and the other filled with a
variety of fresh fruit, were placed at the center of the table.
	"I hope this can satisfy you for now," she said, "I had our cook,
Brindon, go ahead and heat up what was left over from this morning's breakfast;
the fruit is from our orchard just outside of town, picked just this morning." 
She noticed the paddle sitting on the table, and felt the insides of her ears
redden, and her cheeks heat up.  Suppressing her embarrassment at the thoughts
the simple bit of wood caused her to think, she smoothed down the front of her
apron, and sat herself down in the one unoccupied chair at Frelic's table.
	As the group dug into the food and sipped their drinks, the barmaid
started questioning them about their adventures, "So, you found them at one of
the pet shops, you said earlier?"
	Frelic swallowed the mouthful of perfectly seasoned potatoes, chased it
down with a sip of his sweet hot coffee, and nodded, "I was heading to the
Thundercloud Tavern, a favorite watering hole among slavers, to follow up on a
tip I received last night," he explained, "My route took me past the Southern
Rose.  And there in the window, displaying her assets, was Shaasta.  Needless to
say, I did not need to continue on to the Thundercloud."
	"What a fortunate turn of luck," Makae commented, "for both you and
them.  Master Varo and his Halfling are the best fate in this town that could
befall anyone taken by slavers.  My boss here always sends us to Varo for weekly
cleansings, since our work uniforms are a Southern Exposure fashion, and
naturally render our bottoms fully exposed.  Me and Mistie, when she worked
here, always looked forward to seeing Varo and Lilieblume; we didn't look
forward to the cleanings, but we always enjoyed spending an early evening with
them, such fun people to socialize and hang out with.  So how did you get Hansen
and your sister out of there?  Did you sneak in and spirit them away when nobody
was looking?"

	Frelic chuckled and shook his head, "No, I'm afraid the rescue was
nowhere near as exciting like what you would read in a typical adventure tale or
see in a play."
	"Well, it was exciting," Shaasta added, but not in the traditional
swashbuckling, storm the fortress walls sense."  She quietly squirmed in her
seat, and her perky bare nipples hardened as she replayed in her mind the entire
hot and steamy episode, then she buttered a slice of bread and nibbled on it,
following it up with a sip of her coffee.
	"Right," Frelic confirmed, then continued the condensed version of their
tale, "So anyway, I just strolled right on in, posing as a customer.  Varo,
Lilieblume, and myself put my sister and Hansen through the whole inspection
procedure, short of actually fucking them..."
	"Which was most unfortunate," Hansen pouted, then shut up and took a big
bite out of an apple from the fruit bowl, allowing Frelic to continue.
	Makae coyly fluttered her eyelashes and giggled, "Oh, I bet that felt
really naughty," she sighed wistfully, "I mean, probing and intimately examining
your own lovely sister to determine if she is suitable to be a pleasure pet."
	Both Shaasta and Frelic blushed at the memories of what went on between
them there at the pet shop, as well as at thoughts of what may yet occur between
them in the imminently near future.  Frelic took another long pull of his coffee
and pressed on with his mini epic, "So after they were paddled, petted, and even
fisted up the ass, I actually purchased them from Master Varo, complete with
bills of sale and certificates of ownership."
	Hansen took a swig of his mead, then finished the story, "And here's the
twist.  After the papers were signed, he stashed them in a pouch and announced
that he intended to keep us."
	The Mephit's eyes were wide with shock and disbelief at the Squirrel's
revelation, "No way.  You really are keeping them as your pets?"
	Frelic smiled sheepishly and nodded, "Considering how much I paid for
them, thirty five gold pieces for Hansen, and ten platinum pieces for Shaasta,
there was no way I was going to risk them getting into slaver trouble ever
again."
	"I think he did well," Hansen said, after swallowing another bite of
apple, "For one thousand and thirty five gold pieces, Master here is now the
proud owner of a feisty pet Squirrel and a hot and sexy pet sister."
	Shaasta and averted her eyes briefly, then shyly added, "I protested at
first.  But as I thought it over, I decided that I may enjoy being owned by
Frelic, and serving him as Master Varo and Lilieblume trained me."
	"Wow!" Makae exclaimed, "that is one intense and hot tale.  Are you
going to..."
	She was interrupted by a deep but soft, commanding voice right behind
her, "Makae!  Are you wearing blinders, girl?"

	She quickly stood up and faced the large man who towered above them, a
massive and muscular dark-haired fellow.  Performing a quick curtsy, Makae
smiled and made hurried introductions, "Oh, hello, Mister Kez.  We have two new
guests here, Shaasta and Hansen," she gestured towards the Elf girl and
Squirrel, "They are a part of Master Willowpaw's party, she added."
	Mister Kez noted the training paddle on the table, and casually put his
hand on the handle, then nodded to the two new arrivals, "It will be a pleasure
to meet you shortly."  He turned his gaze back to his barmaid and resumed
scolding her, "Now, Makae, you know I don't mind you hobnobbing and making idle
chatter with our guests here, but you seem to have forgotten that we do indeed
have other guests down here as well, and it isn't fair for the barmaid to
neglect them as she gives all her attention exclusively to one little group."
	The Mephit girl looked suitably chastened, ears flattened out slightly
as she bowed her head and apologized.  She picked up her tray and gave the trio
at the table another smile, "I'll talk with you some more this evening," she
promised, then turned and resumed her duties, zeroing in on the bard couple
first, as it looked like they were about to take a short break from their
rehearsal.  The moment her back was turned, and before she could take more than
two steps, her employer took a firm grip on the paddle, and with one smooth
movement, landed the round wooden blade hard across Makae's plush bottom,
causing her to yelp out in pain and surprise.  Though only a single swat, the
impact was hard enough for the muffled SMACK to echo across the room, and also
hard enough to already show the beginnings of a blush under the white treasure
trail fur, a reddish-pink circle that partially covered both cheeks, bisected by
the deep valley they formed beneath her tail.
	As the girl retreated across the room to attend to the other guests,
Mister Kez set the paddle back down on the table, turned to Frelic and his
little entourage and chuckled, "That Makae, she's quite the little treasure;
brightens up our humble little establishment with her perpetually cheerful and
bubbly attitude, she does."
	"You won't get any argument from me there, Ashton," Frelic replied,
nodding his agreement, "Makae has been a bundle of energy since we first
arrived, a very amazing girl."
	Mister Kez dried sweaty palms on his heavy, black cotton apron and
assumed the seat his barmaid had vacated moments before.  He carried on his
musings about the Mephit girl, "That girl can be a bit flighty and easily
distracted at times; as you witnessed, she occasionally needs a firm, guiding
hand to keep her focused and on task."  He idly tapped a thick, callused finger
on the blade of the paddle laying on the table.  Frelic nodded, understanding,
and smiled as the proprietor continued.
	"She has been with us ever since the Hightail first opened its doors
five years ago.  It's difficult to imagine that she was a mere tender tail of
ten summers when she started.  She is like an adopted daughter to myself and my
mate, and every time we look at her, we are truly amazed at what a fine and
lovely young Furling lady she has blossomed into."
	"Again, you get no argument from me, Ashton," Frelic agreed once more,
"May she remain forever healthy and beautiful in your service."  He raised his
tankard in an impromptu toast to Makae, and finished the last swallow of his
coffee.
	"Now, then, who are these two newcomers sitting here with you, Frelic?"
he asked, giving Shaasta and Hansen a curious look over, "And why do they sit
naked in my dining commons at this time of the day?"

	"These are my pets," Frelic explained, "Shaasta and Hansen."  The two
smiled demurely and gave a polite wave, then Hansen set the remains of the apple
he just finished down on his plate, and went to work on a sweet, juicy peach
from the fruit bowl, while the master of the inn eyed them.
	"Your pets, hmm?"  The large man idly stroked the short, dark beard that
decorated his chin, "I don't remember seeing these two lovely creatures with you
when you first checked in."
	"I purchased them only an hour or so ago," Frelic replied.
	Hansen swallowed and licked the peach juice off his muzzle, "Yes, Mister
Kez," he nodded, "Master Frelic bought us from the Southern Rose.  I believe you
are familiar with that place?"
	"Aye, I know the place.  That's Varo's establishment.  I know him from
way back, before either of us became business people.  Good people, that Wolf
is; as is Lilieblume, his little Halfling pet and aide."
	"I am prepared to cover whatever extra expenses are incurred by these
two," Frelic assured him.
	"Well, I should have you know, pets stay free here," Ashton informed
them, "at least there are no additional occupancy charges for their use of your
suite.  And any costs for meals other than leftovers, as well as other supplies
used will be added to your bill, sir."
	Frelic nodded, "I would not have it any other way."
	"But," he continued, "before I put them on the registry here, I have to
confirm that they are indeed pets.  Do you have their papers?"
	Frelic reached down into the pouch that was on the belt on the floor
underneath his chair, and withdrew the signed certificates of ownership.  Ashton
took the documents and gave them a quick perusal, then handed them back to
Frelic, who neatly folded them and returned them to the pouch.
	"Very well, Frelic," Ashton said, "Everything seems to be in order. 
"Now, I must remind you, I maintain a clean house here.  Have your pets been
properly..."
	"Yes," Frelic interrupted, "They have recently had a proper cleansing."
	"Master Varo filled our bottoms with gehennite just this morning,"
Shaasta assured him.
	"And right before we left the shop, Master Frelic and Miss Lilieblume
poured a full pint of the Potion of Dragon Metabolism up our butts," the
Squirrel added, placing the peach pit on the plate beside the apple core, and
buttering up a thick slice of the potato bread, "So we are good for a few days."
	"Excellent," Ashton replied.  "Now for one more detail.  Have they been
properly marked?"
	"Branded about an hour ago," Frelic said, "Stand up and show them, my
pets."

	Hansen swallowed the big bite he took then set the other half of the
thickly buttered slice of bread down on his plate.  He and Shaasta arose from
their seats and faced the table, grasping the edge and bending over a little to
present their behinds.  The marks had completely faded by now, of course, so
with his heavy callused hand, the Hightail Inn's proprietor planted two hard
swats on their bottoms; the smack of his hand on their flesh echoed loudly
through the room, and mixed with the surprised yelps from both Shaasta and
Hansen, causing the other guests, including the bards, plus Makae to look up
from whatever they were previously occupied with, and watch the little pet show.
 The swats they received were sufficient to generate the warmth and glow
required to make the paw print marks, inlaid with a willow tree, once again
appear on the Elf's and Squirrel's rumps.  He traced his thick fingers over the
wispy, glimmering, silver lines, admiring the fine but simplistic artistry of
the design, then motioned for the two pets to sit down again.  They both winced
as their bare asses pressed against the wooden seats.  Shaasta immediately
thought of Mistie and her story of why she sold herself to Varo; she remembered
the vixen mentioning that her employer had thoroughly paddled her before her
dismissal, and she rubbed her bottom in sympathy.  Just that simple two swat
spanking from Mister Kez was painful enough.  She could barely fathom what a
full fledged paddling from the big man must be like.
	Satisfied that these two were indeed certified pets and not just
freeloaders posing as pets, Mister Kez gave a wide toothy smile and spread his
arms, "Welcome to the Hightail Inn, Shaasta and Hansen," he finally officially
greeted them.  "I am Ashton Kez, proprietor of this humble establishment.  And
if your Master approves, you may address me simply as Ashton."
	Frelic nodded his approval, and Ashton continued his welcoming speech,
"I hope you find the accommodations here comfortable.  And if you need anything;
myself, Makae, and my mate, who should be back this evening with our cubs, will
be glad to assist."
	"Thank-you for your hospitality, Ashton," Shaasta and Hansen responded
in tandem.
	"Yes," Frelic added, "Thank-you for your hospitality.  And if my pets
can be of any assistance around here when I am not using them, just give the
word.  And your mate?  I had no idea you were married."

	"That's right," Ashton realized, "Sharani was in need of a bit of a
getaway, so just a few days before your arrival, we pulled the cubs out of
school and I sent them, with their mother on a bit of a holiday up north to
Coralport where they could visit with my folks for a few days."
	"I'm looking forward to meeting them," Frelic said.
	"Oh trust me, you will like them.  Sharani is one of the finest and most
interesting ladies you could ever encounter."  Ashton was grinning like a
schoolboy as he thought about his dear mate, "And the kids, Delaney and Alfred,
they are just the most adorable young pups."  He pushed his chair back and stood
up, "But I have work to get back to.  As I said before, if you need anything,
don't hesitate to seek out Makae or myself."  He  put a friendly squeeze on
Shaasta and Hansen's shoulders, and gave Frelic a polite bow, then dismissed
himself and strode off to the kitchen area to see how the evening meal
preparations were coming along, leaving the trio to finish their meal in peace.
	A minute or two after Ashton departed, Makae came back over to their
table, as part of her normal rounds.  She gave them fresh tankards of their
preferred drinks, and cleared away the debris and dirty dishes.

	"I forgot to mention earlier, your two mateys, Karma and Thissle, left
shortly after you did this morning," she informed him, "They said they wanted to
do a bit of sight seeing and shopping.  They should be back any time now."
	"Thanks for the intel," Frelic replied, "I do hope Thissle completed
that magickal writing assignment I prescribed for her this morning, before they
went out."
	Makae shrugged her dainty shoulders, "I wouldn't know about that, I'm
afraid.  Now, Is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked, as she wiped
some spilled drops of mead off the table.
	"A lap dance, perhaps?" Frelic suggested, grinning mischievously, and
only half seriously.
	The Skunkette giggled and turned around, teasingly shaking and swishing
her springy, pretty butt for them, then she faced them again, a noticeable blush
beneath the soft white fluff of her cheeks, "Perhaps this evening when I am off
duty," she suggested, giving him a sly wink.  She ran a finger along Frelic's
smooth face, "I'm a bit too busy right now, and hafta be getting back to work. 
But first..."
	The Mephit turned her back to Frelic, and with tail held high, thrust
out her soft, licorice and whipped cream colored bottom.  Frelic accepted the
unspoken invitation, of course, and landed a pair of firm, open handed swats on
the delicious-looking target, one on each cheek; then she padded off to the
kitchen to go wash the afternoon dishes.
	"And here you were accusing me of having a one track mind," Hansen
smirked, both he and Shaasta looking quite amazed and amused at their Master's
sudden brazenness.
	Frelic just shrugged and returned the smirk, "She made the invitation; I
accepted it."  He was about to say more, when the door in the corner opened and
a pair of lovely ladies sauntered into the inn, both of them carrying rather
loaded packs.

	"About bloody time," Frelic said.  The wizard and his pets stood and
hurried over to help the girls.  The two ladies looked a little weary from their
shopping expedition.
	The taller of the two, a lovely, coppery-red haired  and sparkly
copper-irised eyed young lady named Thissle, was currently in her Human form,
looking to be in her final teen years.  She stood about five and a half feet
tall, towering six inches over Frelic, whom she also usually addressed as
Master, due to her status as his apprentice instead of as a pet, though there
often seemed little difference between the two.  She sported a very short, plain
white tunic, which just barely achieved modesty in front and did not quite fully
cover the lowermost curves of her soft, but muscular behind in back.  The tunic
was cinched around the waist with a leather belt, from which hung various
pouches, and effectively skirted the white shift; this was the standard uniform
for an apprentice, whether to a wizard, acolyte, ranger, rogue, or whatever,
designed to allow the teacher quick and easy access to the student's bottom for
disciplining as needed.  And her feet were shod with light brown moccasin boots
that ran all the way up to the lower quarter of her smooth, muscular, sun tanned
thighs.

	The other girl, a Furling Rabbit named Karma, stood just a little
shorter than Frelic and Shaasta, unless you counted her long ears, which then
made her height the same as Thissle's.  Her large, liquid-blue eyes sparkled in
the light, and her sweet lapine face was framed by a thick mane of sunny blonde
hair, which dropped in wavy curls down to just below her shoulders.
	All Karma wore was a sleeveless shiny red leotard, that fully showed off
her buxom curves.  Tight, short, and formfitting, it was truly more like
lingerie than normal everyday clothing, high cut in the rear to fully show off
her wide hips and a good portion of her fur-clad bottom, and low cut at the
neckline to reveal ample cleavage with a ruff of light blue chest fur.
	Like many Furlings, Karma's fur was two toned, mostly a golden brown,
with a blue-white treasure trail that started at the lower half of her fluffy
cheeks and muzzle, and ran down her neck and chest, vanishing beneath the tight
leotard, and reappearing between her muscular jumper's thighs.  Some of the blue
fur was also visible on her soft ass, due to the immodest cut of her outfit, and
more blue-white fur covered the underside of her teardrop-shaped tail which
protruded through a hole cut and hemmed in the rear of the leotard.
	The two girls set their heavy burdens down on the floor and squealed
happily as they noticed Frelic approaching, with both Shaasta and Hansen in tow.
	Thissle and Karma took turns smothering the two with long, deep
embraces, with the traditional exchange of fondling squeezes on each others'
bottoms, and a series of tender kisses on cheeks and mouths, and then more hugs.
  "Where have you two been?" Karma scolded them, "We've been worried sick about
you for the past month, ever since we received word of your capture."
	Before either Shaasta or Hansen could answer, Thissle jumped in with
more scolding questions, "And what's with those pretty collars?" she asked, "And
more importantly, where are your clothes?"
	"Our clothes as well as everything else we had at the time were
confiscated by the slavers that took us," Hansen replied, then added, "Duh!"
	"As for where we've been this past month," Shaasta said, "sitting in a
pet shop, waiting to be sold is where we've been."
	"Ooh," they both gasped, "that sounds exciting."
	"In more ways than one, I can assure you," Hansen added, giving them a
sly wink and a smirk.
	"And the collars?" Thissle asked again.
	"That's a bit of a long story," Shaasta warned them.
	"Let's retire for a bit to our suite, and I will tell you all about it,"
Frelic suggested.  He picked up one of the shopping packs; Thissle took the
other, and Hansen gathered up his Master's robe, belt, and paddle, then they all
headed upstairs to retreat to a more private setting.


Chapter II : Show and Tell

	The wizard ushered his little entourage into a modest but comfortably
appointed third floor corner room, and closed the door behind him.  The
heavily-laden shopping packs, along with the paddle and belt, were deposited on
top of the wooden, circular meeting table in the center of the room, and
Frelic's wizard robe was hung on the cloak and hat rack near the door leading
back out to the hallway.  Hansen's eyes quickly scanned the area; his tail
twitched incessantly as if it was a separate being that had attached itself to
the Furling Squirrel's backside.
	In addition to the cloak rack and the meeting table with its
accompanying half dozen straight-back padded chairs, this outer lounge also
featured a pair of writing and drawing desks; several bookcases were
well-stocked with various books and tomes.  From where he stood, Hansen was
unable to make out any of the titles, but he assumed that they were all merely
the typical fare commonly provided to guests at establishments such as this inn.
 At the far end of the room, a fireplace was built up and out from the wall, its
stone hearth surrounded by a thick soft couch and four equally soft tall-backed
chairs.
	On one side of the fireplace, a weapons rack sat against the wall,
hosting a six foot long, modestly decored fighting staff made of polished
cypress wood; a short bow; and two swords, one a straight-bladed long sword, and
the other a short cutlass.  A full quiver of arrows hung from each end of the
rack.  On the other side of the fireplace, a double door took up a generous
portion of the wall.  Hansen guessed that those doors opened up onto the wide
balcony he had noticed overlooking the streets the Hightail graced.  In the far
corner, opposite the balcony exit, single doors were set in the south and east
walls; he guessed that these most likely led to the bed and bathing chambers.

	"Not a bad burrow you managed to score, Master," the Furling said,
nodding his approval.
	Thissle cocked her head to one side and her copper eyes blinked a couple
flashes.  Hansen's deferential behavior since she and Karma had returned had not
escaped her notice, "Excuse me, furball, what did you say?"
	"I said, not a bad burrow you managed to score," he repeated.
	"After that," she corrected herself, "I think my hearing may be  playing
games with me.  What did you call Frelic?"
	"Master."
	"M-hmm.  That's what I thought.  Both you and Shaasta have been carrying
yourselves like brand spanking new apprentices.  That is so unlike you."
	"Yeah," Karma interjected, "This is so out of character for either of
you.  What happened during your captivity?"
	"Well,"  Hansen was beaming excitedly and his eyes twinkled, "a month in
a pet shop gives one plenty of quiet time to ponder life and other matters."

	Shaasta was standing demurely with her hands clasped behind her back; a
soft blush warmed the Elf girl's cheeks, and a coy smile touched her lips, "It
is a bit of a long story, long and, well..."
	She trailed off and Frelic stepped in to field the question.  He picked
the paddle up off the table and led the group over to the hearth, "Yes, it is
indeed a bit of a story.  Sit down and I will explain."  He sat down on the
couch.  Thissle and Karma sat to either side of him, and his pets took their
Master's lap, facing each other.  Nestled against Frelic's bare thighs, the feel
of those two soft naked bottoms, one warm and smooth, and the other hot and clad
with plush fur, he felt as if he had died and gone to Nirvana.  His hands slid
down their backs and caressed his pets' rumps, squeezing where their brands, his
brand, lay hidden once more.  His violet feline eyes met theirs; their gazes
reflected the pure adoration, submission, and unquestioning devotion pledged
wordlessly to their Master, and the wizard's heart melted while a passion burned
between his legs, not quite projecting from under his short black tunic.  At
this moment, the full reality of this morning's events hit him with the force of
a Storm Giant's fist.  Frelic Willowpaw of WraithHold and Pinevale was the
happiest and most fortunate Elf alive on Niath.

	"Okay, what happened to you three today?" Karma again demanded, "You,
Boss, are acting every bit as strange and flighty as Shaasta and Hansen.  So,
wot the 'ell is the story?"
	Frelic lifted his gaze from his pets and beamed with pride at the two
lovely ladies sitting on either side of him.  His tale started with a brief
prologue, "Karma, you and Thissle have joined me on many adventures.  Correct?" 
Both girls nodded.
	"So as you should both know, all adventures are embarked upon with a
specific goal in mind."
	"Like recovering a valuable artifact, unmasking ancient secrets, or
defeating a great evil that plagues a peaceful village," Karma said.
	Thissle giggled, "Like when Master went Dragon hunting and subdued me at
WraithHold, which gained him a second apprentice."  She gave Frelic her most
innocent smile and combed her fingers through her long, copper-red mane.
	"You, Thissle; are not, nor were you ever evil," Frelic corrected his
student.  "You were merely an annoying little nuisance to the good Halflings of
Pinevale, naught more than mischievous brat who was simply long overdue for the
kiss of a paddle under her tail."
	Thissle blushed and rubbed her butt as she remembered that fateful day,
such a tremendous indignity for one such as herself while Frelic continued the
little lesson in questing.

	"Now then, in addition to meeting an important objective, what else to
we commonly experience during an adventure, particularly at the quest's end?"
	"Hot nights of passionate boinking?" Karma guessed, her long ears laid
back behind her.
	"Aside from that, what else?"
	"Treasure," Thissle said, "usually a buttload of valuable booty."
	"Exactly!"  Frelic slapped Shaasta's and Hansen's bottoms for emphasis. 
"We always return home with a nice little treasure or two; my most recent quest
was no exception.  The objective was met and valuable booty was recovered.  But
the ending to this story has a unique twist in that the both the objective and
the treasures recovered were one and the same, or in this instance, two and the
same."
	Before the girls could question him further, he relayed for the second
time that day, the tale of his sister and Hansen's purchase from the Southern
Rose and how they are now legally his personal pets.  Instead of the edited
version he had told Ashton earlier, Frelic gave Karma and Thissle the full
unabridged epic.  He revealed every last steamy detail of their adventure in
Master Varo's shop.

	The girls were speechless, their wide eyes registering total disbelief. 
Their gazes shifted from Frelic; to Shaasta, who was blushing yet again; to
Hansen, his happiness at his situation once more protruding from the furry
sheath between his thighs; and back again to Frelic.
	"No way!"  Thissle declared, shaking her head in denial, "You can't be
serious.  You aren't really going to own them like you own Delilah, are you?  I
mean, your own twin sister and her Furling lover, serving as your very own
pleasure pets?"
	"That's the whole naked truth," Shaasta replied.  She pressed her sweet
lips to her brother's and rested her head on his shoulder, giving a soft sigh of
contentment.  "Hansen and I are now Frelic's property, forever under his
protection."
	"Yes yes," the Squirrel chittered, also planting a deep kiss on his
Master's lips as Shaasta had done, "Master has signed certificates of ownership
for us, and our asses bear his brand.  We will never fall to slavers ever
again."
	"Ooh!  Branded?"  Karma asked, her ears fully erect and attentive, "as
in a mark burned deep into your bottoms?"  She winced at the thought and rubbed
her own furry south end, trying to imagine how the searing kiss of a red hot
iron on her flesh must feel.
	Frelic moved Shaasta out of the way, bent Hansen over his lap, and
yanked up his bushy tail.  Karma traced her fingers over the crimson petals of
the rose blossom nestled against the Furling's nether cheeks.  She placed her
nose between his legs and deeply took in the bloom's fragrant scent, which was
mingled with his own light muskiness.
	"Er, is that flower just pasted to his bottom, or is it..."
	"It's planted deep up his ass," Frelic answered.  He pulled the rose out
a few inches to illustrate, then pushed it back in.  "All pets Master Varo sells
receive a long-stem thornless rose; it's his shop's hallmark.  Now, here is my
hallmark.  Watch this."
	The Elf took up the paddle and delivered two dozen extra hard swats to
Hansen's upturned furry bottom, alternating between the left and right cheeks. 
The Furling yelped and struggled under the fierce assault his Master inflicted
on his butt, each swat sending a flameless burn coursing through his behind
until it felt like his rear was in flames.
	"Master!" he cried, sniffling and blinking back tears, "why such
punishment just to invoke your mark?"
	"Two birds with one stroke, my naughty little pet," Frelic replied.  He
set the paddle down and traced his fingers over the ghostly silver outline of
the paw print inlaid with a willow tree that now shimmered against the hot red
background of paddle blush on the right mound of the Squirrel's bottom. 
"Remember your line of questioning concerning Makae down in the dining commons?"
	Hansen whimpered at the touch of his Master's fingers on his hot, sore
bottom, and gave a weak nod, "Aye, Master.  I remember.  Did I take it too far?"
	"You did," Frelic replied.  His hands caressed and squeezed his pet's
glowing rump, "You embarrassed your Master with your intimate questions there in
the presence of those two bards.  I am certain they heard everything."
	"Oh, I am so sorry for that, Master.  I will learn to practice better
discretion from now on."
	"I know you will," Frelic landed a firm, openhanded swat on his pet's
already sore butt, then invited Karma and Thissle to view his handiwork.

	"Ooh!  Pretty," the Rabbit gasped.  She reached out and touched the fine
silver lines, which crackled and sent a pleasant electrical tingle through her
as her fingers traced the circumference of the five rings which formed the paw
print.  "Never have I seen such a brand so finely rendered, especially one
seared into a fur-clad ass."
	"I presume the burner was not crafted by a mere silversmith," Thissle
said, "Magick must have been involved, otherwise Hansen would be missing a paw
print-shaped patch of fur on his butt."
	Frelic nodded, "Yes, the mark was not applied by mundane means.  I used
a device called a Wand of the Masters.  Lilieblume first drew the pattern on
their behinds using kraken ink, and then I simply traced over the lines with the
wand."  He brought Hansen to his feet and pulled Shaasta over his lap, revealing
the rose planted up her aft passage, then gave her two dozen swats with the
paddle until her plush, jiggly bottom glowed red and a mark identical to the one
Hansen sported shimmered on the right side of her ass.  Shaasta also squirmed
and cried at the punishment inflicted on her rump, but did not protest or
question her Master's reasons, as the stiffness of his cock beneath her provided
the answer; just because he could, and it pleased him when his sister
submissively presented her butt for his pleasure despite it being punishment to
her.
	"A brand applied with the Wand of the Masters is not easily lifted,
unlike one applied with a mundane branding iron," he explained.  "So, even if
Shaasta and Hansen should fall afoul of slavers again, they will be protected
and kept safe by their captors until they can be returned to their rightful
owner."
	"Huh, I never realized slavers had such a complex culture," Karma said,
"It never ceases to amaze me what I can learn about your world, even two years
after my arrival here on Niath."
	"Don't you have slavers on Lockke?" Hansen asked, commandeering Karma's
hot lap.
	"Yeah, we have slavers aplenty," she smiled down at the Squirrel, gave
him a scritch between the ears with one hand and a squeeze and petting on his
sore rump with the other, "but they are a pretty brutal and cut throat lot, a
bunch of lowlife thieves they are.  If they want to take you, they don't give a
rat's ass whether you are marked or not."
	"I like the way the mark stays invisible until the pet gets paddled,"
Thissle said, "It's always a shame to see such a lovely bottom scarred with a
brand or any other permanent mark."
	"Yes," Frelic agreed, "that is another nice little benefit of a Wand of
the Masters branding.  The mark remains hidden until sufficient heat is applied
to the branded area.  These brands also possess enchantments that protect the
pets from the elements, so even in the coldest winter or most scorching summer,
they can safely remain skyclad."  He gave Shaasta's reddened bottom a two-handed
pony swat and then helped her to her feet.

	"Master?" Shaasta asked, "Will we ever be permitted to wear clothing
again?  I would feel so embarrassed walking into the Pinevale Inn and mingling
naked among the Halflings there.  What will the locals think?"
	"Most of the time," Frelic said, "you two will wear nothing except your
collars, boots, and possibly a pet harness so you can carry equipment and
pouches.  Don't worry about what the Haflings of Pinevale will think.  Those
matters are not the pet's concerns; they are for me to contend with."
	"Well, I have no problem being paraded about naked," Hansen assured his
Master, "I actually like it when other people can admire my furry bottom and the
other intimate bits."  He giggled and gave Karma a lick on her cute little bunny
nose as she gave his hard shaft a teasing squeeze with one paw.  "However, what
about when we are in adventure conditions?  The brands we bear won't protect us
from a foe's blades or arrows, you know."
	"I can make an exception there," Frelic assured them, "When we find
ourselves in hostile surroundings, you can don your leather armor as needed. 
However, I will eventually see about getting you equipped with protective gear
suitable to your status."
	"Bracers and such?" Shaasta guessed.
	"Yes.  Over time, we will build a wardrobe of enchanted leather pieces
for you two, items such as bracers, collars, harnesses, and boots, which will
protect you as if you were clad in full Elven chainmail."
	"Damn," Thissle swore, "That's going to be expensive."
	"Yes it will," Frelic agreed, "but my pets as well as all members of the
Willowpaw household are priceless to me.  So then, other than when armoring up
is required, Shaasta and Hansen are forbidden from wearing clothing, unless
prescribed by me for special occasions."  Hansen and Shaasta nodded their
understanding.

	"Any other questions?"  Frelic asked.
	Karma raised her paw, "So, Boss, since Shaasta and Hansen are your
pleasure pets now, are you going to be using them for...Aw, wot the 'ell!  Are
you going to be boinking them?"
	Frelic nodded, a pink glow showing in his cheeks, "Yes.  I will be
making use of their lovely assets from time to time.  I paid good money for
these two, and not making use of their intimate features would be a crime, as
far as I'm concerned."
	Thissle was giving Shaasta a teasing smile as Frelic admitted that he
would be making full use of his pet sister, and Shaasta was blushing
tremendously, "Good thing you are on Tempspay, Elf brat," she said, "At least
your Master won't accidentally breed you."
	"Or you, my apprentice," Frelic said, "We've been lucky for the past few
years.  However, you never know when fate will revoke our luck.  Since I do not
wish for either of my apprentices to become mothers yet, I want you and
Honeyrose to start receiving monthly Tempspay shots, Delilah too for that
matter."
	"Me too, Boss," Karma volunteered, "I think I better start as well."
	"Wouldn't it be better and cheaper for just you to get the shots,
Master?" Shaasta asked, "Having six of us on Tempspay may get rather pricey."
	"Well, remember," Frelic replied, "Thissle and the others are rather
popular with the Halfling lads in Pinevale.  And we obviously can't expect them
to take the shots.  Now, one last important item.  Shaasta, Hansen, stand in
front of me."
	The two pets assumed submissive positions in front of their Master, feet
spread shoulder-width apart, heads down, and hands clasped behind their backs. 
"You two now bear my mark on your bottoms, signifying to all who shall see it
that you belong to me, submit to discipline by my hand and at my whim, and are
under my protection."

	He pulled Karma and Thissle close to him on the couch, and continued, "I
fully expect you to submit to Thissle and Karma as you would submit to me. 
These two, as well as the other unbound members of WraithHold; Honeyrose,
Connie, Fillie, and Nyssa; may use you as they see fit, when I am not utilizing
your services.  I grant them full authority to apply the paddle, crop, strap, or
any other tools of discipline to your bottoms as required or as desired.  Is
this clear?"
	Elf and Squirrel lifted their heads and let their eyes meet the gaze of
their Master, "Yes," they replied together, "We will obey those you place over
us as we will obey you, Master."
	Frelic smiled lovingly at his pets, then pulled Karma and Thissle close
to him, arms wrapped around their hips.  Their smiles reflected mischief as
their minds filled with ideas for activities they might try with these two pets.
 "Nothing to cause permanent damage or worse, girls,"  Frelic warned them.
	"And what of Delilah?" Shaasta asked.
	"Delilah," Frelic repeated the name of his first pet, a feisty, hot
little Furling Otter, "Delilah will be your mentor.  She will see to your
training as a Willowpaw pet.  You will be expected to observe her and learn. 
Ask questions, follow her instructions, and heed her guidance.  She will also be
authorized to discipline you as required, though because she is bound to me, I
will review any spankings that you feel are unfair.  If I agree with your
claims, Delilah will be punished in kind; if I agree with her judgment, then you
will be paddled by me."
	"Master," Hansen interrupted, "why paddle us a second time for the same
offense?  That seems rather heavy handed and unfair."
	"Unfair?  Hardly, my dear fuzzbutt," Frelic laughed, "If anything, this
rule makes things a little more fair for Delilah.  Being subject to additional
punishment-caliber paddlings should I judge in Delilah's favor will cause you to
think twice or even three times before claiming a spanking is unfair."
	Frelic stood and stretched, "Now, let's see what you girls brought back
from your shopping expedition."  They all padded over to the table in the center
of the room; Karma and Thissle opened up their shopping packs and showed off
their wares.

	"I think you are going to be real pleased with what we scored," Thissle
said, smiling excitedly as she burrowed into the first pack.  "First, check this
out."  She extracted a sleeveless studded leather shirt with a hawk, wings and
legs spread in a head-on attack on the front, and held it up in front of her.
	"You know," Shaasta said, "that looks a lot like the top piece of my old
leather armor set that Corporal Wheaton confiscated when he captured us."
	Karma nodded, "It is.  We found it in an armorer's shop along with some
of your other stuff."
	"Now mind you," Thissle advised, "not everything was recovered, but
everything we came across at the shops that we recognized, we did buy back for
you."  More leather armor pieces were extracted from the bags for both of them;
Shaasta's thigh-length boots, Hansen's leather sleeveless top which matched
Shaasta's, two sets of thigh bands, two pair of fingerless gloves, and a small
shield bearing the same hawk design as the leather tops.  A few of the weapons
they had lost were also recovered: Shaasta's crossbow and long sword, Hansen's
short bow, four daggers, and his twin short swords.
	"No sign of our Tanithian arrows or bolts?" Hansen asked.
	"Sadly no," Karma answered, "Either they were sold already or the fellow
in charge of disposing of the slaves' possessions recognized them as enchanted
and kept them for himself."
	"But," Thissle consoled them, "we did go ahead and pick up two quivers
of ammo for each of you.  They aren't Tanithian, but at least they make your bow
and Shaasta's crossbow useful again."
	"Well, thank you so much for recovering what you could,"  Shaasta smiled
and rewarded Karma and Thissle with a grateful, deep kiss.  "It's so much more
than either of us expected.  Now, what other stuff did you two pick up?"
	The remainder of the shopping show and tell was a procession of various
bits of jewelry, crystal figurines and other little trinkets, new belt pouches
and packs, sexy clothes, a couple bottles of good sweet mead, a variety of
pastries and dried meats, and books.  There was a little something for everyone,
and they saved what they felt was the best for last.

	"I think your Master will appreciate this," Karma said.  She gave a
mischievous smile and reached into her pack again and pulled out a leather belt.
 Attached to the back of the belt was a plume of eagle feathers, spread out like
a fan.  "Isn't it sexy?  Don't worry," she assured them, "the feathers were not
plucked.  The Eagle sold them to the crafter after she molted according to the
fellow who sold this to us."
	"Well, it's pretty, Karma," Shaasta agreed, "but did you forget that I
am close to being able to do the real thing now?"  She stepped back, and stood
with her feet planted shoulder-width apart and her arms extended out.  The Elf
closed her eyes and focused.  Within seconds, a spread of hawk feathers grew at
the base of her spine; the tail fanned out to cover her bottom, then she turned
around to show off her plumage.
	"See?  I've been working on an intermediate form, between full Elf and
full hawk."  She made the tailfeathers lift behind her, providing an alluring
peak at her still reddened butt and the silver brand that shimmered on her aft
end.
	"That's for Frelic," Thissle said, "This one is for you."  She took out
another belt, this one with a long, black, slinky panther tail attached to it.

	Shaasta's tailfeathers vanished, seemingly retracting back into her
body.  She took the belt from Thissle and looked it over, "A real panther tail?"
she asked.
	"The fur is real, gathered from sheddings over the course of several
years," Thissle explained, "No panthers were harmed in order to craft this."
	Shaasta nodded and strapped the belt around her waist.  She fastened the
small brass buckle and Thissle helped her make adjustments so that the tail was
draped perfectly down the center of her ass.  "There ya go," Thissle told her,
"Now turn around so everyone can admire your lovely new tail."
	The Elf girl did a one-eighty and presented her behind for the others'
approval, giving a coy gaze over her shoulder and flexing her pleasantly wide
hips which made the slinky prosthetic appendage swish back and forth just like a
real tail.  "How do I look?"
	"Hottest kitten on Niath," Hansen said, "You look like you could warm
the coldest of laps, love.  And it may just be my Furling bias speaking, but I
personally think all pretty bottoms should be accessorized with a tail."  He
smiled and his own bushy aft appendage swished back and forth for emphasis."
	Frelic laughed and nodded his agreement.  He slipped up behind his
sister and his fingers administered a scritch at the base of her tail, actually
causing it to rise behind her like the real thing, and eliciting a soft purr
from the girl.  "I agree absolutely with Fuzzbutt here, sis.  That tail makes
you one hot little kitty; I mean, even hotter."  Unable to resist, he planted a
firm swat on the bare flesh under the tail.
	"Meow," she giggled, and made playful mauling and scratching gestures at
her Master.  Frelic's reaction: he wrapped his arms around his kitty pet, his
hands firmly gripped and kneaded her butt, and his lips pressed hard against
hers.
	Half a minute later, they disengaged.  Still holding her tight, Frelic
looked into her eyes, which seemed to have more glow to them than normal; most
likely a trick of the lighting.  One hand released its grip on her bottom, slid
up her back, and ran through her thick red mane.  "I am going to add that tail
belt of yours to the list of clothes you can wear without getting my permission
first."

	"Are you going to try yours on now, Boss?" Karma asked.
	Frelic gave Shaasta one more light swat on her butt, then turned around.
 Karma was was standing close, holding up the tailfeathers belt for him.  He
reached for it, and the Rabbit gently slapped his hand back.
	"Off with the tunic first," she ordered, "we want to see how it
accentuates your own pretty bottom.
	"Okay, okay," Frelic laughed, unfastening the belt around his waist.  He
looked over his shoulder at Shaasta and smiled mischievously, "It was going to
be coming off soon anyway."  He pulled the short black shift up over his head,
tossed it on the table, and stood before Karma, skyclad save for his
thigh-length boots.
	The Furling Rabbit paced around him, checking out his lithe figure and
succumbed to the urge to plant a playful swat on his own cute, round bottom. 
"You know, Chief," she said, "you really should go naked more often.  You
certainly have the figure for it."  She handed the feathered belt to the
blushing Elf.  He wrapped and secured it around his slender Elven waist and
Karma made the aft adjustments so that the fan-shaped plumage was centered
perfectly over his bare butt.
	"There ya go, Boss," Karma said.  She ran her paws down the length of
the charcoal-gray and white-speckled mountain eagle feathers that now decorated
the wizard's backside, "Show us your tail."
	Frelic turned around and placed his hands on the table as if he was
assuming a paddling position, his back arched and his feather clad rear thrust
out on display.  The tailfeathers were like a half skirt, just long enough to
barely cover his assets in the back.  He flexed the muscles in his shapely
bottom, and the feather skirt rose up like a drawbridge, just high enough to
reveal the lower curves of the Elf's pride.  "Well, how do I look?"
	"Spankable," four voices rang out in unison, causing his face to turn
red and his hands to move back into a protective position over his vulnerable
rump.

	Frelic removed the tail belt and sat his naked self down on one of the
tall-backed chairs that encircled the table, "That really is a lovely gift you
girls scored," he said, gently running his finger tips over the feathers, "I
think I will wear it tonight when we go down for dinner and the bards' show."
	"That vendor had plenty of other tails as well," Thissle said, "quite a
variety of animals were represented.  I may wander back that way tomorrow and
pick up a few more, since they were so cheap."
	"But now," Karma interrupted, "we better get ourselves ready for our
night out."
	"Oh?  Where are you going?" Frelic asked.
	"We want to try out this really exciting club we saw down on the
waterfront," Thissle replied, "Hot Summer Nights is what it's called.  Wanna
join us?"
	"I'll skip it this time around," Frelic declined, "Perhaps I'll check it
out in a day or two.  Tonight though, I just want to relax here and enjoy the
in-house performances."
	Shaasta looked expectantly at her brother, "Can I go out with them,
Master?" she asked, her belted-on tail swishing back and forth as if it had a
mind of its own.
	Frelic nodded and gave his blessing, "Certainly, my pet.  But before you
go, we have some unfinished matters to attend to.  Hansen, I want you to stay
here with me this evening for a night in, after you help Thissle and Karma get
themselves ready for their night out."
	The Furling Squirrel nodded happily at the thought of being his Master's
date for the night, as Karma attached his leash to his collar and gave it a
gentle tug, "Thank-you, Master.  I know we are going to have a wonderful evening
together."  Karma and Thissle then shed their clothes, and the trio disappeared
through the door in the east corner of the lounge to get themselves cleaned and
prepped for a girls' night out.


Chapter III : Penance, Passion, and a Bath

	Now alone in the outer lounge, Frelic turned to his sister and gave her
a smile that reflected a mix of pure unconditional love, and unbridled feral
passion.  "Now, my little tender hawk," he purred, "We have an appointment in
the bed chamber."  He clasped a leash to her collar, removed her tail belt,
picked up the paddle, and led his pet sister through the door to the south.
	The bed chamber was just as large as the outer lounge.  A four-poster
bed large enough to sleep at least six Elf or Furling-sized people dominated the
southwest corner of the room.  A large wooden chest sat locked on the floor at
the foot of the bed, and beside the bed's head, a small table stood, with a
tall, thick candle in a brass holder perched at the center.  Along the wall that
the bed chamber shared with the outer lounge, was a large, thick double cushion,
upon which was a nest of pillows and light cotton blankets.  It sat between a
four drawer dresser to the left; its top surface fitted with a large mirror, and
a wide bookcase to the right, which was mostly empty save for a pair of
leather-bound journals belonging to Karma and Frelic, and Thissle's collection
of lesson tomes and scrolls.
	A square, pinewood table with four wooden chairs around it decorated the
middle of the room, and the southeast corner featured a small roll-top desk with
a single padded chair.  There was a door in the east wall near the desk.  It was
open, and Shaasta could see that it led to a small, private study.  She guessed
that the other door in the same wall, near the one they had come through, was
another entrance to the bathing chamber.  And set into the wall beside the night
table, a double door, fitted with actual glass windows like the one out in the
other room, opened out to the balcony.

	Shaasta's Master closed the door behind him, guided his pet over to the
table in the middle of the room, and removed the leash from her collar.  Still
clad in nothing but his boots, Frelic's passion and arousal were clearly evident
in more than just his violet cat-like eyes; The Elf pet knew that she would soon
feel her Master's hard cock filling her hot depths at long last, finally
satisfying the longing burn she had been holding back ever since her brother
first started his inspection of her sweet treasures back at the Southern Rose.
	"Ten platinum pieces," Frelic said, his voice low and stern as he looked
his pet over, his fingers tracing a gentle line down her left cheek from temple
to chin.  "That is one thousand gold pieces, dear sister.  Do you know how many
days wages that is for the average worker?"
	Math was not one of Shaasta's strengths, so all she could guess was, "A
lot, Master."
	"Yes, that is a lot.  That was why Master Varo nearly had a heart attack
when I offered to pay your full original price instead of the seven he had
discounted you to."
	"I am really grateful that you spent that on me, Master.  And I give you
my solemn word that that will be the best ten platinums you have ever spent.  I
am forever in your debt, my Master, my brother.  All that I am belongs to you
for all time and beyond."
	Shaasta's impromptu vow of submission hit Frelic like a war mace across
the back of his head.  A single tear escaped down his cheek, and he took his pet
sister in his arms, his hands again gripping her sweet tender bottom and hers
likewise pressed against his.  Their lips touched and practically became one,
tongues probing each other's.  His hard maleness rubbing against the warm, damp,
slit of her sex, Frelic wanted to take this beautiful creature he held in his
arms, bend her over the table, and ride her to the summit of pure and feral
passionate ecstasy, right here, right now.  However, he had one last task to
accomplish before consummating their relationship of loving Master and devoted
Pet.

	"Shaasta, do you remember that bit of advice I imparted to you and
Hansen before you went off on your little adventure?"  Frelic asked.
	She nodded, remembering, "You advised us to avoid traveling along the
northwest coast of Diranni."
	"Correct.  And why did I suggest that?"
	"You had heard that the economy was depressed in this area; people are
struggling to make their way by any means possible."
	"And any means is just that, any.  For some, that means preying on
unsuspecting travelers."
	"Brigands, charlatans, and slavers."
	"Right.  And what did you two do despite my warnings?"  Frelic continued
his interrogation.
	"We journeyed up the northwest coast anyway.  Hansen and I had been
through so much together, we honestly felt that we could outsmart any thugs we
might encounter along the way."
	"You underestimated the severity of the situation around here," Frelic
declared.  "Those who have taken up such an unsavory path are desperate.  They
have nothing to lose and the prospect of tremendous gains to fight for."
	"Yes, Master," Shaasta agreed, "Neither of us truly understood until it
was too late, just what we were up against.  We lost."
	"Ten platinum pieces, one thousand gold," Frelic repeated again.  "I
hate constantly bringing up the cost of your rescue, but it was a cost that was
the result of your disregard for my advice."
	"I am truly sorry for what I cost you, Master.  I will heed your
instincts from now on," the fire-maned girl assured him, "And I will find a way
to repay you for your loss."
	Frelic smiled devilishly at his sister, "No.  I do not need the coin
back.  I have you now, a pet sister for whom I would have gladly paid ten times
or more what I did; you, my love vixen, are truly priceless to me."
	Shaasta blushed and averted her eyes, visibly embarrassed at her
Master's flattering words.  A moment later, she recomposed herself and looked
him in the eyes again, "Still, if it is at all possible to repay the debt in any
way..."
	Frelic held his hand up to silence her, "Shush a moment, tender hawk.  I
do indeed have a suitable penance to prescribe to you."  He held up the paddle
he was carrying.

	"By the Mink!" Shaasta swore, "Yet another paddling?  Hansen was right,
Master.  You do seem to have a single track mind tonight.  But if reddening my
bottom even more is what you decree, who am I to argue?"
	"Master Varo and Lilieblume indeed did some good work in training you,"
Frelic noted, nodding his approval, "but be warned, Shaasta.  This is not to be
like any of the spankings I have given you recently or back when we were tender
tails."  Shaasta was starting to look worried.
	Again Frelic repeated as if it was a mantra, "Ten platinum pieces, one
thousand gold pieces."  But this time, he added, "One thousand gold pieces, one
thousand swats, one per gold piece."
	Shaasta put her hands protectively over her backside and shook her head,
"No, Master," she protested, panic in her voice, "One thousand swats?  My bottom
would not be able to withstand such a heavy punishment."
	"One thousand gold pieces, one thousand swats," the Elven wizard again
said.  "Do not force me to cast a Holding spell over you Shaasta," he warned
her, "I would prefer that you submit to this by your own will; submit to this by
the vow you pledged to me mere minutes ago."
	Tears trickling down her face, Shaasta knew deep down that she was bound
to obey and submit to her punishment.  She had pledged her submission and then
offered to pay whatever penance her Master desired to declare.

	"Turn and face the table," Frelic instructed.  She turned around so that
she was facing away from her brother and awaited his next command.
	"Spread your feet; bend over; grab the edge of the table."  Again, she
obeyed, bracing herself against the pine table, her rear thrust out and
presented to her Master, awaiting the fiery kiss of the paddle.  Mercifully, it
was not a long wait.
 	Standing behind and to her left, Frelic removed the rose that was nested
up her ass and ran his tongue along the length of its stem, savoring the
delightfully decadent flavor of gehennite-cleansed Elven bottom.  He placed the
flower in his hair behind his left ear for safe keeping, then he assumed a firm
two-handed grip on the paddle and rubbed its round wooden blade over his twin
sister's round, soft, quivering southern hills.

	"Shaasta, I am going to turn your lovely ass the same color as your
lovely mane."  He gave her rump a pair of light taps with the weapon of
discipline and gave her a final instruction, "Now, you are going to receive a
large number of swats.  And because I will be busy concentrating on paddling
your butt, I may lose count.  Therefore, you are to count out each strike as it
lands on your bottom."
	And so, Shaasta's penance for costing her brother ten platinum pieces,
one thousand gold pieces, was executed on her tender ass in earnest.  There was
a soft whoosh of the paddle dropping down through the air, followed by a loud
SMACK as oak connected with soft, tender flesh, striking solidly on the left
cheek of her bottom.  A white hot burning spread out across her rear,
momentarily robbing the Elf girl of her breath.  Then, closing her eyes, she
gasped out through clenched teeth, "One!"
	A second SMACK, followed by the white hot pain, this time on the right
cheek caused her to yelp out, "Two!"  And this was followed by yet another
burning impact, landing squarely across the center of her ass.  Already, the
punishment was unbearable, and Shaasta wondered how she would withstand the nine
hundred ninety-seven yet to come.  "Three!"

	In the bathing chamber, Thissle and Karma had put Hansen to work
immediately, helping to prepare them for their evening at Hot Summer Nights. 
The Squirrel's leash, collar, and rose had been removed and placed safely on top
of a table in the corner of the room by the door, and Hansen, Karma, and Thissle
were soaking in a large cedar tub, filled with fresh steaming water from the
underground hot spring that flowed and bubbled beneath the inn.
	After they were completely drenched in the steaming water, not quite hot
enough to scald, Hansen was ordered to completely soap down and scrub the girls.
 Even had he not been bound to obey them, he would have been a fool to decline
this task.  "This has to be a dream," he thought to himself, as the girls stood
on the submerged ledge that encircled the edge of the tub so that only their
lower legs and feet were beneath the water.  He rubbed the lightly scented cake
of soap all over Thissle's smooth, slick, wet body.  He made certain that he
covered every last square inch of her lovely tanned flesh above the water line,
from her brow down to the middle of her muscular but soft thighs, giving extra
attention to the delicious-looking, jiggly, orbs and the crevasse that formed
her perfect derriere.
	"If only my sibs could see me now, sharing a steaming tub with two hot
and sexy young ladies, whose desires I am required to obey."  His thoughts
focused on the word required, as if any Furling in his right mind would balk at
this situation, and soft giggle escaped him.
	"What's so funny?" Thissle asked, her body now glistening all wet and
slippery with the scented coating of soap.
	"Oh, nothing nothing really," Hansen replied, giving her bottom a
playful swat, then turning his attention to the drenched Rabbit to his left, "I
was just reflecting about how I seem to be living the Furling Dream," he
admitted.  Thissle and Karma giggled with him.
	"Yes," Thissle agreed, "Now that you mention it, this does feel like a
drawing right out of one of those naughty weeklies you see at the news vendor's
stall in the market."  She planted a soapy kiss on his cheek and then playfully
goosed him under the tail, her finger easily finding the tight little opening
behind his hard shaft of maleness, lightly pressing against the entrance, but
not quite penetrating.
	"You silly teaser," Hansen laughed, playfully sticking his tongue out at
the copper-maned girl.  He resumed his task, gently but firmly massaging the
soap into Karma's fur, again covering every square inch of her lovely body down
to the tops of her thighs.

	Both girls now fully soaped down, Hansen reached over and picked up the
pair of wooden, soft bristled bath brushes that lay on the tub's deck, "Turn
around and face me, girls," he instructed, "I am going to do you both at the
same time; ooh, that sounded naughty."
	Giggling like school girls, Karma and Thissle turned and stood before
Hansen, who was armed with the twin bath brushes, tools of cleansing which both
girls knew all too well could easily double as paddles of the cruelest kind. 
For a brief moment, the two giggling young ladies, standing wet and naked before
the diminutive Furling, looked for all the world as if they were the bratty pets
awaiting disciplining.
	He expertly scrubbed both of them simultaneously, gently working the
soft bristles in small slow circles over their luscious soapy bodies, forming a
thick creamy lather in the brushes' wakes.  The brushes massaged vigorously over
their shoulders, down their arms, and back up to their necks; the bristles not
once losing contact with flesh and fur.  Under their dainty chins he scrubbed,
then worked their breasts, full but not overly endowed; their perky nipples
stood erect on the soft orbs as the soapy bristles tickled and teased.  Karma
and Thissle's sweet scent of arousal, mingled with the light fragrant perfumes
of the soap, filled the Squirrel's nose, and the steamy water, frosted with
lather, hid the erection that formed between his muscular thighs.
	From beyond the door next to the one leading to the outer lounge, the
rhythmic slap of oak on bare flesh coupled with the pained cries of a girl
pleading for mercy, the distinctive sounds of punishment, could be heard.

	Karma winced in sympathy, "Sounds like Shaasta is getting paddled yet
again, poor girl," she sighed.
	Even Thissle, who had learned to enjoy most spankings, placed her hands
on her wet, slick bottom and turned her gaze towards the closed door, "And it
sounds like one helluva tail roasting Master is giving her this time too.  I
wonder what the brat did so soon to earn a real punishment spanking?"
	Hansen shrugged and continued his chore, now working the brushes down
the girls' tummies in firmer wider circles.  The sounds coming from the next
room brought images to his mind, images of his Elven lover submitting to their
Master's paddle, her sweet lovely butt taking strike after strike after strike,
jiggling cutely with every blow as her aft flesh burned red.  His erection
beneath the water lengthened and pulsed.
	"Perhaps she mouthed off to Master," he suggested, "You know how feisty
that girl can be.  Or perhaps she did nothing, and he is paddling her just
because he can, you know; for his own pleasure, to give her a really good warm
up before boinking her."
	"Well, whatever his reasons," Thissle said, "it's his call.  And Shaasta
probably had it coming to her anyway."
	Karma giggled, "A day of reckoning, ye might say.  Now be careful,
furball.  You are getting to our high value zones."  She and Thissle spread
their legs a little wider as Hansen gently caressed the brushes between their
thighs, tickling in tiny circles over the plump mounds.  Thissle's was bare and
smooth, and Karma's had a pelt of light blue fur; normally fluffy enough to
provide modesty when dry, though now matted down to clearly reveal the tight
slit of her sex.  The Squirrel worked his brushes back to the tender spot
between their treasure slots and tight southern stars, then continued his
journey down the girls' inner thighs, stopping at the waterline, back up, and
back down the other side.
	Hansen stepped back and rested the brushes, like sword blades, on his
shoulders, "Finished afore, m'ladies," he announced, "Now please turn around so
that I can work aft."
	Thissle and Karma turned around and presented their delightful backsides
to the Squirrel so that he could continue his task.

	"Forty eight!" Shaasta gasped through her tears as the oak paddle
continued to relentlessly tenderize her ass.  She had stopped kicking and
struggling after the thirtieth swat, and now merely clenched her aft cheeks and
flexed her thighs with each impact.
	Another smack of wood against flesh sent yet another swell of fire
through her burning backside and drew more tears in a steady stream from her
eyes, "Forty nine!"  Never in her life had she received a paddling so terrible,
so intense.  Even during her previous captivity, neither Captain Hayes, Mistress
Triniti nor even Lieutenant Tarna had ever even come close to administering
punishment on her tender tail bottom like her dear brother was now inflicting. 
Another strike, no harder nor softer than the previous forty and nine burned
across the upper curve of her crimson butt, squarely across both cheeks,
"Fifty!"
	Shaasta bowed her head, eyes closed tight as more tears escaped down her
face and joined the small pool that had formed on the table.  "A mere fifty,"
she thought to herself, "with another fifty and nine hundred remaining."  But
fifty one did not burn its punishment into her tortured, tender flesh.  Instead,
she felt her Master's soft hands gently caressing the glowing hills of her
paddled ass.  She gasped and winced at his touch, as his fingers rubbed and
kneaded her glowing flesh and the silver brand which stood out and shimmered
brighter than ever before against the lovely red background of her lovely Elven
rump.
	Frelic set the paddle on the table in front of her, then wrapped an arm
around his sister and gently pulled her upright to face him.  He wiped the tears
from her damp cheeks and combed his fingers through her tousled red mane.  His
loving smile as his gaze met hers proved contagious; her eyes, red from crying,
lit up and her soft pouty lips parted softly in a smile that matched her
brother's.

	"You are one amazing girl, dear sister," Frelic said, his voice a soft
seductive purr."  Before she could respond, he silenced her with a kiss as hot
as the flameless fire burning across her paddle-warmed butt.  As their lips
pressed together and their tongues sweetly probed and tasted each others', the
fingers of Frelic's left hand traced down the valley formed by his sisters soft,
round flanks, and came to rest at the entrance to her tight little rear
entrance.  He teased around the rim, and then slipped his index and middle
finger up her clean, hot, rectal passage, while continuing to knead her
scorched, paddled flesh with his other hand.
	She gasped and gave a sweet moan, as for the second time that day, her
brother's fingers probed her nether depths.  Their lips parted from each other
and the two just stood there gazing into one another's eyes for what seemed like
an eternity or two.  Frelic's fingers continued to probe deep up Shaasta's ass
while he held her, and she caressed and kneaded her Master's smooth, bare
bottom; which was every bit as delightful as her own.  One hand slid around
Frelic's hip and came to rest upon the hard shaft of his cock.  She gently
stroked its length, top and underside with her soft Elven fingers, and took a
firm grip on it, guiding it to her waiting feminine fore passage, which was damp
and ready to receive her Master's passion.
	"Not yet, my little boink bunny," Frelic whispered, his lips and tongue
ever so gently tickling the edges and tip of one gracefully pointed ear.
	Shaasta sighed, "More paddling?"
	"No," Frelic replied, "No more paddling yet."
	"But that was only fifty swats," she reminded him, "and you sentenced me
to one thousand."
	Frelic nodded and smiled again, "Yes, that was only fifty.  Remember
that number, for your penance will be carried out over the course of the next
few weeks, in sessions such as the one which we just completed.  We will conduct
sessions of fifty swats at least once per day, sometimes two or three times per
day should I wish until the one thousand have been fulfilled."
	"Thank-you, Master," Shaasta replied, sighing with relief that she would
not have to take the full thousand in one sitting, or one standing to be
precise.
	"That won't exempt you from spankings for other reasons, mind you,"
Frelic warned her, "whether for punishment or for pleasure," he gave her that
devilish smile again and corrected himself, "either our shared pleasure or just
my own."
	She nodded, understanding and accepting her brother's judgment.  Frelic
then removed his fingers from Shaasta's south passage, and touched them to her
lips.  She took them into her mouth and found her arousal growing stronger as
she tasted her own unique flavor.  Frelic led her over to the bed, and
positioned her on top of the thick cushions, her head resting on the pillows,
and her glowing, burning ass raised high.
	Saying no more, Frelic Willowpaw knelt on the bed behind Shaasta, his
thick, hard shaft pulsing, its tip dripping clear juices down her tight, smooth
slit.  He mounted his sister like a pony.  His hands brushed through Shaasta's
fiery mane and caressed all over her sides, inner thighs, and bottom.  Then
those hands ran up her firm tummy and kneaded her breasts, lightly pinching the
erect, perky nipples.  The Elf girl gasped and moaned yet again; her back arched
and her sweet, crimson butt thrust upwards in anticipation, ready to receive her
Master's cock.  Giving her sensitive nipples one last tweak, Frelic smoothly
drove his hard maleness deep into his pet sister's virgin-tight passion canal.

	Hansen had worked his twin bath brushes down Karma and Thissle's backs,
and arrived at the area he had been looking forward to the most.  Still thankful
that the soapy water concealed his arousal, he vigorously worked the two
gorgeous bottoms presented before him.  His brush strokes now were much harder
than before, working in firm spiraling circles that left no area of the girls'
plush derrieres untouched.  They spread their legs a little further apart, and
thrust their spankable rumps up a little higher so that he could get the soapy
bristles into the valley formed by their soft, round cheeks.  He could not tell
for certain, but he thought he even heard Karma softly purr as the brush
scrubbed her hidden areas.  Whether she purred or not, he could tell by the way
her ears were laying against her back that the Furling Rabbit from Lockke was
enjoying this immensely.  An impish grin appeared on his muzzle as he finished
scrubbing their bottoms.  He knew he would probably get his ass thoroughly
roasted for this, but he decided it would be worth the price.  Unable, and in
reality unwilling, to resist the temptation, he pulled the bath brushes back,
rolled them one hundred eighty degrees, and landed a hard swat on the two
soap-clad bottoms in front of him with the flat, paddle-like backs of the
scrubbers.  The impact of wood on wet flesh sounded like a small firecracker,
and both girls gave out a startled yelp as they nearly leaped right out of the
tub.
	They said nothing as they turned around and beckoned him forward.  The
silence that echoed through the room and the devilish gleam in their eyes
frightened him.  Hansen waded towards Karma and Thissle.  They took the bath
brushes from him and set them on the deck, then Thissle picked him up so that
only his legs, from the ankles on down were in the soapy water.  Karma took the
bar of soap and rubbed it all over the Squirrel's wet, furry body.  When she was
finished, Thissle laid him on his back on the deck, both girls took a brush, and
they double-teamed him.  Exchanging a look and a teasing giggle with each other
at the sight of his stiff secret revealed, the girls took turns teasingly
stroking the Squirrel's bobbing cock and the furry sack beneath it, eliciting a
pleasured whimper from him.  Then, they began scrubbing his fur into a thick
lather, working his little body as he had worked theirs, gentle circular strokes
over his shoulders, down his arms, and back up to his neck.  He closed his eyes
and smiled contentedly as the bristles massaged over his furry, and surprisingly
muscular chest, down his stomach, and along his inner thighs.

	The girls next worked their brushes all over the hard package between
his legs, working the sack, sheath, and shaft with much lighter and smaller
strokes until Hansen was taken right to the very brink of orgasm.  But before he
could reach the passionate summit, they gently flipped him over and Thissle
started working the lather through the fur of his back while Karma scrubbed his
tail; the normally thick bushy appendage, now waterlogged, looked more like a
rat's than a squirrel's.  He closed his eyes and chirred softly as these two
ladies gave him the soapy massage, so relaxing, all muscles except one turning
to putty under their tender care.
	Reflexively, his legs parted as the twin brushes touched his bottom,
moving with smaller but firmer circles over his well-toned nether flesh and
between his cheeks, then down the backs of his thighs, and back up again for a
second run over his rump.  He sighed happily as they finished with final strokes
again along his inner thighs.  For the final touch, Karma and Thissle exchanged
another look and nodded silent acknowledgment to each other.  Like a pair of
headsman's' axes, the bath brushes were raised high above their heads, then
after a brief moment, they swung down in graceful arcs and the flat sides of the
wooden blades landed hard on the Squirrel's wet, soap-slicked butt, each one
firmly striking a cheek, not once, not twice, but three times.  Hansen should
have expected this rear assault, but the kiss of the bristles kneading his flesh
through his wet fur had caused him to relax into a state of bliss so intense,
that he was taken completely by surprise.
	The first pair of swats had jolted him awake, his dark eyes wide as
saucers.  The second pair made his back arch, his front half lifting up off the
deck as the sharp bite of the wood against his bottom fully registered with him.
 The third pair of smacks finally caused him to yelp out.  With a quiet whimper,
he reached behind him and rubbed his wet, stinging rear end, then the girls
helped him to his feet in the tub.  They gave him that devilish smile again, set
the bath brushes down on the deck, then all three disappeared beneath the
steaming water to rinse the soap off of skin and out of fur.

	Shaasta was never a screamer. The Elf girl had always been a moaner and
a most delightful squirmer, ever since she and Frelic first coupled as tender
tails that night so long ago in the Kalthani Peninsula's seaside city of
Otterport.  Down on all fours like a wild pony, Shaasta's femininely wide bottom
pressed hard against Frelic's groin and stomach.  Her tight, hot sex flexed hard
around his shaft as it pounded hard inside her.  He squeezed and kneaded her
breasts, her perky, sensitive nipples pinched painfully, pleasurably between his
fingers.  His hands then slid down her front, caressing over her trim stomach
and gliding up around her hips; they began slapping a hard, feral drum beat on
his sister's beautiful, paddle-reddened ass as he felt a heat wave flow over his
entire body.  Shaasta moaned and whined, her thrashings beneath her rider
growing stronger as the rhythmic smacks of her brother's hands on her rear
intensified the unquenchable burn growing within her depths.  Each thrust of his
hard shaft in her sex driving her farther up towards the summit of the Mink's
Mountain.

	Master and pet lingered on the edge of an emotional precipice for a full
ten minutes; they rocked forward and back, locked together as one, letting the
burning sexual energy within them build like a great tsunami.  Frelic's deep
hard thrusts pounded inside Shaasta, and his hips pressed hard against her rear,
which counterthrusted and ground against his loins.  The slap of his hands on
her burning flanks beat a steady cadence for their feral, bestial dance, pushing
them ever closer to the edge.  Finally, neither Elf could hold back any longer. 
Frelic took a firm, two-handed grip on his sister's butt and reared back like a
wild pony stallion.  At the same moment, Shaasta's fiery-maned head lifted up
and back, her emerald green eyes half closed.  Her back gracefully arched; her
slick, hot nether folds clenched tight around her Master's cock; and as one,
they slipped over the edge into a vast, lust-filled void.  Falling into a deep,
warm sea of passionate bliss, Shaasta writhed and moaned in pure unadulterated
ecstasy, while Frelic's seed flowed hot from his hard, pulsing rod inside her
most intimate channel.  Frelic growled like a great cat, his nails digging into
Shaasta's rump; his shaft pounded again and again inside his sister's tight,
slick sex, pumping his hot, sweet Elven juices into her depths.  Another ten
minutes and they were spent.
	With a euphoric sigh, they collapsed together on the bed, rolling onto
their sides to cuddle as Master and pet, as loving twin brother and sister, just
as they had done many times those twelve years ago at the tender age of eleven
summers, Frelic's cock still hard and nested deep inside her, and Shaasta's
bottom and back firmly pressed against him.  Frelic's gentle hands caressed and
petted Shaasta's breasts, firm stomach, and hips before slipping down to knead
her soft thighs, first the fronts, and then the inner surfaces, which caused her
to tremble with another little wave of pleasure.

	"Ah, Shaasta, dear sister," Frelic purred, "I am truly the most
fortunate Elf on all of Niath."
	Shaasta giggled and squirmed playfully against her brother, "Oh, Master,
you embarrass this humble little pet with your flattery and sweet words."
	"Well, it is true, my little tender hawk.  I am indeed most fortunate
that during the weeks you were in the Southern Rose, no one realized just how
valuable you are.  And even then, ten platinums is only the smallest fraction of
what my lovely sister is worth."
	Shaasta looked up at her brother, a soft crimson glow in her cheeks and
an impish gleam in her emerald-green eyes, "I too feel most fortunate, Master,
fortunate that I can serve and service such a wonderful, loving, and protective
owner.  But you do realize that neither of us will feel so fortunate the next
time we visit Kalthani."  She placed a hand on one of his as he continued to pet
and caress her inner thighs, "You know that mother will turn both of us over her
knee and roast our bottoms many times worse than the spanking you gave me."
	Frelic gave her a sheepish smirk and he shrugged, "Yes, we will most
likely spend our next visit home on our feet, but what a small sacrifice to pay
for what we now have, dear pet."  He nuzzled his face against hers, and purring
like a kitten, playfully planted a series of rapid-fire loving nips along her
neck and slender shoulders.  Their lips touched in a sweet, tender kiss, and
then they lay there on the bed, cuddling together in silence and basking in each
others' presence and warmth.


Chapter IV : Cinnamon and a Spicy Tale

	Thissle bent over and felt around the tub's floor until her hand touched
an iron ring.  She gave it a tug and pulled out the cork stopper it was attached
to.  As the hot soapy water started its slow exit to the sewers beneath
Mistport, she hoisted her wet body out of the large cedar basin and took one of
the soft cotton towels to dry herself off.  Hansen was attending to Karma,
vigorously rubbing another towel through her waterlogged fur.  The Rabbit stood
with her arms out and big bunny feet spread while the Squirrel methodically
worked her over from the top down.  He started with her long ears.  Then using
both hands, he scrubbed her sunny blonde hair from drenched to merely damp. 
Hansen used lighter strokes on her brow, cute little muzzle, and over her fluffy
cheeks; then gently patted her chin, neck, and shoulders dry before resuming the
more vigorous strokes for her arms, breasts, and stomach.
	The Rabbit closed her eyes and smiled naughtily as the Squirrel worked
on her lower half, buffing the cotton over her wide hips and thighs, down to the
tops of her feet, and back up to gently swab the tender mound of her sex. 
Finally, Hansen padded around behind Karma and lovingly kneaded the towel all
over her plush butt, pressing and kneading vigorously over every square inch of
the Bunny's fur-clad, jiggly derriere, between her soft southern cheeks, and
finishing with a brisk scrubbing over the top and underside of her
teardrop-shaped tail.

	Once Karma was dry, she took up a fresh towel and gave Hansen the same
treatment.  He squirmed a bit as she worked the cloth down his sides.  "Ticklish
are you?" Karma asked, reaching around to land a playful swat on his still wet
bottom."
	He giggled, "Just a little bit, love bunn," he admitted, "Don't tell
Master, please?
	Karma laughed with him, "Don't worry, fuzzbutt.  You're secret is safe
with me.  Besides, I don't think Frelic is into tickling anyway, not much at
least."  She continued working on getting the Squirrel's fur dried out. 
Naturally, when she worked on the treasure zone between his thighs, his cock
emerged from its sheath again.  She smiled naughtily, took the hard shaft in her
hand, gently stroked it a few times, then leaned forward and ran her tongue
along its length, top and underside.  Hansen closed his eyes and gave a tortured
moan as the tongue bath the Bunny gave his maleness caused him to sway back and
forth, weak kneed.  Clear lubricating fluid dripped from the tip of the pulsing
shaft, which Karma lapped up.  Before his loins could erupt with his seed, the
Rabbit backed off, then had him turn around so she could finish drying him off.
	Thissle, finished grooming her mane, was watching the little drama
taking place between the two.  She smirked and laughed, "Silly Rabbit.  You are
such a terrible tease.  I swear, you are going to end up driving the poor
Squirrel to insanity if you keep that up without letting him boink you soon."
	Karma stuck her tongue out at Thissle, then gave Hansen's rump a
friendly squeeze followed by a stinging flick of the wet towel as she finished
the rubdown.  "I just might do that," she said, "Shaasta said he is a real
pleasure to couple with.  But, I don't want to tire him out before Frelic can
use him first."
	Hiding his embarrassment, Hansen picked up a hard-bristled brush and
started working it over Karma's soft pelt, using short firm strokes to smooth
out her fur.  While he did that, Thissle took her brush and worked on the
Rabbit's silky hair, brushing out the damp tangles.
	"So tell us, furball," Thissle said, "How did you and Shaasta, of all
people, manage to get yourselves captured by slavers?"

	Hansen gave her a sheepish grin, shrugged, and brushed smooth the gold
and blue fur of Karma's rump, teasing it to chinchilla-like softness, "I'm
ashamed to admit; we were taken completely by surprise."
	"No way!" the girls exclaimed in unison.
	"That simply doesn't happen," Karma insisted, "A pair of highly skilled
rangers, one of them an Elf no less, you never get ambushed."
	"Yeah," Thissle chimed in, "That simply defies every single law of
reality on the books, and possibly even a few laws of surreality as well."  She
finished fixing the Rabbit's silky locks and idly ran the brush through her own
mane a few more times, "You and Shaasta are the best in your class, so attuned
to your surroundings that you know the enemy is out there even before they
know."
	"So how could you possibly get caught with your armor down?" Karma
demanded.
	The Squirrel chuckled and gave her a playful smack on the ass with the
back of the pelt brush as he finished grooming her.  He handed the brush off to
her and presented himself for his turn.  "That, dear ladies, pretty much says it
all.  We literally did get caught with our armor down."
	Karma worked the brush down his chest and nodded, "I get your meaning,
but let's hear it anyway."
	"Yes, well," he continued, "me and Shaasta had just finished a nice long
afternoon double-boinking, first in her Elf form, and then in her hawk form."

	Thissle smiled knowingly, her hands sliding up her inner thighs and over
the moist slit of her smooth bare mound; the mental imagery of the Furling
pressed against Shaasta's down-covered undertail, his hard shaft nested deep
inside her hot treasure hole, sent an electric tingle through her body, "Mmmm, a
double-boinking.  So, when Shaasta went to her hawk form, did you take her from
behind, or did you have her spread eagle on her back?"
	Hansen closed his eyes and let his thoughts fill with the sweet memories
of that cool but hot afternoon that long month ago, while Karma firmly glided
the pelt brush down his thighs; she then padded around behind him to groom the
Squirrel's back half.  "Oh, I took her from behind, both rounds in fact.  For
the first boinking, she was all Elf; down on all fours,  legs spread, and those
irresistible, round, blushing flanks thrust invitingly up."  His cock hardened
once more, and both Karma and Thissle were quietly squirming as the Squirrel
relayed the encounter in fine, graphic detail; a sweet stickiness forming
between their legs.
	"She was like a wild, fire-maned pony in season," Hansen recalled, "and
I rode her long and hard, bringing that girl to the summit of the Mink's
Mountain twice before I allowed myself to fill her with my passion seed."
	Thissle was now openly probing herself, three dainty fingers buried deep
inside her burning sex, "Ooh!" she moaned, "Shaasta is one lucky Elf.  Most
other guys would be quite envious of your prowess and endurance, fuzzbutt," she
complimented him.  "Not many can bring an Elf girl to climax twice before
unloading into her."
	Hansen had to avert his gaze as the insides of his ears heated up.  He
really did bear an inner modesty that countered his outward brazen tendencies;
talk of his sexploits was difficult for him unless receiving heavy encouragement
such as that currently coming from the two heavily aroused ladies now
interrogating him.

	"Well I hate sounding like a sailor or some village pretty boy, spinning
drunken yarns to compensate for certain shortcomings," he said, "but I have had
a number of steamy years with Shaasta to hone my skills and finely attune them
specifically to her needs.  In fact, if you ask her, she will vouch for me and
admit that I had her begging for me to fill her with my seed.  She was thrashing
about like a wild filly by the time she reached the summit the second time and
my hot juices flowed into her like flood waters from a shattered dam."
	"Oh, I don't doubt a single word," Karma assured him.  She gave his
furry bottom an understanding squeeze, then went to work on making his tail
bushy again.  "Shaasta has told us countless tales every time the two of you
paid a visit to WraithHold during one of your adventures."
	"You and Shaasta are hearth legends to the Halflings of Pinevale,"
Thissle informed him, "Both the lads and lasses there see you two as heroes of
sorts."
	"Yeah, you have quite an impressive crowd of fans," Karma giggled.  She
finished his tail and brushed smooth the fur on his rump, then her ears dropped
back alluringly, her tail twitched, and a suggestive glimmer flashed in her
large, liquid eyes, "And two of your biggest fans are right here in this room
with you."  She teasingly ran a fingertip around the rim of his tight little
treasure hole before applying a firm smack to his ass with the paddle side of
the brush, signaling that the grooming was complete.

	Karma padded over to a low bench and lay face down with her legs
straddling the seat, ready for the next phase of their preparations for their
evening out.  Her legs spread, and her soft pillowlike bottom flirted temptingly
in the air, Hansen wanted nothing more than to cover her body with his and give
the Bunny's tight love channel and even tighter little butthole a much needed
boinking.  He could have freely taken her right then and there, and Karma would
have gladly received him.  After all, she was just as much Furling as he, and
almost always willing and ready to drop everything at the flick of a tail for a
quick fucking.  But now was not the time.  The three had a busy night ahead of
them, he with his Master here at the Hightail, and they with Shaasta at Hot
Summer Nights.  There would be plenty of time later to slip his cock into these
two sweet ladies.
	Thissle stepped over to a table and picked up a small basin filled with
steaming, fragrant, soapy water, and a pair of thick, round shafts made of
smoothly polished wood, measuring approximately twelve inches from end to end. 
Half the length of these were wrapped with a thick sponge.
	Hansen recognized these wands of course, and could not help but give a
naughty smile while patting Karma's upturned bottom.  "Ah, a rectal scrub. 
Planning on a bit of tail diving or other uptail fun tonight?"
	"That's always a possibility," Thissle said, "But this is mostly because
we may be doing lap dances this evening; and well, that is normally where we
prefer to receive our tips."

	The Squirrel dipped the sponge end of one shaft into the water and
pressed the tip against the waiting opening between the Bunny's southern cheeks.
 Hansen was intimately familiar with the procedure, having performed it on
Shaasta's butt regularly over the years.  Though nowhere near as effective as
gehennite, a rectal scrub, if done right, provided a cleansing more than
sufficient for a hot evening of uptail play.
	"Okay now," he said, "On the count of three.  Ready?"
	Karma nodded her head, her tight little hole clenching and relaxing in
anticipation.
	"One, two..."  he took a firm grip on the wooden shaft, and in one
smooth motion, he impaled the Rabbit up the ass, causing her to give a sharp
gasp despite her readiness as the sponge-wrapped rod filled her rear channel. 
"Three."
	Hansen pumped the scrubber for several seconds inside Karma's butt, then
rotated it left and right non-stop for a full minute, thoroughly swabbing her
rectal wall with the hot soapy sponge.  He gave it a few more pumps, working it
in a little deeper, and with one final twist, pulled it back out, eliciting a
sweet sigh from the Rabbit.  He set the wet-sponged shaft aside, picked up the
second scrubber, and looked over at Thissle.
	"Thissle, do you need me to give you a scrubbing too?"
	"No," she replied.  Thissle was busy preparing a perfume spritzer
bottle, concocting a mix of cool water and a very powerful cinnamon-scented oil,
"I only need a deep cleansing after uptail play."
	"Oh, that's right," Hansen said, "I forgot that even in your Human form,
you still retain that Dragon metabolism.  I envy you Drakie types sometimes." 
He turned his attention back to Karma's ass and inserted the second sponge,
without wetting it down, deep up inside her.  The Bunny was of course thoroughly
enjoying this.  Her bottom was thrust up high, and a sweet sticky moisture
coated her sex, matting down the fur of her mound as the Squirrel expertly
worked the shaft in her bowels.  Hansen used slow, meticulous strokes, taking
his time as the sponge pistoning inside her soaked up the soapy dampness,
leaving Karma's rectal wall clean and dry.
	Between gasps and moans, Karma whimpered for Hansen to finish his story,
"Okay, furball, you still haven't told us how you and Shaasta managed to get
ambushed."

	"Right, so anyway," he continued his little epic, "there we were,
coupled together out among the coastal pines, Shaasta on her hands and knees,
and me draped over her wide ass.  Other than our heavy breathing and contented
moans as we basked in the warm afterglow of our shared bliss, the only other
sounds were the chirping of songbirds and chittering of small forest creatures."
 He pulled the sponge-wrapped shaft from Karma's depths and slipped two fingers
up her butt.
	"Deciding it was time to continue our trek, as I wanted to cover as much
ground as possible while we had plenty of daylight left, I extracted myself from
Shaasta and started to gather up our gear.  But that Elf brat had other ideas."
	He swabbed his fingers around Karma's rectal wall, then probed deeper;
his thumb and third finger joined the first two and formed a fist inside of her.
 Her bottom clenched hard around his arm while Hansen pressed onward with his
story.
	"I was about to get dressed, when I heard Shaasta call my name.  I
turned around, and there she stood atop a large flat boulder, her arms spread
and her eyes glowing a soft emerald green.  She flashed an alluring smile my
way, then a green aura matching her eyes shimmered around her body, and she
transformed.  When the emerald halo about her faded, Shaasta had fully shifted
to her hawk form.  Her large wings gracefully spread wide for balance, she
perched daintily on that rock.  She didn't waste any time.  Despite not being
able to speak while she was a bird, Shaasta's motions and mannerisms left no
doubt in my mind what she wanted."
	He pulled his fist from the Bunny's butt, slipped his fingers into his
mouth, and savored Karma's unique flavor as if sampling a fine wine.  "Perfect,"
was his assessment, "clean enough for the deepest taildive."
	Karma giggled, then gasped and tensed up when Thissle knelt behind her
and probed her tongue deep up her freshly cleaned rear chamber, the
copper-haired girl's face buried between the plush hills of the Bunny's bottom
to test Hansen's claim.  Satisfied with the Squirrel's work, she pulled back,
sat down on the bench beside Karma, and gave the Rabbit an approving slap on the
rump, "Delicious," she declared, "You should be able to carry a buttload of coin
under your tail by the time were are finished for the night, boink bunny."

	Hansen nodded, "Now, where was I?  Oh yes, Shaasta had transformed and
was now in her hawk form.  Her body language more than made up for her inability
to speak.  She turned her ass end towards me, and with her wings spread, she
leaned forward so that her front half was pressed against her rocky perch and
her back half was flirted up in the air before me, tailfeathers fanned out and
raised to expose the soft creamy white down of her bird butt with its tight
little opening pulsing and flexing, awaiting fulfillment."
	Karma started to get up, but Thissle stopped her, pushing her back down
on the bench, "Not yet, Bunny," she said.  She picked up the spritzer bottle she
had prepared earlier and attached a long, round applicator tip, with a hole in
the end as well as a number of smaller holes along the surface, to the flexible
tube sticking out from the top.  "We're going to try out this cinnamon scent oil
I bought at the apothecary today."  She motioned for Hansen to resume the tale
while she worked the Rabbit's tail.  But the Squirrel was too distracted by what
Thissle was doing to Karma to continue just yet.
	Thissle inserted the applicator up Karma's butt and squeezed the bulb on
the spritzer, sending a spray of cinnamon oil and water into the warm depths
beneath her tail.  Karma gave a soft moan at first, as the solution coated her
rectal wall, feeling pleasantly cool but with an underlying tingle that sent
shivers through her body.  But soon, the coolness gave way to a burning that
filled her entire nether passage and turned her pleasured shivers to agonized
writhings so intense that Thissle had to hold her down.  She gave the Rabbit a
second dose of the fiery potion, then pulled the tube from her butt and
continued to hold her until the burn faded to a mildly stinging warmth.
	Thissle gently stroked Karma's rump, silently comforting her and
inviting Hansen to taste again the Rabbit's tail.  He knelt behind her as
Thissle had done and pressed his muzzle between her cheeks.  The strong aroma of
cinnamon mingled with Karma's own natural scent filled the Squirrel's nose and
renewed his arousal.  His tongue entered the hot opening of the Bunny's ass and
lapped at the spicy oil coating her inner flesh.  "All I can say is amazing!" he
declared, as he looked back up at Thissle and licked his chops, "her taste was
exquisite before you spritzed her.  But now, her flavor is pure ambrosia.  I bet
Master would be quite pleased if you cinnamoned my butt."
	"I know he will be quite pleased, fuzzbutt," Thissle replied, as she
removed the used applicator from the spritzer and replaced it with a fresh one. 
She handed the perfume bottle to Hansen, helped Karma to her feet, and took her
place on the bench; face down, perky breasts pressed against the wooden seat,
feet on the floor, and ass in the air.
	"Cinnamon is one of his favorite flavors.  But before you get it, you
have to finish the story of how you and Shaasta got caught with your armor
down."
	Hansen buried his muzzle in Thissle's bottom and moistened her butthole
with his tongue.  Her natural scent was like the sweetness that permeates the
air right before an electrical storm.  He inserted the tube up her butt and gave
the spritzer's bulb two squeezes, spraying the stinging cinnamon mist into
Thissle's back passage just as she had done to Karma earlier.  Unlike the
Furling Rabbit, however; Thissle's moans and squirmings were of pure pleasure
from beginning to end.

	The Squirrel set the bottle aside, sampled a taste of Thissle's ass,
then finally resumed his tale of tail.  "So there was Shaasta, looking every bit
as hot in her bird form as she does in her Elven form, her beautiful feathered
ass presented invitingly for stuffing.  I knelt behind her and slipped my tongue
into her hot, pulsing opening to get her properly slicked up, taking care to
probe both the lower and upper channels; I knew from extensive previous
experience that both were going to be unfathomably tight rides."
	"That really got her squirming, and even moreso when I primed her by
planting a good dozen open-handed swats under her tailfeathers.  By the time my
paw struck her down-covered ass that twelfth time, that feathered honey was more
than ready, chirping and squawking frantically for me to take her."
	"You know," Karma advised him, "you really should keep a journal of your
adventures.  The way you tell them, you could easily make a fortune with your
tales."
	Thissle sat up, the cinnamon perfume now properly absorbed into the
inner flesh of her nether chamber.  She agreed with Karma, "She's right, y'know.
 In fact, not only could you be a best seller for your hot steamy epics, you
could also do well writing text books and educational quarterlies for the Mink's
Elite.  That's something to think about, at least."
	Hansen smiled and blushed at the suggestions, "I may do just that one of
these days.  But anyway, as I was saying, after I warmed her feathered butt with
a spanking, Shaasta was primed and ready for stuffing.  Not wanting to keep my
squirming lovebird waiting any longer, I gently draped my body over hers,
wrapped my arms around her, and pulled her close to me."  He paused briefly and
closed his eyes, nearly coming to an orgasm as he let his mind recall every last
vivid detail of that moment in time.

	"I first slid my cock down her lower passage, her avian sex, and rode
her for at least a full fifteen minutes.  And I must say, as an Elf, Shaasta is
one of the sweetest pleasures imaginable, and Master is indeed most fortunate to
have her as his pet.  But Shaasta the Elf pales in comparison to Shaasta the
hawk."  He reached down between his legs and gave his hard, pulsing shaft a firm
squeeze.
	"That girl has tremendous talent that puts the Order of the Mink's lads
and lasses to shame.  Her nesting chamber is incredible, so wonderfully hot and
such a tight fit, I actually had to fight hard to keep from planting my seed in
her the instant her treasure hole closed around my cock and I plumbed her
ornithian depths.  Over that quarter hour, we glided to the summit of the Mink's
Mountain together three times.  In fact, we not only went to the summit, we
soared high above the peak each time; by the time we landed, her love chamber
was full of Furling passion juices."
	Thissle smiled and was blushing at the graphic details Hansen was
providing of his avian sexcapade with Shaasta, "Yeah, I've heard bird boinking
is an experience like no other.  We've had Cloud Rangers from Aquillia visit
Pinevale, and their tales of how they have to frequently service their mounts
matches your experiences with Shaasta.  And a few of them have told me that in
my small Dragon form, I am a match for their feathered lovers."
	"I will have to test that claim soon, you know," Hansen warned her, then
went back to his story, "Still fired up, Shaasta was writhing and squawking
under me, wanting more.  So I extracted my shaft from under her tailfeathers for
a brief moment, then slipped it back into her treasure hole, thrusting it up her
upper passage to fuck her ass chamber.  And let me tell you, with birds, it
doesn't matter which path you take.  Either the high road or the low road will
give you a boinking to remember for years to come."
	"Another half hour and another five trips above the summit, and we were
both spent at last.  I pulled out of her, sat down on the rock, and cuddled her
on my lap for a few minutes.  She was cooing like a dove and nuzzling her beak
over my face and neck, gently preening me while I stroked my fingers through her
feathers; down her breast and thighs, and her soft undertail."
	"After we recovered, she leaped to the ground and became an Elf again. 
Still reeling a little from the after effects of our passion high, we were
taking our time getting dressed.  That was when I heard Shaasta shout out a
pained cry.  I quickly turned around to see what the problem was just in time to
watch her crumple to the ground with a dart pierced deep in her rump.  I rushed
over to her, crying her name.  But before I could reach her, I felt a sharp pain
in my bottom, like the sting of a Sprite Dragon, then felt a deep, numbing heat
spread out through my body from where the dart had struck me.  The world swirled
around me, and all went dark."

	"Ooh," Karma said, "tranq dart in the ass, that's the most effective way
to take down an otherwise elusive prey like you and Shaasta."  She patted him
reassuringly on the shoulder, "So don't feel too bad about it.  Even if you had
been fully alert, it would still have been difficult to avoid being taken down
like that."
	Hansen shook his head and sighed, "We could have easily avoided it," he
argued, "All we had to do was take Frelic's advice he gave us before we set out
to heart, and avoided traveling along the Northwest Coast."
	Thissle gave him a comforting hug, "Don't punish yourself over your
decisions, fuzzbutt," she popped him on the ass with one hand, "Leave that to
us.  And look on the bright side.  Had you not been taken by slavers, you would
not have become Frelic's pet.  And from the way you have been behaving since
Master brought you back from the Southern Rose, it looks to me as if you really
do like this new life you have entered into."
	He smiled as Thissle guided him down onto the bench, and positioned him
with his bottom thrust up, ready to receive the cinnamon oil, "Yes, I suppose
you are right," he agreed.

	"I'm always right," Thissle reminded him.  She replaced the applicator
on the spritzer bottle and knelt behind him while Karma held his tail up out of
the way so she could slip her tongue into his southern star.
	"And I will admit," he continued, "watching Master play with and
discipline Delilah, and hearing the heated tales of when he served as Mistress
Triniti's pet and lab assistant aboard the Bloodlust, and Shaasta's own stories
of her years serving Triniti, made me fantasize about serving a stern but loving
mistress myself.  I always figured when the time came, I would offer myself to
Shaasta.  I never thought I would serve a master though.  But when Frelic was
probing and prodding us there at the shop, I realized that it didn't matter who
was on the giving end of the paddle.  I could serve as a pleasure girl to either
a master or a mistress."
	"And Frelic will thoroughly enjoy using your cute little bottom too,
furball," Karma replied, "Also, you may not be aware that in addition to his
full Elf, full panther, and Furling Panther forms, during his service as cabin
boy to Captain Sasslyn and lab assistant to Master Kairo on the Svelte Lady
after his rescue from the Bloodlust, Frelic managed to perfect his shapeshifting
ability to where he could also transform into a female Furling Panther as well."
	"So if you please him well enough," Thissle cut in, finishing the
thought for Karma, "you may yet get a chance to serve a mistress occasionally
after all."  With that, she inserted the tube up his butt and squeezed the bulb
three times, thoroughly coating his rectal wall with the cinnamon spray.
	"Oh!" he gasped, as the spicy mist burned inside him, "that feels
absolutely wonderful, even sweeter than the ginger roots Corporal Wheaton would
stuff up our butts in his attempts to discipline us before he sold us to Master
Varo."
	Thissle laughed and gave Hansen's bottom another slap, "You really are
an incurable pain slut," she removed the tube from his butt and replaced it with
his rose from the pet shop.  "You and Delilah are really going to have fun
playing together at WraithHold.  Now, let's go present you to Master."
	Karma helped Hansen to his feet, clasped his collar around his neck, and
planted an affectionate kiss on his muzzle.  She then attached his leash to the
collar and taking a firm hold on the other end, she followed Thissle back to the
suite's outer lounge with the Furling Squirrel submissively in tow.


Chapter V : Safety Briefing

	Frelic disengaged himself from his sister, planted a tender kiss on her
sweet bottom, sat up on the bed, removed the rose in his hair and put it back in
its rightful place up her butt, "Come my little tender hawk.  Thissle and Karma
are probably just about ready for your night out."  He pulled her to her feet
and led her over to the table, where he brushed the tangles from her fiery hair,
clasped the leash to her collar, and led his pet sister back out to the lounge.
	The outer room was empty.  Giggles and occasional laughter could be
heard from behind the closed door leading to the bathing chamber.  Frelic put
his tunic on then led Shaasta over to the hearth, where he removed her leash,
sat down on the couch and pulled her onto his lap so they could cuddle some
more.  Frelic could not get enough of his sister's plush bottom; his hand glided
over the smooth, warm flesh, tenderly petting and kneading it.
	"Shaasta," he said, "one thing puzzles me."
	"What's that Master?"  she gazed into his questioning eyes and ran her
fingers through his silky, mithril hair.
	"With your innate ability common to us Moors Elves, why did you not
simply turn into a hawk and fly free from the Southern Rose?"
	"That would have been impossible for two reasons," she replied, "First,
the entire shop, including the training grounds out back, is protected by a
magick dampening field, much like the enchantment on those collars Mistress
Triniti placed around our necks when we were taken aboard the Bloodlust.  So, I
was stuck in my true form."
	"Ah, I suspected that might have been the case.  When I entered the
shop, I thought I felt a weakening of my powers and a loss of contact with the
Beastlands.  I thought it might just be weariness from last night's lessons I
guided Thissle in."
	"Nope, it wasn't you, Master," Shaasta confirmed, "it was the shop."
	"And what was the second reason?"
	"Even had I been able to transform and fly away," she said, "I would not
have done so; that would have meant leaving Hansen behind, and there is no way I
would ever abandon him."
	Frelic held his sister close to him, greatly touched by her loyalty and
devotion, "My sweet sister," he whispered in her ear as she lay her head on his
shoulder, "that silly little Squirrel is lucky to have you for a friend and
lover.  And now you have each other for life, and I have both of you."  Their
soft lips met in another hot, tender kiss; her hands glided over his shoulders
and back, and his caressed and fondled her thighs and bottom some more.
	"Master?" she said, once they finally came up for air.
	"Yes, my pet?"
	"Even though you own us both, would you permit us to marry eventually?"
she asked.
	Frelic smacked her on the ass and laughed, "Of course, dear sister.  You
and Hansen have such a deep bond, there is no reason why you two couldn't become
lifemates.  You make a cute couple together anyway."
	"Thank-you so much, Master," she said, giving a heart melting smile and
kissing him again, "We're not ready yet to fully seal the bond, but one of these
days..."

	They were interrupted by the opening of the bathing chamber's door. 
Thissle and Karma entered the lounge, with Hansen in tow.  Frelic couldn't help
but smile.  Hansen looked so cute and submissive as the Rabbit led him on the
leash over to the hearth.  She presented the Squirrel to Frelic, handing the
lead over to the wizard.
	"Here he is, Boss," she announced, "Your pet is fresh and clean as a
Dragon's butt."
	Hansen couldn't help but blush at the analogy, and neither could
Thissle.  Frelic pulled the Squirrel onto his lap with Shaasta, unclasped his
leash, and looked him over, while Thissle and Karma burrowed into their shopping
packs and pulled out matching buckskin, sleeveless, micro-mini dresses.  They
held them up against their frontsides to show them off.  Frelic and Hansen both
nodded their approval.
	"You girls will turn a lot of heads in those," Frelic said.
	"They will turn a lot of tricks too for that matter," Hansen added.
	The girls laughed and put the dresses on, "Yes, most likely on both
accounts," Thissle agreed, as they cinched the buckskin minis around the waist
with the darker suede belts attached to them.  They slowly turned around,
modeling their evening wear for Frelic, Hansen, and Shaasta.  The dresses were
quite form fitting on them, fully accentuating their ample feminine curves,
lace-up low cut necklines to show off plenty of cleavage, and just barely long
enough to provide modesty in front and back, but also providing a teasing
glimpse of the lowermost curves of their naked bottoms when they bent forward.
	"You girls look fantastic in those," Frelic complimented them, "It
really should be a hot night at Hot Summer Nights tonight with you two prowling
about the club, as well as Shaasta in her collar, boots, and tail belt."
	Frelic sniffed at the air, as a pleasing, familiar scent filled his
nose, "Is that cinnamon that I smell?" he asked.
	Hansen nodded his head several times, "It sure is, Master," he
confirmed, "Me, Karma, and Thissle, all had cinnamon oil sprayed up our butts
after our bath.  Care to check it out?"  He stood up on the couch and bent over,
presenting his bottom for Frelic.
	The wizard removed the rose again from the Squirrel's ass and buried his
face between the furry cheeks before him.  He inhaled the strong scent of
cinnamon coming from under his pet's tail, then slipped his tongue into the
tight treasure hole and took a deep taste of the Squirrel's hot and spicy
flavor.

	"Oh, that's good," Frelic said, as he extracted his face from the
Furling's butt and gave him a loving pat on the rear before reinserting the
rose.  "I want you and Shaasta to have your asses sprayed inside with cinnamon
on a regular basis."
	"A pleasure indeed, Master," Hansen chittered as he resumed his place on
Frelic's lap, "It feels great, even better than ginger root."
	"Better than ginger root?" Shaasta repeated, a worried look in her eyes,
"You mean it burns?"
	"Of course it burns, silly bird.  It wouldn't be any fun if it didn't." 
He gave Shaasta his most innocent smile while Karma padded back to the bathing
chamber.  She returned a few seconds later with the spritzer bottle in hand, a
fresh applicator attached to its long, flexible tube.
	Frelic took the bottle, "Stand up, spread your legs, and grab your
ankles, Shaasta," he ordered.
	She obediently complied, presenting her ass to her brother.  Frelic
moistened her butthole with his tongue, slid the thick tube up inside her, and
gave the spritzer's bulb four firm squeezes.  Shaasta gave a quiet moan as the
initially cool mist coated the inner flesh of her rear.  By the time Frelic
removed the tube from her ass, the cool moistness suddenly became an intense
burn.  Though nowhere near as painful as gehennite, the liquid fire burning in
her bowels was enough to drop her down on all fours, writhing and whimpering
loudly.
	Frelic knelt behind his sister and lovingly massaged her bottom with
both hands as the cinnamon oil was absorbed into her rectal wall.  Finally,
after a couple minutes, the burn faded to a gentle warmth, and she slumped down,
chest pressed against the floor and ass in the air.  He took a two-handed grip
on Shaasta's butt, spread her cheeks, and slipped his tongue a second time up
inside her rear passage.

	"See, lovebird?" Hansen said.  He knelt in front of the girl, put a paw
under her chin, and lifted her head to meet his gaze, "that wasn't so bad now,
was it?"
	Blushing, as her brother probed her ass with his tongue, Shaasta rocked
forward and pressed her lips against the Squirrel's muzzle, "Yes, it was,
actually," she disagreed with him, "But, I'm sure I can eventually get
comfortable with it, like I did with the ginger root."
	Frelic finished sampling Shaasta's aft channel; he put the rose back in
her and gave her the customary pony slap on the butt.  "Perfect," he declared,
"Now for two final matters before I dismiss you to join Thissle and Karma for
the evening."  He once again helped her to her feet, sat back down on the couch,
and pulled her across his lap.
	"Thissle," he said, "bring me my outer belt."

	The copper-haired girl padded over to the table in the middle of the
room and fetched the leather traveler's belt for Frelic.  He opened one of the
larger pouches and withdrew a syringe tipped with a long mithril needle, and a
small vial containing a translucent green liquid.  The stopper was removed, the
needle was inserted, and the plunger was pulled back, slowly drawing the entire
contents of the vial into the syringe.
	"What is it?" Thissle asked.
	Frelic held it up and pushed the plunger; a thin stream of green
squirted from the needle's tip as he made sure no air bubbles were in the mix,
"This is just a little something to ensure Shaasta will be able to sleep
tonight," he explained.
	"Right before she and Hansen were branded today, they both took a potion
of Dragon Metabolism up their butts to supplement their gehennite cleansings." 
He pushed the long, thick needle deep into the right cheek of Shaasta's bottom,
emptied the emerald serum into her, and lovingly kneaded the soft flesh where
she had been pierced.
	"Without it," Shaasta said, "we would be up and flying for days."
	"And then we would crash hard and sleep for days more," Hansen added.
	"And Master?" Shaasta asked, "what was the other matter you mentioned?"

	"While you are out carousing and dancing the night away," Frelic
informed her, "I want everyone who views your pride to see my pride."  Before
Shaasta could question her Master further, the outer lounge echoed with the loud
smacks of one-handed applause as Frelic's hand warmed and reddened her bottom
again, refreshing the shimmering glow of the pawprint and willow tree brand.
	He helped her to her feet, gave her a tender embrace and pressed his
lips against hers, "Go ahead and finish getting ready now, love," he said,
giving her sore rear a gentle pat as she padded over to the table.  While she
donned her tail belt and buckskin thigh boots, Frelic took Thissle's
apprentice's paddle from the mantle and tossed it to his student.
	"Whenever the glow fades tonight," he instructed her, "reheat my
sister's butt."
	"That should earn her a few extra silvers," Karma said, giggling and
giving Shaasta a smartass smirk.
	Shaasta stuck her tongue out at the Rabbit, "So my assets will
appreciate in value as the night presses on," she countered.  She shook her ass,
causing the black tail hanging from the back of her belt to swish back and forth
seductively behind her, "That's nothing to be ashamed of."
	"Alright, girls," Frelic cut in, motioning the four over, "It's time for
a little briefing before I release you for the night."  They gathered around the
hearth.  He sat back down on the couch; Hansen nestled his furry behind on his
Master's lap, and the girls stood before them, awaiting Frelic's wisdom.

	"Now, I know you girls are quite capable of looking out for each other
and yourselves," he began, "I want you to bear in mind that this is a maritime
town, and there are several large ships in port tonight from all over Niath. 
This means that there will be hundreds of sailors of many races and species
roaming the streets, pubs, and inns; all of them will be on the hunt for a good
time."
	"So if we play their hands and other parts right," Thissle concluded,
"this could conceivably be a profitable night for us."
	Frelic laughed and petted Hansen's bottom, "Yes, I do not doubt for a
second that you will all come back with a buttload of coin.  However, I expect
you girls to exercise common sense," he continued, "Do not forget that you are
members of the House of Willowpaw, and I expect you to conduct yourselves
accordingly.  If things look like they may get out of hand, if trouble starts to
brew, get yourselves safely out of there."
	"You don't mind us working the floor?" Karma asked.
	"Not at all, bunny.  You ladies are blessed with the grace, beauty, and
charm to provide the services these hungry folk need and crave after weeks and
months at sea.  There is no reason for you to not use your tails for their
benefit and your enrichment."
	"So which one of you will come back tonight with the most valuable ass?"
Hansen asked.  All three girls standing before him and Frelic raised a hand.
	Frelic exchanged a look with the Squirrel on his lap, then leaned down
so that his pet could whisper something to him.  The girls looked nervously at
each other while the two held an impromptu, hushed, secret conference.  A minute
later, the Elf laughed softly and held the Furling close to him, lips pressing
against muzzle.
	"Hansen, you are one devious little imp," he declared, "Go ahead and
share your fun little idea."

	"By your leave, Master," the Furling beamed as he turned his gaze on
Shaasta, Karma, and Thissle.  "Since you girls seem to be in a bit of a
competitive mood, I'm proposing a little game to spice up your night out."
	The gleam in the Squirrel's eyes piqued Karma and Thissle's interest and
caused a sense of foreboding to sweep over Shaasta, as she knew what mischief
her lover was capable of.  They all listened intently as he put forth his idea.
	"All three of you think that your bottoms will hold the most money by
the time you return from Hot Summer Nights.  Well, Master and myself want to
give you all some motivation.  If you agree to a little contest, we have a
little prize for whoever can earn the most coin tonight.  Master?"  He looked up
at Frelic.
	"To liven up your evening, whoever brings back the most will win me and
Hansen.  We will be your pets for a full day," Frelic announced.
	There was a stunned silence for several seconds as the girls pondered
the offer, then Karma asked, "Is this for real, boss?  You are really offering
yourself for a day?"
	"Absolutely, bunny," Frelic confirmed, "We will be the winner's pets for
one day, fully at her command, willing to serve faithfully for whatever she
wishes to use us for."
	"I'm in," Shaasta said.
	"Me too," Thissle replied.
	"Can't pass up an offer like this," Karma decided.
	"Well, before you commit to this," Hansen warned them, "you need to be
aware of one other condition.  The lowest earner gets to spend a day with a sore
bottom."
	"How sore?" Thissle asked.
	"Myself, Master, and the other two will apply various intense
punishments throughout the day on the lucky girl's rear, both on the surface and
inside.  These sessions can be carried out any time during the day and
anywhere."
	"It's a good motivation to not be the lowest earner," Frelic said.
	"And what about the runner up?" Shaasta replied.
	Frelic thought for a moment, "Hmmm...  Well, let's keep with the bottom
theme.  How about this?  The second highest earner gets both a reward and a
punishment.  The reward is a nice bottom massage, hot waxing, taildiving, and
fucking from both me and Hansen."
	"And the punishment?"
	"That would be a spanking, of course," Frelic declared, "sixty swats
from both of us, twenty with the paddle, twenty with a leather strap, and twenty
with a riding crop."
	"So," Hansen pressed them, "Do we have a competition on our paws,
ladies?"
	The girls thought for a moment, then they all gave a firm nod and said,
"May the best tail win."
	"Good," Frelic replied, "Now finally..."

	He was interrupted by a knock on the door, "Come in!" he yelled,
figuring it was either Ashton or Makae come to check on them.
	The door opened, and a figure a little shorter than Frelic and Shaasta,
and clad in nothing but dark gray fur entered the room.  Definitely feminine,
with canine features, digitigrade legs, and a mop of long auburn hair that
flowed down her back to the base of her tail; she gazed at the group through
large, glowing, yellow eyes.
	"Kobold," Frelic said, as the intruder took a step in their direction. 
With lightning fast reflexes honed by several years of experience exploring the
wilds, the seasoned adventurers pulled their weapons from the rack and assumed
fighting positions.


Chapter VI : Stand Off and Stand Down

	Frelic, with his cypress wizard's staff glowing an eerie blue-white held
before him, took point.  Karma, short cutlass firmly held in one paw, stood to
his right, and Thissle was poised for battle at her Master's left side, her
longsword pointed at the Kobold in an overhead en garde position.  Shaasta and
Hansen knelt at either end of the couch, Elf on the left with her crossbow
cocked and loaded, and Squirrel on the right, short bow drawn, with an arrow
ready to fly.
	An intense silence permeated the air as the House of Willowpaw and the
Goblin dog stared each other down for several interminable seconds.  With a
frightened whimper, the Kobold slowly backpedaled towards the open door, keeping
her eyes on the wizard and his crew.  Frelic suspected that there were more
Kobolds or worse waiting out in the hall, and this one was most likely
retreating to report her findings now that she knew what they faced.
	Frelic's heart almost stopped when the diminutive monster's retreat was
unexpectedly blocked.  A black-furred paw gently gripped the Kobold's shoulder. 
The monster turned around and looked up to meet the liquid-emerald gaze of
Makae.
	"Are you okay?" the Mephit girl asked.  She then turned her gaze to the
quintet poised near the hearth, with their weapons drawn.
	Makae put her paw to her mouth and gave a soft, startled gasp, "Oh my! 
Master Willowpaw, why do you and your party stand so, as if you have just
encountered a monster?"
	Frelic quietly gestured towards the Kobold the Skunkette maid was
standing behind.  Makae followed the Elf's gaze and cocked her head cutely to
one side.  After another long moment of intense silence, the golden-eyed
creature broke out in a fit of loud, barking laughter.  Frelic scowled, trying
to guess at what this Kobold was scheming.  Hansen drew the string of his bow
back tighter and craned his neck, trying to peer behind Makae, looking for the
other Kobolds, Goblins, or Trolls that surely must be lurking out in the
hallway.
	Thissle, keeping her eyes focused on the laughing intruder, whispered to
Frelic, "By Paramour's fangs," she swore, "the Goblin dog has lost her mind."
	"She's probably signaling to her comrades for an assault.  Keep alert,"
he warned.  "Makae!  Get your lovely ass away from here!  Do you not know danger
when you see it, girl?"
	Makae looked up and down the empty corridor, then back to the wizard,
whose staff glowed brighter.  She shrugged her dainty shoulders, "I see no
danger, unless there is some unseen evil lurking out here that only adventurers
can see."
	The Kobold stopped laughing and an impish smile crossed her muzzle, "The
only dangerous monsters here," she growled, her voice soft, low, and bearing a
thick accent, is you five louts.  Now put those toys away before I take you over
my knee one at a time and paddle your asses until they catch fire!"
	Now it was Makae's turn to laugh, while Frelic, Thissle, Karma, Hansen,
and Shaasta exchanged puzzled looks, "You better do as she says," she advised
them, "When Ms. Kez threatens a spanking, you better believe her bite is much
worse than her bark."  She rubbed her own licorice and whipped cream-furred
bottom and gave Frelic an earnest and pleading look that told him the young maid
was speaking from considerable personal experience.

	The blue-white aura around Frelic's cypress staff vanished, and he gave
first, the Furling Skunkette and then, the smirking lady Kobold a quizzical
gaze.  "Ms. Kez?" he repeated, "So you are Sharani Kez, Ashton's mate?"
	"In the fur," she replied, performing a graceful curtsy, "and at your
service, Master Willowpaw."
	Frelic relaxed, looking quite embarrassed over the potentially deadly
misunderstanding.  He turned to his companions and ordered them to stand down. 
Weapons were secured once more in the rack beside the fireplace.  The wizard
stepped forward and ushered the ladies inside.  They accompanied him over to the
couch, sitting primly on either side of him.  "Ms. Kez, I am truly mortified by
our rash behavior," he apologized, placing a hand on the Kobold's paw.
	"Oh please, honey," she said, laughing softly and patting the Elf's bare
thigh, "call me Sharani.  And I must admit, you did give me quite a startle.  I
take it Ashie neglected to tell you about me?"
	"Well, Ashton did say that his mate was one of a kind," Frelic replied,
"but talk about the understatement of the ages; I most certainly did not expect
you to be a Kobold, Sharani."
	Sharani laughed again, "Travelers do tend to do double and triple takes
when they see me for the first time downstairs.  But you and your friends are
the only guests the Hightail has had who have ever greeted me with blades and
bows.  I haven't had a reception like that since I was a member of War Wizard
Yanrik's horde."
	"Well, I still feel bad about..."
	"Don't," she cut him off, "I'm the one to take the blame.  I should have
properly announced myself before entering."
	"Or even better," Makae suggested, "I should have come in first to
introduce Ms. Kez to you."
	"Well, no matter now," Sharani continued, "Nobody got hurt, and we all
had a bit of amusement.  Now why don't you introduce me to your charming little
entourage, Mister Willowpaw?"
	"You can call me Frelic," he said, then began the introductions. 
"First, this long-eared lady is Karma," he gestured to the Furling Rabbit.

	Sharani looked her over and gave her a welcoming hug.  Karma was rather
surprised at how strong the lady's grip was, "My, such a lovely example of
Furling beauty," she complimented her, then motioned for her to bend down so she
could plant a kiss on her cheek.
	"Thank-you, Ms. Kez," Karma replied, returning the peck on the cheek,
"I'm Frelic's personal aide.
	The Kobold gave a friendly smile and nodded, then stepped over to
Thissle, "And this striking beauty?"
	"Thissle, I'm one of Master Frelic's apprentices."
	Sharani repeated her welcoming embrace and kiss, "Oh, such lovely eyes,
dear, they sparkle with magick.  You are really a Dragon, shapeshifted into a
Human form, I presume, a Copper Dragon to be precise?"
	"Why yes, I am," Thissle replied, impressed at their hostess'
perceptiveness, "Was it the eyes that were the giveaway?"
	"That and your hair, as well as that sweet lightning storm scent,"
Sharani sniffed at the air, "But that strong hint of cinnamon mixed in, I
noticed that Karma also smells of cinnamon.  Are you by chance a mixed breed,
perhaps the Furling's half sister?"
	Thissle laughed and put an arm around Karma, "As wonderful a thought
that is, Ms. Kez, I really am a full-blooded Dragon.  The cinnamon is naught
more than an uptail perfume we purchased today."
	Frelic reached down and picked up the bottle of spice oil, its phallic
applicator still attached to the rectal insertion tube.  He almost managed to
suppress an amused grin; he noticed a hint of delicious muskiness in the air as
Makae quietly squirmed next to him, "All of them have taken a dose of this up
their butts as part of their preparations for their night out."
	"Oh, expecting some deep south activity tonight?" Sharani asked.  She
gave Karma and Thissle a sly wink, slipped her paws under their ultra-short
buckskin minidresses, and stole a playful pat and squeeze on their bare bottoms.
 Leaving the Rabbit and Dragon girls blushing at her brashness, she turned her
attention to Hansen.
	"Now, what of this sexy little bushytailed lad?"
	The Squirrel, beating his Master to the punch, lifted the Kobold's paw
to his muzzle, kissed it, and introduced himself, "Hansen at your service,
m'lady; ranger, adventurer, and beloved pet to Master Frelic."
	"Beloved pet?" she reached around and fingered the rose blossom nestled
against his soft bottom, then padded around behind him and took a peek under his
bushy tail.
	"As I thought," she declared, giving the Squirrel a playful swat on his
ass, "the hallmark of ol Varo."
	"Purchased from the Southern Rose just a few hours ago," Frelic replied.
	"Well you couldn't have done any better," she complimented the Elf,
"Varo and Lilieblume sell only the best of the best, top of the line and cream
of the crop, you know."
	"And finally," Frelic said, putting his arm around Shaasta with his hand
resting on her rump, "this delightful, fiery little vixen is my dear twin
sister, Shaasta."

	Sharani gave the naked Elven girl a thoughtful lookover from head to
toe, "Shaasta, a lovely name for such a lovely lass."  A hug and a kiss on the
cheek, then the Kobold gently ran her paws down the girl's shoulders, sides, and
hips, "And good taste there on your choice of fashion for the night.  Snow Elf
never goes out of style."  She stepped back and gave Shaasta a sly smile and a
wink, posing with a paw resting on fur-clad canted hip.
	"Thank-you, m'lady," Shaasta replied, blushing at the compliments over
her nakedness, "I am still working at getting used to being skyclad in public. 
It is not easy to adjust one's thinking to develop the confidence, but I am
enjoying the challenge."
	"Master neglected to mention," Hansen chimed in, "Shaasta is also an
adventurer, highly skilled ranger, my lover, and another of his pets."
	"Oh!" the Kobold exclaimed, giving Frelic a naughty teasing smile, wink,
and nudge, "she's your pet sister?  You Willowpaws grow more interesting and
exciting by the minute."
	Shaasta was blushing tremendously at Hansen's revelation of her status
to Sharani, while her Master turned her around to present her ass to the
innkeeper's mate.  "Yes, m'lady," he admitted, "I do indeed own my sister.  I
purchased her at the same time I purchased Hansen."
	Sharani fingered the petals of the rose planted up the pet Elf's butt
then traced the glowing, slightly raised, silver pawprint and willow tree brand
shimmering against the crimson background of her paddled bottom.  "Beautiful,"
was her verdict, "absolutely beautiful."
	Shaasta humbly bowed her head, "Thank-you, m'lady," she said, thrusting
her rump out as the Kobold examined her assets, "I do try my best to keep it in
top shape."

	The Kobold gave Shaasta's perfect Elven bottom a firm squeeze and a hard
smack and laughed, "Yes, Elf pet, you do have one of the loveliest asses I have
ever seen.  However, I was referring to your brother's mark.  Did you design it
yourself?"
	Frelic nodded, "Yes, that is my own original creation.  However,
Lilieblume gets the credit for properly inking it onto her bottom.  All I did
was trace the lines with the Wand of the Masters."  He turned his sister back
around and again placed his arm around her, idly kneading her branded aft flesh
with his hand.
	"Well, you know, Frelic," Sharani said, "you must tell me sometime how
you came to own these two sexy beasts.  I'm sure it is a most exciting and
titillating tale, considering they came from Varo's shop."
	Frelic laughed and smiled, holding his sister close to him, her head
resting on his shoulder, "Oh, it is indeed a hot little tale.  And while we are
at it, I am curious to hear your story.  How did Ashton manage to score himself
such a lovely little monster...I mean, a fine little lady Kobold for a mate?"
	Sharani giggled and patted his thigh, "That too is a long story," she
replied, "Sadly, I don't have the time right now, as I need to check on the cubs
and help Makae here get ready for her date with you tonight.  But I'll tell you
what.  How about tomorrow morning we exchange tales?"
	"That sounds fine," Frelic agreed, "over breakfast then, before I go
back to the Southern Rose to wrap up some unfinished business?"
	"Business business or pleasure business?"

	"A little of both," he admitted, "I need to be there to oversee the
final preparations for another pet that I will be bringing home, and then I will
also be taking Lilieblume up on an offer she made earlier that I have been
mulling over."
	"Well, sounds like you are going to have a busy day then, if that
Halfling temptress has charmed the pants off of you."
	"Master isn't wearing pants, m'lady," Hansen corrected her.
	"Yes, I know that, silly," she replied.  She brazenly lifted the back of
Frelic's tunic and checked out his bare bottom, kneading and patting the soft
Elven flesh."
	Frelic looked rather startled and felt his face heat up, "Ms. Kez!" he
exclaimed.
	She slapped his plush, jiggly rump and gave him a playful scolding, "Oh,
don't be such a prude, Elf.  You definitely have no cause for shame back there,
and should be quite proud of your assets."  She released the hem of his skirted
tunic, "I fully understand why Lilieblume wants to play with you.  And if you
have no objections, I will gladly come up here before breakfast and assist you
in getting ready for your morning date."
	"No objections, m'lady."
	"Ms. Kez?" Shaasta interrupted, "Ashton mentioned that you and him have
young ones."

	"We do indeed, two lovely little cubs, Alfred and Delaney," she replied,
"They are the sweetest little critters you can ever meet.  They are having a
bath right now before their nap.  We had a long trip, and the cubs are
exhausted.  You will meet them soon enough.  Now, I really must get a move-on. 
I have a lot to do myself, y'know."  She motioned for Frelic to bend down.  He
did, and she wrapped her arms around his neck; his arms gripped her lower back
and muscular rump, and the Kobold planted her hot muzzle on his lips.  "It was a
pleasure meeting you all," she said after she and the Elf disengaged.  "We will
talk some more later.  Now, come along, Makae."
	Mimicking the Kobold's protocols, the Mephit girl also gave Frelic a
deep muzzle to mouth kiss.  She raised her thick, bushy tail so that the Elf
could properly grope her pillow-soft bottom, then followed Sharani out the door
and down the hall.


Chapter VII : Final Instructions

	After the Kobold lady and Skunk girl were gone and out of earshot,
Hansen gave a low whistle and touched a paw to his chest, "Wow!  By the Mink's
bottom," he swore, "who could have thought a Kobold could be so affectionate,
and so sensual?"
	"Ashton apparently did," Frelic replied.  He adjusted his tunic, which
once again barely concealed the arousal stiffening between his legs, "He
certainly struck it rich with Sharani," and after a brief pause, "with Makae as
well.  They are both real sweethearts.  And I'm looking forward to hearing Ms.
Kez's story tomorrow morning."
	"She is quite a charming lady," Karma said, "I guess it just goes to
show us that just like other folk, we can't paint all Goblinkind with the same
broad brush."
	"So true, Karma," Frelic agreed.  He sat back down on the couch,
crossing one leg over the other, "As both Mistress Triniti and Mistress Aeraal
said on several occasions, one person's monster is could very well be another's
lover."
	"As you yourself had the privilege of learning first hand a few years
back, Master," Thissle reminded him.  She sat down close to him, placed her
hands on his shoulders, and guided her teacher down onto his back.  Straddling
the Elf, the Dragon girl put her face close to his, gave a playful Dragonish
'Rhawrr', and pressed her lips against his. Reflexively, Frelic took a firm grip
with both hands on his apprentice's soft but muscular bottom while she squirmed
naughtily on top of him. Frelic gave a surprised gasp and moan when Thissle
expertly managed to work her Master's hardened cock deep into her hot, wet,
feminine sex.

	Frelic let his apprentice ride him for half a minute; she felt so warm
and soft draped over him, and her love passage was so wonderfully tight around
his shaft.  This girl had the most voracious appetite for fucking, stronger than
any other he had ever known.  However, now was not the time.  Before he could
unload his seed into her, he gave Thissle a hard two-handed slap on her
delicious jiggly bottom, "Not now, my little Nymph," he said, "Save it for your
clients tonight.  We don't want you spent before first lap dance."
	Thissle pouted, "Aw, Master.  You know that it takes like forever for my
kind to tire out."  She gave him another kiss and ground her hips against his
groin, almost causing the Elf to orgasm.  He landed another smack, a little
harder against her rump and gave her a look that was both apologetic and stern.
	Hansen came to his Master's defense, "It's not you that we are worried
over, Thissle," he said, "It's Master.  If you use him up now, how can he
function tonight, especially late tonight when it is just me and him?"
	Still pouting, she pushed herself off of Frelic, freeing his erect rod
from her depths.  She licked her own juices off his cock, then helped him sit
up.  "Okay, fuzzbutt, I'll go ahead and save some for your sweet little boy
hole.  At least I got Master properly primed and ready for you."
	"As did I," Shaasta added, "while you three were playing in the bath."
	"Way to go, Master!" Hansen congratulated Frelic, giving him a high five
and perching himself on his Master's lap so that the Elf's hard shaft was nested
along the length of the hot crevasse of his furry bottom, with the tip pressing
into the fragrant petals of the rose planted up the Squirrel's butt.

	Frelic smiled at his ever-ready pet and idly stroked his fingers along
the length of the lad's shaft, which was just as stiff as his own.  The Elf was
truly surprised at the feelings this feisty little Furling ranger had brought
forth in him ever since he saw him trussed up, legs spread and ass and tail
raised on high there in the show room of the Southern Rose, feelings he had not
known existed anymore since his time as ship's pet on the Bloodlust and the
Svelte Lady back when he was still a tender tail, as well as during his
apprenticeship, when Mistress Aeraal would occasionally loan him out to other
wizards and he would play the girl during boink magick rituals and spells.  But
even then, he had always been on the receiving end, and himself had never felt
the warmth of another boy's ass around his cock.  His pet Squirrel had
successfully managed to broaden his horizons, so to speak, with his earnest
eagerness to be taken like a girl, and Frelic found himself looking fondly
forward to holding the lad in his arms, taking him to the bedroom, and filling
his tight rear passage with his maleness and his seed, as he had done countless
times with the other ladies of the Willowpaw household over the years;
Honeyrose, Thissle, Delilah, Fillie, and Nyssa.
	"Patience, my little boink bunny," he said, as his fingers teased the
Furling's pulsing shaft and sensitive tip, eliciting a soft whimper from him. 
"I don't want you spent before the evening is through either."
	Hansen nodded, and wrapped his arms around his Master, again pressing
his muzzle against the Elf's lips in a tender, loving kiss.

	"We better get moving, before Hot Summer Nights gets too crowded," Karma
said, "Don't want to get overloaded too fast, you know."  The girls finished
getting ready while Frelic and Hansen cuddled tenderly on the couch.  Shaasta
quietly waited while Thissle and Karma disappeared briefly into the bed chamber,
where they fetched a handful of copper and silver pieces from their personal
little lock boxes and refilled their money pouches which hung from their belts. 
They returned to the outer lounge, and with deliberate seductive moves and
mannerisms, they bent over to pull on and lace up their buckskin, thigh-length
boots.

	Frelic and Hansen watched the two as they checked each other over,
admiring the ladies' delightful curves and graceful movements.  The Elf leaned
down and said to his pet, "You know, Hansen, there is definitely something to be
said for tall boots and bare thighs."
	"You won't get any argument from me there," the Squirrel replied,
nodding vigorously, and patting his Master's own bare thighs where they were
exposed between his boots and tunic.
	"Hansen, you are so incorrigible," Frelic sighed, smiling and shaking
his head in exasperation with his pet, "What am I going to do with you?"
	Hansen gave the Elf his trademarked impish smile and knowing wink,
"Boink me, of course, Master."
	"Soon, my pet," he promised, "Soon."  He placed one hand on the
Squirrel's rump and the other on his paw, which was still resting on the Elf's
smooth thigh.
	At last, Karma and Thissle were ready.  Thissle picked up her paddle, a
lovely varnished pine board, much different from the one Frelic used on Shaasta
and Hansen recently.  Hers, which she made herself with her Master's guidance,
was a formidable-looking tool of punishment; its blade measured fourteen inches
in length, four inches across, and a quarter inch thick.  Three rows of four
holes were drilled into the board; one side was smooth, and the other side was
lined with small sharp metal studs that were like the ends of nails.  It was a
masterpiece of discipline, which Frelic had been proud to use on Thissle's bare
bottom countless times.  And tonight, she would get to use it on Shaasta's bare
bottom several times.  She rested the paddle on her shoulder as if it was a
sword, and stood with Karma and Shaasta before Frelic and Hansen again.
	Frelic stood up and looked his ladies over.  He put Shaasta's leash back
on her collar, handed the other end to Thissle, and then paced around behind
them, lovingly planting a firm swat on their bottoms.  "You girls look
absolutely fantastic," he said.  "You are going to be the big hit of the night."
	"Most anything would look good on them, Master," Hansen chittered,
running his paws up Shaasta's inner thighs and along the slit of her sex.  "But
do you girls know what would look best on you?"
	They exchanged looks with each other, shrugged, and shook their heads. 
Frelic and Hansen also exchanged a look and in unison answered, "Me!"

	The girls exchanged another look, smirked, and shook their heads. 
"Boys," Karma said, failing to suppress a giggle, "walked right into that one,
we did."
	"Can we go now, Master?" Shaasta pleaded.  She was really anxious to
have her first night out in weeks, and did not want to waste any more time.
	"Certainly, love," Frelic replied, dismissing them for the evening.  As
they filed towards the door, he imparted final instructions to them, "Karma, you
are in charge for the night."
	"Gotcha, Chief," the Rabbit acknowledged, "I'll watch their asses good
and make sure that they, I mean we, keep out of trouble."
	"I know you will, bunny, and remember what I told you earlier."
	"Paddle Shaasta's butt regularly to keep her brand visible; check,
Master," Thissle said, landing a solid swat with the studded side of her paddle
dead center across the Elf's bottom, causing her to yelp.
	"Aside from that."

	Rubbing her ass with both hands, and glaring at Thissle, Shaasta
repeated her brother's most crucial instruction, "If things start to get
dangerously out of hand, distance ourselves quickly and safely from the
trouble."
	"Correct," Frelic affirmed, "because if I have to come bail you out of
the town dungeons because you were involved in a brawl, or somehow incited a
brawl, I give you my solemn word that none of you girls will be able to even
think about sitting comfortably until long after we get back to WraithHold.  And
I will personally enjoy every minute of that."
	"We will be good," Karma reassured him.
	"Damn good, in fact," Thissle added, shaking her bottom for emphasis.
	"Good," Frelic replied, "Now run along and have fun tonight.  We'll see
you in the morning."
	Waving good night to Frelic and Hansen, and wishing them an enjoyable
night as well, the girls made their exit at last from the suite; Karma in the
lead, Thissle right behind her, with Shaasta submissively in tow on her leash.


Chapter VIII : Small Talk

	After the girls left for Hot Summer Nights, Frelic reached into his
pouch and extracted another vial, syringe, and needle.  "Come here, Fuzzbutt,"
he said, patting the seat of the chair he stood next to.
	Hansen padded over to his Master, and without any further prompting, he
faced the chair, spread his legs, bent over with his paws on the soft cushioned
seat, and raised his tail.  Frelic filled the syringe, pushed out any air
bubbles, and knelt behind his pet.  He inserted the needle deep into the
Squirrel's rump and injected the serum.
	"I just hope this doesn't wear me out too soon," he said, rubbing his
bottom where the needle had gone in, "I don't want to crash too early tonight.
	"Truth to tell," Frelic confided, "I have no clue how this sedative
works.  I'm just as new to this as you are.  However, I suspect that it will be
a slow-acting formula that simply keeps you from getting too wired, and not
totally kick your ass right away."
	"Then again," Hansen added, "if it is faster acting than we expect, I
should be able fight it off and at least delay its effects.  After all, in my
line of work, I have been known to keep awake for extended periods, whether on
watch or whether exploring deep caverns crawling with Goblins and other
monsters, which make taking sleep breaks too dangerous."
	Frelic took his pet's paws in his hands and gazed down into his feisty
eyes.  A contented smile crossed his face as he just stared at and pondered the
Furling before him.

	"What is it, Master?" Hansen asked, cocking his head to one side and
blinking quizzically up at the Elf.
	"Oh, I'm just thinking again about how our lives have been reshaped so
drastically over the past hours."
	"I know what you mean, Master.  I was not surprised at all when you took
Shaasta as your pet sister.  I mean, with a hot little vixen like that, only a
fool would refuse her charms, whether you share the blood running through your
veins or not."
	Frelic laughed, amused at the blunt assessment of his twin, and gave the
Squirrel a gentle scritch under the chin, "I can't argue with you there, love. 
And can I assume that Shaasta has told you all about our tender years from the
time we left Kalthani until we were separated when the Svelte Lady overtook the
Bloodlust?"
	Hansen nodded and smiled, "Oh yes," he admitted, "she left no minute
detail untouched.  With the experience she gained from you, 'tis no wonder she
was able to hit the ground running that first night after Daddy and me helped
her escape from Mistress Triniti's cottage.  And by the Mink's bottom, what a
memorable night that was."
	"Yes, Shaasta is an amazing girl.  Just as Ashton here struck it rich
with Sharani and Makae, I struck it rich even moreso with her," he wrapped his
arms around the Squirrel and they held each other close, hands tenderly kneading
Furling bottom and paws kneading and patting Elven bottom, "and with you, my
pet."

	Hansen sighed and rested his head against Frelic's chest, "And that,
Master, is what surprised me.  In addition to your adventures with your sister,
Shaasta had also told me of the times, mostly during your captivity, when your
bottom was used to satisfy Captain Hayes and several of his officers."
	"That's right," my unofficial title on both the Bloodlust and the Svelte
Lady was Ship's Pet."
	"And your unofficial position was down on all fours like a pony filly,"
the Furling added, "With all the time you spent being a surrogate girl, I never
would have thought you would become the type to give that type of affection to
another boy."
	Frelic took a firm grip on his pet's bottom and picked him up so they
could see eye-to-eye, "Truth to tell, love, I was surprised too," he admitted,
"and I have you to blame, I mean thank, for my awakening.  When I saw you all
trussed up there on your display mat at the Southern Rose, tail raised, and legs
spread, I felt a stirring in my loins that disturbed me initially."
	Hansen's nether cheeks flexed around the stem of the flower that was
nested in his rectal channel.  "When I felt your hand on my bottom and scented
your arousal, I actually thought you were Shaasta.  Did you know that you and
your sister are so alike that under the right conditions, you can easily be
mistaken for each other?"
	The Elf smiled and slipped one hand between his pet's thighs, fingers
gently scritching along the underside of the hard Furling cock pressed against
his chest, "Yes, that is a little asset me and Shaasta have used to our
advantage a number of times over the years.  But that is a set of tales for some
other time."  He kissed the Furling; lips pressed against muzzle; tongues
touched and became as one, then he set his pet down and padded towards the table
in the middle of the room while he continued to reveal his secret thoughts.

	"When I paddled you and Shaasta there in the show room, and witnessed
your squirmings and moanings, the stirring strengthened.  Your blatantly honest
and earnest desires that you expressed while sprawled out there over that
examination bench, ignited the spark deep within me.  But it was that moment,
when my fist was buried up your ass, that moment when I felt the heat of your
treasure hole and the unbelievable tightness of your rear channel around my arm,
that was when the flame became an inferno in my loins and in my mind."  Frelic
picked up the narrow leather belt with the tail feathers off the table and
cinched it around his waist.
	"It was that moment when you were impaled on my arm, thrashing about as
I fist fucked your ass when I realized that it mattered not whether you were a
boy or a girl, your sweet southern star was every bit as delightful as that of
any other girl I had taken from behind; I determined that before the day died
away, my shaft would penetrate your lovely butt and I would ride you until your
hot, tight depths were filled with my seed."
	"And that wish will be fulfilled tonight, I trust?" Hansen asked.
	"Of course,"  Frelic slipped a finger up his pet's ass, sharing the
tight passage with Varo's rose.  "This, like the rest of you, belongs to me now;
I am going to make full use of your talents."  He pulled his finger back out and
slipped it between his lips, savoring the taste of cinnamon mixed with the
Furling's own natural flavor.  "Yes, your sweet ass will receive full use."
	Hansen beamed happily at the Elf, "Thank-you, Master.  I hope that I
don't prove to be a disappointment to you in any way tonight."
	"You will do just fine," he assured him.  He took a step back and struck
a heroic pose for his pet, feet spread and fists planted on his hips, "Now, how
do I look?"

	"The tailfeathers suit you most beautifully, Master."  Hansen slipped
behind Frelic and made some minor adjustments to his plumage so that it was
properly centered over his pretty derriere and fanned out perfectly behind him.
	"As my daddy always says, a well groomed tail is a thing of tremendous
beauty.  It's like a necklace for your butt."
	"That goes without saying," Frelic agreed.  "A properly poised tail
never fails to draw my attention down to its owner's ass."
	"Aye.  'Tis a shame that folk like the Humans, Halflings, and you Elves
didn't get your bottoms blessed with these accessories."
	"Well, perhaps these tail belts the girls discovered will make up for
fate cheating us less fortunate people."  Frelic flexed the muscles of his lower
back and caused the tailfeathers to rise as if they were really a part of him,
then he turned around and faced his pet.
	Hansen looked his Master over as if judging a piece in an art show.  He
nodded his approval and smiled, "Yes, yes.  That is most definitely you.  The
plumage makes you look most regal and majestic, in a feral sort of way."  He
performed a curtsy, reverently bowed his head, and gracefully dropped to one
knee, "My liege."
	Frelic smiled at the silly Furling kneeling before him, and played along
with the little impromptu roleplay.  He reached a hand out and brought him to
his feet, "Arise my Princess of the Wildlands.  Come join me and we will survey
our domain."  Furry paw clasped in soft, smooth hand, Hansen accompanied his
Master out to the balcony.

	The late afternoon air was sunny and cool; a fresh breeze was blowing in
from the sea to the west.  Hansen perched cutely on the railing overlooking the
town, and together, they took in the panorama before and below them.
	"Lovely town, really," Hansen remarked."
	Frelic nodded his agreement, "It is indeed.  I wouldn't mind securing a
spot of land here for a vacation homesteading, perhaps something on the cliffs
over there overlooking the sea."
	"That would be nice.  'Tis a pity we are going to be leaving here in a
few days; I would love to spend a week or two exploring the area."
	"Well, it isn't much, but perhaps tomorrow we can have an afternoon out
together to check out the shops and whatnot," Frelic suggested.
	Hansen clapped his paws together and smiled, "Oh, I would love that very
much.  But why afternoon and not in the morning?"
	"I have an appointment at the Southern Rose in the morning," the Furling
was reminded.
	He nodded understanding, "Oh, that's right.  You are going to buy that
enchanting young Vixen tomorrow.  If she isn't too tired by the time you get
back, can Mistie join us?  I'm sure she would make for the ideal guide as we
wander around Mistport."
	Frelic patted his pet's hand, "That sounds like a fine idea actually. 
She will come with us tomorrow afternoon."
	"Master?  In addition to being one of your boink bunnies, are you going
to give Mistie any mundane taskings?"
	"Most definitely, Hansen.  WraithHold is a big place, and a lot of work
is required to maintain the old fortress.  Mistie, considering her previous line
of work, will have maid duties, and will also share cooking chores with the rest
of us."
	"Will you let her wear one of those frilly black and white lace maid
aprons?  She would look quite delicious in one of those."
	"No reason not to.  I've always liked that fashion."
	Hansen looked expectantly at Frelic, "And what of me and Shaasta,
Master?"
	The Elf nodded and gave his pet an affectionate smile, "Yes, you and
Shaasta can wear frilly black and white lace aprons too."
	The Furling blushed at the thought of being put in girl clothes, "I
meant that neither of us are all that adept at cooking.  What will you have us
doing when you are not making use of our tails?"
	Frelic thought for a few moments, then, "You will learn.  I'll see to it
that Mistie teaches you properly, and I will also see if that fellow that Ashton
mentioned, Brindon I believe he called him, their cook wouldn't mind letting you
work with him in the kitchen tomorrow morning or the next day to get you
started."
	"I'll give it my best shot, Master.  In addition to that though, I have
a suggestion for where you can put us to work where we both excel."
	"Let me guess, the gardens and the orchards?"
	"Exactly.  Did you read my mind?"
	Frelic laughed and shook his silver-maned head, "No love, I haven't
learned telepathy yet.  I just figured that what with you and Shaasta being well
attuned to the outdoors, you most likely have some respectable experience in
dealing with plants and trees."  His thoughts trailed off as he gazed off into
the distance.
	Hansen turned his head to try to see what it was that stole his Master's
attention from him, "What is it, Master?  Is something wrong?"

	"No," Frelic replied, "I'm just watching the girls down there."
	The Squirrel squinted, trying to catch a glimpse of Shaasta, Thissle,
and Karma.  "Where are they?  I don't see them."
	"Right there, on the boardwalk," Frelic pointed towards the waterfront. 
To Hansen, all the people way off in the distance were like little ants.
	"I'm sorry, Master.  I simply can't tell which three dots are our little
seductresses."
	"That's odd," Frelic said, "They are perfectly clear to me, and...Oh my,
Thissle just gave Shaasta her first paddling of the evening."
	Hansen gave a dejected sigh, "Oh, how I wish I could see them.  How many
swats?"
	"Only three," Frelic reported, "The usual pattern, one on each cheek and
one across the middle.  It's too soon since her last paddling for her brand to
need to be brought forth again, and that probably would not have warmed her
bottom enough anyway.  So she must have mouthed off to Thissle."
	"Or perhaps Thissle did it just because she could," Hansen suggested.
	"Yes, that's a good possibility too.  Whoa!  Looks like they caught
someone's interest.  Karma just removed Shaasta's rose to allow a sailor, an
Ornith Sparrow, to slip five copper pieces up her butt, her first tip of the
night."
	"So, which one do you think will win our tails tonight?"  Hansen asked.
	"What?  Oh, you mean that little competition we set them on."  Frelic
thought for a few moments then shook his head, "I have no clue.  They are all
highly talented, so I can only guess that it will be a really close race."

	"That reminds me Master," Hansen changed the subject again, "when me,
Thissle, and Karma were getting cleaned up, we heard the sounds of a rather
intense paddling coming from the bed chamber.  What did Shaasta do to earn a
real punishment spanking so soon?"
	Frelic gave a sly grin, and a devilish twinkle flashed in his eyes,
"What did my sister do to get punished?  She cost me ten platinum pieces because
she stubbornly disregarded my warnings to avoid traveling along the Northwest
coast."
	"Ah, I see.  Well truth be known, Master," Hansen confessed, "at least
half the blame should be laid upon my tail.  Both of us agreed to take that
route anyway, figuring we could hold our own against any foe in these parts."
	"Are you saying that you should have your bottom roasted as well?"
	The little Furling proudly held his head and tail high, "It is not fair
that Shaasta take the punishment for both of us.  Therefore, I should receive
the same from you as she did."
	"Ten platinum pieces, one thousand gold," Frelic said, "For her penance,
I sentenced my sister to receive a total of one thousand swats, one for each
gold piece."
	Hansen's eyes widened, "One thousand?  I know of no one throughout time
who has ever withstood such a spanking."
	"I have," Frelic replied, letting Hansen in on a little personal secret.

	"You, Master?"  The Furling shook his head in total disbelief, "No
mortal can safely take that kind of punishment."
	"I did indeed, back when I was a mere thirteen years of age," he
insisted, "Though I will admit that at the time, I was in spirit form in the
Beastlands, and I'm not sure how many swats it actually was; it could have been
much more than one thousand or a little less."
	"Oh, that does make a difference."
	"A big difference.  What with my physical body safely sequestered in
Mistress Aeraal's quarters on the Svelte Lady, there was no mortal flesh to
insulate and cushion the spanking.  A paddling in spirit form is ten times worse
than one received in physical form."
	Hansen rubbed his bottom in sympathy, "I can't fathom what that must
have been like.  What did you do to deserve an immortal glow?"
	"At the time of the spanking, it had been two years since my last visit
to the Beastlands.  And damn, was Lynx pissed at me for neglecting my Wildmage
training that long.  Pretty much as soon as I arrived, she pulled me across her
lap, conjured a paddle, declared that I would receive a two minute spanking,
then proceeded to roast my bare bottom for an hour."
	"A full hour?"  Frelic's pet looked confused, "That is considerably
longer than two minutes.  Did she purposely deceive you?"
	"Oh not at all," Frelic replied, "You may not be aware of this, but
there is a severe time differential between the Mortal and Immortal Realms.  The
declaration of two minutes was by Niathian reckoning.  In the Beastlands, that
translates to one hour.  So when she was done abusing my bottom, only two
minutes had truly passed here on Niath."
	"Absolutely amazing, Master."  Hansen was in awe at his owner's 
endurance and willpower to be able to withstand such a punishment, "And I bet
you've made frequent trips to the Beastlands ever since then to keep Lynx
happy."
	"Yes," Frelic said, "Lynx never had to paddle me again, at least not for
neglecting my training."  He took a gentle grip on Hansen's shoulder and looked
him in the eyes.

	"Now, about your willingness to submit to the same punishment Shaasta is
under.  First, as you might have been able to determine, that was nowhere near
one thousand swats I gave her while you three girls were bathing."
	Hansen nodded his head, "I wasn't counting, but it did only sound like
around forty to perhaps seventy or so."
	"It was fifty.  Shaasta is receiving her punishment in fifty swat
installments, a minimum of once per day, sometimes twice or three times per day
depending on my whims."
	"I can handle that."
	"Be advised though," Frelic warned him, "these are full-fledged
punishment spankings well above yours and Shaasta's pleasure thresholds."
	"I fully understand, Master.  And I humbly request that you allow me to
share in Shaasta's penance."
	"Very well, sweet pet.  Steel yourself for the most intense paddling you
have ever known."  Frelic gently pulled Hansen off the railing, took a firm grip
on his arm, and marched him back inside.

	The dining commons were nearly deserted when the girls came down the
stairs.  Ashton was busy sweeping the floor; the two feline bards, finished with
their rehearsal, were seated at a table, enjoying large tankards of ale to
refresh themselves before taking the stage tonight, and quietly exchanging
stories with a handsome Furling Badger who was seated with them.
	The musclebound inn keeper paused from his work, leaned on his broom,
and gave the girls a warm friendly smile, "Hello again, ladies.  Where are you
off to this fine afternoon all prettied up so, if you don't mind my asking?"
	Thissle beamed back at him and struck a flirtatious pose, one hip canted
seductively out, "Oh, we don't mind at all, Mister Kez."
	"You never do, brat," Shaasta smirked.
	Thissle smirked back and lightly tapped the paddle she was carrying on
her shoulder, a little reminder to the Elf who was on which end of the leash.
	Karma stepped forward and gave Ashton a polite curtsy, "We're taking
Shaasta out to dance the night away at a little place on the waterfront, Hot
Summer Nights."
	"Ah, a girls' night out.  Will Frelic and that charming bushytailed
fellow be joining you?"
	Thissle shook her copper-maned head, "Not tonight, Ashton.  Master and
Hansen just want to relax here this evening and catch those kittens'
performance."  She nodded in the direction of the bards; they smiled and waved,
then pushed back their chairs and padded slinkily over, steins in hand, and with
the Badger close behind.

	The he-cat adjusted the wire-rimmed spectacles perched on his muzzle,
smiled seductively and gently scritched the Rabbit and Dragon girls under the
chin, "Good afternoon, Thissle, Karma.  You two look absolutely bewitching, like
a pair of young, wild, whitetail deer."  His voice was melodic and mesmerizing,
his eyes amber pools of enchantment.
	The girls giggled cutely, and performed a slow turn to show off their
assets, teasingly thrusting out their behinds and shaking them for him like a
pair of stage girls.
	"You're looking rather feral tonight yourself, Wish," Thissle replied. 
She ran her fingers through the soft fur of his cheeks and gave him a playful
beep on his wide, toasty brown nose.
	He purred and licked at the girl's fingers, "Did I overhear correctly
that you girls won't be here tonight for our little performance?"
	"I'm afraid you heard correctly," Karma replied, "Shaasta here has been
cooped up in a pet shop for the past month, and she needs a night on the town."
	"Aw, 'tis a pity," he pouted, "I was truly hoping you ladies may find
yourself up on the stage with my beloved little sister here this evening.  It
would have been the purest of magicks with all four of you working your curves
for our hungry guests."
	The Rabbit blushed, the insides of her ears reddening, "Oh, you
flatterer," she giggled, "You are a real dream."
	"No," the other cat corrected her, "I'm Dream; he's Wish."  Wish's
referral to her as his little sister was only accurate as far as their ages. 
Dream was really only a little smaller than her brother, but still quite
healthy, her soft curves belying the strength hidden deep within her well-toned
muscles.
	Wish laughed and took a deep pull from his stein, lapping some stray
drops of the cool, sweet ale from his muzzle.  "Perhaps tomorrow night then?"
	"We will see," Karma replied.

	"Thissle," the Badger said, stepping up next to the Elf the girl had on
the leash.
	"Yes, Brindon?"
	"I assume this delightful little vixen you are leading about like a
two-legged pony is the Shaasta whom Karma just mentioned?" he asked, placing a
paw on her shoulder and looking her naked body over.
	"Yes, this is Shaasta," Thissle confirmed, "She is Master Frelic's new
pet."
	He raised her hand to his muzzle and gave her dainty fingers an equally
dainty lick, "Welcome to the Hightail, Miss Shaasta.  'Tis a pleasure to have a
lovely and enchanting creature such as yourself here to bring a touch of class
and beauty."  He looked over at Ashton, who was giving him a bit of a look, and
corrected himself, "I mean a touch of more class and more beauty."
	"Thank-you, kind sir," Shaasta replied.  She gave him a heart-melting
smile and coyly combed her fingers through her long, fiery mane.  "It's a
pleasure meeting you all, and I hope to get to know you better before we head
for home.  But we better get going if we want to get decent seating."
	"Right then," Brindon nodded.  He wiped his paws on the front of his
work tunic, "I best be getting back to the kitchen to get tonight's menu
prepared.  Have a good time, ladies."  With his now empty stein in his paws, he
disappeared through the double doors behind the bar.
	"We need to head off too," Wish announced.  "Time for us to have a nice
hot bath and a bit of a nap before show time."  They finished their drinks and
handed the large, empty mugs to Ashton, and with an arm wrapped around his
sister, he escorted her up the stairs to their suite.
	Ashton excused himself momentarily to go set the empty steins on the
stage near the cats' instruments, then came back and took up his broom again,
"Well, have a good time out there, girls.  Be careful though, Hot Summer Nights
can be a pretty wild place, so watch yer asses.  Everyone else will be."
	"We'll be careful," Karma assured him, "Frelic put me in charge tonight,
and I will make sure nothing bad happens."
	"Good.  Now get outta here, brats.  I have work to do."  He smiled and
shooed them off, giving each of them a friendly swat on their bottoms with the
broom as they filed past him on their way to the door.

	Outside, the sky was sunny, with a cool salty breeze coming in from the
west.  Karma directed them north, then they took a left at the next intersection
and made their way towards the waterfront.  The streets were quite busy this
afternoon.  Various sea birds squawked and shrieked overhead, scavenging for
morsels, and the clip clop of horse, Centaur, and pony hooves mixed with the
occasional whip crack and clatter of wheels on the cobblestone streets as
carriages, buggies, and wagons carrying merchants and wealthier visitors and
citizens through the streets.  The sidewalks were a respectable procession of
people of many races and countless species:  locals, road-weary travelers,
sailors, and more.  Not unexpectedly, the three girls received a lot of lengthy
stares from passersby as they strutted their way west; each one received her
fair share of lewd compliments and muttered wishes, causing them to smile and
putting an even more pronounced hip swish in their gait.
	"So," Shaasta said, trying to make small conversation, "What would you
bet that those bards are boinking each other?"
	"Well that's a no brainer," Thissle replied, "I thought it was pretty
obvious, judging by the way Dream clings to Wish the same way you cling to
Frelic.  Of course they're boinking each other."
	Karma's ears drooped back flat against her back, "The bigger question
is, which one of us will get boinked by Wish first?"
	"One contest at a time please, bunny," Shaasta insisted.  Her prosthetic
tail flicked back and forth behind her, "Besides, I have a feeling Master will
be the first of us to feel Wish's cock inside him."
	"How do you figure that?" Thissle asked.
	"Before you two came back from your shopping trip," she explained, "I
noticed Wish ogling Master."
	Karma's tail twitched, "Do you suppose he swings both ways?"
	Shaasta shrugged, "It wouldn't surprise me.  After all, he is a Furling,
and you know how the old saying goes among the Furling lads."
	The Rabbit giggled and nodded, "A boinkable bottom that belongs to a boy
is still a boinkable bottom."
	"And even if Wish wasn't harboring thoughts of fucking a sexy Elf boy
like Frelic, he still may have been harboring thoughts of fucking him."
	"Shaasta, you are talking weird," Thissle replied, "That makes
absolutely no sense."
	"It means that Wish may have thought Frelic was a girl.  Wish is
nearsighted; when he he was checking Frelic out from across the room, he didn't
have his spectacles on.  And what with the dim lighting and all, he could easily
have thought he was mentally undressing a hot Elven lady."
	"That's pretty observant of you," Karma noted, "I would not have picked
up on that detail."
	"Well, in my line of work, you have to be aware of your surroundings and
note the more subtle details of the goings on around you."  Shaasta took note of
a cute brown and white Furling River Otter, a local merchant, wearing a solid
red cotton vest and pushing a pastry cart down the other side of the street
towards the waterfront.  She gave him a coy gaze over her shoulder, playfully
patted her bare bottom, and tossed a teasing kiss in his direction, causing him
to shyly look away, then turn his attention to a pretty Furling Rat girl who was
hungrily waiting to try some of his wares before continuing on his route, his
path lightened by visions of playing with a pretty, naked, red-headed Elven
temptress.
	"Truth to tell," Karma confessed, her ears dropped back again, "as nice
as Wish is, I think I would most want to be taken by that gorgeous Badger
fellow, Brindon."
	Thissle nodded her agreement.  "He is quite charming, and looks like
he'd be a pleasurable little stallion to play with.  But if it came down to a
choice between Brindon and Wish, I would have to compromise, and take both." 
The other girls exchanged a look, giggled, and voiced their agreement with
Thissle's solution, then the subject was changed again.

	"How is your shapeshifting project coming along, Shaasta?" Thissle
asked, "Have you managed to perfect your Ornith Hawk form yet?"
	The Elf shook her head, "Not yet, but I was getting close at the time me
and Hansen got captured.  The magick nullification field at the Southern Rose
put a bit of a damper on my natural ability, so I haven't been able to practice
since then.  I'll resume my experiments tomorrow."
	A nice-looking Human couple who looked to be in their late twenties or
early thirties passed by the girls, heading in the opposite direction.  All
three girls, as an impromptu warm up for tonight, repeated the flirt that
Shaasta had used on the pastry vendor a minute ago.  It worked like a charm,
then the exasperated husband sighed, smacked his entranced wife on her
leather-skirted ass to draw her attention away from the three cute hussies, and
led her away, up a side street.

	"So," Karma said, "In the unlikely event one of you two brats win Frelic
and Hansen for the day, what are you going to do with them?"
	Shaasta stuck her tongue out at the Rabbit and giggled, "Well, when I
win," she paused to think about the possibilities, "I'll get back to you on
that.  Don't want to spoil any surprises, y'know."
	"In other words, you have no clue what you would do if you had your
brother and your lover as your pets," Thissle translated.  "How about you,
bunny?"
	"I know exactly what I'm going to do with them.  I want them to
completely dote on me as if I was a great princess.  I'll have them attend to me
in the bath.  After they have toweled me off, and groomed my hair and pelt, they
will attend to me out on the balcony, and personally serve a wonderful, hot
breakfast, and then..."
	"Okay, okay," Shaasta stopped her, "We get the picture.  Just remember
what often happens to spoiled brat princesses."
	Karma defensively put her paws over her bottom, and kept the rest of her
plans to herself.  They reached the waterfront, turned right, and paced north up
the boardwalk.
	"And if you win, Thissle?" Shaasta asked.
	"I am going to start off bright and early by paddling their bottoms
until they are fully awake, something like this," she wrapped an arm around the
Elf's waist, bent her over, and brought all activity around them to a halt by
landing three solid swats on her bare bottom with the studded side of her
student paddle, one on each cheek, and one right across the middle, "only
longer.  And then we will see how the day develops from there."

	Before she could put Shaasta upright, Thissle felt the poke of a small,
taloned finger on her rump, "Pardon me, miss?"  She looked and saw no one, until
she looked down.  Standing before her was an Ornith Sparrow, a male, judging by
the black feathery V on his breast; he was no taller than the top of Shaasta's
behind.  He was dressed in a blue and silver sailor's tunic with matching beret,
and was holding five copper pieces in his hand.
	"Yes?" Thissle said, "Whatcha need, sea bird?"
	He held up the small handful of coins and gestured with his beak to the
bent over Elf's bare, crimson rear, "May I?"
	Thissle laughed and smiled at the bird, "Be my guest, dear."
	Karma removed the rose planted inside the Elf, and the Sparrow slipped
the copper coins, one at a time, deep up Shaasta's butt.  Shaasta was blushing
tremendously with so many strangers all around witnessing her receiving such
intimate attention.  Karma reinserted the rose, but did not yet allow the girl
to stand upright.
	"Now, what do you say to the nice lad?" she prompted her.
	"Thank-you very much for your generosity, sir," she replied, looking
upside-down through her spread legs at the feathered fellow standing behind her.
	The Sparrow gave her bottom a friendly pat, "My pleasure, m'lady," he
said, "I always feel a show like that deserves compensation."
	"There will be plenty more of that and then some tonight at Hot Summer
Nights," Thissle informed him.  She released her grip on the Elf.  She righted
herself and turned around to face the handsome mariner bird.
	"You ladies are very pretty," he said, no hint of empty flattery in his
voice.  "I still have another two hours before I am off duty, but after that, I
may show up to check out your performance then.  And I will be sure to bring
along some of my shipmates.  Now, I must be getting back to work."  He gave them
a friendly salute, hands balled into fists and arms crossed over his breast,
then turned about and marched down the boardwalk, whistling some seafarer's tune
that none of the girls were familiar with.
	"Well, looks like you got a head start on us, Elf brat" Thissle said,
"But the night has not yet started.  Let's go."  She landed another swat across
Shaasta's bottom, and the girls continued their trek.


Chapter IX : Tails Up

	Frelic sat down on the couch in front of the fireplace.  "Go fetch the
training paddle from the bed chamber, young lady," he ordered.
	Hansen disappeared through the southeast door, returning less than a
minute later with the paddle Frelic had purchased from Varo reverently held in
front of him in both paws.  He presented it to his Master and submissively stood
before him.  Elf quietly patted his bare thigh, and Squirrel obediently lay face
down across his Master's lap, bushy tail held high and proud.
	Frelic rubbed the paddle over his pet's upturned bottom and gave him a
few light taps, "Ten platinum pieces, one thousand gold, one thousand swats," he
chanted, as he had said to Shaasta earlier.  This time however, he added, "Plus
an additional thirty five, the price I paid for your own rescue.  Now, since my
concentration will be focused solely on paddling your butt, I may easily lose
count.  Therefore, I charge you to maintain the counting and to call out each
swat applied to your bottom.  You will count out the thirty five first, and
after your price is fulfilled, you will start the count over again for the
thousand.  Are these instructions clear, my pet?"
	Hansen trembled as he thought about what he would soon endure, "Yes,
Master.  I fully understand."  No sooner had he voiced his acknowledgment, then
the paddle slammed down on his furry little bottom, striking the left cheek with
a punishing wooden bite that left him stunned for a brief moment.  "One!" he
cried, after his breath returned to his lungs.
	Another smack of the paddle burned through the right hemisphere of his
ass, every bit as cruel and punishing as its predecessor.  He closed his eyes
tight, and through clenched teeth, yelled, "Two!"
	A third strike immediately followed, kissing both cheeks as it landed
perfectly across the center, "Three!"
	The paddling proceeded at a steady beat, the timing between each swat
administered slow enough to where the Squirrel felt the full impact of wood on
furry nether flesh, but not so slow as to give him any respite between strikes. 
The lounge was filled with the sounds of punishment mixed with Hansen's pained
cries as he numbered each smack, sounds which spilled out above the streets and
the third floor hallway through the open doors.  By the thirtieth swat, Hansen
was blinking back the tears that threatened to escape his eyes; his little
bottom felt as if it was on fire.  By the thirty fifth, his will broke and his
whole body was quivering as he sobbed uncontrollably, "Thirty five."
	Frelic put the paddle down and inspected his handiwork.  A lovely deep
blush was visible through the white fur of his pet's plush bottom, and his mark,
the pawprint overlaid with a willow tree, shimmered silver against the crimson
canvas.  Between the Squirrel's legs, there was not the slightest hint of
arousal; between the Elf's legs was a different story, but Frelic was satisfied
that the spanking he had just given his pet as well as the spanking to come, was
and would be true punishment.  After Hansen was calmed again, Frelic picked the
paddle back up and rubbed it over the Squirrel's already punished bottom, "And
now to begin the thousand."  As before, the paddle traced a graceful downward
arc through the air and landed solidly on the left side of Hansen's bottom,
sending a new burst of pain coursing through his aft end.

	"One!!!"

	The boardwalk was a beehive of activity, a great contrast to the serene
solitude of the wilds to which Shaasta was much more accustomed.  The walks were
a veritable river of people, folk from all over Niath, all bustling about on
personal business or taking in the sights, or allowing themselves to be drawn
into one of a great variety of shops that lined the wood-paved roadway.  Many
large ships floated in the cool salty waters, moored securely to the docks,
ships as diverse as the people who filled the waterfront.  Small fast corvettes;
enormous cargo, passenger, and war vessels, whose multitude of masts formed a
mini skyline; several massive longboats, with huge oars protruding from the
sides like the legs of a giant centipede; and pleasure craft, clippers,
schooners, and more, belonging to the wealthier citizens and visitors in
Mistport.  Sailors hustled about the piers, performing maintenance on their
ships, loading and unloading cargo, securing rigging, and mending sails.  Many
paused to briefly take in the lovely sight of the three nymphly ladies as they
passed by, while others, too focused on their work, blithely carried on with
their tasks.
	Shaasta's prosthetic tail twitched nervously behind her.  Places such as
this made her uncomfortable and nervous.  The Elf, being a shy creature of the
wilds, felt much more at ease deep in the forests of Pinevale or the misty
swamplands of Kalthani, where she and her brother had been born twenty three
years previously.  Without warning, she paused to regain her senses.  The others
did not stop until the leash clasped to her collar went taught.

	Thissle turned around and gazed at her charge; genuine concern for the
Elf was clearly visible in her coppery eyes.  "Shaasta, honey, are you okay? 
You seem troubled."
	"Yeah," Karma agreed, "Are you not feeling well?"
	Shaasta closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands for a few
seconds, then turned and gave her friends a timid smile, "I'll be okay.  I'm
just feeling a wee bit overloaded out here."
	Thissle nodded sympathetically, "The shy forest creature outside of her
natural habitat."  She handed the leash to Karma and put an arm around the
troubled Elf, gently petting her bare flank to comfort her.  "If this is too
much for your senses to withstand, we can go back to the Hightail Inn or find a
nice quiet stretch of beach to retreat to away from this crowd, and just have
some quiet intimate time together by ourselves," she offered.
	"Thank-you, Thissle, but I will be alright momentarily."  She smiled
again and planted a friendly peck on the Dragon girl's sweet lips.  "I really do
need to condition myself to become comfortable in settings such as this anyway."

	"Oh look!" Karma interrupted them.  "Otters!"
	"That pastry vendor again?" Shaasta guessed.
	"No, sea otters," the Rabbit replied, pointing to the water, "the
critters, not the Furlings."
	Shaasta and Thissle looked in the direction Karma was pointing.  There
in the salty water between the pier and a massive Tameran longboat, a group of
three gray and white-furred sea otters were swimming about, playing nip and run
and occasionally diving beneath the surface, only to come back up with a large
shellfish in one paw and a large rock in the other.  The girls dropped down on
all fours at the edge of the pier for a better look, once again causing all
activity around them to come to a halt.
	"Oh, how cute," Shaasta giggled, the smile on her face at the sight of
the three large water rats chasing away any lingering threads of her recent
claustrophobia.
	"You would think that much cuteness concentrated in one place would
violate some local ordinances," Thissle commented, as one of the otters floated
on his back, placed a mussel on his chest, and cracked it open with his rock to
get at the succulent meat inside.
	"Aw, you can never have too much cuteness," Karma argued.  She made a
'tch-tch' sound, which got the otters' attention.  The three sea critters paused
in their frolickings and gazed up at the three ladies watching them, staring
back with large dark eyes that caught the afternoon sun and sparkled with
playful mischief.
	"What are you doing?" Thissle asked.
	"I'm getting us a bit of good luck," Karma replied.  She repeated the
'tch' sounds and the otters swam closer to the pier, almost close enough for the
girls to reach out and caress their wet pelts.  "Ever kissed an otter before?"
	"Only Delilah," Thissle said, "and that fellow who runs the little Inn
at Rainwood.  But never a mundane otter."
	"It's supposed to bring good luck," Shaasta told her.  "Truth to tell, I
can't say whether or not there is really anything to that or if it's just an old
hearth tale, but there's no harm in trying."
	Thissle shook her head and smirked, "Well, it seems a little silly to
me, but what do I know?  After all, I'm only a young and clueless Dragon."

	They all leaned forward, heads down over the water, asses in the air. 
After a minute of making little kissy noises at the critters, the otters
disappeared beneath the surface, then popped back up nose to nose with the
girls.  Wet, salty muzzles touched their mouths in a series of rapid-fire pecks.
 Then as quickly as it started, the otters slipped again beneath the water,
resurfaced near the far end of the pier, and swam out to the kelp beds off in
the distance.
	"Well, that was weird," was Thissle's verdict.
	"What was weird?" Shaasta asked.
	"Delilah never kisses like that."
	"Perhaps she would if you asked her."
	Karma looked over at Thissle and shrugged, "That's because Delilah is an
Otter."
	Thissle and Shaasta exchanged a look, then the Dragon girl turned her
gaze back to the Rabbit, "But those were otters."
	"What I mean is," Karma started to explain, then thought better of it,
"ah, never mind for now.  I'll spell it out for you later.  Let's go."
	"Not yet."
	"Why?" Karma asked, "the otters are gone."
	Thissle and Shaasta gave her a puzzled look, "Who are you talking to,
bunny?"  She started to get up.

	"Please girls, stay put for just a moment or two longer."  The voice,
though gruff and subtly commanding, was definitely feminine.
	Not sure if they were about to be robbed or raped, the girls went ahead
and played it safe and held still in the invite position.
	"Almost there," the voice behind them said.  She sounded a little
distracted, "Just one final touch.  Hold it.  Hold it.  And..." one at a time,
they felt a gentle hand on their rumps, followed by a light pressure on their
southern stars, as the unknown lady behind them gave them each a single coin,
inserted up their butts with a long, fur-covered finger. "There, finished.  You
ladies may get up now, unless you don't mind the possibility of just any
passersby accepting your unspoken invitation.  Oh, and lest I forget my manners,
thank-you very much for your time and cooperation."
	The girls rose to their feet and slowly turned around.  Before them,
smiling warmly, stood a Furling Coyote.  Her fur was dark gray, with speckles of
lighter gray.  A mop of hair, black as the darkest night crowned her furry head,
dropping to her shoulders and curling out behind her.  As if Ms. Nature was
indecisive as to which color best suited this canine lady, her eyes were
constantly changing colors every five seconds, cycling from brown, to violet, to
blue, to green, to gray, and back to brown.
	As was typical of Furlings, Orniths, and other exotic races, this Coyote
dressed lightly, showing off her fur-covered curves.  Standing on digitigrade
legs, her feet were shod with a pair of tall sandals, which were laced neatly up
to her knees.  The only other clothing on her lean but still curvaceous body was
a harness of supple black leather, which was nothing more than a wide belt
around her waist and two straps that formed an X across her back and pert
breasts.  A pair of silver pins decorated her harness, one near each shoulder. 
The left was a likeness of a mink, curled up on a pillow, and its counterpart
was another mink, this one a Furling in a three quarter rear view, partially
bent over with her paws on her knees and her tail raised high.  Hanging from her
belt, at her left hip, was a small, round wooden paddle, decorated with a
likeness of the same Furling Mink featured on her right shoulder.  Also on her
belt were the usual pouches, as well as several quills, paint brushes, and
charcoal sticks.  Under her left arm, she held a thick pad of drawing
parchments.
	"Again," the Coyote repeated, "I thank-you for your cooperation.  I hope
a silver piece each was sufficient for your modeling services."
	Shaasta looked puzzled, "Modeling services?"
	"Yes indeed.  Look," she held up the drawing pad, and the girls gave a
collective gasp at what they saw.  While they were busy kissing the sea otters,
this Furling managed to hammer out an impressively accurate sketch of the three
girls; or more specifically, an impressively accurate sketch of the girls'
severely upthrust asses.
	Karma looked quite amazed at this lady's work, "That is fantastic.  You
even managed to get the rose planted up Shaasta's butt."
	Thissle nodded, agreeing with Karma's assessment, "And in only a couple
minutes at that, Miss?"
	"Trikks," she replied, giving the girl's hand a friendly squeeze, "I'm
with Uptail Lodge, Mistport's chapter of the Order of the Mink."  She pointed to
the silver pin on her right shoulder, and then to its counterpart on her left. 
"And you are?"
	"Thissle," she offered, "of WraithHold."

	"Oh my!"  Trikks' paw went to her muzzle, and her eyes went wide as if
she had just seen a ghost.  "From Pinevale, perchance?"
	Thissle exchanged looks with her friends, "That's the only WraithHold we
know of."
	"And if you will pardon this humble artist's continued grilling," she
pressed on, "would you by chance really be a Dragon, Copper to be precise?"
	Thissle's eyes changed; whites, irises, and pupils merged into swirling
pools of translucent copper.  "Ms. Trikks, what is your game here?  How do you
know who I am?"  Her voice was a low growl, with a hint of suspicion and a touch
of menace.
	Trikks remained calm, though her eyes betrayed her awe at the subtle
power this lass emanated.  "Please, dear," she said, "Keep your skirt on, at
least for now.  There is no cause for alarm.  I am simply truly honored to find
myself in your presence."  She put her arms behind her and in a sincere gesture
of deference, placed her paws flat on her furry rump.
	Thissle looked to Karma and Shaasta for a clue.  All they could offer
was a helpless shake of their heads and a puzzled shrug.  Perhaps this creature
was simply letting the wizweed speak for her, although there was no hint of that
substance's sweet fragrance on the Coyote.
	"Begging your pardon, m'lady, but I fear that your flattery is
misplaced."  Thissle's eyes returned to as they were before, "I am merely a
girl, a Dragon girl masquerading as a Human, but still just a girl, nothing
more, nothing special."
	Trikks gave a laugh that was sweet music to the ears and soothing to the
nerves.  "Your modesty is greatly understated, dear Dragon."  She placed a paw
on the back of Thissle's bare thigh, giving it a gentle pat, "and I do not mean
your delightful fashion sense."
	"Honestly, Ms. Trikks," Thissle replied, "Before you start speaking in
riddles, I must again insist that I am truly no one of any significance.  You
must be mistaking me for some other girl."
	"Nonsense!"  Thissle felt the cool seaside breeze caress her naked
bottom, followed by the burning sting of wood on flesh as Trikks pulled up the
hem of her minidress and planted the paddle which, moments before, hung docilely
at her hip, squarely on the girl's exposed left cheek.  The impact brought a
loud smack that rang out up and down the street and across the water, causing
the three otters out there to briefly look up from their kelp wraps before
returning to their afternoon nap.

	The Coyote released Thissle's dress, shook the paddle knowingly in her
direction, and scolded her.  "Knock it off with that innocent little charade,
girl.  Just as there is only one WraithHold in Pinevale, we all know that there
is only one young Copper Dragon brat named Thissle who calls WraithHold in
Pinevale her lair."
	Thissle rubbed her left flank.  It smarted considerably where Trikks'
paddle had struck her.  "Okay, we have established my identity."  She raised her
own paddle and returned the Coyote's favor squarely across both furry southern
cheeks, "Now, will you please tell us how you know who I am and why, by
Paramour's fangs, you are acting as if this humble Dragon lass is some sort of
celebrity?"
	"Oh, but you are a celebrity, dear girl," Trikks corrected her, "In
fact, you are a legend.  Who would have thought that I would have the honor of
having my furry butt paddle-smacked by the Paddled Dragon herself."  She
fluttered her eyelashes dreamily at Thissle, "Thank-you so much.  I will cherish
this moment for all time."
	Karma pulled the confused Dragon girl aside, "Thissle, what the 'ell is
up with you and Ms. Trikks here?  I mean, the Paddled Dragon?  Is that like a
future prediction or something?"
	Shaasta huffed and exchanged a look with the Coyote, "Yeah, as if that
is a shocking event to predict."
	"Oh, but I am not referring to the future," Trikks said, "I am talking
about the epic tale of when this girl became the first Dragon in recorded
history to be subdued and thoroughly paddled by a non-Dragon, that dreamy Elf
fellow that saved Pinevale."
	"Oh, you mean Frelic Willowpaw," Shaasta said.
	"Yes, that is his name."  She nodded excitedly, put her paws to her
chest, and fluttered her eyelashes again, "He is such a hot fellow.  After the
tale of your subdual at his hand spread from Pinevale, well, you wouldn't
believe how many Mink initiates, myself included, have fantasized about being
taken down and having their bottoms paddled by him, as well as giving him the
same blessing."
	Understanding was finally starting to work its way into Thissle's
copper-maned head, "Oh, that little episode.  That was like what, a year ago?"
	"The steamiest tales travel fast through the Order of the Mink," Trikks
explained.  "And let me tell you, that sweet little Halfling lass that Frelic
has as his apprentice is one hot storyteller."
	Thissle's face cycled through several shades of red, "Oh my, you mean
Honeyrose?"
	"Yes, that's her name.  The night after Frelic made history, Honeyrose
was at the local inn, chatting with some Order of the Mink friends from Ponytail
Lodge; and the tale of the Great Dragontamer came up."
	"That little brat," Thissle growled, "She told everyone about the most
humiliating moment in my life over a mug of mead.  How much detail did she go
into?"
	"She just gave a short summary of your adventure," the Coyote shrugged."
	Thissle nodded.
	"We didn't get the full tale until a week later when she was invited to
Ponytail Lodge, where Archivist Renton negotiated a deal with her."
	"She sold that journal entry?"

	"Yes, though he did have Honeyrose expand it a bit to give all the finer
details, turning it from just a few pages from her journal into a full-fledged
redtail epic."  She sighed again, "When we got a copy at Uptail Lodge, I took
the liberty of creating some illustrations to accompany the story.  That was one
of my most enjoyable projects ever."
	"She sold the story of Master spanking me."
	Trikks put her arm around Thissle, "You should be proud of that girl,
dear.  She has made you famous all over Niath and beyond."
	"She sold the story of Master spanking me," Thissle repeated, "When we
get back to WraithHold, I am finally going to take her up on a little offer she
always makes whenever she does not feel like talking anymore."
	Karma giggled, "You mean that cute little thing she says?"
	"Which is?" the Coyote asked.
	Shaasta did a half-turn and thrust out her rump, one hand resting
sassily on her hip, "Talk to the butt."
	"That's the one," Thissle replied.  "Only it will be the paddle doing
the talking."  She gave the Elf's presented bottom a firm smack with the
paddle."
	"If you do redden the Halfling's rear, would you be so kind as to write
the incident down and present it to Ponytail Lodge?" Trikks requested.
	"Oh, you bet I will," Thissle agreed, a devilish gleam in her eyes. 
"And this one will be a gift from me too."
	"Oh, most generous of you, oh legendary Paddled Dragon.  And I would
love to spend time with you ladies and hear more tales of tails sometime."
	Karma stepped forward, "Well, we are on our way to a nice little club we
saw earlier today, Hot Summer Nights.  You are more than welcome to join us, Ms.
Trikks."
	Trikks smiled and accepted the invitation, "I am honored, Miss?"
	"Karma," the Rabbit offered.  "I'm Frelic's personal aide."
	"Karma, such a lovely name.  And this skyclad Elf on the leash?"
	"This is Shaasta.  She was just purchased from the Southern Rose."
	"Ah, I thought I recognized Varo's hallmark when you girls were kissing
the otters."  She gave Shaasta a big hug, and the obligatory pat and squeeze on
the bottom, "A pleasure to meet you, little boink bunny."
	"Well, what are we waiting for?" Thissle asked, giving Shaasta's leash a
tug, "Let's go."
	"Oh this is going to be a night to remember," Trikks predicted, as the
Dragon girl led them north to their evening's destiny, "especially if Brannel is
working there tonight.  You will like him; you will like him a lot."

	"Thirty eight!  Thirty nine!"  Hansen's butt felt like it was on fire as
Frelic relentlessly paddled him.  The Elf felt no hardness against his thigh,
which told him that the spanking the Furling Squirrel bent over his lap was
taking was indeed one of true punishment.  Likewise, the hardness Hansen felt
pressed against his firm, furry stomach indicated that his Master was thoroughly
enjoying roasting his cute little bottom.  Deep within him, far beneath the
fiery pain coursing through his backside, the understanding that his
unquestioning submission to his punishment brought pleasure to his Master made
the Squirrel's penance bearable.
	The paddle slammed down on his ass again, solidly striking the right
cheek and making the pawprint and willow tree brand glow brighter.  He closed
his eyes tight to fight back the tears that were finally threatening to escape
down his muzzle, "Forty, Master!"
	Hansen breathed a sigh of relief as an unexpected respite appeared in
the lounge.  "Frelic, Hansen?  Aren't you two ready to go yet?"

	The Elf halted in mid-swing, paddle poised high over the Squirrel's
butt.  He twisted around to look at the Furling Skunk standing in the doorway,
dressed in a green, sleeveless, wrap-around top that left her midriff and one
shoulder bare, and a matching very short, green, pleated miniskirt that showed
off plenty of black and white-furred thigh.
	Frelic smiled and motioned for her to come in, "Hello again, Makae. 
Please come join us.  We will be ready shortly.  I just have some final business
to wrap up."
	The Skunkette padded over to the hearth, her wide hips and thick bushy
tail swishing left and right seductively with each step.  Upon seeing Hansen
sprawled over his Master's lap, tail raised high, brand glowing brightly, and
every square inch of white fur showing the telltale crimson blush of punishment,
she instinctively reached out to run her paws over the tender, burning, southern
hills.
	"Oh my, Frelic," she said, "That is some of the most impressive tail
work I have seen in ages.  Are ye just getting your pet properly primed for the
evening, or is this a much more serious session?"
	"I'm afraid this would be the latter," Frelic replied.
	"That's what I thought.  His bottom does resemble how mine and Mistie's
always looked after being taken over Mister or Misses Kez's lap for punishment."
 She smiled sympathetically down at Hansen, though he could not see her, and
gave his tender rump a comforting squeeze which caused him to wince.  "Poor
Squirrel.  What did he do?"
	"He agreed to share in Shaasta's penance for costing me over a thousand
gold pieces to rescue them," Frelic explained.
	"Yes," Hansen chimed in, "one swat for each gold piece."

	Makae put one paw over her muzzle and one over her rump, "Oh my, one
thousand punishment-caliber swats?  Can their bottoms withstand that much
abuse?"
	Frelic laughed and patted his pet's rump, "Not in one sitting, they
couldn't.  No, we are carrying this out over the course of several weeks until
penance has reached completion."
	"Sessions of fifty swats at a time," Hansen said, "a minimum of one
session per day.  Only ten more for this round, and then we can go have some
fun."
	Makae sat down on the couch and snuggled up close to the Elf, "Frelic,
may I carry out your pet's final ten?  He looks like a real pleasure to paddle."
	Frelic rested the paddle on Hansen's butt and smiled devilishly at the
Skunkette; her light musky scent was intoxicating.  "Can you handle it, sweet
tail?  This is punishment, you know."
	"You bet your ass I can handle it.  Before Mister Kez had to dismiss
Mistie, he would often have me administer her paddlings and vice versa when he
and the others were too busy with other matters to take the time out to redden
our bottoms."  She returned the devilish smile, "We learned from the experts
here."
	Frelic nodded and had his pet transfer himself from his lap to Makae's,
then he turned the paddle over to the Mephit.  "Make sure you get every square
inch of his ass," he instructed her, and to Hansen he reminded him, "Don't
forget to count the swats, love Squirrel."

	Makae held the Squirrel's tail out of the way, pressing it between her
right arm and his back, and without warning, brought the paddle down dead center
on his rear.  It was hard enough to steal Hansen's breath away from him and even
caused Frelic to wince sympathetically.
	"Forty one!"  Hansen cried.
	Another swat landed on his bottom, sending a burst of wooden agony
through the left cheek.  "Forty two!"  This was immediately followed by a third,
impacting hard on the right flank.  "Forty three!"
	Frelic noticed that his pet's cock had emerged from its furry sheath
again, and the scent of the Squirrel's arousal mingled with the Skunk's scent. 
However, this did not cause him any concern; it was not the paddling itself that
was getting Hansen worked up.  Not even Delilah could enjoy that intense of a
punishment, at least he didn't think his Otter brat could.  No, the cause for
Hansen's burning lust was simply the fact that his spanking was being given to
him over the lap of a hot young Furling Mephit.  And who could blame him?  This
is the sort of scene many lads and lasses would pay gold or even platinum to
experience, himself included.
	One final smack, harder than any of the previous ones, sent a final wave
of fierce pain rippling through the Squirrel's ass, "Fifty, m'lady!"  Hansen
cried out.  "Thank-you so much for disciplining this humble pet."

	Makae laughed, set the paddle down, and affectionately ran her paws
again over the Squirrel's bottom, her fingers expertly kneading the hot,
glowing, punished southern flesh.  "It was my pleasure, love Squirrel.  We will
have to do this again sometime, and again, and again."
	"Well, he does have another fifty and nine hundred to suffer before his
penance is complete," Frelic reminded her, "as does my sister; that is, if you
fancy spanking soft smooth Elven bottoms."
	She fluttered her eyelashes at him, ran a gentle paw up his thigh and
under his skirt, and caressed his bare flank, "Oh, I most certainly do."  She
gave him an impish wink and planted a kiss on his lips, then had Hansen get to
his feet so that she could lay herself across the Elf's lap.
	This caught Frelic completely off guard, "Erm, Makae, what are you
doing?"
	"What's it look like I'm doing, silly Elf?" she sassed back at him, "I'm
offering my ass to you for a spanking."  The Skunkette squirmed playfully on his
lap; her muskiness grew stronger as Frelic's erection, pressing into the young
lady's plush fur grew harder.  "And then I want some of that cinnamon perfume
sprayed up my butt like your girls got earlier."
	"I want to be the answer to an ages-old question.  What is black, white,
and red?"
	Hansen was grinning like a naughty schoolboy as he rubbed his sore,
tender rump.  "So, you like getting spanked too?"

	She shrugged her dainty shoulders, "Of course I do, brat boy.  I am a
Furling, you know.  No one is quite sure why, but an obsessive love of sore
bottoms seems to be ingrained into us.  Why do you think the Order of the Mink
has such a much greater Furball and Feathertail membership across Niath than any
other Order?"
	The Squirrel nodded thoughtfully, "I never really thought about that
before.  But now that you mention it, there does seem to be a tremendous amount
of spanking and other painful undertail activities going on among us than among
other races.  Perhaps I should embark on a research expedition to investigate
this further one of these days."
	"I'm sure one of the Mink lodges would be more than happy to sponsor you
on such a noble quest," Makae replied, "Now what are you waiting for, Frelic? 
My bottom needs your not-so-tender care now."
	Frelic laughed then pulled up the back of the Mephit's skirt, tucking it
into itself, lifted her tail up out of the way, holding it down along the length
of her back, and exposed her indescribably gorgeous licorice and whipped-cream
bottom.  He kneaded the soft, hot mounds with his hands and smiled over at his
fully aroused pet.  "A wizard's work never ends, eh Hansen?"
	Feigning complete seriousness, the Squirrel nodded understanding, "Aye,
'tis a tiring task, Master.  But the rewards are well worth the toil."

	"They are indeed, my pet."  Frelic's hand went up, then descended in a
graceful arc, landing hard with a dull smack on the left cheek of Makae's
upthrust bottom.  Her rear jiggled cutely upon impact and she squirmed again on
his lap.  Another swat landed on the other cheek, followed by a third across the
middle.  The girl was purring softly as the Elf gave her a warm up.  The
spanking so far stung a little, just enough to cause her back to arch a little
more; her behind rose higher and exposed the sweet moistness forming between her
thighs.  Frelic repeated the pattern twice more, migrating the impacts to the
upper rise of her rump; left, right, and center; and then gave the same to her
lower curves.  He finished the warm up with a harder two-handed swat on both
cheeks, then ran a finger along the slit of her sex.
	"Most impressive, sweet little slut.  We have just started and already
you are ready for boinking."
	She sighed happily at Frelic's touch on her femininity and at the sound
of his sweet talk, then spread her legs a little further apart when she felt his
lust-moistened finger slide up and press at the rim of her musk hole.  "Go
ahead," she whimpered, "Remember, I do get the gehennite treatment weekly."
	Frelic smiled and thrust his finger up her tight ass, sliding it around
the hot wall of her nether chamber.  She gasped as his finger probed deep inside
her; she clenched her southern star tight around him, not wanting this moment to
end.  She nearly orgasmed on his lap when he yanked his finger out from under
her tail, and he nearly orgasmed when he put his finger in his mouth and sampled
the girl's flavor.  It was like nothing he had ever tasted before, pure
ambrosia.
	"And now that you are properly warmed up, sweet tail, we are ready to
turn your gorgeous ass the color of the sunset."  He took up the paddle and laid
into Makae's tender bottom with renewed vigor, alternating in his usual pattern
of left cheek, right cheek, and middle up and down her jiggling behind until her
nether cheeks were blushing a soft crimson and she was writhing in pure ecstasy
on his lap, begging and pleading for the Elf to take her here and now.  However,
after twenty swats, Frelic set the paddle down and instructed Makae to rise to
her feet.
	"Not yet, little slut.  Now that your bottom has been properly warmed up
on the outside, it needs to be warmed up inside."  He gestured to the perfume
bottle sitting next to the couch, then turned to Hansen.  "Go fetch a fresh
applicator, love."

	Hansen trotted off to the bath chamber and Frelic instructed the Mephit
to bend herself over and place her paws on the seat of one of the chairs.  While
he waited for his pet to return, Frelic idly played with Makae's lovely bottom;
his hands gently caressed and massaged the soft, paddled flesh, and his
dexterous fingers traced along the crevasse formed by those sweet, tender, furry
cheeks, probing down between her legs to briefly tease around the edge of her
butthole, and continuing on to just barely press into the outer folds of her
sweet, sticky sex.
	The Squirrel returned half a minute later with a brand spanking new
applicator tip, which he handed over to his Master.  "Prep her ass for
insertion," Frelic instructed him.
	Hansen smiled cheerfully and licked his chops, "Oh yes, thank-you so
much, Master."  He knelt behind the bent over Skunkette and buried his muzzle
under her tail, happily pressing his tongue deep up her musk hole while his
Master removed the used applicator from the rectal tube attached to the perfume
bottle and replaced it with the new one.
	Frelic waited patiently for his pet to get his fill of the delightful
Mephit's ass.  Both Furlings were purring loudly as Hansen's tongue probed
around deep inside Makae; the Squirrel's cock was quite hard now and pulsing
rhythmically.  This taildiving could very well bring the two brats to the summit
of the Mink's Mountain quite quickly.  But Frelic did not want them to reach the
peak just yet, so he gave his pet a firm pop on the ass with his open hand to
get his attention.
	"Okay, you tail sluts, that should be good for now."
	Reluctantly, Hansen extracted his tongue from Makae's ass and pouted at
his Master.  "Aw, and we were just getting started too."
	The Skunkette maid giggled cutely, "It's okay, sweetie.  I'm sure we
will have a chance to finish this later."
	Hansen padded around to stand beside the girl.  She looked over her
shoulder and winked at him, then planted her muzzle against his.  As they
kissed, Frelic inserted the tube up Makae's butt and Hansen slipped his tongue
into her mouth, letting her taste her own sweetness.
	"This is going to burn a little," Frelic warned her.  He gave the bulb
on the bottle three hard squeezes and sent a spray of cinnamon oil up the girl's
ass, thoroughly coating her rectal wall.
	She gave a hard gasp as the spicy hot mist burned inside her, almost but
not quite like liquid fire.  Her furry cheeks clenched hard around the tube up
her ass, and in a moment of mischeviousness, Frelic sprayed another burst of the
cinnamon perfume deep up her musky butt, causing her to whimper and swoon
momentarily.  Finally, the burning up inside her rectal passage faded to a deep,
pleasant warmth, and her muscles relaxed, releasing their grip on the tube,
which Frelic extracted from her depths with one quick and smooth pull.
	He removed the applicator from the tube and handed it to Hansen, which
the Squirrel immediately stuck in his mouth.  While the Squirrel suckled on the
Mephit-flavored shaft as if it was a sweet pop, Frelic knelt behind Makae and
buried his tongue up her butt, tasting the exotic mix of cinnamon and Furling
Skunk lass.  It was more than simply pure bliss, the taste was absolute and
total Nirvana, as evidenced by the intense stiffness of the erection clearly
visible between the Elf's legs.

	Lest he spill his seed right there in the lounge, Frelic willed himself
to disengage from the Skunkette's bottom, and rose to his feet.  He gave her a
final swat on her delicious ass, and untucked her skirt, letting it fall back
down to cover her backside again.  Eyes closed, he took a few deep breaths,
focusing inwardly and willing his arousal to fade back to normal levels. 
Finally ready, he took the paddle and put it in its place on his belt, letting
it hang at his left hip as if it was a sword.
	"Come now, my pets," he declared.  Even though Makae was not his pet,
she smiled and nodded, allowing herself to play that role for the Elf for the
evening.
	"Let us head downstairs for a night of fine food, fine drink, and fine
music."  With his soft hands in their furry paws, Frelic led his Furling dates
across the room and out into the third floor corridor, securing the door behind
them.


Chapter X : Ringtail Ale

	Hot Summer Nights was already getting busy when Karma, Thissle, Shaasta,
and Trikks passed through its doors.  Floor girls and boys bustled about
ferrying succulent platters of meats, breads, and steaming vegetables and
serving up a wide variety of exotic drinks to the hungry guests scattered about
the central dining room.  A band of five musicians and dancers, an eclectic
group consisting of a salt and pepper haired male Dwarf, an Elven lad, a
youthful-looking Furling Fox boy, and two adult Ornith ducks, were on the stage,
getting in some last minute practice before show time.  A small party of four
Furlings; one Ocelot girl, one humble-looking little male Chinchilla, and two
Raccoons; male and female, were already a little tipsy and attempting to dance
to the band's rehearsal tunes.  At tables in two different corners of the room,
sat the obligatory mysterious cloaked figures; one of whom was quietly observing
the goings on here, and the other already engaged in what was most likely
conversation of gravest concern to a party of six adventurers, also cloaked and
hooded.
	Trikks scanned the room until she was spotted by one of the Floor boys,
a handsome Furling Deer, dressed in a leather collar and a black and white lace
apron, which was really intended for the Floor girls.  The apron was cinched
around his waist with a narrow leather belt, from which hung the usual pouches
and a wide round paddle at his right hip.  A mane of dark red hair, dropping in
graceful waves below his shoulders framed his pretty face, and a majestic pair
of antlers, each with four sharp points protruded from between his long ears,
adding an additional two feet to his otherwise five and a half foot stature.  He
gave a delighted smile when he saw the party of four lovely ladies, and trotted
over on cloven-hoofed digitigrade legs to greet them.

	"Trikks!" he said, picking up the Coyote in his arms and holding her
tight while smothering her with kisses, "It's about time you dined here again. 
You've been absent for far too long, m'lady."
	"Oh, Brannel," she giggled, as he gently set her back down on her feet,
"you sure know how to make a humble little artist feel welcome.  As for my
absence, I realized I was spending way too much here every week, just on your
ass alone.  So I decided to exile myself for a time from Hot Summer Nights
before I could become a pathetic beggar girl."
	Brannel was grinning like a schoolboy, "Well, thanks for finally
brightening our little establishment once more with your presence.  And, I see
you brought some new lady friends, and very lovely and boinkable lady friends at
that, if I may be so bold."
	"These honeys are distinguished models," Trikks replied, "and anything
they order tonight is on me."
	"Distinguished models?" the deer repeated, "How long have you girls been
modeling?"

	Thissle stepped forward and posed seductively with one hand on her hip,
"Oh, about fifteen minutes, I think.  Hiyas, I'm Thissle."
	"Well, 'tis a pleasure to serve you, m'lady.  You look like you are
dressed for a bit of action this evening."  He brought her hand to his mouth,
and gave it a friendly welcoming lick.  So, you have been Ms. Trikks' models for
a whole fifteen minutes now, eh?"
	Karma giggled and introduced herself, "Yeppers, that sounds about right,
sir.  I'm Karma."
	He repeated his welcoming gesture and smiled warmly; the Rabbit nearly
lost herself in their host's large dark eyes, "Are ye good karma or bad karma?"
	She giggled again, "Is there a difference?"
	The Deer gave her a sly look and tapped the paddle at his hip, "Bad
karma earns you a touch of this; good karma, well, that also earns you a touch
of this, but with less coin afterwards."
	"Well then, I will endeavor to strive for bad Karma, sir."
	"Oh, please don't address me as sir, m'lady," he touched his collar,
"after all, I am merely a humble pleasure pet, much like your Elf here."  And
with that he gave Shaasta a very thorough looking over.
	Shaasta, blushing and smiling ever so coyly, assumed a variety of poses
for her fellow pet's viewing pleasure.  She was thoroughly entranced by this
charming buck.  He was a pure delight to look at, and carried himself with a
grace and pride that suggested that he had already spent several years as a
loving but stern owner's pleasure girl.

	Brannel knelt behind her to admire the rosy glow on her bottom, "Ah, I
see ye are no stranger to the paddle, little doe.  And my, what a lovely beast
mark you bear."  He gently ran his fingers around the outline of the shimmering
silver brand that decorated her plush ass, then his fingers moved down to the
rose she carried in her rear channel.
	"Master Varo's signature, so to speak.  So, ye were just recently
purchased from the Southern Rose.  That can only mean ye are top of the line." 
His hands pressed against the upper curves of her bottom, sliding down the soft
southern hills and between her legs to caress her inner thighs.  Then he rose to
his feet, paced back around and stood towering over her, the scent of his
interest in her filling the air about them, "Can ye speak, girl?  Have ye a
name?"
	Now blushing even more, Shaasta finally had to avert her eyes from his
hypnotic gaze, "Shaasta, sir," she replied, "A Moors Elf from Kalthani I am."
	"Her name means Tender Hawk," Karma offered.
	"I am most delighted and enchanted to be in your presence, little Tender
Hawk," Brannel said.  He wrapped an arm around her with his hand firmly gripping
her delightful rear, bent her backwards, and planted his muzzle hard on her soft
lips.  "And since we are equals, you have no cause to call me sir.  Now, you
said that you are a Moors Elf?"
	Shaasta nodded, "I am."
	"Ergo, you are a shapeshifter."
	She nodded again.

	"I am confuzzled," he confided to her, "You bear an ornithian name, yet
you wear a feline tail.  So are ye a sometimes hawk, or a sometimes kitty?"
	"The tail belt is just a little bit of costume Karma and Thissle picked
up for me earlier today.  I transform into a hawk," she replied.
	"A very sexy one at that," Thissle added.
	He smiled sweetly, "Is there any other kind?  I do hope that you will
show off your feathered form here for us later tonight, if your handlers
approve."
	She looked to Karma and Thissle.  They just shrugged, nodded, and
smiled.  "I'll be more than happy to spread my tailfeathers this evening."

	Trikks stepped in, "Sorry to interrupt this little group hug, kids, but
can we continue our chatter from a seated position?  My feet are dog tired, if
you will pardon the pun, and I am absolutely ravenous."
	"By your leave, m'lady," Brannel replied, performing first a graceful
bow, followed by a graceful curtsy.  "Please walk this way."
	He led them into the depths of Hot Summer Nights.  Brannel's stride was
smooth and graceful, his wide hips swaying hypnotically back and forth with each
step.  The four ladies followed close behind, their stride matching the dreamy
Deer's.  Thissle noticed a Furling Mouse gawking at them.
	"What?" she said, "We always strut this way."
	Shaasta, as well as the others, couldn't help but notice Brannel's fully
exposed bottom, very shapely and well toned.  The white treasure trail spread
from the inner thighs, covered the inner half of each spankable cheek, and fully
up the underside of his short, teardrop-shaped tail, which was held proudly
erect.  Between his thighs, his treasures were clearly visible, a decent-sized
fur covered sac and sheath, from which his maleness was partially protruding. 
The Elf girl felt her nether regions get warm and slightly damp as she imagined
herself underneath this gorgeous buck, his large cock filling her while he rode
her from behind.  She guessed that Karma, Thissle, and most likely Trikks as
well were thinking the same thoughts as she about Brannel, judging by the way
their heads were down and their gazes focused on his ass and well endowed
package.  He was the perfect mixture of both masculine and feminine strength,
power, sensuality, and grace.  His mistress or master must have invested a
tremendous amount of time and energy to produce such a fine pet.
	Brannel brought them to a table close to the stage and dance floor. 
"This should do fine, m'ladies.  Now remember, I am your humble servant at your
beck and call tonight."
	The girls sat themselves down and Trikks smiled up at Brannel, "Second
best seat in the house."
	"Oh, pardon my indiscretion."  the buck looked honestly chastened, "If
you would prefer to sit elsewhere, just give the word."
	"You are such a dear.  I can't possibly take the best seat in the house,
as that would require distracting you from your work."  The Coyote gave him a
flirty wink and touched a paw to one of his muscular thighs.
	"Yes," he agreed, easily catching her meaning, "Mistress Ravenna would
not be too happy about her devoted pet allowing you to monopolize his time on
such a busy night."
	Trikks nodded understanding, "I would not want to be the one who causes
you to have to take your breaks tonight on your hooves."
	"And likewise," Brannel countered, "I would feel most saddened knowing
that I was the reason your evening here was spent on your feet."
	They shared a laugh together, then Trikks placed a paw on the buck's
hand, "Speaking of your Mistress, where are Ravenna and the kits tonight?  Both
your mate and Anton are usually found out here on the floor."

	"They will all make their appearances later," he replied.  "Melody is
down in our suite doing her homework, and Anton is in the kitchen helping his
mother on the grill," he smiled devilishly, "literally."
	Shaasta, Karma, and Thissle gave the buck a blank, worried stare. 
Finally, the Elf worked up the courage to ask the question they were all
thinking, "His mother is on the grill?  Isn't that...well...dangerous?"
	The Coyote and the Deer shared another laugh, "Don't worry your pretty
little bottom, girl," Trikks reassured her, "They don't serve up sentients
here."  She turned back to Brannel.
	"So I take it that you and your mate finally decided to unleash Ringtail
Ale on the unsuspecting citizens of Mistport?"
	The Deer gave an enthusiastic nod; a toothy grin parted his muzzle, "Our
only regret is that we didn't do it sooner."
	"It's doing that well, eh?"
	"A walloping success it is.  'Tis so popular, we may need to recruit
more vessels to keep up with the demand."  He stole a glance over at the
slightly drunken dancing Furlings, "Two candidates right there," he muttered,
then fixed his gaze on the plush, muscular backside of the Ocelot girl, whose
Chinchilla boyfriend was struggling to keep her steady on her feet, "Perhaps
three, in fact."
	Trikks chuckled at the enterprising Deer, "But she isn't a Ringtail, and
ale may not be..."
	"Yes, you're right," Brannel agreed, "Something a little higher class
for the likes of her.  Wine would suit that lovely creature better, perhaps an
Azure Depths as the base instead of ale."
	"It will take a bit of experimenting, but that sounds like a good
starting point," the Coyote nodded, "And if it works out, I can draw up a label
design for you and bottle it as Blue Rosette."

	"Brannel," Karma interrupted.  Her formerly worried stare was now a
curious gaze.
	The handsome buck knelt on one knee beside her and looked into her eyes,
"Let me guess, little boink bunny, you wish to know what the 'ell Trikks and I
are going on about.  You wish to know what exactly is Ringtail Ale, and why we
are discussing those tipsy Furlings over there and what type of wine would go
best with the Ocelot."
	The Rabbit nodded her pretty head and Brannel rose to his hooves to
educate this sweet trio of confused ladies.  "Ringtail Ale," he began, sounding
like a tour guide at a brewery, "is the most exotic drink known on and beneath
the face of all Niath.  What is it that makes a simple ale the most covetable
delight for the highly refined tastes of Mistport's citizens?  What exotic and
mysterious ingredient can turn such a common drink into a rare and highly valued
rage?"
	Trikks had a grin on her muzzle that bore a hint of naughtiness, and an
even naughtier gleam in her eyes.  "Rare?  Don't you mean rear?"
	Brannel boldly brandished his paddle at the Coyote, "M'lady, please do
not spoil the moment, lest I turn you over my lap and take pleasure in warming
your delicious bottom."
	"Do so, and you would have to surrender five silvers under my tail," she
shot back.  "I am no cheap slut.  At least, I am not cheap."
	He returned the board of persuasion to its rightful place on his belt. 
"Right then, as I was about to say, what makes Ringtail Ale such an exotic and
rear, I mean rare treat is the naughty means by which it is prepared."
	"And if I am interpreting the current intoxicating scent of the arousal
which thoughts of Ringtail Ale bring to the two of you," Karma surmised, "then
the means by which your highly revered drink is mixed must be one which greatly
pleases the Order of the Mink."  Her long ears were lying flat against her back,
and a sweet moistness began to mat the fur between her thighs.  The Coyote and
Deer's subtle lust was proving contagious.
	"It is indeed a process worthy of the Order of the Mink," Trikks agreed.
	"Except," Brannel corrected them, "this concoction, I am proud to say,
is fully a creation from the Order of the Twilight Mists, devised and perfected
by Mistress Ravenna and myself."

	"Ringtail Ale, as I have mentioned, is prepared in a most unique manner.
 After its initial brewing, the ale is brewed a second time, only this time it
is brewed inside a specially prepared Furling Raccoon over a gehennite flame,
then chilled on a block of Beastlands glacier ice and served cold."
	"Wait a minute," Shaasta interrupted, "You are saying that we would be
drinking from a Raccoon's butt?"  She looked rather disturbed.
	"No," Brannel replied, "you would be drinking from a mug.  The ale is
only brewed in a Raccoon's butt."
	Thissle pouted, "Aw, 'tis a pity.  I would have loved to try it straight
from the source."
	"I do recommend you try it from a mug first," the Deer advised her,
"then if you like it enough, I can bring Mistress Ravenna out here so that you
can tap the keg."
	"Sounds sensible to me," Karma agreed.
	Shaasta still looked confused and shocked, "We would be drinking from a
Raccoon's butt?" she repeated.
	Brannel gently placed a hand beneath the Elf's chin and tilted her head
up to meet his gaze, "I can assure you, little boink bunny, there is no cause
for concern.  My mate's delightful butt gets properly cleansed with gehennite on
a regular basis."
	Karma cocked her head to one side and gave the Elf a puzzled gaze,
"Shaasta, what's wrong with you tonight?  You've never been this squeamish about
anything before."
	Shaasta smiled sheepishly, "Doesn't the idea of using someone else's ass
as a serving vessel seem, i don't know, a little out there?"
	"Well, if that is what your reservations are about, I would be most
happy to brew some Elf Bottom Ale just for you," Brannel offered, "then it
wouldn't be someone else's ass you are being served from."
	Shaasta blushed and thought back to right before Frelic boinked her.  He
had slipped his fingers up her butt and had her taste her own flavor.  She had
to admit to herself that she did indeed taste good.
	"Haven't you ever taildived anyone?" Thissle asked her, "I mean, as
notorious as you and Hansen are, and always willing to experience new pleasures,
I would assume that your tongue has been under his tail at least once."
	"Well actually, I haven't," Shaasta confessed, "However, he has tasted
me a few times."
	"We know," Karma replied.  "He told us about how he had his tongue up
your ass to prepare you for boinking in your hawk form shortly before you two
were captured."
	Thissle smiled innocently at the blushing Elf, "And after hearing his
critique, I want to taste your bird butt one of these days.  Now come on, girl. 
Don't tell us your month chained up at the pet shop drove away your great sense
of adventure."
	Shaasta sighed in resignation, "Okay, you win.  I'll give it a shot."
	Trikks happily clapped her paws together, "Oh, very good, very good
indeed.  You won't regret this at all."  She smiled up at Brannel, "Four mugs of
Ringtail Ale, please."
	The Deer gave a graceful curtsy, "Four Ringtails it is then.  I will
return shortly."  He took his leave of the giggle of girls and sauntered off to
the kitchen.  His long ears twitched as he felt the gaze of four sets of eyes
burning into his wide, furry behind as it swayed back and forth like a pendulum
with each graceful step.

	Karma chirred softly, her ears down flat against her back, "Do you think
he might be willing to do Whitetail Ale later tonight?"
	Trikks smiled at the bunny, "He might, Rabbit, he might.  You can always
ask him.  I'm sure he would be quite willing to accommodate you."
	"With him," Thissle said, "I'd be willing to forgo the ale part," she
licked her soft lips as she envisioned the flavor of venison.
	Karma touched her paw to the money pouch on her belt.  "Ms. Trikks, how
much should we tip Brannel when he comes back?"
	The Coyote thought for a moment, "For four Ringtail Ales, one silver
piece should be about right."
	The Rabbit reached into her pouch and withdrew five copper coins, "So
five coppers each then."
	"Oh, put away yer money, bunny," Trikks said, "Remember, it's all on me
tonight."
	Karma shook her head, "That doesn't include tips.  You aren't getting
that handsome buck's lovely bottom all to yourself."
	"Neither are you, Rabbit," Thissle added.  She now had a stack of five
coppers in front of her as well.  She pulled out another five and set them on
the table in front of Shaasta, since the Elf wasn't carrying anything save for
the tips she received earlier from the sailor bird and Trikks.
	"Thank-you, Thissle," Shaasta said, "I would have felt bad about not
being able to contribute, since I lost all my coin when me and Hansen were
taken."
	"I brought plenty for the both of us," Thissle assured her.
	Trikks laughed as she looked over the three stacks of copper pieces on
the table.  She reached into her own pouch and also made a stack of coin in
front of her.  "I must say, that poor Deer is going to be carrying a genuine
buttload of money tonight, twenty from us already, and that is in addition to
whatever he had earned before we showed up."
	Shaasta giggled, "That would explain his girlish stride.  I mean, how
can you not have such a pronounced hip swish when your bottom is stuffed?"
	Trikks leaned forward, "I'll let you in on a secret," she said in a mock
conspiratorial whisper, "That is Brannel's natural stride.  Ravenna likes her
buck to be a bit girly.  She trained him that way back when he was her
apprentice."  She put her paw into the large bowl in the middle of the table and
took a handful of mixed tropical nuts, which she popped into her mouth.  Shaasta
and Thissle followed suit.
	Karma, on the other hand, plucked a violet from the bouquet of various
flowers in the vase beside the nut bowl and nibbled on the fragrant petals,
"That would explain the black and white lacy apron then.  He does look awfully
cute in that."
	Trikks swallowed and took another pawful of nuts, "He does indeed."
	Finished with rehearsal, the band on the stage started its first number
for the evening, a haunting, ethereal piece that was equally suitable for a fast
or slow dance.  The Coyote stood and stretched, then scanned the room until her
gaze landed on a handsome Ornith Eagle, "Well ladies, since it will be a few
minutes before Brannel returns, what say we work up our thirsts?"

	Thissle, Karma, and Shaasta watched the Coyote saunter across the floor
towards the Eagle, every step emanating seductive feminine grace.  When she
reached her objective, Trikks ran a paw down the Ornith's neck and feathery
chest, then commandeered his lap, perching her furry bottom on one muscular
thigh.  He gently ran sharp taloned fingers over her rump, and the two quietly
exchanged some words.  The girls were unable to make out what they were saying,
but apparently the Coyote had successfully charmed the Eagle.  Together, they
arose, and with an arm and a wing draped around her, he led Trikks out to the
dance floor.
	Thissle rose to her feet and turned her gaze towards the hooded figure
in the corner.  He had been joined by a Furling Fox who was clad in a short
green tunic and leather belt, the typical uniform of a wizard's or acolyte's
apprentice.  The two were quietly sipping on chalices filled with a translucent
jade green wine while coolly surveying the growing crowd.  "Well, let's get to
work, girls.  We can't let that silly 'yote outdo us."
	"The Fox is mine," claimed Karma as she and Thissle padded over to the
pair in the corner.
	Shaasta, now alone at the table, scanned the room, seeking a suitable
partner.  There were so many to choose from, so many species represented here
tonight, that the Elf found it difficult to decide where to begin.  She
considered the Chinchilla she had noticed earlier, but quickly dismissed that
notion.  He and his companions had returned to the table and he was now
comfortably seated on his Ocelot girlfriend's lap.  Trying to borrow him for a
dance, she determined, would involve a little too much peril.
	The hairless fellow seated at the next table over from the Ocelot,
Chinchilla, and Raccoons looked promising.  He was a giant of a man, though not
fat by any definition; his mass was obviously the result of years of hard labor
such as heavy lifting or working one of the oars of a Tameran longboat. 
Sporting lightweight buckskin pants and a matching sleeveless top which
showcased his massive sun kissed shoulders and arms, he divided his attention
between the large stein in his left hand, the smoldering pipe in his right, and
the wide assortment of lovely ladies gracing the dance floor.  Occasionally, he
would turn to his companions to share a comment or short tale, and a hearty
laugh.
	As she looked him over, Shaasta envisioned the feel of the big man's
arms around her, holding her close to him while his powerful hands caressed and
kneaded and played with her bottom.  She also imagined the feel of his stiff
cock nested in her tight, moist sex, while his thick fingers probed deep up her
ass.  In a flash of pure animal desire, all lingering traces of indecision
vanished from her mind.

	Shaasta rose to her feet and took a deep breath.  The gentle touch of a
soft, webbed paw on her bare shoulder coupled with the whisper of an equally
gentle and soft voice behind her caused her to halt.  She turned around to find
herself gazing into the large brown eyes of a Furling River Otter.  He was a
cute one for certain, as was typical of his species, and his eyes reflected an
innate cheerfulness.  Dressed in naught but a red cotton vest, Shaasta
recognized this Furling as the pastry vendor she had flirted at during the trek
to Hot Summer Nights.
	"M'lady," he said.  A deep shyness was clearly evident in his voice, "If
you are not otherwise occupied, might you honor me with this dance?"  He averted
his gaze to the floor and a light crimson blush was visible through the white
fur of his cheeks.
	Shaasta took one last look over at the big guy she had originally set
her sights on.  "I'll do him later," she thought to herself, "The night is still
young, and there is plenty of Elf to share."
	She placed a hand under the Otter's chin, brought his gaze back up to
meet hers, and gave him her warmest smile, "The honor would be mine, Water Rat. 
Come, let's set the floor ablaze."  She took his paw in her hand and led him
through the crowd out to the dance floor under the withering gazes of countless
other guys and some girls who watched with envy, envy at the Furling Otter who,
by a stroke of fortune, was graced with the company and attention of a tender,
nymphly, naked Elf lass.	
	"Fast or slow?" the Otter asked, "This particular piece is suitable for
either."
	"Let's do it slow to start, "Shaasta purred.  She put her arms around
his waist; he followed suit, placing his paws on her lower back, and Otter and
Elf glided together around the floor.
	"I must admit, m'lady, I am not the most graceful of dancers," the
Furling advised her.
	Shaasta replied with an understanding smile and friendly reassuring
laugh, "You have no cause for shame.  You are doing no worse and many times
better than most everyone else out here.  And truth to tell, I am no ballroom
swan myself."
	"Thank-you for the vote of confidence," he chittered.  He gave a timid
smile, "and I must say, you are the loveliest and most graceful creature to ever
brighten the dance floor, m'lady.  Though I dare not let my beloved mate ever
hear me say that, lest she warm my bottom until even thinking of sitting down
would be painful."
	"Please, call me Shaasta.  As you should be able to tell by my attire,
such a noble address is far above my humble status."
	The Otter nodded understanding, "Aye, m'lady Shaasta.  I was wondering
about your lack of clothing.  'Tis rather uncommon outside of one of the Order
of the Mink's Lodges for those not blessed with fur or feathers to parade about
skyclad, save for slaves and pets."
	"And a pet is what I am, as of this afternoon.  I must admit, however;
it is taking me some time to adjust to this lifestyle, what with my naked body
on display for all the world to see.  I feel as if I could drop dead of
embarrassment at any time, and doubly so when my bare bottom is showing the
fiery blush from a paddling."
	"I do believe that you will eventually grow comfortable with and even
take great pride in your nakedness, m'lady," he predicted.  And echoing
Shaasta's previous words, he added, "And take heart.  You most certainly have no
cause for shame."
	One webbed paw timidly slid downwards, "May I, Shaasta?"
	She blushed and nodded, "But of course, Water Rat.  My butt was made to
be used and enjoyed."

	Now that he had the Elf's blessing, he moved both paws down and took a
firm grip on her bottom, gently kneading her soft southern flesh with his
fingers.  Shaasta did the same for him, causing an embarrassed smile to cross
his muzzle.  They closed the half arm's length gap between them so that their
bodies were pressed together as one.  Her head rested on his shoulder, and the
Otter's rapidly stiffening cock lay along the length of the Elf's bare mound.
	"You do have a pretty bottom, Shaasta," the Otter said as they swayed
back and forth to the music.  "And if you would take no offense at my saying so,
I would very much enjoy seeing it get spanked, and I would enjoy even moreso
having the honor of putting you over my lap and paddling your lovely bottom
myself."
	Shaasta closed her eyes and purred seductively, forgetting to be
embarrassed as she nuzzled her face against the Otter's brawny shoulder and
neck, basking in the sensuousness of his plush furry body against her bare
flesh.  "You may very well find both wishes granted before the night is gone,"
she whispered in his ear.
	Feeling his erection reach completion at her suggestion, she added,
"Both wishes and more, unless you fear your mate's wrath brought down upon your
own bottom."

	The Otter chuckled and gave Shaasta a big musteline grin, "Oh, not at
all, m'lady.  My precious Issibel does not mind me sampling Niath's finest
treasures.  And likewise, I do not mind her playing around, as we both know that
no matter who we boink or how many, we will end the evening in each others'
arms."  His fingers found their way under Shaasta's prosthetic tail and
teasingly traced down the length of the crevasse formed by her nether cheeks.
	"Issibel," Shaasta repeated, "such a lovely name.  I would guess that
she is as pretty as her name sounds."  The girl gasped and shuddered at the
caress of the Furling's fingers teasing her aft vale.  "And before we go any
further, does the handsome Otter who is probing my south end have a name, or do
I continue to call him Water Rat?"
	"Oh, forgive my omission, m'lady," he replied, looking genuinely
chastened, "Twas a true oversight on my part.  You may call me Benden.  And 'tis
true, Issibel is indeed a most enchanting Otterette.  I am most fortunate to
have her to share my bed with every night.  She works here at Hot Summer Nights,
so you should have the pleasure of meeting her later this evening, after her
nightly cleansing is complete."  He gave a sharp gasp, which was followed by a
brief moment of silence when the Elf's fingers found his tight southern star and
began probing his depths.
	"Ah, so she is a dancer here, I presume?"  Shaasta playfully wiggled her
fingers around inside Benden's ass, causing him to moan.
	"Issibel is a serving girl," he corrected her, "but all of the serving
girls here, whether female or male, often earn some spare coin with their tails.
 Issibel is a favorite attraction here.  On a good night, she can leave here
with as much coin inside her as I make in three days pushing the pastry cart."
	"It sounds like you two have a pretty good thing going and the means for
a comfortable life together.  Do you have kits, or have you kept your mate on
Tempspay?"
	Benden smiled wistfully, "We have six young'uns," he proudly revealed,
"And three of them also now work here.  They started two days ago and are
putting in a couple hours every evening to earn their apprenticing fees so they
can join Uptail Lodge."
	"Mistport's chapter of The Order of the Mink," Shaasta said.
	"Yes.  Our oldest boy, Denn, wants to become an acolyte.  His sister,
Faeth, is showing some aptitude for wizardry, and Tizz simply wants to be a Mink
Dancer."
	"Do they lap dance here?"
	"Denn and Faeth do.  But I haven't allowed Tizz to do more than simply
be a serving girl and a lap sitter.  However, we may allow her to dance tonight
under her mother's guidance.  After all, she and Dizz are celebrating their
tenth year today and she has been begging and pleading for us to allow her to
dance like Faeth."  He sighed, "I suppose if she is going to be a Mink Dancer
anyway, we should let her practice her growing talents.  Better she do it under
our supervision than for her to sneak off and practice in some seedy tavern
where she could end up getting hurt or stolen by slavers."
	Shaasta nodded understanding, "It would make a nice little birthday
present for her.  So, will your kits be making an appearance here tonight as
well?"
	"They should be here shortly," Benden replied, "I told them that we
would be having a little birthday celebration here for the twins provided they
finish their evening chores and after they put in their work time here.  They
should be showing up within the hour, unless they have been goofing off." 
Benden's fingers came to rest on the rose Shaasta was carrying, "Hello, what is
this?"

	Shaasta giggled and blushed, "That bit of silliness?  That is merely a
long-stem rose."
	"Is it pinned on, or is it..."
	"It's planted," she replied before Benden could finish his question. 
"It's the hallmark of the Southern Rose Pet Shop.  Every pet Master Varo and
Lilieblume sell receives a rose up her butt.  Are you not familiar with the
Southern Rose?"
	Benden fingered the fragrant petals pressed against the Elf's ass and
shook his head, "Forgive my ignorance, m'lady, but my family is still fairly new
to Mistport, and I have not yet become familiar with more than a small fraction
of this lovely town's little quirks and customs.  So, the Southern Rose it's
called, hmm?  'Tis a pretty clever trademark your Master Varo chose, a rose
inserted into your southern star, making the flower a southern rose."  He paused
to catch his breath, then winced as a passing thought struck him.
	"Benden, are you okay?"  Shaasta asked, "Am I hurting you somehow?"
	"Not at all, m'lady," he reassured her, "In fact, what you are doing
beneath my tail feels most wonderful.  You work magick with your fingers.  I was
merely concerned about you and your rose, specifically the matter of the thorns.
 I mean, is it not exceedingly dangerous to have those piercing you inside?  And
even if your aft channel has been properly swabbed with Unicorn salve first,
would not the thorns still cause unfathomable agony up your butt?"
	Shaasta laughed and ground her body hard against Benden's, while working
her fingers deeper up inside him, "There is no cause for alarm, silly Otter. 
Varo's roses are thornless.  Whether they are grown that way or Lilieblume clips
the thorns off, they are perfectly safe."  She thrusted her bottom out for
Benden, "Go ahead and remove it; see for yourself."
	Benden took a tender grip on the flower's stem at the base of the bloom,
and gently extracted the rose from the Elf's butt and examined it closely,
noting the raised nubs where the thorns used to be, "It has been clipped," he
announced.  He ran the stem over his tongue, taking in the flavor of Elven
naughtiness mingled with cinnamon, "You are most delicious, Shaasta.  I would
very much love to sample your ass further should we have the chance to retreat
to more intimate surroundings later this evening.
	He put the rose in the Elf's hair, behind her left ear, "I presume you
submit to gehennite cleansings on a regular basis?"
	The Otter's assessment of her nether charms as if he was judging wines
at a fair caused Shaasta's face to redden yet again.  She nodded her head and
briefly averted her eyes, "Aye, 'tis gehennite.  We received weekly cleansings
during our time at the Southern Rose.  Master Varo says that just as no two
snowflakes are alike, no two people have the exact identical flavor, and the
netherwordly liquid fire properly brings out that flavor."

	"Your Master Varo sounds like a well-educated fellow," Benden said, "I
may have to expand my route soon so that I can service and visit his shop."
	"He is indeed quite knowledgeable about a great array of subjects,"
Shaasta agreed, "Some of it he learned from his Halfling pet, but most of his
knowledge and wisdom was accumulated during his years as an adventurer."
	"Aye, I often envy those who have taken up that lifestyle and let the
world be their teacher."  The Otter sighed wistfully, "I do enjoy listening to
the tales they often like to tell as they purchase my wares, and I have picked
up on many lessons gleaned from their adventures and misadventures."
	"Well, I certainly have plenty of both that I can talk about."  Shaasta
took a quick look around the room to see how her companions were faring. 
Thissle and her partner had returned to the corner table, where the Dragon girl
was now sitting centered on his lap.  Her back was against his chest, and her
wide bottom was rubbing and grinding hard over his groin.  Judging by the
expression on his face and the way he was holding her, right hand pressed hard
against her waist and the left hand down the front of her partially unlaced
dress, the Elf guessed that Thissle was now fully and properly impaled on the
man's cock.
	Karma and the Fox were burning up the dance floor.  Like Thissle's
partner, the Fox was holding the rabbit from behind.  His arms were wrapped snug
around her and they swayed and ground in perfect unison to the beat of the
music.  He was obviously locked and knotted inside of Karma, as the back of her
dress was partially hiked up and her eyes were partially closed, though Shaasta
couldn't tell whether Karma was being taken traditionally or up the ass.
	Trikks was the most impressive of the three, "By the Mink," Shaasta
gasped, "there's something you don't see every day."

	Benden turned his head to see what Shaasta was going on about.  The
Coyote and Eagle had their arms wrapped tight around each other.  His wings were
spread and flapping slowly so that the two dancers were hovering a Halfling's
height off the floor.  Trikks had an ecstatic expression on her muzzle, and her
hips were bucking hard against the Ornith's, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind
that she was in fact being fucked in mid-air.
	"Ah, the Falcon and the Mink," the Otter said, "That is actually a
ritual dance, highly revered of course by..."
	Shaasta interrupted him to complete the thought, "By the Order of the
Mink, I presume?"
	"Yes," the Otter confirmed, "and by the Order of the Falcon as well, for
that matter.  The complete version is frequently practiced by both orders.  It
is said that many millenia ago when they were still mere mortals, Lord Azoral
and his pet sister, Lady Ishtar, coupled together in mid-air for three days and
three nights non-stop in their Ornith Falcon and Furling Mink forms.  Six months
later, their first daughter, Lady Halanith, future Mistress of the Beastlands,
was born."
	Shaasta was quite impressed, "Oh my!  Three days of nonstop airborne
boinking?  That gives a whole new meaning to giving a flying fuck."
	"Actually," Benden corrected her, "that is where the expression
originated."
	"So then," Shaasta said, "for one who has never led a life of adventure,
how did you come upon this bit of lore?"
	"As I said previously," the Otter replied, "in my line of work, I hear
many tales and pick up on many little tidbits of ancient history.  In this case,
my knowledge was gleaned from Zorahs himself," he gestured towards the Eagle who
was dancing above the crowd while fucking the Coyote girl.
	"Last night, he demonstrated the Falcon and the Mink, the condensed
version like they are doing now of course, three, no, four times."
	"Four flying fucks?" Shaasta exclaimed, "That bird must have legendary
endurance."
	"That he does indeed," Benden replied, "And 'tis no surprise either,
considering he is, in fact, a high level acolyte in the Order of the Falcon.  So
anyway, he first took to the air with my Issibel and demonstrated how the dance
was traditionally performed."
	"Except that they didn't dance anywhere near three days and three
nights."
	"Correct, they danced just long enough for them both to reach the summit
of the Mink's Mountain.  No sooner had they landed and his cock was extracted
from my mate, Zorahs gently wrapped his arms around Denn and showed how the
Falcon and the Mink was performed when a boy takes on the role of the girl."  He
gestured towards Karma and her Vulpine partner, who was still taking her from
behind while swaying and grinding to the music.
	"It was much like the way that Fox and Rabbit are dancing over there. 
Except, they were in the air and Zorahs' cock was buried up my son's ass of
course."
	Shaasta solemnly nodded; her arousal was rapidly strengthening within
her as Benden described the Eagle's recent boinking spree, "Up the ass of
course, and after he was finished with your boy?"

	"After Denn's bottom was filled with the Eagle's seed, it was Faeth's
turn.  He made the mistake of asking her which way she wanted to try it.  She
couldn't decide, so she compromised, and Zorahs ended up taking her both ways." 
  Benden smiled and his eyes reflected a twinkle of pure fatherly pride.
	"Such an amazing girl my daughter is.  Just barely thirteen summers now
and Faeth is already demonstrating talents on par with her mother.  Denn is
quite skilled with his assets as well, but Faeth is truly gifted and blessed
beyond all expectations."
	"So then, she should earn her apprenticing fee in no time at all,"
Shaasta guessed.
	The Otter nodded his head several times, "That she will indeed," he
agreed.  "In fact, last night she earned more copper, silver, and even gold than
Issibel.  By the time we went home, Faeth was carrying so much coin under her
tail, she could barely walk.  We were so proud of her, and little Dizz was
jealous of her big sister because..."
	The Otter's chatter was abruptly silenced.  Unable to resist the desire
aching between her legs any longer, Shaasta subtley worked her hips against
Benden's, and without missing a beat, she impaled herself with one quick and
smooth motion on the Otter's thick, hard cock, taking his full length deep
inside her sex.

	Benden's breath escaped him and his eyes nearly rolled back in his skull
when his shaft was unexpectedly driven into and engulfed by the Elf's feminine
depths.  She was so hot inside, and so tight that had he not known better, he
would swear that he had just penetrated a tender-tail virgin.
	"Shaasta," he moaned, engaging in a mental struggle to prevent his loins
from unloading his seed into her so soon, "this is a thousandfold greater than
even I had anticipated."  His fingers again probed beneath Shaasta's tail until
he found that tight little opening where her southern rose had been planted. 
The tip of one finger teased around the rim, while a second finger gently
caressed and pressed against the smooth spot between the Elf girl's anus and
cunt.
	"Aw, sweet Otter," Shaasta purred; her eyes were half closed and her
hips were bucking hard against Benden, drawing him rapidly upwards towards the
summit of the Mink's Mountain, "you shame me with your tender words."  She was
gradually working them back to her table, where she would take his lap and bring
their dance to its climactic conclusion.
	"But 'tis true, m'lady," Benden swore.  He was working as hard as the
Elf, his hips gyrating and pounding against hers, perfectly synchronized with
the band's heavy drum beat.
	"You present a great paradox, Elf," he informed her, "Your moves out
here are clearly those of a girl who has been to the Summit countless times. 
Yet inside, you are as a young maiden who is making her first climb."  His
finger penetrated the Elf's tight butthole, mingling with the coins she carried,
and tickling the inner wall of her rear passage.
	They reached the table.  Shaasta removed her fingers from the Otter's
butt and guided him down onto her chair, all the wile keeping his pulsing cock
nested to the hilt inside her.  She sat facing him, her feet not quite touching
the floor as she straddled his thighs, and her naked bottom traced wide circles
around his lap.
	She playfully rubbed her nose against his and touched her soft lips to
his muzzle, "There is no paradox," she claimed, "What you feel is one of the
benefits of fucking an Elf.  We don't wear down like many other races do." 
Since her explanation was absolutely true, she saw no need to mention the Pixie
Salve Varo had treated her ass and cunt with before she left the Southern Rose.
	"To the Fey Folk!" Benden toasted, despite his paws being too occupied
with Elven tail to properly lift a drink, which he didn't have anyway, "May they
never vanish from the face of Niath."
	As the music crescendoed, Shaasta lowered herself back so that she was
lying down along the length of the Otter's legs.  Her own buckskin-clad legs
rose up along Benden's arms and hooked over his shoulders.  With the Elf in this
position, he was forced to remove his fingers from her ass.  The girl gasped as
the coins inside her shifted to fill the space vacated by the Otter's digits. 
The gasp became a soft moan when his webbed paws gently caressed and kneaded her
smooth, bare inner thighs.

	As she lay inverted on Benden's lap, still writhing to the feral beat
while the Otter's cock continued to pound a counter rhythm inside her, Shaasta
took note of the activities taking place around her.  The music was nearing its
climax, as were Thissle and her partner.  The Dragon girl's writhings on the
man's lap had reached a frenzied peak; he was holding her so tight and the grim
expression on his face was so intense, there was no doubt that the lap dance had
reached its orgasmic conclusion and his hot, sweet juices were now filling
Thissle's even hotter depths.
	Karma and her partner had given up all pretense of actually dancing. 
Having returned to the corner where his companion and Thissle were squirming
together as one, the Fox had the Rabbit simply bent over the table.  The back of
Karma's buckskin minidress was hiked way up out of the way, and he was ramming
her hard from behind.  His groin slammed over and over against Karma's wide,
furry bottom and his long, hard cock thrust steadily in her sex, pumping in and
out of her in sync with the beat of the music.
	Soon, however, Fox and Bunny joined the other two atop the summit of the
Mink's Mountain.  His thrusts inside her warm, slick depths came to an abrupt
halt; he bent himself over Karma's back and his jaws clamped down on her neck,
not hard enough to harm her, but with sufficient strength to hold the Rabbit in
place while he filled her aching cunt with his passion.  Karma's head was raised
back as the Fox's teeth pressed into her neck.  Her eyes were closed tight and
her mouth was open as she gasped for breath.  Her wide hips bucked violently
under his weight, and Shaasta could see the Bunny's ass and thighs flex
rhythmically, milking her partner's juices from his loins.
	Despite the blatant display of unbridled animal lust taking place at the
corner table, the Fox and the Rabbit drew very little attention from the other
revelers.  Most of the crowd was fixated on Trikks and Zorahs squirming together
in the middle of the room, high above the dance floor.
	As they neared completion of the Falcon and the Mink, they lay
horizontal in mid-air.  The Coyote was violently thrashing about beneath the
Eagle.  His beak was gently nuzzling and pecking all over her neck, shoulders,
and breasts.  While one arm was wrapped securely around her waist, Zorahs' other
arm was under Trikks' tail, his fist planted past the wrist up her ass, pumping
hard in time with the rhythmic thrusts of his large cock buried in her tight
cunt.

	Shaasta pressed her ass hard against Benden and spread her arms out. 
The moment for her big finishing move had finally arrived.  She swayed back and
forth like a snake, then raised her right leg off the Otter's shoulder.  The
other leg came up and pressed against the back of her thigh, and the Elf
performed a graceful one hundred eighty degree roll so that she was now lying
face-down on Benden's lap with her arms wrapped around his lower legs, her
thighs hugging his hips, and her luscious bare ass gyrating and shaking
teasingly in the air.
	As expected, Shaasta heard Benden moan, felt his webbed paws grasp her
bottom and begin playing it like a drum with quick, stinging swats, and finally
felt the much anticipated sticky warmth of his seed filling her sex.  The
pulsing of the Otter's cock as it squirted his life juices into her pushed
Shaasta over the edge.  The fiery kiss of orgasm rippled through her sweet body,
and the Elf's gyrations and writhings grew more frenzied.  This drew Benden even
further into the seething furnace of pure animal passion.
	His orgasm reaching its fevered climax, Benden took a powerful
two-handed grip on Shaasta's bottom, his claws digging hard into her soft flesh,
not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to send needles of sweet pain
coursing through the Elf's backside and drive her deeper into the flaming abyss.
 His paws forcefully spread Shaasta's nether cheeks apart, exposing her
beautiful little southern star.  With the agility and flexibility that his
species was famous for, the Otter bent forward and buried his face in the
squirming girl's butt; his tongue penetrated her tight treasure hole, thoroughly
moistening her rear passage.
	He lingered for a full half minute in Shaasta's bottom, savoring the
decadent flavor of her cinnamon naughtiness before finally coming up for air. 
Sitting upright once more, he reached into an inner pocket in his vest and
produced not one, but two large gold coins.  He inserted them one at a time into
Shaasta, pushing them as deep as he could up her butt, to join the silver and
copper coins she was already carrying.
	The Elf's writhings were starting to wane, so Benden put his arms around
her and gently pulled her up back to a seated position on his lap.  Her back was
pressed against his chest and her cunt was still impaled on his cock, which
remained erect inside her.  He tenderly caressed and played  with Shaasta's hips
and her soft, yet subtly muscular bare thighs and playfully nuzzled and nipped
at her neck while they quietly basked in the afterglow of their shared passion.

	"M'lady," Benden purred in her ear, "that was truly one of the finest
couplings I have ever had the fortune to experience.  That final move was most
amazing.  Never have I seen a dancer perform such a trick.  You should teach
that one to Denn and Faeth one of these times."
	Shaasta giggled and rested her head on his shoulder, "Truth be known,
that was the first time I had ever attempted such a feat."
	His paws glided down her hips and caressed her inner thighs, eliciting a
shudder of pleasure from the Elf, "Well you most certainly pleased and impressed
this Otter tonight.  And if the sweet lady would pardon my brashness, I must
also declare that your bottom is one of the most wonderful I have ever tasted."
	She sighed and blushed again, then whispered in his ear, "No pardoning
is required, love.  And I would like to take you up on your offer before the
night is finished.  If we can find a more intimate place to retire to, ye may
indulge your decadence and sample my naughtiness in much greater depth."
	"If you two need a quiet place to escape to, Ravenna and I have a suite
downstairs that you can use."  Startled by the unexpected interruption, Shaasta
and Benden looked up to see Brannel standing over them.  Accompanying the Buck
was a cute, perky Otter girl.  She was dressed in nothing but a short, lacy,
black and white apron identical to the one Brannel wore, and she was carrying a
tray with four frosty mugs of ale.
	"Oh, Brannel!" Shaasta said, "You startled me real good there.  I didn't
hear you arrive."

	The Deer laughed and patted the Elf's thigh, "What with this rowdy lot
here tonight," he gestured towards the crowd out on the floor cheering Zorahs
and Trikks along, "stealth is no challenge even for the most heavy footed. 
Anyway, your drinks are here and ready.  Issibel, if you would?"  He smiled at
the Otter who was waiting quietly behind him.  She set the tray down and
dispensed a mug to each place setting.
	"Issibel?" Shaasta repeated the girl's name and glanced at Benden, whose
eyes were transfixed on the wide, plush backside of the Otterette as she served,
"This sweet little creature is your precious mate you have been telling me
about?"
	"In the fur," Benden replied and commenced introductions, "Shaasta, this
is my lovely Issibel.  Issibel, this is Shaasta; she just finished performing
the second best lap dance I have ever known."
	Issibel smiled at Shaasta, then turned to her mate, "Did you fuck her?"
	Brannel smiled warmly at Shaasta, "Aw look.  The Elf is blushing again."
	"Yeppers, you fucked her," Issibel concluded.
	"Shaasta tends to blush a lot," Benden explained, giving her rump an
affectionate pat.  "It is so cute when her face turns red like that."
	"And when her lovely bottom has been properly paddled, the blush in her
aft end complements the blush in her face quite well," the Deer added.

	Issibel padded over to the Elf and pressed her muzzle to her lips, "It
is a pleasure to meet you, Shaasta," she said.  Her voice was soft and
childlike, "I trust ye are keeping my dear mate in line?"  She gave Benden a
playful smack on the flank, and he returned the favor with a firm swat on
Issibel's wide, furry rump.
	"No worries, m'lady," Shaasta assured her, "Benden has been a perfect
gentlefur thus far."
	Issibel pressed her muzzle to her mate's and giggled, "Well, he's
perfect at least.  But if he misbehaves too much, feel free to put him over your
lap and put that lovely paddle there to proper use on his cute bottom."  She
reverently patted Thissle's apprentice's paddle which was lying on the table.
	This time, it was Benden's turn to blush, "If she does, would I have to
coin her, or would she have to coin me?"
	Brannel shrugged, "That is a difficult question best left to the Mink's
High Sages on Kamanawannaleia.  But I would wager to say that who coins who
would depends on which of you enjoys the paddling the most."
	"So then," Benden said, putting his paw under Issibel's tail and
slipping a finger up her butt, "speaking of sore bottoms, how was your cleansing
tonight, love?"
	"I'm still a bit tender inside," she replied, "and Anton had a moment of
clumsiness.  He accidentally dripped a little bit of gehennite on my rump and
thighs."  She reached behind herself and gingerly rubbed her ass as she recalled
the experience.
	"Fortunately, he was quick enough with the Beastlands ice to put the
flames out before they could spread and make me a Fire Maiden."
	"I do wish to apologize again for that incident," Brannel said, giving
Issibel's rump a squeeze, "I have seen to it that my son will never make that
mistake again."
	"I do appreciate you thoroughly paddling his bottom for his error," the
Otter girl replied, "but I still think the other part of his disciplining is
rather harsh for what amounted to naught more than a temporarily superheated
bottom."
	Benden cocked his head to one side and gave the Buck a curious gaze,
"What did you do to Anton after you spanked him, that even my own dear mate
would find too severe?"

	"First, I must remind you that we are of the Order of the Twilight
Mists," Brannel explained.  "When it comes to instilling discipline, we make the
Minks look like the Order of the Cute Little Pink Fluffy Bunnies.  We do not do
anything half-assed.  When punishment is decreed, it is carried out in full
force so that there is no doubt in the recipient's mind that she is indeed being
punished."  He took his paddle off his belt and gave his own muscular rump a
hard swat for emphasis.
	Having some glimmer of an idea where this was going, Shaasta gave her
bottom a sympathetic rub and coaxed the Deer to continue, "So i take it that
this was indeed terribly excruciating, most likely involving more pain
administered on his rear?"
	"In his rear is more accurate," he corrected her, "To really drive the
lesson home, my son is working the rest of the night with a long plug of
gehennite up his butt."
	"Ooh, ouch," Shaasta said, wincing again, "I bet that is going to affect
his job performance a bit."
	"Just a little," Brannel assured her, "Just like myself and Mistress
Ravenna, Anton and Melody have learned to work under conditions of extreme
discomfort, and I do mean extreme."
	Shaasta nodded and smirked, "Anton would really fall for Delilah then. 
She's my Master's other pet, and she is quite addicted to gehennite for some
reason.  Perhaps the next time we visit Mistport, she can join us."

	Benden removed his finger from his mate's butt and put it in his mouth,
"Mmm, most wonderful," he purred, "I may have to take both you and Shaasta down
to the Dungeon Suite tonight, love."
	"Oh! a three-way," Issibel exclaimed, "We haven't done that in ages.  If
time permits and if one of the others can fill in for me..."
	Brannel put a hand on the Otter girl's shoulder, "I'll talk to Ravenna
and see what we can arrange.  Now, speaking of sore bottoms, I hope your
girlfriends finish up with their clients soon.  We wouldn't want their drinks to
get warm."
	Benden's whiskers twitched at the mention of drinks, "Oh?  What are ye
drinking tonight?"
	"It's called Ringtail Ale," Shaasta replied, "It's brewed in a Furling
Raccoon's..."
	"Yes yes, I know what Ringtail Ale is," the Otter interrupted her, "I
haven't tried it yet myself, but I have heard that it is truly something to
write home about."
	"Are you going to give it a shot tonight?" Brannel asked, "I can
guarantee that you won't regret it."
	"Benden shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head, "Okay, you twisted
my tail.  I figure that I have tasted plenty of behinds as it is, so why not go
ahead and finally see if your mate's ass is as tasty as everyone has been raving
about?"
	"You heard the order, Issibel," Brannel said, "One mug of Ringtail Ale
for your Otter."  He sent the girl on her way with a firm smack of his paddle on
her furry butt, then he took his leave of Benden and Shaasta to go wait on other
customers.

	After Issibel disappeared back into the kitchen, Benden adjusted the
Elf's position on his lap so that she was perched sidesaddle, with her legs
draped over his and her bare bottom exposed for the viewing pleasure of all
passersby.
	"So then, m'lady," he said.  One paw was once again idly playing with
Shaasta's butt, "if ye have no other plans for late tonight, would you and your
companions honor us with your presence at Dizz and Tizz's little birthday
celebration?"
	Shaasta nodded and smiled, "I'm all for it.  But I will have to ask
Thissle, Karma, and Trikks first.  After all, I am just the pet, and tonight,
Karma is the one in charge.  However, I am pretty certain that they will accept
your invitation."
	Benden happily clapped his paw on the Elf's bottom, causing her to
squirm playfully on his lap and renew his erection inside of her, "Oh, that is
most wonderful.  Dizz will especially be excited to meet and yakkity-yak with
you, since you and her have some major interests in common."
	"Oh?  Like what?"
	"Well for starters, she is showing signs of submissiveness."
	Shaasta cocked her head to one side, "You mean Dizz is her brother's pet
sister as I am?"
	Benden laughed and shook his head, "Pet sister?  My, you are naughtier
than I thought.  But no, 'tis nothing like that, at least not yet.  She does
tend to idolize Denn though.  And she is most definitely a daddy's girl, always
wanting to be with me when she isn't with her big brother, and always quick to
submit to the paddle when she knows that she has been a bad girl.  Still, I can
see her putting on a collar some day and dedicating her life to serving a loving
but strict master."
	Shaasta smiled and nuzzled Benden's neck again while his paw continued
to idly toy with her rump, "With the right owner, it really isn't a bad
lifestyle to fall into."
	"Aye," the Otter agreed, "so I have heard.  In fact, Issibel and myself
have a similar arrangement."
	"Really?  Which one of you is the pet?"
	"Odd as it may seem," he replied, "we both are.  When we became mates,
we vowed to be submissive to each other.  She keeps me in line and disciplines
me as she deems necessary, and likewise, I keep her in line and discipline her
as required, or as either of us desires."
	Shaasta nodded her head and caressed the edges of Benden's ears, "It
sounds like a good arrangement.  But perhaps you should make it official and
receive each other's mark on your behinds."
	"You mean get branded?"  Benden winced at the thought of his mate's
perfect bottom being marred by a hot iron.
	"Yes.  Both of you are pretty hot properties, and without a beastmark,
any slaver who sets his eyes on your tails would take you down and collar you in
an instant."
	"Do you really think so?"
	"You bet your ass," Shaasta replied.  "In fact, I think those two over
there might, at this very moment, be harboring thoughts of taking you."  She
very subtly gestured in the direction of a Furling Bat and a Furling Tigress
three tables over to their left.  The two Furlings were definitely eyeing them
and making occasional comments to each other, as if taking mental notes.
	"Those two, eh?  You really think they might be slavers?"
	"I don't know for sure," Shaasta admitted, "but they do seem to carry
the same air of dominance and authority that Master Varo has."

	"You have an outstanding sense of perception, Tender Hawk."  Shaasta
turned her attention away from the two Furlings and looked up at Brannel, who
had returned to check up on them.
	"Those two are Syrinx and Sheena," he said, giving the Bat, Tigress, and
the collar-clad Furling Pony who just now joined them a friendly nod and smile. 
"They actually own the Hinterteil Pet Shop up north in Coralport.  And that
lovely Pony attending to them is Merriweather, their pet."
	Merriweather gave Brannel, Shaasta, and Benden a coy smile when she
noticed their gaze, then prompted by the affectionate open-handed swat Syrinx
planted on her soft but muscular rump, she knelt submissively beside her Master
and awaited his command.
	"So, what are they doing here in Mistport?"  Shaasta asked, "Are they
like spying on Master Varo and the Southern Rose or something?"
	"Oh, not at all," Brannel laughed.  "No, Syrinx and Sheena are in town
to work out some possible trades with Varo.  And they have rented a couple
suites from us here for themselves and their merchandise they brought down with
them.  I can introduce you to them if you wish."
	"Perhaps a bit later," Shaasta replied.
	"I'll take a rain check on that," Benden said, "I don't want to risk
them stealing me or anything."
	"Silly Otter," the Deer chided him, "Syrinx and Sheena are respectable
business folk, and highly revered in Coralport.  They would never outright
abduct anyone in order to increase their inventory."
	"Just like Master Varo and Lilieblume," Shaasta added, "They are shop
owners, not brigands or mercenary slavers."
	"Oh.  Well, what do I know," the Otter smiled sheepishly, "After all,
I'm just a lowly pastry vendor."  He focused his gaze on the kneeling Pony girl,
"They do have good taste in pets, I must admit."
	"They do indeed," Brannel agreed, "Merriweather there is a real
sweetheart.  I played with her last night, and let me tell you, that girl can
fuck like a rabbit in season.  She was expensive, but well worth the price for a
full night."
	Benden's whiskers twitched, "Really?  I may have to talk with her Master
after all before the night is through, and see if he would let me use her for a
bit."

	"If you have the coin, they will not say no," Brannel assured him.  "But
just be wary.  Syrinx may not steal victims to become pets, but he can be
extremely persuasive when it comes to convincing worthy candidates to sell
themselves to his shop.  He even managed to talk Count Morland's daughter into
selling herself to him."
	"Who's Count Morland?"  Shaasta asked.
	"He is the one who rules this region from Harrjsson Fjord, a day's
journey south of Mistport, to just beyond Coralport in the north, and Granite
Heights to the west."
	"And he didn't mind his daughter selling herself into a life of
servitude?"  Benden asked.
	"Of course he minded," Brannel shot back, "However, since she had
already received her beastmark and the papers had been signed by the time he got
to her, there was nothing he could do except give her a spanking, with her new
owners' permission of course, and wish them the best together."
	"Okay," Benden said, "if I do talk to Master Syrinx about boinking his
pet, I will keep wary and watch my ass."
	"Because Syrinx and Sheena most certainly will be," Brannel and Shaasta
said in unison.
	"Now on that note," Brannel said, "I must take my leave of you again for
a short time.  I need to check on some of the preparations for the Count's
arrival tonight."
	"Count Morland is coming here tonight?" Shaasta asked.
	"Indeed he is.  His daughter is in town, and will be playing here
tonight.  Since she tends to keep a rather busy schedule, this is the ideal
place for them to meet."  And with that, Brannel performed another dainty curtsy
and sauntered back to the kitchen.

	"Oh good," Shaasta said, "It looks like Karma and Thissle are finally
finished.  She failed to stifle a chuckle as the Human and Fox extracted
themselves from her companions' posteriors, then bent the girls over, inserted a
gold piece and a few silvers up their butts, and escorted them across the room
back to their own table.
	"It's about bloody time," the Elf jabbed at them, as the two newcomers
sat down and Rabbit and Dragon perched themselves on their partners' laps.  "We
were afraid your ales would get warm by the time you got back over here."
	Thissle shrugged and picked up her mug.  She took a dainty sniff at its
contents and smiled.  "It was a long song," she argued, then took a sip of the
cold, pale liquid.
	"So naturally, that made for a long dance," Karma added.  Like Thissle,
she took a sniff at her drink, and followed it with a tentative sip.  Her ears
dropped back seductively against her back as the sweet exotic flavor spread over
her tongue, "and we still finished before the music did."
	"What a strange definition you have of dancing, silly Rabbit," Shaasta
said, "I may have to look it up in a lexicon later, but I'm pretty sure that
dancing is not synonymous with plain, outright fucking."
	Karma shrugged and stuck her tongue out at the Elf, "So what?  Perhaps
it is the same in some languages.  If not, we can always petition whoever is in
charge to change that."  She took a deeper sip of her drink, draining half the
mug down her throat, "Amazing!  This is like nothing I've ever tried before."
	Thissle nodded her head and giggled, "Yeah, who would have thought a
Raccoon's butt could taste so delightful?"
	The Human whose lap Thissle was gracing gave a quizzical look, "Er, a
Raccoon's butt?  Pardon my ignorance, but what are you drinking?"
	Karma held up the mug for all to see, "It's a house specialty here. 
They call it Ringtail Ale.  It is pretty unique to say the least."
	"Yeah," Thissle added, "freshly brewed inside the naughty end of a
Furling Raccoon and chilled with Beastlands ice.  Wanna sip, Arthur?"
	The man shook his head and waved the mug away, "Uhm, no thanks.  I'll
stick with the more traditional brews for now.
	"Okay, suit yourself.  But you are missing out on a real treat here,"
she shrugged her shoulders and took another sip.  "Mmmm, we need to get Master a
few bottles of this."
	"I'd like to try it," the Fox whose lap Karma decorated said, "I'll try
anything once, twice if I like it, more if I'm tied up."
	Karma handed her mug to him and he took a sampling.  He nodded his head
and licked his chops approvingly, "The girls are right, Master.  You are missing
out on a real treat.  Though truth to tell, I would really like to try a Bunny
brew of some sort sometime."
	Karma took her mug back and giggled, the insides of her ears reddening a
bit as she momentarily averted her eyes, "Oh, Syrano.  You really have a knack
for making a girl blush."
	Shaasta, who had yet to try hers, hefted her mug and took a deep breath,
"Well, bottoms up," she toasted, and took a long pull.  "I think you're right,
Thissle.  Master would appreciate this.  Hansen would like it as well."
	Thissle gave Shaasta a knowing smirk, "I'm always right.  So anyway,
where is Brannel at, and when is Trikks going to get her furry ass back over
here?"

	"I'm right here," Brannel replied, as he once again made an appearance
at their table.  This time, Issibel had returned with him, with a rather large
platter bearing a number of frosty mugs and steins, and plates of appetizers.
	She set one mug in front of her mate, then presented her backside to him
so he could insert the obligatory one silver for the drink and five coppers for
the gratuity.  "Thanks, love," she said, also accepting an affectionate pat on
the ass from Benden and planting a kiss on his cheek.  "I'll chatter with you
later.  Got customers to serve, y'know."  And with that, she took her tray and
padded away the room to deliver her orders, the swish in her gait a little more
pronounced as the coins under her tail shifted and settled inside her.
	"Hey, looks like your 'Yote friend and her partner are finally finished
with their demonstration," Benden noted, after Issibel disappeared into the
crowd.
	A raucous cheer, punctuated by the noise of mugs banging on tables
filled the room.  The music had ended at last and Trikks and Zorahs had finally
landed.  The Eagle extracted himself from the Coyote, helped her to her feet,
and the couple acknowledged the crowd with the usual bows and curtsies.  As they
worked their way through the throng, several revelers gave their thanks so that
by the time they reached their table, both of them were carrying a considerable
amount of coin under their tails.  Trikks had a rather smug expression on her
muzzle, while Zorahs looked a little embarrassed over the attention his
posterior had suddenly received.
	Zorahs took a seat at the table, and Trikks cuddled on his lap.  She
rested her head on his shoulder and gave a contented sigh, "Oh, Z, that was
absolutely wonderful.  I could feel the magick in the air and inside me."
	The Eagle replied with a soft laugh and gave Trikks a friendly squeeze
on the rump, "That wasn't magick inside you, m'lady," he corrected her, "That
was me inside you."
	She giggled and gave him a kiss on the cheek, then picked up her mug,
"Aw, 'tis just silly semantics, bird brain.  Every time you fuck me, it is pure
unbridled magick."  The Coyote took a long drink of her ale, then licked the
foam off her muzzle.
	"Brannel, m'boy," she said, "Give my compliments to your mate, and
especially to your mate's butt.  She makes one fine Ringtail Ale indeed."
	"That is what is on tap tonight?" Zorahs asked, "Bring me a double then,
if you please."
	"There's a fresh batch brewing now," the Deer informed him, "It should
be ready shortly."  He then turned to the other new arrivals who had joined the
Coyote's party, "And what would you two gentlemen like?"
	"I'll go with a Ringtail," the Fox declared.  "You should too, Master. 
It really is quite delightful."
	"It seems a strange concept," the man replied, "but then again, I have
imbibed potions brewed in more esoteric manners than this ale in my day.  So why
not?"
	"Good choice, sir" Brannel said, "You won't be disappointed."  He turned
to leave, but Trikks stopped him.
	"Brannel, I believe that you are forgetting something of great
importance."  She held up a silver piece.
	The Deer held out a hand to accept it, but the Coyote playfully slapped
it away.  "No, love.  You should take your payment the way the other girls here
take theirs."
	Brannel sighed and a soft reddening was visible through the white fluff
of his cheeks.  "As you wish, m'lady," he conceded.  He turned around and bent
forward slightly, presenting his delicious-looking bottom to Trikks.  The Coyote
pressed the silver coin between Brannel's nether cheeks, and in one smooth
motion, pushed it well up inside his depths.  The five coppers she had set aside
for gratuity followed the silver one at a time.
	"There, that wasn't so bad now.  Was it?" She smiled and gave Brannel's
bottom a firm smack with her paddle.  "And the other's also wish to contribute
as well."
	Brannel, blushing even more now, as the people at neighboring tables
were watching the payment proceedings with tremendous amusement, meekly went
around the table and presented his rear to Thissle, Karma, and finally Shaasta,
so that they could also insert their five coppers each as Trikks had done.  Now,
with his south end filled with coins, the Deer again took his leave of the party
and returned once more to the kitchen, bearing and even more exaggerated swish
in his stride than before.

	"So then," Trikks said, "I see our little party has grown a bit since
that last dance.  Will someone please make introductions?"
	"Certainly, m'lady of the Mink."  The man whose lap Thissle decorated
lowered his cowl to reveal a head of shoulder-length salt and pepper colored
hair which framed a face that showed the early signs of middle age.  Trikks
guessed he had seen at least forty Summers already, perhaps a bit more.
	He coaxed Thissle off his lap and gracefully rose to his feet.  "I am
Arthur," he said, taking the Coyote's paw in his hand and planting a polite kiss
on her fingers, "a hermitic Wizard, initiated with the Order of the Wild Rose."
	Trikks gave Arthur her sweetest and most sincere smile, "Ah, 'tis a
pleasure to make your acquaintance, Arthur of the Rose.  I am Trikks, merely a
humble artist and initiate in the Order of the Mink, as you had already
correctly guessed.  And who is this lovely young Voop?"
	The Fox followed Arthur's lead, gently put Karma off his lap, rose to
his feet, and planted a gentle lick on the Coyote's paw, "I'm Syrano, m'lady,"
he replied, "I am Master Arthur's apprentice.  We have a small cottage deep in
the woods two days' journey east of here.  Master thought it would be good for
me to get some exposure to town life in order to help me appreciate the solitary
lifestyle of our Order, so he brought me with him on his semi-annual expedition
here to Mistport to stock up on various supplies."
	"Enough, Syrano," Arthur interrupted, "No need to bore these fine ladies
with our life stories now."  He took the Fox's student paddle that hung from the
lad's belt, and applied a pair of firm warning swats under his tunic and tail,
which silenced the now properly embarrassed apprentice.
	Zorahs chuckled at the exchange between Arthur and Syrano, "Heh.  Rather
impetuous lad, eh?"
	"He isn't normally this chatty," the wizard replied, "But after a couple
glasses of Azure Depths, it becomes rather difficult to shut him up."
	"It didn't look too difficult for you," Trikks commented, "a single
well-placed smack under his tail seems to have done the job quite well."
	Syrano blushed and rubbed his bottom, then sat down again and pulled
Karma back onto his lap.
	"He's learning," Arthur said, "learning that silence can be platinum,
and that too little silence can be crimson."
	"Yes," Zorahs agreed, "Furlings do tend to learn those little lessons
quickly,"  he gave Trikks a look, then amended his statement, "at least, most
do."
	Trikks huffed indignantly, "Well, I can't help it.  I am a people
person, y'know.  And I am no silly little apprentice either, never was,
actually.  I taught myself my trade and..."  She was quickly silenced by a firm
smack of a taloned hand on her rump.  To conceal her brief moment of
embarrassment, she turned and gave Syrinx and his little entourage a wave and
friendly smile, then turned her attention to Elf and Otter.
	"And Shaasta, who is your charming Otter friend?"
	Before Shaasta could answer, Zorahs cut in, "This fellow is Benden,
Pastry Vendor Extraordinaire.  His mate and three of his kits started working
here not long after you went into your self-imposed exile from Hot Summer
Nights."
	The Otter hefted his mug and gave Trikks a friendly nod and toast, "An
honor to meet you, m'lady.  'Tis a fine group of friends you have chosen to
drink with tonight."  He took a long pull of his Ringtail Ale, savoring
Ravenna's unique flavor as it spread over his tongue and down his throat.  "And
Zorahs, Faeth has not been able to stop talking about last night.  She is hoping
that before the night is done, you might be willing to join her for an encore
performance of The Falcon and the Mink."
	"The honor would be mine," Zorahs replied, "Your daughter is a natural
on the dance floor, and she will rise high in the Mink's ranks."
	"It's Tizz that is going to be the dancer," Benden corrected him, "Faeth
is going to be a wizardess."
	"I know.  However, all apprenticeships through Uptail Lodge, through any
Order of the Mink Lodge for that matter, involve learning service skills."
	"Especially magick-oriented apprenticeships," Trikks added, "There are
countless spells, enchantments, and rituals our Order engages in that make use
of what we like to call boink magick, as that is one of the most effective and
efficient techniques for gathering the mana needed for the most powerful of
spells."
	"Correct," Zorahs agreed, "The Minks' boink magick is every bit as
powerful as pain magick, revered by the Order of the Falcon and the Order of the
Twilight Mists.  And truth to tell, quite often, the two forms are largely
indistinguishable."
	Trikks nodded her head enthusiastically, "Yes yes.  That is why the
Minks and Falcons are such close and strong allies.  Our rituals and techniques
complement each other perfectly."
	"That's truly no surprise if you think about it for a moment," Arthur
cut in, "After all, your respective Founding Immortals are siblings."
	Zorahs nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, you do have a point there.  And
likewise, sir, your Order's Founding Immortal is their firstborn daughter.  But
now is not the time for lessons in ancient history.  Now is the time to enjoy
this wild hot Summer night here with sweet drink, succulent food, and passionate
dancing."
	"I'll drink to that," Thissle said, raising her mug in a toast and
draining the remains of her ale down her throat.  "A pity my drink is gone.  I
am going to need another round."

	"Well then, it sounds like we returned just in time."  Brannel had
rejoined the group once more.  Accompanying him this time, and pushing a small
wheeled table, was a most enchanting Furling Raccoon.  Despite being dressed in
naught but a pair of ornate bracers, one on her upper left arm, and one on her
right ankle, she still carried herself with an air of dignity and grace.
	She gave the group a coy smile and a curtsy, and introduced herself,
"Welcome to our humble little inn.  I am Ravenna, your hostess.  I trust my
beloved mate and pet here has been treating you well?"
	"Indeed he has," Shaasta replied, "Brannel has been a perfect gentlefur
since our arrival."
	Ravenna ran a paw through her mane of waist-length, coal black hair,
laughed, and slapped the Deer on his ass, "Ha!  I seriously doubt that.  But
seriously, we are pleased to have you here of course, and especially you,
Trikks."  The Raccoon padded over to the Coyote and leaned forward to plant a
deep kiss solidly on her mouth.
	"You have been sorely missed here.  Hot Summer Nights has been a rather
dull spot without your presence.  Now, please introduce me to your drinking
mates.  Zorahs and Benden I know intimately, but what of these three lovely
young ladies, the Fox, and the wizard?"
	The group made their customary round of introductions, and then Ravenna
got down to business.  "Now, Brannel here tells me that you are pleased with our
house specialty."
	"That's right," Thissle acknowledged, "Ringtail Ale is pure ambrosia. 
Never have I tasted such a wonderful, naughty concoction.  In fact, I wouldn't
mind getting a few extra bottles of it as a pet warming present for Master
Frelic."
	"She is quite right," Trikks agreed, "I myself am now addicted to the
wonderful flavor of your bottom.  And I agree with Thissle.  A few extra bottles
would make the perfect gift for her Master, considering the circumstances, what
with him being a new pet owner twice over."
	"And are you one of his pets, Thissle?" Ravenna asked.
	Thissle giggled and shook her head, "Oh no.  Not me.  I'm one of his
apprentices."  She gestured towards the Elf girl, "But Shaasta here, she is one
of his."
	Ravenna gave Shaasta a thorough looking over and gave her an approving
pat on the rump, "Your Master has good taste in pets.  Had he not purchased you,
I most likely would have next time I made the trip to the Southern Rose."
	Shaasta blushed and smiled timidly at the Raccoon, "Thank-you m'lady. 
Master is very good to me, though he does seem to have an obsession with keeping
my bottom sore."
	"And that is just as it should be, because...Well, I'm sure you know the
reasons."
	"Yes, I know, m'lady," the Elf replied, "Master Varo and Lilieblume put
heavy emphasis on that part of the training."
	"That's the understatement of the ages," Brannel muttered, "I know
exactly what they put you through, because Mistress Ravenna had them train me."
	"And they did a damn good job too, Brannel," Ravenna smirked, "I
remember when you were my apprentice, you were a real pawful, and constantly
getting into one form of trouble or another.  Thankfully, Varo and Lilieblume
were able to tame you and give you that extra little bit of discipline that for
some reason, I was not able to manage."
	"Now," she continued, "about your sudden addiction to Ringtail Ale. 
Brannel tells me that one of you was asking about possibly trying it fresh from
the source?"
	Thissle raised a hand, "That was me, m'lady.  If the other patrons here
would not be offended by the sight, I really would like to try it without the
mug."
	Ravenna chuckled and patted the girl's bare thigh, "No need to worry
about this rowdy lot being offended, dear.  I'm sure by now you have seen some
of the debauchery that takes place beneath our roof,"  She gave Zorahs a gentle
nudge with her elbow, "and everyone who orders Ringtail Ale knows how it is
made.  We do not keep that a secret.  In fact, I believe our customers here
would very much enjoy seeing someone drink from the source."
	"And truth be known," Brannel added, "this could very well start a new
trend.  It's quite possible that once these folk see you drinking from my mate,
others may want to give it a try."
	"As the drinker, or as the keg?" Karma asked.
	"You make a good point there, Bunny," Ravenna mused, "Brannel has talked
frequently about recruiting willing tails to serve as vessels.  This could
possibly be the catalyst that starts it all.  Now, let's hurry up here.  We both
have other work to attend to."
	Ravenna pushed the little mobile table up next to Thissle and climbed up
on top.  Brannel held his mate's tail up out of the way while she assumed the
invite position, legs folded beneath her, face and chest pressed against the
surface of the table, and her lovely plush bottom thrust up in the air.
	With his free hand, the Deer removed the cork stopper from the Raccoon's
upturned butt, and took a thick, bamboo tube from a pocket in his apron.  He
offered the tube to Arthur, "Since you lead a hermitic lifestyle and only join
civilization two to three times per year, good Wizard, I think you should have
the honor of tapping the keg."
	The entire club went dead silent.  All eyes were on the Deer, the
Wizard, and the lovely Raccoon who was curled up on the little table with her
ass thrust high in the air.  Sure, many of those partying here tonight had tried
Ringtail Ale, and were aware of how it was drawn.  However, very few had ever
had the privilege of actually witnessing the actual procedure, and they all
stared in total fascination as if they were school kids about to witness one of
their classmates getting spanked.
	Arthur was blushing considerably, which was something he rarely ever
did, but he graciously accepted Brannel's invitation and took the bamboo tube
from his host.  The Wizard stood behind the vulnerably positioned Raccoon and
looked down at her lovely assets.  He couldn't help but note how tightly
clenched Ravenna's southern star was.  She looked like she was truly struggling
to keep the ale she was carrying inside of her.  Nervously, he lifted the tube
and pressed its tip against her waiting opening.  After a few seconds of tense
hesitation, he then gently slid it up her rear passage until she told him to
stop.
	"Now, Thissle," Brannel said, "Before you drink from my mate, we should
first let the others be served properly."
	"Of course," Thissle agreed.

	The Deer produced a clean, empty mug from the shelf beneath the table,
and presented it to Arthur.  The Wizard held the mug beneath the end of the
bamboo tube.  Brannel administered a pair of hard swats with his paddle on his
mate's plush, upturned bottom, and Ravenna relaxed her aft end.  A stream of
fragrant amber flowed into the waiting mug from the tube protruding from the
Raccoon's butt.
	During the past few days since Ravenna and Brannel first started
marketing their special brew, the Raccoon had developed a knack for perfectly
measuring a full serving despite not being able to see the proceedings.  Before
Arthur's mug could overflow onto the serving table, Ravenna clenched her nether
cheeks, and the flow of ale abruptly ended.  Arthur held the mug up and sniffed
at the contents.  It really did smell quite pleasant and even rather arousing,
though he was not certain whether that was due to the aroma itself or just the
thought of how his drink was drawn.
	He took a tentative sip, savoring the exotic flavor of the icy cold ale.
 He swallowed, and a smile crossed his face.  "Indeed, this will be a treat to
recall with fondness when we return home, and look forward to whenever we make
our infrequent journeys to Mistport."
	Syrano gave him a rather smug grin and nodded his agreement, "See,
Master?  I told you you would not want to miss out on this bit of decadence." 
He arose again and approached the Raccoon-adorned table, ready for his turn to
be served.
	Arthur laughed softly and took another sip, "Right you may be this time,
laddie," he said, "but mind that smugness, lest you fancy drinking and dining
standing up."
	"Point taken, Master," the Fox replied, protectively placing his paws
over his soft rump.  "Master, may we commission these fine folk to prepare a few
bottles for us to bring home?"
	Arthur placed a hand on Ravenna's rear and pondered his student's
request, "I will think it over.  Whether we do or not all depends on how you
behave during tomorrow's physical and how faithfully you mind your lessons."
	"I won't disappoint you, Master," Syrano promised, "Now, Master Brannel,
may I please have a mug?"
	The Deer handed a fresh mug to the Fox and again paddled Ravenna to
signal her to relax.  Syrano filled his mug and the process was repeated for
Zorahs.  Then it was time for Benden and the girls to have their second round.
	"Oh, and one more thing," Arthur said, "this round is on me."
	"Very well, sir," Brannel replied, "But wait until the keg is empty,
then you can pay my mate directly, as my bottom is already rather stuffed with
coins from the last round and from other customers."
	Not heeding the Deer's request, the young Furling Fox still went ahead
and withdrew a full ten copper pieces from his money pouch and pushed them up
under their host's tail, which caused Brannel to blush yet again, "Now, sir," he
announced, "now you are fully stuffed with coin."
	Benden smiled and raised his mug in a toast to the kind Wizard, "I
believe I can speak for everyone gathered around this table, when I offer a
heartfelt thank-you for your kindness and generosity, Master Arthur."
	The rest of the group responded with a hearty "Hear hear," and then
drank to the Otter's toast.
	After taking a long sip, Thissle set her mug down on the table and
padded over to stand behind Ravenna, "So now that everyone has been served, may
I please try it from the source as promised?"
	Brannel smiled warmly at the impatient girl and gave her shoulder a
squeeze, "But of course, sweet child of Paramour.  Though there is not much left
inside my mate, what remains should be sufficient to satisfy your lust.  Drink
up."
	Thissle giggled at the Deer's poetic flair and turned to face Ravenna's
delicious-looking behind.  She placed her hands on the table and bent forward,
providing Brannel and anyone else standing behind her a shameless peek at the
lower curves of her own bare bottom, and closed her lips around the bamboo tube
that was nestled tight inside the Furling Raccoon's ass.
	Despite the icy chill of the ale as it was siphoned from Ravenna's
depths, Thissle felt a delightful warmth course through her body, originating in
her intimate regions and spreading outward.  Sipping from a mug was all well and
good, but when sucked directly from this sweet, living keg, Ravenna's unique
flavor was indescribable and many times more potent.  As she finished the last
drops and felt the tension on the straw, indicating that she had sucked the
Raccoon dry, Thissle was on the verge of her second orgasm of the night.
	She stood upright, and started to swoon.  Brannel grabbed her by the arm
and helped steady her.  When the girl finally regained her senses, she sighed
and rubbed herself under her skirt, "That...That was absolutely amazing!" she
declared, "As soon as the first drops touched my tongue, I was nearly taken
right to the summit of the Mink's Mountain."
	Brannel removed the bamboo straw from Ravenna's butt, licked the
remaining traces of ale from it, and put it away in his apron pocket.  "We
haven't figured out yet why that is, but the few times we have allowed anyone to
drink directly like you did instead of from a mug, the effect was the same or
greater."
	"If you need someone to research that phenomenon," Trikks offered, "I
would be quite willing to look into it.  This sounds like it could be a very
enjoyable assignment."
	"We will keep that in mind," Ravenna replied.  She gasped as she
suddenly felt Thissle's hand on her rump, and the other under her tail.  Then
the Raccoon moaned when the Dragon girl pushed a dozen chilled coins deep up her
aft passage.
	Following Thissle's example, the others also paid their gratuities,
including Syrano, despite him coining Brannel earlier.  Finally, Arthur paid
their tab for this round, topping off the large amounts of copper pieces
Ravenna's ass was carrying with two single silvers.  Now feeling quite bottom
heavy, the Raccoon sat up and her mate helped her to her feet, so that she could
return to the kitchen, where Anton would extract and secure his mother's recent
earnings to make room for more.
	Ravenna faced the crowed and performed a graceful curtsy, which was met
with the resounding echoes of applause and the banging of mugs on tables.  As
she was about to leave, Issibel came sashaying back.  Judging by her gait, it
appeared as if she might be carrying a considerable amount of coin under her
tail as well.

	"Ravenna, Brannel," the Otter girl sounded rather distraught, "We 'ave a
bit of a crisis on our paws now."
	"Really?" Ravenna asked, "What is the problem?  Is one of our patrons
being troublesome, or are we on the verge of a brawl?"
	"No," Issibel replied, "It's nothing like that, though it could lead to
a brawl if we are not quick to do something about it."
	"Well, out with it, girl," Brannel prodded her, landing his paddle
across her rump for emphasis, "What has you so worked up?"
	"It's the demonstration you just put on for the crowd," she explained,
"After seeing this Wizard here stick the straw up Ravenna's butt and fill his
mug, we are now getting swamped with orders for Ringtail Ale.  I dunno if one
Raccoon is enough to keep up with the demand from this thirsty lot though."
	"Don't worry your lovely tail over this, love," Ravenna reassured her. 
I know just the solution.  One of them I am looking at right now even."
	Issibel looked confused.  Her whiskers twitched nervously and she cocked
her head to one side, "You mean me?  But I'm no Ringtail."
	"Silly girl," Brannel chuckled, "That doesn't matter.  What does matter
is that you have a bottom every bit as delightful as Mistress Ravenna's.  We may
not be able to call it Ringtail Ale, but that is merely a minor quibble."
	A light pink glow was visible beneath the white fluff on the Otter's
cheeks.  She focused her gaze on a spot on the floor in front of her, then
looked over at her mate for encouragement.
	"Go ahead, love," Benden agreed, "I think anyone here would be quite
happy to drink from your depths."
	"Listen to him," Ravenna said, "He is right.  We need all the vessels we
can get, if the demand is as great as you say it is."
	Issibel sighed and closed her eyes, "Okay, I'll do it.  'Tis better than
allowing a riot to break out."
	"Most excellent," Brannel replied, giving the girl an affectionate pat
on her rump, "And when Denn and Faeth get here, I want them on keg detail as
well."
	"Melody and Tizz can join in the fun too," Ravenna suggested, "May as
well have them all serving."
	Benden's ears twitched at the mention of his daughter, "I don't know
about Tizz," he said, "Do you really think she is ready for something like
this?"
	"Why not?" Shaasta replied, "It seems that not too long ago, you were
considering allowing her to finally try lap dancing.  If Tizz can do that, then
why shouldn't she be able to serve as a keg?"
	Issibel smiled and stroked her mate's muzzle, "Don't worry about it,
love.  I'll be with Tizz.  I won't let anything happen to her."
	"Very well," Benden conceded, "Tizz can have her ass tapped tonight. 
Hopefully, she will get coined well for it though."
	"I'm sure she will," Brannel assured him, "She may be a tender tail, but
she is still a hot little lass."
	"So then, that makes six of us serving up our tails tonight.  That still
may not be enough to keep up with the demand though," Ravenna mused.  "I think
we need to start tapping volunteers here.  Perhaps if we offered free drinks and
a free meal, plus letting them keep all their gratuities..."
	"Leave that to me," her mate declared, "For starters, I know of at least
three, perhaps four that I can convince to offer their tails."  He gestured
subtly in the direction of the Chinchilla, Ocelot, and pair of Raccoons he had
sized up earlier.  "Those Raccoons and the kitty are so juiced up, they should
be an easy sell."
	Issibel added, "And I'll talk to Selene and Marcko there on the stage. 
They should be pretty easy as well."
	Brannel turned his gaze to the band, which had not yet started up their
next number, "Those are the two Ducks, I presume?  Even sober, they should be
even easier than the Chinchilla's party.  Typical Ornith kinkiness."
	"And how about you ladies?" Ravenna asked, turning to face Trikks and
her companions, "Would any of you care to serve as vessels for us tonight?"
	Shaasta, Karma, and Thissle all politely declined the invitation, "We
are all flattered by your offer, m'lady," Karma replied, "But right now, we
would all prefer to just continue dining and dancing."
	"Perhaps later this evening we might," Thissle suggested, "After all, we
do have a little competition going on concerning whose tail will earn the most
coin tonight."
	"Fine, I'll check on you again later on then," Ravenna agreed.
	"I will hold off as well," Trikks said, "Though I can pretty much
guarantee that before the night is out, I will join in and let you serve from my
depths."
	Brannel planted a kiss on the Coyote's cheek, "I know you won't
disappoint us.  That would not go over well with your Order at all if you
declined."
	"Excuse me, sir," Arthur interrupted, "But I would like for my
apprentice to serve as a vessel as well, seeing as how you are not keeping this
task exclusive to the ladies."
	"Master!" the young Fox started to protest.  The wizard cut him off.
	"Syrano, do not argue this matter.  Remember, you are my apprentice. 
And as an apprentice, you have a social status equal to that of a pet.  What
your Master says, goes.  Understand?"
	Syrano sighed and bowed his head, "Aye, Master.  I understand and
apologize for my outburst.  I will submit my tail for service.  How bad can it
be anyway, other than a bit of humiliation?"
	Covertly, Brannel, Ravenna, Issibel, and Trikks exchanged knowing looks,
then the Otterette sashayed over to the stage to talk to the Ducks, and Brannel
took his leave of the group to go make his sales pitch to the little group of
party animals.  Ravenna offered an arm to Syrano and escorted him back to the
kitchen to begin preparations for his service as one of her kegs, and to get
herself refilled.

	As predicted, Issibel had no trouble convincing the two Duck musicians
to take a break from their instruments and volunteer some time to have their
butts used as serving vessels.  Less than a minute after the Otter approached
them, they were following her back to the kitchen to join Ravenna and Syrano. 
Likewise, Brannel was having almost as easy a time with his marks.  The Raccoons
jumped immediately at the opportunity to earn free drinks.  The Ocelot, not to
be outdone by her ringtailed companions offered herself without the Deer even
needing to ask.  The Chinchilla was the only one of the four to decline the
offer.  On their way back to the kitchen, Brannel paused at Syrinx and Sheena's
table.
	"Master Syrinx, Mistress Sheena," he greeted them, "How are you finding
your stay at our humble little establishment thus far?"
	Syrinx stood up and spread his leathery wings, "We are most impressed
with your hospitality, Brannel.  This has been the most wonderful inn we have
ever had the honor of staying at."  The Bat's voice was soft and enchanting,
sweet to the ears and soothing to the soul.
	"Indeed," Sheena purred, "When we return to Coralport, we will give Hot
Summer Nights the highest recommendation to anyone who travels down this way."
	"And Brannel," Syrinx said, "We would be quite honored should you and
your clan ever choose to sell yourselves to us."
	"Thank-you, but no, Master Syrinx," Brannel countered, "Ravenna, the
kids, and myself are quite content with our lives here."
	"Ah, 'tis a pity," the Tigress pouted, "The four of you would make such
a fine hot property."  She gave him a playful but firm smack on his bottom.
	"You're flattery is noted and appreciated, m'lady," Brannel replied.  He
rubbed his rump where Sheena had swatted him, "and I will relay your compliment
to my mistress.  Now, I do have one request to ask of you."
	The Bat nodded and motioned for him to continue, "Ask.  We may be able
to accommodate."
	"You saw our little demonstration of how Ringtail Ale is served, I
presume?"
	"Yes," Syrinx answered, "It was a most titillating display of decadent
naughtiness."
	"Well," Brannel continued, "that display prompted a great demand, and we
are in need of more tails to serve as vessels if we wish to fulfill all orders,
and I was hoping that..."
	"Say no more," Syrinx interrupted, "Merriweather, accompany Brannel back
to the kitchen.  Tonight, the citizens of Mistport, and especially Count Morland
when and if he arrives, will be drinking from your lovely bottom."
	"Your desires are my desires, Master," Merriweather affirmed.  The Pony
girl rose to her hooves, and obediently presented herself to Brannel.
	"Thank-you, Master Syrinx," Brannel said, "There will be a generous
payment for your pet's services tonight in addition to any coin she receives
under her tail.  Additionally, for her service, Merriweather will drink and dine
free this night.  Now, fall in with the others, girl."  He prodded the Pony into
place with two firm swats of his paddle on her soft, well-toned bottom.
	"Come on, ladies," the Deer ordered, "Your greatest adventure yet is
about to begin."
	"Wait!" Sheena called out, "You forgot something."
	"And what did I forget?" Brannel asked.
	The Tigress stood up, completely shed her sandals and minidress, and
stood in naught but her fur beside her Pony, "You forgot me.  That is, if you
can take one more."
	"Sheena?"  Syrinx looked quizzically at his mate, "Are you certain that
you want to do this?"
	"Of course I'm certain," she snapped back at him, "I'm always certain
that I want to do what I want to do."
	"You are aware of what we will be putting you through, I presume?"
Brannel asked.
	"Yes, I know what you will be doing to my ass," Sheena replied, "It is
nothing new to me."
	Syrinx sighed and then chuckled, "Who am I to say no.  If my mate wants
to take part in this humiliating silliness, then there is nothing I can do to
stop her."
	"Very well then," Brannel declared, "Now, follow me."  He strutted back
to the kitchen at last, with these five lovely ladies in tow.

	After Issibel, Brannel, Ravenna, and their volunteers were safely out of
earshot, Trikks turned to Arthur and shook her head, "Have you any clue what
your apprentice is about to be put through, Wizard?"
	Arthur shrugged and smiled, "Same thing Ravenna just went through, I
presume.  He will have his cute little butt filled with ale or some other drink,
a straw inserted, and then people will fill their mugs from under his tail."
	Trikks gave a hearty laugh, "That is only part of the deal.  There is a
very intense process that he will undergo before Anton or Brannel actually fills
his bottom with ale."  She then went into a lengthy description of what the Fox
was soon going to suffer.
	"Oh, my," Arthur sighed, "I had no idea.  Poor lad.  I can't even
imagine what that must be like.  Ah well, I suppose he needed to experience
gehennite eventually."
	"And that is just the prep phase," Shaasta reminded him, "According to
Brannel, after he's had his cleansing, his butt will be filled with whatever
drink he will be serving, and he will then be chained to a grill so that it can
be boiled inside him over a gehennite flame before being chilled with Beastlands
ice."
	"Well, this will definitely make for his most interesting journal entry
thus far," Arthur laughed.
	Shaasta finished her second mug of Ringtail Ale and scanned the room. 
Her gaze landed on the large man she had noticed just moments before Benden
approached her earlier.
	"I think it's time for another round of dance," she announced.  "If I
may take my leave of you for a short time, Otter?"
	Benden smiled and nodded, "No problem, m'lady.  I understand that you
have work to do."
	Shaasta stood and stretched, then took a step towards her quarry.
	"Shaasta, wait a moment," Thissle said.
	Shaasta turned and faced the copper-haired girl, "Why?  I don't want to
lose this guy."
	"There is something very important that must be done first."  Thissle
stood and approached the Elf.  Without saying another word, she grabbed Shaasta
by the arm, bent her over the table, and thoroughly paddled her bare bottom
until her flesh was glowing a soft red and her brand was again visible for all
to see.
	"Now you may go slut around, Elf."


*** To Be Continued ***