by Logan Jacobs
“What is a raisin?” she sighed into my neck.
“Sun dried fruit that’s all prune--uhhh it’s like when you are in the water too long and your skin wrinkles.”
“Ahhhh,” Lezan pouted. “I did wake up early with the intention of going hunting, so we should probably still try and do that before everyone else wakes up.”
“You still want to hunt?” I questioned with a raised eyebrow. “I would have figured our little bit of action there wore you out.”
“Please, Ben,” the multicolor-haired woman chuckled as she made her way to the tub’s exit. “It’s going to take a lot more than that to keep me down. Even though I think I’m going to be walking funny for the first leg of our journey. I am still not used to your size, and I don’t want any of your seed to leak out, so I will move carefully.”
My eyes never left Lezan’s perfectly plump ass as her naked body rose out of the tub, walked down the stairs, and put her bottoms and top back on.
Damn, she was one fine woman.
I got out next, and the draft from the open ceiling caused me to shiver as I hurried to grab my clothes. I pulled on my pants and cream shirt before I found my belt, tightened it around my waist, and slid my boots back onto my feet.
“Are you sure you still want to go hunting?” I asked one more time, and I hoped she would want to go back to bed.
Unfortunately, I had no such luck.
“Hunting is relaxing for the Coonag people,” she explained. “When I’m stressed out, there’s absolutely nothing in the world that makes me feel more alive than chasing down an animal, ripping it to shreds, and dining upon its flesh.”
Honestly, I didn’t know what to say to that. The Coonag people were wild at heart, beings of pure untamed passion that relied on their animalistic instincts to guide their every move.
And it only made them ten times hotter.
So, Lezan and I walked out of the hut arm-in-arm, and we stepped into the rays of the rising sun. The beautiful balmy waves crashed against the low tide of the shore, and each one scattered across the landscape in a foamy spray. The light from the sun made the water look like pure crystal, and it was a sight so pristine it made me audibly sigh at its enchanting glow.
This was my home, and I was filling it with more and more beautiful women, and my babies, by the month. Now, all that was left was to figure out our orc problem.
Still, we had a more pressing problem at the moment. There was a Coonag woman who had the itch to hunt, and I didn’t dare stand in her way.
“You sure you’re up to this?” I asked teasingly as we headed toward the jungle. “The forest here isn’t anything like the one back on your island. There’s a lot more than oversized moles in this jungle… In fact, the dragonkin women aren’t even sure about all of the monsters out there, lurking in the darkness.”
“Ben.” Lezan flashed me a sharp grin. “We survived a dragon together. If that didn’t kill us, I doubt there’s anything out there in this forest that’s worse.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure…” I warned as I drew out my seaglass sword and stepped onto the makeshift trail we normally used.
We really needed to make this pathway more formal. Even though the dragonkin women and I knew its location by heart, it didn’t look much different than the typical game trail you’d find while out on a hike. Originally, we’d wanted to keep it this way so it wouldn’t look suspicious to any orcs who may have wandered across it, but with our island now as fortified as it was, we could afford to lose a little bit of secrecy. That way, the deer-women, the Coonag, and any other people we brought back to our home could use it without a guide. Then again, with all the unknown horrors lurking in this jungle, maybe going alone wasn’t the best idea.
The two of us sauntered down the path for a few minutes before Lezan finally spoke up.
“What is there to hunt out here, anyways?” the Coonag woman questioned as she brushed a bit of greenery out of her way. “Clucker-birds? More of those Ali-gator things?”
“Not even close,” I snorted. “Our main food sources out here are wild boars and fish. And occasionally those delicious Blaclaws you ate last night.”
“Those were delightful,” Lezan agreed. “But your dragonkin friends said they only get to have them for a few moon cycles a year.”
“That’s going to change soon.” I grinned as I thought about how I’d teach these women how to set up crab traps along the beach, and how grateful they’d be when they were dining on Blaclaws every few days.
Hell, with as delicious as those things were, I was going to be pretty damn grateful, too.
“What kind of animal is this ‘boar?’” the Coonag woman continued as she tried out the unfamiliar word. “Is it the large, scaly kind? Or the hairy, two-legged kind that can kill you with one swipe of its paw?”
“Neither,” I explained as I held up my hand to show the animal’s height. “Boars are about yay high, with small tusks and bristly fur all over their bodies. They run around like madmen on four legs, and when they go full feral they will just charge anything in their path and try to gore it with their tusks. They’re not the smartest animals, but they’re really dangerous if you let them catch you off guard.”
“That sounds like my kind of animal!” Lezan exclaimed, and her black eyes lit up like a child who’d just been told Santa was real. “I can’t wait to get a hold of one… Where can we find these creatures?”
“Usually they hang out wherever there’s food to forage.” I shrugged as we crept through the jungle. “Like places where the forest floor is covered with mushrooms or nuts, and they can have an easy meal.”
“That seems like a problem,” the multicolor-haired woman scoffed. “If a predator knew they like those areas, wouldn’t they just lie in wait until some boars showed up?”
“Now you’re getting it,” I chuckled. “That’s why I had some of our friends come out here and spread mushroom fungus and plant nut trees all over every clearing they could find. It’ll take years for the trees to get mature enough to sprout their own nuts, but maybe it’ll make things easier for my children and their children someday.”
We ventured onward for a few more miles, until we finally came to the first spot where I’d had the dragonkin women spread the fungus spores. Even though there were several tiny, phallic caps poking up through the ground, there weren’t any wild boars in sight.
So, we moved on to the next one a few minutes down the path, and when we finally arrived, I threw out my hand and stopped Lezan in her tracks.
Two bristly-haired boars stood along in the small clearing. They were both rotund bastards, probably a result of the mushroom feast we’d provided them, and we watched their snouts wiggle back and forth as they gobbled up the treats they’d found on the forest floor.
“That’s it?” Lezan scoffed. “That’s a wild boar? You said they were dangerous.”
“Don’t let their looks fool you,” I warned. “They’re scrappy little fuckers when they get spooked.”
“That’s good,” the Coonag woman whispered, “because I am, too.”
I knew the look that sprang into her eye all too well. Lezan wanted nothing more than to rush out there, kill the boar with her stone axe, and then feast on its flesh raw.
But we had the rare opportunity to catch two pigs in one hunt. If we were too brazen, we’d probably scare one of them away. So, we had to employ a bit of stealth on this one, or else we’d be going home empty handed.
“Don’t rush them,” I hissed. “Whatever you do, don’t rush them. If we do that, our chance of catching both of them is very small.”
“Not if you’re as fast as I am.” Lezan winked, but then rolled her eyes when she saw I meant business. “Fine. We’ll try it your way.”
“You take the one on the left, and I’ll get the one on the right,” I ordered quietly. “Make sure to be as quiet as you possibly can, and then I’ll give you the signal to pounce.”
Lezan nodded her head, twirled her axe so
it was resting behind her neck, and then she slowly began to wander over and flank the boars.
At the same time, I tightened my grip on my sword and headed to the other side of the clearing. A few twigs snapped underneath my weight, and I was forced to duck down as the boars looked up from their dinner. However, they didn’t seem to see me, and I continued forward as they returned their attention to the mushrooms in front of them.
Soon, Lezan and I were in position, and the hogs were none the wiser, which meant we were in a prime position to strike. I held up three fingers, motioned to them in a silent command, and then began to count down.
Three… Two…
Before I could get to “one,” I felt a hot huff of air blow down on my position.
My blood went cold instantly as I slowly glanced upward. There, atop one of the tree branches above me, sat a single gargoyle-cat.
A “gargamor” was the proper term, according to Jonas, but I just liked to called them “pants-shittingly terrifying.”
It hadn’t noticed me yet, but it had certainly noticed the boars. The creature’s scaly body was long and thin, much less muscular than the ones I’d fought before, and his deep-set eyes were fixed hungrily on the pigs. A large, viscous spindle of drool hung out of the right side of his mouth and swung like a pendulum as he stood up to his feet.
It wasn’t normal for these things to be so far down the mountain, and it was even less normal for them to be alone. He must have gotten lost from his pride.
And he looked like he was starving.
From across the way, Lezan gave me a confused look and threw out her arms, but I shook my head furiously and pointed up at the creature above us.
Lezan looked annoyed as her eyes followed my finger, but then she quirked her head in a curious manner, and a toothy grin spread across her face as she chuckled.
Oh, no. She wouldn’t…
“Ayeayeaye!” Lezan cried out as she jumped out from the bushes.
The Coonag woman hauled back her stone axe, took aim, and then brought it down square on the nearest boar’s head, and a wet, brittle crack rang out across the clearing as the pig’s head splintered. His body went limp as Lezan pulled the weapon from his skull, and then she quickly ended his twitching with another shot to his neck.
The commotion sent the other boar into a frenzy, and he squealed angrily as he charged at the Coonag woman.
He didn’t get very far.
The second he began to bolt, the gargamor leapt from its tree and let out a gargled roar. His massive body slammed down onto the pig from above, and he instantly sunk his four-inch fangs into the back of the creature’s neck. The boar was killed instantly, but the gargoyle-cat wasn’t done yet.
The starving animal wasn’t going to leave without the second boar.
However, neither were Lezan and I.
“Now, thaaaat’s a worthy hunt.” The Coonag woman’s eyes narrowed as she stared down the Gargamor. “This creature looks fierce!”
The gargoyle-cat stomped his front feet into the ground, released an earth-shattering roar, and bared his fangs at his opponent. This horrific gesture would have normally been enough to make even the most seasoned warrior tremble in fear, but Lezan wasn’t fazed.
Instead, the woman with the ringed tail and black and white hair mirrored the gargamor. She stomped her left foot into the ground, threw out her hands in challenge, and growled right back at the scaly bastard.
I was still back in the brush, hidden away from the creature’s sight. These things had really thick skin, but it wasn’t impenetrable. Maybe if I could get the jump on this thing, he’d go down easy.
That was, if Lezan didn’t tear him to shreds first.
Honestly, I didn’t know who I’d put my money on for this fight.
The gargamor pounced first, but Lezan was fast on her feet. She rolled to the right of the incoming cat, lashed out with her stone axe, and struck him hard in the stomach. There was an audible thud as the weapon’s blade stuck into his stomach, but all it seemed to do was knock him slightly off course.
The gargoyle-cat whipped around and took a swipe with his massive claws directly at Lezan’s stomach. Thankfully, the Coonag woman saw it coming and evaded with a quick lurch backward.
In the same motion, she flipped her axe by the hilt and brought it down on the gargamor. The creature let out a wail as the stone head of the weapon slammed into its right shoulder, but the normally razor-sharp blade bounced off as if it were a baseball bat.
The gargoyle-cat swung his arm again, and this time he was able to take out Lezan’s legs. She let out a grunt of frustration as she slammed into the ground, but then swiftly curled up into a tight ball and used her momentum to roll out of the way.
The gargamor’s scaly paw smashed into the ground, but all it caught was dirt and greenery.
My mind was racing with possible tactics to try out. Did I sit here and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike, while I was still hidden? If I did that, Lezan would have to keep fighting this thing one-on-one, and that was a pretty uneven battle.
On the other hand, if I gave up my position and tried to two-on-one the gargamor, I’d lose the element of surprise completely. And with the nearly-impenetrable scales on these creatures, I wanted every advantage I could possibly get.
Lezan seemed to have things under control at the moment, so I decided to keep my tactical advantage until I absolutely had to give it up. However, I tried to make myself as useful as possible, and I studied the Gargamor as it and Lezan circled each other like two predators waiting for their prey to make its move.
The gray gargoyle-cat still had globs of drool oozing out of its mouth as it panted heavily and looked at its opponent with pure hatred in its eyes. Several of its scales had flaked off to reveal raw, red skin underneath, and it limped noticeably on its front left leg.
I almost would have felt bad for the creature if it wasn’t trying to tear my woman to shreds at the moment.
The literal cracks in the gargamor’s armor had to be the best way to bring it down, but now came the hard part.
How did I communicate this to my partner without giving myself away?
Currently, the gargoyle-cat’s back was turned to me, so I made my move. I stood up, waved my hands over my head exaggeratedly, and tried to get Lezan’s attention. When I saw her dark eyes glance over in my direction, I instantly started to point at random spots on my skin and then pretended to stab them with an invisible knife.
Lezan raised an eyebrow before she turned her attention back to the deadly beast in front of her. The gargamor lunged at the Coonag, but Lezan wasn’t going to give up. She charged at the creature, somersaulted across the ground, and then catapulted herself into the air.
I watched in awe as the wild woman landed atop the gargamor in a reverse-horseback position and then began to slam her axe down as hard as she could into its hind end.
The creature bucked to try and get her off, but her legs were wrapped around its slim frame in a death grip.
“Stupid axe!” Lezan cursed her weapon. “It’s not doing anything!”
Then, much to my surprise, the Coonag woman holstered her tool, rubbed her hands together, and placed them firmly on each side of the creature’s body. Lezan let out another “ayeayeayeaye!” before she opened her mouth and slammed her razor-sharp teeth into the Gargamor’s back.
This time, the gargoyle cat let out a loud yowl and skidded to a halt. Lezan yanked her head upwards, and with it came a spray of crimson blood and a chunk of gray scales. The Coonag woman spat out the creature’s flesh excitedly and then reared her head back to go in for the kill once more.
However, the gargamor was now in full-on survival mode.
He tossed his entire back half up into the air, slammed it down hard, and knocked Lezan loose. Then, before she could reorient herself, it curled its head back and snapped at her body.
Lezan fell back onto the ground with a harsh thump and then only had seconds to roll out of the way of
the gargoyle-cat’s fangs.
Okay, fuck the element of surprise. Lezan was losing this fight, and I wasn’t about to let my beautiful new lover get eaten by the golem version of Snagglepuss.
So, I jumped out of the foliage at full speed, with my seaglass sword at the ready. Instantly, the gargamor’s head whipped around toward me, and I felt my blood run cold as I approached.
Sure, I’d taken out a whole pack of these things before, but there was a different type of danger about an animal that was desperate, starving, and angry.
The gargamor snarled as it arched its back and prepared to attack. Then it propelled itself into the air, and I was forced to fall down onto my ass and slide under its trajectory.
I threw up my sword and felt it connect with the beast’s belly, and it yelped as the blade drug along its body lengthwise. However, when I finally rolled up to my feet, I saw only a few drops of blood, and all of its innards were still inside its body.
I’d hurt the creature, but nowhere near enough to do any good.
The last time I’d fought one of these things, I had to get creative to kill them. Now, it looked like I was going to have to stretch my imagination a little bit more.
So, I took a fighting stance as the creature came back around. Then I held up my sword and waited for the gargamor to strike.
It slunk down, growled, and then ran at me with intent to kill. Once it was a few feet away from me, it jumped up into the air, spread out its front legs, and prepared to turn me into its dinner.
Luckily, Lezan was on it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Coonag woman rush the gargamor before she sprang forward and literally tackled it out of the sky. The impact of her body knocked them both to the side, and the two combatants rolled across the ground as they sparred in close quarters.
My stomach fell at the sight. What the hell was Lezan thinking? She was a cunning warrior, but she wasn’t anywhere near strong enough to fist-fight a fucking gargamor.
Then I saw my opening.
The gargoyle-cat flipped over onto its back, pushed Lezan up with its front claws, and then began to kick at her with his hind legs. Lezan was agile enough to dodge the incoming swipes, but I knew she couldn’t hold out for long.
