The Quest III: Return to Volter

by Marilyn Lee

  “Because he needs you. Slayer, he loved Stalker.”

  He was not worthy. He deserved to die!

  “Your sire doesn’t agree and he grieves with your grand. And if you should leave, it would break his heart. Please. Stay for him—at least for a while. He knows that you will want to return to Volter to visit your mother, but stay for awhile.”

  I will stay, but I know I am not wanted here. Meka is not sufficient enough for my grandsire, but Meka is she who bore me and I find her very sufficient.

  “As well you should, Slayer. She’s your mother. I don’t think your grandsire meant to imply Meka was not sufficient enough.”

  I think you are wrong.

  “Why do you think that?”

  Because I have so little human blood I will probably not be able to shape shift into a human like his majesty and my sire.

  She shrugged. “So? What would be so bad about that? I fell for your sire before he could shift and I wouldn’t care if he never shifted again.”

  You are kind, Jemi Hunter of Earth, but you do not understand. Being able to shift is part of being one of the Great Carnivores. Without that ability, I will not fit in here. Did you not notice that nearly every Carnivore we encountered was in humanoid form? The other Carnivores will consider me inferior.

  “Oh, surely not, Slayer! You are the eldest offspring of the future ruler of the land. Who would dare consider you inferior?”

  They will not openly say it out of respect for my sire, but I will feel it. I will stay only until my sire is fully sufficient. And then I will leave.

  “Slayer. This is your home.”

  No, Jemi Hunter of Earth. It is my sire’s home, but it is not mine. I did not know until now that there would be a difference in the two. My home is Volter. There no one will find me insufficient. And there he could at least be closer to the one female he would never forget, even if he could not have her.

  She hugged him, offering him what he was beginning to suspect would be the only sympathy he could expect in this strange place he had once so longed to live in.

  Later that evening, as he walked in the forest outside the royal palace, feeling angry and anxious to flee back to Volter, he encountered Sheela, in her natural form.

  She bowed her head. My lord, you are sufficient? Your wounds trouble you?

  My wounds do not, seer. I wish to be alone.

  To his annoyance, she continued to walk beside him. Did you not hear me, seer?

  I did, my lord, but I sense a turmoil in you. I am here to help you and provide succor.

  He knew she wanted to mate with him. The thought of a willing female ready to mate with him teased him, but a picture of Ayanni danced in his memory and he tossed his head angrily. I have no need of the kind of succor you offer, seer.

  She prostrated herself. I meant no disrespect, my lord. Forgive my insolence. It was born of a desire to be of service to you.

  We will speak no more of it, he said tersely. He wanted to be alone to cherish his memories of Ayanni.

  She hesitated then went on quickly. I sense a restlessness and a fear in you, my lord.

  His chest cavity swelled. I am Slayer, elder offspring of Hunter, future sovereign of Tern Terra, I fear nothing and no one. Except the fear that he would forever long for a female he could not have.

  I meant no disrespect, my lord. I meant your fear that you will not be able to shift. I can help you with that, my lord.

  You can?

  Yes, my lord. It will take time, but if you are willing to remain in Tern Terra and work hard, you may yet be able to shift.

  Into humanoid form?

  She shook her head. Other creatures of the forest.

  That would not be good enough to be accepted in Tern Terra, but it would be a start.

  You will stay in Tern Terra, my lord?

  He inclined his head slightly. Yes. I will stay.

  Thank you, my lord. As he watched, she shifted into a humanoid body with fair skin, long fair hair, dark eyes, and full, firm breasts. Looking at her, Slayer felt his cock stir.

  He sensed her excitement and suspected she thought that if he remained in Tern Terra, he would eventually mate with her. She was a strong, beautiful she-vore, but no comparison to his Ayanni.

  I will stay for the reason stated, he told her. He had no wish for her to try to cultivate a mating relationship with him. He would learn to long for another female, but that would take time. If she were still interested when he was ready to take another mate, he might consider her.

  She walked towards him and his gaze went to the curly patch of hair over her pussy. It was a very human looking pussy, lovely to look at. How would it feel around him? Despite himself, his cock popped out of its sheath.

  Noting his protruding shaft, she lay on the ground with her legs open, her pussy exposed. It glistened with moisture and looked tight and welcoming. My lord Slayer, I am here to serve you in any way you desire.

  With thoughts of Ayanni dancing in his head and the remembrance of the incredible pleasure a human female could provide, he moved over her, lowered to his hunches, and sank his cock balls deep in her with one powerful movement.

  She moaned, tossed her head from side to side and wrapped her legs around him. Feeling his cock completely surrounded by her warm pussy, he closed his eyes, thought of his Ayanni and repeatedly thrust his cock into her in a fury of lust.

  Driven by his hunger for pussy, he rutted into her, rotating his hips and driving his cock as deep into her pussy as he could get it. She lay under him, matching him ruthless thrust for thrust, joyfully accepting his plunging shaft into her tight, hot channel.

  Oh, my lord, Slayer. My lord! she purred.

  She raked her hands along his flanks and bit into his underbelly.

  Keeping a mental picture of Ayanni foremost in his thoughts, he continued pummeling her until he felt his climax rapidly approaching. With the knowledge that he did not need to fear hurting her, he thrust violently into her, shuddered, and roared as he blasted her pussy full of his seed.

  He didn’t linger in her. Despite her soft sound of protest, he withdrew from her almost immediately, backed away, and stood breathing deeply.

  Still in humanoid form, she purred softly and sat up. My lord would like his servant to spend the evening with him?

  His physical needs had been satisfied, but other needs that only Ayanni could satisfy remained in him, eating at him like some ravenous, greedy forest animal. But Ayanni found him insufficient. He tossed his head angrily.

  He looked at Sheela, watching him with wide eyes, her arms extended to him.

  Growling deep in his chest, he approached her, went down on his hunches, and thrust his cock back into her human-like pussy. If Ayanni did not want him, he would mate her out of his system.

  Yes, my lord, Slayer. Yes! Mate with your servant. She purred in a soft, insistent chant. With her purrs growing in intensity and her pussy warmly accepting his cock, he took her again and again. The night was filled with the sounds of their combined growls and purrs as he ravished her. He rutted into her until his cock was tender. And still he wanted Ayanni.

  With the coming of the dawn, he finally drew his flaccid cock out of her drenched pussy. Physically sated and ravenous, he looked at her. She lay on the ground, convulsed her body, and resumed her natural form. She rose, gently swaying from side to side. You found me sufficient, my lord? Shall I come to you with the setting of the sun, lord?

  After a night of mating with her purring with delight and pleasure as he rutted into her, he knew her to be more than capable of meeting all of his carnal needs. That’s all he could expect for now.

  I am going hunting, he said. He padded several feet before turning to look at her. When I return, I will want some pussy.

  He felt her pleasure. I will be here to serve you, my lord, Slayer.

  The words were the words he longed to hear. If only they came from another female. I will return, seer.

  Would my lord honor me by addr
essing me as Sheela?

  Sheela. I will return. He turned and loped into the surrounding forest.

  Chapter Three

  Ayanni slid out of the tree where she and Slayer had agreed to meet. She had been coming to this special place for many sunrises in hope that he would be there, but now, she realized it was time to give up the fantasy. He was not coming back. The reality was she had thrown everything away for him and he had decided she was not sufficient.

  She looked up. The sun was rapidly setting. If she were going to get home before dark, she would need to hurry. Angry tears filled her eyes. She had wasted another day waiting for him to keep his promise when she should have been making provisions for the hard times which lay ahead of her.

  Memories of the sweetness of mating with him tugged at her memory. She thrust them aside with an angry shake of her head. She could not afford to keep losing herself in useless fantasies. As she quickly moved through the forest, she became aware of quiet, stealthy movements paralleling hers.

  She swallowed slowly and glanced fearfully to her left. Standing in the clearing, several hut-stop lengths away stood a large carnivore with a dark mane. She froze, her heart pounding so fast she began hyperventilating. She was too far from a tree with low standing enough branches for her to leap in to safety. And she knew she could not hope to outrun the carnivore.

  She had no weapon. She had no hope of escape. The carnivore began padding towards her, catching her gaze. If she remained where she was, maybe her end would be quick and relatively painless.

  But she could not give up her life so easily. She screamed, turned, and fled back towards the tree where she had spent the day. She heard an angry roar behind her. The carnivore pursuing her would soon over take her. She heard the cat rapidly closing the distance between them. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw several females cats bound out of the forest. Gods of the Mountains! She was beginning chased by a whole pride. They were going to rip her to pieces. Instead of joining the chase against her, led by a large, brown feline, the female lions charged the larger carnivore bearing down on her and brought him down.

  Thanking the gods for her lucky escape, she raced back to the tree. She leapt onto the low bow and shimmied up the trunk of the tree into the higher branches where she knew the branches wouldn’t bear the weight of the heavy cat.

  From there she watched the cats scramble on the trail below her. Although big and fierce, the male cat suddenly roared, and bounded away from the females, and disappeared into the forest.

  Ayanni, clinging to the trunk of the tree looked down in horror as the female cats converged on the tree and looked up at her, roaring. Now instead of one cat wanting to eat her, there were many. Although the females padding around the base of the tree looked fierce, she was sure that Slayer would have been a match for them. As one of the Great Carnivores, he was much larger than the largest Volterian cat.

  But he was not there to rescue her. He had taken her one prize and left her to make her own way in the forest. She could not afford to spend her time longing for him.

  Besides, if she happened to fall out of the tree that night, the cats would kill her, and all her worries would be past. She shook her head. No. Where there was breath and reason, there was hope. Even now, the Gods of the Mountains were being kind, for the cats, led by the large, brown feline, began moving away from the tree and into the forest.

  Ayanni spent a time she considered sufficient for them to clear the immediate area in the tree, then descended slowly. Standing at the base, she stood, staring into the dusky forest. Walking home in the dark would be dangerous beyond words. But spending the night in the tree that could see her plunging to her death was also dangerous.

  She clenched her hands into fists and decided it made more sense to stay in the tree than to proceed alone. She turned to ascend the tree. A pair of dark, glowing eyes stared at her down from between the branches.

  Screaming, she turned and fled into the forest. She had not covered much ground before she realized she was being shadowed. Stifling a scream, she turned her head and saw a large, brown cat padding towards her. Feeling tired and weary, she closed her eyes and waited, praying for a quick end.

  She heard a soft purr and something bumped against her side. Frozen to the spot with fear, she opened her eyes and found herself staring down into the eyes of the feline who had led the charge that had saved her from the male. She wasn’t sure how she knew that, but she felt certain this was the same carnivore.

  The carnivore’s eyes were dark and her teeth looked lethal, but something about her reminded Ayanni of Slayer. Inexplicably, she knew that she had no need to fear this cat or any of the felines emerging from the forest to encircle her.

  To test her theory, she moved forward slowly. Then forward again. Although the cats moved with her, none impeded her progress. And before long, she grew bolder and began to run. They ran on either side of her, their eyes glowing in the dark. And when a hyena appeared on the trail in front of her, several of the felines charged it and drove it away, while the other half remained near her.

  Finally, the hut of her father came into view. She was safe. She turned and watched the felines pad back into the forest, all except the large female. She stood watching Ayanni, her eyes glowing in the darkness. Although they were not green like Slayer’s, Ayanni knew this female was in some way connected with him.

  He had not come for her as he had promised, but he had somehow provided safe passage for her. “Tell him I said thank you and I am sorry I was not sufficient enough for him,” she told the cat and turned and went into the hut.

  * * * * *

  Ayanni sat at the river, enjoying the feeling of the warmth of the sun on her bare skin when she heard a quiet sound behind her. She turned and found him standing almost within arms’ reach.

  He was as she remembered him, standing as tall as a pony with a sleek, tan coat, a beautiful, luxurious dark mane, and green slanted eyes. He was the most majestic and beautiful creature the Gods of the Mountains had never created.

  She cast her gaze down and caught her breath. His cock, long and thick was unsheathed. The big tip glistened with moisture. She felt herself going moist.

  “My lord! You’ve come back to me!”

  Yes, my beautiful brown one. Did you not think I would?

  His soft tone caressed her senses. His eyes, full of warmth and tenderness intoxicated her. “My lord,” she whispered. “I have waited for your return for so long.”

  I am here now, my Ayanni. He padded slowly to her.

  They gazes met and locked. She sighed and lay on her back, parting her legs slightly.

  He lowered his head and touched his mouth against hers. She moaned softly, eagerly parting her lips. A raging passion lay just below the surface of his tender kisses. Her whole body was aware of him and his body. That this beautiful, majestic, almost mythical male should desire her, amazed and humbled her.

  His mouth brushed against her lips in long, hypnotic kisses that took her breath and filled her aching heart with joy, desire, and pleasure. He slipped his tail under her body and around her waist. Holding her within the circle of his tail, he propelled his cock into her pussy and mated with her. He was tender, warm, and lingered over their mating, softly whispering to her how much he valued her. Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she clung to him, chanting that she needed and wanted him always.

  Holding her close and touching her mind and her heart, he told her what he always did when he came to her in her dreams, that he valued her and always would. With tears still falling down her cheeks, Ayanni, alone on her small palette, curled into a ball, and drifted to sleep, hugging thoughts of Slayer closer.

  * * * * *

  “This is a bad time for Hunter. Must you leave now?”

  Slayer stood in the royal palace in the quarters that his sire shared with his mate, Jemi, watching the play of emotions on her face. During the many seasons he had spent in Tern Terra, although he had grown to love her, h
e still could not understand her. She never did what he or his sire expected of her. Her unexpected behavior seemed a source of continual delight to his sire, but it just confused him.

  My sire will ascend to the throne of Tern Terra soon in Seeker’s place. He does not need me here.

  “But Slayer, you are his only offspring.” She bit her lip. “As you know we had hoped to produce siblings for you, but it seems the Gods of the Mountains have not deemed me worthy.”

  Since arriving in Tern Terra, Slayer and Jemi had often found themselves out of favor for having inadvertently offended either Seeker or one of his royal counselors. As a result, he and Jemi had become very close. When he was lonely and missing Meka and Ayanni, he went to Jemi for comfort and assurance. He and Hunter had grown apart since their arrival in Tern Terra and he found the prospect of leaving Jemi more unpleasant than that of leaving Hunter.

  He will not miss me, he said. Although he still loved and respected Hunter, he no longer longed to be miserable in Tern Terra, just to be near him. Now that he was about to ascend the throne in Seeker’s place, Hunter was rarely home and frequently in bad spirits when he was. He does not need me, but Meka has been injured and I must go to her.

  Jemi rose from the chair by the window and slipped her arms around his neck. “I know he must seem distant and somewhat unapproachable to you lately, but he loves you more than ever, Slayer, and will need and want you here with him.”

  He has not said so, Jemi.

  “Which doesn’t mean he doesn’t want it. He feels the weight of the responsibility of ruling Tern Terra heavily. It’s a responsibility you yourself will one day bear. Don’t you want to stay and see how he handles himself?”

  He is Hunter, elder offspring of Seeker, the most majestic of all the Great Carnivore, save for Seeker. No one will find my sire lacking as a ruler in any way. While he roams the Tern Terrian forest at will with his lady, Seeker will hear all grand things of Hunter, lord of all Tern Terra. When I hear of him in Volter, my heart will swell with pride knowing his regal blood runs through my veins.