Chapter 7: Victory Celebrations“Great, we should get everything together so we can go to bed. I’m spent and probably so are you too so there’s no point in keeping watch. We will look for the horses in the morning,” Theo says with a cp on his hands.

  With a nervous gulp Cil separates herself from ivy and distracts herself with building the tents while Theo looks for the debris for warm bnkets and furs.

  When Ivy sees the small size of the tents a nervous shiver courses through her, all of her previous bravado vanishes. >With us two in there we will have to basically lie on top of each other<

  Cil sits down in front of their tent and struggles to get her armor off. “Can you help me? Some stuff is broken and I can’t get it off.” She asks ivy and with their combined effort they get Cil out of her hard shell leaving them both only in their tunics.

  As crawl together into their small bed they lie as far apart as possible but still brush against each other whenever one moves, deafened by the nervous beating of their hearts.

  “You did well today,” Cil says in an effort to break the pressing silence.

  “I did well? You killed that monster! Your st strike was impressive.”

  “You and Theo softened it up for me. It was a team effort,” Cil responds and extends her hand cautiously to caress Ivy’s shoulder, “I’m not making you uncomfortable, right?”

  “No. Actually I’m into women like you,” Ivy answers sheepishly.

  “You are?”

  “Well, I was interested into women before, when I was a guy and… I guess my tastes didn’t change during the transformation. So yes, you’re hot,” Ivy mumbles, her body heating up while her heart almost jumps out of her body.

  “You might have already figured this out but I am also interested in woman. Theo might also suspect something, he knows me too well but except you two not many people know,” Cil whispers,” Just so you know, you can stop me anytime but I kinda wanted to do this since we met”

  Her face slowly approaches Ivy’s and she pnts a tentative kiss on the snow leopards muzzle.

  When Cil can’t notice any discomfort or compint in Ivy’s face she moves her hand under her companions head, cups her cheek and continues to kiss her with renewed vigor and Ivy gdly returns the favor. Ivy lets her tongue probe in her partner’s mouth with provokes a surprised moan but Cil soon returns in kind, letting their tongues dance around each other.

  Cil starts to get braver and snakes her other hand up under Ivy’s tunic which causes her to break the kiss and sit up.

  “Did I move to fast” Cil asks worried and sits up as well.

  “No, it’s just… I never did… even before the change” Ivy tells her with a nervous stutter

  “That’s not a problem for me. Even though I experimented once or twice with other woman I wouldn’t call myself an expert. We can slow down or stop whenever you want,” Cil tries to encourage her partner.

  Ivy summons all of her courage and with a nervous gulp she pulls her tunic over her head, showing Cil her naked, furry body.

  Cil sits there sck jawed, surprised by the turn of events and gapes at Ivy’s naked, shapely body. She notices the powerful muscles that hide behind Ivy’s soft curves, brimming with power.

  After Cil had a chance to collect her thoughts she stutters, “D… Do you want me to the same?”

  Ivy just nods and bite her lower lip in anticipation. As Cil removes her clothes Ivy sees her angur body, strong muscles taut like bundles of steel cables that dance under her skin. The only soft curves ivy can see is Cil’s plentiful bust.

  “May I?” Ivy asks while cautiously reaching out to Cil, she nods softly.

  Ivy puts her hand on the side of Cil’s body, tracing the defined lines of the muscuture beneath the fur with her fingers. She slowly moves her hands upwards until she reaches her rge chest. She puts her hands underneath Cil’s boobs and lifts them both up.

  “Ooh, those must feel heavy,” Ivy whispers. Cil bites on her lip in an effort to stifle a moan. “You can touch me as well,” Ivy continues.

  Cil immediately extend a hand towards Ivy’s smaller but still shapely chest, grazing her thumb gently over her nipple triggering a torrent of mewls and moans from Ivy.

  Cil gently pushes ivy back with one hand while holding her other hand behind her companions shoulder, ying her down softly on her back.

  Cil kisses Ivy, starting at her mouth and trails down her neck, stopping at her boobs. She starts to softly bite and suck on her nipples, eliciting more moans from Ivy and causing her body to twitch beneath her. After she gave both of Ivy’s nipples plenty of attention she continues her trail of kisses down to Ivy’s navel.

  Before she continues she looks towards ivy’s eyes as if to ask for permission, Ivy answers with an enthusiastic “Yes please!”

  Cil rains more kisses around Ivy’s thighs while softly nipping at the supple flesh. It seems Ivy has lost the ability to speak. All she can do now is moan encouragingly.

  Cil spirals her kisses closer and closer towards Ivy’s moist bia and pnts a kiss on her clit. Ivy’s moans loose all resembnce to human noises and take on an even more feline quality.

  Finally Cil’s tongue enters Ivy’s moist and willing lips, coating her thigs in a mixture of Cil’s saliva and her own bodily fluids.

  Ivy’s only answers are high pitched, bored breaths while she cmps her thighs around Cil’s head like a vise.

  The skillful flexing and curling of Cil’s tongue cause Ivy’s breaths to rise even more in pitch and frequency until it all ends in an ear shattering orgasm.

  Cil rolls off of Ivy so both can catch their breath. Between deep huffs Ivy manages to say, “That was… great. I never felt anything like that… My turn.”

  Still drunk on her orgasm Ivy turns to her side and starts to kiss Cil with great fervor and traces the shape of her generous breasts with an outstretched finger. She slowly closes in on Cil’s nipples, softly pinching and pulling, alternating between them both. “Hah, you are doing… ngh, great. That feels… good,” Cil manages to press out between moans.

  Ivy’s probing finger moves downwards, tracing the shape of Cil’s impressive abs. As her finger spirals around Cil’s navel her moans turn into soft whines and whimpers, like a dog begging for a treat. And with an amused chuckle the benevolent Ivy makes sure that Cil gets her treat.

  Her hand moves down between Cil’s legs, she carefully extends her sharp, feline cws and rakes through the fur on the inside of Cil’s thighs, teetering on the line between pain and pleasure.

  Cil cries out in ecstasy. She spreads her legs more and repositions herself so Ivy has better access to the dripping epicenter of her pleasure. Ivy gets the hint and moves her exploring hand upwards, toward the grand prize.

  Cil’s hand suddenly shoots down and grabs Ivy’s, stopping her in her tracks. “Please, be careful… no cws” She moans.

  As Ivy dutifully retracts her cws and nods Cil lets her continue and her hand moves up Ivy’s arms and comes to rest at her boobs, grabbing one feverishly.

  Ivy traces her index and middle finger on each side of Cil’s sensitive lower lips, slowly pushing them together momentarily and spreading them again.

  “Fuck, s… stop teasing. I need… inside,” Cil huffs.

  Ivy gdly fulfills the request and slowly maneuvers her index finger into Cil’s damp vagina, prompting her lupine partner to throw her head back and her body to convulse. She gradually moves her finger in and out, soon adding a second one, causing Cil’s reactions to intensify.

  Cil continues to hold on to her partner’s breast and massages her soft flesh in an effort to distract herself, to dey her own orgasm.

  As their nightly workout session carries on both continue to moan louder and louder, with no regard to the noise level.

  Sensing her own, second orgasm closing in Ivy redoubles her efforts to please Cil, softly stroking over Cil’s clit while continuing to penetrate her sensitive folds with her other hand.

  This proved to be highly effective as both lovers were swept up by the waves of a powerful orgasm. They lie panting beside each other, their bodies still trembling from the orgasmic aftershocks.

  “Hey, what’s wrong? Did I do something bad?” Cil asks worried as he sees a somber expression befall Ivy’s face.

  “No, it was great. You were great. Everything felt good until I calmed down from… the second time. It’s just… every time I look down on myself it feels like I’m leering at another person. Yes I like what I see and yes I like the sensations this body gives me, but it isn’t mine. It feels like I’m intruding on someone’s most private moments, it makes me feel like a creep,” Ivy empties her heart out, she starts to sob and her eyes begin to water.

  “Would it help… Do you want to put on your tunic again?” Cil asks while handing Ivy her clothes.

  “Y… yes please, I think that would help” Ivy answers and dresses in her tunic, Cil does the same out of sympathy.

  “Please tell me if there is more I can do to help you to feel better,” Cil pleads.

  Ivy just hugs her tightly and rests her head on Cil’s shoulder, softly crying into the scruff of her neck. Cil says nothing and holds the embrace as they slowly lie down, tightly entwined.

  “Shouldn’t you shush me, tell me to stop crying and say everything is going to be alright or something?”

  “No, I’ve got time for you. Just let everything out.” Cil answers calmly.

  “But… but…”

  “It’s better like this than crying alone, trust me” Cil says and tightens the hug and Ivy lets herself go.

  She starts to sob more violently, crying into Cil’s shoulder. They hold the embrace until both fall asleep.

  Ivy wakes up first. She smiles softly as she finds herself positioned as the little spoon in Cil’s reassuring embrace. She takes comfort in the strong arms that are draped over her body as she recounts the events of the previous day.

  She flinches as she remembers her mental breakdown before she fell asleep, causing Cil behind her also to wake up.

  “Good morning, love. How do you feel today, better?” Cil says, still half asleep. She ces her fingers in between Ivy’s and kisses her behind the ear and down her neck.

  “Much better. I think opening up to you like that helped a lot. I’m still not fully comfortable in my own skin though. Did you just call me love?” Ivy responds, turning around to face Cil.

  “Fuck, I’m moving too fast again. I hope that didn’t make you uncomfortable and scares you away. I understand if you would want to keep that as a one-time thing,” Cil stammers nervously, now fully awake.

  Ivy ys a hand on Cil’s shoulder, moves it slowly up her neck and tenderly cups her cheek. With a soft chuckle she says, “You are not scary. On the outside you might have a rge, intimidating body but on the inside you are a soft cuddle bug who is afraid that others just see her gruff exterior.”

  Cil nods ashamed and bites her lower lip, holding back tears as she hears Ivy reading off her deepest emotions like a book.

  “You helped me so much in the st days, both you and Theo. If I want to get back to my old life I need you by my side, at least until we reach the citadel. As you said, I still need a lot of training if I want to get there alive. Without you I would be helpless, I probably would have died already. I know it will be for just a limited time but I want you in my life,” Ivy adds while embracing Cil in a tight hug.

  “Why am I the one crying now? You are the one who is stuck here!” Cil utters while she is shaking from violent sobs.

  “For now. Pain is not a competition. There can be many reasons for a personal crisis, I’m just returning the favor,” Ivy responds, giving Cil all the time she needs.

  “I hope we didn’t keep Theo up the whole night” Cil finally says as she wipes away the st of her tears.

  “Oh crap, I didn’t think about that until now. Are we in trouble?” Ivy worries.

  “I don’t think so. But I will talk to him and see if I can make it up to him somehow, wait here,” Cil responds.

  As she crawls out of the tent she sees that her brother is already up and in the process of disassembling his tent. As Theo notices his adopted sister a smug grin grows on his face.

  To check on his mood she asks probingly, “And how did you sleep?”

  “What?” he shouts, still very smug. Cil notices that her brother pulls something out of his ears. Her mouth opens and closes wordlessly like a fish and Theo’s smug grin grows even rger, now almost reaching from ear to ear. Cil pulls herself back into the tent, still very embarrassed.

  “What did he say, is he angry? I didn’t really hear anyone of you talk, does he know about… us?” Ivy showers Cil in questions.

  “He is not angry but very smug, I’m not sure what is worse. It seems like I told him about what happened between us without saying anything. He is already packing up, we should help” she answers.

  “Good idea! My back starts to hurt, I need to move anyways.”

  After they crawled out of the tent the two wordlessly start to disassemble their tent while munching on what is left of their dried rations.

  Theo approaches the two lovebirds and says, “Can you expend Ivy for a moment, I need help with finding the runaway horses.”

  “Sure. Ivy, be safe,” Cil says and sends her away with a peck on the cheek.

  As soon as they were well out of hearing distance Theo starts talking, “I’m gd you and Cil were able to connect so well. You have the unique ability to give her a form of comfort that I and many others are unable to give. She is very conflicted about her body. On one hand she is very proud of how she has shaped her body through a rigorous training program. On the other hand she is keenly aware about the intimidating effect it has on other people”

  “I feel with her on that one. Sure, I think my body is good looking but I much rather see it on another person and have my old body back. She may look intimidating but she’s the most forthcoming and attractive person I’ve met so far. Yes, we’ve met just two days ago but it feels like we know each other for far longer,” Ivy answers

  “I’m happy that you now have each other, I think you two meeting should prove to be beneficial for both of you. Could you spot any tracks of the horses? We shouldn’t overlook our main task,” Theo says with a content smile on his face.

  “No, nothing. Wait, over there! I’ve found the tracks. How about you, do you have someone waiting for you back home? I’m just curious, you don’t have to answer”

  “No, I’ve got no one. I have had problems with connecting to my peers. You see, human magic users are very uncommon. Usually only the old highborn families or people with elven, fey or other magical being in their ancestry are able to learn magic. Even most Forestborn are unable to cast spells despite their magical origin. My mother owns a rge trading business, no noble but still wealthy enough to have ancestry tables and there are no records of magically gifted people for the st ten generations. For the common people magic is something to be afraid of and that complicates things a lot,” Theo expins solemnly, “It seems that we are both outliers.”

  “And I guess the nobles are no better with how stuck up they are”

  “Ass on bucket. I thought the pce you came from was a republic, how do you know how the nobility behaves?”

  “Just on paper,” Ivy ughs, “Most of the wealth is still controlled by old families. And on your father’s side” Ivy asks.

  “Also nothing. Trust me, I checked thoroughly” Theo responds.

  “How come you never talk about him,” Ivy inquires.

  “He died from a fever when I was six, I never knew him much,” he answers with a solemn expression.

  “Oh. I’m terribly sorry for prying,” she replies.

  “Over there, I can hear them. Did you bring any snacks for them?” Ivy adds in a quiet whisper

  They are gd that the horses didn’t get too far away from the camp. The animals calmed down a lot during the night and the two adventurers were able to lure them towards them so Theo could leash them with rope.

  Once they came back they found the camp completely disassembled and packed away with Cil sitting on a rge bundle, sharpening her longsword.

  “Finally you are back, took you long enough!” Cil shouts and runs towards Ivy to greet her with a hug.

  “It couldn’t have been that long,” Ivy replies. Theo chuckles.

  “Don’t you dare to compare me to a dog,” Cil grows and shoots angry gres towards her smug brother.

  Ivy widens her eyes in surprise and cringes as she remembers her fantasies during their nightly activities but no one notices.

  They decide that the best course of action would be to strap the baggage and their trophies to the horses and walk beside them to their intended destination.

  Cil compins loudly, “Man, I’m not looking forward to that incident report.”

  “Because of the Leshy?” Ivy wonders.

  “No. because of the broken sled and the other damaged items, they were only loaned to us by the guild. I hope the Leshy skull is worth enough to make up for the damages. Damn, I needed that payment to have some repairs done to my armor,” Cil cries.

  Ivy softly pats her lovers shoulder in an effort to calm her raw nerves, with a deep sigh Cil says, “Sorry, I’m spiraling again.”

  “That’s why I’m here for,” Ivy replies and leans against Cil.

  So they continue their journey on foot, they can take their time because it is still before noon and the weather treats them nicely. Theo expects them to reach the fort well before dusk breaks.