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Glyph led Akio through corridor after corridor, making their way towards the grand hall. The scent of food made the wolf�s stomach growl with hunger, but she was too agitated to worry about eating. When the massive doors to the hall were opened for them, Akio gasped at all the activity.
The gryphons of Kito Peak were not morphic, as she and the dragons were. But, it seemed for such occasions as this, they would steady themselves on their hind legs and dress as if they weren�t feral. There were gryphons of every breed here, even some Akio had never heard of. They all dressed in rich colors, in velvets and silks and satins. But from what Akio could tell, there were no females.
The grand hall was filled with these avian half-breeds, all chatting with dragons and eating cheeses and testing wines and watching the current entertainment. Wolves were sparse; those she did see were dressed in the finest silks and leathers ever given to a slave. But, again, Akio noticed that they were all male; not a single female about.
Then Akio saw them. The female slaves were in the room� but were mostly hidden from view. Several kneeled at their Lord or Lady�s side, head down. Some were actually with the gryphons, feeding them or preening their feathers with their paws. There was one gryphon, taller than all the rest, with feathers blacker than the midnight sky and the feline hindparts of a white lion. His eyes were piercingly white amidst the ebony feathers. And he was talking to Falqon.
Glyph dropped her off at her Lord�s side without so much as a farewell. She fell to her knees instantly, gaze lowered, paws on her thighs. She studied the gryphon�s well-muscled feetpaws as her ears strained to pick up on their conversation over the continuous clamor surrounding them.
��a gift for you, my Lord,� Falqon was saying. His talon came down and patted Akio�s headfur gently. �My servant Agape here, she has tested the gift herself, to be sure it is worth such high taste.�
She could feel the avian gaze upon her. �The wolf would make a fine gift herself, it would seem,� the gryphon churred in an eerily low voice.
�If you would like to use her during your visit, I should be pleased to allow it. She is an obedient servant.� Akio could hardly believe her ears.
�Perhaps in the morning,� the dark creature concurred. �Tonight this one shall wish to sample his gift.�
Their conversation faded as there was a sudden rise in sound, coming from a table in the center of the room. Gryphons and dragons alike were focused on a jester performing. He was a black fox, clad in violet and green motley offset by golden thread and bells. He was waving his hands about dramatically, making wine chalices and candlesticks float in the air around him. His audience cheered and clapped enthusiastically. Akio saw armored dragon guards close the doors and stand before them, but no one else seemed to notice.
The fox jester was in attendance for the remainder of the night, introduced before the feast as a guest of honor, Fool. Akio wondered if the name was to fit the outfit, or if the outfit was to fit the name. After a rather lengthy speech by both the leader of the gryphons and Lord Tyrran, the feast was served. Akio kneeled on a mat at Falqon�s left, and was occasionally fed bits of meat as he chatted with the nearby creatures.
The wolf�s feetpaws were growing numb as the hours passed. Course after course spread over the table, the flow of wine and mead kept constant. Some creatures milled about casually, sharing conversation with any who crossed their path. Some were quite obviously drunk. The guards stood at the doors the entire time.
Some time into the feast, Tyrran rose and presented the gryphon leader with Trick. The feline was still dressed in motley, but wore black and white gloves and cloth shoes, as well. The gryphon was pleased, and took her from the grand hall immediately. The guards let him pass without trouble.
Akio thought that Falqon had forgotten her presence until he turned to her, smiling softly. �If you�d like to walk around, stretch those legs, you may, my little pet.� He ruffled her headfur gently. �Be a good girl. You may do what you like, but you know your limits.�
Akio nodded and stood shakily, her feetpaws waking up and prickling. She walked away from the tables, shyly avoiding eye contact with all the other creatures as she waited patiently for her legs to return to normal. As she was leaning against a wall, watching all the gryphons and dragons curiously, the black fox stepped before her, making a deep, showy bow.
�My Lady,� he murred, lifting only his head and winking to her from beneath an arm of his motley hat.
�I�m not a Lady,� Akio sputtered, straightening suddenly. �I am Lord Falqon�s slave.�
Fool rose, brushing the cloth from his azure gaze. He smiled generously. �I know that,� he said. �But all in all, you are a lady.�
�But I�m not yours,� she muttered softly.
The jester chuckled softly. �Nay, not mine; I know that, as well. You are Falqon�s. I know.� A black paw disappeared behind his back. �This is not why I came over to you, you know.�
Akio simply watched him carefully, silently. The jester smiled again.
�Might I have this dance?� he asked.
�But there�s no music,� Akio said, tilting her head.
�There will be,� he assured. �Your Lord has permitted it, that we dance, so long as I make it a show for the guests.�
Akio considered. �Are you a slave?� she asked, offering her paw to Fool.
�I am.�
He led her to the center of the room, and onto the table on which he was performing earlier. As promised, several minstrels came into the room and began playing music. They already had the attention of several creatures. Fool took one of Akio�s paws into his, the other going to her hip and pulling her very close. Pressing his muzzle against her cheek, he whispered, �No matter what you see, no matter what you hear, you must not falter at this.� They pulled apart, moving fluidly with the music. She looked into his eyes, and saw that he was very serious. �Your dragon Lords need this distraction,� he muttered in her ear when they came together again, this time both his paws rested on her hips. �Falqon said that you would be obedient.�
�What�s going on?� she asked him quietly, bringing her arms up around his neck, rising on the tips of her toes to bring her muzzle close to his ear. The straps that connected her arms to the back of her collar pulled taut, reminding the wolf of her strange outfit. She realized that their audience was chiefly gryphons; the dragons were watching, but they didn�t seem interested.
Fool seemed surprised that she didn�t know. �I can�t explain it now,� he murred, �but I promise I�ll tell you when all is said and done. For now, we need to draw more attention, if you know what I mean.�
The jester�s paws pulled her hips against his, and she could feel his sheath through his cloth breeches. He wasn�t excited yet, but in order for their �dance� to be a decent distraction, he had to be. Akio bit her lip, gathering courage. She let her arms drop, her paws sliding between them, pawdigits spread on his chest. Fool pulled back a bit, allowing her space to act. His paws rose a bit on her sides, thumbs coming up under her breasts as they swayed with the music.
Akio turned around suddenly, still keeping time with the atmosphere, her gaze casually scanning the room. Their audience was still meager, compared to the amount of creatures in the room. She slipped her paws behind her, finding Fool�s sheath with unerring accuracy. She heard him moan softly, breathing into her ear as his paws came up from behind her, grasping her breasts and squeezing lightly. Akio dipped and danced, rubbing with her paws in step with the beat in the tune. She felt Fool�s organ hardening quickly through his breeches and murred, turning again to face the fox.
She had barely completed the turn when Fool grabbed her hips, pressing them against his. The feel of his hardening organ against her belly triggered a pinch of lust between her legs. He seemed awfully eager, Akio noted. She brought her paws to his belt, looking up to him. He winked at her as she opened the clasp, pulling the leather from the metal opening. As she slid her paws between his cloth and fur, easing the warm organ from its soft sheath, he sighed heavily and leaned on her slightly, bringing his muzzle to her ear again.
�If you don�t wish me to go into you, I won�t,� he whispered jerkily between gasps, as Akio�s paw worked up and down his shaft slowly.
�I want you to,� Akio heard herself saying, punctuated with a seductive murr.
�Good,� Fool said, grabbing her thighs suddenly. Akio lost her footing and thought she was going to fall, but there was some sort of support at her upper back, like something was pushing her there just hard enough to hold her steady. Her legs wrapped around the fox�s middle instinctively, her paws sliding through his headfur, knocking the jingly hat to the floor as she locked her muzzle with his in a passionate kiss. The pressure at her back slackened, and Fool fell to his knees, taking her with him. The kiss was broken in the impact, but neither fox nor wolf slowed their advances. Akio was able to balance herself with her legs on the ground, straddling Fool�s middle still, her pawdigits still entwined in his headfur. The jester buried his muzzle into her neck, biting gently above the collar as he slipped a paw down between Akio�s legs, pushing the leather out of the way. His pawdigits slipped easily between the slick lips of her sex, sliding inside of her and wriggling rapidly. The wolf moaned into his ear, lifting her hips receptively.
vThrough barely-open eyes, Akio saw that their audience had grown significantly. Their distraction was working.
�Now,� she whispered to the jester, a paw grabbing his stiff organ. �I want you now.�
He pulled her paw away from his sex, shaking his head slowly. �I want to, believe me, but we need to draw their attention,� he whispered, jerking his head slightly to the left. She allowed her eyes to follow the motion, and she saw them. Two white gryphons heavily armored in silver plate maille stood guarding a female gryphon. Her feathers were orange, yellow and red, and seemed to be shifting forever, a light coming from them, and her hindparts were that of a red tiger, the tip of her tail, paws and underbelly streaked white. With blue eyes she watched the canines copulating, but her guardians did not seem interested. With a start, Akio realized that the female was morphic.
Fool�s teeth on her breast brought her back in place. He released the nub, licking it with his long canine tongue, moving to the other. This one he licked first, then took it into his mouth and sucked powerfully. Akio moaned softly, a paw coming up to pet his ears back as he suckled. She decided to make as much a show of her pleasure as she could, so the white gryphons� interest might be peaked.
The fox lifted his paws, unclasping her collar in the back. Her fur was matted beneath it, and he rubbed at it with his muzzle, licking. He bit again, this time taking in more flesh. Akio went rigid from the mixed waves of pleasure and pain, giving a soft yip. Fool�s paw quickened at her sex again, his thumb pressing against her clitoris in time with the applied pressure his pawdigits flickered inside of her. She lifted a bit, her lust growing again with the reawakened flesh between her legs, and her crotch pressed Fool�s throbbing organ against his stomach. Her fur was wet where the tip touched from what little had seeped out in his arousal.
Akio licked her lips, sliding off of Fool�s lap. He looked curiously after her, leaning forward on his paws to crawl after her, when she ducked under him and wriggled forward. Before he had the chance to move away, the wolf was on her belly beneath him, her muzzle sliding soundly around his shaft. She felt his muscles tense as she sucked lightly, getting used to his size; he wasn�t as big the dragons, but again, dragons were much larger than canines anyway. He rested his head on her thighs, holding his hips high enough so that she could act comfortably. She pulled her head back, sucking harder on the tip and she heard him yip softly just before she pushed her muzzle over it again, her tongue wrapping around it slightly in her mouth.
After a few motions, Fool began humping his hips forward insistently, the flesh throbbing in her mouth as his climax threatened to spill over. She jerked her head back, the organ popping out of her mouth and bobbing just before her muzzle. She licked it, then began squirming backwards. The jester was reluctant to move, but he smiled at her when they met eyes again. Akio realized that the trio of gryphons they needed to occupy were closer, the males watching with a keen interest. She returned the fox�s smile.
Fool practically pounced her, a heavy thud greeting them when they hit the table. The music had stopped, and the room was almost completely silent, the canines having drawn most of the occupants� attention. The jester was panting as he nuzzled into Akio�s neck, biting again as his paws lowered, pushing the leather bit down from her hips, sitting up to remove it completely. He looked down to Akio, a paw sliding leisurely up and down his smooth organ. The sight was almost enough to send her over the edge. She whimpered softly to him, lifting her rump from the wooden table, begging him with her eyes. He waited a moment, then kneeled up, pulling her closer to his hips with his free hand. She wrapped her legs around his hips pressing her dripping sex against his sheath.
But Fool simply held her gaze calmly, still rubbing his organ with a smirk on his face. Just when Akio thought she would simply burst from waiting so long, the jester pulled his hips back, angling his shaft with his paw as he held her steady with the other, rubbing the tip between her sensitive folds. The wolf howled softly in lechery, reaching up with a paw to attempt to pleasure herself.
It felt as if cloth bindings were tied about her wrists, and drew them upwards. She pulled, but they would not move. Her paws were suspended above her head. She whined and looked to Fool, whose paws were in the air just above her body. He made a motion she didn�t understand, then he took her hips with his paws, pushing into her slower than Akio thought possible. The pressure that held her up when she lost her balance before was back, only this time it was holding her hips in place, so she could relax those muscles and concentrate on the feeling of Fool inside of her. Though she was troubled about the strange bindings and pressure around her, the very moment that the jester pulled almost completely out of her and thrust himself into her entirely, all worries faded beneath the pleasure. When the fox thrust into her, he thrust upwards as well, applying quick pressure to her clitoris, while pressing all the right buttons on the inside.
Akio howled again, this time in pleasure.
Fool smiled, quickening his pace a bit. He slid his paws down her form, bending at the waist as he slipped his paws under her upper back, turning his head to the side and resting it below her breasts. The pressure at her wrists and hips slowly subsided, and her rear was on the floor again, her arms wrapping around the fox as he lied above her, sliding rhythmically in and out of her sex. The only sounds were the sounds of sex; the panting and sighing and moaning of the couple on the table, the constant thumping of body against wood, the wet sounds of fox and wolf slipping together.
And Akio felt it happening. With every push, the final howl was rising in her throat. He felt better inside of her after every thrust. Her muscles were tensing around him, her hips pressing up to meet his now. She whimpered softly as she felt his motions grow erratic, harder, quicker, and his paw slipped between them, pushing rapidly on her clitoris. That did it. She came violently around his shaft, feeling his seed spurt warmly inside of her with the vicious final thrusts. The howl was released, met by a long moan from the jester�s muzzle pressed into her throat.
The room was no longer silent. Behind almost every gryphon was an armored dragon, swords bared to their feathered throats. The white gryphons were fighting with dragons, the clang of steel echoing in Akio�s mind. In the muzzy state of afterglow, it took her a moment to realize that she and Fool, who was just beginning to calm his breathing, were in danger of being hurt. She struggled under him weakly.
�They can�t hurt us,� the jester murred sleepily into her ear. �I�ve put the strings around us. All they�ll hit is air.�
�Strings?� Akio asked. She opened her eyes wider, trying to see what he was talking about. �I don�t see any strings.�
�Neither can I,� he confessed. He pulled out of her slowly, leaving her feeling very empty all of a sudden. He tied his breeches, fastened the belt. �You did well. I�m sure you�ll be rewarded for your obedience.�
Akio sat up, pulling what remained of her leather trappings off of her limbs. When she looked back to Fool, he was sitting cross-legged on the tabletop, gesturing with his paws over his lap. �So, what�s going on?� she asked, sitting closely. Even if he said they were protected, she didn�t feel it.
�I told you,� he paused, making a long sweep in the air with an open paw. A gryphon flew across the room, into a wall. It slid to the ground, unconscious. �I would tell you when this is over.� He made fists, pulling them apart as if he was holding something between them, stretching it. He looked back to Akio. �It�s far from over, Agape,� he said with a smile. Before Akio could respond, a gryphon holding its neck stumbled into view. It looked like it was suffocating. Suddenly, it all made sense.
�Strings�� Akio muttered, tilting her head. �It was you, wasn�t it? You�re using some kind of magic strings. You used them to hold me up, and to hold my paws back.� He didn�t respond, his gaze intent on the choking gryphon reaching towards them. �You�re using it now, aren�t you?� she asked.
Fool jerked his paws apart, and the gryphon simply stopped moving. He stood very still for a moment, then slowly he began to fall. His body fell to the right, and his head rolled off to the left.
Akio stared, her jaw dropped.
�I don�t like to talk about it,� the fox muttered. �It is an ability, but it is not magic. That is all you need to know.�
The wolf sat in silence, watching as Fool rendered several more gryphons helpless. Most were just knocked unconscious, but those who tried to fight back, the jester killed mercilessly. When the fighting died down, the jester dropped his paws and sighed heavily. �I shouldn�t do that much work right after�� His voice trailed off, lifting his gaze to Akio.
�What�s going on?� she asked.
Fool refused to talk to her about everything while sitting on a table amidst unconscious gryphons and working dragons. He took her to Falqon, who was nursing a wound in his shoulder. With her Lord�s permission, the canines retired to Falqon�s quarters to talk.
The first thing the fox did when he entered the room was undress. Akio stood in the doorway a moment, not quite sure what was going on. By the time she closed the door, Fool was wearing nothing but a silver ring on a chain about his neck. The fur around his sheath was all matted and messy from their act on the table, and Akio flicked an ear as the thought to clean it for him entered her mind. She shook her head to herself, walking over to her fur mat by the fireplace.
The sound of water made Akio turn her head again. Fool had dipped his paw into the water barrel by the bed and was cleaning his sheath himself. Akio watched as he meticulously patted the fur to its correct position, even putting a bit of the water in the tiny hole at the top of his sheath. When he finished, he washed his paws and shook them dry, turning to face her.
The smile he gave her was entirely disarming, his paws going behind his back as he walked casually towards her. To Akio�s surprise, he sat at the foot of the bed, paws resting on his knees.
�I don�t know if you should sit there,� she warned. �It�s Lord Falqon�s bed, and we are only slaves. We haven�t been invited.�
Fool shook his head softly. �I�m a guest of honor. I may be a slave and fool, but I�m Falqon�s guest here, as Trick is. He won�t mind if we use his bed, so long as I take the blame for it.� He patted the bed next to him. �How long has it been since you�ve slept in a nice feather bed?�
Akio�s ears pricked as she rose carefully, taking a seat at his side. �I�ve never slept in a bed. I�m from a pack, not a city.�
The fox nodded. �Ah, and that makes sense. I didn�t recognize your accent.�
�You were going to tell me about all that in the grand hall, remember?� Akio�s ears twitched, tired of his stalling.
Fool nodded again, sliding back on the bed to lay his head among the many pillows. He sighed heavily. �I�ll tell you if you join me up here,� he said. Akio could hear the smile in his voice. She was almost angry at him, but pushed her hostility down and crawled up the bed, lying down next to him with her head propped up on her paws.
�Tell me,� she insisted. �You promised.�
�Aye, I did.� He leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. �Well, as far as I can tell, the gryphons were planning on giving that female you saw in the grand hall to the Dark Dragons. Those dragons aren�t like the ones here; they�re Nexian dragons, originating from the other continent. Normally, tribal dragons and gryphons don�t stick their heads into proper Nexus problems, but it turns out that their firegryph is the cure to some plague. The Dark Dragons aren�t the good guys, and when our dragons caught wind of the gryphons� plan, they sent a spy over there to find out all the details.� He looked down to Akio, smirking. �That spy was me, by the by. And while I was over there, I heard all kinds of things, like, for instance, that the gryphons were planning on revolting against the dragons and were going to launch a surprise attack on the city at night. Well, I sent a raven with the news, and before you know it I�m here and the dragons are throwing a party in favor of old Silverhunt, the leader of the gryphons.�
Fool was watching Akio intently, one arm gone behind his head to hold it up, the other resting across his stomach. He smiled as she met his gaze, blue eyes staring back shamelessly. Akio remembered the last time he simply stared at her and shivered.
�Cold?� he asked, seeming genuinely concerned. Akio was glad for the given excuse, and nodded quickly. It was kind of chilly in the chambers, but the dragons usually kept fires burning in the fireplace. Since Falqon�s bedchamber had been empty for most of the day, there was no fire.
Akio crawled closer to Fool to share his warmth. She thought about his explanation for a while, making herself comfortable on the soft bed. �You said that female was a firegryph?� she asked, lying on her belly and propping her head on her arms before her. �What is that?�
�Actually, the firegryph was thought to be a legend,� the fox explained. �She isn�t really a gryphon, she�s a half breed. A morphic phoenix from Avia and one of the Kito gryphons were probably her parents. Not much is really known about her, just that she�s there, and that her feathers can cure anything.�
�Where is she now?� Akio wondered aloud. She didn�t notice her after things settled down, and she hoped the gryphon was okay.
Fool tilted his head, looking thoughtful. �She�s probably hidden somewhere in the Geart Range, until the dragons can find a safer place for her.�
The wolf rested her eyes for a bit while she took in all the information she was given. It was really more than she had to think about since she was captured. Even in the Pack, the biggest worries were how they would stock enough food for the winter if the animals migrated early.
In all her thoughts, Akio realized that the jester neglected one topic. She raised her gaze to his again.
�What about Trick?� she asked. �She went off with the leader� Silverhunt� where did they go?�
Fool smiled. �To the bedroom, of course.�
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