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Beaten Off The Path

The blue and white wolf Ithilwen Galonodel hiked her way up the rolling hills of the Farragouth Fields, her black and white gryphon mount in tow behind her and walking cane stabbing at the ground by her feet with each step. "I'm telling you, Ceylon, this is going to be it. Our big break. Just beyond those cliffs is the city of Uriel, a massive port town that holds the key to the Staff of Taulix!" She smiled and patted him on the neck, smiling as she pointed over the hilly meadows.

Their journey together had been long and hard, spanning over the past year as she tried to hunt down the Staff of Taulix, a mystical artifact that had been described as one that could command the roots of the trees themselves and summon tendrils of the land from nothing. As a mage with particularly tight bonds to the natural world, it was her goal to one day have complete control over the world around her, even if she wasn't particularly interested in taking advantage of that. She wanted to be closer to the dirt and the plants, and the more power she possessed with natural magics, the stronger her floral bonds grew.

One could call her a geomancer or druid, if they were keen on slang terms for it.

In her quest to find the location of the Staff of Taulix, she had traveled to the Saurian Scar in the thousand islands of the Ijimulian archipelago, the Warrior's Wound deep in the jungles of Koluma, the temples of Arrenthen as well as the connecting temples in Untheria and Tehgol as well as many other locations. There, at each of these spiritual hotspots, she found clues and hints to the existence of the Staff of Taulix, but no solid information about its whereabouts.

However, almost all of the locations had messages and illustrations of the world's map on or in them, and every clue indicated that Uriel was a piece of the puzzle that she might need to uncover the secret of the Staff. Problem was, she didn't know for certain where the next clue might be found other than the generic hint that it be 'underground in a series of tunnels', so she was going in blind.

Such bumps in her path would not deter her from the staff of ultimate land mastery.

"So what's going to happen?" She asked her gryphon companion despite Ceylon being unable to respond with anything other than a series of screeches, chirps, and low growls. "Think the clergy there would be keen on hosting me and entertaining my quest, or is this something I'll need to seek out the potion's guild in this region?"

"Chrr?" The gryphon responded with an upwards inflection, indicating that he didn't know. Though he was feral in mind and spirit, he possessed cognitive ability and intelligence well above that of a dog or dolphin, making him a great companion and a travel buddy. Ithilwen opted to not ride him, as she tried her best to only utilize him as a mount when flying; he was a magical creature with devastating magical abilities well beyond that of a typical quadruped beast, and he deserved her respect and reverence.

She nodded. "Good point. I won't know until I get in there and ask around. Maybe do some digging, bribe some tavern master to give me access to the sullen underbelly of the city." She clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth before pushing forward, her paws brushing through the soft grass and flowers of the rolling meadows. "I do think we should get some food, though. What do you want today? Cooked stuff or raw rodents?"

Ceylon bobbed his head and leaned into her, his beak nuzzling into her cheek as they walked, a light cooing sound emanating and rumbling within his throat. As he walked, the clanging and chiming of trinkets rang through the bags draped over his sides, a collection that had been slowly growing over the course of their years together.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." She said, pausing to dive under his wing and open up one of the satchels. In there, she pulled out her flute. "Rodents it is!" After pulling away, she slid her walking stick into a holster on her back before putting her lips up to the flute and playing a tune, dancing lightly as she made music.

Mere seconds later, Ceylon pulled away from her in an enthusiastic pounce, his powerful hindquarters tensing as he kicked off the dirt, launching himself in the air for an ambush and his wings keeping him afloat for about fifty meters before finding something and angling downward. When he landed - front talons out and claws curled to grab - he buried himself face first in the long dirt, hindquarters up and front end partially obstructed as he started ripping and tearing at the ground.

"Alright, good boy." She called out, putting her flute away. "Now bring me one." Ithilwen had used the flute to entrance and coerce any rodents or small mammals within earshot to emerge from their dens, thus giving Ceylon a few dozen prey items in the middle of the massive open fields for him to hunt. As usual, his pursuit lasted only a few brief moments before he had found something.

In response to her request, Ceylon flopped down on the grass and raised his now-bloody face and beak, eyes wide and ears perked as if he'd been caught in the act of something.

Ithilwen briskly jogged through the hills and valleys of the field with eyes narrowed. "What? Did you think this was just for you? I like to eat, too, so where's mine?" She asked in a somewhat frustrated tone while still making her way to him.

Before she got too close, Ceylon quickly buried his head in the grass and tossed his neck back, gulping down the half of the rabbit he hadn't already eaten, ensuring she didn't get anything.

"Depths curse you, greedy bird!" She scolded as she walked up next to him, staring down at the bloody mess of flattened grass and flowers between his talons and under his dripping beak. "Now go get me one as well." Once again she brought her flute up to her lips and played another tune, coaxing the rabbits and rats of the field to pop their little heads up, thus sealing their fate as Ithilwen's meal.

After their little hunt, they both carried on to the next leg of their journey travelling north to the outer rim of the Uriel city wall, a series of six rats tied by string and dangling over Ceylon's neck with three on either side.

"Can't believe you'd do this to me, fluffbutt. 'Oh, I'll hunt myself a big juicy rabbit and swallow it down, but Ithilwen can eat rats'. Oh, never mind the fact that I can just gulp down the critters like nothing and she has to skin and cook her food." She said in a mocking tone. "That's what you sound like to me in my head. Pitiful."

Ceylon clicked and licked his now-clean beak with a gape grin, like he was proud of his actions.

"I'll remember that." Ithilwen warned as they stood in the middle of one of the roadways that would eventually lead into the city. Now that they had gotten close, the fields had given way to a thick forest and tall maze of cliffs that wrapped around the city. This seemed like it was perfect for protection back in the days of wars and castle sieges, as it was nearly impenetrable by armies.

However, as they were contentedly walking down the road, they saw another group of about a dozen coming in the other direction comprised of what looked like equines, dragons, some avians, and a few felines. Given the region's notorious reputation for bandits and roving gangs hovering around the city walls looking to prey on travelers, Ithilwen readied her staff. "Be wary, Ceylon. Not sure if these are friend or foe." Though she was cautious, she did command power over the plant life and the soil itself, so if need be she could fend off a dozen or so assailants.

Her gryphon companion could also hold his own in a battle, given his size, weapons, and magical ability. He could rip and tear with his beak and claws, fly to ambush and avoid attacks, barrel through groups with his wings out, and use rudimentary spells like casting fireballs, freezing, or spewing lightning bolts in all directions. Accompanied with her, the two could take on dozens easily.

"Chgrurrr." Ceylon rumbled in disapproval, lowering his head into a defensive stance as his wings spread a bit.

"Yeah, they better not mess with us." Ithilwen agreed, patting him on the neck while using a bit of magic to trigger and awaken the gem at the end of her staff. The two of them made their way down the pathway between the twin cliffs, where they met the group of travelers. The biggest one - a biped dragon - stepped forward to address her.

"Best be careful missy, you likely don't wanna be seen around these parts with a beast like that in tow." He said, a sinister tone in his voice.

Ithilwen looked up at him, defiant. "And why's that?" She asked, deliberately putting forth a touch sounding facade. She wasn't truly scared, but she still wanted to avoid any and all conflict.

The dragon flicked his ear frill and half-cocked a grin. "Well, they don't much like ferals in these parts - or any quads for that matter - and I hear gryphon meat is magically tenderized." Though his words were clearly cautionary, his tone remained threatening.

"What exactly do you think someone would want to do to my companion? Is there some sort of bylaw against quads in this region?" She asked, both curious and cautious.

One of the large equines came up behind the dragon, leaning on his shoulder to look down at her. "Well, if they don't wrap him up in chains and sell him to the arena, they could force him to work in the shore front brothels. Or they'll just kill him and send him to a butcher. Nasty place is Uriel, at least for four-leggers."

Ithilwen gulped heavily, not sure how to take this. Her mind drifted to the thought of Ceylon being torn up and quartered, but then she couldn't help but imagine his powerful innate magics being triggered and blowing a hole in the market, killing all in the area. "I think we're fine, I'm not too worried about it." She declared, feigning confidence.

The dragon and equine shared a look and shrugged at each other. "Whatever you say, miss. It's his funeral." The dragon dismissed, before waving the rest of his companions to follow. "Come on blokes, let's begone, let this foolish girl and her gryphon die their own deaths." With that, all of them walked by between and around both Ithilwen and Ceylon, leaving them in their wake as they turned the bend to disappear into the path that snaked its way through the cliffs and forest.

"Whir?" Ceylon chirped as he raised his head and ears, eyes trained where they walked.

"Yeah, that was weird. I agree. So what are we going to do?" She patted him on the chest and gave him a bit of a rub as he nuzzled into her. "Think we trust them?"

The gryphon hissed, lowering his ears.

"Good point. Maybe we should hold off another day. Set up camp, observe, go from there." With that new plan in mind, she grabbed him by the leather strap around his chest used to anchor the saddlebags and guided him off the path to disappear up the steep hills that lined the cliff. Her goal was to find a camp site, hopefully one that overlooked the city but was hidden.

He followed, but eventually kicked off to spread his wings and fly around in the sky, keeping an eye on her as she darted through the woods to find an appropriate potential campground far away from both the path and the wall. Once she found that spot, she waved to the sky to guide him down. When he landed, she patted his chest and neck while cooing her encouragement.

"Alright, good boy. Here we are. I think it's time to set up camp." She repeated to him, gently undoing the saddlebags and pulling them off to lean them against a tree. "Night will be upon us soon enough and I don't want to risk having you in town with me at the mercy of the locals. As I always say, trust the ground beneath you and the trees before you, nothing else." She smiled and turned to look at him, chest puffed out in pride and the dim glow of the evening sun piercing the trees to twinkle on the reflective green of her outfit. "I'll get the campfire started, you stay here."

"Chir!" Ceylon chirped at her, smiling and nodding as he dropped his rump end on the ground near the bonfire destination. He was prepared to listen as she did her thing, so he just started licking his talon and using his claws to rake through his feathers down the back of his neck, preening himself.

Ithilwen then turned her attention to the rest of her duties, using her elemental magics to create a small divot in the dirt, lining it with nearby rocks for safety, and making it look pretty because she deserved both fashion and function in her makeshift camp. Another spell she had at her disposal allowed her to read the twigs and sticksin the area that made up the leaf litter around her, knowing which ones were fresh and which ones were dry and thus perfect kindling. After that, she explored the area a bit, looking for bigger logs she could chop up and use to fuel her bonfire.

Prep didn't take long, she had a half meter tall pillar of wood in a pyramid shape within minutes. The next step was to light it and let it grow, turning the wood to ember, so she used a light magic spell to conjure flame which she placed on the smallest and most volatile of the kindling, quickly growing and snaking its way up the smaller logs. Content with that and trusting her flame to do their thing, she turned to the saddlebags - now draped over a fallen tree trunk - and rummaged around until she found a few key items, including a grill, two foldable metal stands, a small pot, a bowl, a knife and a spoon. The metal stands connected to the grill, which would go over the bonfire, so she set them up first before getting the pot, bowl, and utensils out.

The fire was already rendering the wood into smoke and ash, as magically produced fire was a bit hotter and a bit more aggressive than flint-born fire. However, once the entirety of the wood had been engulfed in flames and had started to collapse on itself amidst a cacophony of crackling and popping, the magic fire ran out and the mundane fire took over, finding itself in a nice calm dance in the firepit, tableau of glowing ash rising into the evening sky. Once she was sure she was safe and wasn't going to be whipped by the flame, she placed the grill and stand over the campfire, letting it get hot.

"Still upset at you." She grumbled as she walked over to Ceylon and plucked the six dead rats from the strings that were draped over his neck to drape them over hers. "Could have caught me a rabbit or chubara or something with actual meat, but instead you're getting me rats while you pig out on a juicy rabbit. Greedy gryph." With the rats dangling over her chest, she used some of her magic to slice a log into a seat so that she could sit next to the fire and take care of the next step: properly skinning the rats.

Ceylon looked over at her with a gaping grin, fire dancing in the reflection on his eyes in such a manner it made him look sinister and borderline evil, but Ithilwen knew he was just being playful and it wasn't his fault the fire was dancing before him. He was just sitting there preening himself next to a tree while his rider was taking care of the campfire duties.

She used the knife to slice around the first rat's neck, decapitating it and allowing her to skin it in one fluid motion. She tossed the extra parts that she wasn't going to eat into the bowl, then gutted the rat and tossed the entrails as well. She repeated the process for each of the half-dozen rats, then went over to Ceylon with the bowl of parts and her fingers bloody, allowing him to lick both her and the bowl clean. "You're lucky I love you and can put up with your gross little personality quirks." She laughed at him, then returned to the saddlebags to find some of the vegetables and seasonings that she'd kept with her for exactly this type of situation.

From there she grabbed some thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, and flaked garlic as well as a tiny vial of oil. She also grabbed a single stalk of celery, one medium carrot, and a small onion. "Because rat is delicious in a soup but gross on a kebab." The last thing she plucked was a large bottle of water - one of a dozen for emergencies - before returning to the bonfire. Once she sat back down at her stump, she put the pot on the grill, poured the vial of oil into it, and tossed the flaked garlic. First, she finely chopped the onions and out them in the pot with the garlic, then she chopped the celery into thin discs and the carrot into tiny strips, tossing them in as well to add to the scents and flavors.

Already, a powerful and tasteful aroma was emanating from the pot, so she knew it was time to deal with the rats. One at a time, she parted their chest cavity and placed them belly down on the grill, letting the fire crackle and sizzle as their flesh started to crisp up. Needed some color before she could toss the meat into the soup. While it was cooking, she went back to the bags and got out her tongs, smiling and giggling about how well she was able to make good on a bad situation. Rat meat and some seasonings and veggies could turn some greasy rat meat into something delicious with the right preparation.

Once she got back to the bonfire, she stirred the sizzling veggies and flipped the rats, ensuring that a light char started to form on the meat and the veggies lightly crisped. This was all to add a slightly bitter but satisfying taste to the soup, a technique she'd learned from grandmistress Val a few years back. This could really add another level of depth to any meal, especially one that would otherwise be bland or uninteresting. Rat wasn't terrible, but certainly wasn't known to be as succulent or tasty as chicken or ulokar, and was more gamey than rabbit.

Ceylon chirped and purred at her, stepping up to her while crouching with belly dragging along the ground, eager and still hungry - as he often remained. As a gryphon, he had a high metabolism so was often hungry even after eating, which is why she wasn't actually angry at him for eating that plump rabbit. He slid his beak under her arm, making her bat at the pot of vegetables in the process.

"Hey! Cut it out, bird." She lightly chastised him, bonking his beak with the spoon. He didn't pull back or act ashamed, instead he just twisted his neck to try and get a lick at the spoon to sample the flavors from the rats. "Fluffbutt, quit that! you already had a full fat rabbit, leave me my rat meat, okay?" She grabbed a tuft of cheek feathers and leaned into him, playfully growling before kissing him on the beak and pushing him away, knowing full well that he wasn't the type to get angry with her. That's just how they acted together.

Once the meat was adequately grilled, she hopped over to the saddlebags again, mindful to bring Celyon with her so he didn't eat the rats off the bonfire as she grabbed a frying pan and a fork. He naturally followed her every step, eventually returning to the grill with Ithilwen. She grabbed each of the rat tails and used the fork to scrape and tear away all the meat into the frying pan. While the pan heated up, she stirred the veggies and seasonings again, then poured the concoction into the pan with the meat, mixing it up all at once. Given the heat of the fire, it wasn't long until the entire blend was sizzling and simmering to create the early bits of a broth.

Final step, she poured in the water and sprinkled salt and pepper, shifting the pan back and forth to mix and stir the soup. "There we go. Now, we wait for the broth to reduce a bit, let the flavor of veggies and meat fill into it, and BAM, then we're done. Nice hearty soup for the night." After waiting for the soup to boil, she grabbed the spoon she'd used to konk him on the beak earlier, licked it off, and took a sample of it as the broth was at a building rolling boil. "Not bad, not bad. Needs a few more minutes. You want some?"

Ceylon raised his beak to her, indignant even as he fell to his side in the dirt. He wanted the meat, but had no interest in anything else in the frying pan.

"Fine, your loss. More for me. I suppose you can go and do some hunting if you're feeling adventurous, but I'm going to stay here where it's warm. Sun is gone, we're entering twilight, and tomorrow is another day." She stayed at the bonfire, occasionally stirring the soup in the pan every minute or so as she looked out over the edge of the cliff. Now that she'd settled in and was able to get a better look at the world around her, she could see that there was a bit of a window between two trees and the edge of the cliff where she could barely see the top of the Uriel wall and into the city.

A beautiful sight, even if she was a little upset that her mount Ceylon wouldn't be able to properly enjoy it when she went to visit. The Port City of Uriel was bustling with energy, dozens of pillars of smoke accentuating the lamps and torches that lit the streets. There was a faint but recognizable sound of chatter as people went about their evening business, and it made her a little anxious as it reminded her how much she preferred the natural feeling of the land to the urban sprawl of civilization.

Half an hour passed with her tasting the soup a bit at a time before Ithilwen declared it to be finished. She used the spout in the side of the frying pan to pour half of it into a bowl for herself while pouring the rest back into the pot where it could simmer on the side of the grill. The intention was for it to stay warm without boiling; she didn't need to reduce it any farther.

With bowl in hand, she made her way to the log that the saddle bags were draped over, and Ceylon followed. She leaned against a branch that was poking out the side of it, and her mount curled up at her feet with one eye open, as he was keen to protect her. While enjoying her meal, Ithilwen relished the gradual change in symphony around her as the sounds of the city faded and the sounds of the night creatures took over, like the hooting of owls, the chirp of crickets, and the guttural mating calls of frogs.

In addition to the growing presence of the night, a gentle glow was starting to appear from the leaves and branches from the trees around them, as fireflies awakened and filled the forest with their neon lights.

Beautiful, utterly beautiful.

The first bowl of her soup seemed filling enough, so she didn't bother finishing the rest she left in the pot. She could put a lid on a container and keep it for later if she so desired, as reheating it was a viable option if she so chose and was much cheaper than buying something in town. Content, she slipped down onto the ground with Ceylon and he wrapped his wing around her. The night was finally here and the crescent moon was in the sky, so she knew it was about time to sleep. "So, with any luck the potions guild in the region will be helpful. For now, I think it's time we sleep." She cradled his beak and pulled him down so she could use his neck as a pillow.

Ceylon laid on his flank nestled into the side of the fallen log, with is wing over her body like a blanket and his neck under her head like a pillow, her back pressed up tight against the down and fur of his belly and chest. Content, he started to lightly purr, a deep rumbling that helped his mount sleep with him as her protector. He kept his head twisted in such a way that he could see and sense anyone coming if they got close.

"Good boy." She murmured to herself, wiggling and shifting in place to get comfortable. "See you in the morning." Ithilwen didn't even bother with a blanket or anything like that, as Ceylon's fur and feathers both kept her warm and well protected. The last thing she saw before closing her eyes for the last time was the suspended glow of the fireflies, illuminating the camp site.

Though Ithilwen remained at peace and comfortable during her sleep, unburdened by the imminent threat of conflict, she still found herself waking every few hours to see that the fire had been slowly dimming and the fireflies were still out in force. At one point she did use this opportunity to relieve herself, but other than that she stayed comfortably curled up under Ceylon's wing, cuddling up against him and using him to shield her from the cold of night.

And every time she was roused from her slumber, she sidled back up next to him with her feet or rump gently rubbing against the gryphon's massive sheath. This instilled a growing sense of desire within her and she knew that Ceylon was well-trained enough to not take any touch of his loins to mean play time, but still she couldn't help but fantasize about what might happen if she got needy in the middle of the night.

Ithilwen was no stranger to intimacy with Ceylon; quite the contrary, such interactions had become a cornerstone of their relationship! Still, she tried to not take advantage of him too much, for she knew and understood that too much built up reliance on her sexual advances could lead him to grow feral and stop following commands.

Regardless, that didn't mean she couldn't have some fun with him from time to time. Given that they'd be parting ways the following morning and Ceylon would certainly be sad at that, she felt like maybe it was in both her best interest and would be her mount's delight to have a bit of fun before she was forced to do what she knew she would have to do. Sort of an advance apology.

The thought in her mind, she bit her lip and grinned, pushing her rump back into him with her tail peeled to the side, the bulge within his sheath lightly prodding at her haunches. Naturally, this particular sort of attention roused him from his sleep, but he dare not move his head for she was still resting on his neck. Instead, he raised an ear and opened his eye to glance sidelong at her with a light chirp.

"Hey Cey." She said quietly, glancing up at him as she reached around behind her body to squeeze at his sheath. "You wanna play?" That was the trigger word, what incited him to get excited for potential passion. Once he heard those words, he raised his head and gaped his beak in a smile, feathers standing on end as he squeezed her tight up to his body with his wing, member growing inside his sheath to lightly poke and prod at her rump.

Though he could have bucked or got to all fours to properly mount, he was quite obedient to Ithlilwen and had been properly taught that he would only do as she commanded or be tied down. He didn't much like being tied down, especially not when it was the vines that came from the ground. Few things upset Ceylon more than having the sky taken from him. That's why he simply stayed on his side and gently arched his spine a bit, the motion peeling the layers of skin back from his sheath.

"Such a good boy." She cooed at him, patting his chest while her other hand fumbled around behind her, fingers grasping at the moist end of his member sticking out of the folded flesh of his sheath. After giving him a peck on the cheek, she slipped down under his wing and shimmied out of her pants, kicking them out from under the edges of his feathers in a pile close to the bonfire. While still under his wing - as if it were a blanket - she spun around and found a proper angle with her head resting up against his belly and her snout aimed towards his loins.

Curious, he lifted his wing to see what she was doing, but she reached out and pulled the wing down, covering herself back up and leaving Ceylon to be surprised when she went forward with her next actions. He gulped a bit, but kept a gaped beak because he knew what was coming.

Ithlilwen closed her eyes and leaned into his member, both hands peeling back the sheath to expose as much of it as she could. While the tip prodded at her nose, she extended her tongue to cradle the underside of it, licking up the thick musky fluid that had kept him moist inside his sheath. The flavor was absolutely delectable to her, despite how powerful it truly was. To most, the sweet yet bitter aroma would turn them off, but it reminded her of too many things she enjoyed, namely equines and fellow canines, to be turned off by it.

With a hungry slurp, she pulled his cock down and slid her muzzle over the tip of it, relishing the sensation as it disappeared down her gullet, the barbed tip lightly stabbing and tugging at her flesh. Though he possessed barbs around the head and in a few strips down the shaft, she didn't mind it since the roof of her mouth seemed perfectly adapted to such things, and it wasn't like the barbs were a series of needles, more like a cat tongue lapping at her throat - a deeply intimate kiss of sorts.

She grinned and slid her tongue out as far as it would go, ensuring her gryphon mount didn't feel her teeth cradling his member, then she gulped in a series of deep swallows meant to massage his length from knot to tip. Problem was, he was quite well endowed. Or, more accurately, he was just so much bigger than she was and his member was twice as long as her entire skull, so she had to make do with what she had, even as the first pump of his precum came gushing down her throat, nearly forcing a gag out of her. Immediately, she spat his member out and lapped up as much of the mess as she could before poking her head out to see Ceylon.

He had a dumb grin on his face and his eyes seemed to be unfocused.

"Hey, be careful, don't blow so fast, ya silly beast!" She lectured. When he didn't respond, she sighed and rolled her eyes, slipping back up under his wing to aim her rump at him. The brief yet pleasant sucking had moistened her loins enough that she felt she was ready to go forward; would have been unwise to just dive onto him.

She rubbed up and down his shaft to collect his fluids before smearing them all over her pussy, lubricating her inside and out as her fingers probed at her depths. Once again, she bit her lip as she felt her digits dance over her lips and rub at her clit. Ithilwen was ready for him. She leaned back and wrapped her fingers around his shaft, aiming it up under her tail with the spiny tip plucking and teasing at the flesh of her clitoris before she eased back into him, audibly gasping as his girth parted her lips and plunged into her.

Ceylon's body tensed as he pushed into her, his spine arching and wings subtly spreading. His front talon pressed down on her shoulder to hold her in place while he bucked his hips, forcing his member to disappear into Ithilwen right up to the knot. As his bulges pressed against her pelvic region, he lightly started to grind against her and force himself to tie.

Unfortunately for both he and she, his knot - though still uninflated and not yet engorged - was a bit too big for her relatively tight passage. That didn't stop her from trying, though, as she started grinding back on him, gyrating her hips to feel his girth invade her just a little bit deeper with each cycle. To her delight, she could feel the lobes of his knot rubbing against her, squeezing and squishing as they pressed out against her lips and distended her flesh; before long she could feel that her loins had loosened just enough to combine with his still-flaccid lobes to maybe allow him to slip into her.

This would be a bad idea, at least at first, so she planted her feet against his thighs and pushed off him so that only his cock tip remained within, throbbing and tickling her with his many barbs and tugging on her lips from within. Given that she had a very positive relationship with her mount, she had no problems taking advantage of him, using him for her own pleasure, so she grabbed him by the knot and awkwardly shifted onto her feet, pulling his length down between his legs as he laid on his side. There, she squatted down and leaned into him, burying his length into her in one sensual thrust.

With Ceylon on his side and her squatting down under his raised leg, she was able to lean back and forth, gradually getting into a rhythmic cycle that had his ridged and barbed length pumping in and out of her with a gentle sound of squelching flesh and the faint schlicking of their bodies caressing one another. Eventually, she got onto her knees and just started riding him with her tail up high, relishing in every slam of his knot on her lips.

That was, until she felt Ceylon's talon pressing down on her back, holding her in place as he started to reciprocate against her. He kept her down as he shifted and rolled in place, member still buried in her and tugging on her a she came to stand on all fours above her. Though his motions were dominant and aggressive, he also maintained an air of tentativeness, as he knew that she could tell him to stop at any time, so he waited for her command. Above her and holding her down, he started to grind into her, offering a series of shallow thrusts as his knot kept slapping and pushing against her loins.

Ithilwen moaned aloud, yipping gently and shuddering in delight as she felt his knot lobes teasing at her opening. Eager for all he had to offer, she leaned back into him and started swaying her hips at him to coax his knot lobes to roll from side to side, each motion daring to have his member squeeze and nearly pop into her. She kept this up briefly before just slamming her hips back against his, hoping he'd reciprocate.

When he did, she was ready. Ceylon leaned all of his weight down on her to keep her in place as he lowered his wings, covering her and protecting her while he slammed into her. His knot pressed heavily to her, stopped only by her hip bones before each of the lobe squeezed and squished, popping into her as his barbed tip stabbed through her cervix. Instantly, his knot lobes began to swell and expand inside her, locking them together in a perfect tie.

The urge welled up within Ithilwen to let out a long pleasured cry, but she stifled it and clenched her jaw shut, wincing and whimpering to herself as she felt the pressure build inside her. Luckily, Ceylon's knot and shaft weren't that different in girth so it wasn't too bad to take, but it was still well beyond what her kind would naturally be able to handle. She had been fooling around with Ceylon for over a year now, and knew what she was in for so she knew how to properly relax and what angle to remain at in order to get accustomed to his invasion of her loins.

In the middle of her complicated attempt to adjust, she felt a tickle on her ear as Ceylon leaned in and licked her cheek, his nares exhaling lightly against the fur on the back of her neck. "Oh hey, good boy Ceylon." She cooed at him, awkwardly reaching up to cradle his chin.

Like every other one of their encounters, Ceylon pretty much shut down once his knot had tied to her, as now his throbbing lobes were simply pumping one gooey strand of his seed into her after another. The pressure within her was intense, but she also found herself getting used to the cumbersome cock that was twitching and shifting about inside her, the lengthy knot pressing up against her womb and pushing out on her lips both.

He gave her a gentle preen at her cheek and neck before rolling back onto his side, cock tugging her along with him to lie down by the campfire. Given that he was so much larger than her, she had no choice but to sidle up next to him, once again relaxing in the fetal position with her haunches between his, her tail curled up around her, and her rump pressed tight to his sheath. The steady pumps of his cock kept her distracted and alert, at least for a little while.

Eventually, the rhythmic pulsation grew mundane and she was able to fall asleep, tied to her mount until morning. This time, she saw nothing, as his knot kept her hidden completely under his wing and he wasn't having her leave.

The sound of distant chirping woke the two of them that morning, and Ceylon quickly peeled his wing away from Ithilwen to expose her as he folded it up on his back. He yawned, then clicked his beak shut and licked at its edges before glancing down at her with a smile.

To her surprise, it was still dark out, with a light mass of fireflies illuminating the camp site. She shifted in place to get up, only to be reminded that she was still tied to Ceylon's knot, and he was still gently pumping more of his seed into her. Her mind quickly drifted to thoughts of how lucky she was that she and he weren't cross-compatible when it came to pregnancy, but then she got back to focusing on the task ahead of herself.

"So what are we going to do now?" She asked, pushing herself into an upward sitting position with him still inside her. "Have you got any ideas?"

Ceylon rolled onto all fours, dumping her onto her belly as he stood up straight; the weight of her body and his own subtle shifts yanked his knot from her depths in a sudden, lurching pop to let her drop on her chest and knees with tail up beneath him. While she stayed in place with a dumb look on her face and a throbbing burn in her loins, Ceylon stepped back and gently nuzzled under her tail to clean her up.

"Yeah, that'll do. I am okay with this." She cooed a therself, idly grabbing at the dirt beneath her as his tongue lapped at her lips and prodded at her depths to completely clean her out. His massive size brought with it an equally massive tongue, so he was able to prod so deep that he was able to relieve the pressure in her womb, thus coaxing every bit of his seed from her uterus. Not until he'd finished did she pull out from under him and brush herself off.

While still bottomless, she turned and gave him a tight hug, thanking him for being a gentleman. "You always know how to make a girl feel wanted." She patted him on the neck and turned back to the fire pit, every step a little awkward thanks to how loosened and battered her loins had become. When she crouched back down next to the pit, she felt a bit of a trickle from within her as she leaned forth and re-ignited the flames. Rat soup for breakfast. Nothing special, but it was pretty good and filling, and that's what she needed in such a situation.

Ithilwen couldn't help but slip one hand down between her legs to touch herself; as expected, her folds were quite loose and tender following Ceylon's tie, which made her happy even if it did mean she'd be walking bow-legged for an hour or two. When she glanced back over her shoulder, she saw that he was pacing in the clearing, wings partially spread as he looked to the sky. The faintest hint of light could be seen peeking through the trees, which told her sunrise was nearly upon them, so she nodded his way. "Go ahead, get something to eat, okay? I'm going to have some soup. Don't be long." She made a waving motion with her hand, indicating he should begone, at least for now.

He nodded and leapt into the sky, flapping his wings with all his might to carry him above the trees, thus propelling him over the cliff and off to find something for breakfast. Just as he disappeared, Ithilwen winced as she realized she really should have given him the guidance to stay away from town, but it was too late now and no amount of fussing about him would help get some more food in her belly. Besides, Ceylon was nearly as capable as she with magical defense and he had the added benefit of flight, so he wasn't exactly helpless.

As the flame grew to a nice crackling medium heat, she slumped down on the log she'd set up next to the bonfire, noticing immediately how sore Ceylon had made her in their tie. She wince, but then shook it off as she grabbed a spoon and started stirring her soup. "Rat. Not my favorite, but not the end of the world. Never the end of the world, and with the right spices anything can be good." Ithilwen was in the habit of talking to herself, given then most of her time was spent trekking across the fields and forests with Ceylon.

Her mount seemed to understand much of what she said, reacting well to commands and learning new things well, but he was still a feral beast. Partially domesticated, but not reliant on her to care for him; oftentimes it seemed she relied on him more than the other way around, and he mostly just kept her around for all the sex she offered whenever she needed it. Given that she was on her own most of the time and wasn't much interested in other agens of the world, she just found that Ceylon's company was superior in virtually every other way. He listened, he cared, he protected her, and no biped was hung quite like a quadruped gryphon, not even the Equines of Tehgol.

Content with herself, she let the soup finish cooking and she got to eat it in its entirety before Ceylon came back in a controlled dive between the trees, landing in the clearing next to her. She had been expecting him to come back covered in blood from the kill, but he was completely clean. Perhaps he'd failed to find anything; or more optimistically he may have finally thought to clean up after himself post meal! That would certainly make her happiest.

"Well, what did you get?" She asked, putting her mostly empty bowl of rat soup down next to her and stepping up to him. When she went to touch his neck and chest, she heard a deep rumbling making its way up his gullet to release in a burp; his head was higher than hers, so the smell went up and she didn't have to endure that. Still, she waved her hand across her snout. "Okay, so you ate. Was it a fish or something?" He wasn't wet, but his feathers were hydrophobic and he never stayed wet even after diving, so that didn't mean anything.

He trotted in place with a look of pride on his face, beak agape and eyes wide. Whatever he'd done, he was proud of.

"Yes, yes. Good for you hun. But I have to say, Morning will be here soon, and I do think it's time for us to part ways, at least for the day." She explained. When he cocked his head in confusion, the look of dalliance fading, she felt she needed to explain farther. As she grabbed her pants and put them on, she filled him in. "I've got to go to town, but you can't come with me. I don't want to run a risk of those hooligans on the trail being right. A magical being like you is worth a lot of coin to a lot of people either as a mount or a sex slave or even as meat."

His ears perked up and he hissed, eyes narrowing.

She hushed him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know! I know! Terrible people in Uriel. But there's nothing I can do. Not a lot of plants in the city I don't think, so using my magic won't save you, dear." She pulled back and smiled, cradling his chin. "So you gotta stay here, I'll go into town, I'll get the information I need from the potions guild since they seem to have connections to virtually everything in the region, then I'll come back. No harm, no foul."

After explaining all this, she grabbed some of her stuff from the saddlebags including her staff, a backpack, and a whole lot of coin. This would be good enough to get her all the bargaining tools she would need in order to get advice. She also took some vine seeds that she could use as weapons if the need arose. While the Staff of Taulix could conjure and create vines and control them with great power, the seeds she held were enchanted and would explode into a net when thrown and ignited, wrapping around the intended target. Perfect for getting out of a situation using non-lethal means.

"So can you do that for me?" She asked, pointing to the ground. "Can you stay here? Don't leave or I might not find you."

As commanded, Ceylon bowed his head and lowered himself to his belly, beak on the ground between his front talons as he looked up at her. He was so well behaved.

"I'm glad to hear it. Sorry to do this to you, but stay. Do not move until I come back, okay?" Her voice got a little bit more stern, indicating she was quite serious about her command. The two shared a lengthy gaze into each others' eyes as she smiled. Ithilwen's plan was simple: if she left enough of her possessions here and didn't clear away the bonfire, this camp site would be a temporary home for them even in her absence. She had done such things with him in the past, setting up camp and doing leaving for a few hours at the time and he always did as commanded, this would be no different.

Except it was. Once she was dressed and packed up about ready to leave, Ceylon stood back up and tried to follow her only to have her turn back around and point back towards the bonfire. "No, you stay. Lay down!" Her voice was stern, so Ceylon obeyed to head back to the camp site, but then followed again the next time she tried to turn to leave.

After three failed attempts, she sighed heavily and shook her head. "Ceylon, come on, you can't come with me, you have to stay here. I know you're loyal and don't want to let me out of your sight and I admire that, but you gotta let me go. I won't be long, I guarantee I'll be back by sundown, I promise!"

Though he seemed to understand, he still crept forth with a a look of concern in his eyes. He really, really didn't want to leave her even though he couldn't go with her. Perhaps he just didn't understand, or maybe he knew something she didn't, but she still couldn't risk having him in town with her. That could literally be deadly.

"Look, if you don't stay here when I go away, then we're going to have a problem. I don't want to have to get out the leather, but I will if I have to." She gave him one last stern look before turning to head down the embankment. After hopping down over a few logs, she heard the rustling of bushes behind her, so she once again made her way back to camp and passed around Ceylon as he turned around one of the trees to follow her back. "I really don't want to do this, but you leave me no choice."

As she scolded, she reached into the saddle bags and grabbed a series of leather harnesses linked together by metal rings each with a series of studs in them and tiny little rounded spikes that would press in against his chest. It was meant as discipline, though she hated having to do it. Tough love, not hatred or sadism. Ithilwen sighed and shook her head and turned to face her mount.

Ceylon was right behind her, and as soon as he saw the harness, he lowered his head in shame, knowing he was in trouble. The muscles in his shoulder and neck tensed a bit, as if he were about to dart away, but over time Ithilwen had shown him that such things were not good as she'd toss the seeds his way and get him tangled up in the enchanted vines.

"I told you I don't want to do this, but you leave me no choice. I can't risk having you in town and you'll be safe here, I promise." She assured him, leaning in close to press the chest plate against his torso. Her motions were quick and effective, wrapping the leather straps around his chest on either side of his wings and connecting over his spine. After tightening the straps, she attached a leash that wrapped around a nearby tree, thus anchoring him in place. Before moving along, she wrapped a couple of straps around his wings to bind them in place, keeping them bent at the elbow to ensure he didn't flap and damage himself.

He whimpered gently and laid down, shamed.

"Words cannot describe or explain just how sorry I am that it came to this, but I truly had no choice my dear. Please forgive me." She bowed to him and turned to walk away, only to hear clanging and clinking of claws on metal behind her. When she turned around, she saw Ceylon gnawing and poking at the leash, trying to undo it from the tree.

Amused, she cocked her head to the side to watch, and to her shock he was able to undo the latch and bound across the clearing towards her. He scrabbled up and wagged his rump, proud of himself for having released the binds of the leash, even if he was still wrapped in leathers.

She couldn't help but nod in approval. "Okay, okay, I must credit you for your skills, but I must also apologize as this cannot be allowed." Again, she took him by the binds and guided him back to the tree, only this time she got under him and pushed up at his chest to urge him to fall back on his rump. There, he rolled back and leaned against the tree, idly licking and pawing at her face with her talons. She kissed him back and wrapped a strap around each of his wrists, gently pushing down to force them into a latch around his waist, one at a time so that neither of his talons could undo the latches.

The intention was to ensure that he didn't get loose. It was very important at this point to keep him out of the city, for if he joined her his life was at risk and no staff no matter how powerful was worth Ceylon's life to her.

"Please, just stay and for the love of the skies and depths both, stay here." She said, a growl in her voice. Ithilwen needed to be very clear that she did not approve Ceylon following her, and she knew that if he got out of his binds again, she'd just have to accept that there was no holding him back and she'd just have to risk it or give up on the quest.

Or get a friend to care for him while she came to Uriel. That was an option, too.

When she turned to leave again, she heard a light whimper from behind. Ceylon was on his rump, back against the tree with wings and talons bound in place so he was completely unable to move. He was crying, sad or maybe hurt that she would do this to him. Though she needed to keep strong to show the tough love she had within her, she still felt terrible leaving him like that.

Maybe she had one way she could cheer him up, to apologize for what she was doing.

Upon walking back to him, he stared down at her with his intense blue eyes as his chest heaved and a weak-sounding whine came from his beak. He hissed gently, beak mostly shut to prove a point; he wasn't happy with her and she had no problems being able to tell this, he even snapped at her a bit when she came close, holding himself back from actually nipping at her.

"Shhhh, shhh. Calm yourself, Ceylon." She cooed at him as she reached up and cradled his cheek. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

He growled and pushed her hand away, halfheartedly nipping at her arm but holding back.

She smiled up at him again, slowly getting down to a knee with her body hovering over his tail and her chest down over his sheath and balls. She knew that one of the best ways to satisfy him and pacify him when angry was to give him the right kind of attention, so she leaned into his lower belly and stated idly rubbing and kneading at his sheath. Instantly she saw his expression melt from intense to content. "There ya go, that's a bit more like it, isn't it?" She cooed at him, squeezing and pulling at his loose belly and sheath flesh.

As if on command, he bucked his hips, the angle peeling his skin back and exposing the tip of his member once again. He couldn't move much so he relied on her to carry on, that intense look still peeking through the compassion on his face.

Ithilwen kept tugging at his sheath until every inch of him had been revealed, the girth and length of it bobbing and drooping before her. Though he was still mostly flaccid, his member remained thick and firm, as gryphon cocks often kept. As his length revealed itself to her, a steamy cloud of musky scent blasted at her from his loins, the thick aroma sticking to her nostrils to curl her toes and raise her tail. "Yeah, glad to see you've warmed a bit to me again, my dear." She whispered at him, knowing full well that he would be able to hear her every word.

While Ceylon remained incapacitated, she turned and lifted her tail, bending over and slowly leaning back to rest on his belly with her back up by her chest. She was still wearing her pants, but that didn't stop her from grabbing his shaft and rubbing the barbed tip up against the tight of her fabric, each barb puncturing the layers to lightly tease at her lips. The sensation urged a restrained whimper of desire before she decided it was time to disrobe - at least on her lower half.

She kept one hand wrapped around the base of his knot as her other hand reached down and undid the string of her legwear, allowing her to push them down one leg at a time and step out of them. She kicked the garment off to the side and leaned back down, never once letting go of his member. Naturally, Ithilwen relished every second of this, as she felt his knot lobes growing in her palm as the weight pushed down on her wrist and the light secretions of his natural lubricant moistened her forearm. There was a fear that he could bite her, but it wasn't likely given that she had his cock in hand.

Still loose and a little tender from before, she knew full well that she wouldn't be able to hilt him again, as her loins were still recovering from mere hours ago. Though time was short and she knew she'd get the best access to information if she left quick, a large part of her really wanted to give Ceylon the affection he deserved. As a bit of a tease both to herself and to him, she pressed his cock tip up to her folds, rubbing her slit up and down his length as his barbs snagged and expanded to caress her clitoris, the most wonderful of ways to please herself, especially when added to the gooey mess he was pumping up that she was able to smear all over her fleshy, tender lips.

From that point, Ceylon did lean down to use his beak on her, but it wasn't to bite or probe; instead he preened at her, raking his hooked beak through her hair as his exhalations tickled the fur on her ears. He tried to buck into her, his feral instincts taking over and demanding his action, but the binds held him firm and he was left struggling to participate.

Ithilwen knew this and could tell he was trying, so she tried her best to give back to the beast by not wasting any of his or her time. She wrapped her fingers against the base of his knot and guided his tip into her, sitting down on him the moment she felt his warmth get enveloped by her hungry pussy. A contented whimper came in stages as her flesh swallowed him up one cock ridge at a time until she felt his barbed tip once again teasing at her cervix.

Like last time, she pushed down until she felt his knot lobes pressing against her bones, only unlike last time his swelling had already maxed out and wouldn't go any bigger, so there was no chance he'd actually pop in. Better for her, but it didn't stop her from having her fun. Even though those massive lobes just wouldn't slip and squish to lurch into her, she started to lean back and forth, bending her knees to ride his shaft up and down, never once letting go of his knot lobe.

The key was to keep the pressure at the base of his member, for the grip she held there was what emulated having a gryphoness clench down on him and hold him in a tie, which would thus release the seed and trigger his orgasm and subsequent ejaculation. She could already feel the steady throbs of the veins on his member and the tensing of muscle that was pumping bits of precum into her, soaking her walls with his essence to prepare her from his seed, but she wasn't prepared for what he coaxed out of her.

As it turned out, she still had quite the womb full of his seed from the night before, and the steady slapping and stabbing of his barbed tip on her cervix was loosening her up and breaking the dam, thus releasing a torrent of gryphon cum over his shaft to start leaking and spurting out in all directions alongside every one of her sloppy yet vigorous thrusts.

Ithilwen could have stopped to clean it up or at least preserve some of her dignity, but instead she just kept going, squatting down on him to feel his girth pump in and out of her with every juicy motion. More of his juices pumped up into her, adding to the mess that was erupting from between her clit and his knot lobes, so she used her free hand to rub herself, getting soaked in the process. As she glanced back, she could see that Ceylon was still happy, grinning with his intense stare as his spine bucked and pushed up into her with all the strength he could muster, so she carried on.

Given the vast difference in size between them, she couldn't really get down onto her knees or anything, so she put one of her paws up on his inner thigh and did her best to squat down, slowly relishing every rib of his shaft slipping into her, forcing the concoction of seed and precum to squirt out over his bright pink member, dribbling down between each of his knot lobes and pooling on his belly and ball sack. She had to keep proper balance by leaning on his other knee, but the sensation of feeling her flesh part in a more traditional mating thrust time and time again was hypnotic and transcendent to her, so she didn't slow down, not even when she felt her own pleasure reaching its plateau.

She kept at him, bouncing up and down, rumbling in pleasure and approval as his length and especially that barbed tip did a number on her pussy, tenderizing her from within and bringing her to her own climax with each deep thrust she bestowed upon him.

Though it seemed she got a little too enthusiastic, as she quickly started to lose her rhythm as she felt her first climactic orgasm overcome her body, the pleasure rocking up and down her spine from tail tip to the back of her neck The sudden tensing of muscles all through her body curled her toes into the dirt and caused her to lose her balance, thus sitting with all her weight on his fully engorged knot as her body fell back onto his chest.

Ceylon curled his neck around with his feathers all on end as he bit down on her neck in an attempt to hold her down and in place as he bucked his hips up. He was trying his best to knot her, and in her orgasm-induced clumsiness she had released his knot so the lobes were deflating a bit, putting her in a very dangerous position, indeed.

She did let him grind and push against her a few times, as the climax had shorted out her brain and fizzled her thought processes just enough to make her relish the sensations too much to stop him from tying her properly. This was allowed only a few times before she felt that familiar rolling and grinding she knew led to the pop and lurch into her.

The very moment she retained her lucidity, she pushed his beak off her shoulders and kicked off his belly, pushing away and stumbling to her hands and knees near the end of his tail as a torrent of fluids burst from her pussy to leave a visible puddle between her legs and over his tail. She glanced back over her shoulder to see Ceylon struggling against his bonds with tongue out in an expression that cried for the right to clean his mess up, but she knew that she couldn't let him have that. Not this time.

"Sorry, Cey. You've had your fun for now, but I really think it's time to go." She brushed herself off while still on her knees, grunting as she squeezed her pelvic muscles and ejected as much of the fluid from her depths as she could with the help of two fingers to part her lips and gape her open to the cervix. After a few moments of that, she got to her feet and continued to brush herself off, quickly hopping back into her pants again and picking up her satchel and side-bag.

All the while, Ceylon remained tied to the tree and unable to move. He tried squirming and pulling away with every muscle at first, but gave up quick when it became clear he was tied. He stared her in the eye with his cock resting heavily on his belly and a gooey mess soaking into his fur.

"Oh don't look at me like that. You know this is for your own good; you understand everything I say and do, so why are you being so petulant now." She scolded him, a bit of a bow-legged stance highlighting her steps away. "I'll be back by sundown, my dear. I promise."

With that, she blew him a kiss and disappeared into the woods, leaving him alone at her makeshift campground as she went to do business with the locals.

Any other time he would have obeyed, but this wasn't quite like every other time. If only she'd thought to wonder what it was that had Ceylon vexed and unwilling to be separated from her. If only.