Hunted: Chapter 5
#5 of Hunted
Chapter 5
The girl was a pitiful sight as she made her way up the beach toward the docks of the port. Her green dress had dried off, but the seawater had left stains of salt across it. Sand caked her feet and the hem of her dress. Her hair was tangled and knotted, falling haphazardly over her shoulders. She noticed with relief that the walls of the port didn't include the docks themselves, so she was able to slip into the crowd there unnoticed. Unsure of what to do, she wandered through the crowd. Aside from a few sailors, she was the only human in sight, and the looks some of the dockhands gave her sent shivers down her spine. Quickly, she moved away from the docks. She passed by one open gate, just glancing in. Stumbling to a halt, she backtracked and looked in again. The colorful tents and loud calls of the vendors enchanted her immediately. Stepping through the gate, she made her way into the bustling market.
Drifting from stall to stall, she looked over the merchandise displayed with joy. At one booth, rolls of cloth laid in racks, samples spread out across the countertop. At another, wooden figures lay scattered across a wooden table, some complete, some half-done, and others still unrecognizable as to what they would be. An otter leaned back in his chair nearby, a small block of wood in his paws. A short knife danced across the surface, curls of wood falling away as a figure slowly emerged from its cage. The girl picked one up and studied it, amazed at the detail. It was a wolf, his powerful build clearly visible, from his legs to his head and, to the surprise of the girl, the bulge in the front of the wolf's pants. The lines that made up the wolf's fur were so realistic that they almost looked like they'd be soft to the touch.
She turned it over, noting the defined muscles on the wolf's back, as well as the sword that lay across them. The blade went from the wolf's shoulder to his hip, and the tail there curved slightly so as not to expand the statue's area too much. She looked closer at the scabbard of the sword, where a crest of a wolf's paw was engraved. Her eyes narrowed, she was almost certain she'd seen that symbol before...
"You have good eyes, girl."
She jumped and looked up, gazing at the otter who had turned his attention to her. The statuette he had been carving sat in his lap, the knife twirling idly in his paws as her studied her. He stood up, the chair creaking slightly as it was released from his weight. Padding over, he took the figure out of her hand and set it down on the counter. Pulling a few more from around the room, he quickly arranged then into a line. They were all statues of the same person, she realized as she looked them all over. They were in different positions, from crouched to standing to regal to relaxed, but they were all the same wolf.
"What's your name, girl?"
"A-Ayala." She said, surprised at the question. Why would he care? Did he do this with all his prospective costumers? "Why do you say I have good eyes?"
The otter nodded to the statues. "Out of all the statues I have here, you picked the one I made of Prince Aylmer. I've only ever seen him once, but that all these eyes need to see. Eyes that hold the world captive, that's what me mum said. One look at him, but I can guarantee that if you ever see the Prince, he'll look just like that."
"You have skill." Ayala said, "Why do you sell your craft in a market like this? Surely there are those that will pay more."
The otter chuckled and sat back down in his chair. "This is just what I do to keep busy. My grandson sends me money now. He doesn't want me working. He says that the King pays him enough as a bodyguard to the Prince that sending some to me doesn't leave him wanting." He smiled as he eyed the statues. "It's actually that Prince that he guards. He tells me that the wolf has a bad temper at times, but he's never viscous." Ayala watched as the otter's eyes began to droop, his voice growing softer as he slipped into his memories. "That boy is just like his father. Reckless, a prankster, and gets along with almost anyone. Yes..."
Ayala slipped away from the dozing otter, feeling compelled to search through the stalls not yet visited. She was rather surprised that the old otter made no mention of the state of her dress. In her experience, the older the person was, the more they cared about how you looked.
Another merchant nearby caught her eye. Walking over, she bent to admire the delicate workmanship of the gold necklace on display. Her mother had some like it, but this one was rather unique due to the sheer simplistic beauty of the thing. There was enough decoration to provide interest, but not so much that it became ornate. Bending closer, she reached out to touch it.
A paw grabbed her wrist roughly. "Thinking of stealing, are we?" A voice whispered hotly in her ear. "That's not a good profession for such a tender young lady." Turning, Ayala nearly felt her heart stop. A canine in light armor towered over her, his massive head bent close, wet nose sniffing her. "I can show you something better to do with your time."
Ayala tugged her hand away. "Leave me alone!"
The dog merely chuckled and pulled her close. "It's too dangerous for you to be out here all alone though. Don't worry, I won't let you out of my sight."
Pushing against him, she cried out. "Let me go! I'm fine by myself!"
A wide tongue lapped across her head, a deep growl sounding in her ear. "But you can be more than fine with me."
"I'll call the guards!"
The dog chuckled roughly as he ground himself against her. She felt the large bulge in his pants rub against the small of her back, covering about half its width. "Go ahead, my sweet little girl. I'm the head captain for the lord of this area, I outrank them."
Ayala panicked, stomping on his footpaw as she jerked away. The canine yelped at the pain, and his grip loosened enough that she was able to jerk herself away. He hissed and glanced down at his footpaw, then noticed the scrap of green cloth in his paw from the sleeves of her dress. It had been torn off when she tugged herself away. Growling, he tossed it to the side and stalked forward, paws clenched. Ayala backed up, eyes wide in terror as she looked into his hard, cold eyes.
"You are making me incredibly horny, bitch. I was gonna let you off lightly, but now I think I'll have to tie you down and make sure I leave you only when you're begging me for more. I haven't e"ver knot-fucked a bitch before, aside from the Lord's pet, but it doesn't count in this case. I think I might try on you." His teeth were bared and he was salivating now, stroking his sheath lightly through his pants as he advanced on her. Ayala glanced from side to side, noticing that those in the crowd were pointedly ignoring them. A few of the more sensually dressed females by the dark entrances to the alleys were glancing at her out of the corner of their eyes, but they always darted over to the dog stalking her and looked away, fear etched into their features.
Ayala was backing up now, trying to match the dog's speed and keep a consistent distance between them. The dog was taking his time, following her step by step. Every time one of her steps would falter, he would narrow the gap between them, grinning all the while. She was so concerned about watching him that she failed to pay attention to where she was going and her head snapped back as she ran into someone behind her. Risking a glance over her shoulder, she gasped and spun around, backing away from the wolf she had run into. The dog stalking her had been stocky huge, but this wolf was tall as well as wide in the shoulders. Ayala felt like she remembered him from somewhere, but couldn't place it. He had four armored guards standing near him, and they were all eyeing her, sizing up her potential for danger.
As the wolf turned, she felt an arm wrap over her shoulder and down across her breast. "Sorry, sir, my girl here wasn't looking where she was going. I was just about to take her home and continue the day with her in my arms. If you don't mind, I think we'll stick to that plan."
Ayala opened her mouth to object, but something cold and sharp poked her in the back. A knife, she supposed, and he had her in a spot where she couldn't get to her own dagger anyways. The wolf looked at her and she gave him her most pleading look, begging him to come save her. He stepped forward, eyes fixed on her. Ayala almost didn't notice, but out of the corner of her eye she saw a couple of the people who were with him circling around behind them. They looked like they were just checking out the surrounding merchants, but she sincerely hoped that that was not the case.
The wolf beckoned to her. "Come here, girl."
She bit her bottom lip softly as she felt the dog behind her tense up at the order. The knife pricked her back slightly, and she could feel a trickle of blood welling at the spot. She tried to take a step forward but the arms around her tightened. The dog's voice called over her head. "This is my girl, wolf, go get your own."
The wolf glared at him and raised a paw. The knife at her back suddenly disappeared as the captain grunted, his arms going limp. Ayala quickly wrenched herself away from his weakened grasp and backed away. She didn't realize the direction she was going until she bumped into the wolf again. His heavy paw came down on her shoulder, gripping it firmly, but not painfully.
"It doesn't look like she wants to be your girl."
The dog looked up from where the wolf's four guards had him pinned. "My girl is whoever I want, pup."
One of the guards, an otter, tightened his headlock slightly. "Show more respect when you talk to you betters, cur. That is-"
"Rorc! Not another word!" The wolf barked at him. The otter looked at him, surprised, before turning away, a hurt look on his face. The wolf sighed. "I would feel better if we didn't go around advocating who I was."
Rorc nodded. "Yes sir, I'm sorry to cause you trouble, sir."
The wolf began stroking Ayala's shoulder as he spoke again, apparently unaware of what he was doing. "There is no need to apologize, Rorc. You did what you were trained to do, but it is against my desires for this situation." He turned his gaze to the dog. "Now, I order you to stay away from this girl from now on. If I hear that you have done anything to her, or have even been near her, I will have you thrown in the nearest cell I can find." He waved his paw. "Release him."
The captain straightened as they got off him. Glaring at the wolf behind her, he snarled and spun around, stalking off. A gentle paw spun her around, and Ayala found herself staring into the wolf's brown eyes. His nostrils distended as he sniffed her, eyes drooping as he cataloged her scent.
"You smell like the sea."
Ayala blushed. She supposed it was inevitable that someone would bring it up, she had been soaking in seawater for at least a day. However, the last thing she wanted anyone to know was that she had been forced to flee her ship in the middle of the ocean. "I...ah...I was rowing my boat and got lost. This...was the nearest town, so I came here to see if I could acquire shelter for a while."
The wolf eyed her thoughtfully. Shrugging, he spoke. "Well, there can be no harm in you tagging along. Why don't you come with me? You can avoid any other miscreants that way. I'm Aylmer, by the way."
Aylmer. Why did the name sound so familiar? She laid the question aside for now, she could ponder it later. Smiling warmly up at the wolf, she nodded. "As long as I'm not a burden."
He looked away, and she swore she saw the inside of his ears darken. "You're not."
"So, I told you what I was doing here, but I don't know what your purpose is. Will you tell me?" She glanced over at him as they began walking. The otter who had put the captain in a headlock stuck close behind her, not entirely sure about letting an unknown person close to his employer. She glanced at him, letting him know that she knew he was there, then turned her attention back to the wolf. His ears were perked forward and his tail gave a short wag at her words, but it was quickly stilled.
"I just arrived here this afternoon and there was nothing to do where I was staying, so I decided to browse the market." He glanced down at her, his muzzle cracking a charming smile. "You never know what you'll find. Some days it's nothing special, but other days you run across a priceless gem."
Ayala stumbled slightly, taking a couple of quick steps to catch up. Did she just think that his smile was charming? She glanced up at him, but he was looking away from her, muttering something to one of his guards. The dog nodded and padded off, and she looked away as he returned his gaze to her, fighting back a blush. Glancing back at him, she examined the grin more closely, trying to find flaws in it. She could say that it was feral-looking, but she found that only made her like him all the more.
She shook her head. There was no point in falling for someone from a different kingdom. Her parents had already expressly stated that her suitor had been chosen and she would meet him when the time was ripe. Besides, he was a wolf. Marrying him would be political suicide, the priests of Alcon-Zarr would be furious. They'd likely take it out on her parents as well as her, and she couldn't do that to them. And aside from the social and political ramifications, he was a wolf. They were known to be...rough in bed, and not the easiest of lovers to take...
Belatedly, she realized that he had been speaking to her. Blinking, she looked up at him, blushing again at his grin. "What did you say? I'm afraid I missed it."
The grin only grew wider. "I was just mentioning how lucky I was to find such a beautiful gem at the jeweler's stall back there." His tail flicked behind him and a pink tongue darted past his muzzle for a moment before disappearing back inside.
She stammered as she turned her face away. By the way it burned, she was sure it was a blazing red. Was he flirting with her? She felt his breath on the back of his neck. Yep, he definitely was. Her mind was racing. Dare she ask him to leave her alone? He was her only protection against the captain and other thugs like him. He hadn't tried anything too serious yet...Her thoughts froze as a wet tongue danced across the back of her neck. Alright, he had crossed the line there.
Pushing him away, she took a few steps forward. Her hand drew up to cover the place he had licked, the phantom sensation still racing across the skin. "Sir, that is quite enough. I only met you a few minutes ago. I don't know where you came from, but from my experience you are going far too fast."
She heard his low chuckle behind her. It sounded as if he hadn't moved from his original position. "You seem to like it well enough."
She turned and glared at him, fighting back the urge to blush as the look he was giving her. "It isn't a matter of whether I liked it or not. You are carrying this too far for my liking, and I would appreciate it if you would keep your hands...paws to yourself." For the time being. She cringed inwardly. She had almost added those last four words onto a speech she had carefully crafted so as to neither confirm or deny her attraction to him.
He grinned and winked at her. "As you wish, Lady."
Princess Mara stood at the rails of the Dawning Time as it made its final few tacks into the harbor. The crewmen were hard at work readying the ship to dock, but she made no move to get out of the way. They could work around her. Eying the bustle of the dockhands, most of them some sort of canine, she flicked her tongue in distaste. Stupid, filthy, base creatures, the lot of them. She was sure that this 'Prince Aylmer' she was supposed to marry would be no different. Mara sighed. She would deal with the brute as long as the benefits outweighed the costs.
"Haveral!"
The cat appeared at her side. "Yes, M'lady?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Get my guards together. I don't want to have any more contact with this filth than is absolutely necessary."