01

        There are times I wish I drank or did drugs. Explaining certain things would be easier if I could just say 'I was drunk,' or 'I got stoned'. Imagining I did certain things of my own free will and while stone-cold sober is just embarrassing. It also makes you really analyze what kind of person you are.

        Like waking up flat on your back in a snowbank, wearing only briefs, cargo shorts, a T-shirt and your wrist watch. If I were drunk, I thought, I could blame this on a prank played by my `friends`. I glanced around, wondering what I've gotten myself into this time. The forest didn't ring any bells. My body heat was melting the snow, so I soon would be soaked to the skin. Not a good place to be, I thought as I stood up, Half-naked and soaking wet in the cold.

        There's a noise in the woods. I froze, not just from the cold biting into me. The sound did not repeat as I stood there shivering. I spotted a tree that had some roots poking out of the snow. At least I won't be losing all my body heat, I thought as I headed towards it. The sound came again, but this time I caught a glimpse of something. Great, I'm getting spooked by a moose! I thought, You wouldn't know the way to the ranger station would you? I began to wonder who I'd pissed off enough to dump me way out in the woods. My boss and coworkers don't know where I live, my buddies are past this kind of thing being funny, lawsuits and serious jail time aren't `fun` anymore. My girlfriend left me for 'Sigh, Greg'. Hey, you want a guy who worships his muscles, don't let me stop you, I thought, trying to keep my teeth from chattering in the cold. The sun was up, but it wasn't giving much warmth. I was glad there was no wind, or I would have frozen a lot more quickly.

        Now came another sound, a noise, an angry snarl-yowl, like an angry puma. I jumped at the sound, so did the `moose`. It was actually more like an elk, lower half was definitely deer-shaped. 'The major difference between an elk and a deer is the height. Deer are about 3.5 feet/1 meter at the shoulder,' I remembered from college, 'While the elk is up to 5.5 feet/1.7 meters at the shoulder and the moose can be up to 2 to 2.5 meters.' Moose also tend to be more goofy-looking, but there's nothing goofy-looking about her. The her part was obvious, instead of the neck and head of an elk, was the torso, arms and head of a girl. And a very pretty one, I thought, looking at the self-conscious brunette with the auburn fur, wearing a blue button-front, short-sleeve shirt, It's barely long enough to make a halter for her, but it's probably an extra-large. And she certainly is properly proportioned for the elk body, so she's about 9 feet tall. From her muscles, it looks like she could snap 'Sigh, Greg' in half like a toothpick. Unlike my ex-girlfriend's shiny, new toy, who was a bodybuilder, this girl looked like a weightlifter, less definition to the muscles, but a lot more power in them.

        "Excuse me - " I froze as she whipped around to stare at me. Then she bolted.

        "You wouldn't happen to have directions - " I shouted after her, then whispered, "Or a blanket." Great, scare off the only help you're likely to get, I thought miserably as I shivered in the biting cold, I can cross that off my 'to-do' list. I've still got 'get hopelessly lost', and 'freeze to death'. If I can get those done, I can go home early. I walked in the direction of the yowl. Let's see if I can squeeze in 'get eaten by an angry wild thing', I thought, feeling very sorry for myself. "Let's all say it together," I murmured as I approached the edge of a pit, "You're not in Kansas any more."

        The yowl-snarl that seemed to jump at me caused me to jump back before I could see what made it. Okay, I thought, Whatever it is, it can't get out of that pit. I can't get it out, without going in myself. If it could, I'd be lunch right now. I edged closer to the pit, and looked down. The girl in the pit looked like someone who did erotic cosplay. She had the paws, short tail and tufted ears of a lynx, and the voice to match. The rest of her is pure human, I thought as I watched her jump, I thought bear traps like that only existed in cartoons! The massive set of steel teeth on hinges was clamped firmly on her bloodied lower leg, the spike it was anchored to had numerous scratches, as did the trap itself. The scratches had cleared away considerable rust from the surface, yet they had done nothing to impair its function of holding the trap, and the girl, in the hole.

        She gave off another snarly-growl, but didn't leap again. She concentrated on licking her wounded leg. I watched in fascination how she moved, an intriguing mixture of human and animal. There's clearly an intelligent mind, I thought as I watched, Is it sentient? Or is it - Being suddenly yanked back from the edge interrupted me. I managed to twist around to face my `attacker` and wound up with my face against the elk-girl's white-furred stomach. She'd swung a blanket in front of me, then used it to pull me back from the pit. I can't see her face. Looking up, I only see the bottom of her breasts. I put my arms around her waist, not trying to be romantic, but it's the only part I could easily reach.

        "Doe!" she shouted as she backed up suddenly. I decided to let go, rather than be dragged, perhaps to death, by the terrified girl. "Thank you! I didn't mean to scare you!" I shouted at the retreating elk-girl as I wrapped the blanket around me. It was a horse blanket, but I didn't care, it was warm and large enough to cover everything except my feet. I walked over to sit on a log, to keep my feet out of the snow. Okay, where am I? I remember reading something like this . . . yeah, Pokègirls, now if I could remember the details, I thought in frustration, Great, I'm stuck in someone else's dream. I looked around the wilderness, the forests, the snows, the mountain slopes. Pretty country, whatever the other problems are. What am I going to do? Even if this place is like the story, I really didn't like what they put forth. Yeah, sex anytime you wanted it was okay. The risk of getting eaten, possibly by your own sex-toy, that puts a damper on things, I thought as I looked around again, Much better chance considering I'm sitting out in the wilderness. The growl from the pit in front of me reminded me of my immediate danger. I might as well take the chance and get this over with, I thought as I located a wedge-shaped stone, I rolled it over to the edge, glanced to make sure I wouldn't hit the girl, and dropped it in. She growled and spat at me and the rock, I waited until she calmed down, before I followed the rock into the pit.

        The cat-girl tried to jump on me, but the length of the pit and the length of the girl and chain gave a short space on one wall where she couldn't reach. Fortunate I'm in that space, I thought as I stood unmoving, not speaking, letting the girl calm down.

        Once she'd calmed down, I spoke quietly. "I know you're hurt," I told her, watched for her reaction, "I can get you lose, if you'll let me." I took step, she replied with a low growl. Another step and her ears swivelled forward, the growl this time was distinctly threatening. The third step and she sprang, and I ducked under and stood suddenly.

        Her loud 'whoff' told me I'd knocked the wind out of her. All those Self-Defense classes paid off, I thought as I worked quickly, My teachers might be proud, but if this doesn't work, she'll tear me to pieces. I put my rock wedge between the jaws of the trap and hammered it in, forcing the jaw apart. No claws ripped me to pieces as I lifted her leg free of the trap. She's going to need to get a doctor look at that, and tetanus shot, I thought as she jumped to the far end of the pit. She examined her leg, using a flexibility no human could match. She gathered herself for the leap. I have a bad feeling about this, I thought as she sprang, and screamed as her leg failed to work as expected. She collapsed again, letting out a series of mournful wails. Freedom is hand, I thought as I drew my plans and rearranged the horse blanket, And you're still trapped. You don't like that one bit, do you. Let's see how far I can push my luck. "Hey," I called out, leaning down to act as a ramp at least part of the way up and out. The sudden scramble across my back told me my offer had been accepted, but it wasn't quite enough. The cat-girl's claws dung into the pit wall as her arms strained to lift her body. I grabbed the good foot and shoved. She scrambled out of the pit and possibly away, I could neither see nor hear her any longer.

        Now there's getting myself out, I reminded myself, as I glanced at the walls and realized the answer, I'm glad I'm not completely out of shape. The pit, while long, was narrow. Narrow enough I could put my feet on one wall and my elbows on the other. `Walking` up the walls wasn't terribly difficult. Unless cat-girl is waiting up there for an after-escape snack, I reminded myself as I climbed, Ooo! Happy thought, claw me right in half as I get to the top. I know what I'll do, I'll drop back in the hole and even though I'll be dead, she doesn't get to eat me! Bwahahaha! Fall to the brilliance of my evil plan. "I've got to get the doc to up the dosage of my meds."

        I got to the top and rolled out and away from the hole, and lay there panting. When I could raise my head, without cursing every donut and videogame manufacturer in the universe, I saw that the lady lynx was perched on the log near the hole. She's cleaned her leg as best she could and was staring at me. Lover, lunch or just cat-curious? I didn't ask aloud. She stared, but I gazed periodically. Don't stare at a wild animal, I reminded myself in time. While she seemed content with the situation, I wasn't. "That wound needs to be dressed and you need to go to a - " What's the damn word? " - Pokècenter for healing."

        She didn't like that idea at all, and voiced her opinion with a snarl.

        How intelligent are these critters? I asked myself, Do they understand human speech, even though they can't speak it themselves? "Look, I don't have a Pokèball, I'm not trying to catch you. I just think you need to have that leg looked at," I told her, and whispered, "And you have a better chance at finding civilization than I do." Then I raised my voice again, so she could hear, "I'll let you go as soon as you've been treated."

        The furious snarl answered that question. I let the matter drop. My fellow conversationalist was not so eager. She jumped off the log, and landed badly. She screamed, making a sound more like a wounded chainsaw than a cat. She ran straight at me, her wounded leg kept failing her. She hit awkwardly as she tried to correct at the last minute. Her claw swipes went wide as her leg collapsed, I was able to catch her wrists and twist her and her arms so they crisscrossed her chest as I pulled on her wrists from behind her.

        How strong is she? I wondered as she struggled to get loose. I had her arms and claws immobilized, she couldn't reach me with her fangs, and her legs were an iffy proposition at best. She still thrashed around, more rage than fear. Rage will burn itself out, I thought, Before or after she rips my arms out of their sockets. Despite having the advantage of size, position and leverage, she was still putting up a good fight. "You're just hurting yourself!" I told her as she twisted and spat.

        "Doe." The elk-girl had returned, and she seemed honestly frightened. "Doe," she said again and the lynx-girl's struggles subsided.

        "LYNX!" the lynx-girl's angry retort seemed to shock the elk-girl, she turned as much as she could and informed everyone what she thought of me, "Lynx."

        I've been called a lot of things in my life, I thought, But that one really is insulting. They are communicating. I also just realized that Doe the friendly elk could walk over here and stomp the crap out of me, literally. So why is she negotiating? With the Lynx as much as with me.

        "Doe," the elk-girl said in the same almost-subservient tone, looked at me with pleading eyes, "Doe." She began unbuttoning her shirt, slowly revealing her assets.

        Those are very nice, then I remembered I was talking about someone almost nine foot at the shoulder, No those things are massive. I kept enough of my attention on the lynx to prevent an escape attempt, which she tried immediately.

        "DOE!" the elk-girl made her disapproval clear, and the lynx-girl subsided. She looked at me and cupped her breasts. "Doe?" she seemed to be seeking my approval. When I didn't immediately race over and bury my head in her cleavage, she bowed her head and turned around. She knelt down, with her short tail in the air. She looked over her shoulder, straight at me. "Doe?" Again I didn't seem consumed with lust, and she bowed her head in despair.

        Yes, you're very beautiful, and yes, I'd like what you've shown me, I thought as I picked up the surprisingly quiescent lynx-girl, But you also showed me what I've really wanted. I walked over to the elk-girl and slipped off the blanket she'd given me. The cold instantly bit through my sweaty clothes, setting off a wave of shivers. I tried my best to ignore and control them, and the more-than-animal curiosity from the lynx-girl. I laid the blanket across the back of the elk-girl. "This is going to feel a little strange," I warned both of them as I set the lynx-girl astride the elk-girl.

        "Doe?" "Lynx?" They both had turned and were staring at me.

        Noticed the lynx instantly put her arms around the elk-girl's waist, I thought, No claws or fangs either. I don't think you two are strangers. I retrieved the girl's shirt from where she'd dropped it. I handed it to her as I walked to her back and seated myself behind the lynx girl. The elk-girl seemed mesmerized by her own shirt, the lynx-girl seemed to think I was completely insane. Might as well assume they can understand human speech, I thought. "You're both very nice," I told them as the elk-girl carefully clambered to her feet, "But some place I can build a fire and get out of the wind is going to be a lot more welcome. Since you aren't eager to have a professional treat that wound."

        The lynx-girl growled to confirm that.

        "Maybe I can bandage it," I offered, "To keep it clean. I still think you're taking an awful risk with tetanus and gangrene."

        She snarled softly, then turned to lie against the elk-girl's back.

        'We're just good friends', I guessed at how the conversation would go, That's why you were hanging around that hole. You were trying to figure out how to rescue your 'just good friend'. Free sex all around! Right. I have a feeling it's going to be 'three's a crowd' very shortly.

        Quit your bitching! I told myself, She already gave you a blanket, and the deal was for a place out of the wind. Anything else is pure gravy. They may even know where the nearest town is. If you're especially polite, they might even drop you off in sight of it.

        It turned out the cave didn't need a fire, it had steam heat. A small bubbling pool of sulphur-smelling water kept the place warm, and humid. The humidity formed icicles outside the cave. Naughty thoughts about what to do with those icicles too, I thought as we passed into the warmth. The elk-girl didn't drop us off as soon as we entered. Are you comfortable with this? Or have you done it before? I wondered as we walked slowly through the cave. The darkness wasn't complete, from the sunlight shining off the snow and a few scattered crystals that glowed, I could just barely see. There was a pile of back packs and camping gear. Here the elk-girl let us slide off her back. I helped the lynx-girl down. She stared at me in confusion, trying to figure me out.

        How do I explain I need you and your partner alive and healthy to keep me alive and healthy? I wondered as I began going through the packs. There were bottles and jars, potions and salves. How good are these? How old are they and what is their shelf life? I wondered, until I found something I knew would still be good. "Disinfectant, sulfa powder and bandages," I told them happily. The lynx-girl backed up right into the elk-girl's grip.

        "Lynx," she protested with fear and head shaking. Struggling half-heartedly.

        "Doe," the other soothed, looked at me as if for confirmation, "Doe?"

        "I won't lie," I told both of them, "This may hurt, but I'll try to keep it as painless as possible, and it will - "

        "Lynx!" she insisted, pointing a toe at the potions.

        "I don't know if they're any good," I explained, "If they are bad, they could make you very sick, instead of healing you."

        The elk-girl knelt, and then sat down, never letting go of her wriggling friend. She murmured soothing words as she held her firm.

        I offered a pair of heavy leather gloves. "Bite down on these," I told the lynx-girl, "Maybe I'm over reacting. I'd rather overreact than be unprepared."

        "Ly - " her accusation was interrupted by the elk-girl stuffing the gloves in the lynx-girl's mouth. Lynx glared at her smiling friend.

        Rags wetted in the pool of hot, sulfurous water cleanse the wound without too much discomfort. Or she's a good actor, I thought, then I broke out the disinfectant. The lynx-girl seemed calm, pressed firmly in the elk-girl's buxom chest. I know I'd be quiet pressed into that chest, I thought as I carefully daubed the wound with the stinging disinfectant. The lynx-girl squirmed, but held her leg where I could bandage it properly.

        "All done," I told them as I got up to leave them so they could be together without my presence. I walked back into the cavern and found something that looked like a huge wasps' hive, collections of tubes attached to a central structure. Many of the tubes had burst and I saw the charred corpses of what had been in them. Small, eight-legged creatures, all burned and dissolved, as if dipped in flaming acid. As I turned to return, I saw the corpse. Burned, damaged, but something corrosive had eaten the creature through and through. You must have come back after they torched your nest, I thought as I looked over the corpse, Now, what was the name of that spider-monster? They must have thought they got you and were trying to escape. You caught them, didn't you? Then you came back here and died.

        I walked the caverns, wondering what the battle had been like. Did the crystals get scattered when she attacked? Then the pair rearranged them for their convenience. Why didn't they go back to the Pokècenter? Did they survive the massacre only to be too guilty to return? Survivor guilt, shame at what would be said, or did they actually prefer it out here?

        "Doe." The woman who stepped out of a side passage looked exactly like the elk-girl, from the waist up, aside from the short, auburn fur, she was completely human, toes to scalp. The honey brown of her fur seemed a nice contrast to the deep, almost-black brunette of her long head hair. She took a step towards me. "Doe," she said quietly, tentatively.

        "Is your friend all right?" I asked. A naked, almost human girl approaching with a hopeful expression worried me. I'm pretty sure I know what she's inviting me to do, I thought, She's very beautiful, I'm not attached, so why I feel threatened by the offer?

        She seemed to sense my unease and offered her hand, which I took. She led me through the cave to a collection of gear. Red and white balls and several pad computers laid in a pile. Several of them had been smashed, as if by a chisel driven with great force. She picked up one of the wrecked balls and said "Doe." She mimed driving her fingers in the metal.

        "That thing broke open all the . . . Pokèballs? Is that right?"

        "Doe," she replied.

        "And you're guilty you ran off when you suddenly found yourself facing a Widow," I said, looked at her shocked expression, "You and your partner keep wondering whether you could have saved your Master, if you hadn't run away. That's why you decided to live out here in the wilderness, as penance for not being a good Pokègirl."

        She dropped the ball and ran from the cave. I couldn't tell if she was crying or not. I leaned down to examine the equipment. I couldn't find a ball that wasn't smashed. The palm computers were usually whole, but their batteries were all depleted. In two cases, all that was left was a mass of corrosion. Remembering as much from the TV show and the story as I could, I set up groups of a Pokèdex and as close to six Pokèballs as possible. I came up with 14 Tamers and about five Pokègirls each. Eighty-nine lives, I realized, Including those two. Possibly more. They must have slipped in here, torched the nest, and then ran the gauntlet to try to get back out. Did it hit them all at once, or pick them off, terrorize them across the landscape? I looked around in the other satchels. There were maps, ropes, climbing gear, camping equipment, even a pair of excellent binoculars with IR and Light-Amplification settings. Clearly the tools of a well-prepared, superbly equipped group. Didn't do them a lot of good. Or did they think that destroying the nest was sufficient? Even if it meant their lives? Or were they so young they thought nothing could really beat them?

        How many . . . how many left no remains? I thought as I realized I was standing in a cenotaph. "Go tell the Spartans, thou who passest by, that here, obedient to their laws we lie," I said to whatever ghosts still haunted the cavern. I set the useless Pokèdexes and Pokèballs back where I'd gotten them, removing one of the flashlights, hoping the batteries would be compatible. The lights were sealed and couldn't be opened. Flicking the switch opened a shutter allowing the continuously generated light to escape out the front and illuminate the area. The dried bloodstains now became visible. Wall, floor and ceiling, all spattered, large streaks, some in the shape of body parts, as if the parts or the entire bodies had been thrown against the rock. I glanced around, playing the light around. I brushed at the floor, but it was solid stone as well. I give up, where did the bodies go? I asked no one in particular, The girls didn't . . . eat them . . . did they? I didn't see a pile of skeletons in the cave where the monster's corpse was. I didn't see a grave, although with all the snow, I wouldn't have seen anything.

        I reorganized the supplies into what I would need to travel to civilization, packing those into the best preserved backpacks. The rest I carefully repacked into the remaining packs by type. This done, I walked towards what I believed was the main entrance to the cavern. Outside, night had fallen, the heat from the steam made it comfortable to stand even a few feet out in the open. I stood and listened, trying to find my place in this new world. I glanced at the constellations above me. They were similar to the stars of home, but there were jarring differences. The Belt of Orion, three bright stars. One is missing. This really isn't home, I thought, I felt myself tearing up, wiped them away, I don't care if you've lost everything, I don't care that you are going to have to start over completely, you've done it before. I found myself sliding to the ground as if my strength had bled away. Despite the steam I felt terribly cold. I leaned against the cold stone. I felt empty and small.

        You lived through getting dumped . . . several times. You lived through - I gave up telling myself platitudes. I didn't feel hurt, I just felt small, helpless, fragile. Someone called it feeling like hot glass in a cold wind, I remembered, Good a description as any. I stared at the sky for a while, wondering if there was even a point of doing anything else. This isn't a new place, this isn't a new town, this isn't new relationship, or the end of an old one, I reminded myself, This is a new world. New people, new animals, new laws, customs. . . . Even reminding myself how lost I was, was completely useless. Who needs you anyway? Those two have each other, you don't even have a trade. Do they have lawyers and law clerks now?

        The soft 'Doe', brought me back to the here and now. She was back as an elk-girl, wearing her shirt again. She knelt behind me, draping her arms around me, leaning her chin on my shoulder. I tensed, expecting more, she didn't move any further. I felt her chest slowly expanding and contracting, felt and heard her breath. In and out, swell and shrink, in and out, feeling her body sliding across mine. In and out, swell and shrink, in and out.

       

---

 

        The comforter and warm body snuggled against me made me think the romantic/erotic dream of me and my girlfriend in happier times, had transitioned over into another dream, one where we were lying on a furry bolster my bed never had, and my girlfriend was wearing mittens and booties. I wish she had worn them, I thought, Her feet were always freezing and she always stuck them right against me. I opened my eyes to the delighted face of the cat-girl. The back of a claw running up my member had an air more exciting than threatening.

        "It's pretty clear what you want," I challenged, "Just - out of curiosity, what would you do if I said 'no'?"

        An absolutely miserable expression and the mournful yowls filled her face and the air. Great crocodile tears rolled down her cheeks. The `bolster`, the elk-girl, added her own dolorous noises. Then they stopped, both staring at me to see what my reaction would be. I remembered that warm, lithe body pressed against me, and the eager expression. I'm not used to pretty girls . . . wanting me, I thought, Normally they'd sneer, or laugh. Do they just want me because they don't want to be . . . animals? They want to go back to being people? So be cavalier about it . . . I can't do that, it's not in me.

        "Uh, so - uh - which one first?" I asked and glanced at the pair, who seemed mystified by my behavior. They expect me to do both at once? I wonder, I'm not that much of an athlete, not would I try.

        "Doe," she seemed to be offering.

        "Lynx, Lynx," the other replied, touching her leg and hissing, "Lynx."

        "Doe." She shook her head vehemently.

        I dug into my pocket. "How about I flip a coin?" I asked, holding up one I'd gotten from the packs. They both sneered at my suggestion and went back to arguing. Sorry, I know I offered a choice, but your arguments helped me make my choice, I thought as I caught `Doe's` eye and glanced at `Lynx`. `Doe` nodded slightly, then caught `Lynx`'s hands as I slipped between her legs.

        "LYNX!" she protested as I started stroking pussy's pussy, "LYNX!" This one was aimed at her colleague. "Lynx," she protested weakly as her face was buried in her lover's breasts, and her lover's arms tightly wrapped around her body.

        The elk-girl laid down with her `captive`, pulling her down and sideways, letting me wriggle inside. The lynx girl was pleasantly tight and once I'd penetrated her, she wrapped her legs around my waist. Pulling me in and moaning of 'Lynx' with every thrust, then relaxing to let me pull out to plunge in again.

        Her stuttering 'ly-ly-ly-lyn-lyn-nx' and collapsing like an overcooked noodle told me I'd done my job, or I'd used the wrong hole and she passed out in pain. The elk-girl seemed to think it was the former, not the latter, as she collected the stunned lynx-girl and carefully folded her legs and set her in a nest of rolled up sleeping bags and blankets, and tenderly tucked her in and kissed her forehead.

        The elk-girl stared at me, transformed into her human form and continued to stare. I stared right back, enjoying what I was seeing.

        "Doe," she said, making an elaborate and incomprehensible gesture.

        "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

        She thought about it a moment, then pointed at me and herself, back and forth in rapid succession. "Doe," she said in a tone more like mine then pointed at me and in her normal voice said, "Doe."

        "You want to be me, no your old Tamer, and I'll be you?" I asked.

        "Doe." She nodded.

        Okay, what am I supposed to do? I wondered.

        "DOE! DOE! DOE! DOE!" she screamed in my face, poking me, and slapping me.

        Probably softer than she got slapped, I thought as I cringed and let out the most pathetic, "Doe." Not that I don't have experience begging and pleading, I thought, No, none at all.

        I looked at `Doe`, who'd walked over to the walk and was shaking so hard I thought she was having a seizure. Then I heard the soft 'Doe, Doe, Doe,' and I realized she was laughing. I let her get over it as I watched her jiggle. "I think I get it," I explained, "You want to be the one in charge for once, right?"

        "Doe," she replied and walked up to me. It was clear I'd have the climb up her leg if I wanted to take her when she was standing. She was that much taller that I was. "Doe," she said as she made a fist and pistoned it up and down with a grimace.

        "That's how he had sex with you," I said, feeling my fury rising, "By fisting you?"

        "Doe." She nodded, putting one hand on my stomach and the other on the small of my back, and she squeezed me between her hands, squeezing the breath out of me. Then she took my arms and twisted them slightly. I could see her tearing up as she did.

        "You are not clumsy, and you aren't a monster," I insisted. The look of pain on her face was heartbreaking. You rotten bastard, you told her all this. Why? I thought of her departed Master, I hope that spider-monster took her own sweet time while she ripped you to little bits and she ate you! I wrapped my arms around her waist hugging her as tightly as I could.

        She picked me up so we could be face to face and I put my arms around her neck. She laid her head on my shoulders, she sniffled as we stood there.

        "You've never been anything but gentle with me or with your lover the lynx."

        She hugged tighter, yet I still was in no danger. She could have easily crushed the life out of me or torn me limb-from-limb. Yet she held me tenderly, not like the nearly suffocating hugs some people insist on giving, substituting pulverizing force for true feeling. I met girls like you in college, too tall, too strong, all they wanted was to be cuddled, in a world of too-small people, I thought, aware she was holding me up, seemingly effortlessly, I'm no lightweight either.

        Finally, she seemed to have cried herself out. "Doe?" she asked, which could have meant anything.

        "I trust you," I told her as a general-purpose answer, "I know you won't hurt me." That earned me another hug, this one burying my head in the soft flesh of her breasts. Again she was careful not to smother me, but I would have died happy.

        She raised me up so my crotch was at the level of her mouth. Her hands aren't that big, I thought as I steadied myself by putting my hands on her head, noting how soft her hair was. Oh boy! I thought as I was dramatically reminded that plant-eaters depended on their lips and tongues as their `hands`, No wonder cat-girl was so happy, I've never even seen a porn star with that kind of size and flexibility. The girl's tongue was easily a foot long as it swirled around my cock like a corkscrew before pulling it and her mouth together. Then she started doing the most unbelievably fantastic things with her lips and tongue. If you never did this for your `Master`, I thought as I nearly went Feral, You got your revenge on that bastard a thousand times over. She stopped before I could pop. "Pout," I said as sadly cute as I could.

        She smirked, but lowered me to where she wanted the action to take place. One hand behind my shoulders and the other on my butt.

        "Wait!" I said, now it was her turn to pout. 'But you promised', her expression seemed to say. "My coach said, 'Always keep both hands on what's important'," I told her as I sat up to put my arms around her waist.

        She smiled and put both hands underneath.

        Weird, being `fitted` into place, I thought as she slid me inside herself, Not too loose either. That changed quickly as well, she tightened up as she began pulling me into her and letting my weight pull me down, them pulling me up. It was erotic, having the girl set the pacing, the angle, and me just along for the ride. Although I did nibble a nipple as it went by. A lot slower than I would have thought . . . watch and learn!

        She was soon panting, and speeding up the pace. I concentrated on anything except what we were doing. I'd barely held off with `Lynx`, but it was kind of hard to ignore a hot girl using you as a living dildo, and apparently having the best sex of her life.

        Let her go first, let her go first! I demanded of myself. Her moans and faster thrusts were not helping.

        She threw her had back crying, "DOE!" her pussy clamped down like she never wanted to let me out. That was all it took to follow her.

        She staggered around a bit, gasping, but not letting go with her hands, until the rest of her released me. "Doe," she told me, her hair plastered to her scalp and face, and an absolutely shit-eating grin on her face.

        "I liked it too," I told her, "I hope we can do it again."

        She knelt down and held me against her. "Doe," she told me, as if promising something that meant a great deal to her. Then she stood and took me by the hand and led me to the hot spring where we could wash off.

        "Are you okay?" I asked, when she seemed so subdued.

        She gestured at her head and made a motion with her hand. "Doe," she said, frowned. When she couldn't come up with a better answer, she hugged me again. I hugged her back and we stayed like that then she broke it off. She stared at me and got a dazed, drooping-eyelids look on her face. "Doe," she accused as she tapped my chest.

        "Okay - mother - I'll get some sleep, even though I just got up."

        She tousled my hair and picked me up like a child, changing back to her centaur form as we walked. In her embrace, cradled against her breasts, I fell asleep.

       

---

 

        "Wake up sleepy-headed Master," said a voice I almost recognized. I replied by smuggling into the covers and the warm soft mattress.

        "I don't think he's going to be the least like our old Master," came another voice that I almost recognized.

        "I can't say I disagree with his choice," the first voice came back and a moment later I felt a warm body snuggling against me, "Just perfect."

        "You always were lazy," the second voice replied.

        Unfortunately, almost-realization kept nagging at me, drawing me out of my comfortable doze. I opened my eyes and looked into `Lynx's` face.

        "I told you to keep your voice down," came the elk-girl's admonishment, to my astonishment. "That's right, Master," she said, tousling my hair as she'd done last night, "We aren't Feral anymore, thanks to our Master."

        "Our new Master," the lynx-girl hugged me, rubbing against me, "And he can tell ole' worry wart that we don't have to run down to that creepy Pokècenter."

        "Let me just check something," I told them, then dove under the covers.

        "See, he agrees with - " the rest was a stream of snarling invective. Only the thick covers kept me from being scratched.

        "That was from just breathing on it," I told the pair as I `surfaced`.

        The elk-girl had the still-sputtering lynx in a bear hug. The elk-girl nodded. "We have to get that treated," she said, "I don't know what the shelf life of those drugs is either."

        "That NurseJoy was just weird!" the lynx-girl replied as she stopped her struggles.

        "Way up all alone in the mountains, when a bunch of Tamers and Pokègirls suddenly came through," I explained as I put on the clothes one of the girls had laid out for me, "She probably was desperate for someone to . . . make her nights less lonely. Someone to remind her she wasn't the only person alive."

        "And how do you know so much about it?" the lynx-girl asked.

        I smiled. "Because I've been there," I told her, "On more than one occasion. When you're in it, you'll do nearly anything not to be alone. If being Feral is even half as frightening as that, I can see why you'd do anything to avoid it."

        "That wasn't why we were with you," the elk-girl carefully corrected, "You had no reason to help us, but you did, you didn't assume you had the right to us. I think you were afraid of us. You decided to help us. Considering how our previous `Master` and his friends treated us . . . it was most welcome."

        "What Cervine is trying to say -" The lynx-girl squirmed out of the elk-girl's grip, landed entirely on her good leg. "Neither of us are terrific fighters, and fighters were all that mattered to them. We - were the ones who carried the bags, fetched the water, cooked the food, did the laundry," she snarled, "We also took a lot of abuse from the Tamers and the fighters. So when that Widow suddenly jumped us, I had no loyalty whatsoever, I ran. I put as many of the fighters between me and it until I could get outside and away. I don't know if Cervine did the same thing, I wouldn't blame her if she did."

        "I hid in the cave where all the wrecked Pokèballs and Pokèdexes were," the elk-girl, Cervine, told me. "The Widow just threw all the - pieces in there and left. She was so mad, I don't think she even saw me. Later, I got the courage to investigate. The Widow was dead, I thought I was alone, so I buried the pieces and made the place livable. Ailaurie came back, and then you found us. I'd guess we were here a couple of months. Once I went Feral, I quit keeping track of time. That's the thing about being Feral, you don't lose your intelligence so much as your humanity. All the complicated tools: language, machines, mathematics, any time period between minutes and seasons. The scary part is that once you're inside, you know you're missing something, and that you desperately want it back . . . there's just no way to even think in those terms. A mob of Ferals may be the deadliest hunting pack this world has ever seen, but they'd never be able to do all the things even cavemen did. The reason I didn't get Ailaurie out of that hole myself . . . is I literally couldn't think of a way except going down after her, now I can think of over a hundred." She looked at her partner apologetically, the lynx, Ailaurie nodded, knowing her lover had done her best.

        "There's one thing more," Cervine said formally, she handed over two Pokèballs and a battered but still-functioning Pokèdex, "We agreed, while you were asleep. We want you as our new Master."

        "You're already better than those other bastards," Ailaurie said, "They would have left me in that damned hole. They sure wouldn't have come down after me."

        "I didn't know," I said, to fill the void as much as anything else. Am I ready for that? Hell, they know what I'm supposed to do, all I have to do is ask, I thought. "I would be honored," I told them as I took the items, "I'll probably have a lot of questions, and isn't there a test of some kind?"

        "You didn't do it to us, and you did fix us," Cervine said sadly.

        "Anybody can be a pet-owner, and this far up in the mountains, who'll know, who'll care?" Ailaurie asked.

        So she wants to stay up here, I thought, Is there anything for me in 'The Big City'? Laws have probably changed tremendously in the last three centuries. "Your names are really Cervine and Ailaurie?" I asked.

        "Yes," Ailaurie said, staring at me as she had days ago on the log, "Why?"

        "Cervine is a rather sophisticated term for deer-like, and ailurophobe/ailurophile means a cat-fearer/cat-lover, respectively. So somebody was trying to be clever," I told them, then it occurred to me, "You two were raised on a ranch, not in the wild. So the - gentlemen - who met their demise here, bought you."

        "You're smart," Ailaurie teased, "You ought to be a lawyer."

        "As a matter of fact . . . " I said, then decided to let the issue drop. I don't know if Sukebe took Shakespeare's advice and programed the Pokègirls to kill lawyers on sight, I thought. "Let's get this stuff loaded, it's a long walk I assume."

        "But a fast run," Cervine said with a smile, "I haven't run full-out for so long, I'm going to enjoy it. Even if it means a healing cycle at the end."

        "We'd better get some good, warm coats," Ailaurie moaned, "When she says run, she means run!"

       

---

 

        The NurseJoy at the Pokècenter greeted us as the door. She seemed honestly glad to see us. The woman's pink, waist-length hair moved slightly in the breeze. She moved to catch her nurse's cap from shifting as a gust caught her. She held the door as the three of us walked inside. I slid off Cervine and helped Ailaurie off her back, holding her up.

        "I'm not delicate," Ailaurie complained, although she nuzzled my neck as I held her up. The NurseJoy frowned at the bandage around the Lynx's leg.

        "I don't know if any of the potions were any good," I explained as I set Ailaurie on the counter, "She needs some expert work on that. It was a rusted steel trap. She insists that it didn't get any tendons, but I'd trust an expert."

        The NurseJoy nodded, and began removing the bandage. Ailaurie hissed as she tugged at the blood-matted bandage. Cervine returned to her humanoid form and took Ailaurie in her arms, quieting the nervous Lynx.

        "Pokèball," the NurseJoy insisted. I handed it over. "Just relax," she told the Pokègirl as she reduced her to red light, "She needs a full healing cycle."

        I nodded guiltily. "If I - "

        "No," she interrupted, "She had several other injuries that failed to heal properly. The Healing cycle works better than breaking and resetting her limbs."

        "You saw all that with one look?" I asked in shock.

        The NurseJoy glanced at Cervine. "Pokèball," she told me, and Cervine followed Ailaurie into the red and white artifact. "I could tell by the injuries they had when they last passed through. The Tamers were `tough`, if they set bones for each other, it should be good enough for their Pokègirls. None of them were trained medics, or trained vets."

        "If healing magic and potions were available, why wouldn't they use them?" I asked incredulously.

        "Tamers who would actively seek out and destroy a Widow?" she asked in reply, as she walked around the counter and fitted the two Pokèballs into the machine, scanned the readouts and adjusted the machine's settings. She hit the start button with grim satisfaction. The two balls were pulled into the machine and lights played on the control panel. "They had a certain - overconfidence - inherent in any such group. All of them trying to out-tough each other. It carried over to their Harems." She let out a breath. "I apologize, they were the last visitors I've had for several months, I've had time to stew."

        "Months?" I asked.

        "From the time the Widow was discovered, until they arrived, nobody in their right mind came in here. Since they disappeared too, everybody stayed away."

        'Nobody in their right mind', and 'everybody', I noted, So there are some other people around here.

        "Maybe they hoped the Widow would choke to death on me and leave everybody else alone," she said, looking me up and down, "You can take off your coat and stay a while."

        I looked around for a coat rack, then slipped out of the heavy coats I wore. The NurseJoy hung up her heavy coat. Then I took a good look at her. I hadn't seen anybody built like that since college, at the anime club, on the screen. She was wearing long white stockings held up by garters, and a neon red vest and short shorts combo that seemed to be painted on, the one button of the badly overstretched vest seemed on the verge of giving up the ghost any second. On a human woman, with breast that look like a pair of cantaloupes with no sag, I'd be saying 'bad implants', but I don't think they give cosmetic surgery to Pokègirls, I thought, then I looked at her intent expression, At least I'm not drooling.

        "You want to take me in back, and see how hard you can make them bounce?" she asked as she lifted them, then let go to set them wobbling like gelatin.

        "I - I ap - apologize f - for staring," I managed, staring at her amused expression, not the more interesting motion just below.

        "If you can beat me," she offered in a sultry tone, as she ran a hand over them, "You can do whatever you like. I've got . . . toys." She pressed her chest against mine.

        I blinked, shook my head, blinked again. Say yes you idiot! I told myself. "What kind of contest?" Wimp!

       

---

 

        "A8, A9, A10, G7, G9," I told her, smiled.

        "You got my battleship, and another hit," Janice, my NurseJoy opponent complained. She stood, turned around and began to teasingly wriggle and shimmy out of her neon red shorts. Revealing a magnificent behind, both firm and soft. She watched me over her shoulder while she moaned and gasped, and made a real show of it. Finally the shorts lay on the end of her bare foot. She raised a long, well-toned leg and draped the shorts on my head, not so incidently giving me a good look at her well-trimmed bush, neon pink like the hair on her head.

        I have never heard of 'Strip Battleship', I thought as I watched intently, smiling broadly, I just don't understand why the shoes were a gimme and cap is going last, all she's got left is her vest.

        "I still think you're cheating," she said as she turned and sat back down.

        "Rules according to Hoyle," I replied. Not according to Milton Bradley™, I thought, Hoyle allows you to use diagonals. I glanced down and noted her box barrage had completely failed to locate my cruiser or submarine.

        "So what are you going to do to me?" she asked as she leaned over, threatening to fall out of her top, "If you win."

        It has to be held on with spirit gum, I thought, I might want to find out what's in that case you brought out when we started playing. The one you glance at so forlornly when you think you're losing. "I'll think of something," I tell her.

       

---

 

        Janice barely felt the twin pricks in her leg. She sat up in bed suddenly, realizing that the venom was to numb and paralyze prey. She rolled out of bed and felt her legs give out under her as she touched the floor. She looked at the huge snake coiled near her bed. "No," she whimpered as she tried to drag herself across the smooth, slippery floor with just her hands, "Snakes that big are extinct!" The Pokègirls killed all the huge pythons and anacondas! she thought as she dragged her naked body across the floor of her bedroom. She glanced back at the snake slowly uncoiling, but rather than pursuing her directly, it moved to block her route to the door.

        Closet, she thought as she turned away from the monster's arrogant preplanning, Is the numbness spreading? she wondered, as she crawled across the floor. The snake turned and began its slow, almost lazy, pursuit.

        If I can get in the closet, I can shut the door, she thought desperately, her heart hammering in her chest, But what about the others? I can't leave them undefended . . . what could I possibly do to save them? I'm no match for this monster, there's no one I can call for help, maybe it's already eaten them! The feel of the floor dragging across her bare legs reminded her how vulnerable she herself was.

        She made it into the closet and pulled the door closed, and watched in horror as slowly swung open. She grabbed the door and pulled it closed, holding it, then rattling it as hard as she dared. "Latch! Latch damn it!" she shouted as the door refused to stay closed on its own.

        Something struck the door, nearly rattling it out of her hand. "No, no, no," she pled as her fingers grew numb. Is the poison working on me? Or are my fingers just tired? "Go away! Somebody help me!" she screamed. Another blow on the door, and she held on with all her strength. The creature pounded on the door, each blow made her sweaty fingers slip on the smooth metal. "Is there anyone out there?! Is there anyone who can hear me?" Her only answer was a thump on the closet door. "Go away!" she shouted at her assailant. Her arms and fingers burned with the effort of holding the door closed.

        Another blow on the door and it slipped from her fingers, before she could grab it and drag it closed, the snake got its nose between the door and the jam. She hit the creature's nose with all the strength she had left. It seemed to regard her resistance with amusement.

        "Go away!" she screamed, trying to pull herself deeper into the closet and away from the monster. It opened its jaws, letting her see the large fangs that had pierced her already. The hiss was quieter than she expected. She whimpered as she tried to pull herself more tightly into the closet. Her uniforms hanging above her, such a source of comfort to others, offered her no such reassurance. I can't even use them as armor, she thought as she dragged one off the hanger, trying to cover her nakedness.

        Then the beast struck. Janice screamed as the fangs struck her, like a twisting pinching as they drove into her. The snake withdrew as quickly, leaving Janice alone with her pain. She cried as she touched the two tender spots on her stomach. She pulled on the chain to light the lamp on the closet ceiling, so she could see the injuries. The light failed to light. It can't have disabled the power, she thought desperately, It's just a big animal. Are there other Pokègirls out there? Pirates or some Team Rocket bunch? "Is anybody out there? I surrender! I can't fight your snake! I'll give you whatever you want!" she shouted. Waited for any sign that someone had heard her. "Please," she whispered, "I don't want to die." The first poison was to paralyze, she thought, That's why I didn't feel anything. This can only be . . . to digest me, that's why it hurts so much. I'm dissolving inside.

        She looked out the closet door into the darkness. She noted that the clock that served her as a nightlight was also out, the darkness was near total. And somewhere out there is that snake, she thought in fear, It's already killed me, all it has to do is wait. She searched the darkness, then held still to listen. She heard and saw nothing. She crawled towards the door ears straining for any sound, eyes searching the blackness for any clue. There are anti-venoms and antidotes in the medical stocks, she thought as she slid along the floor, I just never thought I'd need a kit of them next to my bed. She was aware she was making the noise as her hands hit the linoleum floor, and when they slipped. She would pause and look around, listen.

        Why is it waiting? Does it just want to wait until I'm just a bag of jelly? she thought. She shivered as she looked around, not just the cold floor or the chill air. Where is it? She reached up to the door latch and couldn't move it. It's locked! she thought in horror, How could it be locked?! When the power goes off, these are supposed to unlock! She didn't care how much noise she made as she rattled the latch, trying to get it loose and the door open. "No, no, no, no! Open, it has to open!"

        She screamed as its jaws closed on her calves, and dragged her away from the door and her hope. She felt the backward sloping teeth digging into her flesh, preventing her escape. She scrambled backward as hard as she could, but the monster dragged her inexorably across the smooth floor. She screamed and twisted, trying to frighten the creature.

        Suddenly it released her, she scrambled back to the door and pulled herself up on the latch, bouncing up and down, using her full weight to dislodge the door. "Please! Please!" she begged as her arms ached from the effort. The door ignored her pleas. The snake closed on her legs up to the knee, trying to drag her back across the floor. She hung onto the door handle, screaming and trying to dislodge herself from the snake. Her arms and stomach burned in pain as she tried to hold on against the snake's pull. She felt the snake's throat muscles close on her feet, holding her within it as it released her from its jaws to take another `bite`. Its teeth dragged on her butt and belly, the sharp teeth digging into her flesh, holding her solidly as it swallowed up to her knees.

        Her throat raw from screaming for help or mercy, Janice continued to hang on, but she felt her tears fall as the snake shook her and she felt fingers begin to slip. Why? Why? Why? she cried out in her mind, This can't be happening to me. This shouldn't be happening at all! Where are the others? Did they abandon me? Leaving me to this thing while they escaped? Couldn't they have tried to help me?

        Her fingers slipped from the door and the snake pulled her in up to her waist, laying her face down on the floor as it swallowed her more. Its muscles clamping on her legs, dragging her down its gullet. She was close enough now, she could look over her shoulder to see the head, the fangs. It lacked any expression, no pity, no lust, she was simply food to be consumed. She began beat on its head. Useless, she thought as she screamed at it, Why don't you just have mercy and kill me?

        It slowly crawled over her, swallowing her with smaller bites. She felt its weight pressing down on her, felt the muscles expanding and contracting as it slowly pulled her into its mouth and down its gorge. She gave up yelling or fighting. I've lost, she realized as in the dim light, she saw her stomach slowly disappearing into the snake's mouth. Its tongue flickered over her body, tasting her fear, her exhaustion in her sweat. Maybe it likes the saltiness, she wondered, Or maybe it wants to know how dissolved I am inside. She felt its sharp rake teeth along her breasts as the retracted fangs rubbed against her back. What would it feel like? she wondered, Driving those fangs into my breasts, filling them to bursting with poison? She tried to laugh at the wild thought, only to burst into tears.

        The swallowing muscles had clamped around her waist and were pulling her head through the snake's mouth. Darkness enclosed her as it shut its mouth, its teeth catching occasionally on her hair. She laughed at the ridiculous chance that her long hair would choke the monster as it swallowed all but her hair. She felt the creature relax as it settled down to digest her. Its weight pressed down on her, its muscles occasionally tightened. She couldn't feel the venom dissolving her from the inside, or its digestive juices working on her skin. She couldn't even cry in her hopelessness.

        After a long, heartsick interval, the snake stirred, clamping down tightly on her, squeezing her body tightly. She knew that some snakes had killed by constriction. But that's redundant right now, she thought, Don't breathe out, hold your breath. She couldn't help but gasp as she felt something warm moving through her vagina. As she focused on it, she realized it was sliding out!

        It popped me like a balloon! she realized as the clench relaxed and the feeling of warmth remained, but the movement stopped. Then it clenched again and she distinctly felt something sliding out of her. It's squeezing my guts out, like toothpaste out of a tube! she realized. She wanted to scream, but her throat was too raw. She wanted to fight, but the paralysis venom and the creature's own muscles made that impossible. I don't want to die this way. What have I done to deserve this? Why is this happening to me? she thought as she cried, the only protest left her. Finally, oblivion took her.

       

---

 

        "Coffee," I said in my best 'zombie-accent', "Coffee." I carried the tray into the center of the Pokècenter's medical chamber. I set the tray down and noted the equipment had two Pokèballs waiting in the 'out' slots. Time to test a theory, I thought, See if skimming the Pokèdex was useful. I released both girls at once, Ailaurie immediately pounced on Cervine, the pair started purring up a storm as they kissed and hugged each other. Ah ha! Another theory proved! I thought, All I'm missing is my villainous moustache to twirl at my unappreciated genius.

        I let them go on for a bit, not wanting to disturb them. "Coffee?" I offered finally. Both were instantly shocked that they hadn't even noticed me. "Relax, I get that a lot, beautiful women ignoring me."

        They both stammered trying to explain or apologize.

        I cut to the chase, "You two are Recognized, right?" I waited as they both became extremely sheepish.

        "It's not supposed to happen between Pokègirls," Cervine said, "Except we were always together, playing, or watching clouds - "

        "Or chasing butterflies," Ailaurie confided, "She is the stone-worst butterfly chaser in the history of bug bothering."

        "You never caught any either," Cervine replied hotly.

        "Look, I'll stay out of your way as - "

        "NO!" Cervine said, then searched for a way to explain herself, "We don't not want you. It's . . . just that we'd also like some time with each other."

        "Alone together," I said, both Cervine and Ailaurie nodded in response. "In any case, I'm going to take some coffee into Janice."

        I left the two lovers alone and headed towards Janice's quarters. "Toys indeed," I commented as I backed into the room. I set the small bedside table back upright and set the tray on it, before I headed to the shutters to open them and let some light into the dark room.

        The Pokègirl was wrapped in the covers, a troubled expression on her face. I sat on the edge of the bed.

        "I've got coffee," I told her, "You really should get up before I call the others in here."

        "You rotten," she said as she roused herself, "You didn't have to pinch me so hard! I thought you'd really stung me!"

        I caught her sleepy strike and pinned her to the bed. "You wanted that little episode as real as possible. I'm just lucky those two were in the Healing Machine or your scream would have brought them in her ready for a fight."

        She frowned and wriggled under me.

        "That's not the best way to show me you're angry," I told her. Her response was a fierce scowl and an even more provocative set of wriggles. "I never heard the word 'Mongoose' any time during your pursuit and `consumption`."

        She relaxed, giving up her anger and the fight. "You must think I'm some kind of pervert, wanting to get eaten."

        "I think you sat up here alone for seven months. Your only companion was your fear that a Widow was going to waltz in here one day and either eat you on the spot or transform you into a little Widow." I let her up, the two bruises on her stomach from where I `injected` her, were already fading to yellow. "So when you showed me that snake mask and asked about it, I was happy to comply."

        "I noticed you had to dip your wick while you were at it - here I am accusing you of being a pervert, and you're sure I am."

        "I didn't say you were a pervert. We did some roleplaying. Now if that's the only foreplay you'll accept or the only way you can get off, that would be scary weird."

        She lay back down, pulled me on top of her. "No, that's not the only way," she purred, "There's a special setting on the Taming machine." With that she pushed me out of bed. "Now go away, I need some real sleep."

        "Now this I'm used to," I told her as I left.

 

The Girls:

Cervine - Doe

Ailaurie-Lynx

Janice - NurseJoy