Another year, another storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Skarinath had seen plenty of storms in his years. A strong and cool-headed flier, the golden eagle-gryphon had even flown through his share. He knew his limits, knew when it was time to give in and seek shelter, knew when he could in fact push on in spite of the weather and be confident of still landing safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More importantly, though, he also knew when he didn\u2019t need<\/em> to push it. The last time he\u2019d flown this route in a storm, lives had rested on how quickly he made the trip, and with the particular storm that had been coming up behind him, he\u2019d had every reason to believe that if he\u2019d taken to the ground, he\u2019d have lost days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n This time, not only did it look like a quick \u2013 if nasty \u2013 squall bearing down on him, all the things in his courier pack were routine. The winds weren\u2019t yet nasty enough to force him down immediately,<\/em> but he was keeping an eye out for a place he could shelter in relative comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And what he saw ahead of him now looked like a fair candidate. A roadside inn by the look of it, a big building with a stableyard larger than any single farm could need \u2013 and just up the road a bit, a cluster of rocks that the road wove around. If he couldn\u2019t stay in the stables \u2013 if there were nervous horses there, say \u2013 he\u2019d at least have some<\/em> shelter nearby from the wind\u2019s worst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Landing was always the trickiest part of flying, and that was all the more so in weather like this. A gust at the wrong time could be a serious problem \u2013 gryphons had broken their legs, wings, or even their necks to the like, which was why anyone teaching younglings to fly just taught them not to risk a storm at all, to land as soon as the weather looked like it might get that bad. Storm-runners were a reckless lot, and in his heart Skar knew he was no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But he did try to lower those risks where he could. And the simplest way to avoid getting caught by a gust when flying too close to the ground to react to it, was to spend as little time as possible actually flying<\/em> that low. Falling<\/em> was another matter altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He swung a bit to the side, until the wind was coming right along the curve of the road, and then he turned right into it and went into a dive \u2013 steep at first, but levelling out well short of the ground, wings flaring to let the wind take his speed away. Legs poised to run, he let himself stall a few bodylengths above the cobbled road, and then he yanked his wings right in close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gravity held him in its relentless, dizzying grip for a few moments, and then his feet hit the cobbles. It was a bone-jarring impact, but it was one he was ready for, shoving forward the moment he made contact, redirecting much of his downward motion forward. A few more bodylengths later, he ran out of cobblestones and lurched to a halt in sticky mud, but by that point he\u2019d already shed most of his speed; it was an uncomfortable jerk but not enough to do him harm. He got back onto the cobbles, shook off the worst of the muck, and ran up the lane towards the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Burning Aspen, read the sign over the door. It looked to have been made with love and care, the letters elaborate but clear, the image of a tree with little flames for leaves quite artistic. It was hard to be sure over the wind and rain, but it didn\u2019t sound<\/em> all that busy inside. Skar sat up on his haunches, leaned against the doorframe with one forefoot, and pounded on the door a few times with the other. He was just about to try again when someone lifted the latch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was hard to say which of them was more surprised by what waited across the threshold. Skar was expecting a human, but in the northeast of Highmoor one could also find vahni, just across the border from Kurgan where they<\/em> made up most of the people. It was a vahn who opened the door, a slight fellow about five and a half feet tall \u2013 Skar had met enough vahni to know him for male by the frilled crest on his salamander-like head, a feature their females didn\u2019t have at all, but it wasn\u2019t nearly as prominent as on most of those he\u2019d dealt with; by that Skar figured him for a youngling. His fine-scaled hide was deep blue, save for the fins on that spiny frill and the webbing on his hands, where it paled to near white; he wore a simple apron of undyed leather, such as would not be out of place in any tavern in Highmoor, but the colourful wood-and-shell pectoral hanging from his neck and the bronze torc around his right upper arm were both very much Kurganite styles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Young or no, he looked like a lithe, healthy specimen, though Skar hadn\u2019t spent enough time among vahni to be sure of it by their<\/em> standards. The gryphon\u2019s gaze drifted a bit further down, taking in both the shining hardwood floor the vahn stood on and the simple trousers he wore. A sinuous, tapering tail flicked into view, a pale fin running along its topside much like that atop his head, aside from not sticking out nearly so far; his feet, clad in simple sandles, were webbed \u2013 and clawed \u2013 even more prominently than his hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t even know who this fellow is, never mind if he\u2019s of age. Stop ogling,<\/em> Skar told himself, and turned his head and his attention back upwards, in time to see the vahn\u2019s eyes widening, frill standing upright; he took a step back in apparent surprise. \u201cShards of the First,\u201d he breathed \u2013 if he was born Moorfolk, Skar would think his tone impressed, but the one time he\u2019d gone into Kurgan, that same time he\u2019d flown the storm up this way, he\u2019d been more focused on bringing medicine to the locals than getting to know how they spoke. And both his jewelry and<\/em> that exclamation were distinctly Kurganite rather than Moorish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It dawned on Skar that the vahn\u2019s own gaze was fixed downward, and that in turn reminded him that especially being wet as he was, he must have been giving the poor fellow quite an eyeful. He shuffled his hindquarters back a bit, giving himself enough space to drop down, and cleared his throat. The vahn had spoken Moorish with a local accent rather than a Kurganite one, so Skar shouldn\u2019t have too much difficulty making himself understood, but gryphons\u2019 beaks gave them a bit of trouble with a few of the sounds if they weren\u2019t careful, and the ever-intensifying rainfall could make that worse. \u201cForgive the racket,\u201d he began, \u201cbut this storm blew in very suddenly. I was wondering\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWho is it, Kadrin?\u201d asked another, deeper voice, this one bearing just a bit of a Kurganite trill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA gryphon, Keshar, seeking shelter from the storm,\u201d the young vahn said over his shoulder. \u201cHe has a courier\u2019s bag.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The other speaker moved into view from a back room. That<\/em> was more what Skar was used to seeing of male vahni \u2013 six feet and a bit tall, not counting a frill that was quite a bit longer and more pronounced than that of the one at the door and had spines that were even longer, the new arrival was solid and muscular, draped in colourful cloth and quite a bit more jewelry, including some silver and even gold. His hide was patterned in vibrant blues and blue-greens, and a pair of gently curling horns grew from his brows. Where the smaller one\u2019s \u2013 Kadrin\u2019s \u2013 gaze had been shocked, this one just looked a touch suspicious of the arrival on the doorstep, though he too focused on Skar\u2019s messenger bag. It bore no Legion insignia \u2013 not anymore \u2013 but the same style of bag was used by gryphons throughout Highmoor, in the Legions or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then Keshar\u2019s gaze sharpened, though his head dipped slightly, his frill flattening against his head and neck. \u201cThe look about you\u2026 Pardon my presumption, but are you Skarinath?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The gryphon blinked. He had not<\/em> been expecting that introductions might be redundant. \u201cI am. But how\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh. Please forgive us for not having a warmer welcome ready, but it is not often we have winged visitors here, never mind the one who saved so many from the Red Rot.\u201d He clapped his hands. \u201cDo not leave our guest standing there, Kadrin. See him settled in the back stables; I will make arrangements to keep the beasts in the front well away from there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kadrin dipped his head. \u201cOf course, Keshar. This way, please, honoured one.\u201d He gestured around the side of the building, towards the stableyard, and when a bemused Skar stepped back and turned that way, the vahn slipped outside and pulled the door shut behind himself. A quick gesture conjured up a brilliant blue light over his palm, shining on the cobbles that the cloud-dimmed, setting sun was quickly turning inadequate to illuminate; with that guide, Kadrin hurried along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The building storm made casual conversation out of the question, both because of the noise and because Kadrin was hustling along at a good pace. He didn\u2019t seem all that uncomfortable in the rain \u2013 in fact, the way his body and tail undulated almost made him look like he was swimming through it \u2013 and Skar was just about to say there was no need to rush on his<\/em> account when his host took hold of a big handle and hauled the door open, sliding along a track which, given that he didn\u2019t have to put too much weight into the motion, was evidently well-tended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He waved Skar through, and after taking a step back to shake off the worst of the water and mud, the gryphon was only too happy to comply. It was a blessed relief to not have the rain drumming on his fur and feathers. A few seconds later, the door thumped against the frame, and for further relief, the sound of the storm was muted to a surprising degree; that door must have been heavier than Kadrin had made it look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At first the interior was rather dark, lit only by glazed windows above and the insufficient light from outside; but there were silver-backed lanterns hung from the support pillars, holding not oil or candles, but quartz stones, and when Kadrin touched his light to one, it came to rest there and glowed brighter. He moved onto the next and kindled a new light for it, and on down the row. They revealed an ample space \u2013 this must have once been where wagons came to rest, though it would\u2019ve been a bit narrow for more than one or two of them now, the space instead converted to wide stalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have been meaning to turn this section into more of a proper place for gryphons to spend the night,\u201d Kadrin said, grabbing a broom from a rack and rushing ahead to one of those stalls, \u201cbut there is always something<\/em> in urgent need of mending, so it\u2019s been hard to arrange the work. My humble apologies, but what comfort I can<\/em> offer you here at the Burning Aspen is yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTruly, it\u2019s fine. I think you\u2019re selling it short, and honestly, I\u2019m happier than I can say just to have a roof over my head right now,\u201d Skar assured him, staying out in the aisle to give the man room to work. A curious fellow, this; obviously he had a spark of magic and decent command of it, to use it so casually for lights, yet here he was working at an inn, so it couldn\u2019t have been too<\/em> strong\u2026Then the way Kadrin had said all that struck the gryphon, and he tilted his head. \u201c\u2018I\u2019? If you\u2019ll forgive me for saying so, I got the impression that, well\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat Keshar owns the place?\u201d A chittering sound followed that sounded much like a laugh, and given the context, probably<\/em> was. \u201cPlease forgive him. His instincts tell him to take charge; sometimes, in the moment, he forgets that I was out of the shell years before him, and have kept the Burning Aspen running well enough for as many years.\u201d He emerged from the stall and went on, \u201cAll we have for bedding is straw, but I\u2019ve laid some down fresh. If you\u2019ll excuse me for a time, I should check the fires. And the kitchen. Flying in this<\/em> weather, you must be hungry?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, yes,\u201d Skar admitted. Actually the prospect of food made his feathers rouse and<\/em> his stomach rumble; by his toothy smile, that didn\u2019t escape the vahn\u2019s notice. \u201cAnd straw is just fine. I can pay\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, no. I wouldn\u2019t dream of it \u2013 not for you of all couriers, at least not this time. Please, make yourself as comfortable as you may.\u201d And before Skar could stammer another reply, Kadrin was gone \u2013 not out the big sliding door, but a man-sized swinging door on the opposite side of the stable, from which the scent of actual horses faintly wafted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More bemused than ever, Skar peered into the stall Kadrin had been sweeping out. More of those mage-lamps flanked the door; these ones had simple shutters, simple enough that even a gryphon\u2019s limited dexterity could manage them. They lit a space that was not just reasonably open, but downright spacious \u2013 these walls had obviously been laid down to divide the space with an eye to a gryphon\u2019s proportions, not a horse\u2019s. One entire wall of it was brick, radiating heat from a fire on the other side, and the statement that the bedding was just straw turned out to be selling it short: yes, it was probably straw, and fresh straw at that, with a few more small bales of it stacked in one corner, but that which was laid down as a nest was under a patterned blanket that would handily keep any individual straws from sticking to his fur or feathers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It also looked nice enough that getting mud all over it would be a shame. But there was loose straw on the floor as well, not just the nest. There was even a pile where Kadrin must have put the old<\/em> straw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First things first, Skar pawed at his harness. It was cleverly made so a gryphon\u2019s not-so-nimble talons could handle it, but it did still take him a few moments to get the clasps open and wriggle out of the straps, leaving the harness \u2013 and his courier bag \u2013 in as neat a pile next to the nest as he could manage. That done, he plucked one of the bales off the stack, bit through the twine binding it, and set to rubbing the mud off against it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019d gotten the worst of it off and was tugging some of the grimy dregs of it free when the door opened again, and the scent of spices and meat drifted through it. Venison, fresh venison, seared just enough to add some flavour. Presently, Kadrin appeared at the stall door, a big ceramic serving-bowl held up on one shoulder and some plain, unbleached linen cloths slung over the other arm, which in turn was also carrying a bucket. \u201cAh! I should be happy to get that out of your way once you\u2019re done, honoured one,\u201d he said, setting the bucket down next to the fire-backed bricks and the bowl by the edge of the nest; it was simple fare in there, just chunks of meat lightly tossed with spices and briefly introduced to a hot pan, and it looked \u2013 and smelled; gryphons, unlike their raptor forebears, had<\/em> a sense of smell worth mentioning \u2013 simply lovely,<\/em> but for the moment Skar turned his attention back to his host.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just in time to see him duck his head, his frill spreading, fluttering a moment, then flattening. \u201cI-i-if you\u2019d wish,\u201d he said, swallowed, and went on more steadily, \u201cif it wouldn\u2019t be, ah, inappropriate, I would also be pleased to help you be clean and dry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA roof, a bed, a fire, a meal, and<\/em> a grooming?\u201d Skar\u2019s ears flushed and furled back; a courier like him, however daring, was not<\/em> used to being given a hero\u2019s welcome. The ex-Legionnaire in him, wary of excessive praise as a prelude to some nasty news, wrestled with his pride and vanity. For the most part, caution was losing, but it was still holding on. \u201cI feel like you\u2019re giving me a bit too much credit. It\u2019s not as though I made<\/em> the medicine, or even administered it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d Kadrin granted, \u201cbut you worked yourself to collapse to bring it to us, even though we were not your people then. I would probably have caught the Rot in time\u2014and our healers had all but given up on Keshar. Would have given up already, if not for the word that help was coming. Overbearing though he may be sometimes, he is my brother, and I love him. In his eyes, the very ground you walk on is blessed \u2013 the more so as a creature who doesn\u2019t spend his whole life on<\/em> the ground \u2013 and I will not be the one to say he is wrong.\u201d He dropped to one knee, head bowed. \u201cOur hospitality is all we can offer against so heavy a debt, but I beg you, please accept it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Skar hadn\u2019t blushed this much since the first day another male had called him attractive. And made good on it. Feathers might hide much of it, but especially on the inside of his ears, pinned back though they might be, some of it had<\/em> to be showing through. \u201cPlease, don\u2019t \u2013 I mean, you can \u2013 oh, fewmets.\u201d Deep breath. It wasn\u2019t like he could claim it hadn\u2019t been a big deal when this fellow knew how hard he\u2019d pushed to get to the heart of the disease outbreak as quickly as he possibly could, but there had to be some<\/em> way to bring this down to a more\u2026 equitable discussion. \u201cIf it would please you, I\u2019m not going to turn down a grooming, but maybe you could teach me a bit about vahni while you\u2019re doing it? Obviously I met some when I was in Kurgan, and I\u2019ve crossed paths with a few in this part of Highmoor, but I barely know enough to tell male from female. I wouldn\u2019t have thought you were the elder<\/em> brother, for instance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh! You want to know about us physically.<\/em> That I can tell you.\u201d Kadrin stood up, which at least eased some of the awkwardness Skar was feeling, and went over to the bucket, dipping one of the cloths into it and wringing it out. \u201cIf you wish to know about our culture,<\/em> Keshar stayed in Kurgan for longer than I did, and has spent a good deal of his time back there even since taking up residence here \u2013 he is a lapidary in Greyfell, just a half-day\u2019s ride north.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019ve both done well for yourselves in Highmoor,\u201d Skar observed, moving to stand next to the bricks. After the cold, wind-driven rain outside, the warmth was as a gift from the gods themselves; between that and the chance to get the rest of the mud out rather than spoil the blanket with it, delaying the meal he\u2019d been offered was all right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI had\u2026 some compelling reasons to seek a new life here,\u201d Kadrin said, and let out a long, hissy sigh. \u201cBut for the thing that confused you\u2026\u201d Leaning forward, he started applying the cloth briskly to Skar\u2019s mud-speckled, avian foreleg; that water, too, was already blessedly warm. \u201cI am<\/em> a man grown, as vahni know it; the differences we go through are not all that different from those of humans, though I don\u2019t know about your kind in particular\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFairly similar, in the broad strokes.\u201d It hadn\u2019t taken his host long to get that leg clean; he shifted his weight onto it and lifted up the other foreleg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh. But the first male \u2013 only <\/em>the first male in a family unit to claim a female and sire a clutch goes through some additional changes, and that is something Keshar has always been more interested in than I am.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aha.<\/em> The gryphon had heard some<\/em> mention of hostile attitudes toward such in other countries. He tilted his head. \u201cBut you live here, and he lives in the city. Unless occasional visits are enough to keep those changes at bay\u2026 I\u2019m guessing he\u2019s a lot<\/em> more interested.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another chittering laugh. \u201cJust so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd I\u2019m also guessing that has to do with your reasons to start over in Highmoor?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was no laugh this time; just a weighty pause. But the response was, again, \u201cJust so.\u201d The bucket sloshed as Kadrin shifted it towards his guest\u2019s hindquarters; the cloth swiped a few times over Skar\u2019s chest-feathers, carefully going with the grain, wiping off whatever specks of mud might have spattered them. \u201cKeshar suggested it; he had done some trading with the folk of Highmoor by then, and knew it was a friendlier place for such a life. But the Rot delayed everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That had to have been a special kind of hell. Surrounded by people who would condemn as unnatural the very things your own heart most yearned for\u2026 \u201cIt was scary enough for me just trying to figure out what manner of company I fancied, and I knew the whole time that whatever answer I found, it would be accepted.\u201d More or less, though in some of the details he himself had never quite dared reveal to anyone, he felt a deep kinship with this stranger. \u201cWhat you must have gone through \u2013 I\u2019m\u2026\u201d Sorry<\/em> didn\u2019t feel quite right; it wasn\u2019t as though Skar had been in any way involved, and the vahn was well out of that situation by now, wasn\u2019t he? \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019ve come to a place that\u2019s more understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo am I,\u201d Kadrin said, and started rubbing Skar\u2019s right hindleg. Covered in fur as it was, it took rather more effort than the forelegs had, but the vahn was leaning right into it; Skar just did his best to keep still and prayed that the mud hadn\u2019t gone too<\/em> far up his leg. He<\/em> had a healthy appreciation for gryphon anatomy, especially male, and in part because of<\/em>, rather than in spite of, how unruly it could be; but he wasn\u2019t going to assume such a fondness of everyone he met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSome of our family\u2026 did not understand, when they learned the truth,\u201d the vahn went on. \u201cBut Keshar was always there for me. He might call me a degenerate now and then\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Skar bristled. That didn\u2019t sound much like loyalty\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2014but only to tease me. Always with love in his voice, never when I am on hard times, and never, never<\/em> when anyone is around who might overhear and think him serious. In truth I think he is very glad as well that I have done well here, where people are more accepting, but a patriarch\u2019s instincts make it hard for him to say so openly. He has<\/em> promised to make me bonding-bands, should I ever find someone I wish to be so close to, and to stand in my wedding circle as I was in his; and by those I know he doesn\u2019t really<\/em> disapprove. He probably says that sort of thing as much to mock those who think it true.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026all right, maybe he owed the fancier vahn a mental apology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just as the scrubbing was getting high enough that he wondered if he ought to say something about how sensitive to touch gryphons could be, and merlins in particular, it stopped. A wadded up, muddy bundle of cloth flew into his view and landed with a wet splat next to the discarded straw, and a quick, gentler rub followed, apparently to get most of the water out of his fur, before Kadrin stood with bucket in hand. \u201cAh, forgive me for rambling on like that,\u201d he said, walking around in front of Skar to the gryphon\u2019s other side. \u201cI must be boring you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, not at all,\u201d he assured the vahn. \u201cThough, you know, I\u2019m not a horse; I won\u2019t get nervous and kick if you go behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kadrin stopped in mid-stride, head tilting, and looked down at his feet as though surprised to find them there. \u201cAh! I did<\/em> go around front, didn\u2019t I? Sorry, sorry. Habit, nothing more.\u201d He crouched down again to work on Skar\u2019s other hindleg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fellow was stronger than he looked. Well, okay, the gryphon could have known that by just how much stuff he\u2019d brought in at one time, but the force he was putting into that rubbing was really driving it home. He might own the inn now,<\/em> but he\u2019d obviously done the stable-work in his own time, and got plenty of mud out of plenty of coats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is one thing I\u2019m curious about,\u201d Skar began, and when his host made a questioning noise, he went on. \u201cIf your brother was so sick when I brought that medicine, how is he<\/em> the one that recognized me? It\u2019s not like I have an eye-catching pattern.\u201d He shook a bit of lingering moisture off his wings, and held them up slightly unfurled so his feathers \u2013 perhaps not completely<\/em> uniform, but with subtle enough variation that even he wouldn\u2019t swear it was anything more than just how the light happened to be landing on them \u2013 could dry a little better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHrrrr. I was\u2026 distracted.\u201d Kadrin sat back up straight, tossing another wadded-up cloth onto the pile. \u201cThat seems to be the worst of it. There\u2019s no need to keep standing there, hmm? Be comfortable, and if it pleases you, eat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, I rather think it will<\/em> please me,\u201d Skar rumbled. The meat in that bowl had been a very tantalizing presence, and he was only too happy to get settled in that nest now that he wasn\u2019t going to get it filthy. The bowl was plenty wide enough for him to just dip his head in and grab a piece \u2013 a bit smaller than would normally make a mouthful, but he\u2019d rather that than just a bit too big to be comfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It had smelled just fine, and it tasted<\/em> even better. That little bit of crisping lent it flavour that he didn\u2019t often get the chance to appreciate, and<\/em> helped seal in the spices a tiny bit. He swallowed. \u201cAnd I was right,\u201d he said, shifting to make room as Kadrin moved in with a curry-comb. \u201cIt isn\u2019t often that anyone bothers to cook gryphon-food even a little. I\u2019m as glad for it as I am that it isn\u2019t over<\/em>done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have tried to learn what appeals to gryphons\u2019 tastes,\u201d Kadrin replied, pressing the comb against Skar\u2019s side, easing under the feathers to get at just a bit more fur, and rubbing in smooth circles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAhhh. It\u2019s working,\u201d Skar observed as the nubs pushed through his fur and teased the skin beneath. A gryphon\u2019s fur might not be quite the same as a horse\u2019s coat, but some<\/em> of the same tools worked just fine if someone was willing and able to put them to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI haven\u2019t had a chance to learn how best to care for your feathers yet,\u201d the vahn went on apologetically. \u201cWe get few of your race up this way \u2013 I hope that by making a place that\u2019s hospitable to you, I might do my part to change that. But that does come back to your question. I know more or less how many couriers fly this circuit, and I have met most of them by now, as they\u2019ve delivered this and that. None of the others I\u2019ve met are unmarked gold, and Keshar had heard in the city that you do<\/em> still fly this circuit, so\u2026\u201d He\u2019d curried his way along to Skar\u2019s rump; now he swapped for a brush, short strokes of it along the grain of the fur, tugging free dirt and loose hairs alike. \u201cI might have guessed it, myself, but \u2013 there you were, right in front of me. I\u2019ve always thought yours a beautiful race, but mostly I see you from afar \u2013 it\u2019s easy to forget how big<\/em> you really are! It was\u2026 an impressive sight, to find on my doorstep so suddenly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAhhhh, you flatter me,\u201d said the gryphon, though he could hear a bit of an appreciative purr in his own voice. Friendly contact, good food, and praise of his appearance were all things he wasn\u2019t likely to turn down anytime soon. \u201cRain-soaked and splashed with mud, I could not<\/em> have been at my best. But if you\u2019re going to put me in a better state to admire, I\u2019m<\/em> not going to stop you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And at least the fellow hadn\u2019t been repulsed by some<\/em> of the details Skar\u2019s reared-up stance and soaked fur would have emphasized. Most Moorfolk accepted that gryphons couldn\u2019t manage clothing, but some were a bit bashful about it, especially up here where gryphons were uncommon and migrants from less-gryphon-acclimatized Kurgan were better-known \u2013 and even a good number of the rest wouldn\u2019t want a faceful of sheath courtesy of a stranger showing up on their doorstep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, at least this vahn wasn\u2019t terribly sensitive in that respect. If he\u2019d known what kind of a rub-down he\u2019d have been in for, Skar would have hated to have missed out on it. He let out a long, contented sigh and stretched out his hindleg as the brush worked down along it. \u201cThe thicker coat compared to horses doesn\u2019t seem to be giving you any trouble,\u201d he observed. \u201cIf I can convince a groomer to pay you a visit with some extra tools, I imagine you\u2019ll be making gryphons feel like visiting royalty soon enough!\u201d He snatched up another gobbet of meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA visit?\u201d Another chitter-laugh; Kadrin gave a few more quick strokes over Skar\u2019s hindpaw, then rose, walking around to the other side, trailing his hand over the gryphon\u2019s rump in the process. It was very much a horse-groomer\u2019s habit, much like the more time-consuming approach of crossing in front, but it wasn\u2019t like Skar was going to complain about the contact\u2026 \u201cIf my plan bears fruit, I\u2019ll want to hire <\/em>on<\/em> at least one! I might like to keep my hand in now and then, but the owner can\u2019t be rushing off to tend to every<\/em> guest on a busy night!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOnly the really special<\/em> ones, hrrr?\u201d The words were out of Skar\u2019s beak before he could stop himself. That might have been going a little too far, but the thought just conjured up such delightful<\/em> mental images, and the hand on his flank wasn\u2019t doing anything<\/em> to dispel them. He tried to distract himself with another bite of meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHrrrrr.\u201d It wasn\u2019t quite the same sound as Skar had just made \u2013 less of a purr, more of a trill \u2013 but was really remarkably<\/em> similar. \u201cI should be so lucky as to have that<\/em> special a visitor, now and then.\u201d That hand stayed where it was, just forward of the gryphon\u2019s rump, and even got a little more weight on it as the vahn started brushing with his other hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hang on, did he just\u2014?<\/em> Skar blinked, running through the exchange again in his mind. It sounded an awful lot like this fellow had just said he\u2019d enjoy a\u2026 a conjugal visit from a gryphon lover, didn\u2019t it? Well, now!<\/em> The talk had<\/em> been rather solidly on gryphon visitors, it wasn\u2019t as though it was a great leap of logic \u2013 in fact, it\u2019d be a bit strained to apply it to anything else!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Suddenly very aware of fine cloth against sensitive skin, Skar turned his head to look directly at his host. The vahn\u2019s frill was standing up, the tip of his tail darting about as he swiftly brushed the gryphon\u2019s flank; Skar would have guessed him agitated, but maybe it was a different sort of worked up?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being polite to one\u2019s hosts was all very well, but Skar hadn\u2019t got to where he was in life by being timid.<\/em> He took a deep breath for courage, swallowed, and didn\u2019t quite<\/em> keep himself from clicking his beak, but forged on anyway. \u201cWell, if that<\/em> thought appeals to you, maybe I don\u2019t need to keep quite so carefully belly-down, hrrrr?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kadrin\u2019s brush hand froze mid-stroke. His frill stood a bit taller still, fluttering; his eyes drifted lower, down to Skar\u2019s haunch. There was no way he could see<\/em> anything from where he was \u2014 but the very fact that he\u2019d looked<\/em> was pretty telling, wasn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then he stiffened, frill flattening. \u201cUrrrrh.\u201d He swallowed hard, looked up, and started somewhat when he saw Skar already looking back at him; he ducked his head. \u201cSh-should I\u2026 should I stop?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The poor fellow sounded scared half to death. And no wonder \u2014 most two-legged Moorfolk didn\u2019t much enjoy being worked up by someone they hadn\u2019t already invited to do just that, and Skar couldn\u2019t imagine attitudes towards it were any warmer in Kurgan. Hopefully the gryphon could set him at ease \u2013 and maybe, just maybe, keep him from talking himself out of something it seemed he actually did<\/em> want to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019d probably work best if he avoided his usual teasing banter, though, at least until they understood one another. What he said was, \u201cOnly if you<\/em> don\u2019t want to keep going. I\u2019m<\/em> feeling fine, and more would be fine, too \u2013 I\u2019m curious, you\u2019re appealing, and I don\u2019t have anything or anyone else pushing me to say no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kadrin looked up, frill lifting partway. \u201cYou \u2014 you really think I\u2019m\u2026?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI really do,\u201d Skar assured him. \u201cGryphons see plenty of things that people think are otherwise private, and I, well, I\u2019ve been a bit curious about it for some years now. Wondering if I and a biped could make it work. You in particular \u2013 you\u2019re different than I\u2019m used to, yes, that\u2019s part of it. A new experience is something I haven\u2019t been shy of since I was a fledgling. But you also just look good.<\/em> Not nearly so much dead weight as I\u2019m lugging around!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That shook Kadrin out of his stasis and into another laugh. \u201cNone of this,<\/em>\u201d he said, hand sliding along Skar\u2019s haunch, \u201cfeels anything less than powerful. I will admit, though \u2014 that first look has been hard to push out of mind!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cReally,<\/em> now?\u201d Skar did some mental re-evaluating of the vahn\u2019s initial response to him. If he had in fact been relishing<\/em> that wet, mud-spattered glimpse\u2026! \u201cHere, shift over a bit. I think I can give you a better image to replace that<\/em> one!\u201d Kadrin obligingly leaned out of the way, so, before Skar could think better of it and tense up, he shifted a bit to the left, tucked his right wing in close, and rolled over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The blanket had kept the actual straw away from his bare, sensitive flesh, but still, the open air felt quite<\/em> a bit better against it. And the wide-eyed reaction, one hand raised in an aborted reaching-forward gesture of obvious yearning, was so<\/em> gratifying. \u201cGo on,\u201d Skar urged. \u201cI\u2019ve wondered for years<\/em> what an actual hand would feel like there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The vahn hesitated for just a moment, tongue flicking out briefly. Then he drew a breath, and \u2014 oh, stars, he was doing it, he was really doing it \u2014<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Skar had expected it to be different than the touch of a tongue, and it was. He hadn\u2019t<\/em> expected just how completely a biped\u2019s hand could wrap around his member, how firmly it could squeeze. It wasn\u2019t at all like mounting someone, either; it was intense,<\/em> so strong that it was all Skar could do to keep from thrashing, and he couldn\u2019t<\/em> hold in a surprised yip at the same time. He couldn\u2019t even make sense of what Kadrin was doing to him \u2013 every stroke, every squeeze, sent a fresh jolt up his spine. He barely had time to form the thought that he wouldn\u2019t last long before an especially strong surge of pleasure made him shove into Kadrin\u2019s grip, panting hard, the rich smell of his own semen slamming into his senses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It hadn\u2019t taken him long to conclude that hands could be very, very<\/em> nice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the initial need of a few days\u2019 abstinence slaked, he could appreciate the gentler touch he was subject to now, fingertips tracing the outline of his tapering length. It probably didn\u2019t hurt that those fingers were now moving wetly, slickly over his skin, lubricated by the selfsame seed they\u2019d coaxed forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That he was still fondling Skar was at least something of a good sign that he might not get the wrong idea, but maybe it\u2019d be best to be sure. In a moment, anyway; that touch was too fine a sensation for him to cut short. For the time being, Skar just tried to rock in counterpoint to his new friend\u2019s stroking, hoped that would be message enough that he wanted to continue, and cracked his eyes open to gauge the reaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vahni features might not have been very familiar to him, but they were descended from predator stock, as were both of the creatures that had been combined to make gryphons, and apparently that was enough for some<\/em> signals to carry over. The intense focus was plain as day in Kadrin\u2019s features, a yearning want that bordered on physical hunger; his tongue poked out one side of his mouth, then drew back in as he glanced up and saw Skar looking at him. His eyes widened for a moment, frill fluttering. \u201cThat was\u2026 shorter than I expected,\u201d he confessed, \u201cbut such<\/em> a delight. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was shorter than I<\/em> expected, and I\u2019m used to how my body works,\u201d Skar replied. A chittering laugh worked its way out of him. \u201cBut don\u2019t thank me yet, I\u2019m barely getting started!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh!\u201d That frill stood high and fluttered a little more; Kadrin flashed a toothy grin. \u201cI suppose part of me is used to humans. With them\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI would<\/em> be done after that. Yes. I may not have been with one of them myself, but I\u2019ve seen<\/em> plenty,\u201d Skar explained. Some other time, he might have wanted to press for details, to learn what he could expect if he<\/em> were ever so lucky as to get such an opportunity. At the moment, though, he was more inclined to focus on the opportunity right in front of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fingers gliding up and down his taper certainly helped keep that focus strong, of course. Skar had met a few merlins with what he\u2019d thought were nimble tongues, and that<\/em> had rocked his world. This<\/em> was on a whole new level; just from that light touch, he was still<\/em> quivering on the edge of release. Anything more, and \u2013 oh, there it was, a warm, firm squeeze around his length. Pleasure surged all over again, the world wavering, his length bucking in the other male\u2019s grasp, squirting out another mouthful of seed; or so it felt as it pulsed out of him, at least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this rate, oh, he was going to be so wonderfully<\/em> spent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When he brought his eyes back into focus, Kadrin was tossing his apron aside, onto the bales of fresh hay. Removing it had, by some mercy, necessitated removing his hand from Skar\u2019s piece, but the intent focus in his<\/em> gaze suggested it would be as short a time as possible before contact was restored; for the moment he was tugging at his belt. Noticing Skar\u2019s renewed attention, the vahn said, \u201cThere is\u2026 there is something I\u2019ve wanted to try, but never before seemed like it would truly work.\u201d <\/em>His frill was flat, his tail twitching behind him. Anxious? \u201cNot with humans, not even with vahni. But you\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith all the ways we\u2019re different,\u201d Skar mused, \u201cthe thought that one of them might actually work for<\/em> us is pretty fine. Do what you like; I\u2019ll tell you if it\u2019s uncomfortable, and otherwise, it\u2019ll be something new for me to try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kadrin got his belt undone, reached behind himself to fiddle with something over his tail, and then wriggled out of his trousers. For a moment, Skar found himself confused, not seeing what he\u2019d expected<\/em> to see down below \u2013 just a slight gap in the fine scales. But that gap was getting a little more pronounced, something<\/em> trying to make itself known from within. Male in a way the gryphon recognized, yes, even if he concealed it more thoroughly at rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But rather than waiting for that hidden member to come into the open \u2013 or helping it along \u2013 the vahn moved right up to his guest, between hindlegs that Skar tried to keep in close to his belly and spread out of the way. One hand leaned on the gryphon\u2019s thigh, which helped a bit in that respect; the other, still generously smeared with Skar\u2019s seed, was spreading it over that slit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Skar had just enough time to think Wait, is he \u2013<\/em> before, in fact, he did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scales there were a bit rougher than the skin on the vahn\u2019s fingers, firmer than the brush of a feather; enough to tickle, which made the gryphon utter a yip<\/em> that he only just managed to stifle most of the breath out of. It took a few seconds of such rubbing before Kadrin achieved his goal, slit parting before the gryphon\u2019s tip, and Skar slid into him \u2013 right alongside the unmistakeable firm warmth of his own<\/em> swelling length.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And he\u2019d thought just having his meat up against another merlin\u2019s was \u201cclose.\u201d This was closer to another male than he\u2019d even known he could<\/em> be. Every breath, every slight shift, made his seed-slick shaft slide against his new lover\u2019s, and both<\/em> of them were wrapped snug in the vahn\u2019s body, a soft, snug embrace that grew tighter by the moment as Kadrin\u2019s length swelled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Skar was swept along by a roiling wave of ecstasy. Every motion, whether his or Kadrin\u2019s, just made some sensation surge still higher. He was distantly aware of a needy mewling that he barely recognized as his own, of the blanket against the back of his head, of Kadrin\u2019s hands buried in his belly-fur; but all he could process with any clarity was the flesh sliding against his own and the flesh surrounding both, and jet after jet of his own seed rushing out of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then, suddenly, Kadrin pulled off of him with a gasp, panting hard. The firm heat of his now-very-ready length pressed up against Skar\u2019s again a moment later, but after the snug warmth of his body, the air now surrounding them was shockingly cool. Not that this served in any way to dampen Skar\u2019s excitement \u2013 very much the opposite; it just gave him something to focus on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When he lifted his head, Kadrin was grinning down at him, frill once again standing tall. \u201cYou lose yourself to this much<\/em> more than I\u2019d have expected of one who flies,\u201d the vahn observed, wrapping a hand around their fencing shafts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Measure by measure, Skar was getting used to that grasp. Or maybe it was just a matter of his initial urgency being blunted. He gape-grinned back for a moment. \u201cMating on the wing is overrated,\u201d he replied. \u201cPartly because<\/em> I\u2019d need to keep focused on flying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another chitter. \u201cAh. I see.\u201d His hips stilled, body arching in an almost languid stretch, though one didn\u2019t need to feel his rigid manhood to know he was still very excited. \u201cYou have given me a new experience, and it worked better<\/em> than I expected. Next, what might I<\/em> do for you?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou might come up here and let me get a good look at you,\u201d the gryphon said, and just in case his intent could use a bit more spelling out, flicked his tongue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kadrin shivered atop him. \u201cHssss. I can do that.\u201d He pushed himself back upright; when Skar tucked in his hindlegs and a wing to make room, the vahn obligingly walked around and up to his shoulder. Skar\u2019s eyes were able to see all the relevant details as soon as he\u2019d drawn back, of course, but that dry practicality didn\u2019t lessen his delight when the vahn\u2019s white-glazed shaft was right in front of his beak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Skar was not in the habit of ranking his lovers, but some<\/em> comparison to what he was used to might have been inevitable. Male gryphons were more or less of a size with humans, with some variation in size between their hindlegs that didn\u2019t necessarily match with their size overall; fairly thick at the base, smoothly tapering in a sort of drooping cone shape (though that curve was usually upwards rather than down), with the latter half textured by a band of fleshy nubs. Thinner at the tip, which might have been what prompted Kadrin to take him in like that. What Skar had before him now was definitely on the longer side of things \u2013 the largest he\u2019d seen up close, maybe the biggest he’d seen at all even as a distant voyeur. The flesh was pale, compared to the deep red of a gryphon\u2019s piece; a bit slimmer at the base but staying that thick through an upward curve, only tapering off when it started curving the other way. Skar gave it a light lick, and under the taste of his own seed was something distinctly new, yet still recognizably masculine; it twitched upwards at the contact, its owner letting out a soft whimper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, that<\/em> was promising. Very<\/em> enticing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Skar didn\u2019t have the dexterity to handle a penis with anything resembling safety, but he wasn\u2019t completely<\/em> unable to grip things. It took some care to do without putting his talons somewhere they didn\u2019t belong, of course, but not so much that he couldn\u2019t do it at a time like this. Instead, he took hold of the vahn\u2019s thigh, tugged him in a bit closer, and let his tongue alone dance up and down that curving shaft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kadrin moaned over him, hands questing about his head for a few moments, then finding a spot to grip and settle. He rocked back and forth, sliding his length against the gryphon\u2019s tongue. For all the many and considerable differences between them, that response felt so natural that Skar didn\u2019t have the slightest bit of trouble getting into it, tilting his head this way and that, lapping away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About a minute in, though, he had the realization that he might have gotten in over his head. A fellow gryphon would almost certainly have made a mess by now, probably twice over; but the vahn\u2019s whimpers and moans, while gently escalating, didn\u2019t offer him any indication that the man was about to finish. He kept at it, part of him determined to succeed, to taste his host\u2019s seed, but with a building soreness in his jaw that just might force him to back off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the end, fatigue won. Gasping, he pulled his tongue back in and worked his jaw a few times. When he tentatively pulled his head back a bit, Kadrin let him go, one hand staying on the gryphon\u2019s head but not impeding his movement; the vahn\u2019s whimpers ebbed, but he kept panting eagerly, casting a toothy grin downwards. \u201cThat,\u201d he declared, \u201cwas incredible.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Skar tried to shove his inner critic, the part of him declaring his efforts a failure, off to the side. For the most part, it worked, that voice subsiding to a slight disquieting mutter. But he had to admit, \u201cI was hoping I\u2019d get you to finish.\u201d A pleasing thought came to mind, and he gape-grinned back upwards. \u201cI guess I\u2019ll need more practice to manage that.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh? Need to wash down your food, do you?\u201d The vahn rubbed behind an ear that Skar hadn\u2019t realized was furled back until the touch brought his own attention to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt would have been a tasty treat, I\u2019m sure,\u201d Skar replied, savouring some momentary daydreams about just how<\/em> it might have tasted; would it have been the same pungency he knew from his own kind, or would there be something distinct to it? More sweetness, something else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thoughts for another time. Right now, he wanted to move forward. \u201cBut for the moment, I think I could offer your little friend there a softer place, mmmm?\u201d He was quite<\/em> sure his other<\/em> end wouldn\u2019t fail him by the time Kadrin reached his peak, and the thought of that curving shaft buried inside him, pressing here and there, pumping its warm load into him… that<\/em> was almost enough to push him to another peak then and there; he shuddered, tail flagging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, that\u2019s a nice<\/em> thought,\u201d Kadrin hissed. He ambled past Skar\u2019s side, hand trailing along the gryphon\u2019s spine. Tingling anticipation grew with each of the other male\u2019s strides; Skar hunkered down over his forepaws, suddenly feeling an aching emptiness yearning to be filled, a craving that was simply too much to contain by the time that roving hand came to rest on his rump, right over the base of his tail. \u201cAt your size, I might<\/em> be able to manage without oil, hrrrr?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease,<\/em>\u201d Skar whined, squeezing his eyes shut. He could still picture every inch of that delicious length, poised to slip into him \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then the warm, wet tip of it nudged the root of his tail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He couldn\u2019t have stifled a whimper if he\u2019d wanted to. In that moment, his only need was to feel that heat sliding home. And the gods and Kadrin had mercy, for in the space of a few breaths, the vahn got himself oriented and started spreading the gryphon\u2019s tailhole open, spearing into him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gods, it was a delight. Slick with Skar\u2019s saliva and traces of the gryphon\u2019s seed, the vahn thrust into him in one smooth stroke, probing deep, deep inside him. Skar\u2019s upraised tail tried to lash, ran into Kadrin\u2019s neck, and wound around it; one of the smaller male\u2019s hands clutched at that tail near its base, the other clenched against the gryphon\u2019s flank, and he started thrusting back and forth, out and in, with abandon. Each stroke had him rubbing against that one wonderful<\/em> spot inside Skar\u2019s body, sending a spike of pleasure through him, and inside half a dozen that pleasure boiled over. He shuddered as his seed started coursing out of him anew, a rather indiscreet cry building up inside him \u2013 he barely<\/em> had the presence of mind to clamp a forepaw over his beak and plant it into the bed, muffling that cry into a keening whine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And still the vahn was spearing into him, again and again. The man\u2019s body just did not<\/em> give up, it seemed; his breath was quick and laboured, grunts working out of him with each thrust, soft at first but quickly growing quite pronounced, and still he kept going. Again and again and again Skar felt his seed running down his length and jetting out of him, ebbing slightly only to surge all over again as that hot flesh worked its magic inside him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, very suddenly, the assault came to an end. Kadrin gasped and shoved hard against his rump, grinding in tight. Buried deep under Skar\u2019s tail, the vahn\u2019s length bucked and jerked \u2013 and as Skar\u2019s own pleasure finally<\/em> faded into something a bit gentler, he was in a position to really appreciate it, to understand \u2013 to relish \u2013 <\/em>that his new lover was at long last caught in his own climax, was pumping a warm, wet load deep into him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was sore and shaking from overstimulation, but this moment was entirely<\/em> worth it. Just as Kadrin\u2019s climax had taken longer to arrive, so too did it stretch out, punctuated by tiny, jerky shoves as though he was straining to push in just a little bit further. And where gryphons would need to keep up the stimulation if they wanted to keep up the pleasure, the vahn could just let it run its course, and Skar could savour every moment of it, every panting breath, every twitch, every hot pulse inside him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ahh, life was good.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Bit by bit, Kadrin\u2019s laboured breathing grew steadier. He groaned, pushed upright where he\u2019d slumped over the gryphon\u2019s back, and drew himself out with one last, slippery stroke over that special spot. \u201cShards,\u201d he husked, \u201cI\u2019ve never had it be so\u2014so easy.<\/em> So simple to just let go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNew delights all around,\u201d Skar purred. \u201cBut are you sated, or could you still go for more? I\u2019m<\/em> well-pleased, but I\u2019m sure I could still muster some<\/em> energy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe something a bit<\/em> more sedate?\u201d Kadrin let out another chittering laugh. \u201cAnd maybe you could return the favour, hrrr?\u201d One of his hands curled around Skar\u2019s very drippy length, and he issued a sound rather like a purr himself as the gryphon hunched into his grasp. \u201cYou\u2019re already so slippery\u2014if you can keep it gentle, I\u2019m sure I could do something with this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gentle, huh? That wasn\u2019t a request he\u2019d got all<\/em> that often, but it wasn\u2019t unknown, either. \u201cI can do gentle,\u201d he promised, and by way of demonstration, pushed just<\/em> a bit into the vahn\u2019s grip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It went in a fairly familiar fashion from there, except that Kadrin was quite a bit smaller than Skar\u2019s previous lovers; even with him lying face up across the nest-bed, there\u2019d be no making eye contact this time. But, really, it was nothing he didn\u2019t know how<\/em> to do. Once Kadrin was comfortably situated, Skar straddled him \u2014 \u201cmounting\u201d the bed more than the person, but otherwise much the same posture on his part \u2014 and eased forward. There was a thigh \u2014 ah, there<\/em> was the base of his tail; with a low rumble of pleasure vibrating in his throat, Skar made some guesses based on their relative sizes, shifted his hindquarters to adjust his aim, and nudged forward where tail and thighs met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the whimper and sudden shudder under him, he\u2019d guessed pretty much right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was<\/em> rather different having scaly hide rather than fur or feathers against his sensitive skin, but he was slick enough from their earlier exertions that it definitely wasn\u2019t a problem.<\/em> A difference to be noted, appreciated, and delighted in, not afraid of. Once he\u2019d started pressing up under that stout tail and into the snug warmth beyond, well, that<\/em> was quite familiar indeed. He took his time with it, as though the fellow under him were a young male new to this kind of stimulation, alert for any sudden change in the vahn\u2019s body, or in the sounds being muffled by the gryphon\u2019s chest-feathers; but Kadrin just hung on and tugged him closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He really was wonderfully<\/em> tight; as long as that didn\u2019t make it uncomfortable for the vahn either,<\/em> Skar definitely wasn\u2019t going to complain. It was almost<\/em> as much pressure around Skar\u2019s taper as the vahn\u2019s hand had been, and that was a very fine thing indeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, the real<\/em> challenge \u2014 or treat \u2014 for the smaller male was going to be when Skar went the other way, but that was a concern for a bit in the future yet. For now, Skar kept working inward, just barely pressing forward by curling his toes, until their bodies were as snug against each other as they were going to get and the whole of his shaft was shrouded in warmth, and there he rested; stirring just a bit from the motions of their respective breaths, otherwise just savouring the closeness of the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh, stars,\u201d Kadrin moaned into his chest. \u201cSo<\/em> good!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, we\u2019re not done yet,\u201d Skar purred, feeling his tail flick and his toes flex in anticipation. \u201cReady for what\u2019s next?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHaaah \u2014 I think so,\u201d came the breathy reply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So Skar leaned back, drawing out ever so slightly, letting the nubs on his length do their work. Kadrin gasped, shuddered, and squirmed under him, a rather distinctive firm heat pressing up against his belly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHrrrr. Making it a bit harder to stay gentle, Kadrin,\u201d Skar hissed, pushing back in and grinding against the other male. The vahn shivered and whimpered under him, clutching at his feathers, but didn\u2019t muster a further reply. That was fine; the physical response was eloquent enough, really. Very<\/em> flattering. Skar pulled back again, just as gently, and again, gently let himself sink in to the hilt. He wasn\u2019t pulling back more than an inch or so, but that was plenty<\/em> to give them both ample stimulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He could feel another climax building, this time with plenty of warning; enough to stay hilted when he felt himself tipping over the edge, rather than pulling back for another stroke only to frantically shove in. It was, fittingly, a gentler affair than those that had seized him before \u2014 a soft well of pleasure, a few warm pulses of seed. It seemed to be at least as strong an experience for Kadrin, issuing a keening whine and pressing his snout into Skar\u2019s feathers, trembling from one end to the other \u2014 but still not quite enough to get Skar\u2019s belly-fur sticky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, okay. Skar w<\/em>ould have been satisfied<\/em> to stop by this point, but he wasn\u2019t spent.<\/em> He got back to it, this time with a bit more vigour, slowly pulling about half his length free, then sinking it back in. Kadrin let out a sudden yip, but when Skar might have paused, the vahn just shoved against him, keeping the rhythm going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, suddenly, he clenched around Skar\u2019s taper, shoving sharply up against him, then again, and \u2014 ooh, there<\/em> it was, wet warmth in his fur, slicking it down where the vahn\u2019s bucking length slid against him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that<\/em> was a delight. Partly, it was an affirmation\u2014this thing he\u2019d been curious about for years wasn\u2019t just him being strange, it was something someone else<\/em> wanted too, and it was something that could work. <\/em>But in the moment, maybe it would be more appropriate to focus on the physical delight. The delight that this man had caused him, and that which he was quite evidently feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n