The Crusted Cauldron was less a tavern and more an experience. Just on the edge of the Darkways, the web of tunnels where the dusk elves made their home and supposedly ran the entire world without ever seeing the sun, it had a constant flow of people coming and going. The crew of the Ragged Anne had claimed several tables close to the dance floor and most of them wearing far fewer clothes than I would’ve considered respectable. Granted, given that the average temperature in Mulvalod was much warmer than I was used to, it was likely the smart choice. The skirt and tunic combination I was wearing was notably thinner and covered less than my kimono and I was still warm. I was confused how the port, which was notably carved into a cliff face and out of the sun, was this hot, but no one else seemed to think it particularly odd. And so I tried very hard not to let my discomfort show. It wasn’t easy, especially once several of the men started removing their shirts to cool down even further.

  It did seem, however, that I was in the minority on that front. The waitresses notably started spending more time around our tables and being awfully close to the sailors.

  “It also means that they are more likely to think favorably of her and thus give her more money in tips,” Rin cynically noted.

  I didn’t know how to take or think about that, so I didn’t and instead focused on the band that had set up in the corner. There was someone playing the most complicated set of drums I had ever seen along with four other people playing instruments I didn’t recognize. A small pay cup sat on the stage before them that people would occasionally toss coins into while people moved into and out of the dance floor. Their music was a frenetic medley that matched the energy of the bar perfectly, seamlessly complimenting the dancing, singing, and occasional brawl without ever really changing flavor of song.

  The festivities were well underway by the time Eninald and I had arrived. The two of us had been cheerfully greeted upon arrival, immediately given seats, and large flagons of ale that we were expected to drink both frequently and deeply from. The drink was, to my surprise, not entirely unpleasant to sip. Eninald made sure I got some food to go with my drink, but by the time my plate had arrived, I had already finished my first flagon and moved on to my second.

  Mother had never really approved of sake, so I wasn’t used to being drunk, but I found it not an unpleasant experience. Under the influence of both the drink and the infectious happiness of the crew, I found myself singing along with them and occasionally dragged out on the dance floor. It was so relieving to let the stress of hiding who I was - and the looming threat of discovery - go and relax with these people, their pleasantness warming me from the belly out. Even the flippant flirty remarks were ignored, though they petered off as Eninald got drunker and more defensive of me. I’d like to think that it was because he understood my discomfort and I was inebriated enough that I was okay with letting that lie stand.

  A bell passed, but the drink didn’t stop flowing. By the time the little light from the cove entrance faded and the evening lanterns were lit, I was having trouble speaking or standing up straight. I leaned heavily against Eninald, idly listening to the conversations pass me by. After several flagons of beer, I hadn’t been counting or noticing when the waitress refilled them, my drunkenness was becoming obvious in ways I had never known it could. My cheeks were flushed and I could feel a pit form in my stomach that radiated warmth that filled my body. There was a rumble that made me wonder when the last time I ate was. It wasn’t until he put his arm around me and pulled me in tight that I noticed the fact that my chest had begun to tighten with arousal.

  “Well,” I slurred, “That’s a surprise.” Idly, I wondered if the warmth in my stomach had been something else entirely.

  Eninald looked at me confusedly, but I just smiled back, slightly uncomfortable with this new revelation. He smiled at me again, honest and merry. It felt nice, warm, and like I belonged. Almost like home, causing me to sink even deeper into his embrace. Much to my chagrin, I felt a wetness begin between my legs that had been absent since I’d left Dimarso all those months ago.

  That was a bit concerning, especially given how public we were. Arousal was something… private and the Crusted cauldron very much was not. If I didn’t do something about this… I could really think of what would happen. Chains of logic struggled to form as I worked to push myself to a properly upright position.

  “Something the matter?” Eninald asked, his face concerned and confused. He almost looked hurt at the fact I was sitting up. Why had that…?

  “Oh,” I managed, before shaking my head a bit too quickly and offering him what I hoped was a comforting smile as I patted his shoulder. “S’ok. Be right back. Bashroom,” I explained. I furrowed my brow, trying again. “Bash...Bath…Bathroom.”

  He smiled and pointed me to a corridor by the bar that I staggered towards, bracing myself on tables and walls along the way, falling through the door to the row of public baths. I distracted myself from my struggles by wondering how the bodily waste was disposed of once they were dropped through the hole before falling flat on my face. Thankfully, I landed well away from any of the toilets and from the ladies who were using them, though they gave me a slightly condescending stare.

  Meekly, I rolled over and waved at them. They ignored me, finished, and left me alone in the room.

  Annoyed at myself both for drinking too much and for the loss of balance, I grabbed one of the waiting benches and pulled myself up idly amused that my boot slipped off my foot as I did so.

  “Well, that's a problem,” I said looking at my bare foot. There was a moment of laughter at the absurdity of the situation before I did a double take and looked at my exposed foot again.

  Instead of the human foot I expected to see, there was a fox paw. Rapidly, my brain started to sober up, the crash of panic and fear clearing my thoughts and pressing arousal aside, though oddly giving my hunger an edge of pain. Oh, oh, merciless spiders, this was bad. If someone saw me, I was screwed. I lunged for the boot, still disoriented in body and slow in mind, and shoved my foot into it. I tried to force my body back to my human disguise but I couldn’t muster the concentration or will necessary to enforce the change through my alcohol-induced haze. Cursing, I retied my boot tight enough that it wouldn’t fall off my feet again and stumbled back towards the door, awkwardly walking on one human foot and one fox paw.

  Eninald was just outside the door waiting for me, concern plain on his face.

  “Kara,” he said, offering a stabilizing hand, “You okay?”

  “Room,” I managed, “I need a room. Too much drink.”

  He nodded and put an arm around me, escorting me towards the front of the tavern front. The ship. He wanted to take me back to the Ragged Anne.

  “The streets are too dangerous,” Rin warned, “Our foot has already changed. What else might change on the path back to the boat?”

  Endless abyss, she was right. “No. No,” I frantically insisted. “Room here.”

  Eninald’s face went through surprise, excitement, and then concern.

  I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, so I tried to clarify. “Please? Any rocking and I’m done for.”

  That caused his face to go painfully blank which left me even more confused as he went to talk to the clerk. I immediately fell into the wall, holding onto it tightly to stay standing and trying to figure out what exactly his face had meant. It took me until he was walking back and I caught myself staring at his muscled and naked chest for me to realize the implications. I had demanded a room, here, away from Thuvvik and presumably with Eninald. A blush crept through my body and the hunger flared again. He probably thought… well, he wasn’t wrong. I definitely wanted something like that, but not right now. Maybe with him, he was attractive and had been very good to me, but not while I was dealing with changing. Not while I could feel my fur growing back in and my teeth starting to elongate. Why the teeth, I didn’t know, maybe something to do with hunger? But regardless, if I didn’t get somewhere secluded soon, everyone would know that I wasn’t the human I had been pretending to be.

  Delicately, he wrapped his arm around me and with a swivel we were heading up stairs. There was a sound, maybe a cheer, as we climbed the stairs, but I was too distracted by the fact that my small finger’s nail had started to sharpen to really pay that any mind.

  At the room door, there was a struggle to unlatch the door that I was far too afraid and drunk to manage. By the time he got the door open, the tickle of re-growing ears had started on my head. Quickly, I slid into the room and onto the bed, pulling the covers over my head.

  “Kara,” Eninald asked, “Are you okay?”

  I wanted to cry... or laugh. Either would’ve been appropriate. Here I was, stuck in a room with one of the few people I could call friend, was potentially… no, definitely attracted to, hiding my furred and true self from him. Meanwhile, he stood in the doorway, probably very confused at what had originally seemed to be me consenting to sex, and had rapidly turned into me balled under a thick quilt. Worse, I could feel my tails unfurling. This was a nightmare and I was never drinking again.

  “Probably wise given our evidence about what a lack of control does to our disguise.”

  “No,” I eventually managed. Carefully, I ran my fingers over myself. My ears had shifted to the pointed set, and both of my tails were unfurled. My fangs had come out and my nails had sharpened. My inspection was stopped by the lurching of the bed as Eninald sat on it.

  “You want me to go get you some water, or bread?”

  “No,” I said again, “I just need some time, sleep the alcohol off.”

  There was a moment and then he said, “Yeah, of course. Let me just pull that blanket off your head. Don’t want you vomiting and having it fall back on you.

  “NO!” I exclaimed, causing him to rock back in surprise.

  “That was a poor choice,” Rin commented.

  Gee thanks. Hesitation and worry crept into his voice, “Kara, it’s okay. You’re drunk. It happens to everyone. You don’t have to hide anything from me”

  Oh, merciless spiders, what had I gotten myself into? I could feel his tension building and a fear behind it. I had come here to maintain my disguise and it was about to be undone. Either I let him go or I trust him.

  “Foolish choice. Better to let him have uncertainty that we can explain away than remove all doubts.”

  Okay, enough of that Rin. I know you mean well, but Eninald is our friend. He’s not going to just sell us out.

  “We don’t know that. This is an unnecessary...”

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  “Eninald,” I said softly, cutting Rin off. “I have something to show you. Is the door closed?”

  “Uh, yes,” he stammered, clearly confused.

  In the back of my mind, I could feel Rin’s sharp disapproval, but she couldn’t change my mind. “Afterall,” I thought, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

  Delicately, worried about slicing the quilt with my claws, I pulled the fabric off my head, showing my ears.

  There was a small gasp as they came into view that made me pause my revelation. Tremoring, I wanted to go forward, but couldn’t make my hands lower the cloth. My indecision was broken by a firm and gentle hand pushing the blanket down to reveal Eninald’s smiling face.

  “Don’t worry,” he said in a comforting tone, a small smile on his face.

  “You… you’re not angry at me for hiding this from you?”

  He tilted his head laughing slightly, his smile warm and inviting. “Surprised, but not angry. I grew up under Elven rule, I know how harsh they can be.”

  I smiled and sniffled slightly, relief flooding my body. The tremors of worry I hadn’t even noticed started to fade away as we sat there for a while, just looking at each other. It was soothing, relieving, to not have to hide. A weight lifted from my chest and it felt like I could breathe for the first time.

  Eventually, his had slowly climbed and cupped my cheek. Gently, his thumb slid across my face, brushing aside a tear that I hadn’t even realized that had fallen. “Rest up,” he said. “I’ll take the floor.”

  I gave a small laugh, “You don’t have to stay here. You can go back with our friends.” I didn’t want him to leave, the acceptance was a balm on my soul. But I also didn’t want him to stay. It would be… improper. I had a hard time trying to remember why I cared about such things, but the thought wouldn’t leave.

  “If he stays, he can’t reveal our secret to anyone.”

  Stop it Rin.

  There was a cough, and a chuckle and I was pulled from my musings back to Eninald’s wry grin in the dark room. “No, they saw us come up here together. There’s certain… assumptions about what’s going on. Leaving will only draw more attention to you.”

  Of course. That was something that I hadn’t considered. Uncertain of what else to do, I smiled again. “Thank you Eninald.”

  “Of course,” he said with a smile. “I’m going to bolt the door. Get comfortable.”

  Carefully, I removed my boots, skirt, and shirt and folded them by the bed. Eninald had set up in one of the corners, back propped against the wall in what could not be a comfortable position. I looked around the bed and grabbed the over-blanket and second pillow and threw them to him.

  “Are you sure?” he asked concernedly.

  I smiled a small smile and nodded, words failing me.

  He nodded his head in thanks and went about setting up a makeshift bed for himself. At ease, I rolled over and started to fall asleep.

  ************************************************************************************

  Sometime later, probably near the midnight bell, I woke up with a hunger. My thoughts still felt slow and my balance was shot, so I was still drunk. But through the dulled sensations, I could feel the warmth radiating from my stomach, which was now complemented by a soreness in my nest that created an aching sensation. Apparently, the arousal from earlier hadn’t gone away, but was merely covered by the panic and had returned with a vengeance. Part of me wanted to deal with it manually, but that’s not what I really wanted.

  I wanted more. I wanted, someone, anyone.

  “Eninald is someone,” Rin supplied in an oddly helpful manner.

  My eyes snapped to his sleeping form, saliva pooling at my mouth in anticipation. Yes. Eninald. Eninald was who I wanted and I wanted him completely. His chest moved evenly under the faint glow of night and he looked simply delectable. The aching below seemed to agree.

  It wouldn’t be a long-term romance or love that the pillow books spoke of. It was something more primal. I wanted to have him. Consume him. I needed him. There was a moment of hesitation, where I questioned if I was okay with my first time in bed being with a person I probably would never see again in a month’s time.

  “That’s a benefit. If it turns awkward, there’s a defined end,” Rin encouraged me.

  I instead thought of the stories of young romance, burgeoning from chance encounters. If this night of physical desire managed to turn to true love, we had a month to figure out the logistics.

  “Well, then what are you waiting for?”

  Slowly, but with increasing confidence, I crept from the bed and padded across the room to where he had sprawled. I had spent enough time with Dimarso to know the basics of what I planned to do. With slow hands, I reached down and cupped his head, pulling myself in for a kiss. He didn’t wake to the first, but then I nibbled on his lip and kissed him again, letting my hunger spill into the force. He began to stir beneath my ministrations, slowly and then with increasing vigor.

  “Kara,” he said breathlessly, “What was that for?”

  Uncertainty crept back into my voice, “Well, you mentioned the crew having some… expectations and assumptions. What if we made those… uh, true?”

  When he didn’t immediately respond, I began to question if this was the right choice. Maybe this wasn’t okay. Maybe this was all a mistake. He was hesitating because he wasn’t interested in me anymore.

  “Sorry,” I murmured, moving to stand, “You don’t want it anymore. You think I’m a hideous monster. Sorry.”

  As I went to move away, he caught my hand, pulling my attention back to him. There was an understanding and calm look upon his face that washed away my doubts. “No,” he softly stated, “I don’t think you’re a monster or ugly. I think you’re beautiful. I’m just surprised. I didn’t think you were interested.”

  I shook my head slightly, trying to put my desires to words. It wasn’t just a desire, but a need. A craving that demanded to be fulfilled, threatening to block out all coherent thought. I wanted it, but in a way I couldn’t vocalize.

  However, it seemed that desire showed on my face. Gently, he tugged at my arm and I fell into a kneeling position at his side. Another gentle pull and then we were kissing, small and exploratory pecks quickly turning into open mouth and then exploratory as our lips began to roam. My hand slipped from his grasp and began caressing his body, while he grabbed my hips and pulled me atop him. As I grinded against him, hands exploring, I could feel him harden beneath me. His fingers traced the stars on my collar bone for but a moment, before I impatiently pushed his hands lower. The fingers traced down my sides, teasing me as they went. And as he roamed, the aching desire increased. Eager, impatient even, I continued to kiss as my fingers began to fumble with his buttons. There was a pause as he removed my binder before I threw it aside and then another as I pulled his buttons and trousers free. We stood there for a moment, him flat on his back and nude, and me still in my underbottoms, admiring each others’ forms, a silent question of should we continue.

  Without saying a word, I stood, removed my underbottoms, and slowly lowered myself again. Gently, he took my hips and guided me so that I could feel him parting me and then entering. I had been told it would hurt, but it was less of a pain and more of a firm press that pushed on discomfort for a second. But that was washed away as I continued to lower, ending up feeling perfect and natural in a way that defied my expectations. It felt right, natural almost. It was almost like how I imagined coming home might feel. Long denied, but joyous.

  Slowly at first, but faster as we went, I started to move. Eninald started to moan, and while the noise did something for me, the sensations below didn’t feel right. It was like porridge, filling but unsatisfying, and I wanted a more robust meal for my gnawing ache. I tried going faster, slower, alternating, but it still wasn’t enough. An from Eninald’s face I could tell something wasn’t quite right for him either. Frustrated, I paused and met his eye, “This isn’t working for me, am I doing something wrong?”

  There was a small, and happy laugh, “I don’t know, normally I’m on top.”

  “Oh,” I said, slightly abashed, “Do, do you want to switch?”

  “Oh, no, no,” he said very quickly, “This is good and I’m not sure how we could make that work. With the tails...?”

  There was a pause where we both thought, which proved difficult with the distraction of him inside me.

  “Maybe,” he eventually suggested, “try leaning forward?”

  There was the awkward shift and a slight wince of pain as I repositioned. “Like this?”

  Carefully he took my hands and placed them on his chest so the claws didn’t cut him. “For better support,” he said with a slight shrug, “Now give it a try?”

  I slid forward and up, and then back down. Oh, oh Gods, that was good. A throaty moan crept from my lips, “Oh, that’s much better.”

  Eninald had a dazed look on his face, “Oh, it is much better for me too.”

  Again, I started pumping with increasing tempo. I felt a welling inside me, starting from my nest and spreading outward, warming and invigorating my body. Losing myself in sensation I closed my eyes and just felt the hum inside me.

  “Oh, oh, oh Kara, that feels amazing,” Eninald panted below me.

  Taking that as a sign to keep going, I dug my fingers in, careful not to catch him with my claws and kept the tempo even. Beneath the expanding hum, a welling surge not dissimilar to the welling of magic. Pulsing, building. I could feel him twitch within me and the waves that ripped through me in in response. Instinctually, I curled my fingers and felt the claws digging into his chest. I was so awash in sensation I didn’t even think it odd until I noticed that my fingers felt wet. My eyes snapped open to find Eninald panting, sweating, and haggard beneath me. Blood oozed from the claw marks I had carved.

  “Oh, oh I’m so sorry.” I hurriedly apologized.

  Eninald smiled, clearly too euphoric to even notice, “Oh, no. Don’t stop it feels amazing. It’s just a scratch.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked, incredulous. Those cuts looked deep and I swore I could see tender muscles below. He nodded emphatically before letting his head loll in pleasure.

  Hesitant, but unwilling to give up this sensation, I nodded, gave him a deep open mouth kiss, and swallowed a pair of moans, both his and my own. Without breaking the contact of our lips, I started to move once more, quickly losing myself in the pulses and building pressure again. My hands and claws dug into him, but his moans and frantic cries of passion told me to continue. His voice growing hoarse below me I felt my pleasure building higher and hotter. Frantically, I reached for a peak, the pinnacle of this sensation, cutting out any noises from Eninald who seemed only to encourage whatever I did. Desperate, I pumped atop him, looking for the right series of motions that would lead to that climax.

  Eventually, I could feel the dam of pressure within me about to burst, but the motions weren’t doing enough. I increased tempo for a moment, but that only seemed to make it farther away. And then, with a flash of inspiration, I stopped and just let the pleasure wash over me.

  It tore through me, causing my whole body to spasm and all of my muscles to give out. Beneath me, he groaned and I could feel him twitch within me as he released inside. My eyes flittered, unable to stay closed or open for more than a moment. Amazing was the word that came to mind, but it lacked the depth for what I felt. I felt invigorated, alive. And I felt absolutely satiated.

  Unable to keep myself upright, I let myself collapse onto Eninald’s chest, tired and closed eyed. Despite his firm muscles, he was surprisingly soft to lay upon. I nuzzled him, feeling the bones beneath the flesh and murmuring contentedly. “I’m going to have to get some Silphium in the morning.”

  “Don’t,” he whispered hoarsely.

  “Don’t what?” I asked curiously. We were unwed, so protesting Silphium seemed odd at best.

  “Don’t….. stop….”

  Confused, I pulled the will together to open my eyes and sit up. Before I even finished, I was struck by the oddness of his hips having give, but his penis still seemed rock hard.

  “Eninald, are you...” I started before seeing what I was entangled with.

  Where a proudly muscular man once sat, instead lay an emaciated mess. Flesh hung loosely around the body wrapping tightly enough around the bones that I could see every rib clearly. He was nothing but a desiccated zombie, just flesh hanging limply on a brittle skeleton.

  “Oh, endless abyss! Eninald!” I cried, scrambling to get off him, “What happened?” His entire body was sunken and sallow, withered away into near nothingness. The only part that looked hale at all was his penis, and even that withered and turned rotten in the span of a few heartbeats now that I was away from him. His hair had entirely fallen out and lay strewn on the floor, grey and dusty in the moonlight.

  Slowly, his arm rose, chunks of flesh falling away to reveal bone with withered and flaking muscles, “No,” rasped the corpse, “don’t stop. It feels...” His plea was interrupted by the flesh under his jaw giving away and the bone falling out, followed by the tongue.

  “A..a…” he wheezed, bones in his hand collapsing without muscle or flesh to hold them. A sigh gave out and then his chest cavity collapsed with it, pushing a rattle through his throat.

  "Kar.....a"

  The lights went out of his eyes and his head lolled one final time.

  And then, almost as an afterthought, a small white ball fell out of the ruined and rotted remains of his throat and rolled across the floor towards me. Reflexively, I scrambled away from the.... the… the whatever it was.

  “Wha… huh… how….” I stammered, uncertain how to process the rapid and odd turn of events, tears welling at my eyes.

  “The ball is still pure white, despite rolling across the floor,” Rin mildly commented.