Hungry Heart - Book #3 - Ch. 35 (Patreon)

Chapter One / Chapter Two / Chapter Three / Chapter Four / Chapter Five / Chapter Six / Chapter Seven / Chapter Eight / Chapter Nine / Chapter Ten / Chapter Eleven / Chapter Twelve / Chapter Thirteen / Chapter Fourteen / Chapter Fifteen / Chapter Sixteen / Chapter Seventeen / Chapter Eighteen / Chapter Nineteen / Chapter Twenty / Chapter Twenty-One / Chapter Twenty-Two / Chapter Twenty-Three / Chapter Twenty-Four / Chapter Twenty-Five / Chapter Twenty-Six / Chapter Twenty-Seven / Chapter Twenty-Eight / Chapter Twenty-Nine / Chapter Thirty / Chapter Thirty-One / Chapter Thirty-Two / Chapter Thirty-Three / Chapter Thirty-Four 

Chapter Thirty-Five – A Time for Victory

Toru watched in undisguised horror as the tar, or whatever it was that remained of Hekastfet, covered the Sakka up to their eyeballs, if not higher. He rushed toward them, unsure of how to help, but willing to, nonetheless. One of the Sakka – he couldn’t tell one from the other, seeing how they had turned all black – sneezed loudly, and brought with it a wave of relief that traveled through the entire wall made of tiny bodies.

“Are you all right?” he asked loudly and reached one hand out to touch the Sakka closest to him.

“Never been better,” the Sakka said cheerfully, and Toru only then realized that it was Beanstalk, the leader of the group. “But don’t touch us, Toru. This is filth, and we are the only ones who know how to wash it off properly. It wouldn’t serve to have you walk around with black hands, not after you secured the victory against Hekastfet once and for all.”

“Are you sure I did?” Toru asked.

The Sakka didn’t have a chance to reply, as loud cheers drowned out their conversation. Toru stood tall, and only then realized that the crowd of the people of Scercendusa had finally understood who the hero was and who the evil. Something hit him in the chest with soft touch, making him flinch for a moment, only to sigh in relief upon seeing that it was a flower, wilted with stains of unhealthy grey on its petals. Still, he smiled and waved at the people, who broke into another bout of happy cheers.

“Do you really believe they know what happened here?” he asked with half a mouth while stealing a glance out of the corner of his eye at Beanstalk.

“The Sakka who remained a bit behind are already hard at work making them see the truth,” Beanstalk replied promptly.

Duril bumped into him from behind, happy as he seemed to see it all finally over. “Toru,” the healer said breathlessly, “we need to hurry to the Dregs.”

This time, when Toru shouted his demand again, the crowd followed him in droves over the walls and into the outskirts of the city.

***

Varg was aware of nothing but the muddy earth in front of him opening to release victim after victim from its clutches. Sweat was pouring down his forehead freely, and he could feel every muscle in his body stretched to the point of breaking, as he wasted not a moment to find new survivors and carry them out of harm’s way.

What could Toru and Duril be doing? What was taking them so long? His mind knew, or at least, could conjure up a reason or two, but he couldn’t allow that to fog his determination to save everyone. Even if they took forever to come back, he would continue his work. Claw was as hard at the task at hand as he was, and that at least brought him a bit of solace. Otherwise, only some of the tiny Sakka were there with them.

He dragged another woman from the mound of mud in front of him and moved quickly to clear her nostrils from the obstruction interfering with her ability to breathe freely. She gasped and, to his surprise, opened her eyes and stared at him with a clear gaze. “Varg of Whitekeep,” she said, “what are you doing?”

“Rosalind?” he asked in disbelief. The thought had crossed his mind that she might be somewhere, buried underneath the mud, but he hadn’t had the luxury of searching for her at the expense of other lives. “Is it truly you?”

“As I see you and I breathe--” she stopped abruptly. Varg helped her to her feet, and Rosalind looked around, her eyes wide and startled. “The end came,” she whispered. “Why am I still alive?”

“Not only you,” Varg hurried to assure her. “It’s not the end, Rosalind. It wasn’t truly meant to be.”

Her confusion only grew as she turned and turned, and finally her eyes rested on the ruins of the walls in the distance. “But the city!” she exclaimed and stretched one arm toward it. “The walls have fallen!”

“Indeed they have,” Varg said. “We must save your fellow workers and people, Rosalind. They’re all buried under this mud. And then, when everyone is safe, you’re going to hear the whole truth.”

Rosalind was not like some damsel in distress, and she needed no convincing. She immediately pushed up her sleeves, displaying forearms still caked in mud. “Then I must help you, Varg of Whitekeep. Why aren’t more people here to help already?”

“Toru and Duril went to convince the people of Scercendusa to come and help, but they haven’t returned yet.”

“The people of Scercendusa?” Rosalind asked with obvious scorn in her voice. “When they get down here to help there’ll be a cold day in hell. My people, the ones you must have saved already, where are they?”

“They were in worse shape than you, for sure. We put them there,” Varg pointed at the foot of the walls in ruin, “so that they can breathe and come back to their senses.”

“Such a lazy bunch,” Rosalind commented and shook her head. “Come with me, and I’ll show you how you put the Dregs of Scercendusa to work.”

Varg wanted to stay where he was and dig for a few more people, but Rosalind was fast on her feet, and if she could enlist the help of many, their work would be faster, and fewer people would be at risk.

As soon as they reached the saved people aligned neatly one by the other’s side, Rosalind proceeded in the most unceremonious way, to grab each of them and slap them hard in the face. That gave Varg pause, and he was about to stop her, when the man Rosalind was seriously molesting in that manner, blinked and looked at her. Just as unceremonious as she was, he pushed her away, but Rosalind didn’t seem to mind. “There are people buried everywhere in that field,” she said and pointed at the large cemetery in the making behind them.

The man appeared to understand right away what was needed of him and started toward the mounds of mud.

“You’ll have to push the mud out of their noses,” Varg shouted after him, while Rosalind continued with her own way of rousing her people from their stupor.

She must have a not-so-heavy hand, Varg decided and didn’t follow her example. However, the people she brought back to life were quick on their feet to go and save their own, so he followed them to organize them and show them where more victims were buried.

Just as he was busy shouting instructions, a ruckus rose just behind him. He turned, alarmed and worried that more bad things were coming their way.

“Varg!” Toru shouted and waved at him, while leading a large crowd that had to be the people of Scercendusa. “We brought help!”

“About time, kitty,” Varg shouted and waved back, as relief like no other washed through him.

***

Duril had gathered the little ones separately from the adults, although he knew that the tough life in the Dregs was the same for everybody and they had grown to be much stronger than other children their age. However, since their strength was not enough to help with pulling the others from the mounds of dirt and mud, they had been given some leeway and now they were enjoying Duril’s treatment of helping them wash and get dressed in clean clothes.

Maybe the part about enjoying it wasn’t that true, in the sense that the children seemed awkward in their new clothes, and even expressed wonder at seeing each others’ faces, now completely clean of any traces of mud or soot.

“I want to thank you,” someone said from his right, and he turned to see a woman in her early twenties holding a child in her arms.

He quickly recognized the little boy. “I did very little. You don’t have to thank me,” he said. “Toru is the one who saved everyone.”

“Even so,” the woman insisted while propping the child on her hip. “He would have been so scared, finding himself alone. But he wasn’t. Here is where we live, in Scercendusa,” she added and offered him a small piece of paper on which something was scribbled in an unsure hand. “We don’t have much, but our door is open for you and your friends, any time you want.”

Duril nodded and carefully folded the paper and placed it inside his shirt pocket.

“I heard you were looking for a large leather bag, with a big book in it, and some nice smelling herbs,” she said. “My husband has it and brought it home. Now, you will really have to pay us a visit.”

Duril smiled. “Without a doubt.”

“I’ll help you wash the children,” the woman added and put her own down. She whispered something to him, and he valiantly rushed to where the large barrels of water had been deposited earlier, to return with a small bucket filled with water. “We are all going to help.”

***

Toru was so lost in thought that he missed the sound of approaching footsteps. The hand landing on his shoulder startled him out of his reverie. They were now housed in the palace that used to belong to the domestikos, after much debate between the inhabitants of the city. While there were other beautiful homes and villas in the city, they were more or less in various states of disrepair. The palace was the only one to escape unscathed for the most part, and the traces of the battles that had taken place inside had been quickly removed by hardworking hands.

His bedroom was lavish and could hold four people, at least, so he thought.

Varg shook him playfully. “What were you thinking about just now? An entire army of Hekastfets could have snuck up behind you.”

Toru rolled onto his back and stared at the wolfshifter, his eyes at half-mast. “I knew it was you.”

Varg stood by the bed and crossed his arms over his chest, while laughing loudly. “Nah, you didn’t. You would be itching for a fight now if you did.”

Toru stretched on the bed, enjoying both its size and fluffiness. While he was used to sleeping under the naked sky with nothing but a rock to serve him as a pillow, he couldn’t deny that these royal comforts were much to his liking. Maybe Varg thought he would be in the mood for a bit of roughhousing, but in all honesty, he was too tired for that, and that said something about the toll the battles of the last days had taken on him.

“How many people do you think this bed could hold?” he asked Varg directly.

The wolfshifter took that as an invitation and sat on the bed. Toru pulled at his elbow to make him lie down by his side. Varg let out a small sigh of contentment as he stretched, making some of his joints pop loudly.

“Do you have a bed as good as this?” Toru asked his second question, without waiting to get an answer to the first.

“Not as good as this, no,” Varg said.

Toru frowned. “Don’t tell me the people of Scercendusa didn’t think of treating you to the best rooms in this place.”

Varg laughed and pulled playfully at Toru’s ear. “The only reason why my bed is not as good as this one, is because it doesn’t have you in it.”

Toru took a moment to understand what Varg meant by that and then smiled broadly. “You can come sleep in my bed. And Duril, too, of course. And Claw. Where are they, by the way?”

“Duril went to fetch his bag and all his treasures.”

“Someone found it?”

“Yes. And Duril felt obliged to visit that family anyway, because of the little one that stayed with him all the time, while the world around us fell apart.”

Toru nodded solemnly. “And Claw?”

“He wasn’t in the mood yet to rest, seeing how he slept through what he said it was the most interesting part. It looks like he has a knack for building things, and he’s helping out.”

Toru scrunched up his nose and pondered for a bit. “Does that make us the laziest?”

Varg roared with laughter and then quickly brought an arm around Toru’s shoulders to pull him down to his chest. “I’d say we did a great job defeating Hekastfet, so we deserve the rest.”

Varg’s words made sense. Toru felt less guilty as he stretched languorously across Varg’s chest. His actions weren’t missed by the other, and soon, he could hear Varg’s breathing growing thicker and labored with want.

Knowing very well what he was up to, he threw one leg over Varg’s thigh and pushed against his groin. A small hiss let him know that he was on the right path to get what he wanted.

“I love it when you’re the one asking for it,” Varg breathed out.

“What? I’m not asking for anything,” Toru protested and tried to move his leg away.

However, Varg appeared to have a different idea and deftly caught Toru’s leg, forcing it down on his crotch with unhidden intent. Then, he put his strong hands on Toru’s arms and made him roll on his back.

He could have shown some opposition, just to make it last longer, but Toru felt too relaxed and happy to fool around like that. And, after all the fighting and pain he had endured, he truly thought he was entitled to a bit of fun.

“What do you want me to do to you?” Varg asked, and his dark eyes started burning.

“I don’t know,” Toru said, feeling a bit coy.

Varg leaned over and traced a wet path along Toru’s neck with his tongue, making him shiver. “I could lick you all over.”

Toru’s shivering grew stronger. He had a few ideas about what places he would like to have licked by Varg, but he didn’t want to say them out loud. “Do what you like,” he whispered.

“You might come to regret those words, kitty,” Varg said and laughter rumbled in his chest.

Toru strongly disagreed but he didn’t want to ruin any surprise Varg had in store for him.

So, he didn’t protest at all as he was, once more, made to turn on his belly. Varg made quick work of tugging off Toru’s pants and shirt. To be naked and feel those silky sheets directly on his skin, now clean of the exertions of battle, felt like heaven.

He inhaled sharply as Varg began moving his deft tongue along his spine. It awoke small pleasures along the way, and made his skin all prickly with beyond heavenly sensations.

Varg stopped for a moment, right on the small on his back, and began drawing circles there, slowly and deliberately. Toru gasped and moaned, as the anticipation grew. When he was about to beg, Varg finally moved lower. His tongue felt firm and strong, yet soft, as it went to tease the cleft and push slightly deeper.

Toru stretched his arms and legs, and bucked his hips just a smidge higher, so that he could get more of this most enjoyable treatment. Varg had to know exactly what he was doing, because he lay comfortably between Toru’s legs and proceeded to delight himself with the feast in front of him. That was just what it felt like.

He sighed and squirmed when Varg parted the mounds of his butt further and got more access to the part of Toru that now quivered while expecting its assailant to move on to more definite actions.

But the wolfshifter proved, once more, that he could be sneaky when he wanted. He teased the entrance with just the tip of his tongue, making it feel like it was not enough.

Toru struggled to push his behind higher so that Varg would have no choice but to delight him with the full length of his tongue. That wasn’t in the cards, or so it seemed, because Varg held him down and only licked around.

“More, please,” Toru pleaded.

“I thought you said that I should do as I please,” Varg reminded him. “Admit it, kitty, you are at my mercy now, and nothing is going to change that.”

“Stop teasing me,” Toru moaned.

“Do you wish for a way out of your predicament?” Varg asked, all slyly and not so easy to be trusted.

“I do,” Toru admitted while he struggled a bit more to make Varg properly lick his entrance.

“Then, you will have to do the unthinkable, kitty. You will have to ask for what you what. Clearly and nicely.”

“Put your tongue there,” Toru demanded impatiently.

“Where?” Varg asked, feigning complete innocence.

“Put it on my asshole,” Toru obeyed the damned teaser.

“And now add ‘please’,” Varg advised.

Toru bit his lower lip while Varg teetered so close to the entrance and flicked his tongue about. “Please, lick my asshole, Varg,” he begged.

“See? You know how to be a good boy,” Varg bit playfully on his ass. “You know, like a puppy.”

“I’ll never be a puppy,” Toru swore.

Further protests died on his lips as Varg made good on his promise and delved right into the center of his body's pleasure map. Toru clenched the sheets in his fists and threw his head back, while bucking his hips up only as much as Varg allowed while holding him in a fierce grip. The strength with which he was kept down was a sharp contrast to how gently Varg moved his tongue around and went in, alternating between those moves.

Varg even went further down and licked Toru underneath his ball sac, making him experience new sensations. The wolfshifter moved between different points of interest, and very soon, Toru was begging for something that he couldn’t even voice properly.

Fortunately, it seemed that the wolfshifter was done teasing him, and soon replaced his marvelous tongue with something of much greater magnitude. Toru accepted the stretch as his body was ready.

“You are so good, Toru,” Varg praised him. “And you have a beautiful, beautiful ass.”

Toru grinned and reveled in the compliment, as Varg used his gentle strength to descend inside him and give him a full taste of his long strong manhood. Toru wouldn’t admit outside these pleasurable moments just how much he enjoyed having his body ravished in such a manner, but for now, he could be honest. Giving the wolf, who was an amazing lover, too many reasons to feel full of himself wasn’t good.

Only that, for the moment, he could allow himself all the moaning and thrashing and cursing he could muster, while Varg penetrated his body slowly. Once he was perfectly sheathed inside him, Varg let out a breath of contentment of his own. That was a language both of them understood and used.

And then, without being told more, Varg began to move and helped Toru up on all fours, so that their lovemaking could get as vigorous as they both wanted. After all the teasing from earlier, Toru was prepped and ready for more, and he didn’t hesitate to ask for it at the top of his lungs.

“Kitty, you’re making me mad for you,” Varg growled.

The wolf sank his teeth into the back of Toru’s neck, holding him down, while his hips moved fast and hard. Toru loved being held in place but had a feeling that it would be even more pleasurable for Varg if he put up a little bit of a fight. He squirmed to make his intentions known, and Varg only bit him harder.

Toru was used to pain, but this one was of the almost unbearable kind, because it was as delicious as it was hurting. He didn’t even have to keep his self-healing skills in check, as it looked as if Varg knew exactly how and what to do to prolong the sensation without letting it become too painful.

That only increased the feelings blossoming from inside him, while Varg rode him at a faster and faster pace. Toru loved the loss of control and how Varg knew how to make him submit even if only for these moments of delight without boundaries.

Varg took hold of Toru’s manhood and used his fist to pump it, up and down, up and down, all along its length, and even used the thumb to tease the head and the little slit. Toru groaned and reached back with one arm so that he could slap Varg’s ass.

The wolfshifter stopped for a moment. “Who’s in charge here, kitty?” he growled in his ear after letting go of his neck.

“I am,” Toru said as naturally as it came to him. “Go deeper and harder.”

“I should punish you,” Varg growled again, “but you’ve been good to me with this delicious ass of yours. It’s time for me to give you your reward.”

Toru didn’t have to worry about another bite from that point forward. As Varg held him tightly with one arm and rubbed his manhood with the other hand, all the while not forgetting to move hard and fast in and out of Toru’s ass, their pleasure only growing. It reached its peak and turned into fireworks, like the kind Toru had only seen once in his life, the excitement never forgotten.

Varg only let him go after a few good minutes. He kissed the back of Toru’s neck and licked it, bringing with it that, small burst of satiated pleasure. Toru understood that Varg was also healing him, after their strong lovemaking session. Even if it wasn’t needed, it was much appreciated.

“You know, kitty, I didn’t get to lick your entire body as I promised.”

Toru laughed. “Maybe save some for another time. If you did it now, I would probably just fall asleep.”

“Are you insulting me?” Varg asked in an incredulous voice. “I’ll accept the challenge.”

“I’m not insulting you. It would feel too good,” Toru explained.

Varg nuzzled the side of his neck. “Yes, and feeling good can mean many different things. Do you want to feel more of them with me?”

“All of them,” Toru assured him. “Hey, you still didn’t answer my question.”

“What was it again?”

“How many people would fit in this bed?”

“Ah,” Varg replied. “Do you mean to take all of us with you into your bed?”

“Of course. I don’t like sleeping alone.”

“Then I’m sure we can bring an extra bed in here and put them close together, just in case this one’s not enough. And don’t worry, I’m sure Claw and Duril aren’t too keen on sleeping alone, either, if what I’ve learned of them since we’ve all been together is true.”

“I’m glad,” Toru whispered and closed his eyes.

The last thing he thought before sleep took him was how soft Varg’s lips could be while kissing his forehead.

***

Duril stepped into Toru’s quarters, followed closely by Claw. They had run their errands, grabbed some food, and cleaned their bodies of the dust of the streets of Scercendusa, and now were ready to meet their friends again. To their surprise, which they both had expressed, Toru missed joining them at dinner. It was odd, since it wasn’t like the tiger to skip a meal, especially since the grateful inhabitants of the city spared nothing to spoil them with the best cuts of meat and whatnot. Important food supplies and stores hadn’t been affected by the fire and the destruction that followed, much to everyone’s relief, but Duril still felt a tad guilty while feasting on the amazing foods they knew how to prepare there. On more than one occasion, he had been assured by the people serving them that they could eat to their hearts’ content.

Now, he was very curious as to why he hadn’t seen Toru at dinner and hoped it wasn’t something serious keeping the tiger away from a delicious meal. To his relief, he found Toru sleeping soundly in Varg’s arms.

The wolfshifter was as much gone to the world as the young tiger was, and Duril stopped and began to tiptoe so as not to disturb their sleep. Claw put a heavy hand on his shoulder and whispered, “What do you think these two have been up to until now? Enough to make them go out like a light?”

“I don’t quite dare to assume,” Duril whispered back.

“I hope they had fun,” Claw said. “It is the moment of victory, and they worked the hardest of us all.”

Duril nodded in understanding. “Maybe we should let them sleep through the night.”

“I have a feeling that your desire might not meet their needs. They both missed dinner.”

“Indeed,” Duril agreed. “I was quite surprised, too, but the people at the palace said that it would be better not to disturb our champions.”

“And yet, something tells me that they are both hungry enough to chew on each other’s ears. If we don’t wake them up now and help them get something to eat, they might start that,” Claw suggested in a playful tone.

“They would hardly be satisfied with that,” Duril pointed out, his chest beginning to shake with laughter.

“That wouldn’t be the biggest danger,” Claw continued. “No, the biggest danger would be for them to go from ear chewing to other delights of the flesh, none of which to include eating. I’d say that if we don’t make the effort to wake them up now, they might become famished and drive themselves to exhaustion, all the while being quite happy with themselves. And each other.”

“Well, Claw, I’d say you make a fine point,” Duril said and smiled. “Should we wake them up then?”

“At least, let us try. They won’t forgive us if we don’t.”

With that, Claw moved slowly toward the bed and leaned over the sleeping lovers. Then, being the naughty bear that he was, he shouted all of a sudden, “To the walls! Enemy at the gate!”

Toru and Varg jolted out of their sleep and scrambled quickly to their feet, finding themselves in the middle of the room, that Duril couldn’t help laughing.

“What enemy?” Toru asked, while rubbing his eyes. “Where is it? Who is it?”

Varg was quicker to come to his senses. “I’m afraid our two friends here, Toru, thought how interesting it would be for them to pull a prank on us.”

“A prank?” Toru looked around, and then he saw Duril. “Duril!” he exclaimed.

“And now, you will see that the both of us have been forgotten,” Claw commented and hooked one arm over Varg’s shoulders.

Duril couldn’t exactly complain as Toru wrapped his arms around him and held him tightly. “Did you find your tome? Was anything missing from your bag?”

“No, surprisingly so, nothing was damaged, and seeing the way half the city was in flames, I suppose that it’s indeed nothing short of a miracle.”

“The tome, your herbs, everything?” Toru continued to fire questions at him. “I promised I would find it for you, but I didn’t.”

Duril caressed Toru’s cheek. “I could have sent word to Elidias in Shroudharbor. Maybe he has another tome stashed away. And the herbs can be replaced. Don’t worry about the little things, Toru. You’ve done the entire world an amazing good.”

“I thought I had defeated Hekastfet,” Toru said. “But then it came back again. Who’s to say that all of it is gone?”

“You did more than your ancestors, Toru. You truly defeated the evil hiding its wrongdoings in this city and threatening to take over the world,” Duril said. “As for knowing for sure, ah, if only we could ask someone wise like Demophios or Amaranth about it. They might know.”

Toru made a strange face, like a kid who didn’t know exactly how to put into words what was crossing his mind. “We heard their voices,” he eventually said. “When Varg and I were on the other side.”

“We heard them indeed,” Varg confirmed, making Duril turn toward him. “And besides them, another voice, as well.”

“Who was the third voice?” Duril asked.

“It belonged to someone who goes by the name of Torgar. He was sure Toru remembered him.”

“Yes, I did, and I do,” Toru agreed. “He saved me when I was little.”

“Do you remember things you couldn’t before?” Duril felt compelled to ask.

“So many of them,” Toru replied. “My parents…”

They all kept their silence while Toru’s voice trailed off.

“You don’t have to talk about it right now,” Duril hurried to assure him.

“But I will, soon,” Toru said. “Their spirits are here, and I believe that I should honor them.”

“We all will,” Duril said and took his hand.

Toru embraced him and then began sniffing him. He moved slowly downward and sniffed his shirt. “You smell of smoked meat!” he exclaimed. “Where did you get it?”

Duril was quite certain that his shirt was clean, but he had worn it at dinner, which meant that Toru’s fine nose, trained to detect the slightest smidge of food scent, could even list the entire menu that had been served earlier.

“We had dinner. Everyone was adamant about not disturbing the two of you, so we didn’t dare.”

Toru made a long face. “But I’m so hungry right now! Are there any forests around Scercendusa? Should we go hunting? Me and Varg?”

“I don’t think you should do anything as radical as that. I asked about directions to the pantry, and I even have the key. You and Varg won’t go hungry,” Duril explained.

That brought a sigh of relief from Toru. Varg, as stoic as he usually was, did the same, much to Claw’s amusement, who began laughing.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Claw asked out loud. “Let’s lead our champions to the pantry and let them feast on some smoked meat!”

TBC

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