After Teto and Mito had disappeared upstairs for a nap, Alex stepped out of the cottage and into the front yard, his mind racing as he worried about Marsyas. He didn’t want to imagine what these orcs could be doing to him. He paced around the yard, pausing to watch Otis splitting firewood a few yards away, the muscles of his furred back and shoulders rippling as he swung the axe up over his head and brought it down with a satisfying thud. He decided to find Cal and see what the quiet man was up to. He found him behind the cottage, dunking his head in a barrel of water to rinse out the dried orc blood. Cal brought his head up from the water, leaning back and running his hands through his thick wet hair, taking deep breaths before his nostrils flared and he turned to see Alex ogling at the water running down his powerful body.
“If you take a picture, it will last longer.” He said, a grin tugging at the edge of his lips despite his stony tone.
Alex was so flustered the strange comment went over his head. “Sorry, I was just wondering what you were up to…” he said awkwardly, his eyes scanning around randomly.
“Just getting dry orc blood out of my hair. God, they reek,” he said, wrinkling his nose and beating the water from his beard. Then he leveled his gaze back on Alex. “You’re not from around here, are you?” he began casually, sauntering over to a shady patch of grass and sitting down, crossing his legs.
“Um, no. Not exactly…” he said, coming over to join him. Alex could tell by the cast of the light that the afternoon was beginning to fade into evening.
“Where are you from.” Cal looked up from his fingers at Alex.
“Um…the little known and far away city of Modesto?” he ventured. Other men seemed to go along with this level of honesty in the past.
But Alex could detect a look of understanding and appreciation for what he said in those deep, steely eyes as the man sauntered off. Alex followed after him and found him sitting under a tree, watching Otis still chopping firewood from afar.
“You okay?” he asked, finding him slumped forward, his arms on his knees and his eyes closed.
“Just trying to conserve my strength, for tonight.” He said he looked at Alex like he was struggling to say something that he didn’t know quite how go articulate. “Its quite an adjustment, living in this world, isn’t it?” he said quietly, after a moment of silence. Alex looked over to him questioningly. “I remember when I first got here; it took me a few days to realize I wasn’t even on earth anymore.” He said mysteriously.
He had all of Alex’s attention now; Alex’s heart was racing as he recalled Pascal’s rumor about another lost wanderer. “What are talking about?” he said hesitantly.
Cal laughed. “Boy, you ain’t slick. How long?” he asked. Alex couldn’t believe it.
“Um…about a week?” he said. “I…I only just arrived here.”
The big man raised his eyebrows. “A week? Damn, you’re fresh off the boat.” He said.
“More like fresh in the middle of the damn forest.” Alex laughed, still uncertain. Cal chuckled at that.
“And how long have you been here?”
Call took a deep sigh and said “Ten years.”
Alex’s stomach sank; he was shocked to say the least. Ten years? That’s a enough time to build a whole other life. Would that be his fate? “Oh my god, that’s a long time. I’m sorry.”
He gave Alex a strained smile. “Don’t be. I’ve made peace with it a long time ago.” He trailed off for a moment, and then asked, “Did you look like this,” he gestured at Alex’s stocky frame, “before? No offense…”
Alex giggled. “No; I, uh…accepted a blessing from a werewolf I met when I first got here. It got a little carried away for a minute, but I like it.”
“I like it, too.” Cal rumbled. Alex blushed and looked over at him, but he was looking down at his fidgeting hands. Why was he acting so coy?
“I take it you weren’t always like this either?” Alex asked, still blushing.
Cal grinned. “No; when I first arrived here, I fell in with a pack of werebears. They gave me the gift, made me a werebear like them.” He said. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but back home were you…you know?”
“Gay? Yes.” Alex said simply.
“Damn, than this must have been a paradise for you!” He snickered, still looking at his fidgeting hands. Alex was starting to find this big, imposing man who couldn’t meet his gaze sort of cute and endearing.
Alex laughed, but nodded his head affirmingly. “It definitely doesn’t suck.” Then he thought, and asked. “Wait, what about you?”
Cal grinned mischievously and said, “Let’s just say I’m no stranger to the company of men.” He said.
“Is that why you’re helping me? A fellow..uh…earthling?” Alex asked, his mouth quivering.
Cal looked up at him finally and smirked. “Like I said, I’ve been out here tracking and killing those damn Orcs; you’re just lucky I found you.”
“In more ways than one, apparently. How do you know Teto and the others?” Alex leaned back and lay on the grass, enjoying the late afternoon sun on his still nude body.
“Mito is a friend from when I first got here; I actually introduced him to Teto when I found him caught in a trap in the woods. And Otis and Teto have been best friends since they were little.” He said, laying himself on the grass alongside Alex. “They’ve been letting me stay here while I comb the mountains.”
They lay there for another minute, both digesting the fact that neither was alone in this strange world anymore. Alex turned his head to see Cal was laying on his side, staring at him; hi shifted onto his side as well. His eyes looked over Cal’s impressive frame, hovering over the deep cleft made by his powerful pectorals, the hard abdominals peaking below a layer of healthy fat and coarse salt-and-pepper body hair. Alex’s eyes drifted downward, feasting on the sight of the man’s long, heavy cock; it was beginning to grow as he looked at it. His eyes snapped back up to meet Cal’s steely gaze, the firm set of his full lips in his bushy, greyish-black beard, when suddenly the man lurched forward and delivered a hard, forceful kiss.
Alex was shocked but quickly and eagerly returned the kiss, his lips parting to allow Cal’s rough tongue to find its way inside and meet his own. The big man pulled Alex against his broad chest, and Alex wrapped his arms under Cal’s own and ran his hands along his hairy, muscled back. He gasped as he felt one of Cal’s big hands grab and squeeze his ass passively, the big man grunting and huffing as continued to kiss and bite along the bend of Alex’s neck. Alex moaned and gasped against him, giggling when Cal’s rolled them over so that he was looming on top of Alex, his hardening cock pressing against Alex’s taint. He broke his kiss for a moment, breathing heavily, and staring down at Alex, who found his own cock swelling and his heart racing at the lively, hungry look in the werebear’s eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he panted. “It’s been so long, I never thought I’d meet another person from my world again.” He put his hand against Alex’s head and gently curled his thick, calloused fingers through his hair.
“It’s okay, I know.” Alex huffed, before Cal dived back down and resumed his passionate osculations. Alex lay back against the grass, moaning as he felt Cal adjust his position and slap his immense, hungry cock against Alex’s abdomen, where it rested against his own respectably hard cock. Alex’s eyes snapped open and he began to push against Cal’s chest.
“Cal,” he tried to say, as the man moved his assault to behind Alex’s ears. He had to concentrate, he told himself: “Cal, oh god, that feels amazing, but…CAL!” he snapped.
Cal pulled away instantly. “What?” he growled impatiently.
“You’re not fucking me in a field while my friend is out in the wood’s somewhere getting tortured by orcs.” He said sternly.
Cal gave him that hard, steely gaze again, as his chest heaved and his cock throbbed against Alex’s stomach. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He said, pulling away slightly. “I…Its been a long time.” He finished, pulling himself away.
“Its okay, Cal. I’m…glad to meet you too, really I am.” Alex sat up and took a breath, trying to make his own needy erection go down, but seeing Cal’s hirsute virile body before him wasn’t helping. “But I have to do right by my friend.” He said.
“We will do right.” Cal replied, reaching over and placing his big paw on Alex’s own. “We will find him tonight, I promise you.” His face softened and warmed slightly.
“Thank you,” said Alex, and then he moved his hand out from under Cal’s and placed it on top. “And then we can talk later, maybe pick up where we left off,” he said, smirking at him. Cal grinned in return, giving Alex a funny warm sensation in his chest.
Cal looked up towards the mountains at the eastern side of the valley. He hadn’t noticed until just this moment, as the sun was hovering between afternoon and twilight, that the sun of this world rises on the west and sets in the east.
“Strange, innit?” chortled Cal. He stood up from the grass and dusted himself off. “C’mon. We should get ready to go.” He said, holding out his hand to Alex. He took it, the big man lifting him off the ground and onto his feet with barely a hint of effort, and together they walked back to the cottage, Cal still holding Alex’s hand. Alex noticed a script tattoos on Cal’s left shoulder, the same strange runes that Alex could somehow read, four letters that spelled the name ‘Ledo’.
Otis was sitting on a stool in the yard, wearing a knotted loincloth and a few mismatched pieces of armor on his shoulders and forearms, sharpening a menacing looking double-bladed axe. He looked up to see Cal and Alex entering the yard, and a big toothy grin spread across his bovine face.
“You boy’s have a good nap?” he chuckled, leering at them as he ran the whetstone over the blade.
“Careful, Angus,” Cal growled.
“I’ll never understand why you call me that.”
“Where’s Mito?” Alex asked
“Upstairs, getting Leto settled in. We leave when the sun drops below the hills.” He said, dropping the whetstone on the ground and fingering the edge of the blades. “Have you considered another form yet?” he asked.
Alex shook his head, “Not really”. He thought about the orcs; their size, their brutishness, their ferocity. Wolves were a fearsome creature, but even Alex knew they were at their most lethal when they were in a pack. Alex needed to find another form, he admitted to himself, one that was sleek, powerful, an apex predator. Then suddenly it came to him.
“I think I have an idea, lemme try. Don’t laugh if something weird happens.” He said, kneeling down on the ground and closing his eyes to concentrate. In his mind, he tried to picture it: the razor sharp claws sheathed in enormous paws, the massive bulky skull and crushing jaw, the smooth, black pelt, spots only visible in the perfect light. Alex tensed as he felt the familiar sensations of the transformation grip his body. His groans turned to deep growls as black fur exploded across his skin as his limbs shortened and cracked into shape. His chest barreled out, and he growled in discomfort as the muscles of his forelimbs, his shoulders, his jaw and skull, began to strengthen and enlarge. His spine tingled as a long, dexterous tail grew out of his rear; his face pulled and scrunched up into a muzzle as Alex felt his incisors grow long and deadly The sensation seemed to depart as quickly as it came, and Alex came out of his stupor on four, furry legs, staring down at his black paws and huffing to catch his breath.
“What kind of cat is that?” he heard Otis say in an apprehensive tone.
“A leopard.” Cal said simply.
I’m a jaguar, you dumbass, read a book, Alex wanted to say, but instead he looked up at Cal and shook his head, rolling his now piercing, yellow feline eyes.
Cal chuckled, and they all turned to see Mito stepping out the door, carrying a piece of paper and a scrap of cloth. His eyebrows jumped up when he saw Alex’s new form, and he nodded appraisingly. “The shadowcat, a fearsome creature indeed. Gather around boys; this operation has to go nice and easy or we could risk losing the faun.” The three of them padded up before Mito, Alex resting on his haunches. “This piece of cloth, given to me by Cal, bears your friends scent. This tracking spell will lead us to your friend’s current location, should he be in range. However, as Alex is the only one among us who knows this man, you,” Mito shifted his golden-eyed gaze to Alex, “will be the only one who can see the trail. So, you must lead the way.” He said. Alex nodded.
“Are you ready, Men?” he asked, red fur beginning to creep up his arms and face. The men nodded. “Then good hunting.” He said. He wrapped the paper and the cloth together, bringing the bundle up to his lips and whispering a few unheard words. Immediately the bundle lit up like a sparkler; he tossed it to the ground at their feet, and they watched as the thing burst into flame and then quickly died, emitting a dense cloud of faintly green smoke.
“Nothing happened, did it work?” asked Otis. Alex moved out of the way as the smoke moved towards him and out of the yard, leaving a faint and hazy trail of greenish mist that barely stood out against the twilight. That must be the trail that only I can see, Alex thought. He tried to catch their attention, letting out a deep menacing growl.
“He see’s it, it worked. Let’s go men.” Mito said. He stooped down, his vulpine form bursting from his human skin before his paws even hit the ground. Alex examined the werefox; he was similar in appearance to the werewolves Roc and Raf. A sleek and beautiful red fox, only its body was bulkier and more muscled, its limbs longer. Cal likewise quickly transformed into his bear form, while Otis affixed his axe to a strap running along his back. Mito nodded at Alex, and together they took off as the last dregs of light slowly died in the valley.
Alex led them across the valley, into the underbrush and deeper west into the mountains. His panther body was nimble and agile, easily slinking around trees, over rocks, and across the brooks as he followed the green mist, now a little les faint in the darkness. His shoulders heaved and his tail carefully curled and twisted to maintain balance as he bounded through the forest, the effort barely getting to him. Cal, Mito, and Otis were right behind him, Mito periodically yipping when he caught the musty stench that Alex was coming to know as the smell of orc. The trail led them up a hill, along a ridge, and then back down again into a wide, V-shaped river canyon. They stopped at the sight of a faint flickering light in the distance; a campfire. By the light of the half moon, it appeared that they had camped by a river bank.
They continued down the hill and approached the camp, stopping a few hundred yards away and hiding behind the dead drunk of an immense and long-fallen tree. Alex heard a groan and a gasp, and turned to see Cal stepping up from the ground on two legs, shaking his hand. Alex did the same, and as he rose to his two feet, he reflected that the shift was getting easier; it barely felt like much effort that time.
“Where’s Mito?” he whispered.
“Doing reconnaissance.” Otis whispered back even lower. “And be very quiet; orcs may have bad eyesight, but their hearing is impeccable.”
He saw Cal’s attention focus on something behind him and Alex turned to see Mito padding up to them from the shadows. He shifted to his human form and stood up. “It’s a small camp, thank the gods. There are three, and the Faun is restrained.” He said with barely a sound.
Alex leaned closer and said, “Is he okay?”, fearing the answer.
Mito shook his head. “I could not see. He is bound and covered.”
“What’s the plan?” whispered Otis.
“They are fools,” began Mito. “They sit with their backs to the treeline, against the river. We can ambush them on three sides and take them out quickly.”
“Is there a really big one, bigger than the other two?” asked Alex in a breath. Mito nodded. “Shit. That’s the leader.”
“He’s mine.” Cal growled. “You three can deal with the other two.”
“Very well. But no heroics, anyone. When you see the kill, you take it.” Mito stared around at them intently before taking a step backwards. “Alex and I shall approach from upstream. Otis, from downstream. And Cal: hit the big orc hard and fast.” He said, before dropping down to his fox form. Alex and Cal followed suit, and they split off to take their positions. Alex and Mito silently crept through the brush; he was amazed by how quietly his paws could be, and Mito himself moved like a spectre.
They approached the camp from upstream as planned, crouching low in the shadows and waiting for Cal’s signal. The three orcs were huddled around the fire, idly nibbling on strips of hard jerky while staring silently into the shadows of the river. A man-sized bundle of cloth and rope was on the ground a few feet from them, a pair of furry, hooved legs sticking out from them. Alex’s heart leapt, hoping for the best but fearing the worst as he looked at his friend unconscious and bound on the dirt. A flaring hot anger rose within Alex’s chest; his blood felt hot, his vision fuzzy and blurred. His sensitive cat’s eyes could make out every detail of the orcs sitting by the fire; their relaxed shoulders, their weaponless hands, the throbbing artery on the orcs thick, muscled necks. He flexed his claws and tensed his muscles, pulling his limbs underneath his body instinctively to ready for the pounce.
Suddenly, a deep and cacophonous roar rent the night as Cal came barreling out of the tree line like a Mack truck, knocking the big orc straight through the fire and face-first into the sandy riverbank. Without missing a beat Alex leapt into action, his claws digging into the sand as he propelled his body like a rocket at the orc closet to him, leaving Mito in his dust. The orc barely had time to turn around and gasp before Alex had leapt on top of him, his weight forcing the brute to the ground and scattering coals and cinders everywhere. The orc bellow out as Alex’s weight pressed his back into the burning coals, but as Alex roared in his face the roc quickly recovered and delivered a ham-fisted punch straight to the side of Alex’s head. Alex cried out and recoiled, leaping off of the orc and shaking his head before letting loose another fearsome roar. Damn that hurt, Alex thought to himself. Now he was really angry. Behind his adversary he saw Otis laughing and dancing out of his orc’s way despite his bulk, ducking out of the way of the orcs heavy club and swing his axe across its belly, spilling its contents upon the ground. The orc collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach, as Otis hefted his axe over his head for the coup de grace.
The orc met Alex’s roar with a fearsome bellow of his own and charged at him. Alex nimbly dared around him and climbed onto his back, sinking his razor sharp claws into the orcs green skin as the creature roared and buck. Alex reared and then struck, wrapping his jaw around the orcs thick neck and clenching his jaw muscles with all his might. The orc grunted and gurgled as Alex’s jaw constricted the creature’s throat; he could feel the pulse of the orcs heartbeat against the sensitive flesh on the inside of his mouth, and he tightened his grip until it started to run slower. The orc bucked and jerked desperately to fling Alex off, before finally he threw all his weight backwards. Alex gasped and lost his grip around the orcs neck as they fell to the ground, the wind getting knocked out of him as the orc’s heavy weight fell on top of him. The orc gasped and sputtered, about to swing his heavy foot around to kick Alex in the gut, but Alex was faster. With lightening fast speed his paw shot out and the orc howled and recoiled as four deep gashes appeared on its ugly face. He threw his head back, exposing his throat, and without thinking Alex lunged.
In an instant he was on top of the orc, his powerful jaws snapping into the orcs throat, his incisors carving through the flesh like butter. He yanked his head back, taking a sizeable quantity of flesh and trachea with him, watching the orc quickly go limp as the blood washed out in volumes. Alex spat out the bits of flesh and looked upon his kill, sitting back on his haunches and letting out a deep and powerful roar. The bloodlust still on him, Alex could barely think about what he’d just done and looked around the camp to see the Big Orc, still alive, still swinging his knobbly club with one hand while clutching a bleeding, empty eye socket with the other. Cal and Mito had him pressed against the swift moving river, growling and snarling at the cornered creature. Otis, fresh from his own kill, sauntered up to join them, and Alex approached from their other side, until the Big Orc was surrounded. The Big Orc stopped growling and looked upon his ambushers, and then to the corpses of his brethren, and spat. He threw his club to the ground and finally spoke in a ragged, brutish bass.
“You killed my brothers,” he said, glaring at them with menace in his red eyes. “But the Chief will know what you did this day. And he will have all of your balls for his breakfast.” He cursed, falling to his knees and still holding his missing eye. Alex started as Cal stood up on his hind legs, his ursine form towering over them all. He raised a massive paw and brought it down in one heavy swipe and then suddenly, the Big Orc collapsed to the ground, minus most of his face.
Alex found his body quivering and shaking, his fur receding and his limbs shifting back into place voluntarily as his stomach roiled and clenched horribly. As his human for returned, he found his stomach heaving and retching until finally, he vomited onto the sand, the events of the last ten minutes flashing before his eyes. He rushed over to the rivers edge, desperately trying to wash the taste of vomit and blood from his mouth, shuddering when he pulled a chunk of orc flesh from the back of his mouth. He’d killed, he realized, feeling hollow and weird inside.
“Oh, shit, Marsyas!” he cried, jumping up from the sand and rushing back over to the camp. Mito was human as well, seated on the ground and clutching his knee while Otis knelt beside him. Cal was still standing before the orc in his bear from. He rushed over to Marsyas and began hurriedly untying the clumsy orcish knots, his heart leaping when he saw Marsyas’ body stir underneath the dirty cloth. He pulled them away and gasped at the sigh of Marsyas’ bruised torso, his swollen lip, his black eye. On his left arm was a deep gash that still wept slightly, but his green eyes fluttered open end widened at the sight of Alex’s face.
“A…Alex?” he whispered, smacking his mouth and closing his eyes. He rubbed his face before wincing and pulling his hand back.
“Yeah, Buddy. I’m here.” He sighed, relieved that he was conscious.
“I was hoping you’d come get me,” he muttered with a faint smile tugging at his lips. “These orcs make for such droll company.”
Alex laughed and shook his head. “I bet they tied you up just to keep you quiet.” He giggled.
“Yeah, they were pretty angry after my tenth ‘How Stupid is an Orc?’ joke.” He sat up, his hand reaching for his lower back as he winced and stretched. He looked around with his good eye and stared around at the three other men that had rescued him, as Cal sauntered up to join them in his human form. “I’m gone for a few hours and you already find new friends.” He muttered, rising to his shaking feet. He stumbled a bit and Otis reached out a strong, furry arm to catch him. Marsyas looked down at the arm, and then followed it up to see Otis’s smiling face staring down at him. “Oh.” He said, blushing. “Hey there. Nice horns.” He said, giving Otis a seductive, swollen-lipped smile.
Otis snorted, his big nostrils flaring. “Thank you. I grew them myself. Your horns are pretty cute too, goatboy.” He rumbled.
As Marsyas shamelessly fawned in Otis’s arms, Alex sat back and collected himself, turning back to look at the limp corpses of the orcs scattered about the fire. Cal saw where he was looking and knelt down, putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Its okay, little one. First blood is always the hardest. But you did what you had to do. It was them, or your friend.” He said solemnly.
“I know,” said Alex, looking away from them. He looked at Cal, “Just another part of surviving in this world I guess.”
Cal nodded. “C’mon, it’s a long way back. Let’s leave this place.” He stood up, helping Alex along with him. Alex groaned when he saw Marsyas was being carried in Otis’s strong arms.
“What?” he said, innocently. “My legs hurt.” He leaned his head against Otis’s chest.
“Yeah, well, you’re killing me.” Alex retorted.
They quietly left the campfire and began the long trek back to the valley. Alex was happy that he had his friend back, and also happy that Marsyas seemed to have picked up a ‘friend’ of his own for his troubles. He felt Cal take his hand again, and without a word Alex squeezed back. He had a lot more questions for the man when they returned, after they finished what they started in the shade of the tree.