Wickaninnish � A Traveller�s Beginning

This chapter is rated NC-17 for Alien Sexual Content. Slurbs under the age of molting should leave the room now.

Forget it!

Tallia was back in her childhood, she was snuggled up lovingly with her favorite toy, a teddy bear her mother gave her. The bear moved. Of course, she was older now she didn’t play with toys. It had to be her pet zelt that had followed her home when she was 7. He often climbed in bed and cuddled with her at night.
“Hmm, Pooky,” she murmured as she cuddled tighter to the warm furry body. A feeling that something was still wrong drifted about in her mind. Pooky died years ago and whatever her arms were around was far bigger than a zelt. She opened her eyes slowly to peer into the face of the coyote Vargr; peaceful, almost puppy like in sleep.

“Kit?” Her mind putting a name to the face and slowly the memories of last night returned.
‘Did we?’ The sticky damp feeling between her legs answered the question.
‘I fucked a Vargr!’ Her mind raced. ‘How dare he…’
‘You are the one who seduced him,’ a voice in her mind said.
‘Well yes but only because I took that damned yiff leaf of his.’
‘Which you took of your own free will without asking him.’
‘Well he shouldn’t have left it lying around like that.’
‘Where was he going to leave it, he told you he didn’t think it was bad for humans.’

Tallia decided that having an argument with herself and losing was a bad way to deal with the situation. She carefully untangled herself from the sleeping coyote and slipped back to her cabin to shower and think.

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Kit woke up to find empty sheets beside him. He knew it wasn’t a dream. Her smell was all over him and the sheets. He rolled over onto his back, looked up at the ceiling and grinned. He never thought it was possible to make love to a human. Their bare skin just looked so wrong and the little fur they did have gave an impression of disease instead of health. But he had to admit, Tallia had proven him wrong.

He got up, put on a fresh ship suit and went out to find his new love mate. The door to her cabin was locked and his sensitive ears heard running water. With a shrug he went back to the dining area and started making breakfast.

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He had the table set when Tallia came out of her cabin dressed in her working shipsuit.
“Good morning,” Kit said cheerfully and moved to lick at her muzzle when she grabbed him and slammed him against the bulkhead.
“Get this straight, because I’m only going to say it once,” she said in a low tone. “Last night didn’t happen. You got that!”
“I don’t understand.”
“It didn’t happen!”

Kit’s alpha male pride rose to the fore. How dare she try to pretend it didn’t happen?!
“Now wait just one minute!” He said pushing her back. “You’re the one that climbed into my bed, remember!”
“Only after you fed me that leaf of yours!”
“I didn’t feed it to you, you took it. Besides how was I supposed to know it would turn you into a bitch in heat? I told you humans don’t use it.”
“I guess you’re right. I just want to pretend it didn’t happen, OK?”
“No it’s not ok!” Kit said. “I am not some thief in the night to yiff someone and forget it. I’ve already been abused by one mate; I will not stand for it again!”

‘Mate?’ Tallia thoughts suddenly raced as she tried to recall everything she had read about the Istaqa customs.
“We aren’t married or anything now are we?”
“No,” Kit said still clearly irritated. “I wasn’t so far gone as to mark a bitch that is clearly not in her right mind.”

Kit stormed back to his cabin. Tallia sat at the table and tried to figure out what had just happened. She slowly replayed the scene in her mind while remembering everything she had studied so far about the Istaqa and Vargr in general. It was a little hard since her head still ached from the hangover. Then it struck her, nothing is more important to Vargr males than prestige and social standing. Could Kit be taking it that by saying it didn’t happen it meant it was forgettable? Of course that must be it and the forceful way she had demanded it. Damn it had she forgotten everything she had learned about dealing with Vargr? Together it was one massive slap against that alpha male ego all Vargr males have. She couldn’t have hurt him more if she had taken out her pistol and shot him.

Kit spent the day in his cabin, sulking, until he finally came out to fix dinner. Tallia looked at his back as he worked on preparing the meal.
“Kit,” she said. “We need to talk.”
Kit continued working as if she wasn’t even there.
“Look Kit, when I said it didn’t happen, I didn’t mean that it was forgettable or that I wanted to forget it. I was just worried about my reputation, you know.”
No response although she thought an ear swiveled in her direction.
“I mean it’s not like I could forget it even if I wanted to even allowing for the influence of the yiff leaf, that has to have been one of the best sexual experiences I’ve ever had. And believe me I’ve had a few.”
That seem to have hit home, he continued to pretend he wasn’t listening but the ears perked up and the tail started swinging slowly.

He finished his preparations and brought the plates over to the table and sat down opposite her. They ate silently for a few moments before Kit finally spoke up.
“The best you say?”
Tallia had to fight hard to keep a smile off her lips.
‘Of course,’ she thought. ‘The way out would be the same way we got in, Vargr male ego.’
She remembered the feelings of him filling her and shuddered. She was going to have to research into Vargr anatomy, she was sure he was longer than any human male she had shared her bed with. And that knot, it has reached nerves in her she didn’t know she had.

She had to drag her thoughts back to the present.
“One of them at least,” she answered him. “Kit, it did happen and I’m not sorry that it did. But you must understand that most Humans will not understand it. So for both our sakes, once this trip is over we have to pretend it didn’t happen and go our separate ways. Okay?”
“Alright,” Kit said. “I guess it was my fault for leaving the biscuits lying around anyway.”
“Stars! Don’t apologize, it was an accident and besides I wasn’t kidding when I said the sex was great.”
Kit’s demeanor brightened considerably.

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Tallia put Kit to studying the basic Scout Regulations and application requirements. Then she set out doing some research of her own. She had joined the Scouts because of her innate curiosity and desire to do new things. Her curiosity now peaked she accessed the library databanks for information on Vargr anatomy.

One of the perks of being assigned a Scout/Courier ship traveling outside the normal X-Boat networks is aft bay was stuffed with databanks filled with mail, news and data for worlds along her route. To provide entertainment for Scout pilots on long hauls, the service provided Scouts with access to unlock and decompress sections of the public data files. She had essentially the contents of a major Imperial public library at her fingertips.

She searched through several articles, books and encyclopedia entries but they were largely dry basic data that avoided the subject largely. She was able to confirm that normal Vargr were longer than Human males in penis department despite their usually smaller size. She also found several references to the knot and tie that she had experienced but nothing that provided any real details. Then she struck pay dirt, an old book, Loving the Alien, by Dame Meriem Van Der Kloot of Anaxias . She had found one of the relatively uncensored copies as well. The book not only provided significant detailed information on both Vargr and Aslan sexual conduct and anatomy but included considerable commentary on interspecies sex as well.

It seemed of the three species, Vargr male and Human female relationships were the most common of this uncommon practice. This was because it was the one that was anatomically and pleasurably satisfying for both partners. She was particularly amused at the comment that sex with Vargr appealed to women because it gave a taboo impression of having sex with an animal.
‘He was an animal all right,’ she thought a little surprised at her body’s reaction to the thought. Reading on she started finding herself more intrigued.
‘Hmm, now this is interesting.’

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Tallia decided to use the first layover to patch things up with her passenger. She introduced him to Starport life, the real version not like the kind found on his religiously bound homeworld’s Starport. The second night they were at a bar near the Starport called The Raised Leg. The image of a Vargr on the sign over the door suggested that the beer might be yellow for a different reason than usual.

Being on the border of the Imperium and the Vargr Extents, the bar was popular with both Humans and Vargr. The latter proved to be a problem. Kit stopped two steps into the room. Tallia almost bumped into him. She was about to berate him when she noticed the fur on his tail was standing up giving it a bottle brush look. A low growl escaped from his throat that was quickly cut off as she grabbed his arm and practically tossed him into an empty booth.

“What’s with you?” She asked.
“They are Vargr.”
“Look Kit, I know what the raiders did to you but not all Vargr are like that. Well a lot of them are but there are a whole lot more of them than there are of you.”
“So?”
“So, you’re going to have to learn to get along with them if you want a career in the Scouts.”
Kit settled into a grump while Tallia sighed and called the waitress over.

The waitress was a female Vargr with gray fur intermixed with some white spots that looked rather nice to Tallia’s viewpoint. The look reminded her of that animal she had seen on one of her visits to Earth long ago. The dog’s owner had called it a husky. This girl looked very much like the Vargr version of it. Although the resemblance was only slight, the Vargr’s canine ancestors were removed from Earth long before dogs came on the scene.

Her name was Knularrg and she immediately took an interest in Kit, wanting to know all about him and his home. She had never seen an Istaqa before and found the idea that there were other breeds of Vargr other than the wolf descended majority fascinating. Tallia was pleased as her cheerful banter and attentions soon helped Kit relax. It also helped to drive home the message that not all Vargr were bad.

''I see you are learning that perhaps not all Vargr are bad?''
Kit grinned not taking his eyes off the waitress as she moved about the tables.
"I guess you have a point,” he said.
“Down boy,” Tallia said. “Somebody might slip on all that drool.”

A short time and many drinks later, Tallia decided to try and patch things up between Kit and Vargr in general.
“Perhaps it would help if you told me a little about the raiders. I’ve been traveling the Extants for a while, I might recognize the clan. At least then you’ll know who to be mad at and not attack every Vargr you meet.”
Kit endeavored to cut through the alcoholic fog to recount what he could remember of the raider’s ship and clothing but nothing useful came up. The ship had the usual colorful markings Vargr raiders like to decorate their ships with but nothing in Kit’s descriptions stood out. The clothing they had worn was shipsuits and other civilian clothing.

Kit was following Knularrg’s movements around the pub again when he noticed something across the room.
“Hey there was something else, they all wore this pin just like the on those guys are wearing.” He said pointing at the table across the room.
Knularrg came back up to the table then with a new round of drinks and started flirting with Kit again, distracting him.
Tallia looked over at the group Kit had indicated. The Vargr had noticed her attention but they were looking at Kit and Knularrg with undisguised disgust. She noticed the pins on their outfits. A stylized red wolf’s head.
“Oh Shit,” she said quietly.

The group got up and started towards them.
“Kit Kfaeghr,” Tallia hissed.
“Huh,” Kit said confused.
“Kfaeghr!” Knularrg said alarmed.
The five Vargr approached them.
“We don’t want any trouble,” she said.
“No trouble, we’re just going to take care of a pest problem.” The leader said.
“Yea, you shouldn’t soil yourself with the likes of him,” one of the others said pulling Knularrg aside.
Kit, hackles raised, started rising from his seat growling.

“Kit! Stop!” Tallia said in a commanding tone, causing the coyote to pause.
She stood and stepped between the leader and Kit.
“Look, like the lady said, we don’t want any trouble. If you don’t like breathing the same air as us, we’ll just leave.”
“Stupid bitch, get out of my way,” the leader said swinging his arm to backhand her.
Tallia stepped back dodging the blow, grabbed the passing arm and with him off balanced, tossed him to the floor. Kit who leapt at the leader as soon he started to swing at Tallia, found his target missing when he got there. His momentum however carried him forward into the Vargr holding Knularrg’s arm. The two males went down, rolling on the floor, as the freed Knularrg ran for bar.
“Al! Al!” She screamed for the owner.

A full scale riot ensued. It soon became apparent to participant and onlooker alike from Tallia’s brawling skill that she had her share of dirty fighting experience. Kit was far less skilled but he made up for it in angry ferocity. He had just knocked down one of the Vargr out when he became distracted watching Tallia.
‘She’s good’ he thought to himself.
The thought was quickly overcome by pain as another one came slashing in with a knife to his side. Kit dropped to his knees clutching the wound. The Vargr raised the knife high readying to land a finishing blow.
“Die Mongrel sc…!” His angry yell cut short as Knularrg crashed a bar stool over his head.
The Vargr were all soon incapacitated and in the hands of the port security. The medics checked out Kit who turned out to be suffering from only a glancing knife wound.
Al and Knularrg provided them with ale on the house for the rest of the evening.
“Who were they?” Kit asked as the medic applied a fast heal patch to his wound.
"They are Kfaeghr, religious fanatics. They believe that only the Vargr from Lair are the only true Vargr are something like that." Tallia explained. "They see all other Vargr like your folk as failed experiments of the Ancients that should be exterminated less they contaminate the 'pure' Vargr."
"That’s crazy," Kit said looking out at the grav van that the ruffians had been locked up in."
"Yes it is, the Imperium classifies your home world as a theocracy because of the role the Shaman's play in your government but as theocracies go its fairly decent. This bunch and the worlds they come from represent the worst."

Al insisted on serving them the rest of the night on the house and the company of the pub joined in toasting and celebrating their bravery. The horizon was tinted a slight pink announcing the coming dawn when Kit and Tallia headed back to the ship.

Kit and Tallia staggered back into the ship. She hauled him into his cabin and pulled his shirt off.
"I need to check to make sure the skinpatch is still holding." She said checking his wound.
Kit however found her hand stroking his fur. And promoting a reaction in him.

"Ahh...Tallia I thought you said we should..." He started.
"Yes," she said standing and looking into his eyes. "When the voyage is over, we have to go on like nothing happened between us."
She walked over to the door but instead of going out reached up and turned down the cabin lights.
"But, the voyage isn't over yet." She said turning back to him.