Haley Thistle
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Onyx the Tabaxi: Part Three (rough draft)
🕑 Added 2023-07-08 20:00:01 +0000 UTCOnce in a while, Reverence will receive a large crate from friends who are outside the village. It’s usually filled with all sorts of things, ranging from basic supplies, to special fabrics, ceramics, and sometimes jewelry. But more than often, it has a small collection of books inside. It prompted Reverence to build a small library sometime ago and set it up in the family portion of the village.
I often take the kids there whenever Rings and Ebert are both busy. It’s a nice way to get out of the house, and the kids seem to enjoy it. Not only that, I’ve found a love for reading I didn’t realize I had. I even started taking books home with me to read before bed.
“Is that a new one?”
I looked up from the pages at Ebert standing in my doorway. I nodded, gently closing the book over my thumb to show off the cover to him. “It’s a series I found at the library. I’m really engrossed with it.”
He came into my room, and while my thumb still kept the page he looked over the cover and title. “Alyssa’s Service,” her murmured.
“It’s about this maid who travels around,” I replied a bit shyly. “Helping the people in their large homes.” My tail twitched, giving myself away to Ebert.
He chuckled, sitting down beside me. “Helping them how?” He said teasingly. He leaned upon his elbow, a sort of smug smile on his handsome face.
I pouted a bit, tail still twitching. “Well, at first she’s hired to do special work in the homes. Like deep cleaning kitchens, or impressing visiting royals. But yes,” I huffed, “the books are all lewd in one form or another.”
Ebert’s smile grew and he laughed again. “I love how you’re still a bit shy in some ways.” He pet my cheek, smoothing back my fur a bit. “I’m glad you’re enjoying your stories though.”
I opened the book back up and looked inside. “I really like Alyssa. She’s not just a maid, it’s like she’s some sort of magical creature who knows when people need…help. She reminds me of Reverence. Or well, maybe Rev when she was a lot younger.”
A sudden burst of laughter erupted from Ebert and he had to sit up or risk falling down. He held his stomach, glancing at me while I stared at him incredulously.
“What?” I scoffed.
“Nothing. Nothing,” he wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. “I just uhm…how old do you think Rev is?”
“I dunno? Anywhere from thirty to a thousand. I can never get a good read.” I looked over the words on the page. “Is she young or something?”
Ebert leaned back again, cuddling up beside me. “It’s not important.” He sighed as he leaned back. “How many books are in this Alyssa’s series?” He asked.
I think for a moment, trying to picture the aisle and the shelf the books are on. The spines are all dark red with silver filigree, and I can almost see them sitting there, waiting to be cracked open.
“Six I think. At least that’s how many I saw in the library. This is the third one, and I am almost done with it.” I said this with a bit of pride.
“Oh wow! You’re a quick reader, huh?” Ebert rubbed my thigh with his big, strong hand. “Maybe I can try and order you your own set for your birthday.”
My whole body grew warm in several ways. I would so enjoy my own copies of the book, but that had to be horrendously expensive, and I didn’t want anyone, let alone Ebert, spending that kind of cash on me. Second, I was coming up on a milestone birthday, and I already knew there were whisperings and plannings amongst the village as to what to do about it. I was fairly new to the village, compared to some who had been here most of their lives, but still, they seemed to go all out for people, even people like me.
“A whole set would be a lot! And I can borrow from the library,” I said, trying to cover.
Ebert smiled and my heart skipped a beat. “I want to do something special. So we’ll see.” He looked into the open book and his smirk grew. “Good part?”
I pulled the book up and hid the filthy words against my chest. “Perhaps.”
Ebert turned towards me, moving in and placing his arm over me, bracing it against the bed as he rose up. “Sorry, am I being a pest?”
“Perhaps,” I repeated the word as my tail fluffed and twitched more.
Ebert leaned in, taking a kiss from me. It felt nice, especially after reading so many of Alyssa’s helpful and exuberant exploits. Her recent employer was a family of minotaurs who were trying to find a crew for their recently discovered mine.
“If I didn’t have a meeting to get to, I would be an even bigger of a pest.” he kissed me again. “But unfortunately, I have duties to perform,” he grunted as he stood.
“Oh,” I said, a tad disappointed. “Do I need to make dinner tonight?”
Ebert shook his head. “No. Rings will be at the meeting, so she’s already taken the kids to the yellow solarium where they’re being fed and having a slumber party.”
I was a bit surprised. “So I’m home alone for the night?”
Ebert nodded. “I’m not sure how long the meeting will be, but Rings and I will be home once it’s over. Don’t worry about waiting up for us.”
I placed the ribbon bookmark and set my book aside. “What sort of meeting are you having for it to take so long?”
He shrugged. “All sorts of things really. Every so often one of these meetings happen where everything and anything has to be addressed. It’s nothing awful to worry about I assure you. It’s mainly just busy work.”
“That’s good I guess. Have a good evening. Don’t work yourself too hard. Like always,” I giggled.
Ebert smirked. “I’ll try. Have a good evening, Onyx.” He walked away and I curled up back in bed, opening my book back up. I glanced up from the page as I heard the door open and close.
This was the first time I had the whole house to myself. No Rings, no Ebert, not even any of the kids running around. The instant quiet was, in a word, odd. It even made it hard to concentrate on the book. The silence made every other sound around deafening and impossibly loud. I noticed every creak, every voice outside, it was weird.
I must have re-read the same paragraph a dozen times. But every time I thought I could get it read and settled in my thoughts, I heard something that perked my interest then became nothing and I had to read that paragraph all over again.
Then there was a knock at the door. I stood up, still holding the book as I went to the front door to answer it.
Dio was standing there, a bored look upon her face. “Hi.”
“Oh, Dio, you didn’t go to the meeting?” I asked, letting her inside.
She shook her head. “That’s Demi’s sort of thing. I figured I would enjoy some time by myself at the house, but then I got bored. I figured you would be home so-” her voice trailed off and her cheeks turned a darker shade of red.
“I was just thinking it was a bit too quiet myself,” I chuckled. I set the book down. “How about I make some tea and we can talk.” I don’t think I’ve ever talked with Dio one on one before like this. I did like her, she reminded me of myself somewhat, only much cooler. I think she was an assassin before she settled here in the village, I’m not sure though as I’ve never heard the full story.
“That’s would be nice,” Dio said, noticing the book. “I hope I didn’t disturb you.”
I shook my head. “Not at all. I’ll be right back, I’ll get the kettle on.”
“Thank you,” Dio said as I walked into the kitchen. “It’s weird. I used to love being alone. Now, it’s feels so strange.”
I filled the kettle with water and set it on the stovetop. “I understand. I’m in a very similar boat.” I peered out the door, seeing Dio standing there and holding the book open in her hand. “Don’t lose my place!” I yelped.
Dio jumped, turning slightly towards me then she shook her head. “I won’t. I wanted to see what you were reading.”
I suddenly felt nervous. Dio was so smart and fascinating, I didn’t want her thinking I was reading something silly. I anxiously waited for the kettle to whistle so I could speed up this bonding moment between us.
Not to say that Dio and I haven’t bonded in other ways. Quite the contrary, there have been moments I’ve shared with Dio and her partner Demi that could be considered the ultimate form of bonding. But this was different, this was talking, something I don’t think I’m very good at. I’ve not had many friends who were girls, I’ve not had very many friends at all before I came here to the village. This was new. Exciting and frightening like sliding down a waterfall.
“What kind of tea do you want?” I called out.
“Huh? Oh,” Dio sounded distant. “Anything is fine.”
Was she questioning coming to talk to me because of the book? I hurriedly got the tea ready and rushed back out into the sitting room where she was still looking at the book.
“I thought a cinnamon blend might be nice on such a chilly day like today.” I announced myself loudly, as it seemed like she hadn’t noticed.
Dio’s dark eyes opened wide and she looked up from the book, closing it. “Sory,” she gasped. “I was,” she cleared her throat. “I got a bit captured.”
My heart pounded and my tail twitched. “You liked it?”
“Yes, not that I read often.” She took her cup of tea and looked into it. “But I found that quite fun to read.”
I smiled brightly. “They have the series in the library.”
Dio furrowed her brow. “What library?”
I was shocked. “The library in the family portion of the village. You didn’t know?”
She shrugged. “I’ve never much cared for books, so I guess I wouldn’t have paid attention to such a thing.”
“I was the same way. But these books have been really good! I’ve enjoyed them so much. This is only book three, but I do think this has six books in the series.”
Her eyes lit up. “It’s a series?”
I nodded. “You can go get book one whenever you want. It’s a lot of fun, but so far this one has been my favorite.”
Dio got a strange look on her face, something between serious and fascinated. “What is the series about?”
“Alyssa,” I sat closer to Dio. “She’s this traveling maid, who, in each book, finds a family and helps them with some sort of problem.”
Dio narrowed her eyes. “Like sex?”
“Well yeah, I mean, at first each time it seems like it’s one thing. But then it turns into-” I couldn’t help but giggling. My tail fluffed up and twitched this way and that. “It is a pretty lewd series.”
Dio hummed to herself, taking a sip of tea while it looked like she wandered off in thought. “Where is this library?”
I smoothed my palm over the cover of the book. “It’s right next to the yellow solarium. That little stone building with the green door.”
Her brow pinched. “Really? I thought that was a storage building.”
“I mean, for books it is.” I opened the book again. “How far did you get?”
Dio looked shyly at the book then out the window. “I uhm…well, it was the part where she was helping th eman of the house change for the meeting, and she saw something on his dick.”
“That’s such a fun scene! It’s really funny, even with that it ends up turning into.” I smiled at Dio, tailing waving happily behind me. “The first book is about Alyssa working for this rich couple who are kind of older but still hoping for children.”
Dio peeks at me from the corner of her eye. “How does she help them?”
I smirk and wiggle in my seat. “It turns out the couple was using the wrong entrance, and Alyssa gives them a lesson.”
Dio turns to me. “Wrong entrance? How do you mess that up?” She gasped.
Seeing that excitement and surprise on her face really gave me a kick. “You should really read the book! I would love to talk to someone about them!”
“Yeah, but how were they so wrong? What were they even doing?” Dio whispered eagerly. “Because like-” she suddenly stopped and looked away.
“Well, both came from really prudish families and neither really had any idea about sex. So they just-” I saw her expression, her body language. “Dio, is something wrong?”
She shook her head. “No. Just something Demi and I are trying to do.” She had a pout on her face. “Demi wants kids and all.”
My eyes widened. “Really? Why haven’t you both said anything?”
“Because it’s an ‘us’ thing right now,” Dio’s pout deepened. “We wanted to try on our own first. We talked to Rings and Ebert about it and they agreed we should-'' She scoffed. “I’m just frustrated, that's all.”
I could tell, her whole body was tense. Even her tail was stiff. I nodded at her, then looked at the book.
“They were doing it in the butt,” I said.
Dio’s expression softened.
“They only ever had anal, they’d never done vaginal penetration,” I said with a slight smirk on my face, remembering how funny that revelation had been. “So Alyssa taught them the proper way and showed the lord of the house how to cum inside his wife.”
Dio’s eyes cut to me. “Why did they think it was anal?”
“I told you! They both came from really uptight and prudish families. They had no idea,” I giggled. “They just sort of went at what seemed right to them.”
Dio’s brow furrowed. “So did the couple ever have kids?”
“Oh yes! Several as Alyssa says in the epilogue.” I smiled proudly, thinking about how hard Alyssa had worked to make sure that happened. “The couple really loved each other and they loved having sex, even if it was just anal, but Alyssa’s help made them unable to keep their hands off each other.”
Dio looked me up and down. “What’s the second book?”
I smirked. “You should read them for yourself.”
“I just wanna know what it’s about!” Dio huffed.
“Okay. I’ll tell you. Well, it starts off with Alyssa coming to this boarding house run by this woman and her daughter where a bunch of young men are staying. They’re all varying levels or cold or off putting at first. They want nothing to do with Alyssa at first, until one day she has to help one of the men repair his suit. And she finds out why she’s so standoffish.”
“How many men?” Dio whispers in awe.
I think for a moment. “Ten I believe.”
“So three women with ten men,” Dio murmured.
I glanced down under the table, seeing her thighs rubbing together. “In this one,” I said, laying my hand upon the book. “The lord and lady of the house just found a gem mine on one of their properties. They have titles, but they’re not very rich so they’re trying to figure things out. They invite a skilled miner to their home to decide what to do. They’re a very sweet couple and Alyssa remarks how often she can hear them having sex. She also takes a liking to the minotaur miner they have invited over. She’s asked the lord and lady to have him invite his team over as well.”
Dio licked her lips and fidgeted again. “And the scene with the lord of the house I was at?”
I smirked, enjoying making Dio get so hot and bothered over the stories of these books. “Well, you see, the lord doesn’t look like much at first, but she knows the lady of the house seems to enjoy her husband frequently. The husband gets hard and he grows massive! Very impressive. The wife even insists Alyssa try him out. Which, well, really helps her prepare for the expert miner, because his cock is-” I can’t help but let out a laugh.
“Really?” Dio whispered. “Hmm. Maybe I’ll go by the library tomorrow. Couldn’t hurt to give these all a chance.” She fidgeted again in her seat.
“I’m excited to read the fourth one. I was going to try and finish this one tonight, but when the house got quiet, I couldn’t concentrate at all I’m afraid.” I sighed and looked to Dio who was trying to drink her tea, but her mind looked elsewhere. “Do you want to talk about you and Demi?” I asked.
Dio scoffed. “What’s to talk about? He wants kids. I’m not sure and I just-” She looked away but turned back to me with a pitiful look. “Maybe I should let Demi have kids with someone else. It could be my fault after all.”
I frowned. “What fault?”
“That I can’t get…” She stalled and shook her head. “A few more tries then we’ll see if we need someone else.”
“Sometimes it’s instant, sometimes it takes time,” I murmured. “Not everyone can be Reverance you know?”
Dio smiled.
“There are lots of people in the village who have had a hard time at first too. It probably just needs the right moment,” I said, trying to reassure her. “You’re young and stunning, you’ve got plenty time.”
Dio pouted, letting out an exasperated scoff as she leaned back into her chair. She looked pensive, almost like her usual self except for a certain dourness to her eyes. She then glanced bak at me and put a small smile on her face. “At least Demi knows where to plant the seed,” Dio said.
I smiled and started laughing. “Yes, well, at least you have that!”
Her smile somewhat returned, and she drank from her cup with a sigh. “This village still seems strange to me sometimes. I grew up in a completely opposite sort of place.”
I nodded along. “Me too. It’s a bit of a culture shock somedays.”
“But you like it here, right?” Dio asked.
My ears twitched and I gave her a curious look. “Yes of course. I’m happy with Rings and Ebert. I finally have a good home. What about you?”
Dio pursed her lips. “I was trained to be an assassin, not a lover, not a cook, not even really a girl. I just existed to earn money and carry out the tasks at hand. Sometimes, a part of me misses what I knew. But I have less fear here, less anger. And I like waking up from dreams and not nightmares.” She smiled at me, sad but it was a true smile.
“Yeah,” I said a bit breathless. “I know the feeling.”
Dio was quiet for a moment longer and I allowed myself to read in my book, feeling the silence was a tranquil and contended one between us.
“You have a birthday coming up, right?” Dio perked up and said.
I was so surprised by the sudden, cherry question my ears and tail stiffened and slicked back. I looked at her, seeing a gint in her eyes I wasn’t sure how to read.
“Yes,” I replied with an unsuredness. “Yes, it is. I told Ebert I really didn’t want to make a big deal out of it though. Just the family, maybe a few friends.”
Dio’s unreadable look became even more unreadable. It seemed smug or snarky I’m not sure. Bu it made my tail twitch even more.
“Have you told Rev this idea?” She asked.
“What? Not yet. I mean, I’m sure Ebert will relay the news and all,” I chuckled.
Dio shrugged. “I don’t know. Sometimes with Rev you have to be more direct about such things. You know how excited she gets to celebrate such things.”
I swallowed. “Well, that is true.”
Dio clicked her tongue and waggled her finger. “That is, unless you want some sort of surprise.”
My tail twitched. “Well uh…I don’t know.”
Her smirk was a powerful one. I could understand what it meant, but also had no clue as to what it could possibly be. I swallowed and just laughed.
“So uh, do you think you’ll go and check out the books?” I asked, trying to change the conversation.
Dio shrugged. “Possibly. You’ve made them sound tantalizing to say the least.” She looked over the book before us again. “How do you think this one will end?”
I furrowed my brow and my ears slicked back. “Well, to be honest I’m not sure. I do know that at the end Alyssa will probably go off towards another adventure, another house or group of people who need her help and guidance. That’s usually how they always end. Happy and Alyssa going on towards the next book.”
“You never expect a cliffhanger with these?” Dio asked.
I shook my head. “Usually not, no. I think that’s half the fun of this series.”
Dio tapped her finger to her chin. “Hmm.”
My tail twitched and my eyes widened. “What does that mean?”
Dio shook her head and waved her hand. “Oh nothing. Just thinking that’s all. Because sometimes things don’t go as planned. Sometimes surprises happen.”
That’s the second time she’d mentioned surprises. It sounded off a minor worry alarm in my mind. But surely it meant nothing.
“Yeah. i suppose. But when you have a whole series based on this concept of Alyssa traveling about and helping people in these erotic sort of ways. But now that I think about it, Alyssa is falling for this minotaur miner who is staying at her current place of employment. That was very new compared to the other books.
“I see that look,” Dio giggled. “Maybe I should go, that way you can indulge in your book and see where the ending goes.”
“Oh!” I gasped as Dio began to stand. “No, it’s okay! You don’t have to leave!”
“Don’t worry about me. I got the company I was seeking. Besides, I may go and check out those books for myself. Get myself warmed up before Demi comes home,” she winked at me.
My face warmed. “Right! Right,” I laughed. “I would like to have someone to talk to about these books too.”
Dio and I walked to the door, and I gave her a kiss goodbye as she left. I hurried back to the book, grabbing it and going back to my room to pour through the pages. It took me a a couple of days to complete, but I finished this book in record time compared to the others.
Sure enough, Dio’s wicked little prediction was right. As the book ended I had to set it down to stew for a long while. It was a cliffhanger! It didn’t end with Alyssa going off to her next adventure. No! It ended with her being proposed to by the minotaur miner who, because of her help, was wealthy beyond his means, but all he wanted was Alyssa. It ended with Alyssa being unable to decide, as she loved him and her journeys.
It was too late now to go to the library, and it was raining heavily. I would have to be mad to journey out there for a book. Besides, I could hear Rings and Ebert returning home from their meeting. I would have to wait until the morning to go out and get the next book.
“You’re up early.” The sound of Ebert’s voice startled me, causing every fur on my body to stand on end. “Did I scare you?” Ebert chuckled.
He was standing in the kitchen, tending to a sizzling cooktop as well as whisking a bowl full of eggs.
I stepped into the room, seeing Rings wasn’t up yet. “Yeah, I was hoping to stop by the library.”
Ebert’s eyes widened slightly. “So early?” He set the bowl down and approached me. “Really enjoying those books huh?” He put his hands around my waist, then leaned down to take a small kiss.
My fur fluffed in a good way now, and a warmth fluttered in my chest. “Yeah, they’ve been really fun.”
“I’m glad you’ve been enjoying them.” He gave me a wink. “I’d hate for you to come back to a cold breakfast though.” His smile was a hard one to deny.
“I am excited to get to the next book though,” I trailed off for a moment, lost in his eyes. “I guess it’ll be there when breakfast is over.” I kissed him again, pressing even closer to his body. His long arms wrapped around me, and my tail began to twitch.
I stayed with him in the kitchen, even going to wake Rings. The kids were all with Rev, so we had a nice long morning, just us adults.
