Chapter 18

  After leaving Duugan’s shop, They scooted around the back of the building and headed off into the surrounding fields.

  It was a half mile jaunt to a small orchard, but as they arrived and saw no signs of any villagers tending to the trees, Fuku finally released the disguise skill. At once, the human shape unraveled in a flurry of tan Tanuki fur, and two separate bodies tumbled to the ground.

  Fuku, being more used to this sort of thing, popped up almost immediately.

  “Well, we got the map, and for cheap, too. The map alone is probably worth half of what we paid,” Fuku rambled on while Ben brought his hands to his head, massaging his temples.

  “What do you think? Should we go back and flirt some more with the blacksmith?” Fuku’s words finally cut through the disorientation Ben was experiencing.

  “What? You can go back if you want… I’m fine right here,” he said, his eyes still closed as he tried to deal with the strange sensations he’d felt while being merged.

  His entire body had felt as though it were compressed and spread out. Lingered, his insides feeling as though they had yet to settle into their proper place.

  A pair of small chubby paws landed on his chest. “Ben, was it really that bad?” Fuku asked, his tone filled with a concern it hadn’t held before.

  Ben groaned, not ready to explain his feelings on the matter, preferring to stuff this memory down with all the others from his life, under a rock where he didn’t have to deal with them.

  “I’m sorry, Ben. I didn’t know it would be so tough on you,” Fuku said with a sigh. “I thought… no, I guess I hoped you would maybe enjoy being so close. It was weird sharing the same body, and I could kind of feel what you were thinking. Was your experience different?”

  Ben really didn’t want to answer. He just wanted to take a short nap before moving on. But Fuku deserved a response.

  “It was… unfamiliar,” he began. He didn’t want to lie to Fuku, but he didn’t want to hurt his feelings, either. The Tanuki had obviously found the experience at least somewhat enjoyable. “I had no problem being so close. It was the… position, I think. That was uncomfortable.”

  He felt Fuku nod against his chest. “I think I get it. You were stuck in the middle, weren’t you? When I use the skill alone, it’s just me and my sack. But with you there too… it added another layer, another body… you must’ve been squeezed in between. That can’t have felt good.”

  Fuku’s awareness was spot on, and Ben was surprised he had such a detailed idea of what had happened, though the fact that it was his skill probably helped.

  “Yes, it was rather cramped,” Ben responded, not knowing how else to put it.

  Fuku laid his head on Ben’s chest. “Well, we don’t have to do that anymore. It was an emergency. We’ll find another way to get into cities and towns, one that doesn’t require you to be the meat in a sandwich,” he said and gave a half-hearted chuckle.

  Ben removed a hand from his head and set it on Fuku’s, patting his friend gently. “That would be for the best, I think.”

  They lay there for a few moments, Ben happy to be immobile, but Fuku was twitching and fidgeting before even a minute had passed.

  “What is it, Fuku?” Ben asked, preferring to hear what was on the Tanuki's mind rather than feel him fidget.

  “Well… remember the pants we got you? How we were going to find a seamstress that could make more room for you in them?”

  Ben vaguely remembered that; it felt like it had happened so long ago. “I think so.”

  “Well, we saw that Beast-kin village as we flew overhead. How about we go there and see if there’s a decent seamstress who can make them fit?”

  Ben understood the need for clothing, but those “jeans,” as Fuku had called them, definitely weren’t comfortable—much too tight in the crotch for his bull-sized equipment. “Why are you so worried about me being covered up? I thought you liked what you saw?” he joked.

  He could almost feel the Tanuki’s face getting hot and definitely felt Fuku sneak a peek—or three.

  “It’s not that… I mean… I don’t care, but…”

  Ben decided he would tease the Tanuki a little more while he had him flustered. “You don’t wear clothes, so why should I?”

  That sent Fuku into full discombobulation.

  “Well… I mean… I have my disguises! I can wear any kind of clothing I want! And—besides, my skills have a lot to do with my body, so covering it up isn’t as easy as just throwing on some pants,” he said, getting defensive.

  “And besides, I’m big and fluffy! My cute little radish is sheathed in fur—it doesn’t stick out like a veiny sausage holding up a bag of turnips,” he huffed.

  “It’s different, okay? Does stew sound good to you for some reason?”

  Ben laughed and patted Fuku’s back. “I’m just teasing. I understand the differences, and it is a good idea. We should go there next.”

  Fuku half-heartedly tried to duck away from his hand, then sort of tried to push it away, but both moves were more for show than any real objection. Once they both laughed it off, he nuzzled under Ben’s touch and whispered, “If you’re actually sorry, then how about a belly rub?”

  ***

  They stayed in the orchard until dusk, deciding night travel would be easier since this area was more populated than the plains they had come from. The day passed without incident. A lone person came by, but they only picked a few plums from a tree along the edge before wandering off.

  Ben and Fuku also took advantage of the area and picked from the assortment of plums, apples, and pears in the orchard. With Ben’s height, it was easy to reach the higher branches where the fruit was generally more ripe.

  They both ate more than their fill of the juicy fruit. Ben crunched down the bitter yellow apples, while Fuku stuffed himself full of plums. Full and with nothing else to do, they reclined against one of the trees and relaxed the afternoon away.

  As the sun began to dip to the horizon and people left their daily chores to wander home and fill their bellies with the evening's meal, or to the tavern to socialize. Ben and Fuku quietly left the security of the trees and made their way southeast toward the Beast-kin village.

  “While I don’t mind keeping your pace, I feel we could travel much more quickly if I were allowed to run,” Ben said once they’d set off.

  “I can’t keep up with you,” Fuku retorted, but then amended his statement. “Well, if I use Fleetfoot, I probably can, but that only lasts a few minutes.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Then why don’t you climb on my back? It’ll be an easier and faster way to travel on the ground, won’t it?” Ben suggested.

  That was all the prompting Fuku needed. Without protest or even pausing, he bounced and reached out, wrapping his arms around Ben’s neck and sidling up onto his back.

  “Great idea!” he said. “Let’s go… Giddy-up!” he added, nudging Ben with his knees.

  “Do that again and I’ll leave you to walk,” Ben said flatly, his ears twitching in mock annoyance.

  “Yaw! My big-bull!” Fuku taunted.

  Ben groaned, but knew Fuku was just having fun. He gave a quick half-leap, jolting Fuku upward. Only his grip on Ben’s mane kept him tethered. He landed with an oomph and a, “Okay, okay!”

  They both chuckled as Ben began to jog in the direction of the village.

  ***

  The Beast-kin village lay nearly twenty miles southeast of Riverforge, but at the rapid pace Ben set—now carrying Fuku on his back—they covered the distance in just a few hours.

  It was full dark when they arrived, though the moon was still mostly full, throwing enough light to follow the narrow paths that ran beside the larger road interconnecting the towns in the area. They dared not travel in the open, so they kept to the side, running parallel to the road and out of sight as they went.

  They stopped a couple of times for passing wagons, and once Ben had to hop a wandering sheep, but otherwise the travel was easy.

  When the village came into view, it lay hushed and asleep. Only a few candle-glows showed in the windows of the houses.

  “Do we just go in?” Ben asked as he crouched behind a hedge near the road leading in.

  “No, not at this hour,” Fuku replied. “If there were a guard on a wall or something, we could enter and find an inn, but this village obviously isn’t large enough for that. We should probably just spend the night out here and go in tomorrow morning.”

  Ben agreed. The hedge they crouched behind didn’t offer much shelter, and clouds were drifting in from the west, their dark masses beginning to cross the moon, threatening showers before morning. They didn’t want to stray too far from the road, but the land here was mostly farmland—beans and vegetables in neat rows, the foliage far too short to hide someone of Ben’s size.

  He scanned the fields again. No small groves. No stands of trees. Nothing but low crops and a few fences marking the different crops.

  “Where should we stay? I don’t see anywhere good to make a camp,” Ben asked.

  Fuku peered around as well, his tail flicking against Ben’s back. “I don’t see anything either. I guess we’ll just have to make do here and hope it doesn’t sprinkle tonight.”

  Ben grunted but agreed. They huddled together for the night, Ben settling his back against the thickest trunk in the hedge while Fuku curled up on his chest. Semi-hidden in the leaves but never fully covered, Ben kept one eye open as he drifted in and out of half-sleep, listening for trouble and waiting for rain.

  ***

  They weren’t woken by rain that morning—but were drenched all the same.

  Cold engulfed Ben, shocking him awake. His heart lurched as if he’d been flung into a river. He sputtered, blinking hard, disoriented—until a strange growl followed close behind the chill.

  “Who are you and what are you doing here?” came the gruff voice accompanying the bucket of water that had been tossed on them.

  Ben’s arms tightened protectively around Fuku as he searched to remember where he was—and more importantly who had just soaked him.

  Then he saw her, as well as two others, standing mere feet in front of him. His eyes went wide as he struggled to make sense of what he was seeing.

  “Chikushō! What was that? We were just napping here until morning so we didn’t wake anyone up!” Fuku screamed from Ben’s lap, his fur drenched and his mood sour.

  “And what is it that someone like you would want in our village?” came the next question from the female’s toothy mouth. Obvious resentment in her tone.

  Ben stared up at her. Still not entirely sure what he was seeing was real. She was a female; that was obvious from the curves of her body. She was tall, wore leather armor, and a sword buckled to her waist.

  And her paw rested on the handle.

  This person was no human. Ben’s head finally cleared enough for him to remember they were heading to a Beast-kin village. He had yet to meet one of their kind, and his imaginings of what they might be like were his only idea of what to expect.

  This intimidating woman was not what he had imagined.

  She had tawny fur, a squat snout full of sharp teeth, and eyes that shone gold, with pupils that were not round like a human's. No, these were vertical slits, like a cat's-eye, but large, slightly almond-shaped, and staring at him like he was nothing more than a piece of meat. Her tail swished behind in erratic spasms.

  “Well… we were hoping to do some business here, but if this is the greeting we get, then maybe we should look elsewhere,” Fuku huffed.

  Behind the lioness—for that was the only description that came to Ben’s mind—were two other Beast-kin. Their looks were also familiar, and he could easily identify the corresponding animal from which they originated.

  The one standing to the left of the lioness was a long gray-furred dog, or perhaps a type of wolf. His snout was more drawn out, his teeth just as sharp as the lioness’. His nose was large and wet and his eyes sparkled a pale blue.

  He also wore leather armor and had a shield strapped to his left arm. His expression was not friendly, but his lips were not curled up in a snarl, so only his two elongated canine teeth showed below the dark line denoting his mouth. His tail hung stiffly behind him.

  The third was unlike the other two. This person was another female, but she hid behind the wolf-man. She was a bovine. She was much shorter than either of the two in front of her, her hide was a lighter brown than his own, and she had a black patch covering one of her eyes. She cowered behind the other two and was visibly shaking. Her eyes never veered from him as he took in her appearance, although Ben couldn’t tell if her gaze held fear or curiosity within her pale brown eyes.

  Ben’s mind fit all the pieces together as he heard the lioness speak once more.

  “What kind of business?” Her words were as sharp as her teeth.

  Ben could feel the Tanuki readying to fire off a scathing comeback, so he wrapped his arm around his damp friend’s mouth and spoke. “I am sorry if our presence has caused an issue. We were only trying to be polite and wait for morning before entering the village. We mean no harm or disrespect. We are travelers in need of service,” he said and bowed his head to the lioness.

  “Travelers?” barked the canine behind them, the bucket still in his hand. “You travel naked?”

  Ben could hear the man chuckle under his breath, but it wasn’t a friendly sound. He could feel Fuku squirming under his hand.

  “That is one of the services we wished to discuss,” Ben said calmly, bringing his other hand up to pat Fuku’s belly, knowing the action would calm his companion.

  “And what’s this? Your pet?” the lioness asked, pointing at Fuku.

  Ben had really hoped she wouldn’t say that.

  From beneath his arm, Ben felt the moment when Fuku disappeared, a small pop the only giveaway.

  “He is my companion. He is no pet,” Ben said quickly, his voice rising. “And I would advise you to apologize before things escalate. We want no trouble.” The words were intended not just for the lioness, but for Fuku as well.

  Somehow, the wolf whistled. “Wow. No wonder you like to keep him on your lap. No one wants to see that thing swinging free.”

  The lioness had been staring at Ben’s exposed crotch, but at the crude comment, her eyes traveled slowly upward, taking in his entire form for the first time. Ben saw the shift in her gaze. A moment ago, in her eyes, he was just some pervert hiding in the bushes. Now, she was seeing something else entirely.

  She turned and back-pawed the wolf hard in the chest, her teeth bared in chastisement.

  “Apologies for him,” she said, turning back to look at Ben, meeting his eyes. “That small one… he is truly your companion?”

  “Yes. My dearest friend, and he has been greatly insulted,” Ben said, his voice cold. He wanted to rise, to meet these people eye-to-eye, to assert his dominance—but he forced himself to stay seated, choosing diplomacy instead.

  “Hrrrmmm…” the lioness purred, or growled… it was a strange noise that Ben had never heard before. “I am sorry for insulting you and for breaking your slumber so rudely.”

  The wolf looked at her with an eyebrow raised. “Captain?” he asked.

  The lioness turned and stared hard at the wolf, a glare so potent it was enough to make his tail tuck between his legs. Then she offered Ben a hand.

  “I do apologize. Please, come and be welcome in our village. We overreacted to finding strangers, and I hope our hospitality meets your standards.”

  Ben hesitated for a moment, then took the offered hand. He didn’t know where Fuku had gone and had been looking for the telltale floating leaf but had not seen it. He stood, and as he did, all eyes followed him up.

  The Lioness was tall, but she only came up to his chest. With his horns, he towered above them all. He heard the bovine and the wolf gulp as he rose to his full height.

  Then, to his utter surprise, the lioness stepped back and bowed. Speaking in a tone of reverence, she said,

  “Minotaur of old. It is our honor to meet you.”