This story contains non-consent/dubious consent, mind control, taurens and mmf with some guy on guy anal penetration.
If that is not your thing, that is fine, feel free to move right along, won't hold it against you. Literotica really needs to start displaying all the tags up top already.
Otherwise, I hope you enjoy it.
~ ~ | | ~ ~
"Come, it is not far!"
Rodan ran a hand over his face and muzzle, wondering for the seventy-ninth time why he had wanted to go here. He must have been mad, thinking that it would be nice to see something else than his native mountains.
Up ahead, his friend and travel companion, Kanto Stormhoof, was waving him onwards, his tall frame and large horns breaking up the horizon as he stood atop the dune, looking anxious to get going. Kanto had been unreasonably excited for this part of the trip, talking about the settlements and oasis of Uldum as if it was the wonders of the world. Perhaps it was, to him. He at least didn't appear to be dying of heat.
Rodan huffed as he heaved himself up the dune, once more wiping sweat from his face. The setting sun briefly blinded him as he broke the shadow of the dune.
He rubbed his eyes, glaring at Kanto who hadn't bothered to warn him. The tauren had a big, almost goofy grin, and a glance off to the side quickly explained why.
Wreathed in the light of the setting sun, he could finally see their destination with his own eyes -- and it took his breath away. Two mighty, majestic rivers met in the grasp of the dam, creating a great lake, now aflame in red and orange from the light of the sun, the bands of gently waving palms and ferns creating a magnificent crown of greenery. And like jewels in the crown, the settlements of sandstone, gold and vibrantly coloured fabrics were scattered along the shore of the lake. To Rodan, the boats returning to harbour with the day's catch looked like little leaves floating on a pond.
The young tauren stood, his annoyance long forgotten, as he gazed down upon the valley below. The view was breathtaking. Though he had come to this land to see ruins and titan pyramids, he found himself momentarily taken aback. It reminded him of the rivers, strong and powerful, that came thundering down as spring broke over Highmountain.
A dark hand was laid down firmly on his shoulder, the thorium band catching the sun. "I told you," he heard Kanto say in a deep bass rumble. "It is worth the walk." Rodan looked up at his travel companion -- Kanto was about the same age as himself, perhaps a summer or two older, but the warrior towered over him. His face was jovial, and his grey eyes full of mirth and a certain fervour, a passion present ever since they had entered Tanaris. They had both dressed in loose cloth, the other bull especially needing to cover himself from the sun -- lest his black fur cause him a heatstroke. That he had not succumbed was a miracle, as Rodan himself had been close on multiple occasions during their travel through the desert.
"You were not lying, friend," he breathed out, and looked down upon the settlements. The one furthest away hosted enormous vessels in its harbour, their brilliant white and gold sails gleaming in the sunset. "That must be-"
"Mar'at," Kanto said, pointing towards the merchant city. "Our destination. I have a friend waiting there for us." He turned his hand to the smallest of the cities, barely visible in the dense vegetation -- rows upon rows of palms sticking out among the wild flora, the plantations surrounding the hamlet. "That's Tahret. Our boat waits there." He moved to point towards the great dam, holding in the lake. "Vir'naal. If we have time, we will walk there. It is a great view," he said, before turning his hand to the final settlement -- the grandest on the lake, the great golden spires gleaming like jewels, and two giant statues visible from even up here, standing as guardians of the capital. "Ramkahen. Greatest city south of Mulgore," Kanto rumbled, evidently pleased. He looked comfortable now, almost at home.
"Come! Our lift is waiting!" Kanto led the way down the dune towards the oasis below.
Rodan followed, walking less elegantly down the sand, but with no less enthusiasm.
~ ~ | | ~ ~
In the river valley, the sun seemed to be capped in half by distant mountains, it's rays scattered over the sky as it slowly turned from gold, to a fiery orange, to a deep, bloody red. They didn't have many hours before it would set, and twilight would come upon them.
Both adventurers moved with long, firm strides, the more solid earth beneath their hooves making walking much easier. A few of the natives, strange creatures looking half cat, half man, looked up from their evening meals, glancing at the two. Rodan felt like he had stepped into a different world, the familiarities turned upside down. It was almost a relief when he saw a human woman, standing by the docks.
"Brother Stormhoof, it is good to have you back with us," she called out as they neared. She stood among the sailors, their dark hairs blending into one. The boat looked sturdy enough to take twice the amount it would be carrying, and it only rocked gently as he and Kanto got aboard. Curiously, he noticed that all of them wore iron neckbands, save for the leader, who seemed to be adorned in a steel one. They were intricately decorated, with the same symbols he had seen on Kanto's band of thorium. Perhaps that was why the woman had called him brother, he wondered.
They settled into the boat and swiftly took off over the lake, the massive sail catching the evening wind and pushing them forth with great speed.
"Kanto. The band you wear," he began to ask, the question one he had never thought to ask, as he looked to his companion. The other tauren seemed tense, anxious even, like a bull about to charge. Even as his friend turned to look at him, he didn't loosen his muscles. "Where did you get it?"
Kanto looked away, forward, towards the city they were approaching. "I got it from a friend. You are about to meet her."
~ ~ | | ~ ~
"Lady Faa, it is an honour to be with you again."
She was much smaller than he had imagined. Rodan found the scene comical: the giant dark tauren bowing deep to this tiny human a third of his height, and still having to look down to meet her eyes. But he couldn't quite laugh. There was something about the scene that unsettled him -- the reverence and fervour in the eyes of his friend, perhaps. Or the confidence with which the human walked, and the aura of power emanating from her. He himself stood more than twice her height, but he felt uncomfortable in her presence. Like looking at the sun for too long.
Perhaps it was the fact that the staff she held was - quite literally - on fire. The light caught the silver threads bound into her hair and illuminated her dark skin. Her clothes were barely concealing her body, and much of her chocolate skin was covered only by hundreds of jewels and precious metals.
Here, at the bottom of the world, he stood in the courtyard of one of the great merchants of the city. Exotic birds wandered among intricate fountains and elegant -- often explicit -- statues.
"Welcome back to us, Stormhoof. You brought a friend, I see?" she asked, her voice deep, husky and lyrical. Rodan had to shake his head to realise that she was staring at him, her sharp gaze catching him on the spot. He followed Kanto's example and bowed deep.
"Rodan Stillwater, Lady Faa, of Highmountain."
She walked closer, every step accompanied by a dull metallic thud as her staff struck the tiles of the courtyard. He didn't know what to do and dared not move a muscle as she neared, in fear of insulting her. She came closer, and closer still, until she was right before his eyes, her face level with his in his deep bow. This close, he caught her scent, a dizzying blend of sweet flowers of the night, musk, and a curious hint of sulphur beneath it all.
She raised her hand, the bangles and bracelets rattling on her arm and catching the light from her staff in a daze of stars, before she stroked one of his antlers.
He almost reared back in surprise, more than a bit unsettled by the intimate gesture, but thought better of it in the last second. Her touch was soft and confident, running over the great expanse of his antlers, her fingers following the ritual markings on them.
"Magnificent horns. Truly marvellous," she breathed.
He muttered a correction quietly, before he could stop himself.
"What did you say?"
He almost flinched at the words. They weren't sharp, or even annoyed, but they made him greatly uncomfortable. Out the corner of his eye, he could see the concerned glance that Kanto sent him.
"Antlers, Lady Faa. They are antlers, not horns."
She drew back and looked over him, allowing him to rise. Her expression was neutral, and the tension was palpable in the air, until she nodded. "I see. Antlers, then."