Chapter 25 - Bubble
I awoke in a slightly different position than how I had fallen asleep. I was now on my side, playing the part of much littler spoon in the arms of Namali-the huge ceratopsian with soft scales over warm brown skin, black hair, dual-hooked beak, and a pair of horns below her head-crest. It was hard to believe that just yesterday she had been the one to literally lock horns with me and then throw me over her head. Now she held me in a vice-grip of quite a different sort. Had I been at all claustrophobic when it came to being held, this would have triggered it. As I was, however, the feeling of her heavy arm and leg keeping me immovably in place-aided by her shoulder and hip pinning me down-felt very comforting. I was sure that I would have been having a panic attack right now were it not for all that and her warm breath blowing down my back. The only unpleasantness that felt came from the trauma bubble in my head-which I tried not to pay too much mind to-and my aching breasts, which had not yet been milked.
From where I was, I thought I could see lines scratched into the wood paneling of the room-just under the level of the hay floor. I would have liked to see what this was, but there was of course no moving in my current position. So I just waited and tried not to think too much as I remained in Namali's embrace.
It was probably a half-hour before Namali's breathing changed, letting me know that she was awake. Instead of releasing me, however, she began to gently lick my shoulder in broad movements. This tickled a little at first, but I gradually fell into a lulled state of gentle pleasure. I then felt her hands around my breasts, gently squeezing until milk sprayed out of them. This created a certain energy in the room-the both warm and cooling healing aura the spray of my milk produced.
The moment was interrupted when I heard the door to the stall suddenly open. I jumped, but Namali gently pulled me into herself. When my heart-rate had gone down, Namali finally released me and sat up.
I glanced again at the open door, finding that there was nobody there. Only in the open center-room did I see the movement of the other ponygirls. They and their mares were gathering around a trough. After another moment, I smelled food.
I glanced at Namali to see if we would be joining. I was surprised to see that Namali had a finger in her sex. She did not seem embarrassed that I had seen her and, upon closer look, she did not seem to be pleasuring herself. After a few seconds, she removed her finger, moved a bit closer to me, and then traced a line of her juices across my face. This did arouse me ... and made me wonderβbetween this, how we had eaten, and her behavior with the farmhands-if it was signs of ownership that were important to her.
Finally, Namali stood and took hold of my leash. She led me to the feeding trough, where all the other ponygirls and mares (the latter of whom were of multiple genders), were eating quietly. All of them still had their leather bits in and I was more certain than ever that speaking was not allowed here. Still, they communicated with waves and smiles and gestures when needed.
I stayed behind and close to Namali as we approached. When she sat down, I immediately knelt and shuffled over so that I was beneath her in the same way we had been before. As a result, I felt a few gentle strokes of approval on my head.
The other ponygirls and mares regarded me with some curiosity. A human woman cozied up to one of the catgirls waved at me.
I looked up at Namali, just to be sure it was alright. To my surprise, she didn't seem to mind in the least and just softly nodded her head. So I waved back.
I then waited for the first handful of food to come my way. Today's breakfast was eggs with torn bits of bread-all mixed together. As with the food the night before, it was delicious. When we were both finished, I took Namali's hand in my own and licked it clean of the remaining food debris. This earned me another affectionate touch on the head and, to my surprise, the leash being unwrapped from my collar.
Namali then stood and walked back toward her ... our ... stall.
I followed close behind. Once inside, Namali went to the far side of the room-near the wooden bathroom box. She stood in the center of that half of the room, fell into (somewhat ironically) a horse-stance, and then closed her eyes.
I paused for a moment, unsure as to what I was supposed to do, and then finally decided to face and mirror her.
When Namali opened her eyes, however, she nearly jumped a little bit.
My heart began to race, and I tried to mutter and apology before remembering that I still had the piece of leather keeping me from making real words. Face red with embarrassment and unexplainable guilt, I retreated to the other side of the room to lay on the blankets. Though it felt stupid and childish, tears still welled in my eyes as I tried to deal with the waves of emotions that were the regular result of my failing in social situations ... and the feelings of danger and rejection that always came with that. And even though I knew that what was happening was a trauma response, it didn't mean I could stop feeling overwhelmed. There was nothing I could do except wait it out.
After a few seconds, however, I felt a familiar touch on my arm. Still nervous, I wiped my face with my arm and turned around.
Namali was staring at me with a slightly confused but gentle expression. She traced from my ear to my jawline before giving a little nod. Then she took my hand in hers to help me stand up.
I followed as she guided me back exactly to where we had been standing. There, she took my opposite hand in hers as well and fell again into the horse-stance. From there, she waited for me.
Hesitating for just a moment, I also fell into the crouching position. The strain of it was a bit more intense than what she showed in her very serene expression, but I still managed.
Namali then began to stare into my eyes-it was the most direct her attention had been since we'd fought. For a moment, this energy was all there was. Then, gradually, she began to seem ... taller. I tore my attention away for an instant and looked around at my surroundings, her legs, and my body. When I did so, everything suddenly seemed as it had been. But when I looked back at her face, I and everything around me seemed to become small once again.