This story is a work of fiction. Any connection to real events or people, past or present, is coincidental. All characters of this story are age 18 or older.
WARNING! This chapter contains: Anthro, fingering, teasing, virgin, orgasm-denial, massage, doggy, creampie, impregnation, oral, squirting, violence, blood, and copious amounts of cuddling. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
*
Talia sat on a rock for three...damn...days. She was miserable and starting to feel incredibly weak. Despite that, she couldn't leave, even if she wanted to. The crusader army marched into the den of the assassin weevils, underground monsters that can pierce through armor with their trunk-like mouths. Thanks to Renard, Talia noticed before they were attacked and fled. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite quick enough. Three of those underground monsters followed her until she took shelter on a large boulder. That was where she sat for days in the unforgiving sun and heat. She occasionally checked to see if they were there, throwing bits of rock at the sand. Each time their rostrums would emerge, stabbing at the air and trying to find her. They were waiting her out, and they were slowly winning.
The crusader captain sat on the rock for another miserable day. She was thirstier than she had ever been in her life. If she sweat any more, she was pretty sure she would die. The sun beat down on her, blazing away and heating her up. She reached up and wiped her forehead for the millionth time, feeling miserable. If she had listened to Renard in the first place she wouldn't be here. She could feel her head pound in terrible pain and her throat stab in dryness. She gazed out into the blazing desert. She let a thought enter her mind that she had flirted with the past few days. Maybe she should just walk off the rock. Maybe it would be quick. Those things clearly didn't have to drink. Maybe they could wait her out indefinitely. She had made a promise to Renard, but that was back when she was well-hydrated and was among an army. It wasn't as convenient now that she was nearing death. As she slowly began descending the boulder to step out onto the sand...movement caught her eye.
There was something out in the desert. Three black dots, at the edge of the haze. Talia froze, her adrenaline suddenly pumping. Were those people? Crusaders? Anything? She stood up and squinted her eyes. They appeared to be approaching her, getting clearer by the second. As the heat haze began to abate, her eyes widened.
They were pigmen, inching forward towards her armed with swords and axes. For a few brief moments, Talia felt a streak of fear, knowing how exhausted she was. Then an idea struck her. There were three pig monsters. There were also three weevils. If she could lure them close enough, her problem could be solved. The pigmen, however, seemed apprehensive. They were glancing at each other and walking slowly. They had seen she had noticed them. They couldn't figure out why she wasn't fleeing. Talia gulped with her dry throat and tried to think through her pounding headache. Pigmen weren't bright, but they weren't suicidal. She had to lure them closer, but how? She had two options. She could either grab her sword and pretend to stand her ground...or she could make this more enticing.
After a few moments of thinking, Talia began wobbling on her feet. She drunkenly stumbled around the boulder, her head lolling. The pigmen continued to eye her, trying to see what she was doing. The women then reached up to her shirt and pulled it off, leaving her bare-chested. This piqued the interest of the monster men.
"It's soooo hot!" Talia cried, collapsing on the rock. "Is someone out there? I think I'm seeing things!" She was pretending to be delirious. She had hoped that exposing her breasts was enough to get them to stop thinking and just charge after her. They glanced at each other one more time before turning to her and grinning. They began trotting forward, looking eager. Talia continued to be crazy. She rolled around on the rock, babbling and showing off her body. The pigmen got closer and closer, edging towards her faster and faster. They got so close she briefly worried that she had made a mistake, and they would reach the rock.
Then the sand in front of them exploded and three rostrums popped out. The pigmen squealed in terror, scrambling and falling over themselves. Not wasting a second, Talia pulled her shirt back on, grabbed her sword, and leapt over the opposite end of the boulder. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, fleeing into the desert. She only heard the squealing pigmen for a few seconds, and then silence. She could only hope that all three of those weevils were full. All she could do was move as fast as her legs could carry her, hoping that she had left that nightmare behind.
*
Talia couldn't be sure how long she had been running before she collapsed. When her senses returned, she found herself on her hands and knees, breathing and sweating. She gathered her thoughts for a moment, trying to think through her pain and thirst. She had gotten away from the boulder, but where did that get her? She had shed all her armor, and all she had was her sword. As she looked around, trying to find anything, she saw only hills of sand. Her dry throat gulped painfully. What could she do? She was incredibly weak, and if she didn't get something to drink soon, she would surely collapse and die. Should she backtrack towards the last oasis? That would take her near the assassin weevils. She would be right back where she started. Her other option was to try and follow Renard. He had a several day head start, but if she could find him, she was sure he would save her. He was her friend.
Talia got to her feet, her legs wobbling. She gazed up at the unforgiving sun, which continually cooked her with its unbearable heat. If she remembered, Renard said he was heading for the coast and went west. After gauging the position, she found west. She began lifting her feet and treading towards through the sand, heading in the general direction of her only friend.
*
Talia wasn't sure how long she had been walking. The sun was still overhead, cooking her. The sand dunes had gotten smaller, but still stretched in all directions. Abruptly, there was a noise echoing around her. It was a high-pitch yipping, and there was a lot of it. Talia climbed the highest dune around her and scanned the horizon. She froze when she spotted them.
Several dark spots, weaving and bobbing around, were circling in the distance. They were making a lot of noise, and as her eyes adjusted, she saw they had their noses in the air. As a slight breeze went by her, their loud noises increased. They had her scent. All of the dots began moving in her direction, fast.
Talia turned and began sprinting again. Her adrenaline was causing her heart to pound and her vision to narrow. All the same, in her weakened state and sand beneath her feet, she wasn't going as fast as she could. She continually glanced over her shoulder and saw nearly a dozen creatures hot on her tail. They were like dogs, but much bulkier. Their teeth were huge and serrated. They were covered in spots and had short tails. Worst of all, they were cackling, almost as if they were laughing at each other. They were much faster in the sand, and they were moving like a pack. As Talia rounded a dune, she spotted something that both disgusted and relieved her. There was a large outcropping of rocks. Some of them were very tall and large.
"You've got to be kidding me!" she shrieked as she sprinted towards them. The cackling dogs were closing in fast. It was going to be close. As she reached a particularly tall boulder, she heard growling behind her. Without thinking, she spun around and swung her sword. She sliced through one of the animals, which screamed and crumpled to the ground. All the others scattered briefly, trying not to be attacked. Talia whirled around and scrambled up the boulder, practically climbing a sheer rock face. Upon seeing she was still trying to escape, the other animals charged, jumping and snarling. Some of them even dug their claws in, partially climbing. Talia swung her sword like a madwoman, sending the cackling dogs falling backwards as they dodged it. They then began circling the boulder, making those laughing sounds and still trying to find a way up. Talia beat her sword against the rock, trying to make as much noise as she could.
"Get back! Back all of you!" she shrieked. "I swear to the goddess if any of you get up here, I will chop you to BITS!" She swung her weapon through the air, hoping they would get the point. Abruptly, the animals stopped moving. They lifted their ears and glanced around. Then, without a word, they all turned and ran away, leaving the injured one behind. Talia's blue eyes darted back and forth, completely bewildered.
"Yeah! Yeah...you better run!" she said, sounding confused. Still, a wave of relief washed over her. As she lined her sword up with her scabbard, she let out a sigh, feeling a weight coming off of her. Then she froze.
"They're not running from me..." she muttered. She slowly turned around, completely stiff.
Not too far away, was what appeared to be a cave. Now that it was quiet, she could hear a low rumbling noise coming from it. Out of the dark, a single slithering tentacle poked out. Oddly, it wasn't flesh. It appeared to be made of wood. More and more of these tentacles appeared from the cave, wrapping around the entrance and pulling something large with it. A massive green flower, perhaps twenty feet across, emerged. The petals spread to reveal a beak at the center, like an octopus. Two beady eyes, at the end of large stalks, peeked out. The wooden tentacles, attached to the base of the creature under the flower, pulled it into the light. The two eye antennae gazed out in different directions, looking for the source of the noise. It spotted Talia.
As Talia felt a chill go down her spine, a memory of hers swam to the top of her terrified mind. It was something Renard had told her about. He spoke of creatures, the snapping trees. These monsters were notorious for picking up people and snapping their bones apart. They had destroyed the last crusade and even threatened Tarbat before they were set on fire. The people of the desert thought them extinct. Talia could now argue they weren't.
