Aimlessly walking the streets, she pondered on what he had told her. She was shaken up by it, if she was honest with herself. Stopping dead in her tracks, she glanced down at her filthy overalls and she was suddenly aware of her odor. Maybe she could hang around the town for a little longer and freshen up. The idea of leaving town so soon didn't appeal to her anymore. Maybe the Kveldulf was waiting for her...whatever that was. Besides, rinsing her muddy clothes in the river would do her some good.
-
Throwing around a few extra Pieces at an inn can really pay off when it comes to service. All she had to do was tell one of the keepers that she was taking a bath and they rushed to boil some water for her. Buckets were lined up next to her tub by the time she was nude, all emitting pleasant steam into the air, heating up the entire room. A Human bath to her was like a tiny pool and so she eagerly vaulted inside. Her bag and clothes were sitting in her room, which she would wash after her own cleanliness was sated. First thing's first, she lifted a bucket into the tub and placed it down cautiously between her legs. As she waited for the water to settle, she clasped her hands together in front of her chest until her calm reflection stared back at her.
"Mom...dad...I haven't given up. I never will. Have faith in me, okay? I'll make everything better" she smiled weakly, allowing her hands to lower into the water. It burned her skin at first, but her Halfling heritage quickly adapted to it, turning the unbearable heat to soothing warmth. Dwarves were hardy and resistant to most conditions but Halflings had them beat when it came to survivability. Halflings were very few in number but they could live anywhere in any climate and any hardship. They naturally adapted to their surroundings to make their lives easier to flourish. Really cold? Extra body fat in less than a week. Really hot? They disperse heat from their skin. Near water? Bigger lungs for swimming longer. No males to reproduce? The females can grow a fuckin' dick if they need one!
Once she had adjusted herself to the water's temperature, she grabbed the bucket and lifted it over her head. The heat cascaded down her back and with it came a layer of dirt. She briefly tilted her head back to rinse her hair, too. It didn't last very long until the first bucket was tossed aside. Clawing at her knotted strands, she was able to straighten it out, somewhat. Another bucket up, she poured it down her chest and on her shoulders, then it joined the other on the floor. Her hands found her small, perky breasts and she wiped herself down to her toned stomach. People would often compare Dwarves to Halflings. Dwarves appeared stout and built like machines, closer relatives to Orcs. On the other hand, Halflings were rather petite and dainty, kinda like Elves. Caco was a rare exception because she was quite well-built for a Halfling, but that's just because of her long travels. Still, she remained as a small package.
The bath was heavenly and she was getting absorbed in the tranquil moment. She only realized that she was out of water when she reached for another bucket but was disappointed to find nothing beside her tub. Groaning, she pushed herself up and hopped out of the tub to look for something that she could use to dry off. Neatly folded on the floor was a thick blanket of mammoth fur, the fluffiest towel you could get. The fur was hoisted over her shoulders and she wrapped herself up in the heavy coverage while she made her way to her bed. So warm... Dropping to the mattress, she was out like a candlelight before she could even think about the consequences.
-
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck..." Caco burst out of the inn's doors, bag in hand and hood being pulled over her hair. Dark already? "Fuck!" she shouted at the sky, most likely waking the neighbors. She wanted to get cleaned up, not sleep for the entire God damn day. If she didn't get to the other town by morning then she was going to miss the traveling merchant group. They always had great deals and she could fill a couple pouches from the resale alone. Plus they were open to barter anything that she wanted to trade. But that wouldn't matter if she missed them!
Slipping her hands through the bag's straps, she sprinted out the town's gate. Following the road would take the whole night and she could possibly be too late. But maybe if she took a shortcut through the forest and take the path between those hills, just maybe she could save a few hours. What's the worst that could happen? She'd dealt with bandits before on her own and dangerous animals were few and far between in these parts. Although she'd only taken this route once before and that was in broad daylight. Swallowing her fear, she drifted off to the side, taking a branching pathway that led up into the hills. It's not far. Suck it up and keep moving.
Her loud as Hell bag wasn't helping. It bounced harshly every time she hopped over a rock or dodged around a tree, sometimes getting snagged on a low-hanging branch which caused all kinds of problems. Finally, after wading through dense foliage and following the vague path through to a clearing, she met with a slope. She glanced up to see that the steep incline led up to a rocky passage between the hills, exactly where she needed to go. Exhaling loudly, she patted her belt to look for something. There was a small lump by her hip which she dug around in to retrieve a pair of leather gloves that were made from a Troll's hide. Their entire body was like sandpaper because they spent a lot of time up in snowy regions where they needed to cling to mountainsides. Having gloves made of that stuff was a blessing in moments like this.
Thrusting her digits against the slope, with great effort, she started to crawl up. If she didn't have her bag, she could've probably done this without her gloves but for the time being she would need to carry double her weight up, pretty much. The slope wasn't large for a Human, but she wasn't a Human, now was she? So, giving it all her might, she reached the point where the dirt subtly curved into solid ground. Her legs searched for something to stand on, finding a boulder protruding from the side. With a kick, she was able to pull herself onto flat land and she gave a sigh of relief. That bath meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. Climbing this little hill was enough to get her right back to square one.
She got to her feet and dusted off her overalls before continuing. Now it was smooth sailing to the next town. This path would swerve around the hills and take her directly to Dagny. Moving her bag straps to fit her shoulders correctly, she jogged down the road, unaware of what she would soon witness.
Damn, there were more twists and turns than she remembered, and the hills obstructed any view beyond where she was. She was lost. "Come on..." she whined, nearing yet another set of splitting paths. At this point, she didn't even know if either of them led to where she wanted to go, but she had to decide. Well, the one of the right would make more sense since it's the general direction, so that's the one she chose. The further she strolled, however, the more unsure she was becoming. Entering a wide, rocky area, she came to a halt and stared into an abyss of darkness. A cave passage? Did she go through a cave last time? She couldn't remember. But it was so horrifyingly concealed in pitch-black that she couldn't even see a meter in front of her.
As she neared it, short huffs and growls could be heard from deep within. They sounded pained or frustrated, but undeniably bestial. Nope. She sharply turned away. Nope. She would rather head back and take her chances with the weird fuckin' maze of roads. Nope. Nope. Nope.
But as soon as her back faced the cave, an ear piercing howl boomed all around her. Going pale with fear, she ran as fast as her stubby legs would let her. Vicious thuds and clacks were enough to tell her that something big was quickly gaining on her. It's grunts felt like they were warming the back of her neck and she increased her pace a little too much. Her boot caught one of the rocks and she was sent tumbling forward, her bag flying off off of her shoulder to crash a little ways ahead of her.. This was the end of her. Rolling onto her back, she was able to see the golden, savage slants of it's black eyes. Taller than an Orc, more terrifying than any nightmare she'd ever had, a massive white-furred beast lunged at her. It's claws opened, each big enough to wrap around the tiny Halflings body with ease. One of its talons found her cheek and she knew it was over. She shut her eyes and cringed.
There was a sharp tug and the sound of chains rattling. The beast cried out in anguish, choking and whimpering loudly from the whiplash. Slamming onto its back, the beast scrambled to get back onto its feet and then clawed at its collar. Caco hesitantly opened her eyes, finally seeing what all the commotion was about. Now that it was further away, she could see exactly what the beast was. Sharing similarities of both wolf and man, it stood on its hind legs but was covered from head to toe in thick, tangled fur. The rabid monster had a look of pure anger in its eyes as it tried to break the chain around its neck but to no avail. Pinned sloppily by sharp nails to each wrist and ankle were more chains, all of them leading somewhere into the cave. It's blood streamed down the steel links the more it struggled, making Caco grit her teeth from just watching.
It must be in so much pain.
The way the chains were setup, at the end of its range, the beast's hands were held behind its back while its head was slightly more forward, allowing it to glare down at the Halfling. Caco was still paralyzed at the beast's paws, meeting its eyes with her own. Growling and baring its teeth, the beast barked at her with saliva forming around its chin, dripping ever so often. Something else was leaking profusely onto her leg. Slowly bringing her gaze to its stout chest and tensing abdomen, she regained the life in her legs when she saw what was twitching between its thighs. She hopped back, mouth wide. The beast barked again and its cock drooled another bead of transparent liquid to its base. It was huge, like the length of her arm, at least. Clenching with need below it, a furry sac was aching just as badly.
