CHAPTER 2: EARTH STONE
Kimber crept quietly through the nighttime forest, looking for a decent clearing to start a fire in order to cook the rabbit she'd caught and killed earlier. Instead, she noticed the glow of an existing fire up ahead of her. She approached with caution, but found that it was tended to by a lone figure, a young man wearing light armor. His pack of gear and provisions, including a bow and quiver of arrows, rested on the ground near him. She touched the medallion and transformed back to her human shape, then stepped out of the darkness into the clearing. The man stood, drew his sword, and said, "Ho there! Identify yourself."
"Just a lone traveler, like yourself. If you are willing to share your fire, I am willing to share this rabbit," Kimber replied, holding it up for the man to see.
"Such an offer I cannot refuse. Please, come join me, my lady," the man said, gesturing toward the fire. They erected a spit, prepared the rabbit, and set it to cooking. "If I may ask, what is your name and what brings you to these parts?" he asked.
"You may indeed," she replied. "My name is Kimber, and I seek the ruins of an ancient temple to a forgotten goddess that is said to be located in this forest."
"I am Jonath, and you have nearly found it. The place of which you speak is but another hour's travel in that direction," he said, pointing. "It has been taken over as of late by a tribe of ogres that infests these woods. I have journeyed here to exterminate them. I managed to locate their stronghold and I've been scouting the site for several days now. I dare not take on so many all at once, though I have felled a few that have strayed from the group."
"An ogre hunter, are you. I would not have guessed it from the look of you. Is the bounty on them high in these parts?" Kimber asked. Ogres were repugnant creatures, most rulers actively encouraged killing them on sight and/or driving them as far away as possible from areas settled by humans.
"Not especially," Jonath said. "Mine is a personal vendetta. Ogres raped and murdered my family, and I have vowed to spend my life putting them to the sword."
"That's horrible!" Kimber said. Now, the thing about ogres is that their cocks are covered in hard, boney ridges that make getting fucked by them extremely painful. Even female ogres find it unpleasant, so rape is the sole means of perpetuating the species. When just wanting to get their rocks off rather than procreate though, most ogres prefer to rape human women, as they are much weaker prey. Female ogres even rape human men, as it is the only way for them to have sex they can actually enjoy. The men do not take any pleasure in it however, as ogres of both genders are quite ugly and smell horrible.
"I was but a farm boy, with two sisters. My father sent me to learn basic archery skills from a master teacher, and I took to it well, but upon my return I found the farm ransacked, the house and barn burned to the ground. Only my younger sister yet survived the brutal treatment, and she followed my parents and older sister to the afterlife mere days later. I returned to the archery teacher and begged him to take me on as a long-term student. He later introduced me to his friend, a master of the sword, who similarly agreed to teach me his talents."
"No one should suffer that as a boy. At least you were able to channel your energies into something positive," Kimber said.
"Aye, and I hope that in part through my efforts, no child need suffer so again," said Jonath. "So your vocation lies in the exploration of old ruins?"
"Indeed yes, I have studied much of long-dead cultures and uncover the things they have left behind so that we may continue to learn of them, and enjoy their craftsmanship," Kimber explained.
"That's a curious medallion you have there. One of your discoveries?" Jonath took a closer look in the flickering light of the fire. The golden disc hung from a gold chain that itself hung from either side of another chain that closely encircled her neck. A circle was engraved in the center of it, and the outer ring was divided into five segments by radial lines. Each segment bore the visage of a creature. The upper segment depicted the outline of a bird in flight with its wings outstretched. To the left of the bird was a silhouette of a horse's head in profile, and to its right, that of a cat's head straight on. On the lower left was the shape of a fish, and the lower right showed the winding shape of a snake.
"It is, though I have been unable to determine where it originally came from, what lost civilization created it," Kimber said.
"So then, I propose we both enjoy your rabbit, get a good night's sleep, and I shall guide you to the temple ruins in the morning. You shall have to settle for looking at it from afar, though," Jonath said.
"As you say," Kimber replied. "I don't want to tangle with ogres of that number."
- - -
As soon as Jonath was asleep, Kimber quietly walked off into the woods. Once she was out of sight of Jonath's fire, she touched the shape of the cat head on her medallion. Her body glowed as she transformed to her cat shape. Her straight black hair fell just past her shoulder, with a cat's ears atop her head. Her eyes were yellow with vertically slit irises. She had fangs, but smaller ones than as a snake. Black fur covered her arms nearly to her shoulders, and her legs to halfway up her thighs. Her furred fingers and toes bore retractable claws and soft, pink paw pads. A matching black fur cropped top, supported from her right shoulder, covered her breasts, which were now a little larger than they were normally, though a generous amount of cleavage was visible. A black leather belt held up the black fur breechcloth, which split into two in the back just above her ass to allow space for her tail. Her dagger and knapsack remained, as always. This was the best form for night travel, as a cat she had the keen senses of a nocturnal predator, as well as excellent physical agility and reflexes, and the ability to move quickly yet quietly.
