V2Epilogue-Just Catgirl Things
Kistana woke to the sound of herself purring.
The feeling rose in her chest and escaped her lips, and in response, the hands stroking her head - because there were hands touching her, she realized a moment after she noticed the purring - seemed to increase their activity. They stroked her hair and scratched behind her ears, as if the person touching her knew her body well. Another hand played with her tail, gently rubbing it.
This physical affection wasn’t something she felt often, and before she opened her eyes, Kistana knew who she would see.
“My lord? That feels amazing.”
“Oh, you’re awake,” Tybalt said a little sheepishly, his hands immediately jumping back from her hair and tail to his sides.
No, I did not tell you to stop…
“Sorry, I came in here to check on how you were feeling,” the necromancer said. “I got kind of… distracted.”
You know perfectly well how good that feels to beastfolk, my lord. I have heard your mates tell you about it countless times…
“I am well, thank you for coming, Lord Tybalt.” She turned her head and saw Vidalia was still there in the bed with her, seemingly asleep, though her breathing seemed to have changed. Mariella was gone, though. The catgirl lowered her voice. “How are the others?”
Tybalt matched his volume to Kistana’s. “Mariella got up early for training, Victoria’s conveying my will to the Mayor and town officials - we’re going to reopen the port, which they had closed because of the outbreak of disease in town - and well, you were the only one hurt, you know? I, um, gave Dero a checkup earlier.”
“Good for her,” Kistana said knowingly - immediately wondering if she was crossing a boundary by acknowledging the real meaning of what Tybalt had said. The dark elf had become one of his mates.
Tybalt flushed slightly. “Am I that obvious?”
“Not to most people. I have learned to decipher the meanings of your different intonations, my lord.”
I have heard you talk to the others, heard and seen you intimate with them, heard how you talk about it afterward… For better or worse, I know you very well now.
“So you have.” They shared a smile, though Kistana couldn’t keep a hint of pain from showing through in hers. She felt a sharp pang of envy.
Maybe this is my chance. He just slept with Dero.
“Did I perform well, my lord?” she asked.
“You were phenomenally brave and very helpful,” Tybalt said. “I’m grateful.”
His hand landed on her head again, as if he wanted to stroke her hair and scratch her ears some more. Then it darted back to his side as if he’d just caught himself doing something he shouldn’t. Kistana reached out, grabbed his hand, and put it back on her head. He slowly caressed her hair, and they smiled at each other again.
There was more in it this time, and Kistana felt the stab of envy fading.
I’ll just come right out and ask…
“Do you think I am defective?” she said.
“What? No! Is this about what your Council of Elders used to say to you?”
She could see it on his face, his willingness to turn all of those old men into ash and dust for her. She had truly joined the circle of his affections, if not the most intimate, innermost circle.
“Perhaps it is slightly related to that,” Kistana said carefully. She didn’t want to make this about the cat tribe’s Elders. That was a distraction right now.
“Well, you’re not unfit in any way. You’re perfect.”
“Would you… No, could I request a reward for my service?”
“Of course.” He didn’t hesitate.
“You are my leader now, not the Elders. It is your right to make decisions about my fitness or unfitness, to decide if I deserve to pass on my blood to any descendants. Would you choose a mate for me?”
His jaw dropped slightly for a moment, before he recovered.
“I’m sorry. Are you… Have you been unhappy by my side?”
“No. Not at all. I feel fulfilled, like my life means something for the first time. I never want to imagine being separated from you.”
“Well, if you want a husband- ”
“A mate. They are not the same thing. Catfolk have no tradition of marriage.”
“It’s still probably mostly the same thing, right? He would have a say over where you go? Whether you remained by my side?”
She nodded.
“Well, if you were mine - I mean, if one of my fiancees was a bodyguard for someone else, another man, around him every hour of the day, I doubt I would be comfortable seeing her go off with him each morning. You are present for every intimate moment of my life. You have seen me bathe.”
“I have seen and heard more intimate things than that, my lord.”
“Then you understand.”
“You will simply have to choose a mate for me who would never want me to part from you,” she said meaningfully, staring at him.
“Oh… I see. Are you - this is - I have tried not to suggest by any action on my part that it was part of your duties to be intimately involved with me. I… despise men who try to push those loyal to them into unwanted relationships. Are you saying that you want- ”
“Yes. I am.”
Please. I suppose now I understand why you are only this slow to act with me, but you don’t have to be. I don’t want you to be.
“Well, I- ”
“Will you two please just fuck already?” Vidalia’s voice rose from the pillow next to Kistana’s. “It’s too early for long conversations. I’m so tired, I think that was my first night of dreamless sleep in six years.”
“Vidalia…” Tybalt’s voice trailed off.
“Lady Vidalia, you woke up. My apologies. We tried to keep the volume under control.”
“It’s fine. This matter needs to be resolved.” The foxgirl opened her eyes and gave Kistana a reassuring smile, and the catgirl knew in that moment, that things would be all right. If Vidalia was on her side, and judging from Lord Tybalt’s reactions, there should be no problem. Kistana’s tail wagged back and forth, her eager anticipation showing through in that part of her that she often had no control over.
“Is it something we can resolve that easily?” the necromancer asked. “You said no catgirl wives, and I gave you my word. That meant something to me. I wouldn’t dishonor Kistana by- ”
“Why are you making this more complicated than it needs to be, darling?” Vidalia asked, putting a palm to her forehead. “I swear, we both, not two minutes ago, heard Kistana say that her tribe has no tradition of marriage. It isn’t dishonorable for her to become your woman, even if among your people, she’d be called a mistress.”
“How long were you just silently listening to us talk?” Tybalt asked.
“That’s not important right now. Look, she doesn’t want you to marry her. She wants to join the… harem, as Dero called it. I’m fine with it. Frankly, I would be all right with you wedding her, too, but I do think you need to try and stick to an upper limit for the number of formal wives. Think carefully about this. You will need to make marriage alliances at some point, unless you think you can conquer Abadd alone, and no woman with any power will want to be your fiftieth wife. But it’s not as if you would be marrying Kistana because she’s some random woman who caught your eye, or one of those slutty catgirls who were trying to suck your dick as soon as they met you.” The foxgirl looked Kistana in the eye, then swallowed. “You’re… clearly different from the rest of your tribe. Ever since we met you, you’ve been a great member of the household. So, maybe you should also be a wife… It’s something to discuss with the others who are already in the club. But in any case, you and Tybalt should definitely mate. That’s what you really want, right? To be with him, to bear his children and share his affections?”
Kistana nodded slowly - that was what she cared about - and she turned to see Tybalt’s reaction.
He looked pleased but uncertain as his eyes met the catgirl’s.
“All right. If you’re both happy with the situation, we can take it slowly together and figure this out. I won’t lie and say I haven’t thought about you like this.”
He leaned down and pressed his lips softly against Kistana’s, and she kissed him back, as tenderly as she could - trying to convey, through her lips, the feeling that this was her first kiss, that she knew it might be her last, and that she wanted more than just this.
Tybalt pulled back after a few seconds, and Kistana saw it in his eyes. Desire, affection, joy.
Yes, he does want me. I want to see that again, every day, for the rest of my life.
“You will not regret this, Lady Vidalia,” Kistana said softly, turning to the foxgirl.
“I know,” Vidalia said, smiling gently. “Let’s go back to sleep now. I’ll teach you how to please Tybalt over the next few weeks.” She looked up at Tybalt. “You haven’t been to bed at all. Get some rest, so you won’t be groggy from sleep deprivation all day.”
“As you command, my future queen.”
The necromancer gave the two beastgirls a big smile and then crawled into bed between the two women. He put his arms around them - around Vidalia and, for the first time, around Kistana. She couldn’t help her tail thwapping back and forth for a few seconds, excitedly slapping against his thigh.
This was real. She was sharing his bed. They would share… other things… eventually. Knowing the necromancer’s nature, she would have a place by his side forever.
I can’t believe it was that easy. I hesitated over this for weeks, and all I had to do was ask.
She hoped she smelled all right as Tybalt nuzzled against her dark hair.
I will have to bathe every day now. Twice daily, perhaps.
She didn’t know how she would manage to rest like this. It was too stimulating. His nose found the nape of her neck, and she had to resist the urge to ask if she smelled of sweat. His arm around her waist held her tight, and the hand attached to that arm seemed to fall perilously close to her bottom. She closed her eyes and tried to pretend that she was going to sleep.
It’s fine, I’m fine, this is just another rest, just like every other time I’ve gone to bed.
But apparently the night of fighting a dragon and healing from broken bones had been more than Kistana had realized, because despite the excitement of being in Tybalt’s embrace, she promptly fell fast asleep.