{"id":827,"date":"2022-06-03T09:58:38","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T16:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/?p=827"},"modified":"2022-06-03T09:58:38","modified_gmt":"2022-06-03T16:58:38","slug":"beast-of-burden-ch-02","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/?p=827","title":{"rendered":"Beast of Burden Ch. 02"},"content":{"rendered":"

Early in the 17th century, the wife of an Ottoman is brought low by a curse<\/p>\n

The thrilling conclusion!<\/p>\n

An old commission for one of my patrons that was a lot of fun to work on – lots of historical details to research and try to integrate :)
\n—————–
\nOver 100 of my as yet unreleased stories can be found on my Patreon at: https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/markgraham<\/p>\n

Dreams flowed through Emine’s mind as she wavered between wakefulness and sleep.\u00a0 She felt disconnected from her body, frustrated with her inability to influence the images shuffling through her mind.\u00a0 Her awareness was smothered by the remnants of her slumber.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Daxeliyne<\/span><\/i>, a voice whispered deep within the dream world.\u00a0 Her mother’s voice, nearly forgotten.\u00a0 Her mother calling her and using her name.\u00a0 Her <\/span>true<\/span><\/i> name.\u00a0 Not the one given when she was sold.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There was a heaviness to her thoughts.\u00a0 A plodding pace that she wanted to rebel against but felt constrained by it as it settled upon her.\u00a0 She moaned as she twisted in her bed to rest on her belly and her voice was low.\u00a0 Anxiety permeated the dream.\u00a0 Something was missing.\u00a0 Something she’d forgotten to do.\u00a0 She was needed somewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There was heat, the never-ending sun and a train of people.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The upcoming trip.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine’s eyes fluttered as the thought mixed with her dreams, nearly pulling her into reality before being submerged once again.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Eyes stared at her as she sat upon cushions beneath a canopy, swaying with the motion while she was pulled along.\u00a0 Judging eyes.\u00a0 She could hear the toneless voices echoing in the dream.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“You don’t belong here,” they told her.\u00a0 Accusing eyes.\u00a0 “Lazy creature.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She wanted to yell at them and spit in their faces but, instead, found herself growing uncomfortable.\u00a0 Uncomfortable in the shelter.\u00a0 Uncomfortable sitting.\u00a0 Uncomfortable in the luxury of her caravan while her herd bore her burden.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fingers in her hair- <\/span>flashing to Davud grabbing her hair <\/span><\/i>– pulling her – <\/span>pulling her hard as he forced himself into her<\/span><\/i> – from her seat.\u00a0 Hot sand around her as a rod slammed into her side – <\/span>hand slapped hard against her ass, fist in her hair as she rutted with her master<\/span><\/i> – and a voice roared in her ears.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A burden on her shoulders as she lay on all fours.\u00a0 In the dream world, she was naked and had always been naked and shame filled her.\u00a0 But she took the weight and began to crawl, horrified that it felt <\/span>right<\/i><\/b>.\u00a0 The driver beat her again and she shivered, wanting to please him.\u00a0 Wanting to do her duty.\u00a0 Wanting him to-<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The horror of the situation began to fade to pleasure as Emine climbed the depths of her sleep into the waking world.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine gasped as she pushed herself up on her hands.\u00a0 Her blanket lay coiled around her feet as she stared at the sheets beneath her, trying to remember the strange dream before it fled her subconscious.\u00a0 The chill morning air surrounded her but she surprised herself by not feeling cold.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

More strangely, as she rested on all fours, feeling the ghost of the handler’s hand, she was even surprised to find a warmth between her thighs.\u00a0 Holding herself with one arm, she reached beneath, her delicate fingers brushing through the mixture of her soft golden pubic hairs and the thicker sand colored hairs.\u00a0 She gasped as she touched her engorged clit and the slick lips beneath it.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pulling her hand away, her own scent of arousal followed.\u00a0 As she breathed in, other smells mixed with it – Davud’s cum, the fragrance of their sex and the smell of the hard work he’d put in the day before.\u00a0 The musk of his own sweat and the animals he-<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine shuddered as a fragment of her dream resurfaced. She clutched at it to try to remember what she could but it left behind mere impressions:\u00a0 control, an urge to please, a need to be useful.\u00a0 She shook herself and sat back on her heels.\u00a0 As she did her, her swollen knees clicked quietly.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The young woman rolled her head and her long, golden hair brushed the smooth, lineless skin covering her back.\u00a0 The fat deposits beneath the skin of her back pulled down to form a gentle, nearly invisible bulge above her hips.\u00a0 Her hand slid between her thighs as her curly locks brushed against patches of short, wiry tan hairs.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Distracted and smiling, she touched herself and closed her eyes as the faint sounds of people moving around the household finally reached her ears.\u00a0 She could still remember the feel of Davud inside of her, could remember his commanding presence and the way he treated her roughly.\u00a0 Sighing, she let a finger slip into her tight sex.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The passionate memory of his fist around her long hair, tugging her head back while smacking her ass-<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A moan escaped the girl’s lips but she frowned and her hand jerked as she missed the rhythm in the motion.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Something was wrong and her hand slowed until she pulled it away to rest against her lower belly.\u00a0 Her body was sensitive and begging to be caressed as her blood coursed through her and her excitement grew.\u00a0 But, she was restless, unable to concentrate on pleasuring herself.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She felt… lazy and unhappy because of it.\u00a0 Normally she took her time and pampered herself throughout the day but a strange energy filled her as pressure built within.\u00a0 The household was preparing for the journey to visit Davud’s Sanjak-bey and she worried that she was needed, despite knowing deep within that she could do nothing to help.\u00a0 However, the more she picked at the strange feeling, the worse it grew until she pushed herself away from her bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As she stood, she wobbled on longer legs and her knobby knees knocked together.\u00a0 The girl took two halting steps before pressing her palm against the post at the corner of her bed, spreading her feet apart until she found her balance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Briefly, she worried if she’d over-extended herself the night before but, as she took another step, she became more sure of herself.\u00a0 Her anxiety urged her forward and she dressed quickly, gathering her scattered clothing from around the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The cool silk of her \u0161alv\u0101r slid over her bare feet.\u00a0 She pulled the waistband over her legs and up, pausing as the tapered bottom hems pressed against her ankles. \u00a0 The waistband rested against her thighs and she frowned as she continued to pull them up, watching as the trousers rose higher to expose her ankle and nearly half of her shin before it finally came up to her hips.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“What in the world?” she asked herself quietly, pulling at the trousers.\u00a0 Her \u0161alv\u0101r were all handmade for her to fit perfectly but now they bared more than just her bare ankles.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine clothed herself carefully as she pulled her <\/span>dara\u02bfa<\/span><\/i> on.\u00a0 Again, the long dress slid up to expose her ankles, ending below her \u0161alv\u0101r.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Worse, as she finished dressing, she felt constricted by the clothing.\u00a0 Her stomach rumbled as if to mock her while she pressed her hands against her thighs, stomach and sides.\u00a0 Yet, glancing at the mirror showed a slim belly with the curves she’d developed naturally over the years.\u00a0 She pressed her lips together as she turned to inspect herself. \u00a0 Despite the hunger gnawing at her bones, she firmly resolved to cut back on her meals even more.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And to perhaps go for more walks.\u00a0 The thought thrilled her suddenly and she turned in the rough direction of the sparse garden her master had within their walls.\u00a0 The garden and the land beyond.\u00a0 Suddenly, the thought of just <\/span>walking<\/i><\/b> enticed her.\u00a0 Of just stepping outside for a stroll and continuing until she was exhausted from it.\u00a0 Her hands trembled in anticipation but she held herself back.\u00a0 It was foolishness, a thing an idle, lazy creature would do when she knew she was needed.\u00a0 Needed for- needed for-<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Needed for-<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She rubbed her arms as she tried to think of why she felt so pressured to do work.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was foolish.\u00a0 She was Davud’s favored.\u00a0 She was waited on by all and her whims were often anticipated before she made her demands.\u00a0 If she wanted to spend the day resting in bed until they requested her presence, she could.\u00a0 She knew she could.\u00a0 And nobody would think less of her.\u00a0 It was her prerogative as the master’s consort.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Just- just she couldn’t stay still.\u00a0 She couldn’t focus and her breathing was quick as she began to pace in her room while staring at her door.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fatty tissue expanded in her back and her dress pulled tighter against her body.\u00a0 The nearly invisible low-hanging bulge of skin along her back grew more pronounced.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Strands of the dark, wiry hair grew along the soft skin of her slowly forming hump, outlining the edges of it.\u00a0 She reached behind to scratch herself but the tightened dress restrained her movements.\u00a0 As she turned to look back, something popped loudly in her neck and she hissed from the sudden pain of it.\u00a0 The young woman turned back slowly and reached up to massage the twinge.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A pure white ring appeared in the tanned flesh of Emine’s neck.\u00a0 Deep beneath the skin, the outer shell of her vertebra formed additional bone, straining the surrounding muscle and cartilage until they adapted.\u00a0 The growth was slight but enough to force her head higher.\u00a0 A thin band of new skin marked the change.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unable to resist the urge any longer, she pushed the door open.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Servants passed quickly in the hallway, sketching hurried half-bows towards Emine before rushing to finish their tasks.\u00a0 She ignored them, as always, and continued down the hall until she reached the room shared by Canhabibe and Nefise.\u00a0 Slowing before the doorway, she listened to the room and peeked around the corner but neither of them appeared to be inside.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine breathed out a quiet sigh of relief and continued.\u00a0 Her knees knocked together for a few steps until she once again widened her stance.\u00a0 She barely paid attention to the adjustment as she wandered the estate.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The buzz of the workers grew louder as the young woman approached the courtyard.\u00a0 The bands of sunlight showing through the open architecture increased until the walls ended and she found herself in the open air\u00a0 Emine breathed in sharply with a smile as the warm air surrounded her.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Workers cried out and cursed as they assembled the caravan.\u00a0 A few bowed as they passed her but most remained focused on their tasks while she surveyed them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pain lanced through the girl’s foot as she idly wiggled her toes in her leather shoes.\u00a0 She felt her toenails click together and realized that her toes seemed tightly bound within the soft slippers.\u00a0 Emine retired to a shaded bench set against the wall of the house.\u00a0 Each step brought fresh, sharp pain that forced her to limp.\u00a0 Halfway to the bench, she felt an unpleasant rubbing against the toes of her right foot.\u00a0 Unable to withstand the discomfort, she found herself walking on the heels of her feet until she lowered herself to the bench.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Her toes felt crushed as she bent to undo the laces and the shoes resisted her efforts when she pulled at them.\u00a0 Finally frustrated, she yanked with force and then gasped at the sight.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The nail of the big toe on her left foot was yellowed and dense, curving up from the nail bed and down over the tip of her toe while flaring out to the side.\u00a0 She noticed where the sharp edges cut into the nearby toe but, as she tried to pull the smaller toe to look at the wound, she realized the nails had grown together.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Worse, holding her foot for inspection, she felt the coarse texture of the sole of her foot against her soft hands.\u00a0 She turned her foot and ran a thumb from the ball of her foot to her heel.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Her arch was gone, leaving behind a completely flat foot.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She stared at it in shock, sure she was wrong or simply confusing herself with a trick of the light.\u00a0 Emine set her foot down slowly.\u00a0 She hid the shocked ‘o’ of her lips behind a dainty hand as she felt the hot stone against every inch of her foot.\u00a0 Her big toe splayed out and the large, yellowed nail clicked against the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the short time she’d taken to inspect the bottom of her foot, she realized the nails of her other three toes had followed the first two, thick keratin forming in layers like a greedy oyster coating a grain of sand with nacre.\u00a0 As with the two bigger toes, the nails of the lesser three had grown connected.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pain in the woman’s right foot drew her attention and she hissed as she quickly undid the laces of her remaining shoe.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With her focused attention, she could feel something give way within her foot.\u00a0 The side of her shoe bulged as her right foot flattened to the ground.\u00a0 Leather parted as the sharp edge of her thick toenail sliced through the material.\u00a0 Emine pulled the shoe free to expose a twin of her left foot, bulky and flat with two groups of connected toes.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She blinked at her toes.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Slowly, imperceptibly, her already full lashes lengthened, curving further away from her painted eyes – elongating to aid in protecting her eyes from the harsh desert winds as she began to transition further.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine’s heart felt heavy in her chest as pressure built in her temples while she stared at her feet.\u00a0 Her mind turned over several times as she tried to grasp what had happened.\u00a0 Minutes passed before she realized she couldn’t feel the burning stone against her normally tender feet.\u00a0 She turned her ankle and her eyes widened once more when she saw the dark tinge covering the bottom of her toes and the foot itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I don’t understand,” she whispered, her long lashes fluttering as she blinked rapidly.\u00a0 “I don’t-“<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A rude shout grabbed her attention and she looked up to see a powerful man shoving a passing worker.\u00a0 He was imposing and rough, wide of shoulders with a short, dark beard and a crooked nose.\u00a0 His left hand clenched a brush while he roughly tapped a lean man with his right.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The smaller man ducked his head in apology and ran off but Emine ignored him.\u00a0 She’d seen the tall man before.\u00a0 Around her husband.\u00a0 She couldn’t remember his name but he tended the horses and always seemed to show her proper respect.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

While she watched, he dropped the brush and sat on a worn stool in front of a giant beast of a gray horse.\u00a0 The man tapped two fingers against the horse’s powerful leg and it raised its hoof to rest gently against the man’s knee.\u00a0 From a rolled leather satchel, the bearded man pulled a short knife that he pressed against the edge of the creature’s hoof.\u00a0 She watched as he worked slowly, peeling away errant slivers of the horse’s hoof until he nodded in satisfaction.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Blood rushed to Emine’s cheeks but she pursed her lips together while she grabbed her shoe.\u00a0 As she pressed her toes into the slippers, they bulged dangerously.\u00a0 She tugged, grunting with embarrassment, until her wide, heavy feet were partially hidden.\u00a0 Her ragged new nails tore at the sides of the shoes as she stood and carefully walked towards the groom.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine paused at the archway leading to the open courtyard.\u00a0 She rested a hand against a thin, ornate pillar as the man distracted her.\u00a0 He stood now, sleeveless in the sun with the brush once more in his hand.\u00a0 The man’s lips moved while he stroked the horse with the brush.\u00a0 The movement of his hands against the animal’s flank was mesmerising, as was the way his muscles flexed when he moved.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yet, it was the way he cared for the animal that drew her (…<\/span>rough hands in my hair, pulling and beating my side as he plunged<\/span><\/i>…) attention.\u00a0 The groom took his time, stroking the animal soothingly with his free hand while brushing the dirt and sand from the horse’s coat.\u00a0 It wasn’t an annoying task for him, no.\u00a0 She could see the care (…<\/span>pressing against me, skin to skin<\/span><\/i>…) in his attention and the feeling transferred to her.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The girl’s hand closed against the pillar as she felt the ghost of his hand against her.\u00a0 As she imagined him stroking her side.\u00a0 Brushing her hair as she lay in bed before him.\u00a0 Naked like the beast she was.\u00a0 She gasped at the thought when she pictured him naked, too.\u00a0 Beside her.\u00a0 Coarse bristles dragging through her fur as he whispered sweet words as he did with the mare.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wind blew through the courtyard, forming tiny dust devils while tugging at her dress.\u00a0 She shivered as the silky fabric brushed against her suddenly over-sensitive skin.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Beneath the dress, wiry fur began to spread from the edges of her tiny hump toward the center of her back.\u00a0 She pulled herself close to the pillar and then turned, anchoring herself to the stone with her hands behind her.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With a quiet groan, she slowly rubbed her back against the sharp edges of the twisting pillar.\u00a0 The stone dug into the fatty flesh of her small hump, scratching against the fur slowly spreading over her body.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But in her mind, it was the groom’s brush against her back and his hot breath in <\/span>her<\/i><\/b> ear rather than the mare’s.\u00a0 Telling her how beautiful she was.\u00a0 How enticing her curves were as she lay prostrate before him.\u00a0 How soft her fur was-<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine rocked her ass back as an involuntary gasp forced through her full, pouty lips.\u00a0 Her hump quivered beneath her tight dress as she shoved hard while opening her thighs.\u00a0 A moan, low and animalistic, followed her gasp as her engorged pussy rubbed the stone.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“What-?” the girl asked herself quietly as she realized what she’d done.\u00a0 “What is <\/span>wrong<\/i><\/b> with me?!”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Before she could dwell on what she’d do, she pulled her dress class and walked as quickly as she could while ensuring her slippers stayed on her feet.\u00a0 They smacked against her heel with each step until her shadow darkened his view.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Lady Emine,” the groom said, startled by her sudden appearance.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Daxeliyne,” she corrected him suddenly.\u00a0 She’d rarely given her birth name, instead answering to the name given by Davud.\u00a0 Yet something forced the word from her lips as she stood before the man.\u00a0 It seemed important in the heat of the moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“My lady?” he said, confused by the strange word.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“My name,” she told him while tapping her wide foot.\u00a0 “My name is Daxeliyne.\u00a0 Not Emine.\u00a0 Lady Daxeliyne.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“My- My Lady Dah-chuh-line?” he fumbled, his mouth mangling the unfamiliar syllables.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Daxeliyne,” she sighed.\u00a0 “Daka-leena.\u00a0 Daxeliyne”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Mistress,” he said, bowing his head as sweat rolled down his cheeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I need your knife,” she told him while her heart began to race.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Of course, my lady,” the man answered, immediately grabbing it from his bag.\u00a0 He flipped it over, holding it by the blade while presenting the handle towards her.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Internally, Emine relaxed.\u00a0 She’d thought he would question her and was relieved when his face showed a lack of curiosity.\u00a0 It was a plain yet honest face and began to wonder how his cracked lips would feel against her.\u00a0 His eyes were lowered differentially as he waited with the knife held out until she took it from him gingerly.\u00a0 The worn handle sported a large crack but it was surprisingly light and she held it carefully against her side, as if to hide it in her dress.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“What’s your name?” she asked him as she turned the knife back and forth between her fingers.\u00a0 “I’ve seen you many times.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yosef, my lady,” he told her, ducking his head lower.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Have you worked for my master long?” she asked, watching his soft eyes and strong cheekbones.\u00a0 She stepped back from him and gestured to the mare beside them.\u00a0 “Please, don’t let me stop you from your work.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Years, my lady,” he replied.\u00a0 Despite her urging, his hands stayed at his sides.\u00a0 Strong hands, she noted.\u00a0 The knuckles were split and rough but his fingers were wide.\u00a0 She could almost feel them on her body again, as she had when watching him from the side.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine looked around and then gestured.\u00a0 A child ran to them, holding a large leather bag against his back.\u00a0 He held the bag out to Emine but she pointed to Yosef instead, who looked up in surprise.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“You’re thirsty.\u00a0 Drink,” she told him, watching as he reluctantly took the bag from the porter.\u00a0 “You shouldn’t neglect your own needs.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yosef wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.\u00a0 He held it out to Emine but she shook her head and he handed it back to the youth.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Do they enjoy it?” she inquired suddenly.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Mistress?” Yosef asked carefully.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“The horses,” she clarified.\u00a0 “Do they enjoy the brushing and attention?”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Throbbing pain flared in her elbows and she winced in pain, dropping the knife as her fingers spasmed suddenly.\u00a0 The bones beneath her skin cracked in microfractures from her wrist to her shoulder.\u00a0 Her arm slipped past the open sleeve of her dress as the bones knit back together while lengthening.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Lady Emine, are you alright?” the man asked in alarm.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“It’s nothing,” she told him through clenched teeth.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The young woman bent and reached down to retrieve the knife but her knuckles slammed against the ground.\u00a0 She grunted in surprise at the imbalance in her proprioception, suddenly unused to the position and length of her limbs.\u00a0 She snatched the knife quickly to hide her embarrassment.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“They- yes, I think so,” he told her, patting the mare’s side while trying to divert her shame.\u00a0 “Others, they beat their horses to break them and leave them until they’re infested.\u00a0 Unless it’s a prize stallion.\u00a0 The beasts of burden, they are alive as well.\u00a0 They think, they play, they raise their own little families and show affection, yes.\u00a0 Even to me.\u00a0 They’re beautiful creatures.\u00a0 We keep them and they cannot care for themselves so I do it.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Distracted by his own narration, the man smiled and brushed the horse’s coat, stopping only when a cloud of dust wafted away.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine tentatively touched the mare and the horse’s tail swished from side-to-side.\u00a0 The creature’s muscular body felt like warm marble as she slid her fingers against its side.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“And is that what she does?\u00a0 Carry things?” Emine asked as she dragged her nails into its side.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No, my lady,” the man said.\u00a0 “She pulls.\u00a0 Carts or wagons or sleds.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Useful,<\/span><\/i> Emine thought to herself, moving to caress the mare’s haunches.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The horse’s tail flicked again and she trembled to see it – thick and fine ivory strands.\u00a0 Paler than her own hair.\u00a0 Hair Davud pulled.\u00a0 She breathed out heavily, transfixed as she remembered it.\u00a0 The young woman inhaled, breathing in the scent of the stable and the sweat of the animal as her mind flashed to her on all fours in bed.\u00a0 The horse’s tail overlaid her hair and her imagery cracked as she remembered Davud slapping her ass.\u00a0 The rod against her.\u00a0 Davud, in her imagination with the others waiting behind her.\u00a0 Yosef’s words echoed in her mind and her nostrils flared as she felt her wetness against her thighs and her knobby knees trembled.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

… beat their horses to break them…<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Trained and used.\u00a0 Shamed and mounted to provide pleasure to those who want it.\u00a0 Taking from her until she begs them to fill her, to show them how useful she is.\u00a0 How happy she was to service them.\u00a0 Stabled in her bed, nude and senseless until she felt hands on her ass and a hard cock against her pussy.\u00a0 Waiting to be used.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yes,” Emine whispered.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Mistress?” Yosef said.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I-” Emine said, stepping away from the horse.\u00a0 She blinked rapidly, confused by her thoughts but the urge remained.\u00a0 She licked her lips while forcing her trembling hand from lowering to her thighs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Without answering, she fled, rushing back into the estate to find the comfort of her own rooms.\u00a0 Servants yelped as she passed but they pressed against the walls to make room. Somewhere along the way, without noticing, her feet slipped free from her shoes and she ran silently on her wide, flat feet – the thin layer of leathery padding softening her foot fall.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bone melted away from her toes and her heel, dissolving as a pocket of fat formed in place of her shrinking heel.\u00a0 The remaining bones pulled back as her feet began to swell.\u00a0 Tiny tan hairs sprouted from her ankle and the top of her feet, short and nearly invisible against her pale skin.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Once inside her room, she threw herself onto her bed, facing away from the doorway with the knife clutched in her hand.\u00a0 Bending her knees, she leaned forward with her longer neck – and nearly dropped her knife in shock.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dirt lined the skin between her toes – toes that had nearly merged into two separate groups.\u00a0 Thick layers of dense curved yellow nails rose from her nail beds.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine bit her tongue carefully as she brought the knife between her big toe and the toe next to it.\u00a0 The edge of the blade stuck into the hard nail but she carefully sawed through until the toes were once again separate.\u00a0 Once finished, she followed Yosef’s example and shaved the edges into approximations of her original nails.\u00a0 She repeated the procedure until all ten of her toes were freed.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Despite the obvious swollen nature of her feet, she smiled triumphantly and wiggled her toes.\u00a0 Or tried to.\u00a0 The knife slipped from her fingers as she realized she couldn’t feel her toes.\u00a0 She grabbed them in her hands, digging her fingernails in but felt dull, distant pressure in return.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No,” she whispered to herself.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She remembered, suddenly, a relative of the master who had lived with them previously.\u00a0 His legs and feet were bloated and he claimed he could feel nothing when touched.\u00a0 He had delighted in making guests feel uncomfortable by pricking his legs till they bleed – all while smiling merrily.\u00a0 At least until his toes began to rot away and his eyes failed him.\u00a0 They’d buried him months ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No, no, no,” she whispered frantically, rubbing at her feet.\u00a0 The rigid sand-colored hairs dotting the tops of her feet brushed against her palm and she found herself foolishly pleased that she could still feel <\/span>something<\/i><\/b>.\u00a0 As she set her feet on the ground, more hairs emerged from the mound of her foot, spreading slowly until they reached her ankle.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She knew she should seek out the physician.\u00a0 She knew she should.\u00a0 But, she was favored.\u00a0 She prided herself on her appearance and her standing.\u00a0 Canhabibe would eat her alive if she found one simple flaw.\u00a0 Something like this would destroy her forever.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

No, she would hide it.\u00a0 It must be a temporary thing.\u00a0 Related to her stomach being upset.\u00a0 Something she’d eaten.\u00a0 It would settle.\u00a0 The swelling would go down.\u00a0 She was perfect.\u00a0 She was.\u00a0 She <\/span>had<\/i><\/b> to be.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With new resolve, she stood and swept to her wardrobe.\u00a0 Her collection of clothing was enormous and she remembered a dress she had that trailed on the floor.\u00a0 It was more ceremonial than her usual dresses but Davud and his hosts would not know the difference.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Or so she hoped.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine slipped out of her current dress, letting it fall to the ground where a servant would collect it later.\u00a0 She reached for her new dress, oblivious to how high her \u0161alv\u0101r now rode on her legs.\u00a0 Although the new dress was significantly more loose than the one she’d discarded, it still felt tight against her body.\u00a0 She fussed with it in front of the mirror, turning and admiring herself.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The curve of Emine’s hump was visible in the Italian made mirror as she stood sideways.\u00a0 She frowned at what she assumed was her poor posture and forced herself to stand straighter.\u00a0 The slight bulge at the back of her dress smoothed slightly.\u00a0 Flexing her back, her frown deepened until a knock sounded from her doorway.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Lady Emine,” the meek voice said.\u00a0 She turned to find a small boy in tan and gray, bowing at the doorway.\u00a0 “The caravan is ready and the master sends for you.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Thank you,” she told him, her slightly dulled mind already forgetting her concern over her back.\u00a0 “I’ll attend mo- mono- mon-\u00a0 shortly.\u00a0 I’ll attend shortly.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The boy left and she followed, the edges of the long dress barely brushing the floor.\u00a0 Her steps were silent on her dull feet.\u00a0 The sway of her dress revealed her nails spreading and reattaching.\u00a0 Further down the hallway, the webbing continued to grow, joining her toes into two solid lumps per foot.\u00a0 A tiny part of her mind reveled in the freedom of walking barefooted.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A passing servant, gray and back bent with a wooden framework full of boxes paused and stood aside ahead of Emine.\u00a0 The sight of the servant set an itch between Emine’s shoulders as she stared at the burden the woman carried.\u00a0 Dream voices echoed in her mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lazy beast<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The hairs lining her hump spread further, completely covering the sagging flesh.\u00a0 She whimpered as a strange, powerful urge took hold of her.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“You,” Emine said to the bowing servant.\u00a0 The young woman licked her lips while rolling her back.\u00a0 A single bead of sweat rolled down her temple.\u00a0 She groaned, straining her lengthened neck as the bones within elongated slightly.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She tried to resist and another bead of sweat formed.\u00a0 The urge grew physical.\u00a0 Powerful.\u00a0 She flexed her back at the thought of it but still, she resisted.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“My lady?” the old woman asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I-“<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It dug deeper inside as the dream forced its reality on her.\u00a0 A beast to be used, two images of carrying the heavy load while also shackled in a stall, naked on all fours with cum dripping from her gaping vagina and a lustful smile on her lips.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I’ll carry your burden,” Emine gasped as warmth flooded her loins.\u00a0 She desperately wanted to touch herself as she pictured Yosef attending her in the stall.\u00a0 Kind and gentle but hunger in his eyes as his hands stroked her side.\u00a0 “Please.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No!” the servant shouted, bowing deeper.\u00a0 “I- I cannot!\u00a0 Please.\u00a0 I cannot let you carry this!\u00a0 The master – he would- please, I cannot.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine groaned as she dug her hands into her thighs.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Go,” she said tersely, before she forcefully took the pack the woman wore.\u00a0 Her heart pounded in her chest as she closed her eyes and breathed deeply.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Emine,” a deep voice said behind her, startling her.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Davud!” the girl squeaked.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I came to find you,” he chastised her.\u00a0 He approached, draping an arm around her waist.\u00a0 “Are you alright?”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yes,” she said, staring into his eyes as he squeezed her body.\u00a0 “Davud.\u00a0 We have time.\u00a0 I need you.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Emine,” he said, his eyes wide at her advances.\u00a0 “They wait for us even now.\u00a0 There will be time tonight.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Please,” the girl said, reaching down with her long, aching arms to squeeze his cock.\u00a0 “I don’t care.\u00a0 You could- oh, oh- you could take me here.\u00a0 Or in the yard.\u00a0 I don’t care.\u00a0 On my knees.\u00a0 In the dirt.\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 I- I don’t care.\u00a0 It doesn’t have to be your room.\u00a0 It doesn’t have to be your bed.\u00a0 Please, Davud, I <\/span>ache<\/i><\/b>.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The ring of tan fur above her breasts, where the necklace had touched her skin the night before, thickened.\u00a0 The short hairs pushed through her skin in a spiral that quickly filled before spreading outward to her shoulders.\u00a0 The hairs above her breasts grew long and curly and she moaned at the sensation of the fur crawling across her body.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Emine,” the man said, swallowing but taking her hand away.\u00a0 “Save your passions for tonight.\u00a0 I don’t know what’s come over you but I have no time for this now.\u00a0 Go.\u00a0 Sit with the others until you’re needed.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The command vibrated through her core and the thought of being forced to wait to service him drove her wild.\u00a0 She twisted her legs, feeling the wetness leaking between her plump pussy lips.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yes!” she breathed out heavily, turning to follow Davud as he stomped through the hallway.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

An image flashed, overlaid on her vision.\u00a0 Davud holding a rope.\u00a0 Attached to a halter.\u00a0 A halter she wore as he led her away.\u00a0 She moaned and stumbled and the vision cleared as bright sunlight welcomed her into the courtyard.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The caravan wound its way out past the estate and she walked the length of it slowly, losing Davud when he mounted his brilliant gray stallion.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Small hairs stood on the back of Emine’s neck.\u00a0 She paused and turned to find Oswyn staring at her.\u00a0 The man’s smile flicked on like the flame of a lamp and he bowed but she turned to the wagon behind him.\u00a0 Small slits were set into the side of the wagon and she could feel a weight behind the opening.\u00a0 Shivering, she continued until she found the covered cart she shared with Canhabibe and Nefise.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A servant set down steps for her and she climbed them to join the two women.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Emine,” Canhabibe said dismissively.\u00a0 But, as the other girl passed, the stately beauty wrinkled her nose.\u00a0 “My dear, did that brute not leave you time to bathe?”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“What?” Emine asked.\u00a0 Her ears twitched beneath her long hair as she settled herself down, folding her awkward legs to the side.\u00a0 Light, wispy white hairs grew out from the interior of her ears as the edges of her ears folded.\u00a0 She rubbed at the side of her head with both hands.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I bathed,” Emine said, waving her hand vaguely.\u00a0 “Yesterday?\u00a0 Yesterday.\u00a0 Yesterday morning.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“You smell a little,” Nefise told her.\u00a0 “Like the stalls where-“<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Nefise!” Canhabibe scolded.\u00a0 “Too blunt, girl.\u00a0 Despite your feelings for another, you must practice diplomacy.\u00a0 Ugly thoughts manifest themselves physically.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Daxeliyne,<\/span><\/i> she wanted to tell the other woman.\u00a0 Emboldened by her interaction with the groom, the name sat on the tip of her tongue until she swallowed it.\u00a0 It was foolishness.\u00a0 Canhabibe would just mock her further.\u00a0 She’d fought that battle many times in the past.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I smell fine,” Emine told her.\u00a0 The girl’s ears shifted, tilting to angle back as the tips slid through the golden curls surrounding them.\u00a0 She massaged her jaw, her thumb pressing just above her mandible.\u00a0 “It’s just the other beasts you’re smelling.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The other two women stared at each other silently with eyebrows raised.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Are you- alright?” Canhabibe asked.\u00a0 “Barbs aside, you sound… <\/span>different<\/span><\/i>.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I’m fine,” Emine said, turning to look at her.\u00a0 Her head moved slower than she expected on her longer neck and she was forced to push further.\u00a0 The silky hairs lining the inside of her ears tickled her skin and her ears flicked in annoyance.\u00a0 “Just tired.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And she was.\u00a0 Exhausted from the physical changes taking hold as well as dealing with the urges pulsing and flowing within.\u00a0 She lay back, resting her head against her arm as the cart bumped and shuddered into motion.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

—<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The cobalt evening sky welcomed Emine as she woke, stiff from her travels.\u00a0 She groaned when she sat up, massaging her sore neck and jaw.\u00a0 Camp was already set up with servants running between the carts and wagons but she’d been left to rest.\u00a0 As she moved, she realized her loose dress was as tight as ever, outlining her form in a way that left little to the imagination.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She pushed herself up and the dress lifted to show her bare, furred feet.\u00a0 The young woman stepped carefully on long, bony legs until she let herself down the stairs at the side of the cart.\u00a0 After many trips with her master, she knew his tent but, even without knowing, it was obvious who stayed in the largest tent at the center of camp.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine walked through the twilight on thick, rounded feet.\u00a0 The sand, still burning from the sun sitting on the horizon, barely bothered the padding lining her soles.\u00a0 Her hips rocked with the gait her changed feet forced upon her – raising and lowering her feet as if stamping.\u00a0 Sounds and laughter distracted her, forcing her hair-lined ears to swivel as she made her way to her master.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Smiling in the fading light, she could already feel his touch as her lower belly began to grow warm.\u00a0 She felt so incredibly empty since their lovemaking the night before and being riled all day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When she reached the tent, the two cebelu standing at the entrance moved as if to stop her.\u00a0 She ignored them, pushing aside the flap to step inside.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Canhabibe and Nefise lady naked and writhing against Davud but they all stopped at her entrance.\u00a0 Nefise wrinkled her nose and then hid her face behind Davud’s head as she clung to him with her lithe, dark body.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Davud leered at her tightened dress, staring at the way it seemed to mold itself to her sore breasts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Gah,” Davud said suddenly, freeing an arm to wave in front of his face.\u00a0 “Go bathe, Emine.\u00a0 You smell like you’ve slept with the horses.\u00a0 Go.\u00a0 Go!\u00a0 Bathe and then come back to me and join the others.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Red crept into Emine’s face and she bit her lip in shame as she stared at the rugs lining the tent floor.\u00a0 She breathed deeply but smelled nothing unusual and she wondered what she’d done wrong to be so insulted.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Ye- yes,” she muttered before turning and stumbling away.\u00a0 Her strange former grace vanished, leaving her spindly legs as awkward as before.\u00a0 She yelped and swung her arms as she tripped over a small stone.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Careful!” a voice told her, catching her before she hit the ground.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It took a moment to recognize the voice through the fog filling her mind but the accent gave him away and she broke apart to find Oswyn standing nearby.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Mistress Emine,” the man said with a nod.\u00a0 “Are you well?”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine writhed as fur marched down her chest to cover her breasts, the tiny hairs prickling her skin in an intense wave.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yesssss,” the girl hissed with fluttering eyes.\u00a0 Her arousal, momentarily destroyed after leaving Davud’s tent, began to reassert itself as her body grew sensitive and her fur teased her soft skin.\u00a0 “Yes.\u00a0 Sorry, yes.\u00a0 I’m fine.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I’m surprised to see you apart from your master,” Oswyn said, glancing towards the tent.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I’m- I was-” she muttered, cursing her suddenly slow wit.\u00a0 “I have to go bathe.\u00a0 Please, excuse me.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Really?” Oswyn said, taking a step closer.\u00a0 She shuffled her large feet but avoided his gaze.\u00a0 “And why is that?”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“They said,” she swallowed, scratching at her belly.\u00a0 “They said I smell.\u00a0 Like animals.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Ahh,” Oswyn nodded.\u00a0 “Ah.\u00a0 I see.\u00a0 Do you know what I say to that?”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“What?” she asked, finally looking up to meet his eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“They lack passion,” he whispered.\u00a0 “Tell me.\u00a0 Do you find Davud a competent lover?”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I- I-” she stammered.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Bathe?” he scoffed.\u00a0 “Where’s the intimacy?\u00a0 Where’s the <\/span>passion<\/i><\/b>?\u00a0 Where is the heat you feel standing together in the moment and you decide that you don’t care about anything else than bedding your lover?”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She blushed as her body hummed with growing need.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Do you think animals stop to bathe before <\/span>breeding<\/i><\/b>?” Davud whispered.\u00a0 “Do you think, when they mate, they stop and swim through the river to cleanse themselves?”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I’m- I’m not a-” Emine stuttered.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No.\u00a0 <\/span>No,<\/span><\/i>” Oswyn said, whispering fiercely.\u00a0 He grabbed her hand and pulled her close, their faces inches apart.\u00a0 “You <\/span>are<\/i><\/b> an animal.\u00a0 Prized and owned as a pet, your room as much a stable as your master’s stallion.\u00a0 You’re <\/span>kept<\/i><\/b>.\u00a0 Given silks and painted and shown to others as a trophy.\u00a0 Bedded on command.\u00a0 Filled with your master’s seed and given in to the lusts and urges coursing through you.\u00a0 At your <\/span>master’s<\/i><\/b> whim, whether it be his bed or in the field or in the middle of camp, surrounded by a leering, jeering crowd waiting their turn.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yesssss,” Emine hissed, her eyes glazed as the heat coursed through her body to cloud her mind.\u00a0 She could feel the hands on her, grabbing and pulling as she offered herself up – as she pleasured the men on all fours until she lay exhausted and filled.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Her rose-colored lips, already full, began to push outward.\u00a0 Her right hand slid up to massage her jaw and then over, her fingertips brushing and tugging the growing flesh.\u00a0 Along the side of her head, her hair shifted as her ears lengthened, the ends vibrating as the movement tickled her skin.\u00a0 The inside of her slightly folded ears were concealed by white hairs.\u00a0 Her hands traveled up to tug and pull at her ears before moving down her body once more, her nails clawing at her sides.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“And isn’t that <\/span>right<\/i><\/b>?” the Englishman asked.\u00a0 “Isn’t that <\/span>normal<\/i><\/b> for a beast like yourself?\u00a0 To take a man’s burden?\u00a0 To ease his stress and troubles and obey his command?\u00a0 To serve at his <\/span>desire<\/i><\/b> whenever and wherever he wants?\u00a0 It’s <\/span>natural<\/i><\/b> for you to want this.\u00a0 Just as natural as the earth and sand and dirt around you.\u00a0 <\/span>Animals<\/i><\/b> don’t need clothing or perfume or finery.\u00a0 Do they?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No,” the girl said, her eyes dilated as her hands roamed her body, squeezing her aching breasts and pulling at the curly sand-colored hairs lining her belly.\u00a0 A grating, cracking creaking sounded throughout her body as her neck elongated another fraction of an inch.\u00a0 “No, I don’t need any of that.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine leaned forward, her thick lips parted as she tried to kiss Oswyn.\u00a0 He held a hand out gently against her breastbone and she blinked at him with her long, thick lashes in confusion.\u00a0 She was so incredibly horny and he was right <\/span>there<\/i><\/b> for her.\u00a0 She just wanted to make him happy.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Not me,” he told her gently.\u00a0 “I am not for you.\u00a0 I do not lie with beasts.\u00a0 But, surely you can think of others if your master is occupied?\u00a0 Someone more suited to a creature like you?”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“But,” Emine pouted, shoving a hand between her thighs, groaning as she rubbed herself.\u00a0 “I don’t-“<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

An image bloomed in her mind, a strong hand brushing the smooth coat of a fine mare.\u00a0 She shivered and moaned and stumbled away, Oswyn already forgotten as she followed the scent of other animals.\u00a0 She could see them at the edge of camp, staked in a line near the tall form of the groom and the smaller forms of children helping with water and food and excrement.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>She wasted no time in heading straight for the man as he bent to check hooves.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Dah-cha-leen,” her ears caught on the wind.\u00a0 Yosef worked and spoke quietly to himself.\u00a0 “Dah-chaaa-leenuh.\u00a0 Dah-cha-leenuh.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A rumble began deep in the back of her throat as the heady, rich smell of the animals filled her head.\u00a0 As she approached, the rumble turned into a growl and she pulled at her tight dress, hating the way the clothing felt against her.\u00a0 Oswyn’s words tumbled in her mind and she ached to be free and naked.\u00a0 To be natural.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yosef turned and stumbled backwards in surprise as she stepped close to him.\u00a0 Emine bleated and wrapped her arms around the man’s waist.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“M-my lady?” Yosef stammered, gently prying her arms away from his body.\u00a0 He glanced around quickly but the horses blocked the torches, leaving him partially cloaked in shadows.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine stepped forward, bleating again as her pussy lips bulged and rubbed against her thighs to show her heightened state of animalistic arousal.\u00a0 She could feel the soft skin, stubbled with tan hairs as she pawed at the muscular man.\u00a0 Her hand snaked out, grabbing at his cock as she pulled at the clasps holding her dress together.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Lady Emine!” The man said in alarm as her clothing began to loosen.\u00a0 “The master, he’ll kill me!\u00a0 Please!”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Silk strained against the woman’s chest as fatty tissue formed beneath her breasts.\u00a0 She felt them press together as they grew engorged and full and her nipples dragged torturously against the fabric.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yosef’s cock was hard beneath his trousers and Emine moaned when she freed it.\u00a0 Before he could complain again, she knelt and took him in her mouth, wrapping her swollen, full lips around his thickness.\u00a0 Her jaw clicked and bones groaned, forcing her face forward as she bobbed against him, her hair falling around her slowly lengthening face as her long ears laid back.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With her left hand at the base of his manhood, her right worked awkwardly at her dress.\u00a0 Her fingers pulled painfully at thick hair between her still-growing breasts but she stripped herself, bleating triumphantly as the wind finally caressed her bare skin.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Oh, Lady Emine, I-” Yosef groaned, his fingers aching to touch her but unwilling to dishonor her by making the move.\u00a0 He forced his hands behind his back and looked away, making fists while forcing his mouth closed.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Lady Emine knelt in the sparse grass, her delicate fingers gripping and pulling as her warm, wet tongue expertly wrapped around Yosef’s cock.\u00a0 She worked her head in circles before pulling back to lick his length, a line of spit connecting them temporarily.\u00a0 Her rumbling growl sounded again as her sex ached but she held fast and pushed her head down, forcing herself forward until her lips touched his base.\u00a0 His hairs brushed his cheeks and her nostrils flared to take in the unwashed smell of his cock and, despite herself, it only drove her more wild.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bones cracked and snapped in her expanding waist.\u00a0 She pulled her head back with a wet pop and tore at her trousers, shoving them down to expose her swollen pussy.\u00a0 Emine lowered herself with a low moan and raised her hips while pawing at the sand.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She was losing herself in the moment, driven wild by the act of mating in the open air, surrounded by animals like herself.\u00a0 By common beasts like herself.\u00a0 She belonged here and needed Yosef to take her.\u00a0 She knew that instinctually, deep within her core as the magic rolled through her.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Please, my lady, please,” Yosef panted, stroking his cock slowly while staring at her exposed, dripping pussy.\u00a0 He desperately wanted to look away but he couldn’t.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine’s ass strained and stretched as her hips grew wide to accommodate her growing bulk and the muscle and sinew forming around her tailbone.\u00a0 A tiny bulge appeared above her ass and she shuddered, looking over her shoulder to stare at Yosef.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I can’t stand it,” she groaned, her voice full of lust and need.\u00a0 Tiny hairs emerged along the sharp line of her expanded jaw.\u00a0 “I can’t think.\u00a0 I can’t think straight.\u00a0 I need it.\u00a0 Need you.\u00a0 Please.\u00a0 I’ll go mad, please.\u00a0 Breed me, please. Please!\u00a0 Use me!”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yosef’s mouth worked but he lowered himself slowly, hidden between two mares that stomped and snorted.\u00a0 He guided himself into her pussy without touching her, hissing between his teeth as she shoved herself back, swallowing his entire length.\u00a0 She bellowed and Yosef closed his eyes to pray that nobody would find them.\u00a0 His hands twitched to hold her waist but he gripped them behind his back instead and let Emine do the work, looking away as his cheeks burned.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The tiny hump lining Emine’s back filled and twisted, flopping over to its side as it became more pronounced.\u00a0 Beneath it, the lump her tail expanded into a small tip that thrashed as she slammed herself back, gasping and groaning and clawing at the ground while her thickened knees and long legs dug into the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Conflicting thoughts entered her mind.\u00a0 She wanted to yell for him to slap her ass, no – to beat her like an animal, no, to call her a filthy, slutty whore, no – to tether her to the ground to be used again and again.\u00a0 She desperately wanted to feel the harness around her face and the tug of the rope against her and she could <\/span>feel<\/i><\/b> herself grow more slippery and wet as she squeezed Yosef’s cock with her pussy.\u00a0 She bleated, frustrated that she couldn’t express her needs as her orgasm neared.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Ch- choke me!” she finally said, raising up and back with her immense breasts flopping and slapping against her furry belly.\u00a0 His hands would suffice in place of the rope she yearned for.\u00a0 “Choke me!”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yosef groaned, biting his lips while glancing around.\u00a0 He could see movement at the other end of the picket line but the night grew dark and he prayed his eyes played tricks on him.\u00a0 Emine’s ass slapped against him as she tensed herself as if milking his cock and he felt himself on the edge.\u00a0 It had been a very long time since he’d been with a lover and the Lady Emine was beautiful beyond compare for-<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine jerked, panting and groaning as Yosef’s fat cock rubbed against the ridges within her sex.\u00a0 She huffed in frustration when the man didn’t wrap his fingers around her neck but she was so close to the edge that she didn’t care.\u00a0 A crackling, grating snap filled her ears as her head was forced further away from her shoulders.\u00a0 She opened her long jaw but words failed her as Yosef filled her completely.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The orgasm was explosive and she bleated in shock while spraying Yosef in her overstimulated excitement.\u00a0 The thick scent of her cum filled the air.\u00a0 Her hips jerked and she bleated again when Yosef’s fingers finally dug into her wide hips.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Lady Emine, I can’t-” Yosef grunted.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Fill me!\u00a0 Breed me!” Emine shouted, her voice breaking into a lustful growling rumble as she rocked back against him.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yosef shouted as he allowed himself the release he craved.\u00a0 He swelled within her and she gasped, falling to her chest while writhing with a second orgasm.\u00a0 The hairs lining her short muzzle trapped dirt as she rolled her head and fluttered her eyes, control of her body temporarily lost while she shuddered and gasped and bleated until Yosef pulled out.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I shouldn’t-” Yosef panted, looking away while clenching his fists.\u00a0 “I shouldn’t have done that.\u00a0 I’m a dead man.\u00a0 I’m a dead man.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No,” Emine said weakly, collapsing to her stomach.\u00a0 “No, I won’t allow it.\u00a0 I won’t.\u00a0 Mine.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Heat filled her cheeks as she lay in the sand and grass, all the tension draining from her body as she relaxed in the glow of the act.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Brush me,<\/span><\/i> she wanted to ask as she felt sand against her body.\u00a0 The thought of it made her shiver and the tip of her tail wagged briefly.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I’m dead,” Yosef repeated sadly. “When Davud hears of this-“<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“He won’t,” Emine told him.\u00a0 “Not from me.\u00a0 I don’t want Davud.\u00a0 I want\u00a0 you.\u00a0 The master of the beasts.\u00a0 My master.\u00a0 Mine now.\u00a0 Your beast.\u00a0 I won’t tell him.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Lady Emine,” Yosef said, reaching out a hand before pulling it away.\u00a0 “Dah- Dah-cha-lin-uh.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“”I’ll go,” she told him, pushing herself up.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Standing in the dim light of the waning moon and the dying fires, highlighted in indigo curves, Yosef thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d seen and his heart ached for her.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Wait!” Yosef said as she turned to leave.\u00a0 He pulled a simple brown cloak from a peg in the picket line and handed it to her.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine stared at the cloak, wondering about its purpose until a voice reminded her she was unclothed.\u00a0 She shook her head and the voice grew louder until she took the cloak and draped it over her shoulders while pulling it tight against her body.\u00a0 Her newly heavy breasts kept the cloak from closing completely and the finger-thick opening showed her naked body and the curly tan fur beneath.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The chaos of the camp confused her as she wandered through it.\u00a0 Nearly everyone was inside their tents but a few sat together around low fires and she avoided them while trying to find her own tent.\u00a0 It would be near Davud’s tent and her brow furrowed as she tried to remember what it looked like.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cum leaked from her pussy, tangling with curly hair covering the inside of her thighs.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Gray streaks began to replace the pink coloring of her lips.\u00a0 The tip of her nose moved, slowly pulling downward on her elongated face until her nostrils were slits, adapted to protect against sandstorms.\u00a0 Dull pewter coloring spread along her protruding lips and up to her nose.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine’s ears flicked in annoyance until she suddenly remembered that Davud’s tent would be bigger than everyone else’s tent.\u00a0 She bleated in happiness and pride at how smart she was.\u00a0 Two tents lay next to his and turned to the one on the right.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A young girl knelt beside the closed flap of Emine’s tent.\u00a0 She rocked forward and pressed her upper body to the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Your food lies within.\u00a0 Still warm, Lady Emine,” the girl said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine nodded as her belly rumbled.\u00a0 She entered and made for the table in the center of the room, sitting before the plates of meat and cheese and bread and the covered bowl of soup.\u00a0 Drool surged in her mouth as she removed the cover of the soup.\u00a0 Without thought, she shoved her head forward into the soup, slurping and swallowing until it was empty.\u00a0 Her tongue lashed out, growing thick from the base to the tip as it worked around the bowl to clean it.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Still her belly rumbled and she gorged herself on the food left out, her tail flicking happily against her ass.\u00a0 It slid, curling beneath the cloak to cover the gap of her ass as prickly, wiry hairs emerged from it.\u00a0 Her cloak slid from her shoulders to leave her bare.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Once more, she bent to the plates, licking crumbs as her breasts swung from her vigorous efforts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Four dark spots appeared just above her mound, in two rows.\u00a0 She sighed, reclining backward while playing with the tuft of fur covering her mound.\u00a0 She could still smell her master’s scent on her and her finger dipped down to coat itself in his cum before twirling it back into the fur.\u00a0 She allowed more fingers to creep between her thighs and she slowly covered herself in Yosef’s scent, rubbing his cum into her fur and bare skin until he was all she could smell.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now sated, her eyes began to droop.\u00a0 Tiny black hairs pierced her eyelid as a second pair of lashes grew forth.\u00a0 Her eyes closed and she lowered herself to her side.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hairs sprouted from the bare patches of skin below her breasts and along her arm.\u00a0 They twisted and wrapped themselves around each other as they emerged, marching along her stomach and down to her hips in a slow, creeping wave to the top of her feet.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine shifted suddenly in her sleep, bleating softly in a fevered sex dream as Yosef led her to his room with a tight halter.\u00a0 Her tail thumped the ground as her thighs slid together and the large, curved claws tipping her toes clacked against the low table next to her, shoving it aside as powerful muscles bulged beneath the skin of her thighs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

—<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Lady Emine,” a soft voice said from outside the tent.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine groaned, turning her head slowly on her long neck.\u00a0 She smacked her thick lips and blinked her eyelashes over a translucent inner eyelid before completely opening her eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She pressed herself up on her hands and her breasts pulled down against her body, hidden beneath her pelt.\u00a0 Four tiny teats sagged on her lower belly, the nipples nearly black in contrast to the thick pink nipples atop her breasts. \u00a0 She felt heavy and slow this morning and overly warm in the clothing she’d worn to bed.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Lady Emine, shall I bring your breakfast?” the voice asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yes,” Emine slurred, still not awake.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“At once, my lady,” the girl said, hurrying away.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine rumbled a deep growl as she pushed herself up.\u00a0 Her slightly sagging hump counter-balanced her larger breasts and her tail wriggled briefly as she made her way to the mirror standing in the corner of the tent.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The night was a blur but she felt deeply satisfied – and anxious.\u00a0 She frowned as she scratched her furred belly, just above her small teats.\u00a0 The sensation encouraged the teats to grow and the onyx nipples pushed through her curly fur before dipping downward under their own weight.\u00a0 She felt a curious sensation as her milk came in and she began to look down until her reflection stole her breath.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine’s hands flew to her face.\u00a0 She bleated in horror as she saw her monstrous form and, for a moment, her brain refused to believe what it was seeing.\u00a0 The girl turned, expecting to see a two legged beast standing behind her but nobody was there.\u00a0 She turned back slowly, trembling as she steadied herself for what she’d see.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Her tail caught her attention first as it swung behind her.\u00a0 It was wrist thick with long hair at the end of it and she could feel it brushing against her ass.\u00a0 Movement along her belly distracted her from close inspection.\u00a0 Short, sandy fur covered her arms and hands but it thickened as it reached her torso until it grow in soft, curly tufts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Black nipples pushed through the fur between her hips.\u00a0 She reached down bit at her lips after accidentally squeezing one of her growing teats.\u00a0 When Emine pulled her hand away, a thin line of liquid streamed away from the teat as she accidentally expressed her own milk.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Worse, it felt <\/span>amazing<\/i><\/b> and she shivered while licking her lips.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Lady Emine,” the girl’s voice said from outside her tent.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Startled, Emine stumbled on her wide feet, catching herself as her powerful legs steadied her long, heavy body.\u00a0 Her tail slapped against the back of her thigh and she hid her breasts and sex uselessly behind her arm and hand.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Only now, due to her slow mind, did she realize that she’d felt warm not because of clothes she’d worn in the night but because of her heavy pelt.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Leave it!” Emine yelled.\u00a0 “Leave the food outside!\u00a0 And- and go!\u00a0 I’ll call you if I re- if I req- if I need you!”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Mistress,” the voice agreed.\u00a0 “They await your meal before readying your tent for transport.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She turned, swallowing as she noticed how overgrown her bust and hips were.\u00a0 Nothing she had would fit her.\u00a0 She’d have to-<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine’s belly rumbled and her slit-nostrils opened to smell the flavorful food outside.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No,” she told herself.\u00a0 “No.\u00a0 I can’t eat now.\u00a0 I just-“<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But the smell of the food wafted over and she spat drool from her mouth before wiping her soft grey slip with her furry arm.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Just a bite,” she told herself, padding over to the tent flap on wide feet that flattened with every step.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As quickly as she could, she pulled the corner of the tent flap aside and grabbed the tray.\u00a0 Reason fled and she shoved her elongated face down, biting and swallowing with tasting until she was licking the dishes clean.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine froze.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yosef.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She remembered herself on her knees before him, licking his cock.\u00a0 Sucking him until she begged him to fuck her.\u00a0 Seeing the terror in his eyes but ignoring it as lust took her.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As he filled her.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As she pleased him.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A soft moan escaped her lips.\u00a0 Despite the horror of the situation, she felt her sex stir, arousal rearing its head as it woke and she remembered the feel of him inside of her.\u00a0 And the thought-<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Oh,” she said, closing her eyes at the thought of being tethered and led like an animal.\u00a0 She shivered, her nails digging at the dirt-covered fur on her sides and the skin beneath.\u00a0 She couldn’t dislodge the image from her mind.\u00a0 Of standing next to a pole with a rope holding her in place while Yosef inspected her.\u00a0 Nude.\u00a0 Waiting.\u00a0 Trembling.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine bleated and touched herself.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No!” she yelled, pulling her hand away.\u00a0 She breathed quickly, her heavy chest heaving as her face burned and her long, fur-lined ears angled back.\u00a0 “No.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They would be waiting impatiently for her now, eager to be moving.\u00a0 She stood in a panic, rushing to her chest of clothes on long, spindly legs.\u00a0 Emine tossed clothes aside until she found a looser set she’d kept on a whim.\u00a0 She tore the legs of the trousers as the two huge nails on each foot easily ripped through the material but she didn’t care, instead pulling them up until they stopped mid-thigh.\u00a0 The dress wouldn’t close but it reached down to cover her waist.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I look ridi- ri- dumb,” she said, frowning at herself with her strange mouth.\u00a0 The dress lay open in the middle, baring her breasts and teats and the engorged lips between her thighs.\u00a0 She felt her heart pounding and the echo of it in her swollen, aching, needy sex.\u00a0 “I need to be brushed.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The thought made her eyes widen.\u00a0 It was a natural thought – a need and desire arising from having slept nude and being fucked by the other animals.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

No,<\/span><\/i> she tried to tell herself.\u00a0 <\/span>Not the <\/span><\/i>other<\/i><\/b> animals.\u00a0 I’m not an animal.\u00a0 By the horses.\u00a0 I’m not-<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But the ease at which she thought she needed to be brushed scared her.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Lady Emine,” came the docile voice from outside her tent.\u00a0 “The master shows his impatience.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Leave,” Emine said, staring at her body.\u00a0 “I’ll be done sh- shuh-“<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The young woman stamped her foot in frustration as words slipped from her mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Soon!” she snapped.\u00a0 “I’ll be done soon!”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fur covered fingers grabbed the discarded cloak and she wrapped it around her body, holding it as tightly as she could while pulling the hood over her head.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hunched over to hide her body, she ran from the tent.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Servants bustled about, loading packages and breaking down the remaining tents.\u00a0 A horde of them waited outside her tent and she bent lower to hide from them as they swarmed her tent.\u00a0 Emine’s tail swished in agitation until she focused on it, finding new muscles that resisted her efforts to control it.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The covered wagon reserved for the Davud’s consorts lay near the rear of the train and she hurried towards it, surprised at how quickly and easily she could walk on her feet.\u00a0 Thinking of her feet made her stumble, both by realizing how different they were and the fact that she had left without covering them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She climbed into her empty wagon quickly, pushing to the rear while curling up as well as she could, moving the cloak carefully until it covered her body.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hidden away with her heart pounding, she waited.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“- do you make him ready again?” Nefise said, her voice growing louder as she came closer.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“My mouth, dear,” Canhabibe answered lazily.\u00a0 “Davud has simple things that make him excited.\u00a0 If you kiss his head, the lower one, while stroking him with one hand and you fondle him below, stroking one finger near his, well, below, it makes him <\/span>very<\/i><\/b> excited.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Can you show me?” Nefise asked, rocking the cart as she stepped into it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No, dear,” Canhabibe laughed.\u00a0 “Not exactly, no.\u00a0 But we’ll play and you’ll get a general idea for next time.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The cart moved again as the older woman entered and the pair settled into their cushions.\u00a0 They were silent as Emine’s wide eyes stared at the wall of the cart, her heart pounding in her chest.\u00a0 She hated the feel of the clothing against her fur.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Body!<\/span><\/i> she scolded herself.\u00a0 <\/span>Against my body, not fur!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Emine,” Canhabibe said carefully.\u00a0 “I- Listen, I’m sorry.\u00a0 I know we’re often at odds but-“<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The silence stretched as calls came for the caravan to move.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Well,” Canhabibe resumed.\u00a0 “Emine, are you alright?”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yes,” she replied quickly.\u00a0 “I’m fine.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“You-” Canhabibe paused.\u00a0 “Well, you smell.\u00a0 I’m sorry.\u00a0 I don’t know a way to put it diplomatically.\u00a0 Worse than last night.\u00a0 I know you’re usually very fastidious and I’m concerned-“<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I’m fine,” Emine reiterated.\u00a0 Her cheeks burned but she inhaled, breathing in several times with her nostrils opening beneath the hood.\u00a0 She didn’t think she smelled bad.\u00a0 In fact, she found herself growing warm at the smells wafting from her body.\u00a0 Earthy, natural smells.\u00a0 And Yosef.\u00a0 His seed upon her.\u00a0 Coating her.\u00a0 Something she’d done.\u00a0 Her ears seemed to ignite from sudden embarrassment but she barely held back a moan at the memory.\u00a0 “Just tired.\u00a0 Going to sleep.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The rocking of the cart and her built up stress lulled Emine to sleep but she dared not drift off in case she gave away the changes.\u00a0 Instead, she replayed the past few days.\u00a0 Her memories seemed diminished and harder to grasp and her tail thrashed in frustration.\u00a0 She felt as if the answers were on the tip of her tongue several times but it all vanished like smoke when she tried to focus too hard.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Her master would know what had happened and what she should do.\u00a0 She knew he would.\u00a0 Yosef was kind and intelligent and he cared for her.\u00a0 Emine sucked her lip into her mouth to nibble at it as she passed time imagining him with her.\u00a0 Laying next to him to provide him comfort, warmth and a place to rest his head.\u00a0 With his pack on her shoulders.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Time passed slowly but her addled, simplistic mind barely noticed until shouts echoed down the caravan and the cart creaked to a halt.\u00a0 Nefise and Canhabibe yawned and stretched, raising their arms and then standing to raise and lower their legs.\u00a0 They left the cart without a word but Emine’s ears swiveled as they talked out of earshot.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“-worried about her,” Nefise said.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“-talk- her- again,” Canhabibe told her, her voice fading away.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine unrolled herself painfully.\u00a0 She felt an urge to go to all fours and strain against her body to work the kinks from her joints but she held herself back.\u00a0 The clothes were unwieldy on her and she hated them.\u00a0 Hated the brush of silk against her soft fur.\u00a0 Hated how they dug into her body.\u00a0 Hated how they kept the wind from her pelt.\u00a0 Hated how unnatural they were.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Clothes,<\/span><\/i> she reminded herself.\u00a0 <\/span>I need the clothes.\u00a0 I can’t be seen like this.\u00a0 I can’t.\u00a0 I’m a beast.\u00a0 I am.\u00a0 I’m a beast.\u00a0 And that’s- that’s not- I’m not like them and they won’t like that.\u00a0 I need to find Yosef.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A few steps away from the cart, a servant approached.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Lady Emine,” the boy said, bowing at the waist.\u00a0 “Master Davud requests your appearance as he greets his Sanjak-bey.\u00a0 He’s sent me to guide you.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Okay,” Emine said docilely.\u00a0 She slouched and followed the boy while trying to spot the groom.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Animals roamed the huge estate, followed by servants and slaves and merchants.\u00a0 As they walked, the young girl felt anxious.\u00a0 She remembered Davud turning her away and she knew he would be shocked to see her.\u00a0 Fear dug its fingers into her body, heightened by the crush of people.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After some time, she realized it was the people making her anxious.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She didn’t belong with them.\u00a0 She yearned to be near the beasts – the horses and camels and goats as they were driven to their destinations.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yosef.\u00a0 His touch.\u00a0 His guidance.\u00a0 She needed her master.\u00a0 She needed him to show her what to do.\u00a0 It was hard to think but his face filled her mind and just the thought of him calmed her.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She ditched her guide, ducking between a small team of horses next to her.\u00a0 They made space for her and she walked with them as they curved away.\u00a0 More horses passed and she merged with them, looking around as much as she could without betraying her disguise.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Maybe he’s caring for Davud’s horse<\/span><\/i>? she asked herself.\u00a0 <\/span>I don’t want to go but, maybe I have to find him.\u00a0 Just be careful, Dakleenuh.\u00a0 Be careful.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stalking between the animals, she passed the boy who had been guiding her.\u00a0 His face was a mask of terror as he loudly called to see if anyone had seen her passing.\u00a0 She felt sorry for the boy but kept herself hidden as she stepped into the cool walls of the small palace.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It felt wrong to be indoors and she kept looking around nervously.\u00a0 She wanted to be out beneath the sun, free of the clothes she wore.\u00a0 Trudging along a path-<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Davud bin Musa,” boomed a voice at the back of the large room. “Welcome!\u00a0 Ah, but where is your shining jewel?\u00a0 I have heard stories of her beauty and grace and hoped to see her for myself.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“She should be here soon, my liege,” Davud said.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine stood back in the crowd but she could see the anger on Davud’s face.\u00a0 Nefise and Canhabibe stood next to him with their heads submissively bowed.\u00a0 Scanning the room carefully, she realized that she couldn’t see Yosef.\u00a0 The girl turned to leave until a hand grabbed her arm.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Oswyn grimaced up at her as he pulled her into the front of the crowd.\u00a0 As shocked as she was at being manhandled, she let herself be pulled until he thrust her into the clearing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“She’s here!” Osywn’s voice called out.\u00a0 She watched as the Englishman shoved his way between people until he vanished from view.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Ah!” Davud said warmly, spotting her trousers and cut of her dress.\u00a0 “There she-“<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine’s hood fell back to expose her face and shrieks filled the air.\u00a0 The girl’s ears flicked and her tail thrashed as she glanced anxiously around, uncertain of what had happened.\u00a0 She realized they were all staring at her as her cloak slipped to the ground around her bare feet.\u00a0 Her dress hung open to bare her furred breasts and her trousers had split earlier to show muscled calves and thighs and her exposed sex.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“What is the-” the Sanjak-bey’s voice called out angrily, cut off as others yelled and exclaimed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Seize her!” Davud shouted as the crowd broke into a panic.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine fled and the mob parted before her, unwilling to touch her or be touched by her.\u00a0 Her long, powerful legs carried her quickly through the estate and she lost herself in the twists and turns until she found safety in an abandoned hut far outside the palace.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The distant shouts scared her as she sat in the shadow of the shack.\u00a0 She’d lost her clothing in her flight and she hugged her knees to her chest with her arms wrapped around them, rocking in the sand as she tried to think of what to do next.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

—<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A single guard stood at attention in the small room, facing the cell by the single exterior door.\u00a0 Davud stood at the bars, fury in his dark eyes and his hands shaking at his sides.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I’m to be stripped of my title and exiled,” Davud said, his overly calm voice betraying the rage running through him.\u00a0 “They see her as a stain upon my honor.\u00a0 A blight that must be burned out.\u00a0 I must have done something wrong, you see.\u00a0 Despite my decades of unquestioning obedience, I <\/span>must have<\/i><\/b> displeased God in some way for him to curse me like this, through Emine.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“My lord,” Yosef said, kneeling on the floor of the cell with his nose pressed to the cold ground and his arms laid flat.\u00a0 “I-“<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Silence!” Davud shouted.\u00a0 Veins throbbed in his forehead.\u00a0 “Nefise and Canhabibe are being absorbed into the household and the rest of my staff are to be sold as slaves.\u00a0 But, you.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The large man laughed but the humor never touched his eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“You,” he said, suddenly angry.\u00a0 “I begged to stay to watch you be executed.\u00a0 I begged for one boon.\u00a0 To see you beheaded.\u00a0 I’ve <\/span>seen<\/i><\/b> the way you’ve looked at her.\u00a0 I’ve allowed it because she is- was- a beautiful woman. To be admired.\u00a0 I don’t know what sorcery you’ve used.\u00a0 I don’t care.\u00a0 But, before I’m forced out, I will watch you die.\u00a0 And.\u00a0 I.\u00a0 Will.\u00a0 <\/span>Laugh<\/b>.\u00a0 Others saw her visit you last night.\u00a0 It was the last time I saw her whole.\u00a0 Now I wonder, which other of the animals used to be a servant?\u00a0 My stallion?\u00a0 Was he someone that displeased you?\u00a0 No matter.\u00a0 Watching your terrified eyes before the blade drops will sustain my exile for years to come.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rather than speak, Yosef lowered himself further.\u00a0 Davud inhaled and then spat on him before turning away.\u00a0 The groom stayed in position, not allowing himself to think.\u00a0 He’d known as soon as Lady Emine touched him that he would die.\u00a0 He’d accepted it.\u00a0 The story of what had happened confused him but it didn’t matter.\u00a0 He’d known his death would come.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And so he lay there, waiting for it.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

—<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wrapped awkwardly in a sheet she’d stolen, Emine hid against the building, listening to a knot of soldiers.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I saw it myself,” the oldest of them said.\u00a0 Scars criss-crossed his throat and his voice sounded like he chewed sand.\u00a0 “Hideous.\u00a0 Like a woman gave birth to a camel.\u00a0 And the stench!”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine’s tail flicked beneath the sheet as she realized they were talking about her.\u00a0 A fly buzzed around her side and her tail struggled to strike it.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Have you seen the man?” another soldier asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Davud?” the scar-faced man asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No, no, the other one,” the previous soldier said.\u00a0 “The one being blamed for it.\u00a0 Yosef.\u00a0 They’re beheading him in the morning.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine’s eyes widened and her ears shot straight up.\u00a0 She nearly ran to the soldier to ask what had happened but she held herself back to listen further.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“So, he’s the father, is it?” the oldest soldier said.\u00a0 “I thought the mother must be human but it sounds like the man fathered it instead!\u00a0 See, Jalil, this is why we don’t let you near our camels.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The others laughed loudly, slapping while the named soldier scowled with crossed arms.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine sucked her velvety soft lips in to chew at them while trying to think.\u00a0 She <\/span>had<\/i><\/b> to help him.\u00a0 Her master had done nothing wrong and she needed him.\u00a0 She was lost.\u00a0 Directionless.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hungry.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For him and his touch.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

An old bearded man approached the soldiers, who immediately became stern.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“What do you want, old man?” Jalil asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I want to see the freak,” the man said, ducking his head.\u00a0 “The one they said used magic on that poor girl.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“He’s not for show,” Jalil said, gripping his spear.\u00a0 “You’ll see him in the morning.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“He’ll be dead then!” the old man argued.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine lowered herself.\u00a0 The soldiers faced away from the building, blocking the old man’s view.\u00a0 She crept slowly on silent, padded feet until she reached the door.\u00a0 As carefully as she could, while still crouched, she unlatched the door and stepped in through the slim opening, banging her wide hips painfully against the stone.\u00a0 She still wasn’t used to her new body size.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“What are-” the guard inside said next to her.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In a panic, instincts took over.\u00a0 She turned and kicked out and her foot struck the guard’s head.\u00a0 He crumpled to the ground without a sound.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yosef!” Emine said, immediately standing and rushing to the cell.\u00a0 “It’s Emine!\u00a0 Dah-cah-line.\u00a0 Dah-cah-linuh!I came for you!”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Lady Emine?” Yosef asked, looking up from his crouched position.\u00a0 “You’re-“<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The man’s eyes opened in shock and he fell back, staring wildly at what he could see through Emine’s exposed disguise.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Despite their claims, he hadn’t believed them.\u00a0 Yet, here she stood, smiling at him with her strange, long face.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I came for you!” she said again, hopping on both feet while reaching through the bars.\u00a0 Her massive breasts shook, pulling at the makeshift outfit until it slid down to show her bare chest.\u00a0 It slid further to show teats peeking through heavy fur and the generous curve of her hips.\u00a0 “Master, look, I came for you!”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It <\/span>was<\/i><\/b> her voice but more simple minded.\u00a0 And oddly pure.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yosef’s heart leapt to his throat.\u00a0 It was his fault.\u00a0 He’d done this to her.\u00a0 He’d sinned, taking her in his master’s camp and causing her to be cursed to change like one of the beasts he cared for.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Lady Emine,” he said carefully.\u00a0 “You have to leave.\u00a0 You have to run.\u00a0 They’ll- they- they won’t be kind to you if they find you.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“We’ll leave together!” Emine said brightly but her smile dropped\u00a0 and the sheet moved behind her until the tip of her tail slipped free.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I cannot,” Yosef said.\u00a0 “I have sinned and this is my punishment.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No,” Emine said.\u00a0 “No, I- I- Emine- Dahcah-\u00a0 Dah-\u00a0 Emine can’t do this.\u00a0 Emine can’t do this without her master.\u00a0 I’m- Emine is lost without you.\u00a0 Please.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Lady Emine,” Yosef begged weakly.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Master, please,” Emine said again, her lips trembling as a tear leaked from her eye to tangle in her fur.\u00a0 “Master, please, Dahcah.\u00a0 Argh!\u00a0 I can’t- I can’t remember my name!\u00a0 I’m-<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Dah-cha-leena,” Yosef told her quietly.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Dah- yes,” she said, smiling with the ends of her grey lips pulled back.\u00a0 “Yes!\u00a0 You remember!\u00a0 I need you.\u00a0 I- I won’t survive alone.\u00a0 I need you.\u00a0 Please, master.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She was his responsibility.\u00a0 He knew it in his heart as she stood there, reaching for him while tears raced down her cheeks.\u00a0 Yosef looked to the guard.\u00a0 The young man’s chest rest and fell but his cheek was bright red with a tinge of purple.\u00a0 She’d kicked him hard enough to drop him but he knew she hadn’t done it willfully.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He knew because he knew the animals in his care.\u00a0 He knew their temperament and their nature and hers was a gentle one.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Emine,” he said, licking his lips .\u00a0 “The guard has a key.\u00a0 I need you to get it.\u00a0 But- but I want you to not let him see you, yes?\u00a0 In case he- in case he wakes up.\u00a0 Don’t look at his face or let him look at you.\u00a0 Yes?”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yes!” Emine said, sniffling and wiping her cheek.\u00a0 “Yes, Emine- I- I can do that!”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The young girl walked wide and the sheet slipped from the rest of her body.\u00a0 He stared in amazement as she knelt beside the guard with her hand up to the side of her face.\u00a0 Just from the way she crouched and moved, he could see the strength in her.\u00a0 He blushed as he remembered the night before and his cock stirred.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I have it!” Emine whispered loudly, still hiding her face from the guard as she walked to the cell.\u00a0 “I found it!”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Good, Lady Emine,” Yosef said carefully.\u00a0 “Dah-cha-leena.\u00a0 Now, the lock is here and you insert the key just so-“<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Like this?” Emine asked, inserting the key and then turning it.\u00a0 The lock clicked and the door swung partially open.\u00a0 Emine smiled widely.\u00a0 “I did it!\u00a0 Yosef, I did it!”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yes,” he told her, smiling in return.\u00a0 “Yes, you- oof!”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She threw herself at him, crushing him in a hug that he awkwardly returned.\u00a0 The fur covering her back was thick and dirty and he couldn’t stop himself from stroking her.\u00a0 She was incredibly warm and her breasts pressed into his chest.\u00a0 Her long legs brought her equal to his height.\u00a0 Beneath her fur was a gentle, sloping curve.\u00a0 She shivered and pressed harder into him when he caressed her hump.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“That feels nice,” Emine said, sniffing again.\u00a0 She stepped away, wiping her face with a simple smile.\u00a0 “How do we get out?\u00a0 There’s bad men outside.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Not bad,” he told her, looking around the room.\u00a0 “They’re men of God.\u00a0 Following their sworn duty.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Bad,” Emine huffed, crossing her chest.\u00a0 Yosef looked away quickly when the movement shoved her breasts forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A trapdoor lay in the corner of the room with a large iron ring in it.\u00a0 Yosef pulled and it opened to reveal stairs leading down into a stone corridor.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Scary,” Emine said from his shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I think it leads to-” Yosef said before finishing the statement.\u00a0 “I think we can leave from here.\u00a0 I’ll gather some supplies and-“<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Emine will do it!” Emine said, rushing off to grab the sheet she’d worn.\u00a0 She grabbed food and a few other supplies while he forced himself to look away from her nakedness.\u00a0 Once finished, she tied it into a bag and hefted it over her shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I’ll carry it, Lady Emine,” Yosef said, holding out his hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No!” Emine said, backing away while pulling it tighter against her body.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Please, Lady Emine, let me-“<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No!” she pouted, backing into the corner.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Disobedient!” he yelled, suddenly frustrated at the entire situation until he realized he wasn’t speaking to one of his animals.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emine slumped and her lips trembled but she held the sack even tighter.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Lady Emine,” Yosef said, bowing deeply.\u00a0 “I am incredibly sorry for calling you such.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“No,” Emine said quickly.\u00a0 “No, master.\u00a0 Emine is hard-headed.\u00a0 Emine- I- I know I am.\u00a0 But, I will carry.\u00a0 This.\u00a0 I have to.\u00a0 I <\/span>need<\/i><\/b> to.\u00a0 Please.\u00a0 We’ll go.\u00a0 Please.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yes,” he told her finally, reaching out a hand that she took.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They descended into the cool darkness, both crouching when Emine’s ears brushed the short ceiling.\u00a0 After nearly 30 minutes of walking, they reached another set of stairs leading up to a door.\u00a0 Yosef pushed the door open slowly to peek out before opening it completely.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A wooden platform sat near the door with a large wooden block.\u00a0 A bucket lay nearby.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Smells bad,” Emine said, wrinkling her nose.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Yes,” Yosef said slowly, staring at the wooden block.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Where will we go, master?” Emine asked as Yosef helped her up.\u00a0 She pressed herself against the man before wrapping her arm around his waist.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yosef pulled himself away gently but she pushed herself back and he sighed as the bulge of her breasts pushed against his arm.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Willful indeed,<\/span><\/i> he told himself.\u00a0 <\/span>She’ll need training-<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He caught himself, forcing his eyes closed as he realized what he’d been thinking.\u00a0 Yet, with her soft curves against him and the memory of the night they’d shared, he couldn’t help how she made him feel.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Away, Lady Emine,” Yosef said.\u00a0 “We’ll find our own way.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He turned, picked a direction and began walking as Emine started chattering cheerfully next to him.\u00a0 When he broke into a quick trot, she easily kept pace and the estate vanished behind them as the sliver of the silver moon illuminated their path.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Early in the 17th century, the wife of an Ottoman is brought low by a curse The thrilling conclusion! An old commission for one of my patrons that was a lot of fun to work on – lots of historical Continue reading Beast of Burden Ch. 02<\/span>→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[468,74,9],"class_list":["post-827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-story","tag-camel","tag-historical","tag-transformation"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42NMN-dl","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=827"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":828,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827\/revisions\/828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hidden-shelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}