Between Feathers and Federation - 1 & 2 - Hunter and Scientist (Patreon)

This is BOTH chapters one and two, I am scared to release this, so very scared that this will go poorly.

Several people have assured me this is good writing and they like it. There have been a TON of edits to this.

All Future Chapters will be available to 3$ members a full week early! With chapter coming out this Friday.

This is NOT safe for work!

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Feyet checked her cloaking device to make sure her scent wasn’t leaking out. She felt her stomach rumble as she checked her feathers one more time to make sure none of them had fallen out. The regulations pertaining to primitive or less developed society research required that she be absolutely certain nothing could change or contaminate her subjects. She was perched in a tree high up, about 200 meters away from the topic of her research. 

One of her feet talons was firmly wedged into the tree trunk beside her, another firmly gripped to the branch to ensure she couldn’t go anywhere. Her emerald eyes scanned the area, her soft teal and black feathers gently waving in the breeze this high up in the jungle canopy. The outcropping of the village she was observing was easily spotted.

They had primitive yurts made from wood and hides of the various hunted creatures on the planet. This tribe was peculiar; their coded designations simply used the Terra words for dinosaurs. One breed within this tribe resembled upright walking utahraptors with heavy scales layered with colorful feathers over them, referred to in her species databank as Uladon. The other tribe resembled the much more imposing allosaurus, referred to as Arrasius. However the larger creatures and raptors had been at peace for generations and established tribal traditions together.

Feyet looked at her datapad, pulling out the stylus to write some more notes down. The tribe had almost two-hundred yurts. Feyet stopped and used her genetically enhanced eyes to get a better count. She even had a binocular zoom she could use with concentration as if a human were looking down up to a 10x magnification scope.

“One-hundred ninety-eight, to be precise. Though a yurt may be more for ceremonial purposes, such as the three religious ones at the center. They practice some rite of reincarnation, and…” She took a moment to scroll through the various notes she had observed about their religion. On two occasions she had actually infiltrated the village and witnessed one such ceremony.

Her medical scanner had recorded high psychic energy being transferred, thanks to the sensor adjustments of the nearby Lechinu Trade League and their connection to the Otherworld, a kind of afterlife and world full of psychic entities. She had confirmed that they had a primitive version of what the Lechinu called soul transfer. Whether it actually worked or not, Feyet wasn’t certain.

On the second time, her cloak had failed in the scent aspect for a moment and interrupted the ceremony, as suddenly everyone smelled someone who was both a foreigner and an intruder right among them. Since then, she had been trying to avoid direct contact for the last month to get comfortable being around these creatures. “A belief in the higher power of self, that their ancestors either continue to live among them in new bodies, or they ascend to a higher plane and watch over those still yet to do so. Both are strangely honored ways of passing or—”

Feyet’s thoughts were interrupted by a flurry of activity. Being a flightless variant of her species, called a roadrunner type, she was blessed with better eyesight, hearing, and more sensitive touch. She saw what appeared to be an aggressive arrasius  bi-sex individual. Feyet’s research pad noted her as subject Beta-3. These creatures had breasts, and for the first few months while their children grew in their teeth, they would breast feed until the child got the bacteria from their mother figure that would allow for the digestion of meat and the few fruits they would consume.

However, they could be born one of three sexes; Female, Male, or Bi-Sex. A Bi-Sex individual had both genitalia and both sets of secondary sex characteristics.

Beta-3 was a brute of a bi-sex individual. They stood nearly five meters tall with a 1.9 meter tail behind them. Further, they rippled with muscles. Feyet being only 1.78 meters tall felt dwarfed when standing near them. Feyet noted the pronouns were they/them until specified otherwise by the individual subject, as was the custom of Fjer Pluma Star Monarchy research teams for bi-sexed individuals. But back to Beta-3.

Beta-3 wore the hide of a creature that very much resembled a tyrannosaurus of this planet. The solo hunters had not become anthropomorphic and were some of the most aggressive predators, but also the reason the two tribes of different sentients had joined together, as far as Feyet could gather. Beta-3 might rival a smaller t-rex in height at this point. The hides were stretched in a way to make clothing to cover their arms, abdomen, muscled breasts, and around their crotch and hips. They also were useful for the tail-bags beta-3 carried full of hunting supplies.

Beta-3 was lean with muscle, no fat on them that was visible. Their eyes were an aggressive yellowish red color and narrowed upon the object of their desire. They had almost entirely scaled skin like most of the arrasius subtype. The only feathers were around two small horns on their head that were more for display and show than actual combat, since they were blunt. 

Where the females were usually mono-colored or sometimes had a stripe or two, Beta-3 had the more vibrant male coloration; deep red skin as the base, two winding stripes down their side of bright white and deep royal purple that split their body into two sections of a front side and back side. Their tail was wrapped in a spiral where the stripes met, completely overriding the maroon for just this swirling stripe of red and purple.

Though they had an avian gate and stature, Feyet was very much reminded more of a reptile or lizard. Their arms were shorter in comparison to their bodies, and their main weapons were their teeth and the talons on their feet. A kick from one of these creatures could devastate a medium sized tree, much less a creature's torso or legs.

Beta-3 had heavy scars around their feet and jaw from their use in hunting. In their powerful but short arms was a wriggling creature that was tied up but not killed. It had wounds, which clearly were inflicted by Beta-3’s jaw. Feyet could clearly make this out with her binocular vision. 

“A talwartz,” she muttered. The creature in Beta-3’s arms was a delicacy for this tribe. They resembled a very large armadillo. It required a skilled hunter to ambush one and secure it, especially alive.

Feyet thought of the times she had watched the tribe eat a creature that was still alive and shuddered at what her fate might be if they caught her. Sometimes they swallowed particularly small creatures whole. Rarely was anything cooked unless it was a very special occasion. This unfortunate talwartz would be dinner tonight.

Beta-3 broke off from the rest of the hunting group, passing the talwartz to a smaller Uladon bi-sex individual, Feyet’s secret favorite. The pad designated her as Juliette-1. Feyet just called her Julie. 

One useful feature of her datapad was its translation function. By gathering information about how they were speaking, it could slowly use noted context clues to accommodate a language and then broadcast into her ear what was being said. Though it could take hours of exposure, she nearly had enough for a perfect translation to test. Through it, she had been able to find out that the tribe referred to Julie as Scratches the Wind, and that she preferred feminine pronouns. Some embarrassing hunting story had earned her the name, but she wore it with pride.

Beta-3 rushed up to a smaller female who stood barely three meters in height. She was a monocolor of lemon-yellow with a couple of spots around her eye arches that were a creamy white, along with her fingertips, toe tips, and shoulder points. Feyet noted in this society they had rituals for hunters coming of age, and those that failed were made gatherers, but also, a hunter could take one as a mate. Sometimes this mating wasn’t consensual, but would become that later. Like Feyet’s species, mating was for life, and carefully dictated.

It began with ritual combat, which is why Beta-3 rushed forward and leaped into the air, hoping to catch the smaller female off guard. Even if there was a consensual agreement beforehand, the two would still have to engage in some ritual combat. Feyet was excited for this; she had noted the two talking several times and had placed several micro recording drones around the village.

Feyet noted these two had long talked this through. This was consensual mating, but it would still be viscous and potentially lethal. The female wasn’t caught off guard and spun around with a vicious slash of the razor sharp talons on her claws. However, because the arrasius  subtype had smaller, shorter arms than the raptors, she had less reach compared to Beta-3’s much larger size.

Beta-3 sidestepped and brought their jaws around the female’s neck. The female froze. Feyet noted the Female was designated Delta-7. She was simply outmatched, having tried to use strength to fight strength when Beta-3 was probably the strongest member of their tribe. From the language used, definitely not the smartest, but by far the strongest.

Feyet watched on as Beta-3 calmly undid their loin cloth that was tented by arousal. Feyet gulped as she reached for her drone controller. She didn’t notice her stylus though, rolling off her pad and falling to the forest floor below. She zoomed in to watch them and began to vocally dictate notes while she focused on controlling the small fist sized drone that was cloaked to ensure she could observe up close.

“You are mine now, Delux of Pearls,” The translator echoed against Feyet’s ear from Beta-3’s growl with their teeth around her neck as the large, heavy member freed itself from the cloth. It was slightly scaled at the base, like the rest of the arrasius  breed. Their member was curved, and turned from their maroon scale color into a scarlet red right up to the tip, which was bright pink. It had an S-curve to it like an avian’s. The length was made more to pleasure the female sex and entice them, unlike the raptor members which were completely different.

The smaller Delux almost smiled, as if mocking the ritual they were required to go through. “But of course, my sweet Brute among Brutes.” Feyet noted that the rituals of mating took place in the open. The tribe had to show several things during the first mating; this was both an act of reproduction and marriage ceremony wrapped together. Feyet wanted to get every detail, only to notice that she could not find her stylus.

“What? Did I drop it?” Feyet wondered, realizing the device would be lost to the forest floor. “I can locate it when I come down and worst case, the jungle will claim it and no one will find it more than an interesting stick.”

Meanwhile, she went back to watching the display from the drone. She would have to commit the act to memory entirely, instead of writing as it happened. Delux removed her top first, revealing her breasts, which for her size were modest but firm. She then removed her bottom to reveal her soft entrance. As a gatherer, she would remove her top while Brute would not, to show which one was a hunter, and therefore had hunted their mate, and which was a gatherer, the one to gather the mate’s attention.

Brute, sensing her submission, pulled away from the throat, several small red spots dotting Delux’s skin where Brute’s razor sharp teeth had dug in. There were distinctive impressions, including where some of Brute’s teeth were broken. The marks would show for several days as Delux’s scratches healed on her scales, so others would know she had been taken if they did not witness the ritual firsthand.

Several others of the tribe were gathered around, watching as Brute took her hips in their claws. They pressed their snouts together in an affirmation, similar to a kiss of the terrans, or the lizard-like Verglas to be exact. They groped each other’s breasts as best they could, until Brute stood upright and picked up Delux in their arms to lay the smaller creature on their breasts. 

They lined up the hardened curved member with Delux’s nethers and spread her thighs around their torso as best as they were able. The arrasius ' flexible lower legs allows Delux to fully wrap around Brute’s massive torso halfway between the breasts and waist, where the tip of Brute’s member was pressed to her labia.

“Go on my Brute, claim your prize, let me attempt to satisfy you,” Delux cooed into their ear, and slowly she was lowered. The soft nethers wrapped around the length, little by little. Coos and gasps echoed in the air. Both of them were similar in their reverberating bass. Feyet felt it when she heard the voices, and even her own nethers became heated at the thought of a mate.

Feyet had not yet mated, and hadn’t even dated anyone since this assignment. It had been almost fourteen months since she had seen another Fjer or, well, anyone that was considered sapient, though these creatures were close to that classification. “Now now, none of those thoughts. We must maintain impartiality and prevent contamination.”

Feyet did not reach for herself, but she made a note to take care of herself once she was back safely in her cloaked research outpost. Her home for another twenty-six months.

She watched the sexual display of Delux and Brute. Brute thrust forward and pushed the long cock up until their pussy was pressing to Delux’s outer lips, as if they were using an extremely large clitoris to pleasure their mate. Their mouths were open, panting from exertion and pleasurable moans echoing from both of them.

Brute was holding her up off the ground entirely, lowering Delux down and up, using their waist as a pivot point so that only Delux’s torso would be lowered and raised, allowing the curved cock to slide in and out easier despite its size. 

To Delux’s credit, she was receiving something as big as her forearm and taking it like a champion. Her scaled breasts bounced heavily from every impact as her well curved hips and firm, curved, small butt slammed into Brute’s thighs. She raised her tail as high as she could, which only put the tip around their head level, but it did let everyone see what was happening and exposed her backdoor, so there was no doubt about the mating as anything else.

Brute started to speed up, sensually leaning over and through her heated breath, started to nibble along Delux’s neck and shoulder. They were showing quite a lot of affection, which Feyet noted was unusual for a first time. Usually it was more aggressive than this, but Delux had Brute’s heart, and the gentleness was because they had been lifelong friends before this.

Brute slowly lowered to their knees, and started to guide Delux forward with a gentleness that Feyet had not expected from them. Delux let out a hiss of pleasure and pain when her tail was pressed into her own back to lay her completely down. Brute allowed their own top to fall away now. With that, the heavy muscled chest was revealed, one that had nearly completely consumed the soft fat of the breasts, but they were still clearly breasts and not more pectoral like a full male’s.

Brute began to rut Delux over and over again, hilting themself into the smaller Delux. Delux let out a scream, a cry of passion that echoed around them. Feyet took that as her queue to slip away from her tree perch. Delux’s feet separated and clawed at Brute’s back. She tossed her head into the dirt path that served as a village road, howling out with a roar of pleasure.

“As expected, Brute will find her acceptable, or at least will claim that she fully satisfied them. Thankfully I won’t have to see subject Delta-7 exiled or worse.” Feyet shivered at the thought. She knew if a gatherer failed to sate a mate, they could be exiled, or if they refused, the trial of combat often resulted in the gatherer being reduced to an even lower station: food for the tribe. Specifically, arrasius subtypes would be eaten whole by uladons, and vice-versa. Technically not cannibalism, but still rather gruesome.

Feyet made her way down her tree, watching the mating continue. Brute thrust over and over again, pounding their way into the depths of Delux, right up until they roared out loud enough that the trees swayed and birds of the world flew away in panic. The insects around Feyet went silent from the echoing call as Brute finished claiming their mate.

“Good for you,” Feyet grumbled as she got down to the ground. She had failed to notice a few hunters slipping out of the village during the mating, clearly not wanting to witness someone else gaining their life-partner when they still lacked their own. It was common, but Feyet figured no one would notice her through her cloaking technology. Feyet started to search for her stylus, but it had already been found with the curious scent of Feyet on it by someone else.

“Probably lost in the dirt. I have replacements, and at worst I can order a box of them on the next drone delivery.” She gathered the rest of her things and started walking back to her outpost. She did not notice the low power warning on her cloaking device, as it was its thirtieth time out on this particular device's battery. Scent masking had been shut off. Oh how comfortable one gets after a month without incidents.

Feyet checked her silky soft feathers for any dropage or feathers that had fallen off. The gentle teal blue with soft black edges showed that none from the four layers on her arms had fallen away. Useless for flight, she could at least glide to the ground or at least break her falls. They were more used for display when her species was primitive to either intimidate prey or attract a mate. The dimorphism between species was minimal and they had developed breasts recently with genetic modification, because they looked nice more so than for feeding young.

She checked her white body feathers and found one about to fall out on her upper breast. She reached down with her beak and picked it away, taking it into her four fingered taloned hand as she unzipped a pocket on her coat with her other hand to pocket the feather. “Contamination protocols followed, extracting from observation. Will detail mating notes upon review of footage.”

Feyet was also unaware that the sound damperer had lost power now, ignoring the warnings since they were not making sounds, and the sheer number of notifications at the top of her computer pad; meant to her they were just another thing to ignore right now.

She made her way back to the research outpost, weaving through the forest with ease, knowing no predator should be able to see or hear her. Should and actually were two very different things, however, for she did not know it, she was being hunted.

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Scratches the Wind followed the curious sounds and smell. Every time she got close, she would hide, wanting to visually verify the creature she hunted. Brute of Brutes had embarrassed her by passing her kill off to her so she could go mate. The other hunters had teased her; she was nearly overdue for her hunter trial. She had three moons to take it, or she would be forced to hunt alone without the pack, for she would be too old to hunt as an apprentice now.

Scratches found an odd rock that was completely straight and had a fine point on it. She had watched it fall from the tree above. She looked up there intently. After a moment, she saw a shimmer that did not match the tree; something was moving up there. Scratches’ mind raced with what it could be, and arrived at one word: Shimmer-Walker.

She quickly hid, waiting for the creature to move, never taking her eyes off of it. That still meant she would lose track of it if she was not careful. She did notice when the shimmer-walker climbed down. The shaman had spoken of them as if they were a legend, a thing encountered before the two tribes united. Yet here it was, just as described, as if a shimmer fell across the trees.

They had not tried to fight such a creature, and no one had ever captured or tasted one. Perhaps this was Scratches’ chance to show what she could do. If I can catch this Shimmer-Walker and prove they are more than a legend, I will be a hunter without equal, Scratches thought to herself, and began to map out her path to find a point to ambush the shimmer-walker.

“Observation, the yellow jungle centipedes are in fact not poisonous, strangely enough.” The strange sounds this creature made felt like they were right through the shrubbery in front of Scratches, but as soon as she looked, there was nothing there.

This is frustrating! Where is this strange prey? Scratches thought while following close. She saw a shimmer against a tree trunk and her heart skipped a beat. She had not lost track of them. There was a legend of some creature like this, neither prey nor hunter, but something different. This creature was smaller than her, not by a lot, but the legend of this creature was it could walk into the rocks of cliffs and that it wandered the jungle without a care of any hunter catching them. Not even the fearsome King of Roars was a threat to this creature.

If I can catch them, I might not need a hunter’s trial. She reached down to itch at her privates, rubbing the slit for her cock and then the slit for her lower lips to get rid of the itch, careful to not let her razor sharp claws and gutting claw be involved. Scratches’ soft orange feathers and black stripes helped her blend in with the fallen leaves of the forest floor. She had white tips on her feathers and a unique crimson plumage on top of her head, down her neck and spine, all the way to the base of her tail, where it tapered away to reveal the coherent stripes of her tail.

She stood just over two and a half meters tall as she followed this smaller creature that seemed invisible. It smelled like one of the birds of the forest tops, but it clearly did not move by flying. It stopped again, and now that Scratches was aware of the shimmer, she was able to visibly track the prey. Her layers of feathers over her scales raised slightly on alert to ensure this creature did not spot or detect her.

Every bit of training coursed through her to avoid stepping on noisy brush or moving in a way that would be detected at all. She couldn’t see where this creature was looking or even what it looked like.

She watched as a large centipede suddenly disappeared into the shimmer, the insect shrieking before a loud crunch was heard from the disappeared centipede. Scratches recoiled as such a thing was incredibly lethal to her kind if they ate them. Shimmer-walker… eats those? It made sense to Scratches, something would have to eat them or they would become too numerous. Scratches' mind raced, wondering what kind of creature could consume the extremely poisonous hundred legged insects. If a bite penetrated the crimson scales under her feathers by hitting a particularly sensitive spot, or she swallowed one herself, she would be incapacitated for days.

“At least they are not poisonous to my species, and honestly quite delicious. Though I imagine a terran or a gorgian would be killed by one of these.” The voice from the creature told Scratches where this creature was when her eyes lost the shimmer. Those large sapphire blue eyes followed the shimmer as best they were able. One thing that Scratches was the best at was seeing. She could even make out the sixth star within Talon’s Belt, a feat only three other hunters could do, two of which had been her parents.

She continued to follow the creature. She wasn't sure how far they had gone, but she was glad to have her overnight kit in her bags, for she did not believe she could return to the village before nightfall. Her eyes would operate perfectly fine in the darkness. It was more the worry of other creatures, such as the poison fangs, a type of creature resembling a Sinornithosaurus which Feyet called Ornitritites, would be very bad if they found her. They were smaller than her, but very venomous if they bit her. They could fell the greatest hunter with but a few bites, then the pack would rend you apart.

No, Scratches would sleep in the trees tonight for her safety. It would not be the first time her curiosity kept her out. She heard a river coming up and knew they were near the Great Granite, a mountain that their tribe would often recover rocks from for things like a bathing tub or the base of a yurt. A great number of rocks were also used for carving from this mountain.

The trees began to part to show the black onyx veins along the mountain mixed with hardened granite. Rubble from a recent landside decorated the base of the mountain, with a river coming from inside the mountain that provided plenty of fresh water for everything within her region. This was the base of the Life Tear river, the very reason her tribe founded their village in this area.

“Shit.” She looked where the creature spoke and could now clearly see the creature, the shimmer giving off bolts of small lightning as it seemed to be shifting. Slowly, the shimmer revealed what was underneath as Feyet’s cloaking device completely failed.

Does it control lightning itself!? Scratches questioned as she took in the creature before her. It was smaller than her, by almost a full spearshaft. It was covered in feathers like a bird, but walked upright like she did. It had well cleaned, shining white feathers with flecks of black that matched the onyx of the mountain. A matching onyx black beak extended from its face, long and pointed. Teal green-blue plumage extended in long straight feathers from its head all the way down to the base of its neck. The plumage sat at the crest of her head between two big black feather horns that covered the eardrums, with soft white down inside them. They looked like the ears of the warm furred creatures Scratches hunted and often snacked on. She knew, however, if this was a bird creature, they merely covered the ears and did not act as ears. 

This creature wore clothing that Scratches had never seen. Soft white sleeves with a roll at the end. There was a slit in the back of these sleeves that opened for the many long pointed feathers to avoid bending or breaking them. They were a myriad of colors, soft white on the tops and bottoms, a middle layer of pure dark blue, and an inner layer of black with neon-blue edges. They extended from her arms, like the feathers of Scratches did but, these were much more dense; Scratches countered six layers compared to her two. This creature had a matching feathered tail with the same kind of layering, where the longest inner most feathers extended all the way down to her ankles, while the short white ones barely covered the butt of this creature.

Scratches looked at the dark talons for hands that matched the beak in coloration, with short claws that looked like they were more for holding on to things that ripping apart prey. Scratches noted that she had four digits on each, compared to three with a fourth that was the killing claw on her own. The rest of the creature was much curvier than Scratches had ever seen in a female. Very wide hips and a large almost bubble-like rear. This creature had breasts, which sagged slightly rather than being taught like Scratches was used to seeing.

Though she had to imagine what all of the plushness beneath looked like, as the creature was covered in some tight stretchy black covering from just below the neck all the way to the ankles. While observing this creature, the rock of the mountain became not rock. It looked silver, no ragged edges, completely flat, like a perfectly shaped piece of wood.

“Well, I am home, so no matter, I can just—” As the flat silver surface moved on its own to open, Scratches let out a shriek and leaped into the air. The shriek was meant to both signal the ambush of the hunt but also to surprise the prey. She barreled like a giant boulder, coming down on this creature to maul and capture it.

“Shit! I—” Feyet barely had time to move out of the way of the claws. She dove towards the door only to get hit by the massive raptor and bouncing off the hard metal doorframe. Her side screamed with pain as she bounced inside. She slid across the smooth metal tile floor all the way until her feet impacted the wall in the hallway. Her stealth suit protected her from the killing claws of Scratches from tearing her gut open. That did not help reduce the impact of a creature that was more than twice her body weight slamming into her, much less bouncing off the doorframe.

Feyet thought that perhaps she had at least bruised two of her ribs as she slid to a stop. Her datapad clattered on the tiled floor, her laser pistol she was reaching for suddenly let out a crack as Scratches landed on it with her weight. Scratches had meant to at least injure the creature, but there was no scent of blood, no sign she had done more than kick them. Surely her claws had torn her open, or perhaps she simply did not bleed in a way she could smell?

She stepped on the white flat floor, expecting it to be wooden like her yurt, only for her to feel hard rocks that were perfectly flat. She looked at the floor, confused, and then her foot hurt when she felt something crush under her weight. Scratches winced and took a look at her foot to see it cut in several places, as well as some sort of black tool crushed into bits of metal and rock on the ground, coated with her blood.

She put her foot down and staggered from a massive jolt of pain. Her balance was off and she barely managed to stay standing just inside the doorway. She felt something in her foot that was far sharper and harder than any claw she knew. She let out a cry of panic as there was no one here with her to help. She needed the pack to finish this prey off. 

“Help! Help! Prey! Injured!” She frantically called out with high caws and shrieks, only for the strange silver flat rock to move back into place and seal her in this yurt with the creature. She let out a yelp when the tip of her tail was nipped by the closing rock and shifted forward on her one good foot.

“Shit…” Feyet said as she started to stand up. Feyet staggered to her feet and held out her palm in a motion to tell the creature to stop. She held her arm across her belly to the side where her ribs were screaming as she held up the other hand to try to stop the raptor. Juliette-1? How did you track me? You were the smartest one I could find, but through my cloak? Well, my cloak did fail, but it only failed just as I got here. Where is my weapon, I could hit her with the stun… Oh, her foot crushed it and she hurt herself when the power cell exploded.

Feyet stood up slowly as she kept her hand out and locked eyes with the raptor-alien. The tiger stripes and soft white edges at this range were quite lovely to look at, if this creature hadn’t just tried to kill her. “Stay there, just don’t come closer okay? Let me figure this out.”

Scratches tilted her head curiously. The creature was hurt, but so was she. Its hand was up, like when her tribe showed submission before a fight became lethal. It was making noises, but to Scratches they were the noises of birds. She snarled back at this shimmer-walker, snapping her jaws to show she meant business, even if her left foot did not feel like she could put weight on it. For now, the distance between them was unassailable. Scratches would find a way to get at her, soon.

Shit, what do I do? My weapon is busted, Juliette-1 is hurt, and we can’t understand… maybe I can get her to put a translator on her ear? Feyet lifted her hand off her bruised ribs and slowly unzipped a pocket on her labcoat. She reached inside and pulled out a couple of ear pieces. They were designed for her ears, but they would just have to deal with it. She held them up where Juliette-1 could see.

“Hey, look, watch me.” She used her hand that was at first holding out towards Juliette-1 to pantomime what she was saying. She slowly placed the ear piece around one of her feathered horns, then slowly knelt down to slide the other one across to Juliette-1. She stood up, pointing at her ear, repeatedly motioning for the creature to put the ear piece in.

It’s a long shot, but she might be more intelligent than I expect and get the hint.

Scratches watched the creature attempting to speak to her. Prey cannot talk, but she is not a hunter. She grabbed an insect, is she a gatherer? She is putting tool on ear, maybe I put tool on ear too? Don’t know why, but she seems to want me to. Scratches reached down with her talons, pulling her killing-claw back and picked up the small circular device. It was smoother and seemed more fragile than any tool she was used to. Slowly, she adjusted the circular white frame of the tool and put the black part against her ear.

“Good, Good, listen, we just have to talk a bit and the… tool will catch on.”

Scratches heard the tool making noises and tilted her head curiously, then recoiled from the sound. “What is this!? Too loud! What? Why? Stop it! Get it off!”

“Hey, look, working on it. Okay?”

Scratches stopped herself from throwing the tool off her ear. Her world view was slightly shattered because she heard the shimmer-walker’s voice. She understood the word work. This creature said work. “What did you say?” The ear tool volume was lower now, easier to listen to.

“I said, I am working on it. Can you understand me?”

Scratches felt strange now, her mind curious what this shimmer-walker was saying now that she could receive it. “What understand mean?”

Feyet realized that, right, complicated words may be beyond her. She paused for a moment and thought of something simpler than understanding to mean the same thing. “Do you know my words?”

Scratches blinked and realized this creature could not be prey. Prey cannot talk like this. Prey cannot know words. “You are not prey?”

“No, I’m not prey, I’m…” Feyet felt a panic rising up within her. I’ve broken at least three dozen regulations now, I am definitely getting fired when I get back. She let out a slow sigh of relief now that she took a moment to comprehend that Juliette-1 had just said she wasn’t prey.

“My name is Feyet.”

“Fey-et?” Scratches replied as if the word was supposed to have a space in it. “You, Fey-et? I am Scratches the Wind.”

Feyet took a moment and reset her own internal notation. This creature was Juliette-1 in the computer, but her name was Scratches the Wind. “Right, okay, we’re knowing each other a bit now.” Feyet noted how she was having to rethink her language to make sure she wasn’t misunderstood, at least until they had talked enough for the translator to work through it all.

“This your yurt?” Scratches asked, looking around. Putting weight on her foot made her wince as she stepped forward and left blood drops on the stiff white tile. The room was made of these white tiles. There were a couple of black ones, but Scratches had no way of knowing why they were colored that way or at the chest height of Feyet. They had access to neither open computer panels or open doors. It was intentional that this room was more barren, just in case a research subject got inside. It was cold here, but colder still were the strange rocks she was standing on, and these did not feel like any rock she had ever felt before. Too smooth and rigid, even for rocks in the dirt. The metal was not giving at all when she stepped down and kept most of her weight on the uninjured foot.

Feyet nodded and looked at the hurt foot. “Look, we did not meet on the best of terms, but maybe we can start with me helping your foot, okay?”

“Help how!?” Scratches snarled back at Feyet as she took a step forward and bared her teeth. The suggestion meant that a shaman might cut the foot off if the injury were severe enough, then she would be reduced to a gatherer. She did not wish to have someone talk about taking her foot today, but if it did not stop bleeding, it would be bad.

“I’ll clean it, umm… bandage, okay? Just let me get… herbs?” Feyet wasn’t sure what their word for medicine was, and was sure they would not have a translation for medicine, but herbs might pass.

“You have herbs?” Feyet nodded at the question Scratches asked. Feyet, as quickly as she could, she moved to one of the black boxes and pressed it. The wall parted like the one from the outside and a red box was pushed out. Feyet wordlessly and quickly opened the red box. She pulled out a red bag with some writing on it. The writing said First Aid in Feyet’s language, but Scratches could only see it as strange runes. Feyet started quickly pulling out some of the cleanest, whitest cloth she had ever seen, along with some strange container that made a soft thud on the stone. It even flexed when it was squeezed in a way Scratches had only seen a waterskin do, yet this was much more rigid.

“Listen, it will burn a bit, but I promise, I’m not going to hurt you, okay?” Feyet explained as she got out the gauze and medical alcohol. She gritted her teeth as she hoped that the killing claws wouldn’t go for any part of her not covered by the lightly armored synth suit. She wasn’t even sure how many slashes her suit could take, but she was glad it at least took one.

Feyet very nervously slowly started to bend down towards the floor. “Just don’t hurt me okay?” Feyet said as she got down to the floor with her knees. Her own digigrade legs made a nice seat for her and fully exposed her upper thighs. She made a place in her lap for the injured foot to sit on a towel from the medical bag.

“I won’t hurt. You speak, you are gatherer.” Scratches’ simple understanding was however rather reassuring for Feyet. Gatherer put her above the level of food, according to her research. So long as she didn’t prove a threat, Scratches the Wind would not try to hurt her. However, there were no promises that the rubbing alcohol would not cause a problem.

Slowly and gently she reached over, and Scratches was surprised when Feyet could squeeze the container and it did not break. A squirt of clear foul smelling liquid came out onto the cloth. Feyet nervously motioned for Scratches to put her foot onto her lap. 

Can’t use the more complex stuff since I don’t exactly have a comprehensive medical suite. I’m not supposed to be detected, and we don’t have additional staff here yet. We have a cabinet with some pharmacy stuff and two first aid kits, but anything beyond that is supposed to require full evacuation. If I request assistance, they’ll… Feyet trailed off in her thoughts at the idea that her favorite among this tribe would be euthanized and destroyed to avoid further contamination. Right, don’t want that.

The moment that Feyet pressed the alcohol rag against the foot where the laser pistol battery had penetrated, Scratches hissed but did not recoil. She let out a call of disapproval and Feyet removed the rag. “Okay, I’m going to lift your foot now, there is something in it, it has to come out.”

“Do it, gatherer.” Feyet did not like how the term gatherer was used here to make her feel like she was lesser than Scratches, but right now, without a weapon, anywhere above prey or food or a trophy on a pike was a better place to be. She slowly lifted the foot by the outer two toes, avoiding the middle toe and the killing-claw that curved up from the foot wickedly.

She saw what was making blood slowly drip off the foot now as it stained her towel and labcoat. A piece of metal, probably from the barrel of the pistol inside Scratches’ foot. She reached over to get her forceps and slowly reached up towards the piece of metal. She gripped the metal with one hand and the other held up the foot to give Scratches a point to hold her leg so she could see. 

“On three, I will pull it out.” Feyet was still trying to force herself to restructure her words into more basic language, but she knew better than to actually pull on three, or at least she thought she did.

“Three, okay,” Scratches replied as she stared down at this strange gatherer who was treating her wound. Scratches prepared herself for the pain to come.

“Just try to relax..” Feyet stopped, not sure if that word processed or was too complex. Judging from the curious expression on Scratches’ face, it probably was. “Make yourself loose.” That Scratches did understand as she unflexed her foot, and to Feyet, it was much less tense than it had been seconds ago.

“One,” Feyet immediately yanked the metal before Scratches could tense up, but that did not matter. The killing claw came down and slashed across her arm, cutting her deep just above where her bodysuit ended, right at the top of her forearm, thankfully not under her wrist where the veins were at least, but it was deep.

“Ahhhh!” Feyet howled as she recoiled and jumped back. Her arm screamed with agonizing pain. The claw had struck at the small patch of feathers just below her keratin wrist on the outside of her arm. The tiniest part of her that was actually vulnerable because of how hot it was outside and where she had rolled up the sleeve to be a little cooler. Her blood scent filled the nose of Scratches, and Scratches snarled at her as she drew closer towards Feyet.

“You said three! Why you…” As Scratches spoke, she took steps to get closer to Feyet in a fit of rage, only now that she realized she could take steps normally now. It still stung, but it did not hurt so badly that she could not put her weight down properly. She could walk, just with a limp.

Feyet hid her face, looking away from Scratches. Her eyes were closed shut, expecting the worst to happen now. She had made the move in the hopes of saving some of the pain and preventing just such a reaction. Her injured wrist was bleeding on her labcoat. It was a superficial wound, but she had no way of knowing that from the pain. She held out her uninjured hand, and in it, her forceps held up the piece of bloody metal from the laser pistol’s barrel towards Scratches. Her labcoat was utterly ruined as the blood flowed rapidly; no vein or artery was hit, but the wound was deep. Feyet felt like the claw had slashed her arm to the bone. It had cut through feathers, her skin, and any flesh, as if they were nothing but tissue paper. Feyet felt like she was a mere child compared to this creature that her technology supposedly made her superior to. She scrambled to find words to appease the very large predatory Scratches the Wind before her.

“See! It came out! It came out! Please… Let me tend my arm, please,” She spoke through tears rolling down her cheek

Scratches snarled a bit and tilted her head, confused by this creature. She looked at the arm and realized it was losing more blood than a casual warning slash should. The blow had cleaved through her. Scratches smelled life-blood about, not just a surface cut. The deep crimson stains told her eyes that her nose was not lying either. The white garment was quickly staining a very sickly color of red that only a wound that could be fatal would show. Scratches immediately turned and reached for the bottle of that foul liquid. “You weak, shouldn’t have cut that deep.” Scratches said as she offered the bottle towards Feyet, aiming it at the wound on her arm.

Scratches squeezed the bottle as Feyet had done, and the liquid squirted at the wound on Feyet’s arm as best she could aim. It was sloppy and got on her clothing, her lap, and even a bit on her neck. However, Scratches adjusted her aim and found the mark of the bloody cut along Feyet’s wounded arm. Feyet let out a howl of pain that echoed around the vacant walls. She hissed and suppressed her screams at how much it burned. She had no intention at this point of denying any of the pain she was feeling, but she couldn’t risk triggering a distress alarm. Perhaps it might make Scratches be more gentle if she truly seemed in pain.

“The gauze, the gauze!” Feyet shouted through her pain and agony and a clenched beak. Her eyes slowly opened and hazily looked at Scratches. Feyet had to blink away the tears of fear and pain she felt. Her heart was hammering in her ears, her body was shivering, threatening shock that she was willing to stave off. She was NOT a soldier, she was not used to this kind of pain or danger. She locked eyes with Scratches and tried to calm herself down as her brain fought her about whether she was in immediate danger or not.

Scratches looked at everything inside the red bag. She saw rolls of cloth, something contained in paper, a thick hide roll with more of the shiny rock attached, two more sets of the strange gripping tool that pulled the shiny rock from her foot, and several more of the squeezable bottles with liquid inside. There were lengths of wire and a couple of hooked rocks as well, similar to her claws but much tinier. Scratches were trying to figure out what gauze was. “What is gauze?”

Feyet hissed in pain as the alcohol worked away at her wound. She dared to look at it, and while she did not see white bone, she really needed stitches, but she doubted that Scratches would understand that. “The white roll of cloth.”

Scratches turned and grabbed two of the white rolls from inside the red bag and offered them to Feyet. She took the rolls and thought about her medical training and understanding of biology. 

If I wrap it tightly enough and push the skin together, it will still scar, but it will stop bleeding. I can get stitches once this creature is out of my lab. She started to wrap it, first making it one way, then the other, and used the gauze to push the flesh together, wrapping many layers until it was as tight as she could. She ended up using almost half the roll of gauze to cover her wound.

“Okay…” Feyet started to work her labcoat off and threw it aside. It was covered in blood and could be a source of infection at this point, especially if some of her blood got into Scratches' wound. “See, gauze covers wound, helps heal.” Feyet mentally complained to herself how much she was dumbing down her language for Scratches to understand. Her mind wondered if perhaps she could get Scratches to understand more complicated words with some effort.

Scratches nodded, seeing that the blood wasn’t coming through and Feyet motioned for her to give her the injured foot. Scratches placed the foot in front of Feyet’s face and twitched her claw a few times. She wanted this gatherer to know that no more tricks or lies. Feyet nodded and gulped, understanding that the claw twitching was a sign of irritation or intimidation before a fight. “No more tricks, do exactly what you say,” Scratches snarled at her, while looking down with a piercing stare and bared razor sharp teeth to ensure that this shimmer-walker got the hint.

Feyet nodded and started to work at wrapping the foot, making sure to wrap it up the leg and across the heel in order to protect the ankle and cover the wound tightly enough. “Sorry about that, I didn’t want you to get tense again.” Feyet kept adding a few more layers before she took one of the shiny pieces of rock and used it to secure the gauze in place.

“There, done.” Feyet laid back, breathing hard to try to calm down and cool off now that the tension was starting to leave the room. She almost forgot that a predator creature who could tear her to pieces was standing over her.

Scratches moved in close and started to sniff and smell Feyet. She smelled strange. There were hints of fruit from the soap and shampoo that Feyet used to help her smell like the jungle. They were native scents that would make her seem more like a tree or fallen fruit. To Scratches, they smelled lovely, like some of the rare fruit they would eat when prey was hard to find. There was, however, something else there.

Scratches pressed her snout-like nose into Feyet’s chest and inhaled. “You, want?” Feyet did not quite understand what Scratches was getting at, but Scratches was smelling the arousal from earlier when Feyet was watching the mating from the tree. It had started to permeate her clothes, and without the cloaking shield, it was leaking out in the room from all the adrenaline and excitement mixing with it.

This gatherer smells like she wants to mate. She is not prey, she could be mate, Scratches thought as she nudged into Feyet. Feyet looked up, surprised, and met the large curious sapphire blue eyes with her softer emerald ones. The slit of the raptor eye pulsed in stark contrast to the rounded eyes Feyet had. It wasn’t until Scratches pressed her nose to Feyet’s crotch and inhaled then licked at the fabric that Feyet got what Scratches meant.

“Hey, no, no no no, not that. Okay?” Scratches pulled back and looked at Feyet with a confused head tilt. 

“If no want, why smell like want?” Scratches replied with head nudging Feyet’s cheek.

Fuck! I got horny up in the tree, it likely leaked into the fabric. It can smell that I was aroused? I had thought their sense of smell wasn’t… no, it is, but is she smart enough to know what it is for my species as well? Feyet’s mind raced with the possibilities, but Scratches nudged her beak with her lips to bring her back to reality. She felt what the terrans called a kiss against her beak and felt a blush fill her cheeks as Scratches was signalling she was attractive to the uladon.

“It’s not that…” Feyet started, but she was thinking, Fuck! I do want it! She’s a primitive and it would break every single regulation I can think of.

“Then you are going to fight me?” Scratches asked as she brought her hands into view with their three clawed fingers and one extra killing claw.

Okay, if I do this, I basically am acknowledging that… Feyet considered her position for a moment. If she rejected Scratches, even her slightly more intelligent nature compared to the rest of her tribe, it might not go well. If she started the ritualized combat, Feyet would definitely lose and she might not survive.

Scratches stood there, snorting in impatience when Feyet held up her hand as she did before. “I need to think how to say this.” Feyet hoped that the word think was in Scratches' vocabulary or that she would at least be able to use the context clues.

On the other hand… Feyet looked at Scratches. She took a long look at the tiger striped uladon and the combination of bird and dinosaurian features in front of her. I mean, interspecies marriage has been at least thirty years approved within the Fjer Pluma Star Monarchy.

In addition, for science, this might prove sapience for this species and move them to a more protected status. And honestly, if you really are honest with yourself, if you had a fantasy of perhaps one of your subjects having interest in you, this would be the one subject. Even if it breaks every regulation on research in the Fjer. I mean… we’re in for a credit, why not a million? 

“Scratches, when you say want, you mean, mate?” Feyet wanted a clear and defined understanding of what she was getting into and Scratches’ intention at this point.

“Yes, you are acceptable. Must I fight you for it, gatherer?” Scratches was honestly more horny than she had ever been. Screw Brute of Brutes and their little Delux. This creature was frankly more beautiful with her feathers than even the most flashy of her tribe could hope to be. There were ritual tribal dresses dyed in the shades of a rainbow that did not compare to her feather pattern. She was also smaller, needing a hunter’s protection when her shimmer-walking didn’t work.

Feyet gulped at the possibility. No turning back now. 

She shook her head. “No, there is no need to fight. I just wanted to make sure, okay? Be gentle with me, I am much more…” Feyet looked for a word that perhaps would be in Scratches’ language to mean fragile or breakable, settling on, “…weaker than you.”

Scratches nodded as if understanding. Scratches did understand what weaker meant in this case. If she did not be gentle, she might break this shimmer-walker. She tugged at the tight black fabric around Feyet’s form with her clawed hand to try to find a way to get it off. Feyet shook her head when the fabric refused to give. 

“No no, look, we do this my way, the way my people…” Feyet nervously searched for a way to ascertain some control of the situation, at least until she had to figure it out or else even if she was willing Scratches might rend her apart. She had seen how they bite and claw at each other while mating. “Mate. We do this how my people mate, no biting, no scratching, and certainly no fighting, okay?”

Scratches looked at her, perplexed. She was the receiver, she should be the one who submits, Scratches should be setting the rules. She started to growl unconsciously until Feyet held up the bandage on her arm and pointed at it with her other hand. “I am much weaker than you, you don’t kill the mate that submits, right?”

Scratches nodded and hadn’t considered that until now. “Right, gentle, no bites, no scratch. Follow your lead, for now.” Feyet did not like the “For Now” part of that sentence, but it was better than the alternative.

Feyet slowly stood up against the wall, suppressing her instinct to flee the situation as fast as she could. She started to size up the primitive in front of her. Other than the scant hide clothing, she was quite elegantly beautiful. Scratches had larger breasts than her, but she could see the tension in them, with more muscle than her own. She had a bit more pudge around her gut than the others of her species, likely because she was a successful hunter, a bit too successful at times. That, and Feyet had noted while following Scratches that she liked to snack on the small marsupial and lupin creatures she came across while hunting for her tribe. On several occasions, she scoped them right up and swallowed them whole and still alive. That did not mean she let her muscles go to waste; her extremely powerful thighs and very heavy arms that Feyet already knew could use those slashing claws extremely well.

Scratches stood upright and showed just how much bigger she was than Feyet, especially now that Feyet could see the size from this close. Scratcher was almost a full meter taller if Feyet included the tail, which she did. Feyet gulped as she imagined what having to fight this creature would entail. Wait, we’re not fighting. I mean, this is the most awkward weird first date but… I cannot say I do not like where it’s going.

Feyet gently grasped Scratches’ hand and both of them felt a flutter in their heart for different reasons. Feyet, because when Scratches gripped back, it felt like she was on the first date of her life all over again. Scratches, because grasping a hand was to indicate more than just mating, something Feyet did not quite understand about their tribe. Hand holding was a show of trust, because either party could use their kill-claws on their hands to permanently maul the other.

Feyet led Scratches down a hallway towards her bedroom. This place only had seven rooms, but it was likely the largest building Scratches had ever been in. The ceiling was barely tall enough for Scratches to stand upright, however, her head coming dangerously close to the lights that were covered with a soft corrugated glass to diffuse the light properly.

Scratches however, had her eyes firmly focused on Feyet, both watching her and taking in the form of the smaller creature, which brought her more arousal by seeing how graceful and effortless this shimmer-walker moved.

Scratches' imagination roamed down the form with possibility, and she did like what she believed was there under the large black garment which clung to this shimmer-walker’s curves. The black thing she wore did not leave much to the imagination. 

“Your butt and tail are very lovely,” Scratches complimented, which got the cheeks of this gatherer to burn red. A good sign for her that she had said the right thing. She took in the creature as they entered a sleeping room. Scratches noticed the shiny silver flat rocks along Feyet’s back. They were in a thin strip along her back, interlocked in such an intricate way that her tribe could never hope to achieve such craftsmanship. She reached up to a small flapping part and pulled, resulting in the fabric tearing open; the shiny rocks separating before this strange device as it coursed down the length to the top of Feyet’s tail and the fabric separated and fell apart.

Feyet shuddered, feeling the other creature unzipping her synth thread armor. A thrill raced up her spine as she stopped and remembered how the mating ritual of Scratches tribe would proceed. She was clearly the submissive party, and Scratches wanted her to disrobe first. Feyet slowly took off her top and blushed deeply. She could still feel Scratches’ eyes staring at every part of that slowly peeling Feyet from the skinsuit. She looked up to see Scratches’ reaction; wanting to know what this potential lover would feel and to burn her face into her mind.

That reaction was interrupted by Feyet pressing the button on her door to open it. The smooth wall compressed back and moved aside, making Scratches grip Feyet’s hand in surprise, only to reveal a sleeping room.

“No no, it’s okay, this is my room, my sleeping place,” Feyet explained and gently led Scratches through the door. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She was completely naked now, her armor left at the door. If this creature turned hostile or feral, she would have nothing to protect herself from her. It was exhilarating and frightening at the same time. She was vulnerable, more vulnerable than she had ever been with anyone. She paused to let Scratches take in the room while she calmed down. I’ve never let one of my own kind this close, yet here I am giving into instinct with an alien creature on a primitive planet… oh boy… maybe my psychologist was right, I just hadn’t found a relationship with enough danger.

Scratches took in the room. Drawings covered the smooth white walls. Not just a few pictures, but hundreds. Some of them were simple sketches, and others full of color with paint and dyes. They were of her tribemates; nearly every one of the many who were in her tribe were on the walls. This creature was clearly watching them for a long time. Strange writing dotted each picture, runes she could not understand.

“Did you draw these?” Scratches asked curiously while stopping Feyet short inside the room. Scratches didn’t have to move if she didn’t want to; it wasn’t like Feyet’s hand could tug her even if she tried with all her might.

“Yes, I’ve been observing you all for a long time.” Feyet blushed. She had not considered her scientific drawings more than that. While some of them had captured moments of sex between the creatures, most were innocent. Many were sketches that had to be done quickly or they would lose the moment. A mother teaching her child to leap. Two adolescents playing and rolling, scratching at each other but not for anything beyond sport. 

Tribal rituals in full breadth of color, from the reincarnation ritual to the rights of motherhood, the ascension of the most recent mind-reader, and so many others. She had even included her psychic phenomenon readings and found that, in a few cases, there was a shape of one of the tribe’s members within the psychic essence above them. She did not dismiss their religion after that particular scene; she had evidence to support it.

There were images of hunting, including moments of capture or kill, even moments where the tribe ate creatures. Several drawings were of Scratches, including two moments she found embarrassing. One was her swallowing a cotton-tail, whole and the other was her, eating something in a very different way, a way meant to be private. “You… saw that? How?”

Feyet blushed deeply, as she had witnessed the tribe eating with things other than their mouths, but she was unable to determine why or how. She gulped. “Shimmer-walker, remember? If you didn’t know what to look for, you wouldn’t have seen me.”

Scratches started to snarl at Feyet, who turned around and tried to jump back. However, Scratches’ grip on her hand prevented her from moving. The snarl faded now that Scratches could see the creature’s front, exposed and bare. Scratches looked over her. The neck was longer than she had initially thought. Those breasts were much larger than she expected; larger than the small frame should support, yet there it was, perhaps her fabrics had compressed her body down. Her hips looked as if they had laid many eggs, but this one was mateless, how would that have happened?

Her belly was pudgy like Scratches’, a heavy female figure that was most inviting. Scratches looked at the slit between Feyet’s legs, the scent of her arousal much more prominent without her black covering. The snarl turned into a soft coo, which made Feyet relax and start gently tugging Scratches towards the large bed again. Well, large for Feyet, but Scratches might barely fit on there.

There was a bed in the corner, unlike Scratches’ tribe’s habit of putting the bed in the center of the room. A heavy blanket of unknown hides draped across it. The blanket was purple, with some image of a creature sewn into it that looked like a feline, but much too large with the same kinds of stripes that Scratches had. Not only that, it was many different colors, purple where the creature wasn’t, but black and white like Feyet. The blanket covered the bed, which was elevated to about the waist of Feyet, unlike her tribe’s beds, which were directly on the ground. It was also thinner than her bed. The pillows looked as soft as the gauze cloth that covered Feyet’s arm and were a soft blue that complimented the heavy purple blanket.

Her furniture in here had rounded edges, smoother than any rocks or pieces she knew of. There were handles for some reason. Scratches could only assume that this creature made stone baskets, a marvel to her.

Scratches removed her lower cloth, unwrapping it and letting the hide fall away. Feyet had expected the pink S-curved member of Brute of Brutes, but Scratches was an uladon, not an arrasius. Scratches took in the slender back, the soft white feathers, watching as the tail-feathers raised for her to examine the soft curved fleshy rear cheeks. Scratches licked her lips at the sight of her interest’s lovely backside and soft feminine curved butt.

Feyet beheld the uladon nethers. One was a slit down between her legs, but above that emerged a member from a second, heavier sheath, resembling an equine. A large, heavy flat head with a long, thick shaft, one that was much longer than Fjerion species, and definitely more rigid than a Fjerion one. She noticed the median ring just above the base. Right, not the larger ones with bird cocks, they’re smaller, and their cocks are… oh, that’s a lot. Feyet gulped, realizing she was going to be expected to take the entire length.

“Scratches, just be gentle, okay?” Feyet managed through a quivering beak, her eyes narrowing to pinpricks as a primal fear that she might be able to take the whole length cropped up in her mind.

Feyet tried to get Scratches to lay down on the bed. She wanted to be on top and in control, but Scratches refused. “Please, get on the bed first, allow me to—”

Scratches brought her other hand up and pressed the blunt top of one claw against Feyet’s chest and tapped it a few times. “No, you go on bottom, you are receiver. You get onto…” Scratches paused as she quickly adapted the new word, “…bed first. I get on top of you.”

Feyet realized that no matter how much she wanted to retain control, that Scratches had limits. Feyet gulped a bit. “Okay, just remember—”

“Gentle, no slash, no bite, I know, I… remember,” Scratches replied, having put the context of several new words together today. Feyet was genuinely impressed how quickly she was picking things up.

I do not know what is scarier; that she could render me apart, or that I want this. Feyet hesitated for a moment. Then, slowly, she saw how Scratches pointed her claw down in the same manner that Feyet would have ordered one of the terran dog creatures to sit down.

Feyet felt so small in the moment, and as much as she wanted to express her turmoil, or perhaps even argue about this, she just sat down on the edge of the bed. Scratches placed her free hand onto Feyet’s shoulder and gripped her other hand reassuringly as she pressed Feyet down onto the bed to lie flat against the blanket, head resting on the two pillows.

To Feyet, the blanket was just slightly rough, as it was made of synthetic material to simulate a wool and cotton blend. It was the perfect material for her feathers to grind against in her sleep. To Scratches, as she placed her knees on the bed and lowered her digitigrade legs so that her fully aroused cock could have access to Feyet’s body, the blanket was the softest, smoothest fabric she had ever felt. It added to the sensations that were new, and focused her mind in the moment to capture every detail.

Feyet was much warmer to the touch than Scratches expected. Feyet now realized how large the member was, and her mind raced to see if she could receive such a thing without hurting her internal organs. Feyet, however, needed to make sure that Scratches slowed down. She reached up and removed the top-hides that covered powerful muscled breasts from Scratches. She simply pulled the tie to make it fall away and hoped it would make Scratches less aggressive.

Feyet was very wrong. Scratches lanced forward and gnashed her razor sharp curved teeth at Feyet. “No, gatherer no remove top. Do not insult hunter!”

Feyet should have known better. She had hoped the unexpected move wouldn’t result in this. She slipped her more flexible hand from Scratches’ grip and placed both of them upon Scratches’ heavier scaled breasts. In for a credit, go for a million! She thought to herself as she groped the larger, much stronger creature, in hopes of giving excitement rather than fury.

“My way, remember, my way,” She expressed, reaching through the scales to softly tweak a nipple. This caused Scratches to throw her head back and let out a screech of surprise and desire. It felt really good to feel someone else playing with her chest, and Feyet now understood why hunters were so protective of them. Scratches felt vulnerable, even though it was this much weaker creature under her doing it. She also felt electrically charged, ready to move, and loving the feeling far too much to hold back.

She felt happy to be this vulnerable and thrust her hips unconsciously, grinding her length across the belly of silky feathers beneath her and hitting Feyet’s under-breasts with the broad flat head, causing Feyet to grip her tightly and let out a moaning hiss from her beak. Time seemed to freeze for the two of them. Slowly, they both opened their eyes and brought their gaze to each other’s.

Feyet saw something more gentle than the predatory slit of an eye would normally allow. There were a softness of tears that were not quite falling yet, but they were there. She sensed a longing to be understood, and a deeper intelligence than she had seen before. Feyet had not expected to be staring at the same kind of intellect she found in a species like her own, or Terrans, or the reptilian Honogre, but it was there and she could feel it in her soul. Feyet’s core heating up as she starred on into those twin sapphire stars.

Scratches saw a mind that raced with complexity. Her curiosity was overwhelmed at how such a small and weak creature could capture her and vex her so. Those eyes seemed like a bottomless pit of stars and hope, but she also sensed the fear in the back that Scratches would hurt her. Unconsciously, she relaxed her grip on Feyet slightly to show a more peaceful intention. She also felt a deep need for this creature to have closeness, with her; to be united with another.

Scratches and Feyet panted as their bodies heated up not just from arousal and the proximity to each other. Scratches had noticed how cool it was in Feyet’s yurt compared to the jungle, but now she wondered how she was so warm here. She let out a soft mewl of approval. “Good, mate, Scratches no hurt, Scratches never hurt…” She let out sounds of pleasure without ever taking her gaze away from the bottomless Emerald orbs that stared back at her.

Feyet felt those words in her heart. She felt the pit of fear she was suppressing in her stomach just evaporate. She softly nodded at Scratches’ soothing gentleness. For how much more advanced she supposedly was than Scratches, what she needed to do did not require words. A simple instinctual comprehension had been shared, and it was deeper than Feyet had expected.

Her injured hand slowly moved away from Scratches’ breast and she wrapped the softer delicate palm of her hand around the long red length that was wedged between them. Wordlessly looking down between their breasts, she guided the length between her legs and spread her thighs out. It took quite a lot of effort to wrap them around Scratches’ waist and thighs as she lined up the length to push it inside her. 

Feyet immediately knew there was going to be a problem. Her soft folds were not nearly going to be large enough to take the girthy member at first. It would take some effort to stretch herself out. “Scratches, just… be calm. This will take some time, please be patient with me.”

Scratches heard the words and put together that calm and time were things that meant patient. She nodded, “Patient, stay aroused, but do not go fast.”

Feyet blushed and nodded enthusiastically; a broad smile across her cheeks. “Yes, exactly.” Feyet’s words were full of relief, but she was also genuinely trying to encourage this sort of communication and behavior. She wanted Scratches to speak more, but at the moment, she had no idea what to say because of those two words and hoped Scratches grasped the second one.

Feyet moved her other hand to slowly press against her nether lips and started to feel herself part as her fingers slipped inside. She felt for her button with her thumb while two fingers worked between her nether lips, softly holding the edge of her claws away, being careful to not prick herself as she had done many times when she was lonely. She focused on pushing her lovely silken lips and velvet wet walls apart, trying to make herself stretch out and loose enough to receive. She closed her eyes and let out heated moans, gentle coos, and shrill soft caws of pleasure.

Feyet’s mind was focused on how it would feel for Scratches to be inside her, on how much she desperately wanted this and the want was for now. How good it would feel to hear Scratches moaning back… another thought hit her. She wondered if Scratches would say something nice or approving to her. Surprising even her, the words she wanted to hear were “Good Girl.”

Her other hand began to stroke Scratches’ steel hard length, showing that she had not forgotten about the creature that was nearly three times her weight on top of her right now. “Scratches, I have to open myself up a bit, okay? You’re… larger than shimmer-walkers are…” Feyet searched for a word that would be easier to understand than the idiom of ‘used to’. She paused and opened her eyes to look up at Scratches, who was letting out low moans and growls of her own from the hand stroking her length.

“You’re larger than shimmer-walkers were made for, I have to stretch out.” Feyet understood that, with time, there would be better understanding than shimmer-walker for Scratches, but right now, she had to make sure that Scratches stayed calm. Something wet, warm, and sticky was suddenly wet her arm around the gauze. Feyet brought her arm up to see a thick viscous substance on her arm. She thought that perhaps Scratches had prematurely orgasmed, but no, that was just pre-cum.

Feyet’s heart skipped a beat. She had not gotten close enough to take fluid samples beyond things that were left behind. She had no idea that an uladon could produce so much. Scratches gazed across Feyet’s body, hungrily taking in her breasts before her eyes stuck to the glob of her pre-seed upon Feyet’s wrist and arm. Scratches leaned in close with a playful snarl on her lips. “Lick, show me you want.”

Feyet gulped and brought the arm up to her beak. She hesitated, only for a moment, a tiny part still resisting that her mind had imprinted upon Scratches and this was a request from her mate.  Then realized that she had to provide as much trust to Scratches as Scratches had shown her. She extended her tongue and opened her beak fully, her tongue just barely clearing her beak. Without hesitation, she licked at the pre-seed.

It was bitter and salty, but to Feyet right now, it may as well have been fine wine. It was something she really wanted, her body was screaming for her to be mated. The avian mate imprinting  was taking over fully, something their genetic rewrites had not removed as their society did not see a problem with it. Now Feyet was seeing Scratches’ face and recognizing it as her mate.

“Scratches, I’m ready,” Feyet said as she removed her dripping fingers from her lower lips and brought them up to Scratches roughed leathery lips, rubbing her essence along the softly scaled lips. A heavy, leathery tongue extended out over Scratches’ sharp teeth and lapped at the fluids with a moan of approval.

“You taste sweet, like fruits.” Feyet nodded. She was a true omnivore, while Scratches was a carnivore that could eat some plant matter, particularly the more meat-like fruits that resembled a maritu from her homeworld or a jack-fruit from Terra. It was strange that the universe, for all its variety, had similarity across planets. 

Convergent evolution means that there are just effici— Feyet’s thoughts were shattered by her nether lips screaming out in both pleasure and pain at the same time, for Scratches had thrust.

Her body strained to open up for Scratches who had battering-rammed three full centimeters into her. Feyet was small for her species; the average height of a Fjer was almost 2.27 meters, while she was 1.78 meters. Her file said 1.8 because it was easier to round. However, her body was much smaller than the three meter creature that was on top of her, much less the cock that looked like it belonged on an equine creature!

She tossed her head back and screamed out, so loud that the room echoed from it and one of her security alarms went off. Her hand smashed the button on the desk to turn the alarm off before it sent out an SOS. She laid her hand flat on the device so it could scan her palm and DNA to confirm it was her. The alarm shut off. Feyet covered her face with the other arm, the gauze against her forehead and eyelids helping center her. She panted for air and tried to get her body to relax and adjust.

Her nethers felt like they were on fire, wanting more, but it also genuinely hurt. She imagined that this was what it felt like to lay an egg, but this egg was going to go inside her.

Scratches suddenly sat up with a quickness of surprise from the blaring alarm as the lights turned red for a flash, only for it to be silent and then back to white. “What was that!? Who is here?” Scratches demanded, leaning forward to interrogate her mate, only for Feyet to gasp and cry out more as more of her girl phallus pressed into her silken depths.

Scratches could not deny how good it felt, and she too deflated as Feyet fought for breath. “It is just me, sound is for me, when I scream it sounds like pain.”

Scratches suddenly felt responsible. She looked down between them, past their pairs of breasts to where they were being slowly joined together. Feyet’s legs were shaking and spasming uncontrollably, her body rising and falling rapidly as if they had been mating for hours or she had run down a stubborn fast prey. A light red bruising seeped through the feathers around the soft moist slit that hugged her member oh so tightly.

Scratches could not describe how good it felt. Feyet’s insides were so soft, softer than anything she had ever felt before. It sent electricity through her body and made the uladon’s heart accelerate in anticipation of how much more this shimmer-walker could offer her. Her body was responding as well, her own slit dripping wet with arousal, her breasts heaving and feeling larger and heavier.

“But it feels good, yes? Scratches not hurt you, right?”

Feyet bit down on her own tongue with her beak. She took in a breath, wanting to reassure Scratches that she was okay. “Scratches, I am good. Let me stretch out for you. Just stay still, okay?”

Scratches hissed. She desired to hold Feyet down and push the rest of her length inside her, but such an instinct would have to wait. “Okay, Scratches try.”

Scratches pulled back just a bit, not enough to withdraw any of the length inside Feyet, but enough to relieve the pressure of trying to go deeper. Dear fucking prophets why did I want this? Feyet thought to herself and let out a panting gasp. She took in rapid breaths and released soft coos as her body slowly adjusted to the alien slowly trying to have sex with her.

Scratches looked at her with lust glazed eyes, staring down at her but Feyet felt something she hadn’t yet, a gentleness in her movements. Scratches lifted her weight off of her while one hand held her. She wasn’t being held down, she was being held close. Scratches could sense the distress in her mate, but her mate had not said to stop. This was strange compared to the matings she had witnessed, but looking back down where they were joined, she understood. She even thought she could see a faint bulge where her member was inside Feyet. 

Then Scratches did something Feyet did not expect. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against Feyet’s beak with a soft noise of a kiss. Feyet recognized it as a lizard or a human kiss. She tilted her head, now intrigued, almost forgetting the discomfort. 

“Did you… kiss me?”

Scratches slowly, deliberately nodded. “Yes, to show mate I am here, and I… you said understand is word, yes?”

Feyet smiled, realizing that this Uladon had learned a much more complex vocabulary in just a day. She felt her body finally relaxing and the tension evaporating. She doesn’t want me hurt, okay, that… feels better. Feyet finally pushed her hips forward, winces as she slowly spread open, the slick flesh on flesh sound echoing between them in the near silent room as, bit by bit, Feyet pushed her mate deeper.

Her insides were suddenly afire, but not with pain this time; no, Feyet really wanted this. That kiss had been the reassurance her subconscious needed to fully relax. Slowly, she sank deeper and deeper, until she found the limit, her inner wall, her most sacred of places, and it hurt like hell when the head of Scratches’ cock hit it.

Feyet, however, suppressed her shriek by keeping her beak closed, though her eyes and body writhing made Scratches grab her. Both of her claws wrapped around her forearms and held her still. Their breasts smashed together and Feyet let out a muffled scream into her shoulder, finally releasing the shock of the moment. 

“Stop, stop, I do not wish to—” Scratches was suddenly very silent as Feyet pushed her beak into her mouth. If she moved too much, she might scratch or maul the long thin keratin, or worse, her mate’s face.

Feyet slowly pulled her beak from Scratches’ mouth and leaned up to wrap her arms around Scratches. “Okay, that’s the limit. If you touch my inner walls, it will hurt a lot. Okay?” Scratches blinked, confused for a moment as Feyet pointed at the part of Scratches’ length that wasn’t inside of her, just past the median ring where the base transitioned from scales to softer, vulnerable, more sensitive flesh.

“That’s how deep you can go, no deeper, okay?” Scratches marveled at the level of determination this smaller shimmer-walker had to put up in order to do that. She looked up at Feyet and then back down, then she gave a firm nod as slowly lowered Feyet back down to the bed and released her forearms.

Feyet had other plans, however. She had to show Scratches she trusted her, or she would constantly worry about hurting her. She reached for one hand and grabbed it, guiding the clawed appendage above her head where her other arm crossed her wrists and let Scratches hold her down. “Here, your people like to hold the mate down the first time, right?”

Scratches nodded with an approving smile. This gatherer had taken the hint. She slowly rolled her hips back then pushed them forward. Finally, they started the real fun for both of them. Feyet moaned out, this time with nothing but pleasure. Her insides burned for stimulation as she felt the length dragging along  her inner walls as it slid smoothie in and out of her as if there was no resistance now.

To Scratches, it was heavenly. This creature was as soft in her insides as her outside, no, she was even softer than that and it felt so very good to have her member attended by those walls of heavenly touch. It felt so good to glide back and forth. Her instinct wanted to slam her down and go as fast as possible, but this slow gentle build felt so right. The sounds her mate made enticed her further and deeper within Feyet. Her ears could pick up on the subtle parts of each moan, every mewl and coo to interpret if she was enjoying it more or less with each passing second.

She pushed herself all the way in again, and again, and again. Their breasts swelled until they were colliding with each thrust. Feyet’s back began to arch as the fire inside her built up. She thrusting her nethers to meet Scratches’ own. She was very gentle though, knowing precisely the length she could take before her insides would scream in agony. Again and again, and while their pace wasn’t building faster, their voices were. 

Scratches’ moans matched Feyet in pitch with time, and the two of them were heading towards the cliff. Scratches gripped Feyet’s wrists and held her down more firmly. The feeling was immensely wonderful. The other hand cupped one of Feyet’s breasts, rolling it between razor sharp claws that threatened to tear her flesh but stopped just shy. This elicited higher and higher cries from Feyet, and Scratches was rewarded by spasms of her insides squeezing down upon her length.

Feyet was close, so very close. She wanted to release it all. She kept up the pace and looked up at Scratches. She needed just one nudge, one little push, and she would be sent flying through the ocean of pleasure to soar into the sky. 

“Scratches, place my other breast in your mouth, don’t bite but just… suckle on it,” She begged through her ragged moans and mewls. The thought of fully surrendering and trusting Scratches drove her towards climax faster and faster. 

Scratches felt her own climax approaching. She wanted her mate to go first; she was the receiver, it was right, it was how she was taught for it to be. She thrust slower, but felt her length swelling up, she was approaching the point of no return. The pressure was there, she only needed a few more heavy thrusts. She felt her body tensing up, her toes curled and threatened to rip the fabric under her. Her knees and ankles screamed for release.

Every muscle in her body screamed with how tense it was to hold her own climax back. This smaller shimmer-walker’s insides were simply better than any mate she could hope to feel in her own village. The way her feathers felt against her own, against her scales underneath. The way her soft, plush breasts smashed into her muscled ones, and the way her body wiggled and jiggled from every thrust.

The way those soft emerald eyes kept looking at her, but they weren’t full of concern, no, they were begging Scratches not to stop. She had never seen someone beg with just their eyes, must less beg for pleasure. She heard the request and it shocked her. This shimmer-walker was fully trusting her to not hurt her in any way, and she took the cue.

Scratches hesitated, then slowly reached down and opened her maw, the razor sharp curved teeth were there but Scratches did so gently as she could and placed her lips around the front of the breast, ensuring none of her teeth actually came into contact with the flesh. That, however, did it.

Like a tidal wave of emotion and want, Feyet felt herself flung into the heavens with its impact. Her vision went white as her body reacted, spasming hard across her entire form. Her toes curled, her hips thrust as deep as they could, feeling the length of her partner slam against her inner wall and driving the air out of her in one loud passionate shriek of pleasure. The walls reverberated with the sound that filled the room. Her breasts heaved up so hard that they threatened to hit her chin. Her head was thrown into the pillow and her arms almost slipped from Scratches’ grip. Feyet was simply lost to the pleasures of the flesh.

Scratches held her down, and when she hit the inner sanctuary of her partner, she could no longer hold back. She held her hips close and closed her eyes to ecstasy’s oblivion as she fired every drop of her seed into the deepest reaches of Feyet. Every spasm of her legs, her lovely velvet love tunnel, her belly, or her breasts got another thrust that fueled another orgasmic shock wave that echoed through Scratches.

Scratches held Feyet to the mattress as her body rippled with pleasure. Her length sent electrical shock waves of lust turned into ecstasy through her form. Her eyes closed, seeing nothing but black and imagining to herself just how good Feyet would look full of eggs. She kept thrusting, spasming uncontrollably. Her body flexed and popped as she worked to get every single bit of her essence as deep as it could go, lost in the moment of purest love.

Scratches just enjoyed the feeling as she released the breast in her lips and let out cries of her own enjoyment, joining the music of screams shared between them. They egged each other on as Scratches’ cockhead mushroomed and sealed herself against Feyet. She could not pull out, and the seed had nowhere to go but in. The two were locked in their bliss for now, but that bliss wouldn’t last.

Feyet slowly started to see clearly through blurry eyes. The alarm had started again, and Feyet panicked. “Scratches, let go! The alarm!” Scratches, however, had such a powerful climax that she was unconscious.

Feyet had to will her muscles to move. They ached and screamed to not move, her body wanted to relax and recover, but she had no time for that. She pushed one arm up and used that to get some separation in Scratches’ near rigor mortis grip as she slipped the arm against the bed out and slapped her hand over the reader near her bed.

The alarm stopped, but then an artificial voice came on, “Warning, user’s vitals elevated to dangerous levels. Calling assistance.”

Feyet tried to talk, but she found her vocal cords would not work, her throat too ragged to work. She needed water so badly, but the interstellar call began to ring on the computer pad next to her. With her computer being the one dialing out! Shit! If they see this or hear Scratches they’ll come for us! Shit shit shit! Feyet kept wiggling, and slowly Scratches started to moan as she came back to reality.

“Scratches, get up!” Feyet called, and Scratches looked confused as Feyet desperately tried to push her off of her.

“Huh… shimmer-walker… hurt?” Scratches spoke with concern, but also a weakness that Feyet did not believe was possible for this much larger uladon huntress.

Feyet groaned and growled as she was finally able to push the semi-conscious creature off of her. She threw the heavy blanket over Scratches’ form. 

“Scratches, don’t move or make a sound!” She stood up as the computer pad suddenly cut on. Someone had forced the call to go through. “Field Research Feyet Harmonious, are you there?”

Feyet stepped in front of the camera, trying to block it entirely. The Fjer on the other end covered their screen. “My word, you’re nude!”

“Sorry, sir–” Feyet searched for his name at the bottom of the screen, “–I mean ma’am, I apologize to Commander Hija. I was having a nightmare, that is all. No need for the alarm or alert.”

The commander crossed her arms as Feyet tried to cover her breasts while she was out of breath and rasping for air. Her body was straining to stay standing. She ensured the camera was not pointed at the bed but the doorway instead. “You sleep nude? Strange being you are. First requesting this assignment of prolonged isolation and now finding you sleep nude.”

Feyet let out a sigh. “Therapy technique for dealing with the stress of isolation I was trying out. I guess it induced a nightmare. Won’t happen again, I assure you Commander.”

Feyet could not help but nervously glance past the screen at Scratches who had started to try to get out from under the blanket.

“Are you sure you don’t need some company down there? Prolonged isolation can have very detrimental effects on one’s health.”

Feyet nodded at the commander’s good intentions, but now was not the time. “Listen, I’ll be sending up my report and giving a video mental health evaluation with a psychological specialist at the end of the week. I have something fascinating for the engineering corps as well from studying the primitives. Now, commander, can I please go get some water and get back to sleep?”

The commander raised an eyebrow. “At seventeen hundred out of thirty hundred local time?”

Feyet let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, I am also studying them this evening, up close, with the cloaking device to push it to the limit in the night-time to see how they sleep and act once the sun is gone.”

Commander Hija nodded. “Right, and you needed the day sleep for that, makes sense. Report on the 27th as scheduled.”

“Affirmative, commander.” Feyet gave a salute by placing her hand flat, fingers together against her naked upper chest, elbow up, arm angled at 90 degrees from her body and with the palm facing outward.

The commander returned the salute. “Also, put on some pajamas.” The call hung up. Feyet just let the pad fall to the floor as her body collapsed from exertion. It clattered when she should have hit the floor, however her head did not hit the floor as Scratches rushed from the bed and caught her, just barely. Feyet was shocked at such a reaction speed, she had not seen uladon actually move that fast. It was a good thing to note.

Though, much to Feyet’s annoyance, the length of cock that was still out drooled spunk right onto her tits from this angle. Scratches knelt down with extreme concern in her eyes. “What was that?”

Feyet suddenly realized just how in over her head she truly was. She just nuzzled her head against Scratches’ feathers and rougher scales under them. “I will explain later. Can we just… rest for a bit?”

Scratches wanted to press the issue, but she looked so much weaker and vulnerable, exhausted now. She picked up Feyet with her other claw, careful to support her head as she turned back to the bed and laid down in it with her. She grabbed the blanket that had been concealing her and delicately pulled it over the two of them. It wasn’t until now that Scratches felt how cold it was in here, almost colder than winter in the jungle.

She wrapped up against the much warmer woman she had just mated with and ensured she was as comfortable as possible. Feyet stopped fighting her instincts and just curled against her, loving the feeling of the warm feathers and scaled flesh underneath. Her brain imprinted on this feeling, this scent, the voice, the appearance, all of it. Whether Feyet liked it or not, her avian instincts had kicked in, and this was her mate now. That was what her mind felt as she faded into the oblivion of post-sex sleep and cuddling aftercare.

Scratches just held her, and softly avoided putting the tips of her claws or her kill-claw near her body as she stroked her form, slowly feeling the draw of sleep for herself as she ensured her mate’s comfort, right up until the moment that darkness claimed her as well.