Time Together, Time Apart Pt. 01

This is a short work of erotic fiction containing furry, or anthropomorphic, characters, which are animals that either demonstrate human intelligence or walk on two legs, for the purposes of these tales. It is a thriving and growing fandom in which creators are prevalent in art and writing especially.

All work is fiction intended for fantasy only, regardless of content, and consent must always be acquired when engaging in any sex act with another adult.

Please note that all characters are clearly over eighteen and written as such in all stories.

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Herring Archipelago was a lively, bustling place, known as a Resort City to many and one that was primarily reached by boat. There was a narrow jetty of land that could be used to get to it via the land mass that Sandor and Alyssa lived on, but it was a longer, more harrowing journey -- and hadn't they both had more than enough of long, harrowing journeys by that time?

No... Oh, no. It was more than about time that the doe-taur and the white fox had some rest and relaxation, even though Sandor still had not found an answer to his infection. Or was it perhaps a curse? Sandor hadn't found the right word for it, not quite yet, in his mind, though the fox checked the bags strapped to Alyssa's body as he fussed and fretted over her, far more than he had done in the past when they had lived together. Before he had disappeared for...too long.

"Are you sure that this is okay?" He said, though it was all the fox could do to settle his still queasy stomach as they waited near the docking ramp of the ship to disembark. "It's...unff...not too heavy for you, is it?"

Alyssa chuckled and shook her head, even though there was rather a lot of luggage strapped to her, hanging down on either side of her admittedly light body. Being a taur meant that she had plenty of back to strap backs to and they hung down over her deer shoulders, the barrel of her stomach and her rump too, though not in any way that they impeded her ability to walk and move easily. She still felt the weight of them, however, especially the ones on top of her back, for they had had to make good use of every inch of available space on her body to get the luggage to where it needed to go. She had not wanted to leave something behind that she needed and knew the capabilities of her own body.

"It's fine, Sandor," she said, the doe-taur still marvelling at the fact that she could have those conversations with him, for he was there, with her, and not off somewhere else, not somewhere where she could not reach him. "I can even take more, if you think that we should strip the bedding from our room on the ship and perhaps take the lamp and the chest at the bottom..."

Her eyes twinkled with mischief, feeling more like herself than she had in a long time. The fox scoffed and pretended to swat her playfully for teasing him with the notion of piling even more on her back (things that they would have never brought with them anyway), but he was still too nauseous to really do much. It was only playful, after all, but he had not realised just how queasy he would get on the boat. Alyssa had a little more of her deer heritage to help her out there and, despite the difference in their physiology, the deer-taur did not often feel like she wanted to empty the contents of her stomach. Stomach pains, if she was unwell, were more common for her.

Still, it had been strange, very much so, for Sandor to feel so weak on the boat, not even able to use any spells to help himself. Out on the water, even though his ability to cast spells stretched far beyond his affinities, he was away from both fire and nature, though the former had fallen by the wayside as the dark influence of the ancient tree and spirit had corrupted him further.

Hm... Maybe corruption was the right word for his condition. Like he was rotting from the inside out, a beast caught by the need to devour. But Sandor had the pills that had been given to him by the naga and, well, he only had so many of those left. They had settled down that raging hunger in him, at the very least, for which the fox was eternally grateful. Yet little did he know that distracting his attention, even then, was perhaps not the best course of action that he could have taken.

There were actions that needed to be had and steps that needed to be taken, regardless of what he craved and the time that he desired to spend with his sweet doe-taur.

Oh, how he had missed her... Even looking at her as she stood there, the breeze ruffling her hair back from her shoulders, the brunette strands longer than they had been when he had left. Sandor had tried to encourage her to get them trimmed, but they reached down to the midpoint of her back, lightly curly and wavy, the doe-taur taking good care of herself without spending much of her money. She had suggested to him that she could trim her own locks, if he would like the look better, but Sandor had baulked at that. As handy and as skilled as the doe-taur was, she could surely use his money, what he earned as a mage and beyond, to take better care of herself, even to treat herself more kindly. She might not have earned as much for herself but his money was her money -- and the fox wished he could find a way to truly convey that to the doe-taur.

His eyes roamed down her body, waiting to disembark the ship, noting how she braced and spread her hind hooves apart a little more, the little, dark cloven hooves so delicate in their framing, even though the fox knew that they were so very strong too. The bags covered her, but she wore a soft, white tunic-like shirt that hung down over the deer part of her body, across what was the deer's chest above her front legs. It flowed and rippled, catching the breeze, yet was cinched at the waist to make sure that it would not fly up. The top of the bosom was exposed, though Alyssa was usually quite modest in her style of dress, the deer-taur having grown in confidence and styling since having to take care of and look after herself.

He only wished that it had never come to that, though Sandor knew that there was nothing he could do by wishing that he could go back and make a different decision. There had been few decisions that he felt he could make back then, when his fear of giving in to the devouring and doing the worst to Alyssa...

The fox sighed, shaking his head. No, it did no good to linger on those thoughts. He had the pills and he could use those to control it all, at least for the time being. That would have to be enough for him, all while he made up for lost time with Alyssa.

Pushing down his stomach, trying to quell his nausea, Sandor smiled and put his arm around her shoulders, hugging her gently to him. She was so strong and had been so strong through their time apart too. He could hardly believe that she was able to avoid seasickness while he had bounced all over the cabin of the ship even while trying to use his flying magic to float. He had thought that he would be able to better control himself and his stomach if he was not on the timber of the ship itself, but the problem therein lay where the ship was still moving, while Sandor was trying to stay still.

It had been nice though, when his stomach had settled some, on the ship, and the waters had been less choppy, to talk to Alyssa, even in explaining, simply, that one of his teachers at the grand academy had told him too that flying was one of his gifts. It had been strange, those first few times, to lift off from the ground without anything holding him up, a strange sense of weightlessness tugging at his fur, though he had latched onto it eagerly. Who wouldn't have wanted to fly?

Yet it had failed to keep him from seasickness, even though Alyssa did not need his help at all, and the vine-bed, a hammock-like contraption where they could sleep together, didn't help either. Mostly, Alyssa soothed him and laid cool flannels on his forehead, trying to distract him from the seasickness. When it was at its worst, even his magic did not help him and he couldn't even reach for it, despite it being there.

They disembarked, slowly going down the wide gangplank that connected the boat to the shore, the docks heaving with life. They had docked in the tourist section of the harbour, for travellers of their kind, and water lapped at the golden-brown stones of the harbour wall, seeming a very long way below them. Sandor had never been at any great height over water before and he gulped, straining to keep his wobbly stomach in place, Alyssa, for once, taking the lead.

Oh, it was good that he could trust her to take the lead, that he could have that faith in her again. It had been terrible on his own, not having her there to support him, but the fox understood more and more how that was meant to be a two-way street between them. Their upbringing together, with Alyssa being a servant of his household, had warped their relationship. Even if Alyssa seemed perfectly happy with the arrangement still and did not open up to any prying questions that he offered her, he knew that he had to do something to change the order of things between them, in their relationship.

Down on solid ground again, he could breathe again, though he still took a moment while Alyssa looked around, never going further than a couple of metres from the fox.

Herring Archipelago was so...big! She hadn't expected so many people to be there, even after moving to their new town where she had even lived on her own for that time without Sandor. But everyone came there, anthros of all species and even taurs like her too! Horses pulled carts of tourists from place to place, some taurs, taller, stronger ones, leading the way in carriages, though they were dressed as if they were a part of the show, their clothes light and fine, suited to the warmth of the air.

It was not too hot there either, the air dry but not too dry. That had to be the effect of being so close to the ocean, the Resort City bordering the sea, which was why so much of its business was done through the expansive docks. The harbour was made out of golden-brown stone with blue-green water lapping at the small beach and around the hulls of the boats, masts rising tall and proud.

The harbour was broken up into sections with tall outcrops of stone walkways -- which were needed for the greater height of the tourist ships clearly, the kind that brought a lot more anthros and other creatures along with them. Further away, the fishermen and the tradesfolk with smaller boats had wooden jetties separating their boats and docking points, where they could tie up in the harbour to ensure their vessels were safe at night. But Alyssa could not see that far with the taller, grander tourist ships and big trading vessels between them, the air crowded with masts and rigging and ropes. She didn't know much about boats but, from what she had been able to see on the transport ship, it had been fascinating to watch them work, men and anthros. Of course, a taur couldn't get up in the rigging with their hooves, or at least not with the amount of agility and finesse that seemed to be required, leaving her firmly with her hooves on the wooden decking.

The landing point itself was such a throng of people that Alyssa hardly knew where to look, her hair brushing back from her ears. There was a lot of noise too, a lot of loud conversations going on all around her, but maybe that was an instance where her being a taur allowed her to be invisible. However, no one bumped into her, moving around her like a river around a stone in the riverbed, flowing easily.

Exotic trees with long, flat, draping leaves bordered the harbour prettily and a wide street seemed to lead down to a shopping district set with bright merchant carts and the banners of shops that she could not tell the produce of, not from a distance. Spices and herbs and incense coloured the air, floating from that area, as she inhaled deeply, trying to make sense of everything around her at once.

And then there was a restaurant -- not an inn, something grander than that for the tourists who came there to spend their hard-earned money -- near the seafront too, away from the harbour but still well in sight of it for those that liked a view. A grand canopy was stretched out in front of it to shade patrons from the heat of the noonday sun, though it was mid to late afternoon at that time and, thankfully, a moderate day. Yet the aromas of richly cooked food, thick with cream and perhaps even mouth-watering dishes for the vegetarian Alyssa to enjoy, teased at her senses and forced her to swallow.

She likely would not be able to suggest a place to eat there, considering that that place looked to be far out of their price range. But she could, at the very least, get Sandor safely to the inn, if she was careful about it.

Looking down at the white fox, Alyssa smiled and ran her fingers through the fur between his ears, her fingers scratching and tickling soothingly, drawing him back to her and the present. He had longer white hair there, though he had had a trim before they had left, which at least made him look a little tidier and more presentable, despite his state of queasiness. But they couldn't stay down there on the bench forever...

"Sandor," she said, stroking his muzzle as he turned his cheek into her hand. "Are you okay? We should go to the inn and take off my luggage... She flinched and half-shrugged, giving him a sheepish smile. "There may be pickpockets and I can't keep an eye on all of the luggage when it's on my back."

"Yes, I know... I understand... Sorry, Alyssa..."

The fox laughed sheepishly and stood, rubbing the back of his neck. Well, they were a pair, weren't they? But he'd rather think about them both there with affection like that rather than not at all, for he had come back to at least be with her. Maybe that was the best that he could offer her.

He stood more easily, taking a deep breath of the fresh, ocean air, even though it was still lightly coloured and fragranced with Herring Archipelago. The afternoon would wear on into dusk if they stayed there and forgot about checking into the inn and he shook his head slowly, managing to at least clear it a little. That was all he could do sometimes, but he hoped to never again fall seasick, even if he was well enough aware that they had a trip back to take too, when the time came. Perhaps there were some remedies for seasickness sold in Herring Archipelago? He could only hope.

They headed through the marketplace first, Alyssa reading the map that Sandor held for her, though even his vision felt a bit shaky still, as if he was still imagining the ground moving and shifting under his feet. That was very much a disconcerting feeling, one that he didn't want to return to at all quickly. Damn, those boats...

Alyssa seemed spellbound by the sights and sounds, even pointing to a live performance that was taking place on a stage at the end of the marketplace. They didn't know what the performers were trying to do, but they could, at least, be amazed by the flips and jumps they were making through the air, acrobats of some kind. His stomach eased a little more and they found their way through the crowd to the inn, though there were several there -- presumably to be able to better serve all the tourists that visited the area. There were so many there, many more than Sandor had even anticipated, but he did not mind too much. It reminded him of the big city and all the time that he had spent studying and working with his fellow mages. Being along in the quiet was nice, but that did not mean that the world there was not one familiar and comforting to him too.

But there were a lot of others around, other taurs and anthros too... He swallowed hard, shoving down his worries. No, that wasn't something that he had to think about, no. He had the pills. Everything would be okay, as long as he had those.

"Good afternoon!" The receptionist manning the front desk at the inn, where they would go up to their rooms, greeted them warmly. "Thank you for coming here today and for choosing our inn! What name is your reservation under?"

Of course, the wolf anthro only spoke to Sandor, though Alyssa was not surprised at that, even though it annoyed her very slightly. She didn't mind some things in life, but looking back on how she had handled and managed herself as a lone doe-taur during Sandor's time away had given her a lot more confidence in handling herself. She could manage the mindless things, like booking into an inn, and Sandor didn't have to.

"Sandor Everlast," she said, resting a hand in the small of his back, meeting the wolf's eyes. "We have a double room reserved under his name, for fourteen days."

"Ah, yes, of course," the wolf said, smoothly transitioning; most likely she thought that Alyssa was merely a doe-taur looking out for her master and taking care of his affairs as he wanted her to. "That is all set up and ready for you. Will you be requiring a maid service in the morning?"

Sandor smiled and nodded to Alyssa, more than happy that she was going ahead. He was still not quite feeling himself. Thank the ancestors for Alyssa, truly.

"Yes, we shall," she said. "We will decide on the services required for the rest of the stay after the first night, however. Is there anywhere that you would recommend we find food for the night?"

"Yes, of course!" That seemed to be something that the wolf receptionist wanted to tell them, for she most likely had an agreement with local eateries to send them business. "Our inn, of course, has a wonderful selection, though we focus mostly on ales and beers imported via our docks and tradespeople. Two doors down is a parlour with fine wines and, if you continue on down this street, towards the tower, there is a restaurant very well known for the fish delicacies that they offer."

"And what of the vegetarian options?" Sandor said, butting in while Alyssa did her best not to make a face at the options that have been presented so far. "Alyssa does not eat meat."

She was vegetarian, of course, but she still didn't mind preparing Sandor's meals with meat all that much. Frankly, for her, it would be strange for her to not be preparing her meals, though Sandor had insisted on them only getting a room and not a place where she could prepare food. The doe-taur did not honestly know whether that was because of any price difference or Sandor just wanting to do yet another thing to make up for his time apart from her.

There were only some things that she could do, after all, to tell him that everything was alright now that he had come back to her.

While the wolf fumbled and tried to find somewhere better to recommend to both of them to eat, Alyssa took the room key from her with a smile.

"I am sure we will find somewhere absolutely lovely to dine," she said, smoothing over things, as she did quite often. "It is of no consequence and we may also try your delightful inn and the food on offer tonight too."

Sandor nodded and smiled, glad that his doe-taur was at least happy too, for that was all that he had wanted. With the key in his hand, they made their way up the stairs to their room, Alyssa taking a moment longer. Even though she was fairly good at carrying the bags with her, they were still quite difficult to carry when she was going up and down inclines, or stairs too, for that matter.

There was only so much, after all, that she could be physically capable of, even though she wanted to be her best for Sandor.

In the room, she breathed a sigh of relief as he unloaded the bags from her, with her help too. The weight off her back was very much a literal one as the bags were all carefully unpacked and folded, though Sandor came back to himself more and more as they went through them. It was much better for him, after all, to be on solid ground once more, but he didn't quite know if he was going to be able to either find some seasickness medication or a suitable spell to make the journey back any easier. To say that Sandor was dreading it was an understatement indeed...