Feline agility

They stood there for a long while, peering across the ravine. The birds were singing brightly. It was late morning, and the sun was nearly overhead. The bottom of the ravine could almost be seen. The trees were already much larger here than around Jasper's village, although Zephyra had assured him that they would be much larger when they finally reached her home. Jasper wondered who would maintain a bridge so far away from everything, but Zephyra knew: it was built by elves. The well-made and, it was rumored, magical elven materials could stay there for centuries without corroding or breaking down. For elves, it made sense to build bridges far from villages and even trails, because they didn't need to be maintained. Elven materials, like the elves themselves, were immortal, or nearly so. And that could only mean one thing: someone had destroyed the bridge on purpose.

"Can you make it?" he asked.

"Make it?"

"Across the ravine."

"Make it across... How? jumping? last time I used the bridge!" said Zephyra, laughing. Jasper looked confused.

"Of course. How else would we get across? the bridge is out." he asked. Zephyra stopped laughing abruptly.

"Oh. You mean... Well, I suppose you're a cat, after all. You can really make that in a jump?"

"Well, yeah," said Jasper, "If I get up to speed I can. Long as I got a running start. It's not that impressive. Kissa and I used to have these contests and she'd always outjump me." Jasper went silent for a moment and his ears drooped. How would the orcs have caught kissa, with how fast she was? surely, she would have gotten away? Jasper squeezed his eyes tightly shut and shook his head. No, no, no use worrying. Not now. It was no use. No use. Zephyra watched him, noticed how he went silent after mentioning kissa, saw his ears drop. It was painfully obvious to her what was going on in his head. Jasper, for his part, regained his composure as best he could. He turned to Zephyra and said, "I, uh, I'm guessing you can't?"

"No," said Zephyra, "I can leap a little farther than a human but not like that." Zephyra squinted at the ravine. It had to be at least five fathoms across. Even if Jasper could leap it, there was no way she could. Unless...

"Wait, I have an idea," she said. She slung her pack off of her shoulder, opened it, and began to rummage through it. After a moment, she pulled out a long coil of rope and said, "Here. Take this coil. I want you to tie one end to a tree on this side. Then I want you to leap over the ravine and tie it to a tree trunk, okay?"

Jasper nodded, took the coil, and walked a short distance away from the ravine. He tied one end to a tree. Then he sprinted to the edge and leapt, holding the free end of the rope in one hand. Zephyra watched him sail over the ravine and land neatly on the other side, only taking a step or two on landing. He pulled the rope taut and tied it to another tree.

"Good enough?" he yelled across the ravine. Zephyra nodded.

An ordinary human would have needed more equipment to get across. They'd need a harness or some sort of apparatus to attach themselves to the rope. But Zephyra was an elf. A tightrope was all she needed. She slung her pack over her shoulders, set foot on the rope, and quickly, gracefully walked across it as if she did this every day. Jasper couldn't stop himself from smiling while watching her. Gods, what a talented woman! how graceful! he could see the look of concentration on her face as she walked briskly over the tightrope. He hair blew gently in the wind passing over the ravine, eyes focused she stared intently at the rope. When she reached the other side, she knelt down, grabbed the rope, and gave it a good pull. The knot on the other side of the ravine seemed to undo itself, and Zephyra pulled the whole length of the rope back to herself. Jasper looked wonderingly at the rope. How did the knot untie like that? was it enchanted?

"Good enough!" said Zephyra, "Are you ready?"

"Yeah. I just..." Jasper trailed off. It was high noon by now, and the sun was shining directly down into the ravine. Jasper wakled to the edge and peered down. The ropes on either side of the rope bridge dangled. It appeared to have been cut on the side closer to the village. The ends of the rope had been cut quite cleanly, and it didn't look like old or beaten-up. Someone had to have slashed those ropes.

"Zephyra," he said quietly, "Someone cut this."

"I know, Jasper. Elven bridges don't fall down on their own."

"Then... Who? an orc?"

"Possibly. They may have wanted to stop anyone from crossing the ravine. Especially people fleeing the village."

"Then... An orc has come out this far west."

"It's possible. There are stealthy sorts of orcs, you know. They wear black furs. They move quietly. And they're tricky. They do things like this."

Jasper shuddered and said, "Well, I suppose we'd better keep an eye out, then."

They continued walking. Jasper was visibly nervous. Zephyra noticed, of course, but said nothing. It was better for Jasper to be a little paranoid and focused on the here and now. The alternative was for him to dwell on the village, and on kissa. Zephyra would rather have him focused on the present moment."

Time passed and it was early afternoon. Jasper seemed to have calmed down somewhat, but Zephyra was determined to keep him occupied, and distracted if necessary.

"Are these the biggest trees you've ever seen?" she asked, waving her hand around. Jasper looked up. They were huge, true. Some of them were so big around you could practically bore a tunnel through them big enough to let a wagon through. And they were taller than any trees he'd ever seen. He gazed up at the canopy wonderingly. The tops of the trees seemed so far away. He'd never seen a cathedral before, but he'd heard tales of cathedrals. He thought that the roof of a cathedral must look very much like the leaves of the trees.

"Yeah," he said, "I guess i've... Never seen anything that size."

"They keep growing in size the further west you get," said Zephyra, "Just you wait. My house is high up in a tree. I've a lovely bed, stuffed with down feathers. The pillows are down, too."

They continued walking, Zephyra in front and leading the way.

"Have you ever slept on down, Jasper?"

"No, but I touched a down pillow once. A merchant passing through was selling them. They're awfully soft."

"Oh! well, then you'll enjoy sleeping on one. I've only got one bed, but it's big enough for two," said Zephyra, looking over her shoulder at him and smiling coyly. Jasper blushed, smiled back. Zephyra kept walking, and Jasper found himself staring at her butt. For an elf with such small breasts, she certainly made up for it with her hindquarters. Jasper felt his body stir as he watched Zephyra's gait. She knew he was looking, of course, with the peculiarly strong sixth-sense of elves. She didn't mind at all. She reached back with one hand and playfully adjusted her clothes, making her big, soft butt jiggle.

Jasper stared at it, practically hypnotized. Preoccupied with drinking in Zephyra's derriere, he forgot his feet. Out of nowhere, he felt a sharp pain in his right foot as he kicked a tree root and fell flat on his face with an audible "Ooph". Zephyra knew as soon as it happened and clapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a giggle. She turned around and leaned over, offering Jasper her hand.

"Are you alright, poppet?" she asked. He didn't take her hand, but stood up on his own, grunting as he did so. He'd hit the ground rather hard.

"Yeah! just fine!" he said, forcing a smile. He didn't need her help to get up, but he didn't want to be rude, either.

"Were you distracted by something?"

He said nothing.

"Well, it's fine if you were," said Zephyra, smiling, "You know that men can only think with one head at a time. And that's fine, Jasper. Just fine."

She turned and began walking. Jasper followed her. They walked in silence for a while, and then Jasper stopped. Zephyra noticed a few moments later and turned around.

"Jasper?"

He said nothing, but seemed to be staring intently at something.

"Jasper, what's going on?"

"There. The thorns on that tree."

One of the huge trees nearby had a vine of some kind growing on the side. That vine had jagged green leaves and long, brown-black thorns jutting out. It also bore fruit, tiny red berries that somehow looked as if they must be poisonous. On the end of one of the thorns, there hung something like a long, black thread, as if some beast with shaggy hair had gone by and left behind some of its fur. Jasper picked it off the thorn and held it to his nose. Then he turned to Zephyra, and when he did so, she noticed his hand shaking slightly. He handed it to her.

"Zephyra," he said, with a slight, barely-audible quaver in his voice, "What does this smell like to you?"

Zephyra took it and inhaled deeply. It smelled of orc. Nothing but orc.

"Exactly what you're thinking it smells like," she said, keeping her voice level. Inside, though, she was panicking.

"An orc. The stealthy kind you were talking about a while back. The kind that wears the black fur," said Jasper.

Zephyra looked silently at the hair for a moment, and finally said, "Come on, Jasper. Let's hurry."

Off they went.

Toward the evening, they looked for a place to make camp. Zephyra becked Jasper after her and, in the golden light of a late-afternoon sun, beaming in slices between the trees, they set off up a hill. The path upward wound left and right, crunching over the omnipresent layer of brown leaves on the forest floor. They finally crested the hill. On top were several of the huge red trees, and a great many boulders, higher than Jasper's head. Zephyra led him on a winding path through the boulders to a small circle in the center, completely surrounded by stone. They pitched their tent there. The evening sky was a slowly-deepening blue as they set up the tent. They were surrounded on all sides by boulders higher than their heads, except for one narrow opening that they'd come through. They built a fire there, heaping it up so it would burn late into the night. There would be no way for anyone to come upon them unawares without walking through the fire.

"Do you think it's enough?" asked Jasper, looking deeply into the flames. His eyes looked a little far away, as if he were preoccupied with something. Zephyra could well enough guess what it was.

"Not by itself, no," she said, "But there's a little magic that can be helpful."

Zephyra stood up. In the firelight, her slender form, clad in a green cloak, seemed to waiver, waifish and wispy in the dull firelight that cast dancing shadows everywhere. She raised both hands and held them out before her, eyes closed and humming some sort of somber, mystic tune under her breath.

Jasper felt goosebumps running down his limbs. It was some deep elvish sorcery. He watched as Zephyra made soft gestures, her hands moving slowly in the air. Her humming became slowly louder and then abruptly went silent again. In the entryway to their little clearing, out beyond the fire, something glinted in the dark.

"It's an alarm spell," said Zephyra, "If anyone gets close to us here, we'll hear a loud chime. That's our cue to get ready to fight. It'll be loud enough to wake us up."

"We'll have enough time?" said Jasper.

"More than enough," said Zephyra. "Come, let's get inside."

Jasper crawled into the tent. One side was open toward the fire and there was plenty of light. Zephyra followed him. He sat down on the blankets, stretched his arms above his head, and yawned loudly. His back cracked and his ears popped. He smacked his lips, the way one sometimes does after a yawn, and sighed. He felt tired, but something else was going on. Some sort of itch or yearning somehwere... Oh, that was it. Jasper was only nineteen. He ordinarily masturbated once or twice a day. Three times on a slow day. He'd been out with Zephyra for a while and was already feeling a little pent-up.

"Are you gonna sleep in your clothes, poppet?" said Zephyra behind him. She put her hands on his shoulders and gently massaged them, pressing her thumbs deeply into the sore, weary muscles of his neck and back. It felt so good. Jasper sighed.

"I guess not," he said softly. He raised his arms in the air and felt Zephyra peel his shirt off. He removed his pants, and turned to her. He pulled her cloak off for her. She gazed at him in the firelight as he fumbled with the brooch at her throat, unpinning the cloak and letting it slide to the floor. It landed with a soft sound. She raised her arms as well, and now it was Jasper's turn to remove her shirt. She sat back on the blankets, putting her feet up in the air. Finally, they both sat on the floor of the tent. He was still wearing his pants. Zephyra smiled at him.

"Do you like what you see?" she asked

"I... Yeah, I do," he said sheepishly, still smiling a little. "Do you?"

"I certainly do," she said quietly. Her broad hips tapered to a tiny waist. Her cute little breasts were pert, with stiff nipples. She leaned backward and put her weight on her hands, sticking her chest out and thrusting her small boobs into greater prominence. She didn't seem ashamed of them at all. Jasper could just barely see Zephyra's abdominal muscles rippling beneath her soft belly. Her whole trunk was stretched taut as she leaned backward, showing him her tight, slender body. Jasper shivered while looking longingly at Zephyra's soft body, her broad hips tapering to a firm, supple waist. Jasper controlled his breathing and steeled himself to make eye contact with her, trying to just look at her face and not her body.

"You silly boy," she said, giggling, "If I didn't want you to look, do you think I would have taken my clothes off? we're naked. You can go ahead and look."

He laughed nervously and looked at her body.

A faint breeze wafted through the tent. Even in the warmth of the fire, it was a little cool. Zephyra shivered, goosebumps standing out visible on her naked skin.

"Oh, Jasper," she said softly, batting her eyes at him, "This weather's got me all chilly. Do you think you could... Come here and warm me up a bit?"

Jasper crawled over to her and stood on his knees in front of her. Her big, blue eyes were hooded, looking seductively at him from under long, blonde lashes.

"Are you going to kiss me or not, poppet?" she whispered.

UJasper took her face in his hands, leaned in, and planted a big, overly-wet kiss on her lips. He leaned forward, placed his hands on her chest, and slowly pushed her onto her back. Zephyra was a little surprised by how gentle he was. Normally, inexperienced boys were a lot rougher than this. He must have been naturally gentle. Zephyra thought about that for a moment. An inexperienced boy would normally shove her down, **** his tongue into her mouth, squeeze her breasts entirely too hard. Jasper, though, seemed hesitant, as if she were glass and he were afraid of breaking her. His hands touched her questioningly, softly, unsurely. He wasn't a good kisser. Jasper placed his mouth over Zephyra's and clumsily pushed his tongue into her mouth. She nearly gagged, and then had to stifle laughter. He certainly didn't know how to kiss a girl properly! it felt as if he were trying to get his tongue into her lungs. She got her hands in between them and slowly pushed him away.

"Love your enthusiasm," she said half-ironically, "But just... Here, turn on your back."

"Okay," said Jasper. He looked at her uncertainly as he lay down on his back. Zephyra turned over and lay on top of him. With their height difference, she could lay on him face-to-face and almost completely cover his body. He felt her breasts press into his chest, her stiff nipples poking into his skin.

"I'm gonna teach you to kiss, okay, Jasper?"

"Okay."

"Alright, now, don't go for the tongue right away," she said, "Start of just like this. Do what I do."

They brushed their lips together for a whie. Zephyra smooched him on the cheeks and lips, giving him wet open-mouthed kisses and stopping to bite his lower lip and draw it into her mouth. Jasper groaned when she bit him, just barely hard enough to hurt a bit. She released his lip from her teeth and he gasped, eyes wide open and unfocused.

"Zephyra," he said, "Oh, gods..."

She giggled quietly and kissed him on the lips again. She trailed her lips across his skin, over his cheek, then down to the sensitive spot on his neck just beneath his ear. Jasper's back arched as Zephyra tounged his neck. He gripped the blankets beneath him and writhed as he felt her moist, warm tongue slowly lapping at his flesh.

"See?" she said, "Feels good, doesn't it?"

Jasper said nothing, but shivered and moaned.

"There we go," said Zephyra softly, "Good boy..."

She lightly brushed her fingertips over his chest. Jasper sighed as he felt her fingers glide over his chest. The skin on his whole body tingled and the hair on his arms stood on end. Zephyra trailed her lips down his neck and came to his nipple. She sucked on it lightly and he yelped, and then sighed. One of her hands explored down his ribs, over his quivering stomach, and just grazed the top of his groin.

"You're such a bad boy, Jasper," she whispered, her lips brushing his ear, "You're all hard down there. Don't you have any manners?"

"I... I'm sorry," he said breathlessly, squirming his hips around a little bit, "I.. I just..."

"You what?"

Zephyra's hand continued to explore the lower half of his body. She ran her palm down his tense, muscular thigh, feeling his body twist slightly as her hand moved back up from his knee, up to his crotch. He felt her fingers daintily explore the light thatch of his pubic hair. His erect penis twitched, feeling her hand so close, longing to feel the soft firm fingers wrap around his shaft...

"I, I just..." he said, still breathless.

Zephyra frowned. Laying half on top of him, she could feel his heart hammering in his chest. He was nervous. The furthest he had been with a girl had been the time when sucked him off. Zephyra knew that. And she realized that, despite his evident arousal, Jasper was very nervous. Her hand wandered away from his sex and moved upward, caressing him around the neck and shoulder. Her other hand moved under his head, supporting him like a pillow. She kissed him on the tip of his nose and smiled.

"Jasper," she said softly, "Your heart is pounding. It's like you're running from an army of orcs. And you're breathing so heavy, Jasper. Are you alright?"

"I'm... I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You're obviously nervous. What's going on, Jasper? talk to me."

Jasper opened his eyes and looked up at her. He tried to calm his breath.

"I just..."

He wasn't sure how to say what was going on inside of him. He liked Zephyra. She was pretty. She was hot. Her body made him want to scream. And yet, he didn't feel that he truly knew her. Could he trust her? what would happen if she touched him? surely, nothing bad would happen. The gods wouldn't strike him dead for such a thing. This was normal between a man and a woman. But still...

"Jasper," said Zephyra, "If you're not ready yet, it's alright. I can wait."

She didn't want to say that. She was already wet, and wanted him inside her. But she was an elf with centuries of life behind her. She could play the waiting game if she needed to. Jasper stayed silent for a minute.

"Just... Not all the way yet," he said.

"Oh? not all the way?" said Zephyra, smiling coyly at him, "So not inside me yet. And I don't think you want my mouth like last time."

"N-no."

"Then how about my hand?" she asked, "I know you like to touch yourself. You've had your hand there plenty of times. Twice a day, right?"

Jasper's cheeks burned with shame. He made as if to protest, then stopped, looking away from her with embarrassment. Zephyra giggled, gently squeezing his upper arm.

"Oh, you poor thing. Don't be embarrassed. Every boy your age does it," she said, kissing his cheek, and continued,

"Just... Here, let me. Is it alright if I do?" as she said so, her fingers traced down to the edge of his groin...

"I... I..." said Jasper, feeling conflicted. He felt as if it were bad to let someone he barely knew touch him there. But Zephyra was just so pretty, and her skin felt so good on him. Gazing into her blue eyes, he thought at first that she was mocking him. But looking into her face, with her kind smile, he realized she wasn't. No, she was just being kind. Giving him a choice. If he said no, then that would be that. She wouldn't touch him if he didn't want her to.

"Yes!" he said suddenly, "Go ahead. Do it. Please."

"Okay," she breathed, her mouth once again close to his ear, "Just relax, Jasper. Deep breaths."

Jasper lay his head back and breathed deeply, as she had asked. He sighed as he felt her warm, wet lips on his neck again.

"Good boy," she said, her lips brushing and leaving moist trails on his tender neck-flesh, "Just relax. Breathe, just breathe..."

Zephyra's hand slid down Jasper's aching body, coming to rest on his hip. His member ached, pointing straight into the air. Zephyra's fingertips slid straight over his crotch, and finally, her soft fingers wrapped around his shaft. She didn't stroke him at all, just kept his penis in a firm grip.

"Do you like that, Jasper? do you want more?"

"Yes, please."

Zephyra's hand slowly pumped up and down his shaft. A small cry escaped from his throat as she continued stroking him, the muscles in his abdomen and hips seizing up and her hand slid up and down his throbbing dick.

Just then, there was a sound like a scream. It was the alarm spell. Something had breached the perimeter!