Slide Sideways to Mairr's POV

More and more lately, Mairr had the sinking feeling that his life just wasn't going anywhere. He had a comfortable home and enough money to take a mate and start a family, but by 26 years of age he still had never met anyone he liked enough to take as a mate. Den was cute, his other lovers had been nice, but... there was always that 'but'. But they weren't pretty enough, weren't delicate enough, weren't that gorgeous dramatic contrast of black feathers and white scales... weren't Graciles. Mairr had known for a long time that he liked Graciles - from the first time he had, as a teenager, sneaked up to where a band of Gracile traders were doing business in a small area of the market, surrounded by a watchful perimeter of Robust soldiers. It was a common game for the teenagers of the village to dare each other to sneak a peak at the mysterious and ill-reputed Graciles. With two companions Mair had crept up to a seam in a tent and peered in; and the three were rewarded with their first sight of three Graciles.

None of the Graciles were pregnant, or at least not yet noticeably so, so they presumably were not plotting to capture and **** anyone. They were not even doing anything particularly interesting. One was bargaining with a Robust, one was apparently making dinner from the smell of it, and the third was making notes on a piece of parchment. Still, the three teenage Robusts gasped at the sight - the other two as all the frightening things they had been told about Graciles were suddenly represented in solid alien-looking flesh right before their eyes, and Mairr... Mairr because he was utterly struck with their beauty and suddenly found himself with a cock so hard it threatened to burst through the front of his trousers and a pussy hot and slick with hunger.

The teens watched with fearful (or lustful) fascination for a few minutes, then a guard spotted them and shouted at them, and they ran away as fast as they could to avoid getting in trouble. Mairr never really discussed that sensation of sheer awe with anyone; well, he did once ask his older brother if he thought a Robust had ever mated with a Gracile rather than just being impregnated by one, but all Mairr got for his trouble was a very odd look and a "How the hell should I know?" But although he didn't talk about it, Graciles had a starring role in Mairr's fantasy life from that very first night. Mairr at first wanted to be a soldier because he thought that would be an easy way to get close to the Graciles and he also thought it would be an easy job for him because of his size; but actually Mairr did not like **** or fighting and was not a good hunter, nor did he like the idea that soldiers had to live in a barracks and would immediately lose their job if they happened to get pregnant. Realizing that he was totally unsuited to be a soldier, Mairr considered his other options.

The other kind of people who got to get close to the Graciles were the merchants and craftsmen who traded with them; and after some contemplation Mairr decided this was a much better choice, because the craftsmen actually spoke with the Graciles, while the guards just stood around and looked threatening. Mairr was also naturally suited to be a craftsman because he loved working with his hands and had a creative bent. So he apprenticed with his uncle who was a toolmaker, and later opened his own shop. And he did indeed take the first opportunity to go deal with the Graciles. But much to his disappointment, nothing ever came of this. His size terrified most of the Graciles, although they tried not to show their fear. And even those who got used to him or realized how gentle his personality was did not seem to be interested in idle chatter, much less anything more intimate. The Graciles could not leave their area, so Mairr could never see any in a bar or other more relaxed location, and the Graciles also did not want any Robusts to linger in their area once their business was done. All they wanted to do was sell their wares and leave town before anything could go wrong.

So Mairr knew exactly what he wanted, could see the Graciles and even talk to them, but could never have one. Mairr took Robust lovers, but was always all-too-aware that he wished they were more delicate and graceful, with paler skin and ebony feathers and that fascinating alienness... He knew, deep down, that he could never fall in love with anyone but a Gracile, and if he could never find a Gracile to be his mate he would never take a mate at all, never have a child, just lead a lonely empty existence and eventually die pathetically alone. In other words, Mairr maintained a cheerful exterior, but that was only a fragile little boat on a vast, cold sea of depression. And the icy water was always threatening to seep through the cracks in the boat and pull it down, never to be seen again.

Mairr had little fear to start with because he was used to being the biggest and being seen as intimidating by everyone; and depression makes one careless. And perhaps, on some irrational subconscious level Mairr thought that even if he were to be **** and impregnated by a Gracile, that would at least be some sort of contact with his unobtainable dream lover. Thus, one day when Mairr discovered he needed a special type of wood for his latest project, the wood of a tree which only grew in the foothills between his town and the nearest Gracile town, Mairr made a snap decision; he locked up his shop, made up a backpack of supplies for traveling and cutting down a tree, and just walked out of town... alone... towards the Graciles.