Poisoned Lands

So, everyone here hopefully knows Navajas is pretty fantastic by now.  If you like their art style or just want to support a great artist, please consider joining their Patreon.  I did and, after watching their stream work on a really sexy hyena girl (and asking a few subtle questions), I made a surprise short story for them!  I hope y'all enjoy!  Not sure if it matters but the character is theirs and the setting is simply my personal interpretation.

The poisoned lands lay before her, stretched out to the horizon.

Sha'ell gripped her staff with her right knee planted into the dirt.  She wiggled her toes briefly, digging them deep into the fertile land as if to anchor herself as a ward against the disease invading their world.  Her hand touched against the petrified egg set in the center of her necklace.  It was a prize taken during a hunt and she wore it proudly.  Demon teeth were braided into the rest of the leather surrounding her neck.

Twisted trees, blackened and charred, covered the landscape beneath the jutting cliff where she stood sentry.  The gnarled branches erupted from the ground like ruptured veins of the Mother Goddess Kr'un. Purple ichor seeped from the open wounds scoring the trees.

Green mist permeated the valley below, poison to all who breathed it.  The harbinger of the demonic plague infesting their dimension, slowly consuming all in its path. They rallied and fought back, winning tracts of land only to lose more in other areas.  Her hand reached from her throat to her shoulder, lightly touching the four scars that stretched down to her side.  A gift from a hunt gone wrong.  An elder demon surprised her group a few months ago.  She'd barely survived when they'd retreated and was feverish for days.  Two died and the pain and that angered her more than her wounds.

Lightning erupted, crackling without warning to lance towards a ruined, corrupted village in the distance.  She imagined she could hear the shrieks of hidden shadows.  The work of another tribe's warlock, she imagined.  Another lightning strike and the ionized air shattered the emerald haze, casting painfully bright white sparks that showered the land.

There were sounds behind her. She tensed but they were human so she stilled herself, ever vigilant.

"It's time," a gravely voice intoned.

Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat but she waited, composing herself before she turned.  Three of her tribe waited for her with their shaman in the lead.  Two warriors, male, stood behind but the left walked forward to take her place.  Just as he passed, he tipped his head in the barest of nods.  Respect given to her.

She stood immediately, stamping the butt of the staff into the earth.  The shaman turned and she followed with the other male, Hur'kon, by her side.  Her heart raced but she forced a calm demeanor.  A part of her prayed daily to be chosen but it was remote, a foolish, prideful desire that she'd not dared let touch her work.  She fought so her people could survive, nothing more.  Their children deserved a world without terror.

They walked through the brush, down, down, down and into the sacred lands.  Hur'kon stopped at the border.  He turned away as she passed and his face was grim.  Only the blessed were allowed.

Thorny trees, for which she had no name, grew thick as they continued deeper into the lands.  Hours passed but the morning sun was hidden behind black clouds.  Wind tugged at her spare clothing and braided hair but she continued forward regardless and, soon, she heard chanting.

A ring of stones lay ahead.  She swallowed and stared at them.  Her fist gripped the shaft of her spear until they whitened and she grit her teeth.  She would not show fear.

Women sat outside the stones, hooded and hidden from her so she couldn't know their names. They chanted, praying to the gods and goddesses on her behalf, endlessly courting their favor.

The shaman led her inside the ring and she glanced down in surprise when her bare toes touched loose sand. The rich earth of their land ended as soon as it touched the pillars.  The sand stirred into small swirling gusts that danced and dipped around them.

"Your spear," the shaman grunted when they stopped in front of the largest of the rocks.  "Break it."

Her fist trembled.  She'd made the spear herself as a child and cared for it her entire life.  She slept with it by her side.  Now Sha'ell turned it, gripping it with both hands.  She slammed it down into her raised knee, once, twice and it snapped.  It dropped to the ground around her, useless and lifeless.

Four chains were embedded into the stone in front of her, each tipped with golden shackles.  But, as she stared at it, she realized it was more than simple stone:  an obelisk, carved with symbols.  The shaman stood beside.  He clapped his hands and two women approached her.

They grabbed at her spare clothing.  Simple knives appeared as if by magic and they cut, tugging at her flesh.  Sha'ell ignored them, staring at the chains as she felt her clothing fall away to leave her naked.  Sand grinded against her body, driven by the wind.  Behind her, the women clawed at her braids, undoing them without grace.  Her loose hair fluttered around her until she felt a hand grab them.  There was a sharp jerk and then sudden lightness.  The strands of her cut hair swirled around her and then away, caught by the wind.

Finally, the shaman waved them back.  He nodded at Sha'ell and she stepped forward before turning and pressing into the stone.  As before, she stared straight ahead.  Her heart thrummed in her throat.  She wanted to scream but her face showed nothing as the man latched the manacles against her wrists and ankles.

He stepped into her view, grabbing a pouch while whispering words of power.  His thumb marked her face, drawing white lines against her forehead and cheeks.  Her nose flared when he dragged his nail down between her breasts and further, circling her belly button.  And further, marking the thick bush covering her mound.  The eunuch knelt to draw branching lines over her thighs, calves and shins.

"Drink," the man demanded when he stood once more.  He held a gourd in front of her, pressing it against her lips.

There was nothing left to do.  She felt cold panic flooding her body but she opened her mouth and tipped her head back.  The gritty, cold mixture poured down her throat.  She swallowed while hiding her disgust.

The shaman bowed and then kneeled.  Surprise flickered over her face for the first time.  The chanting intensified.

She gasped and pulled at her chains.

Needles gouged her, stabbing throughout her body.  Sha'ell threw her head back to scream and the chains clattered against the stone.  She went to the tips of her toes as she was stretched to her limits.  Fire burned her throat and it spread down into her stomach and further.  Her breasts quaked and quivered while she pulled and strained against the chains.

Goosebumps rose over her body, an ancient fear response evolved into nothingness now but she shivered as hairs pierced the nape of her neck.  Sha'ell shook her head.  The hairs slithered through her skin, lengthening while they spread down and over.  They were multiplying, dragging against the back of her head.  She groaned when the dense ruff of fur waved in the gusts surrounding her.  The fur spread up lightly into her hair and the loose, straight locks responded by standing on end.

"Gods!" she gasped.  Her hair thickened, tickling her ears and she gasped again.  Her voice broke slightly into a stuttering noise and she waved her head, feeling the way her newly spiked hair and dense fur weighed upon her body.

The chanting surrounded her while the heat invaded her body.  The shaman was shouting before her, magical incantations that seemed to be several languages layered on top of each other, impossibly spoken from one throat.

Her jaw clicked.  Sounds vanished briefly when her ears popped.  They slid through her rough hair, the edges widening as they flicked and rose along her skull.  She shivered.  They tickled and she wanted to laugh but it was absurd. She was in so much pain but the way her ears flexed and rotated and dragged against the sharp ends of her hair was driving her mad.

She laughed but grinded her teeth.  And her nostrils flared. The bridge of her nose cracked.  She closed her eyes as it widened on her face.  It was pulling her skull apart, creating gaps in her gums and she couldn't stop laughing.  Sha'ell raised her chin, cackling into the driving wind.  She gagged when the skin stretched over her cheeks and her face slowly pushed forward.  Her canines twisted as they elongated and her premolars curved into fangs while more filled the gaps.

Veins stood out on her biceps.  Muscle bulged and the chains groaned.  The fur from her neck spread around to her shoulders and down, stubble prickling her until they lengthened into thick hairs between her breasts.  Black joined the predominantly umber hairs in stripes when her fur crept down her back.

Pain bit into her palms and she cackled again, her voice raising higher in pitch.  She turned her muzzle to see her nails folding and bending, pushing back into her fingers while curving outward.  Agony exploded in her joints when her claws anchored themselves.

The sparse hair covering her armpits was spreading to meet the fur growing down from her shoulders and she laughed again before her lips curled into an angry snarl.  Her spine cracked, twisting her briefly.  It worked down her vertebrae, snapping in miniature explosions until her tailbone broke free.  Muscle pushed against the coat of fur lining her back and she groaned, gnashing her teeth.  Her ass, covered in brown and black stubble, slapped against the obelisk behind her.

Flesh moved against her ass when the tip of her short tail dragged back and forth.  Black hairs tipped the tail and they lengthened into bushy strands while brown hairs slowly grew from the expanding length.

Her fur was spreading, growing from between her breasts, around the swells and up, prickling the sensitive skin until she couldn't hold back the cackling, coughing laugh.

For a moment, she thought the heat was dissipating and she was grateful for it.  Until she felt it begin to pool between her thighs.  Sha'ell hung her head, panting.  Her tongue slipped past her teeth, unrolling as drool dripped to the ground.

Short hairs covered the bare skin low on her belly.  She watched them march lower and she panted.

Impossibly, despite everything happening, she felt herself grow wet.  Her arousal was sudden and fierce and she moaned, ashamed of herself in front of the shaman and other women.  Clear cum dripped from her pussy lips.  Her labia bulged, pink darkening to black as they pressed tightly together. She shivered and moaned again.  Black and tan hairs emerged from her inner thighs, spreading outward from her changed labia.

Her heart pounded, louder than the drums in her village until she thought she would burst from it.  With each beat, she felt an answering echo from below.  She moaned and laughed weakly but then snarled and slammed her head back.

Clear liquid continued to seep from her nearly sealed labia, leaking down to the surrounding hairs.  She so desperately wanted to touch herself.  To grab and push and stroke...

Sha'ell's head fell forward again and the chains clattered as she leaned forward.  The hood surrounding her clit pulled back.  She watched the dark skin retreat while the slick, smooth little nub expanded.  There was the throbbing sensation she'd felt earlier.

It grew worse as her clit lengthened and she watched it horror and shame as it swelled and curved, slick and pink and incredibly erect while she continued to drip from her enclosed pussy.

"No!" Sha'ell screamed, pulling at her chains.  The links bent beneath her growing strength until she once more fell forward, weak from her changes.  Calluses formed on her dangling feet, pushing against the skin beneath her toes and forefeet.  She felt the strange pinching sensation that mirrored one that preceded the formation of the claws tipping her fingers.  She tried to move her legs to see what was happening but her eyes focused on her clit.

Sha'ell's pseudo-penis throbbed beneath her.  She licked her lips and strained her head forward with her tongue out.

Can... almost... she thought to herself as her tail brushed her ass and thighs.  I can almost...

She jerked her head up, sniffing the air.  A slim male was being pulled forward into the ring of stones.  Sha'ell groaned and then snarled, baring her fangs.

Wordlessly, the shaman stood and undid the chains while hooded women stripped the man.  He was lithe and handsome, bordering on feminine with his narrow chin and high cheeks.  Sha'ell licked her lips as she studied him.

When her wrists were unbound, she fell, landing crouched on her feet with her hands before her.  Her furred breasts pressed together between her powerful arms.

The hooded women held the man's arms and he trembled in their grasp.  They forced him down and to his hands and knees before spreading his legs apart.  One whispered something to him and Sha'ell's incredibly sharp ears flexed as she caught her words.

"If you run, she will kill you.  You are hers now.  Submit."

He hung his head and Sha'ell crawled to him on all fours, scenting the air the entire way.  When she knelt behind him, she reached beneath her body and squeezed her pseudo-penis with a cackling laugh that melted into a moan.  She sniffed him and then licked, her broad tongue wetting his hanging testicles and asshole, lashing against him over and over while her pussy dripped beneath her.

The man gasped and shivered but held himself steady, even as she began to crawl over him.  Her hidden, dark nipples dragged against his back and she moaned, bending to lick his skin.  When she felt her pseudo-penis bump against him, she snarled and nipped at his shoulder.

Sha'ell mounted the man.  She pressed her pseudo-penis against his asshole, rubbing it against the copious amounts of spit she'd left behind until it pressed into him, slick with her drool.  He groaned and she smiled while showing her fangs.  And pressed hard.  Harder.  He tensed against her and it drove her crazy, feeling him squeezing her changed, incredibly sensitive clit.

"Oh!" the man cried out when she pulled back and she bit the back of his neck in return before pushing forward once more.  It was becoming easier and she found herself deeper inside of him before pulling back once more.  "Gods!"

He reached back as if to cradle her head but she snapped at him and he planted his hands once more.  Sha'ell pressed her breasts into his back while thrusting deeper and deeper until her hips touched his ass.  He was moaning and pushing back into her in return.  His own desire fueled hers and she thrust harder while licking the wound she'd left on his shoulder.

Her orgasm was forming but it was strange and different and powerful.  Her muscular legs tensed while her tail thrashed.  She moved faster, slapping against his ass.  Her cum was mixing into the sand beneath her and her tongue was flopping freely against her teeth and muzzle.  Sha'ell lost herself to it, pounding and thrusting while the man's cock slapped against his own belly.

The man cried out suddenly and his cum lanced outward, flinging to the sand.  She could smell it and it overwhelmed her keen senses, driving her even more wild with lust. He shook beneath her, clenching his asshole and it finally pushed her over the edge.  She barked out in surprise at the orgasm that exploded within.  A stream of clear liquid spurted from the thin slit of her labia. She shook and laughed and trembled, stretching out her legs until she claws dug into the ground.

A prized virgin no more, taken by the gods while she took the man beneath her.

She collapsed and the stranger fell with her.  Time passed and she suddenly realized she was surrounded by silence. Her pseudo-penis was deflating, pulling back until it popped out of the man's asshole.  He jerked and gasped, grabbing his own cock when she was free.  More time passed and she saw the shaman stand before her.

Sha'ell rolled and stood.  She was taller than him now and he was forced to look up at her.  Her necklace settled deep into the fur covering her chest.

"You are a ghost now," he told her.  "Your sisters wait for you just beyond the vale.  You will hunt deeper, needing no weapons other than your claws and teeth.  You are our spear now.  The first to hunt and none can withstand you."

"Yessss," she groaned, luxuriating in the thought of rending and tearing at demon flesh.  She could already feel her clit swell in excitement and she no longer felt shame in it.

"He is yours," the shaman continued, pointing at the prone man.  "Your support.  He will care for your wounds, carry your burdens and cook your meals.  Whatever you require.  You are bonded together now and he shares in your divine protections."

She turned to the man as he pushed himself up on shaky legs.  The hooded women brought simple clothing for him to wear.

"May the gods bless you," the shaman said, kneeling once more. The women knelt at once, bowing their heads to her.

Sha'ell lifted her muzzle, scenting the air.  She could smell her sisters in the distance and she turned to them.  The male followed without a word, trailing behind her as she stepped past the stones.  Energy coursed through her and she flexed her claws.  She would need to hunt, she knew, to temper the rage within.  And then she would feast.  And then...

She turned to the male, baring her fangs in a smile before breaking into a cackling laughing fit.  He shrunk in on himself but she could smell his arousal and she smiled again.

The gods had blessed her indeed.