A Brief Respite

Story by BlackRaven on SoFurry

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Two traveling Merchants are on their way to the capital of their nation but decide to take a break at a hot spring and relax for a bit. A bit of shenanigans happen...

**This story features casual nudity. The two main characters will be naked but no sex happens in the story. If you are disappointed, I am sorry about that**

I plan on making more stories with these two and their travels across this fantasy world I have made. It's not really a story with a main plot, it's just these characters traveling their home nation and spreading the culture from their home region to the other regions and learning from the new cultures they are running into. I thought I'd start with this little chapter talking about these two and how their relationship is before I get in to other things. Hope everyone reading enjoys it! Comments are greatly appreciated! Love it, hate it, indifferent, I wanna hear it!


Ava and Kori were traveling merchants for the Merian Empire. The two of them had only joined their respective businesses together a few months ago but they were already making a pretty decent amount of money.

“How much further until the capital?” Kori asked, trailing behind Ava quite a bit. He was breathing pretty heavily and stopped to catch his breath while she smirked back at him and looked at her map.

“Well, assuming you don’t pass out on us, we should make it in about another day!” she said joyously, putting her map away and continuing on the path.

“Hang on! Lemme just… lemme catch my breath…” he said as he sat down, leaning against a tree. Alfia scoffed before laughing and walking up to his side.

“Come onnnn you big baby. You’re delaying our arrival.” Kori ignored her, laying down on the floor and taking his time. She frowned and tickled his nose with her tail. He brushed her away but she kept doing it until he finally sat up.

“Ava, Ima pull your tail off if you don’t stop it.” He was half joking but really wanted her to stop.

“Yeah right, sure ya will,” she scoffed. Kori pursed his lips. Ava smirked as her tail wagged behind her. She was a gray and white colored wolven woman, her eyes a deep green. Those same green eyes almost seemed to glow as they stared at each other for a bit before she sighed and sat down next to him.

“Fineeeeeee fine. You humans and your weak feet,” she said smiling, looking over the map.

“Hey, not all of us can walk across a damn continent without stopping like you wolves can. Like seriously, you’re not tired?” Ava shook her head.

“Not as much as you. I used to make these trips all the time. Was very therapeutic and relaxing. And plus, on the way there are some really nice gravity ponds. We’re coming up on a hotspot!” she said excitedly as she looked over the map. Kori looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“A what spot?”

“A hotspot! A hot spring or Gravity spring, whichever you call it. Have you never seen one? They are these pocket ponds that have mana crystals embedded into the earth beneath it so you get cool things like some floating leaves and rocks around it. The crystals also naturally switch the springs to the opposite of the environment. Like if it’s cold, it’ll warm up and if it’s warm, it’ll cool down. I’ll show ya!” She didn’t even give him time to think about it, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him to his feet. She was remarkably strong, doing so without effort.

“W-wait! What about my rest?”

“You can rest at the pond!” she laughed. Before he knew it, Kori had been brought to one of the large open lakes, steam flowing upwards from it. Ava had the biggest smile on her face as she ran up to it, taking off her foot bindings and dipping her toes into the lake.

“Mayus’ gaze! It’s perfect!” She laughed. Kori smiled and watched Ava practically race around as giddy as a child.

“Well it looks really cool,” was all she said. She looked back at him with a raised eyebrow before grinning.

“Yeahhhhh… let’s go in!” She said, removing her jacket. Kori looked at her in disbelief, a little too stunned to speak before he finally found the words. Well… one word.

“What?”

“You heard me! It’s practically a giant, natural sauna. The water is warm and this forest is cold. This is perfect to keep us nice and cozy for the night… Well you mostly. You humans are practically walking around naked anyway!” She chuckled a bit, removing her shirt and leaving her white furred chest exposed before shivering at the rush of cold air. Kori looked away, mostly to give her some privacy.

“Uh… You have fun with that.”

“What do you mean? You are coming in with me, yes?” She asked, looking back at him as he avoided eye contact.

“No thank you. I think I’m alright. You enjoy the bath though.”

“No way! I’m not doing this alone!”

“Hey, someone has to watch out and make sure we’re not… ambushed or something,” Kori said as he rested his travel bag next to Ava’s. “Besides, I don’t need a bath that much.”

“Koriiiii,” she groaned, walking over to him. She grabbed his face and made him look her in the eyes. “I get what you’re trying to do and I appreciate it, really I do. You’re a kind man, trying to preserve my… what did you call it? Modesty?” He nodded. “But I am fine. Truly I am! A bath with a close friend is perfectly normal where I come from. And…” she paused for a bit, looking at his chest before pulling him close and taking a big whiff of his musk. “You DEFINITELY need one.”

Kori blushed a bit. He tried to think of an excuse to shrug her off but she was already unbuttoning his shirt.

“Woah, hey Ava-”

“I am going to get you in that bath whether you like it or not. I don’t need to be this close to you to know that you stink. Now either you take this shirt off or I take it off you myself and you know that I will.” Kori smiled as he looked at her, and to be fair Ava was smiling too but the look in her eyes told him she was still serious.

“Alright alright fine. I’ll join you.”

“Yay!” She cheered, jumping in place briefly, the unrestrained bounce of her breasts making Kori’s heart race. He did his best to ignore her as she almost instantly raced out of her pants, tossing them at him and rushing to the hotspring.

“Last one in pays for the Inn!” She laughed, her white furred butt jiggling as she ran with her tail waving around behind her. Once she made it to the spring, she almost immediately stopped, slowly wading her way in, bit by bit until her body was consumed by the warm waters. Kori scoffed as she let herself float in the spring, truly in heaven.

“That good huh?”

“Come in and see for yourself!” She said as she quickly dove underwater before coming back up. Kori sighed as he folded her clothes and set them aside. He took an unusually long time doing it, looking over at Ava to make sure she wasn’t watching him. She had not stopped staring at him and actively looked annoyed at his clothed state.

“Am I gonna have to come up there?”

“No! No, I’m… I’m getting ready. Just had to make sure your clothes were properly… folded.” She continued to watch him as he took his shirt off. He had a decent build, fairly thin with a bit of a belly but nothing too substantial, and a slightly hairy chest. Ava’s ears twitched as she looked over his upper body and as he started pulling down his pants, her eyes widened. Kori stopped and looked at her and she growled in the water.

“You’re slow.”

“Can you just… look away for a bit?”

“No,” she said plainly. “This is your punishment for taking so long. You get gawked at.” Kori felt his heart race. He gave a shy laugh.

“You’re checking me out?”

“I’m unfamiliar with Human anatomy and physique. I wish to know more…” Her tail stuck up from the water and slowly wagged back and forth. Her companion sighed and slowly pulled his pants further off before stopping, looking at her as she wasn’t even focused on meeting his gaze. Her eyes had fallen far lower to his groin, anxiously awaiting the reveal. He closed his eyes and quickly rushed them down to his ankles, his erect member springing free. Ava gave a wolf whistle and her human friend blushed, kicking his pants away and walking over to the spring. Ava’s eyes stayed glued to his dick, every step sending the masculine appendage swinging back and forth. Her ears twitched again as she laid eyes on his balls, nestled snugly against it, no doubt due to the cold.

“You act like you’ve never seen one,” Kori joked, his face still a bit red.

“Not a human one…” she replied, still not lifting her gaze. Kori slowly stepped into the water and felt sooooo much better. He can’t believe he almost rejected this experience. “It’s pretty great isn’t it?” Ava asked, a smug smile on her face.

“You were not kidding. Damn…” he trailed off, leaning back and closing his eyes. Ava laughed and began washing her fur, scrubbing her tail as her friend relaxed. “So what’s the plan when we get to the city?” he asked her.

“Oh just simple intro stuff. The King said something about blessing us and a few other merchants as foreign diplomats for the other regions. Bring our stuff to them and promote some more central Merian culture to the others across the empire. Ya know, teach them we aren’t just some grass growing barbarians.” Ava moved on to scrubbing her face clean and Kori sat up, washing his face as well.

“Wow. A little promotion. Never thought we’d make it to this level.”

“I know haha! The Empress herself is seeking an audience with our little wares shop haha!”

“I gotta say Ava, it’s been a real joy working with you.” The wolf turned to her companion and smiled.

“Likewise. You really helped me out in those earlier years.”

“Heyyyy come on now. You did most of the heavy lifting. Your presentations draw folks to us.”

“Yeah well you’re the one with the good cloth designs. And you even tailor specific sets for Feraci like me! Do you know how hard it is to find covering clothes for fur folk? My whole life everyone has been seeing me as some… some brainless dog cause my people don’t wear clothes that cover much. But it’s not our fault our fur makes clothes uncomfortable!” She spoke with a smile on her face but her tone was a bit more biting. Like she actively remembered every person who bugged her over such a thing.

“Oh yeah. I remember you saying once that Feraci don’t like a lot of human clothes.”

“They aren’t built for us! The clothing materials are scratchy and snag onto your fur, the more loose and free flowing ones cause static electricity which is uncomfortable and there's no tail holes for us either. It’s why a lot of Feraci either try to make their own, which takes too much time, or completely abandon the concept and go bare.”

“Like you did when we first met?” Ava burst out laughing before splashing the man behind her.

“Hey I didn't hear you complaining. From what I remember, you couldn’t keep your eyes off me. Swindled you out of a few goods while you were focused on mine,” she stuck her tongue out at him and he playfully tugged on her tail, making her yelp before she laughed again.

“Hard to focus when you’re walkin’ around with your tits out.”

“Hehehe! Tits…” Ava giggled. “Well you sure got used to it after a while.”

“I had to! If we were gonna work together I can’t be a bumbling fool going slack jawed at the sight of a naked, sexy wolf girl.” Ava’s ears shot up and she looked back at him with a smile.

“‘Sexy’?” she asked. Kori froze for a long while before turning away from the wolf who turned to face him. “You think I’m sexy?”

“I… it just slipped out-”

“So you DO think I’m sexy? Wowwwwwww,” She grinned.

“Oh God…” Kori leaned away from her, splashing her with some water as she laughed.

“I am so flattered to have attracted the eye of a Human!”

“Oh fuck off,” he smiled.

“An interesting progression of this relationship. What would you say is the sexiest part of me?”

“I’m not answering that!”

“Is it those ‘tits’ of mine? Not to toot my own horn, as humans say,” she cupped her boobs with her hands and jiggled them tantalizingly. Kori did his best to ignore her. “But they are certainly quite sizable. That is what excites men, no? They prefer them bigger.”

“Some do.”

“YOU do,” she stuck her tongue out. Kori pushed her away and she laughed, turning around and brushing her tail against him. “Maybe you have interest in other areas? Perhaps it is less up top and more…” she waved her hips back and forth, her tail brushing against her companion as he had enough of her teasing and jumped up, smacking her butt hard. Not enough to really hurt her but it got the message across. She howled in pain and rushed to soothe her pained right cheek, looking at her friend with a playful growl.

“Oh I see how it is,” she bit her lip and sent her hand under the water, rushing towards her enemy as grabbing onto one of his balls, giving it a fierce pinch. He yelped just like she did and squirmed a bit until she let go, letting him rush to cover his newly aching manhood.

“Awww fuck! Not cool, Ava!”

“Very cool!” she retorted, turning around to resume her bath but not before playfully smacking her butt. Kori took a few breaths before splashing her with more water. Ava returned with a wave of her own and then he tackled her, the two of them rolling around a bit and wrestling for control over the other. Their splashing and playing went on for quite a while, playfully pinching each other and trying to force a surrender until Kori gave in, letting the wolf on top of him. She was just as tired as he was, an excited smile on her face as she looked down at him.

“Now… what do we say… when we lose a fight?” she asked between breaths.

“I… surrender,” he responded. Ava gave a cheeky smile and pinched his nose.

“Now I claim my prize. Sit up,” she ordered, pulling him up a bit so he was comfortable. She looked down and saw his obvious arousal, his dick pointing upwards as he leaned back and closed his eyes.

“Fine. I’ve seen you naked more times than I can count. I guess this is fair.”

“You’re sure? I mean I know I joke but… I don’t want to pressure you into this. I know how humans are kind of… iffy about this kind of stuff.”

“Well only for strangers. But you’re not a stranger, Ava. I trust you.” Maybe it was the exhaustion, maybe it was the heat of the hotspring, but he was very relaxed now. He was still a bit embarrassed but not enough to stop her. He waited for a while for her to say something or do something but it was quiet for a while and when he opened his eyes to look at her, she was just… staring at it.

“Okay, now you have me convinced you’ve never seen a dick before,” he said, sitting up before Ava placed a hand on his chest and pushed him back down.

“No no! I have! Just… Like I said, not a Human one.”

“I imagine it’s not that different. I mean you have all the parts a human woman has.”

“Yeah but-”

“So I’m sure it’s fine.”

“But… where’s your sheath?” She looked genuinely puzzled by this, running her hand over his erection as Kori shivered.

“W-what do you mean?”

“Well the wolves of my tribes are like… well I suppose they are akin to the pet dogs you have as companions. They have a sheath between their legs and the… the thing comes out of it.”

“‘The thing’? Really?”

“You know what I mean,” she looked so shy, her ears laying flat on her head and she looked at Kori as if silently begging him not to make her say it. This was a stark contrast to the woman she was just moments ago. “Is it always this big?”

“N-no, it’s usually softer. Hard to walk around with a boner all the time.” Ava nodded and brought her gaze lower to his balls, running her hand over the delicate organs and watching the subtle movements of hre human colleague. She would playfully squeeze one of them and watch his body tense up. When she gently rubbed it, she could hear him murr in pleasure, every slight move sending a wave her way.

“Men are so… strange.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Your parts just… Dangle around down here. So unprotected, so sensitive.” Ava laughed and Kori smiled at her.

“Yeahhhhh… The Gods must have found it funny.” The wolf smiled as she saw his dick harden, pointing skyward as if demanding attention. She lightly smacked it around, watching it wave back and forth.

“It’s very fun.”

“Maybe you’re having too much fun,” Kori responded, sitting up.

“No such thinggggg,” she mused, leaning down and booping her nose with it. Kori laughed and pushed her away, the two of them sharing another laugh together before looking up and seeing the sky darken.

“We should probably set up camp. Gonna get dark soon.”

“Aww. I wanted to study you more…” she grinned, her tail wagging behind her as she slowly walked closer. He scoffed and pinched her nose.

“Study session’s over. Get your clothes on, puppy.” Ava laughed and smacked his hand away

“Oooh you did not just call me a puppy.” She growled at him playfully as he stood out of the water, his privates directly eye level to the she-wolf.

“What are you gonna do about it?”

“You’re really comfy teasing someone who can bite your dick off right now…” She gave a grin and showed all of her sharp, wolven teeth making Kori immediately turn away and cover himself. She laughed and stood up too, the both of them leaving the spring. She shook herself like a wet dog, splashing Kori on purpose before looking at him innocently. Kori pushed her back into the spring, making her laugh as she just walked back out.

“You’re just jealous you don’t have my amazing drying strategy,” she said before Kori ran up to her and started drying her. Her “amazing” drying strategy still wasn’t perfect and she had so much fur hse needed help drying off everytime she took a bath or it started raining. The expression on her face was of pure bliss, her partner going over her entire body with this towel. He toweled off her hair and ears before traveling down, purposely avoiding her chest and drying her stomach.

“No fairrrrr,” she whined.

“You know the deal, Ava. I help with your hair and tail, you handle all the intimates.”

“You humans are so shy! This is how my people know more of each other! Come onnnnn, just this once.” Kori looked at her in disbelief. She looked up at him with wide puppy dog eyes and wagged her tail. He tried to ignore her but after a few minutes like that, she won him over.

“Hands up.”

“Yay!” she cheered, bringing her hands up above her head. She jumped in place in excitement and Kori was starting to think it was on purpose since it made her breasts bounce around unencumbered. She eventually stopped and Kori got to work drying her body, running the towel over her large chest.

He had seen her naked more times than he could count but still… Ava was stacked. He had tried to remain professional and not be a creep and often tried to keep his eyes off her chest but many times he slipped, and she caught him slipping. He was so enamored that he found himself no longer toweling them off but simply feeling her up through the towel.

“My Gods…” he mumbled under his breath.

“They’re pretty big, aren’t they?” The smug smile on her face made Kori scoff.

“They’re… decently sized.”

“You’re a terrible liar,” she said, resting her hands on her head. He continued toweling her off, turning her around so he could get her tail for her. She was very fond of that.

“So… like, are all wolves as big as you?”

“Yes,” she said simply. Kori looked at her in disbelief. “Honest! It’s very common for women in my tribe to have large ‘tits’ hehehehe…” She liked that word a little too much.

“You’re teasing me again.”

“I am being sincere. I have 6 sisters and while I am the biggest of all of them, they are nothing to scoff at. And do not get me started on my mother…” she grabbed all of her hair and tried to squeeze out the water, ringing it out.

“You’ll have to bring me to your tribe,” he smiled. Ava looked back at him with a smug smile. “Uhhhh so I can meet everyone and introduce myself properly of course,” he quickly added.

“Of course. They would love to meet you. You have no idea…” she mumbled the last part.

“What?”

“Nothing! We should get ready for bed!” she said, shaking herself again as she witnessed Kori getting dressed. “I will never understand why you wear clothes to bed.”

“It’s to stay warm.” Ava raised her hands for a hug.

“I’ll keep you warrrrm.” He threw her backpack at her and she just laughed, taking out the materials for her tent. The two of them set up their camp for the night fairly quickly, starting a fire and munching on some food, the entire time Ava had not dressed herself at all, remaining as bare as when she first entered the spring. When they were finished eating, Kori had laid down on the ground, looking up at the newly cleared sky, the beautiful stars twinkling in the distance.

“I’ve never been to the capital,” Ava mentioned. “Have you?”

“I was a kid. The Empress… She was a very nice lady. Her hair was so white you’d think it was snow. Such a kind woman and the city mimics her almost perfectly. Wonderful architecture, sprawling colorful buildings and fields of flowers, the sound of voices trading during the day and the scent of freshly baked bread at night.” He looked so happy to be reminiscing about the city, the smile on his face so warm and honest.

“Are there any Feraci?”

“Oh yes. The Midlands are some of the few places that the Humans and Feraci live without much problem. The Emperor decades ago made sure of that. You’ll mostly find Foxes there but really anyone and everyone wanders through. The capital is considered a Wonder of the Merian empire.” Ava could hardly believe what she was hearing. If what he was saying was true, she would have a very nice time there.

“Tell me more,” she said, laying down next to him. Kori gave a small laugh, getting comfortable as Ava laid with him.

“Wellll… the Empress is said to meet every six months with the Chronicler of the Dragons. The two of them are the leaders of their respective peoples, the Empress of us Merians and the Chronicler of the dragons. They talk about politics and what to do and how things go with their people, all to keep the peace. Ever seen a dragon?” She looked at him with wide eyes.

“I thought they were a myth!”

“Oh no. Very real. And very powerful. They come in all manner of colors and their magic is almost Godlike. The Chronicler is technically not really their leader but more of a… religious figure. Everyone respects him and it’s against all laws of nature and otherwise to harm them. The Chronicler in return is to be forever neutral in all wars and conflicts.” Kori went on and on about what he knew about their culture, their history and their powers, Ava hanging off his every word.

“How… Do you know all of this about them?”

“My Mother was lucky enough to trade with a Dragon regularly and she was so kind, talking with us about so much of their culture and beliefs. A beautiful crimson dragoness. I never saw her again after my 14th birthday but I’m sure she’s off doing dragon things.” They shared a laugh at that. There was a brief bit of silence between the two of them, Ava thinking of more questions to ask.

“Kori, what made you become a tailor?” She sat up to look at him and he smiled.

“Would you believe me if I said it was to impress a girl?” Ava scoffed and rolled her eyes, making Kori laugh again. “Two girls in fact. That dragoness I just talked about and the Empress. I remember staying up one night to try and make this cool coat for her. I was exhausted. I gave it to her and fell asleep on her lap right after. Every time she came and visited my family, she wore that coat. It was so ugly hahaha!” He couldn’t hold back his laugh anymore and actively tried to hide his blushing face.

“You were a child! I think that is very cute,” Ava consoled him. He nodded.

“Yeah. Still, thinking about it makes me a little…” he shivered a bit. “My second gift was when I saw the Empress. My parents knew about my crush on her so they kinda talked me up with her and one day she gave me a tour through her palace. Spent the whole day with her and she asked me to make her a special trinket. A necklace like the ones we wear in the south.” He touched on his necklace, a simple piece with the Southern Merian knot.

“It looks nice.”

“She thought so too. Her grandfather, the founder of the Merian empire, Lord Kaius, was from the south so she wanted something to remind her of those roots. So again, another restless night for me making her a necklace. But instead of the normal knot that Blackwood children are given, I marked it with five leaves, each one symbolizing her rule over the other four districts and the fifth one in the center had her name engraved in it.” He spoke with pride and Ava’s tail wagged as she could feel his happiness with ease.

“I bet she was impressed.”

“Haha! I made it too small so instead of it being a necklace, it became a bracelet. It worked out enough. She still liked it though from what I recall. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her.”

“You never told me you had such a relationship with the Empress. Even had a little crush on her, awwww!” Ava teased, giving him a hug. Kori rolled his eyes.

“She’s the empress! She’s got a lot more things to worry about than some random tailor from the south she hasn’t seen in years…” Ava rustled his hair.

“Well we’ll find out tomorrow won’t we.” She looked up at the stars with him and took a deep breath. The two sat there for a while, not talking and simply enjoying the silent chirps of crickets from the woods and the brief rustling of the leaves in the wind. She had so many more questions for her friend but when she looked over to him, she saw his eyes closed, the slow rise and fall of his chest and a slight snore telling her all she needed to know. She didn’t have the heart to wake him or leave him alone out in the wild. Might as well sleep with him.

Don’t worry, she didn’t do anything pervy. She let him sleep. She was a bit tired herself after all.