Into the Umberwood
By Phantasmagore

Part 1: A Sweet Start

The thick canopy overhead blocked most of the moon’s shine, leaving the forest floor in a dim light. It was just enough for the rabbit to keep running at full speed. His lungs burned and his legs cried for rest, but he didn’t dare stop. Twisted vines and roots emerged from the darkness, threatening to trip him several times, but he managed to keep his footing. A short sword bounced against his thigh in its scabbard, completely forgotten in his panic.

If he had been more level-headed, maybe he would have noticed when the impact of a branch somehow unlatched his belt buckle, causing the leather strap to slip right off of him and take his weapon with it. In his current state, though, he was oblivious even to the unnaturally clean cuts that appeared in his shirt and leather armor wherever a branch made contact. The cold of the night air didn’t register as it all dropped to the mud, leaving him bare above the waist.

The more clothing he lost, the more obvious he was. His fur was a pale white that stood out like a sore thumb, broken up only by a few patches of brown fur on his torso and face. Once it was exposed, whatever slim chance he had of going unnoticed was gone.

The rabbit yelped as a root caught his foot and made him stumble, but he managed to barely catch himself and keep running. The sound of a twig snapping from behind him spurred him on. The panic helped him to dig deep and find some extra reserve of energy to speed up.

Although this second wind helped him gain distance, the loss of his belt would cost him. His pants slipped down to his knees and tripped him. There was nothing he could do to catch himself this time. His momentum carried him several feet through the wet muck until he slid to a stop.

Dizzy, aching, and mostly naked, the rabbit was helpless. By the time he came back to his senses, it was already too late. A giant, furry mass pressed down on him, smothering him under its weight. He struggled feebly beneath it, but there was no way he would get it to move. He was truly trapped.

“Please… don’t…,” he whimpered, but he knew it was futile. Everything had gone wrong, and now there was no saving him from his fate.

………

Darry’s Crossing was a small, unassuming village like many others. Peaceful and quiet, it was home to a wide range of species from all walks of life. To many, it would have been a domestic paradise.

That is, of course, until they learned about the Umberwood. Little more than a few miles away from the village outskirts, a dense forest grew. Even from a distance, there was clearly something unnatural about it. The trunks were made of a dark purple wood, and the leaves had an odd bluish hue. The shadows seemed almost physical, making it impossible to see any further than a few yards past its limits, even while standing just outside the forest in broad daylight.

As with everything mysterious in a place like this, rumors spread through the village like wildfire. The stories told of black magic, witches who curse travelers, rivers full of poison, and every other horror they could think of. No one knew what was hidden inside. There was a common thread across every story, though. They all agreed that once someone entered the Umberwood, they never came back.

Today, a band of adventurers gathered to change that. Inside the local inn, six anthros waited for their leader to arrive, some getting in a last drink before their perilous journey, while others shuffled their feet and triple checked their gear nervously.

“Relax, Samuel,” a hulking behemoth of a boar said, leaning down to speak to a skinny blue lizard. Horus Lark, or Hork as his friends called him, was enormous by most anthros’ standards, but he had a reputation as a gentle giant. This made his presence a great comfort to his scaly companion.

Whereas Hork was the most experienced of their band, Samuel Nolt had barely ventured past the boundaries of the village before today. Despite that, the young lizard had an excited spark in his eye beneath his nervousness. Just into adulthood, he had the hunger for adventure of an aspiring explorer, ready to prove himself to the world.

“It’s hard to just relax,” Samuel said as he tried and failed to prevent himself from fidgeting. “We’re going to go into the Umberwood!”

Just the mention of the forest’s name was enough to attract a few stares. Hork leaned down and muttered, “Keep your voice down. No need to go scaring folks. Even Ferris and Castor aren’t going around announcing our mission.”

He nodded to a pair of hyenas lounging against the bar. The Seston brothers were very similar in appearance, with matching brown fur, dark spots, and grins. Castor, the smaller of the two, was drinking a mug of ale to steel his nerves, while his older brother Ferris was busy getting an eyeful of every female in sight.

“Damn,” he muttered. “If we didn’t hafta go soon, I’d be showin’ some pretty thing a good time upstairs right now.”

Castor elbowed him in the ribs. “And I’d be showin’ her a better time.”

“As if you know what the maidens like. With all yer charm, you’d be polishin’ that pole o’ yours alone,” Ferris laughed.

His brother just grinned smugly. “Already forgettin’ that vixen we shared last night? Last I checked, I was the one pumpin’ into her when she came.”

“Only because I got her all hot and bothered first.”

“Bullshit. This is just like when you refused to admit I got more bitches than you when we had that competition.”

As the hyenas went back and forth trying to one-up each other, an armored lion watched them with narrowed eyes. Baron Goldwin had heard of the infamous Seston brothers, but he never thought he would stoop so low as to be working alongside them. He was the Fire Mane, the village’s most respected warrior. If it weren’t a mission of the utmost importance, he doubted he would have agreed to travel with this group at all.

Their final companion was having similar thoughts. From a dark corner, a short, hooded crow was counting his arrows and surveying the room. With his black feathers and clothing, he was practically invisible in the shadows. He was simply known as Mori, a mercenary known for his archery and tracking. He wasn’t one for small talk, so none of his companions knew much about him or his history. That was fine by him. They trusted in his skills, and that was all that mattered.

The sound of the door swinging open drew everyone’s attention. A grey wolf stood in the doorway, clad in heavy armor, with a pair of swords sheathed at his sides. Each of the party members recognized the man who had come to them, proposing an expedition to investigate the Umberwood, and when he sat down at a table in the corner, they all came over to join him.

The wolf took a moment to look each of them in the eye, as if searching for any signs of trepidation or second thoughts. Apparently finding none, he spoke, “You all know why we’re here already. We’re going to find the source of whatever evil there is inside that damned forest. You can call me Kimo. Follow me, and you might just make it out of this in one piece.”

Castor rolled his eyes at that last sentence, but a glare from the wolf and a kick under the table from his older brother kept him from saying anything.

“Here,” Kimo reached into his bag and pulled out a silver flask. Its smooth, plain surface gleamed in the light from a nearby window. “Take a swig.”

The flask was passed around the table, each person downing a mouthful of its contents. Whatever it was, it burned in their throats harshly, but only briefly. Mori was the last one to drink, emptying the remainder of the liquid inside before handing it back to Kimo. 

“You were individuals before, but now we’re a team. A pack,” he said. “We stick together. We fight together. We survive together.

“Alright, that’s about all the pep talk I’ve got in me. The sooner we get in there, the sooner we get out,” Kimo continued. “So, let’s quit sitting around burning daylight and just get in there already. Any disagreements?”

The others were silent. They were ready to go.

“Good,” he said, standing up with them, “let’s do this.”

………………

The band of seven quickly crossed the stretch of unused fields between the village and the Umberwood. Farmers didn’t dare to come so close to the forest, and despite how easily wild grasses and flowers seemed to grow there, any attempts to cultivate something more civilized in the area always produced rotten cabbage and withered potatoes. This, of course, only fed the rumors about the dark power of the forest and led the villagers to abandon the entire area. Now it was just a playground for children, daring each other to get closer to the forest than their friends, although none would ever get close enough to actually enter it.

They stopped at the edge of the wood, which was unnaturally straight and clean-cut. On one side, it was nothing but grass, and one step later, it was immediately deep forest.

“I… I’ve never seen it from this close before,” Samuel muttered.

Ferris sneered at the reptile. “Aw, is the wittle lizard scared? You wanna go run home to mama?”

Castor joined in from his side. “Gonna puss out, Sammy?”

Of course, neither of the brothers had stepped any closer to the forest than Samuel had, but he wasn’t going to point that out and risk starting a fight before they’d even gotten started.

“Enough!” Kimo called from the front of the group. “I don’t want to hear any squabbling, got it?”

The brothers both backed off, glaring at Samuel.

“Good. Now, let’s go.”

With that, Kimo led the way into the forest. A few steps forward, and they all vanished into the darkness of the Umberwood.

As the group pushed into the forest, everything went unnaturally dark. Each of them could barely see anything but the man directly in front of them, leaving them stumbling and tripping through the undergrowth until they pushed through a thick bush and into a small clearing.

The darkness was gone. The light of the sun was shining on them again, but as they looked up, they realized that the canopy overhead was dense enough to block any view of the sky. They looked back, expecting to see a wall of shadows behind them, but they found that the only obstruction was the denseness of the forest.

It took a few moments, but eventually the realization set in for each of them.

“We’re deeper in than we should be,” Mori said.

He was right. It felt like they had barely been in that shadow for longer than a few seconds, so without the darkness obstructing their vision, the outside of the forest should be visible from here. When they tried to look past the dense brush behind them, though, there was only more forest.

“The fuck?” Castor muttered.

Samuel looked around nervously. “There’s no way… We can’t be lost already!”

“Shuddup, lizard!” Ferris snarled. “We ain’t lost!”

“But… if the edge of the forest isn’t there, then we don’t know where we—"

“I said shut up!”

As an argument started to break out, worry pricked at the back of Kimo’s mind. The second they stepped into the Umberwood, things were already going wrong. His hope wasn’t gone, though. Experience had taught Kimo to trust in his instincts in times like these, and when he took a moment to clear his mind, letting the arguments fade into nothing, he could feel something deep in his gut. It was like some invisible thread was tugging at him and guiding him to the right path.

“This way,” he said, pointing straight ahead. The rest of the group turned to him.

“How are you sure?” Mori asked.

“I’m not,” Kimo said. “But I have a feeling that continuing forward will lead us to the heart of the forest. It’s like some force is reaching out from that direction. Can’t you all feel it?”

They went quiet and tried to focus, but after a few minutes, each of them shook their heads. 

“Nothing,” Baron said.

“I don’t feel anything either,” Hork added, “but unless we have another way of deciding, that way is as good as any other. If our leader thinks that is the way forward, then I vote we go for it.”

Kimo nodded gratefully to the boar as the rest agreed one by one. “Let’s get moving. Whether this is the most direct path or not, sitting around here bickering about it definitely won’t get us any closer.”

With their disagreement settled for now, the group pushed forward. Their progress was greatly impeded by the thick growth of the forest. The trees grew in bizarre ways, their trunks and roots twisting and curling all over the place. It was especially difficult for Hork to get through it thanks to his overall bulk, and there were several times when Kimo and Baron had to hack at a root with their swords until Hork could remove it with the massive hammer strapped to his back. By midday, many of the party were already getting worn out.

“Hah… hah…,” Samuel panted, “How much further are we planning to go today?”

Baron shot him a disapproving look, although he was sweating profusely in his armor. “You’re kidding. We’ve barely gotten started.”

The lizard groaned. “All this stuff is heavy, Baron. I’m not used to carrying it around. And as much as I hate to admit it, it doesn’t help that we’re going so slow.” He gave an apologetic look to Hork.

“If your gear’s too much for you, then take it off and leave it,” Baron scowled. “All of our equipment is heavy, and you don’t see us whining.”

“Oh shit, Ferris,” Castor muttered, loudly enough to ensure that everyone heard him. “Sounds like Baron wants to see lizard boy strip.”

Ferris chuckled back, “You know, I always thought Goldwin might be a fag. He looks li—"

He immediately shut up when Baron’s sword slid free of its sheath. “If I were you,” he growled, pointing the blade straight at Ferris, “I would stop talking. If we were back in Darry’s Crossing, I’d have already run you both through, and I would be making love to my wife on your graves. Either keep your mouths shut or have fun finding your way back alone.”

He sheathed his sword and marched forward to join Kimo and Mori, who had just kept moving forward despite the group’s bickering.

Ferris huffed. “He’s no fucking fun. Why’s he gotta flip his lid over a joke?”

“Maybe it hit a little too close to home, huh?” Castor chuckled.

Ferris grinned back as they pushed ahead, “Nah, no way, bro. He’s a real man. That’s why he washes that purty lil mane of his once a night. Bet his wife gets real turned on that he spends more time brushin’ his mane than he does between her legs.”

They cackled as they moved forward after the group, leaving just Samuel and Hork in the back. The boar leaned down to the lizard and said, “Give me your pack. If it’s too much for you, I can carry it.”

“N-no! I can’t!” Samuel stammered. “I don’t want to be a burden to you.”

“It’s no burden. I’ll barely even feel the extra weight,” Hork insisted.

Samuel hesitated. Truthfully, he had been silently pleading for someone to offer for the past few hours, but he also knew that giving his pack to someone else would make him look weak, especially to the brothers. But then, he supposed, they already looked down on him. The only real difference would be the relief from his pack’s weight. “…Okay,” he said.

With a quiet sigh of relief, he let the bag fall off his shoulders and handed it to the massive boar, who simply strapped it onto his back with his pack and his hammer as if it were nothing. They hurried ahead to rejoin the group, thankfully not held up by any more roots along the way.

They caught up with the Sestons first. The hyenas immediately noticed that Hork was carrying Samuel’s pack for him, and he could practically see the insults forming on their lips until Hork cut them off.

“If you don’t say a word, I’ll carry yours, too.” For the first time since he’d met them, Ferris and Castor resisted the urge to make a snide remark, instead silently dropping their packs to the ground and handing them over. Hork still hardly seemed bothered by the weight on his back, and now that their shoulders were lighter, all three of the others seemed to be in much higher spirits. They caught another look of disapproval from Baron when they caught up with the remaining party, but the lion didn’t say anything.

For the next few hours, the group traversed the forest relatively uneventfully. With their lightened burdens, Samuel and the Sestons were much quieter, which brought everyone else’s moods up. Kimo was pleased that they seemed to be making good progress.

He stopped when he felt something tug on his tail. He turned to see Mori gesturing silently but fervently.

“What is it?” Kimo whispered.

The crow pointed at the ground. Kimo didn’t notice anything at first, but as he knelt down with the bird, Mori traced out the shape of a large paw print.

“There’s something nearby. Something big,” he said. Looking up, he pointed out a few gashes on nearby trees. “Something with claws.”

Kimo nodded and waved the rest of the group over. “There may be a beast of some kind nearby. Everyone stay quiet, and keep your guard up. Hopefully it’s nothing, but we can’t afford to take risks.”

The rest of the party nodded, even the Sestons getting serious now that there was a real possibility of danger. They continued forward, much slower than before and taking care to make as little noise as possible.

All seven of them gasped when they heard a loud rustling to their left. They all snapped to attention, weapons drawn, as a tiny, feral rabbit hopped out of a nearby bush. It ran away as soon as it noticed them, and they let out the breaths they were all holding.

Castor chuckled and nudged his brother, “Nearly pissed yer pants because of a little bunny, huh, brother?”

“Shut yer mouth,” Ferris hissed back, “you were just as scared as the rest of us.”

Kimo started walking over to knock some sense into them and shut them up, but as he took the first step, he caught movement in the corner of his eye. Without warning, a large, four-legged creature leaped from behind a nearby tree, sinking its jaws into Samuel’s arm. He cried out as it dragged him backwards, his legs flailing uselessly in the dirt.

The creature was big, its shoulders well above Hork’s height. Its hairless, black skin revealed powerful, rippling muscles just beneath the surface. Its skin stretched tightly around its head in a way that made it look unnervingly skeletal, like a thin layer of paper wrapped around an oversized canine skull. Milky white eyes glared at the party as it growled around the struggling lizard in its jaws.

Before the group had time to react, it was rushing away, carrying Samuel off with it. 

“Don’t let it get away!” Kimo shouted before charging after it. The rest followed suit, and soon they were all chasing the noise of the retreating beast.

Samuel tried to wriggle out of the creature’s jaws, but it was no use. He was trapped, dangling from its mouth like a chew toy as it slipped through the tangled forest with ease. Hopelessness started to set in as he realized how quickly they were moving. There was no way the group could keep up with this thing. He was about to be its next meal.

His vision blurred as tears threatened to fall down his face. His whole life, he had dreamed about being a hero, and now that a chance finally presented itself, his fate was sealed before he knew it. He was going to die and be forgotten.

His heart continued to plummet as the monster came to a stop. It finally released him, but the moment he landed in the dirt below, it pressed an impossibly heavy paw down on his chest to prevent him from escaping. This was it. Samuel shut his eyes tightly, not wanting to watch that tooth-filled maw open up and clamp down on him.

That final bite never came, though. Instead, he felt its hot breath on his face. The rancid smell of rotting meat had him gagging. The disgust turned to panic, though, as he felt something else pressing down on him. It was hard to get a good look from his position, but he managed to look down enough to see that the monster was thrusting its hips against his lower body.

“Wha-,” a fresh spike of pain in his arm interrupted Samuel. The force of the beast grinding against him was rubbing his wound into the ground. He hissed as the stinging got worse.

He got distracted from the pain, though, when he felt something new sliding against his thigh. Something long, hard, and throbbing. With a shudder, he looked down to see the monster’s hardening shaft slipping out from a slit between its legs. It was a long spire of flesh starting as a bright pink at the tip and gradually becoming an angry red closer to the base. It was already around eight inches long, almost as thick as his arm, and still growing.

Shudders ran through Samuel’s body as the creature slipped its length between his legs. He couldn’t tell whether he wanted to scream or vomit. He tried to struggle again, but he still had no luck. Even worse, his writhing seemed to excite it as his thrashing legs rubbed against its hardening member. It was soon humping with increasing fervor, stimulating itself with the friction between his thighs.

Before it could take it much further, though, it was interrupted by the sound of six anthros charging through the forest. It hissed and turned toward the encroaching group.

By the time that Kimo and the others could see it, the beast was facing them with bared fangs, its lust temporarily forgotten. They were all too occupied by the threat to notice the shaft retreating back into its slit.

Kimo unsheathed the swords on his back with a growl. “Take it down!” he shouted. An arrow whistled past before he’d even finished, burying itself into the monster’s shoulder. Mori ran to the side, the next arrow already nocked on his bow.

Weapons drawn, Baron and Hork charged it from the front. As the beast took a swipe with a massive claw, Baron caught the blow with his shield, and Hork followed up with a heavy swing. It let out a pained grunt as the bones in its paw cracked under the hammer’s force.

The group circled the creature, prodding it with their weapons each time it made a lunge for one of them. Its eyes darted around until it finally seemed to find the window it was looking for. Samuel grunted in pain as it picked him up in its jaws again, and the next thing he knew, it had leapt above the entire party, landing in a nearby tree. It momentarily stumbled on its injured paw, but it managed to keep its balance.

Just as the monster was about to leap away to another tree, one of Mori’s arrows sank deep into its heel. It slipped with a startled yelp and fell to the ground.

It barely had a chance to pull itself to its feet before the group was attacking it from all sides. With a desperate hiss, it whipped its head around and released Samuel, sending the hapless lizard sailing through the air before landing in the dirt. That distracted the group just enough for it to flee into the brush. The sounds of heavy footsteps and branches snapping grew quieter as it retreated, until the forest was silent once again.

Kimo let out a sigh of relief while Hork rushed to help Samuel. Barely a few hours in, and the forest was already trying to pick them off. If they had been just a few seconds slower, he was sure their rookie lizard would’ve been eaten.

Samuel hissed in pain, one arm dangling limply while the other clenched around his torn flesh. Hork pulled him up into a sitting position and brushed some of the dirt off his back. The boar handled him gingerly despite his size, taking care not to exacerbate Samuel’s pain as he pulled the lizard’s hand away and examined the wound.

“It isn’t too bad,” Hork said. “It looks like your armor and scales protected you from the worst of it. Take it a bit easy, and you’ll be back to normal in no time.”

His soft touch was surprisingly calming, and Samuel found himself relaxing a little despite everything that just happened.

The moment was interrupted by the Seston brothers’ gleeful cackling. The rush of adrenaline had them giddy and excited, leaning against each other as the laughter poured out of them. They didn’t say anything to him, but the occasional glances they sent his way left Samuel with no doubts about what they were laughing at. His spirits sank as the shame set in.

Hork gave him a careful pat on the back as he stumbled to his feet. “Pay them no mind,” the boar said. “They’re just as frightened of this forest as you are.”

Samuel didn’t answer. He just stared at the ground, too ashamed to look his companions in the eye.

………..

As the light shifted to a warm orange and began to fade, the party began setting up camp for the night. In the warmth and heat of their campfire, most of the adventurers found themselves at ease for the first time since they entered the forest.

Samuel winced as Hork wrapped a bandage around his arm. The boar was being as gentle as he could, but there was no way that he could tend to Samuel’s wound properly without agitating it a little bit. The pain was fortunately very brief, and the two were soon sitting side by side in front of the fire. Samuel chewed on an apple while Hork reached into his own pack and pulled out a pastry. It was slightly flattened after spending the day in Hork’s bag, but the boar was sure it would still taste just as good.

“You brought that into the Umberwood?” Samuel laughed softly.

Hork grinned down at him. “I sure did. I can’t get enough of these things. I couldn’t possibly face a journey like this without something sweet.”

The boar stuffed it into his mouth, munching on it happily before reaching into his bag for another.

On the other side of the fire, Kimo couldn’t help but grin as he watched them. He couldn’t remember the last time he got to see people being so jovial, even while surrounded by danger. It was refreshing to see, and it gave him hope that they would all make it out of this alive.

The hyena brothers were off to the side, splitting their rations while trying to top each other’s sexual prowess, as usual.

“When we get back home, I’m going to go all night long, popping every cherry from Darry’s Crossing to Brookside,” Castor boasted. “Any man looking for a virgin to marry will be heartbroken when he finds that they’re all carrying spotted babes.”

Ferris shot back, cackling, “Have fun with the amateurs, Castor. Meanwhile, I’ll be bedding real women. Their husbands will thank me for the slick holes I leave behind.”

Kimo scoffed quietly as the two laughed. Did they ever think about anything other than sex? He didn’t understand their obsession. Sex was fine, but it had always been a mystery to him why so many people seemed to think about nothing else.

The remaining two members were much quieter. Baron lay on the ground, staring up at the leafy ceiling above them, lost in his own thoughts. Mori was taking the first watch, and it was only after a few minutes of searching that Kimo managed to spot the crow huddled in a tree overhead, scanning the forest around them for any signs of danger.

Letting out a soft sigh, Kimo laid down on the ground, finally indulging in his weariness. They would all need to be well rested for the trials that lay ahead. He reached down and rubbed a hand along the surface of his flask, stored securely in a pouch at his hip. The surface was covered in engravings, which gave it an oddly soothing texture. It was strange; when he first reached down, he had been expecting it to be smooth for some reason. He couldn’t imagine why he would have thought something like that. Either way, the familiarity of that flask brought him all the peace he needed to slip into a deep slumber.

……..

Hork awoke with a start when a hand grabbed him by the arm and shook him. He opened his eyes to see Castor huddled over him.

“Your watch, big guy,” Castor whispered.

Hork pulled himself to his feet. “Got it. Thanks.”

Castor yawned. “Wake Samuel up in a couple of hours. Or do it now and make him do a double shift. I don’t care.” He stumbled over toward his brother and laid down next to him, his soft snoring soon joining the rest of the night’s noises.

Hork stretched and paced around the camp a few times to wake himself up. Once he was alert, he sat down on a root growing horizontally out from a nearby tree. He glanced over to the blue lizard huddled on the ground nearby.

‘Poor kid,’ he thought. If anyone asked him, which they rarely did, he would say that Samuel was too young, too green to be on an expedition like this. There was no telling what kind of danger could be lurking around every corner, and Samuel just didn’t have the experience necessary.

Either way, it didn’t matter now. He was here, just like the rest of them. Hork would just have to do everything he could to keep him safe.

Old memories prickled at his mind, like the ghosts of days long past. Hork saw a young ferret, just younger than Samuel himself. Back in his days as a soldier, Hork and this ferret were inseparable. When they were together, Hork never felt the soreness from their training or the fatigue from the nights they spent whispering to each other from their bunks. They were hopeful young men, sharing a connection beyond words. 

Hork could still hear his voice. He could still feel his fur, always sticking up at odd angles despite the ferret’s best efforts to tame it. The smell of wood and charcoal always seemed to cling to it. After the times they shared, that smell never failed to make Hork feel at home. It made him feel safe. The two of them were unstoppable together.

At least, that was what he had foolishly believed. All it took was one arrow. A single arrow proved him wrong. He remembered the feeling of that fur, matted with grime and mud as it grew cold. On his knees, the aftermath of battle faded away as he clutched the ferret’s body to his chest. That smell of charcoal mingled with the stench of burning flesh as the ferret joined their other fallen comrades in a massive pyre.

With a start, Hork pulled himself back into the moment. There was no point in dwelling on such things. All he could do was make sure that he wouldn’t have to lose another companion. As long as he was there, he wouldn’t let anything happen to the others.

……..

The group pressed on at sunrise, refreshed and in higher spirits after surviving a day in the Umberwood and getting a good night’s rest. Even Hork was able to keep up with the group for the most part. The tangles of roots seemed to be letting up, and he had no trouble carrying the others’ equipment, even after Mori added his pack to the load.

It was all easy going until they ran into the thickest cluster of trees yet. Their trunks and roots twisted haphazardly around one another, leaving gaps just big enough for the average fur to slip through. Unfortunately, Hork was not the average fur. The tangle seemed to dig into a steep hill, which spanned for as far as they could see in either direction.

“We should find a way around,” Baron suggested. “We aren’t even sure that this is the way we need to go.”

“No,” Kimo said. “This is the way. That feeling is stronger now. This is the path toward the center of the forest. There’s no doubt in my mind anymore.”

“As much as I hate to side with the person saying he can just ‘feel’ the right way,” Mori added, “it does seem like going this way has been taking us deeper so far.”

“We can still go around. Trying to create an opening for Hork through this could take all day.”

“And for all we know, finding another way forward could take even longer.”

Now Samuel chimed in, “Plus, there’s no telling what could be lurking around out there. Even if it takes a long time, this could be the safest path.”

Baron crossed his arms and scowled. Kimo could tell that the lion wasn’t going to be easily persuaded.

“Alright, here’s an idea,” he said. “Some of us move ahead through the roots to see how far it goes before opening back up, and the rest look around nearby to see if they can find an alternate path. How does that sound?”

Baron considered the idea for a few moments before nodding. “Fine. How should we split up?”

“Samuel and Mori are the smallest, so they’ll come with me to check the way forward,” Kimo said. “You four search the area. Are we in agreement?”

One by one, the whole group nodded and split up into their teams. Kimo, Samuel, and Mori slipped through the roots, carefully making their way out of sight. The remaining four spread out, with Ferris and Castor heading to the left, and Hork following Baron to the right.

Hork wasn’t usually bothered by quiet, but the silence between him and Baron hung heavy in the air. Maybe it was the frustrated huff behind Baron’s breath that made him feel this way. Every swing against the dense forest’s brush was accompanied by a low growl. It occurred to him that he and Baron had never really crossed paths before in Darry’s Crossing. The Fire Mane was well-known to the people of the village, but the truth was, he rarely spent much time among them like Hork did.

“I… I’m sorry for the inconvenience my size is bringing the group,” Hork said.

Baron gave him a brief glance before answering, “Your strength is a valuable asset. Even if it creates these… situations for us, I suppose I would rather deal with that than be without your muscle.”

Hork guessed that was the nicest thing he was going to get from the lion. Baron was respected in the village for the work he had done in the past to protect it, but he definitely wasn’t known for his social grace. Hork decided to take what he could get and keep following the lion without another word.

As they walked, Hork noticed a faint smell. At first, he thought he imagined it, but as he sniffed again, it was still there. Normally, a mystery scent would have set him on edge, and he’d be bracing for some monster to burst through the nearby brush and attack the two of them. But this smell was actually very pleasant, and Hork found that it put him at ease as he inhaled.

It was sweet and fragrant, like a perfectly ripe fruit. The boar’s stomach growled, and Hork suddenly realized that he was very hungry. Without thinking, he sat on the ground, pulling his haversack off his back and opening it up. He reached in to retrieve one of his pastries, but as he looked inside, he found that they just didn’t interest him in that moment. Compared to the mystery aroma, they seemed bland and unappetizing. He had to know where it was coming from.

It barely even registered in his mind that Baron hadn’t noticed him stop, and the lion was now nowhere to be seen. Only one thing mattered in that moment. As he started following the smell, Hork justified it by telling himself that he had to investigate for the good of the group. After all, who knows what a new smell could mean? The more information they have, the better their odds of succeeding in their quest.

He followed the scent through a winding path of roots and bushes. To his relief, there was always a gap just big enough to let him through. His trek continued for several minutes until he stumbled into an open clearing.

By this point, the sweet smell was hanging heavily in the air around him. Hork felt light as he breathed it in deeply, as if an incredible weight were being lifted from his shoulders. The feeling had him giggling like a child.

He let himself drop to the ground, soaking in every sensation. The wonderful, delicious aroma. The gentle kisses of grass against his fur. He wanted to lie here forever.

He knew that he couldn’t, though. With a sigh, he sat up, remembering that he needed to get back to his companions. He stroked the grassy ground, using all his willpower to resist the urge to lie back down.

As he stood up, a flash of color caught his attention among the greens and blues of the Umberwood’s foliage. A large yellow flower bloomed from the bushes. Looking around, Hork realized that there were several similar flowers scattered around this clearing.

‘That’s where this smell is coming from.’

He eagerly stepped forward, and sure enough, the smell got even stronger as he approached the flower. Soon, he was standing right in front of it. It was larger than any other flower he’d seen, almost the size of his head. It had five bright yellow petals, shaped like a star, with a bulbous green appendage protruding from its center. As Hork watched, a small hole in the tip opened up, allowing a glob of glistening amber nectar to slip out.

Hork couldn’t help himself. If this flower and its nectar smelled this good, he just had to know what it tasted like. Without another thought, he leaned forward and wrapped his lips around the vine. The moment the nectar hit his tongue, an explosion of flavor lit up his mouth. The greatest desserts he had ever sampled were nothing. This taste was nothing short of ecstasy.

The boar sucked on it and was rewarded with a new mouthful, which he swallowed down greedily to make room for more. 

He didn’t notice the flower’s petals shift until they squeezed shut around his muzzle. By the time he realized what was happening, it was already clamped on tight. The appendage in his mouth, now feeling more like a tentacle, swelled until his lips were straining to stretch around it. He tried to bite down, but the plant didn’t seem to feel it. The only thing it accomplished was releasing more of the nectar into his mouth, which Hork couldn’t help but swallow despite his panic.

As he drank more of the sweet nectar, though, the panic began to subside. What was there to worry about? All he had to do was drink, and everything was fine. Just drink.

‘Drink.’

His face felt flushed as a wave of heat washed over his body. It wasn’t a particularly warm day, but suddenly, Hork’s entire body was drenched in sweat beneath his armor. It was almost unbearable, but the wonderful taste of the flower’s gift kept him calm. Somehow, he knew it would be okay. He just had to… relax…

Hork’s body started to go slack, but several vines rose from the ground beneath him, wrapping around his wrists and ankles to hold him up. He watched with interest as three more came up from the base of the flower. These tentacles had long, thin appendages on their ends, like writhing fingers, which they used to unfasten the straps around his chest. All the equipment he was carrying fell to the ground, forgotten.

They went for his clothes next. The nectar kept him complacent as his armor was removed one piece at a time. His shirt was ripped to shreds, and his pants soon followed. He felt relieved as the last of his clothing fell away, exposing his skin to the cool air. The boar was now naked as the day he was born, and it was clear that one part of his body was not as relaxed as the rest.

His fat cock stood erect and proud between his legs, throbbing and leaking already. It was much more sensitive than normal. As a single glob of precum dribbled down the length of his shaft toward his hefty balls, Hork could feel it every inch of the way. It was maddening; the sensation would usually barely even register, but right now, it felt like the teasing touch of a cheeky lover. Someone with a clear mind might have recognized these feelings as effects of the aphrodisiac that Hork was now eagerly gulping down, but he was in no state to realize that. All he could think about was his craving for more. More nectar. More pleasure.

Without warning, the tube in his mouth pushed forward, ramming straight through his throat’s resistance and down his esophagus. It was a strange feeling. Normally the blockage would have triggered his gag reflex, but for some reason, his body managed to accommodate having a tentacle run down and seal itself in the entrance to his stomach, depositing its sweet gift into him directly.

Hork’s vision started to blur as his air supply ran short, but it seemed that the flower had a solution to that, too. A pair of thin tentacles emerged within the floral muzzle, slipping into his nostrils. He could feel them slide through his nose and down his windpipe. They took up residence in his lungs, and Hork’s vision cleared as they began pumping air in and out of him.

Even as clogged as he was, Hork couldn’t help but do his best to suckle on the vine in his mouth, especially as it began to leak small amounts of nectar from pores on its surface. Not enough to offer anything substantial, but just enough to keep him craving it.

By this point, the boar was so lost in it all that he didn’t even care when the ground beneath him rose, a massive pod revealing itself from beneath the surface. He didn’t struggle as it shut around him, leaving him in darkness with the tentacles.

The tentacles that removed his clothes had one more task to complete. They opened, and in the faint light that managed to pierce the pod’s shell, Hork could barely make out the holes in their tips, ringed by their appendages.

The two thinner ones moved to his chest. Each one latched onto one of his nipples. Their fingers clung to his skin, forming a tight seal. The third one moved down and wrapped itself around his shaft. He shuddered as his member was enveloped in a tight, slick tunnel.

Hork’s face flushed, and everything seemed to heat up as the nectar began to take full effect. His cock throbbed desperately as it was squeezed tightly, and he could have sworn that he felt it grow a little bit larger.

Finally, the tentacles on his dick and nipples started to suck. Hork had never had his nipples stimulated like this, and the boar felt electric pleasure racing through his entire body. It was overwhelming, and so he did the one thing that his scattered mind knew how to do. He sucked on the vine in his mouth, hoping that this plant might feel it and reward him for his efforts.

Sure enough, a bulge traveled down the length of the feeding tube. He got to feel it every inch of the way until it dumped a new helping of nectar straight into his stomach, its aphrodisiac properties heightening his bliss to mind-shattering heights.

In his lust-addled mind, Hork’s sense of reality began to slip. Suddenly, he was a young man again, laying back in his bed. A claw traced gently along his belly, and he looked down to see a familiar ferret smiling up at him.

He could almost feel the warmth of the ferret’s naked body pressed against his. The other male’s lips were wrapped around his nipple, suckling at it teasingly. The other was being squeezed too, no doubt by the ferret’s nimble fingers. 

He could smell the charcoal and wood in the ferret’s fur, just as comforting as he remembered it. Now, though, it was laced with an underlying sweetness that made Hork desire it even more.

As the ferret moved, positioning himself above Hork, the boar barely even noticed that the suction on his nipples didn’t stop. Those soft lips were on his shaft now, and Hork’s attention was pulled to his groin. He tried to moan out loud and beg his lover for more, but he found himself unable to. His mouth and throat were clogged by something. Of course, how could he have missed the ferret’s cock slipping in? It was perfect; it felt like it was somehow snaking all the way down into his belly, and it was delightfully sweet.

He couldn’t take it anymore. With his throat and windpipe completely sealed, Hork couldn’t make a sound as he shot the heaviest load of his life into the tentacle. The suction seemed to match the rhythm of his trembling body as he came, milking every last drop he had to give out of him. The plant drank it all greedily, sucking it down to its base to nourish itself with his seed. Even as the orgasm petered out, it continued, finding extra reserves of semen that Hork didn’t know he had.

The post-orgasm glow momentarily brought Hork back to reality. As the vision of the ferret faded, Hork silently begged the flower for more.

‘Please! Do it again! Bring him back!’

Just as his body was starting to wind down, a new spurt of nectar was released in his gut. The sucking on his nipples and penis didn’t let up, and as he felt the nectar corrupting him, refilling his balls until they were swollen and aching with another unnaturally heavy load, the darkness inside the pod faded away in the boar’s mind. He looked down to see the ferret’s eyes meeting his gaze, sucking happily on the tip of his cock. 

Did anything like this ever happen? Were these memories, or were they fantasies of what he wished could have been? To be honest, Hork couldn’t tell the difference anymore. All he knew was that he never wanted it to end.

……..

Kimo was shocked to find that their party was missing a boar and most of their supplies when he returned with Samuel and Mori. The Seston brothers immediately pointed the blame at Baron, who was quick to defend himself, arguing that it wasn’t his fault if Hork couldn’t keep up.

The wolf managed to prevent a fight from breaking out, and the group retraced Baron’s steps. Mori found the boar’s trail about halfway to the point where Baron stopped. They followed the crow as he tracked their missing member, but the trail went cold in an empty clearing. It was as if the boar had run here and vanished into thin air. 

After searching for more clues for the better part of an hour, they realized that it was hopeless. Hork was gone, as was all the equipment that he was carrying. Disheartened by the unexpected loss, they had no choice but to press on.

A few feet beneath them, inside a subterranean plant pod, Hork reveled in silent bliss as another orgasm was milked out of him. The party’s equipment was left beneath him, forgotten, along with the ruined shreds of fabric that had once been his clothing.