Mark walked down the sunny road, taking the chance to adjust the straps to the rucksack. Next to him, Shery walked while easily hefting five times the weight he was lugging. Plus Noah. The mouse had stopped struggling entirely. Gagged, blinded and bound, Mark still kept a watchful eye over her.

Brye had meant every word when she’d said he was on his own with the mouse unless he asked for help. The fox had remained near Noah every step of the way until the village, but now that they’d left the place, she’d vanished entirely.

“She’ll be back in a day or so.”

Shery’s words startled him, Mark frowned as he glanced at the gray-skinned maiden as she thudded her way down the road. “What?”

“Brye always did this when given the chance. Just up and leaves for a couple days.” A slight frown. “And no, I don’t know what for. Never asked.”

“And never will.” He rolled his eyes.

“So long as it can’t fuck shit up, why poke the Panthress?”

Mark just absently nodded, not really caring about the explanation and turning his focus towards Noah. The mouse’s tan skin around her wrists was slightly redder, the maiden would’ve looked asleep if it weren’t because her ears and ropey tail kept twitching every so often.

“I think we should take a break.”

“At this pace we’ll take a whole month just to get to Aubria.”

“Yeah, not my fault you guys keep taking every side-route in the world.” He snorted loudly, reaching out to grasp Noah and heft her off of Shery’s shoulder.

The mouse squeaked slightly, inhaling sharply as he moved to bridal carry her towards the nearest tree. She grew tense, but otherwise didn’t move, waiting until Mark put her down against the tree before she relaxed slightly.

“You plan on giving her food?” Shery asked casually, dropping the sacks to the ground and grasping the heavy wooden club she had for a weapon as she moved towards the forest.

“Might as well, her stomach’s been rumbling for a while now.”

“Don’t untie her feet at least.” The maiden replied, stepping away and into the foliage. “Will check the area.”

A slight nod, Mark focused on the remaining maiden. His hand reached out and grasped at the edge of her ear, tightly enough she winced. “I’m going to remove your gag. You will not bite.” His command was met with a nod. “Don’t scream either, or you’ll regret it.” Another quick nod.

With the ritual out of the way, he used his free hand to slowly remove the wire and cloth gag that had kept her mouth tightly covered and shut. She’d slobbered most of it, not that he hadn’t expected it.

“Water.” She gasped as soon as she’d spat some of the flavor out. “Please.” Her voice was raspy and dry, a slight squeak of a cough following it.

Keeping one hand on her ear, he reached for the water-skin and pulled it closer to her mouth. Noah drank greedily, barely breathing as she took every drop until Mark pulled it away from her. A slight complaint left her as he did so. The human knew that he couldn’t afford to have her being at her top shape. So now that he was ‘in charge’ of Noah, he’d opted to keep her supply of water and food tight. She’d survive, that he was sure of, she’d just not be able to be at her best.

Reaching into the pouch on his belt, Mark pulled out a familiar purple berry. Brye had said its name several times already, but he hadn’t really bothered to remember it. He slowly moved the berry close to Noah’s mouth, watching her nose twitch as she sniffed. “Do you want to eat?”

Blindfolded, Noah’s mouth closed, and she gulped, cheeks flushing. “I…” She flinched as Mark’s fingers on her ear tightened slightly. “No.”

“So you don’t want to eat?”

“I…” She gulped, and leaned forward, mouth opening as he very carefully placed the berry on her tongue. She closed her mouth, not chewing, becoming still as if unsure how to proceed.

“Chew.”

She did, a sharp gasp and a quiver, goosebumps trailed over her body as she flushed. Her naked body squirmed as she swallowed. Opening her mouth again, she breathed heavily. “Still… hungry.”

Mark pulled a second berry, pressing it against her lips. The blindfolded woman didn’t wait this time, taking it in, chewing, squirming, and swallowing. Her tanned skin gained a touch of the blush all over, her thighs tightening against one another as she began leaning forward.

With her hands still tied to her back, Noah’s face pressed against Mark’s chest, inhaling sharply. She sought to press her exposed small breasts against him, but he moved out of the way so she’d fall face first on the dirt.

Not waiting a moment, he straddled her hips, feeling her tail lashing underneath, and worked to untie one of her hands. He quickly held her ears firmly, watching her squirm and gasp as he did. “Just get it over with.”

Noah nodded quickly, moving the freed hand to her front, raising her hips and putting her fingers to work. The movement of her body as Mark straddled her ass made Mark all too aware of the position they were in, doubly so when her tail whipped from under him and wrapped around his waist.

The human inhaled sharply as Noah ground her ass against his crotch.

He pulled away immediately after, letting go and standing up before his libido opted to step in. The maiden didn’t stop as he did this, moaning into the dirt and thrusting her fingers into her needy sex.

“If it bothers you having her like that, you could give her some different food.”

Mark almost jumped out of his skin when the tall gray skinned woman had spoken. She looked at Noah and then at him, pulling out a couple blue berries from the pouch she was carrying and taking them as a snack.

“I know that.” He replied harshly, growling and moving nearer to Noah. “This is part of her punishment.” With a huff, he crouched, grasping her ears and pulling her head slightly so she’d be staring up at him. He proceeded to remove the blindfold.

Noah winced from the light, pupils shrinking into pinpricks, she closed her eyes tightly and looked back down. Not that Mark let her, pulling on her ears once more until she was turned to face upwards. Her hands plunged into her pussy, her breath short and trembling, and a moan escaping every other second.

Waiting for a very long second, Mark stared at Noah until she slowly opened her eyes again, meeting his gaze. Slowly, he pulled out another berry, pressing it against her lips. “Swallow.”

Noah opened her mouth, taking the berry, barely chewing on it as she swallowed again. Her pupils dilated, a breathy moan escaping her, hand working more fervently against her sex. The scent of her arousal was becoming easier to notice, as was the wet rhythmic sound of her fingers.

“Can’t say you’re doing anything new, though usually the girl gets some cock stuffed up their cunt along the way.” Shery only quirked a brow as she glanced at him.

“I’ll tell you if I ever give a shit about what others do.” He let go of Noah’s ears, stepping away from the maiden as she kept furiously masturbating.

Snorting in amusement, the gray maiden popped another berry, looking at the bound maiden as Noah trembled and went all the harder. “I think I’ll have a round with her later.”

“No.”

The brief brusque response made Shery freeze, turning slowly to stare at Mark with a scowl. The air of neutrality about her was gone. “You might think getting her horny is punishment enough for what she did to you, but I’m still due some payback.”

“I don’t care.” He stated flatly. “You had plenty chances, now I’m in charge of that rat. Not you.”

“And what if I do it, anyway?” She snorted, stepping forward and shoving him back ever so slightly.

“I won’t try to stop you.” Mark replied. “But if half the shit Brye’s said is true, I could very well end up being the one in charge of you once I meet your ‘Boss’.”

It was like a slap, the maiden stopped cold. Her gaze turned towards Noah, the mouse too lost in the fog of arousal, and then at Mark. “And what do you plan to do to me then? It doesn’t look like you’ve got the guts to do half the shit Noah had done to me.”

“You saved my life. Once.” He stepped closer. “Is getting some extra kicks into that rat worth me forgetting about that?”

Shery hesitated, once more looking at Noah and then at him. There was a sharp look on her eyes as she took a step back. “Alright.” She finally proclaimed, nodding at some thought that she’d appeared to latch onto. “I think I’ll just call it a day, Noah died back at the waterfall. Mouse’s yours, do whatever.”

She turned towards the sacks to pick out some rations from the sacks.

And Mark realized there were a pair of eyes still looking at him sharply. Noah, flushed and panting, had not stopped focusing on him the whole time. It gave him a slight shiver, but he just suppressed it.

Better blind and gag her again once she was done working the berry’s effects out of her system.