ARAAT4: Origins

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A Rose And A Thorn 4: Origins

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651

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Harley: Crazy Ivan’s review reminded me of that time I was trying to cut a frozen bread roll and sawed right into my middle finger.

Froggy: No real plot this time. Just sex. But it’s good sex, so that makes it okay, right?

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Chapter Seventeen: Hide And Sex

The midnight blue echidna was crouched down in the ARK's garden, hidden by foliage and the cover of the artificial night, as quiet as the breeze softly rustling the tree branches above him. He was waiting for his feline mate to show up again at their usual spot so that he could surprise her, play around a little. Hunting, with her as the prey. Maybe he could be a little rougher that night, he thought, now that she was more comfortable with him. He liked being rough; the thought of it made his breath quicken and his pulse race. It was in his blood, the legacy of being bred a warrior. Quietly sniffing the air and noticing the holographic clouds gathering overhead, he figured it was possible that it would rain again soon. That probably wouldn't please Mirage... unless, of course, he was acting as a shield on top of her. The thought made him smile.

Suddenly a heavy weight crashed down on him, making his heart race with shock, "Gotcha!" Mirage hissed in his ear. She moved quietly anyway, and without her shoes on, she was all but silent. She kissed his cheek gently, and nuzzled him, and then looked up at the clouds briefly, "It looks like rain," she commented, looking back down at him with a smile.

Rolling onto his back and staring up at her in wide-eyed shock, he muttered, "Yeah, it does," Blinking, his mind catching back up with him, he added, "That was... damn impressive."

"Hey, I am partly a cat, I am supposed to be quiet," Mirage got up off Midnight, and sat next to him, nuzzling his cheek affectionately, "Well, sometimes..." she smiled.

Nuzzling back, he grinned and finished her statement, "Sometimes it’s fun to be noisy."

Mirage giggled like a little kitten, and blushed, "You seem to enjoy being noisy all the time," she said simply, playing with one of his dreads gently.

Chuckling softly and bumping his nose against hers, he rumbled, "That's because I'm very good at it..." His steely eyes looked into hers, and the echidna granted her a mischievous grin.

"Oh, so did you have something noisy in mind?" Mirage asked, not leaning away from him. She rather liked these little games, the riddles and puzzles and jokes they made together. It meant that their relationship was so much more than sex, "Something noisy... that you are good at?" she asked him.

Midnight chuckled softly, leaning into her and nuzzling her cheek. His lips scant inches from her ear, he whispered, "Yes and yes. Could give you some practice being noisy too."

Mirage smiled, "Hmmm... sounds interesting," she purred, "What dangerous little game have you thought up in that devious little brain of yours, hmmm?"

"It’s a simple game, a hunt,” he explained, giving her throat a kiss, "It takes two players, one wielding a spear, the other, a kind of snare, you could say. The two of them sneak around in a place like this and try to... dominate the other."

"And where do you suggest we got this spear and this snare from at this time of night?" Mirage asked him sternly, but there was a slight smile on her lips, as if she was entertaining the idea.

Raising a finger and smiling, he said, "Ah, but we need not search any further than ourselves. Good 'ole nature made us perfectly equipped for this game. The real question is... are you up to it?"

"How could I possibly refuse that invitation?" Mirage asked, kissing his cheek lightly.

Smirking, the echidna leaned in to quickly kiss her lips. "How do you feel like starting? Counting to twenty while one of us runs off?"

"Hmmm... I will run this time..." Mirage smirked, "I know you like to be the hunter..." She jumped to her feet and within seconds, she had all but disappeared into the shadowy foliage.

Smiling, Midnight stood up and faced the nearest tree, closing his eyes. "One... two... three... four... five..." he counted out loud.

Just like hide and seek, Mirage thought to herself as she kept moving, Only more fun. She started looking for a tree she could climb into, but there were none that would support her weight. She shrugged and kept moving, searching for a good place to hide and wait in.

"...twelve... thirteen... fourteen... You'd better hurry up!" Midnight called out, grinning. This was going to be a very fun and rewarding hunt - for somebody.

Mirage found herself a tree, and she crouched into its roots. Her black fur helped her blend into the shadows, but her red highlights stood out, even in the dim light. The three power rings on her tail shone too. She tried to take them off again, but they wouldn't come. She consoled herself with the thought that this was only a game.

"...eighteen… nineteen… twenty!" the echidna called, "I'm coming for you, Mirage!" Grinning, Midnight turned around and swept his eyes over the surrounding area, making sure that she didn't do anything sneaky and try to hide right next to him. Next, he looked down to make sure that his ‘spear’ was in the ready position. Seeing that it was, he continued on into the garden, slowly sweeping his eyes and sniffing the air, his senses alert for her presence...and to any possible attack. He had trained her well, well enough to possibly win this game. Although losing could be fun in its own way, his competitive spirit refused to let that happen without fight, "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty..."

Mirage heard him - the still air carried sound better than he realised. She curled up into an impossibly tiny ball, hiding as much of her red fur as possible, steadied her breathing, and closed her eyes, relying on her ears to tell her where the echidna was. If he passed her, she could leap out at him and win easily.

Midnight shut his mouth and continued to hunt her in silence, moving painfully slowly, trying not to miss a single detail. Taunting her was to tempt her to reveal herself, but judging from the returning silence, she was too good and clear-headed for that. He knew he would have to be the same to win. He would have to pounce on her and take her down fast; a prolonged battle would end with him losing. His body was still too sore for that.

Mirage remained in her furry ball. Clearly no further taunts were forthcoming. It would have made the game much easier - for her. Her ears strained to hear any sound, but Midnight hadn't quite mastered the art of moving not-quite-silently. Little patches of moving silence drew attention, if you knew how to listen for them. And judging from the amount of noise he made - well, he probably thought he was being stealthy.

Make a sound, the echidna thought, Make a whisper of noise, let the wind shift in my direction, let those crimson eyes shine in the moonlight... Unfortunately, none of those things occurred, and a little bit of fear trickled into the warrior's belly. This was her arena. In a straight fight, they were close to even now, but in a battle of stealth... He shook his head and continued on, refusing to feel like the hunted, drawing closer to her, even though he wasn't aware of it.

Mirage let herself relax into the tree's roots. A tense ball of fur would definitely draw attention; it would be very different from tree roots and earth. She refused to let her red highlights show though, listening to Midnight coming closer. She would wait until he was right in front of her before she made any move.

It was too damn dark, and Mirage seemed to have disappeared, melted into the shadows... Shadow... now that he thought about it, he and her seemed awfully close in appearance... The momentary lack of focus made him stumble, a sound which anyone could have heard throughout the whole garden. Cursing quietly, he righted himself and continued on, right past Mirage.

Mirage didn't even bother with 'Gotcha!' this time; she heard him stumble almost in front of her. Then she pounced, knocking him to the ground.

"Aw, dammit!" the echidna shouted in surprise and disappointment in himself, the feline's weight crashing into him. As he hit the ground, Midnight knew he had lost to the superior hunter. The student had surpassed the master.

Mirage looked down at Midnight with a smile, "How about we change it around," she suggested, "This time, I will count to twenty, and you can hide. How about that?"

"Now you're just toying with me,” he stated, "You won fair and square." He supposed that he shouldn't expect anything else from a feline. They were notorious for playing with their prey.

Mirage bent down and licked Midnight's lips, still smiling, "I bet you were really looking forward to dragging me out of the shadows and making me completely helpless, were not you?"

"Yes, I was,” he admitted, feeling frustrated by his failure. The frustration though, was mixed with pride for his worthy student. A confusing mixture, to be sure.

Mirage's smile became a wicked grin, "Well, to tell the truth... so was I," she said softly, sitting up, "But I could not just make it easy... that would be cheating."

"Hmm... we seem to have quite a predicament on our hands. No way to make this as fun as it could be,” said Midnight. But unlike before, he was now just stalling for time. A combat situation could change in an instant, and so it was here. As he was talking to her, distracting her, his arm slid smoothly through the shadows towards a small tree branch he had noticed on the ground. If he could just get hold of it, maybe he could turn the tables on the gloating feline.

Mirage was far too busy being smug to notice the movement. She trailed a finger over Midnight's chest, "Well, I suppose we will just have to make do-"

WHAM! The feline got a face full of leafy twigs as the echidna swung the branch into her face. Taking advantage of Mirage's surprise, he pushed her backwards, curled his legs up, and kicked her off of him. Rolling to his feet, the echidna warrior lunged at her, snarling in a loud, threatening manner intended to paralyse his opponent for another crucial second.

"Hey! I thought you said I had won!" Mirage shouted, surprised. She cast her eyes about for a weapon of some kind, but she'd left the daggers she’d stolen in her other vest. She reached for a tree branch and started to break it off, but by that time, Midnight was already upon her.

"Victory can become failure, if you're not careful,” the echidna growled. Pinning her arms firmly down, his face practically touching hers, Midnight flicked his tongue against her nose. Thunder rumbled overhead as he grinned at her.

Mirage started to struggle on reflex, her legs curling up under his stomach, ready to kick him off, when he pinned them as well, "Damn!" she said, "You are getting better too!"

"You keep me sharp and in fighting shape,” he replied with a wink. He knew well that she could turn the tables back if he got too careless, but he didn't plan on making the same mistake twice. Grabbing her wrists tightly, he quickly spun her over onto her belly and pulled her up onto her knees, the echidna leaning over her back, his cock nestled between her legs and hardening in anticipation, "We keep this up, and we'll become unstoppable in no time,” he whispered into her ear playfully.

Mirage moaned softly as she felt Midnight’s cock pressed against her back and his arms around her waist, “Oh, Midnight…” she sighed, I do not care how rough you are; but please be loving too… she thought happily.

Holding her tightly, the echidna nuzzled his way up her cheek and lightly kissed her ears. His fingers slid through the fur of her belly, scratching affectionately, "Mirage..." he whispered, his voice a deep rumble.

Mirage tried to turn to face him, a purr rising up in her chest as she writhed in response to his touch. But no matter how she twisted, she couldn't quite manage it. She moaned softly, "Midnight..." she moaned.

He could feel her writhing underneath him, struggling to regain control, but he wasn't about to let his prey get away from him. Leaning over her, he took the edge of her ear into his mouth and sucked on it softly, aware of how sensitive her ears were.

Mirage whimpered softly, leaning back so that her vest fell back, and her furry, white chest was quite bare. She reached behind her, her hands moving blindly over Midnight's body.

The echidna raised himself up briefly to slip her vest off, tossing it aside as he leant over her again, sucking on her other ear as he removed his gloves and ran his bare hands up her belly to caress her breasts.

Mirage tried to turn around again. When this failed, she began to squeeze any part of Midnight's body she could lay her hands on, "Midnight, stop it..." she moaned, but the tone of her voice and the wide smile on her lips meant anything but that.

"Not a chance,” he whispered into her ear with a smirk, pulling back slightly to blow on the dampened edge. Tilting his head down, he pressed his muzzle into the back of her neck, breathing in her scent deeply and flicking his tongue against her, guessing that it would be a particularly sensitive spot. He gave her breasts a gentle squeeze, his thumbs running in circles over her nipples. Midnight moved his hips slightly, sliding his throbbing member through the fur of her back.

Mirage moaned again and leant back slightly, feeling Midnight's cock pressed harder against her back. She began to squeeze his thighs hard, her claws sliding out and trailing through his fur, pressing against the skin but not quite piercing it.

Midnight groaned against the feline, closing his eyes as he felt her claws scratch him gently. Letting out a pleased rumble, one of his hands left her chest to slide back down her belly and continued down between her legs, rubbing softly. The echidna bit down on the back of her neck, careful, like her, to not break the skin.

As Midnight stroked her slit, Mirage's purrs increased in volume until she was almost crying out in pleasure, her hands rubbing Midnight's thighs faster. She could feel herself start to lube up inside, and once again she tried to turn, tried to kiss Midnight passionately.

Again, he held her where she was, his weight pressing more heavily against her back. Smiling, he leaned further over her and turned his face to press their lips together, drawing her into that passionate kiss she wanted. He sucked on her lips and tongue, slid his own within her mouth and explored, and met her intensity with his own. During the heated kiss, the echidna traced the edge of her slit and pushed one finger inside.

Mirage whimpered and writhed. She could have fought her way free of this delicious torture. Half of her wanted to, wanted to bruise flesh and tear skin and then kiss it all better. The other half wanted the same thing - but to have it done to her. But while lost in the kiss, she forgot her darker desires, for a moment.

Midnight wanted the same, to fight, to struggle, to bruise and tear, to ravage her body and for her to do the same to him as they cried out into the night, giving into their passion madly. But he was afraid of it, afraid to let the animal within him loose, afraid to scare her, lose her like he almost did before. He held it back as he kissed her deeply, as he twisted his finger inside her and thrust another in to join it.

Mirage's loud moans became gasps, and her desires rose up again. She had once warned Midnight about the monster within, but she had never thought her monster wanted this. She tried to hold it back, to keep it to her own command, to keep it on a leash... so it would come when she needed it. Her self control won over, and the darkness inside beat on the walls and screamed to be let out... but she was in control of it.

They both had a small victory against their darker selves, the creatures within that wanted free, but Midnight had a feeling that it couldn't last forever, that they would eventually be freed. What was truly scary was that a part of him wanted it. In a moment of intimacy like this, it could be quite fun... but could he cage it again? He pushed such thoughts out of his mind, ending the kiss and pulling his fingers out of Mirage, damp with her juices. Giving her nose a light kiss, he positioned himself behind her, gripping her fur and pressing the head of his cock against her slit. With a loud moan, he thrust his way inside the feline.

Mirage cried out, almost a scream, but it was a scream of pleasure. She bent over onto her hands and knees, her claws digging straight into the ground, and spread her legs.

Groaning deeply, Midnight accepted the invitation to enter her deeper, driving his cock into her slick, tight insides. Gripping her fur tightly, he pushed in and out of her, panting hard, his breath warm against her sweat-slicked skin.

"Uh... Oh, Midnight..." Mirage moaned deeply. Balancing on one hand, her other moved down to her slit. She could feel Midnight pressed against her, and she could also feel a slight bulge where he was deep within her.

The echidna dug his feet into the dirt and pushed harder against her, crying out towards the sky that rumbled loudly as if in reply. His hands roamed higher on her, again gripping her fur, and he quietly moaned her name. Droplets of rain began to fall, mixing with sweat as they ran down his back.

Mirage could see the ends of Midnight's dreads hanging over her, and felt the darker desires rise up in her again. She cried out louder and arched her back, pressing hard against him.

Midnight growled lustfully as pleasure shot through him, driving him to pump his hips faster, harder into his feline mate. The rain fell hard, splattering into his fur and dripping from his dreads. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, joining their cries and moans and screams.

Mirage panted heavily, supporting both her weight and Midnight’s on her arms, her quills drenched in her own sweat, her body as wet as Midnight’s, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly.

Tilting his head down, the echidna breathed in Mirage's scent before wrapping his mouth around her throat, giving it a gentle bite and slowing his thrusts teasingly. He moved his mouth away from her neck and licked at the bruised spot he had created. As he did so, he tightened his embrace, holding her tightly against him, taking the brunt of the storm for her, their mingling heat driving off the cold of the rain. For a moment, he could forget where and what he was and imagine that he really was somewhere in the wilderness with his beloved mate, far from anything that could harm them or spoil their happiness. It was a nice fantasy.

Mirage continued to gasp for breath, each time Midnight pulled her against him. Crying out his name, she once again tried to turn to face him, but the movement jarred her hips badly. She had by now been pulled back up onto her knees, and the rain was pouring down her body, plastering her fur to her skin, making her slight, agile body seem that much slimmer.

And suddenly, the length driven inside her pulled out, and Mirage found herself being rolled onto her back and staring up into Midnight's face, the echidna giving her a slight smile as he pinned her to the ground, pressing down her shoulders. His slate-grey eyes swept their way over her panting, sweat-covered body before locking onto hers, watching her crimson orbs glow like embers when lightning flashed. Lowering himself to her, he again thrust his cock within her, his hands on either side of her, his fingers clawing into the mud.

Mirage spread her legs once again, wrapping them around his waist, and pulled him down into her hard, pressing her lips to his and wrapping her arms around his waist.

He closed his eyes and returned the kiss passionately, his arms wrapping around her protectively as he again moved within her, little moans of pleasure escaping from their locked lips.

In return, Mirage gripped his fur tightly, her claws once again pressing against the skin, but not breaking it. Moans came from between her lips as she quivered inside, gazing up at her, her eyes shining in the lightning.

Midnight groaned louder, feeling pressure build up inside him, feeling the pleasure growing stronger. He knew that he wouldn't last much longer, and he sped up his thrusts, kissed Mirage deeper, his fingers gripping her fur tightly. Pulling his mouth from hers and gasping for air, he moaned her name.

Mirage gasped, and buried her muzzle in Midnight's shoulder, chewing on him, her claws digging into him, and as the pleasure increased, she began to draw slow trickles of blood.

Midnight gasped and panted louder, pinpricks of pain mixed with the intense pleasure, seeming to only magnify it several times over. Closing his eyes tightly and letting loose a low groan, the echidna's body tensed and quivered, shooting his seed deep inside the feline beneath him.

Mirage writhed underneath him, her hands clutching at his hard muscle. She was smeared in so much mud that she was almost invisible underneath him, blending into the earth. She cried out again, and kissed him frantically as she orgasmed, shuddering in pleasure.

Midnight kissed her back hard, gripping her body tightly and holding on, riding out her intense orgasm as the afterglow of his own was still strong. Humming and sighing happily into the kiss, he revelled in the comforting warmth of her body and their combined scent, strong in the dampened air.

Mirage whimpered and moaned, breathing in deeply. The scent of them both increased her pleasure, and as her body twitched beneath his, she cried out his name repeatedly.

Ending the kiss and smiling, Midnight lowered his muzzle and gently licked her throat and the bruised spot he had made on it, his fingers running up and down her sides through her muddied fur.

Mirage shivered for a long moment, her tongue lapping at his cheek, "Midnight..." she sighed, "Oh... I love you so..."

"I love you too, Mirage,” he breathed, returning her licks with his own, holding her tightly against him, truly content and at peace. After a long moment of snuggling, though, he looked around at their muddied and rain-soaked bodies and asked sheepishly, "Uh... did you bring a towel?"

"Where is my vest?" Mirage answered him, looking around, "This is going to get problematic again, is not it?"

Midnight nuzzled her neck again and laughed softly at their ridiculous situation. "It always does,” he commented, "Tell you what; you look for our clothes, and I'll run to the gym and sneak us out some towels."

Mirage nodded with a little smile, "Sure... um... you'll have to get off and out of me first."

"Of course,” he said quickly, pulling out and getting to his feet. Grinning, he leaned down and kissed her one more time before he turned and jogged through the garden towards the exit.

Mirage started to scout around, searching for their clothes. She found her red and white vest first, but thanks to the rain, which had been so arousing minutes earlier, she was having some real trouble finding Midnight's brown gloves and boots.

It took Midnight far longer than he expected to achieve his own part of their cleanup. First, there was the matter of getting to the gym while being slow and quiet about it so as to not draw attention. Then he actually had to wash off the mud, dry himself off, steal the towels, and again sneak back to the garden. This was further compounded by the fact that he had to clean up his muddy trail all the way back there. Having accomplished all that, he waited at the garden entrance for Mirage to return to him.

Mirage was sitting under a tree, holding their clothes against herself, "You were not caught?" she asked him softly.

"You may be the stealth master, but I'm not too bad at it, myself,” he said with a smirk, tossing her a towel, "Did you find everything?"

"Yes, you were gone long enough," Mirage's face creased up, "I was getting worried."

"It sounded simple, but was more time-consuming than I thought,” he explained, leaning against the wall, "But I'm alright."

Mirage stood up and wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling his cheek, "Oh, Midnight," she sighed, "I love you..."

He returned the hug and rubbed her back slowly and comfortingly, seeing that she had been more rattled than he expected by his short absence, "I love you too. I'm fine, really. Nothing was going to happen to me,” he assured her.

"I know... but it only takes one suspicious guard," Mirage sighed, "And then... then I do not know what happens after that."

"Let's never find out,” he whispered and then kissed her cheek, "You enjoyed it, right?"

"Yes," Mirage murmured in Midnight's ear, "You mean... so much to me... I do not want to lose you... not ever..."

His first impulse was to tell her that she would never lose him, but then images of being beaten by Shadow and of human soldiers and their guns stopped the words before they left his mouth. He couldn't say it. He couldn't lie to her. So instead, he said, "You mean everything to me, Mirage."

Mirage was too tired and too happy to notice the hesitation. She began to purr softly, rubbing her cheek against his.

The echidna smiled and rubbed back, staying in the moment, holding off those dark thoughts about an uncertain future for a time when he was by himself.

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Harley: Next chapter… everything starts to really fuck up. Starting with Ashura, who fucks things up just by standing around.