Melinda's pet
folder
+S through Z › World of Warcraft
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
6
Views:
18,041
Reviews:
19
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
+S through Z › World of Warcraft
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
6
Views:
18,041
Reviews:
19
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own World of Warcraft, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 2
Horu quenched his thirst in the cool brook, he was lost. It had been two days since he snuck out of Melinda’s home as she traveled to town for provisions. He had hoped to find some way home, or some friendly town where he could seek help, but as far as he could tell, he was trapped. The island itself was a massive tree, reaching heights unknown to even him, a native of Thunder Bluff. He had stumbled upon a few towns, but seeing only nightelves, he dared not approach. The forest was cruel; all manners of creatures gave chase to him, his legs burned from all the running he had to do to survive. As the utter helplessness of the situation finally hit him, he began to sob. He missed his home, missed his family, especially his mother, his last memory of her was a bitter argument over her “controlling” him, the irony of his situation making him ache with regret.
“Naughty pet!” came a taunting voice. Horu recognized the owner as a hand, soft as a spring breeze came from behind to stroke his cheek. Her breath was sweet like candy, her caress soothing and gentle as she leaned in close to whisper in his ear.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were running away. But you wouldn’t do that would you? Not after my warnings, no, that would be truly FOOLISH! So, little Horu, what are you doing out of the house?”
Horu stammered, throat tight and dry “I w-w-wanna go h-home!”
“Silly boy” she panted in his ear, “You ARE HOME!” she bit his earlobe to accentuate her point. Her hands found his shoulders and began to squeeze them powerfully, making him shiver. “Your mistress is MOST displeased pet! I told you what would happen if you displease me didn’t I?” She could see his head nod, then droop in defeat. “You will be punished boy, and it WILL hurt. But you WILL learn. You are mine forever more! Put aside any dreams of escape or freedom. I am your world, please me and your life will be bliss, anger me and you will find a new definition of suffering”. Spinning around to face him, she planted a gentle kiss between his eyes, looking him in the face her expression was a blank slate. “Accept your fate Horu, there are worse ways to end up in this world than the servant of a female. Now sleep pet.” The amulet on his collar glowed dimly and Horu felt his eyelids grow heavy as the darkness crept upon him.
His sense of smell returned first, fresh hay and feed told him he was in the barn. Sense of feel told him that he was bound; arms tied up and apart above his head, legs tied about the hooves, also spread. The chill of the outside air on his genitals told him he was nude. His ears picked up the chirps of various birds in the trees of the great forest, the low rumble of his mistress’ nightsaber’s purr, and the melodious humming of his mistress. Finally, with what seemed like an ungodly amount of effort, his eyes slowly opened, confirming everything his other senses told him. He tried to shake off the cobwebs, snorting and rocking his head side to side.
“Ah, welcome back to the land of the living! I see the collar works most splendidly! Poor Sasha, that’s the second time in three years she’s had to carry your limp carcass here.” She mused, scratching the nightsaber under its chin. “You’re not as small as you were when we first found you.” She said, running the back of her hand up his back. Beneath his jet black pelt she could feel powerful muscles as they rippled and flexed as he shifted on his feet. What once was a scrawny teenage tauren was now a promising specimen of twenty years. His body thick and hard from years of toil on her farm. She knew that he would have made a formidable force on any battlefield had his life gone different. But, he was hers and hers alone. The collar insured he’d never be able to use that powerful body for anything other than her pleasure.
“No pet, you’ve become quite the sizeable problem...” her hand turned down to run down and cup a cheek of his buttocks, her other hand joined in and she squeezed his rump firmly, the muscles of his butt flexing tight in her hands as he flinched. “You like that?” he shook his head “no” defiantly. “I think you do, but it doesn’t matter, you’re to be punished, not pleased.”
She walked around to his front, a familiar whip coiled in her hand. “You remember this?” He nodded. “What did I tell you I’d do if you didn’t please me?” After a moment of silence she reached back and slapped him across the snout. “Answer me! What did I tell you?!” He looked down at her with watery eyes, full of fear. “Y-you-you’d tan my h-h-hide!” “That’s right pet. You’re going to receive five lashes for drawing your mistress’ ire. Afterwards you’ll be given a chance to make your mistress happy, and you know what happens to those who make me happy, right?” His head just hung limp, the occasional tear falling to the floor of the barn with a gentle “tap”. Grabbing his chin, she lifted his face to look her in the eye. “I don’t enjoy this, no matter what you think. Remember it’s YOU who brought this upon yourself. I make the rules; you chose to break them, now I have to enforce them.” Slowly she slipped from view to his left; he could hear the soft patter of her footfalls as she circled around to his back. “Find a peaceful, calm place in your mind Horu, and seek shelter there…. This will hurt”
SNAP!
The first lash made his eyes fly open, his face contorted in pain, mouth hung agape in a soundless scream as the whip lashed across his back.
SNAP!
Tears began to flow freely as he barked out in pain.
SNAP!
SNAP!
There was a rush of warmth down his back, oddly soothing in contrast to the burning pain coming from his welts. He wasn’t sure why, but his mind immediately told him it was his own blood.
SNAP!
The final lash laid a welt from mid back, up and over his right shoulder; it ended on the side of his neck. He collapsed as his knees went weak, unable to support his body as it went into shock.
She was at his lips with a cup of cool water soon after. “Drink pet. You’ve done your time, the punishment is over.” He drank the water as she dabbed up his tears with a handkerchief. “Don’t do it again pet. Please?” she seemed to beg. “I dislike causing you pain, the welts on your back will take weeks to heal fully.” She continued. “I-I-I’m s-s-suh-sorry my mistress” he choked. A smile came to Melinda’s face. “All is forgiven pet!” she chirped “You’ve made your mistress happy again. So she will repay you by replacing the pain of her disappointment with the pleasure of her approval.”
She hung the whip on the wall in front of Horu, and reaching into the bag of her mount’s saddle, she produced a small jar. Opening the lid she wafted it before Horu’s nose. “It’s a soothing balm I made. A little of this, a little of that, works wonders if I say so myself.” It had the smell of clover and a hint of vanilla, the color was a milky white as she scooped a decent size blob out onto her fingers. She moved out of his view again; jar in hand, to his abused back. Her smile turned to a bit of a frown as she saw the full effect of the damage she had inflicted. Five long welts criss crossed his back, trails of blood running down, slickening his fur. Reaching out cautiously, she applied the first bit of balm to his wounds.
Horu hissed as the cold ointment touched his tender welts, body tensing. The potent blend of herbs began to work quickly as the dull throb of pain was replaced by a soothing glow of warmth, his body relaxed and he slumped a bit, supported by his bonds at the wrist.
Diligently she plied the balm to every bit of his wounds, rubbing and massaging it in. A smile took to her lips when she saw his tail begin to swish on its own. He was enjoying it! She really did feel bad for whipping him, but it had to be done. After all, if the boundaries aren’t set in stone, a pet will cross them with reckless abandon. Horu had been a good pet up until his recent episode, performing his duties diligently and without griping or whining, his insubordination had both surprised and infuriated her.
All too soon she had covered his torn back with cream. Frumping a bit at the end of a rather pleasing task, she got a wicked idea and her grin came full force. Covering both hands with more balm, she continued to work her way down his back, massaging areas that were unaffected by her “discipline”. Finally she came to his meaty rump. She so adored his backside, it was taut and compact, a “cute” butt if you will. She relished in his groans as she kneaded and rubbed the flanks. His tail was swishing actively and he was shifting his weight around in an attempt to escape the randy hands that mauled his hind quarters, but to no avail. Kneeling behind him, her right hand ran back up his side and around his front, caressing the bumps of his abdominals as they flexed and relaxed from his shallow breaths. Moving downwards, across his navel, to find his semi erect penis, already sliding out of his sheath. She cooed as she wrapped her hand around it. Laying her head on his right butt cheek, she continued her assault, left hand massaging his buttocks while the right gripped and pumped his shaft to full hardness, the balm providing a slick lubricant for his penis.
Horu whined in pleasure, sounding like a tea kettle as he squirmed. Try as he might, there was no escape; he was completely at her mercy. Melinda pumped him with vigor, feeling a bit naughty, she playfully bit his flank, making him yelp in surprise. Her left hand moved to slid from his cheek to the valley between his flanks, running from back to front. Sliding from the base of his tail, between his legs to cup and caress his hanging testicles, returning to “molest” his hind end.
Horu was fully erect, his pink and black mottled cock pointed out in front of him proudly as Melinda’s hand danced up and down it. Angry looking veins traced the length of his shaft. It was beautiful and intimidating at the same time, and it was all hers! Shifting on her knees she leaned out to where she could see his face.
“I’m going to show you a trick pet. You’ll like this; it’ll make you cum like you’ve never felt before. Just relax and let your mistress pleasure you.” He nodded, eyes squinting in pleasure. Melinda took her position behind Horu again, bringing the index finger of her left hand to her mouth; she sucked on it and got it slick with saliva. Running the back of her hand up the cleft of his butt, she came to rest underneath his tail, extending her index finger; she felt the base of his anus. She probed around a bit until the tip of her finger came to rest on the dimple of his anus. The ring of muscles clinched at its presence. Slowly she drew circles around the entrance with her slick finger, applying slightly more pressure with each pass until finally the tip of her finger slipped in. Immediately Horu clamped down on her finger, grunting in discomfort. “I told you to relax Horu. Believe me, it may feel bizarre, but you’ll soon grow to enjoy it.” She tried again to press inwards, but to no avail. Inspiration struck her and she withdrew her finger from his anus, finding the open container of balm, she scooped a dollop onto her finger and returned to Horu’s anal passage. This time Horu yiped as the cool cream caught him by surprise. Melinda worked the ointment in and in no time, Horu’s anus was slick enough for her to penetrate with little resistance. She worked her finger in and out until he was loosened up a bit, then she added her middle finger. Gently she frigged his anus as she milked his cock with her other hand. Horu’s hips had a life of their own and began moving about; trying to thrust into her hand, yet pull away from the intruder in his back passage.
Skillfully Melinda worked her fingers inwards until she found the small protrusion that marked the tauren’s prostate. Deftly, she stroked his prostate from the inside, the sensations it brought Horu were foreign, but not unwelcome. He could immediately feel a difference in the pleasure her manipulations brought. His erection throbbed almost painfully, his penis almost drooling precum on Melinda’s hand. Horu couldn’t help grunting rhythmically as the pleasure built exponentially. He was on a wild race to orgasm, but he didn’t care. Knowing he was coming close, Melinda increased pressure on his prostate, her grip on his cock tightening. He could feel the orgasm as it closed in, the pleasure seeming to surge from his balls upwards to the base of his cock. He held on for as long as he could until he heard Melinda’s voice.
“Cum Horu, let your essence flow freely! Shoot your seed into the air!”
Again the amulet glowed and Horu felt the last walls of resistance crumble away. His anus pulled on Melinda’s fingers hungrily as his testicles lurched upwards powerfully. His penis throbbed in Melinda’s hand and she watched from around his flank as the tip of his cock jumped and a thick stream of cum fired out of the tip to noisily splat on the stone floor of the barn. Again and again it squirted gouts of semen into the air, joining the rest on the floor. Finally the throbs lessened in intensity to mere pulses as the squirts faded into a small trickle of cum.
Melinda let his cock fall from her hand as she reached for her handkerchief, using it to clean off her hands. Looking at Horu she could only chuckle in sympathy. His back lined with balm covered welts, his anus slightly agape and shining from her improvised lubrication, literally hanging from his binds as he slumped from exhaustion. Melinda motioned towards Sasha and towards Horu; the great cat rose up, knowingly, and moved towards Horu. Inquisitively she sniffed the puddle of Horu’s semen on the floor. Sampling it, she shook his head at the potency of his flavor. Melinda meanwhile moved towards the wall where the ropes that held Horu aloft were tied down. Pulling the knot, Horu fell forward, but was met by the broad back of Sasha. The cat buckled a bit at the surprise of Horu’s weight, but quickly recovered and held the tauren up. Together, she and Melinda got Horu into the house and back into her bed. After a nice hot bath, Melinda joined Horu in the bedroom. The tauren was tired but he couldn’t sleep. He kept wincing in pain as he tossed and turned, his back still stinging from the blows.
Melinda sighed and slid under the covers. Grabbing Horu by the head, she helped him roll onto his belly; she let his head rest on her breasts, using her own chest as a pillow. Idly she stroked his hair as she cradled his head in her arms.
“Why were you in Ashenvale Horu?”
“I ran away from home mistress.”
“Why?”
“My mother and I, we had an argument.”
“What about?”
“She didn’t want me to leave the farm. She wished for me to stay home and raise a family, I wanted to learn to fight.”
“Why do you think she would want that?”
“I’m not sure; at the time I believed she thought I was too weak to be a warrior. Now though, I think she was trying to shelter me.”
“The past is just that Horu, the past. You can’t undo it, you can’t linger on it, let it flow away from you like the water of a creek. The future is all that matters. Rest now, you’ll need your energy for tomorrow, and all the tomorrows that follow it.”
Horu drifted off to sleep in her arm, his breath slowing, his face a peaceful portrait. Melinda observed him as he slept, watching his nostrils flare with each breath, the warmth of his breath as it washed across her chest. Gently, she moved a strand of hair out of his face.
“I know why your mother wanted you sheltered Horu.” She whispered. “She wanted to protect you. To protect the one thing that when lost, can never be recovered. Innocence.”
“Naughty pet!” came a taunting voice. Horu recognized the owner as a hand, soft as a spring breeze came from behind to stroke his cheek. Her breath was sweet like candy, her caress soothing and gentle as she leaned in close to whisper in his ear.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were running away. But you wouldn’t do that would you? Not after my warnings, no, that would be truly FOOLISH! So, little Horu, what are you doing out of the house?”
Horu stammered, throat tight and dry “I w-w-wanna go h-home!”
“Silly boy” she panted in his ear, “You ARE HOME!” she bit his earlobe to accentuate her point. Her hands found his shoulders and began to squeeze them powerfully, making him shiver. “Your mistress is MOST displeased pet! I told you what would happen if you displease me didn’t I?” She could see his head nod, then droop in defeat. “You will be punished boy, and it WILL hurt. But you WILL learn. You are mine forever more! Put aside any dreams of escape or freedom. I am your world, please me and your life will be bliss, anger me and you will find a new definition of suffering”. Spinning around to face him, she planted a gentle kiss between his eyes, looking him in the face her expression was a blank slate. “Accept your fate Horu, there are worse ways to end up in this world than the servant of a female. Now sleep pet.” The amulet on his collar glowed dimly and Horu felt his eyelids grow heavy as the darkness crept upon him.
His sense of smell returned first, fresh hay and feed told him he was in the barn. Sense of feel told him that he was bound; arms tied up and apart above his head, legs tied about the hooves, also spread. The chill of the outside air on his genitals told him he was nude. His ears picked up the chirps of various birds in the trees of the great forest, the low rumble of his mistress’ nightsaber’s purr, and the melodious humming of his mistress. Finally, with what seemed like an ungodly amount of effort, his eyes slowly opened, confirming everything his other senses told him. He tried to shake off the cobwebs, snorting and rocking his head side to side.
“Ah, welcome back to the land of the living! I see the collar works most splendidly! Poor Sasha, that’s the second time in three years she’s had to carry your limp carcass here.” She mused, scratching the nightsaber under its chin. “You’re not as small as you were when we first found you.” She said, running the back of her hand up his back. Beneath his jet black pelt she could feel powerful muscles as they rippled and flexed as he shifted on his feet. What once was a scrawny teenage tauren was now a promising specimen of twenty years. His body thick and hard from years of toil on her farm. She knew that he would have made a formidable force on any battlefield had his life gone different. But, he was hers and hers alone. The collar insured he’d never be able to use that powerful body for anything other than her pleasure.
“No pet, you’ve become quite the sizeable problem...” her hand turned down to run down and cup a cheek of his buttocks, her other hand joined in and she squeezed his rump firmly, the muscles of his butt flexing tight in her hands as he flinched. “You like that?” he shook his head “no” defiantly. “I think you do, but it doesn’t matter, you’re to be punished, not pleased.”
She walked around to his front, a familiar whip coiled in her hand. “You remember this?” He nodded. “What did I tell you I’d do if you didn’t please me?” After a moment of silence she reached back and slapped him across the snout. “Answer me! What did I tell you?!” He looked down at her with watery eyes, full of fear. “Y-you-you’d tan my h-h-hide!” “That’s right pet. You’re going to receive five lashes for drawing your mistress’ ire. Afterwards you’ll be given a chance to make your mistress happy, and you know what happens to those who make me happy, right?” His head just hung limp, the occasional tear falling to the floor of the barn with a gentle “tap”. Grabbing his chin, she lifted his face to look her in the eye. “I don’t enjoy this, no matter what you think. Remember it’s YOU who brought this upon yourself. I make the rules; you chose to break them, now I have to enforce them.” Slowly she slipped from view to his left; he could hear the soft patter of her footfalls as she circled around to his back. “Find a peaceful, calm place in your mind Horu, and seek shelter there…. This will hurt”
SNAP!
The first lash made his eyes fly open, his face contorted in pain, mouth hung agape in a soundless scream as the whip lashed across his back.
SNAP!
Tears began to flow freely as he barked out in pain.
SNAP!
SNAP!
There was a rush of warmth down his back, oddly soothing in contrast to the burning pain coming from his welts. He wasn’t sure why, but his mind immediately told him it was his own blood.
SNAP!
The final lash laid a welt from mid back, up and over his right shoulder; it ended on the side of his neck. He collapsed as his knees went weak, unable to support his body as it went into shock.
She was at his lips with a cup of cool water soon after. “Drink pet. You’ve done your time, the punishment is over.” He drank the water as she dabbed up his tears with a handkerchief. “Don’t do it again pet. Please?” she seemed to beg. “I dislike causing you pain, the welts on your back will take weeks to heal fully.” She continued. “I-I-I’m s-s-suh-sorry my mistress” he choked. A smile came to Melinda’s face. “All is forgiven pet!” she chirped “You’ve made your mistress happy again. So she will repay you by replacing the pain of her disappointment with the pleasure of her approval.”
She hung the whip on the wall in front of Horu, and reaching into the bag of her mount’s saddle, she produced a small jar. Opening the lid she wafted it before Horu’s nose. “It’s a soothing balm I made. A little of this, a little of that, works wonders if I say so myself.” It had the smell of clover and a hint of vanilla, the color was a milky white as she scooped a decent size blob out onto her fingers. She moved out of his view again; jar in hand, to his abused back. Her smile turned to a bit of a frown as she saw the full effect of the damage she had inflicted. Five long welts criss crossed his back, trails of blood running down, slickening his fur. Reaching out cautiously, she applied the first bit of balm to his wounds.
Horu hissed as the cold ointment touched his tender welts, body tensing. The potent blend of herbs began to work quickly as the dull throb of pain was replaced by a soothing glow of warmth, his body relaxed and he slumped a bit, supported by his bonds at the wrist.
Diligently she plied the balm to every bit of his wounds, rubbing and massaging it in. A smile took to her lips when she saw his tail begin to swish on its own. He was enjoying it! She really did feel bad for whipping him, but it had to be done. After all, if the boundaries aren’t set in stone, a pet will cross them with reckless abandon. Horu had been a good pet up until his recent episode, performing his duties diligently and without griping or whining, his insubordination had both surprised and infuriated her.
All too soon she had covered his torn back with cream. Frumping a bit at the end of a rather pleasing task, she got a wicked idea and her grin came full force. Covering both hands with more balm, she continued to work her way down his back, massaging areas that were unaffected by her “discipline”. Finally she came to his meaty rump. She so adored his backside, it was taut and compact, a “cute” butt if you will. She relished in his groans as she kneaded and rubbed the flanks. His tail was swishing actively and he was shifting his weight around in an attempt to escape the randy hands that mauled his hind quarters, but to no avail. Kneeling behind him, her right hand ran back up his side and around his front, caressing the bumps of his abdominals as they flexed and relaxed from his shallow breaths. Moving downwards, across his navel, to find his semi erect penis, already sliding out of his sheath. She cooed as she wrapped her hand around it. Laying her head on his right butt cheek, she continued her assault, left hand massaging his buttocks while the right gripped and pumped his shaft to full hardness, the balm providing a slick lubricant for his penis.
Horu whined in pleasure, sounding like a tea kettle as he squirmed. Try as he might, there was no escape; he was completely at her mercy. Melinda pumped him with vigor, feeling a bit naughty, she playfully bit his flank, making him yelp in surprise. Her left hand moved to slid from his cheek to the valley between his flanks, running from back to front. Sliding from the base of his tail, between his legs to cup and caress his hanging testicles, returning to “molest” his hind end.
Horu was fully erect, his pink and black mottled cock pointed out in front of him proudly as Melinda’s hand danced up and down it. Angry looking veins traced the length of his shaft. It was beautiful and intimidating at the same time, and it was all hers! Shifting on her knees she leaned out to where she could see his face.
“I’m going to show you a trick pet. You’ll like this; it’ll make you cum like you’ve never felt before. Just relax and let your mistress pleasure you.” He nodded, eyes squinting in pleasure. Melinda took her position behind Horu again, bringing the index finger of her left hand to her mouth; she sucked on it and got it slick with saliva. Running the back of her hand up the cleft of his butt, she came to rest underneath his tail, extending her index finger; she felt the base of his anus. She probed around a bit until the tip of her finger came to rest on the dimple of his anus. The ring of muscles clinched at its presence. Slowly she drew circles around the entrance with her slick finger, applying slightly more pressure with each pass until finally the tip of her finger slipped in. Immediately Horu clamped down on her finger, grunting in discomfort. “I told you to relax Horu. Believe me, it may feel bizarre, but you’ll soon grow to enjoy it.” She tried again to press inwards, but to no avail. Inspiration struck her and she withdrew her finger from his anus, finding the open container of balm, she scooped a dollop onto her finger and returned to Horu’s anal passage. This time Horu yiped as the cool cream caught him by surprise. Melinda worked the ointment in and in no time, Horu’s anus was slick enough for her to penetrate with little resistance. She worked her finger in and out until he was loosened up a bit, then she added her middle finger. Gently she frigged his anus as she milked his cock with her other hand. Horu’s hips had a life of their own and began moving about; trying to thrust into her hand, yet pull away from the intruder in his back passage.
Skillfully Melinda worked her fingers inwards until she found the small protrusion that marked the tauren’s prostate. Deftly, she stroked his prostate from the inside, the sensations it brought Horu were foreign, but not unwelcome. He could immediately feel a difference in the pleasure her manipulations brought. His erection throbbed almost painfully, his penis almost drooling precum on Melinda’s hand. Horu couldn’t help grunting rhythmically as the pleasure built exponentially. He was on a wild race to orgasm, but he didn’t care. Knowing he was coming close, Melinda increased pressure on his prostate, her grip on his cock tightening. He could feel the orgasm as it closed in, the pleasure seeming to surge from his balls upwards to the base of his cock. He held on for as long as he could until he heard Melinda’s voice.
“Cum Horu, let your essence flow freely! Shoot your seed into the air!”
Again the amulet glowed and Horu felt the last walls of resistance crumble away. His anus pulled on Melinda’s fingers hungrily as his testicles lurched upwards powerfully. His penis throbbed in Melinda’s hand and she watched from around his flank as the tip of his cock jumped and a thick stream of cum fired out of the tip to noisily splat on the stone floor of the barn. Again and again it squirted gouts of semen into the air, joining the rest on the floor. Finally the throbs lessened in intensity to mere pulses as the squirts faded into a small trickle of cum.
Melinda let his cock fall from her hand as she reached for her handkerchief, using it to clean off her hands. Looking at Horu she could only chuckle in sympathy. His back lined with balm covered welts, his anus slightly agape and shining from her improvised lubrication, literally hanging from his binds as he slumped from exhaustion. Melinda motioned towards Sasha and towards Horu; the great cat rose up, knowingly, and moved towards Horu. Inquisitively she sniffed the puddle of Horu’s semen on the floor. Sampling it, she shook his head at the potency of his flavor. Melinda meanwhile moved towards the wall where the ropes that held Horu aloft were tied down. Pulling the knot, Horu fell forward, but was met by the broad back of Sasha. The cat buckled a bit at the surprise of Horu’s weight, but quickly recovered and held the tauren up. Together, she and Melinda got Horu into the house and back into her bed. After a nice hot bath, Melinda joined Horu in the bedroom. The tauren was tired but he couldn’t sleep. He kept wincing in pain as he tossed and turned, his back still stinging from the blows.
Melinda sighed and slid under the covers. Grabbing Horu by the head, she helped him roll onto his belly; she let his head rest on her breasts, using her own chest as a pillow. Idly she stroked his hair as she cradled his head in her arms.
“Why were you in Ashenvale Horu?”
“I ran away from home mistress.”
“Why?”
“My mother and I, we had an argument.”
“What about?”
“She didn’t want me to leave the farm. She wished for me to stay home and raise a family, I wanted to learn to fight.”
“Why do you think she would want that?”
“I’m not sure; at the time I believed she thought I was too weak to be a warrior. Now though, I think she was trying to shelter me.”
“The past is just that Horu, the past. You can’t undo it, you can’t linger on it, let it flow away from you like the water of a creek. The future is all that matters. Rest now, you’ll need your energy for tomorrow, and all the tomorrows that follow it.”
Horu drifted off to sleep in her arm, his breath slowing, his face a peaceful portrait. Melinda observed him as he slept, watching his nostrils flare with each breath, the warmth of his breath as it washed across her chest. Gently, she moved a strand of hair out of his face.
“I know why your mother wanted you sheltered Horu.” She whispered. “She wanted to protect you. To protect the one thing that when lost, can never be recovered. Innocence.”