Chapter 18 – John’s Hope/ Confession, Sakura’s Reply, Who’s the Wolf?

 

About a week after the collapse of Sakura’s dungeon she sits surrounded by the other dungeon denizens.  A green slime is providing her with a soft and jiggly cushion being slightly elevated from the earth and stone ground. Behind the party is a small crackling fire set inside a ring of rocks, and it throws the shadows of everyone away from the orange glow. The shadows changing shape ever so slowly in the predawn hours. Sakura gestures with enthusiasm to an approaching figure to sit beside her on the slime, regardless of how the slime stretches to compensate for another bottom. As a group they are becoming more proficient in some normal camping activity. But this isn’t what is so exciting to Sakura. They have finally gotten a break and John or is it Jane now is able to do as promised.

 

“So, Mistress, this is our first sunrise together. Just like how you showed me. Like this, right? Cuddling also makes watching more enjoyable. That’s what you said isn’t it?” she asks confirming the interpretation.

 

“This Is one of the activities that a couple can share with one another. But Sakura it’s the feelings that are shared. As each person shares their enjoyment and care for one another.”

 

John pauses in explanation and tries to take Sakura’s hands.

 

With no hesitation Sakura’s slightly thinner digits take John’s hands, but he doesn’t stop there he threads his fingers in-between hers.

 

“What I’m trying to explain here Sakura is this.” John shares his thanks and care for her over the memories he has of her eagerly trying to help him recover from the lightning injury. The way she was worried over the hole that was blown out in his chest. Gratitude if a little limited washed into her from the bond. John shifts his mind to the effort she obviously put forward to make him the ideal body he wished he had. This added more gratitude to what he was sharing with her. He is trying to give her a type of heartfelt thank you, projecting directly from John to Sakura’s core. He knew in his own experience this is not a deep love or affection. But it existed in his heart enough to have such emotions toward her. And he felt stirred on the inside when he considered her enthusiasm and her desire to be what John has been searching for. If she’s truly so sincere then he couldn’t live with himself if he passed this opportunity up. Even if this core is some trouble, then name one person who doesn’t have their own particular quirks.

 

“This is exactly what I’m trying to say. In a relationship people share their love with one another. This means they are patient and kind; they do not envy, nor are they arrogant or rude…  They don’t insist on their own way, we do not become irritable or resentful. We shouldn’t rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoice with truth. Love, Sakura, bears all things, hopes, and shall Endure all things. This is what my world said true love is. I am not as great as this yet. I often fail at giving love the way it should be. But maybe, if you are willing to help me then maybe I can be more like this. In return I will try to help you be like this and know what it is like to share love. It isn’t just feeling good, but being good to each other as a family. As  partners. Then we could build a house together that would last.”

 

Sakura blindsided by this is speechless for a while. But the whole time she just tightens her hold on Johns hands while she rubs them with her fingers. She could feel the shared meaning behind these words. Even if her body isn't entirely normal like Johns, she is moved so deeply. Moisture gathers in her eyes, and it feels like her core is contracting. She can feel it as much as she sees that hope he has. His thanks, gratitude, and love is deeper than any things she has ever felt before. Yet he says it can be deeper, fuller, and it feels like he intends for it to overflow with so much love. This is wonderful; John is willing to give her such a chance to share something like that. It is such a gift and he is asking for her help to be part of the gift to one another. This is unprecedented in Sakura’s life. And this is why John wants to protect humans too. It is because they can love one another like this. This epiphany strikes a chord in her core.

 

She could feel his trepidation behind it as well. Behind John’s hopeful emotions is a feeling of insecurity and having already failed at this. But she knows he wants to be better and is hopeful she would try and be like that for each other. So they could share this Love he described. Another memory tickles her while she contemplates this. That memory is filled with regret, disappointment, and failure. It is a memory of John’s it is a confession. It is similar to this. He spoke in fewer words to a female and was promptly rejected and ridiculed for speaking like this before. Here she is remaining silent for so long it is bringing up that memory in John’s mind. Quickly Sakura nods vigorously in the affirmative. “Yes, Yes I will. Well, I will try. I know you believe in this a lot. And I just don’t have much experience in all that you said. But, Yes, I will try. Let’s be a couple.”

 

She digs deep in her core to pull up as much of those emotions as she can to share with John in their bond. It becomes clear to her as she was flooded with a rich and pure wave of John’s emotions and memories. Her emotions are so shallow in comparison. The most she has is more akin to his description of lust or feeling good together. Quickly she becomes a little frustrated at the difference in quality, but she doesn’t want to give up. He is sharing something precious, and important.  This is her chance to show she really wants to be that partner, that couple that John hopes to be. So she embraces John’s voluptuous figure with her own body. Her enthusiasm overrides any awkwardness.  

 

“I will try Mistress. We might not be equal yet, and I am behind. But try to trust me. I will do better than the ones who hurt you. So please keep sharing with me and I will try to learn.”

 

With inspiration she taps on the connection to all the dungeon denizens. Just as quickly she shares her intention with all her servants. She shares John’s blind hope for love, trust, and that family. It is made clear to each servant, her desire to try to live up to that. They are made aware that they are unable to fulfill it yet. So this is their goal. As they accomplish this they will receive love, and be able to give love to their leader, the Mistress. Their Mistress will help them be welcomed into a house that will last for ages. This is a worthy goal, so come forward and let the Mistress know we will be there and support this endeavor together.

 

Knox, the spider made elf, rests her breasts on Johns shoulders while embracing John and Sakura with her long arms. Andrea, the worm made dwarf, embraces everyone from Sakura’s side but the grip is more crushing than comforting. Dee- Prudence acting as the slime cushion for two soft and squeezable butts is not in a humanoid form at the moment. So Dee reaches up between thighs and around their butts to embrace the two leader’s waists. Dee then clings on to confirm participation in the goal just like the other servants. All three shares in Sakura’s delight and thanks from the bottom of her core as she is able to share with them the love that John has imparted to her.

 

 

John is momentarily shocked as all these arms, appendages, and things embrace his body. It is slightly erotic but he could feel the flood of gratitude and thanks as everyone really does share this long moment together.

 

Their shadows dance under their body while one of the suns peeks over the lip of the distant horizon. While John would really enjoy it if the moment could last a while longer, the love he could share with everyone is broken when one after another could pick up a distant rustling sound.

 

Leaves, sticks and loose dirt is tossed up in the air from multiple paws striking the ground. Each paw touches long enough to propel every beast forward toward their goal, a scent. Black noses sniff between each pant as they bear down on the target of their hunger. Meat, fresh and vibrant meat is just ahead for the pack. Drool drips off sharp teeth as the scent becomes stronger. They're getting closer, and closer as the scent of a human fire can clearly be distinguished from the wild. Where there is a fire so is there ripe and plump morsels to pick from the group. Sometimes the pack can get horses too. I have to tell the others.

 

“AAAA OOOUUUU” It howls.  “AAA OOUUUU” it cries again to tell everyone to come and chase the hunt.

 

The once blissful moment John felt is distracted when a distinct sound of a stampede is heard in the woods. But in a few more moments the feeling is completely ruined when a deep and sinister howl drowns out the stampede sound.

 

Like an alarm bell John stirred everyone to action.

 

“Sakura grab your sword, everyone else grab the gear and a weapon or a flaming branch from the fire. We can’t stay in the open. If they are wolfs then they fight best in the open. We need cover and something to slow down their mobility or we need to climb a tree to get out of their reach.”

 

Everyone sprung into action. Nabbing things and piling in together as the group left the open space and entered the woods below. Guided by torchlight the group was following John into the areas with denser tree cover. His focus was on looking for tree cover and finding trees with a large diameter they could get up with low branches. But they had to have thick trunks so nothing could tear the tree down easily.

 

Before long other wild life was fleeing in the same direction.  A few deer, pheasants and other birds noticed the fleeing party with fire sticks and chose to detour away. John realized this is a horrible sign. If they don’t find something soon then they will be attacked from behind without the benefit of facing whatever is coming head on.

 

The party came to a small hill side, and started to descend it by sliding and hopping. Dee tripped and tumbled several times before being caught by the leg and being yanked up by Andrea.  As John paused at the bottom of the hill he noticed a cave not far from their position. So in hopes of distracting the wolves he chose a path that skirted the edge of the cave. Once past the group plunged back into the woods searching for the right tree to scale.

 

Wolves plunged forward with reckless abandon snapping limbs, and scaring off lesser game. Their blood pumping and hearts racing as the game they were tracking has taken flight. This is another good hunt. It’s simply is no fun if the pray is too easy to catch. So again they let out another chest rattling howl to mark the direction their pray is escaping to.

 

Hundreds of meters into the forest is a slight clearing near a few gnarled trees. The gnarled trees that are growing together have no branches lower than about 10 foot from the ground. It is as close to perfect as he could find. But the sections of the low trunk are shaved into thin long vertical strips. The tree bothers John but it is ideal to have a gap of that height to keep the wolves at bay. So he charges that direction while dragging the slower party members by their arm. The howls are very close, and now the sounds are flanking the party.

 

“Everyone up as fast as you can.” He says these words as he grabs Knocks by the hips and gives a big shove.

 

Her Elven limbs scramble across the surface of the tree with nothing to grip. As a spider it would be much easier to scale. With two great pushes from below her fingers just reach the lowest limb, and her legs are given platform to push off of. With effort and a few moments Knocks takes hold of upper limbs, and is passed up a burning stick. She steadies her feet and wraps an arm around another limb in order to provide assistance to the next one coming up the tree.

 

Dee-Prudence is grabbed at her small frame and nearly launched with back pack and all up to the lowest limb. Knocks grabs a hold of the pack and helps Dee steady both feet on to a branch.  After a moment Dee gets to a higher limb and starts to accept bags. One after another is passed up and they are piled on a wedge in the tree.

 

Before Andrea is helped up the tree a mass of muscle and black fur comes at the party from two opposing sides in a pincer attack. Sakura turns around to face one while Andrea thumps back down to the ground and John bends over to pick up one of the flaming sticks.

 

Sakura times her swing with the face of the charging wolf. The body is almost 5 foot tall and the head actually has to angle down a bit to bite at her. But instead it bucks to the side dodging most of her swing and it catches her with a back paw as it kicks her in the chest. Sakura’s frame is too light and is sent flying away from the other members of the party.

 

Andrea doesn’t have far to reach to grab a flaming stick and is already prepared for the wolf’s bite attack. However instead of timing the bite with her swing she instead launches the stick like a propeller at the wolf’s head just before it gets close enough to bite. It’s a near point blank attack. Most people couldn’t turn such a branch into a thrown weapon. But Andrea can hurl the branch with abnormal strength. It makes a distinct sound off the skull of the wolf when it strikes. It is very similar to a shovel striking a coconut. The wolf sees double and staggers to one side. One can only hope it’s a concussion.

 

John & Andrea are still surprised though, because following after that wolf is another directly behind it. With barely any break in stride it skirts around the wolf that was bludgeoned in the head. Andrea side steps to block it from John when it bites down on Andrea. Her arm intercepts the wolf before it could reach the main part of her body and it clamps down on that. Half a heart beat later that wolf is bashed in the side of the head with a small but meaty fist.

 

John tries to come to Andrea’s aid with stick in hand, but before the stick comes down a mouth sinks into a leg and it feels like the leg might come off. One heavy paw strikes John in the wings, while the maw pulls both legs out from under his body. With sheer weight and muscle mass the wolf over powers John from behind.

 

The tree branch jostles but the wolf is more interested in eating John to notice. A small and insignificant weight lands on that wolf’s neck, and it noticed no problem. With a few chomps into John’s leg it gets kicked in the nose by the other leg. The wolf flinches back from the harsh headache. That shouldn’t normally hurt so badly. Even a tooth is knocked loose. It goes in for another bite as John rolls and push off the nose and jaw to keep the bite from landing.

 

Sakura recovers from the ground, and charges the wolf that is flailing Andrea around by the arm. She leaps in to dismember the wolf’s head, but the dwarf is thrown into her instead. Sakura is rebuffed from Andrea’s body. And the previously stunned wolf is now settling it’s gaze on Sakura.

 

The wolf snapping its jaws at John on the ground starts to hear a sizzle sound, but it doesn’t stop biting. It only hesitates to bite John after it starts to feel something tightening around its neck. With several sniffs the wolf makes a panicked jump to the side to escape the acrid smell. With a shake of the body, like shaking off water, the wolf feels something tighten even more around the neck area. Some fur is set loose in the air. So the wolf makes a dodgy action again. It has the distinct sensation of being wet but that’s not right. Water doesn’t burn and it’s not raining. But the burning sensation around the wolf’s neck increases every moment that passes.  Panic sets into the wolf’s mind. It jumps away and shakes, but can’t escape the pain. So it jumps, and shakes over and over again stuck in a broken loop unable to get away.

 

A flaming stick distracts the wolf facing off against Sakura. And Sakura is able to leap to the side and take a slice out of the wolf trying to dismember Andrea. The cut was grievous enough for it to let go in mid shake sending Andrea sprawling. The sliced wolf hobbles away not chancing another cut from behind.

 

“Look out, there is more coming!!!” Knox shouts from the tree.