Still, she noted she'd been walking for some time through the criss-crossing tunnels of the sewers, and it was beginning to concern her that she might, possibly, have become lost. Not wanting to indulge such ideas, the girl kept moving, ears straining for sounds in the darkness, and her emerald eyes hurting from squinting so much. The lantern was less helpful than she imagined, and she felt a twinge of sourness at the vendor who tried to up-sell her on a brighter one.
The grip on her sword hilt was beginning to hurt her tendons, but the rising nerves of crawling through such a strange place, wet with echoes, was getting to her. Each time she thought she saw anything move, or heard a noise, it made her tense so hard she wondered if her jaw might crack.
'How long have I been down here?' The blonde tilted her head, releasing her weapon just long enough to rub at the sore muscle of her arm holding the lantern. She was strong, but even so, her shoulder was beginning to cramp. It occurred to her that perhaps she should have left markers, or drawn a map even as she went. Swallowing, she buried her anxiety under a burst of blind anger, her steps coming faster.
If her plan had been to find something in the shadows by sheer bullheadedness alone, she was in luck.
One flat boot stepped into the loop of rope, and in a second she found herself viewing the world from upside down.
Her scream of surprise bounced around the chamber, lingering after she herself had finally closed her mouth. The clang of her lantern smashing, and the light fading away in a burst of orange, was far more terrifying than the knowledge she had fallen into a trap.
Siena gasped, trying to calm herself as she swayed, the blackness covering the world and making her even more disoriented. Palms slick with sweat reached up, trying to find the rope around her ankle. It was difficult, for she kept spinning with each twist or motion she made, and soon she simply hugged herself and inhaled deeply. 'Calm,' she thought fiercely, 'just relax. Think, think and you can get out of this. It's just a rope trap, nothing to fear.'
The true danger made itself known moments later.
The voice was soft, a hiss so sweet and so cruel, mere inches from her ear. It tickled, and she knew what she felt were whiskers as her brain tried to rapid fire the information over her shock.
“What have we caught in our trap, I wonder?”
The rats had found her.
On reaction, she swiped out with one fist, trying to catch the creature where she thought its head must be. The dark, however, was the home of the giant rats. With keen hearing, fine noses and the ability to see when there was no light, the advantage would have been theirs' even if the girl wasn't dangling in a trap.
“Get away from me!” She cried, fumbling for her sword hilt, trying to disengage it from her awkward position. Yanking it free, she swung in wide, which hit nothing and only sent her whipping in a circle. The ride was not fun, and when she finally began to slow, she feared she might vomit.
“Easy easy,” a different voice chortled, which made her turn her head in an attempt to follow it. Her palms were sweating, the blade difficult to wield effectively while inverted. None the less, she wasn't about to give up so quickly.
Her long golden hair had come loose in her panic, dangling free in the air. It was an easy target, and the sudden sharp yank of it by unfamiliar hands made her yelp. It was enough of a distraction that she couldn't prepare for another set of fingers, prying her sword away in one quick wrench of her wrists.
The double attack made her flinch, and she tried to pull her arms free, as well as her blonde strands, but these beasts had her pinned. With no leverage from dangling in space, and what seemed to be at least two of them holding her at once, she was at a loss.
“Let go of me, you filthy monsters!” She spat, wincing at the cruel way the digits coiled in her tresses.
“Ah,” the first speaker laughed, “so rude, little human. You can't even see us, yet you call us filthy?”
“Indeed, Skarlo,” the second tone skitted, like pebbles skipping on cement. “She must be able to smell you.”
Siena sensed a brief scuffle, and she rocked a bit from the motion.
“Shush Skeelo, her nose is too weak to smell us at all.”
“Lucky her,” the one apparently named Skeelo cackled, and their playful banter made her more concerned. They weren't afraid of her at all, if they could be so casual.
“You're cowards, rats, for using dirty tricks like this. Never mind hiding yourself, on top of that! Show yourselves!”
The pair seemed to pause, and she could only sense them by the tepid warmth of their nearness, thought Skarlo had been right, she could indeed smell nothing. It was strange, as in her head, she'd built them up to stink of the sewer.
“Well, brother, shall we allow her to see us, as she seems so keen?”
The tone was amused, almost patronizing. “Why yes, Skeelo, we don't want to be known for our bad manners!”
Scowling, the Hunter felt herself flush at their teasing. The switch of grip, though, took her mind off such minor things in her predicament. Two sets of hands left her hair, and she turned her neck to ease the tension from it being forced into such a harsh angle for so long. Roughness encircled her wrists, and she understood they were binding her so she couldn't escape. Her lower legs soon followed the same treatment
In a sudden snap of cord, the trap around her ankle was cut, and her stomach flipped as she thought she might fall.
One of the creatures caught her, and without much care, tossed her over its shoulder like a sack of flour. Her face was buried in its back, her knees hooked firmly under its arm. The fur on her cheek was strangely soft, though she felt cloth as well, and had the clarity to know the rat was wearing some sort of clothing.
“What are you doing!?” She was fuming with insult, and a twinge of fear.
The voice that spoke, the one holding her, she had learned to recognize as Skarlo from the slight deeper whisper in his words. “As you asked, taking you where you can see us. I'm not about to be labeled a coward.”
With a gentle bounce, the rat began to move, his speed quick yet smooth. To his credit, Skarlo didn't bang her around, and despite her growing anxiety, she kept all her teeth from this kindness.
The dimness in the cavern behind them, the only view she had, seemed to grow brighter as they traveled. Siena understood, then, that the place they were going must have light. Wishing she could see what they were approaching, she instead tugged at her bound wrists, even going so far as to chew at the hard cord. It was, of course, futile.
A sudden jolt made her yelp, a rush of air around her head and a sense of lightness making her realize the rat had jumped. The landing was soft, and it brought with it a bath of orange lights and flickering shadows, but for once, she could see around her.
Peering up, she saw they had apparently entered through a circular opening, in what seemed to be a tunnel of pale granite. The sources of light, low flickering torches, were studded into the walls here and there. Before she could get a better look, Skarlo gripped her around the waist, hoisting her into his arms in a cradling fashion.
For the first time, Siena could see the faces of her captors.
Truly, they seemed to be giant rats.
Thick fur, rich in a deep mahogany, coated him from muzzle to toe. His ears were high, curved, and in the light cast behind she could see the river of veins crossing the surface. The whiskers she had felt before were long, dangling to those cheeks, but it was his eyes that drew her.
Round, glimmering pools as crimson as blood, shocking in their starkness, but somehow so very intelligent.
Skarlo was studying her in return, it seemed, for he canted his head and flashed a grin that was so very strange on that furry face. “Ah, do you like what you see, little Hunter?”
Siena balked, trying to pull her head as far from his twitching nose as she could. “How did you know I was a Monster Hunter?”
“Because I am no fool, and who else would be stupid enough to try and hunt in the sewers
for the Rat Clan?”
Her cheeks flushed like beets, and his chuckle only made her more frustrated. “I'm not stupid, you filthy thing!”
Skeelo peered over his brother's shoulder, his face similar to Skarlo, though she noted he had a number of rings through his left ear, and his eyes were inky black as the shadows they lived in. “Oh, again with that. Such horrible insults.”
“Indeed, brother, she is being quite terrible.”
“So very terrible,” the dark eyed rat agreed.
They seemed to share a look, one of false surprise and thought. It concerned her deeply, and she felt the hairs on her neck prickle.
“Perhaps we should teach her some manners, Skeelo?”
“Why, that's very wise of you, Skarlo!”
His crimson eyes shut as he bowed his head, his reply so matter of fact. “Of course, this is why I am the oldest sibling, after all.”
The blonde girl furrowed her brow, but she kept the quaver from her tone as she spoke, bold and heated. “Teach me a lesson? Give me back my sword, and I'll show you what I know!”
The duo chuckled, but they put on looks of being offended, even as they carried her deeper into the lair. “My oh my, such bravado. Perhaps we'll imbue a lesson of humbleness, little Hunter.”
Peering around, Siena tried to keep a mental map of their course, but it was as difficult as the sewers themselves. The place was massive, it felt, and for every staircase they sloped down, they would seem to crawl upwards on another hill moments later. Still, she had the distinct impression of being swallowed by the earth, and it made her glad she wasn't claustrophobic.
Finally, their destination seemed to be reached, for they broke into a wide room with a low ceiling, and as she peered around with eyes of green, they soon became eyes wide with unease.
The place was like a torture chamber, and her situation seemed far more dire than she had let herself believe.
The walls were hanging with devices, many of which she didn't recognize or understand; she didn't know if that was better or worse. In the center were a number of structures and platforms, and before she could do much more than squeak, Skarlo casually flopped her stomach down onto one of them.
It was a cushioned seat, similar to a bench that had been shaped into a curve. It was made so that it ran along the length of her torso, the front like a pair of horns that rested on her shoulders, but scooped low to leave her chest exposed. It forced her to arch her back, so at least she was looking forward at hip level, and not into the floor. It seemed to end abruptly at her waist, in a strange manner that left her legs dangling off at the knee, her rear end high in the air.
All in all, it made her entirely terrified.
“What is this, what are you going to do?” This time, despite herself, her voice trembled. Bound as she was, her hands under her body, her ankles tight together, she was at a clear disadvantage, and she had finally accepted that beneath her false bravery.
Skeelo came around to face her, his furry waist in front of her chin, and she peered up at him to see those curious eyes of ebony. He had on only a green vest that lay open in the front, rows of chains hanging in loops across the gap. At this angle, she could see his clawed feet and hands wound with wraps of leather, leaving his toes and fingers bare.
“I believe we said what we were doing, teaching you a lesson.”
There was movement behind her, but she couldn't turn enough to see from her position. When she tried, she was pulled back by the gentle, but firm grip of the long digits of the giant rat. The skin was soft, and she could feel sparse silky hair on her creamy cheek. “No no, no peeking. My brother so likes surprises.”
“Oh, I very much do,” the tone from the brother was low and full of mystery, and though she could only see Skeelo now, his shiny orbs holding her gaze, she still shivered at the secret they were sharing.
Something touched the back of her thigh, making her jump, and causing both of the rats to laugh lightly. “Oh, don't scare so easy, we haven't even begun.” Skeelo winked at her, a disturbing sight to be seen.
The tugging on her legs became clear, as the sound of heavy cloth tearing broke the heavy silence; he was slicing her pants. The knowledge of a blade so near made her gasp, but she forced herself to hold still, fearing a sudden movement might cause her worse harm. “Please don't kill me,” she suddenly blurted, blushing in embarrassment at her own admission of terror.
Skeelo blinked, his fur seeming to lift as if he had eyebrows, and he brushed a finger tip over her forehead, smoothing her hair. “My, how terrible do you think we are? What reason do we have for murder?”
“You're... monsters,” she reasoned lamely, feeling her back sweating in fright as the sounds of the knife continued on. Skarlo was the one who spoke, and she sensed a rush of air on her bare skin as her pants were split more and more.
“Monsters, really. You came after us, we didn't go after you. But that doesn't matter now, the path is set, we'll make sure you remember this encounter, little Hunter.”
Siena swallowed, lashes fluttering shut as she tried to calm her pounding heart. With a flourish she could only sense, her trousers were yanked free, and she felt the real exposure of this scenario. Biting her lip, she tried to move her limbs away, squeezing her knees and wiggling her hips, her lower half snug in a simple pair of black panties.
The red eyed rat made a 'tut' sound, his hands strong as he gripped her thighs and forced them apart. The hunter squeaked, amazed at his brazen decision, and even more so when he quickly unwrapped her ankles. The relief of being untied was brief, though, as he pressed her right heel into the back of the same round ass cheek, winding the cord around so her leg was stuck that way. He repeated this with her other foot, his words rolling in disapproval “Ah ah, you mustn’t try to hinder me.”
Trussed as she was, Siena could do nothing when he pushed her knees out so her legs tipped over the sides of the bench she was arched across, leaving her panties resting on the plush material very intimately, the stretch of cloth between her thighs so easily viewed now with the spacer to keep her legs apart.
Motion in front of her caught her eye, and she saw that Skeelo had taken his own dagger out from a secret place. Her lips parted, no sound escaping as he knelt before her, intently cutting the front of her tunic open from collar bone down to sternum, where the structure finally would stop anything further. It was enough, though, for it left her young, supple breasts bare to his gaze, the padded material under her ribs almost presenting them to the giant rat on a platter.
“Oh my, how very nice.” He smirked, giving an approving nod to her cupcake like mounds.
“Here, too, brother.” The lava eyed rat said with cheer, running a finger across the base of her spine, tracing it down over one pert cheek of her behind.
The sound of the blood pounding in her ears rivaled the drumming of her heart, and the young Hunter found herself shivering in anticipation and nerves. “Oh no, please, stop looking at me...”
Skeelo pouted, an odd thing to witness, before he pressed his thumb to her cheek, following the curve down to her lower lip, playing with the plushness. To her surprise, she didn't wrench away, and she attributed this to her fear. “But my dear, you asked us to show you who we are, and so we must.”
The sensation of his brother running his palms along her thighs, massaging her tender flesh, was distracting her from focusing on the inky eyes above her. Skeelo knelt, his fingers stroking her neck, turning her head so he could inhale her scent. His whiskers tickled her ear when he buried his snout in her hair, and it made her ripple with goose bumps.
“So lovely, your scent. Little hunter... what's your name?”
Her voice came out as a whisper, “Siena.” Fumbling, she found a spark of courage, to say her name with less of a weak will, her green eyes flashing with life at the beast. “Siena Rovan.”
“Well, Siena Rovan, you can call me Skeelo, if you didn't figure that out yet. There, behind you, is my older brother, Skarlo.” His furry
face trailed over her shoulder, down her neck, and she could do nothing when he grazed her nipples with the long strands of whiskers.
The feeling was far more intense than she expected, as if her skin was on edge as much as her mind was. A sharp inhale, and another when the palms behind her traced lightly over her inner thighs.
The velvety nose of Skeelo trailed along the tops of her breasts, the feeling far nicer than she wished it was. In contrast, the sudden movement from his brother was hardly pleasant.
The first slap of that palm onto her ass made her shriek, and despite her bonds, she wiggled to try and get away, to turn her head and see what was happening. Unable to do either, she was unprepared for the ministrations of her former prey.
Another contact, palm wide, the sound audible on her opposite cheek. The sting was subtle, it was more the shock that had gotten to her. “What...!? Stop that, stop that right now!”
Finger tips like satin brushed over the pink glow on her skin, tracing the shape he had made, his tone low and scolding. “So demanding, how do you figure you have any say in this? Punishment for rude behavior must be implemented.”
The next spank was harder, and it made her jump. What one brother did, seemed to distract from the other, and Skeelo took her jaw in his gentle touch, his voice sympathetic. “I feel we should treat with kindness, to get the best results.” At this, he nuzzled her throat, then down to her breasts, rubbing his silken nose gingerly around her hardening pink nubs. It made her moan in bafflement, which soon became another cry of dismay as the other rat slapped her rear end again.
“No, brother, only a firm touch can teach the likes of someone so cruel.”
Siena was lost, pulled between the differing ministrations of the two members of the Rat Clan. The dark eyed one, so keen on treating her to pleasure, and the crimson gaze of the other fixed on turning her backside the same shade.
Quickly, she became lost, her voice panting out in cries of mixed sensation, begging them to stop, and pleading them to continue. It all merged far too fast, so that by the end she was sweating, and liquid dotted the corners of her eyes, as well as dampened her panties.
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