Finished commission for frankenbarron on twitter! Thank you so much brother for commissioning me and for letting me help make your first furry OC!!!

Within the walls of my home city, I found the shade of trees a comfort, something to be sought out and enjoyed. But now, a whole day lost in the green expanse of the Skoll forest, I would never find comfort in the shade again. I tried to maintain a single direction, but amidst the trailing pathways and thick overgrowth, I had no idea if I was closer to town than when I started. My stomach growled, my legs ached, and I couldn’t keep my boots dry in the moist dirt despite my best attempts.
The desperation of the situation weighed me down and turned into hopelessness as the sun faded into the trees.
I had no fire, food, or shelter. Already, the chill of the twilight air sank through my light layers and fur. My stomach hurt the most, churning in on itself in protest of the unyielding march. I had to stop and try to do something to make the night survivable.
I scanned about the trees and rocks that pocked the loamy soil. I saw birds, flit under the canopy, far out of reach of a thrown rock.
“Why’d I leave my slingshot in the cart.” Lamenting the missed meat, I looked to the floor. Around the bases of trees, a buffet of white mushrooms. They looked almost like the mushrooms he’d get in his soup at home.
I approached the mushrooms for a better look, leaning down to touch one of the white broad caps.
“Not for eating.”
A crisp voice, spoken smooth with an unrecognizable purring accent. I jumped and spun around and found no one. I heard the disembodied voice laugh out of amusement. “You listen well! What is your name?”
“Harken, Harken of Vanerheim.” I spoke, my voice cracked with uncertainty, scanning the nearby trees for movement.
“Look up, Harken of Vanerheim.”
I looked up and caught a pair of eyes, blue as the sky. My eyes adjusted to the sunset and took in the felid face peering down on me: ochreous fur punctuated by symmetrical black splotches and a pink nose. The newcomer kneeled on their chosen branch just above him, giving me a good view of the grey-black splotches that adorned their bared chest, shoulders, and back. The Clouded Leopard smiled a toothy grin, long canines bared beneath his jowls.
On his back, a long measure of cane had been fashioned into a blowgun. I noted the metallic glint of darts strapped to holsters on his thighs.
“Armek. Son of the Skoll.”

I looked at Armek with less panicked eyes. A long, sinuous tail wrapped around the branch, acting as a brace to keep him balanced. His body was sleek and slim, finely tuned for life in the forest. He looked at home up in his tree, so I was surprised when he leaped down from the branch to join me on the forest floor. He landed with a flexible grace that defied his over-tired mind.
“Wow.” I immediately wished I had something more dignified to say, but at least Armek seemed amused by my bewilderment.
“Cute and lost? A dangerous combination in these woods.” He stepped closer and leaned in til he was only a couple of inches away. I heard him breathe in my scent as I did his. He smelled of nature, spices, and berries with just a tinge of the coppery scent of blood.

He leaned back with his fill of air. “You smell like the city. Why are you here?”
“You said it best. Lost.” I responded, now close enough to Armek to appreciate every curve of his bared torso. Diamond-pupil eyes watched my expression, making me feel just a twinge vulnerable.
“Did you come alone?” He reached to his thigh into a small pocket near a line of fine feathered blowdarts.
“I was part of a caravan, but I got separated.”
Armek nodded in understanding and milled about the forest floor, kicking at the leaves until he found a suitable spot. He unsheathed his blade and set it down beside him.
“I will make you a fire, grab some sticks, and bring them here so they can dry for the night.”
Armek instructed with confidence, and so I obeyed. I thought of him as I wandered about in a wide circle, pulling some dead brush down and breaking them into bundles. I milled back to see him knelt in front of a plug of birch bark. Knelt like he was, it showed off the supple curves of his rear, unable to hide behind the salmon-skin trousers he wore.
“Lost in the forest, and I found a savior,” I muttered aloud.
Armek smiled, a sight that made me smile as well. “Savior, huh? I’ve been called worse.” Armek’s blade struck his firestarter and sparks caught on the tinder without an issue. He cradled the fragile ember to his thin black lips and blew until it ignited into flame.
“Thank you.” I said, eternally grateful to not be going to bed cold.
“You may get to show me your gratitude someday; being praised like an savior sounds like it could be fun.” How he said those words set my neck fur tingling— a provocative tease punctuated with a sultry smile.
“You won’t stay here?” Uncertainty brought me down from my high.
“No, I must keep moving, but this place is safe. No creatures wander this trail. As long as you feed this fire, it will keep you safe.”
I wallowed in the idea of spending the night alone in the forest. “Take this too.” Armek snapped me out of it, standing in front of me with the body of a cleaned fish.
The adrenaline of this little rendezvous made me forget just how hungry I was, and the sight of that whole trout set it right off.
“You eat this and sleep near the fire.” He walked away towards the setting sun. “Tomorrow morning, you go this way,” he etched an arrow into the bark of one of the trees. “Go for a few leagues, and you will hit a small lumber village.”

He set the fish onto a stone next to the now-roaring fire, which made the most delectable sizzle I think I’ve ever heard.
“You don’t want to eat with me?” Even in my starved state, I would be willing to share this fish with the handsome clouded leopard who saved me.
“You need it,” He beckoned me closer to the fire and himself. As I approached, he met me and placed a hand on my chest. “Once you get to the village, maybe I will meet you there, hmm?”
A single finger dragged down my pecs, a claw toying with the fabric. “Maybe there you can pay me back.”
He played with the fastener of my shirt, opening one button and invading the gap with a finger. A claw rasped at my flesh, teasing me with a gentle swipe down my abdomen. I hissed at the sensation, my nerves alight with the tender contact of this lithe little Clouded Leopard. His tail slithered and bound my thighs together.
We locked eyes. At our height difference, he gazed up at me with sultry eyes that could disarm any partner. Perhaps my desperation made me vulnerable, but I would get lost all over again just for another look at them.
“I promise I’ll make it up to you, but how will I find you?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll find you.” Armek leaned into my chest, nuzzling the cloth and taking a breath. Satisfied, he pulled his hands away. Armek moved back to the tree he made himself known from. With impressive agility, he hoisted himself up the tree trunk and back into the branches above.
“Sleep tight, Harken.” He bid his farewell with a seductive smile and a wave of his hand.

//Droran piece of Fiction, Written by frankenbarron on twitter