Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Vahn awoke, this time without a headache, but still felt the presence of one since he was forcefully ejected from the space due to time constraints. Now, instead of the exorbitant amount of time, he thought he could spend in the space, had been reduced to around 420 days. Though it was still an incredible amount of time compared to normal, he didn't believe that Evangeline would stand idly by as he continued to do his own thing. Remembering her begrudging look as he faded away, Vahn expected that their next meeting wouldn't be smooth. His only hope was, since he didn't have the items on his person, that she left his workshop alone.

After making a mental note to keep track of the time until he could next enter, Vahn decided to change clothes and see what the children, if they were around, were up to. Leaving his room, Vahn made his way toward the usual congregation points and, finding nobody in the dining room, headed toward the training area. The time was currently nearing 5 pm and, as Vahn had expected, there were a few children doing mock sparring. Vahn had forbidden them from overexerting themselves on their rest days, but it didn't discourage them from practicing the forms he had taught them.

All four boys, Rasui, Nour, Akil, and Ata were in the area. They took turns observing each other performing the techniques and discussing the practical applications for each differing movement. When the saw Vahn approaching, they immediately formed into a line and shouted, "Good afternoon, Master!" Vahn gave them a curt nod before spending about an hour offering them advice. Since he was much stronger than them, they were very attentive and focused during his teaching.

After the hour, Vahn sat around with the boys and had a casual conversation with them. They all asked him about his various adventures and how he had become so strong. When they found out that Vahn had been Level 1 not too long ago, they all had stunned faces but Vahn could see sparkles in their eyes. Vahn laughed at their reaction and continued encouraging them to continue improving. Though they may stand at different starting points, if they made an effort, they would be able to exceed his current strength.

Vahn continued to recount how he fought against several types of different monsters, and the boys were all impressed with his knowledge. Since he could reference the information in his mind, Vahn felt a little guilty to be 'misleading' them, but if they were able to remember the information because it came from him, he didn't want to break their image of him.

At around 8 PM, they were had split into two groups and Vahn had told everyone to prepare for dinner. Akil and Ata left the group behind in a hurry, but Rasui and Nour stayed behind with apprehensive looks on their faces. Vahn was confused but, before he could ask, they both dropped to their knees and bowed their head low while shouting, "Please forgive us, Master!" Their sudden action surprised him, but he kept his composure as he urged them to explain.

Rasui looked up at him with a fearful expression as he said, "We had the audacity to smell the scent of your mate. Even though Nanu already belonged to Master, we couldn't help but be drawn to her must trail. Please forgive us, Master!" Vahn held up his hand and explained in a patient tone, "If you are sorry, then lets put this matter behind us. However, you have to remember that I am not a chienthrope and I don't understand everything you reference. What is a musk trail?'

Vahn's question made both boys blush, and he suddenly recalled Nanu's actions from earlier in the morning. He remembered that, at one point, Nanu had essentially attacked him with a scent bullet which permeated through the air long after she left. Vahn realized that the musk trail Rasui was referring to had something to do with Nanu's actions at the time. He also realized why Nanu had been in such a hurry to leave after her actions, since it would have caused a problem if she was present.

Before Rasui could find the words to explain, Vahn held up his hand to stop him and said, "It's fine, I can understand what you're talking about. Since it is primarily the fault of Nanu, and myself, I won't mind the matter. Just continue working hard and put the matter behind you." Rasui and Nour once again bowed low and thanked him before moving away quickly.

While they were walking away, Vahn began reading through the information in his head and learned exactly what a musk trail was. Whenever a female chienthrope was in heat, they could emit pheromones from their v.a.g.i.n.a to attract and excite potential mates. It was a very dangerous thing to do within the tribe because it had a powerful influence over younger chienthrope males. If they hadn't lost their v.i.r.g.i.nity or found a mate of their own, they could enter a state of excitement and even try to track down the female emitting the scent.

If they came across the act, it was even possible for them to challenge the other male for the right to breed. Since both Rasui and Nour were v.i.r.g.i.ns, they had been drawn to Nanu's v.i.r.g.i.n scent and entered an excited state. If Vahn hadn't been present, they may have even acted on their instincts and followed the trail to where Nanu would have been. The reason they had fled away with 'fear' was due to the fact that, if they were thought to be 'challenging' Vahn's right as the 'Alpha', it wasn't uncommon for there to be bloodshed and there was even a chance the 'Alpha' could exile them from the pack.

Vahn released a sigh and decided that he would have to talk to Nanu about her actions before something else happened. Even though he had told her to wait until she was older, it apparently didn't deter her attempts to draw his attention. While he was in his Báihǔ form and incredibly perceptive to scents, she had done something so sneaky before running away. No matter how he looked at it, Vahn understood that was an invitation to act on his 'beastly instincts' at the time. If he had been a chienthrope, it may have even worked out according to her expectations.

During dinner, Vahn noticed that the atmosphere was a bit awkward at the table. Anubis was in high tensions to his left, while Nanu had sat marginally closer to him than previous nights. Rasui and Nour kept their heads low and avoiding looking toward Nanu, while even the other four children remained relatively quiet. Vahn noticed that the girls kept giving Nanu a strange look while Akil and Ata seemed to try and distract each other. However, even while they were making conversation, Vahn noticed they kept sniffing the air and giving Nanu a sidewards glance.

Vahn sighed in his mind because he had a general understanding of what was going on. If he wasn't wrong, Nanu was probably still releasing her scent and it was distracting everyone else at the table. The only person that didn't seem to be influenced was Anubis, he seemed more focused on her own thoughts than what was happening at the table. The awkward atmosphere continued until dinner ended and the children had begun cleaning up the dishes.

Unable to contain his own curiosity, Vahn transformed into his Báihǔ form while everyone, other than Anubis had their backs turned. The moment he transformed, Vahn could smell a heavy bittersweet scent in the air which confirmed his earlier deduction. Releasing his form, Vahn sighed heavily while shaking his head. Anubis had been watching his actions with a bit of interest, and she was even tempted to release her own musk now that she was aware of why he transformed.

After the other children dispersed, Nanu remained at Vahn's side awaiting his praise, but he instead asked in a firm tone, "Nanu, have you been releasing your musk all day?" Anubis immediately giggled at his question while Nanu looked at him with slightly upturned eyes as she explained, "Yes, but it is because I started releasing it this morning. Unless I take medicine or sleep for a few hours, my body will continue producing the scent unless I mate."

Hearing her words, Vahn scanned the information in his mind and found the name of the medicine she was referring to. He was able to purchase it for 5OP in the system, so he did so before handing her a small folded piece of paper with a green paste inside. Both Anubis and Nanu seemed very surprised by his actions, and Nanu received the medicine with a sad expression on her face. After confirming in his mind that there were no side-effects, Vahn began petting the hair of the girl as he explained, "I told you previously, you have to wait until you're a bit older before we do anything like that. Right now, you're making the other boys uncomfortable, and they keep giving me afraid looks."

Vahn rubbed her head against his palms before saying in a low tone, "I understand, Master, I just got a little carried away when you asked me about scents earlier. I will do better in the future so it doesn't cause problems for the rest of the pack." Vahn smiled before giving her a light kiss on her forehead before sending her off. Though she wanted to follow him to his room, Vahn refused and told her to take the medicine and relax in her own room with the other two girls. Until the medicine took effect and her scent faded away, she needed to stay around the other girls while avoiding the boys so they don't do anything regrettable.

Anubis commended Vahn for how he dealt with the situation whilst following him to his room. When they stopped outside his door, Vahn noticed her aura turn a bit whispy and her ears began to droop the moment he put his hand on the doorknob. Though he was a bit confused, he finally remembered that he had promised to give her a massage in the evenings. The six days he had spent in the orb had made the matter slip his mind.

Vahn gave Anubis an awkward smile before he began to stroke her ears and said, "Sorry, I had been distracted by a few things and had nearly forgotten. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you in a bit." The moment he had started petting her ears, Anubis's face had turned a bit red as she kept trying to rub her ears against his palms with more force. This was one of the things Vahn found adorable regarding chienthropes because, even if they were the cool and calm type, they were always quick to change their demeanor when they were happy.

Before things got too out of hand, Vahn led Anubis to her own room and she followed closely behind him with her tail wagging furiously. The moment he opened the door, she stepped over the threshold without any hesitation before stopping right in front of the bed with her back facing Vahn. He followed after her and closed the door behind him before shortening the distance between them. Anubis had done something strange as he approached; she squeezed her tail between her thighs while looking back at Vahn and uttering in a sensual tone, "Ribbon..."

Vahn realized that she wanted him to remove the ribbon, similar to his actions from before, and she was holding her own tail to prevent it from getting in the way. He desperately held back his own laughter as he reached his hands forward and pulled to two golden bands which caused the white cloth hugging her h.i.p.s to fall. Vahn didn't grab her butt like before, which made her a bit disappointed, but he did lead her to the side of the bed and motioned for her to lay down.

Though he had expected her to lay down on her stomach like in the morning, Anubis instead remained on her back as she looked at Vahn with an almost 'pleading' gaze. Vahn frowned a bit, because he thought she was trying to seduce him again, even though she had said she was okay with just 'petting'. Anubis noticed his change in expression and explained in a fl.u.s.tered, yet heated, tone, "I know there are massages that work on the front of the body. I want to be able to see your face, and I want you to watch my reactions..."

Vahn realized her words weren't wrong, as there actually several techniques that could only be performed on the front of the body. Though he worked all the pressure points and muscles in her back, he hadn't touched anything on her abdomen or chest yet. The only person who had received a 'massage' from the front was Ais, and she seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. Vahn wanted to see how his technique would work on the goddess before him, so he didn't refute her claim.

Anubis seemed to be overjoyed by his acceptance as she tried to relax her body a bit in preparation for what was to come. Vahn started to get into position, but since they were on a bed instead of a table, he had to straddle Anubis's thighs to be able to evenly massage her body. Almost as if she had expected his actions, Anubis had a large smile on her face as she stared at him with enamored eyes. Vahn hadn't seen her look hover, because he was focused on the fluffy thing that was in front of his crotch. When Anubis had laid on her back, she had tucked her tail between her thighs and it was now folded up over her v.a.g.i.n.a, almost like it was protecting it.

The sight made Vahn's heart itch, and he almost wanted to tease the incredibly fluffy tail he hadn't had the opportunity to stroke yet. Now that he was going to massage her front, Vahn wondered if he could get away with touching her tail while she was distracted. He figured that, as long as he played it off in a casual manner, she probably wouldn't suspect anything. Placing his hands together, almost like he was uttering a small prayer, white light began emitting from his palms as he placed them on Anubis's abdomen.

As soon as Vahn touched her stomach, the itching within Anubis's body started increasing in intensity. She desperately wished Vahn would scratch it for her, but she knew that what was to come would allow her to release a few her pent-up urges. Vahn slowly moved his hands up her abdomen before tracing them alongside her ribs. Because of the motion, he had to bend over Anubis and she continued to hold eye contact with him as she released stifled m.o.a.ns.

Vahn was incredibly fl.u.s.tered by how Anubis was reacting because he was currently performing a massage that was supposed to relax the body, not excite it. Though he wanted to regret not massaging her back, he couldn't help but feel excitement and intrigue building up inside of him as he saw her various expressions and heard her muted cries and m.o.a.ns. Her tail was always wiggling back and forth near his crotch, and he even suspected that may have been her intention all along.

Fortunately, though he wasn't sure why himself, Vahn seemed to have excellent control over his body and wasn't 'awakened' by her actions. Though it made him feel a little 'ticklish', he was able to prevent his p.e.n.i.s from getting erect as he continued massaging her body. Because she was wearing the incredibly thin black cloth, Vahn was able to easily find each of her pressure points and insert his energy.

Vahn was a bit of a completionist when it came to executing tasks so, even though it seemed a bit awkward, he even worked the pressure points on her b.r.e.a.s.ts, heart, and even the muscles immediately below her abdomen and inner thighs. Anubis had long stopped her gasps, which had persisted for around three minutes, and she now had turned completely quiet as Vahn continued his work.

Though he periodically looked at her face to gauge her reaction, after she had gone quiet, Vahn switched his focus to his hands and the reaction of her body. It was like every muscle in her body was twitching slightly, and even her tail had long gone stiff. While he was massaging the area where her abdomen connected to her inner thighs, it was almost like every press of his thumbs into the connecting tissue sent a jolt up her body. Vahn thought it was interesting because he could feel a powerful vibration as he traced his hands back up her body after the fact.

By the end of the half-hour session, Anubis had long since passed out and had a lame expression on her face as slobber dripped from her mouth. Her eyes hadn't closed all the way when she fell asleep, and Vahn could see a thick glaze covering their surface. He was happy that he could help her relax, and he continued the aftercare by wiping down her sweat drenched body with a towel. In the process, he took the opportunity to try and stroke her tail a bit, but he found that the hairs had become completely moist during the process of his massage. When he moved his hands against the flow of the hair, they even emitted a slight mist that left behind a powerful scent in the air that made his heart flutter a bit.

Vahn was very tempted to transform into his Báihǔ form to get a better grasp of the scent, but he felt his instincts trigger danger signals in his mind when the thought appeared. Trusting his own instincts, Vahn wiped down the remained of Anubis's body before covering her with the blankets. After stroking her head and wiping the slobber from her lips, Vahn gave her a kiss on the forehead before saying, "Good night, Anubis. I hope you're having a pleasant dream."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'RIP Anubis','Touch Fluffy Tail...it's moist','Nanu's failed plan')