"Ugh... I'm sick..."
I sighed. I didn't feel too well, either (not sure if it was
the sea sickness or the ship food), but whatever it was, May seemed to
get it worse. She even said that she would "rather get spanked than this",
which, given her general aversion to such things, meant she's really suffering.
Merta tried to open a cube and stow May in it, but the extra space created
was rocking the same as rest of the ship - it was no help.
Soot, on the other hand, didn't mind the rocking at all, and neither
did Grace or Merta. As for Linda... well, she was another league altogether.
"Weee!" she cried, hanging from the spars like a monkey. "There's water
all around! Now that's funny!!!"
Actually, she started to be irritating... Grandma was a small ship and there were only four members of
the crew, including the captain. Right now, they were all around the mast,
looking up.
I realized they were trying to peek under Linda's skirt.
"Grace!" I shouted. "Can't you get her down or something? She's a spectacle
around here!"
I was annoyed - annoyed at Grace for bringing Linda, annoyed at Soot
for backing her up, and most of all, annoyed at Linda for being so damned
cheerful. Nobody should be that cheerful while on the run.
I didn't tell Grace this, but the only reason I agreed to take Linda
with us were her alleged geomantic abilities. They were only minor, so
she couldn't defend herself from Swarm... or Nyx. And I was sure that sooner
or later they would come after her. That "Queen" of theirs was apparently
trying to get a monopoly on geomancy around here.
Who was the "Queen"? I never heard of one. Sure, there were lords and
mayors, ruling various cities, but kings and queens? They were all long
in the past. I remembered they were constantly waging wars on each other
- which lords could hardly do, since a single city can hardly support an
army.
Thinking about it, Raia was also called a "queen" in her time.
There was ruckus at the deck. Again. I sighed. Why me?
"What's up?" I grumbled as I opened the door and came out of my room."
"Please, Linda, come down!" called Grace. She sounded desperate.
"No way! It's so funny up here!"
"I don't care! You're causing trouble! Come down!"
"No! Come and get me!"
Linda was deliberately teasing her. She was very well aware that no
mere human could match her feline agility.
I stepped up to Grace and she shied away from me. She was trying to
avoid contact with me, since she knew very well there soon enough I'm going
to contact her anyways, with extremely unpleasant consequences.
"I'm sorry, Zack!" She was close to tears. "I just can't get her down!"
"I told you that she's under your guidance!" I said. "You shouldn't
allow her to get up there in the first place!"
"Sorry to interrupt ya, but ya will get her down, will ya?"
I turned around to see the captain. He was about fifty and he was smoking
a pipe. More like chewing a pipe, really, since there was no tobacco in
it. Apparently, he stopped smoking some time ago - but some habits die
hard.
"Only that it's kind of hard to keep any order around here when a well-built
girl is swinging in the ropes," he continued, evidently enjoying my frustration.
"A bit wild, is she, I gather?"
"Sir, 'a bit wild' is not the appropriate description." There was no
use scolding Grace for this.
"Linda!" I cried. "You come down this instant!"
"Why?"
"Because otherwise I'm coming up to get you!" I cried. "And I'm much
worse in climbing than you are, I might fall down and hurt myself, and
if I do, it will be your fault!"
Linda seemed to think about that. "I don't want to see you hurt..."
"So will you come down? Please?"
Linda simply let go of the spar.
It must have been over thirty feet, but she landed softly on all fours.
Just like a cat.
I took her hand.
"Get in," I ordered, indicating her and Grace's cabin. "You too, Grace.
We have to lay some guidelines."
"I don't know what you were used to until now, but you can't do what
you please!" I said to Linda. She looked unconcerned.
"Why?"
"You make yourself look bad! And we are a group so when you make yourself
look bad, you make all of us look bad!"
Linda seemed to be puzzled. "How did I make myself look bad?"
"All the sailors were peeking up your skirt!"
"Yeah, I noticed that. Can't figure why, though..."
"They were peeking at your panties," supplied Grace. She blushed.
"Should I take them down, then?"
I didn't know which part was naivety and which part just pure toying
with us. Linda was complex - as simple as a child in some ways, but she
could be deviously cunning if the need arose.
"No!"
"I don't like that skirt," she complained. "I can't climb properly
in it. I want trousers, like you have."
"But you can't hide your tail in the trousers," explained Grace.
"I don't want to hide it! It's a great tail!"
"Yes, but the point is that humans generally don't have tails..."
Linda was silent for a moment. Then: "But I'm a human, right?"
Grace patted her head. "You are special, Linda."
In that moment she looked so sad that I couldn't bear it.
"There will be definitely forest where we're going," I told her. "You
can climb the trees until you're fed with it, how about it? But you won't
cause any more trouble here."
"How do I know when I cause trouble?" asked Linda.
"Grace and Soot will tell you. Linda, promise me that you will do what
they say."
It was clear that she didn't like this notion. "I don't want anyone
to tell me what to do."
"It's only for a short time, Linda. Please."
"OK," she gave up. "I will do what they say."
"You are thinking about spanking her, aren't you?"
I turned around. May was standing there, wry smile on her lips.
"No!" I stammered.
I wasn't lying. This possibility simply didn't come on my mind. But
once May put it there, I could see... the obvious benefits. And I felt
a bit guilty for that.
"Don't worry!" she laughed. "Your secret is safe with me. Hmmm... maybe
you could let me off next time I deserve a spanking..."
"How about letting you off for attempting to blackmail me right now?"
I suggested.
She gulped. "Yeah... that sounds good..."
"Do you think a spanking would do her good?" I asked. "I mean - she
might get the wrong idea."
"Or, worse, she might get the rightidea," May teased
me mercilessly. Then her face went serious.
"Zack... Grace is feeling really bad. She didn't ask or anything, but
- could you rethink her punishment once again?"
I shook my head. "And? What would you suggest? You think I should
just forgive her?"
"You already forgave her, Zack."
I nodded. "Yes, but that was because I knew that she would be punished.
Letting her go without a punishment, that would be..."
"Merciful?" asked May. "The waiting makes it much worse, Zack. If this
continues, she might do... something stupid."
I sighed. "May, if I told you that I will cut Grace's punishment in
half if you take the rest - what would you do?"
"I would take it," said May immediately. "Because I really think that
it's not fair to scare her this much."
I sighed. "OK, you made your point. You would only take such risk if
you were absolutely certain."
"You don't plan to really give me a half of her spanking, right?" asked
May nervously.
"Don't worry. You know I would never do that."
"She will get a spanking, but not too bad one," I said. "However - don't
tell her, only if she would seem absolutely desperate. Watch over her a
bit, please."
The fact was that Grace actually hardly ever thought about her impending
punishment, as she had her hands full with caring for Linda.
She found herself attached to the catgirl in a weird way. She always
had affinity for felines and Linda retained enough traces of catlike behaviour
to seem eerily familiar - the way she rubbed her head against her hand when
she patted her, the way she purred when she was content...
Right now she was searching for her, looking all around the ship. She
finally found her on top of Zack's cabin. She was apparently sunbathing.
Unlike humans, Linda didn't felt necessary to undress. Actually, the
clothes might come as a comfort for her, since as a cat she never really
had a bare skin. She stretched in the heat.
"Hi, Grace," she said. "Wanna play?"
"No," Grace shook her head. "I just wanted to check on you."
"Sorry for what happened before," said Linda. "You see, I'm a bit nervous
here. Too much water."
"Don't worry about that," said Grace. Then, hesitating: "Linda? Do you...
hate me?"
"What? You're funny! Why should I?"
"It's my fault you've ended up this way," said Grace unhappily. "Not
entirely human, not entirely cat..."
"I don't know yet how it feels to be human," said Linda. For a second,
her face was serious. "And I don't remember enough to know how it feels
to be cat. But I feel fine."
There was something there, some indication of sadness, but Linda shunted
it before Grace could probe into it.
"Grace," she asked, "what exactly is a 'spanking'?"
Grace stammered. "Well... where did you hear it?"
"Zack was just talking about it with May, down here," explained Linda.
"What? You eavesdropped?"
"Eavesdropped? What does that mean?"
"You listened to a private conversation?"
"I heard it," said Linda. "I hear lots of stuff. I was just lying here
and I listened to what they said."
"But that's rude, Linda!"
"Why?"
"Suppose they didn't want to be heard?"
Linda looked genuinely puzzled. "Then why would they talk so near to
me?"
Grace decided to not push this any further. Linda simply had much better
hearing than humans - and she lacked proper ethic knowledge to know when
to not use it. She will just have to warn the others.
"What did they talk about?" she asked.
"About spankings, haven't I already told you? I just don't know what
they are, that's all."
"Spanking is... it's..." Grace was blushing furiously. And it was just
spanking! What will she do if Linda starts to ask the really awkward
questions? Especially if she finds out that in some areas she has much
more experience than Grace...
"It's a punishment," she said finally.
"What's a punishment?"
Oh. One of the difficult questions.
"Well, you already know that humans can't always do what they want,
right?"
"That thing you call..." Linda furrowed her brow in concentration, "ri-gid
so-cial struc-ture?"
"What! When did I say that?"
"Tonight, when you were sleeping."
"Forget about that! Just accept that some behaviour is considered inappropriate
by other humans."
"Right."
"And if someone does something inappropriate, there is a punishment
to stop him from acting that way again. Something really unpleasant. The
theory is that is you know you will be punished if you do something, you
won't do it. Like - if you would do acrobatic in the ropes again, I could
lock you in the cabin. You couldn't get out even if you wanted, and that
would be a punishment."
"So... spanking means they lock you in your room?"
Grace had to breathe hard. "No, Lina. Spanking is different. It means
that they make your bottom hurt. It hurts a lot and it hurts for some time,
and you cry a lot, so it's a very effective punishment."
"Did you ever get a spanking?"
Grace smiled a bit. "Many times. Trust me, I know what I'm speaking
about."
"I think I got that," nodded Linda. "I mean, I swatted my kids, too,
when they started to fight too much. That got them to stop, all right. But
you are not a kid."
"It's different with humans," said Grace. "Sometimes, when a human does
something bad - especially a human girl - she feels bad about it. Maybe
she did something that hurt someone else and she is afraid she won't be
forgiven for that. A proper spanking in such a case is... reassuring."
"I don't really get it," shrugged Linda. "Is that why you will get one?"
"What? They... talked about... that?" Maybe telling the others about
Linda's hearing is not such a good idea after all, she thought.
"May was asking Zack to not spank you."
"She did? And... what did he say?"
"It was long debate," said Linda. "Anyways, he told May to not tell
you. So it would be bad for me to tell you. I could get spanked for that,
right?"
"Damn, Linda!" cried out Grace. "You are taking or leaving the morality
as you please!"
"Why are you getting spanked?" asked Linda.
"Because of me, Merta gor hurt. And I brought you here, I don't think
they are happy about that..."
She stopped as Linda's green eyes were now full of sadness.
"They don't like me?"
"No! I mean... yes! Well... wait! Linda!"
But Linda was already high in the air.
Grace burst into the cabin. "Zack! Trouble!"
I jumped. "Grace!" I whispered furiously. "Have some consideration!
Merta is sleeping!"
"Sorry!" she yelped. "Zack, it's Linda! She..."
I ran outside with her behind me.
"It's all my fault," cried Grace. "I told her that you are angry at
me because I brought her in, and she..."
The other girls gathered by now.
"What did you mean by that?" asked Soot ominously. "I like that girl!
She has a style!"
"And she is in trouble," said May. "She's just a kid, by human standards!
How could you tell her a thing like that!"
By now, Grace was far on her guilt trip. Somewhere in vicinity of the
Moon, possibly.
"Where is she?" I asked.
"She... ran to the crow's nest. I think... she's crying in there."
I didn't waste my time. I ran to the mast and took the rope ladder up.
I'm so stupid, I thought as I was climbing up. I only thought about
Linda as an inconvenience, but she really is a child. Physically,
she might be older, but she never lived among humans. Of course she feels
bad - and I didn't make it any easier for her.
I put my hand on the edge of crow's nest and almost fell down when something
sharp stabbed it.
"Ouch!"
Linda's head appeared over the edge. I gulped.
Yes, she was crying, her eyes were red and swollen and there were some
tears on her face. But she was snarling, revealing nasty fangs, and her
fingernails were much longer than before. And, yes, much sharper.
"Linda..." I started.
"Don't come in here!" she cried.
"Look, Grace didn't mean it that way..."
"She did!" cried Grace. "I'm nothing but a fluke! A monster! I have
to hide my ears and tail! I'm just an inconvenience, to all of you! Isn't
that what you think?"
"I might think that in the beginning," I said. "If I did, please accept
my apology. Whatever you are, you are a girl. And where I'm from, we don't
make girls cry."
"You spank girls," snarled Linda. "That doesn't make them cry?"
"Well, but..."
"I'm sick of you!" she shouted. "I'm sick of being human! If that's
what's it all about, all crying and sadness, I would rather stay a cat!"
I tried to put my hand on the edge again.
"Don't go in here!" said Linda, but there was a whimpering edge in her
voice. "If you do, I... I... I claw you! You will fall down and kill yourself!"
"It's not Grace's fault you are upset," I said. "It's my fault because
I could treat you better, and I didn't. I have to take the risk."
I hoisted myself over the edge...
Linda attacked!
I felt my shirt tear, then I lost my balance, reeled backward and started
to fall...
The last thing I heard was a scream. I couldn't find out who is screaming
- was it Grace, Linda, or maybe me?
I woke up to find May and Merta bent over me. I was in my cabin, lying
in the bed.
"He's awake!" cried Merta.
"Bro," said May, "let me tell you that you are the most idiotic brother
I ever had. What did get into that tiny head of yours?"
"What... what happened?" I asked.
"You fell down from the crow's nest," May informed me. "Can you imagine
how Merta felt when she woke up and found you are unconscious?"
I started to realize the pain. My whole body hurt. My chest was burning.
I tried to touch it, but May didn't let me to.
"Don't," she said. "You have nasty claw marks there. I put an ointment
on it, so don't disturb it."
"How did I... survive that fall?" I asked.
"Linda jumped after you."
"She what?"
"She's a cat," explained May. "She wanted to break your fall - and she
did."
"What? Is... Is she all right?"
May nodded. "It took a strain of her. Now she's in her cabin with Grace."
She grimaced. "They are practicing synchronized crying, apparently. Captain
had them locked in there. Said he doesn't want any more trouble."
"What? Let them out!" I cried.
"Well, we would rather keep them away from you for a while," said May
with a sigh. "One of you might do something stupid."
"May..."
"You were unconscious for hours, Zack. It's already evening. Please,
we should leave this for the morning."
"How come you're so reasonable all of the sudden?" I asked. "You didn't
use to be like that."
"Maybe I grew up a bit," said May. "Maybe... maybe I don't want anyone
else to get hurt. Zack, do you ever think about our parents?"
I felt a pang of guilt. Among all the exciting things that have been
happening recently...
"We don't know if Feltar didn't catch them after all," she said. "I'm...
worried about them."
"I'm sorry," I said. "For everything."
"Nobody should be sorry for everything." She smiled. "Yesterday,
you were really enraged at Grace. Maybe this is the time to just lie down
and think it through."
I looked at Merta, but it seemed she has fallen asleep.
"Please," I said, "put her in her bed. OK, I give up, I'll try to get
some sleep..."
I fell asleep so quickly I didn't even hear the click of the lock.
May locked the cabin door and put the key in her pocket to the other
key, from Grace's and Linda's room. She smiled at Soot.
"We might be the only two reasonable people here," she said.
"Of course I am reasonable," agreed Soot. "I'm a criminal. We
have to know people the way they really are. Lots of crooks feeds on greed
and dishonesty of the common folk."
"Hmmm..." mused May. "What do you think about Zack, then?"
Soot smiled. "He's in love," she said simply. "That's enough to make
a fool of anyone."
"I'm a bit afraid of what's going to happen in the morning," admitted
May. "But it will be better if we keep them locked for now."
Soot unlocked the door and opened it. She smiled. Grace and Linda, fully
clothed, were lying on the same bed, hugging each other. Common misery
evidently strengthened their friendship.
"How long do you intend to sleep?" she asked. "The sun is up - and you
can already see Meneo!"
Both girls immediately woke up with a start. "Soot!" yelped Grace and
immediately tried to get out of what she saw as a compromising position.
"How's Zack?" cried Linda.
"He woke up yesterday," shrugged Soot. "Then he went to sleep again.
He will be okay - I guess."
"I messed up real bad," said Grace.
"No, I did," replied Linda. "I might kill him!"
"We will solve this problem," said Soot
"I see what you mean," grimaced Grace and rubbed her bottom.
"Look, we will try to talk him to let you off, but there is really not
much chance we might succeed," said Soot.
"But I don't want to be let off," protested Grace. "I thought not getting
spanked will be great, but look what I managed to cause in a single week!
Much as I hate to admit it, I need a good spanking to get back on the track...
and so do you, Linda."
"Me?"
"We talked about it, Linda. We're in this mess together and it's only
fair to take it together. You will ask Zack to spank you - and if he refuses,
I'm going to do it, before I get turned over myself."
"OK," sighed Linda. "I don't really mind, you know. Yesterday, I didn't
quite understand, but today I feel so bad... I don't care how much it's going
to hurt, I just want to feel good again."
"You want Zack to forgive you."
She nodded. "Yes."
The breakfast was a strained, fearful time.
Grace and Linda were sitting across the table from me, but not once they
dared to look into my eyes. My body didn't hurt that much anymore, but
my chest was bandaged. Even May got over her sea sickness enough to eat
something.
"Uh... Zack?"
It was Linda. I raised my head and looked at her. She shied away.
"Linda. What is it?"
She stammered. "I... I - uh, I wanted to apologize for yesterday."
"I knew what I was risking," I said. "And I heard you saved my life,
Linda. It's me who should apologize to you."
"Will... will you spank me, Zack?" she asked. She sounded a bit scared.
I smiled at her. May and Soot made me rehearse this the whole morning.
They were upset and they wanted everything to end well.
"Only if you think it's necessary, Linda."
Linda lowered her eyes. "I guess... it is," she admitted reluctantly.
"Well, tell it aloud, Linda. It's nothing you should be ashamed for."
Now she was visibly red. "Please... spank me. I deserve it."
"And I'm prepared to take my spanking, too," announced Grace.
I looked at her. May told me Grace was crying for a long time, but it
might do her some good. She was calm, accustomed to her eventual fate.
"I'm going to spank you after we land," I said. "The captain said it
will be before the noon. We get this... unpleasantness done and then we
have some work to do."
"Work?"
"Oh yes. We must find a place to stay, at least. And we must decide what
to do next."
I stood up. "Come here, the two of you."
They reluctantly came and shuffled their feet before me.
I put hands on their shoulders and hugged both of them. "I'm not angry
with you - with either of you," I said. "You are wonderful girls and I
deeply regret that I have to spank you."
"So do us," said Grace.
"But now - go to your cabin, please," I said. "And you won't go outside
until we dock. You are grounded for time being."
They just nodded and left. Soot went with them to check upon them.
May snickered. "And what's here to laugh about?" I asked.
"You sounded just like Dad when he scolds us," she said. "Some things
are passed around, I guess."
"Look!" cried Merta. "I can see land!"
The island of Meneo was closing upon us, fast.
Soot took lead as we left the ship. She was here before.
"I know an old man around here," she explained. "Owes me a favor. We can
stay there for some time. Plan ahead, that sort of things."
"How far is it?"
"In the forest," she informed me. "A bit far, granted, but nobody comes
around there much. I told you - people here are mostly fishermen."
"Hmmm..." I said. "In that case, maybe we should get the punishments out
of the way as soon as possible. Grace, Linda, what do you say?"
Quite reluctantly, they agreed. The time has come.
I chose a place on the top of a small hill. There was - once again - a
convenient tree stump.
"I'll save you for the last, Grace," I said and I sat down. "Linda, come
here, please."
May, Merta and Soot gulped. "Maybe we should go a bit further," suggested
May.
"Yes," I said. "Don't get lost, please."
When they left, I nodded to Linda and she came to me. She didn't look
too happy.
"Do you understand what is going to happen?" I asked her.
"You will spank me," she said, eyes lowered.
"Why?"
"Because... I deserve a spanking." She looked in my eyes. "Will it hurt
a lot?" she asked.
"You will soon find out," I replied. "Now, bend over my lap, please."
I led her across, pressing down on her back firmly. Finally she was in
the position. She kicked her legs a little.
"Now, I have to remove your skirt and panties, because I'm going to spank
your bare bottom," I explained. I lifted the skirt and...
There were no panties. Linda's white bottom glared at me.
"Uh..." she said, "they kept sliding down. Because of my tail."
"That just makes this easier," I said. "Now, Linda, before I spank your
bottom, do you have anything to tell me?"
Linda growled.
"OK, I'm... I'm really sorry that you have to spank me," she sighed. "But
I didn't know it's this bad. I feel terrible."
I raised my hand. Wait a minute... what about that tail?
I took it in my left hand and pressed it on Linda's back. "Is this comfortable?"
I asked. "For your tail?"
"Oh, sure! Like I was worried about that!" she grumbled.
So I landed the first spank.
*SMACK!*
"Ouch!" cried Linda. "That hurts a lot!"
*SMACK!* *SPANK!*
"Yow!"
And I continued. The slaps were raining on Linda's bottom.
To her credit, I must say that she didn't try to evade any of them. But
she was crying out after each swat and her legs started kicking wildly.
I kept the tempo until I heard her sobbing, and then I accelerated.
"Uwaaaah!"
Apart from the crying, she was bearing it calmly. No frantic asking for
mercy, no promises to be a good girl. Cats, after all, have dignity.
I increased the tempo again, she was indulged in full-fledged crying already.
However tough she was, it seemed that this little part of her body might
be even more sensitive than the one of a true human.
In fact, I didn't consider her spanking to be really hard, but she certainly
did think so. After I finally stopped the spanking and released her, she
was jumping and howling and finally she climbed the nearest tree. I could
hear her cries of pain from up there.
I looked at Grace.
"So, I guess it's my turn, huh?" she said.
"Well, it's not full seven days yet," I had to remind her. "We
can put it off if you want."
"No! Zack, right now I'm in a state when I'm ready to accept my punishment.
It could be weeks before I will be again." She came to me and gave
me a quick kiss on my cheek. "Do it well," she whispered. "I deserve anything
I get."
She turned across my lap.
I raised her skirt and hooked my fingers on the waistband of her green
panties...
May ran out of the forest. She was breathing heavily. I let Grace's panties
go.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Zack! It's terrible! We were going through the forest and suddenly there
was a woman! Real scary one! Zack - she's fighting Soot!"
End
of Chapter 12
May's Readers' Corner:
So - it seems that whenever one of us gets out of trouble, another
one takes her place. I was quite surprised when that woman ran out of the
forest and started a fight, I tell you! I hope Zack can stop her - I like
Soot, however criminal she might be!
On an unrelated note, I'm on a streak - three chapters and I didn't end
bottoms-up! I hope it will last.
Once again, Fulgur would like to apologize to everybody who was waiting
for next installment of the story. He would also like to dedicate the character
of Linda to Crosschan, who convinced him to add a catgirl character. (He
hopes Linda will be more than just an ordinary catgirl, though!)
Well, OK, the next chapter's name is "Attack of Spectre"! So... watch
for it! And if you have any comments, write to me!
May
May's Retrospective Readers' Corner:
Ughhh... This is finally the last Retrospective Readers' Corner I have
to do today! And a short one, to boot, since nothing new happened since
this chapter was released! OK, except a tiny little change in the end to
resolve the question whether Linda does or does not wear panties.
So, I just wanted to say goodbye to you, readers. Remember you owe me big
time - Fulgur spanked me twice because I wanted to please you. Ha! Next time
he will want a Retrospective Readers' Corner, he may ask Grace!
May's Readers' Corner:
May's Retrospective Readers' Corner: