Indulgent
Hero was a hybrid a little older than most of the smaller creatures in the afterlife. Like most of them, she was a scavenger who sold and swapped her goods. Hero loved to explore, farm, fish and hike, but cities and lots of people made her anxious. Hero was born as an npc with no special skills. Respawning meant that she lost all of her items. Hero hated having her items stolen. She considered it fortunate that she was fast enough to escape most situations. One bonus towards being so jittery, she supposed. However, there was one thing no monsters could take from her- Her wife.
The afterlife was such a picturesque place. With hills (for hiking and camping) covered in thick, deciduous trees (for climbing and photography) and winding streams (for swimming and fishing). A warm home to return to at night for snuggles.
As per usual, Hero was out exploring the forest looking for more trinkets to sell or swap. She was trying to improve her confidence. Even though North loved her wife the way she was. Anxiety and all.
When suddenly Hero heard an unfamiliar, earth shaking growl behind her. Not soft and flirty unlike her demi-goddess wife’s rumblings. North liked to sneak up on her wife, though she had started not to sneak up on her for kisses, especially since it took her hours to calm Hero down.
“North?” Hero asked, turning to face what she expected to be her wife. “What are you-”
It was not her wife glaring at her with many beady eyes. Although Hero had seen many monsters while adventuring with her wife, the creature was unlike any she had seen. It resembled a muffin, but with a jagged, drooling jaw, crystals protruding from its back, multiple spider-like legs and eyes. It must have escaped from less experienced monster hunters.
Hero backed away, her knees knocking with a sense of dread. The creature showed no sign of slowing down. Scuttling between the trees. Even as she cast a defensive spell. Hero turned and bolted away. Ducking and weaving as the terrain flew by. Dropping her bag in the process.
Unknown to the monster, the demi-goddess had heard her wife’s scream. She charged the unnatural creature from behind without a noise. Her teeth gritted with determination. North could be as terrifying as she could be gentle and adoring. North’s antlers lowered as she ploughed into the creature. Knocking it back. The creature roared and turned its attention to the fearless, feral demi-goddess instead of her considerably smaller wife. Herp screamed for help and curled herself into a ball behind a large hollow log. Clasping her mouth with both hands. The moss blanketing the hollow log staining the back of her pastel hoodie a faded, dirty green. Hero could feel a panic setting in. Her heart was pounding in her large ears. Drowning out the ambience of the forest. The same ambience she fell asleep to at night while curled up and snuggling with her wife. All Hero wanted to do was be stronger, but she was such a failure. She should have stayed in the cabin and waited for her wife to wake up from her nap. Her vision blurring from tears pooling in her blueish-grey eyes. Her circular glasses vibrated violently from the intensity of her entire body’s tremors. A justified panic attack...this time.
North teleported whenever she was bored and seeking inspiration, her wife to fulfil her desires or an unhealthy combination of both. The only warning Hero got that the enormous looming figure was not going to kill her, was the soft jangle of the crystal fastened around North’s neck.
The demigoddess easily hopped over the log. Caring the strap of Hero’s bag around her wrist. She was three times larger than her wife. She crouched, wrapping her enormous arms around the hybrid. North quickly became lost in an all consuming cloud of silky, white fur. Sniffing her wife’s short, unruly hair to calm her. Her paddle shaped tail bruised from the battering she gave the monster.
“My little champion?” North purred. “You’re safe now. I...chased it off.”
As expected, the demi-goddess of Lust and Indulgence was generous and flirty, but North was also feral and intense. The enormous demi-goddess looming over her. Nuzzling her smaller wife with such intensity that Hero was nearly knocked over onto the seat of her pants. He laughed, pushing North’s snout down so she could catch her breath. Running a hand through her unruly hair.
Her heart was still racing as fast as she did to escape the monster. She noticed the bruising on her wife’s eel-like tail and decided to focus on that. Rummaging through her bag for a bandage. The bag was full of loot from the monster. She knew North was lying about chasing the creature off, but she was too relieved to rouse on her for lying to her. Hero had never had anyone to care for before. She had no family before appearing. North was all she had.
“You got hurt...because of me. I should have stayed at home and...I...” Hero squeaked forlornly.
North didn’t mind in the slightest. Even if this little adventure had cut into her nap time. North preferred napping during the day so she could enjoy the nightscape. Yawning as she rubbed sleep from her eyes. Calm and confident in a way Hero could only dream of. North still had a severe case of bed hair. Her long hair flying wildly around her face and shoulders, even without a breeze. Nuzzling her wife’s cheek. Her tail wagging up and down softly. North did not mean to terrify her wife when she demolished the monster. That was the easy part. Assuring her wife that she was okay was going to take the rest of the day. Not that North minded that either. She was not going to complain about spending more time cuddling and kissing with her tiny wife.