12.4 p͏a͏t͏r͏e͏o͏n͏.c͏o͏m͏/S͏t͏r͏a͏t͏o͏t͏h͏r͏a͏x͏A͏f͏t͏e͏r͏D͏a͏r͏k͏

"It's fine, you don't have to carry anything Kayla. You know what I'm trying to say Ella?"

The elf paused and nodded her head reluctantly.

"Apprentice adventurers. I dealt with a number back when I was a lecturer, it's how a lot of people get into adventuring since forming a band of absolute beginners normally ends in tragedy. An apprentice works with a more experienced band for a time to get a little experience of their own. The AG tries to promote it as a good idea, at least in the cities. From what I saw working with the AG as a lecturer it significantly reduced the number of full band wipes."

"Apprentices," said Kayla, rolling the word around in her mouth, she quickly decided she liked it and a big smile appeared on her face. "Yes! We can be that! Apprentice adventurers, with Fey!"

"Gods, we're baby sitters now? Urgh," grumbled Flora rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

"Hey, that means you two need to get Classes right?" Vivi flourished her sword and struck a casually confident pose. "Have you considered becoming Warriors?"

"Vivi you can do the salesmanship and posturing back in town, they have no idea what you are even talking about yet."

"Oh come on, it's good to get them early on the Warrior wagon."

"Uhm," said Fey, "No offence to Kayla and Lily but I'm struggling to imagine them fighting as warriors."

"Yeah, they're even smaller than me! What are they gonna do? Lift one sword between them? Nah. They'll want to be mages if they have the talent, and if they are especially talented and amazing they'll get a psychokinesis Class, like me."

"Hey! If you're a warrior and strong enough your size doesn't matter! Look at me I'm only five foot and I do great!"

"You're like twice their size foxy!"

"Well maybe they really can use a sword together, maybe one with two handles, or wait, hey, could we not stack them on top of each other?"

"You can't stack the otters!"

"Hang on now, it sounds crazy but I think I might have something with this, all we'd need is some glue and-"

Ellaria and Fey exchanged exasperated looks and began to move, deftly ignoring the arguing vulpine and gnome. Fey let Lily down from her chest, which Lily seemed mildly upset about, and stood up, towering over the two otterkins. She looked down at them, the pair still wore their ragged cloaks which now that Fey was looking seemed to be torn at the hem as though bitten and ripped, apparently those wolves had gotten a lot closer than she thought. She couldn't help but think how incredibly vulnerable and exposed the two girls were, she wanted to protect them, to keep them safe, to fuck them into living cum dumps, to put foals in them over and ove- wait. She furrowed her brow at that last bit, an unexpected intrusive thought. I mean I'm not against doing it with them again but, foals? What? How? We're different species!

Fey began walking, deep in thought, her hooves clopping along the road as she followed after Ellaria. It took her a few minutes to realise there was a problem. She glanced behind to see the two otterkin girls practically running to keep up, their small legs having to take multiple strides to achieve the same speed as everybody else. Clearly, this wasn't going to work.

Flora, who was levitating nearby, seemed to recognise the problem. "Hey, you guys are slow and lame!" Of course, recognising the problem was a far cry from the gnome actually bothering to help.

Fey let out a resigned sigh. "I guess since it was me who convinced Ella to let you guys be apprentices I should be the one to help you keep up. Climb aboard, you can ride me."

The two otterkins looked delighted at this offer, which Fey supposed made sense since they seemed to want to be around her. Kayla rushed forward and swarmed up her leg like a sailor climbing rigging, clambering up onto her back. A rope appeared in the otterkin's hands, plucked from somewhere inside her cloak. Fey's eyebrows rose as she felt the slap of rope around her barrel and turned to see Kayla with a length of rope in her hands that she was tying off. Fey now had a circle of rope wrapped around her. She gave the otterkin a questioning look.

"It's for riding! Okay you can get on now Lily!"

"Yiss! I've waited sooo long for this! My turn to ride her raw!

Lily who had been walking along beneath Fey's barrel and between her legs leapt into the air and grabbed at the somewhat loose rope, shedding her ragged clothes in the same motion. She wiggled her self upward until she was between the rope and the centaur with her hips hooked over the rope, her front facing downwards.