\n\t\t\t\t\tczgoldeditionIt's quiet, and serene, the only sign of civization amid the evergreen woods being the stretch of train tracks which spans over the landscape from end to end as far as the eye can see. Snow idly falls onto the tracks only to be blown aside moments later as a long train plows through with an equally long dark smoke plume trailing behind its strenuously working locomotive.
Within one of the classy wooden long distance cars, a cheetah-taur stirs restlessly beside the small table of her small cabin, her eyes fixated on the snowy sight beyond the cabin window as she idly twines a quill between her fingers above a piece of paper she placed on the table earlier. However soon she balls up her free hand, tears her eyes away from the frosty window and carefully dips her quill into the inkwell, placing the tip on the paper to start writing with her tongue peeking out and tail flicking furiously.
”Dear family, when you receive this letter, I wi-”
Abruptly the train jolts with a loud clank as it passes over a particularly uneven track joint, causing her to hiss with her teeth gritted as the unwanted jump of the quill leaves an ugly splash all over the last letters. Her other hand swings over to hover near the paper, as if ready to snatch it away – but moments later she draws a deep breath and lets her arm drop back down against the table as she resumes writing after striking out the smudged part. With no further issues aside from the constant minor shaking of the car, the rest of the letter begins to form in swift smooth strokes. The one useful aspect of my education, she briefly thinks as she writes.
”- I will be long gone from the city and headed for the outer frontier. I am doing this on my own volition out of my own free will, so please do not come after me or attempt to find me, I will not come back even if you should figure out my whereabouts. Tell Mr. Venner that one of my three sisters ought to make a far better mate for him than I would ever have been, and whatever possessions I left behind, all of you can keep as I will have no need of them any longer.
I understand the grief I caused and wish this had not been the only way, but I am not sorry and I will never be sorry, perhaps one day you will understand and perhaps one day we will also meet again.
Good bye until then.
Your daughter, Kara.”
The letter written, Kara lets out a relieved chirp as she puts the quill away and leaves the letter out to dry, glancing at window to see snow-covered hills outside as she realizes the train is suddenly climbing uphill. Unexpectedly a wave of exhilaration washes over her now that the letter is done and the realization of being far away from home hits her, and she quickly leans sideways to start rummaging the smaller one of her two suitcases to pull out a bundle of cash which she starts to count on the table after nudging the letter aside.
Seeing and smelling the cash in her hands gradually causes her thoughts to drift into what is now rapidly becoming a past life for her and into everything which has transpired in the last couple of months, due to the cash being one of the few remaining connections to all of it since she had to leave almost everything behind to pursue her dream of being independent.
And what a long-standing dream had it been! Ever since she was a small cub she had coveted the perceived freedom bestowed upon her two brothers, whether it was the freedom to buy snacks from the corner store or the freedom to choose between sports and woodcrafting when she had only been given the choice to practice piano playing. Everything she yearned to do was always 'unladylike' and everything she was told to do was boring at best.
Hence from early on she had begun to figure out ways to cheat the system once it dawned on her that she'd otherwise never amount to anything but a pretty and helpless mate for someone, given how her family had reasonable standing in the city and thus she'd be a desireable trophy mate – a thought which makes her squirm uncomfortably even now the same way it did years ago. She fondly recalls the tiny secret workshop she had setup in a disused cleaning closet, how she pilfered clothes from her brothers to secretly wear them outside, and less fondly how she was grounded after taking a small wooden boat out to the river for no other reason than ”it's beneath a prim and proper lady”.
A firm knock on the door ends her reminiscing as she hastily mews and peers at the door over her shoulder.
'Ma'am? You asked me to remind you when were close to the last post and telegraph office on the line, we will be arriving to Haffertown in thirty minutes. There are no regular postal services beyond that point. Have a good day!'
After the conductor's booming voice goes silent and his pawsteps fade out, Kara's ears perk up excitedly from the promise of a break to the seemingly endless train trip – thus she quickly runs a comb over her short hair and smooths out her sides before attempting to stand up. Without much success at first since she's once again given a stark reminder of unusual 'price' of her ticket out to the frontier when the sheer weight of her extremely large gravid belly stops her outright while a frustrated meow escapes her throat.
'Oh yeah. Almost managed to forget that all of you are here with me too, almost feels like there are more of you again!' she grumbles and gathers her strength before hoisting her gravid middle into the air with a grunt while using the table as extra leverage with her arms. The letter still awaits her on it, too, and she snatches it up without looking at the text, to fold it and hold onto it for now.
Next, she slowly backs up towards the floor while her legs keep kneading her huge belly in the cramped quarters, something which she attempts to ignore although the sensation causes her to randomly chitter as she approaches the door. Thanks to her tauric form she's forced to go through a series of maneuvers and contortions to deal with the inwards-opening door before she's able to continue backing out, [i[all of which would be so much easier if I wasn't bigger than a pregnant cow[/i], she muses in her head when she snaps up her jacket and cranes her neck backwards to make sure the corridor is empty before she fully waddles out.
The corridor is empty and quiet apart from the constant rattling and creaking of the car itself, which is perfect for her as she's feeling extremely self-conscious all of a sudden due to her girth impeding her movement and her engorged breasts preventing her from closing her jacket… although reminds herself of the fact that modesty has never been terribly important for her taurkin outside of upper crust. Thus she leaves her jacket unbuttoned to rely on her bustier to keep her breasts in check as she awkwardly strolls along the wall and pushes through a sliding door while she feels the train to gradually begin slowing down. In anticipation of the stop, she slides the folder letter into a pocket as not to forget or lose it.
Mew, that's just what I need right now!, she thinks when she spots some glass mugs and tea pouches placed in a dispenser on the wall – so she quickly takes some and fills the mug from a convenient placed hot water dispenser nearby, settling down to lean against the cold windowsill and watch the scenery go by after dropping the tea pouch into the steaming water. In the meantime the languid kicking and flexing of her waking litter repeatedly distracts her as she's still not quite used to the idea of being pregnant, never mind as greatly pregnant as she is, although she's trying to take it in strides.
Passing time before the station, she swings the mug in lazy circles to stir the tea and listens to the muffled screeching of the brakes which make the entire carriage shudder – the heat emanating towards her hand being in nice contrast to the chilly air of the corridor which bothers her as random drafts pass over her short fur and the exposed teats on her distended underbelly. Ironic how I woved never to end up pregnant lest I'd be tied down for life, and now I'm pregnant because it was the only way to break free by being kicked out, she ponders while repeatedly sniffing the tea, abruptly breaking out in a series of cheery chirps. Amusing really! Even if it's a huge pain in the ass.
By the time she's done musing about her situation the tea seems to be ready, so she quickly dumps the dripping tea pouch into a small can under the dispenser and equally quickly sips from the mug to make it less full, hoping to avoid spilling any on herself as the unpredictable jerking of the train car intensifies along with the brake noise. Though they're not the only ones intensifying...
'Hey, would you cut it out in there again? Didn't give you permission to start pummeling me even if you're as excited as I am!', Kara hisses and stares down at her round flank as a short barrage of kicks followed by movement against her womb wall startles her to her chagrin – although it mercifully subsides rather soon. 'I know I owe you one, but I already gave up beer and most of my mobility for you, so I'd be happy to be able to walk in public without being even more embarassed as I already am!'
Right on to underline her last point, the conductor startles her with his sudden yell after he silently entered during her tirade – 'Haffertown station! We will be stopping for three quarters! Last post and telegram office on the line! Haffertown station! We will be stopping-' he goes on as he walks past the cabins, gracefully dodging Kara who licks her chops bashfully when the lanky wild dog tips his hat at her before resuming his journey towards the front end of the train. At the same time Kara spies the station building from the corner of her eye as the carriage jolts one last time and creaking of the brakes stop just before a loud brief whistle tells her it's time to get off to check out the station.
'One last time, please, don't do that.' she addresses her swollen belly before hastily lapping up the hot tea to leave the mug behind when she heads to the now open side door, clumsily backing out and clenching her teeth as the iron steps dig into her underbelly during her meticulous descent – would be so much easier and less painful without these hitchhikers, ooof, she concludes mentally once she stands on the second pair of rails beside the main track, dusting off her back and sides before raising the collar of her jacket as icy gusts cut straight through her furcoat so that she's already shivering uncontrollably by the time she actually heads towards the heavy wooden doors of the station.
Pretty big for such a distant station, I wonder if the town's larger than I thought…. she contemplates while straining her legs to avoid dragging her poor belly over the cold steel of the rails or hitting it into the stonework of the shallow ramp which leads onto the platform itself – along the way she curiously feels over the polished shapes of the cast iron pillars and appreciates the well-laid brick walls which give a modicum of shelter from the wind already as she walks under the canopy to the doors to pull both of them open.
Comfortable warmth greets her the moment she yanks the doors open and she eagerly waddles through while her whiskers straighten out to turn forward – although they almost immediately curl back against her muzzle as the effort needed to merely turn around and close the doors frustrates her. Moments later she clumsily strolls further in to enjoy the heat of a large crackling cast iron heaters in the middle of the room, her eyes getting used to the soft light of wall-mounted gas lamps and allowing her to begin picking up details amid the shadows of the long cavernous waiting room which belies the grandiose exterior of the station - the bare brick walls adorned only by simple light fixtures and time tables, the well-worn wooden flooring with flaky yellow paint, the spartan wooden benches lining the walls, and the baroque facade of the combined ticket and mail office. Though something she wish she wasn't picking up are the curious eyes of fellow travellers, all of which appear to be fixated on her to make her hyper-aware of her massive gravidity, her perky chilled teats, and her generous bosom, as she nervously runs her fingers through her hair on the way to the ticket office counter.
'Good day! Could you please put this in an envelope for me and mail it?' she greets the elderly fox behind the counter as she takes out the folded letter and hastily straightens out its wrinkles before offering it.
'Greetings, ma'am, I suppose I could… aren't you in a bit of a condition, couldn't your husband do this…?' he replies kindly and grabs the letter, peering over the counter while adjusting his glasses.
No, not this shit! - 'Err, it's fine! He… he's busy and I've been cooped up in the stuffy train car long enough, I thought some exercize would do me good. How much is it?'
The clerk rubs his muzzle contemplatively before taking an envelope from under the counter, his hands jerking noticeably as he slips the letter inside and seals it, raising his eyes. 'That'll be fifty pence, ma'am… I think your husband ought to be less busy to help you with all the little ones…'
'Thank you for your concern, it'll be fine, I promise! I'm young and strong – here you go! And please excuse me, I'm in a bit of a hurry.' - Now let me leave before I say something I will regret! - she tells him while struggling to maintain her composure as she drops a few coins she fished from her coat's pocket, into his waiting hand. All and all, she manages to retain a neutral expression and keep her twitching tail in check as she turns and pads away as fast as she's able – which isn't nearly as fast she'd like to given how her swaying distended midsection bounces off her legs constantly.
Moments later she pushes through the main door of the station, taking a moment to gather her bearings by rubbing her forehead furiously after kicking the doors closed – only to be left staring at the sight before her with her maw agape once she takes a proper look at her surroundings. Wow… calling this place a town is pretty generous! They must've over-estimated the need of a station badly. - is her first thought as it dawns on her how the lonely warped and decrepit cobbled street which stretches few hundred meters into the treeline, is the main street, and the dozen or so dilapidated two-storey buildings on both sides are the 'town'. Nevertheless she soon licks her chops in wary anticipation and carefully waddles down the short stairs onto the cobblestone – her tail curling upwards as her entire body tingles from the thrill of finally facing something akin to an adventure!
Even if the adventure so far is mostly about dodging protruding cobblestones and sudden dips in the street so that her sensitive underbelly doesn't drag over the rough surface, her breath visibly swirling around her head as she makes pointless attempts to close her jacket and feels her previously thawed-out teats harden again awkwardly in the cold. In the meantime her orange eyes scan the houses until she sees a worn sign saying ”General Store” above a weather-beaten door – although it's hard to say whether the shop's open or closed, the dirty windows do have haphzard piles of random items on display so she maneuvers towards the door while glad that it's essentially on street level given her current struggles.
'Hello? Anyone here? Are you open?' she meows into the darkness after finding the door unlocked, her nostrils assaulted by a rich musty smell of preserved food, herbs, leather and who-knows-what-else when she cracks the door open more to peek inside.
'Oh? A customer? Come in! Come in! Always open for business!' the shopkeeper startles her by hollering back from somewhere behind piles of merchandize, leaving Kara to timidly enter with her ears folded and her hackles raised until the shopkeeper – a petite bipedal male lynx – saunters into view with a grin to wave at her, cocking his head as he spots her anxiously twisting tail. 'Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you, it has just been a while since the last traveller and everyone else only comes in like once a week so I wasn't expecting anyone – this town isn't exactly a prime vacation spot.'
'I noticed…', she replies absent-mindedly due to being preoccupied with the mixture of odd scents and the seemingly endless piles of everything from flour and sugar sacks to bundles of beef jerky, gardening equipment and patent medicine. Though the lynx's incessant stare quickly yanks her out of her stupor - '… sorry! I would like to buy some jerky for the trip, and errr, do you have saddle bags which would fit me?'
'I might, I might! You taurs aren't the usual customers here but I've seen a few of you-' he replies enthusiastically and steps closer to spread his hands above her back, clearly taking some rough measurements before she dashes into the back of the labyrinthine store to disappear from view, allowing Kara to surreptitiously bend down to rub her gravid belly as it starts to ache from the way her litter stirs within. But she quickly straightens out and crosses her arms behind her back to appear casual when the lynx pops back out with a number of different saddle bags slung over his shoulder.
'Larger one? Smaller one? Leather or cotton?' the shopkeeper quizzes her as he nonchalantly places one of the saddle bags onto Kara's back without paying heed to how she flinches. The empty bags come to rest just on the upper edge of her girth after he adjusts everything. 'Headed somewhere? In your condition I hope it's not much further, there's little place for someone like you out there beyond civilization.'
Grrr, not you too… I swear that if this doesn't stop soon, I'll… ! Kara immediately curses mentally as she feels a migraine creeping in, her ears wilting although she perseveres and maintains a bashful expression. 'Eeeh, a large cotton one? How much are they? And can you sell thr- two kilos of jerky to go with it?' she tells him while slowly raising one hand on her forehead to rub it lightly.
'This cotton one is fifty thalers, the leather one is one hundred – are you alright? I have a patent medicine for headaches if you -'
Before he gets further, Kara cuts in with a swift chirp and shakes her head enthusiastically, affording him a coy grin as she slides her hand behind her neck. 'Aaah, I'm fine – cotton bag and the jerky, please? I need to catch my train soon, you know!'
'Oh! You'd better leave soon then or you might miss it with your litter in tow like that, only twenty minutes until it leaves!' the shopkeeper chuckles as he dashes off to the junk-covered counter to fish out a banged-up cashbox, her cheeks flushing at the same time as she starts to rummage her pockets for crumpled bills.
'Yea, yea, I won't forget that', she replies absent-mindedly and hands the lynx a small stack of bills, fidgeting with her whiskers anxiously afterwards while he counts the money and grabs a couple of string-tied bundles of jerky to weight them on a rusty cast-iron counterweight scale on the counter. In the meantime she sheds the bags he put on her initially to swap them with the cotton one she just bought, squirming and bumping her girth into random items until she manages to make it sit reasonably well on her back.
'Here you go, ma'am! Something for you to gnaw on on the way to – where-ever you're going - since I'm guessing you're going to be enjoying the great outdoors?' he yammers happily as he stuffs the jerky into her new saddle bags, suddenly taking her hand to step up right against her gravid midsection without pausing. 'Now let me help you on your way so that you don't knock over anything, apologies for being so frank but I'd really need more space here…'
'Well, I – I – a-alright?' she blurts in surprise, surreptitiously balling up her free hand when he nonchalantly starts to turn her around while nudging and yanking her to stop her hitting anything, her ears wilting from embarrassment once again as she feels his legs dig into her midsection – so she literally flees through the door the moment her nose is pointed towards it. 'Thankyouandseeyoulatergoodbye!' she adds when halfway through the door, her tail lashing as she rapidly waddles towards the station with her claws rapping against the cobblestone. Gahh! I know he wasn't doing anything but – uugh, what personal space?
This time she doesn't even bother to look around when she stomps towards the station with her hands furiously rubbing her forehead, only barely acknowledging the discomfort of dragging her heavy belly over the rough stone steps on her way over to the main door, the people in spartan waiting room behind it ogling her in passing again but she merely grumps and ignores everything until she gets to the windy platform with her belly aching from all the inevitable bumping and bouncing and dragging. Hence she walks rather gingerly down the ramp to the tracks with her leg muscles rippling from the effort to hold her undervelly away from the rough trackbed gravel and the cold rails as she approaches the train car's stairs.
However once she grabs the handles and attempts to ascend the steep stairs, it dawns on her that in her current gravid condition it's quite different than stepping into the car from the main station's platform – the sheer weight and girth of her midsection quite effectively prevents her from getting enough leverage no matter how hard she pulls on the handles or tries to push herself with her hindlegs, her forelegs helplessly scratching the stairs. Please! Come on, not this… shit, I hope nobody's watching…! she thinks frantically while struggling and looking around, only to suddenly freeze as she comes face-to-face with the wild dog conductor whose bemused expression only adds to the tingling sensation of embarrassment.
'Can I be of assistance, ma'am?'
Still frozen, there's a pregnant pause during which Kara can feel her cheeks and ears heat up before she manages to speak after opening and closing her jaws repeatedly. 'Yes, please…' she mutters timidly and turns away, waiting for him to warily feel over her rear until he suddenly leans onto her and gives her a surprisingly mighty heave which just about allows her to yank herself through the doorway into the carriage – leaving her biting her lip to suppress the urge to whimper after her underbelly painfully slid over the door sill. 'Th-thank you! I'll be fine now, just need to get back to my quarters.'
'You are welcome, ma'am – do ask for help if you need it, I am here to serve.' he replies cheerfully before walking away just in time as the train's whistle sounds. 'All aboard, train leaves in five minutes! All aboard, train leaves…' his voice trails off.
Once safely inside the train, Kara shudders and utters a short growl with her tail lashing before she starts to slowly wander towards her door, her hands balled up tightly enough for her claws to prick her uncomfortably. It's not going to be like this when I make it to the frontier! I know how to take care of myself – it's just inconvenient to be like this right now but it'll get better, she reassures herself while waddling down the hallway, dodging tea dispensers and squeezing through narrow doorways all the way until she reaches her own door, which she literally kicks open after unlocking to shuffle inside. She can feel the jolt of the train getting underway as she empties her jacket pockets on the table, before ridding herself of both her jacket and her tight bustier to enjoy the sensation of her engorged breasts being freed – tossing everything on the bed to soon follow them with the saddlebags she bought.
Finally she pulls out a bundle of jerky to set it on the table before she sits down, her orange eyes gleaming as she stares out into the wilderness and makes grouchy faces at her reflection on the window while gnawing on jerky. I guess I'd better take out the liniment soon… really soon… I just need to rest for a moment, dammit! she ponders and throws angry glances at her swollen midsection where her cubs annoy her with kicking once again whereas her underbelly keeps stinging from all the hurdles earlier. But nevertheless, even if her enthusiasm has deflated somewhat after all the unexpected trouble during the very first stop on her journey, her grouchy face gradually melts into contentment when the train gets up to speed and she knows she's on way to her destination – it's not like she knows what will be waiting there apart from hard work but she'd again determined to enjoy it even if it kills her!