The Hands of Freeton (@Cpt-Night) 


        Riley looked down at the letter in her large paws. It was an invitation from her late uncle’s lawyer, explaining that at his behest the dragoness had inherited a large amount of money and property in the small village of Freeton. The only caveat being she would have to pass a trial, set up by him before his passing. Looking up at the huge house in front of her Riley grinned, she knew her family was huge and had connections but this kind of place was surprising. She thought she knew every branch of the family but she had never heard of this uncle before. Either way she was not going to pass up this chance, besides the money and house she stood to inherit a large plot of town land that alone was enough to entice the young dragoness from her comfortable life of tending the Iron Wood orchid her family owned. She had given her family a loving goodbye and strapped a travel backpack over her shoulders before making the long carriage ride towards her future. The carriage stopped at the outskirts of a crowded village, her diver refusing to go any closer to what he called a cursed place.  


        The small village she walked through crowded around the large hill the manor stood upon, the villagers had been warm and welcoming but there was just something off the young dragoness couldn’t place. She shook her head, her metallic red hair fluttered and landed about her shoulders as she reached up and stroked it subconsciously, a habit she only had been doing for the past couple years after her more feminine traits had made themselves present. The villagers had barely batted an eye at her busty and well endowed naked form when she arrived. They just had politely greeted her like a 6 foot dragon with a spell-binding foot and half long cock and matching set of balls, walking up the road was an everyday occurrence. They pointed up at the manor when she asked for directions and she gave a friendly wave goodbye as she started up the hill. The crowded village gave way to rows of neatly planted grape vines and blackberries as she climbed higher. The path under her feet was old, soft dirt and patches of overgrown grass. She made a mental note to clear the path before winter set as she rested against the trunk of an ancient tree. The old tree’s branches were laden with mid summer fruit, ripe pink cherries hung easily within reach as it provided cooling shade from the summer’s heat. 


        “Oh those look good,” The dragoness commented to herself as she reached up, plucking a handful of the small fruit from the nearest branch. She studied the small plump fruit before popping one into her mouth. The sweetness spread across her tongue as she separated the hard pit from the tasty flesh. After spitting the seed out the dragoness leaned back against the tree trunk and munched on the fruit. Her hand wandered over her recently bloomed chest, squeezing the soft mounds firmly with a blush. The thought of being discovered by her new neighbors excited her greatly as her member demanded attention. Moaning up a storm, a few uneaten cherries fell to the ground as Riley started to rub along her shaft and grope her breasts. Lost in the act, Riley didn’t come round till the village’s evening bells started to toll several hours later. Blushing heavily she snagged a couple handfuls of cherries and stowed them away for later in her backpack before making the rest of the way to the large house. 


        The vineyards gave way to orchids of various fruit trees, making the weary dragoness feel more at home as she finally reached her destination. The soft path changed to a neatly placed stone path that wound its way through a generous courtyard. Periodically the path was accompanied by unlit oil lamps  hanging from wrought iron poles. She noted to make sure to get fresh oil as soon as possible as she stood in front of two imposing wooden doors, surrounded by a door frame made from equally imposing masonry. She looked back and forth as there was no sign of the typical house staff, so she shrugged and pushed the doors open. The iron hinges creaked and whined as they resisted Riley’s strength before swinging wide open, no match for the dragoness. A wide foyer greeted Riley as the old floor protested as she stepped inside what was now her home. Even through the gloomy light Riley spotted several hooks sticking out from the stone wall and hung her pack up. She dug through a pocket and pulled out a small lamp and beeswax candle. She carefully lit the candle with a flame from her muzzle and started to look about. Each room she visited was covered in a thick dust even though her uncle supposedly lived there only a month or two ago. Tsking softly to herself she set the lamp on a desk of the large bedroom she found herself in and poked around a dresser drawer. She found some soft linens and began dust, tidying the room for use. The dying light of the setting sun gave the room an eerie orange haze as she opened the wooden shutters of a window. 


        After retrieving her bag, she tossed it on a freshly made cotton stuffed mattress and laid down to admire her hard work. A cool breeze from the open window made her candles flicker as she pulled the short sword from her pack, setting it next to her on the bed. She tucked the bag under her head and yawned, falling fast asleep, one hand on the hilt of her blade. She slept easily as night progressed, the candles blowing out on their own. As the moon started to shine into the room however, Riley started to toss, her hand kipping the hilt of the sword tightly.


She woke in a sweat yelling and slashing at the air before calming enough to remember where she was. Taking a deep breath she laid back down and slept restlessly till morning. With dawn Riley woke, shaking off the previous night's nightmare, something she couldn’t even remember fully. She set about cleaning the other rooms, having found a straw broom and an old feather duster in what she could only guess was the servants’ quarters. The rest of summer proceeded much the same, Riley would work bringing fresh life to the manor. She cleaned the path, tended to the fruits, traveled down to the village trading fresh cherries for lamp oil and supplies. However a strange feeling tugged at her mind, her hand still would reach for her sword of its own accord as there always seemed to be a feeling of being watched.


Fall was ushered in with fresh apples, grapes, and pears as by now Riley had found a grove of  sour cherries to add to her crops. She even found a rare book on brewing and had started to supply the village below with various perrys and ciders made from her fruits. It was during one of these days as she moved a fresh barrel of wine into the cellar she noticed a door to a room she hadn’t been into yet. She set the barrel down and easily pushed her way into the room. Inside the room was dimly lit from cracks in the floorboards above as she noticed several chests full of silver, gold, and jewels. “Oh! This must be the rest of the inheritance,” She thought as dug through the boxes. She smiled as she slipped off the simple rings, dirty with soil and the sweat of hard work as she tried on several rings with cut gems. The dragoness held her hands up admiring them and the way the emeralds and rubies flashed in the dim light. 

        After some time she gathered up a bag of gold and headed into town, leaving the barrel of wine propped up haphazardly against the wall. Once in town the first thing she did was rent a large empty storehouse, followed by hiring several porters to go fetch her brewing equipment and barrels. The young males refused but flashing a few gold coins easily made them reconsider. Soon Riley opened up Freetown’s first brewery and tavern. She fixed up a room in the back with an opulent bed to stay long nights. As the days shortened, Riley spent more and more time in the village, only returning to the manor to supervise harvesting the fruit and to replenish her gold from the secret room. After each trip she returned wearing more opulent jewelry, from rings, to earrings, necklaces, even her cock sported bands of gold, silver, and jewels. Wherever she went her wealth and extravagance attracted attention from the locals. So much so that by winter Riley was living at her brewery full time, hosting guests and selling the various drinks she had spent summer and fall preparing. She settled into the comfortable life of a tavern keep, her womanly figure maturing as she bustled around tables. 


By the time the first signs of spring peaked up from the ground, Riley’s hair, now braided with gold thread, was much longer, reaching down to her mid back. Her once calloused  hands were smooth and soft. Her chest and cock to had grown in size, giving the dragoness an awkward gait as she adjusted to the increased weight. With warming summer weather she finally made the trek up the large hill, her mind set on replenishing her coffers with plans to expand the brewery. She huffed finding the trip more exhausting than she remembered as it felt like the hill itself had grown. The once soft and clean path was hard and cracked under her foot as reached the cherry tree she once had rested under. To her horror it was split down the center as if some giant had taken an ax from crown to root. No fragrant white blossoms clung to the ruined branches, just bare bark that pointed accusingly at her. Riley shook her head, the sound of gold clinking was reassuring as she pushed onwards. Each step she took brought a new feeling of dread. A fence that provided shelter for the blackberry bushes was broken, posts for grapes upturned, oil lamps blown off their poles, the place looked much worse then when she had first arrived. 


The front door of the manor was intact and she sighed in relief. After brushing aside the foliage that had gathered, she pushed open the door. Inside the manor was gloomy and covered in a winter season’s worth of dust. There was a chill to the stale air as she made her way to her bedroom. She froze at the sound of a strange creak as a fluttering shadow caught her eye. “Who’s there?” She called out with no answer. Her hand went to her belt only to remember the last time she had worn her short sword was when she was staying in the manor. Cursing she looked into the room and spotted the blade still resting on the bed, just as she left it. She carefully reached for it, as a shiver down her spine alerted her to an unwelcome presence. She swung the sword in front of her, the blade never felt this heavy before she thought as she spun around catching a glimpse of a shadow once again. Shaking, her eyes darted back and forth as the shadow bounced from wall to wall. She nervously held the blade out in front of her as suddenly the shadow leapt off the wall striking her shoulder. Riley recoiled from the attack as her blade connected with the shadow. Just for a moment she thought she saw black fur before the blade passed through the dark shape harmlessly. The creature, whatever it was, dove down from the ceiling as Riley swung upwards. Mid stroke the dragoness lost her balance, whether from the cumbersome jewelry or her growth she wouldn’t know as the blade swung backward. Time seemed to move slowly as she watched the blade still wickedly sharp, first sever her right wrist, then her left. The intruding sound of the blade clattering as it hit the floor broke the spell as the stricken dragoness screamed.


She stared at the bloody stumps that had once been her beautiful hands, the looming shadow behind her whispered softly in her ear. “You no longer work the land. You take pride in your beauty and wealth. You no longer have any use for those hands that once lovingly picked fruit, cleared the weeds, and cleaned your home.” The shadow disappointed as Riley shrieked and waved her wrists as she watched her jewel laden hands seem to melt into the floor. Tears streamed down her face as she fell forward ,still grasping uselessly at the spot where her hands had laid moments before. “GIVE THEM BACK!” She wailed and pounded at the floor, leaving bloody pools before passing out. 


EPILOGUE:   


Riley stared down at her new hands, a pair of articulated hooks and sighed as the carriage creaked. After that night she was told that she had been found in her brewery with her wrists bandaged the next morning. She didn’t know how she got there, but her bag and remaining wealth were found sitting on her bed. Her sword and missing hands were nowhere to be found. The locals just said that they belonged to the manor now and that she was lucky that was all it took. Riley agreed, the loss of her hands gave her a new perspective, just not on life but her brewery. There was nothing wrong in being proud of her looks or wealth as long as she put in the work herself. She sold the small brewery and tavern, packed her bag and left Freeton to start over, this time completely with her own hard work.