A Striptease in Silver

Sweetwind sighed. She couldn't think of anything else to do. Her hollow was tidy, so there was no more cleaning to be done. The leather flap was pulled down over the window against the cold and the heated stones caused the metal bowl in the firepit to click from time to time - Sweetwind listened to it for a while, but she couldn't figure out why it made that sound. It wasn't really warm in the hollow but it was as warm as it could get, given the weather outside. A blizzard howled restlessly, as it had for the past two days.

She dipped her fingers in her water pitcher and flicked droplets onto the heated rocks just to hear the sizzle. She sighed again. What she would really like right now, she decided, was a good tumble in the furs with someone who had a nice warm body. Not counting, of course, the two warm bodies spread over her furs already, her napping bondbeasts Stifler and Cloudfront. But who? Wind and Whistle had the sniffles and were being miserable in their own hollow. (Dreamchant refused to heal them on the grounds that "a little cold never killed anyone.") Torch was away trading in the troll tunnels, Moontracker was being more of a butthead than usual, and Black Cat had been avoiding her recently. With this confining weather, everyone was getting on each other's nerves of late; even she had worn out her welcome with almost all her furmates in the past few days. Perhaps Black Cat could be bribed with a skin of heated spiced wine, but she was not in the mood for anything less than an enthusiastic lover. She was as tired of lackluster, distracted conversation as was every other stir-crazy inhabitant of the Tree.

She wondered what was going on in Black Cat's head. It had been she who had originally approached him for a joining, but she'd then been put off by his manners. He had been energetic in pursuing her afterwards, though, so he must have enjoyed her well. Now, just as she was beginning to appreciate the possibilities that his floating power offered lovers, his ardor had cooled.

"How can I interest him again, hmmm?" she asked her bondbeast Stifler, who was still asleep. She lay down alongside him and continued the conversation. "Torch can sing and I go all nutmash inside. When I watch Wind swimming I can't take my eyes off the way he moves. Sometimes we join right in the water! What can I do to make Black Cat feel that way? Ha," she poked the swiftcat, "coat myself with silver, I suppose." Of all the time she'd spent with 'Cat, his eyes lit up the most when he saw her bag of silver odds and ends.

Stifler snorted in his sleep. "That may be just the thing," Sweetwind mused. She retrieved the bag and poured out the beads, rings and various other trinkets of silver. She was saving them up until she had enough to make a silver platter, but, until that time, why not put them to use? She took one of her old tunics and began sewing the silver beads on in an attractive pattern. Her mind was as busy as her fingers, however, and soon she had an even greater idea. She hastily ripped the beads out and replaced them in the bag. Grabbing one of her old gloves from the ragbag, she took the bag of silver down to One Eagle and Icefire's hollow.

One Eagle was sitting stiffly on a pile of furs. Her pregnancy had begun showing and her growing abdomen was beginning to inconvenience her. Her breeches were so low-slung that they wouldn't need to be altered, but her grey fur shirt was stretched tightly across her belly. She looked glum and bored.

"Looks like you need a new shirt," remarked Sweetwind. "Where's Icefire?"

"Oh, we had a spat. I don't know where he went. He'll be back when he wants a warm bed." She straightened her legs and sighed. "It's just whitecold madness like the rest of the Holt."

"Yes, everyone's on edge lately." Sweetwind sat down beside her. "Look, 'Eagle, I had this idea. I wonder if you could make some material in silver, the way I make my gloves." She demonstrated to the metal-worker her old glove's construction by taking it apart before her. Over a plain leather base, small ovals of leather with a hole at one end were strung on a cord, and the cord was woven in a net-like matrix and affixed to the base.

"This is fascinating," said One Eagle, boredom falling away at last. "I always thought your leathers were just overlapping strips with scalloping on one side. I never really thought about how you make them. This explains why they're so flexible."

"Can you do it with my silver?" asked the archer hopefully.

"Yes, it'll be beautiful in silver, it should work well. We'll still need to use a light cloth or leather base for support, and the string, but from the outside it'll appear all silver." She looked up. "What do you want the material for?"

Sweetwind sketched out her ideas for the limited amount of material her small silver hoard would produce. They agreed that there was enough silver for the material and the accessories she wanted if it were beat thin. It might be fragile but it would suit her purpose. As One Eagle reached for her small anvil and tools, Sweetwind sped back up to her chamber and quickly returned with some sewing things. 'Eagle wrapped a blanket around her shoulders as she began experimenting with the silver, while Sweetwind ripped the side seams out of 'Eagle's shirt and re-stitched them, adding narrow panels of black leather. This would do for a while, until Sweetwind could complete a new garment.

Sweetwind stayed late in 'Eagle's hollow while they decided on what size silver disks to make and worked on some other details. Sweetwind was leaving when Icefire finally returned. The little spat was apparently forgotten on both sides as the lifemates greeted with a hug. "I'll start working on that new shirt for you tomorrow, 'Eagle," Sweetwind promised as she left.

In the days that followed, Icefire alone was thrilled with his mate's new project, for it put her in good spirits. Every other resident of the Mother Tree grumbled: One Eagle's small hammer pinged and banged all day, every day. It was audible from the ground level to the highest hollows. It might have been more bearable if they'd known what she was working on, but she only smiled and said that she was sworn to secrecy. No one guessed that the project might be on Sweetwind's behalf, for if she often visited the busy metalworker, it was easily explained by the new garments the mother-to-be required. Fortunately, after two days the weather improved and 'Eagle took her project out to the smithy-hut where she usually worked. The Holt breathed a collective sigh of relief. Moon Dreamer, who had been about ready to move out of the Tree, was the first to offer to help clear a path through the snow to the hut.

An eightday later, no one saw One Eagle deliver a carefully wrapped bundle to Sweetwind's chamber.

Black Cat grumbled to himself as he clambered up the stair-passage towards Sweetwind's hollow. Hell, he didn't want to go. He'd had enough of uppity elves, but somehow she'd managed to extract his word that he would visit her at nightfall. A "surprise" she'd said.

What he saw when he entered the chamber stunned him. The copper-skinned elf had her back to him and as she turned, he surveyed a lovely sight. She wore a short loincloth skirt and skimpy halter top of imbricated silver; it flashed and shone in the candlelight as she moved. Silver also gleamed in the form of flat beaten bands on her wrists and ankles. She had even pierced her earlobes and flat oval disks of silver hung from them; her hair was pulled back in a silver band to enhance their effect. 'Cat stood rapt, admiring the shining metal in its new, beautiful forms. Sweetwind stepped forward and placed her hand on the back of 'Cat's neck. "Lean down," she whispered, and he did, if only to get a better look at the intricately overlapping silver scales on her breasts. When his head was level with hers, she swiftly took the silver pendant from around his neck and slipped it on herself.

"Now we're going to play a game," the silver-clad elf said to the black-clad one. "All this silver is mine. We'll dance, and anything you take off me, you can keep. Agreed?"

"Aye!" growled the rogue. He reached for her bracelets but she stepped quickly back with a laugh. The wind howled outside: another windstorm was in progress. Still, the hollow was warm. There were many candles lit around the chamber which provided a little heat and much soft yellow light which danced upon the silver metal as the elf danced around the chamber.

"Hold still, you little tuft-ear," 'Cat said with a grin. He had to get his hands on that silver. She dodged him, laughing wickedly, for several of his lunges, but he finally caught hold of her hand. He slid the wristband off over her hand -- but as he did so, her fingers held fast to the black glove on the hand holding hers. When he let go of her hand, she pulled the glove off as easily as he'd pulled the band off. She tossed the glove away and ran to the other side of the suite, laughing all the while. 'Cat, tossing his new silver wristband to one side, was not far behind.

It was a bit harder for the tall, pale elf to maneuver in the enclosed quarters, but his larger stride made up the difference when he chased her the full length of the three-chamber suite. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up close. Continuing to grip her around the waist with one arm, he caught up the remaining wristband in the other. As he slid it off she couldn't reach his glove, but with her free hand she worked quickly at the knot in his belt. He snatched the silver band away with a crow of victory. Sweetwind scrambled away just as triumphant, throwing his belt and the gear it held aside.

By now 'Cat had an idea which might make his silver-gathering easier. Concentrating his powers, he levitated Sweetwind off the floor and towards him, feet first. Shrieking with laughter at the sensation, she twisted around in the air and met him head-first instead. She managed to wrap her arms around his neck and gather herself up next to him. Nuzzling at his earlobe, one hand reached and tugged off his headband. Fine, wispy hair escaping from its restraints surrounded her head like a cloud; behind her head she felt her own hair being released from its clip and the elves' two faces were lost in a smoke of the fluffy, newly-freed hair, honey-brown and black.

The barefoot maiden began to wrap her legs around the male's waist. 'Cat, somewhat distracted by her nuzzling and the flower-fresh scent of her hair, forgot about treasure for a moment and let his hands roam down her back and caress her smooth buttocks. When his bare hand touched the cool silver loincloth, however, treasurelust won out. He began to fumble with the silver chain which held the loincloth in place.

"Oh, no, not yet," Sweetwind panted, kicking off from 'Cat's chest. He was still levitating her and she floated away towards the sleeping pit. He started after her and grabbed an ankle. She struggled too much in the air so he gently let her fall to the furs, still clutching at her ankle. The silver band wouldn't come off over her foot - it was held shut by some kind of clasp, and it took him a few moments to figure it out. During this time Sweetwind pulled herself towards his feet and tugged both of his knee-high boots down towards his ankles. She looked up, watching his progress on the ankle cuff's clasp. He finally got it, and the cuff opened. At the same time 'Cat gasped, "Aha!" Sweetwind twisted around and pulled at his ankles with all her might. Black Cat was thrown off balance.

Rather than falling, he caught himself up and floated. But this worked just as well for Sweetwind, for she grabbed both his boots by the toes and easily slipped them off. She reached up again and grabbed for his breeches, but 'Cat dodged and twisted around in mid-air for a rear attack on her other ankle. The archer sat up and drew her knees up to her chest. 'Cat grabbed the silver-adorned ankle and held on for dear life, thinking she would try to kick him away. But she rested calmly, panting, as he began to fiddle with the clasp. This clasp was completely different from the other one (thanks to a clever One Eagle) and 'Cat became too absorbed in figuring out the mechanism to pay any attention to Sweetwind reaching around over his head, gently shifting his close-fitting leather vest until it was nearly up to his neck. When the second anklet sprang free, Sweetwind pulled loose from 'Cat's grip and stood quickly, yanking the vest over his head.

"Yowch!" cried the black-haired elf, finding both his arms caught in the arm-holes of the vest in front of his face. "What did you want to do that for?"

Sweetwind tightened her grip on the vest, effectively binding 'Cat's arms. "It makes this a bit easier, furmate," she replied, stripping the remaining glove from his hand with her teeth.

"Oh, yeah?" grumbled 'Cat, his pearl-black eye gleaming as the female dropped the glove and pulled his vest the rest of the way down his arms. "Two can dance to that music," he cried gleefully, leaping at her chest with all the graceful power of his namesake panther.

"Oh!" Sweetwind exclaimed as she went down with him. They tumbled a bit before he was able to pin her down. He felt her reaching to pull at his tunic so he grasped her wrists. He pulled her wrists together and encompassed them both in one of his hands - but before he could reach for one of those lovely silver ear-bobs, she had twisted one hand free again. He tried again to hold both her hands in one of his, but she'd picked up the trick of breaking free too well. At last he settled for holding one of her wrists in each hand and going after his prize, as she had done the glove, with his teeth. "Mmmm," she moaned as his lips felt out her earlobe. She wriggled underneath him in a most distracting way. He finally got a good grip on the earring with his teeth. With a tug of his head he pulled it out, and tossed it aside like a wolf tosses a rag in play. With a growl he turned to her other ear. Sweetwind tossed her head a bit and made it hard to get. 'Cat nuzzled the squirming maiden roughly until his lips found the base of her ear.

Underneath the male, Sweetwind was continuing to twist and thrust against him. The undulations of her soft body awoke warmth in Black Cat's loins. She pressed again against his growing erection. An involuntary gasp escaped his lips and his teeth clasped on soft earlobe.

Sweetwind gritted her teeth, and tried to concentrate on grabbing at the hem of his breeches with her toes. She got a grip on the breeches and tried to tug them down his legs. In doing so she had to spread her own legs a bit. 'Cat sensed the movement and pressed his advantage. Simultaneously he bit the silver earring away from her ear and thrust himself between her legs. Now she was pinned at the crotch as well as by the arms.

He risked once more grabbing both her wrists in one hand to tear at the halter top with the other. Pulling her hands high above her head pulled her ribcage taut and her silver-clad breasts jutted up like perfect fruit for him to pluck. She moaned uncontrollably as he ran his hands over her breasts, searching for a clasp to unfasten.

"It's on the back," she finally murmured, breathlessly.

'Cat pulled up and levitated her a tiny bit so he could slide his hand under to the clasp. This weakened his grip just enough that Sweetwind pulled her hands free and pushed against him. She couldn't quite get him off her, but she got a good grip on his tunic in both hands. She worked it up till it was bunched under his arms, then jerked the tunic over his head. With a roar 'Cat tossed his tunic out of the way and jumped back at her. Sweetwind squeezed away and counter-attacked his breeches. Without his belt, they came right down, revealing his large, stiff penis. He jumped at her again and tackled her from behind, finally able to work the clasp to the halter top. It fell away at once and Sweetwind gasped as her breasts sprang free, dangling as she stood on all fours with 'Cat atop her. 'Cat reached down and stroked her stiff nipples. She moaned deeply.

"Is this what you wanted?" said Black Cat, rubbing his whole body against her. "Just a little bedsports, for your whole silver hoard?" His erection bobbed against her thighs.

"Oh please, keep going..."

"I will," he grunted through clenched teeth. His fingers found the clasp on the silver chain belt - the easiest clasp of all - and the loincloth fell away. Grasping his penis in one hand, he rubbed its tip against the dripping lips, between her smooth round buttocks. Sweetwind's cries filled the chamber. She grated her hips to the rhythm of his strokes. They both gasped as 'Cat leaned forward and plunged into her. His size seemed so great to the maiden that she felt she would be split in two. The furs tangled under her fingers as she clawed at them, gasping, shaking.

'Cat pumped slowly and deliberately. The muscles bunched in his shoulders like those of a feline on the prowl. He lowered his head to nibble at her neck, feel the softness of her hair, nip at her shoulder. He felt shivers run through her, wave after wave, each more powerful than the last. He moaned, himself; for a while, at least, the tiny beads of sweat on the nape of his lover's neck, sparkling in the candlelight, were the only silver he cared about.

When Sweetwind's cries grew urgent and he felt her entire body tense, her flushed skin shudder, and her vagina grip him as though it would never let go, he threw his head back. Emitting an animal growl, he rammed into her with all his might. As their dual caterwauls drowned out the wind's howl, Sweetwind's vagina pulsed and pumped every drop out of 'Cat's throbbing penis.

A few shuddering, panting breaths later, the two fell in unison to the furs. Sweetwind was limp all over, her wracked body utterly exhausted - she couldn't figure out how 'Cat had the energy to drag himself over to his fixings and light up a seegar. She was fast asleep before he finished his smoke. But the night was not too much older when she awoke, ready for more. She used her mouth to tell 'Cat what she wanted from him, although she did not speak...

The morning's silence was like a deafening sound after the howling of the night's storm. Black Cat awoke happy, but tired. One thing you could say for elfin females, they sure liked active loveplay. He looked at Sweetwind, sleeping peacefully with one hand on his pendant. It was the only thing she still wore. Then he grinned outright when he saw the treasures scattered about the chamber - silver jewelry and gewgaws and those little scraps of garments, all rightfully his! He didn't understand what possessed her to let him take it all, but then, he didn't understand half what elves did. He sat up and chuckled as he levitated it all into his lap. The soft tinkling sounds of it woke Sweetwind, and she watched as he lit his morning seegar, puffed heartily, and ran his fingers through the treasure.

"Careful," the elf maid warned. "the silver fabric is fragile." She yawned. " 'Eagle had to beat the silver thin and it will bend like a leaf."

"I can take care of my own belongings," 'Cat retorted.

"Mmmm."

"No sudden change of heart on that, is there?" he asked. This was almost... too easy (a phrase not often found in Black Cat's vocabulary).

"Of course not, 'Cat. It's nice that we each have something new," she replied, fingering the cat medallion 'round her neck.

"What!" burst the tall elf.

"Yes, it's very lovely. I'll treasure it," said the female nonchalantly, studying the symbol on the pendant.

"That's mine and you know it!" said 'Cat. He truly treasured the necklace, which had been made for him by a human friend. Why was she acting this way? "Give it back!"

"No, no, no, I think you're forgetting the rules of our game," purred Sweetwind, sitting up. A sly smile escaped onto her face, although she tried to suppress it. "The first rule of the game was, 'All this silver is mine.' You agreed to that, did you not?"

"'All -' " the floater stopped short. Sure enough, he recalled, she'd already been wearing the pendant when she declared that rule. And he'd agreed. "I take it back!"

"Aww..." Sweetwind's voice was disappointed. "You cancel our game? I'll just have to take back all my silver as well, then."

"Hold on, hold on, let's not be hasty," replied 'Cat quickly. "Perhaps we can come to some sort of agreement. How about," he fished through the treasure-trove in his lap and pulled out the shining halter top, "this? I'll give you this for the necklace."

Sweetwind made a face. She rose and put on her everyday tunic. "I hardly think so," she dismissed. She pulled the pendant out from underneath the tunic and admired the way it looked against the green cloth. "I would guess, to the contrary, that this necklace is worth all that silver in your lap, and your gold earring as well. I believe, after all, the pendant is of some sentimental value to you."

Black Cat scowled. He was no mean hand at bargaining, but it was work, after all. And, from what he'd heard, under Wolf Blade's tutelage Sweetwind's haggling skills were becoming quite acute. But she had a point - he had to get that pendant back. "That's far too much. I double my first offer. Take the top and the skirt. After all I've done for you, this is the thanks I get."

"You were very... satisfying... last night. In view of that, I'll let you have the pendant for just the silver that I was wearing. You may keep your earring," she offered magnanimously.

'Cat snorted in outrage. "That's just a cancellation of the game! You know I deserve more. I'll throw in the anklets."

"Sorry, that's not enough." Sweetwind stepped to the window, pulled open the heavy hide curtain, and looked outside.

'Cat angrily pushed the silver out of his lap, rose and started dressing. The silver earrings were really not all that big, might as well let them go. "Okay, I'll part with the earrings too."

"Throw in the bracelets and you might have a deal." Sweetwind didn't turn from the window.

"All right! You're cruel, Sweetwind! Top, skirt, anklets, earrings and bracelets. Now hand that pendant over." He strode to the window. The copper-skinned maiden turned to him and smiled, taking the pendant from her neck and once again touching his shoulder to tell him to bend down. He lowered his head and she returned the necklace to its rightful place. She felt a great fondness for him. She felt happy with the deal, too - she'd fully expected to have to part with the earrings as well as the hairband.

Straightening up, Black Cat smiled back at the elf woman. He felt pleased on two accounts. First off, he was still richer, by one silver hair clip, than he'd been the night before. Second, the whole situation made a lot more sense to him. Her behavior had seemed unaccountable to him when he'd thought she was just being generous, or overpaying for a night of pleasure. When he discovered that she was trying to dupe him, all seemed right in the world once more. He felt he understood her better than he'd ever understood any elf. Sly plotting was not the exclusive domain of trolls, after all. As he left the hollow, he gave her a cheerful wink.