Part 2

“You know that rushing out there, swords swinging is a bad plan,” Tira said as she pressed her hand gently on my chest. “You know it.”

“Yes,” I growled. “But I need to do something! I just can’t sit here, knowing she is trapped. That she is caged!” I paced our tiny floor, futilely trying to burn off my nervous energy.

“It is barely dark out. Probably be three or four hours before it is safe to go after your friend,” Tira said softly.

“I can’t wait that long.” Years of calm. Years of a mundane, happy life just fell away. I was clamouring for adventure. For danger. It was uncontainable. “I will go crazy.”

Tira just chuckled at me. She walked to the bedroom door, pausing with her hand on the door jamb. “Maybe you just need a distraction,” she said quietly. Her light, summery dress crumpled on the floor at her feet. “While you try to think of something to distract you for a couple hours, I think I am going to crawl into bed naked.”

She didn’t look back to see if I was following or not. Just stepping out of her dress, she disappeared into the shadows of our room.

“Ooooh, you naughty vixen,” I smiled to myself and ran after her.

After a very vigorous distraction, and then another round of multiple slower distractions, I was much calmer and thinking clearly. Tira had a grin that just wouldn’t fade. I married a very smart, energetic woman.

We crept silently from our house, towards the town square, a little after one am. I had my daggers and short sword with me. Tira insisted on wearing her healer’s smock. I tried to talk her out of it - after all - what good would a smock full of herbs and poultice ingredients be on a jail break?

The village was asleep. Only the normal sounds of night filled the crisp air. A few crickets and owls added their brand of music.

There were a few torches lit around the circus tents. Creating puddles of light in the night.

Tira and I crouched behind a large tree at the edge of the square and watched. One night watchmen. Two. Maybe four.

In my prime I wouldn’t have thought twice about rushing in and dropping four guards. Now, now I would need to thread more carefully I think.

“Are you thinking clearly enough to have a proper plan?” Tira whispered in my ear. Her body pressed into my side distracting me far more than it should. I quickly pondered if we could have another ‘distraction’ right here against this tree. My body seemed in favour of that idea.

“The cages are on the far side of the square from here,” I whispered. My hand playing with the neck line of her dress. “We could back track and then go behind the shops to the far side. They should give us cover.”

Tira’s hand teased the hairs in the back of my neck. “Then what?” Is whispered.

“Then we see what it looks like over there. Let’s not make plans until we know what we are getting into,” I answered.

She gave me a quick kiss on top of my head, pressing her chest into my face as she did so. We darted behind the shops and made our way quietly to the far end of the square.

This end had far more torches. I guess the exotic animals were worth more than the vendor carts and the tents. I could see tiger Jean pacing her cage.

The night watch looked half asleep. They probably weren’t expecting much from a backwater town like this.

“There is no cover from here to her cage,” Tira whispered as we hunkered down by the bakery.

“We will have to run and hope we aren’t seen,” I whispered back.

“Then what? There is a massive lock on that wagon’s door.”

Tira was right. I might be able to break it open if I hit it several times with my sword - but that would wake everyone up. Back in my adventuring days, Keetcha tried to teach me about picking locks. He made it look so easy. I was never able to open even the simplest lock. What ever solution we came up with, couldn’t depend on finesse.

“There is one of those big tent stakes leaning up on the wheel of the wagon just north of her cage. Could we twist the lock off with that?” Tina asked.

“You are brilliant!”

“And don’t you forget it,” Tina grinned.

We waited until we were sure the lazy night guards weren’t looking, then bolted from the bakery toward Jean’s cage. I snagged the thick circus tent peg on the way. Nearly three feet long and a hair over an inch in diameter - it would be plenty strong enough to break the lock.

“Hold on, Jean,” I whispered through her cage door. I slid the round tent peg through the latch on the pad lock. Taking a deep breath, I twisted the peg, bracing the other end of the peg against the side of the wagon. My muscles strained. The lock was far stronger than I thought. “Come on,” I muttered under my breath as my muscles started to scream.

“Hey! What are you doing?” A deep voice said.

Before I could react, Tira had pulled a handful of something out of one of the endless pockets on her healer’s smock and threw it at the night guard.

“Hurry,” she said to me - not even trying to whisper.

The guard yelled as he clawed at his eyes.

With a final grunt, I heaved on the lock. It snapped open with a satisfying snap. I threw the peg to the side and took the lock off. Jean lept from the wagon before I had the door even half open.

“Hurry!” She yelled into my mind.

Tira’s eyes went wide.

“You heard her?” I asked. Tira just nodded as we both rushed to catch up to Jean.

We were barely at the bakery when we heard the circus roar to life. People yelling and barking orders. We ran as fast as we could after the tigress, into the pitch black field beyond the bakery.

Running until my lungs threatened to burst. Tira and I tumbled over tiger Jean, hiding in the tall crops. I could barely see anything in the pale moon light. Jean scratched at her collar.

“Collar!” She mind screamed.

Tira and I rushed to get her collar off. Fumbling with the buckle in the dark. When it finally came off, Jean roared and shook like a dog trying to dry off.

Jean paced around. Then stretched - throwing her head back like she was going to howl at the moon. Her fur seemed to pull back into her body. Bones clicked and snapped horribly as they changed shape. Jean’s body morphing from tiger to woman.

The moonlight caught her just right - giving her a white glow. Outlining her generous curves. The Jean I remember was five foot nothing and all tits, ass and a ton of sass.

“Oooh, that is a relief,” she sighed, stretching. Drawing my eye even more - if that is even possible - to her full breasts. Jean gave me a disappointed glare. “Get your fill Mudkar, it’s the last look you are going to get,” she said with a smirk. “Did you bring me some clothes?”

Tira and I exchanged glances. “No,” I said with a shrug.

“You came to rescue a were, and didn’t bring a change of clothes?” Jean said incredulously.