When the rains had finally ended and the clouds dissipated a full week had passed of having nothing better to do but sit in the hut with Verik all day long, at least when he was out "training." His so called "training excursions" had come to an abrupt halt only a day after the pot incident as the ground had become so churned up and sticky from the incessant rain and hooves marching through it that walking was nearly impossible. Asha had found it greatly amusing that Verik had struggled to get back to their hut with his boots in hand, something he had never done before. Even going to bathe he always made a point of wearing them before or after though he did take them off inside the hut.

Seeing him lurching through the deep mud one laborious step at a time holding his boots had been great amusing as the mud had gotten so deep that falling down was becoming hard to do. One could only fall straight back in some places it was so deep now that no one was slipping anymore, they just sank into the earth and had to be pried out with hooves still firmly planted. A colorful string of comments had flowed from his mouth when he nearly went straight backwards only to catch himself with one hand which promptly disappeared in the earths muddy embrace.

Expecting the problems they would face Asha and Sibi had spent the day bringing up water after washing off so there had been plenty for him to clean off with. This left him with another problem: he only had so many clothes to wear and it took time to dry them off. Down a pair of clothes and the rest still drying she chose to just sit and smile at him as he stripped while facing the other way. When night had finally fallen all he had left to cover himself with was a single damp cloth and nothing else and come evening there was only one dry spot to sleep. Knowing he had little to no protection Asha decided that since they were more or less officially married, it was time to ease him out of his shell.

A little plan had been hatched between Sibi and herself though it was mostly Sibi's doing, that maybe if she eased him into being used to her presence that just maybe he would be less shy. True, he was okay with hugging and such but he was far and removed from being used to how zebra's normally "dressed." Asha could hug Verik sometimes but he was far from coming to terms with the facts of life and both Sibi and herself agreed, it was time to change that.

Having put this into action only two weeks ago it already seemed to be working but there were also certain other results that she had noticed, one of them being a constant attempt to twist away or move his legs. Still, it was working and now that he was trapped in the hut all day she could do anything and there was nowhere for him to hide nor the possibility of looking away.

What resulted of this was three solid days of nothing short of harassment as she took Sibi's advice and always made certain that she was stretched out just right, or at the proper angle so as to give the best view. This was entirely new to her and something that had at first made her jaw drop at from Sibi's suggestion but something had to be done, he was such a prude that his daily activities were becoming strange as he tried to avoid the naked masses. Whatever qualms he still held had to go and Sibi was a fountain of never ending advice that made Asha's mane and fur stand on end. Most was so risque she would never dare to under take such as act but Sibi promised it all worked, that is how she got her own husband after all.

Picking and choosing her actions had resulted so far in one near choking, a sudden twitch that made him close his legs and a great deal of fidgeting. Asha had begun to wonder if perhaps this was going to far but she had been at it for over two weeks and slowly he was coming out of his shell. Her pride and joy had been when the rains started meaning his own side of the hut was untenable. Forced to sleep on her side of the hut the old "scoot closer each night" had been done away with and now he had to sleep within only a precious few inches of her. Each day she scooted the mats a little closer while he was gone and finally closed the gap, not that anything happened.

Verik had woken up with her draped over him and had not pushed away, instead he had proven to be quite content to just lay there. Tonight however, with the rains slowly ending meant she had to take Sibi's last suggestion which was heart stopping but her friend would never let her live it down if she did not. This was the last big chance and if this did nothing then Sibi was worried her husband might prove to be too prudish to be suitable for having foals with. As Sibi had said, unless she could get him to take his clothes off including those pants of his and then keep them off there was no hope for the future. All she could do was wait for him to fall asleep and pray, if she did not die of embarrassment it would prove to be a very interesting morning.

It was hot, very hot. Thankfully the rains brought a certain degree of air conditioning to the normally blisteringly hot Savannah though it was never quite enough. Verik had gotten used to the heat more or less over the course of his stay but the time that it rained was a blessing as the temperature dropped. Unfortunately, while the temperature dropped the humidity rose. The hut was shelter from the rain but only a small portion of the roof was fixed and fully half of that space was decided to keeping her small collection, including his own, dry and safe from the leaking roof.

This meant they had to sleep on the same side and that was not a problem at first if not for her rather interesting activities. During dinner one night Asha had given him his dinner and bent over so quickly that when he looked up his vision was obscured by two hanging, furry mounds. Then came the random days of stretching and leaning, eyes glued to her moving form since there was nothing else to focus on in the hut he had been left red faced and with a smiling zebra staring at him.

Which was worse? That he was caught staring or that grin she gave him that proclaimed to the world she had caught him? He almost choked on his drink one day when she stood, walked to her little collection pile and suddenly bent over. Asha had asked him some mundane question about something and thus looking her way as he always did when addressing someone, Verik was greeted by a bent over zebra, legs slightly apart and tail to one side. It was the perfect view of zebra anatomy that one could ever hope to receive and after choking she was quick to return as Verik coughed to clear his lungs.

One matter that raised some suspicion though was that if a zebra could blush she most certainly was doing so, not that he was any less red in the face. Making matters worse was that she rushed straight to him to help but that only brought more into view and that much closer for examination. Despite having lived with her for this length of time seeing her naked was still quite foreign, a problem compounded by attraction.

However, the issue of nudity seemed to eb somewhat though from sheer exposure and with the rain coming to a close Verik was both joyous but also put off by it. He would be a liar to say he did not greatly enjoy the time spent with Asha no matter how strange it got at times, this was also the most time they had been able to spend with each other in a long time. Part of him would miss her swaying hips but another part of him begged to look away unless other problems sprouted up, he could only pray she had not caught on. Part of him knew she was well aware judging by the smile she had once given him, Asha was quite innocent but was also far from being a fool.

It was quite unlike her in some ways but considering the other she was always around he had an idea where such ideas had come from. Once or twice he had seen her give her husband a greeting and if Asha were to give him the same it would cause a heart attack, thankfully she had not undertaken such manners of saying "hello."

Or so he had thought.

Sleeping so close to each other had become normal though it seemed that their mats were becoming quite close to one another, not that it bothered him because the size of the hut made everything look small and confined. However, his eyes opening as the first rays of dawn shot out across the landscape bringing with it illumination he also felt warmer than usual. Flexing one hand he felt something soft and furry, the sensation ran up his arm; he was hugging someone.

The one time Asha had bundled up with him his back had been quite warm but the warmth was not coming from behind. No, his whole front felt hot and his breath was passing over something and his forehead was nestled somewhere soft and warm as well. Eyes opening his vision was a mass of white fur and black stripes as something else jutted out at him. Going stiff Verik could feel an arm thrown over him tighten slightly, pulling him closer and into the soft, warm, furry embrace that was becoming his whole world.

Asha's head was above his own, nuzzling down into the top of his head and her slow, soft breathing was caressing his scalp. Pulled into her embrace he was helpless as his mind drew a blank, head now buried in her soft chest he could feel her endowment pressed firmly against his head blocking out the world and now its light. Breathing was still possible but his own was short, confused and with a small note of panic. Was this on purpose or accidental?

Panic kicked the door down as a long, hooved leg slid over his waist and locked him in place. At first he was grateful that he had dried one of his makeshift loin-cloths out enough for use, but that soon flew out the window as flesh and fur meshed with each other. It was gone. A new kind of warmth covered his body and with all the willpower he could muster Verik tried to move his attention to something else. True, they were basically married and while the brain downstairs was singing accolades of what should be done the other part tried desperately to bury it alive.

He did not want to jump her while she was asleep, Asha was too precious to ever conceive such a course of action. No, he would force it down and stand his ground. Verik would not give in and take advantage of Asha while she was asleep.

At least he prayed not to. The brain downstairs however had a mind of its own as her leg began to caress him and anatomy brushed against each other. Eyes clamped shut and brain screaming "no" as loudly as he could the situation was now out of his control on every level. Overjoyed that he could be awoken in such a manner aside while luscious hips brushed and moved against his body did nothing to quell the rise he was getting out of this early morning hello.

"Dont do it... Dont do it... Damn it-"

Verik failed to notice the hesitation that occurred once in a while as he focused desperately on anything else less another problem that was quickly coming make itself known. However, Asha was far from helping matters. Face buried in cleavage with a shapely leg and slender arm holding him firmly in place, along with a certain body part being dangerously close to going somewhere he did not want it to be. But he was still buried between soft fur and warm flesh, Verik was trapped.

"Just pull her in and go for it. No! Bad idea, dont do that. Do it, your already betrothed and she has been flashing herself at you for weeks especially the last couple of days. She wouldn't do that if she didn't want you- No, stay calm, think with the brain upstairs. Hmmm... She is soft and... Asha feels gooood, she even smells- NO! Ah shit, just try and hold it together until she wakes up."

Asha shifted her body as if she were reading his mind and thus granting him a little freedom to escape a lower problem. Before he could move however this slow, calculated motion caused a new problem as his head turned to escape its pillowy embrace, something slipped across his lips causing Asha's body to freeze. Reflexes seemed to kick in as she tightened up a moment driving both his head and her breast firmly together.

He knew that this was it, part of him screamed for joy while another part dreaded having to explain. His world was engulfed by the soft mass of fur and flesh only a single thought crossed his mind.

"Damn my moral scruples!"

When Verik was out cold Asha quietly removed herself from her own sleeping mat and scooted it close to him till they were connected. Knowing he had a habit of rolling around in his sleep she gently laid down beside Verik to wait, putting an arm out to hold him she positioned herself one last time as Sibi had suggested before closing her eyes. It would mean sleeping with one eye open but being a light sleeper was normal for her, Asha could only hope that when the inevitable turn occurred she would be ready for it and tug him in closer.

How long she was asleep she did not know but Verik turned many times that night waking her as her subconscious mind screamed out to wake up, that now was the time! Let down each time she closed her eyes and scooted just a little closer hoping that the next turn would be the one but when it finally happened she was not entirely ready for it.

Verik rolled right into her and came to rest exactly as she wanted but her own mind screamed when it happened. This was a whole new world to her and the only link she had with it was Sibi and a lot of theory, but now she had two choices: get on with it or give up and roll away.

Closing her eyes tightly she threw her arm out and pulled the sleeping figure in closer to her while at the same time resting her head against his own. Nuzzling someones head was not the kind of action one took lightly, it was something only the closest of family would dare to do or maybe friends. Even then it was not something one simply did and the moment her nose touched the top of his head her heart skipped a beat. A hand crept through the darkness finding its way over her side and down her back where it pulled them both closer together.

There was no way out of it now, she had to just stay there until he woke up and Asha had no idea when that would be. Her breathing had picked up a bit when Verik had put an arm around her but now that he was no longer moving she calmed down a bit. At least until she remembered what else she still needed to do.

Embarrassed and ready to start sweating Asha leaned her body forward so slowly it hurt while pulling his head in closer till she felt his forehead touch her chest. Shifting the lower part of her body next she shifted her hips till the two met and with a sigh tried to stop her heart from climbing out of her throat and running away.

Sibi had been a fountain of information on what to do next but now it was up to time, Asha knew she had to wait until the sun came up. When Verik awoke as he always did with the first light of day his motions would wake her up as they were essentially joined now. Closing her eyes content that she had pulled off what was once considered impossible in her book the zebra mares body relaxed.

Sleep did not come first however, instead as she was about to fall asleep the first rays of dawn came and with it movement below. Feeling Verik shift slightly her mind raced and giving a gentle tug pulled him closer till she could feel her cleavage brush his face. Her body went tense for a moment realizing she had just partially buried his face and waiting quietly she could feel his breathing change rapidly as the situation sunk in to his cloudy, half asleep mind.

"Just remember what Sibi say, just remember-"

Verik suddenly went tense and she could feel his chest moving a little faster, her own breathing as entirely forced as she made every attempt to play the part of still being asleep. Controlling her breath carefully Asha slowly moved her leg out and draped it over his waist and tugged him into an even tighter embrace. Locking Verik close to her she began to gently shift her hips into his and as she did something else shifted down below and it was becoming quite rigid.

Asha could feel him start to move ever so slightly in an attempt to stop something but ignoring it she hugged him all the more and gave his head a small nuzzle, while at the same time burying his face completely.

"No hear heartbeat, no hear heartbeat!"

A mantra quickly formed in her mind as part of her followed Sibi's advice and the other part prayed desperately he would not hear her heart, a heart which was now battering against her rib-cage like a mad drummer gone wild. Her chest was pounding while below her Verik continued to worm himself back and forth only aggravating her own situation. Hip gently gliding against his as if she were moving naturally in her sleep another sensation became known to her own marehood as something continued to grow. Moving her leg had given it all the room required to slip between her legs and plant itself firmly causing two sets of breath to hitch for a moment. Asha realized all to late that the cloth he tied around himself had come off at some point in the night freeing him completely.

"Not mean to do that!"

Hoping he had not caught her little bouts of hesitation Asha realized that things had gone so far that if she moved away now there would be a great deal of trouble. Sibi had set her up, she had known what would happen and now they were stuck, both awake but still playing the game. Asha knew from his motions that he was doing his best not to loose his mind but as she thought about it, Sibi had been right. It was time to give him a good, solid yank from the shell and she would be the one to do it, no one else. They were married as far as she was concerned and he had nearly died for her several times, he even killed to prevent others from even attempting to have a fake chance at her.

Allowing things to continue but avoiding a different conclusion should anything slip where it was not yet supposed too, Asha held Verik close and smiled. Holding him for a while like that while a joyous grin stretched across her face, the zebra calmed her pounding heart as she could just feel and almost hear her husbands heart hammering away below.

Eyes opening again Asha hoped he was not being suffocated by her grasp and deciding to shift her body. Not enough to allow escape, not that he was even trying to get away anymore. Asha noticed that he seemed quite content with his current predicament but, she still needed to move just enough to allow him to move his head. Just enough to breathe but not enough to move away, he would still be stuck with head firmly pressed into her chest.

That is not how things went however. As she shifted her body one way he began to slowly move his head and as two objects had to pass each other she felt a part of her chest grace his lips.

"Not mean to do that either-"

In an attempt to rectify the problem the following movement made matters worse as the black, stiff object was driven firmly home making Asha and verik go rigid. A warmth embraced the part of her cleavage that jutted out as below Verik was having problems that were screaming and howling for resolution. Asha could feel every twitch and motion, moving her head slightly to look down she could feel the heat burning across his face. Her large emerald eye could not see much of anything but what she did see was enough fuel to feed any fire for some time to come.

They were completely entangled with each other in what anyone who saw it would describe as a tight, loving and highly suggestive embrace. There was no room for doubt if anyone poked their head into the hut and Asha was certain that if anyone did both would die of embarrassment. However, if Sibi were to pop her head in she was certain there would be a ritual killing soon afterwords.

Should she thank Sibi or slap her? Verik was holding onto her for dear life, probably without realizing it she guessed but he had made not one attempt to reject her advances. As she felt him breathing and twitching Asha's eyes widened a little as some realization set in that there was an all out war being waged. She could feel in his motions that part of him was trying desperately not to accost her while another more feral part was trying to chew its way out.

Sibi's little plan had done more than what Asha had desired, Verik was not only out of his shell but trying desperately not to have his way with her. Part of her was flattered that this little truth had come to light but at the same time she had concerns, but no regrets. Without question he was absolutely accepting of her actions and advances, that was now a fact. But at the same time she had unwittingly riled him up in a way she did not know she could rile up a stallion.

What was she going to do?

Asha thought about it while trying not to make matters worse while realizing that one slip would cement their marriage ahead of schedule. Was that a bad thing? The celebrations were in all truth the final formality in a relationship but what he had said about his own beliefs made her hesitate. Did it matter at this point though? They were now bound, due to be married at the end of the season and by all accounts there was not one single bit of doubt in either of their minds.

Especially not at this moment, all the proof she needed of that conviction was laying beside her and prodding her farther down. Should she just pretend to wake up and go from there? No, knowing her husband he would probably try to talk his way out of the situation he now found himself in or do something foolish. He was too nice and polite for his own good sometimes and this she knew, but neither did she feel it was fair to rile him up so thoroughly and just "walk away." Was this also part of Sibi's hidden agenda?

Closing her eyes again but holding back a somewhat disappointed sigh Asha decided it would be for the best, at least for now, to let her prisoner go and keep up the facade. Not that she would close the door however, after giving Verik a chance to get up she too would rise and from there see where things went.

Easing her grip on him allowing them to separate Asha kept both eyes closed as she felt him shift a little in an attempt to get away that failed. Giving him more to either hang himself with or make his escape she rolled away from him and heard a quiet gasp for air but kept her eyes closed. Ears listening carefully to him sitting up and scooting away she slowly opened her eyes and looked towards him, Verik was facing away and looking down while quietly arguing with himself.

Rolling over so she could push herself up before sitting upright Asha put on her best smile hoping to get away with her plot.

"Morning husband, you sleep well?"

"I feel very tired and also that I let myself down."

Verik turned his head back to look at her and his focus froze as he took in the sight of Asha on all fours and dangling free, sitting upright she leaned back and sat somewhat splayed out on her mat. He let out a small choking sound and looked away quickly before fighting with something in his lap, Asha watched a moment with confusion on her face before looking down at herself. Realizing what she had done Asha listened to his ongoing argument with himself, unaware that her hearing was more than adequate to pick up every word he was whispering to himself.

Asha grinned.

"It work."

Author's Notes:

Check my Patreon to donate if you enjoy the story!

I have never written a chapter like this before, ever. Its a learning experience all the same but trying to write a scene like this from two perspectives took time and as you can see, I wanted to avoid certain words. In short this entire chapter is one big tease as the two dont know what to do now that they are halfway there.