As the son of two very active parents, Marco Diaz wasn't a stranger to outdoor activities. Not that he was much of an athlete or adventurer by his own choice when given the option. However adaptability was a skill he'd acquired a long time ago and going along with whatever whims his mother or father came up with was necessary for keeping himself sane. Due to this he'd taken part in several art and science related hobbies at their request. Painting and sculpting while fun at a young age didn't really hold his interest enough to pursue later in life. Studying wasn't difficult but things like engineering and carpentry didn't speak to him either. While aerobics and personal fitness wasn't that fun he did manage to channel that into a love of martial arts that had stayed with him all the way into high school. Though the one hobby his parents did pass to him that he really enjoyed (aside from cooking alongside his mother) was camping.
The great outdoors offered both a wide breath of freedom to do whatever you want and the structure to do what had to be done to survive. It was a perfect mix of wilderness and order that Marco enjoyed getting to be a part of. Setting up camp, fishing, collecting and identifying nuts and berries, hiking and just plan goofing around in the woods. This was the kind of family event he looked forward to any time the whim hit his parents to take part in it. After so many years of enjoying the hobby he'd become something of an expert on the subject. An acquired knowledge he took pride in sharing with the various exchange students who made residence in the Diaz household over the years. However this camping trip was going to be quite a bit different.
During the last great Diaz outing into nature Marco had the pleasure of sharing the experience with not only Star but her father as well, King Butterfly. While Marco was still the resident expert of exploring the woodlands of Earth he had to admit the sheer manliness Star's father put on display was something to behold. The old man was about as tough as anyone he'd ever seen (the only other person that had come close was Star herself) and was eager to grasp Earth's wilds in a bear hug. Or choke hold. It was kind of hard to tell if he wanted to kill or befriend every animal he came across. Regardless the little vacation for both families left Marco wondering what camping on Mewni was like. Once Star had heard he was interested she started putting a plan into motion to show him first hand.
Warnicorn hunting is what she called it. While that sounded completely brutal to him at first it turned out to be far less dangerous than she had initially described. For the animal that is. Instead of hunting the Warnicorn with the intent to kill it Star was simply looking to track and ride one. She had informed him if they could find and gain the trust of a real wild Warnicorn then it may allow them to shoe it, which was considered something of an honor to do for a non-domesticated magical stallion or mare. Since there would be a lack of animal murder on their part Marco was excited to see what Star had in store for them. Also since this was Star they were talking about, he was talking every possible precaution necessary.
Blankets, plastic bags, first aid kit, a small collapsible tent, miniature fishing set, rope, flash lights, matches, soap, tooth brushes and tooth paste, Swiss army knife, compass, bed rolls and one of those little mirrors that you use to reflect for help when you're lost in the woods trying to get a plane to notice you. His bag was filled to the actual brim and secured by every latch he could tighten. It was a heavy load but at the very least he knew that with this supply bag there wasn't anything that would be able to take them by surprise. Which made Star's reaction disheartening when she saw him come into her room with the heavy back pack over his shoulders.
"What the heck is all of that?" The blonde princess asked in confusion, laying on her back while resting on her bed and reading one of the dozens of magazines she often purchased on impulse.
"It's supplies for the camping trip. Don't you remember? We were going to head to Mewni today so you could show me how to catch a Warnicorn." Marco said, trying not to let Star's absent-mindedness deter his excitement for heading out on a fun adventure together.
"Well yeah, I've been waiting for you this whole time." Star replied and flipped backwards off of her bed and onto her feet in an acrobatic roll. She tossed her magazine onto her bed and approached Marco to look over his bag. "Was this why you were in your room all this time?"
"Sure is! I wanted to be positive that while we were out in the woods that nothing would catch us by surprise." The boy announced with pride but Star shook her head and put an arm around Marco's shoulders, the additional weight enough to make his legs shake from everything else he'd already been carrying.
"Oh sweet, innocent Marco. You don't need all of this." Star said confidently and undid the straps on his bag, causing a cascade of camping supplies to spill out from behind Marco and leaving him to fall forward as his balance was thrown off with the weight relief on his back. "We're going Warnicorn hunting! That means we have to get back to nature and hunt like a Mewman! Besides I already got you everything you're going to need." Marco removed straps from his now emptied bag off his shoulders and rolled over onto his back.
"What? A stick with a rock tied to the end of it?" Marco asked sarcastically, a little happy to not be stuck carrying all of those supplies today. Even if he thought leaving them behind was probably a recipe for disaster on their part.
"We're not savages Marco, geez. Now get into your loin cloth and get ready, we need to make up for lost time." Marco's face was covered by something that was soft and furry as he heard Star's foot steps walk away from him. "You can use the changing curtain, I'm heading upstairs." Star called out as she ascended the spiral stars leading to the upper floor of her bedroom tower. Marco sat up and pulled off the garment to look it over. The fur was a brownish red, probably from some kind of animal found on Mewni rather than on Earth.
"You gotta be kidding me." Marco grumbled and got onto his feet to head behind the changing curtain for an amount of privacy. The cloth itself seemed comfortable but it was kinda drafty as there wasn't much below to cover himself. Really it did only enough to hide anything naughty and he hoped the pelt it was made out of was heavy enough to protect him from strong gusts of wind. "Hey Star, I think you got the wrong size. My boxers are sticking out of the bottom of this thing."
"You're not supposed to have underwear with it, silly." Star called back down to him. Marco poked his head out from behind the changing curtain to shout up the stairs at Star.
"Are you serious with this? I feel like I'd be on display to the whole world here."
"It's tradition in Mewni to wear that while on a hunt. You've seen what daddy wore when he went camping."
"Not a memory I was eager to reflect on." Marco muttered as he accepted his fate. It was true that King Butterfly had also been wearing something similar to this the two times Marco had seen Star's father in the wild. However he was a burly man who seemed at home running through the woods with nothing to protect himself other than his skin and muscles. Marco's own figure didn't quite make the cut as a wild woodsman. Relenting to Star's wishes Marco came out from behind the curtain wearing his loin cloth, some shoes that were little more than wooden sandals that Star had left for him and his red hoodie. "Okay, I think I've got everything on."
"Oh oh oh, lemme see!" Star said excitedly and came back down the stairs, jumping half way and landing on the carpet gracefully. "Goodie, it fits you just right."
"Yeah... wow, so does yours." Marco blurted out in surprise at the outfit Star had assembled for herself. She was wearing a green colored fur of her own that was held together over her shoulder by sewn in strings, not unlike the strings holding tight around Marco's waist through his pelt. The outfit was similar to a single strap dress, one that covered about as much leg as Marco's own outfit. "I mean... it looks really cute?"
"Doesn't it!? I wanted to be sure we got ones that we'd both be happy with. It even came with a matching purse!" Star said excitedly and showed off a green, furry purse that was strapped over her other shoulder and had a flap covering the opening. "Not only that, but I accessorized." Opening her purse Star reached in and put on a headband that had two deer antlers in place of where her devil horns would be on her normal head strap. "Although there is one thing wrong."
"What's that?" Marco gulped as Star approached him and put her hands onto his chest. "Star?"
"No hoodies!" Star said with a smile and unzipped his red hoodie, pulling it off his shoulders and tossing it aside. Without the additional clothing to cover himself it left Marco in nothing but the loin cloth and sandals.
"Hold on now! How come you can add a purse and headband to your traditional Mewni outfit but I can't have a hoodie?"
"C'mon Marco, show off those muscles." Star said and giggled as she poked his chest and biceps, making the boy flail as he tried to defend himself from the ticklish touches. "We're going Warnicorn hunting! You need to keep yourself free of anything that might weigh you down. Besides I need my purse so we can carry these too." Star opened the flap again to reveal four horseshoes that sat at the bottom of the bag along side her wand and dimensional scissors. Marco was actually impressed at the craftsmanship of the bag to hold that much weight without breaking. Maybe this Mewni hunting attire stuff wasn't as silly as it felt.
"So all we have to do is find a Warnicorn and put horseshoes on it, huh?"
"That's the plan!" Star said happily and pulled out her magical dimensional scissors. With a quick motion she cut a rip through the fabric of reality itself, the portal before them glowing with familiar magic. "On with the hunt!" Star shouted eagerly, leaping through the portal with a war cry to follow. Marco sighed and shrugged, he was already along for the ride and leaving Star to her own devices was rarely a good idea.
After leaping through the portal after the princess, Marco found himself landing on thick green grass that greeted him with a soft cushion of earth. The portal snapped shut behind him as he turned to see large plains of green stretching out far around him. Near by was a dirt trail that followed along the outer rim of a thick forest who's canopy made it look dark and shaded in comparison to the brightly lit grass lands around them. "This is the place?" Marco asked curiously, not seeing any of the normal signs of Star's family kingdom.
"Yep, these are the lands of the Johansen Kingdom. This is where my dad is from originally."
"Huh, guess I never thought about there being different kingdoms on Mewni before. So you're like a mixed-kingdom kind of princess?"
"I guess?" Star responded with confusion as she began to approach the dirt road by the forest. Marco followed along, knowing full well it wasn't a good idea to get lost in Mewni without a guide to get you back or scissors to escape to Earth. "I mean we're all Mewmans so it's not that different. Isn't your dad from a different kingdom than your mom?"
"Different country, yeah. I guess it really isn't all that different." As their sandals left the soft grass and struck upon the dirt Star continued to lead the way. Marco could see in the opposite direction of their path there was a village of some sort. Signs of life could be seen with chimney smoke and movement in the distance but Star didn't pay it any mind. "Shouldn't we be going to town to get supplies?"
"Nah, where we're going we'll have everything we need."
"Wow, it sounds like you really have this all planned out. Did you come here a lot with your dad before?"
"Oh no, I've never been here in my life." Marco felt a small sinking sensation in his stomach as she answered him. "In fact this is the first time I've ever gone traditional Warnicorn hunting. Usually I just caught and rode the ones around my castle when I was younger."
"Wait a minute, you've never done this before!?"
"Relax Marco, it can't be all that tough. We fight monsters and risk our lives on a regular basis, we can handle this."
"You know, usually I do those things because I'm following you, just like I am right no-" Marco just shook his head. "Never mind. Anyway if you've never been here how do you know where to go?"
"Because my parents let it slip that they'd gone Warnicorn hunting together before at a very special spot." Star said as she looked at Marco with a wink. "Guess who took the time to figure out where it was and how to get there?"
"They were keeping it a secret from you? Why?"
"I dunno, but that made me want to find out all that much more!" Honestly that was to be expected with Star. If you're going to try and keep her out of something she's going to want to get into it twice as hard. "Maybe they didn't think I was ready for the real thing. Mom sure as heck wouldn't want me to be out doing something so 'Johansen', even if she does love daddy. Then daddy himself wouldn't want me to do something that was dangerous even if I could handle it."
"I don't think my parents are even aware we left the house." Marco thought out loud.
"Good thing cause it worked in our favor." Star said as she turned to face Marco and swung her arms upwards. "We're here!" Marco looked up as she motioned to a building that was built with a fence attached to the sides that extended down the dirt road a ways, covering up the woods. The entire structure was made of wood itself and it served to keep anyone from getting into the grounds from anywhere but the front door of the building. It reminded Marco of an old American frontier fort used to defend the cavalry back during the days of the old west. Aside from the sign that hung above the door advertising the name of the location.
"Horny Meadows?" Marco asked out loud, very taken aback by the name. "What... what the heck is this place?"
"This is the camp ground where they hold the Warnicorn hunting." Star answered confidently. Marco looked at the sign and back to Star a few times to confirm that yes she was indeed serious at this.
"Um, okay. Sure. But you know... that name?"
"What about it?" Star asked sounding confused.
"Isn't it a little suggestive?"
"It's a meadow where we hunt horned horses, Marco. Try to keep pace with me here." After debating in his head a few times over why they'd name it something like Horny Meadows, Marco just decided that Mewmans must not have that kind of slang word in their vocabulary and it was better to give up on arguing.
"Alright yeah, let's just get this started."
"That's the spirit!" Star said proudly and walked in the front door with Marco following after. The inside of the building was lit almost entirely with lamps that were fixed to the walls as the building itself didn't have any windows. As they proceeded in Marco noted all of the materials on shelves and on the walls. It was hard to make out as the lamps lighting was a little low but there appeared to be a lot of equipment for riding and what must have been for taming the Warnicorns. As they proceeded forward a woman behind a counter in the back looked up to notice the pair entering with a surprised expression.
"Can I help you two?" She asked cautiously, eyeing Marco and Star over. The woman was wearing a dark colored pelt of her own that covered her about as much as Star's outfit, which wasn't a whole lot. She had wild bushy hair and was quite a fair faced lady. Still muscular and tall like the majority of the Johansens that Marco had seen during the Flag Day event Star's parents held but a lot more clean and put together than King River's immediate family had been.
"You sure can." Star said confidently as she approached the counter and made eye contact with the woman. "We're here to do a little Warnicorn hunting." The princess was standing strong with a proud smile but it only earned her more bewildered looks from the woman who was glancing between Star and Marco.
"You two want to come here to do some 'Warnicorn hunting'?" She asked in disbelief. "Just how old are you two anyway?"
"Age is just a number." Star said as she leaned in on the counter to talk with the proprietor more casually. "Believe me anything you've got in there, we can handle. Matter of fact we've probably done more already."
"You're joking." The woman said sounding more shocked than ever. "Do your parents know you're here?"
"What they don't know won't hurt 'em. Me and my partner here have been going out on adventures like these together for a while." Star said as she motioned to Marco behind her. Put on the spot the only thing Marco could think to do was wave meekly at the woman.
"You and this guy here are together?" The woman asked even more surprised than before, making Marco feel a little self conscious about his figure all of a sudden. It didn't deter Star in the least however.
"Couldn't ask for a better person at my side. He's a little new at this but he learns fast and I'll be here to show him the ropes."
"So you've done this before?" The woman asked seeming a little more at ease with Star's demeanor. "You look like a pretty good girl to be getting into that kind of trouble."
"Believe me, I'm always looking for trouble to get into. As for this, I practiced around my home a lot before coming here. Want to give it a shot at the pro level." The woman was looking them over more and more now as a grin grew on her face and she shrugged.
"Well... you two do make a cute couple. Alright, it's been a slow day so you have the whole place to yourselves. I'll let you in."
"Yes!" Star said with a little hop of joy before catching herself and returning to her confident pose from before. "I mean, thanks a million. We can't wait to get in there."
"I'll bet with that kind of energy you've got." She agreed with a knowing smile. "Will you be paying in pelts, jewels or gold? We don't take meat anymore, spoils too fast."
"Oh. Oh... right, right. Payment. I just gotta... um..." Star mumbled wide eyed as she looked inside her purse only finding her scissors, wand and horse shoes she'd brought. Dread crept over her as she realized she hadn't brought any money at all with her until Marco approached the counter.
"Will this cover it?" Marco asked and slapped down a pile of bills on the counter. The women looked on in amazement as the the proprietor began to flip through the stack. "Oh and I'd like to get this too if I can?" Marco said as he put a rope on the counter, having picked it out after Star had made the comment of showing him the ropes. Once the woman was done checking the money against her currency exchange rate it funny enough turned out to be an acceptable payment amount. Before long the duo was given a key to their specific camping lodge and were let out into the grounds under the canopy of trees, Marco's newly acquired rope coiled over his shoulder. As they walked Star tapped Marco's side.
"Hey, where were you even keeping all that money?"
"In the band of my loin cloth. Kinda figured we'd end up needing it at some point and I wanted to be prepared." Star looked impressed by Marco's foresight. This wasn't the first time he'd popped in to provide a save for her at the last minute but she was certain she'd robbed him of anything in terms of resources before they left.
"Pretty smooth back there, Diaz. You're not hiding anything else under that pelt are you?" Star asked with a flirty tone that made Marco gulp and try to focus on thoughts of cold showers and ice cubes so that nothing else he had down there would become apparent with just a loose bit of fur covering him.
"I sure hope I still am, don't want to display it to everyone in broad daylight." Star laughed at the joke and it put Marco more at ease as they walked. The interior of the camp wasn't what he'd been expecting at all. After the great plains and thick woods they'd passed on the way in here he was sure there would be something more foreboding on the opposite side of the fence. Instead the path they walked down felt almost cozy. The sunlight shined down just enough to let them see where they were going easily and he noted there were little lamp polls along the path for night travel. Every so often there were colorful flowers planted near by that seemed to shine with a magical light. It was all more clean and tidy than he'd come to know from the Johansen kingdom's residents. "Looks like this is our spot."
"This is more like a hotel room than a camp site." Star commented as they looked at the door before them. Similar to the check in station at the entrance it was a small wooden building that was practically built to fit into the woods so snugly that the trees were growing around the sides. In fact all the camp sites they passed had this look to them that offered maximum privacy for those that wanted it. Other than the numbers that were carved into the center of the door to notify them of which spot was which it didn't have anything about it that would make you think it was a designated camping lodge. "I was expecting an open lot or something like that, a place where a war party could gather together before a big hunt."
"Maybe it's not meant for a lot of people? You did say your mom and dad came here alone before, right?" Marco asked, trying to fit the pieces together with even less of the puzzle than Star had.
"I guess... maybe this place really is meant for hunting in pairs. If that's the case it's a good thing I waited till I had you to come with me." Star said with a sweet smile that caused Marco to blush some.
"Heh, well... thank you. Did you want to check it out?"
"Nah, we can come back here later. Let's go and get this party started!" Star declared excitedly and lead the way further into the camp. Marco followed along closely as Star's pace picked up but the two were disappointed to find that the deeper they went into the camp the more it seemed to just wind in on itself. In fact after walking for a few minutes they'd managed to lap the entire location on the trail and end up right in front of their camp site again. Star grumbled audibly as she looked both ways down the winding path that had brought them here. "What the heck is going on here?"
"Now that I think of it she didn't give us a map or anything when she let us in. It was like she didn't think we'd go any farther than our little building here."
"Well that's silly, how the heck are we supposed to go Warnicorn hunting if this place is fenced off from all the Warnicorns!?"
"Hey Star, check that out." Marco motioned down the path to a door they'd passed up before. Unlike the others that were part of some kind of enclosed space this door was farther back away from the path. Notably it was built into the frame of the fencing that protected the camp site, though there wasn't any sign carved, painted or set near the exit at all. "Where do you think this goes?"
"I dunno, it doesn't really say." The princess pondered out loud as she inspected the door way over. Curiously she placed her hand on the knob of the door and twisted it. With a gentle push it swung open before them with no resistance at all. Drawn to what may be beyond the two walked through the exit to find themselves out in a much more untamed portion of the woods. The canopy was thick and over grown while the plants around them were scattered and wild looking. This was more like what Star had imagined them being a part of. "Looks like we found it!"
"Really? This is where we're supposed to be?" Marco asked doubtfully as he followed Star through the woods, their feet trudging down a rough path that had been worn by those who walked it before them. "None of this looks like it's part of the place we paid to get into."
"Don't worry about it Marco, it's all part of the experience." Star reassured him happily, already eager to be out in the wild where she could let herself go without having to worry about the consequences. Her self confidence didn't make him feel any more secure though. "From here we have a chance to find a wild Warnicorn eating some of the leaves off the plants or drinking from a pond. Oh! Oh, we might even get to see a Warnicorn pony!" The princess clapped her hands joyfully at the thought of a horned foal approaching them.
"Maybe... or we might get lost in the woods never to be seen again."
"Pfft, that can happen in any woods. Doesn't make these ones special." She wasn't wrong but having a practical view point over a possible horrible fate didn't make Marco feel any better about it. "Maybe we should search for a more open area to try and find them?"
"Good luck with that, we're pretty much surrounded by trees." Marco replied as he tried to survey the area around them. "At this rate we could walk any direction and have just as much chance in finding one of them as we would a monster."
"Maybe from down here, but from up there I could see everything around us!" Star replied as she pointed at a tree who's top had pierced through the canopy of leaves, offering a way to see over the top of the thick woods.
"Are you sure about this? I don't want you risking yourself and accidentally falling off a branch or something."
"Come on now, if it's not a little dangerous than what was the point of coming out here at all? Now give me a boost up! I'll grab one of those lower branches and climb the rest of the way." Deciding that arguing would be a waste of precious energy Marco complied with Star and got down on one knee. The princess climbed up onto Marco's back, sitting up onto his shoulders and holding his hand for balance. Once they felt confident enough Marco got to his feet and walked them over to the tree.
"I still don't think you're tall enough." The lowest branch was still a ways up above Star but she wasn't deterred. Placing a hand on the tree trunk Star carefully began to rise up onto her feet on Marco's shoulders. To his credit he managed to support her, both of them using the tree for stability. "Careful! Do you have your balance?"
"Yeah, I do. Try to stand up a little taller, I've almost got a grip." Star asked and Marco near about pressed the front of his body to the tree to keep himself stable as he tried to stand on his toes to extend her reach. Star's hands grabbed upward and eventually got a solid grip onto the branch. "Got it!"
"Good, didn't know how much more I coul-" Marco was cut short when he looked up to see how Star was progressing. Though he got to see a lot more than he bargained for. "Uh... uh... um..."
"What?" Star asked as she looked down at Marco. "I could still use some help here. Can you push me up with your hands?"
"Star you're... I mean... you're not..." Star's furry dress had already been shorter than what he was used to seeing her in but from this angle he was able to see clearly what was happening underneath the dress. Or more likely what wasn't happening under there. "You don't have any underwear on..."
"Well duh, what did I tell you back at the house? You don't wear underwear when you go Warnicorn hunting."
"Oh." Marco replied, still a bit shocked at what he was seeing above him.
"Uh, Marco? I still need help up this tree." Star asked sounding a little annoyed he'd gotten distracted this easily.
"Oh! Oh yeah, sorry sorry! I'm sorry!" Looking straight ahead Marco focused on his task, using his hands and stabling his body to push Star the rest of the way up the tree. With his help Star was able to get her arms around in a strong enough grip to lift herself upward and over. Her physical strength shining through as she began climbing upward.
"I'll come back down as soon as I see where we should get going, okay?" The princess called down to him as she kept going up and up.
"Okay! Marco shouted back as he watched Star disappear into the leaves, taking a moment to collect himself after quite an unexpected sight. It wasn't something that was unfamiliar to him but an eyeful of Star in that position in that dress was enough to stop him cold.
Turning around and resting his back on the trunk of the tree Marco let his body relax and his breathing return to normal. Even without trying she always managed to catch him off guard. He was unsure how long it would take for her to scale the whole tree so Marco allowed himself to become lost in the world around him and avoid the tempting thoughts of what was going on above him. The forest was dense and lush with the color green as sunlight came through just enough to make the forest seemingly glow. It was a calming sight to take in and made it easy to feel tranquillity around them.
Which was how Marco managed to hear the faint sound of conversation happening in the distance. Star still hadn't returned from her climb upward and there wasn't any sign of her descending soon. Realizing that if other people were out here doing the same as themselves that meant they might be able to provide some advice on where to find these elusive Warnicorns they were after. Picking himself up Marco walked down the trail a little further to try and find the source of the voices. It didn't take long at all for him to discover another rough trail that branched out from the worn main path he and Star had come by. Quietly and carefully the Earth boy made his away through the woods to the source of the voices.
It winded around a bit and wasn't nearly as wide as the previous area he'd been walking through. But the trail was clear enough and before long he could hear the voices more clearly. Perhaps due to the various adventures he'd been on already Marco naturally began to move cautiously through the trees to spy on the people he was coming towards. Not that he had ill intentions towards them but his careful nature and knowledge of other dimensions taught him to never trust anything right away. Peeking through the branches of the path Marco was able to find a clearing at the end of the trail that had three figures sitting together on a patch of grass. He didn't know who they were but he was certain of what they were. "Monsters!"
Monsters indeed, three of them all sitting together and simply conversing with one another. They weren't doing anything violent or dangerous, in fact they seemed outright peaceful. Upon observing closer Marco also noted that they happened to be three female monsters. It was a little difficult to tell since they weren't human but the sounds of their voices and shapes of their figures were all clearly effeminate. There was a bird like one who hand feathery arms that resembled wings, a lizard like one with long black hair that went down her back, and a faun girl who's legs and antlers were more deer like than goat.
As far as Marco could tell they hadn't noticed him and he wanted to keep it that way. He was used to fighting against monsters that worked for Ludo or ones they came across during their magical adventures but he wasn't eager to start a fight if it could be avoided. Turning away Marco began to tip toe down the path again before his ears caught on that things had suddenly become more quiet than before. Turning back Marco noted the bird-girl monster wasn't in the small clearing any longer and he felt his heart drop. His body spun around to start moving faster down the path but he let out a surprised grunt when he collided with something solid and covered in a downy soft exterior.
"Nobody likes a guy that peeps, you know." A high pitched voice said before him as Marco looked up to notice the bird monster blocking his path. Backing up quickly Marco let out another grunt of surprise as he'd basically fallen into the clearing and against another solid figure.
"He's probably just shy." A woman's voice in a lower tone spoke up, Marco turning to see the lizard woman standing near him now.
"Well he might as well get his courage up, coming all this way to visit us." A cheerful voice sprang up as the faun girl was approaching. Marco looked all around to see the monster girls had him surrounded. "We'd be rude not to welcome him, right?"
Now that he was up close with them Marco was surprised by what he saw. For one they didn't appear as fearsome as Ludo's gang had been, their features much softer and pleasant than the usual monsters he punched. They weren't much different from the kind of people he'd seen attending the Bounce Lounge in the past, aside from appearing older and taller than the usual teenagers that hung out in the club. Also their clothes were similar to Marco's own attire, all loose cloth and rope fashioned into dresses and coverings that only just accomplished its job. There wasn't any weapons or armor on them, nothing that suggested they were here to fight.
Although the sharp talons, pointed antlers and rows of teeth they sported didn't make him feel any safer. Swallowing his fear Marco tried to at least appear confident and non-threatening by speaking to them directly. "H-hello! N-n-nice to meet you?" The faun seemed the most responsive after his greeting, approaching closer.
"See, he's got manners. Nice to meet you too." She said and Marco nodded rapidly in response. The lizard woman also got closer, looking him over carefully.
"Awfully young to be out here by yourself, aren't you little man?" He could sense a teasing sound to the lizard woman's voice but it was hard to tell if it was friendly or predatory. The bird girl closed the gap, they had him completely surrounded now.
"I bet he heard about the nice monsters out here in the woods and wanted to visit us, isn't that right?" Marco could feel the soft brush of feathers on his back and held in a yelp from the surprise. Shakily he responded to all of them.
"A-actually I'm here... with my friend. We're Warnicorn hunting." He thought letting them know someone else was around might cause them to retreat, but instead they seemed more intrigued. He felt the lizard woman's tail curl around his ankle and realized he was certainly caught now.
"So you're from the camp ground up the way?" The lizard woman asked, her scaled hand resting on his shoulder as she talked. "No wonder you found your way down here. I guess he's one of those 'young hunters' that wants to prove himself." He didn't really understand what she meant by that but was too freaked out to ponder it any further. All of a sudden the faun girls hands were on his chest and all three of them were practically pressed against his body. Were they going to eat him? Was this how everything was going to end? Dead in the woods because he didn't have enough sense to wait for his friend to join up with him again? The faun leaned forward to look at him.
"We can help you on your hunt." She said eagerly, smiling at him. "You wouldn't be the first boy that came out here and left as a man with our help."
"Really?" Marco asked, not understanding at all what was happening right now but maybe this was some sort of monster thing he wasn't familiar with. They all seemed like they were acting a lot more friendly than he expected. Each one of them was smiling kindly his way and almost hanging off of him. It felt kind of nice and warm actually. Soft downy feathers, cushioned fur and smooth scales on his skin. He could get used to this.
"Sure thing, as long as you have something nice for us." The faun winked at him but Marco stared blankly, unable to follow. "You can pay for our services right? If you have enough all of us can take you to places you've never thought possible."
"Oh, I spent all my money already." Marco confessed and the tone around him changed almost immediately.
"What?" The faun asked seriously, their kind smiles changing to looks of disappointment and annoyance.
"Yeah, I kinda had to pay everything I had to get in here." Marco explained and looked around the three monster girls. Their affectionate acts ceased right away, each one backing off with a groan of disappointment. "Is... is something wrong?"
"I knew it was too good to be true." The lizard woman complained, staring daggers at Marco. "He wanders out here like this and doesn't even bring anything to pay with. Typical kid."
"What a waste of time." The bird girl grumbled, crossing her feathery arms in frustration. "Now what are we supposed to do?" Marco didn't really get what was happening but it looked like they were only being nice to him because they thought he had money? If they were really some kind of forest guides to help people find Warnicorns that made sense in a way. He must have looked like a potential customer and they were laying the act on thick to get him to hire them.
"Well uh... I guess if you guys don't need anything I'll be on my way." Marco said and tried to head back down the path, though his path was blocked by a feathery arm before he could escape. Suddenly the rope he'd been carrying on his shoulder was hoisted away from him, the faun girl looking it over and testing its strength. "Hey, I paid for that too you know!"
"Nice quality rope." The faun said as she grinned at Marco. "I mean after getting our hopes up you can't expect to leave us with nothing, right?" The three monster women began to surround Marco again but this time their postures were anything but affectionate. "There's a way you can still pay your debt to us."
Star's climb through the branches had taken longer than expected but wasn't difficult for her at all. It would have been faster to use her wand to make the travel but to her that felt like cheating and she wanted to keep the hunt pure for herself and for Marco. Which meant avoiding using magic where she could at any point. If she'd wanted she could have simply summoned a Warnicorn with her wand for Marco to practice on but that would have cheapened the experience of hunting and shoeing one yourself.
There was some amusement in his reaction to her dress during the climb but she'd been too focused on her task to think much about it. Besides he'd seen her without her underwear before so she didn't get what the big deal was. That being said she was happy that her dress had gone over so well with him and that he looked pretty cute in that loincloth she'd picked out. Almost like a real Mewman hunter, which if today went well Marco might feel more like one too. It wasn't just that she wanted to finally come to this place her parents had forbade her from seeing in the past but she also wanted him to experience it with her. Something to share together and make him feel more at home on Mewni.
At the peak of the tree top Star was able to see that the grassy plains of the kingdom were just beyond the edge of the forest and low and behold a heard of wild Warnicorns were there. "Bingo." Star said confidently to herself as she judged the distance from her tree to their location. It wouldn't take long at all to reach them and with any luck they'd be well on their way to a successful hunt. The princess cheerfully descended down the tree, careful to avoid getting snagged or cut up as she did. "Marco, I found them!" She called down as she descended, eager to get a move on while the day was young. Though when her feet hit the ground she was surprised to find there wasn't anyone there to meet her. "Marco?"
Where would he have gone? It wasn't like him to wander off in places he didn't know, usually the opposite. She could almost count on him to stick to her as they traveled through other dimensions. "Marco!? Where'd you go? Did you wander off to pee? If so tell me okay, I don't want to walk in on that." Stopping to listen for a reply she was able to make out the sound of angry shouting in the distance. Curiously Star followed the noise to some tiny trail that lead off the main path and deeper into the woods.
The trail wasn't very big but was well worn down as if many had traveled this way before. It was like something that was meant to only be seen by people who went looking for it. Easy to pass up if you weren't trying to get into the woods in the first place. As she got closer Star could hear voices more clearly and snuck closer to find out what was happening. She did find Marco, but not how she'd expected to see him.
"Pretty good catch." A lizard monster said standing over Marco. Star's bestie was currently laying on the grass in the clearing before her, his body tied up in some complicated harness that wrapped around his whole body and hand his arms tied to his back. The lizard monster was holding onto a length of the rope that was a kind of leash for his bindings, her foot holding him down to the ground. "You got him restrained fast too."
"It's been a while since I got to practice my roping skills. Glad to know I still got it." A faun said nearby as she was admiring her work. Marco struggled in vain as he couldn't get himself free from the bindings or out from under the lizard monster's foot. "So should we sell him? He's pretty healthy, I bet someone would pay a good amount of gold for him."
"Let's keep him for a while." A bird monster chimed up as she knelt down and pet Marco's head with the end of her wing. "I've always wanted a pet. I bet he'd be pretty funny to have until we got tired of him." Marco growled up at the monsters and began to struggle anew.
"I am not a pet!" Marco yelled angrily. "Let me go right this minute!" He was quieted by the tug at his leash and the pressure of the lizard monster's foot on his back. They all laughed at his plight, making the boy even more flustered at his situation.
"Calm down little boy or we'll have to tie up that mouth of yours too." The lizard woman threatened, Marco's head laying against the ground defeated. This got a new round of laughs from the monsters around him which was the last straw for Star. Stealing her bestie was enough to make her made but humiliating him like this made her furious. Not that Marco didn't end up in humiliating situations all the time before but usually it was by accident and not with people laughing right at him.
"Hey!" The princess declared, stepping into the clearing to the surprise of everyone around her. "Let him go!"
"Looks like his friend finally showed up." The lizard monster said, stepping over Marco to approach Star confidently. "Come back here to get your boyfriend?" The faun stepped up after the lizard woman, taking hold of Marco's leash to make sure he couldn't escape. She looked Star over from a distance.
"Oh wow, she's cute too. I bet if we sold them together we'd get even more gold for it."
"Alright, now that there's two of them can we keep one as a pet and sell the other?" The bird monster suggested eagerly. "I like the boy more, she's too mean. We can sell her and keep him." Star narrowed her eyes angrily and clenched her hands into fists at the suggestion.
"You're not keeping him or selling him, he's mine and you're going to give him back. Now!" The princess shouted but it didn't stop the monsters advance. The lizard one standing directly before her and looking down at the Mewman girl, smiling with her sharp teeth.
"Oh you think so? And what if we don't want to give him back?" She asked with a devilish grin.
Star answered quickly with the sound of a hard thud as her fist collided with the side of the lizard woman's face. A moment passed where everyone, even the surrounding birds, seemed to go completely silent. Followed by another thud as the lizard monster fell backwards onto the grass, knocked out cold with one blow.
Star stepped forward over the unconscious figure of the monster woman, her two friends retreating quickly into the trees and hiding behind the trunks in fear. She approached Marco who had also been stunned into silence as she hoisted the boy over her shoulder and held him there like a trophy she'd won. Instead of saying a warning the Mewni princess simply growled at the two remaining monsters, turning her back and leaving them behind. Neither monster dared to stop her.
Silently Star walked back down the small winding trail to the main path of the camp ground. To her left was the direction of the open plains where the Warnicorn herd had been grazing. They could still head that way and probably catch them, but it would have been difficult to do what they'd came for with Marco restrained like this. Instead Star headed to the right, carrying Marco past the tree she'd climbed and towards the camp ground they'd rented a spot to rest in. Before entering the grounds Star set Marco onto his feet on the dirt, the boy looking both embarrassed and puzzled at what had transpired.
"Uh... thank you. Star. For saving me." Marco said meekly, unsure of what to do in this situation. He pulled at the rope around his body but found it was still very secure.
"Do you mind telling me what happened back there?" Star asked, crossing her arms and leaning away from Marco. "Why the heck were you in the woods with a bunch of monsters?"
"Sorry." Marco said but Star didn't accept just that and he found the voice to continue. "I heard someone talking in the distance and I thought it was another group of people hunting like us."
"So you went to check on them alone, without me?"
"I dunno, I just kinda... thought maybe if I found someone they'd help us on our hunt."
"Marco, do you know how dangerous that is?" Star asked seriously and Marco felt some irony in the moment.
"You're lecturing me on danger?"
"Yes! I am because... you weren't there! Okay, you weren't there when I got down from the tree and I didn't know where you were and there was a moment where I couldn't find you at all and I got scared and I just... I dunno! I'm mad but I'm happy too cause you're safe." Star sighed at a loss. "I didn't want anything bad to happen to you while we were on this trip."
"Well if it's not a little dangerous then what was the point of coming out here?" Marco recited Star's own words back to her and they hit like a rock against her chest.
"Yeah but... when it's us together it doesn't feel dangerous, even if it is. When you were gone and I couldn't find you that was different." Star grumbled and pulled at her own hair in frustration. "If something bad happened to you then it was my fault and I couldn't live with myself knowing I got you hurt."
"Kind of like how I feel with you on Earth." Marco replied with a sigh. "I get it, this was us in your home and you feel like you're the responsible one right now, right? So when I went and got into trouble you were just scared for me, you didn't think about yourself at all."
"Is this how you feel back home?" Star asked sadly, realizing somehow what things must be like from Marco's perspective every day dealing with someone as wild as her.
"Sometimes, but not always. After all I trust you. But in a way I'm responsible for you too, even if you're the strongest person I ever met. So I still worry, can't help myself." Star suddenly leaned in and hugged Marco tightly. "Oof! Star?"
"Sorry I got mad at you." Star said while hugging him tight. Marco let out a sigh and relaxed in the embrace, unable to hug back.
"Sorry I wandered off."
"It's all okay." Star said happily, breaking the hug and standing before him again. "Now we should probably go back to camp real quick and get that rope off you. You're going to need your hands after all once we get back out there."
"Yes, please. Walking is about the only thing I can do like this." Agreeing on their next destination Star opened the door to the camp grounds and they entered. On the way back to their camping spot Star took Marco by his leash and lead him along, commenting that she thought Marco did make a pretty good pet after all. He didn't appreciate the sentiment however, eager to be rid of his bindings as fast as possible. Once they arrived at their spot Star opened the door with they key they'd been given and lead Marco inside, letting it close behind them.
The room was different from what Star had been expecting, much like the rest of this place. It was small and intimate, the main portion of the room taken up by a large bed that had a few layers of sheets and blankets resting on top. To the side there was a wash tub for bathing that was just big enough for two adults and a small room that from what she could tell was an outhouse in the corner. There was a lamp hanging from the ceiling of the room and more of those magical flowers lining the sides of the walls to give it a dim glow.
"Star... what is this?" Marco asked, looking around confused. "This is a camp ground for hunting?"
"I guess?" Star asked just as confused. Marco walked forward and sat on the edge of the bed, looking around at the interior.
"I kind of like it, it's got a homey feel to it. Welcoming."
"Oh, there's a storage chest." Star noted on the opposite side of the room from where the tub was. "Maybe they have some swords or knives or something in there." The chest was rather simple, made of a plain wood and lacking a latch or lock. Star opened the lid to see if there was anything useful inside for their situation. Reaching in she found a small cloth bag and a jar of something she couldn't recognize. "What the heck is all of this?"
"No tools?" Marco asked curiously.
"No, not a one. There's just this stuff here." Star set the bag aside and opened up the jar's lid, it popping off from the air tight seal previously that held it in place. Sticking her fingers in she pulled them back to find something slippery coating them. "Is this like... some kind of cream? Or a lotion?"
"Can I see too?" Marco asked and Star complied, closing the chest and bringing the jar and bag with her to where Marco was sitting. She held the jar up to his face and let him look it over and smell the contents as his hands weren't very ready to use at the moment. "That smells like some kind of animal fat based cream. It's sticky?"
"The opposite actually, it's really slippery and smooth." She rubbed her fingers against Marco's bare shoulder to let him feel it while also cleaning them off and then set the jar down on the floor in front of them. Next she opened the cloth bag and reached inside, pulling out something small and square. "This thing is full of something or other too." Star showed Marco the small item that seemed to be made of some kind of wax paper. You could seen the indentation of a round object in the middle.
"Hey, I think I've seen this before." Marco commented as he looked it over. She had too in fact, or at least recognized this shape and package if not having actually held one in the past. It was something she wasn't allowed to see before for some reason. Something forbidden from her. Something a proper princess wasn't supposed to be touching during her young teenage years.
"Oh no." Star said to herself quietly as realization set in. Her hand lost its grip on the bag, letting it fall to the floor and spilling the contents all over before them. More round objects tightly sealed in square wax paper.
"Wait a minute those look like..." It suddenly dawned on Marco what they were also. "Oh. Oh they're..."
"Oh no oh no oh no." Star repeated to herself, resting her face in her hands. They were condoms. It was a bag filled with condoms. It was a jar full of lubricant. This wasn't a camp for going Warnicorn hunting at all.
"So uh... this isn't what we thought it was, is it?"
"It's a mating camp." Star mumbled from between her fingers that covered her face. "I took us to a mating camp."
"We call them love motels... um, you know, on Earth." Marco stammered, trying to help but not doing a good job in the process. "So then the name Horny Meadows; it wasn't talking about horses with horns I'm guessing."
"Oh no." Star mumbled again in embarrassment.
"And when we told that lady at the counter we were taking me in for my first time..."
"Oh nooooooooo!" Star whined as she fell back on the bed and curled up, turning away from Marco.
"Now that I think about it those monsters out there were all girls and they knew about the camp and-" Realization hit Marco like a brick to the head. "Oh my God they were prostitutes."
Star rolled all the way over now onto her stomach and held her hands over her head as if she could block out the reality around her. "I can't believe I was so dumb! I didn't notice anything wrong with any of this!"
"Well... hey, you weren't alone. I didn't notice anything either."
"You've never even been in this kingdom before Marco, of course you wouldn't. Now I get why my parents said I couldn't come here until I was older. Oh no oh no oh no." Star was dealing with her own panic attack but Marco was struggling to find a way to comfort her while he was still restrained. The form of the harness they'd tied around his body made a lot more sense now that he knew what its primary purpose was for. "I'm such an idiot."
"Star, it's okay. I mean... it's kinda funny right?" Star's head rolled over to glare at him. "I mean... yeah sure we didn't know what was happening here but we still got to go on an adventure, right?"
"I guess." Star said, letting out a sigh. "I'm so embarrassed right now. You must think I'm a real screw up, huh?"
"Nah." Marco said, falling onto the bed to lay on it and look at her eye to eye. "I messed up today too and I had no idea what was happening around me. But even after my screw up you still saved my skin, right?" Star gave a sad nod to Marco. "So it's okay, everything worked out fine."
"Other than everyone saw the princess of Mewni come into a breeding camp with her bestie from Earth."
"Well okay yeah, that part isn't good. But we didn't give our names to anyone and nobody seemed to recognize you. I don't think they had any idea."
"Really?" Star asked hopefully.
"Really."
"Well... okay then. Maybe this did turn out okay after all. Even if we didn't find any Warnicorns and ended up somewhere completely wrong from what I intended." Star grumbled to herself realizing just how many things she had to ignore to get this far.
"If you promise to take me on another hunt then I'd be willing to go with you." Marco assured her and it got a smile out of the princess.
"You really are the best."
"Totally worth fighting off those monsters to take me back to camp, right?" Marco asked with a laugh.
"Well I had to come home with some kind of trophy. It would be a shame for the daughter of King Butterfly to go out hunting and come back with nothing at all." They laughed together as the tension in the room began to leave them. Things had been odd and scary, then downright humiliating for Star. But now back with him she could feel a sense of easiness in her heart again. They laid there together in the dim light of the room for a while until Marco used his legs to pull his body up to a sitting position.
"I guess I should ask the lady at the counter if she has a knife or scissors or something to get out of this mess." Marco said looking himself over. "They might have been a group of weirdos but they really knew how to tie a knot." Pulling himself onto his feet Marco began to walk away but found his progress stopped short as the end of the leash on his harness was held tight. Star's hand gripped around the rope, keeping him from going forward. "Star?"
"You know, thinking about it, I did bring you back as a trophy." Star said quietly, slowly sitting up on the end of the bed and keeping her hand tight around the rope. "And we are in a breeding camp." Marco swallowed a lump in his throat harder than when he'd felt his life was in danger from the monsters. Star's eyes leaving him more paralyzed than any fear those monster girls could inflict in him.
"I uh... are you sure that's a good idea?" She began to pull on the rope, bringing him closer to her and standing up to meet him. He didn't fight her pull, not that he could if he'd wanted to. "I mean you don't have to... if you don't want to?" One of her hands raised up and held his cheek, the pull of it stronger than any rope he could have been bound with.
"My trophy, I'll do what I want with it." Star whispered and pressed her lips against his own. Marco's tension melted away as she kissed him and he was lost into the feeling. Even after spending nearly every moment together somehow she could still stop him with a kiss so easily. When their lips finally parted Star's hand grabbed him by the harness and tossed Marco onto the bed with a surprised yelp. He landed in the middle of the mattress and before he knew it was mounted by Star who continued to kiss him deeply. There wasn't a bit of resist to her advance.
Previously Marco had been worried of his rather small attire hiding anything that shouldn't be seen. With him laying on his back and Star's lips against his that fear became reality as his excitement from their time together pushed the loin cloth up and out of the way easily. While on top of him Star slid back and Marco felt the back of her thigh collide with his erection. The princess broke her kiss with him. "Having fun?"
"You're teasing me while I'm helpless." Marco complained, not that he was actually upset about his situation. Star gave the leash a little pull and giggled to herself.
"I see why someone would like this, it's pretty neat with how much control it gives you."
"I was right though about these outfits, they barely cover anything when it counts." Marco said, feeling vindicated about his previous concerns with their hunting attire.
"Are you so sure it's a bad thing?" Star asked him and flipped herself around over top of his chest. She reached back with her hand and pulled her skirt upward, not that it was hiding much of her in the first place in that position. "You liked this view before, right?"
"Uh... um..." Yes, he did. A lot. It was hard to convey with words though when she was this close.
"I thought so." Star said happily and reached up with her hands to rub his cock softly. She could hear Marco moan in approval behind her and smiled to herself. Her fingers gently caressing him as they moved up and down. "I like these outfits a lot too. They make me feel wild and sexy. Like I'm able to do anything I want." Marco only panted heavily in return, not that she minded any. "I bet after everything you've seen today you're really excited. Should I help you get rid of all that tension?" Star asked teasingly and rubbed the head of Marco's cock with her fingers. She could feel him squirm beneath her and his struggling pleased her.
Removing her hands Star slid her body up further and pulled her hair to one side, leaning in to give him a kiss on the tip. "Just relax okay? I want you to enjoy it." Star offered before dipping her head down further and taking Marco's cock into her mouth. Her head moving slowly over his length and coated it wet from her lips. His body was hot from everything they'd done today and they both smelled of sweat but she didn't mind in this moment. Pleasing him like this while keeping him pinned down beneath her, it made her feel dominate and eager to serve him at the same time. It was weird but she was also thankful the harness had been tied in such a way to allow her easy access to this part of him. She needed to look up how to do this later when she got back home.
It wasn't like she'd planned on them getting this intimate today, but after everything they'd been through and where they ended up it felt like an opportunity she didn't want to pass. Not that Marco seemed to mind any. Nor dd he judge her for the mistakes she'd made today or the desire to be intimate after the failed camping trip together. It was that acceptance combined with their circumstances which got her excited enough to try it in the first place.
Star's hand gently moved down to cup a hold of Marco's balls, her head dipping down further as she did. One free hand kept hold of the rope that connected the two of them together, an unnecessary act but one that made her feel good when she did it. Like he really was all hers. Her mouth continued to perform the long sucking motions before pulling back and moving faster against the top of his cock. Her fingers massaged him from beneath and Star could hear his moans grow louder.
"St... Star! I'm... ah!" She could feel him getting closer and decided to help him along the way before it carried on too long. Pulling her lips away with a strong suck against his skin, Star lifted her free hand to grip around his cock tighter and swiftly stroke against it. He began to squirm more beneath her and she watched as her hands continued to pump against him until he came, shooting out his appreciation against his thigh and the bedding beneath him. A small amount hit Star's cheek and she used her hand to wipe it off, licking it from her fingers.
"Feeling better?" Star asked as she sat up on his stomach, looking over her shoulder at him with a lusty smile. Marco only nodded in return, still catching his breath from his climax having happened so soon. "Good!" She replied to him happily.
"Star..." Marco gasped out, catching her attention again. "If it's okay... can you slide back?"
"Slide back?" Star asked, confused by her position on him at the moment.
"Yeah... back, closer to me."
"Oh." She said, realizing that would place her sitting directly above his face. "You want to do that with me?"
"Only if you want to. I don't want to be the only one that gets something special today." Marco confessed. Star realized she was in control and could deny him if she'd wanted. It was a little embarrassing of a position to be in, even if she had gotten on top of him herself. But that was different, she'd been in control then. This would be letting him do something to her.
"Okay." Star agreed, sliding backwards until she felt herself positioned over his head, careful not to catch his skin or hair with her knees. "Is that good?"
"Yeah, that's great. Wow... you're great. Every time I see you like this."
"Marco don't go giving commentary on myyyYYYYY-!" Star let out a a gasp as she felt his tongue slide up against her pussy, surprising herself at how good it felt on contact. Apparently she'd wanted it more than she realized.
His tongue moved against her eagerly, licking at her folds and slipping in between them. Star panted hard and held onto the leash in her hand with a grip. Using her arms to support herself as her thighs were quivering with the attention she was receiving. She could feel him moving in various directions against her dripping pussy and edging her closer to her own climax. Her legs began to part more and lower against his mouth, wanting that attention from him. Marco didn't let her down as his tongue dipped inside of Star and began to lap at her inside.
Star grit her teeth feeling the desire to moan loudly come but wanting to resist while they were in an unfamiliar place. Pulling the rope upward she put it in her mouth and muffled her groans against it, her hands gripping at Marco's sides while he continued to eat her out. Star's body leaned forward and her hips began to move against his mouth eagerly. Sensing her need Marco began to drag his tongue against the surface of her pussy and provide as much friction as he could. She could feel herself wanting to climax but suddenly wanted something more to get there. "M-Mercof!" Star mumbled from her imposed gag with the rope and spit it out. "M-Marco Marco stop! Stop!" The princess lifted herself off of Marco's face, his mouth surrounded by a dampness that signified how much she'd been enjoying their time together.
"What? What, is everything okay?"
"Yeah it is I just... I need something from you." The statement confused him as he'd never heard her say anything like that before during their time together like this.
"You 'need' something?"
"I do, I need something." Star said again, now standing off of the bed. "Do you think you have self control over yourself?"
"I guess?" Marco didn't know what she meant by this but Star nodded happily and ran to the end of the bed. Marco leaned up to watch her pick up the jar of lubricant they'd found earlier and take some of it out with her fingers. She began to rub the inside of her thighs with it, coating herself all over between her legs with the slippery substance. Once she was done Star crawled back onto the bed over Marco and got another handful.
"It takes you a while to cum again after the first time, right? There shouldn't be too much risk of it happening again?" Star asked as she rubbed her hands with the lube.
"Well, yeah, I've never timed it or anything but usually-"
"Great!" Star said and began to coat Marco's cock with the lubricant as well. Marco shivered feeling her hands grip onto him again, his erection never fully leaving him from before but now back in full force with the stroking of her hands. Once Star was satisfied she used both hands to press him back down onto the bed on his back. Climbing over him Star carefully positioned her hips over Marco's in a way that seemed pretty direct at what she was after.
"Whoa wait a minute! I thought you said we couldn't do that!?"
"Just relax." Star insisted as she moved her body down on top of him, pressing their hips together. Marco could feel her pussy pressing against his cock, their bodies making contact but with his erection laid flat against his body without entering Star. The princess let out a breath of satisfaction feeling the pressure. "Oh wow, you're really hard right now."
"You made sure of it." Marco said through more deep breaths, Star having planted her hands on either side of him and slowly rubbing herself against his body. Her hair draped down over her shoulders and touched his skin, a familiar soft feeling that was becoming associated with this kind of intense emotion. The thought that something this pleasant could become addicting floated through his head but left as quickly as Star rubbed all logic out of him with her hips. His body shivering with each slow movement back and forth, pressing down hard on his erection and grinding into him.
"It's goooood." Star said in a gasp, a bit overtaken by the new form of pleasure she'd discovered. "It's like... like that night in my bed. Do you remember that?" He nodded to her in return, trying to keep from moving too much as he felt the damp pressure of her pussy rubbing against him with her entrance. "But it's so much better like this." He couldn't argue despite the dangerous position it put them in. No underwear between them this time. No cloth of any kind, not even any of the scattered condoms on the floor. Just her skin and his, dangerously close to crossing that one line they'd agreed not to cross. One slip, one push, one over exaggerated motion and they'd be closer to each other than ever before.
The danger was apparent to them both, though neither suggested to stop.
Star's breaths came faster as she moved with more force. Her eyes closed tight as she pressed down hard on Marco's body with enough pressure that things were getting more uncomfortable than erotic. Though he wasn't going to complain, not wanting to deny her something that made her this happy. She lifted the end of the rope she'd been holding onto and bit into the end of it again, teeth marks apparent from the last time she'd used it as a gag. Her hips grinding hard into him until she let out a loud moan against the rope and her body shivered in delight, grinding into him hard for a while longer as she rode out the climax. Marco endured the pressure until she was satisfied, the rope falling from her mouth onto his chest as she panted deeply. They never crossed the line. He never went inside of her, despite being so dangerously close.
"Ooooooh woooooow." Star said in a groan, her hips sliding down his body farther and away from his cock. Her upper body lowering down onto him until it was pressed to her stomach. The blonde princess smiled at him dreamily and Marco watched her glowing expression. "That was reeeeally nice."
"I could tell, any more and you would have crushed me against the bed." Marco said with amusement. "I'm... I'm happy that you got to feel happy too." Star cocked her head to the side in confusion.
"You didn't think I was happy before?"
"It's not that I just wanted to be sure. You know? That I wasn't the only one that got to feel good by the end of it." Marco tried to explain and the smile returned to Star's face.
"You wanted things to be fair between us?" She asked happily. "Don't worry, they were." She kissed his chest between the bindings of rope above his heart. Laying against him wasn't as comfortable with the harness on but at least there was some room for cuddling. There was a quiet moment between them as they laid in the dim room, Marco's head back on the pillow catching his breath and Star running her fingers over the ropes the held him in place. "Hey Marco, does it bother you that we didn't do it?"
"Do what?" Marco asked, truly confused as to what they could have missed by this point.
"That we didn't go all the way. You know... inside."
"Not at all." Marco replied confidently.
"Really? Like... not even a little?"
"You said you didn't want to go that far yet. Who am I to say you should do something you're not comfortable with just because it might feel good."
"Marco... you're so sweet!" Star stammered through emotional teary eyes, climbing up the bed to lay next to him and hug him tightly. "You really care about me that much?"
"Ooof! C'mon Star, don't be silly. Of course I care about you. You care about me too, right?"
"Wouldn't trade you in for a whole heard of Warnicorns." Star said happily, rubbing her cheek against his own as they hugged.
"Great... although now that we've uh... used this camp ground is it alright if I get untied finally? These ropes are really starting to dig into my skin."
"But I kinda like you this way, you're so easy to keep at arms reach now." Star said with a grin and kept hugging Marco tightly. "With this little rope end here too I can have you follow along with me where ever I go. My pet Marco."
"You're forgetting that I already follow you every where you go to make sure you stay out of trouble."
"Even better, now I can take you everywhere and I can get into all the trouble I want." Marco gave her a glare and Star nervously laughed. "Kidding! Kidding, I'm kidding... mostly. I guess we can head back home and find something in my room to set you free. Too bad though, I was hoping we could use the tub before we left."
"Really?" Marco asked sitting up and looking at the old metal tub that took up part of the room. "It looks like just a big bucket."
"Right! You get water from a source and pour it in. Light a fire under it and you've got a toasty tub for two!" Despite her sales pitch Marco wasn't sold on the idea of bathing in a metal container that had countless people sitting in there before him.
"Think I'll pass actually, who knows who used it before us. Or if anyone has even cleaned it since then."
"C'mon Marco, have a sense of adventure. I'm sure whoever sat in there before wouldn't bother us today."
"This might have been the room your parents used when they were here." Marco suggested, a thought that put a dagger right through the heart of any passion Star still had for this place.
"You're right, lets get out of here now." Star said gloomily as she picked up her purse and pulled out her magical scissors. "When we get back let me take a picture of you before we cut off that rope, I want to see if I can figure out how to tie it myself."
"Heck no we're not doing that! I don't need Janna getting her hands on proof of this happening to me."
"Janna's not going to get any of the pictures off my phone silly, don't be so paranoid."
"You say that now..."
Star's magical scissors opened a dimensional rift within the duo's private room, allowing them safe and easy passage back to their home. Knowing that her parents had used that place for their own romantic romp wasn't something Star enjoyed but she was oddly thankful to them for sparking the idea to visit it in the first place. The trio of monster women never did realize the identities of the two that visited their secluded patch in the woods, though it did encourage them to be more polite and respectful to their visitors least they come across another angry spouse in the future. While the woman who ran the camp grounds wasn't pleased with the mess left by the two young visitors, she did appreciate their politeness upon meeting them and just how cute they had been together. In an odd way it reminded her of another couple she'd met some years ago, but she couldn't recall just who that might have been.
They did eventually untie Marco from his bindings and a week later the boy put the horse shoes on and road his first Warnicorn by himself. Star made sure to get pictures of that special event at least to keep as a reminder of their trip together, photos that of course made it into the hands of Janna as Marco predicted. However the only evidence of their first Mewni camping trip together was held by just a single person. In the form of a rope kept under Star's bed with familiar teeth marks pressed into the one end.