The Fall of Charlotte Richards

A Devils Paw Story

© 2013 Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Chapter Four

Charlotte Richards stepped off the Furry Flyer in Cedar Key Florida directly behind her collie Aunt. The young mink was still trying to get her mind around what she had seen and experienced aboard the FLYER, all of it beyond her innocent understanding including exactly where and how pups came from, how painful it was to the mother and how messy it would actually be. It seemed that her Aunt had changed, as though she had lost all patience with her young niece and fully intended to rid herself of the girl by driving her away, the truth was though that Charlotte loved her Aunt and as she understood her Aunt’s moods, understood that this was somehow important to her Aunt. Even so the short trip had introduced the innocent young girl to more of adult reality than her entire previous life.

Dinner for example, she had managed to do without her first lunch aboard the Furry Flyer but by supper she could no longer put aside the needs of her body. It had been difficult to walk up to the bound, gagged and quite nude vixen laying upon that table, difficult to remove food from the woman’s body. Her first visit to that table had been hesitant, she had even been shamed by the sultry look the woman gave her. Unable to speak or move still somehow the vixen had made it plain that she felt Charlotte was a child. Her second visit found the mink, having embolden herself, exposing the cleft between the vixens legs then taking a deep breath, removing one of the cherries that she found there. That night though Charlotte had dreamed strange dreams, dreams that found her side of the bed more than damp.

She had slept alone that night, her Aunt having found ‘a friend’ to visit. Being aware of her Aunts tastes only made the minks night all the harder. “By the time that you return to Washington you will have become a woman in all ways but with a man” her Aunt had told her before leaving. “So that you are still honestly a maiden upon your marriage, but will understand the ways and actions of true adults. I want you to make your mother proud that you will understand more than your husband, though whomever he may be he will think himself a man of the world. Remember this my sweet niece, it is a woman’s duty to be a Lady in public and a shameless wanton whore in bed, else your husband will wander. Wander and bring all kinds of diseases home to you and your children.”

Now they were in Cedar Key and Charlotte had found herself forced to fill out the shipping label for her intimates in her own hand. She had watched as the shipping company had taken away her most private and delicate clothing as though it were a box of newspapers, to be delivered back to her Aunts home and placed in the minks bedroom awaiting her return. They had then had supper at their hotel, a strangely normal act after watching the very adult goings on aboard the FLYER. It had felt surreal, watching as a heavily clothed waitress’s took orders, spoke politely with the customers then whisked away back to the kitchen. Their waitress turned out to be a vixen as well, completely prim and proper yet Charlotte found herself imagining the young woman on that table, serving her in ‘The Oriental Way.’ Though she did not notice it, the look upon her Aunts face would have told her that the collie understood exactly what her niece was thinking and she very much approved.

Martha Morton had spent two thirds of a year preparing her nieces downfall. Two thirds of a year since hearing of the Furry Flyer and her sister ship Devils Paw. In that time she had made certain to be caught by her innocent niece in compromising situations with handsome hounds, begun spicing her private conversations with less than socially acceptable terms. Her sister had been a wonton hound, more than willing to explore whatever spice she or her Jewish husband could think of. Even while she was filled to capacity by her daughter she had still found ways to please her husband, which was probably why Taavi Richards had never strayed from his wife. No woman could come near Patricia’s ability to please, delight and exhaust the mink which for a collie was unheard of. Though the Morton family was officially displeased by Patricia’s choice in husbands the fact that Taavi converted to Catholicism eased that pain a great deal, though it then stressed his relations with his own family. Their death in a train wreak when Patricia was carrying a second pup was a great disaster, though Taavi’s family disowned Charlotte as her mother had not been Jewish thus Charlotte was not considered Jewish.

Unknown to Charlotte her Aunt had spent the next twelve years slowly reducing that family to beggar status, her sisters daughter had done nothing evil, had done nothing to deserve their spite so she simply... crushed them. All of them. Still Charlotte had grown to be a problem, so innocent, so unwilling to even speak of ‘the birds and bees’, so self righteous as the Catholic church insinuated itself into her life that Martha had simply had enough. She would no longer allow her niece to wander life as though it were a fairy tale and she certainly would give no more money to that tail chasing bears church. Another Church perhaps yes, that one no.

When morning came Martha and Charlotte quietly boarded a Hanson Cab, Charlotte looking back at the beautiful train that had so caught her off guard. ‘Perhaps’ she thought. ‘When I have had children, I might convince my husband to take that train with me’ she thought, feeling an unwelcome warmth in a very private part of her body at that thought. What had gone on in those other compartments, what were those strange brass fittings she had discovered around her shared bed, around the compartment itself. All looked well used but for what? As the Hanson moved off she took one last look at the Furry Flyer as it prepared to depart, returning to Atlanta with only a half load of very rich passengers. It was truly a beautiful train after all.

Devils Paw was already in port, discharging both passengers and cargo, preparing for this special third voyage of the Winter season. As the port came into sight Charlotte stared at the British flagged sidewheeler. While they had been in the hotel her Aunt had given her a rather extensive booklet that defined the rules of conduct aboard that ship, what was available and surprisingly, very detailed safety instructions. Why there was even a single electrical outlet in every cabin and electric lights. A beautiful fold out of the ships schematics was included that by checking their tickets Charlotte was able to find the cabin she would share with her Aunt. It was on the Starboard side and a very concise list of nautical terms in the back page explained to her that ‘Starboard’ meant the right side of the ship as you looked forward towards the Bow, or front of the ship. It also marked the areas that passengers were not allowed to enter, the engine room and Bridge being two.

Looking again at the ship she spotted a grey pennant fluttering in the morning breeze with a black zero on it, as she recalled it meant that the ship was within five nautical miles of shore thus standard social rules applied in public areas. Had the black pennant with a white five been up, social rules would have been limited to almost nothing as they would be at least five nautical miles from any inhabited shore. One rule that she had committed to memory though was that the crew was untouchable. That would get one thrown off the ship at the nearest dry land, inhabited or not. Still looking at the ship, as beautiful and well maintained as it obviously was, the mink felt something strange deep within her, a foreboding of a sort perhaps.

“Aunt Morton” the young mink asked softly, as there was another, older couple in the Hanson with them. “Must we truly board this ship?”

Looking over to her niece the collie simply shrugged. “You are aware of your choices my dear, you have until we sail to make them” Martha Morton answered. “As an adult you may make your own choices of course, being as you are now fully aware of the results of those choices.”

Charlotte looked back out of the Hanson, studying the crowd of men and woman of all species that milled about. Spotting a worn lady of the night she shivered, it was very obvious to her what would happen if her ship left without her, leaving her stranded in her nightdress and absolutely nothing else. She might see the Capital again, but not until many years had passed. “I will board Aunt Martha” she decided, speaking just loudly enough for her Aunt to hear.

“Very good my dear” the collie agreed. “I assure you that this will be an education that you truly need, now settle back, it is at least another half hour before we may board the ship.”