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[Companions Chapter 40]

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WARNING! The following text contains explicit adult subject matter. It is not intended for anyone under the age of 18. If you are under the age of 18, then you must stop reading now. The author has taken steps to ensure that this story does not appear in any subject-inappropriate or age-inappropriate forum. This version has been posted with the author's permission to Yiffstar.com.

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* _COMPANIONS_

* by Evoquus

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* (c) Copyright 2009, Evoquus, All rights reserved.

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* Feedback is appreciated: [email protected]

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Rating: NC-17 for explicit sex: M/M, Non-Anthro Horse, Anal, Oral

Chapter 40: Three's Company

Jeremiah was very comfortable inside the body of a Hipponaur stallion, and not just his dangly human bits that he regularly stuffed inside Parceph. He had more experience than anyone about how to live as a human among horses, and as a horse among horses. He wore the shell of the stallion previously known as Bouceph as agreeably as a favorite sport coat, and could take it off with just as much ease. The previous owner of his living equine fursuit had not treated it with much respect, so he found it necessary to change some old bad habits that would have sent a regular horse to the vet with founder. To get his weight down meant grazing in the dryer, blander areas of the meadow for a few months, but it didn't bother him in the slightest. For he was alive and well, living in paradise with his companion, who challenged his mettle on a daily basis. When not performing a sex act with him that was so vile that it had yet to be legislated against, his stallion was involving him in some other exotic adventure. Parceph had never had a boring day in his life, and despite his fake protests, Jeremiah was always happy to come along for the ride.

He and his mate were dining on the meadow buffet for breakfast before planning the day's notorious events when an identical version of his mate galloped toward him with plans of his own. Jeremiah rose up and did a double take, verifying that the horse in the greener section was indeed his partner, as was the one approaching. Parceph noted the intruder's trajectory and instinctively galloped over to his mate in defense. Only when he neared them both did Parceph notice the uncanny resemblance.

Noting the defensive posture of the two, the stallion stopped at a respectable distance and bowed. "I am Parceph," he panted, rising up again, "...as you have probably guessed. I was brought here through a spatial ulcer by your friend Danny. He informed me that my companion was alive." He addressed Bouceph directly. "Are you indeed Jeremiah?"

Bouceph looked to his mate for guidance. Parceph studied him for a moment, imagining how his own behavior would be in this circumstance, then smiled and nodded to his companion.

"Looks like I'm gonna have my hands full," said Jeremiah stepping out to greet Parceph again for the first time in two hundred years.

The stallion tried but failed to suppress several high-pitched whinnies at the sight of his long lost beloved, rapidly tapping the ground as Jeremiah approached. The man spread his arms and smiled, and that was all it took for Parceph to be all over him. He squealed and jumped and danced like the world's happiest puppy while the man tried to hug him. Jeremiah's mate watched with warm amusement, knowing exactly how the other stallion felt. Then the expert rider hopped onto the ecstatic stallion's back, who then cantered around bucking and kicking with joy, challenging the man to stay on as they had done two centuries ago. Friskiness ended when a spinning buck tossed the rider onto the ground, landing on his back and laughing until he couldn't breathe anymore. His mount settled down, content to nuzzle and lick him to death.

Jeremiah's mate trotted over to rescue him from the onslaught of love. Bizarro Parceph rose up to meet him. The two studs studied and admired each other.

"You're a handsome fellow," said the off-worlder.

"Flattery will get you somewhere, but not very far," replied Parceph with a subtle smile.

"Then you leave me no choice but to challenge thee for the hand of yon fair stall mucker!"

The challenger reared up, and Parceph joined him anticipating the move. The two stallions battled front hooves playfully, then landed and chased each other around the meadow. Kicks and bites and attempted mountings were all par for the two Parcephs' horseplay.

Having their fill, the stallions settled down and then dropped onto their backs and rolled in the meadow to wipe off the sweat, then stood up and took an unhealthy interest in each other. Feeling left out, Jeremiah jogged out to join them.

"You two finished killin' each other?" he said.

"Yes Companion," said Parceph, grooming the other stud.

Bizarro Parceph hugged his likeness sincerely, then stepped back to make an unexpected request.

"I know this is forward of me, Parceph, but do you think I could have him for maybe once a week?"

Jeremiah bit his lip, not exactly sure how this would play out.

Parceph suddenly regarded Bizarro Parceph as a total stranger. "You can't be serious," he said, very confused.

Bizarro Parceph lowered his head.

"Take my companion back home with you once a week!?"

Head dropped even lower.

Parceph looked to his companion to see if this errant pitch had beaned him in the head as well. Jeremiah shrugged. Parceph returned to the supplicating stallion. "Forgive me Parceph, I don't understand. It has only been two weeks since our lives diverged. What possible reason could you have for returning home? Don't you want to move in with us? That's what I would be asking right now."

Bizarro Parceph lifted his head and smiled. "It is what you would be praying for, Brother, but not what you would be able to ask."

"Companion," said Parceph raising his head high, "any objection to doing twins for the rest of your unnatural life?"

Bizarro Parceph whinnied and swiveled with glee, then playfully reared up again and the two stallions had another go at each other in the meadow, leaving Jeremiah to answer the rhetorical question to no one who was listening or cared about his response.

Things settled down quickly again, and the stallions set down in the grass together to resume mutual grooming which quickly led to mutual sixty-nining.

"That didn't take long," sighed Jeremiah.

"This is for your benefit, Companion," said his mate as both stallions stiffened to full length. "I'm going to do you in the front, giving the honor of doing you in the back to our permanent guest, and we shall meet somewhere in your middle."

"I don't reckon I got a say in the matter."

The stallions whinnied.

Parceph opened wide to suck the other's balls up, which was an unfair move, and deliberately so.

"What's going on with your testicles?" said Bizarro Parceph, unable to do the same. The best he could do was lick the mounds that had yet to completely descend.

"I'm growing a new set, thanks to Fred," replied Parceph. "Bouceph has the originals."

"And what happened to Bouceph?" he asked sitting up.

Parceph and Jeremiah eyed each other nervously. There was no point in hiding the truth, but summarizing it was less painful. "We killed him after he killed Jeremiah."

Bizarro Parceph shed less than a tear. "Serves him right. And it's poetic justice that you now live in him, Companion."

Parceph chuckled. "That's it? No questions asked?"

Bizarro Parceph shrugged. "I'm sure I would have done exactly the same thing if you wore horse shoes and I were in them."

Parceph gazed at him intriguingly and nodded. Bizarro Parceph began to do the same. Then they both slowly grinned at each other. "I know what you're thinking," they said followed by simultaneous nickering. Then they both said, "Let's do it," and laughed again.

"What?" asked Jeremiah, unbuckling his belt. "Spit-roast me now?"

The stallions snorted in shame at him for not knowing his significant others very well. Bizarro Parceph allowed his mate to explain.

"No, Companion, we are both fascinated by the concept of existing as identical beings. I believe we have mutually decided to perform a data exchange of the last two weeks." The other Parceph nodded.

"Oh," said Jeremiah buckling up again. "How stupendously erotic."

"Do you suppose we will still be able to tell which one of us is which?"

"You already know what I think about that."

"It was stupid of me to have even asked."

Jeremiah waited an appropriate amount of time before saying, "Will either Tweedle-Dumb or Tweedle-Dee-Dee-Dee please tell me what you was thinkin'?"

"The answer is 'yes,' Companion. We will still retain our individual histories; therefore, we will still be mentally unique, even though it is plain to see that we have identical identities."

"I was going to say that," said one smart ass.

"I know you were," said the other.

"This has already gotten real old," worried Jeremiah.

The two Parcephs brought their heads together and rapidly replayed the events that had occurred over the last two weeks. When they pulled apart, each had an identical expression of awe.

Bizarro Parceph was the first to break eye contact with his twin and admonish his companion with a lascivious smirk. "Naughty, naughty, naughty!"

Parceph immediately got up and ran toward his den. "You guys have hours of felonious fun. You know where I'll be."

"Let us go home and be fruitful, Companion," said Bizarro Parceph, also getting up and following him.

When they reached the den, they met Parceph on his way out carrying a kerosene lantern and a couple hundred feet of rope looped around his neck.

"Have a blast," laughed his likeness, to the other who was already out of sight.

"Where's he off to?" asked Jeremiah.

"I found an old copper mine yesterday," said Bizarro Parceph, unbuttoning Jeremiah's shirt with his mouth. "So far I only looted about half of it."

Jeremiah laid back to allow the stallion to disrobe him. "That's the nicest present you coulda given him."

Parceph slowly pulled the human's jeans down and paused at the aromatic crotch, taking his pheromones deep into his nostrils. "Mmmmm... he did the same for me."

"You devious sum-bitch," moaned the man as the stallion's nose teased him into full mid-morning tree-ness. "You planned this whole shindig."

"Not exactly, but I'm not at all surprised. I can't wait to get back there myself," said Parceph, tea-bagging his mate. "I'll let him catch up to my progress then we'll all explore some more tomorrow. By the way, you're going to need new living quarters. By tonight this place will be packed to the ceiling with really terrific early twentieth century mining crap."

"Peachy."

Foreplay was over; time to get serious. "Ok, Companion," said the randy stud, "how do you want to be skewered?"

"Well," said the willing victim turning over, "I reckon I'll just lay here and sing 'Your Cheatin' Heart' while you mine for copper."

"No, come on. Let's be a little more imaginative than that."

"Alrighty, let's play Seabiscuit vs. Spiderman."

"We did that last Thursday."

"Whatchu talkin' 'bout. You an' me ain't never done anything before... Oh, the data exchange... Hmm... Then I'm outa ideas, you think of somethin'."

"I know!" said Parceph. "How about if I tie you... Oh damn! He took the rope with him."

"How 'bout if we just be spontaneous!?"

"We were spontaneous on Monday."

"Crimony, Flycatcher, you can be one frustratin' varmint."

"Indeed," he said, resuming the foreplay until they came up with a new way to get arrested in The Netherlands.

Jeremiah wasn't nearly as irked with his lover as he let on. Bizarro Parceph was indistinguishable from his mate in every way. Same loveable psyche, same sense of humor, same adventurous spirit, same idiotic need to never repeat a sex act when another had yet to be invented. It was crystal clear that they had the same soul, too. That meant Bizarro Parceph was just as much his mate as his other companion. The only discernable difference between the two stallions was physical: The horse that was currently plundering an actual copper mine only had a partially regrown set of butt knockers, whereas the stud on top of him had a fully laden pair that were about to become unladen. And Jeremiah had just figured out a new way to do it.

"I got it!" he said, getting up. "We're goin' outside."

"That was Wednesday," reminded Parceph.

"Nope, we're doin' it outside cuz there ain't enough room in here."

Jeremiah disappeared around the corner. Parceph followed, but when he got outside, the human was gone.

"Companion?" called Parceph, looking around and then wondering if he had climbed up the wall.

"Lose another one?" said Bouceph, sounding exactly like Bouceph.

Parceph snorted, then cocked an eye. "Companion?"

"Ha. You wish."

Parceph wasn't quite sure what the game was, but he was willing to play it, assuming it was a game. "So, Bouceph... have you seen my companion?"

"Yeah, I made him my bitch. Nice ass. Not quite as tight anymore."

Parceph snorted. If this was a game, it was in the poorest of taste. The data exchange had detailed Bouceph's involvement in Jeremiah's death. It was a significant reason that Parceph had agreed to conspire to execute him. Though Bizarro Parceph had no blood on his hooves, he would have done the same thing in Parceph's place. He wanted nothing to do with Bouceph the Hipponaur ever again.

"Jeremiah, please come out."

"You know, your ass ain't so bad neither," teased his nemesis, pretending to admire it. "You can be my bitch too, if you beg loud enough. Gonna build me a nice harem starting with you and your slut."

"Fuck you!"

"Try it, pea-nuts."

Parceph took a step back, suddenly wondering if this was really his mate or had Bizarro Bouceph followed him here.

"So what'll it be, honey?" Bouceph taunted. "You ready to be my brood mare? I got thirty inches of lovin' for ya."

The insult infuriated the stallion, who was on the verge of swinging around and kicking the asshole in the chest again. Then he suddenly stopped and examined that chest... There was not a mark on it.

"See something you like, sweet cheeks? Maybe you'd prefer face-to-face, gazing into my eyes while I'm breedin' ya. I bet you'd throw a nice foal."

Parceph would have instantly added injury to that insult, had he not decided that this game was becoming fun after all. A smirk spread across his face indicating that he was about to take the lead in this tawdry tango.

"You know, Bouceph, you're an ass," he said, circling his mate.

"You're breaking my heart," retorted Bouceph, swiveling to keep Parceph in front of him.

"Someone needs to put you in your place, you piece of shit."

"You and what cavalry?"

"Oh, it'll be just me," he said, lunging at him.

"Gotta catch me first!" Bouceph dodged and ran out into the meadow, followed closely by his pursuer. But he was anxious to get to the sex, so he pretended to trip and fall, then righted himself just enough to conveniently allow Parceph to pin him down.

"You haven't got the balls," dared Bouceph.

"You know what a big fat butthole like you needs to shut the fuck up? A big fat butt plug!"

Bouceph had expected to feel the sharp pain of the stallion's plug instantly, but Parceph was having trouble positioning himself over his larger companion. Bouceph readjusted to assist, and then Parceph drove his point home.

"Ow, Parceph. That hurts!"

"Get used to it, bitch," said the rutting stallion.

"No Parceph, stop! I mean it! You're really hurting me!!"

"Did I just take your virginity Bouceph? I'm so honored to be your first."

"No! Stop! Oh the humiliation!"

"That makes you my bond mare, you twat."

"Parceph, you're so huge. You could choke a mastodon."

"Who's your daddy now! Huh?"

"Oh you are, Parceph! You studly horse god."

"That's right, you cunt."

"Oh god, I can feel you all the way inside me. Fucking me like the whore that I am."

Parceph started giggling at the cheesy porno dialog, really getting into it.

Bouceph continued, "I'm your Bitch! Make me your cum dump! I'm your filly whore!"

"Shout it, cunt. Tell the world!"

"BOUCEPH LOVES PARCEPH'S HUGE COCK UP HER CUNT!!!" bellowed the vanquished Hipponaur. "BOUCEPH IS PARCEPH'S BITCH!!" A few blackbirds abandoned their perches in protest.

Bouceph pushed back to meet his lover's thrusts. "That's it, slut," growled Parceph. "Show me how much you like it. Beg for it."

"Give it to me, stud," he complied. "Knock up yo' bitch. You gotta need to breed, so feed me yo' seed."

Parceph obliged, flooding his mate's guts with life's essence, then collapsing on top of him to indulge in more giggling. Jeremiah came out to kiss and caress him.

"That was brilliant," wheezed Parceph. "I can always count on you to keep me on my toes."

Jeremiah hugged him. "I love ya, Flycatcher."

The stallion nickered a ditto. The next several minutes involved excessive saliva exchange.

Suddenly Parceph disengaged and stood up, pointing eyes and ears due east.

"What is it, Partner?" asked Jeremiah.

The stallion shut his eyes to concentrate, then opened them looking very worried. "Parceph is in trouble!"

Jeremiah quickly merged back into Bouceph and the two stallions galloped toward the mine.

"How can ya tell he's in trouble," asked Jeremiah.

"I don't know for sure. I just have a sudden feeling of impending doom."

"I reckon you might have some psychic connection to yourself. How ya feelin' now?"

"The same."

The entrance to the mine had been unblocked. Parceph was likely inside.

"Anything dangerous in there yesterday?" asked Jeremiah.

"No," said his mate. "It was reasonably safe."

"I don't like the sounda that. Just how reasonable is 'reasonably?'"

"Reasonable enough for a smart horse like Parceph."

They entered the mine cautiously, calling out to the lost stallion, but there was no reply.

"That's odd," said Parceph just inside the entrance, noting fresh hoof prints that made a bee-line deep into the mine. The stallion looked around at the treasures of human antiquity strewn about that had not been disturbed in decades. "This makes no sense," he wondered.

"What don't?" asked Jeremiah.

"This!" he said indicating the entire room. "I'm beginning to wonder if that really is Parceph. He walked right past this gold mine!"

"Thought you said it was a copper mine."

"THIS gold mine!" said the frustrated stallion, kicking an empty box of dynamite into splinters. "I spent hours in this room excavating it. This was one of the most exciting finds of my life."

"Partner, I know why he ignored it."

"Enlighten me please," said the worried stallion in the mood for no more games.

"Been - there - done - that."

Parceph stared into the mine's depths. "You're right."

"How far did you go yesterday?"

"I spent the whole day right here. I was going to explore deeper tomorrow... or rather today."

"Let's go find him," said Jeremiah stepping out. "Bouceph, you're better off staying here." The docile stallion had nothing better to do.

Jeremiah produced a flashlight and cautiously led his companion into the darkness. They called into the mine and waited for several exasperating seconds for the echoes to die down, then waited again for a response: a very faint and terrified squeal.

"He's here! This way!"

They followed the tracks deeper into the mine, which led to an alcove off of the main tunnel. Parceph's kerosene lantern and rope were on the ground, next to a vertical air shaft where the edge had given way.

"Help please! Be careful!" cried Parceph in a frightened whinny from ten feet below the surface.

"You ok, Partner?" asked Jeremiah as he cautiously approached the edge. He jumped back when more of it gave way, causing the imperiled stallion to screech and slide a few more inches.

"It's a hundred and fifty feet straight down," cried Parceph. "I'm slipping... I can't move... Hurry!"

"I gotta get Bouceph here," insisted Jeremiah. "I'm too far away to virtually rig up anything to save him."

"We don't have time, Companion. "Tie the rope to me and toss it to Parceph. I'll pull him out."

"Pull him out HOW? By his teeth!? I can't lasso him if I can't see him!"

"Stop arguing and DO IT! There's no time. A rope in his teeth will reduce some of the stress he is putting on the wall. Hopefully it will be enough to stabilize him."

"Hurry!" begged Parceph, the sound of crumbling rocks portending more slippage.

Jeremiah did what he was told, cursing the foolhardy plan. He secured the rope around Bizarro Parceph and tossed the rest into the air shaft.

"Can you reach the rope, Partner?"

"No," cried his terrified mate.

Jeremiah flicked the rope blindly, unable to see over the edge without creating more of a cave in.

"A little to the right," called Parceph.

Jeremiah flicked it again.

"Got it!"

Bizarro Parceph pulled back slowly, but the rope slipped painfully through Parceph's mouth.

"Hold up, Partner," said Jeremiah to Bizarro Parceph. "I'm gonna have to go down there and tie it around him. An' if I'd been usin' my noggin, I woulda tied you to the middle instead of the end so I'd have my own rope to climb down on."

Jeremiah carefully approached the eroding edge of the shaft holding onto the rope that connected both Parcephs. He held the kerosene lantern out over the air shaft to assess his mate's position.

"Oh god," he cried to himself when he saw Parceph's predicament. The stallion grimaced wide-eyed with the rope clenched in his bleeding mouth. His limbs shaking with fatigue, Parceph clung precariously to a steep slope that became vertical just beyond him.

"Hold on, Partner. I'm comin'," Jeremiah said with feigned confidence.

He carefully slid down the rope, being mindful of not adding additional weight to Parceph, then held on with one hand while looping the rope around the stallion's chest. After pulling enough slack around, he fastened a sturdy knot, then allowed himself to breathe once it cinched into place. Parceph carefully released the rope and let his failing muscles relax. He slid down the wall a few more inches, but Bizarro Parceph had him anchored.

"Had enough adventure for one day?" reprimanded Jeremiah.

"Yes, Companion," he nuzzled. "Thank you."

"I reckon it's a good thing your friend showed up when he did."

"Yes, I owe him one."

"...thousand," said Jeremiah climbing back up the rope.

Jeremiah directed Bizarro Parceph as he carefully backed up, pulling Parceph out of the air shaft.

"Looks like you got the shaft instead of me, for once," laughed Jeremiah.

"Very funny."

Bizarro Parceph's blood froze when he saw a charred section of the rope coming over the edge of the hole. "Companion! Quickly! The rope!"

Jeremiah looked down just as it snapped, sending the stallion whinnying for the three seconds it took to hit the bottom.

Jeremiah bolted back to Bouceph leaving Bizarro Parceph in shock. The chances of his companion's survival were negligible, but that was enough to risk his life to save him. A minute later he returned inside Bouceph, and then quickly set up a virtual crane and winch over the air shaft. Bizarro Parceph had not moved, still in shock and now in fear of being instrumental in his namesake's death.

"Make yourself useful and go get Fred," sniped Jeremiah. "You'll find him with Azgard. Don't come back without him." The stallion did as commanded without argument.

Jeremiah rappelled down the shaft to reach his mate. Parceph was barely alive with several fatal injuries and compound fractures.

"I'm here, Partner," he said, with more feigned confidence. "Fred's on his way. He'll get ya all patched up. Hang in there."

Jeremiah placed his hands on his companion's rib cage, causing the stallion to flinch and gurgle in pain; his pierced lungs had filled with blood. He could not wait for Fred.

"Partner, I gotta drain your lungs or you're gonna drown."

Parceph could not speak. He knew that his injuries were beyond repair, even for Fred. Right now, he didn't need his life saved. He needed his companion. The fading horse tried to communicate that to him.

"Don't look at me like that!" scolded Jeremiah. "I know that look, and I swore an oath. Never again! Don't you give up on me, Partner. You've gotta fight!"

The stallion closed his eyes and cried. Even with his companion by his side, he was still going to die alone.

Jeremiah produced a sharp tube. "Partner, this is gonna hurt, but it'll help ya breathe."

The man winced as he stabbed his mate between two broken ribs. The horse screamed and twitched, but the impromptu surgeon had hit his mark. Blood aspirated out of the tube, improving the stallion's respiration and prolonging his demise.

"That's better," Jeremiah tried to convince himself.

Parceph opened his tearful eyes again, imploring him to change tactics and comfort him.

"Please don't look at me like that," begged Jeremiah, turning away. "I can't do this by myself. You gotta hold on, Partner. Fred'll be here any minute. He'll be here... he'll save ya..."

His feigned confidence faltering, Jeremiah bit his trembling lip, feeling like the world's biggest coward, unable to face his dying mate who needed him now more than ever. Giving in to Parceph meant giving in to weakness, and giving up all hope. He had done that once before three years ago, and had carried the guilt with him ever since. The stallion whimpered his emotional torment, pleading for solace from his mate. Jeremiah could no longer deny him. He turned to his stallion's soulful eyes and reached out a hand to touch his face.

"I promised," he quavered, with tears rolling down dusty cheeks. "I would never let you die again."

Parceph weakly lifted his head to press into his companion's hand. Compassion was what he needed now.

"You fought for me," Jeremiah cried. "I'm alive today because you didn't give up!"

Parceph struggled to raise a shaking hoof to touch his mate, fighting for him yet again. Jeremiah reached out and held it and made an enlightened connection. He swallowed and gazed at the eyes that bridged their souls, communicating their mutual needs. Once again, a give-and-take exchange occurred: Parceph received affirmation, and Jeremiah received absolution.

Jeremiah finally understood. It wasn't about saving Parceph; it was about Parceph saving him. He carefully cradled the stallion's head in his lap and leaned over him to hold him close. "If ya love somethin'," he wept softly, "set it free..."

Parceph's demeanor changed, releasing all tension. Jeremiah had given him the greatest gift of all: a loving embrace at the end of his life that would imprint upon his soul. Gently petting his horse, he smiled bittersweetly, trying not to break down, trying to make his mate's final moments endearing and not grievous. Parceph tried to do the same for Jeremiah, departing in tranquil peace instead of violent throes.

"You're a part of me," soothed Jeremiah, wiping his tears that had fallen onto his stallion's face. "I'm takin' ya with me. I'll live on for the both of us, Partner. I promise ya that."

These last seconds were for sharing life, not death, and Parceph was grateful. Their intimate connection fortified his soul, empowering its essence and ensuring its survival. The stallion glowed softly with a sputtering blue aura that surrounded them both, a visual manifestation of requited love that brought his soul to the surface. The honorable Hipponaur would always be one with his companion, so he was able to let go, releasing his pain with a final breath.

"When you're riding away on the wind, ya won't be alone," Jeremiah said tenderly. "I'll be on your back. Someday I'll meet up with ya, again."

Parceph turned his eye onto his companion to make one more memory of them together, an indelible moment that would last an eternity, and he carried it away with him. The aura rose up the shaft and disappeared into the ceiling.

Jeremiah continued to hold and pet him, soothing his own soul now, convincing himself that he had done the right thing. His mate was gone, but he did not feel alone. The love they had exchanged in these last moments had permeated the walls. This place would forever be haunted by warmth.

"When a Hipponaur dies," he said softly, carefully laying Parceph's head down, "part of the world dies." It was something he had said to him not two days ago.

He lit the old kerosene lantern and set it near his companion's head. The wandering flame nudged shadows across the stallion's body, creating the illusion of peaceful sleep.

Scattered among the fallen debris were a few relics that Parceph had collected from deeper within the mine. Jeremiah gathered them for his mate, then smiled knowing exactly why he had chosen them. He sat down next to the silent horse and shared the ordinary treasures with him. A mortar and pestle, one tool that was useless without the other: Jeremiah could imagine Parceph with the pestle in his mouth, grinding a rock in its mortar to separate ore from base minerals, and having such a wonderful time doing such a terrible job at it. An old miner's helmet: The campy horse would have strapped it on and presumed that Jeremiah was Dr. Livingston for the rest of the day.

Holding back his tears, he reminisced with his companion the silly memories that they would never make together. He dusted off the keepsakes and placed them reverently next to his mate, then sat quietly with him wondering why bad things happened to good horses. He was an emotional man that loved being ornery, loved being funny, loved being tender, and despised being sorrowful. It was an emotion that knocked him off balance. Today his mate had found a new way to challenge his mettle.

"Just look at ya, Flycatcher. Yer a mess as usual," he said softly, lightly brushing the dirt from his face. "Let's clean ya up some."

He gently combed and straightened the shiny dark mane, and fluffed the forelock between his ears, trying to smile for his mate. He wished he had done this more often when he was alive.

"There now... that's better. Ya look as pretty as the day I met ya."

Jeremiah had stopped aging at thirty-five, but the passing of his companion brought his true age to the surface. His voice and hands trembled as he delicately groomed his mate.

"You were some crazy foo' back then," he mused, "gettin' yerself captured by horse thieves just to be sold at auction. Some crazy foo'. What the hell were you thinkin', boy?"

The flame danced off the stallion's eye as the gentle horse pondered the question.

"Well... I know what you were thinkin'. You were thinkin' of adventure. An' by golly we found it, didn't we."

He pulled out a handkerchief to dab his own eyes and nose, then dabbed his companion's mouth clean of blood and dirt.

"I saw you there in that corral and slapped down twenty bucks. Twenty bucks! They all laughed... Called me a fool with money. Said you wasn't worth more'n a wooden nickel."

The stallion listened to his story, entranced by the lantern flame.

"But I had an eye for horses. And I could tell," Jeremiah nodded. "I could tell. You tried to act like the other ones but I could see right through ya. You were somethin' special."

He stared into the flame as well, sharing that moment with his beloved.

"Twenty bucks I paid for ya. Didn't even think twice about it... Twenty bucks..." he sniffled. "Worth every penny."

After a few silent moments, Jeremiah shook off the past and returned to the present.

"Well two hunerd years later and look at ya now. You look exactly the same. I look exactly the same. But, oh... you was always clumsy, though. Trippin' over yer own feet. And I got YOU to thank cuz yer so dang clumsy.... Ya fell down that hill so long ago and ya... ya hurt yer leg and ya... kept me around instead of freein' my angry soul... You loved me back to life, you did."

Dabbing his eyes again, he pleaded with the lifeless horse, "You gotta stop dyin' on me, Flycatcher, I can't keep buryin' you no more."

His palsied hands carefully closed the stallion's eyelids, then he said in a hush, "You rest now. You rest. You deserve it. An' if yer soul can't come back to me, well, I pray that it rests in peace with ya. You take care, now. I'll leave this here light on for ya."

With nothing left to say, the full force of his grief contorted his every facial muscle. "You'll hafta excuse me, Partner," the old man creaked, "I'm gonna start blubberin' now."

When Jeremiah came out into the daylight, he found the living Parceph standing outside the mine, head bowed in self-reproach. The man patted him on the chest and gave him a hug.

"I couldn't find Fred," Parceph confessed, as if that were another sin.

"It's ok, Partner," said Jeremiah, emotionally exhausted. "There's nothing he coulda done anyway. I'm sorry fer snappin' at ya."

"I should have listened to you."

"Yeah, well who knows. Maybe he woulda fallen sooner if he hadn't had the rope in his mouth. There's no point in debating who shoulda done what. It's just one of those things that happened."

"It's one of those things that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't come here."

Jeremiah was not in the mood for his mate's self-pity. "You can't live life like that, Partner, you know that. If anything, he saved your life today."

"Oh, thank you very much for that cheerful observation. I feel so much better now."

"No, Partner, I mean it!" said Jeremiah seriously. "If you hadn't come here, that would have been you instead of him, today."

"I am aware of that," he snorted. "What's your point?"

"And then you'd be gone, and then tomorrow, or the next day, or the next week, HE'D be gone too!"

"You don't know that for sure."

"That's right I don't. But from what I've seen today, you two are so identical, it's a pretty darn good bet."

That should have made Parceph feel better, but survivor guilt would not allow it.

"I'll tell ya what I do know, Partner," continued Jeremiah. "No one coulda predicted this, and no one coulda prevented it. It happened. Let's deal with it."

"I could have prevented it," confessed Parceph. "I knew the rope had been damaged."

Jeremiah shook his head, "Woulda, coulda, shoulda, if only! Partner, if you knew it, then he knew it too. We did everything possible to save him. And now I'm only interested in rescuin' his soul. Is he back inside you yet?"

Parceph raised his head in alarm. "No. I thought he was with you!"

"He's gotta be in you, Partner," insisted Jeremiah. "You're the perfect host!"

Parceph paused to concentrate, but ultimately shook his head. Now Jeremiah was cursing himself for making Parceph leave to find Fred. It meant that his soul had to wander, and for some reason Bouceph's body with Parceph's own balls didn't interest him.

Parceph suggested, "It is possible that his soul is still lingering near his body."

"No," said Jeremiah, his angst returning. "I saw it leave his body and climb all the way up and outa the mine."

Parceph took a keen interest. "Was it a shimmering blue light?"

"Yep."

"That's a good sign," said Parceph, lightening up. "It indicates that his soul is strong and with purpose." The stallion offered a hug to Jeremiah. "And it means that you did well, Companion."

"What about that feeling of doom ya had earlier?" asked Jeremiah, accepting his offer.

Parceph shook his head. "I don't feel that anymore. Now I feel a sort of benevolent peace. I abandoned my search for Fred the moment I felt it. I knew it could have only meant one thing."

"Well, he's got all day to find us. Hope he's smart enough to duck the sunset."

Outside the copper mine, Parceph and Jeremiah agreed that it would be best to permanently seal the entrance to the fallen Parceph's tomb, lest it become someone else's tragic fate as well. Jeremiah did most of the work, having opposable thumbs. He was also the only one who could make a wheelbarrow. Parceph mostly worried about a wayward soul that he still felt responsible for. Typically, disembodied Hipponaur souls did not travel far, except during the inescapable allure of the sunset. But the sun was not close to the horizon, so Parceph believed that his namesake's soul was nearby. The soul, itself, was pure essence, irresistibly drawn to a body of similar essence. Without question, the nearest living body that should have attracted Parceph's soul was Parceph, himself.

"Any sign of him yet?" asked Jeremiah.

"No," said Parceph.

"He'll show up, Partner. He's a smart feller."

Parceph nodded silently.

"I know he ain't inside Bouceph. He'd be a rabid 'coon if he was."

"Yes," said Parceph, "and I expect inside me he'd be happily making himself at home."

"Reckon so. Probably be pissed to hell that we were sealin' up all this great stuff in the cave."

Parceph nodded. "That's what I was thinking. And kicking himself for not splicing that damaged section of rope."

"Yep. I'd be kickin' him too," chuckled Jeremiah, "sayin', 'Partner, what the hell was you thinkin'...'" Suddenly Jeremiah turned wide-eyed toward his mate and dropped the wheelbarrow. He and Parceph again reached the same conclusion at the same time.

"We're thinking the same things!"

"Companion," said Parceph urgently. "Quickly! What are you thinking now?"

"I'm thinkin' the same thing you are, Partner. That his soul is in my human body, not Bouceph!"

"Yes!" squealed the stallion with a giddy buck and kick. "He must be in you!"

"Whadda we do about it?"

Parceph studied the vacant Bouceph, then they both concluded that a download of Parceph's memories into Bouceph was the best way to feather the nest for Parceph's soul. While they were at it, Parceph uploaded his companion as well, making each Hipponaur the other's personal life insurance policy. When they were ready, Jeremiah slowly merged into Bouceph, easing Parceph's soul inside. The other Parceph rapidly alternated feet in anticipation of his awakening.

Bouceph stood still waiting for his companion to wake up.

Then he waited some more.

Jeremiah stepped out again, scratching his head. Parceph snorted and pawed the ground in frustration.

"I know what yer thinkin' now, Partner," said Jeremiah. "But I reckon it's just cuz ya kinda get to know someone after two hunerd years. Really nothin' more to it than that."

"Why isn't his soul residing in either of us?" nagged Parceph. "He should be in me! My body is perfect for him."

"Maybe too perfect," said Jeremiah, coming up with a new theory.

"What is that supposed to mean," groused Parceph.

"Partner, he could be in ya right now, just as you said, happily makin' himself at home, livin' high and mighty, an' ya might not even know it."

"That's ridiculous. I'd be talking to him right now."

"How could ya if yer both callin' all the same shots?"

The stallion quieted down to consider it.

"Ya got identical souls with identical gumption from identical tick-infested hides. Everything one Flycatcher would think or do would be exactly the same as the other. Yer both lookin' for a soul that's already been found."

"That would be nice if it were true, and I hope that it isn't."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because if he is undetectable, then we will never know if we found him."

"I reckon not," said Jeremiah resuming his work.

Parceph scanned the sky, looking for any clue as to the whereabouts of his soul. Even if it still had an aura, it would be nearly impossible to see in the daylight. Looking for an invisible entity anywhere was always a waste of time, but he had no idea what else to do, and not doing anything was not an option. And now he worried that maybe Jeremiah was right - a good news/bad news kind of worry. He stopped and concentrated as hard as he could to detect the slightest hint of a second entity, but there was none.

He sighed and decided on a different tack, coming up with a way to detect a lost or found soul, some way to sense it, some way to feel it, some way to hear it... Some way to see it!

Parceph suddenly stomped the ground in triumph. "Companion come with me!" The stallion turned and galloped back to the bonding rock. Jeremiah trailed him to keep him out of more trouble.

When he arrived at the rock, he squinted into the ulcer looking for any signs of life. "Disembodied souls can get trapped in ulcers, and it makes them visible" he reminded his mate bringing up the rear. "Do you see anything?"

"Not from down here," said Jeremiah.

"Quickly, Companion. Link with me. It might free him."

The Hipponaurs mind-melded intensely for a few seconds then stepped back to detect a third presence. None would announce itself. Parceph dropped to the ground in despair.

"If he was caught in that ulcer," conjectured Jeremiah, he might have crossed over if someone had linked with a compatible body on the other side.

Parceph shook his head. "There is no other compatible body, Companion."

"I can think of two. You still have a bond mare on both worlds, Partner, but the one you should really be concerned about is the one on the other side of this ulcer."

The stallion nodded. His bond mare, though not fond of him, was not hateful either. If for some reason Parceph's soul had sought refuge in her body in this world, she would likely seek out Jeremiah and return Parceph to him. But Jeremiah did not exist in Bizarro World. His bond mare would have no choice but to free him at sunset.

Still, Parceph shook his head. "Why would his soul travel miles away to end up in her when there are two perfectly good bodies right here!?"

"I don't know, Partner, but I don't see that we have much of a choice. Where is this ulcer, anyway."

"Directly over the rock, about fifteen feet off the ground. Anything virtual will open it."

"Good enough," said Jeremiah. The man produced a 16-foot straight ladder that he planted on the ground, then leaned it forward over the bonding rock. The moment it contacted the ulcer, the ladder stabilized, opening the portal, and an unseen claw reached through from the other side and grabbed onto Parceph.

The stallion felt his whole body being sucked up into the ulcer. He whinnied for help trying to break free of the omnipotent force that dragged him closer to the levitating pit. His powerful muscles convulsed, preventing his escape, causing him to collapse and writhe while an invisible thing reeled in its catch. Jeremiah jumped on his body trying in vain to thwart the abduction. The stallion's skin bubbled violently as if insects scurried under the surface to separate it from his hide. Mane and tail were pulled painfully upward by a jet engine that had its designs only on the stallion. Jeremiah spread his limbs doing all he could do to hold his companion down. But the force would not be denied, and it finally got what it wanted. Parceph's skin instantly peeled off and flew into the ulcer, slamming the portal shut and bringing the ladder crashing to the ground.

The terrified stallion continued to shake in fear for a few seconds, but the instant calm that returned to the bonding rock seemed to suggest that the ordeal was over. Parceph, complete with skin intact, recovered the use of his legs and carefully stood up, allowing Jeremiah to slide off his body. The stunned mates stared at each other in utter bewilderment, then Jeremiah was the first to break the silence.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!!!" he shrieked.

Parceph pinned his ears too late to mute the auditory assault.

Jeremiah calmed down and did a visual and physical inspection of Parceph, patting the stallion down. The horse was solid, everything seemed to be in place.

"Are you ok, Partner?" he asked.

"I think so," said Parceph, his ears still ringing. After performing an internal systems check the stallion took a nervous step forward, then another. The only lingering aftereffects seemed to be jitters.

"Did you see what I saw?" said Jeremiah. "You got skinned alive."

He dug his fingers into Parceph's hide and yanked firmly on it. "Which I have a hard time reckonin' cuz it's all still here."

"I'm just as baffled as you, Companion."

Jeremiah shaded his eyes and looked up at the ulcer. "That sure was the darndest thing. Yer hide just high-tailed it outa here. Went right up there into nowhere. I still don't see anything up there, do you?"

Parceph didn't respond. The stallion was dead frozen, eyes and ears locked onto something on his left. Jeremiah had enough horse sense to recognize the expression that usually meant run-for-your-life in three... two... one...

Jeremiah crouched down next to his mate but could not see what had him on high alert. "What is it?" he whispered.

"I... see him," said Parceph, softly.

As if traversing a minefield, the stallion took a slow and deliberate step forward, then brought it back, then stepped forward again but slightly to the right.

"See who?" asked Jeremiah not seeing anyone.

"I see Parceph," he said, eerily. "He's looking at me."

Jeremiah still couldn't see a damn thing. "Where!?"

"He's right here, Companion," said Parceph enthralled, unable to take his eyes off the specter, "on the other side of the rock."

Jeremiah scanned every possible location on the other side of the rock, but shook his head. "You're seeing things, Partner. There's nothing there."

"He's there," insisted his mate, calmly. "And now he's acknowledging me."

Jeremiah had had enough of this nonsense and walked over to the other side of the rock. "Here!?" he said, splaying his arms as if to emphasize that his mate's sanity must have been sucked away with his skin.

Parceph nodded, observing the two bodies superimposed. "You were right, Companion. My soul had entered his body. We've been together this whole time. And now he's back home."

"Wait, which one of you is back home?"

"He is," smiled Parceph, who then nodded his own acknowledgement to the other, "the version of me that came from there. And he's smiling at me because he knows that I am alive and living comfortably in his body."

Jeremiah shook his head, skeptical of anything that his eyes denied.

The stallion was not offended. "If you don't believe me, Companion, open the ulcer and see for yourself."

"You gotta be freakin' kidding me! I ain't goin' near that infernal suck hole again!"

"It'll be fine, Companion. Balance has been restored."

Jeremiah considered the consequences and then relented. This issue was not going to be resolved until it was confirmed one way or the other. Since it was the ladder that held the ulcer open, if things got bad again he could simply knock it over. Reluctantly, he picked it up and carefully leaned it back into the ulcer, but there was nothing there to lean it against. He lost control and it crashed to the ground again. "What in tarnation..."

Jeremiah returned to his mate. "Looks like it's closed for good. Good riddance."

"Fascinating," said Parceph, still locked onto his likeness in another dimension. "I think I'm beginning to understand."

"Are you tryin' to tell me that there is an identical version of you back there again?"

The stallion nodded affirmatively to him.

"That's not possible, Partner. There's only one of you now. The poor feller on the other side might be yer ghost, but yer body is right here."

Jeremiah tried to prove his point by slapping his corporeal mate, except that he couldn't because his hand passed right through him.

"Holy Great Caesar's Freakin' Mother of Jumping Jehosephat's Ghost! Partner, you're a god damned Sentinel!"

Parceph grinned even wider at this interesting turn of events.

"How do ya turn it off?" said Jeremiah scratching his neck.

Parceph nodded to his other-worldly self then turned sideways to unorient himself. "It's off." The stallion stood proud and strong, smiling at his mate.

Jeremiah reached out and felt solid equine flesh again, then patted the stallion all over just to make sure no residual inter-dimensional foxholes were hiding underneath. Parceph just sighed happily that all was well in two worlds. Jeremiah finished up by cupping the stallion's full-sized testicles.

"Not now, Companion."

"No, Flycatcher. I think you're wrong. You got his ballsac. I think you're still him."

"Of course, Companion," said Parceph at peace. "It's his body that we both share now. And we both have it in our own worlds."

"You're sayin' he's physically standing over there in a real body just like you are here and now?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. We aren't connected right now, so I don't know precisely what is happening over there, but if I position my body exactly parallel to his, then I can tune him in and we can become connected."

"Ya sound like a couple a' rabbit ears."

"Would you like to say hello?" Parceph returned to his previous position and re-tuned his identical-in-every-molecule twin. "You may enter through my right."

"Possum pellets," said Jeremiah as he warily stepped into his mate's body and found himself nearly weightless inside a lime green tunnel shaped like Parceph's profile. Sparkly eels of white light swam down the edges of the tunnel, lighting the way. Jeremiah came out the other side and suddenly found gravity again.

"Nice to see you again, Companion," smiled his mate. "You always brighten my day."

"Flycatcher?"

"In the flesh... oh wait." Parceph turned sideways. "Now in the flesh."

Jeremiah patted him down again. If this was a ghost, it was a ghost with a living body, and a full set of balls. "I don't understand how any of this is possible, Partner. I'm just glad you're all right... You are all right, right? You feelin' ok?"

"Right now I feel perfectly normal. I'm still Parceph and you're still my companion. But it's a little crazier when I'm linked, because I can perceive two overlapping worlds. And I was especially nervous when you were passing through me just now. I don't know where you'd go if I suddenly became disoriented."

"Let's not find out."

"The thing is, Companion, this is my home, and I think I need to stay here. It's why my soul returned here when it got the chance. But I can't possibly stay here without you."

"I reckon I can visit ya Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and alternate Saturdays."

"That is exactly what I was thinking," he chuckled. "And the best part is," he said nuzzling his companion, "you will always know where to find me."

The man hugged his magical mate. "I reckon I'll see ya tomorrow, then."

"I am already planning the adventure," said Parceph affectionately. The Sentinel re-established the link. "Travel safely, Companion. You may enter through my left. Watch your step."

Jeremiah kicked swiftly through the tunnel, not wanting to find out what happened if one of them sneezed.

"How did it go?" asked Parceph.

"You're right, Partner. He's all Flycatcher, stench, an' all. And I can already tell I'm gonna feel like the kid of divorced parents, bouncing back and forth between households every morn."

"I don't have a problem with that if you don't," said his mate as they headed back.

"Nah, it's no problem. I get to have Flycatcher in my life every day of the week. And as long as you asses don't exchange data no more, then from now on I can recycle the daily sexcapades."

They strolled side-by-side as Hipponaurs, since Jeremiah had minimal control of Bouceph when he was outside his body. "So how certain are ya that yer the Parceph from this world? Cuz you're body sure ain't."

"I'm reasonably certain."

"There's that word again. Do ya know how ya happened to get stuck in the shaft in the first place?"

"No, but I wouldn't expect to. Our memories diverged after we had exchanged data and went separate ways. I remember fondly raping Bouceph, though technically, I wasn't present at the time."

The stallion stopped to hug the other stallion. "I know that I'm alive because of you, Companion."

"Nah," shrugged Jeremiah. "Ya woulda found Parceph anyway."

"Perhaps, but I now believe that the sudden feeling of peace I had felt earlier was my soul returning to me. And it filled me with such a profound feeling of love for you that I had to abandon my mission and return to you. You made that happen."

Jeremiah felt uncomfortable taking credit for his companion's clever soul, so he changed the subject as they continued walking back. "I don't s'pose there's any point in trying to make a lick a' sense outa any of this."

"I have a few theories."

"Partner, what I don't get is why that ulcer comes and goes like it does. You probably don't remember this exceptin' maybe cuz of a download, but about ninety years ago, I rigged up a virtual sex sling for ya that was suspended over the bonding rock."

Parceph nodded fondly, wishing he had been there.

"That sling musta passed through the ulcer a thousand times but it never opened until now. And now it won't open again."

"Varyl was a Sentinel, Companion. He was alive back then; that's why the ulcer remained closed. It only appeared after Varyl vanished, and then it disappeared the exact moment that I became a Sentinel. I believe that that is what the Sentinels are: guardians of spatial ulcers. The ulcer still exists, but I control it through me."

"You sure you want that responsibility?"

"No. But I don't see that I have a choice."

"Well, I ain't so sure about that. Do you remember when Danny shot Mourne? That feller didn't just fall over and die, he fell over and got sucked into his own wormhole, makin' a clean getaway. You might be able to do that too, call yer other soul back here if ya wanted. Then ya wouldn't have to share me with yerself."

Parceph liked that idea. "I shall definitely consider that option."

"Ulcers and wormholes and Sentinels, oh my," said Jeremiah shaking his head. "Still can't see how any of it's possible."

"I've been reflecting upon that, Companion, and I think I have an idea. Do you remember your quantum physics?"

"Um... no, I always slept during that class," which was not a lie if Jeremiah considered that whenever he slept, he could be sitting in quantum physics.

"Two quantum particles can become entangled, which links them over distance. What is most intriguing is that the distance is entirely arbitrary. Information learned by one particle is also learned by the other. Apparently my two identical souls are entangled, which allows information to pass between them instantaneously, no matter where they are. Furthermore, entangled particles exist in two states simultaneously, like a switch that is both on and off. When my two souls are in one body, I only exist as one being in one world, but when they are entangled between two parallel worlds, I can physically exist in both of them."

"Gobbledygook."

"Of course it is."

[End of _COMPANIONS_ Chapter 40: Three's Company]

[Next in series: Chapter 41: Thad]