FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

«Miss Michelle...» Europa sighed for a moment until her mistress finally roused, mentally at least. «Ah, good. I was afraid I'd have to give you a jolt or something.»

«What is it, Euro? I just... want to sleep.»

«Well you can't.» Io joined the mix this time, the double veilee now forcing her paw. «Your mother is here. Please don't let her cry.»

Chelle opened her eyes groggily and found Ilaria sobbing into her chest. Oddly, she also noticed her chest was much, much larger than she last remembered. «Wow... Uh, I'll calm her down. Io, get my sister up. Euro... why do I have a massive rack now?»

«Sorry! I had to shift around some hormones for your healing to speed up. Let's just say... your other mother could bounce back from ~anything~.»

«Funny. So she had tits like these? Huh. Sucks that I only have vague memories of hers and she never took notice of her own assets.»

«If I can rummage up one involving both your mothers and no clothing, I'm sure you'd find her noticing.»

Chelle chuckled at the joke, inadvertently drawing her mother's attention her way. «Ah. Let me cheer her up instead of chatting.»

Europa shrugged her shoulders. «I'm always listening anyway.»

<Mom...> Chelle tried to sign a sentence normally, but lacking one paw limited her options to spelling out letters or creating hard light holograms. She chose the latter since her sister was Linked to her to subconsciously help. <Mom, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let this happen.>

"Michelle!" Ilaria squeezed the life out of her daughter, so overcome with relief that she took nearly a whole minute to realize there was text to be read. "Gods... Baby girl, this wasn't your fault. Don't be sorry for anything. I'm just glad you're safe!"

<But this is my fault. I let her have my blade.> Chelle reached to her twin at her side and gingerly lifted their matching stumps. <She could have kept her paw, but... but she did this... for me.>

"It's as sweet as it is stupid. If it's her decision then don't worry about it. She made it and she'll live with the consequences, sadly." Ari clutched her mechanical paw and sighed as she couldn't truly feel the parts moving. "The two of you will never be the same, and I don't mean just physically. I'll help you get through this."

<But it doesn't hurt, and if I need another paw I always have Mik's.>

"Chelle... wow. That's surprisingly adorable... but I didn't expect you to be fine with it so soon." Ari broke her trance on her mechanisms when she spotted the other twin waking. "It took me years to get used to losing a leg. It was such a huge part of me--"

<That's because all of you is huge.> Mikhaila awoke with a smile, her nippy personality thankfully still intact. <I did always say I didn't like my large guy paws. One down...>

"Mikhaila..." Ari clutched her other daughter and made it well known she was here to help. "Are you alright? Do either of you need anything? I'm leaving the Bridge in Yoyo's paws so I can be with you two, so I've only got my eyes on you."

<Well there is something you could help me with. Maybe Chelle too.> Mik pulled her blanket aside and her triplicate cocks sprung from her sirat drapes. <We don't have our usual paws...>

"You mean you can't..." Ari leaned in closer and lowered her voice, not wanting to disturb the other patients with the imagery. "You can't paw yourselves off? You want me to do that for you?"

<Could you? We-->

Elliot took that hard light message and chucked it into the wall, smashing it into obliteration. "They've already coaxed pawjobs out of me and left me with the mess. It's just fun and games, and it turns out nothing sates them except fluid contact with a mate." The doc pulled each of the twins' paws over and inspected the bandages. "You look like you're healing about as fast as Carbon and Rose do. Get some rest instead of working yourselves up and you'll be out of here sooner, free to ~propagate your seed~ to anyone you want."

<Yes, Aunt Ellie...>

Ari tousled her girls' hair and covered Mik's groin. "Any idea when they'll be out? I'd like to move them to their room so they get some more light."

"That's a good point. They need to photosynthesize to have balanced chemistry..." Ellie groaned as he thought about the options. "Take some bandages and change them every twelve hours. If the wounds look or smell odd, rope them back my way. Oh, but let me get one last X-ray first. I'll be back in a minute."

"Sounds like a plan. Thanks, Ellie." As the fair-furred otter walked off to see his other patients, he overheard a certain phrase that made him both cringe and chuckle. "But until then... I suppose a pawjob or two couldn't hurt. Just pick your favorite dick though, because I'm not doing them all."

"Her family is wrongly cute." Ellie came upon Sydney's bed and shook his head at the three bodies inhabiting it. "Carbon, Eve... Didn't I tell you she needed rest?"

"That's all you doctors ever say." Carbon licked Sydney's snout before standing so Ellie had access. "So what's the verdict? She's totally only got a day to live, right? Or was it hours?"

"Funny. Well, I took a look at her scans and found nothing more than the laceration and some scarring from the cauterization of the hot metal." The doc pulled up a data pad and held out the scans as a composite hologram. "You'll probably need me to open that sucker up and carve away the bad tissue so it heals right. Thankfully the tools I have here make that ~mostly~ painless."

"Ouf. Sorry, Meerpuss."

"I technically did it to myself, so no worries." Sydney winced as Ellie peeled back a bandage and checked the gauze below. "So if I'm fine... how is she?"

"Your baby is healthy as can be. I wouldn't recommend any additional perilous missions, no no."

"Oh, I could have guessed that. I mean... Ana, the human girl with us?"

"Ah." Ellie took a deep breath and breathed it out ominously slowly. "She had a bad scrape on her knee. I had to use antiseptic on the poor girl."

"So...?"

"Wow. That was a joke. She's fine." Ellie placed the bandage back in place and gestured for Carbon to resume her cuddling. "She's on the girls' barge with her mother. I told Carmine to schedule a psych session for her with Rose's help."

Evelyn sat up from the far side of the bed and hesitated in asking, "What of her brother? He was barely alive when we found him."

"He needed oxygen for a while. Broke a few ribs and his arm." Ellie sighed for real this time, looking at a wall to another room as if he could see through it. "I'm afraid we might have another case of brain damage though. I'm not sure if it's oxygen deprivation or a bad concussion, but his autonomous reflexes are entirely wrong. We can only hope it's something temporary like cranial swelling."

"Keep me appraised. I'm the reason we went there, and he wouldn't have been crushed if we--"

Carbon cut Eve off before she could lay all the blame on herself. "You would have died if we did nothing. Accidents and unfortunate luck don't mean we should forsake loved ones and forgo all risk."

Eve slumped as she noticed the determination in her mates' eyes. "Fine. It was still a terrible accident, though."

"I'll leave you guys here to do your thing. Give me a bit to finish up my rounds, zap the girls, and fix up this one guy that nearly lost a thumb shooting someone's revolver, then I'll fix up that cut so you can head back to your quarters."

"Revolver burn? I know that injury. Ouf." Cid called out as the doc left for the next room. "Good luck with the kid. Don't let Ana lose her brother."

"And my evil sis too. It's a shame she keeps losing her queoo." Carbon sidled up to her wounded mate and dug her head into her shoulder. "I won't say that mission went well... but if you'll let me be selfish for a while, I'm glad we're back together. We missed you, Eve."

"Damn straight." Sydney laid back and threw her arms over Carbon's and Eve's shoulders. "So you doing well yourself, Eve? Carbon said you lost some of yourself back there. Did the alien computer thing not work?"

"No, I'm still all here. My body might be a bit iffy, but the clockwork is still ticking." Eve fidgeted for a bit before shifting back into her rings on her mate's fingers. "I found a few extra gears and cogs though, and I need a bit to figure out where they go. I might have... well, a solution to this black hole or something. It just feels like something's still missing."

"Take whatever time you need. We'll figure out where we're headed next whenever you're ready." Carbon snuggled Sydney, making a point of bringing their black rings up together for a kiss. "We love you, Eve."

"I know." The super-massive phantom grew cold as she effectively went to sleep through internal meditation. "I love you both."

"Sleep well, hon." Carbon smiled as her paw and a sneaky tendril snaked lower down her ad Cid's bodies. "Meanwhile, why don't we copy those three? Blow off some steam?"

"Who?" Sydney checked another bed to find a sleeping fur, then lightly gasped as she rotated over the twins and their mother. "Oh. Well neither of us have one of ~those~."

"I think we can rummage something up for a quickie." Carbon's queoo flipped into view and unfurled their drooling flower ends. "You or me first?"

"Both. Remember that time in your garage?" Cid blushed as she reached for one of the tendrils and pulled it to poke from between her thighs. "I've been dying to take the lead again."

Carbon reeled the vine back and crawled atop her wife. "No can do with that gash. You just relax. Nurse Carbon knows how to make you feel better."

"Oh, gods. At least let me do something for you too--" Two queoo slipped below the meerkat's waistband and immediately quelled her complaints, replacing them with incessant blushing and hushed mewls. "We'll... worry about that later..."

"At'ta Meerpuss..."

---

"Wakey, wakey. Eggs and bac-ey." Leannan stroke into her parents' bedroom with Carbon carrying a tray of food in tow. "I made breakfast!"

"We made breakfast, so don't be scared. Lea did help with the toast and eggs though." Carbon slid up against the bed and draped the serving tray over Sydney's legs, leaving a bit of room for the forming baby bump in her belly. "Thought you might want to take it easy for once, kitten. Our next daughter isn't exactly taking her time to meet us, much like a certain other little girl I love."

"You made all this in that small kitchen? This is enough for like, five furs." Sydney checked over the eggs, bacon, oatmeal, toast, and pancakes then adjusted the hefty bounty to fit a little better around her. "I appreciate it and all, but I can't eat all of this. I--" The meerkat started nibbling and a rush of hunger tore through her stomach, all thanks to a pre-born Cait. "I... might need a lot of time, anyway."

"Well you have plenty of that." Evelyn formed her body and smiled down from the side of the bed. "Everyone's finally back on their paws and I'm back in action, so we're gathering to figure out our game plan today. Security training is canceled for now."

"That's literally all I get to do when we're traveling. Don't make me do nothing, please."

"Who said we'd do nothing?" Carbon raised the blankets at the foot of the bed and slipped below, surprising Sydney when her mask fell out the side and wet tongue met kitten pussy. "You've been tired with the kids and the wound. I can't let this go neglected. So, mind if I eat while you do?"

"Y-Yes, I do." Another hunger rose up in Cid and overrode her priorities. She moved the tray out of the way and peeked below the covers, finding the otter had her whole tongue as far deep into her nethers as possible. "As good as th-that is, you've been doing it for d-days. Stop babying me."

Carbon ceased her advances as requested, lapping up the juices she coaxed to calmly stare back. "Seriously? You love it when I go down on you."

"I do. I really do. That's been every night this week though." Sydney took a few seconds to remember where she last put something she rarely used, then snapped her fingers and reached for the lowest shelf in her nightstand. "For once I'd like to be in charge. Just because I've got a bun in the oven doesn't mean I can't take the lead."

"The lead? How do you want to do that? If I were a guy right now I'd let you ride on top, but--"

Eve spotted Cid's objective first and cooed, "Oh, I like where this is headed."

"So do I." The meerkat produced a double-sided, meerkat-shaped dildo that was just about the perfect size for two of her, along with a ring with straps looping from it. "You're so pushy I haven't been able to use these together even once... aside from my old disguise anyway."

"Together?" Carbon tried to figure out the combination, but Cid assembled and wore the strap-on so there was no room or guesswork. "Oh. That's new."

"And it shouldn't be, not with my wife... when you aren't my husband anyway. It's about time I broke this out."

"Sydney, you don't have to wait for me to be female to try this sort of thing. I love you and would kill to try everything you like. Besides, I've been with men in both states in either case..." Carbon pulled herself to eye level with her mate and inspected the dildo with a paw. "So you can feel when I touch this? Is that how it works? It looks fun."

"It's probably not the same as you feel as a guy, but it's still great when it gets going and rubbing." Sydney pulled and pushed on the ring, proving there was still a bit of play both ways as the dildo slid in and out of her. "It's been a while though. Last time I broke out the set was years ago with Lilly--"

"Oh, so is this how all of that worked? She's a taker?" Carbon smiled and straddled the dildo, teasing her mate with the tip prodding her sirat. "I know you and Lilly were involved. That's nothing to be embarrassed about. Hell, I wouldn't mind roping in a friend or two even though we're mated."

"I'm already getting used to showing Lea just us two. We might want to wait a bit on that." She meant that, but a part of Sydney wanted to avoid involving other partners out of principle. "Lea, you're still fine with this? You understand that your mommies are just having adult fun, right?"

"Yeah, mommy." The rapidly-growing brat sat in the corner against the headboard of the bed in her normal position. "What is that called?"

"It's a dildo. Those are adult toys big girls sometimes use when they don't have a mate or lover, but they still need to satisfy urges." Eve picked up the kitten and took her spot, setting the kid down in her lap. "Your mommy is holding it in the same place as a boy's penis with that strap-on. Now she can move like a boy so your other mommy can be... well, satisfied."

"This is a good way for two women to show they love each other, and I love your mommy very, very much." Sydney tossed Carbon to the side and mounted her from behind, the tip of her flesh-colored dildo poking at the hybrid's wet folds. "That's why I'm going to claim her the same way she does to me when she's a man. I'm ~sure~ she'd like to know how that feels."

"Oh goddess." Carbon hissed as the tip slowly turned into the shaft, then squeaked as the dildo topped out with about an inch left to go. "That thing's huge for me. Huge and... goddess... and hard."

"Already enjoying flipping the tables on you, love." Cid angled herself so that the dildo rubbed her clit as she moved, then began a tortuously slow rocking deep inside her mate. "Gods, this feels good. Is it too rough when I go this deep? I think I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel."

"What's that mean, mommy?"

Carbon groaned and huffed as she fought for a sliver of sanity in her sudden bliss. "It's... because Sydney is touching... my womb..."

"You can normally only go so far into a girl without hurting her. Depending on a few things, it can either hurt or feel really good." Eve noticed Lea's paw slip between her legs and raised her knees to cover for the girl, not wanting Sydney to suppress such a natural reaction. "For example Uncle Yoyo and Aunt Ari are really big and like to got further, but they're careful and gentle about it. Don't let anyone try that unless you trust them. Alright?"

"Yeah, Evie. I'll be careful when my mommies let me try."

"It'll be sooner than you think." Carbon gasped as her cervix took a straight hit, the otter finding the sensation quite delightful if still painful. "I'm proud of my big girl."

"Of me? Damn straight I'm big." Sydney indeed currently had a few inches over her wife and used it to good effect, nipping the scruff of her neck as her strokes increased in depth. "I've always wanted to pin you down like this, to make you squirm in delight. But..." The meerkat stopped her thrusting for a moment and rolled Carbon over to face her, then pulled apart her sirat top to play with the otter's small breasts. "I think I'd rather see your face when you cum. You're close, right? I haven't lost my touch?"

"B-Been there and b-back ag-gain, b-but...!"

Evelyn shook her head at the otter and offered her hand for comfort. "She can't climax without genetic transfer, Sydney. We talked about this about a hundred times..."

"Oh, right. I just forget about that because missy here always steals the lead." Sydney leaned forward to kiss her wife, her saliva hopefully being enough to trigger that particular evolutionary safeguard, but at the last moment she pulled back and picked up her pace. "Actually, I want to see what happens if I leave you like this. Gotta share everything with the new wifey, right?"

"So m-mean!"

"Mommy, why is my other mommy mad?" Leannan leaned forward in concern as well. "What's going on?"

"Well, Lea... Your mommy Carbon's side of the family needs to touch something wet and sticky from a partner to be satisfied. It looks a bit painful, actually." Cid grinned as Carbon had a sort of micro-orgasm, but didn't let up on her vigorous pace. "With any luck you won't have that particular trait. It's good to be free to get yourself off without help."

"That's actually why I encourage Lea's experimentation. Let her touch herself enough and you'll find out pretty quickly." Eve sat back and pulled Lea with her, coaxing her paw back between her legs. "It feels good to try that, yes?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Then keep at it. Once you figure out how the plumbing works down there, you'll feel just as great as your mommies."

Lea nodded with more confidence and went back to slowly rubbing her nethers. "I'd like that. Wait, but what about you? Why don't you do this, mommy?"

"Oh, I'm not your--"

"You're just as much her mom as we are, Eve. Don't you ever think otherwise." Sydney giggled as she stared into her poor otter's eyes, which in turn stared into nothingness as she practically hit a fresh micro-orgasm with each thrust. "She does have a point though. Why haven't you let either of us lay a paw on that fine body of yours? Similar issue?"

"N-No... Just... It's just that I can't feel anything... And I'm icy cold most of the time, and harder than stone unless I concentrate..." Eve groaned in disappointment as she tried to divert the subject. "It's just not a practical idea. Now stop torturing Carbon before she explodes."

"Yeah, I think I've teased you long enough. Gimme some sugar, otter." Sydney leaned down and planted her lips against Carbon's, immediately inducing the hybrid into a state of orgasmic shock and sending her into convulsions. The meerkat tried to hold her kiss long enough to enjoy it, but the sheer violence it brought about forced her to back away so Carbon could ride out her high. "I knew I was good, but damn... Is she alright?"

"Yeah. She's been like this before, once or twice. This might be the strongest I've seen though." Eve plopped Lea to her side and crawled across the bed on all fours to Link with Carbon and check her vitals. "Wow. She might be thrashing about, but she's out cold. If you don't mind, I think I'll mix up her hormones a bit and start her down the path to being a male. Might help easer her back out of it."

"Oh, I don't mind. She knows we both wear the pants equally now." Sydney pressed her dildo against Evelyn's bone-dry snatch and shoved forward, hoping Carbon's lubrication would do the trick. She quickly found out what Eve meant by harder than stone when she literally budged less than a rock face. "Well damn. I was hoping to show you why wearing the pants can be good for you too, but..."

"I-I don't... Ah... G-Give me a second..." Eve calmed herself down a bit and her flesh became pliable, allowing Sydney to bury her toy with a fair amount of weight against it. "My body only moves when I tell it to, so if I don't anticipate you..."

"Right. I forget you're made of pure science and basically my kryptonite." Cid pulled back slowly and then shoved back to the base, hoping for more of a response than she got. "So you don't feel anything? I thought the whole genetic thing worked for you too, and with Carbon squirting all over this thing..."

"It helps. I'm definitely feeling... aroused. I just need something more. Maybe a Link? No, not just that..."

Sydney recognized the nervousness and trepidation in her mate's voice and pulled herself free. Only while she did come free the front half of her dildo did not, having literally frozen and snapped clear of the strap-on's securing ring. "Um... Shit, you weren't kidding about the cold thing."

"I told you, I'm... different."

"Well the only times you ever felt good during sex were the times you were in Carbon's head." Sydney tried to carefully remove the now one-sided dildo from her wife, but only managed to do so once Eve shifted enough to dislodge it. "Don't worry about it. We'll figure it out once Carbon's back in the world of the living. I know for a fact you can have an orgasm, science be damned. And if there's one thing I refuse to do, it's let my wife go without a damned orgasm."

"...I'm sorry we can't work it out right now, though. You haven't reached climax yourself, have you?"

"No, but that's alright. I still have half of this thing and plenty of time. Actually, I might be able to just leave it like this and enjoy it all day. Huh." Sydney slid off the bed and snagged a piece of toast en route to the hallway. "I'm going to clean up and go to work. Keep Carbon company for a bit and I'll figure all of this out... somehow."

"But mommy... I made breakfast..."

Cid gave her child a smooch on the cheek and munched on toast. "And it's delicious. I'll be back in a few minutes so we can eat it together. Okay?"

"Yeah!"

"That's my good little girl."

"Robe, Sydney." Eve grabbed a fluffy robe from the corner post of the bed and tossed it over. "You forget we have guests now. No more nude fun."

"I can walk around however I want, thank you." Cid quickly grabbed her sirat and snagged the robe anyway. "Guess it would help to wear a bit more than just figurative pants though."

"I know you too well."

"Because Carbon knows me just as well. It's why I love you so much." Sydney kissed Eve, then leaned down and kissed Carbon while simultaneously inducing another bout of orgasmic flailing. "Love you too, otter."

A few exploring humans passed by as Sydney entered the hallway, confirming that her phantasmal wife's suggestion was a good one. She scurried across the hall quickly regardless of onlookers, more concerned with her smell than was probably warranted with humans. There was also the minor issue of the dildo crammed inside her, but that couldn't be helped as it was necessary at the moment. She sighed in relief when she found the showers empty. In a flash Sydney disrobed and slipped into a stall, her clothing left on a bench just outside the panel door.

"And is it warm today...? Yes! Time to finish up and clean up, Cid." Sydney basked in the hot water as it shot forth, a vacuum on the floor aiding the low-gravity flow with a mildly annoying hum. "Sorry, fallen buddy. Gonna need to requisition a replacement for you from the girls. Care to have one last go before you're retired with honors?"

Sydney's paws slipped down her body slowly, rubbing her wet fur flat and letting the water soak deeper through the path to her crotch. One paw found the broken toy and gave it a soft yank, the spare paw grabbing the base firmly for more regular manipulation. The dildo pumped halfway in and out of her pussy in a steady rhythm while her now-free paw fanned over her clit, the meerkat looking more for a quick finish than a longer, more enjoyable session. A rogue tongue disagreed with that plan, shooting Sydney against the shower wall in surprise with a yip.

"Came to your senses already? Sorry about teasing you, wifey." Sydney shut her eyes and dropped her toy, allowing the tongue to take its place. "I can think of a few ways you might get me back. We might not want to take too long here thou--" Cid glanced downward to capture a sexy view of her mate and help her mood, but what she found was definitely not otter nor plant in build. "_ Volk!? _"

The elder husky poked his head from Sydney's side with a smile and a lick of his chops. "Hey, Cid."

"What the fuck?" The meerkat shoved Vasily back and covered herself. "Damnit, I thought you were Carbon. What the fuck are you doing?"

"I thought you could use a little help. I know that face you make when you're frustrated." The husky made no mistake about his intent, his dog cock standing at full attention as he lightly stroked it to keep it there. "Come on. We're family now, and you know how our family works."

"I do, but I'm not doing this. My kid is waiting for me."

"Yet you're humping plastic in a shower?" Vasily licked his lips again, this time more as a showy offer. "I'm just trying to help you get there faster anyway."

Sydney sighed as she lowered her arms, turned around, and resumed her shower as if the husky wasn't there. "There's plenty of showers, Volk. Go finish in one of those. Alone."

"Really? You never used to be this mean to me. We used to be close friends." Vasily walked up to Sydney and made the height difference between them known as his large cock's tip tapped the back of her neck. "Sure, we never shared a shower before, but I'd still rather spend time with you than keep apart. Besides, what if I need someone to wash my back?"

"Sounds like a personal problem."

"No, this does." Vasily reached forward, clasping a breast with his proportionately huge paw while the other snaked lower and hooked a few girthy fingers inward. "I really do want to help. If you can honestly say you don't want me to, you know I'll respect that. I did before."

Sydney groaned as she fought to hold back a squeak. "...No... I always trusted you, Volk."

Vasily spun the smaller, younger woman around and hoisted her up by her ass cheeks so his manhood rubbed her slit. "That's not a clear answer. Requesting revised orders, Cid."

"You really want to... to fuck me this time?"

Vasily ground his length against Sydney's petals. "Always have. You know what that many years of blue balls feels like?"

"So we..." The meerkat gazed down at the dog cock prodding against her with a tense expression that betrayed her words. "Yeah. Fuck me. Fuck me like--"

"My wife? Kinky." The old dog eased Sydney to her hindpaws and stepped back against a wall. "Sorry, Cid. I also know when someone's trying to convince herself too hard."

"What? But I just want to get off--"

"No, there's something else. I won't ask what, but I'm not going any further until you figure it out." The husky slid down to the floor and sighed between his raised knees. "And for the record, I've always been curious if you feel anything like my Cathy. I don't want to think about you as her though, or vice versa."

"Volk..."

"Vasily, if you'd like. I'm not your instructor anymore." Vasily idly stroked his manhood, the mood not entirely dead yet. "Actually... I'm not sure what I am to you exactly, but we are family now."

"Yeah, one that fucks each other." Sydney slid down the same wall and playfully shoved the husky aside to make room. "You're more like my dad now. More than ever."

"Than ever?" Vasily craned his head to check on his former student and gulped as he found her paws in her crotch as well. "What does that mean? What exactly do you think we had going between us all those years back?"

"Then? Honestly... I got too close and let it get out of paw." Sydney ceased fingering herself as her past came back to haunt her. "I don't know how many other girls you were seeing and I don't think I care, but you could have at least told me you had a wife and kids. Sort of a dick move, Volk."

The wolf dog raised a tribal bracer on his wrist and shook it for effect. "I didn't exactly hide it."

"I didn't know what that meant." Sydney clicked her tongue in distaste. "You cheated on her. With me. With probably a dozen other girls." The meerkat drooped her head and sighed in frustration. "At least be a man and admit it. If I don't hear it from you... I..."

"You were the only one, Sydney." Vasily settled a paw on Sydney's head as she stared up into his eyes. "Well... there were two drunken encounters way, way later... but you were the only one."

"But why me?"

"You reminded me of my wife when she was younger. When she had more spunk. When our favorite thing to do was just be together." Vasily rustled his student's hair and fell into a sideways hug. "We lost interest in each other at some point. I don't know if it was the war, or raising pups before I landed that decent security training job, or maybe Ielunschra's car crash... We just stopped wanting to be that close, let alone have sex. So there you came along all lithe with that youthful, bullshitting grin..."

"Volk... Vasily, I didn't know..."

"Oh, don't be sorry. You were being you, is all." The husky took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Our kids are the ones that fixed us. Something in the way they found a new purpose in life shed off to us or something. They rekindled something, and let me tell you that fire had only just begun. We're doing fine now, even if I was a fucking scumbag at my lowest."

"Vasily, stop beating yourself up. I'm partly to blame here too." Sydney slowly stood and offered to help her friend up as well even though their heads met in the differing stances. "Look... You remind me of my dad. I just wanted to stick around you because I missed him so much, but... somewhere along the line I got curious. Fuck, maybe I was just lonely. It's hard pretending you're a guy at a male academy like that."

"Wait, you see me like that? I thought it was just the sexy teacher thing working its magic."

"No! Nothing like that, idiot." Cid rolled her eyes when the chivalrous old pup stood himself up alone to spare her the burden. "I'm not sure how to describe it. Maybe... I wanted to stay really close to you, but I thought you were pushing for more than just friendship?"

"Well shit. I just wanted to have someone to cheer me up." Vasily pulled Sydney into a close hug, ignoring the fact that his manhood lodged itself between her breasts. "I thought you were hot for teacher and that was the only reason you were sticking around. I didn't want to lose you when you left my class..."

"You mean we both...? Well fuck me."

"That's what I wanted to do after you gave me nothing but head for weeks!"

The two burst out into laughter at the mutual miscommunication, Sydney finally breaking the silence with another hug. "I'm just glad you're doing alright. Let's forget all of that crap."

"Yeah. I'm all for moving forward, especially now that you're in the fold of the tribe." Vasily groaned as Cid's paws started massaging the small of his back. "So what? You already change your mind? Wanting to put out, Cid?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Volk." Sydney smiled up to her tempered friend with a playful demeanor. "I'm just washing your back like you asked."

"What happened to the gung-ho boy trying to out-shoot his instructor? Don't start getting all cute on me now." Vasily perked up as he remembered something, then groaned through a sigh and separated the two furs. "Damn. I forgot about the prank."

"Prank? You mean when I filled your shotgun shells with streamers and confetti? Which one?"

The husky opened the shower stall door and stepped out, absolutely unconcerned with getting water on his clothes and gear for a specific reason. "No, I mean today. I was visiting my grandpups and they volunteered me as a distraction."

"A distraction for what? If it was your prank I'd be probably be laughing my tail off by now. But those two?..." Sydney exited the shower herself after ringing out her fur a bit with her paws. "Hey, where'd you move my clothes?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, Cid." Vasily discovered an overly frilly, elaborate ballroom dress hanging from a locker door with all the trimmings inside the cabinet. "They were only supposed to take your clothes, not mine. I mean, I'm fine with sporting Volk Junior around and all, especially with those two minks..."

"Wait, so what's the dress for?" Sydney moved closer and found the size and fit was custom tailored for her. This seemingly made a blood vessel pop in her head. "You don't mean...?"

"Oh yeah."

"Fuck that. I'm cool with darting across the hall like this."

"They took all your clothes." Sydney tried to offer another solution but Vasily stopped her before she enunciated the first syllable. "Carbon's too. No cheating, I guess."

"Fuck." Sydney sat on a bench in defeat, the chilly air drying herself helping both literally and figuratively in cooling her down. "I'm really wearing that blinding monstrosity?"

"Yep. They wanted to celebrate you coming out of your shell. I happen to agree with that mentality--in a different way, of course. Still, think of it this way:" Vasily sat next to Sydney and threw his soggy arm around her shoulder. "Now you'll be the bell of the ball."

"I hate you so much right now." Sydney slumped against her old friend and dug her head into his side. "But that's also what I like about you too, you big oaf."

---

"That should do it." Chleek Ors hoisted an assembly rig away from a complex crystal structure and finally let himself rest. "That's the last particle generator left to install. All we need now is more æti to power the greater machine."

"Good. We have plenty we've collected." Enthol acted like he knew what he was looking at by hunching over for an 'inspection' of the room-sized machine. "So this will really open a doorway to Xor's domain? Do I even want to know how?"

"Mægika tekhna." Chleek placed his rig in a safe spot and then started leaving the room, testing how far his authoritative leash let him go. "In our old history there are quite a few repositories of mægika that seem unrelated. I had to steal a glance into damn near every ætir in the galaxy to put all of the pieces together. Some date so far back in my genetic history I remember having six arms."

"Is that why Xor is depicted that way? Strange." Enthol followed his loose prisoner and reeled that leash back in for comfort. "We're going back to the flagship while the others bring over the æti. While we wait, I have a surprise as payment of sorts. Or more precisely, my allowing you to enjoy the surprise is the gift."

"Somehow I wouldn't think you would get anyone a gift. What's the catch?"

"None, on my end anyway. I just had this surprise fall into my lap and thought it best not to anger the only plant capable of fulfilling my goals." Enthol led the way back to the ship, raising his plasma rifle high so the local citizens knew who was in charge. "While I may not seem like a good ruler, I am at least fair. You are performing your tasks quite dutifully considering our initial issues, and for that I am willing to grant a few allowances. I'd never say hard work earns nothing."

"That's... surprisingly just of you, considering how much you've taken of others." Chleek followed behind, his hands waving down the innocent people around him so they calmed down. "So when do I get to see this extraordinary surprise? I can't think of something you could find on this planet that would interest me, so now I'm curious."

The head guard nudged his weapon forward toward two other guardsmen holding back a cloaked female. "Well apparently you don't need to wait at all. There she is now."

"I'm not in the business of enjoying whores. I've got--"

"Niishal!" The woman fought restraint until Enthol waved a hand signaling her release. Within seconds she bounded her way over and nearly tackled her brother. "Niishal, I finally found you!"

"Niima?" Chleek forced his sister to remain still despite her glee. "What did I tell you? It's dangerous for you to be here. You were to stay in Vauxhaul and protect ou--your child."

"Are you playing me the fool, brother? You left me by myself in a foreign city. Our family name is spat upon. I was attacked on four occasions just because of who I am."

"I... I don't believe this. Ors house rules Vauxhaul now." Chleek held out a vine. "Sister, Link with me. Let me see what you've done until now."

"N-No..." Niima took a step backward and hid her own queoo behind her back. "Niishal... Please don't. I'm not... proud of what I've done."

"Dearest sister..."

"Sounds like you two have a lot of catching up to do." Enthol nodded to the other guards and they came to escort the siblings. "Show them to our Chleek's private quarters."

"No. She isn't staying." Chleek grew a little bit of spine and demanded a change in plans. "It isn't safe for my sister here. She should return to Vauxhaul, with her own guard this time."

"But--"

"No, my Chleek. She will stay for now."

"Niishal, I don't--"

"Do me this one favor and I won't ask any more of you."

"No, you--"

Niima lashed out a vine and Linked with her brother. «Listen to me! I don't want to go back. I want to stay with you! Besides, the journey was hard enough...»

Chleek inadvertently peered into his sister's memories and stood stunned as he found many foul faces groaning and huffing over his sister's nude body. «Sister... You...»

«I did what I must so we could be together again. Travel isn't free, and with our name ruined... My options were limited.» Niima pulled her brother closer for an embrace suspended in slowed time. «Please don't think any lesser of me. I still love you.»

«I... I love you too, Niima. That's why I want you to be safe. This whole plan of mine could go terribly wrong, and if that happens I need our child to continue my work. Our family will fall with us if we lose our child, my sister.»

«It's truly that dangerous? Then... I will leave once I an able. You're right.» Niima tightened her hug and pressed her forehead to Nishal's own in concern once she literally felt his determination. «But hearing this, I can't leave you behind. You make it sound like a death sentence.»

«It very well may be. Perhaps your presence may allow me a way out, however. Follow my lead.»

«Absolutely, brother.»

"--without any breaks. I can't have you work yourself to death when we are so close. So no, you will rest and relax with your sister. Take the dusk and night cycles for yourselves and we can work again in the dawn cycle." Enthol sighed as he realized half of what he said likely wasn't heard due to the siblings' Link. "Rest. I know a tired plant, and you're practically withering out of exhaustion."

"He's right, brother. You look ill."

"Fine. We will enjoy our time, for now." Chleek nodded in agreement on that point, but held a queo in the air to pose a question. "Would it still be possible for me to see her off before the experiment? I don't want my lineage to end all at once due to a chance mistake, however unlikely."

"Once you perform your smaller test of the system... I suppose you could have your way. It will be safe then and you'll only be around in case things go wrong, so however you pass the time is your business. You'll be on your own anyway." Enthol looked over to the various passenger ships in the city dock. "Pick two from your personal guard and a ship to accompany her and another set for yourself when you finally leave us. The rest are my men now."

"Good. Then it's settled." Chleek pulled his sister to his side and towed her toward the other guards. "Come, Niima. Let's find something nice to eat before we retire to my quarters."

"I could use some chorii. I've been having a craving for it for at least a dozen cycles."

"Did I overhear that she's bearing a seed?" Enthol's eyes darted around and eventually anchored to the girl's belly. "You may have access to the food stores and the kitchen. Also... my men are to keep a wide berth. Do you understand me clearly?"

One of the guards, the freshest of the faces Niishal had seen in his sister's memories, grumbled a disappointed response. "Yes, sir. No touching, sir."

"Good." The budding dictator turned around and surveyed all that he owned of this world. "Now rest, Chleek. We have a long few cycles ahead of us before we accomplish our grand goals."

---

"Ground Control to Eve: You still alive up there?"

Evelyn snapped back to life at Sydney's concern, finding herself barely able to contain a laugh as she saw the meerkat's new dress for the day--a stereotypical French maid's uniform. "Oh, I'm fine. I was just thinking how ~adorable~ you look in that outfit."

"Very funny, Eve."

Ilaria joined in on a group chuckle, then tried to settle down the inhabitants of her Ready Room. "We were asking you what you thought about these few planets before you zoned out, Eve. You know anything helpful that Rose's chart doesn't cover?"

"Oh, well... Let's see here..." Eve scanned over the uninhabited worlds one by one, finding nothing of note on the whole lot. "They're safe, if that's what you're asking. These two have local wildlife. I'm not sure if I'd call them hospitable though."

Carbon stepped forward and rubbed Eve's back. "Any suggestions? You look like you have something on your mind."

"I hit another mental blockage. It's not a major one though, so don't worry."

Rose slid beside the phantom and joined her sibling in soothing her. "We still want to help. What do you need? That might narrow our search."

"I know exactly what I need, but I can't confirm where any are." Eve touched the hologram of Rose's star chart and used her Link to control it. "Let's see what we have moving toward Xorxes."

Carbon quirked his head to the side with a query. "Xorxes?"

"Uh... full name? I'm piecing it all together as I go. Your father managed to do a lot in his seven hundred years."

Vasily sat up straight in his chair in the far corner. "Your dad lived that long? Holy shit, Carbon."

"That's a bit below average, apparently. He was murdered, after all."

"Aha!" Eve roped in everyone's attention as she leaned inside the hologram. "~There~ you are. I found something I can work with. Actually, it might be exactly the right one to use."

"The name isn't on Rose's map... Oh, but it doesn't exist on Yomi's either." Adrian compared a few distant stars on each chart and fixed the layout. "Ah, just more drift from that black hole. Here, this should be up to date based on prediction models."

"And it's still accessible. Perfect. That's our next stop."

Ari's eyes went wide as she read the name of the highlighted planet. "Eve, that's Yangurra. We aren't going to the bad guy homeworld."

"Then we all die. We don't have a choice." The whole room looked flustered and ready to fight that statement, requiring a bit more confirmation before believing it. "Ari, have your girls found a solution to the whole problem? As smart as they are, they haven't solved the black hole issue yet, have they?"

"They... No, they haven't."

"Well something inside me is screaming that Carbon's dad knew exactly how to fix it. He's building a machine in my latest memories." Eve expanded the star chart so Yangurra filled the projector, the odd, ringed planet looking like little more than a craggy asteroid. "My memories are too complex to unlock by myself. I need to collect samples of Niima and his ancestors to use as building blocks for the decoding process. Think of it like... different shaped lockpicks for a complex lock."

"And what will going to Yangurra solve that the other planets nearby won't? What's so special about that lockpick?" Ari took a step back and cleared her head. "I won't risk my crew and my family without good cause."

"Niima had accessed all of the ætiir in the galaxy. Over the centuries the ætiir have moved around with their masters, so we don't know where they all are right now. There's one that has never moved though." Eve tapped a hole in the planet. "Carbon's dad lived here in this cave system. That means... over here is where his rivals lived. The house of Janus drove the other family leaders away and have enjoyed prime position on Yangurra."

"So they consider it their capital. That means their head honcho is there too, and he'll keep his aetir close." Rose smirked at the logic. "And since it's where our Chleek was born, that would probably hold his earliest memories. It's a sound idea."

"We just get down there and hope for something we can use besides that in the old Ors estate. If not, we storm the Janus manor and borrow their ætir." Eve scaled down the galaxy and brought Xor into view. "It's either that or we go closer without a plan. We can't just hit reverse though, so we could very much get stuck out of options. That means..."

"Shit's Creek, sans paddle. Death. Got it." Ari sat next to her father and leaned back to stare at the ceiling. "We do this and then what happens?"

"Not entirely sure. If we can find the location of Niima'a machine we might be in business though."

"And the risk to the fleet?"

"Minimal. The black hole is making travel far more limited as we approach." Dee pulled up a layer of details from Yomi's maps. "Reports are saying at least three of those houses have their fleets poised near Xor. One ~is~ labeled Janus though."

"Then it's safe until we land. I can deal with that." Ari stood and headed for the hallway door. "That's the plan then. What's the ETA?"

"It's... inaccessible if we go to other planets en route..." Evelyn's eyes shot open before she transformed into her mates' rings to hide. "Seven weeks straight... but..."

"Gods, that's a stretch. What else now?"

"Uh... we need to stop to recharge the reactor..."

Carbon read his mate's shared thoughts and took the more direct approach. "Eight weeks, Ari. Maybe nine if there's complications."

"Well shit. At least I get to watch my kids grow up for a while longer before we all die. Fine. Set a course." Ari ducked out the room and shouted back, "I'm gonna go relieve Yoyo of pup duty so he can get some breakfast. Want to tag along, dad?"

"Yeah. You know I can't say no to those rascals of yours." Vasily hoisted his old bones and started following, but slowed near the door for a query. "Right. You wanted me for something, Carbon?"

"Oh, it's not any more important than your grandkids. Go enjoy yourself and I'll grab you later."

"Hooah, old buddy. Take care."

"Hooah, Volk."

Sydney crept up to her mate and meekly posed a question. "What was... that all about?"

"I was thinking about inviting Vasily and Cat over for an evening. They spend too much time together but not with others." Carbon shoved a few chairs back into place and prepared to leave the Ready Room. "All part of my greater plan for us and them. Or would you rather I wait?"

"But... I'm not sure if I'm ready for that. I mean, they're family now... and that means we should be ~close~..."

"What? Are you thinking... about sex?" Carbon heartily laughed as things took a different turn than he assumed. "Maybe later. I was just wanting to invite those two to stay in the room next to ours. If they're gonna screw all day every day, they should have some privacy."

"So I don't have to fuck Volk?"

"Only if you want to, Meerpuss. Right now I'm more focused on some of that breakfast with our own daughter." The hybrid walked out the room and nudged his sister's hip with his along the way. "What about you, Rose. Care for a bite?"

"Sure. I should wake up the others though." Rose bopped her hip back playfully and shot down the hallway. "Buck wanted to try going back to his post today so we're all going to help the big guy out."

Carbon followed his sister with Sydney. "Oh, that's good. He's doing better then?"

"He's getting used to things, at least. I don't know... he might be improving. Doc says it's a decent possibility." Rose paused to hop over the elevator shaft and glide across, offering her vines in assistance once anchored on the other side. "Need a hand?"

"Thank you." Carbon jumped into the open and snagged a passing vine, using the resulting whip action to glide into the people movers between decks. "Gah... I always think I'll pinch a queo in this thing. Sydney, you need a paw?"

"Need, no... but I'll take one with this fucking dress." Cid hopped into the zero-gravity zone and followed the same whip path as her wife, with Carbon pulling Rose behind her. "I never use this thing either. Something unsettling about riding what amounts to a bicycle chain."

"Especially when everyone can see you're not wearing matching underwear for that getup." Rose kept her eyes locked on meerkat mound until Sydney finally figured out how to both hold the people mover's handle while shutting her skirt. "At least you keep it trim down there. If you're gonna flash someone, grooming is a plus."

"That's not my intent. They..." Sydney's face flushed violet and she attempted to focus on her exit to little effect. "Those demons didn't leave us any underwear."

"Take it easy on those two. They're just trying to take their minds off their injuries." Carbon kicked away from the chain and grabbed the ledge at their stop. "Besides, some of us don't mind going commando, kitten."

"Fibre, you're pretty obviously going male right now and they've got you in a dress too." Rose started to peek ahead of Sydney but missed her chance. "Do I want to know what's under that frilly skirt?"

"Nope. I'm not at my prettiest when I'm changing." Carbon grabbed Sydney as she landed and offered the same for his sister. "Eve's gotten pretty efficient at it though. It's like these 'memory modules' we keep getting her are making it easier to do maintenance like that on me. I'm almost a full guy and it's not even been a whole day yet."

"I did sort of force her paw though." Cid reached down and pulled both siblings back into the gravity of the hallway. "If you want to switch back, I guess I could always tease you again."

"With blue balls this time? No thank you."

"No, she didn't..." Rose gawked at the meerkat as she entered the barracks. "You really kept him on the edge? That's just about as painful as it is pleasurable, you know."

"I... I didn't think it hurt."

"Only my pride. It didn't really hurt any, but admittedly I'm not full Yangurra."

"Well as long as you aren't abusing my baby brother I'm fine with it. Besides, looks like Eve has it covered." Rose slid open the door to her bunk and crept into the darkness. "Time to wake up, sleepyheads! We've got work to do!"

Carmine shot upright instantly, his pillow catapulting forward into Carbon's face. "Ah, shit!"

"Damn, that's cruel." Ginivieve slowly rolled out of her bed above Rose's and zombie shuffled to a light. "You didn't need to scare us to death, Rose."

"Oui. Ze noise was pehrhaps too mooch. Oh! Bonjour, papa et Sydney." Fleur reached down and smiled as she felt Buck's manhood still lodged inside her, a common status in recent mornings thanks to very accommodating roommates. "Bouk, mon amour, it ez time to wake."

Carbon smirked as his daughter's upper chest slipped free of her covers without any concern. "You still sleep au naturel, I see. Or are the two of you...?"

"Ah... Oui. I will dress in une minute, papa." Fleur bopped her lover on the ass and wiggled herself off his length. "Tieme to rise and sheen, mon chevalier."

Carmine hopped down and rubbed his eyes. "Something going on? It's a bit earlier than normal today."

Gin ran a comb through her hair as she quickly dressed herself up for the guests. "We know you don't seem to ever sleep, but even this is rare for you, Rose"

"We just got done planning our destination and everyone's going to eat breakfast. I thought you'd like to see the kids before my husbands take them for the day." Rose found a pocket mirror and fixed a few stray flowers dotting her own 'hair'. "Besides, I thought we should get Buck an early start since he might need to re-learn some things at his station."

"Bouk... Get up, lahzy-tail."

"That's true." Carmine shook his head with a grin at he unconscious moose. "I'm not feeling the guy. Is he really still sleeping? Damn. I thought ~I~ was hard to wake."

"Yeah, you have like ten alarms on your phone." Gin nudged her butt against Car's as she giggled back to her desk. "You've got a lot of energy though, so I can't complain."

Sydney smirked as she noticed a hint of embarrassment of the loving variety in the hare's resulting expression. "Oh, you know what they say about bunn--"

"Bouk... M-Mon... cheval-lier..."

Carbon broke through the group gathering at the door and stomped over to his suddenly crying daughter. "Fleur, what's wrong?"

"He..." Fleur shook the large fur with surprising vigor, only resulting in his body splaying over the bed further. "Non! Ce n'est pas!"

The concerned father now noticed just how still his daughter's lover was laying, which regrettably sparked him to test Buck's pulse. "I'm... so sorry, Fleur. He's..." Carbon took the blanket and eased it to cover the whole of the bed and the soulless vessel it held. "Buck's dead."