FSE

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My mind flitted around in my unconscious; bouncing from one subject to the other without ever really focusing. I was content to stay in this listless state but a feeling tugs on me like a rope is tied to my body. I'm walking through the forest of my tribe; the dense foliage a familiar sight. I want to follow the path that leads home; a winding trail that crosses by the river. The sun is hanging low in the sky so father should be coming home. I stand at the beginning of a trail and let the stray rays of light warm my fur. Before I can step onto the well-used path I feel that tug again. I know momma is waiting at home for me to return though I never do. Even though I realize this is only a dream it hurts to turn away, it always hurts to stay away... and besides my curiosity is piqued. As I step off of the trail and into the woods the trees grow denser and darker but a faint path catches my eyes. I can just make out the signs of use and I stop to get a better look at a paw print in the dirt. The print is small which brings forth a warmth inside me as I trace the claw marks that are visible. I let out a startled gasp when a rustle of leaves catches in my ears. I scan the forest but the trees obscure my vision of whoever was making the ruckus. A hazy figure darts along the trees in the direction I had come from and zips past me. It takes a few moments for me to recognize myself... I hadn't looked that young and small in many years. I follow along after the image of myself growing excited as the woods clear out more and more. My heart was racing in excitement when I finally remembered where this path had led.

We arrive at a large clearing and my younger self slowly turns and gives me a panting smile before fading away. The surroundings are familiar yet very different. Where used to stand the ancient tree, as wide as some houses, now holds a... wall. In the middle of the woods is a wall... drywall and molding and everything... The wall is painted a light faded yellow with hairline cracks at various places. Standing in the middle of wall is a full length mirror. The frame of the mirror is an old wood carving of climbing ivy. The mirror only shows me when I first walk up to inspect it. The ivy climbing up the sides proves to be alive and bends when I run my paw along a vine. I feel that tug again somewhere from this mirror and I reach out and touch the glass. The moment my paw touches the cool surface the reflection of me dissolves and is replaced by a long dim hall way. The light in the hall is a sickly yellow and the paint is peeling off the walls. There are a few doors on each side and a set of stairs leading down. I realized I was staring down the 2nd floor hall of our main house; Lucy's door would be the one closest to me on the left. I can hear sounds coming from the other side of the mirror but they are muffled as if underwater. I can make out the sound of feet hitting the wooden floors and scrambling up the stairs; the frantic pace has my pulse quickening.

I see Lucy rounding the corner up the stairs. She's wearing her school uniform and is breathing heavily while checking each door down the hall. Each door she tries is locked; even when she reaches her own door it's locked. The sound of heavy footsteps breaks her frantic shaking of the handle and she backpedals toward me. Emerging from the stairs are Matthew, Chris, and Tyler but they are bigger and hulkier than in real life. What was once a pretty narrow hallway expands wider to allow them all to stand shoulder to shoulder and advance as a group. They really are imposing figures now with wild eyes and messy hair. Each of them stands probably 8 foot tall and is built like a linebacker. None of them have a shred of clothing on them yet I notice that there is a distinct lack of definition to each of them; their body structure, posture, and overall shape is skewed or exaggerated. Lucy stumbles in her backpedaling and ends up shuffling backwards on her butt until she is pressed up against the glass in front of me. I reach out for her but I feel nothing but a glass surface that intercepts my paw.

I inherently know not to bang on the glass from some memory long ago so I resort to yelling her name out. They were steadily advancing on her but she could do nothing but curl into a ball. Whenever I reach out for her the glass that separates us prevents my contact. They were so close to her now, merely a few feet away when my younger self re-appears beside me. I heard my giggle, which pulls at my heart, before hearing myself whisper as if it was a secret. "You have to invite her over... I like her so you better hurry!" Not a moment later, the voice and visage was gone. The gears in my head started turning again and I nearly face palmed. I let out a shaky breath and close my eyes. I picture her clearly in my mind and grant her permission to enter before looking back up. With a soft steady voice I speak to her.

"Lucy... can you hear me?" Her head snaps up from her knees and she looks around.

"Andrew? Where are you?" I kneel down and keep my voice steady even as they continue to advance on her yet despite the lumbering steps that seem to shake the room they don't appear to be moving any closer.

"I'm right behind you Lucy." She quickly shuffles around to look at me but takes a second to look at the walls around the glass. "Take my paw Lucy." I hold out my paw just shy of touching the glass. She hesitantly reaches her hand out and lets out a surprised gasp when the window doesn't stop her. I feel her take my paw and I encourage her to stand up with me. With a soft smile I take a small step back and gently coax her across the barrier. She closes her eyes and holds her breath before stepping through. She stands tensely for a few seconds before cracking open an eye and letting the breath she held go. Her jaw goes slack as she looks around the forest that she finds herself in. She stops turning when she sees her wall standing out like a sore thumb.

"What is this place?" I didn't know exactly what this was but I had a good enough guess. Her question takes me by surprise.

"This is my consciousness, I guess. Is this new to you?" She had turned back around when I spoke up and only nods her head. "I'm surprised that you haven't." Her brow furrowed and she closed her slightly agape mouth.

"What do you mean?" How do you explain something like this to someone? I was having trouble picking the right words.

"Well, you're in my dreams is the best way I can put it." I watched her eyebrows raise slowly as she thought through that information.

"In your... how can I be in your dreams?" She had crossed her arms across her chest. Her defiant little stance had my lips curling upward slightly.

"Magic? I don't know what you want me to say... this is normal for me..." She takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out with a roll of the eyes. At the end of her breath her eyes bulge and I catch the redness going to her face as she spins around and covers her eyes.

"Why are you naked!?" Instinctively I cover myself with my paws and tuck my tail. A moment later I was covered in my normal attire. It took me a few seconds to find my voice but I couldn't say anything besides.

"I'm covered now..." She didn't turn around but yelled out over her shoulder.

"Why were you naked in the first place!?"

"I was at home before I found you. We don't wear clothes there..." She slowly peaked her head and after seeing me clothed turns around fully. She was still very flustered.

"I still can't believe you were naked..."

"Hardly, this is my winter coat so you wouldn't see anything anyway." She just sticks her tongue out at me and we both start laughing. As the laughter dies off we were in much better spirits but I could still see the rosiness in her cheeks. I level her with a smirk. "You could probably use the reference anyway with how... unrealistic... you had them..." She narrows her eyes and swats at my arm.

"I don't go looking at that stuff! That is hardly appropriate for a lady." She continued before I could continue our banter. "This place is beautiful. I wonder how I'm picturing this..." I had walked up beside her as she looked at the canopy above her.

"This isn't your imagination Lucy... this is my home..."

"I haven't heard a single thing about shared conscious or whatever... and I've read a lot of books." My features were smug by the time she looked back at me.

"Just because you haven't, doesn't mean I haven't."

"Prove it." A simple, pointed, challenge that took me off guard momentarily. A thought crossed my mind and my muzzle split into a mischievous grin.

"Very well Lucy... take my paw." I held my paw out with palm facing up and waited expectantly. The moment she hesitantly took the offer I moved us seamlessly to a new location. She teetered slightly as the woods whipped past us at an alarming rate before coming to a sudden stop. We were standing at the edge of a small lake with the sound of a trickling waterfall tickling our ears. The lake was in a basin with trees extending high up into the sky. The sun was overhead and sending warming rays down upon us. She was enraptured by the surrounding hills and stream but quickly snapped her attention to the lake when she heard voices and giggling. In the middle of the lake were 5 rambunctious young males, all around 12 years old, splashing and rough housing in the water. On the opposite side of the lake were 3 female adult Lycans sunning on the shore. Lucy stares in silence at the scene in front of her. "The one on the right is my mother and I'm in the middle there." I pointed out each to her. The cubs were quieted when a group of males emerged from the woods. Mom rose to her feet to hug my father before asking him.

"How did the hunt go?" Lucy looks confused and talks over their conversation to ask me.

"How can I understand them? I know I'm hearing your native tongue but I understood that..."

"Because I know both languages so I'm translating." I said that in Suumahn as well just to mess with her. We are both interrupted by a squeal and turn our attention back to see my father carrying my mother out further into the lake. All of the cubs are laughing while she smacks his shoulder and swears at him to take her back to the shore. Just about when her rump would touch the water he stops and turns back toward the shore but he doesn't move. All the cubs are chanting 'dunk her' while the rest of the adults are trying to stifle their laughs.

"Don't you dare!" Another scream and both of them fall backwards into the water. Mom springs up out of the water immediately yelling at my father but only his ears, eyes, and nose are above the water like a crocodile. He quickly backpedaled when she stormed after him. She managed to catch up to him with little effort and proceeded to dunk him under the water before being pulled under with him. They stayed under for half a minute before bursting back through the surface out of breath. Instead of continuing to pummel him she slowly closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck. The look they shared before kissing was unmistakable along with the lustful growl as he nibbled her neck... it was pretty clear what was going to happen. Lucy was beet red but wasn't looking away either.

"Come on kits. I think they need some privacy." One of the other adults said. The other kits with me were slapping my back and uttering playful jabs as we made our way to the shore. Everyone was happy as we moved toward the trees. I'm pretty sure they had started by the time I made it to the trees if the possessive growl I heard meant anything. My mother and father faded away when my former self disappeared behind the tree line. She was still highly embarrassed when she stammered out in a hushed voice.

"What did I just witness...?"

"That was one of my happiest memories before I had to leave." She snapped her head to me as if she forgot I was there.

"Your parents were going to just... in front of you!?"

"That wasn't in front of me. We were well into the forest before anything really happened. Besides that would have been on me if I didn't leave... they gave us plenty of warning."

"They were practically doing it and you were right there!"

"You must have been staring pretty hard to see what was going on below the water surface. Cause I don't remember them doing anything in front of me."

"W-w-what... no I wasn't.... oh no, no, no, no you are not turning this on me! Your proof that this isn't my dream is to show me... that's just... urgh." She stopped mumbling at this point and turns away from me with a huff.

"But you believe me now don't you?" This was just to entertaining to quit.

"Oh I believe you... my brain wouldn't show me... that... of all things."

"What was wrong with that? My mother and father in love is a wonderful thing." It strikes me that now is probably not the right time to make jokes that involve anything sexual with Lucy given the more recent events. I feel awful that I did this now.

"They were very obviously in love... I just didn't need to see that kind of in love to prove your point..." My ears and tail droop and I close in on myself a bit.

"I'm sorry Lucy... I didn't think that would upset you. I shouldn't have though." I hear a soft sigh from Lucy.

"I'm not upset Andrew... just really surprised." She diverts her gaze and kicks her shoe through the dirt. "I guess I didn't really see anything so that makes it easier. Just give me a little heads up the next time you're going to show me something beyond my comfort zone." That raised my spirits and had my tail wagging again. "So this is you huh?" She gestures around the environment with her hand.

"Yeah, this is me." Now that she is calmed down and less flustered a shower of questions flies my way

"How does this work? I mean how much control do you have? How am I even here in the first place?" I had to raise my paws to get her to slow down.

"My mother used to connect with me this way to help teach me to control my magic. Her portal was a huge old oak tree where as yours was a wall and mirror. This is really the first time that I've been the 'host' but I'm pretty sure I have full control of my environment. I think the rules of magic still apply but can be exaggerated like any other dream. As to how you got here... I felt that you needed help which drew me to your portal. From there I invited you to join me." She stood there and blinked a few times as she digested what I had told her.

"You felt that I needed help?" I nod my head but then she gets really flustered again. "You haven't seen all of my dreams... have you?" I smile and shake my head at that with a roll of my eyes.

"No, of course not, this is the first time actually. This is the first time that we have fallen asleep so close together which affects it I think." She only replies with a soft 'oh'. We lapse into a comfortable silence for a while before she breaks it.

"So you have a little brother or sister?" My mood instantly plummets. She didn't know because I never told her and I once again regret what I had shown her... I feel tightness in my chest and it becomes slightly harder to breathe. I don't know if I want to tell her... not yet... but I manage to croak out a soft no. "I just thought... with what you showed me..." My world closes in on itself and I catch myself before I dismiss her from this world to be alone in thought. I feel Lucy's hand on my shoulder and hear her soft voice in my ears. "Is everything okay Andrew?" I remember agent Delaine's advice at this moment. 'Don't try to fight your battles alone when you have others that can help.' I let out a shaky breath and notice the forest was gone and replaced with a kind of gray barren landscape. I find the strength to meet her gaze and get lost again in her eyes but I found focus when something seemed odd. A welcome distraction for now, that she made herself younger... more vulnerable... in her dream.

"Lucy... I was able to tell Garrett... at least a little... but here it will be different. I don't know if I'm strong enough to live this again but I think you should know..." I felt her hand that was on my shoulder squeeze before her arms wrapped around me in a tight embrace.

"You don't have to, it's okay. Forget I said anything." It made me happy to have her arms around me but still dread what was to come. I barely manage to croak out a response.

"I don't want to keep secrets anymore... they always seem to cause more problems."

"I'm here... it's okay. If you need to show me, I'll wait. If you need to just talk I'll listen." The forest blooms slowly back into life with the beat of my heart. That was what I needed to hear in that moment; a reaffirmation that I could count on her... that I could trust her. I slowly back out of her embrace and swallow the lump in my throat. She held on to both of my paws in a reassuring grip and waited patiently. The gesture helped to settle my nerves but I couldn't find the strength to speak at the moment. I held her gaze for a while to help steady my pulse. With a nod of my head and a nod from her in return I closed my eyes and shifted us once more. Both of our 'vision' was replaced with what I was seeing 5 years ago; a 13 year old Lycan after his first successful hunt. We can see a clearing in the woods with a deer lying in the grass and a bloody muzzle. The kill shot was a clean hit behind the shoulder blade from an arrow. My father and 4 others are surrounding the kill with jovial expressions. The winter would be coming and food seemed to be scarce this time. My father addresses me and my best friend Junahn (Joo-nan).

"Head back to the village and tell the tale of your first kill son." He nudges me with his elbow. "That shot was easily 100 steps (100 yards) right, brothers?" That was met with jeers and positive comments. It seems that exaggeration is not uncommon since I was more like 20 steps away. "Take Jun with you, we will harvest the deer and bring it in. Good job you two." Both me and Junahn were beaming with pride and we wasted no time making our way back to the village. Half way back the call of nature became too much to bear and I had to stop.

"Go ahead Jun, I have to mark my territory... been holding it the whole hunt..." He kept walking with a wave of his spear and I turned off the trail a short ways to relieve my bladder. For Lucy's sake I was hiding all of the groins that we have seen so far including my own which now had a stream of liquid emerging from nothing but fur.

"Really... you're peeing out here."

"Where else would I?"

"Whatever... thanks for at least making it... decent..." I didn't respond back to that but let us realign with the memory right as I was shaking off the last drops that lingered on my invisible sheath. Feeling refreshed I quickly return back to the trail and make my way toward the village talking aloud to myself.

"Better not be taking all the credit... dang I should have made him wait for me." I was only a minute out from the edge of our village when I felt a tingle in the air; a familiar tingle of magic that I've only felt from one source. A rush of panic fires through me and I'm sprinting. If I could feel this from so far away than it could very well be visible to others and Junahn was heading right for her. I burst from the edge of the clearing and see her on the far side of the field. She was kneeling and channeling large amounts of energy into the garden that our village had planted. I could see the pulses of magic that spread from her fingers into the ground. "Mom! Stop!" She snaps her head up and goes to call my name but I don't hear it. The rustle of leafs and a blur of motion catch my eye from just to the left of her back. Time slows when the glint of steel catches the sun; a wooden shaft with feathers tied just behind a spear head. My arm is stretched out but I'm helpless to stop its deadly arc. The sound of that spear tearing through my mother is the most haunting thing I've ever heard. The spear passed clean through the left side of her torso just below the rib cage. The cry of pain and labored breathing as I ran the rest of the way broke something in me. Her beautiful white fur turning angry red by the time I reached her. My legs gave out and I crumpled in front of her seeing the blood around the wound and on her muzzle. She wasn't able to talk but she grabbed my paw.

Through mumbled ears I can hear myself calling her name. I watched her crystal blue eyes become dull and the strength in her paw leave her. I begged her to be okay and wake up but she wasn't going to. I saw Junahn carefully creeping through the trees keeping his distance. That's when the spark happened; a hatred for my own kind and their ways. A rule that would be followed by anyone here is the reason my mother is dead in my arms. Junahn was gone the next time I looked up; he was going to raise the alarm against me now that billows of fire were rolling off my back into the sky. I wanted to hunt them all down and turn this 'home' of mine to cinders. I wanted to remove them... I wanted... I wanted my mom back. As quickly as the tears were forming in my eyes they were evaporating from the heat. Only the feeling of her fur and the sadness kept me by her side when everything else inside begged me to hunt them. I buried myself in her fur and clung desperately to her all the while a dark anger bubbled inside me. My father burst through the trees before I completely lost myself. He didn't seem fazed when I whirled around and snarled. He simply walked past me to her other side and kneeled. Every bit of anger and power drained from my body when the male that I looked up to the most cradled her head and cried. His paw moved to the bump just below the wound where my brother or sister sits, likely just as dead... I stood on wobbly legs and my dad follows my movements with his eyes. He turns his head back down to his mate.

"Go..." I'm not sure if I truly heard him say that or not but I was running the next moment I can remember. I ran past familiar trails and markers until I was just about to the end of our territory and then I heard it; my father's Shareu Nachreh. The full weight of what had happened crashed down on me all at once and I tripped. I landed on my back after rolling down a slight ditch. With what remained of my will power I called back to him. I curled up into a ball and cried like a cub.

The world resolves back to that lake with the trickling waterfall but I find myself wrapped back up into a hug. Neither one of us could talk even if we could think of what to say so we just held each other. Time can be tricky in your dreams and what felt like 10 minutes of silent sniffling could well have been hours. All I know is that when I finally reopened my eyes the world was different. We were no longer in the woods and the beginnings of morning were starting to shine through the windows. I was awake in the living room but my mind was taking its time to process this so I closed my eyes again. They shot open when I felt a weight shift against my right side followed by a squeaky yawn. The arm that was across my chest hugs closer and she wiggles against me to get comfortable again. The moment lasts for only a few more seconds before the blanket shifts and she sits upright. Her hair is a mess as she rubs her eyes with the back of her hands. Her eyes open slowly as she looks around the room. When she sleepily looks at me her smile is lopsided and shortly interrupted by a yawn and a stretch. As she smacks her lips she once again meets my gaze. "Good morning." Her voice is sing song like most mornings when she wasn't quite awake yet. My mind felt relaxed; a weight finally supported by more than just me.

"Good morning Lucy." I took the moment to stretch myself and let out a cavernous yawn that curled my tongue and popped my back. That pop felt like heaven to my stiff back and I groaned out my pleasure. I hear her light giggle as she settles back into the couch cushion.

"I can't believe we slept on the couch..." 'I can't believe I slept with you...' Her cheery morning expression turned concerned and I thought she was going to say what I was thinking but she didn't. "Was that... real... the dream thing...?" I could feel my smile fade slightly but I nod my head. My excitement returns when she lights up with a smile. "That was so cool... I mean beside the end... um... how do you feel, are you okay?" Her enthusiasm slowly waned as she remembered the entire dream but I was only relieved.

"I feel... great... actually." She breathes a sigh of relief. Her excitement returns with vigor.

"That was so cool! It was like I was there! I really feel like I was a part of those memories." This was all pretty normal for me but I could easily share in her enthusiasm. She contemplates something for a while before asking me a question. "Why was it so dark in your memories? The world felt alive but dull at the same time."

"What do you mean?" That confused me. The memory looked just as vivid as anything else. She waves her arms around.

"Just... everything. The woods, the leaves, the grass, but especially your fur... all looked kind of darker than I figure it should." My memories look just the same as if we were standing out in the woods during the event so I don't know how to respond. I just kind of shrug my shoulders and let out a puff of air through my nose.

"Everything looked normal to me Lucy." She stops moving all together and stares at her lap. I barely catch her mumbling to herself as she thinks through this problem in her head but I can't understand what she saying until her head snaps up.

"That's how you see the world..." She shuffles on her knees to face me directly while we were on the couch. "That was your memories directly... I saw what you saw... smelled what you smelled... everything that you experienced... the world was darker simply because you see differently than I do... that's... wow." We both stared at each other as that string of information set in. I shared an experience with her that exceeded her physical capabilities. There was nothing that I could say if I wanted to so we continued to just stare at each other.

"Bit old for a staring contest." Both of us jumped hearing Garrett's voice from beside us. Lucy wheels around and glares at him.

"Dad! Don't sneak up on me like that... it's way too early."

"Lucy I didn't sneak up on you... these squeaky boards don't allow for much sneaking but I'm sorry if I scared you." She huffs and crosses her arms before sitting back normally in the couch. "You sleep on the couch last night sweetie?" She nods her head.

"Yeah, Andrew kept me company for a bit and we must have dosed off."

"I slept pretty poorly but not the worst of my life." Lucy's voice had taken on a sense of wonder again when she spoke next.

"I saw something incredible last night." She left it at that for a long moment. After a second I could smell a weird cocktail coming from Garrett; embarrassment and unease standing out the most.

"Yeah...? What's that?" She doesn't respond to Garrett but looks at me with wide eyes.

"Lucy... you can't leave him hanging like that..." She responds to me in a hushed voice that only I could hear.

"I didn't know if this was a secret or not... I don't want to step on any toes..." I laugh and shake my head before speaking loud enough for Garrett to hear.

"It's not a secret. I thought it was normal." She looks relieved but Garrett speaks up quickly.

"Someone fill me in here... please..." He's still embarrassed but less so. I merely nod to Lucy for her to explain since she seemed eager to talk about it.

"I saw Andrew's memories or rather, 2 memories." Garrett just blinks his eyes. His eyes furrow in concentration.

"You saw his memory?" She nods her head enthusiastically.

"The more I think about it, the more I'm sure of it. Not just saw either...felt...experienced..." Her excitement kept building as she continued.

"How, when, where, why... I need a bit more information than that." She smells embarrassed now but quickly continues.

"I was having a nightmare last night and Andrew saved me from it."

"He woke you from your nightmare?" She shakes her head.

"No, while I was still dreaming... I heard his voice. He was behind a window with roots, trees, and plants all around it. When I stepped through the glass I was in a forest with him. I was in his dream or his conscious or something but I was there. He showed me some of his past in that realm."

"You were in his dream?" She nods her head enthusiastically. "Are you sure?" Her nodding didn't stop until she meets his gaze with a fierceness and conviction that only happens when she is adamant about something and Garrett took notice.

"He showed me memories that were personal to him. I was just as skeptical as you. I would never, even in my dreams, come up with what he showed me." She was dancing around the subject again.

"I've told him Lucy, it's okay." She meets my gaze for a second before focusing back on Garrett.

"I saw Andrew's last moments with his mom." Her voice was quieter now. "I saw it through his eyes. The world looked different, smelled different, felt different, and sounded different than what I know. I knew who people were without introduction. I could tell them apart by smell... I could feel his mom long before we saw her. I could feel the change in the air from her magic. it was so beautiful. I saw a change in the trees that if it were me would go unnoticed... I felt his emotions... it was overwhelming, terrifying, and amazing all wrapped up in one..." She trailed off after that. She had just spoken about the worst day of my life but instead of focusing on only the worst parts she had breathed life into all the small things that I take for granted. The room had lapsed into silence.

"That... your right, that does sound incredible." Again silence hung in the air. Humans can get hung up on such silly things.

"Breakfast?" I ask which seemed to break the spell. Right on cue I hear grumbling from my own stomach. With the tension broken the room succumbs to giggles as we all move toward the kitchen. The morning remained light hearted and joyful. Garrett excused himself from the table to make some phone calls; I assume they were to further talk with the lawyer. Lucy and I lapsed into a comfortable conversation that brushed on multiple topics. The rest of the day passed by in an uncertain blur; neither of us knew what to do. The atmosphere was heavy and found us in the library for most of the day and even into the evening. I was given a wide berth by everyone else; even Claire was hasty to tell me to just take the time to rest before walking away.

Night fell and I bid Lucy goodnight; I needed time to myself which she seemed to understand. The guest house was unusually quiet when I walked through the door; everyone appeared to have called it a night. I made a quick snack and hid away in my room. I don't think I got much sleep even though I felt exhausted. I woke up multiple times to a racing heart but no idea as to why. The morning light shone through the blinds but I was already 'awake'. Only the rumbling of my stomach drove my paws to find the floor. The house was empty by the time I walked into the kitchen. I grabbed what was ready which turned out to be an apple and some juice from the fridge. I was tempted to return to my room and lay back down but forced my feet toward the front door instead. My mood greatly improved feeling the warmth of the sun on my fur.

The short walk to the manor was pleasant even though I didn't see anyone until I just about walked through the back door. I stopped with my paw on the handle when I felt a tingle of magic from around the side of the house. My heart was racing when I sprinted around the corner assuming the worst. What greeted me settled my nerves and slowed my pace. I came to rest by an old tree to watch Lucy and Garrett practicing in a large clearing; the training field was still a mess and probably would dig up too many bad memories. I settled in against that tree and watched them work together and train. The sun continued to warm my fur and I found my eyes growing heavy again. I was asleep the next thing I knew.

When I finally woke up, which seemed like probably an hour later, no one was there. I was still tired but rejuvenated. I got up and dusted myself off before going in search of Lucy. I found her in the library talking softly with Garrett. The conversation lulled when I walked in but resumed when they saw who it was. I was beckoned over and took a seat beside Lucy. "I've talked with Dr. Reynold and he has a few slots open. He will start sessions with you and Andrew next week. He's really helped me and I think that he can help you as well." I merely nod my head but feel apprehensive because I have no clue what that would entail.

"Okay dad. At least I don't think it could hurt." His smile is soft and warm and is reassuring. His expression drops and turns somber.

"I'm going to visit with Mary today. I think I need her strength with what's coming..."

"I'll go with you dad. I have things to tell her as well." My heart slowly picked up its pace. It felt ominous that I would be separated from them even though I knew that was a silly notion. I found the words leaving my lips before cutting it off.

"Could I...?" I shrunk in when they both looked at me surprised. I found my throat way to dry at this moment. I tried and failed to clear my throat and looked away but managed to mutter, "It's nothing, never mind." I didn't look back up until Garrett cleared his throat as well.

"You could... I mean I don't have a problem with you going... if that's what you were asking... but... it's not something I would have... expected." I'm wringing my paws together.

"I just feel... anxious... it's dumb... forget I said anything."

"It's not dumb. I think mom would love to meet you even if it's not the best circumstance..." They didn't even come close to saying no. This should be extremely personal and I expected to be outright refused but they were still so welcoming. I feel the tears coming to my eyes and try to stave them off. I'm reminded yet again of how warm and welcome this family has been even though they themselves were hurting. I had made up my mind and felt better somehow knowing that I could go. With a smile and a nod we fell into conversation until the time had come to leave. I found myself nervously walking into the transfer station after getting out of the car. The building was plain on the outside but had a large matrix of computers and what I assume were battery banks inside. We were greeted by a woman who spent a few minutes collecting information, mostly from me, before being led back into a private room. Lucy and I were given a pill to take before we entered the platform. The door closed and the walls came alive with circuitry. The pull of energy was much larger than the last time I had been in one and nearly had me panic before everything culminated and bam.

We arrived with a thump that instantly had my stomach turning despite the medicine. I spent the next few minutes lingering around a trashcan just in case I needed it. The feeling faded but we stuck around the pad for a few more minutes. Garrett went off with a woman wearing a white coat leaving me and Lucy to recover. We were both nervous. I know that every time she would visit would be hard for her and today was no exception. Garrett seemed to be fairing hardly any better when he had left but had put up a brave front for Lucy's sake. The affect was lost on me when I could smell how distressed he was. Garrett came back with the woman and we stood up to follow. I gave Lucy's shoulder a reassuring squeeze which in part helped me to keep it together. We walked down a long corridor that travelled deeper into the mountain. There was a door at the end with multiple stages of security panels. The room past that door was alive with monitors, cameras, and computers continually collecting data. Setting in the middle of this large room was a mostly glass construct with a bed in the center and a woman lying there. She was unmistakable... I could easily see Lucy in her features. She hadn't seemed to have changed a bit from the picture I had seen of her.

Garrett and Lucy walked further in front of me but I couldn't move. The room was pulsing with energy that somehow felt happy... no the room felt elated. It wasn't the room that had this energy... this was her... this was Mary. Mary was elated that we were here. She could tell... she could hear us or feel us somehow. I couldn't find my voice but Lucy took my paw and led me further into the room. Each step increased the presence of the energy but no one else seemed to feel it. When we reached the glass walls separating us, the feeling of the room was thick. We were each standing at a different pane of glass. Mary's body still rests on the bed but I felt her all around me. Garrett was speaking to his wife in soft whispers; a renewed promise to keep Lucy safe and keep looking for a way to bring her back. I tuned him out to give him more privacy but a faint voice draws all of my attention. I can't make out what is being said but I don't recognize the voice. It almost doesn't seem like I'm hearing it. This eerie experience lasts for a few minutes before the whispering stops. The feeling of the room changes and the whispering resumes. I have a moment of panic when the voice is louder and clearer. Even though I swivel my ears around I can't pinpoint a direction the voice is coming from. I finally realize that I'm not 'hearing' the voice but feeling it... much like agent Delaines telepathy spell only all encompassing. I took a shaky breath as I realized that I was 'hearing' Mary's voice. I was feeling her talk through the high level of ambient energy. Garrett and Lucy appear unchanged when I look over at both of them. They can't sense this...

"_My sweet angel... I'm so proud. You're growing up so fast... I love you..." _ My throat was dry and my heart was racing. I felt like I was intruding on a moment that I had no right to. My heart was pounding in my ears but I could still 'hear' her. I was a part of this personal moment whether I wanted to be or not. I stood in silence as I shared in a moment that was not for my ears. Each whisper of praise tearing at my heart and I couldn't tune it out. Mary's voice was thick with sorrow and joy alike, which culminated into a kind of bitter acceptance. She sounded broken. Every sentence was heavy with a soul crushing sorrow. She's alone even with her family right in front of her. I felt the room shift once more, like I was standing in the lake and someone swam by. It felt almost like a breeze against my fur. I could tell that she was in front of me but I didn't see anything as I look around. The voice is crystal clear and all around me. My knees are threatening to give out. "_You must be Andrew. I've heard you protected my little girl is that right?" _ My voice is barely above a whisper while my mind is seized.

"Yes ma'am." The weight of those words...

"You don't have to be so tense... I'd give you a hug if I could get out of this room. I don't know what Garrett was thinking bringing you here. You don't need to be involved with this... but thank you. I'm glad she has a friend. I hear a lot about you from her. She's been lonely since I ended up... well, here. We're so lucky to have met you." I can feel the tears streaming down my cheek but I can't blink my eyes for fear of losing this moment. "Don't cry for me Andrew." I find that my voice holds more volume than before but is still hushed.

"Mary..." There is a slight lull before I see an eerie shape on the glass in front of me. It takes my brain a moment to realize that it was the shape of a hand. A light glow from her resting her palm against the glass.

"_Don't cry for me Andrew... I made a decision. I protected my family. I didn't quite want to end up here but I wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again." _I raise my shaky arm and place my paw over the hand print. I immediately feel an ebb and flow of energy travel through my arm. At the same pace it travels up my arm I see the faint blue glow of an arm that eventually ends with an outline of a person standing on the other side of the glass. My jaw was trembling. The silhouette was gaining definition at a steady pace until I could see the shape of her face. We both stood in silence as she took on a more defined appearance. The world took on a shimmer and little balls of fuzzy light twinkled into existence inside the room. The area was filled with thousands of them. Everything focused after a short time and came into perfect clarity. Each ball of light had a hair thin string connecting them together in intricate patterns. When I looked back to Mary she was the perfect representation of the body that still lay on that bed. We were both still to stunned to say anything so I continued to look around. My eyes fell on 2 large orbs that were just outside of the panes of glass. Each were the size of a marble but in comparison to the rest they looked huge. One of them was lit brightly while the other was dark. There was a mess of hairs running from each orb.

"What is this?" My voice was just barely above the constant hum of the room from the computers and ventilation. When at last I returned my gaze to Mary she had tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips. The tears would shimmer and fade away when they fell from her cheek.

"This has been my home Andrew... for years..."

_ _ "It's beautiful..." I hear her laugh and it's a forced laugh.

"_It was beautiful... for a month. But now it's just a reminder. Each of these lights is like a bit in a computer. 1 or 0... on or off. The pattern and connections are what define the logic and in this case," _ She points first to the large light sphere then after to the dark one. _"Staying trapped in this limbo world or being able to return to my body... oh! You can hear me...? You have to tell Greg! He'll figure it out. Tell him... the corporal field needs to be reversed. I think they just need a path to be channeled and they will take care of themselves. Something went wrong with the spell sequence and I can't interact with them. We need to tell Shelia... we need to tell everyone..." _I was in stunned silence and only listened. Our conversation was interrupted by a tug on my shirt sleeve.

"Andrew?" I shake my head and blink the tears from my eyes. Lucy was standing there with red eyes, motioning towards Garrett that had already moved back toward the doors. I give her a forced smile before turning back to look again at those 2 orbs. "It's time to go..." We had to leave... the time that we could be here was restricted and now we had to leave. I squeeze the hand that is still grabbing my shirt. She said all they needed to be was reversed; turn one off and the other on... 0s and 1s...

"Go ahead... I'll be right there." My voice is more hoarse than I thought it would be. I wait for her to take a few steps towards her dad before refocusing my attention on the orbs a few feet away. They are not crisp anymore but hazy now that my paw was not connected to Mary. The weight of the room gets heavier with each step I take and I get an ominous feeling. The feeling has my hackles raised and a slight growl forming in my throat.

"_Andrew, stay away from them... that might kill you... please... just tell Greg and they can figure it out... we don't know what will happen to organics... We don't know what will happen at all. We need to do testing!" _ I couldn't prevent hearing her but I wouldn't let that sway me. If I had the ability to help her and in part help Lucy and Garrett, than I would. I can't deny the doubt weighing at the back of my head but it took only a glance at Lucy to fully set my mind. She's worked hard enough... her childhood has been cut short while she pours through her text books. I can give her the chance to have her mother back. Maybe it was a false sense of invulnerability... but I felt like I could do this. I stopped in front of the orbs and I could feel my fur standing up like the room was full of static electricity. Lucy's voice stopped my arms from rising further.

"Andrew? What's wrong?" She must of heard the growl now and was about to walk over.

"Stay back Lucy!" I snap at her which causes her to back pedal. "Garrett, shields!" I take only a split second to refocus, 'this is for them; bring her back', before quickly grabbing both of the orbs with my paws. I noticed that the orb had no physical form so my paws clenched onto nothing but air. At first nothing happened except I felt the frightening potential in my left paw just waiting. I could picture the path it would take as I try to make a connection to both spheres. I realized, nearly too late, the path would travel through my core where some very important organs lie. As the first impulses of energy rocket up my arm I clamp the paths shut and will the flood of power to not instantly kill me. I tried to force the energy along the outside of my arms and across my back but the shear amount was threatening to spill over. The pain took my breath away, that or the energy was causing all of my muscles to clench including my diaphragm which was an alarming thought. I doubled down on my attempt to control the flow but the pain was mind numbing. It felt like my skin was peeling away from my body with each pulse that shot across.

The lights went out but the room was lit up by flashes of light across my back. The energy would exit the back of my left palm and shoot across the top of my skin all the way to my right palm. The pulses became weaker or I was losing feeling in my nerves and after about 30 seconds the light show had ceased. I didn't want the flow to reverse so I backed away from the orbs since I found I couldn't move my arms any more. The left orb was no longer lit but the other one glows brightly before sending pulses of light throughout each of the hairs that were attached. The small lights around the glass room flickered on and off at seemingly random until they all twinkle out about the time that the overhead lights come back to life. I felt myself listing to the side and tried to correct but found my body not listening anymore. With my legs locked I fell to the side hard. My mind was alarmed at the pop that I heard and the fact that I didn't feel anything when I met the ground. The world quickly grew dark but this time not from a power outage...

~~~~~~~~~~~~

My mind rebooted slowly. The first sense to slowly come back was my hearing. I could make out the soft beeps and hissing of air all around me. That was followed by my sense of smell which only told me that the environment was fresh... sterile fresh not outside kind of fresh. The pain came back before I could make sense to open my eyes. My arms and back felt like all the fur had been ripped out at once and the whole mess was covered in salt. It had me gritting my teeth before it settled down into something at least manageable. When I cracked open my eye a familiar scene met my vision and I immediately closed it. I was back in that hospital... but why? What did I do that would leave me in this situation? Thinking about that hurt my head which I reflexively tried to rub with my paw... bad choice. The pain that fired from that little movement drove a yelp from my muzzle and a pitiful whine. I passed out shortly after hearing the door open.

I woke up a few more times with similar results but I noted that the pins and needles seemed to be lessening. When at last I found myself conscious and rays of light flitting through the curtain I realized that the sharp stabbing pain was gone leaving a dull ache in its place. The skin on my back and arms felt tight and tender but only really hurt when I moved. Now that I could focus I realized that this room was different from the last room only by a small degree; the bed and the door were in slightly different locations. I had a mask on the end of my muzzle that was supplying me a steady stream of oxygen. I noticed the bandages next, they practically covered both of my arms. Moving around my arms had my paw bump into something which proved to be a remote of some kind. I pressed the call button after looking the remote over. The sound of footsteps drew my attention to the hall as a young woman peeks her head around the corner. She adopts a soft smile as she steps into the room and approaches the bed.

"It's good to see you awake, how do you feel?" She was at my side now and looking at the different monitors on the wall. I found that I couldn't really move my jaw and the words came out more of a mumble. She slowly reaches over and slips the elastic band off from behind my head and pulls the mask away. I work the stiffness out of my jaw and realize that my mouth was bone dry. She must have heard the noises I was making because she held out a cup of water for me to drink from. She held it just below my muzzle but I brought my paw up to hold the glass for myself. "Just drink Andrew, I'll hold it." I grumbled but lapped at the water in front of me. The moment that cool liquid reached my tongue and throat I all but attacked the water. I made a mess but I didn't care. I whined when all of the water was gone but she filled the cup back up. I did manage to take gentler laps after she promised that there was plenty of water. I laid my head back on the pillow with a sigh.

"Thank you." She set the glass back on a tray by the bed and walks over to a small computer.

"You are very welcome. I'm going to go ahead and inform your doctor that you're awake." She spent a few minutes typing on the computer and making a call before coming back to the bed. "She'll be here shortly so let's get a few tests done while we can." She had me move all of my fingers and toes. Then she tested the range of motion for my legs and arms which I found the joints to be stiff and sore but my left shoulder proved to be quite a bit more stiff and sore which I was told was due to it being dislocated. She listened to my breathing before checking different spots along my arms for numbness. I could barely feel the light touches along the back of my arms and paws but she was happy that I could feel it at all. Mrs. Reynolds walks through the door as my nurse was finishing typing everything into the computer. After a brief exchange the nurse leaves the room and closes the door. She gives me a stern look as she approaches the side of the bed.

"I thought we agreed you wouldn't be back here for a while... and yet 3 days?" I avert my gaze to the other side of the bed and feel my cheeks warm in embarrassment. I feel her hand on my knee and see that she has a soft caring look when I glance back towards her.

"Sorry... didn't really want to be here again either." She huffs out a breath and lowers her voice.

"Yet here we are..." My ears lowered on my head and I looked away. She didn't give me time to respond. "They wouldn't tell me what happened and I don't expect you to either, but I know, with those injuries..." She shakes her head. "Don't say anything." I closed my muzzle. "My job doesn't require me to know how or why right now, I just have to heal... and you just have to lie there and get better." The mood was lighter now so I asked about my condition. She was just about to answer when we heard a commotion outside.

"You are not allowed in!"

"Girl if you don't stand aside I will have you arrested and barred from working in a hospital ever again!" Apparently she did not heed this warning. "Move her. I don't have time for this."

"Let go of me!!! You can't do this!" The door slammed open and a stout little man in a pitch black business suit stomps into the room followed by a wall of muscle in a similar suit. My hackles were up in an instant. He advanced toward the bed with his finger jabbing at the air.

"Out of the way, the mutts coming with me." Before I could sit up in the bed two 7 foot tall figures form in front of Mrs. Reynolds and block his approach. The figures are smooth bodied and look like modeling figurines made of slightly opaque glass. I feel around my neck and am relieved to find the necklace still there. "If you try to stop me I'll have you arrested right alongside that mutt, Doctor..." She doesn't move an inch.

"My patient, Andrew not mutt, will not be going anywhere. I suggest you turn around or I will have you removed from the premises." I took this moment to activate the charm that agent Delaine had given me which, alarmingly, took a few attempts for such low energy requirement.

"Igor, move her and her puppets out of the way." Igor as it turns out cracks his knuckles and advances towards us. He drew his fist back and fires it forward with alarming speed at the doll on the right. It raises its hand to intercept and the resulting bang had me covering my ears. I hadn't felt him channel any energy into the attack so that must have been a major impact. When I reopen my eyes the doll hadn't moved an inch and merely cocks his expressionless head to the side.

"Jack, Jill, please subdue these men, they are behaving aggressively toward our patient." Her voice was calm and level. To my amazement Igor was quickly brought to his knee by a few slow graceful movements from the dolls. The blood vessels in his forehead and neck bulge as he struggles against them but they move as if he were made of straw. He is eventually forced onto his back with controlled motions and his hands are bound together. The look of panic in the short man's eyes as he made a hasty retreat was the best kind of medicine. One of the dolls scooped him up right as he reached the door. He was carried back to the others like a mother would hold a child. The number and creativity of obscenities that he yelled out was impressive until he was silenced by what looked like a cloth nurse's mask quickly. Agent Delaine ran down the hall way only 20 seconds after both men were completely subdued. She stopped at the door with her arms ready and visible energy hanging in the air around her.

"Delaine we're okay!" I yelled to her. She glances around quickly before slowly entering the room. She didn't let her guard down until she 'cleared' the room completely. She walks over to the two men and crouches down beside the short one.

"And who would you be?" She pulls the mask from in front of his mouth and is immediately assaulted with words.

"Fuck you! I'll have everyone in this whole damn building serving life sentences for this! You better fucking let me go right fucking now..." The rest of his rant was cut off when she put the mask back. She pats his head and mutters 'sure, sure' before standing back up. He's positively livid and thrashing in place. I think all the blood in his body was in his head with how red he was.

"Jill, would you please sedate him. I'm afraid he will hurt himself if he keeps this up." A small syringe appears in 'her' hand and he eventually hangs his head after the shot. "Was that truly necessary? He could have had an aneurysm with all the blood in his face." Delaine stands up and smooths out her shirt before putting on an innocent smile.

"I have no idea what you mean." She turns to me with a soft smile while Mrs. Reynolds shakes her head. "So you're finally awake and already starting trouble." I turn my nose up and away from her and harrumph.

"I didn't start anything and _you're_late. Mrs. Reynolds had to deal with these men all by herself... not that she didn't do a splendid job I might add." Delaine puts a hand on her chest and fakes being offended.

"This is the thanks I get? I left dead in the middle of a lunch date to come to your aid. The nerve of today's youth..." ooo, lunch date?

"I guess you're right. Thank you for coming so soon... but a lunch date huh?" Her cheeks get a little rosy and she fiddles with her hair a bit.

"I think so? He asked a couple questions that were kinda personal." I smiled large and wiggled my eye brows at her a bit.

"Agent Smith maybe, sorta, stepping up?" Her blush deepens.

"What makes you think that? It could be anyone." I start counting the reasons on my fingers.

"You were both super relaxed with each other. I could tell he was totally into you. And last but very much not least... you smell like him." I tap the bridge of my muzzle. "The nose don't lie." She was squirming in place a little but still had a happy smile.

"Not to ruin the little chat but... what do we do about them?" Delaine's features return to stony now that she was once again focused on the job. She paces to the door and pulls her phone out of her pocket.

"I need to make some calls. Do we need to sedate the big guy?" He slowly shakes his massive head.

"Igor won't be trouble. Igor only do what boss man say but boss man is... sleep. No reason Igor move." His voice was deep and heavily accented to the point I had trouble understanding what he was saying. Delaine narrows her eyes but I clear my throat to get her attention. I tap the end of my nose again and nod my head at her. She glances once more at him before walking out into the hall. Mrs. Reynolds mumbles to herself before looking back at me.

"Igor better not be trouble. I'd be sooo pissed if you broke Jack..." Now that I could look closer I did see the cracks and chips on 'jack' from their little bout.

"Jack strong like lady. Igor like strong ladies." I can see her cheeks flush just the slightest bit darker.

"Sorry Igor, I've already found a man." He shrugs his massive shoulders.

"Eh, Igor try." She turns around and puts her hands on her hips which only draws a smirk from his lips.

"Enough from you. Don't want you getting into more trouble." His laugh is deep and punchy but he lays his head back down on the floor and doesn't comment anymore. She turns back to me but her smile is genuine before she goes into detail of my condition. "As I was saying you had extensive burns, most were 3rddegree... some better... some worse. You suffered pretty extensive nerve damage that seems to be mending but it's still too early to tell. I've been able to accelerate the healing of tissue but it's unclear if your fur will ever fill back in. I wish the damage was merely superficial but there are areas that went quite deep into the muscle. I was able to prevent scar tissue from forming where the muscle was but you will more than likely need physical therapy to rebuild your strength. The numbness may never go away but feeling even small amounts is a good sign. I can't imagine what could have caused this but the future looks promising. You seem to be quite tenacious." That was wonderful news indeed and had a sigh leaving my lips.

"What about my magic? I was having trouble alerting agent Delaine." She pondered on that for a minute before looking through the charts on her computer. When she turned back around her hand was glowing a soft green. She ran her hand just over the surface along my arms and chest. She clicked her tongue a few times before returning to my arm just past the shoulder.

"Try sending some to your left arm." I concentrated but nothing seemed to go anywhere. It was like trying to push against a wall while under water; every push only seemed to move me backwards. After a minute I shake my head.

"I don't have a restrictor band under these bandages right?" It was her turn to shake her head. She blinks rapidly before meeting my eyes with a slight grimace. The glow of her palm turns blue.

"Try one more time..." It took only a second that she moved her hand from the end of my claws up to my right above my left pec before stopping. "Oh, dear..." I wait with baited breath for what she would say next. "Well good news... I know why... bad news... it's going to hurt... a lot... and you have to be awake." I gulp and just stare at her.

"What's wrong...?" She takes a deep breath before meeting my eyes again.

"The paths are closed..." I nod my head softly as I vaguely remember something like that being necessary in my jumbled up memories of the last few days.

"I think I did that? Seems like I did. I don't really remember much honestly."

"You closed your own energy pathways?" Again I barely nod my head. "All of them...?" I didn't need to nod my head this time. "Igor, sorry, but I need you to take a nap okay? Jill could you sedate Igor for me?" His head was soon slumped to the side but mine was frantic. What was she going to do to me? "Okay, Jack and Jill are going to hold you to make sure you don't hurt yourself or me okay? Just breathe Andrew. We're not going to do anything just yet. Slow breaths, in through your nose out through your mouth." Despite the panic I fought to control my breathing. She wouldn't do anything that wasn't necessary. I had to trust her. In through my nose... out through my mouth. It took 10 minutes for my pulse to return to 'acceptable'. Agent Delaine had return by then with a small team of men who carried the 2 unconscious men outside. I felt ready so I set both of my arms to my side. Very gently the 2 dolls that lacked faces held my wrist and shoulder.

A quick attempt at moving proved just how solid there creatures were. I closed my eyes when a cloth was offered to me to bite into. She placed both hands, one on top of the other, over my pec. "There are 6 major path ways. This one is for your left arm. I'm going to unlock the channel and your body is going to reestablish the path. This isn't going to be pleasant but I don't know how exactly you will react." I felt a shockwave travel through my chest but that was it. I started feeling a pinch deep inside that felt like a cramp. The feeling spread and radiated further up my shoulder before stopping at my armpit. The whole area throbbed angrily and had me clenching my jaw. Truthfully the pain was intense but really only because of how big of an area that hurt. As the pain dwindled down the feeling started to spread up my shoulder in chunks. Each new area throbbed angrily for a while before dulling. This pattern continued until it reached the end of my paws. A rocket of energy flew up my arm and a startled yelp left my muzzle. The same thing happened a couple more times before quitting. My arm felt 'real' again as odd as that sounds. I flexed each of my fingers and open and closed my paw a couple times. "Take all the time you need before we move on. You're doing great."

"That wasn't so bad. This is so strange... my arm feels... better... we can move on now I guess."

"You don't have to act big and tough with me Andrew. We can take plenty of time for this." The pain was all but gone now with only a faint tingle remaining.

"I'm ready though. Unless you tell me it's going to start hurting again...?"

"It doesn't hurt?" I nod my head and try to shrug my shoulder but can't move them with each doll holding me in place. "It usually takes 15 minutes before the pain is supposed to be bearable... but you don't _sound_strained..." She runs her hand down my arm with her green glowing palm. Her eye twitches slightly but she takes a deep breath. "I'm going to stop questioning things that involve you. We'll just...yeah... let's move on then. This path will lead to your left leg." The process repeated for each of my limbs. Only when she did my head was when the pain was unbearable like I had first expected. It felt like hammers where raining down on my skull for 20 straight minutes. When the pounding stopped and I could crack my eyes back open the world was 'normal' again. I was taken off guard by how much my magic affected me. I could finally sense the magic around me again. I could feel how much energy that each of her dolls had which as it turned out was quite substancial. I could see much more clearly the energy that glows within her palm. "So he's not immune after all? That was probably the most normal response I've ever seen from you." She met my glare with a smirk.

"Ha, ha, laugh it up. That was a nightmare though. Please tell me you didn't save the worst one for last..." She hums and refuses to look me in the eyes.

"I don't know for sure if it's the worst... but... we are going from one head..." She points to my temple. "To another..." She points to my lap. I have to stare slack jawed at her for a minute. The slight throbbing I still felt in my head completely forgotten.

"You're joking... you have to be joking." Her eyes hold my gaze and doesn't look away. "Why!?! Why is that... a part of this?"

"I don't know Andrew. I didn't pick the pathways. I've learned to just accept it."

"What good does that path have? Why would our body need for magic to be... there...?"

"Well... some mages can use powers from that... I haven't met one myself but I hear they are quite the... lover..." I opened and closed my mouth a couple times while she stifled a giggle.

"Do I have to reopen that path...? That doesn't sound like something I want happening down there." She hems and haws a few times before shrugging.

"You don't have to but I think it might affect performance...if you know what I mean. But if you want to chance it...?" I narrow my eyes and grit my teeth. She was enjoying this way too much. I thought about calling her out for being unprofessional but I realized that the playful banter was helping to calm my nerves.

"Fine... do it..." I mumble out. She places both palms just below my sternum and takes on a wicked grin. I suddenly wasn't so sure about this anymore...

"Full disclaimer, don't be surprised if you get excited down there. You're going to have a lot of stimulation going on and you might even ejaculate... Here we go!"

"What?!" She didn't answer with words but I felt the shockwave travel through me and collect somewhere in my chest. With my head cleared and reconnected I could easily follow the flow of energy that pool inside me before moving lower. The path was very direct and took little time to reach its target. I didn't know what to expect so I stared wide eyed at the gown covering my privates. The normal throbbing pain started in my stomach but didn't reach nearly the level that my head had, much to my relief. I stared in horror as the feeling spread lower before reaching the base of my stomach in the middle of my pelvis. My eyes widen further when I feel it first reach the base of my penis. This feeling is different than normal. It feels warm and tingly, as if it had fallen asleep, but much gentler. I can feel myself swelling and let out a startled yelp when the feeling reaches past where my knot would form. The sensation really wasn't all that pleasant but that didn't stop my tip from slipping past the lip of my sheath. When the feeling reached the end of my penis I felt it also reach something else inside me. Once the feeling spread throughout my entire prostate my eyes rolled back. I reached full mast in record time and was fully knotted a few seconds later. It felt like someone was using my prostate as a drum set during the world's fasted drum solo. I was open mouth panting and was teetering on the edge but this sensation wasn't enough to finish me off. I stayed on the edge for what felt like hours to me; a hairs breath away from release; maddeningly close. I whimpered as the feeling faded away.

I was just opening my eyes again when a rocket of energy, just like with my arms and legs, starts in the pit of my stomach and travels down to the tip of my penis. A strangled yelp left my throat as a second wave of energy runs down. I shuttered when the third one happened and my eyes once again rolled back with the forth. The fifth tipped me over the edge and the sixth had me howling while I painted the inside of my hospital gown and stomach fur. The only pulses that happened after that were the kind that made my mess even bigger... and it was a big mess. My orgasm carried on for 30 more seconds. So either I was really pent up or there was something that I needed to learn more about, because... wow. I dazedly look around after that mind blowing experience and catch the tail end of agent Delaine hurrying out the door. I knew I should be mortified at what had just happened but the euphoric wave I was riding wouldn't let me. I felt something land in my lap and find it to be a towel and a new gown. "Take a minute to ahem, clean up. I'll just step outside for a while okay?" I goofily nod my head as she walks to the door. "Let me know when you're done? Take your time!" I had started to pull the gown off before she closed the door. I only just then realized that Jack and Jill were missing.

When I finally got the gown untied in the back I slipped it off to appraise the damage. I was coming down from my high and was both impressed and mortified at what I saw. With how much play the gown had, I had managed to shoot up on to my chest... along with fully coating my penis and leaving a large puddle on my belly. The gown was in no better shape and this was easily the biggest mess I had ever made but I didn't quite feel spent either. I wiped everything from my chest to my stomach with the towel she had given me. My cock was still throbbing with my heart beat and proved to be much too sensitive for the towel. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and waddled my way to the bathroom. I found the sink to be too high but I was able to balance a foot on the toilet, a paw supporting on the sink, and just barely reach the running water with my tip. The contrast of cool water on my warm throbbing member sent a shiver down my spine. What started off as cleaning cum off of my shaft evolved into a steady pawjob. I took a moment to massage my balls before returning to slow, delicious, strokes down the full length of my knotted member. Whatever amount of pre I produced was washed down the drain by the running water but my eyes weren't open anymore.

I turn the water colder and a shaky moan escaped my lips; the frigid water periodically splashed past my paw to seep into the fur on my balls. My muzzle was split in an open mouth pant as I worked myself faster. I don't know if my balls had drawn up from the cold or the impending orgasm but I felt them tight against my wrist every time I slipped my paw past the knot. My grip on the sink was painful as I approached the edge again. My leg locked rigid, my jaw set into a feral snarl, and I bit back the howl with a deep growl. I locked my paw behind my knot and painted the sink with my seed. Ribbons of white leapt from the end of my shaft; some being swatted down by the flow of the sink water while others splattering against the far side. I stayed locked like that until the pulsing stopped. I was panting heavily with both paws on either side of the sink and erection bobbing with my heart beat. 2 back to back orgasms had me chuckling. In the middle of my chuckle my shaft bumped the side of the sink and a small moan breaks free. I look down, stunned, at my shaft. It showed no signs of deflation and on second glance still appeared to be leaking pre. I stepped off the toilet to stand on both paws and give my leg some rest. I hesitantly reached down ran a finger pad along the top. My cock flexed and a clear stream of pre spritzed the floor below the sink. My jaw dropped and I blinked rapidly at my angry red member. I couldn't possibly... but I bucked my hips instinctively when I wrapped my paw around it again. I bucked against the air a few more times after I took my paw away in surprise. I stepped over to the toilet, lifted the lid, and sat down with my chest facing the tank, which is the only comfortable way for one to sit when you have a tail.

I sat far enough back on the toilet to fit my paws down there and found my hips jerking, what little movement they could, when I grabbed myself again. I didn't set any time records when I came a 3rd time. I seriously doubt that anything was coming out but it felt just as good as any other. Not like that very first one mind you, but as good as any other in the past. I felt weak and drained but oh so content. It took me 10 minutes to stand back up and to my relief I saw only my sheath when I looked down. I spent a few more minutes cleaning up a bit before dawning my new, unsoiled gown. I sheepishly opened the door and peeked my head out. I found Mrs. Reynolds and agent Delaine talking in the break room down the hall. Delaine averted her gaze when our eyes met but Mrs. Reynolds gave me a kind smile. I left the door cracked and shuffled back to my bed by the time that Mrs. Reynolds walked back, Delaine opted to stay outside.

"Feeling better Andrew?" Mrs. Reynolds asks which has my ears splayed back with a sheepish nod. "Good. Firstly, that was a normal and healthy response to which you should not feel ashamed." I open my muzzle but words fail to form. "No, not everyone gets excited but it's normal." I close my mouth and listen. "What we have done here, by unlocking your primary channels, is actually part of that baseline test for beginning mages that I'm sure the agent has mentioned before. Generally the 'lock and unlock' is within 10 minutes of each other which greatly reduces the discomfort but the circumstances were not in your favor with this one. I've recorded a good amount of data from that so less testing in the future for you!" I don't know how to take this but it at least doesn't sound bad. Her voice and character speaks volumes that she truly loves what she does which helps diffuse my tension. "So here's an awkward question! Did you ejaculate any more after I left ?" Did I just hear that correctly...? "It's completely official I promise you that. We'll come back to that later, no worries." She flips back a page on her clipboard and readies a pen. "Tell me with as much detail as you can what happened with your left arm."

I recounted each of the feelings for every limb and even embarrassingly described the last one. She wanted thorough so I tried to be exact without giving too much personal detail. She finished writing everything down and telepathically messaged for agent Delaine to enter. She looked and smelt uncomfortable but strode over anyway. "What did you find out?"

"It's really quite something. Here take a look." She addressed me quickly while Delaine looked over the sheets in her hands. "There's nothing to break patient confidentiality on there. Those are actually the forms the mage department uses for testing so nothing confidential, personal yes, but not confidential." I didn't exactly know what that meant but the sentiment was understood. With that she stood up and addressed both of us. "I have other patients to see... sorry I can't stick around but call if you need me. I'll be back to do my rounds and check in on you later. Do you have time to explain this to Andrew?" Delaine nods her head but is still uncomfortable. "Again, call if you need any help." And she was out the door in a hurry. I finally lay back in the bed with a sigh.

"Okay... you really are... unique." I was still in a good mood from my earlier experience.

"Unique good or bad?" She shakes her head and finally adopts her professional demeanor.

"I apologize. You have different talents where others usually only have 1 or 2. Based on this test, your right arm is mostly channeled for emitting which is pretty common but your left arm is sensory. It's unusual for your arms to differ. Your legs however appear to favor emitting slightly but both are more balanced than focused. Your head shows that you are mostly what we call ex-sensory. Lastly you are shown to be, and I hate this term, a deviant." She shakes her head before continuing on. "You have shown basic cogni-sense for your legs but have excellent cogni-sense for head, arms, and... groin..." She finally breaks her character which I find entertaining. "Deviant... really... could be worse I guess... like sexmancer or something..." I couldn't help but chuckle that has her crossing her arms and glaring at me.

"I'm sorry but I never see you flustered. For real though... I have no idea what any of that means." She taps her foot on the floor.

"I'm half tempted to make you look it up yourself..." I gave her the biggest puppy dog eyes I could manage without causing myself to giggle again. I couldn't hold it for long and bark out a few quick laughs.

"Aw come on! Please?" She puts her hand across her face before peaking between fingers.

"No jokes or puns or I'm walking out that door." I mime zipping my lips which I carry all the way across my muzzle before smiling at her. "Okay, our limbs have 5 'categories'; emit, enhance, sense, defend, and withdraw. Emitting is the most common and is useful for more offensive spells and physical constructs. Enhance is the second most common and involves manipulating physical objects. Sense is pretty rare and allows you to feel and interact with magic differently than most, I'm not the best to explain that one. Defend is for defensive spells and shields as you might guess and is also quite common. But lastly is withdraw... the ability to pull magic from sources. There are not many mages with that skill because they tend to overdo it and die from the overload." She took a second to flip the pages. "The head also has some different specialized categories; ex-sensory, cryptic, and photogenic. More often than not you won't have any of the specializations but since you do... ex-sensory is an enhancement of the natural senses. You should be able to possibly see, hear, taste, feel... magic around you." I nod my head and she makes a little note. "Cryptic is seriously rare and only recently has it been recognized. Someone with a cryptic specialization will have extreme precision on their magic control. I've heard they could control the flow of energy across even blood vessels. Lastly photogenic is pretty straight forward; the ability to copy spells that others had cast with minimal to no training."

She has my undivided attention as she continues on. "Cogni-sense..." She pauses for a second before continuing. "Cogni-sense is how much you can sense about each of the main branches. You felt jolts of energy in all branches and were able to accurately trace the path for 4 of them. Cogni-sense doesn't tell much until we finish the rest of the evaluation testing but gives a good idea about a mages potential for precision and control." She again takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. "I'm not going into detail on this. You proved positive on being a deviant. You can manipulate the magic that naturally flows... down there. That's it... that's all you're getting." I had a lot to think about. It mostly made sense but I didn't know what that would mean for me in the future... or even what happens today... but I did remember 1 question I had now that agent Delaine was in front of me.

"Hey, what was that about affinity... or something like that?"

"What do you mean Andrew?" I put a smirk on my muzzle.

"Back in the interrogation. You're _boyfriend_said something about affinity but it was never explained." Her cheeks grew a shade redder and she cleared her throat.

"Agent Smith is not my boyfriend Andrew." I raise my pitch and try to imitate her voice. It's not even close but the effect is still understood.

"That's just so cute!" She huffs and turns away from me while I try to control the laugh that's threatening to escape. After a minute and she hadn't turned back around I break the silence. "Come on... it was a joke." She only spared me a glance before talking with her back still to me.

"Personal matters are not to be discussed while on duty." She finally turned back around but she was smiling. "Affinity, as you heard, is described as primary, secondary, or tertiary. Affinity essentially means what elemental magic a user is most likely to best understand and manipulate. In your case my guess is primary fire and close second is electricity."

"So like, what magic I'm naturally good at?"

"More or less; an affinity doesn't necessarily mean you'll be good at it just that the energy feels... natural."

"I guess that makes sense. I feel much more comfortable with fire but electricity was easier to hide... it really wasn't easy to learn..."

"But you did really well against Burkley and managed to disrupt his first attack. The distance you were away showed plenty of control."

"Plenty of luck... fire would have been easy but I don't think it would have stopped the attack in time. That was the first time that I'd tried something like that..." She was lost in thought for a while and an easy silence fell on us.

"What were you practicing then? If it took you a while to learn than what did you learn?"

"How to control it inside my body and keep it hidden. It became clear that electricity was a much better way to remove excess energy so I worked on channeling it to the ground." As a display I lifted my legs and had sparks dance between my toes. "That's as far as I could safely take that."

"Why did you need to channel it to the floor?"

"If I didn't get rid of some energy each day I would get jittery and uncomfortable."

"You didn't have an outlet for your magic like most everyone else... that could prove to be quite dangerous for you... which means...Luck... sheer luck saved my ass. You're something else kid. I'd better run these notes back to the office and file it away." She met my eyes with a stern gaze. "You're getting tested as soon as possible. I don't want any more surprises out of you... got it?"

"Yes ma'am." I couldn't joke around while being stared down so intensely. Her gaze softened and she leaned in for a quick hug to which I only flinched slightly against. I was becoming more comfortable around others now that my secret didn't need to be secret.

"I'll tell Garrett you're awake. I'll bet he wants to talk to you." She stood back and channeled her telepathy spell. I took notice that it had much higher energy levels than I was used to seeing. She turned and walked to the door. "Nothing else to mention?" She asks with a smirk.

"No ma'am." She flashes me one more smile before walking out the door and leaving the room quiet. With the room lapsing in to silence I was given the freedom to get lost in my thoughts. I stared at my paws for a long time; the back of them and half of each arm covered in bandages. I centered myself and focused on what I could feel. I felt my heart beating and a steady pulse of blood through my body. I didn't realize that I had nodded off until a few knocks jarred me awake. It took a second set of softer knocks to shake the drowsiness from my head. "It's open." I call out after a short yawn and shake of my head. The door cracks open and Garrett steps through before closing it again. I couldn't read what he was feeling when he walked over and sat in the chair by the window. His voice was low and soft.

"She's awake..." Who's awake? The memory flooded back to me. How had I forgotten? I easily remembered the pain but I forgot why I did it in the first place. I could only mumble what he had said in return. "How...? Mary is back..." His head was hung and his face was in his hands. This wasn't a moment for... whatever emotion he was currently feeling and I expressed that vehemently.

"She's back?! That's amazing!" I recoiled when he shouted back.

"That nearly killed you!" He starts pacing around the room before slamming his hands down on the end of my bed. I pulled my legs back slightly and stared confused at him. "I'm so, so, happy... that she's back. You have no idea... but if the cost was your life than you should never have considered that! I could never forget that! Trading your life for us? I couldn't handle that... Lucy...Mary... couldn't handle that! But how can I be mad...? She's back... you brought her back to me... I'm so torn Andrew... Why? You didn't have to be the hero... we could have figured it out and you wouldn't be in this place again... you wouldn't be hurt... I thought you were dead... why? Why!? Again, for us you're hurt, why...?" His head was on the bed with his arms.

"Why?" That question seriously irked me. I sat up in bed with my ears facing forward and lips pulled back in a small snarl. "Why would I help the family that took me in and gave me the best life I could imagine? You ask me why!?" His voice is quiet and pitiful.

"Nothing would have changed... you would have had the same life regardless..."

"No I wouldn't! I would carry on knowing that I could help! That I held knowledge that nobody else did. Telling someone isn't the same... I heard her, I saw her, and I_could help her but you expect me not to?! You heard right Garrett! She was there in that room. Every conversation... every visit... she saw and heard it all. I saw how much _every one of you hurt. It wasn't an easy decision to make... but I couldn't merely pass the information on and watch you continue hurting..."

"I would happily have bared that burden if it didn't put anyone else at risk! What if that didn't fix it Andrew?! What if that had killed you and still left Mary trapped?! You've done too much for us... sacrificed more than I can repay... and asked for what in return?! A roof over your head and meals to keep you full? That's nothing compared to this! I saw the burns Andrew... you're lucky to be alive!" My voice was barely above a whisper now.

"I heard the conversation. Lucy was standing right in front of her mother and couldn't tell. She couldn't hear her voice, her praise, her sadness... but Mary heard everything, she saw everything. They could reach out and touch each other but that would never happen because you and Lucy and everyone else couldn't see her. I could only imagine that kind of pain... loneliness... to stand in front of everyone you love and yell and scream but no one know. Years stuck in a glass prison... and Lucy... she hasn't lived the life of a kid Garrett, you said it yourself! She's dedicated herself to that one chance she had to help! I would_NEVER_ stand by if I could help because I KNOW that pain! I don't ever_get to see my mother again... there isn't a second chance for me... but Lucy... she... That chance was worth everything to me... Maybe I'm an idiot but you want to know why? You _really want to know why... because of a piece of advice that my mother told me. Before when I was still able to reach out and touch her... she said, love is the closest we get to the gods but the furthest from sanity, because love makes you feel divine but do so some really stupid things, and I..." My throat closed up at the end of the sentence and the room lapsed into a long silence which allowed me time to cool off. "I'm... sorry Garrett... I was angry... but I don't need a reason to help." He didn't respond which had me nervous. My mind was threatening to go down a path of despair when he groans into his hands.

"I can't believe I didn't see it... it's so obvious now..." He drags his face out of his hands to stare at the ceiling for a second. "Don't apologize for that... I'm an idiot. Love huh?" He lets out a combination of laugh and sign and shakes his head. "I know that feeling well enough... I mean the stupid shit I've done... you wouldn't believe. I'm rambling now... god I need sleep." He finally lowers his head and meets my uncertain gaze. He breaks out into a hearty laugh when he looks at me. "Don't look so glum! It's up to Lucy... she gets to decide who she dates." I found that my tail had a small wag to it.

"Really? But I'm not...human..." He continues his laugh in earnest.

"From what's happened here recently... that's probably a good thing! Lord knows she could do much, much worse. I could use a drink..." His laughter finally dies off and he stands up straight and walks around the bed to stand beside me. He goes to put his hand on my shoulder but hesitates and pulls his arm back after seeing the bandages again. "They have you on good medicine I hope? That looked really nasty... I came in and didn't even ask if you were okay... I know it's a stupid question but, are you okay?" My tail was waving behind me and I had a big grin on my lips.

"Yeah. I'm okay Garrett. Mrs. Reynolds is amazing, I don't feel much pain at all really. It's just tender and_itchy_."

"She's the best I could find... you're not just saying that to make me feel better right? I've heard she was good but I can't believe the pain from _that_is gone."

"It wasn't that bad." The look Garrett gave me had me swallow the lump in my throat.

"It was bad..."

"But hey... I'm getting better so we don't need to worry about that." A pitiful whine had worked its way into my voice.

"Yeah, it's in the past. We'll just worry about the future for now."

"Hey, not that I don't like our little chats or anything, but shouldn't you be with your wife?"

"Ha, I'm not missing anything right now. She's talking quantum mumbo jumbo with the other scientists. I guess I was lucky to get 10 minutes before she started rambling. Don't worry though, that's just how she is. I knew full well that's the kind of woman she was when I married her. Sorry to say but Lucy might just follow her footsteps there... she didn't hear a word I said when I left. I'll wait as long as it takes though... she's worth it. I'm not sure when she'll be let out since she still has that crazy high energy level but I'll wait."

"I like this side of you Garrett. It's much better than when you're mopey." He chuckled and nodded his head.

"I like this side of me too."