FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Thicker Than Water Written by Mandag Twokinds, as well as all characters _ © _Thomas Fischbach

Zen tried to focus on the symbols in front of him. He had been stuck on the same page for a good fifteen minutes now, trying to decipher the writing.

The words on the page had started blending together, and even though he tried his hardest to concentrate, he just couldn't read another passage. Angrily he closed the book, threw it onto the floor, and fell back onto the couch, groaning. The front page read "The Lupine Oestrus Cycle: A Guide For Female Wolf Keidran." At least he had managed to read that, he thought as he cupped his face in his hands. When he'd bought the book, he had used the "It's for a friend" excuse, as he wasn't dealing with the issue himself. Well, not directly. He had done it for his sister. He erred. For his brother. Even though he'd lived with it for almost a year, he still wasn't quite used to the feeling of having a sibling that didn't know what gender they were. But he'd settled on calling Natani a male, since anything else would make "him" greatly uncomfortable. But just a few days ago, things had gotten a little complicated. It had turned out that whilst Natani thought himself a man, he still had to deal with the issues that came with a woman's body. The greatest of which would present itself every six months or so in the form of estrus season.

So that's why the elder of the two sat in their meagre living room with his teeth grit and claws digging into his forehead, trying to ignore the emotions that came swelling from somewhere in the back of their shared mind.

His little brother had tried his best to shut himself away to spare Zen, closing his side of the link. But these last few days, certain feelings and sensations had started seeping through the blockade, into the elder wolf's mind.

And now Zen could feel a certain stirring again, signalizing that his little bro must be awake.

He bent forward a little and set his hard member to the side in his pants to make the bulge a little less visible; Being in a constant state of annoying arousal had been awkward at first, but he'd grown used to after about a day. The near-constant erection wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as much as it was awkward. And sure enough, he could hear a door open down the corridor to his right, followed by the sound of tired paws on wooden floor. He turned to greet his brother.

The sight that faced him was truly miserable; Natani had usually been very careful with his choice of attire for multiple reasons. Chest wrappings, loose boxers, and a shirt under concealing robes were a necessity if he were to ever go outside. But this time he hadn't even bothered to put on any clothes at all; His painfully feminine form was on full display, complete with budding breasts and a wet trail leading down his inner thigh. His walk was slouched and exhausted, shoulders slumped and ears drooping. Zen turned back, averting his eyes. Thinking of his sibling as a male was getting more and more difficult.

Without saying a word, Natani plopped down on the couch next to his brother and laid down, head resting next to his leg. The intense scent of estrus filled Zen's nose, and he had to grit his teeth.

For a while, they sat there in silence. Zen could feel a storm of intense sensations swirling on the other side of the link, and decided to keep quiet.

Instead of speaking, he took to gently stroking his little brother's head. His hair was starting to grow out again, and he let his fingers sift through it.

Eventually he could hear the noise of Natani's tail lazily hitting the fabric of the couch in a subdued wagging.

He cleared his throat. They couldn't sit here in awkward silence forever. "You, uh... How are you holding up?"

His only response was a weak growling. For a moment he almost thought Natani had fallen asleep, until the answer came, like a hoarse hiss. "Dhn.. Don't. Don't even ask. I'm so..." He groaned.

"I'm so goddamn tired. Not just physically. I'm tired of this..." He motioned towards his bosomy chest. "This stupid body. I'm tired of the mind-link. I can't sleep, I can hardly even... rghrnnn..." He lapsed into grumbling, and Zen felt another wave of irritant arousal flow from the link. "I just... I just want to rest!" he moaned. "But every time I go to sleep, I just end up inside some wet dream. I'll spare you the... -guh- details. And when I wake up, I'm more exhausted than before." He ran out of breath, and Zen felt a sting of guilt as he could parse a few hiccups and whimpers between the young wolf's huffs. He had seen his brother suffer quite a bit of physical pain, but this mental strain had put a larger dent in the young keidran's fortitude than any stab wound ever could.

"Look," He started. "I've been reading up on this stuff. It usually doesn't last for more than a week. You just gotta hang in there." He pointed towards the book on the floor. "I'm still pretty bad at the whole "reading" thing, but there's a lot of useful information in that one." He looked at the tired wolf beside him. The book had detailed the exhaustion, stress and mental pressure of heat, and Natani looked like fig. #1 of someone halfway through estrus week.

"A whole... A whole week?!" His brother's voice was high-pitched and desperate. "What day is it? This thing started around... last Thursday I think. Please tell me we're at least past... Tuesday by now!" He squirmed on the couch, rubbing his thighs together. Zen could feel the frustation growing. "Uh... today is Monday" He replied flatly. "You got quite a ways to go, little bro. Try and relax." "Rhhh... Relax?!" Natani blurted out. "Do you have any idea what this is like? I haven't slept properly for ages! My mind feels like it's trying to pull me in one... direction, and my body is going in another! I HATE this weak body so much! I'm being torn apart! And on top of that, there's this burning... itching... Grrrrhh!" He rolled over to his stomach and groaned his agony into the pillows. Zen could hear his claws tearing into the fabric.

Through the mind-link he could feel another wave of unwanted warmth spill over the edge of the barrier, and was treated to a strange tingling in a part of his groin that didn't even exist. He leant back and tried to stay calm; The part of their mind that belonged to Natani was a vortex, and he was trying his best to balance it out by being the relaxed one. "You wanna talk about it?" He asked eventually, still gently stroking his brother's hair. Ever since Natani's mind had been erased and restored, they had agreed on not mentioning the more... intimate aspects of his physique. After all, they both still needed a bit of privacy from time to time, and with a shared mind, such a thing could be hard to attain.

But seeing his younger sibling up against the wall like this made him feel a little guilty for not wanting to listen. Natani had no one else to talk to or share this burden with. The young wolf perked up a little, face still buried in the pillows.

"You sure... You sure you want to hear about this?" He asked, voice muffled. "It's not something I'd want to put on you. And I know this stuff's always been... awkward... I'm..." He sniffled again. "I'm sorry about this." Zen felt a lump form in his throat when he heard the stress, disgust and exhaustion in his voice. He'd sworn to always watch over and support him, no matter the circumstances. No amount of mind link magic, gender confusion or estrus would change that.

"Hey. It's not your fault," He made his voice as soft as he could."This whole thing is just rotten luck. The world seems hellbent on forcing dumb problems onto us, and you just got the short end of the stick this time. Remember last year, when I had dysentery?" Natani snorted. "Yeah... How could I forget? You nearly shat your innards out in the middle of a guild meeting. Had to run out while clutching your butt."

"Hey, dysentery's no joke! I could've died from that. I was coughing up blood, just out the other end!"

They both chuckled at the unpleasant memories. "Ah, yes. Good times." Zen continued. "But I'm preeeetty sure I would've actually died back then if it weren't for your medical knowledge and will to apply it, as gross as that whole situation was. I'm a dick to you at times, and you're likewise to me. But when things get tough, we stick together. My shoulder is open to lean during times when you really need it, and that will never change no matter what. Because you will always be my brother, and I will always love you." He punctuated the last part with a scratch behind Natani's ear.

The afflicted wolf rolled back onto his side, and Zen could see the tears in his eyes. "Th...thank you, Zen." He mumbled, before throwing his hands across his face. "Ungh...Gods! Why am I such a little wuss? If we're gonna talk about this stuff, we might as well start there; I get so emotional over the tiniest... stupid... Urgh!" He gave something between a groan and a sob. "I didn't have this problem before, but now I just start crying like a little girl over nothing! Everything seems so difficult to deal with, even though nothing's changed. I just feel so weak and fragile, and... and... tired." He laid his head into his elder brother's lap, ruminating. Zen gave a knowing nod. "Read about that. Can't say I undertood all the medical jargon, but it did say a lot about mood swings. And when was the last time you ate? Or slept? Of course you're tired!" He gave his brother a gentle rub under the chin, and felt the warmth radiate from his throat. "Hmm. You're overheating. Guess they call it that for a reason." He felt Natani's jaw against his hand. It reminded him of someone struck with high fever. "Yeah, I've been on fire for a while... but uh..." The young wolf swallowed. "Th-that's really not the worst part. I... Umh..." He took a long pause, heavy breaths steaming out his nose.

Zen had tried skimming through some of the later chapters of the Estrus guide, and he had a pretty good idea of what was coming next, just from looking at the illustations. He didn't really feel like he was prepared to hear about this, but some part of him knew he would have to at some point down the line; it was a natural part of growing up, after all.

"...Too personal?" He pondered, a little hopeful that he wouldn't have to listen to this.

"Well... Yeah," his brother replied, "But what does it really matter, anyways? It's not like I can... Keep it to myself. I'm sure you've noticed through the link how it feels." Zen grumbled and shifted a little to keep his erection from becoming too visible through his pants; Yes, he knew exactly how they both felt. Natani continued. "So... uh... How do I explain this. Remember that one time during a mission, when you fell into a patch of stinging nettles? How it felt?"

Zen shuddered. "Eurgh. Yeah. Only itched at first. Then it started burning. Remember you had to restrain me with magic for half a week to stop me from scratching myself to death. Don't even know how that stuff got through my fur."

The young wolf nodded. "Exactly. I felt it too, you know. Now, imagine... Imagine if the itching and burning happened somewhere deep inside you, where you can't reach. And every minute it got worse until... grhrrmmn_._" He whimpered through his teeth, and buried his face in the couch next to Zen. The older wolf felt the wet snout against his thigh.

Another wave of intense stimulation washed over them, and Zen had to suppress a gasp; He could feel the burning inside his sternum now. He bent forward, groaning. "Yeah, I feel it... agh." Gods, he wished it would end.

Natani took a while to continue, keeping his face nestled in the couch.

"But... That's still not the worst part." He mumbled after a while. "I'm used to physical pain and discomfort... It's the... mental part that screws me."

"How so?" Zen asked, bracing himself for the answer; This was about get awkward.

"You... You know things haven't been all that... easy for me since the mind-link. With... my body, I mean." His younger sibling rolled over on his back, and Zen got an unfortunate view of the young wolf's wet groin before his tail came up to cover it.

He looked away, cringing; He really could've done without the image of his sister's ladybits burned into his retina. No. Not sister.Brother. Brother, brother, brother. This was getting much too complicated for him. Natani continued, staring at the ceiling. "I'm just so confused! I've felt one hundred percent like a man ever since the link, despite not having a... you know." He sighed. "But now, everything feels so chaotic. It's like half my mind is still male, my body is trying... forcing me to do_womanly_ things..." He yanked the tip of his tail up to his chest and moaned, splaying his claws out. "...and the second half of my mind doesn't even know anymore. And on top of all that-"He put a hand to his chest, and cupped one of the tender bumps in his hands. "-These stiupid things! Is this what having breasts feels like? They've grown really big lately. And these last few days, they've been so... sensitive as well. I really hope they stop growing soon, or it's gonna become very... ah-... hard to hide them."

All this was starting to become a little too much for poor Zen. The sight of his younger sibling's trembling body was bad enough, but watching him fondling his assets like this was simply unnerving; As a child, he had always rued the day his little sister would hit this age and he would be the one who had to deal with it. Moreover, the smell of his blood relative's estrus wasn't nearly as repulsive to him as he'd expected; In fact it was disconcertingly stimulating.

He shut his eyes and bit his lower lip, trying to roll back the disgusting thoughts that came swelling from somewhere in their minds; the lines between them were starting to blur. "And then there's the dreams." Natani muttered, panting lightly again. "I have them every time I try to sleep. And they're always... sexual. But not in the way they used to be. Before, I was always the guy, but now, I... Even in my dreams, I have a girl's body! It's so... damn... -hah-" He lapsed into huffs, snapping for breath.

Zen saw his opportunity to butt in. "Look. I know this is very tough for you, but could you... I don't know, tone it down a little? This is getting uncomfortable for me as well. I know you have no one else to share this with, but good gods am I not prepared to have this kind of talk with my little si- nh- brother."

Natani scoffed, his breath still shallow; "Oh, you think you have it bad? You're only getting a fraction of what I'm feeling. It... it BURNS, Zen! I've tried everything I know to make it less painful, but nothing... -hahh- nothing reaches deep enough! I know what the solution is... What this stupid body is designed to crave, but I can't... I won't...grrhh..." He held his tail to his chest with one hand, whilst ripping into the couch with the other, claws bared out of pure desperation. "If you think you're uncomfortable now, then try -haah- try this!" He moved his hand down under his tail, down towards his groin. Zen could feel the flimsy barrier between their minds opening, and was immediately assaulted by a barrage of conflicting emotions, along with a massive spike in temperature. It felt like his head was about to explode. "Don't talk about how awkward this is..." Natani mumbled, tracing his hand even lower. "...without knowing exactly what it's like. Feel this." Zen had an idea of what was coming, but had almost no time to brace himself for the sensation that followed; He couldn't see what his brother was doing under the tail, but through the mind-link he could feel it; a trembling finger entering through an orifice he didn't even have. Bending over, he couldn't stop the moan from escaping his chest; It felt like something was forcing its way into his taint, pushing through the flesh under his manhood without facing any resistance. Instinctively, he grasped at his crotch, but there was nothing there except his own familiar equipment; the alien sensation came from his sibling's mind, lying right next to him on the couch.

"Doesn't feel all -aah! All that good, does it?" Natani puffed, and gave another short thrust with his finger. Zen did his best to not throw up. "Plah... Please stop!" He huffed, clutching at his groin. Along with the foreign object in his body had come a burning arousal, but his brother's fingering did absolutely nothing to relieve it, merely stoking the flames.

"See? Not so straight-forward, is it?" the young wolf commented as he pulled out and wiped his finger on his tail. "I-I don't know what the hn-hell I'm supposed to do about this. I've tried -kah- using my finger before, but... it... just feels so... wrong. It feels like I'm... messing around with a part of myself that shouldn't -aah- exist. And I'm so... damn..." He pulled his tail closer to his chest, growling. With the mind-link open, Zen could feel the fuzzy texture against his aching bits.

"So what does your... -haah- dumb book say about this? Does it have a solution, or is it just... some kinda freaky porn book disguised as... useful stuff?"

Zen had to take a few moments to collect himself after the violent intrusion to his personal space; It had been both horribly unpleasant and eerily arousing to feel Natani's finger inside them both like that, and his member was throbbing eagerly inside the leg of his pants, straining against the fabric. He crossed his legs to hide it. "Don't... Don't do that ever again. N-not with the mind link open." He took another moment, trying to collect his thoughts. He suddenly felt angry. The book... Right. "And I think you know damn well what the book suggests you do. From what I could understand, Estrus is basically your body telling you "hey, I'm old enough to have puppies now, time to go find someone who can put them in me."

The words came out more harshly than he had intended, but he didn't care anymore. Natani had crossed the line when he'd opened the link and molested them both. Not only had the physical experience been highly uncomfortable, but his younger brother's sour mood had transferred itself as well. But when he saw how the young wolf recoiled, face ridden with shame and desperation, he regretted it instantly.

"I... you know I can't risk that, Zen..." he mumbled, eyes moist again. "I know what the guys in the guild will do if they find out... about... Clovis made that painfully clear. Besides, I know... I can't trust anyone out there." He sniffled and started squirming again. A fresh waft of estrus-smell hit Zen, making him a little dizzy.

"And finally... I don't...want to give in to this stupid... condition. The real part of my brain loathes this feeling of weakness and needy arousal. It's not a part of who I really am. I just... -hah- don't know what to do with myself anymore. I feel like I'm going insane!" He gave a high-pitched groan, rolled over and threw his head into Zen's lap. The older wolf flinched as his brother's face landed right next to his groin.

For a short while, the only noises that could be heard were Natani's shallow breaths, and the soft thumping of his tail against the couch pillows. Eventually, he broke the silence again. "I'm glad... I'm glad I at least have you. When this whole dumb... thing started, I probably would've... -hn- done something really stupid if it weren't... for you. Your... decision to lock us inside the house probably saved... -hah- my life, as well as what little... dignity I have left." He nuzzled against Zen's leg. "I'm... I'm sorry for what I did earlier. With the mind link, I mean. I just- I can't think clearly at all. My mind is a complete wreck..."

Natani shuddered, fumbled around, and promptly froze when his nose brushed over his brother's crotch; His snout was hovering directly above the elder wolf's hard manhood, only separated by a strained piece of clothing.

Zen shied away, trying to hid himself. "L-look... This heat thing affects me too, alright? It's been like this for almost an hour now, and I don't think it's gonna go down anytime soon. E-especially if you keep doing weird stuff with the mind link." He tried closing the link, but an intense flow of conflicting emotions kept it open from the other side. Backing off to the other side of the couch, he eyed his brother. Natani had frozen completely stiff, gritting his teeth. Zen could see his tail raising itself up and to the side, seemingly by itself, and he was really thankful that he didn't have a view from the other side.

The young wolf stayed on the couch for a few seconds, jaw clenched and eyes darting back and forth under his furrowed brow. "Goddammit..." he eventually mumbled through his teeth. "Dammit, dammit, not with you... That's not s-supposed to make me... This is so wrong..."

Even with his eyes open, Zen got a few glimpses of his brother's mind, and instantly wished he hadn't;

What he saw was himself, slumped on the couch in the same position as he had in reality. The only difference was that this time he wasn't wearing any clothes, and his naked bits were on full, veiny display.

"Are you... imagining me... your brother... naked?" Zen stammered, trying to hide himself behind his tail. "That's really not o-okay. Please try and control y-" "I CAN'T control it, Zen!" Natani burst out, panting. "I have absolutely no clue what's -hah-happening to me! Is this what it's like to have the body of a woman? Because... if so, I don't know if I c-hnh..." He snarled, slavering onto the pillows. "How... How long have we been sitting here? Five minutes? It feels like hours! I-I'm so damn wet, I think I left a -thaah-... slug-trail from my room. I'm so horny I can't see straight anymore! My brain is full of lewd visions, my body feels like it's... -haah- about to molest itself... without my input. I-I can't control where my thoughts go anymore, I......" He fell forward with his hands clasped to his groin, and Zen got another vivid picture passed through the link. But this time it wasn't a vision of himself, but rather just a mass of unsheathed canine penises, throbbing and glistening, some of them already showcasing powerful knots.

Along with this sight came a wave of red-hot, irresistable need from his underside, and all he could do was dig his claws into the seat and throw his head back, gritting his teeth in a defiant snarl.

Beside him, Natani gave a long moan and raised his butt into the air, tail raised at the base, hanging limply down along his back.

"Zh-Zen..." He murmured weakly. "I need some relief. Now. It just... gets stronger... every second. It's worse... than any physical pain I've ever... been in.You're gonna... -haah-" He snapped for air, curling his paws. "You'll either have to... let me out of here so I can... do it with someone else... or... Or you're gonna have to... do the deed yourself..."

Whimpering, the younger brother crawled towards Zen, and true enough, the elder brother could see a wet stain where his sibling had sat just a few moments before "Please. I hate... hate to ask something like this, and I know... -hnah- I'll regret it. But I'm... But I can't resist it anymore..." With a clumsy flourish, Natani threw one leg over Zen's lap, straddling him. The elder wolf felt the warm wetness of his brother's most private parts through the fabric of his pants.

It was at that exact moment, just as his knot started slipping out of its sheath, that something snapped inside Zen. Ever since the day his sister's mind had been obliterated by dark magic, he had done his best to respect her new nature. He had done his absolute best to ingrain into his mind that his younger sibling was a boy, that things had changed forever, and that his little sis was gone and that he had a brother now.

He had, after all, promised them. Promised that he would watch over her and protect her. He was her big brother, and that would never change.

But as the young wolf started frantically fumbling with the lacing on his pants, panting and huffing, the fragile, self-constructed illusion broke; After everything they'd been through in the last year, the assassinations, the dark magic, the mind-link... At the end, Natani was still the same person, she was still his little sister.

And she was about to make a big mistake.

"Get off me." He said flatly. "Now." His head had cleared a little bit, and now, instead of arousal, he felt only anger.

She stiffened, fingers still fumbling with the laces. "No, I can't... I need-" Through his pants he could feel her rubbing up against his hard member. And finally, he snapped.

"I said. Get. OFF!" He pushed her, much harder than he had intended. With a surprised gasp she fell backwards, flailing for balance. She didn't find it, and tumbled onto the floor in a heap of moist fur. Zen got up, rubbing at his groin, trying to remove the wet stains on his trousers, left by his little sister.

This was utter madness.

"I know this is tough, but please get a grip, Nat." He hissed. "Look at yourself. Think for Gods' sakes. You're trying to have sex with your own brother! Do you, through the haze in your brain, realize what that means? How messed up all of this is?" He waited for a response, but all he got was a few breathless moans from the naked wolf. Her hair had fallen down in her face, and all he could see was the end of her snout, with her tongue hanging helplessly onto the wooden floorboards as she snapped for air.

"Think about this for a second, if you're able," He continued. "What would happen if we did go all the way, right here and now? What if... What if I got you pregnant? That's highly likely, with the way knots work. How would you conceal a child? Good luck hiding that with chest bindings. I..." He put his face in his hands, fuming. "...I can't believe I'm having this talk at the age of nine, With my own bloody sister! What would mom and dad think if they saw us now? Did that cross your mind, when you propositioned a blood relative? Or were you too busy fantasizing about how good it would feel to get pounded by your own brother?!"

Zen felt the rage rising in his chest, white-hot and burning. Why did he always have to be the voice of reason? Why was Natani the one to jump into trouble head-first, leaving him to clean up the mess? Her idiocy was what had led to the mind-link, with how she had foolishly attacked a mage in broad daylight. He had saved her life then, and they were both still paying down that debt.

At times, she was nothing but a burden, and he had been cursed to carry it alone.

That burden was lying curled up on the floor, trembling heavily from the tip of her ears to the wet end of her tail.

After a few wheezing huffs, she tried to speak.

"I don't... I don't know what's... wrong with me!" He could hear the tears through her voice. "I can't sleep, I can't eat... And now I can't even... think! I'm sick, Zen! But I don't know... What part of this... comes from estrus... and what part is just me being... ungh-" She convulsed, and another wave of estrus-laden body odour assaulted Zen's snout.

"...I'm so messed up! I know how wrong... -hah- all this is, but my body won't... stop... pestering me! I should be... strong enough to resist... but I feel so weak..." Natani curled up and rested her head against her knees. It sounded to Zen like she tried to say more, but all that came out were a series of whines, gasps and eventually a series of painful sobs.

Just a few moments ago, he had been prepared to give a heated speech on how insane and repulsive her actions had become. "She may be in heat" he had thought, "But by the fates, have some decency!" But as he saw her lying on the floor, face full of tears, shame and messy hair, his anger poured off him like water. Never before had he seen her this broken and lost, not even after their parents died.

In fact, he hadn't seen her shed a single tear after the link was formed. She was growing up to be a strong and stalwart wolf. He hadn't expected anything to make her cry, much less turn her into a shivering lump of misery like she was now. She coughed and sniffled, and Zen felt his eyes sting and a lump form in his throat. Damn fine brother he was.

Goddamn mood swings.

He crouched down next to his little sister, and laid his hand on her trembling shoulder. It was uncomfortably warm even through her fur.

"Hey..." he mumbled, voice suddenly rusty. "I'm sorry about what I said... I don't know what came over me. I..." He blinked, his vision blurred by tears, though he wasn't quite sure whether the sadness came from her side of the link or from himself. He suddenly realized that he had been screaming.

"Neither of us are prepared to deal with this. Your body isn't ready for going through heat, and I'm not... and probably never will be, the right person to help you. If all was right in the world, you would be discussing this stuff with Mom, while me and Dad went out for a week. All this..." He motioned around them, at their tiny, estrus-stinking excuse for a living room. "...None of it is fair! If I should be angry at anyone, it shouldn't be you... It should be the world!"

He traced his hand up her shoulder, and brushed her hair back.

The half-empty gaze that met him was a sad reminder of the pains she had been through. One eye was the same as his own; brown, deep and full of pain and confusion. But the other one was gray and completely blank, filled with an eerie emptiness. It had been like that for over a year, and every time Zen looked into it, he felt his stomach do a sickening drop; It reminded him of the few heartwrenching hours he had spent trying to bring her back to life after her soul had been broken. The fear of losing her still lingered, and when she looked at him with that empty eye, it returned.

Zen grit his teeth, and felt the first tear start its journey down his cheek. Natani didn't deserve this, and he was only making it worse. How could either of them hope to succeed when the world seemed to stack itself against them at every turn?

And without another word, he pulled her gently off the ground and into a tight hug. "What are y- guh-" Natani's question drew out into a long sigh as he squeezed her close to his chest, feeling her frantic heartbeat against his own. Though they were different people with one year and two breasts separating them, their hearts still beat as one.

After a few seconds, she loosened her muscles and brought her arms up around his back, returning the hug. Zen could feel her sobbing quietly onto his shoulder.

"I'm... I'm a burden" She eventually muttered. "You hate me."

He was about to protest, but remembered that she could read his mind. And she was right, he _did_at times see her as a nuisance.

"Well... Yes." he said instead, and squeezed her even closer. "You can be a pain sometimes. But that applies to every sibling, not just you."

He stroked her back, feeling her trembling slowly starting to abate. "And you know I don't hate you; These mood swings affect me too, you know? I-I got so angry all of a sudden. I'm just not..." He sighed, the tears flowing freely now.

It felt good to cry a little, he realized then. To just let his emotions drain out after keeping them hidden for so long.

"On the day the spell hit you..." He sniffled, "I didn't... It felt like the world fell apart. I carried your body for miles through the woods, without resting, to the closest settlement I could find. Without a second thought, I surrendered everything I had to Clovis in return for the slightest chance of bringing you back. The process was costly, and it lasted for multiple days. I did not sleep for a single one of them. And h-how could I?"

The memories came rushing back, and he started trembling in her hands; Her body had been cold.

"I've never been so scared in my entire life. The minutes became hours, the days became...years! And when you finally opened your eyes, I felt like I had been sitting there for... for..." He trailed off, unable to continue. He shut his eyes and let the feelings run their course.

At his back, he could feel Natani's warm breath running down his neck. Warm, and though not entirely healthy, alive.

"I did it all without thinking twice. And I would do it a thousand times over if I had to. Do you really think..." He loosened his grip and reared back to look her in the eyes. The gaze that met him was wide-eyed and glassy. "Do you really think I would do all that for someone I hate? If you are a burden, then you are a burden worth carrying. Because... Despite your gender... issues, your estrus and your mood swings, you will always be my little sister. And I will always love you more than anything else in this world."

He pulled her back into the warm embrace. Gods, she was warm. And it felt so good to have her fast heartbeat safely against his chest, her breath against his neck. He had nearly lost all these things, and he beat himself up mentally for forgetting how close it had been.

Zen didn't know quite how long they both spent like that, curled up in each others' arms, leaning on each other. After a while, he could feel Natani's breaths grow less shallow and frantic.

Eventually, she spoke up. "I miss them," she said simply. Her voice was rusty and tired, but no longer broken.

He nodded, petting her gently. "Me too. Mom should've been the one to get you through this stuff, but I guess you're stuck with stupid old me." She stroked him back. "Hey, you're not doing that bad right now. I think..." He felt her claws scratching at his ear, and kicked his feet a little out of reflex. "...I think a great part of what I needed was just... contact. Even if it was just a hug. Th...thank you."

"Don't mention it," He replied. "So you're not gonna try and jump on me again? Because oh boy..." He felt her wince; The burning arousal was still there, in the back of their minds.

"Eurgh. Ew. No... I mean..." She squirmed, and rubbed against him slightly "N-no. Can we not... talk about this? My body still... feels like it's trying to... Yuck. But right now... I can control it."

She sighed, and nuzzled against his neck. "You know... we used to do this a lot more when we were kids. Just cuddling together, like wolves do. Before everything got so... complicated. It's nice."

Zen nodded. He had gotten tired all of a sudden.

As if to confirm this, Natani yawned sorely. "Y_argh._ I just remembered I haven't slept for days. I feel like I might... fffhhh..." She trailed off.

"Want some help getting back to bed?" Zen asked. "This floor is hard."

His sister pondered for a few seconds, before yawning again. "Y...you know what? Right... right here is fine. As long as... As long as you're here with me... I... hnnn..." He felt her slowly going limp as she leaned into him, her mind finally slipping into slumber. He leaned backwards with her, letting her use his chest as a pillow. She was asleep before his shoulders hit the floor, drooling lightly onto his shirt.

As he stared at the ceiling, Zen got the feeling he would soon follow suit. This had been a long and highly unpleasant day. His groin ached, as his manhood was still straining painfully against his trousers. He had almost forgotten about that awkward nuisance.

"God...damn Estrus..." he mumbled groggily.

It was already quite late at night. Tomorrow they would be one day closer to the end of this whole ordeal...

One more day...

That was Zen's last thought before he followed his sister into the mindscape.

The little space inside their fellow mind was a strange concept. Neither Zen nor Natani really knew how it worked, but it had always served as a middle-space between their real world, and their dreams.

Modeled like a piece of the forest where they had grown up, it had been a comfortable place to talk, relax, or discuss things they didn't want anyone else to hear.

But as he drifted into it this time, he wasn't met by a comfortable waft of fresh forest air like usual.

Instead, it felt like walking into an oven.

He stood on the grass, petrified by the waves of intense heat that washed over him. The forest felt like it was on fire, and he could see a few embers flowing past. He could hear a low roaring in the distance, like an all-consuming wall of flames slowly approaching.

He shuddered, already sweating. Suddenly scared, he called out.

"Hey, Natani! Are you in here?" Skittishly he looked around, trying to find her.

"O-over here..." The answer came from a short distance away. Her voice was so unstable and weak, it made him worried.

He hobbled over, and got reminded that he was still hard; his wolfhood was fully unsheathed, dangling heavily between his legs now that he didn't have anything to contain it.

He cursed, and continued on his way; Modesty was less important than making sure his sister was safe.

Rounding a large oak, he found her curled up on the grass, shivering and panting.

"Hey... You okay?" He asked, crouching beside her. She had her legs curled up to her jaw, and her tail was beating weakly against the grass.

"Do I... Do I _look_okay?" she muttered in response, and Zen noticed that for the first time, she had a female form even inside the mindscape.

"No, you don't." he admitted.

He looked around at the smoldering groves. "What the hell is happening? Why is our mind on fire? Is it..."

He looked back down, and heard her whimper.

Of course.

"Is this what it's like inside your mind? It feels like we're about to die! No wonder you've been acting all... weird if this is what it's like!"

Natani gave something between a chuckle and a choked cough. "Yeah. Welcome to my... -hah- personal hell, Zen." She drew a few desperate breaths, her entire frame shaken by exhausted tremors. "I thought... I could finally... sleep. But I guess... I'll just fucking go insane instead... haha..." She giggled painfully, before coughing again.

Zen gave her another look, and realized he was staring at someone who was at the complete end of their wits; He could almost feel her mind starting to collapse in on itself on the other side of the fragile link. And as if to confirm this, a burning breeze came blazing through the woods, heating him up even more as it flew over him. He knew these sensations probably came from her side, but it felt as real as if he himself was about to catch fire.

The elder wolf sighed. Was there really no other way?

"Hey... look." He began. He couldn't believe he was about to suggest this. "Earlier... When you tried to... erhg. Jump on me. I got... angry. I didn't know... what it was like for you. I just had no idea what you were going through. But now..." He shuddered. With the forest burning around him, it really felt like he was at the threshold of insanity. "...Now I understand. If I was in your place, I probably would've done the same." He saw her ears perk up a little bit. "Th... thank you for understanding, I guess." She eased up a little and looked up at him. "But I still don't see how I'm supposed to-"

She froze dead mid-sentence as her eyes landed on his groin.

"Oh."

"W-well, that kinda brings me to my next point..." Zen stammered. "I'm... pretty sure you can't get pregnant in here. A-and it's not real, anyways, right? So it wouldn't actually hurt if w-we were to..."

He took a deep breath. "I would never agree to this if I could see any other way out. B-but it feels like we're both about to go up in flames, and even I can't stand this madness anymore. I don't know how the hell you held out for as long as you did. Guess you're stronger than me..."

He trailed off. Natani's eyes were darting back and forth between his eyes and his hard manhood, which was resting only a foot away from her face, twitching slightly.

It only took her half a second before she started breathing heavily.

"Y... yes. Oh gods, yes." Frantically, she unfolded herself from the curled-up position and laid out flat on her back. "Quick, before the shame sets in and I c-change my mind!" As she spread her legs and presented herself, Zen got the feeling he would never be able to wash the image from his mind; His own sister, splayed out before him, face contorted by a mixture of pain, frustration and aching need, awaiting him eagerly.

He closed his eyes, but the sight had already been seared into his memory.

"Cah... Come on! Please!" Natani huffed, and Zen could've sworn the ground had caught fire around them, as if something had stoked the flames.

He opened his eyes and was greeted by the sight of his younger sibling's trembling hand reaching down to her bits and spreading her lips for him. The whole area was already soaked, and he could see a small ray of clear fluid squirt out as she convulsed, running down her exposed butt and onto her wagging tail.

He grit his teeth and groaned; It was true that he had gone through a lot to keep her safe and happy, but this...

"One... One thing before we begin..." He asked as he rested the weight of his member between her legs.

"Whah... what?" She puffed back, almost cross-eyed from pent-up need.

"Promise me... that after we wake up from this... thing... we will never speak of this again. Ever. Promise me that we will find some other way next time, because I can't stand the idea that this will become some regular eve-"

"Okay, fine, I promise, I pro- -haaah- promise!" She cried. "N-now shut up, and... -hah- do it! And don't... don't stop, until... I'm..." She threw her head back and spread herself even further, her whole body contorting as he angled his tapered head down, poking at her open slit.

Even with his tip as the only point of contact, he could feel how warm she was on the inside; It was like poking into a fire.

He gave a gentle thrust, but only got half the head in before the link played another trick on him; It felt like something was poking at him from below, forcing its way into the area between his groin and his butt. It wasn't nearly as unpleasant as before, but he still shut his legs instinctively. Natani moaned through her teeth, dug her claws into the grass and clamped down around him.

It felt like her every muscle was clenching at his head, and despite his efforts, he was forced back out with a with a wet "splt."

The invasive feeling stopped.

"Ow!" he burst out "Hey, you gotta relax a little bit. Those are some strong muscles you've got down there! I can't get in if you clench."

"Ah! I didn't even realize... -haah-" She stared back up at him, blushing through her fur. "I-I've never... It was just so... strange..." She stared down. "Wow, it's a l-lot bigger than I thought once it's out of the...thing."

Zen had always secretly been a little proud of his size. Though he had never expected to get complimented by his own sister.

"Well... yeah. Just try and... take deep breaths, and relax everything. Think you can do that?" Natani sighed, and Zen felt her tail beating against his underside.

"I'll... try." She replied meekly, and inhaled.

"Okay... do it again... b-but slowly!" she puffed after a few seconds.

Once again Zen pushed against her, this time helping with his hand to spread her a little wider.

Slow and gently, but with a firm grasp, he pushed deeper than before; his head piercing into parts of her that had never been touched by anyone. And just like before, the mind-link treated him to the unique sensation of his own manhood entering him from below. He suppressed a gasp, grit his teeth and continued.

After a few inches, he stopped. This felt so much better than it should, and he couldn't help but give a few throbs through his rod.

"How... how does it feel?" He asked. There was still a lot of resistance, but he managed to stay inside this time.

For a few moments, the only thing he got were strained breaths and hoarse grunts.

"Oh... Zen..." She whispered eventually. "Dh... deeper. Please... -guh- go... all the way in. It feels so. Damn. Good!" Her ears had flipped backwards, and her lips were drawn back in a wolfish grin.

"Alright then, lil' sis." he mumbled in return, pushing harder and a little faster than before.

Some part of him was starting to enjoy this much more than he felt like he should allow, but...

...But was this really so wrong? Should they not both be free to do as they wished, as long as they were inside the mindscape? He knew full well how much Natani needed this, and now, as he squeezed his way into her warm depths, it somehow felt more "right" than anything he had done or said for the last few days.

The mind-link feedback was... somewhat pleasant as well.Zen had never liked the thought of putting any foreign object inside his own body that was not food. But this new sense of warmth and fullness inside his sternum felt... natural.

Slowly, she engulfed more and more of his shaft. The sense of tightness around his wolfhood increased a little as the thickest part went past her lips, and he heard her gasp lightly before clamping down on him again.

But this time, she only ended up squeezing him further in, and before he knew it he was almost hilted, his knot being the only part not embedded inside Natani's trembling parts.

He felt her entire body tense up as she threw her head back, and for a moment he was afraid he'd gone too far.

But then, after holding the gasp for longer than comfortable, she let it out in a long, deep sigh of ultimate satisfaction and relief. Her grip loosened, and Zen felt her tail brushing gently against his.

"Aaahahahh... That... That feels good!" She murred. "I... you... you've managed to scratch... the itch. It doesn't burn anymore!" The elder wolf took a short moment, and realized that true enough: The groves were no longer burning, but just pleasantly warm. There was no more ominous rumbling of an approaching fire, the only sounds echoing through the woods were their own voices and shallow breaths.

Zen felt her tighten around him again as she yelped; "Ooh... Can you... do it again? I've never felt anything so... -fffhhaah-" She trailed off into another bout of huffing, and Zen took it upon himself to pull out just a little.

But even the slightest movement made Natani tense up down there, and he had a hard time pulling out; It felt like her tight lips were sucking on his groin, and it took a great deal of strength to retract.

Eventually, he made it halfway out, before firmly pushing back in.

This time there was a lot less resistance, and the woods resounded with a soft wet slap as his knot smacked against her lips, harder than before.

Zen gave a short grunt; not only did that feel good for himself, but the impact fed right back at him through the link, and his underside convulsed as if he was the one getting pounded.

The slap was accompanied by a sharp moan from his little sister, and Zen felt her legs curling around his back to bring him closer.

He lost his balance, and tumbled forwards straight onto her chest; The impact knocked the air out of them both, leaving them breathless in each other's arms.

Natani was the first one to regain herself.

"One.. One more time! Hah- harder!" Her breath was hot against his face, and the smell of her estrus was more intense than ever before; It felt like it was coming from all directions now, not just her.

An involuntary twitch ran through Zen's wolfhood, and he felt his sister tremble in response; They were both starting to get close.

Wordlessly he complied, rolling back out and slamming in, putting more force in his hips than last time. Then he did it again, knocking a fresh gasp from Natani's throat.

Soon he found himself rolling forcefully back and forth over her body like waves on a beach, faster and faster. Eventually she joined in on his rhythm, sliding back as he came in, and pushing down as he pulled out.

The forest was shortly filled by the sounds of their tryst; Zen's low huffs and grunts overlapped by Natani's panting and occasional moan, always punctuated by the short_-splap-_ of a knot smacking heavily into a pair of well lubricated lips. Her wetness spread itself with every impact, and Zen's entire front was eventually coated in the aromatic perfume as well, as he pounded into her.

The scent of his sister's heat, which had earlier confounded him, only lit a fire under the wolf now. The odour was so thick he felt like he could chew it, and he almost struggled to breathe through it as he thrust deep into Natani's core over and over.

For this reason he had to slow down after a while, heaving for breath.

She gave him a look, almost frustrated that he'd stopped his frantic humping.

"Why... -aah!- Why are you... -haah- Stopping?" She growled between the breathless puffs. "I... need more... -hah"

Rather than responding, Zen lowered himself until his chest rubbed against hers, and started a long, slow push forward. Only this time, he didn't stop when his knot bumped against her, but continued inwards, even firmer than before.

At first, it felt like he had met a solid wall, her lips not giving an inch.

But slowly, slowly, as he held the constant pressure, she started to give way, letting the swollen bulb squeeze just a little further in than before.

Natani gave a stifled gasp, and Zen could feel her claws digging into his shoulders, her legs wrapping around his back. Her hind-claws brushed against his raised tail.

"Oh--- haah!" She huffed. "Whah-... What's tha_annghk!"_ Her question was cut short by a low squeal as his knot reached the halfway point past her lips, and Zen felt her teeth lock around his shoulder as she bit down onto him.

He almost grew a little dizzy from the sensory overload; His sisters fangs were piercing into his flesh, but he felt nothing more than a dull throbbing where there should be sharp pain.

And from somewhere under his balls, it felt as if something stretched him open through the link, and he had to do his best not to bite back.

He pulled it out a little, and the stretching sensation from the link faded. "That's the... knot." He puffed after a few seconds, trying to keep his own feelings separate from hers. "And can you... oof. Let go? Your fangs are sharp."

Natani, huffed and snorted before opening her jaws with a gasp, and Zen felt a little sting of worry when he saw her strained expression.

"Are you alright? You gotta tell me if it... -hah- hurts, you know. I'd hate to harm your... eh, delicate parts like this." She looked back up at him, a little dazed.

"I don't know... I didn't... That felt like it should've hurt. Like, a lot. But... huh."

She brushed over his shoulder, sifting through his fur. "S-sorry for biting you. I-I..." She trailed off. "I felt that through the link, and you should be bleeding right now. But I can't even find a bite-mark." She put the hand down onto her own belly. Right below the point where a cleft in her fur indicated her bellybutton, there was a slight bulge, making her fluff jut out unnaturally.

When she pressed down on it, Zen could feel her touch on the tip of his member.

"Is... is that your..."

"Yeah." He replied and gave another short thrust, watching the bulge stir and expand. "how does it feel?"

Natani sighed and let her head rest on the soft grass. Zen felt her light breath on his face.

"It feels... so much better than I thought it would. In the... ugh. The dreams, it was always so... I don't know, forceful? It always felt like I was fighting it in some way... Like my body was only halfway... cooperating to let this happen."

She gave a tired, but full-hearted smile. "I don't know why it changed, but this just feels... pleasant. If a bit -hah- intense.And so, so relieving... haah..."

Having regained his breath somewhat, Zen started slowly working up his rhythm of pushing and pulling once again, his face hovering only inches above hers.

"Maybe it's a... question of trust?" He asked. "You wouldn't trust... anyone else to do this with you, so it felt wrong?" She sighed, wincing slightly as the knot bumped into her again. "N-no, I... I don't know. I don't think that's... aah!" She locked gazes with him, and there was an affection in those eyes deeper than anything he had seen before.

"I just... I'm just glad I can... I... -aah!"

In only a few thrusts, her breath got so uneven she could barely speak.

Instead she looked deeply into his eyes, hers growing teary from the intense pleasure.

"I... I think I... love you, Zen!"

"I love you"

The words were familiar, yet strange in the elder brother's ears. He had said himself that he loved her, a couple times in the past few minutes, in fact. But he had always meant it in a different, softer way.

And as he pushed the edge of his bulbous knot into her for the second time, he wondered;

Was it not right of him to love her back?

Could something that felt so good really be wrong?

And who decided what was right in the right and world, anyways? The world had only ever given them hardship upon hardship, without offering anything but suffering in return.

And as he looked upon Natani's pleasure-wracked face, he saw a happiness unlike anything he had seen from her before, a pure, untainted ecstacy.

Then and there, Zen set his mind. As long as he could see his little sister happy, then the world, the rules and everything else could be damned. He didn't care if this was "wrong" or repulsive; As long as he could see her smile, then nothing else mattered.

With renewed vigour he pulled out, only to slam back in, knocking a short scream from Natani. She had thrown her head back, and was already panting in tandem with his thrusts, her tongue lolling out of her mouth.

Zen bent down and nuzzled at her neck as he increased his pace even further, the woods echoing with the wet slapping sounds of his balls impacting over and over, faster and faster. And with every thrust, he could feel a slight impact to his own underside, like an echo of his own penetration. And even though it felt strange, his legs spread themselves into a lower stance, as if to give easier access to the bits he didn't even have.

Eventually his own hoarse moans joined the crescendo; He could feel it now, the edge approaching.

After a few more thrusts, the pressure started swelling from the other side of the link as well. Natani's huffs had reached a level where they were little short of screams, and her feminine parts were clenching and loosening uncontrollably around him now.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up towards the point of no return one last time, and let his knot rest halfway inside Natani, bulging wider than ever before. The stretching sensation returned tenfold, and it felt like he was about to explode.

"I-I think I'm about to..." He stammered. He hadn't really thought about whether or not he should... She lifted her head off the ground to meet his eyes, and her teary, happy grin told him everything he needed to know.

With one very light push, Zen let himself slide in just a quarter inch. Natani clenched, and thus her muscles did the rest by squeezing him in;

With an audible "smack", they were tied together.

Zen vaguely felt her claws in his back, digging into the flesh as she cried out, roaring her pleasure out to the empty forest. Without restraint he followed suit, his own deeper voice blending together with hers in a conjoined scream of unbridled release.

He had let his body take the reins, and his pelvis was gyrating relentlessly, tugging at her locked lips in one moment, and pushing deeply into her the next.

They locked eyes one last time, both squinting at each other through a haze of joy-filled tears.

And as one, they both lunged forward into a deep kiss, and felt each other explode.

Natani's tail wrapping around his own.

Her tongue against his, warm, wet and thick.

Her walls massaging every inch of his wolfhood as he fired his first shot into her deepest chamber.

Those were the last things Zen felt before his world melted into a hot, chaotic mess.

The sensation that riddled them both had somehow smashed the barrier, and now he got the unique experience of having his mind completely melded with his sister's, as if they were one.

His vision disappeared, as did his other senses. Or rather, they changed; He got the indescribable vision of staring out of four eyes at once, through two pairs.

Through one, he could see his sister on the ground, her face frozen in a shut-eyed scream.

And through the other, he could see... himself? Or was he the one on the ground? He could only see the underside of the short-haired wolf's jaw, since he had turned his head skywards in a wolfish howl of pleasure.

And at the same time, he could feel a warmth spreading through in his...

He looked down through the new pair of eyes, and saw a pair of dainty breasts.

...His womb? He didn't have...

Another shock of pleasure hit their system, and they cried out as one as it became impossible to keep separated anymore.

They could feel both sides of the link now, one pumping wave after wave of warm love into the other, while one felt the hot seed filling them bit by bit, until their womb was straining, and a few stringy rivulets had nowhere to go but out past the knot, squirting onto the grass.

They felt one back arc itself off the grass, and another bend forward to accommodate it, pushing down on the one below.

And despite one of them being empty, the thrusts continued until their mind was battered into a mush, and neither of them managed to discern anything but a warm, glowing satisfaction.

Slowly, like water receding back into pools after a tidal wave, their minds began slinking back into their respective bodies.

Zen's first discernable feeling was that of slight discomfort; His sister must at some point have bit down, and her teeth were embedded in his lips.

He gave a muffled groan.

After a few seconds, she seemed to gain her senses back as well, and with a deep gasp she pulled her fangs back to let them both draw air.

Zen didn't know how long they spent just huffing and gasping on the ground, him with his face to the grass, and her staring up at the treetops high above them. But it must have been at least a couple minutes before either of them managed to say a word.

It was all so warm and comfortable, he thought. To just lie here, and feel her slow but steady heartbeat, engulfed by her warmth. And right then, he wished they could stay there forever.

"That... that was _so_good!" Natani mumbled eventually. "Why... Why didn't we do that before? I've never felt so... mmmhh..." She gave a warm sigh, and Zen felt her legs unwrap themselves from his back, going to rest on the ground.

In the back of his mind, he could feel a strange uneasiness starting to creep up. There was a thick, gentle throbbing resonating through his lower belly, and he quickly realized that it came from his own fully expanded member. Or rather, from Natani's experience of his wolfhood resting inside her, fed back to him through the link

"I have a few ideas why..." he muttered in response. "Like the fact that we're siblings. Was this really the... right thing to do?"

He gave a slight tug with his hips, trying to pull out, but to no avail; they were completely locked together.

She sighed again. "Oh, take your morals and shove them up your ass. We kill people for a living. I think we're a bit outside the normal definitions of right and wrong in the first place..."

The young wolf put a hand on her belly.

"Wow... that's a strange feeling..." she commented as she caressed the veritable bulge. "I feel so... full. And it's so warm and... Would this feel as good in the real world as it does here?"

"I can't imagine it would" Zen replied, the unease in his mind growing as the realization of what they'd just done started to dawn on him. "This is sort of a dream after all. I don't..."

He sighed. When he looked down on her face... her hair flowing out on the grass below her... the way she smiled so warmly...

She was more beautiful than anything he'd ever seen.

"I don't know how we'll both feel about this when we wake up. These last few days have been insane, and I have no idea which of my feelings are my own, and which are yours. And then there's the whole mood swing thing... I don't know what to think anymore, I..."

"Shush!" She interrupted. "Then don't. Don't think so hard right now."

She closed her eyes and caressed her belly lightly.

"Buuut... you're right." She admitted eventually. "I think I'll probably feel... very different about all this after a good night of... yyeeergghh... sleep..." She gave a heavy yawn, and Zen felt her consciousness slipping for a moment. "S...speaking of which... I think I'm gonna... finally... I'll process all of this... tomorrow. Tired..."

With those words, Zen felt her fall through a floor in the mindscape, down to a place where no dreams, fantasies or thoughts could reach her. A deep, dreamless slumber.

And without a second thought, he plunged after her; After all, he was exhausted as well.

She had been right: They could take the next few days to talk about all this and figure out where they truly stood. He had a feeling the memory of this dream would come as a shock to them both, but for now he didn't care.

_ Epilogue: _

Zen didn't quite know what woke him up. It could have been the gentle ray of sunshine that had snuck its way through the carefully shut blinders to caress his face. It could have been the chirping of the birds outside, heralding the arrival of morning. Or it could have been the fact that he had been resting for over eight hours.

Regardless, he awoke like a new man, with his mind as clear as it could be after a long night of sleep.

The first thing he noticed was that he was alone. Or as alone as he could be, with a conjoined mind; From the other side of the link came no emotions, visions or sensations, only a peaceful silence. Times like these were rare, and he took a few moments to appreciate the elusive serenity of his own, unshared mind.

The second thing he noticed was a heavy warmth resting on his chest.

He looked down, and sure enough; Natani was still curled up against him where she had been the night before, peacefully clutching at his shirt. He could just make out her torso rising and lowering with her calm breath.

And slowly, the memories and visions from the dream came back to him.

The burning mindscape.

The desperate need.

The things they had said.

The things they had done.

"I love you, Zen!"

He sighed and stared at the ceiling.

By the fates, what a night.

He moved a little, and felt the fabric on his left leg stick to him.

And he gave a silent groan when he realized he had spilt his seed all over the inside of his pants.

He took a moment to examine Natani's legs as well, and found that she had suffered the same fate; Her entire front-side and inner thighs were soaked, and the air brimmed with the scent of sweat, estrus and cum.

Worriedly he sat up, careful not to wake her. If the smell was this strong, it could probably seep out of the house, despite his efforts to fortify it a few days ago.

They both needed a bath. But first, she needed a good place to rest.

With a grunt he got to his feet, cradling his little sister in his arms. Her face was blank, the only visible emotion a slight smile at the edge of her lips.

Still in deep slumber.

And as he carried her out of the living room and into her bedroom, he realized how young she was.

Barely past eight, she was technically an adult now. But even so, Zen got the feeling she was in no way ready for the life of a woman.

He groaned. With how... hectic... things had been, he had completely forgot about her gender identity as well.

Er. -his- gender identity.

Damn it all.

Regardless, Zen promised himself that he would never let it go this far again.

Not with him.

Maybe in the far future, she would meet someone else who could be her lover, be it a man or a woman.

Someone else she could entrust with her life and secrets.

Someone who wasn't her literal brother.

Someone who cared as much about her as he did.

Zen scoffed unhappily. Right now it didn't seem likely.