Dance of Swords
The room was pitch black. Three-Moons had known it would be. Also, the room was rather small, barely large enough for him to stand, and not wide enough for him to spread his arms out. He had known this was so as well. He was not frightened. All the training, all the dieting, all the skills he had honed, all led to this moment. They had all led to this day. The day he would Dance, and thereby prove his manhood. Three-Moons could feel the familiar weight of his swords, sheathed through the simple band of cloth around his waist, rather than in their scabbards. A scabbard would have added extra weight, slowed him down. Two would have slapped against his legs, possibly even tripped him. That would have both ruined his Dance and lessened his standing within his clan. He could not afford to let that happen.
Three-Moons sat with his tail hanging limply off the back of the bench. He could hear no noise save for his breathing, the swish of his fox-brush against the wooden bench, and the soft singing-sounds of his naked blades rubbing against his leg-fur. Idly, he wondered what his Dance partner was doing at this moment...
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Crimson Snow likewise sat within a small, dark room. She too was deprived of all sounds save for the ones she herself made. Her long, sinuous feline tail stroked the soft dirt upon the floor, scratching invisible symbols upon its surface. She couldn't stop the stroking. She was too excited. Finally she would Dance. Finally she would have her love. Finally she could force him to kneel before her. She grinned, the expression lost in the dark. Three-Moons stood no chance.
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Suddenly, there came a loud knock upon both doors. Both Dancers stood with paws upon their weapons. Slowly, the doors slid open, revealing a large, open coliseum pit. Three-Moons and Crimson Snow stepped out into the arena, looking upon each other from opposite sides of the bowl. In the stands surrounding them sat members of their clan, the infamous Shadow-Moon Clan. Unlike the ruling Clans of the world, the Shadow-Moon accepted all who wished to enter. Be they Wolf Clan, Fox Clan, Feline Clan, or any one of the other nine, they would be accepted into the family that called itself Shadow-Moon.
A raised platform stood off to one side, occupied with four people. Two were Foxes; two were Felines. The Foxes and Felines sat on opposite ends of the platform, looking expectantly upon the figure in the center of the ring. The figure Three-Moons and Crimson Snow were walking to. The figure was large, but then, all who were born of Bear Clan are. However, this one, known to the Shadow-Moon as Grand Paw, was half again as tall as any of Bear Clan. His paws, as his name suggests, were quite large. So large were they that it is said they were the same size as an Equine Clansmen's head. Grand Paw enjoyed proving this, using the Equine skull in his home as a measure.
Three-Moons and Crimson Snow stopped several feet from each other. Each saw almost exactly what the other saw: a creature of a different species, colored shimmering silver with baby blue eyes. These were the colorings of all Shadow-Moon furs until they Danced. Both wore simple loincloths with a large cloth belt holding it up. Each also wore a tight band around their chest, making them even and flattening Crimson Snow's breasts. Silently, Grand Paw stretched out a massive paw, palm up, between the two Dancers. Wordlessly, they stepped forward, stretched out their arms, and laid their paws, palms down, upon the Bear's own. Grand Paw raised his free paw and drew in a deep breath.
"Brothers and sisters of the Shadow-Moon!" began the bear, his powerful voice filling the coliseum and sending shivers down the spines of those who weren't used to it. "Today, we shall witness the joining of these two young lovers!" Here Grand Paw paused, bringing his free paw down, covering the Dancers' own. "As has been our pleasure and our curse," continued the bear, "these two must Dance! Who shall be the dominant one within their lives? We shall soon see! They must prove their worth before the Clan, the Moons, and the Gods! Any who wish objection, speak now!" There was utter silence within the coliseum as all eyes became fixed upon Three-Moons and Crimson Snow. The two Dancers looked into each other's eyes from across the short distance between them. Three-Moons cracked a slight smile, which Crimson Snow mirrored, blushing softly. They had made love before, but this...This was more intimate than anything they had ever done before...Grand Paw shifted his paws to bring the lovers' fingers together. With their fingers firmly locked together, Grand Paw broke away from them, jogging to the platform and climbing up to stand in front of his seat, which was reserved for the Clan Leader. He cried, "I declare that Three-Moons, son of Blizzard-Born, and Crimson Snow, daughter of Swift Claws, shall be joined. Let the Dance of Swords commence!" He sat swiftly, keeping his eyes on the two dancers.
Cheers sounded within the stands, but the noise fell upon deaf ears when it reached the Dancers. They gazed into each other's eyes still, fingers binding them together gently. In a later moment they would be foes, but in this moment, one which seemed to last for an eternity, they were young lovers still...
...
...
...
The moment ended.
Three-Moons raised his foot and shoved it against Crimson Snow's chest, his fingers breaking contact as he launched himself away from his soon-to-be mate. Crimson Snow stumbled back several feet, paws grasping her swords and drawing them. "Kalai Yu Calay!" cried the feline, running swiftly forward, swords moving in a blurring cage of steel.
Three-Moons landed with one sword drawn, the other refusing to leave the belt. He had no time to think as Crimson Snow set upon him, her blades shimmering as she sought to lay him open. Thinking swiftly, Three-Moons thrust his sword into the middle of Crimson Snow's blade wall. The feline leapt back to avoid the blow. This gave Three-Moons enough time to draw his second blade and sink into his fighting stance. He uttered his own cry of "Tehsar Zen Maldtzeen!" and struck out at his foe in a series of lightning-quick thrusts. Crimson Snow's blades swept around in clockwise and counterclockwise motions, knocking his blades away from her flesh.
"Vengeful Phoenix!" cried Crimson Snow. She launched herself into the air, lancing down towards her foe, blades pointed directly at Three-Moons. The fox leapt out of the way. The feline flipped in midair and landed upon her feet.
"Serpent Fangs!" shouted Three-Moons. Crimson Snow whipped around just in time to avoid having her back sliced open by the fox's blades as they came down. She growled and threw herself at him, swinging her blades with wild abandon.
"Crow Murder!" she cried, thrusting her blades at Three-Moons as fast as she could. The fox crouched swiftly beneath Crimson Snow's technique, then cried out, "Rising Fangs!" He launched himself out of his crouch, bringing his blades up under her guard. If she hadn't leapt back with her arms widespread, her blood would have stained the sandy ground. She growled and swung one of her swords.
Fwoosh!
Three-Moons jerked back, sucking in his gut as one of Crimson Snow's blades slashed at his belly, almost bending in half as the second of blades sliced the air where his head used to be. A near miss, but it shouldn't have happened at all. Thinking quickly, he turned his jerk into a backwards roll, moving back several feet. He was on his feet again in an instant, his blades moving in an almost imperceptible blur, parrying and blocking the feline's weapons almost desperately. Out of nowhere, one of Crimson Snow's blades came towards his face, point-first. The fox grabbed her arm and twisted to one side, holding her arm stiff. In the second that he had before she broke free, Three-Moons looked into Crimson Snow's eyes. In them, he saw what he had both feared and hoped for. Her eyes were blue no longer. They were red. She had gone into Frenzy. This thought brought a smile to Three-Moons' face as his own Frenzy took over.
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Grand Paw looked down upon the Dance in horror as the couple went into Frenzy. Another of the Shadow-Moon Clan's cursed gifts, the Frenzy is what Tiger Clan referred to as bloodlust. The warrior would continue to fight until either sanity broke through or blood was spilled. Most often, if a Frenzied warrior spilled blood, the warrior's foe was dead. The Frenzy forced the warrior to aim for killing blows without distinction. On the battlefield, this was invaluable. During a mateship ritual, it was disastrous. The last time a pair of Dancers had gone into Frenzy, they had cut each other to ribbons. Worse yet, no one could stop a frenzied warrior. If any got in that warrior's way, they were cut asunder. There was nothing anyone could do except pray to the Four and hope for a better outcome.
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Chingchingchingchingchingchingching! The Dancers' swords collided at high velocity, causing sparks to fly from their impact points. Whenever they came to a deadlock, the two swordsmen would snap at each other, their teeth shining with saliva, in an attempt to force the other to retreat. The blades connecting together sang a morbidly beautiful song of steel, blood, and death as the warriors continued to assault one another, so close together it did indeed look as though they were dancing.
Chingchingchingchingchingchingchachingchingching! Bits of steel began falling away from the Dancer's blades, the weapons unable to hold against such a powerful onslaught. Others in the crowd began to realize that something had gone wrong. These two had gone into Frenzy and were actually trying to kill each other. Many who realized this began praying to the Gods in the hope that this madness would end with just one death instead of two.
This continued on for an hour. One long, torment-filled hour for those watching this ritual gone awry. The watchers were resigned to the inevitable end. These two would kill each other and there was nothing anyone could do about it. The mothers of the two Dancers were sobbing, certain that their children would die this day. Suddenly, Crimson Snow foot-swept Three-Moons. This was it. This was the end. Everyone could feel it. The fox fell to the ground, then rolled backwards into a kneeling position. His blade came up just as his Frenzy wore off. When he came to his senses, the battle was finished.
Crimson Snow stood before him, the tip of one of her blades almost touching his forehead, while his sword was up at her heart, piercing both cloth and fur, but not skin. They remained this way, panting for breath, unwilling to move. Their eyes met and Three-Moons smiled up at her. Crimson Snow's mouth hung open in shock.
Suddenly, a gong sounded. Both drew their weapons away and backed away from one another, weapons held loosely in their paws. Their eyes remained locked on one another as a smell suddenly rose around them. Crimson Snow blushed softly as the smell of her heat rose from her body. Her eyes clouded with lust and she quickly stepped up to Three-Moons, dropping her swords as she went. Both her arms went behind the fox's head as she pulled him into a deep kiss. Three-Moons' paws were suddenly empty as he wrapped his arms around the feline's back, crushing her against his body as he deepened the kiss, pressing his loincloth-covered need against his mate's own. Their tongues danced the way their bodies had only moments before, wrestling for dominance in a more pleasant way.
Grand Paw smiled with relief, overjoyed that the Dancers hadn't killed each other. More importantly, neither had managed to draw blood on the other. They were both dominants. How lucky could one get? He made a gesture in front of his body and four black-garbed attendants swarmed from the shadows and encircled the oblivious couple. The two were led through a side door as the watchers in the coliseum cheered. Grand Paw stood up and raised his paws above his head.
"Brothers and sisters of the Shadow Moon!" he cried, his booming voice causing instant silence. He lowered his paws to his sides. "We have all just witnessed two great events: the successful mating dance of two young lovers and the birth of two new dominants within the clan! Even as we speak, Three-Moons, son of Blizzard-Born, and Crimson Snow, daughter of Swift Claws, shall be taking their newfound fertility for a test! May the Four Gods bless them with a litter! Hail to the Gods and the Moons!" He thrust one paw, balled into a fist, into the air. This was met with cheering from all sides of the coliseum. Grand Paw turned and congratulated the father of Three-Moons and the mother of Crimson Snow. The two parents hugged each other close and, as was custom, swapped partners for the night, in order that they would share their joy between them. The couples left as people began to file out of the coliseum, returning to their homes to await the return of the young couple.
Grand Paw, now alone within the massive coliseum, climbed down from the platform and strode over to where the fight had ended. He reached down and grasped the sweaty hilt of one of Three-Moons' swords. He pulled it from the ground and whistled appreciatively. Where once the blade had been a handcrafted work of art, it was now little more than a jagged piece of steel. There was barely an inch of metal left in the middle of the weapon. He pulled one of Crimson's Snow's blades from its position upon the ground. It had fared little better, though its damage was different from the first. It looked as though someone had attempted to cut slices off the side of the weapon, much like one would take slices of cheese off a wedge. It looked like an overgrown shaving razor. The massive Bear shook his head with a chuckle. Those two kids had gotten lucky...
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Three-Moons and Crimson Snow couldn't nor wouldn't keep their paws off each other. The lustful kisses had ended almost as soon as they had left the arena, but they still held each other close, Crimson Snow resting her head upon Three-Moons' shoulder. She purred softly in contentment, her first heat, though unsatisfied, being forcibly suppressed until after the ritual bath. Her skinny tail wrapped possessively around Three-Moons' fluffy one.
They were walking down a long hall, four other furs in attendance, two on each side. The young couple was being led to the cleansing rooms, where they would be bathed and groomed before they consummated their mateship. The long hallway twisted and turned every which way, confusing both furs' sense of direction. After several minutes, however, they arrived at a large pair of double doors. The two attendants in front stepped forward and, each taking a handle, pulled the doors open, revealing the room within.
It was enormous! The room was at least half the size of the coliseum's bowl, which was still an impressive amount of space. The walls and ceiling were painted with alternating bands of moonlight blue and black, making the room seem both tiny, yet at the same time infinite, as if there was no limit to the space. A thousand candles sat atop the protruding molding along the walls. The candles mirrored the room's coloring and pattern. Even the flickering flames mirrored the room, each black candle holding a moonlight blue flame and vice versa. A large, fluffy bed dominated the center of the room. It too followed the same pattern as the rest of the room. There were two separate bathing tubs on either side of the room, again following the room's patterning. The attendants, two per fur, pulled the lovers apart with much effort and steered each to a bath. Another pair of attendants waited at each bath, these dressed in robes that matched the blue of the room.
Crimson Snow was stripped swiftly and, before she even had time to let out a token protest, shoved into her bath. Instantly, the four attendants set upon her, half of them scrubbing and combing her dirty, knotted fur, while the other half massaged the muscles in her arms, legs, and chest. Neither Dancer had stretched before they had fought, and hadn't thought to do so after. That was usually the way of things, so the attendants were trained to massage and loosen all the tired muscles of a Dancer's body, thus preventing cramping and soreness. As the combs passed through her shimmering coat, large clumps of the silvery fur came away, revealing the soft fur beneath. One attendant, the black-garbed one massaging her neck, smiled softly. She felt pride in her duty, seeing the feline's new adult coat. It was a thing of beauty.
Three-Moons, on the other paw, was fighting tooth-and-nail against the vicious, yet tender, attentions of his attendants. He didn't want a bath. He didn't want to be combed. He wanted to see, hear, smell, touch, and taste his mate again. Yet, though he struggled savagely, the attendants managed to get his arms and legs strapped to the sides of the tub (the straps were traditional as well), keeping the aroused male firmly in place while the attendants cleaned him up unmercifully. Then his ears caught something and he turned his head. Crimson Snow was looking at his actions and giggling softly. Three-Moons blushed and subsided, going limp in the shallow bath. The attendants, taking this submission as a good sign, unstrapped his arms and legs, while their brush strokes and muscle massages became less harsh, little more than loving caresses. His adolescent coat came away, revealing his own new coat.
Each clump of fur that came away from the bodies of those being tended was placed into sacks. These would be taken to the clan weavers, where those skillful workers would turn the lover's fur into a large blanket for them to share. The claws that were being trimmed and collected would be sent to the candlemaker's guild. They would, in turn, crush the claw bits into powder and make a mateship candle from them.
The attendants pulled the lovers out of their respective baths and rubbed them down with soft, warm towels. Special oils were rubbed into the lovers' fur. These oils enhanced the natural scent of each fur. After they had finished, the eunuch attendants collected the sacks of claw bits and fur and, after bowing to the lovers, turned and left, leaving the pair alone.
Three-Moons turned and looked at Crimson Snow, his eyes wide. She looked gorgeous! Before the Dance, her baby fur had made it appear as though she had all the figure of a baby penguin. Now, however, she was a feline bombshell, a radiant femme fatale. Her silver baby fur was gone, replaced with a new blanket of crimson fur. Her medium-sized breasts, their delicate pink nipples standing out, were of a slightly lighter shade than the rest of her. Her brown headfur had been brushed straight, hanging unbound, reaching its full length at the small of her back. She stood there with her paws clasped between her breasts. This posture made her seem very young, virginal even. He spread his arms wide in an open invitation.
Crimson Snow looked her new mate up and down, taking in his new look. His new fur...looked almost exactly like his old fur, except brighter, with a metallic sheen. Well, it seemed he would be as childish in his majority as he had been when he was a pup. His fox brush, that long, luxurious appendage, hung down to the floor, swaying softly. His new coat, being much shorter (at the moment) than his old, allowed a small view of the muscles that played along his arms, legs, chest, and stomach. He was well built without being muscle-bound. Her paws came up and clasped together in the center of her chest, trying to keep her heart from bursting forth from her chest. A blush appeared beneath her cheek fur, which worsened when her lover opened his arms to her.
She ran to him and leapt into his arms, her legs wrapping round behind him and her arms around his neck. She let out a mew of need as she buried her face into his neck, purring softly as they held each other. Three-Moons leaned down, his muzzle near her ear.
"Shall we?" he asked, lifting his muzzle slightly to nip the tip of Crimson Snow's ear. She let out a soft cry at this, her arms and legs wrapping tighter. Three-Moons waddled slowly over to the bed, careful not to fall over and crush his love. He sat her upon the edge of the bed and pulled away slightly. Three-Moons gazed into Crimson Snow's eyes, those lovely baby blues she had had before had changed, becoming a brilliant yellow. His emerald greens filled her vision as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Her rough tongue slid slowly from her mouth to tussle with her mate's. Her arms pulled him tighter, her legs wrapping round him beneath his tail, pulling him tighter. Her exposed crotch pressed against her lover's stiff rod, and she mewed.
Her cry of pleasure shocked Three-Moons out of his lust and he drew back from the kiss. Panting for breath, Crimson Snow looked up at her mate, her eyes misted over with tears of need. "Why?" she asked hoarsely. Her paws grasped handfuls of his back fur, her feline claws extended and lightly pricking his skin. The feeling sent shivers down Three-Moons' spine.
He leaned down and kissed her neck once, then whispered, "We need to finish..."
"Of course we need to finish!" screamed Crimson Snow mentally. "Stick yourself in me and we'll finish!" Then she realized what he had meant. The ritual of mateship and fertility was almost complete, except for one little thing...
Three-Moons scanned the room briefly, then spotted what they needed. He reluctantly peeled himself away from Crimson Snow and looped around the large bed, coming to the head and the side table that rested there. Upon the wooden structure was the final tool of the ritual: a sharpened dagger. Unlike everything else that had been used during the Dance of Swords and the aftermath, the weapon was brand new. Every couple who performed the Dance kept their dagger as a memento, a reminder of the night of passion that had ensued after the sealing of the rite. Three-Moons climbed onto the bed and sat on his heels. Crimson Snow slid back to sit beside him. They sat facing each other, the dagger sitting between them.
"This is it," said Three-Moons softly. "If we do this, we'll be bound together for the rest of our lives..."
"Yeah..." replied Crimson Snow, equally as soft. She smiled and reached down, grasping the dagger firmly in her left paw. Three-Moons extended his right paw, letting it hover an inch from the weapon. And then, as the ceremony dictates, Crimson Snow repeated the words she had been taught. "Three-Moons, son of Winter-Born and Sirensong, will you accept me, Crimson Snow, daughter of Swift Claws and Longtail, as your lifelong mate? To mate with me alone, bear children with me, and defend me in times of war?"
To this, Three-Moons used the ritual reply, "I, Three-Moons, son of Winter-Born, take you, Crimson Snow, daughter of Swift Claws, as my lifelong mate. I shall mate only with you, my seed shall be yours alone, and my blade shall defend you in times of war. This I swear." With that, Three-Moons gripped the dagger's blade firmly. Crimson Snow yanked the blade out of his grasp, slicing open the flesh on her mate's paw. Three-Moons let the blood collect in his paw for a moment. Then, soaking a finger in the blood on his palm, he spoke.
"I mark you as my mate. I shall be in your thoughts," he dabbed blood on her forehead, "in your heart," he laid the bloody finger over her heart, "and in your spirit," he cupped his paw, forming a bit of a bowl. He lifted it to Crimson Snow's mouth. "Scent of my blood and we shall always find each other. Taste of my blood and never part from me." Three-Moons dabbed a line of blood on her nose. Then, ever so slowly, Crimson Snow's mouth opened and her feline tongue dipped into her mate's blood, lapping it up. After a minute or so, the pooled blood was gone, the wound closed, and Crimson Snow's chin was crusted with dried blood.
"My turn now," she said softly, passing the dagger to Three-Moons. He held the blade in his right paw as Crimson Snow extended her left.
Three-Moons cleared his throat and began. "Crimson Snow, daughter of Swift Claws and Longtail, will you accept me, Three-Moons, son of Winter-Born and Sirensong, as your lifelong mate? To mate with me alone, bear my children, and accept my defense in times of war?"
"I, Crimson Snow, daughter of Swift Claws, take you, Three-Moons, son of Winter-Born, as my lifelong mate. I shall mate only with you, shall bear only your children, and your aid shall be accepted during times of war. This I swear." She grasped the blade and, as before, Three-Moons slashed her paw open.
"I mark you as my mate," she whispered, "I shall be in your thoughts (forehead mark), in your heart (heart mark), and in your spirit." She lifted her bloody paw to his face. "Scent of my blood and we shall always find each other. Taste of my blood and never part from me." She dabbed the blood on his nose, then allowed him to lap up the remaining blood. A pulse of energy suddenly shot through the room, exciting the bound couple. Three-Moons' waning erection stiffened to its full eight-inch glory, whilst Crimson Snow's nether region began to leak her arousal.
The two pressed their bloodied palms together and kissed once. The wounds on their palms reopened and a tiny trickle of blood began to flow. They pulled away from each other and drew a blood symbol on the other, Three-Moons sketching a symbol upon Crimson Snow's belly while she sketched the same symbol upon her mate's testicle sack. "Fertility," they whispered, pressing their palms against the symbols. There was a flash of light and, after removing their paws, the couple could see the symbols burned into their fur.
The mates looked up into each other's eyes...and lost all coherent thought. Three-Moons shoved Crimson Snow onto her back, nipping her neck softly as his right paw came up to stroke and tease her breasts. He climbed atop her body, knees straddling her belly his loving ministrations continued. Crimson Snow moaned and squirmed beneath her mate as he tenderly lapped at her chin. Three-Moons made sounds of pleasure as his erection and knot were stroked softly by the fur on his mate's belly, his deep red penis almost blending in with his mate's crimson fur.
Suddenly, Crimson Snow thrust her hips up, causing Three-Moons to fall over backwards off her. When the fox sat up, his mate was on her paws and knees, tail flagging, revealing her most intimate areas to him. He crawled the short distance to his mate and, without a single thought, gave her slit a long, slow lick. Crimson Snow's arms gave out and she fell forward, her face pressing into the soft blanket of the bed, her rear still high in the air.
With a predatory grin, Three-Moons leaned over his mate's back, his arms wrapping around her midsection. Carefully, the fox lined up his throbbing cock with his mate's leaking cunt. The instant his member touched her outer lips, she thrust back hard, taking half of him in one go. The two shared a cry of pleasure as Three-Moon's cock slid along Crimson Snow's insides, causing the fire within their loins to grow exponentially, fueling their lust. Three-Moons pressed harder against his mate, sinking the rest of his shaft into her accepting depths, his knot touching her lips slightly. He then leaned forward and gently bit down on the nape of her neck, leaving his mark upon her. She cried out in pleasure and pain as his teeth sank into her neck. It felt so right...
Slowly, agonizingly slow, Three-Moons drew his hips back until only the head of his cock was in. Then, he gave a violent thrust in, shoving his entire length back inside Crimson Snow. The feline below him started purring deeply, rubbing her cheek on the soft blanket. Three-Moons pumped his hips in and out again, this time faster, then again, faster still. Soon he was going as fast as his vulpine body would let him, his mate crying out, purring, rubbing, and arching her back all at the same time. Each thrust pressed his knot into her lips, each thrust pushed that knob of flesh almost to the point of tying, but it was just an almost. Then, quite suddenly, Crimson Snow thrust her hips back against her mate's thrust. With a loud pop and a yowl of pleasure and pain, Three-Moons' knot passed between her nether lips and into her body. It rapidly inflated, tying them together. Three-Moons thrust in a few more times, pushing his knot in further, then it hit. His orgasm erupted from deep within his loins, forcing out a rush of semen as he released Crimson Snow's neck and let forth a long stream of yips. The feeling of her mate's seed flowing into her body drew a yowl of pleasure from Crimson Snow as she too came, rotating her body and slashing her sharp claws across her mate's chest.
Then the climax was over. Three-Moons gathered Crimson Snow in his arms, chest to chest, still connected. He rolled onto his back with his mate atop him, her head on his chest. She purred, nuzzling his chin as his cock continued to spurt his seed into her depths. The claw marks she had put on his chest were gone, leaving a slashing line of naturally crimson fur upon his chest, while her neck had spots of silver where his teeth had been.
There were no words now, only a kiss shared by once-lovers, now mates. They held each other close as sleep overtook them. Deep inside Crimson Snow's womb, however, the Gods were at work, waiting for the time when they could implant souls within the new life that the lovers had created. There was nine months to wait, but for gods, that is but a second. They had time...
The End
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Well now...How did you guys like that? I hope you enjoyed. Perhaps, if I get either comments or a good score, I can continue the story. But for now, I shall answer a few questions that might be on your minds.
1) How did the characters in the story get their names?
That's actually a rather easy one. See, each fur in the Shadow-Moon Clan is named after something that sets them apart. Take Three-Moons for example: on the day of his birth, the three moons were in the sky at the same time, which was a very rare alignment. Thus he is called Three-Moons. Crimson Snow is called such because her mother, Swift Claws, gave birth to her on bloody snow, surrounded by her slain enemies.
2) Why did the main characters have to perform the Dance of Swords?
If I continue the story, I'll explain it in the beginning of the next one. So vote and/or comment!
3) How can there be three moons?
Because the story doesn't take place on earth.
4) What's with all the blood? Are you a masochist/sadist?
Ok, first off, I'm not a pain fiend. However, blood oaths are more binding than simple words. Thus, all the blood goes for ritual rather than for my own enjoyment.
5) What about your Kitsune series?
I received an e-mail from a reader asking me that question. The simple truth is that the next chapter doesn't really agree with my plans for the story. I'm currently working on it, but this story just jumped into my brain, so I had to write it. I plan to continue the series after I get all the side stories out of my brain. Look for Kitsune Chapter 4 by mid-January at the earliest.