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• Part Two -

We both swallowed and resumed tonguing one another, breathing hard but scarcely damp at all. Prying myself away I wiped my fur down, first savoring the musky odor of my lover's body fluids, especially concentrated on my paws. Turning, I could see Dorien doing the same, he wrapped one of the discarded towels around his waist. Then chucked another towel at me softly, waiting patiently as I finished wiping my paws then slung the cloth over my neck, not bothering to hide my body with it.

We opened the door to our room and stepped in, feeling the drop in humidity and warmth refreshing. Cool air from the overhead vent filtered across my naked body. I felt my nipples and balls relax slightly as I moved out from underneath the vent and settled on the sofa, my bare legs stretched out and my head resting back on my arms. I shifted so I could watch Dorien move past me across the room, the lower half of his body still hidden by the bath towel around his waist.

As he passed I let my paw slip down, allowing my claws to snag the edge of his towel, watching as it came loose revealing his tight rump and slender legs. Dor whirled as the towel fell away and seeing my paw he flared with dramatic anger making the fur on his tail bristle menacingly.

"Give that back!" he spat.

"Or what?" I taunted, waving the towel slowly as I held it by one edge, my lips tweaked slightly upward, just barely containing a smile.

"Or I'll give you one of these," Dorien replied brandishing his fist and putting on a snarling face that seemed quite fierce.

As he stepped closer I didn't move, looking at Dor's contorted, snarling face which by this point had degraded to almost a bizarre smile, or a rictus of pain. Finally breaking down we laughed, "You're getting better."

I encouraged, hearing Dor sigh, "Let's face it my snarls are half-assed at best, I couldn't even get all the fur on my tail to stand up this time."

"What about your claws?" I asked indicating his paws.

"What, these? You know I trim my claws, Tai, always have. I'm afraid I might hurt someone." He moved closer and stroked my forehead, "Namely you, especially when we're 'involved' with one another if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know, but I still love you even if you aren't ferocious." I replied.

It was something of a running joke between he and I. The subject of ferocity (sexual or otherwise) had come up between Dorien and myself some months back.

He had posed the question of whether or not I might be happier with another cheetah, another feline, or, a more aggressive species than a fox at least. We had pondered the question together and decided that neither of us really knew just how our respective species stacked up against each other aggressiveness-wise, and that if I wasn't happy with Dorien as my mate we wouldn't have lasted this long. Dorien laid down in front of me on the sofa, both of us still naked as the day we came into the world. My arms were across his chest and his arms laid over mine holding my hands in his.

When we're around each other I've found that many barriers break down, such as the issue of nudity around one another. I myself enjoy being free of the confines of clothes, at least for a while, with a locked door between me and the rest of the world. I also firmly believe that if a couple is sleeping together and mating openly they shouldn't have any qualms about seeing each other nude or being naked around one another while in a non-sexual setting. As Dorien and I lay there we were just two lovers relaxing, nothing kinky about it.

It had taken me a long time, however, to free Dor from the stigmas inflicted on him by his mother and brother. It seemed as though his household was the very opposite from my own, no one discussing the ramifications of nudity, sex or even just love between two people, not to mention my lover's attraction to males rather than females. I can't imagine what he must have gone through just trying to sort out his feelings toward himself and his sexuality. Rather, it was just left to the individual person to fend for themselves in a world of vices, lust, drugs, perverts, and disease.

My parents on the other hand, being professional educators, instructed my sister and I on almost every unsavory aspect of life till we begged them to stop. I personally, for obvious reasons, nearly had a heart attack every time they started in on the subject of inter-species mating and/or same sex relationships. To this day I'm not really sure if they were aware of just how uncomfortable their little 'chats' had made me.

Not that their speeches were against the various topics they discussed. There were just some things that I didn't want to hear about, or, unbeknownst to them, already had experience with. I'm not saying I was a bad kid, far from it, but we've all known the kids of the local teachers or pastor. They usually had the most knowledge and experience when it came to subjects deemed inappropriate by the public at large.

My parents were especially long-winded when Dorien had come to live with us. They were adamant that Annie and I give Dorien his space to recover and heal in peace, that we should watch out for his injuries and that each one healed at a different rate. I felt like the doctors had followed us home. I had gotten so many private talkings to I practically lived in my parent's home office for the first two weeks Dor had stayed with us.

After Dorien's mother had vanished claiming she needed out, the courts had revoked her guardianship over Dor and had put various restraining orders in place. They felt that even-though they couldn't prove her direct involvement in his abuse, she obviously didn't prevent it. Either way, they wanted her as far away from Dorien as possible, indefinitely. After she bolted and it looked as though our living arrangement would indeed be permanent, the lectures lightened and Dorien and I were able to help each other begin the healing process. But my parents were still watching me as one would watch a grinning mental patient; very carefully.

The first 16 weeks or so that Dorien had stayed in my parent's home had been downright hellish. It seemed almost freakish to my family that such an intelligent young person had undergone such tremendous mental and physical abuse at the hands of his own parent and sibling. These were people who were supposed to love and protect him. Dorien had gone from a subdued, shy young morph to a shattered, feral shade of his former self, literally overnight.

I could tell that it was especially hard on my parents, two kind and gentle people, used to enjoying a close and loving relationship with the individuals living in their household. We could all tell that it had taxed them to the limit and beyond. Every time one of them moved toward Dorien too fast he would recoil, tensing up as though expecting a blow. Even I stayed at arms length during these difficult times, usually allowing Dor to come to me when he needed me. Even just casual physical contact was trying, stressful and often painful for Dorien when he had just been released from the hospital.

He would jump and pull back at the slightest unexpected touch, unwanted touches sometimes garnered slaps, savage open-clawed swipes, or snarling rebukes, with Dor often recoiling from the contact as though he had been shocked or burned. If a person were passing him in the hall or on the stairs he would press himself against the wall. He would tremble; head turned away and eyes squeezed shut, as though he expected you to lash out as you passed him.

You had to be careful around Dorien's numerous stitches, bandages, sutures and bruises, any stress on them was a chance at bloody re-injury. It was also a very bad idea to come up from behind Dorien or surprise him from his then blind side. At the time shortly after his stay at the hospital, his left eye was bandaged over, still healing after having been bruised and swollen shut. I was the only person capable of touching or talking to Dorien for any length of time; he was nearly unmanageable with anyone else.

We were almost inseparable during this unstable period, if I were out of the room for any length of time Dorien would become visibly wary of any other person around him. Often coming to the point of breaking down, shaking uncontrollably or lashing out if he was startled. We later found out that Dorien's vision had been compromised by the head and facial trauma inflicted by his brother. One blow of which had caused his eye to swell, and he was so nervous because he couldn't see us or his surroundings properly to adjust.

Dor was pretty much running on muddled instinct to deal with his injuries and new environment. I learned from Dorien himself some years later that before he received his glasses one of the reasons he was more comfortable around me was due to the fact that my markings and attributes were distinct and my scent was unique to him. Him being able to pick me out better from amongst my sister and parents, whose markings appeared near identical to his blurred vision and who often covered their natural scents with perfumes and cologne.

Even with his glasses however Dorien's anxiety about being separated from me, even for short periods of time lessened only slightly. My lover was still plagued by insomnia and horrible nightmares whenever he slept. My parents and I would often find Dor having been awake for hours before we got up or huddled in a ball on his bed, tense to the slightest touch or word. More awful were the nights he would wake up screaming and thrashing or pace the halls like a caged wild-cat well into the morning because he was afraid of going to sleep.

On those nights I would sit up with him for hours, often well into the early morning. Dorien would, most nights, finally just fall asleep (usually it was closer to passing-out) from exhaustion in my arms or next to me on the couch. It was very bad time, he hardly slept or ate at all, despite my best efforts. Dor had gotten so withdrawn after a period of time he would hardly speak more than two or three words in an entire day, even to me. I had been getting more and more desperate at the decline in Dorien's health but I didn't know what to do.

The solution had finally come when my sister had broken the silence about the nature of Dorien and my relationship before the incident. We were all shocked to find out that my parents had suspected for some time but had said nothing, afraid that the sudden stressful shock of being exposed would be detrimental to Dorien's tenuous health and my sanity. They gave their blessings freely to our relationship, claiming that Dorien and I had found each other for a reason and if we could love each other and be happy they had no right to interfere.

They also saw the way Dorien had become dependent on me and believed that it would only harm both of us to sever that bond. With this development out in the open Dorien gradually came around. It seems that his lifestyle and choice of relationships had caused much of the abuse he suffered from his family over the years and he was afraid of how my parents might treat him, or more specifically myself if he openly showed any affection for me.

Months later Dorien was slowly improving, he was eating more and slept some nights most of the way through. But he was still having some problems sleeping. My parents had shocked all of us by purchasing me a bigger bed and suggesting that Dorien and I start sleeping together on a regular, permanent basis. And when I say sleep, I mean sleep. Dorien and I weren't that sexually active during his long recovery, it was too stressful on his injuries. I loved Dorien and was happy to share my bed with him if it soothed him and helped him to relax and rest enough to sleep. The bond between he and I has never been based on sex. My lover just enjoyed sleeping next to me in our bed, my proximity was comforting to him during the night.

We found out later that my parents had noticed Dorien was less anxious the morning after having spent the night in bed with me. It was this arrangement that finally cured Dor's anxiety and nightmares. It seemed he was just in need of prolonged healthy contact with a person he felt he could trust, as a psychologist friend of my mother's later put it. My parents had asked him to consult with them and he seemed pleased as he checked up on Dorien every few months to make sure the adjustment between households was going smoothly.

Unfortunately there were others among our family and friends who lashed out venomously at the idea of allowing two teenagers, let alone two males to sleep together. Oddly enough our human friends and family seemed marginally more supportive of Dorien and my living status. Little could be done by our opposition though. Dorien and I were both the same age when we started sleeping together full time, and first started enjoying our relationship to its fullest with the blessings of my parents and sister and the support of our friends like Jenna and Robert.

The only repercussion from those nerve-wracking months that I still see today is Dorien's need to touch almost constantly. Whether in private or in public he is almost never without some physical contact between him and myself. Be it just touching, holding hands, kissing, hugging, petting, leaning against one another, or even just brushing tails as we walk down the street or sit together. There is always some form of physical bond between us. I don't mention it as a complaint but I offer it as a possible reason for our love holding strong as long as it has. That the value behind a simple, loving touch has not diminished to either of us as the years have passed.

As we lay there naked on our sofa quietly reminiscing I shifted my weight and felt something odd beneath my rump. Moving my arm I thrust it beneath the cushion of the sofa and felt something like a sheaf of slick paper. I felt Dorien turn to look as I extracted my arm from the space underneath the cushion I was lying on top of. In my paw I held a thick magazine. Turning it over, I frowned as I realized it was pornographic in content, showing humans and morphs, both males and females in erotic if not unimaginative positions.

I personally don't approve of pornography being used as a sex aid between two healthy, loving individuals. I feel its fine as an accompaniment to sex, but if a couple needs it as a stimulant for love-making there's a problem. Noticing one of the pages was dog-eared I flipped it open to see a mirror image staring seductively back at me. The page was devoted to a hard bodied male cheetah with markings near identical to my own. He was sprawled across a bed with his legs open, exposing a huge erection and gigantic balls.

I found myself grunt appreciatively, whoever this guy was he was tall, well muscled and hung like a proverbial horse. Other than his markings, his hair added to the resemblance. It wasn't as long as my own but it had a similar texture and was a light auburn shifting to near-red. I noted that his eyes were a stunning emerald green, different from my own which are an almost bizarrely light violet. The picture was nearly as tasteful as it could get, except for the fact that the morph pictured had an array of dozens of piercings up the back edges of both his ears and was pinching one of his own pierced nipples.

His long tongue, surprisingly un-adorned I thought privately, was lolling out. Mimicking a pose of heated passion I gathered, but it just seemed silly. I turned the page and found several more photos of the morph identified from the captioning simply as 'Jarett'. Two pictures struck me especially, one being a shot of Jarett from above, lying on his back with his knees bent as he was ramming a huge, garishly coloured phallus up his own rump, I could see the effort in his clenched teeth, arched back, slitted eyes and stiff tail as he stroked his own fair sized erection with a free hand.

The other photo was another still frame of him in nearly the same position but this time with the fake cock as far up his rump as I imagine he could stand and his chest, stomach and face covered with thick streams of semen as he orgasmed on himself explosively. I marveled at how his fully erect cock reached up past his navel, thinking to myself that I had never seen someone that large in real life in recent memory.

Lowering the magazine I looked at my lover who now faced me, grinning sheepishly.

"So," I began, "This is what you were doing before I got home, Hmm? No wonder you were so hot and bothered, admittedly, I probably would have been too."

"He reminded me of you Tai, that's all, honest." Dorien replied, looking at the page the magazine was flipped to.

"Yeah," I started, "But, I'm not that built, I have a few piercings but would never mutilate my ears or my nipples like that. And I can't say I've ever tried what he's doing with a dildo, much less one that big. God, that had to have hurt." I added with a chuckle.

As I flipped further into the magazine I saw other well endowed males, mainly felines, canines, and vulpines, with some humans. To my surprise even a few raccoon, skunk and otter males were featured, all either alone in their spreads or interacting sexually with one another. There were also various females of all different species, in various states of undress and position. One that caught my eye was a slim tigress with snow white fur and platinum blonde hair, who was spreading her own sex for the camera with one hand, while holding a pert breast in her other. She shared her pictorial with a massive male tiger who was striped in orange and black.

It seemed to be some sort of mutual masturbation scene. Neither of the tiger's were depicted as actually touching one another, just their own genitals.

Seeing my gaze linger on the female tiger Dor asked me soberly, "Do you think she's pretty?"

Looking into his eyes I answered honestly. "I love you with all my heart and soul, Dor, but I'm not dead. Male or female aside, an attractive blonde will turn your head more often than I think we all realize." With smile renewed he nodded at my words, agreeing.

We talked for a few minutes more, slowly paging through the mag, pointing out various individuals and spreads to each other. I pointed out a scene to Dor involving an attractive fox couple similar in appearance to himself making love to one another, and another involving a female lion and a another very well endowed and very masculine looking male tiger. One frame we both enjoyed showed the lioness sucking the tiger's cock while penetrating his rear with a good sized vibrator.

Dorien showed me a scene near the back of the magazine involving a large, male wolf morph, a male fox(looking closely I realized it was the male fox from the scene I had showed Dor), and a busty female lynx. The pictorial showed numerous pictures of the three in various mounting positions and sexual styles. Many of the shots were of the wolf and fox morph fucking both each other and the lynx. A few of the pages were devoted to a eyebrow-raising double-mounting, with the lynx on the bottom being mounted by the fox who was in turn being humped by the wolf.

The lay-out ended with the wolf and fox masturbating until they came on one another while the lynx looked on fingering herself off. I was somewhat surprised, after all the years that we've been intimate together, Dor and I have never involved another person, male or female. I realized with relief that I wasn't really worried, everyone has fantasies or thinks something is sexy but it doesn't mean that they want to run out and do it.

The final scene he showed me had a pair of voluptuous females, one a vixen (not the one from the earlier pictoral). The other we decided was probably a mink, and a handsome, young male panther involved in a fairly tame bondage scene, mostly with the panther at the receiving end of the females' torture-by-pleasure methods. It involved various straps, restraints, dildos, plugs, oils and even an clear plastic vacuum pump fitted over the panther's nipples and his ample cock and balls at one point.

Reaching the end of the magazine I mulled over the subscription form for a while, setting it aside as a possibility, then stretched and looked up at the clock. It was close to five-fifty. Our combined lovemaking, shower and literary perusing had taken less than three hours. Getting up we moved toward the closet, talking as we went, the main subject being where to have dinner. Despite what we mentioned to Jenna earlier neither of us particularly felt like Chinese food.

Considering the question over, Dorien lit up as he asked, "What about dinner at Marino's, it's been a while, and Aunt Carmen and Uncle Leo would love to see us."

I thought about it weighing the options, "Why not?" I said, "I wouldn't mind Italian tonight."

I saw a shadow fall across Dorien's face, "Jen's not back yet, should we just go without her?" he asked.

I shrugged, "She said she would try to make it back in time for dinner. Besides if she wants to join us she has my cell phone number."

"All right." Dor acquiesced.

I decided that a pair of dark black slacks and a charcoal grey T-shirt was dressy enough for Marino's. As I pulled the shirt on I noticed an something wasn't right. I realized with a laugh as I looked in the mirror that I had mistakenly grabbed one of Dor's shirts out of the dresser. Dorien is a bit smaller than me but sometimes we can still wear each others clothes. I'm wider at the shoulders and fuller in the chest so his shirts tend to be rather form-fitting on me.

When I wear one of Dorien's shirts my chest and stomach, including my nipples are often very visible against the fabric. The material also tends to be snug fitting around my shoulders and upper arms. It has a nice effect for at concerts and clubs or if I'm trying to turn someone on, especially when it's cold out, but it's usually not suitable for just being out in public.

I stripped myself of the shirt, handing it off to Dorien who shrugged and put it away. "I thought you looked good. Sexy. My shirts show off your chest and muscles better."

I snorted at him incredulously, this from the person who won't even sleep nude after we've mated. I guess it's different when it's my body he's interested in showing off, "You, Elise and Brenda would appreciate it. However, I think Leo, Carmen and Marcello probably wouldn't be too thrilled with my showing up dressed like some stripper for hire."

Finding one of my own shirts, this one a dark teal, I slipped it on and looked around for socks and shoes. Finding a pair of muted grey socks I decided to wear my favorite (hell, only) pair of sandals to dinner. I've had them for nearly a year now and they're hardly worn in, but then again how often can you wear open shoes in lovely south Washington state? It's dreary here five out of seven days of the week in the winter and fall.

We don't get too much snow here, but the rain is annoying sometimes. Again, it's the fur issue. Humans complain that they have it rough when the humidity rises, they should try putting on a full length fur coat when it's 89 degrees, when the humidity is at 97%, or worse when it's pouring out, and then get back to me. They think its difficult with just bare skin, I sometimes have to shower three to four times a day in the peak of summer if I'm outside a lot.

I turned to see Dorien seated on the edge of the bed slipping on a pair of worn leather loafers. Other than that he had selected to wear a pair of dark blue jeans and a very handsome short sleeve, button-down shirt with a wrap around Native American design featuring a painted desert scene on the back. We stepped into the bathroom and proceeded to do the necessary tasks, hair, teeth, etc.

I reached into a small jewelry box I keep in the medicine cabinet and withdrew several earrings.

"Which do you think tonight, Dor?" I asked, I only have two piercings in my ear and currently had plain gold hoops on.

He looked at the selection of jewelry in my hand and then at my ear.

"What about this style hoop and your amethyst stud, the one that matches your eyes?" Dorien suggested.

I nodded picking out the hoop and medium sized earring with a stunning amethyst set into it. It had been a gift from Dorien on my birthday three months earlier.

As I took out the two hoops I wore and slipped in the new earrings, Dor asked, "Mind if I borrow your ruby stud?"

I shook my head and moved to help him, "Here, let me." I offered.

Dor stood to me and brushed his hair away, presenting me with his left ear. I removed the plain gold stud he wore and slipped in the ruby earring, clipping the back on firmly.

"That looks good on you, it almost matches your fur." I said honestly.

I felt it was an important topic as neither of us wears much jewelry besides earrings or the occasional bracelet or wrist-watch.

We re-entered our room to collect our necessary wallets, keys and other various personal paraphernalia, then stepped out of our room and headed down the stairs. As we slipped out the front door I asked, "Which car should we take, mine or yours?"

"Mine, I think," Dor replied tossing me the keys.

I don't know why, we both have sets of keys for each others cars. Just habit I guess, "It's the automatic, just in case you have something to drink, I can drive home."

I grinned, I've been trying to teach Dorien how to drive a stick for months now, his most recent lesson was last week and I'm not seeing any real progress. It really is true that it's harder to learn a stick if you've been taught to drive in an automatic. My sister Annie had been the one to teach Dorien how to drive when he was 16, this wasn't too long after his stay in the hospital and my parents thought learning in a manual trans car might be too much of a strain on his still healing broken wrist.

No such luck on my part though, it was my father that taught me to drive using my mother's older Audi (not his pristine classic Rambler, just in case, of course). We were both allowed to pick our own cars when we got our licenses and I now drive an older model black BMW while Dorien sports a nice maroon Accord sedan. Both are used cars, several years old, my parents are comfortably well off, not independently wealthy.

I just hope that either Dor will get the hang of driving a stick or I finally give up before my gearbox just drops out onto the street. I was thinking the other day, whenever anyone mentions the words learning, stick-shift and or lessons in the same sentence every mechanic within five miles must hear the ring of cash registers. Or to rip off a classic movie, 'Every time a gear grinds your wallet springs a leak'. Luckily for us Robert knows a little about cars and has saved our tails, no pun intended, in the past.

Marino's is a scenic 12 minutes from our house near the main street area of our town, which isn't that big, only about 45,000 people give or take. The scenery around our town resembles that of northern California. It's an odd mix of urban and almost rural, similar to the area around Sausalito or Solvang. As we drove into town I clicked on the stereo to hear the beginning of the Pretenders' "I'll Stand By You", one of my favorite songs. I feel that it represents a lot of what Dorien and I feel for each other.

The song ended as we pulled up in front of Marino's Italian Restaurant. Despite the fact that it's run by his family (on his father's side), Dorien and I both love to eat at Marino's. It has a very romantic, privacy-oriented atmosphere. Well spaced tables and booths and subdued lighting supplemented by flickering candlelight. It's the perfect spot to have dinner and enjoy one another's company without being stared at, being subjected to the scornful looks of those who don't understand us, or feeling embarrassed to touch or kiss openly because we're afraid it might start trouble.

It is something of relief to know that Leo would probably beat the shit out of anyone that dared to start trouble with Dorien or myself, but I don't advocate violence where it's not necessary. Marino's is owned by Dorien's Aunt Carmen and Uncle-by-marriage Leo. My family had met Carmen and Leo about six months after Dorien had come to live with us. They had showed up one day from New York, near panicked.

They hadn't known what had happened to either Dorien or his brother after Dorien's mother had contacted them for money and wouldn't tell them what events had taken place. The two of them had taken the next available flight from New York where they used to live, to our hometown in northwestern Oregon. They had tracked Dor down with the help of the new tenants at his old house. My parents were wary at first, after seeing first hand what kind of individuals Dor's mother and brother had been. But they had quickly warmed up to the heavily accented couple after seeing that they only had Dorien's best interests at heart.

Carmen it turns out is Dorien's aunt from his father's side of the family. Leo is quite obviously from Italy. He has two sons, Kyle, who is quite a bit older than Dorien or I (almost 30 I think) and still lives in New York and Marcello. Marcello is Dorien's favorite relative, even if it is only by marriage. He's been close friends with both Dor and I for many years. It's kind of an odd mix in a family, Leo and his boys are all leopards and Carmen is like my lover and his father, a red fox. Kind of like Dor and I, must be something with felines and foxes.

Even I know really very little about Dorien's father, it's a painful subject for him. What little I have heard reflects him in a positive light, a loving father and hardworking person. From what I can figure out Dorien's father died when Dor was about seven years old, from what I've been told it sounded like a sudden, mournful passing. But Dorien was young then and the torment he suffered in later months and years has blocked out a lot of what he remembers about his father and when he died.

I think my lover has a few pictures of his father but not many memories of him. I can tell that it hurts him to not be able to remember his father because of all the bad things in his life overshadowing any happy remembrances he might have. After the death of Dorien's father, his mother took the boys west, away from family and didn't have too much contact as the years passed.

As I stated before the only reason that Carmen and Leo were tipped off at something being wrong was through Dorien's mother's sudden reinitiating of contact with them asking for money. My parents had invited Carmen and Leo to stay with us for a few weeks to get to see how Dorien was getting along. Both Carmen and Leo were very shocked and ashamed to learn of the abuse Dor had suffered and were puzzled at his fragile, nervous condition.

The period that they stayed with us was while Dor was still recovering from his injuries and reeling from his relocation. I think they realized that what he said and did during that time was not entirely of his own volition. Dor had suffered from extreme, almost manic, mood swings and sudden break-downs then, most of the doctors said it was probably a type of post-traumatic-stress syndrome.

One minute he would be fine, calm and collected, laughing pleasantly as though nothing was wrong in the world. The next he would have you in a death-grip, threatening you with your life as though he didn't recognize you, sobbing hysterically in your arms, or sometimes bursting into sudden fits of raging, blood-eyed violence. More than once Dorien had blind-sided me with an unexpected blow. I had suffered from numerous scratches, bruises and blackened eyes then.

I also have a light scar just above my right eyebrow, a memento from one of Dorien's most violent outbursts toward me. I don't really recall what had instigated the sudden, unexpected whirlwind of Chaos but in the end it had resulted in me lying atop a still thrashing Dorien while blood streamed down my face from a large gash across my forehead. I received fifteen stitches, my arm in a sling from a wrenched shoulder and Dorien had to wear a temporary cast and splint for two months, having nearly re-broken his still healing wrist as we struggled.

The psychiatrist had later suggested that the shock of almost unknown family members suddenly showing up had put almost unbearable pressure on the newly mending emotional wounds Dorien had suffered. Another explanation for the bursts of violence put forth as to why I was the almost always the target, the doctor had said that due to his abuse from family members, Dorien had probably expected that I would at some point turn on him. It seems he was putting those irrational fears into bloody action against the person he identified most similar to his former abusers, someone who he thought he could trust but ultimately ended up nearly killing him.

The doctor assumed that because I never struck back during these attacks, only defended myself, which often resulted in my becoming bloody and bruised, Dor eventually saw that he was seriously injuring someone he loved. This indicated to Dorien that I, indeed having no plans to abuse or harm him in any way, was just as vulnerable as he was.

After our fight Dorien had seemed almost catatonic, both of us were covered in my blood as we lay panting on the floor. Everyone had raced in to see what the commotion was about and were nearly panic stricken at the sight of our two blood soaked forms collapsed on top of each other. They probably thought we had killed each other. After I had sat up coughing and attempting to staunch the flow of blood still pouring steadily from my forehead I could almost hear the room relax. It was at this point I noticed Dorien's condition and I assumed from his posture that the fight and the resulting bloodshed must have been assaulting his already near terminally shredded senses.

To this day Dorien gets visibly uneasy around blood or injured persons, often we can't even watch the popular medical or police dramas on TV. Dor gets so agitated at the sight of bloodshed or especially scenes involving people being assaulted, often pacing or seeking me out for physical comfort. I made the daft mistake of watching a police show the other night which showed a man getting beaten by an associate and Dor didn't stop shaking till ten minutes after I shut the TV off entirely. I realize that this stems from his experiences with injuries, both his and my own.

Carmen and Leo had been near hysterics, not really understanding how my family and I could withstand all the stress for anyone let alone a person not of their own relation. Refusing all help I had half dragged Dorien and myself into the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind us. I proceeded to strip both of us from our red mottled clothes, placing them in the sink. I wadded up a towel and applied it to my forehead till I got the bleeding to temporarily cease. Then I filled the bath with hot water and proceeded to pull both Dorien and myself into it, seeing the water turn pink as my blood diffused out of our fur.

I was forced to drain and refill the bath twice before I had gotten both Dorien and myself free of the clotting crimson mess. With the blood gone, Dorien seemed to recover some of his sense, tensing into a tight ball as I still washed myself. I had to be careful to not start the cut on my head bleeding again or I wasn't sure I could get it to stop. As I stood to step out of the tub I jumped as a grip like steel clamped around my tail making me yelp, half from pain, half from fright.

I had partially expected another struggle. As I stopped and turned the paw relinquished it's strangle hold on my tail and grasped at me, and I heard Dorien's voice from within the compact ball of red fur.

"I'm so sorry. Don't leave me, please. Tai, I...I love you."

I could hear the pained desperation behind the words, saw the soul tearing pain in the dull, pink rimmed, grey eyes, and feel the tortured despair in the tightly clenched muscles. I think it was that day that I realized the extent of my role had been in Dorien's life and the part I would have to play in the days to come.

Those final four words assaulted me, hounded me, containing a volume of meanings, feelings, and thoughts. All of which screamed at me like the wail of a banshee 'I need you, don't leave, I'm sorry, I love you'. All of the words meaningless on their own but when assembled formed an ivory tower for me. A well-spring of understanding from less than a dozen, strangled, barely audible words, spoken by a pain crazed teen in desperate need for someone, anyone. ME, I realized with a start, to fill the raw, screaming void in his life.

Despite what had just happened, the shouting, thrashing, violence and blood, which now ran freshly down my face mingling with tears, those words meant the whole world to me, to both of us. We both knew as our paws clasped, our feelings for each other hadn't been severed by the recent events, merely forced into hiding, waiting till the right moment to resurface. As Dorien began to recover from the shock of what he'd done to me, I realized that the bleeding was again becoming a steady trickle down the side of my face and neck.

Hours later as Dorien and I sat next to each other in the rear seat of my mother's car, both of us battered, bruised and scratched. My head bandaged and containing over a dozen stitches, arm in a sling, and Dor's newly re-injured wrist wrapped in a fresh cast. We leaned against each other hoping that this time of nurturing peace and silence would last forever. I recall that I looked up wearily at the rearview mirror seeing my mother's softly smiling face as she regarded Dorien and myself. Two mentally and physically spent young people nearly dozing in each other's arms.

To this day, because of that particular incident, Dorien is deathly afraid of hurting me. If his claws had cut into me an inch lower I probably would have lost an eye, or been blinded at best. Seeing how close he came to doing me permanent harm that day really frightens Dor. I fought back these thoughts as we parked in front of the restaurant, attempting to crystallize them enough that I could enjoy the evening with Dorien unhindered by haunting memories.

In order to try to avoid the inevitable spectacle that our visits cause as soon as Carmen and Leo spot us we entered as inconspicuously as possible through the patio entranceway. We were relieved to spot Brenda and Elise on patrol waiting the tables in the front area of the dimly lit bistro. As we walked in Brenda spotted us and hurried over.

She clasped both Dorien and myself around the neck in a hug, then stated, "Tai, Dorien, long time no see!"

Bren had been out sick last time Dorien and I had come by the restaurant. She appraised both of us, smoothing Dorien's hair back out of his eyes and tweaking the fur on my cheek. Brenda is Leo's sister and has been with Marino's since Carmen and Leo had opened it originally back in New York.

"Usual table guys? Right this way, Elise will be thrilled to see you guys, not to mention Leo and Carmen."

At this I tensed, "Could you maybe keep our being here quiet, at least till we've settled in, Leo and Carmen always make a fuss."

I pleaded with Brenda as she led us to our usual table, which was unoccupied at that time. Looking around I noticed that it seemed to be a quiet Thursday evening, just a few couples dotted the room, which was mottled with dining sounds and soft conversation.

"I'll try but you know it's just because they love you guys, and they don't get to see you as often as they would like to you know." Brenda backed away from our table toward Elise's section.

Our usual 'table' is actually a booth located at the back of the main room of the restaurant. It's secluded from the rest of the dining area mainly by shadows and a small trellis entwined with ivy that lines the back of both of the sides of the booth. This entailed a small measure of privacy, and we were at least a good twenty feet or so from any other diner. So Dorien and I proceeded to throw caution to the wind on our night out and seated ourselves next to one another on one side of the booth, with myself on the outside.

Thinking back this was a mistake in that neither Dorien nor myself saw the shapes coming rapidly toward our table till I felt a large, firm paw grasp me by the shoulder and haul me bodily off my rump and into the air.

I barely had time to sigh "Oh, shit." before I felt myself being crushed against something large and unyielding. The wind freed itself from my lungs so that my protests were little more than wheezing gasps.

I heard a booming voice with a moderate verging on heavy Italian accent. "MY BOYS!" I matched the voice with that of Dorien's Uncle Leo.

My senses focused suddenly and I realized I was locked in a terrifying bear hug against Leo's immense barrel chest. Shifting slightly I could see Dorien, open-mouthed, still half seated in the booth.

"Hey, Leo, leggo me!" Was about all I could manage, feeling my head start to swim from not being able to draw a proper breath.

A new voice reached my ears, "For God's sake Leo, let the boy breath before ya suffocate 'im, he looks like his lips are startin' to turn blue." I saw Carmen's face as Leo began to relinquish his death-grip on me.

I hit the ground as Leo released me from his vice-grip. I, for some reason, am the only person he insists on embarrassing like that, picking me up and throwing me around with almost frightening ease. Leo isn't the largest person I've ever met in my life but almost, he stands about six inches taller than myself and outweighs me by probably eighty-five to ninety pounds. All this included, admittedly, I don't think that I would ever want to piss him off enough to get physically violent.

As I got up off the floor rubbing my hip where it had unceremoniously met the floor I looked around for Elise and Brenda. I located them a few rows over watching and flashed my teeth in their direction. I was greeted by a simultaneous pointing of fingers and a mutual chorus of "She did it!" before they turned tail to the kitchen. I slid back into the booth next to Dorien while he was being interrogated as we all know only relatives are capable of.

Listening bemusedly I realized that it was pretty much the same line of questioning that we get every time.

"You chose that to wear?"

"Are you getting enough vitamins? Your fur's looking a little dull."

"Tai, honey, sit up straight, that's not good for your posture."

"Taking care of your glasses? Those look good on you, you know."

"Is your hair still that color? You don't get tired of it that way, day in day out?"

"Does the person actually touch your head with the scissors when you go to the barber Tai, or does he just charge you for the privilege of sitting in the chair for ten minutes?"

"Dorien, my boy, would it kill you to maybe trim your hair a little. I'm not prying, God forbid, but you're starting to look like Tai."

"Was your ear like that last time, or is that something new? Boy, what kids are doing to their bodies these days, I swear."

I could feel the life draining out of me as the questions kept coming despite the fact that they had been asked at least a hundred times before when we visited the restaurant.

"So," I started, desperately trying to change the subject, "Is Marc in tonight or did we miss him again?"

Marcello is one of the people that Dorien and I depend on to get a little peace to eat and enjoy each others company. Seeing as Elise and Brenda had already betrayed us I was grasping at straws.

"The boy?" (I had to laugh mentally at this, Marcello is actually older than Dor & I by a while, a year for me, two in Dor's case).

"Yeah, he's around, but I think he went on some errands, should be back before you guys leave." Leo answered.

"So, what'll it be boys?" Carmen asked as Leo started toward the kitchen. Dorien and I looked at each other shrugging.

"What's good tonight, any suggestions?"

Carmen mulled the question pensively, "Well, the alfredo's good tonight, with the white sauce and chicken side. Marcello made a good batch of meat sauce earlier and we just finished a fresh batch of spaghetti."

Dor and I mulled this over, "Sounds good, we'll take an order of each." I stated waiting for the obvious.

Mentally noting our order, Carmen frowned, "That's not enough food for two growing boys how 'bout we throw in one of our pizzas too, the usual toppings, pepperoni, sausage and black olives, right?"

I waved my paws in a deferential gesture. You can't resist New York Italians if their hell-bent on feeding you so why fight it?

Dorien and I talked quietly, waiting on our food. I looked at my lover, the candlelight highlighting the slender planes of his face, making Dor's fur glow with a soft luster. I could see the amber light reflecting off the lenses of his glasses, his grey eyes twinkling behind them. I broke from my reverie as I felt a vibration from my hip, I had set my phone on motion alert rather than ringing that might spoil the atmosphere.

As I flipped the phone open, holding it to my ear I heard a familiar voice, "Hello? Tai? Dorien? Where are you guys? I tried the house but no one answered."

"It's me Jen," I replied, "We're at Marino's, Where are you at?"

"On the road now, I'm about ten minutes away. Mind if I join you two for dinner, or are you enjoying each other's company too much?"

I winced as a small burst of static punctuated her words. I really wish Jen would choke and pony up the dough for a digital phone, "No, no, come by, that's fine, I'll let the others know you're coming."

I was about to hang up when Jenna started speaking again, "Oh, Tai, wait! That reminds me, I have them. That's partly where I was earlier, the store called me to tell me that they were ready to pick up."

"So soon?" I asked lowering my voice, "Great, perfect timing, bring them, see you soon. Bye Jenna."

I closed the phone and replaced it on my hip, then turned back to Dorien. "Jenna's on her way, she should be here in a few minutes."

"Great." Dorien smiled pulling me close to him again as we resumed our muted conversation.

I looked back over my shoulder a few minutes later to see Elise headed our way with the usual accouterments, bread, water, etc. I also noted an ice bucket slung over her arm by the handle as she approached. Elise has worked at Marino's for nearly six years. She and Brenda have been friends for nearly a decade now and Bren had showed a little nepotism when Marino's had set down roots here in Washington.

Elise isn't bad looking for a human. She stands nearly three inches shorter than myself with short blonde hair and a pair of slender blued steel glasses perpetually perched on her face. Despite the age difference, (Elise is almost 35), I've always thought that if Dorien and I weren't involved he and Elise might have made a good match together.

"OK guys, here you go." Elise spread the arm-load of dishes and utensils she was carrying across our table, then brandished the ice bucket.

Setting it down on the edge of the table she reached into its depths producing a pair of slender crystal stemware and a wine bottle of Italian origin.

"From Leo and Carmen, they thought you boys needed something special tonight, the food should be ready in another five or ten minutes. You want this now or do you want to wait?" Elise waited, still holding the bottle aloft.

"Now, I think," I replied looking over at Dorien for conformation, he nodded. Elise extracted the cork from the wine bottle and set it back into the ice to breathe before spacing the glasses.

"I'll leave it up to you two." She stated.

I caught her attention as she looked up, "Jenna's on her way to join us, she should be here in about five minutes."

"I'll alert the kitchen, they should be happy to see her, it's been awhile." Elise smiled and turned back to the kitchen.

As she receded into the dim light of the room as I eyed the bottle in the ice bucket. Lifting it free I angled it to the overhead light reading the label seeing that it was a six-year-old red from southern Italy.

I nodded appreciatively at what must have been a nearly forty-dollar bottle of wine under normal circumstances. I poured a measure for myself and Dorien then placed the bottle back into the bucket. I noted the soft burgundy color and earthy aroma of a near perfect red. Neither Dorien nor I are drinkers in any respect but I have learned to appreciate a good wine from time to time and I have been trying to pass this on to Dorien as well as I can. We both feel that one does not have to drink a lot to enjoy alcohol, especially where wine is involved. With a decent red one or two glasses is enough to appreciate the craftsmanship of the vineyard.

I heard the main door to the restaurant swing open and turned to see Jen come in. I told Dorien I would be right back and got up making my way to Jen as she started toward the area of the restaurant where we were. She waved as I approached her. In front of myself I motioned for her to take off her coat and held out my hand. Jenna nodded, understanding, and took off her jacket using the motion to disguise removing a small box from her pocket.

She moved in front of me using my body to mask herself as she handed the box to me.

"They're perfect," she whispered to me, "I looked at them when I picked them up, absolutely gorgeous, money well spent."

"I hope so." I sighed feeling nervous for the first time since Jenna and I started our little conspiracy months ago.

"Come on," I motioned stuffing the parcel in my pocket and taking Jen by the arm. "Dor's probably nearly ready to come and find us."

As we hurried back to our table we saw the kitchen doors opening and as we sat down Leo arrived lugging our food with him.

As usual it was about twice as much as we had ordered, on top of both Dorien and my orders along with our pizza. Leo had a large salad, bread and garlic rolls, what looked like stuffed focaccia, a pepper and sausage dish and several other entrees we hadn't ordered, all appearing on our table. Leo grinned as he saw Jenna, giving her a congenial hug and kiss on the cheek. He then retreated saying he would be back to see how we were coming along later.

We began to eat, Jenna just grabbing whatever was close enough to get a hold of, and Dorien and I doing what we usually do, picking and choosing amongst each others plates, both of us tasting what struck our fancy. We ate dotting the meal with light conversation and some laughter when Dorien had insisted on feeding me, missing a few times and having to wipe my face and neck. After about an hour, we had nearly finished our respective dishes and about three-fourths of the pizza.

While I was talking animatedly to Dorien rather than watching what I was doing I was rewarded by having a large blob of white sauce drop onto the front of my shirt near the bottom hem.

"Shit," I muttered wiping irritably at my shirt with a napkin.

Seeing that the spot wasn't coming out without a fight I excused my self and got up heading toward the bathrooms. Selecting the seldom used handicap modified bathroom (don't ask me, maybe the physically disabled people in our area just don't like Italian food), I entered and locked the door behind me.

• End Part Two -