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The Shapeshifter: Part IV

When Malken finally called it a day, Tannal couldn't have been more thrilled.

Elliot had been training with Malken for the better part of the day practicing spells, working on his technique, and occasionally addressing his concerns in magical theory with his master, as Kensing was (thankfully) gone again on another trip. Probably, Tannal thought bitterly, off transforming more helpless humans into familiars. But Elliot and Malken were, of course, unaware of this thought, and ignored Tannal as they worked. Tannal was still highly suspicious of Malken and had to fight a growl every time he laid eyes on the sorcerer; but Malken at least seemed to be aware of Tannal's dislike and kept his distance and treated "Telsa" with respect, which Tannal supposed, was better than nothing.

Tannal had been watching Elliot and Malken train for several hours and had never been so bored in all his life. Kiem, Malken's lemur familiar, had at least been allowed to leave, since Malken was a Master Sorcerer and didn't require his familiar's presence to train an apprentice; but Tannal was not. He was too inexperienced, and therefore useless, to be allowed into the training area, but unlike Kiem he was also required to stay and watch. So he sat on the sidelines, his head resting in his paws while Elliot and Malken got to play with surges of energy, blazing spheres of power, and streaks of flickering lighting-like magic, while he was forced to sit in boredom and provide nothing but a battery and source of power for Elliot.

At first the strange feeling of Elliot sapping minor amounts of energy from him intrigued him, as it did feel like a bit of an electric shock, but then he got used to the feeling and quickly became annoyed. He should be training to fight at Elliot's side as an equal, not as an energy reserve. But Tannal, like all familiars, was forced to wait patiently as his master grew used to his more powerful abilities provided by having a familiar while the poor familiar had to simply wait around for his master to move onto the next phase so he could join in.

After practice, Elliot and Malken made their way back to Malken's house, talking quietly the whole way. Tannal noticed that Malken never laughed or acted excited; he smiled at times, but it was always thin and his eyes never lost their look of weariness, so whenever Elliot was speaking to Malken he usually became more reserved. Not for the first time did Tannal wonder why Malken's familiar was a rather playful lemur.

As they walked, they talked quietly about Elliot's homework for their next lesson and general news, such as the new projects Kensing was a part of and how close they were to coming to finding the prince. As they neared Malken's house, Malken commented on Elliot's performance in the lesson. "You did an excellent job today, Elliot. I'm sure Master Kensing will be pleased."

"Really?" Elliot said, obviously unaware of the feeling of disgust that rolled through Tannal at the thought of that. "I'm glad. I don't want to let him down. He's done so much for me - "

"Yes, and in return he does demand much from his students," Malken said placidly, taking his keys from his pocket as they stepped up to the door of his house. "How much have you been working with Telsa lately?"

"Oh!" Elliot said, a flush of guilt sweeping over his face. "I'm sorry," he said, realizing that he hadn't been practicing magic with his familiar anywhere near as much as he was supposed to be. "I've just been - "

"You must be working very hard," Malken continued before Elliot could finish.

"I - I have?" the flush on Elliot's face disappeared immediately. He glanced worriedly at Tannal, who shrugged. "Ah - how could you tell, exactly?"

Malken opened the door and gestured for Elliot and Tannal to come inside. "Your bond with Telsa," he answered, closing the door behind them. "The reason master sorcerers make their apprentices train so hard with their familiars is to help strengthen their bond. Your bond with Telsa is incredibly strong - it's as if you've been working in tandem for years." He reached into the cupboard as Elliot slowly lowered himself down into a chair. "You should be very proud," he continued, as Tannal glared at Malken before settling on Elliot's lap as a ridiculously fluffy bunny. Malken ignored Tannal's look. "Tea?"

"Uh - sure," Elliot said softly, a slight frown on his face as he looked at Tannal, who was determinedly looking elsewhere, wiggling his nose as he tried not to enjoy Elliot's obvious confusion. "Master Malken? Is my bond with Telsa - is it really that strong?"

Malken turned from the cupboard, apparently oblivious to Elliot's discomfort. "Yes," he said, heating the water in the kettle with a wave of his hand. "I haven't seen a bond so strong since - well, since myself and Kiem." He gestured to the doorway, where the lemur had poked his head into the room, making Elliot and Tannal jump, since neither of them had heard or seen him come in.

Elliot looked at the lemur curiously. "Master Malken, how can you tell when a bond is strong?"

"Oh, there are a number of ways. For instance, I could tell with you and Telsa because your own powers were so strong; you were a strong apprentice before, Elliot, but the magnitude of your abilities, and even more impressive, your control, is almost unheard of at your age. You're very gifted." Malken lowered the tea into the pot as his familiar leapt up to him and deftly swung himself up onto Malken's shoulder to whisper something into his ear. Malken nodded and helped his familiar back to the floor, and watched as he hopped out of the room again. "There are other factors," he continued, his voice a little softer. "For example, Kiem and I excelled particularly well because our personalities suited each others so well. That, I think is partially the reason you and Telsa get along so well. It helps make your bond even stronger." He placed a steaming cup in front of Elliot.

"But," Elliot persisted, gratefully accepting the tea, "how did our bond become that strong?"

Malken laughed mildly. "Oh, there are multiple factors," he said as Elliot took a sip of tea. "Ranging anywhere to how close the familiar and master are personally, emotionally, and physically."

"Physically?" Elliot sputtered, accidently spitting some of his tea out. "What do you mean?"

Malken raised a brow, but answered without commenting on Elliot's frightened outburst. "Physically means in terms of caliber of power," he explained. "You are an incredibly powerful sorcerer, as Telsa is a shapeshifter. It seems that you've also taken Master Kensing's advice about keeping in close physical contact with Telsa, which further strengthens your bond. Most powerfully of all, it seems that you two trust one another; trust, affection, and respect are very important for a relationship between familiars and their masters. That's probably another reason why you two get along so well."

"Right," Elliot said, quickly wiping the look of relief off his face. "Of course."

"Now, to business," Malken said, setting his empty cup down firmly. "I have been asked by Kensing to oversee more of your training from apprentice to master for a longer period of time than what we originally expected."

"What? Why?" Elliot looked said in alarm.

"No need to panic, Elliot," Malken said, smiling faintly. "Kensing is a very busy man, and as a sorcerer is in very high demand, especially since he has taken over command for finding the missing prince. He is still your master and will still teach you, but while he is gone, which, I'm afraid, will be more often than you will probably prefer, I will take over your training and studies. I assure you, your studies with Master Kensing will resume when he returns to the city. Are you alright with that?"

Elliot nodded enthusiastically. "Of course!" he said, suddenly a great deal happier. "I get to be taught by two of the most famous sorcerers in the city!"

Malken laughed, his eyes still strangely deadened.

***

"Telsa!" the lemur peered around the corner, looking at his with wide, anxious eyes. He hissed, "Come here, quickly!" and then darted around the corner and disappeared.

Tannal frowned in confusion. Why would Malken's familiar want to talk to me? Intrigued and somewhat surprised, Tannal slipped away from his master, ducking into the next room unseen. "Kiem?" He looked around. The room he was beckoned into was unexceptional: just a small, secluded sitting room lined with bookshelves and containing a set of chairs and a small table. "Hello?"

"Telsa." The lemur leapt down lightly from atop one of the mahogany shelves. "I must speak to you in confidence."

Tannal, who had withdrew in surprise when the lemur had shown himself, shifted to the form of an ocelot and felt a growl rise in his throat. "About what?" he said suspiciously. He had learned, after a very short amount of time, that none of the sorcerers or their familiars were trustworthy in the least and he couldn't help but be on guard when the familiar of a questionable associate of Kensing's wanted to speak to him alone.

Kiem blinked slowly, his strange, green eyes wide. "I want to help you," he said softly. "I'm on your side. I'm a friend."

Tannal snorted. "You expect me to believe that?"

"And yet you followed me here." The lemur hopped forward a step. "You want to trust me. You have a feeling that I could be telling the truth and you want to believe me."

"Sorry," Tannal snarled, "but I've already learned my lesson when it comes to trusting sorcerers."

"And yet you're placing all hope of rescue on your sorcerer friend. That's a bit hypocritical, don't you think?"

"Elliot's not like the rest of them!" Tannal said fiercely.

"Not yet, at least," the lemur agreed. "And I hope he never will be." He tilted his head to the side. "I know this is hard, but I need you to trust me. Just this once."

Tannal growled angrily. "After what I saw your master doing, I doubt it."

"Please! You must let me explain; things are not what they appear to be - "

"Oh what I saw was perfectly clear to me," Tannal began to turn around, wondering why he ever decided to follow the lemur in the first place. "I'm not interested in your lies."

Kiem smiled, the best a lemur could. "Just give me a chance to tell the truth; do my best to prove as much of it as I can."

"I don't believe you." Tannal began to stalk out of the room.

"You'll need us as an ally," the lemur called after him. "Especially if you intend on defeating Kensing or ever being human again."

Tannal stopped and whirled around, shifting into a larger wildcat. The lemur was looking at him earnestly, waiting for him to answer. Tannal sighed inwardly. What did he have to lose? "I'm listening," he said with as much disinterest in his voice as possible. "But don't think that means I believe you. I still don't trust you."

"Of course," the lemur said, hopping forward. "Allow me to explain what I know: your name is Tannal, not Telsa. You were formerly a human male and a member of the king's guard - a friend to my master's student, Elliot. I know from overhearing your master, Gallan, that you have one of the highest success rates among all the guards, which is why it is so strange that you would run off without a word to anyone. I also know that a rumor floated around that you knew something about the prince's location, which is why you disappeared. It is a widely held belief among the guards, but they have no choice but to obey the king. Kensing is one of the king's most powerful advisors, so they cannot hope to sway the king's mind and look into your disappearance, even if they do believe you were trying to rescue the prince; not, at least, with Kensing at the king's side. When my master found out that you had gone missing, it was from Elliot. Elliot was - for lack of a better term - a mess. He blamed himself for your disappearance and insisted on following you into the Wildlands to recover you. But Kensing had other plans."

The lemur hopped closer to Tannal, apparently not afraid of him in his wildcat form. "All of this is Kensing's doing. Malken never wanted you to be transformed into a familiar; he had no part in it whatsoever."

Tannal was about to protest, but then he remembered when Kensing called him into his room and he saw Malken being mated by Bruine. That was when Kensing had told Malken who he was, but Malken was surprised; he had no idea. Images flashed into Tannal's mind of Malken, wide-eyed in shock on the floor in Kensing's apartment: "Elliot's familiar is Tannal? The missing guard?" Tannal shook his head. So Malken didn't know who he was...not until Kensing summoned him there. But did Kensing bother to admit such a thing?

Tannal bristled. "If your master is so innocent, then why hasn't he done anything to help me?" he demanded. "He knows the truth! He knows who I am! But he did nothing!"

"You think he had a choice in the matter?" Kiem said hotly.

"Everyone has a choice!" Tannal snarled. "He could have said something! He could have done something to stop Kensing!"

Kiem shook his head. "No," he said softly. "You don't understand the extent of Kensing's power. You've only truly glimpsed the tip of this monstrosity that he's created within the Academy."

Tannal surveyed the lemur closely. "There's more to it?" he said softly.

The lemur nodded sadly. "You have no idea. Kensing's work goes deeper than you could possibly imagine. It's not just the spell orbs, it's - " The lemur froze in mid-sentence, its dark eyes flickered warily around the room. " I cannot say any more," he said, lowering his voice.

"No!" Tannal said. "What were you going to say? What orbs? What's Kensing planning?"

"I can't. The spells are far too strong for me to admit all of the secrets that I know to you. Telling you will endanger my master and expose his secrets - " The lemur attempted to dart around Tannal, but Tannal blocked him.

"Malken's secrets?" He laughed sardonically. "I'm sure those are worth keeping."

The lemur stopped trying to sidestep the cat and sighed. "Do not blame my master for what happened to you. It wasn't his doing."

Tannal snorted. "He certainly didn't try to stop it."

"Kensing would have never allowed him to do so. He would have ended up hurting the both of you." The lemur paused. "Kensing likes to humiliate people. He took you, a human male, and made you into a female familiar. If that's what he did to you, imagine what he does to other people he's tampered with. Kensing's dangerous! You must be careful, Tannal." The lemur hesitated. "I want to help you, as does my master, but you can't just go running around fighting Kensing out in the open. You need to be more subtle, or he'll put a stop to you before you can even start resisting. And then Elliot will be in danger as well."

Tannal lashed his tail around him in exasperation. "How many people has Kensing actually tampered with? I thought it was just me and the prince - "

"I do not know how many there are; Kensing keeps these things quiet, and with good reason. All I know is that he has not yet tampered with me. Malken, and other sorcerers, yes. But, unlike you, I'm not stupid enough to try to tempt Kensing to target me." Kiem gently laid his paw on Tannal's shoulder. "Be careful and stay in line. I would hate to see Kensing attempt to stop you. You may be valuable to Kensing now, but if you make enough trouble for him I promise you, he'll change his mind." He nodded and began to hop off.

"Kiem!" Tannal bounded after him. "Are you saying that Malken, if he were free of Kensing, would be on our side?"

The lemur gazed at Tannal darkly. "He will never be free of Kensing. I'm sorry." He started to turn away, and stopped. "But for what it's worth, no one hates Kensing more than Malken."

Tannal sighed as he watched the lemur leave. No matter what he did, he either made enemies or friends who were too scared to help him. There had to be someone who had information and who was willing to help him! Cursing, he slowly padded out of the room to return to his master. Well, if no one here would help him, he would just have to take matters into his own hands.

* * * *

For the twentieth time that day, Elliot sighed heavily.

While he was supposed to working on finding the prince (which technically Elliot was working on that - just not nearly as directly as he was supposed to be) Elliot was laboring in his study examining spells, twining strange metal devices together, and testing so many different herbs that Tannal's nose burned.

"What are you doing?" he said, fluttering in as a grizzled crow, just to complete the effect of the setting.

Elliot noticed this and rolled his eyes. "I'm working on a spell," he said simply.

Tannal glanced over the drafts of paper filled with Elliot's writing, covered in diagrams, formulas, and runes. "Working on a spell or inventing one?"

Elliot's glared at Tannal in mock annoyance. "Since when are you an expert on magic?" he said huffily.

"I'm not an idiot. That spell is handwritten. Plus, your hair's singed. And unless you've been lighting yourself on fire for kicks, I'd say that - "

"I'd say you better stow it," Elliot growled, sliding a heavy book over the papers.

Tannal snorted in amusement, shifting into a mouse. "Well," he said, seating himself on top of some of the papers, "what are you working on?"

"A locator device," Elliot said simply, continuing to etch on the table in chalk. When Tannal cocked his head to the side and continued to stare, Elliot sighed and looked up.

"Ohh, a locator device," Tannal said stretching from his mouse form into a fire salamander, which made the corners of Elliot's papers begin to smoke slightly. "That's original. I bet none of the other sorcerers thought about using that."

Elliot waved his hand to put out the small licks of fire that Tannal was inadvertently starting. "It's not a normal locator device," he said, pulling some of the papers away from Tannal with an irritated look on his face. "This is a different one."

Tannal shifted to a ferret. "By 'different' do you mean 'untested?'" he yawned.

"Actually, yes," Elliot placed the stack of papers on a high shelf and turned back to the strange device. "A few years ago, Master Yorick invented a spell that scans for the essence of magical creatures. It made it easier to see how many unbound - and bound - familiars there were in the world. Now that we can use a spell to find unbound familiars, hunting down your own familiar is now considered a bit medieval of a practice. He completely revolutionized the familiar capturing technique! But, it's what also caused him to discover that there aren't enough familiars for all the sorcerers - that we're experiencing a shortage. As soon as that news came out, people abandoned his seeking spells and started focusing on replenishing the familiar population so the sorcerers wouldn't die out." When Tannal didn't say anything, Elliot hastily continued. "That's not important. What is important is that I've been studying Master Yorick's spell and I think I might have found a way to make it scan for actual people, not just a magical essence."

Tannal had already curled up as a cat on top of a spellbook. "Meaning what?" he yawned.

"Meaning this spell, if it works, might be able to find people anywhere in the world and point to their location on a map."

Tannal's eyes shot open. "What do you mean 'find people?' Do you mean, it could find anyone?"

Elliot nodded. "That's the idea. Since I can't scan for people's essences - because humans don't have a strong enough natural magical reserves to be picked up by this sort of device, I had to make some changes. The spell that powers the device is similar to Yorick's one, except I coupled it with an additional spell that, provided one has a possession of the person the spell is seeking, will basically function as a substitute for a person's magical essence."

Tannal rose to his feet. "So, magical stuff aside, you're saying that you made a spell that will find anyone, anywhere?"

"Well, provided my spell actually works. And that I own a possession of the person the spell is trying to find."

"Like a piece of jewelry?" Tannal asked innocently. "Like a ring?"

Elliot's nostrils flared. "Yes," he said in annoyance. "Like a ring. Once the spell runs through the item, it sends a magical current to this - " he tapped a small, multifaceted pale blue crystal that was hanging on a thread of twine from one of the torch brackets - "which will spin around a map and point to the person's present location."

"And it will show a person's location, no matter what?" Tannal eagerly sat up on his hind legs, his beady black eyes practically aglow with excitement. "Even if they're - in a compromised state - " Elliot turned around so quickly that Tannal faltered and trailed off, shrinking back.

Elliot ran his hand through his hair. "Well, no," he said in a quiet voice, "The spell will probably fail if they're - deceased." Elliot swallowed and went back to etching.

Tannal persisted. "But what if they're in another form? What then?"

"I don't know! This spell hasn't been tested before, so I don't know what will happen!"

"But what if Tan - er, the prince - has a spell on him! Will your device be able to find him?"

Elliot shrugged. "If he's enchanted, probably. But if he's in another form, probably not. The spell is supposed to work only for human forms. Though - it might point to the last place the prince was before he was transformed, but there's no guarantee. As I said, the spell might not even work." Elliot put the chalk down. "And what's with this sudden interest? I thought you said all this magic stuff bores you."

"Nothing," Tannal said, shrugging and shifting to a sparrow. "I just like knowing what it is my master spends his time doing all day."

Elliot rolled his eyes. "You know," he said, continuing his work again, "You are allowed to leave. You could go exploring, run around the city, go to the forest, whatever you want to - you don't have to stay here - "

"I want to stay! I'm your familiar! What if something happened to you? I'm supposed to protect you and -"

"No," Elliot said with a slight grin on his face. "You're supposed to aid me. You're my familiar. You help enhance my powers and store raw energy. You're not supposed to be a body guard."

"Oh really?" Tannal said huffily. 'Then why are all the best familiars massive animals, like bears and wolfs and - "

"Dragons?" Elliot finished, looked highly amused, knowing his familiar was thinking of Kensing.

Tannal surveyed the device and chanced the subject. "So, do you think this device can find your friend?" Tannal tried to keep the excitement from his voice.

"That's why I'm building it, but if anyone asks, it's to find the prince. And besides, I don't own anything that belongs to the prince, but I do have something of Tannal's, so I should probably test it out on him first. And if the spell does work, I can use it to find the prince, too, so technically I'm working towards finding him. But Tannal first."

Tannal could barely contain his excitement. "So when will it be ready to go?"

Elliot shrugged. "It could be a day, it could be a year, it could be never. I just hope it's soon."

For the next hour, Tannal had remained vigilantly at Elliot's side, watching with wide-eyed hope as Elliot etched more diagrams, hooked additional wires and metal rods to the strange device, only to take them away minutes later, flipped angrily through stacks of thick spellbooks, and muttered furiously under his breath as he continued to work. But after an hour, Tannal began to grow bored. Yes, he had been trained at the Lower Academy in minor magics, but all of his training had been in such simplistic spells that the theory behind it was rudimentary at best and didn't require such labor efforts and extensive knowledge. Granted, Tannal was aware that Elliot was considered one of the most promising students in years and was highly gifted and so his magical abilities and the scope of his talent would far exceed Tannal, thus, rendering him incapable of understanding all of the details of what exactly Elliot was doing; but after an hour Tannal failed to care anymore as he succumbed to complete and utter boredom.

After he amused himself by batting the ring that Elliot had stolen around as a kitten, sprawling out in increasingly ridiculous and annoying animal forms and taking delight in laying atop every single book ELliot was attempting to read or, after Elliot had shooed him away, yawning loudly; then shifting into the most menacing shapes he could think of (that also included hybrid creatures that he made up, such as bears with the horns of a ram and the wings of a dragon and a nine-foot tall multi-headed scaled creature covered in spikes) which involved what he considered to be stunning examples of his own creativity but that Elliot apparently seemed to under-appreciate; then taking on the form of a tall, wraith-like grim reaper figure with glowing eyes and glittering teeth that made Elliot practically jump out of his skin (and was subsequently followed by a loud stream of curses), before Elliot finally threw his hands up and suggest that Tannal go amuse himself elsewhere.

So Tannal attempted to amuse himself elsewhere. But what else was he supposed to do? He couldn't leave the house - he was too fearful that Kensing would either catch him unaware outside or (worse), Kensing would stop by for another unexpected visit, but inside Elliot's apartment was almost unbearable. He was a king's guard, used to traveling around the country with all the freedom he could desire. Boredom was not something he was used to.

He decided that perhaps this could be an opportunity to better himself. Perhaps he could treat it as a type of vacation and accomplish some things that he would otherwise be unable to do. Tannal looked around the apartment, then shrugged. Elliot, ever the studious sorcerer, had an enormous collection of books, not all of which were related to sorcerery, so it was little trouble for him to find a book full of short stories that he and Elliot had both enjoyed as children. But as he settled down to read in his rat form, lazily turning the pages of the novel with his tail, certain passages began to stand out to him: the pirate stories spoke of pillaging towns and ravishing women, the mythology spoke of gods raping beautiful women for their own pleasure, the legends spoke of knights and their wooing of fair ladies and affairs with queens; Tannal shut the book. He used to love those stories as a child, but never thought about what really happened in those stories until now. And he was shocked to realize that although they were children's tales, they all included sexual elements. As he thought about it, he could almost feel the beginnings of a heat starting to build between his hind legs. Tannal shook his head and told himself not to think about such things; but once he thought it, he couldn't get the images out of his head.

Shaking his head, he pushed the book away and shifted into his fox form, intending to return to Elliot; but as soon as he shifted, he couldn't help but remember what the sturdy tug of Surem's knot felt like against his netherlips - Tannal shook his head again: What is wrong with me? Quickly, he shifted into the form of a badger and decided to wandered around the house, attempting to clear his head before he went back to Elliot; he didn't want to risk anything happening again. But when he went in Elliot's room, he could smell the faint traces of sex, so he turned around. In the living room, he was reminded of where he had licked Elliot's cum from his passage, in the room down the hall from the sitting room, he was reminded of Surem. He swore, the more he tried to not think about sex, the more the smell of it seemed to permeate the air. Why did everything have to be about sex? He couldn't understand why he was constantly so aroused. He was, as a human, a typical young man in the frequency of his arousal, but it had never been as bad as this.

He tried his hardest to ignore the feelings of arousal that were now beginning to grow under his tail, but no matter how hard he tried to concentrate on something else, images of sex kept intruding in his thoughts and his netherlips were beginning to swell with want. He cursed, looking around desperately for something to take his mind off his own arousal, but nothing was working. Fearfully, he began to realize that the notion of being penetrated was suddenly looking less and less revolting and more enticing...

Just when he thought he wouldn't be able to handle the building arousal within him for another moment without doing something about it, he heard the shatter of glass in Elliot's workroom, followed by a cry of frustration from his friend. Immediately, Tannal felt a wave of despair roll through him that came from Elliot as yet another spell failed. Tannal collapsed to the ground, closing his eyes as he welcomed the feelings of Elliot's failure, as they were stronger and more powerful than his own arousal.

Tannal took a deep breath and opened his eyes Elliot's anguish and frustration at failing at yet another spell to find Tannal was strong enough that it had pushed all feelings of arousal from him, leaving him with an empty feeling of sadness that replaced his lustful thoughts. Tannal closed his eyes again wearily. Thank you, Elliot, he thought silently, relief washing over him. But he knew next time, he probably wouldn't be so lucky to be offered a distraction before his arousal became too much to bear.

* * * *

As Tannal walked by Elliot's study later that day he noticed the corner of a spellbook sticking out of the bookshelf at an odd angle. Rolling his eyes at Elliot's inability to keep books in an organized fashion on a bookshelf, he trotted into the study and placed a paw on the book's spine to push it back into place; but before he could, the title caught his eye. It was one of the old spellbooks that beginners used in the Lower Academy! When he and Elliot had both been matriculated there, they had both had the same spell book: Elliot, ever talented at magic, had flown through the book and mastered it within a week, but Tannal (along with, he reminded himself, most of the other students) had taken about a month to learn everything. All of the spells in the book were ridiculously simple; many were household remedies to common problems that plagued domestic life, from clearing smoke from a room to removing wrinkles from a sheet. The spells were, of course, dull at best, but they were simple, which is why the students at the Lower Academy had to learn them.

Tannal could remember he and Elliot laughing about them together. While the class struggled to master some of the basic spells, Elliot, back in the days when he used to be happy, would team up with Tannal to wreck havoc on the other students, muttering counterspells under his breath so that their spell casting constantly proved to be ineffective. Tannal smiled, looking at the book fondly. He wondered if poor Jimsen ever realized that Elliot had been casting smoking spells while he had been trying to conjure smokeless fire - or perhaps the poor boy simply thought smokeless fire was a near-impossible feat.

As Tannal smiled fondly at the spellbook, he suddenly got an idea. He knew Elliot was still working on constructing spells in his workroom, so he wouldn't be disturbed; he knew that he had once been able to do all of these spells before as a human...so trying one now couldn't possibly hurt, could it? Tannal hesitated, intrigued about what might happen if he took a look, while also slightly frightened of what Elliot's reaction might be if he saw his familiar reading up on spells. Tannal had no idea if familiars could do magic or if it was even socially acceptable for them to attempt to do so. Perhaps Elliot might think that he was trying to find a way to break their connection...poor Elliot had become nothing but miserable and paranoid since Tannal had been bound to him: miserable because his friend was missing and he was doing little to help find him and paranoid that what he had done with his familiar would be discovered. Still, at times Elliot was like his old self, just like he was now, but that only happened when he had moments of hope as he threw himself into his work.

Tannal hesitated. He remembered trying to do magic in the bathroom before and failing. But - trying again wouldn't hurt, would it? When he had tried before, he had only been a shapeshifter for a day and had just suffered a traumatic event; perhaps now he would be stronger, more able to control his own energy...

Tannal looked around to make sure he was entirely alone, then carefully crept to the book. Shifting into a small monkey - the animal that had the things closest to hands - and slowly opened the book to the first page.

Tannal scanned each page for a simple spell that would be easy to perform, but also be inconspicuous. There was no point in attempting to stealthily re-learn how to cast a spell for painting the walls of a house only to have the spell work and the walls of Elliot's room turn magenta. That, Tannal thought, even Elliot might notice. He continued flipping through the pages, seeing spells for a variety of things that were utterly useless; finally, he found one that would not only work, but was a minor spell, simple, and should cause no lasting damage: a spell to light a candle.

Eagerly, he flew to the nearby table and grabbed the nearest candle in reach and placed it before the spellbook. This would be the moment of truth. If he could do magic, he had a chance of freeing himself. He could defend himself from Kensing, let Elliot know the truth...the possibilities seemed endless! All he had to do was perform one minor spell.

Tannal took a deep breath and focused his attention on the candle. He said the spell aloud.

Nothing happened.

Slightly irked, he tried again, this time enunciating differently, gesturing more purposefully.

The candle remained stubbornly unlit.

Feeling anxiety and despair welling up inside of him, Tannal closed his eyes and focused every fiber of his being on the wick and recited the spell.

When he opened them again, Tannal swore he saw a small tendril of wispy smoke rise up from the wick, but he wasn't sure. He took a deep breath to try again, but then he heard Elliot calling for him.

Tannal swore. He shut the spellbook and bounded off to return to his master in defeat.

* * * *

Tannal had moped around for the rest of the day, feeling utterly disheartened. He was tired of being terrified of his own body and feelings. He was tired of being unable to properly help Elliot or the prince. And he was so tired of simply being utterly helpless. He had been trapped in the form of a female shapeshifter for over three weeks now; and although he'd made great progress as a familiar and as a shapeshifter, he had made little to no progress in finding a way to change back.

Kiem had warned him not to be so obvious about his hatred of Kensing, to resist him through more "subtle" methods. But what methods were those? Other than literally attacking Kensing (which Tannal agreed, would be more than stupid) how else could he resist him? What other option did he have to show Elliot that his beloved master was actually the cause of most of his strife? How else could he show Elliot the truth about who he was?

Failing at the spell earlier that day had put him in a foul mood, and so he wasn't surprised when a slightly confused Elliot offered to let him stay home instead of accompanying him to a meeting. It wasn't that he had failed at the spell that made him so angry, it was the lack of control. He went from being a strong man, able to defend himself and other physically and even through magical means, to a female animal, obedient to one man and cursed by another: unable to say what he desired, unable to do whatever he pleased, unable to even choose his own sexual partners... He shuddered at the thought. No, he needed to do something. And soon.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't think of anything that didn't involve magic. He was too restricted in his familiar form to act out most of his plans, and the rest all involved either fighting Kensing or revealing the truth to Elliot, which, of course, involved magic. It seemed that the only solution he had to his problem would be to learn magic. But was he even capable of such anymore?

Tannal paced around the living room for another hour before he finally reached a decision: Kiem. The lemur had offered his help to him and had made it clear that he had the same opinion of Kensing as Tannal did. Perhaps Kiem would be able to assist him...

Tannal made up his mind. In an instant, he shifted from his leopard form into that of a small bird, and flitted to the open window. He flew swiftly, the city's glowing lights guiding him as he ascended from Elliot's apartment to the manors of the Lower Palace where the Master Sorcerers dwelt. He still didn't know if he was making the right decision, but he knew it was the only option he had left to make. Taking a deep breath, he furled his wings close to his body and dove through the cold night air, breaking his descent only at the last moment before fluttering inside a manor's sitting room.

The room was large, its rounded walls paneled with wood, interrupted only by a huge stone fireplace. Tannal scanned the room quickly, shifting back to his more comfortable and threatening leopard form. It was empty, save its crackling fire and rich furnishings.

He sat down. "Kiem!" he said in a loud, carrying voice. He waited only a few moments before the lemur appeared, skidding to a halt outside one of the hallways, looking alarmed and defensive.

"Tannal," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not here to fight or to interrogate you. My master doesn't know I'm here."

The lemur slowly lowered himself into a less guarded pose. "Here for another chat?" he said mildly.

"Yes," Tannal said. "I need your help with something. What you said earlier - you made me realize that I need to take matters into my own hands. That if I ever want to change what's happened to me, that I'm going to need to do something about it myself."

The lemur surveyed Tannal with a look not unlike the gaze Malken used on Elliot. "That's very bold of you," he said. "But what exactly do you have in mind?'

Tannal sighed. He wasn't fond of the lemur, but he needed help. "I need your help with Kensing."

Kiem shook his head. "That I can give you little advice on. All I can say is that you need to practice with Elliot as much as you can. Become as powerful as possible."

"How? Elliot spends all his time trying to find the prince!" Tannal said, deciding that it might be wise to not mention that Elliot was actually spending most of his time building a locator spell to find him.

"Find a way," the lemur said, beginning to turn away. "Yours and Elliot's strength is the only thing that will help you against Kensing."

"Wait! There's more! I - I need your help with a spell."

Kiem turned back to him. "I'm afraid I cannot assist you," he said. "I cannot do magic on my own."

"You can't?" Tannal said in surprise. He had assumed that the familiars of the most powerful sorcerers were able to do magic.

"No," Kiem said. "And I doubt anyone in this city has the magic capable of taking that spell off you - except, of course, Kensing himself. Which I highly doubt he'll do."

"I know that," Tannal growled. "And I wasn't going to ask for you to take the spell off; I know better than that. I was going to ask for your help with Elliot."

The lemur hopped forward. "Then perhaps I can be of assistance. What is it that you need help with?"

Tannal took a deep breath. "I need to find a way to show Elliot who I am."

"And why do you want to do that? You do realize what a compromising position that will put him in - "

"El's already compromised as it is!" Tannal snapped. "Kensing's moving in closer to him and El isn't even aware that he's in danger! He just spends all day looking for me, and if he knew the truth, he'd spend it trying to stop Kensing, or protecting himself, or - "

"I thought you said he spent all day searching for the prince." The lemur smiled as Tannal spun around, looking distressed. "Do not worry, young guard. As I told you before, I wish to help you. But your request is problematic. There simply is no way around your spell to reveal to Elliot your true form as a human. I'm afraid that is not a viable solution to your problem."

"I know that!" Tannal said. "I've spent the last few weeks thinking of ways to get myself out of this, but I'm locked in! There's no way for me to fight what Kensing did to me - unless I use magic. I thought about what you said, about working against him in subtle ways and the only way I can think of involves doing magic."

Kiem blinked. "Then learn to do magic on your own. It's the mark of a powerful familiar."

"But I've tried! I'm not even sure if familiars can even do magic!"

"Some can, but it's very rare." The lemur leapt up into a chair and settle down comfortably into it. "A familiar's role is to serve," he explained. "They function as a separate branch of the sorcerer's own abilities; they are able to hold vast reserves of power, the foundations of pre-made spells, and enhance their sorcerer's own abilities. Without a sorcerer, a familiar is nothing more than pure energy, unable to tangibly effect anything. Once a familiar is bound, they become an extension of the sorcerer himself. But some familiars are capable of more than this. Some familiars can generate their own spells, as well."

"Then teach me how!"

"I cannot do magic, therefore I cannot teach you. And it is more complicated than that. Something like this cannot simply be taught." Kiem moved closer to him and spoke in a low voice. "Some familiars are powerful enough to do magic without their masters' permission or even awareness; but it is almost unheard of. Not only must the familiar be immensely powerful, as must their master, but the familiar and its master must also share a strong bond, more powerful than that of the magical connection that binds them together. They must trust one another; they must respect and understand the other's thoughts, feelings, and desires in order to strengthen their bond enough for this. This is why few can do it: most masters do not trust their familiars enough. They see us as animals, or as mere sources of power to be used, not respected."

"But Elliot and I have a strong bond!" Tannal protested. "Malken said it himself."

"Yes, he did. And my master does not speak rashly."

"Then why can't I do magic? I used to be able to, as a human. I'm a powerful familiar - everyone says so, and Elliot's a powerful sorcerer. And we trust each other. Our bond is strong! So, why can't I do magic?"

"I don't know, Tannal. But I think you're demanding too much from yourself. You fail to realize how few familiars can actually do - "

"I have to do it! I have to protect Elliot! And the only way to do that is to get him to realize what's really going on with Kensing!"

"Then do it! You are human, Tannal! You have these abilities! They are simply dormant at the moment because your role as a familiar comes first! Do you not think I would rather spend my days in a forest instead of here? But since I'm bound, my natural instincts were made dormant. Now I'm content to stay indoors and read books on magic all day. The same applies to you. You've been content to serve because you are a familiar. If you are to defeat Kensing and save your friend, you must remember what you used to be. You were a human, a king's guard; capable of magic and independent thought and action, were you not?"

"Well, yes," Tannal said slowly.

"Then act like it," Kiem said. "Remember that you are more than what Kensing made you to be; you're more than just a power reserve, a collector a half-made spells, an energy enhancer; you were once human. It will make you stronger and Elliot more powerful as well."

"But, what if I can't do magic? What if I'm not strong enough?"

Kiem smiled. "When the time comes, I'm sure you will be."

* * * *

After his talk with Kiem, Tannal returned home and decided to make use of his alone time. He had flown back to Elliot's apartment filled with determination, ready, seemingly for the first time, to take control of his situation. It was time that he stop acting like a frightened, obedient puppy and start acting like a human again. He still had it in his head that he needed to relearn magic, but there was time for that later. First, in order for him to gain the upper hand against Kensing, he needed to understand more about himself and his capabilities. So he went into Elliot's study and began to read as much as he could about familiars, magic, shapeshifters, and anything else that was even vaguely related to the subject, trying to acquire as much knowledge as he could on the subject. He knew it was an enterprise that would take months, but he liked the feeling of productivity and reading up on familiars made him feel like he was taking a step in the right direction. So he settled down and started reading.

A few hours later, Tannal began to get distracted. While he had been reading various spellbooks and other scholarly sources, Tannal had an uncomfortable feeling growing underneath his tail that began as a gentle tingle and slowly grew to the pulsing heat of arousal again. At first, he ignored it. He knew that he would be be granted a respite with a convenient interruption from Elliot this time; he knew that he would have to settle his own arousal himself if he didn't want to to grow any stronger. He dug his claws into the carpet and took a deep, steadying breath, focusing all of his thoughts on what he was reading. He was fully capable of ignoring such impulses and, as he told himself, he was human, not subject to the instincts of animals. But as much as he might want to deny it, Tannal was subject to the instincts of animals, as he was one. But he would only shake his head, as if to clear it of the thought, and continue reading.

But that had been an hour ago, and the insistent twinge of arousal had blossomed from an annoyingly persistent sensation to an unrelenting and overwhelming need. Finally, the sensation became so strong that Tannal was forced to give up on his reading. He desperately tried to figure out why he was suddenly so aroused, but he could think of nothing that caused such a thing. All he knew was that he was more aroused than he had ever been before and the need to have someone fuck him was beginning to creep into his thoughts more and more, clouding his focus from the task at hand. He cursed. Maybe like before, Elliot was simply aroused and it was a residual arousal...but the feeling was never this powerful or insistent before.

Frustrated, he laid himself on the ground and curled up so that his snout was facing his netherlips. He tried not to look at his genitals - he knew he was transformed into a female animal, but he still thought of himself as a male. Seeing something that contradicted that only made it seem more real to him. Taking a deep breath, he nosed his snout up to his dripping heat and tentatively stuck his broad tongue out and licked the opening of his vagina, doing his best to not think about the task at hand.

When Tannal heard the clock chime five o'clock, he felt the first flutters of panic in his stomach. He had been curled up on the floor for what felt like hours lapping furiously at his now sopping wet vagina, but still had yet to find relief. No matter how much he tried, however, he could not reach a climax. It was as if there was a place deep within him he simply could not reach, or perhaps his tongue wasn't long enough or thick enough to caress the tingling area inside him that needed to be touched for him to be satisfied. And now, he knew Elliot would be home any minute, only to walk in to his familiar eating herself out.

His ear twitched as he heard the sound of Elliot fumbling with his keys. Elliot was home! Tannal's eyes widened and he frantically dove back into his wet folds, licking his throbbing passage for all he was worth. But it wasn't enough. He heard the door open and footsteps as Elliot entered the apartment and he was still on edge, unable to find relief with his own tongue. A soft whining noise escaped from his muzzle that he was unable to silence, but still, climax eluded him.

"Telsa?" Elliot's voice called out. "Are you here, girl?"

Cursing, Tannal twisted himself to an upright position just before Elliot stepped into the room.

"Telsa! There you are," Elliot said, apparently oblivious to Tannal's condition. "What have you been doing all day?"

"Oh, nothing," Tannal said, feeling a trickle of lubricating fluid drip down his leg. "Just some light reading."

"Ah. Good for you," Elliot said, nodding with a sudden absent look in his eyes. "Well, I'm going to go - take a nap. I'll see you in a bit, alright?"

"Of course!" Tannal said, relief washing over him. Elliot's nap should give him an hour at the least. And he was close - so very close - to reaching his sweet relief. An hour should be enough to do it... But as Elliot turned to enter his room, Tannal caught sight of the bulge in Elliot's pants.

Tannal cursed inwardly. Of course Elliot was aroused! He wasn't going to "nap," he was going to masturbate. Maybe, Tannal thought, maybe if Elliot and I masturbate at the same time, I'll be able to climax. The thought of which made him imagine Elliot, his eyes closed in bliss, laying splayed on his bed, his hands clutching his throbbing manhood, it's mushroomed head oozing precum as his hands slid up and down his shaft...

Tannal shook his head. Was I really just imagining Elliot's penis? He growled softly to himself, trying to ignore the insistent throbbing of his swollen sex. While he had definitely seen Elliot's penis before, it was something he tried to forget. But as soon as the thought of Elliot's penis entered his mind, he couldn't get rid of the image. He could only think about how good it had felt when Elliot's penis had slid into his folds, how complete he had felt, how pleasurable it had been. And Bruine, too, with his flowering penis; and Surem with his thick knot. All of them had been such wonderful lovers, all of them had given him so much pleasure, so much relief...

And then it hit him. Every time he had been aroused, the only way he had been able to find satisfaction had been through the use of a male - and a certain quality he was lacking. Perhaps that was all he needed. Perhaps all he needed was an aroused male to take care of his problem...

Tannal shook his head. What is wrong with me? How could I even consider this? But even though he was disgusted and confused at these thoughts, they still didn't seem wrong to him. They seemed like the right thing to do.

Dizzy, he shook his head. He needed to clear his thoughts. He needed to get rid of his arousal. But to do that, he know he needed Elliot.

For a moment he was torn. He desperately wanted to resist such an impulse, but at the same time, the feeling of need was beginning to inundate his mind, making the idea of succumbing to his urges more and more appealing. Finally, he broke. He had to take care of his arousal. Making up his mind, he shifted back into his she-wolf form and padded to Elliot's room. Tannal wasn't sure if it was his rational mind or his instincts that had pushed him to make the decision, but at this point, he no longer cared. Now that his mind was made up, he knew what he wanted to do. He stared at the door, feeling the ache of arousal searing his genitals and took a deep breath, and opened the door to interrupt Elliot's "nap."

Elliot's eyes flew open when he heard the door creak open as Tannal let himself in, his face suddenly drained of all color and his eyes wide. Tannal couldn't blame him: Elliot had been lying on his bed, completely naked, frantically stroking his engorged cock. There was a moment when first Tannal walked in where Elliot wasn't aware that his familiar had entered the room. His eyes were closed, his breath ragged, and his hands were clenched tightly around his swollen prick as his squeezed them up and down, his precum streaming down around his shaft.

But then the door creaked and Elliot opened his eyes. For a moment, he and Tannal stared at each other, then realization set in and Elliot let out a cry. "Telsa!" he yelped, frantically covering himself up. "What are you doing?"

But Tannal had already seen everything he needed to: he knew Elliot was aroused, he knew he was aroused, and now that he saw Elliot's erect penis for the second time, his mind had immediately flashed back to the first time - to both of their first times - and he knew he had to have it. He knew that Elliot could give him the pleasure his lust-filled mind demanded.

"Elliot," he murmured, stepping forward slowly. "Elliot, I - I need - " He couldn't bear to say it.

Elliot was frozen on his bed, still staring in shock at his advancing familiar. "Telsa," he breathed. "What are you - what are you doing?"

He couldn't help but whimper needily. "Elliot," his whispered, his voice thick with lust. "Elliot, please."

Elliot was breathing heavily; he stared at Tannal in surprise at his behavior, but at the same time, Tannal could feel longing welling up inside him. Elliot was as aroused as he was and Tannal had no doubt in his mind that Elliot was thinking back to when he had fucked Tannal before. And Tannal was in his she-wolf form again... He could practically feel Elliot's desire overwhelming his friend.

Tannal approached Elliot, inhaling his scent and feeling his genitals throbbing with even more heat than before. He could scarcely think straight, his arousal was so strong; all he knew was that he could feel his blood pumping through his veins in rhythmic surges, his genitals tingling, his mind spinning with the scent of Elliot.

Elliot's penis jutted out from his groin proudly, already slick with precum from when he was masturbating. Tannal stared at it longingly; he kept thinking about how wonderful it was to be filled by Surem's cock. He didn't understand why he suddenly wanted Elliot so badly, he couldn't understand what made these feelings course through him, but he no longer cared. All he knew was that he needed it.

But some part of his mind registered that Elliot was still hesitant, that Elliot would not make the first move. Tannal breathed in the scent of Elliot's arousal and his tail began to wag. At this point he was so consumed with lust that he had no problem instigating sexual advances. No problem at all.

Tannal moved forward, gently nuzzling against Elliot, who was sitting at the end of the bed, then he bumped his nose against Elliot's penis, seeking more. He gazed at Elliot's cock, amazed at how something so fleshy could be so hard and so pleasurable.

Elliot shivered as Tannal slid his warm, furry body against his. "Telsa," he murmured. "Wait - "

But Tannal didn't wait. He knew Elliot might need some encouragement, so he moved forward and opened his maw, engulfing Elliot's penis in it. He felt the meaty shaft throb in his mouth and he moved forward so that it slid deeper into his throat, his sucking causing Elliot to shake with pleasure. As Elliot groaned, Tannal continued to suck and lap at the shaft with his broad tongue.

Tannal knew he wouldn't have to wait long. After only a few moments of licking, Elliot had raised his hands and gently clasped them around Tannal's head, securing him there while he eagerly swallowed all Elliot had to offer.

Elliot shuddered, feeling the hot tongue of his familiar run along the sides of his cock, where it paused to gently tongue his balls, before moving back up again. He sighed, slowly leaning back onto the bed, his hands still holding Tannal's head, as the wolf engulfed his member, and then shuddered as he felt the ribbed insides of the wolf's mouth rub along his shaft as it plunged deep into the wolf's throat.

Tannal kept up his ministrations for several more minutes until he could hardly bear it anymore and, when finally felt Elliot's penis twitch in his mouth, he knew it was time and he pulled off.

Tannal heard Elliot sigh in frustration as the warm, wet cavity that was surrounding his cock withdrew, leaving its quivering length exposed to the cold air and unattended. But Elliot's frustration was quickly alleviated when Tannal nimbly leapt up onto the bed beside him. For a moment Tannal looked at Elliot, desperation surging through him, then he moved forward, licking Elliot all over his body, making him shudder with longing.

"Telsa," Elliot whispered. "Telsa, are you sure you - ohhhhhh - are you sure you want to - to do this?"

"Yes," Tannal said, shivering when he said it. It was the second time he willingly admitted that he wanted to be mounted like a female. "Yes, I have to." He wasn't sure why he was saying it, all he knew was that it felt right.

"I - I can't," Elliot said, staring wide-eyed at Tannal, his penis twitching with lust. "I can't do that again."

"Please," Tannal said, no longer caring, rubbing his soft body against Elliot insistently. "I need this. I need you."

Tannal lifted his tail, flagging it so that Elliot would know what he wanted, revealing his moist netherlips to his friend as he settled his chest on the bed with his rump in the air. He heard Elliot draw his breath in, he knew that now Elliot was staring at his swollen lips that he wouldn't be able to help himself - not in the state that he was in... Tannal closed his eyes, waiting to be mounted roughly by his friend and mated as a female -

But Elliot did not mount him; he instead gently took Tannal into his arms and pulled him onto the bed beside him. "Telsa," he murmured, laying him down so that they were side-by-side, facing one another. He ran his hands up and down Tannal's belly, raking his fingers through his fur.

Tannal shuddered in pleasure, feeling waves of pleasure ripple through his body at Elliot's touch. Elliot tenderly kissed the soft fur of Tannal's neck, near his cheek, and suddenly Tannal realized that Elliot was going to penetrate him so that he could see Tannal's face while he fucked him.

Fear jolted through Tannal, almost neutralizing his arousal. He wanted to have sex, but he didn't think he could handle gazing into his friend's eyes while he was fucked. He didn't want to know Elliot's facial expressions during such an intimate act. He knew it was stupid and foolish to feel ashamed at intruding in Elliot's private moments, considering he had already shared his fair share of them with him, but for some reason, this seemed to cross a line. It was the last bit of Elliot he didn't intimately know, and it seemed to him that it was an experience and position fit only for lovers, not for bestial fucking.

"Elliot, not that way," he panted, rolling over and lifting his rump to his friend. "Please."

Elliot paused only for a moment and never lost a beat. He obediently wrapped his arms around his familiar and drew him closer to him so that he was situated at the end of the bed.

Bracing his feet on the floor, Elliot placed his hands on either side of the wolf and prepared to thrust into his familiar. Tannal waited breathlessly and shivered when he felt the head of Elliot's cock touch his netherlips. He knew he was about to be fucked and fucked hard, but he didn't care. He was too overwhelmed with lust to think straight, let alone care.

Elliot stood still for a moment, almost as if he was trying to get his bearings, or perhaps think things through and try to stop himself from doing something he swore to never do again. But Tannal was consumed with need and bucked his hips back so that Elliot could feel the wolf's lips flutter around the head of his penis; Elliot made up his mind in that moment and completely surrendered himself to the sensation. Gripping his familiar's sides tightly, in one thrust, he speared his penis deep into Tannal's quivering vagina.

Elliot quickly established a thrusting rhythm, pounding his penis quickly in and out of Tannal with little heed of what he was doing or how he was doing it. Tannal was already so wet from his own arousal and from licking himself that Elliot's penis entered him with little resistance; Tannal could barely even feel the friction of Elliot's penis rubbing against his walls, all he felt was the throbbing shaft pushing in and pulling out, making his walls flex as they quivered in pleasure.

"Telsa," moaned Elliot. "Oh! Oh, Telsa!"

Tannal shuddered, suddenly thankful that Elliot was moaning "Telsa" instead of "Tannal." It helped him forget that he was a male human. It helped him play his role better. "Elliot!" he gasped, feeling his friend grip his sides harder. "Oh!" He closed his eyes, in disbelief that he was moaning his friend's name in return.

Elliot's thrusts were speeding up now, and Tannal knew that his friend was getting close to cumming. Gritting his teeth to stop himself from howling, he braced himself the best he could on the bed as Elliot's breathing became more ragged.

Suddenly, Elliot gripped him even harder than before as his body went rigid. "Telsa," he heard Elliot whisper as his hips bucked violently. "Oh!"

Tannal heard a high-pitched whine escape his lips as Elliot slammed his hips into him a final time. Tannal heard Elliot gasp as he felt a load of searing hot liquid erupt into his deepest parts and he shuddered as he felt his walls begin to contract, spasming violently around the fully engorged cock that was speared within him and he whimpered in pleasure. "Elliot!" he cried, digging his claws into the bed as his own orgasm overtook him. "Ohhhh!"

Panting, Elliot fell atop of Tannal, who had already collapsed onto the bed wearily. "Telsa," he murmured softly, still catching his breath. A moment later he exhaustedly pulled his now-limp penis from Tannal's cum-slicked tunnel and collapsed next to the wolf.

Tannal whined softly in response, ignored the wet feeling under his tail where Elliot's cum was dripping from his gaping opening, and rolled over to face his master. He nuzzled his snout against Elliot's chest and licked his face, his mind completely in wolf mode, his human mind too weary to even attempt to protest against his actions. Whining in appreciation, he felt Elliot encircle his arms around him and pull him close, and he laid unmoving beside his friend, listening to the beating of Elliot's heart.

They basked together in the afterglow of their mating. "Mmm, Telsa, that was fantastic," Elliot said breathlessly, gently stroking Tannal's fur as he spoke.

Tannal stretched in Elliot's arms, snuggling closer to his friend. "Thank you," he sighed. He wasn't thinking about how he was male and human, he wasn't thinking about the fact that he was Elliot's best friend, all he was thinking about was that he had just had one of the most pleasurable experiences in his life. "That was perfect."

* * * *

Later, Tannal woke up in the middle of the night, still tucked securely in Elliot's arms. For a moment, he relaxed, feeling safe for the first time in weeks, then he felt a cool wetness under his tail and he shuddered when he realized what it was. Gritting his teeth, he tried to not think about what he had done only a few hours ago, what he had done so willingly - no, now was the time to focus. Tannal took a deep breath: this was his chance! He had the perfect opportunity to carry out his plan with the crystal. Carefully, he crept from the warmth of Elliot's bed as a small ocelot, his eyes shining in the darkness and padded to Elliot's workroom and entered the room without making a sound.

He knew he had to do something to fix his predicament. He was tired of sitting around waiting for someone to save him from his curse and after what Kiem said, it sounded like anyone who might be able to help him was unwilling or unable to do so. So the time had come for him to fix the problem himself. Or, at least, help move things in the right direction, since literally fixing the problem himself would be impossible.

He had been thinking about it the entire day after his talk with Kiem, trying to work out a way to bypass the spell in order for Elliot to know the truth that wouldn't alert Kensing that he was still fighting his spell. The only problem was, there was no way he could possibly tell Elliot the truth - but he could show him. If he could lure Elliot away from the city, and somehow take him somewhere he could discover the truth on his own... Then it hit him: the Wildlands!

It wasn't ideal, by any means. But if Elliot thought that he was still in the Wildlands, he would go there without hesitation. And if he went to the Wildlands, he'd meet the scribe - and Tannal would make sure he'd remember him. It was anything but foolproof, and Tannal knew that it probably wouldn't result in his freedom, but at the very least, it might clue Elliot in that there was something sinister going on with the Academy and their familiars. And that just might be enough to push Elliot in the right direction... After all, Elliot did say that the spell would probably point to the last place the person was as a human. If Elliot discovered that Tannal had been at the outpost, then he might figure out that Tannal was in a transformed state!

Tannal flew to the table as a small fruit bat and cocked his head as he observed the device. It was still humming softly, his own Academy ring in place, the crystal still unmoving, indicating that his location had not yet been found. He remembered what Kiem had said: he had to act human.

He knew there was a great chance that it wouldn't work. He knew that, in all likelihood, he was simply wasting his time, but he also knew that he had to try. There was still that slight possibility that it might work; there was still that small hope that he really did see a wisp of smoke before; that what Kiem and Malken had said about his bond with Elliot being strong, would be enough for him to do a small spell. Focusing every ounce of energy on the crystal, he closed his eyes and cleared his mind, thinking only of the crystal. For a moment, everything became clear: he could sense his own reserves of power bursting within him and he could even feel his connection to Elliot, almost as if there was a string of power connecting him to his friend. Carefully, he summoned all the power he had, feeling it surge up from within him and willed it with all his might to cast the spell to make the crystal spin.

There was a release of power and Tannal felt a surge of energy flow through him and shape itself into a spell. Feeling apprehensive, Tannal slowly opened his eyes and to his great relief and immense joy, he found the crystal slowly spinning in place. Tannal could have cried with happiness. It worked! It actually worked! He could do magic, even as a familiar! Nimbly, he positioned the crystal over the Wildlands outpost where he was first transformed and, double-checking that it was still working, shifted back into an ocelot again.

He leapt from the table quietly and scampered across the room before jumping into the bed. He quickly burrowed into the covers, seeking the warmth of another body and the comfort of his master near him.

Elliot stirred as Tannal nestled up against him, then fell back to sleep, settling back into the covers. Tannal curled up within Elliot's arms, feeling warm and safe. He glanced over Elliot's sleeping form to the slightly opened door of Elliot's workroom. His eyes glittered in the darkness, keeping watch on the crystal, which continued to slowly rotate around the point he set it to.

* * * *

Tannal was still sleeping peacefully when Elliot's excited cries awoke him in the morning.

"Telsa! Telsa!"

Yawning, Tannal slowly opened his eyes and looked around sleepily. "What's going on?" he murmured, blinking heavily.

"Telsa! Look!" Elliot lifted Tannal off the bed and carried him to his workroom where the locator device was constructed, the crystal still slowly revolving over the point on the map that indicated the Wildlands' outpost where Tannal was first transformed. "The spell worked! It actually worked!"

"Oh?" Tannal wriggled out of Elliot's arms and climbed to his shoulder as a sloth. "So what are you going to do now?" he asked, scarcely daring to hope that his plan would work.

Elliot, who had still looked too elated to think beyond the immediate present, paused. "Now?" he repeated. "Now I have to find him. I have to find Tannal!" He grinned at Tannal. "It looks like we're going to be going to the Wildlands."

Tannal's heart swelled in hope. Elliot was coming another step closer to finding the truth!