FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

2011 c. Grey K.

-*Author's note; Simon is the property of his player, owner and creator, used here with permission.*-

A shrill shriek rang off the thick stone walls of the underground chamber, making a short, whip slender male with waist-length white hair, pale, pearly alabaster skin and nearly foot long, sharply pointed ears jump several inches and almost fumble the tea tray he was fussing with. Talen tucked his long, extraordinarily sensitive ears, glancing back to the heavy wooden square table around which two furred individuals sat immersed in their school-work as the shorter, stockier of them shook his paw furiously. The elf's ring-tailed employer shook his sleek head of strawberry blonde hair and sighed in exasperation, "Toki, I warned you. If you handle them too roughly, they'll bite."

Lyiko put down the long, metal-nibbed pen he was writing with to take a swift grab at the tiny quarry that had taken advantage of his companion's momentary inattention to make a run for it. The teenaged ringtail was slender, with short, thick mocha colored fur, highlighted with white patches and black slashes, his large, pointed, bat-like ears were black, nestled in his long reddish-blond hair as it dangled down his back. His face was handsome, with a short, slender muzzle, high cheekbones and large, expressive cornflower blue eyes above his rose colored nose and lips. His long-fingered paws just missed the tiny, winged pixie that had escaped from Toki, allowing the brightly colored sprite to zip past his grasp on its butterfly shaped, yellow and black spotted wings and zoom directly toward Talen.

The long eared elf had enough sense to quickly bang the tea-tray down on the nearby desk before the tiny pixie, barely 7 inches high but humanoid shaped, looking like a tiny elf itself only with bright canary yellow skin dotted with black freckles and hand-sized butterfly wings sprouted out of its back. Talen gasped as the pixie buzzed around him a tight spiral and then darted up the widely belled sleeve of his loose pink robe, the material fluttering wildly. The slender albino elf's stormy, dark gray eyes went wide as he uttered a shriek of his own, feeling the pixie's madly fluttering wings and tiny, groping limbs working their way up his arm. Before he could do more than screech the fluttering bundle had invaded his loose, kimono-like gown and had proceeded to ferret itself somewhere around his midsection.

Toki's normally cheerful eyes squinted as he stood up in tandem with his ringtail study partner, "Oh dear."

Talen doubled up in gales of helpless, shrieking giggles; his robe billowing with the frantic fluttering going on beneath it against his smooth, sensitive skin, gasping at Lyiko as the ringtail dashed across his chambers, "HELP!"

"Just hold still! I'll get him..."

The ringtail slid one of his most prized possessions from the sleeve of his own dark green robes. The long, slender, delicately pointed rod of bone, was as pale as ivory, with a strangely metallic, silvery sheen when held in the right light, slightly thicker at the base with a series of whorled carvings and etched runes of Lyiko's own design running along its length. He had received the bone wand from his school's headmaster, himself a dragon, just before embarking on one of the most dangerous endeavors in his reasonably short life, as the slender length of dragon's bone in the hands of a qualified mage could be an extraordinarily powerful weapon. Lyiko lifted the short wand and flicked it, "Sorry Talen, hold still!"

The slender elf uttered a squeak of shock as his robes abruptly unfastened and lunged back of their own accord, leaving the swiftly blushing elf naked to the waist. As Talen's robe slumped to the floor in a heap and the pink-eared elf staggered back a step, his hand going to the cloth draping between his long, white legs, the tiny pixie buzzed in consternation and darted out and away trying to escape deeper into the dormitory chamber. Lyiko stifled a giggle as he gazed at Talen, then flipped the end of his wand at the swiftly darting pixie, uttering under his breath and jabbing the bone rod toward the butterfly-winged escapee. The electric yellow pixie froze in midair, its wings stuck wide as it uttered a scandalized series of chattering buzzes, scolding the ringtail from its mid-air capture.

Talen was panting in tiny gasps as he flushed from the tips of his ears down into his smoothly skinned cheeks, gingerly snatching up his robe and quickly slipping it back on, bundling it closed as he smiled shyly at Toki. The ringtail's shorter, stockier friend tore his eyes away from the nearly naked elf as Talen clothed himself once more, clearing his throat. Toki was several inches shorter than Lyiko, with a slightly thicker build, shorter in the arms and legs than he with short, dense black fur, highlighted with white patches and a pair of hands-width stripes running down his spine from the back of his neck to the end of his gigantic, thickly fluffy black tail. The skunk's shorter, brilliantly white hair matched his fur, the end of his pink nose and his expressive green eyes being the only color on his entire body that was visible. Toki giggled softly, "S-sorry Talen, I didn't mean to let it get loose like that."

The furiously blushing elf nodded, drawing his sash back around himself and knotting it firmly, "I-i-it is ok Master Toki."

"Oh, just Toki Talen. Please."

The skunk male blushed at the smooth skinned elf as Talen nodded briefly, turning his attention back to the tea-tray. Lyiko drawled dryly as he gently reached up and plucked the canary yellow pixie out of mid-air, "If you two love-birds want a moment alone I can take a walk."

He chuckled at the pair's sputtering as he softly gripped the chattering pixie, keeping his fingers clear of its sharp teeth, prodding it with his wand-tip in exasperation, "Don't bite."

The yellow and black spotted pixie glared up at him with its bright but tiny eyes, a look of frowning disapproval crossing its elf-like features making Lyiko chuckle, "These captive bred pixies aren't much calmer than their wild counterparts, but they listen to reason at least, I suppose."

He handed the scowling pixie back to Toki who's fur bristled softly as he hurriedly adjusted his fingers around the tiny, fragile bundle, making Lyiko glance back, "Just hold him gently Toki, he won't try to get away or bite you unless you're being too rough."

The short skunk nodded, keeping his paws wrapped firmly, but more loosely around the butterfly winged being between his fingers. The bright yellow pixie made a low humming sound but didn't attempt to bite him again, making the skunk male relax. As he carried the brightly colored pixie back to the pair of large, dome-shaped cages, seemingly made of spun glass sitting on the table that was strewn with various text-books and large rolls of parchment. Both cages held additional pixies, one with a single other male of the same color and size of the one in Toki's paws and the other cage with slightly smaller, bright neon blue specimens with large, double pairs of dragonfly-like wings. Lyiko slipped his wand back into the sleeve of his robe as he watched the skunk lean toward one of the pair of cages, "Toki, no, don't put the yellow-spot in with the crystal-wings, they'll fight."

"Oops, yea."

Toki adjusted his grip on the brightly colored pixie, thrusting his paw toward the cage as the clear glass bars obligingly parted around his fingers and the pixie, allowing him to deposit it back within the confines of the cage and withdraw his paw. The clear bars flowed back, shrinking into their normal position to secure the cage snugly back closed once again. The skunk flicked his paw gently, making the books and scrolls snap closed and stack themselves to one side as the still softly blushing Talen carried the tea-tray to the table and gently sat it on the polished wood surface, "Lunch, Master Lyiko."

"Thank-you Talen."

The ringtail kissed the alabaster skinned elf on the cheek, making him blush brightly once more. Since the slender ringtail had hired the lean elf male on as a house-keeper from Talen's former position as a server in the school's kitchens the long-eared male had gained a bit of weight, gotten himself some nice new clothing and while still shy, had become more liberated in his new surroundings. Talen was no longer rail-skinny, having filled out a bit around his upper-body, hips and thighs, but was still smooth and toned, with his feminine curves around the chest, waist and backside. As Toki sat down with a thump, rubbing the tiny bite-mark on the end of his finger gently till it faded away he looked at the plates and cups now resting on the table. The elf had set out a nice selection of cheese in a small wedge, some small slices of salted meat and a small loaf of sweet bread along with a small carafe of pale wine.

Lyiko slid one of the cups toward himself, smiling at Talen as he glanced around, "Funny, someone's mentioned food and Inuus isn't here."

Toki hiccupped on a slice of cheese as the ringtail mentioned his other servant and consort. The towering, densely muscled and incredibly handsome Incubus male intimidated the short skunk horribly, but the demonic male was surprisingly gentle despite his size and normally egotistical, growling demeanor, "Ohhh, Lyiko, don-..."

There was a small POP and the room briefly wafted with the scent of ozone and sulfur as Toki's spine straightened quickly enough to make his fingers tingle. A heavy pair of strong paws thudded down on both of his shoulders, making him shiver softly, Inuus' smooth tenor voice tinged with amusement, "Greetings Toki, Talen, little master."

The demonic male's appearances tended to be sudden, and as always accompanied by the sharp tinge of brimstone. Toki squeaked, tipping his head back as he looked up into Inuus' broad features, "H-h-hi Inuus."

The softly grinning Incubus stood well over a head and shoulders taller than the skunk himself and Talen, with Lyiko's large ears barely reaching eye-level with the demonic male. Inuus' broad, heavily muscled body was cloaked in thick, dark, blue tinged gray fur, most of which was bare as he seldom wore anything other than a loin-cloth save for in the midst of winter. The Incubus male had broad shoulders, a broad chest, flat, ridged belly, long, lean arms tipped in large, strong, blunt-clawed paws, with a narrow waist leading to his thick thighs and powerful legs. He had large, almond shaped eyes of bright silver, like a freshly minted coin, a broad, blunt muzzle and dusky lips and nose. A pair of short, dark, slightly curved horns poked from his thick fur on either side of his forehead, belying his demonic blood, as Incubi were forced to show either their horns or their massive, leather skinned wings without employing stronger magic to hide both. Inuus' hair was waist-length, thick and shining, a deep plum purple, almost the color of a fresh bruise, matched by the thick tuft of fur at the end of his sinuous tail.

Toki cleared his throat, the bit of cheese seeming to have gotten stuck as he felt the Incubus' paws flex on his shoulders. The word of the demonic male and Lyiko's exploits the previous summer had become almost a thing of legend on-campus as they had resulted in the death of another student in conjunction with his having joined an apocalyptic cult of necromantic mages. Toki knew that the towering Incubus had killed dozens of undead monstrosities as well as his own kind and several living mortal beings in the course of their assisting other fighters and assembled mages in bringing down the cult and stopping their ambitions of freeing an ancient, slumbering horror and bringing out the end of their world as they knew it. Inuus was particularly fond of recounting, blow-by-blow the tale of him single-handedly ripping apart a Succubus and striking the mortal blow toward a monstrous and gigantic prince of the Lower Depths, in all appropriate gory details.

He shivered as those unnervingly strong paws played with the white fur resting on his nape gently, trying not to picture them twisting off his own head as easily as someone might free the cork from a wine bottle. Lyiko glanced to his classmate as the skunk's bright eyes assumed that vaguely glassy sheen as they normally did whenever Toki was near enough to Inuus, "Toki! Are you still nervous around Inuus again? I should never have given you the details about that whole horrible business over the summer. It's made you a nervous wreck around us both."

Inuus rumbled, still looking amused as he rubbed a large paw between the skunk's rounded black ears, making Toki whimper softly, "We Incubi are feared and held in awe of our prowess little master. It's no surprise little Toki still finds my presence overwhelming even now, so long after the fact."

"Don't encourage him Inuus. Good Gods."

The ringtail huffed as he bit into a slice of meat, shaking his head irritably at both of them, "The both of you. Toki would you relax I've told you the binding spells and verbal contract between Inuus and myself is back in full strength and he would never hurt anyone unless they threatened him first."

The short skunk swallowed as he nodded, shaking his tail briefly to make it relax once more. He cleared his dry throat, reaching gratefully for a cup of wine offered by Talen across the table. The long-eared male squealed happily as Inuus scooped him from his chair, hefting Talen up into his arms against his chest. The demonic male grunted softly as he adjusted the slender elf in his arms, rumbling sedately as Talen stroked his face and horns affectionately, "You've gained some weight Talen."

"Well, of course he has. He's eating and sleeping better staying with you and I Inuus. It looks good on him; you can't see his ribs anymore."

Lyiko chuckled as the blushing elf snuggled himself into Inuus' chest, leaving the horned male to take his chair and settle both of them into it, holding Talen gently on his lap, "See Toki, Talen isn't frightened of Inuus."

The wildly giggling elf seemed anything but intimidated by the towering demonic male as he wriggled softly in Inuus' lap, enduring the Incubus' strong paws as they roamed freely and unabashedly over his lithe body. Inuus grinned at the long-eared male squirming his lap, gently running his broad paw over the elfin male's face and throat, "Mmm, someone mentioned food?"

Talen gasped as Inuus' other paw gripped him idly in a very sensitive area, giggling louder between stifled exclamations as he nodded, making his pointed ears bob, "AI! Y-y-yes Master Inuus. But nothing fit for you on the table I'm afraid. I-AH- had set out something proper for you OH- o-o-over on the cabinEHt t-t-there!"

The slender male lifted one hand from where he was attempting to prize Inuus' strong paw from between his thighs, his shaking fingers pointing to the side-board against the wall nearest the storage closets. Talen uttered a desperate, tiny shrill as he squirmed against the grinning Incubus, "OH...! M-m-master Inuus, please don't rub there now... We-we have company."

Lyiko heaved a sigh as he stood and retrieved a platter of barely cooked pink meat laid out in thick cuts, placing it down in front of the breathlessly giggling elf and rumbling Incubus with a thump, "Inuus don't tease him to death, eat something."

The ringtail's long-suffering tone was tinged with amusement. Presenting Inuus with his second favorite activity was enough to distract him from thoughts of his primary favorite one, making him release Talen's crotch, letting the gasping elf relax back into his lap with a tiny whimper, desperately adjusting the folds of cloth covering his lap as Inuus grinned and reached for his own plate. Toki glanced to Lyiko; his composure recovering as he watched the massive Incubus and slender elf interact. Lyiko ate sedately; watching Talen pick delicately at his own food and Inuus eat as if he had been starved for weeks, as was his normal custom. He reached out and gently brushed Talen's long snowy hair away from his nape, "Careful Talen, Inuus almost got a bit of blood in your hair."

The pale skinned elf nodded and shifted to one side against the horned male's chest, giggling softly. He could feel the solid wall of the Incubus against his back, the hard ridges of his belly and his finely sculpted chest, blushing as he lifted his own wine to his lips, his attention wandering down to where his backside was nearly flush within the confines of Inuus' lap. Talen gingerly placed his cup on the table, leaning to reach one of the more distant plates and teasingly shifting his hips in the horned male's lap. Inuus' muzzle snapped shut on another chunk of meat as he inhaled, feeling Talen's heart-shaped rump slide over his lap. The slender elf looked to Lyiko as the ringtail smirked softly above the rim of his cup, studiously ignoring the long-eared male's subtle pay-back to his demonic lover as Talen plucked up a piece of bread then proceeded to sit back with a more pronounced grind of his hips.

As Talen blithely took advantage of his position in the massive Incubus' lap he gazed toward the quartet of pixies watching their luncheon with interest from the confines of the spun glass cages. He giggled gently, watching the tiny, brightly colored sprites as they fluttered their wings and chattered amongst one another in their rapid language. Talen shifted his hips again, feeling Inuus sit up straighter against him as he broke off tiny pieces of the sweet, slightly sticky bread with his long fingers, gently offering the morsels between the bars of the glittering cage holding the bright yellow pixies, "They're so cute."

As the long-eared elf leaned on the table lightly, giggling both at the sensation of the pixies' tiny hands touching his own fingers and Inuus pressing forward against him from behind. Talen scooted his hips a bit forward, arching his back as if to ease his posture, making his smoothly rounded backside roll agonizingly slowly across Inuus' lap. The demonic male's grunt of annoyed distraction paired with the abrupt change of his posture and the sizeable lump that had appeared with frightening speed against his heart-shaped rump made the elf giggle louder and push his hips back. He gave his backside a firm side-to-side grind, trapping the long, thick loin-cloth covered lump between them, making it arch back up against Inuus' ridged belly. Talen licked his fingers idly as he raised himself, leaning back into the demonic male once more, glancing to the burning eared skunk and vaguely smirking ringtail.

The alabaster skinned elf feigned ignorance of the now diamond-hard lump pinned, throbbing gently against the curve of his rump and the base of his spine, lifting another piece of bread to his mouth before he uttered a tiny squeak, feeling Inuus' hot breath abruptly flooding his long, pointed ear. The horned male's voice was soft and rumbling, making Talen blush, "Are you having fun little Talen?"

Fully aware of how much farther he could nudge the demonic male safely, the pale skinned elf took a bite of his bread consideringly before answering, "Fun Master Inuus? I suppose dining with friends could be considered f-UH!"

Talen grunted softly, bolting down the half-chewed piece of bread before he could spit it onto the table-top. He inhaled stridently as Inuus' faintly pink stained paw closed around his delicate wrist, tugging his hand, now firmly squashing his piece of bread away from his mouth at the same time as the horned male's teeth closed on the end of his long, pointed and terribly delicate ear, making him whimper softly. The gentle scrape of the demonic male's sharply pointed fangs was almost painful on the elfin male's terribly sensitive auricle, making him shiver. Inuus' hot breath, tinged faintly with the scent of blood stirred the silvery-white hair on Talen's head, "I think you know what I mean little elf."

Lyiko pushed his plate away, smirking softly at his pair of servants, glancing toward Toki who was resolutely chewing his own lower lip, the piece of bread clutched in his fingers at least an inch from his muzzle, his bright green eyes locked on the elf and Incubus, "Toki, breathe and quit that before you make yourself bleed. Inuus my dear, you were teasing Talen half to death, it's really only fair he exact some revenge, don't you think?"

"Oh he is my little master."

Inuus' rumbling voice was half amused, half irritated as his silver eyes dropped to where his body was straining against the confines of his loincloth, pinned painfully by Talen's backside as the slender elf squirmed against him. The alabaster skinned male couldn't decide which was more distracting, the mammoth outline of the demonic male's erection digging into his backside and lower spine or the Incubus' warm breath making his long, pointed ear twitch madly. As Talen's ear flexed back and forth of its own accord it was dragging against Inuus' pink rimmed muzzle, making him smirk. Lyiko shook his head at the overbearing sexual tension hanging in the room, even the faintly chattering cages of pixies had fallen silent, their jewel bright eyes watching the smooth skinned elfin teenager attempting with utmost delicacy to extract himself from the Incubus' grip and failing.

Inuus relented his iron grip long enough for Talen to squirm loose of his lap, giving the horned male some relief as his erection relaxed into a more natural position, making him sigh in relief. The sigh was cut off abruptly as Talen simply swung around and placed himself delicately back into the horned male's wide lap once more, being careful to gingerly ease himself down against Inuus' perked body, giggling breathlessly as he felt the long, thick lump slide up against his own crotch instead of being trapped against him as he faced the faintly smirking horned male. The elf smiled shyly, "Better, Master Inuus?"

"This remains to be seen little elf."

Lyiko picked up his wine cup, watching the tableau between his servants as he lifted the drinking vessel to his lips, then promptly yelped as the liquid within the bowl erupted into a slender spire of ice, showering his muzzle and lips with tiny chips of frozen moisture as a puff of cold air made his nose sting slightly. The slender ringtail nearly dropped his wine cup, the icicle creaking softly as it finished forming, standing nearly as long as his forefinger, a neat, compact spike of ice glittering in the light as Talen gasped. Toki and Inuus gaped at the frozen protrusion jutting from the ringtail's cup like Inuus' erection was jutting from his own lap, the distraction diminishing the Incubus' roiling waves of tension as Toki sputtered, "Did your wand misfire Lyiko?"

"No Toki." Lyiko placed the now frozen bowl of wine down, his muzzle faintly wrinkling as he tapped the point of the icicle, "Just a reminder that I have an appointment to keep."

As if in response to the ringtail's words the slender icicle burst, making Talen shriek in shock and throw himself against Inuus, nearly toppling them both from their chair. A gentle drifting of snow came floating down from the ceiling where the spike of ice had exploded, settling across the tabletop where it lay glittering for an instant before melting away into nothing. Inuus eyed the now nearly empty cup of wine where the icicle had formed, holding the trembling Talen against himself and rubbing the wide-eyed elf's nape gently as the alabaster skinned male had plastered himself against his own chest and belly, holding to him tightly in shock, "You need to see the half-blood mage again?"

Lyiko sighed in consternation, "I'm starting another course of lessons with him, yes."

Toki glanced back and forth between the horned male and Lyiko, mopping his own spilled wine from his robes, "You're taking remedial teleportation again? This'll be what, your-..."

"Sixth time, yes."

The teenaged ringtail huffed, flaring up at once as he swung from the table with a swish of his long robes and even longer, black and white ringed tail, his reddish-blond hair swirling around his face as he stalked to the nearest cabinet and snapped his fingers peevishly at it. The wooden drawer nearest to him sprang open and a long, fine gold chain bearing a ruby the size of a small egg leapt into his outstretched paw. Once it touched his body the roughly polished stone glowed faintly like a coal raked from a fire, casting a flickering, cheerful ruddy glow from against his thick white chest-fur. Ignoring the trio staring at him the slender ringtail shucked his robes down from his shoulders, revealing the fact that he had been completely nude beneath them. Toki hiccupped again loudly as Lyiko could feel Inuus' eyes on his backside, but kept his nose pointed toward the closet that sprang open at his approach. He swapped the thin, billowing robe for a light silvery-gray one that had a small ruffle of steel colored fur around the neck, sleeves and hem, cinching the belt tightly around his waist and slipping his wand into the pocket against one of his thighs.

"I'll be back later. Try to behave, alright?"

A fleeting look passed between Talen and Inuus as the pair of them nodded to their slender master, the slender elf smiling brightly at Lyiko, "We will Master Lyiko. Good luck with your lessons! I'll have dinner prepared for you when you get back."

Inuus nodded, grunting softly as he rested his paws on Talen's hips, "Yes little master."

Lyiko smirked softly as he passed Toki, "Watch out, if you let those two corner you as I'm leaving, they'll make you stay till dinner."

The look on the ringtail's face was unmistakable, making the short skunk sputter, looking trapped in his chair as he watched Lyiko pass through the door where it boomed shut, suddenly aware of two pairs of eyes resting on himself with a hiccupping swallow.

As he closed his own door Lyiko busied himself with tangling his hair into a tail at his nape, wrapping it back around in on itself and bundling his insulated robes tighter around himself. He could feel the warmth from the gemstone around his neck soaking into his fur, the tricky little enchantment working with his own body heat, trapping it and amplifying it by several times. The necklace was extremely useful in mid-winter as Inuus disdained heavy clothing despite how much his kind were more aware of extreme temperature shifts. As he walked the ringtail was running information over and over in his mind, attempting to recall the things he'd learned from his previous courses of instruction.

As he smoothed his robes Lyiko closed his eyes briefly, letting his entire body tingle with energy, feeling the slightly queasy sensation of feeling as if he were neither truly here nor there, moving with a swirl of his robe and trying to will himself to his destination. The tingle of energy built to a furious buzzing in his head before the ringtail collided with the stone wall and grunted, the shock of banging his nose into the roughly hewn rock of the corridor bringing him back to his senses with a gasp, "Damnit."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll get there in the end."

A highly amused voice startled the teenaged ringtail even more, making his immensely long, ringed tail puff out like a bottlebrush. Lyiko sheepishly rearranged his robes, smoothing his fur as he glanced at the tall, spindly bat male looking at him in genuine amusement, "Practicing teleportation again Lyiko sweetness?"

"Yes' sir."

The older male bat, coated in black fur, with a slightly unruly mop of sleek black hair, dressed in a deep midnight blue set of robes, with his large, triangular ears and sleek, sharp features grinned at him. He ruffled the strawberry blond hair between Lyiko's ears affectionately with his long, spindly, horn-tipped fingers, clicking in amusement, "I had heard. Just mind walking about with your eyes closed."

The lanky older male shifted his long, leathery wings, winking at Lyiko as the ringtail smiled, shrugging, "I hope to get the hang of it with these special lessons."

"Yes. I'm sure you'll get the hang of something. Well, good luck Lyiko. See you in class next week."

"Thank-you Professor Syanx. The essay was entertaining. Talen was a big help."

The bat male raised a paw, waving it airily as he passed with a swirl of his deep blue robes, still chuckling. The corridors beneath the school grew progressively colder, a deep, clinging mist springing up around the ringtail's ankles as he swept down another set of wide stone steps. The torches burning in their wall brackets flickered fitfully in the damp, their cheerful flames dancing in the cold draughts that seemed to breathe around him like a living thing. This close to the heart of the catacombs beneath the school the ringtail's senses were flooded with the energies of the nearly 75 score students, teachers, staff and other assorted magic users gathered in the massive plateau and grounds above. The population of a small city and the residual untamed energies of all of them all coursed and flowed through the living rock on which the school was perched and was carved down into.

In the wide sweep of corridor the source of the cold mist was suddenly apparent as rather than a doorway the vast, arching sweep of what looked like an ice and snow draped cavern seemed to gape from the roughly hewn stone blocks of the corridor. A pair of feebly crackling braziers sat on either side of the cave mouth, the shivering flames within them casting barely any heat or light as the icy breeze flowed from the cavern, carrying the damp, chilling mist along with it. Lyiko pulled the belt of his robes tighter as he approached the cavern entrance, wishing he had remembered to put on shoes as his feet crunched in a soft layer of blown snow that lay on the stone floor. He stroked the glowing red pendant resting against the ruff of fur on his breastbone as he strode through the wide cavern mouth, shivering as it felt as if had stepped through a cascade of cold water.

The ringtail turned his head, the dimly lit, chillingly cold cavern around him seeming to close around him as he strode into the underground expanse. The doorway had vanished behind him, the stretch of ice encrusted stone wall marked merely by another pair of the dimply glowing braziers; this pair however was glowing with an incandescent blue light. The blue-white flames cast no heat, merely a diffuse illumination that caught the expanse of soft snow and ice surrounding him. The enchanted portal to the school worked both ways, but the cavern was sealed off from its surroundings by impenetrable rock. Having a gigantic cavern of ice for the ice-mages to practice in beneath the school was too large a feat even for the headmaster, so they had simply conscripted a large carven far to the north, sealed it off from external interruption and magically linked it to the school's catacombs for ease of transportation to and from.

Lyiko's breath plumed from his muzzle as he gazed around in interest at the mammoth, glittering cavern. Snow crunched almost a foot deep beneath his feet in some places and the walls, ceiling and floor were scattered with mammoth chunks and spires of blue-tinged ice. Spikes of ice jutted from the floor and ceiling like stalactites and stalagmites, some so old and massive they joined together into single gigantic pillars of clear, dense ice. The faintly shimmering ice seemed to be lit from within with a subtle blue glow, making the entire carven sparkle and flicker with its inner light. The ringtail shivered as he padded across the expanse of the mammoth underground labyrinth of ice and snow, the domed cave linked with others by gaping black tunnels dotted here and there around its boundary. The glowing pendant around the ringtail's slender throat was barely enough to hold the bone-deep chill at bay but the room felt cool to Lyiko rather than dangerously cold.

Lyiko slipped his wand from his pocket, murmuring softly and making a glowing ball of white light grow from its tip, casting a more substantial illumination. The crystalline ice glittered all around him as he worked his way deeper into the cavern, following his innate sense of where he was wanted. As he passed through a low, wide tunnel, rimmed with ice he heard a smooth, even tenor, "About time, I thought you might be late Lyiko."

Lyiko jumped softly, stepping through the end of the tunnel and into an even larger cavern than the one he had left behind. The vaulted ceiling of the cavern was barely visible above him through the softly falling flakes of snow drifting and the clinging mist that swirled above his head. The other male's voice echoed softly off the smooth ice as Lyiko looked around, "And be careful, the grav-..."

Their warning was cut off as Lyiko slipped a bit on a hidden patch of ice beneath the snow drift he was stepping into and he skidded, losing his footing and toppling head-first into the vast cavern, shrieking in shock as his feet left the floor and he hurtled through the air head over heels, catapulting into empty air above the snow covered floor. Lyiko went rigid in shock as he cart wheeled head over heels and leveled out, careening toward the far wall of the vast cavern with several more ear-splitting screeches as the ice rimed wall came soaring at him. He had just enough time to throw his arms in front of his face and head before he abruptly slowed to a halt as if he had impacted a soft surface, grunting in shock.

"Don't thrash! You'll just-..."

Lyiko tensed, attempting to straighten out once more and the act promptly sent him sailing away from the wall back in the direction he had come. A blur of black and blue came zipping into existence and Lyiko screeched again in surprise, the entire escapade making his head reel, "Relax! Go limp! Just relax Lyiko..."

The slender ringtail struggled to make himself go limp as he impacted the black furred form that now blocked his trajectory, grunting loudly as they caught him mid-flight as easily as if he weighed nothing, which the rational part of the ring-tailed male's brain told him he probably did at that moment. Braced to combat the reaction of catching the flying ringtail, the new male grunted gently himself, settling Lyiko onto his feet with a moment's struggle, "As I was saying before your entrance, I've had the gravity turned in this cavern for the next hour or so. So watch your step..."

"T-T-T-thanks for the warning..."

Lyiko closed his bright blue eyes, inhaling and exhaling stridently through his nose as his inner ear still reeled from the repeated changes in orientation, his stomach churning uneasily around his lunch. The black furred feline spun Lyiko away from himself rapidly, "If you're gonna, not all over the clothes!"

"Shhhh-Shut up Simon..."

Lyiko pushed against the grinning, black furred male, making both of them skid lightly across the ice coated floor. The older male seemed perfectly at ease in the chillingly cold, almost weightless environment, stopping them from sliding with a shift of his soft shoe clad feet. The panther male was almost a head taller than the slender ringtail, with a stockier, leaner build, wider in the hips and chest than he. He had deep jet black fur from head to foot, with a head of short ebony hair, habitually ruffled, with dusky lips and a dark nose, with the handsome, high cheekbones of his feline ancestry and expressive almond shaped green eyes that almost glowed in the dim cavern. The panther's bright white teeth showed against his inky pelt as he grinned, holding lightly to Lyiko's paw with his own as the ringtail got more comfortable with his near-weightlessness.

Simon was dressed in a pair of extraordinarily tight, deep steel gray breeches, slung low on his hips a tight, short cornflower blue waistcoat that was buttoned up around his middle, showing an inch of his dark black pelt between its lower hem and the waist of his breeches, giving a glimpse of his lower belly, and that dipped down deeply in a vee against his chest, showing the thick ruff of fur on his breastbone and the definition of his pectorals. Over it all he wore a long, sleeveless coat that draped down to his ankles, the soft midnight blue velvet moving sedately in the lower gravity of the cavern. The panther's long, lean arms were left exposed from the shoulders, the neck of his coat lined in a thick collar of dark blue fur that stretched down to the lapels. A coin sized amulet, a smooth metal disc, dangled down against the thick ruffle of fur on the feline's chest by a fine silver chain. The paw gripping Lyiko's own bore a large ring of tooled silver, with a smooth, bright rectangular stone set into its face. Both silver accents bore etched symbols that seemed to dance with the subdued light.

Simon grinned more broadly as he gently gripped Lyiko's paw, looking to the glowing ruby now floating slightly off the ringtail's smoothly furred chest, "Body heat charm?"

Lyiko nodded, the sensation of queasiness slowly wearing off as he gingerly lifted his feet and placed them down on the snow coated floor, testing how the weightlessness of the room affected his balance, "Why is the room in free-fall?"

"Theanon has agreed to let you take the remedial teleportation course again, against his better judgment. But I thought we might try something reasonably simpler first. Flying."

The panther male paused consideringly; then amended himself, "Well, levitation and self propulsion."

He slowly released the ringtail's paw, watching Lyiko wobble gently on his feet, glancing over to where Lyiko's slender wand was turning end over end feebly across the cavern. The feline snapped his fingers, reaching out as the bone rod accelerated toward him and landed in his outstretched fingers, making him wince softly at the explosion of frost that abruptly coated his paw, "Ouch!"

Simon shook his fingers at the numbing cold that had traveled up to his wrist, glaring at the wand before his bright eyes widened a bit, "This is a bone wand. From a-..."

"Yes, yes it is."

Lyiko accepted the bone wand back from the panther male, the slender rod feeling warm in his grip as Simon rubbed the frost from his fur, "I try not to wave it around too much. It's a rather extravagant gift from the headmaster."

"Sensible. Sadly. But it'll make things much easier in the end, I think."

The grinning panther stepped lightly on his toes as he watched Lyiko struggle to maintain his balance, "So I was saying. Headmaster Theanon has graciously agreed to allow you to take teleportation lessons with me personally this time around. He thinks I'll be able to help you finally get over your case of lead-feet."

"Ha ha." Lyiko scowled softly as he took a ginger step and bounced an inch or so off the floor before coming back to land delicately, "Don't rub it in. Of course you'll be better at teleportation and flying, you're half-blooded. It's in your genes."

Simon shrugged, flexing his long, lean arms idly as he watched Lyiko bounce gently on his toes, the ringtail leaving the floor a little more each time be bounced, "Mum was a Succubus. I can't help that, but being demonic folk have a natural affinity for traveling in non-standard ways that mortals have to learn, Theanon thought it best for me to give you private lessons."

Lyiko smirked gently at the stress on the word "private", smoothing his robes as he clutched his wand softly, "I'm sure. But if someone wanted to teach me flying Theanon could have done that best himself."

"You are one of Theanon's favorites Lyiko, but he doesn't have all the time in the world."

Simon lifted himself to hover sedately a few feet from the floor, his fur and clothes billowing in the cold breeze that sprang up. He held his paw out to Lyiko, catching the ringtail's fingers gently, "You can't keep taking the teleportation courses over and over and over Lyiko. It's dangerous at times and the more you do it out of desperation to learn the more likely you are to have an accident, or worse. You can't keep relying on your cute elf boy or magnificent horned servant for teleporting you about forever either. If you can't master the basics of either translocation or flight, you need to think about other ways of getting from point A to point B. Walking like a mortal is always an option."

The teasing edge in the feline's voice made Lyiko grit his teeth, squeezing the panther's paw, making him tut gently, "You need to relax Lyiko. You'll never get your head sufficiently empty to do this properly if you can't relax."

As if to demonstrate this fact the serenely floating feline tugged on the ringtail's arm, but Lyiko's feet stayed resolutely on the ground, "It's your stubborn streak that's keeping you grounded Sweetness. You're much too literal."

"I can't help it! I've always got a lot on my mind..."

"That's part of the problem. If you're spending all your time picturing Talen and Inuus naked you'll never be relaxed enough."

Simon's chuckle made Lyiko bristle, clutching his wand tighter, making the end erupt into a shower of fresh snow. The burst of cold flakes made the panther laugh harder, "Get yourself under control Lyiko, you burst like that with so little provocation you'll never build up the stamina to do the thing properly."

Lyiko's ears flushed pink despite the chill in the cavern, scowling at the still suspended feline as he gripped Simon's paw and heaved, attempting to pull himself up level with the black furred feline. The panther male grunted in consternation, tipping in the air as the ringtail's feet stayed resolutely put, as if glued to the ground, "No, no, no... Relax! You're letting it get to you. You have to relax Lyiko..."

Simon sighed theatrically, letting himself drift closer to Lyiko as the ringtail scowled, the cold seeming to intensify with his distraction, the scarlet glow within his pendant flickering fitfully. He placed his paws over the ringtail's eyes, "Close your eyes."

When Lyiko's cobalt eyes were closed he released his paws, settling them on the ringtail's shoulders, gripping them lightly, rubbing idly, "Now relax. Good Gods you're tense, how can you take it from Inuus regularly and still have such a tight ass..."

"You're not helping!"

Lyiko grumbled as he felt his neck tense up against the panther's grip, Simon chuckling gently, "Sorry, sorry."

"No you're not..."

"No, I probably am not. But relax! Good gods you're so good at defying everything else in your life, your background, your family, Theanon, rules and regulations, you'd think you'd be better at defying gravity."

Lyiko sighed as he turned his head gently, forcing his neck and back to loosen up, feeling Simon kneading his shoulders slowly. He focused his thoughts into a tight spiral, shutting out every external distraction and attempting to clear his mind of everything but his attention on the black pelted felines paws kneading his nape. Simon's pleasant voice was soothing in his ear as the panther squeezed and rubbed the ringtail's nape, "Just relax. Just focus on feeling the weightless sensation. Just let it sweep you up. Like when you're swimming, how the water pushes you up to the surface, just picture the air as if it's water. Just floating."

Lyiko resolutely forced his mind on the pleasant sensations of floating in a hot bath, the chill hanging in the vast cavern reminding him how nice it was to be comfortable and warm rather than standing ankle deep in snow, surrounded by ice, "I'm not an ice mage, why did you bring me here of all..."

"Shush. The ice caverns have the most wide open space available. It's dangerous to try flying out of doors when you can just lower the gravity a bit and put cushioning enchantments on the walls, ceiling and floor. Now just relax."

Lyiko bit off his grumbling as he inhaled and exhaled deeply, forcing his mind to clear, just holding the thought of floating in water in his mind, "Okay. Now... Up we come, hopefully."

Simon gently gripped one of Lyiko's paws, lifting himself higher into the air as he attempted to coax the ringtail from the floor, "Easy does it. Come on. Just focus on that sensation, you want to float, just let yourself do it."

"Yes..."

Lyiko made himself go limp, opening his eyes a fraction of an inch as he focused on letting himself drift toward Simon. He felt his feet lift gently from their stubborn adhesion to the floor of the cavern, startling a bit despite himself, making Simon's fingers tighten around his fingers, "No! No... Don't tense up! Just stay relaxed... Let it go slow, it's alright."

The gently tingling sensation of weightlessness was building in Lyiko's chest and belly, making him slightly giddy as he forced himself to stay loose and relaxed, trying to conceal any surprise he had at the fact that he was gently drifting upwards. Feeling as if he were truly submerged in cool water, the chill mist and slightly snowy breeze lent to the deception of merely hanging suspended in water, "I can see why you chose this spot now."

"Adds to the atmosphere of feeling like you're flying. Just stay relaxed, don't clench, just keep nice and loose, don't force it..."

Lyiko felt his ears pink again as he tried not to loose his focus on hanging suspended next to Simon, gingerly gripping the panther male's fingers, "Could you please not phrase it like I'm having sex for the first time perhaps?"

Simon chuckled softly, "Well it is sort of similar, isn't it? You can't force flying, or teleportation or someone will end up hurt."

"Simon! Just... Hush for the moment, would you?"

Lyiko shook his head, making his pink ears flap gently, looking toward the floor before Simon could stop him. His stomach gave a tiny lurch as he abruptly noticed the nearly 3 foot gap between his feet and the snowy floor of the cave, inhaling in a rush as the disorienting feeling of unreality of the whole situation washed over him. The queasy sensation of reality threatened to swamp him as he dipped back toward the floor with a tiny grunt, making Simon tighten his grip, "No no no! Relax Lyiko! Don't let your brain ground you again. Don't think about how wrong it all is or you'll never get off your feet."

The ring-tailed male swallowed hard and shoved the nagging doubt about hovering a clear meter above the floor that went screaming through his brain away as hard as he could. He forced himself to relax once more, bringing that wonderful floating sensation back to the forefront, stopping his ground-ward drop and making his stomach twist again. Simon nodded, smiling encouragingly, "That's it. Just focus on relaxing, and keeping that sensation."

As they bobbed higher into the air, drifting gently Simon slowly gripped Lyiko's paw, pulling him closer and letting them drift in slow circles around one another, "Just relax. You're doing fairly well. Just think about propelling yourself, gently now. Just focus on where you'd like to be, don't force it."

After a quarter of an hour the slender ringtail was making small strides in hovering confidently around the massive ice cavern unassisted, his feet hanging in space a dozen feet above the ground. As he grew used to the sensation of weightlessness, it was easier to maintain the level of concentration necessary to keep himself aloft. The ebony furred feline swept up gently next to him, laying a long fingered paw on his arm, "Now I want to try something different."

Lyiko perked his large, bat-like ears as Simon pointed to the bone wand held loosely in his paw, "Your wand Lyiko. I don't know why no one's thought of it before, but knowing you have it now. It'll make it much, much easier for you to fly and probably teleport."

Lyiko tipped his reddish-blond head, squinting an eye at the panther male as he tried to keep half his concentration on keeping air-borne, "How so?"

"It's a wing-bone from a dragon sweetness. Dragon bones have genetic memories, as well as flesh memory; you're the only one who can use it as Theanon gave it to you directly. It belonged to an old dragon, so there's a lot of memories probably pent up in that small piece of bone and a good solid part of them probably revolve around flying."

Lyiko's cobalt eyes widened and he wobbled dangerously in the air till Simon gripped his elbow and steadied him out, "I never thought of it that way before."

He turned the slender rod over in his fingers, his concentration completely on the wand to the point he was drifting upward without even realizing it, "So how do I..."

"Unlock the memory of your wand? Well, magical objects, especially magic foci made from dragon bones are semi-sentient anyway, and being yours was given to you, not taken unwillingly from its ancestral bone yard, I think it'll probably be more than happy to cooperate."

Simon settled into a vaguely cross-legged position, making Lyiko giggle as they were still both in mid-air, but the panther male waved his paw, "Shhh, hmm, it'd be easier if we knew who the bone came from."

"Theanon had said one of his grand-matriarchs, I think."

"A female elder dragon bone. Then yes, your wand will no doubt be rather sentimental."

He bright eyed feline gestured to Lyiko as he gazed evenly at the silvery-white rod of bone, "Give it a try."

Feeling slightly silly the ringtail gripped his wand loosely in both paws and closed his eyes, feeling Simon grip him around the upper arms lightly, holding him buoyed in place as he blocked out every external distraction and let his mind focus directly on the slender rod of bone nestled in his fingers. The length of bone felt warm in his grasp, vibrating gently as his thoughts probed against the slowly scintillating field of magical energy wrapping and penetrating through the slender bone. The sensation of cold fire erupted down Lyiko's nape and shoulders, making Simon's fingers feel slightly numb as the ringtail's seeking mind made contact with the memories and emotions buried deeply within the soul of his wand. He gasped as his fingers were wreathed in silvery white flames; still clutching his wand, the fire which felt cold rather than hot flickered in the glimmering expanse of the cavern.

Lyiko's cobalt eyes flickered open, unfocused as his mind suddenly raced with thoughts and memories that weren't his own. Disjointed flashes of sensations and places and people he had never known raced through his mind as Lyiko let his thoughts delve deeper into the living memory of the dragon's bone. He exhaled as his mind was abruptly filled with the sight, sound and even smell of being high in the sky, making his stomach reel. The extraordinarily vivid fragment of memory was thrilling, even if it made his stomach turn over queasily. The sensation of flying in the thin, cold air, but having no fear of falling as gargantuan silver wings stretched out on either side of him, catching the bright sunlight, flashing brilliantly.

Simon's voice sounded vague and distant as Lyiko focused on the vivid memory of flight, "I think you found it."

"Y-y-yes..."

"Your wand knows what it's like to fly. It'll guide you."

Lyiko nodded, his entire body thrumming with the energy of experiencing the past life flowing through his mind. The silvery flames flowed like liquid along his body, wreathing him in their cool embrace like a cloak of living energy. Simon gasped and propelled himself backwards as the coruscating silver flames made his own fingers crackle with static. Lyiko shifted in the air slightly, gripping his thrumming wand tighter now as it shivered in his fingers, wondering suddenly how he had ever found the prospect of flying difficult. With the memory of the bone wand guiding him the grinning ringtail flexed his body, the shimmering silver fire gathering at his shoulders and expanding out like wings, curling slightly as he focused, letting the dragon's fire lead him. The energy filling him, guiding his thoughts and actions was gentle, warm and almost loving, showing him how to move his body and letting him slip through the air as easily as swimming through water.

As he crossed the crystalline cavern in a series of swooping movements, grazing the ceiling and diving back down as easily as if he had always known how to fly the ringtail grinned at the black furred feline who was applauding softly. As Lyiko felt the weightless buoyancy of the cavern and the energy holding him up he did a lazy circle of the feline sitting cross-legged in mid-air. Simon chuckled softly, "I knew you could do it. Your wand knows millennia of flying; she'd probably taught hundreds of generations of dragon whelps how to fly, it's probably happy to be doing it again."

The green eyed panther reached out and gripped Lyiko's empty paw with a mild look of discomfort as the cold fire caressed his skin, but didn't burn him as Lyiko brought his thoughts to bear on controlling it, "Let's try something new. We'll see if the wand can guide you with teleportation as well. Focus as hard as you can on the space above that icicle over there on the other side of the cavern. So one... two... three..."

Simon gripped Lyiko's paw and his shoulder tightly, guiding him through the air with a gentle twisting motion and the entire room suddenly blurred in Lyiko's vision. A dizzying sensation made it feel like his head was spinning as his stomach turned over, it felt as if the air had been sucked out of his lungs for an instant as his vision dimmed, squeezing down to a tunnel, then he grunted in shock as they both impacted the charm cushioning the walls of the cavern about 10 feet from the icicle Simon had pointed to. The ebony furred feline was panting as his stomach rippled softly itself, licking his lips, "Well... That wasn't too bad for a first try. You've definitely got the potential. You're just a bit unfocused. That wand Headmaster Theanon gave you certainly likes you though."

Simon nodded in appreciation to the silvery white sliver of bone, "Now, we'll try again. This time though..."

The feline slid backward through the air, stopping about 50 feet from Lyiko and holding out his paws, "Try coming here to me. Just focus. No harder than stepping across a room. Remember."

Lyiko nodded, his fur prickling from the cold fire dancing up and down his body, rubbing his muzzle softly for a moment till he was absolutely sure the queasy sensation had passed before he steeled himself. He focused himself completely on the spot next to the panther male, concentrating hard as he let the tingling build-up of energy reach a peak, then turned in mid-air, the room blurring worse as his vision almost completely blacked out, his lungs emptying and he popped back into existence just in time to crash directly into Simon waiting with his arms outstretched. The feline had braced himself, but the impact of the wildly out of control ringtail still winded him, driving them both through the air to the far wall of the ice cavern before the enchantment slowed them both down enough to just barely brush the far wall. Simon grunted as the silver flames engulfing Lyiko slowly flickered out and they slowly slid down the cushion of air to come to rest on the snow scattered floor of the cave, both panting softly with exertion, "Well, th-that wasn't bad. For your first attempts."

He gingerly rubbed at his sore shoulder where Lyiko had banged into him, the ringtail's slender weight heavy atop him, "However, perhaps a little break..."

"Y-y-yea... Thanks."

Lyiko shivered softly, blushing faintly as he realized he was laying almost completely on top of the lean panther male, "D-did it get cold in here suddenly, or is it me?"

He shifted a bit; raising himself till he could pull the coal-sized ruby pendant free of his robes, looking at it intently as the glowing gem flickered fitfully, only dimly casting any crimson light. Simon prodded at the pendant softly, "I think all the dragon energy overloaded it."

They both jumped as the egg sized ruby pendant glowed brightly for an instant, then went dark with a fizzling pop, making Lyiko sigh and drop it back down the front of his robes, the cold from the ice surrounding them starting to seep in against his fur and skin as the warmth from the necklace faded. Simon chuckled gently, feeling the ringtail shiver, "You need more insulation."

"Easy for you to say, you're an ice mage."

"Yea, and you've got your paw in my crotch, are you aware?"

Lyiko startled in his half supine position against the panther male reclining against the icy cavern wall, pulling his paw back from where he had thrust it unthinkingly into the warm spot directly between Simon's legs without realizing it, "Sorry!"

"Well, I wasn't complaining that you were grabbing my sheath. Just thought I'd point it out?"

Lyiko flushed almost hard enough to keep the icy chill at bay as he attempted to lift himself from the graceful panther, but Simon's arms seemed to have encircled his waist and back, keeping them pressed together. The slender ringtail squirmed gently, resting his paws in as neutral a location as possible as he pressed them into the thick ruffle of fur that spilled from the deep vee of the chest of the panther's waistcoat, making him grin gently. Lyiko cleared his throat, his bat-like ears pink as he tried to keep himself in a more neutral orientation against the lean panther male, "You-you're a teacher, t-technically Simon."

"Student teacher. Tutor. Sex machine. I can go by a lot of titles sweetness."

"You're teaching that subject? I-I hadn't heard."

"Oh, just free lessons in my off-hours. Nothing too serious."

The grinning panther male stretched against the pink-eared ringtail, idly running his fingers through Lyiko's strawberry blond hair, "Gonna need you to move slightly for a moment though Lyiko."

Lyiko tipped his head, his ears arching forward curiously as he shifted himself up away from the reclining feline who arched his back and reached behind himself, prizing a rock from where it had been prodding dully into his spine, "Much better, thank-you."

Simon gently ran his fingers over Lyiko's muzzle, the still flushing but shivering ringtail looking torn between his surroundings and the lean, tantalizingly muscled feline pressed against him. Lyiko opened his muzzle and then grunted in surprise as Simon ran his fingertip over his pouting, blush colored lower lip. He nipped the end of the feline's finger softly, his ears burning, "We shouldn't do this."

"Why not?"

"Well, for one, we're in the middle of an ice cave."

"Yes, but you're with an ice mage sweetness."

The panther male gently slipped out from beneath Lyiko, standing and taking his slender paw, tugging him deeper into the chillingly cold cavern, finding a small alcove just off the main expanse of the cave itself; a small, vaguely circular, smooth rock pocket-cave with a low ceiling, large enough to house a pair of people, but not much else. The panther male flicked his paw, making the debris on the stone floor fling itself out of the small cave, clearing the powdery snow with another wave of his fingers before gently tugging Lyiko into the alcove where the ringtail stood shivering. Simon removed his overcoat, giving it a shake and tugging it between his paws, making the thick, satiny material stretch. When the sleeveless robe was three times its normal size and as thick as a carpet, with the fur collar expanded to the size of a pillow of fur he shook it out and draped it over the floor.

The grinning panther snapped his fingers, the ice layering the walls of the small pocket-cave flowing out like molten glass, spreading across the mouth of the small, low cavern till it formed a solid, albeit sparkling and transparent barrier blocking out the cold, biting draughts that blew through the larger cavern. Simon knelt on the enlarged rug of his robe, cupping his hands and blowing in them, making an eruption of bright electric blue flames crackle between his fingers. The grapefruit sized ball of cheerily crackling blue flames cast a shivering, dancing light as he tossed it into the air, watching as it hung suspended midway between floor and ceiling. Lyiko exhaled in relief as the sparkling blue-white flames cast just enough warmth to take the biting cold from the small cave, glancing to Simon as the panther smiled at him, "Better?"

"Getting there. It'd be better if I were curled up in my own bed after a hot bath."

"But then we'd have to content with your massive, horned, scowling consort. He doesn't seem to like me."

Lyiko shrugged gently, inhaling as Simon caught his paw and tugged, "Inuus isn't as bad as people seem to think he is. If he got to know you, I'm sure he'd like you just fine. He's just not sure what to think being you've got..."

"Demon blood?"

The panther male finished the ringtail's sentence for him, making Lyiko nod softly as he sank down onto his knees on the now magically enlarged coat, "Well yes."

"Well, you've got demon's blood inside you as well Lyiko."

"I got rid of the demon's blood."

Lyiko bristled defensively as he settled down onto sitting on his heels, smoothing his robes out around himself.

Simon grinned softly, "You had demon's blood for almost 2 days Lyiko. It was purged, but you'll have traces of it for the rest of your life sweetness. I can smell it on you all the time, especially when you're aroused."

Lyiko blushed before he could stop himself, making Simon chuckle, "See? You'll have traces of the time you were half demon inside you till the day you die. Probably makes you much more intriguing to Inuus and that long eared elf boy."

"Talen. Well, Talen is half-blood himself, though not demon."

Simon's bright eyes widened as he leaned toward Lyiko in interest, "Is he? People had always wondered about him. Especially since he took up living with you and large and horned. He's a bit odd, the elf; he's an arcane dead-spot. Makes the arcane mages a bit uncomfortable around the school. It's hard to feel his aura until he's almost close enough to make you jump."

Lyiko sighed, "Don't you breathe a word to anyone else... It's a bit of an embarrassment for Talen. He's so sweet and has had a hard life. But he and his half-brother are part Selani."

Simon nearly banged his head against the wall as he sat up straighter, gaping, "Selani?! But they're incredibly rare, and almost extinct from everything I've ever heard. For an elf to mate with a Selani... Elves hate Selani on principle."

"Yes, well, elves loathe having to admit they're actually descended from any race other than their own and didn't simply sprout from the ground fully formed and bursting with magic. That's why Talen is so poor for an elf, and why he normally can't use arcane magicks. His grandfather was disowned from his clan and his offspring were given a taboo against using magic of any arcane variety. That's why he and Talus use tribal magicks."

Simon rubbed his muzzle softly, nodding, "Gods Lyiko, you do collect misfits, don't you?"

"Well, I am one myself, a necromancer in a school full of mages. There are only about 2 dozen of us studying at the academy."

"Well, you're not exactly like other necromancers Lyiko. You don't spend all your time consorting with dead things, cloistered deep underground. I think that's why Theanon's so taken with you; you study the arcane, the mundane and the higher, and lower, planes as much as you do necromancy."

Lyiko shrugged again, leaning closer to the warmth being cast from the ball of blue-bell colored flames, "Well, necromancy was never really my primary interest growing up. I think I took after father more than mother and Dimas. I only studied necromancy to keep grandmother and grandfather happy for the most part. Not that they're ever particularly happy, or have been pleased with my direct family, but another time, long story, really..."

The ringtail jumped softly as he felt the panther's fingers tangle gently in his ruddy hair again, stroking through the loose tail as it dangled down against his chest, "When you come from 10 generations of fine, upstanding necromancers with their noble blood and ancient pursuits you have to at least pretend to be interested or else they try to take every opportunity they can to curse you."

"That's why you branched off into Demonology and Arcane magicks in your third year, then?"

"For the most part, I also got bored."

"You got bored so you delved into demonic magic, summoned a fully grown, incredibly dangerous Incubus and then adopted a half-blooded elf boy. Then for an encore you received a provisional membership to the Council of the 3 and the 9 and saved the world as we know it from a cult of Apocalyptic Necromancers."

"Well, when you say it like that..."

Lyiko smirked gently and then yelped as he felt the sedately reclining panther's paw slip down over the smooth curve of his backside, sitting up ram-rod straight. The grinning feline shrugged and busied himself unbuttoning the front of his vest, exposing the broad, velvety expanse of dark ebony fur covering him from chin to waist. Lyiko cleared his throat and felt his ears go hot, "You're half-blooded demon, so I suppose you think I let every demon that passes my way have their way with me?"

"I was thinking that we have at least an hour and a half before anyone notices we're missing at dinner-time. Or till your horned consort notices you're not back yet."

"Inuus is busy with Talen at the moment."

The words popped from the distracted ringtail's muzzle before he could stop them, the sudden flash of insight paired with some very vivid imagery of Talen and his own massive bed slipping unbidden through his thoughts. Simon chuckled and nodded, "See, demon blood. It's strengthened your psychic connection with Inuus."

He stretched, slipping his vest off back over his shoulders, letting it drop as he sat up, "Well, if those two are busy amongst themselves, I doubt they'd mind if you passed the time you should be practicing your teleportation practicing something a bit more mundane and visceral."

Lyiko cleared his throat, shifting on his heels a bit as he glanced away from the handsome panther pointedly, gazing intently at the shimmering blue ball of fire hanging in the air. The glowing flames fizzled testily as he prodded at them with a fingertip, the fire sparking, but not singeing him, "W-w-won't the fire melt the ice?"

Simon shook his head, indicating the thin glass-like partition closing them off with a twitch of his tail, "The ice in these caverns is eternal. It can be transformed, sculpted, chipped, broken, even transfigured back into water, but so long as the cavern is linked to the school, it can never melt or be melted by flame or heat. And stop changing the damnable subject."

The panther wriggled his feet, loosening his soft ankle height boots and kicking them off, wriggling his black furred toes luxuriously and grinning at Lyiko, "Well, are you going to stay clothed? That'll make my job more difficult, but not impossible."

"Oh hush."

Lyiko tucked his bat-like ears, hiding their pink cast as he slowly unknotted the sash from his robe, unwinding it from his narrow waist and discarding it into the growing pile of clothes. The ringtail gently balanced his wand on its end near where Simon's boots sat on their sides, watching sedately as the panther male struggled with the knot on the front of his breeches. He huffed softly, reaching over and gently helping the ebon furred feline extract the knot with his slender fingers, letting the panther loosen the laces of his breeches and wriggle his hips.

"How'd you get into those anyway? They're so tight."

The amused sounding ringtail watched Simon wriggle his hips, easing the clinging material down around his hips and thighs; blushing again as the ebon furred feline was naked beneath the clinging trousers. Lyiko shifted, busying himself with untucking his own robes from around his thighs and hips, shrugging his shoulders and letting the smooth material slide down, exposing his slender body down to the waist. As Simon finished tugging his breeches off past his feet, he tossed them away negligently, grinning brightly as his attention came to rest on the half naked ringtail seated next to him, "I don't think I've ever seen you completely naked before."

"I try not to; that's more Talen and Inuus' speciality, walking around next to nude."

Lyiko smirked gently, turning his head to look askance at the now fully naked feline, feeling a wave of warmth flooding him unrelated to the shivering ball of flames hovering above their heads. The reclining panther was completely black from the tips of his ears to the tip of his tail, with short, soft, thick ebony fur stretched over his lean, svelte form. Simon was more heavily built than himself, wider in the shoulders and waist, with thicker arms and thighs. The feline's glossy fur highlighted his lean musculature, akin to a swimmer or runner, with nicely defined pectoral muscles and a lean ridge of muscle rippling down his belly. Only the pink insides of his ears, his dusty pink nose, smooth lips and bright green eyes showed color against his deep raven pelt as Simon shifted, giving Lyiko's robes a gentle, playful tug, "Come on sweetness, lose the robe."

"Demanding, aren't we?"

Lyiko's tone was mild as he shifted his hips, slowly letting his soft robes fall open completely on either side of his hips, exposing himself fully to the grinning feline. The ringtail's slender, long-limbed form, with its thick mocha and sandy brown fur, highlighted with white and black patches over his belly, chest, throat, face and down between his lean thighs. His immensely long, thick black and white ringed tail twitched softly as he stretched, making his chest thrust out, with its ripple of thick white fur, flattening his smooth belly even further. Lyiko reached behind his nape and tugged his long, strawberry red tinged blond hair loose, letting it sweep out to hang down his back and shoulders as he flicked his black ears. The still chilly air in the small cave made the ringtail's sandy brown fur fluff slightly as he slowly leaned toward Simon who winked gently, running his ring-clad paw over Lyiko's blunt, delicate muzzle, rubbing his nose, "Mmm, was that so hard?"

"N-no, but it looks like you almost are."

Lyiko stifled a giggle as he looked down between the panther's lean thighs, seeing the thick, velvet furred sheath there, showing a flash of pink at its tip. The warmth in his own belly was spreading slowly through his own hips and thighs, making his fur prickle even more as he gingerly allowed Simon to tug him down next to himself on the thick robe spread on the floor. As he eased up against the lithely muscled panther Lyiko licked his lips, his bright blue eyes meeting Simon's vivid, nearly glowing green ones, making the feline chuckle, "You need to get more used to mating with friends other than your Incubus and elf, eh?"

"I've slept with people other than Talen and Inuus."

"I didn't say sleep with, I said mate."

Lyiko shivered, arching against Simon's lean body as he felt the panther's strong paws run down his spine, ruffling through his thick mocha fur. He gasped as Simon's long, lean fingers slipped around his hips and pulled him close, pressing them together, Lyiko's mocha fur mingling with the panther's inky black pelt. The ringtail blushed as he felt the feline's burgeoning erection suddenly pressing against his hip, burrowing into his fur as it grew longer and thicker. He tried not to squirm as Simon's lean paws roamed his naked body more freely, growing bolder as the minutes passed between them almost in slow motion.

Lyiko uttered a tiny squeak as Simon's fingers rubbed over the white expanse of his belly-fur, stroking the smooth, flat expanse of his stomach before sliding up, caressing his chest. His own body was growing warmer, the familiar sensation of his sheath thickening and pulling back as his pale, sleek maleness slipped free from it. Simon chuckled gently, feeling Lyiko's erection prod him in return for his own length's rubbing through the ringtail's soft fur. He gently rubbed his fingers over Lyiko's chest, feeling the smooth definition of his pectoral muscles and toying softly with the hard, pert bumps of pale flesh showing through the ringtail's thick chest-fur. Simon grinned, "I guess it's still a bit chilly in here, eh?"

Lyiko bit his lip, his hips squirming of their own accord as the panther toyed with and gently tugged his perked nipples, the cool silver metal of the feline's ring touching the pale, bare skin as Simon moved his fingers. The panther looked down-ward, shifting his own hips to expose Lyiko's smooth erection, gazing at the long, slender spike of blushing flesh between the ringtail's thighs, "But it seems like it's warming up nicely, isn't it?"

"Yes. Seems like."

The breathless ringtail nodded, making his ruddy-blonde hair slither over Simon's chest, drifting across the medallion nestled in the panther's chest-fur, the silvery metal glinting in the cool blue-white light dancing through the cave. Lyiko arched his spine, meeting the feline's wandering paws as his own slowly slid over the smooth curves and gentle, defined ridges of Simon's body. The older male wasn't as bulky or well defined as Inuus, and nowhere near as wispy and feminine as Talen, but was somewhere in the middle-ground between them both. He was a pleasant, solid, lanky and firm happy medium as he was pressed warm and tight against Lyiko, making the ringtail's head buzz with that familiar giddiness of male hormones dancing through the air like a fog between them both.

Lyiko slowly circled his long-fingered paw around the base of Simon's thrusting cock, feeling the smooth, pink tinged flesh, slightly longer than his own and around the same thickness, with a sleek shaft and tapering tip. The latter was oozing clear fluid idly as Lyiko slowly brushed his paw up and down the length of the panther's maleness, stroking it experimentally. The feline's grunt of bliss made it clear he approved of the ringtail's handling of his member as Lyiko gripped tighter and pumped it with more energy, making the ooze of pre-cum hasten into a larger drip.

The panther's own paws brushed along Lyiko's hips and thighs, making him shiver as they caressed his inner thighs, cupping his slightly contracted testicles, coaxing them to relax from the chill as they warmed. The ringtail shivered as the silver metal of Simon's ring brushed his cock, making a tingle slip up around behind his balls. The panther grinned gently, feeling the sudden tightness of the slender ringtail's cock and balls, "I should show you my ring. You might like it."

"I-it feels cold."

"It's just the enchantments on it. It warms up."

Simon gently withdrew his paws from the ringtail's crotch long enough to extract the heavy ring from the base of his finger, rubbing the large, clear stone on its face, "You should take some of Professor Veris' courses, he teaches some very advanced techniques."

The panther fiddled with his ring, holding it between his fingers as he stroked Lyiko's cock with his other paw, making the ringtail shiver and a large drop of pre-cum slide from the slit in the tip of the ringtail's glans. Simon gently ran the stone of his ring through the crystal fluid, feeling the metal tingle in his fingers as he pressed the band down against the end of Lyiko's cock. The ringtail perked his ears as he felt the ring pushed down horizontally against the end of his glans, wondering what the panther was doing when his entire length gave a twitching throb and the silver ring expanded out, easily slipping down around the tip and shaft of his cock. Lyiko gasped loudly as Simon pushed the ring down all the way till it was snugged securely around the very base of his cock, the smooth stone glinting up at him as he groaned in a low monotone.

The entire ring seemed to have warmed up, contracting gently around the base of his cock till it gripped it firmly, making his entire member swell diamond hard, blushing pink to the root. Simon's enchanted ring was making the slender ringtail's entire crotch tingle and buzz, waves of heat running down his thighs and up into his belly like molten fire, chasing away the clinging chill of the cave. Lyiko's bright blue eyes rolled up for a moment as he slumped against the grinning feline, his whole crotch tingling, the base of his tail and up his spine buzzing with the familiar nagging need, making him whimper, "T-t-that ring's been enchanted to... AH!"

The ringtail screeched softly as Simon touched the tip of his diamond taut cock, making it twitch and issue a tiny spurt of pre-cum, every touch of the panther's fingers seemed magnified, making the pleasure of the feline caressing his length almost painful. As he hissed through his teeth, the ringtail shuddered, crying out softly, "AH! S-S-Simon, t-take that off!"

"Just relax... The ring's enchanted to intensify pleasure and orgasm. Just relax, if you get stressed out, you'll get too sensitive and it'll start to hurt."

Lyiko whimpered softly as he forced his squirming hips to relax slowly, the tingling still buzzing through his body, seeming to hold him at the perpetual brink of climax as he gripped himself against the panther tightly, panting raggedly. As he relaxed with some effort the sensation of pending climax faded till just the enhanced sensation of tingling heat remained, the feeling of Simon's fingers slowly caressing and manipulating his cock making him dizzy. Lyiko gasped and panted softly, his muzzle buried in the juncture of Simon's throat and shoulder, his paws still closed convulsively around the panther's sleek cock, squeezing and tugging it. Simon was purring loudly as he slowly rubbed against the younger male, kissing over his throat and shoulder, "There, it should have passed now. Now we can have some fun."

"Uhhh, Y-yes..." Lyiko sounded dazed as he shivered, the overwhelming desire to lift his tail still clinging to his thoughts as he shook his head to clear it of the fog of lust and pleasure clouding it. He yipped softly as he felt Simon's sharp fangs nip his throat and tug softly, scraping his skin, the rumbling feline giving him a gentle spank on the smooth curve of his ass, "Mmm, wake up. You're in the middle of foreplay sweetness."

Lyiko arched, feeling the panther's paws rubbing and kneading both his ass and his cock, grunting as he arched into the panther, tugging Simon's cock almost roughly with the movement before he remembered his hold on the feline's member. His fingers were swiftly being coated with the feline's pre-seed as he stroked the panther, feeling Simon's hot breath on his face, steaming in the cool air. Lyiko brushed his nose against Simon's, tipping his head as the panther kissed him eagerly, pressing their lips and muzzles together, their breath coming in visible puffs between them as the feline's tongue invaded his muzzle. The slender ringtail felt the hot, wet appendage snake against his own, matching it's eager movements as they shared a muzzle and breath, panting stridently through their noses.

Lyiko ran one paw over the ebony expanse of the feline's body, feeling the smooth motion of the lean muscles running along Simon's form, his other paw still busy, rubbing the panther's pale cock, He shifted his paw down to cup the heavy, twin orbs of tender flesh within their velvet coated sac, feeling them contract with the gentle kneading. The ringtail sucked the feline's long tongue softly, licking his lips as Simon withdrew it and lapped his way down the angle of his jaw, biting the side of his throat gently, the rumbling in his chest making Lyiko's paw vibrate where it rested midpoint between his nipples. Simon grinned gently as he licked the fur on Lyiko's cheek, "Mmm, with that massive horned servant of yours around I assume you've been taught how to suck someone's cock."

Lyiko blushed red, nodding slowly as he gave the panther's balls a firm squeeze in retaliation, "Y-yes... I could show you."

"Please do."

The ebony furred feline leaned back a bit, watching as Lyiko squirmed back, each movement of his straining cock making him shiver and utter a tiny noise till he was half kneeling next to the panther's hips, his muzzle hovering just above Simon's lower belly. The ringtail's warm breath caressed the pre-cum slicked skin on the feline's cock as Lyiko slowly flicked his tongue out and lapped over the underside of the lithe panther's glans, feeling Simon's paw settle in his strawberry hair between his ears, gripping gently. He curled his tongue around the tip of Simon's cock, pulling it gingerly into his muzzle, hearing the reclining feline hiss between his teeth, his pale, sleek length giving a tiny twitch as it sprang to diamond hardness, "Yessssss... Mmm, that muzzle's nice and warm."

Lyiko merely grunted around the tip of the feline's cock, bobbing his muzzle slowly, letting his warm, wet tongue rub all over the spike of pale flesh slowly moving in and out between his lips. As he worked he shivered, feeling Simon's strong paw rubbing and kneading his ass, fondling it with great relish as the ebony feline rumbled in a constant, low basso, "You have a magnificent ass Lyiko. Anyone ever tell you that?"

The ringtail flicked his ears noncommittally as he continued to bob his muzzle, taking the feline's cock deeper and deeper till it was vanishing more than halfway into his maw on every down-ward thrust of his skull. He pulled back and turned his head slowly, lapping up and down Simon's cock, curling his tongue around the shaft and letting it rub over the now slick, tender skin. He lowered his muzzle and prodded his nose into the panther's balls, inhaling the feline's heady scent of arousal, hearing Simon inhale and the sudden reflexive tightening of his paw on the back of his head as the ringtail's tongue found his slowly tightening balls, "Gods! You are good at that..."

Lyiko focused on rolling the panther's solid balls across his tongue, sucking them each in turn and lapping over them, making the warm orbs of flesh shift and slide against his muzzle and tongue as he nuzzles into them. Simon's gentle pants were growing more steady as his hips were beginning to move and buck of their own accord, grinding and thrusting slowly. Lyiko felt the panther's wet cock slipping and rubbing against his face as Simon moved his hips, slowly nuzzling into that sleek, thrusting length, letting it coat his face in saliva and warm, sticky pre-cum before he captured the tip in his muzzle once more. Simon's paws shifted to his large bat-like ears, gripping gently as the panther male was arching, his hips bucking in tiny, grinding thrusts, pushing his length deeper in and out between Lyiko's lips. The ringtail panted through his nose as he bobbed his head, taking Simon's twitching length between his lips and down, sucking it hard, the feline's pre-cum spurting and drooling freely across his tongue.

Simon's voice was husky and slightly strained as he grunted, "You're gonna make me cum sweetness, don't stop."

Lyiko gave the ebony feline's balls a gentle squeeze in reply as he kneaded them with his paw, the deep musky taste and scent of the feline's pheromones and pre-seed filling his nose and washing across his tongue as he bucked his head down harder, holding each thrust of his muzzle for an instant before he pulled his head back up. Lyiko inhaled, closing his cobalt eyes before he shoved his muzzle down hard at feeling Simon's cock twitch dangerously, a spray of pre-cum giving him warning. The panther groaned in surprise, moaning loudly as his cock slid all the way into the slender ringtail's muzzle right down to the root, his tip throbbing hard the younger male's throat. As he felt his throat start to contract in a gag the panther's paws contracted around his ears and Simon's hips arched, a yowl escaping the ebony feline as his pale cock exploded into Lyiko's muzzle, twitching madly.

The ringtail gagged gently as he pulled his muzzle back, the first burst of the panther's seed pumping down his throat before the rest flowed into his muzzle. He swallowed, increasing the suction around the feline's length as Simon's milky white essence spurted and drooled into his muzzle, flooding his tongue with the salty, bitter and slightly astringent tang of semen. He panted through his nose as Simon's paws relaxed, releasing his ears, still gently nursing the tip of the panther's still throbbing cock, milking him as the panther's bright eyes showed white for a moment, then refocused, his ebony paws stroking the ringtail's ruddy hair, "Good Gods..."

Lyiko licked his lips as he lifted his muzzle from the end of Simon's cock, his entire body tingling with lust, keeping a grip around the panther's cock-base to keep him hard as he smiled, "Hope you're not done so soon."

"Gods no! Just getting warmed up."

Simon's ragged panting slowed as he brushed his now damp hair from his eyes, ignoring the scattered crystals of ice that had formed from his sweat. He sat up straighter once more, making Lyiko grunt softly as he the ringtail closer, gently tugging him into his own lap, "I still need to show you how the ring works... and let you feel what it's like when someone fucks you while you're wearing it."

Lyiko's ears went pink as he squirmed in the panther's lap, feeling Simon's strong paws guide his hips and then the warm, now extremely wet and sticky spike of the feline's cock slide into the cleft of his rump, invading the vee beneath the base of his tail, "F-f-fuck me?"

"Thought you'd never ask sweetness."

Simon gave a rumble of bliss as he spread Lyiko's sandy brown and white highlighted rump wide, flicking his tail-base aside, making it tingle almost electrically as he pushed the wet tip of his cock that hadn't flagged an inch against the tight ring of flesh guarding the entrance to the ringtail's body. The ebony feline purred soothing in Lyiko's ear as the ringtail's enormous black and white ringed tail flicked out ramrod straight and bristled, "Mmm, lean forward a bit, just relax."

Lyiko bit his lip as he felt his body fighting the sleek tip of the feline's maleness, grunting gently, "Y-y-you seem fond of telling me to relax-AH!"

Lyiko uttered a tiny cry of discomfort as the panther's slick glans pressed hard against the resistance keeping it out, then with a jolt and a momentary flash of pain Simon was inside of his body, slipping within him slowly. He shivered, arching hard into Simon as he fought to not clench down, feeling every inch of the feline's pale cock, the subtle curve of it and the texture of the veins crossing its surface. The slender ringtail slowly relaxed, lowering himself down to meet the panther's upward thrust, crying out again as the magically enhanced sensitivity of his cock met the thick, soft fur of the feline's ebony coated belly, making it seem as if he could feel each individual hair of the panther's inky pelt slide against his shaft and tip. He groaned loudly, the conflicting instincts to push back away from the almost painful sensory input from his cock warring with the instinct to push forward to ease the discomfort slowly fading in his rump.

Simon gripped the ringtail's hips more firmly, guiding him down, sighing in contented pleasure as Lyiko's ass settled flush into his lap, his length now sheathed within the younger male from base to tip. He could feel the fluttering and squeezing of the slender ringtail's muscles, gripping his cock, slowly rocking his hips, trying to get Lyiko's body to relax, "Mmm, Gods you're tight how does Inuus manage to fuck you Lyiko? I've heard his cock is gigantic, how does he not tear you in two right down the middle?"

"UH! W-w-well, he doesn't trap my c-cock in a magic ring that magnifies every touch... Fuh-for one."

"Oh, you'll cope. I still can't imagine a delicate little male like you sitting on a giant cock like that Incubus of yours' undoubtedly has. Mind you, I wouldn't say no to seeing it in action myself. Does he fuck Talen too?"

"Yuh-yes..! Uh, Gods!"

Lyiko shuddered, moaning as Simon's hips slowly rocked from side to side, making his body loosen up till it didn't have as much of a death-grip around his length, grinding into the ringtail slowly. The panther male grinned, just moving his hips in a gentle rocking motion, slowly making his length slide in and out of Lyiko's tight back-passage, "He fucks both of you? At once? Do you all have sex?"

"Yes..."

Lyiko groaned as he slowly moved against Simon, nodding with a jerk of his head as he felt the fluttering sensation building in his belly again, the ring clamped around the base of his cock making every movement of the panther's cock telegraph through his body. He panted raggedly, his length dripping freely all over Simon's coal furred belly, smearing his pre-seed through the panther's soft belly-fur. The motion of them against one another was making Lyiko's cock-tip drag over the ridges of muscle on the panther's belly, the up and down stutter of motion making his balls tense, "Ah, ahhhh Gods!"

"Mmm, just relax... This will feel good."

Simon kissed the ringtail deeply once more, tasting himself on the younger male's lips and tongue as he rocked his hips harder, thrusting deeper and faster till his hips were rocking in a smooth, steady rhythm. Lyiko shivered, wrapping his tongue around Simon's as he whimpered, his own hips moving on reflex, meeting the panther's tense form with the gentle clash of furred flesh, his ass bouncing in the panther's lap as they bucked and thrust together. He almost shrieked out loud, the feline's tongue and muzzle muffling the sound as Simon's paw wrapped around his cock and rubbed it slowly, the breathtaking wash of hot energy tingling through him from his ears to his toes, making his spine thrum with electricity. The pleasure washing through him was almost as keen as what he had experienced in mating with Talen and Inuus at the same time whilst still infected with the demon's blood his Incubus consort had given him.

The demonic fires of lust racing through his veins had made him crave the carnal contact of sex almost like a drug, the sensation of rutting had made him tingle and almost electrified with energy, the strong pulse of life-force passed through coitus and semen making him giddy. In his weaker moments he almost missed the nearly bestial release of thoughts and logic in the pursuit of the more visceral pleasures of the flesh, but the glimpse into what demon-kind felt when engaged in coupling had been a vivid lesson. It was rushing back to him as the grinning panther's ring brought back the over-sexed, almost hyper-sensitive rush of sensory input that he had felt while rutting consumed by the demon's blood.

Lyiko panted stridently, clenching down tightly around Simon's thrusting cock, tugging it as he moved his hips, jolting down to meet the panther's movements, his paws gripping Simon tightly. Simon's nose brushed his throat as the ebony feline inhaled deeply, rumbling, "Your scent just shifted. Is that demon seed coming back to life during a good rutting sweetness?"

"Uh... S-shut-up..."

Lyiko growled softly, clamping his muzzle against the side of the panther's throat unexpectedly, making him yelp softly as the ringtail's fangs brought up a mark under his ebony pelt. Simon grinned after the surprise had worn off, giving the slender ringtail a retaliatory slap on the ass to make him shrill and clench down tight, their bodies clashing together harder and faster as Lyiko panted, his own length throbbing hard against Simon's belly and chest. The feline ran his fingers slowly over Lyiko's length, making him grunt and shudder, stroking him slowly, then pumping his length tightly, "Gonna make you cum for that one sweetness."

"AH!"

Lyiko shuddered as his body stiffened, the fluttering tingle turning into a dull roar of energy through his belly and thighs, his cock throbbing painfully tight in the panther's paw. He just gripped Simon's chest tightly as his body throbbed, twitching dangerously, the silver ring sparkling around his cock-base as the panther stroked him wildly. The ringtail's orgasm peaked with a crashing wave of pleasure, the end of his cock erupting like a burst hose, sending flurries of his hot, slippery seed all over both of them from crotch to chest. Lyiko moaned loud enough to make the small cave echo, his body jerking uncontrollably against Simon as the panther's hips shifted, making his cock ram against the small knot of flesh inside the clenching younger male. The ringtail shuddered harder, his length giving a twitch and another series of stuttering bursts of his semen dripping down over their fur.

"Yeah, that's good..."

Simon rubbed his fingertip over the shimmering stone on the face of his ring as he continued to buck his hips and squeeze Lyiko's cock, watching in satisfaction as the thick, sticky coating of white fluid coating the ring was drawn into the silvery bauble as if sucked into a vacuum of air. Lyiko was too swamped with blissful pleasure to show much more than mild surprise as his seed coating both their bellies slipped down and vanished into the glittering stone, leaving just a slightly sticky wetness in its wake, "Whuzzat?"

The woozy sounding ringtail panted at the panther, making him rumble softly, his hips moving faster, "Mmm, my ring is bewitched to consume semen when it comes into contact with it too. So I can... study it later at my leisure."

"Yeah, sure..."

Lyiko smirked, then uttered a shrill moan as Simon's hips gave a sharp buck, the panther's own body tense once more as he licked his lips and thrust harder into the slender ringtail, making him groan, "I-I-I can't, again, s-s-so soon!"

"So long as you're wearing that you can. Don't worry."

The grunting feline redoubled his efforts, his own cock on edge as he bucked hard beneath Lyiko, the shivering, moaning ringtail panting raggedly. Simon groaned; his body tensing as his length twitched within Lyiko, erupting into shots of his milky seed again, pumping them deeply into the clenching ringtail. He kept thrusting past his orgasm, his body tingling, stroking the weakly protesting ringtail as Lyiko uttered a long, low groan and his cock showered both of them again in warm pulses of his cum. The milky jets were once more absorbed as they came, leaving them both sticker and wetter as Simon slowed his thrusts, pulling Lyiko upright and leaning him back softly as he thrust his muzzle down, wrapping his dusky lips around the tip of Lyiko's still wildly jerking cock and sucking hard.

The slender ringtail gave a breathless screech as the sensation of Simon's muzzle swamped him, making his cock give another hard throb and spurt another feeble series of jets of fluid into his waiting maw before it was drained. Lyiko gripped Simon's shoulders tightly as he endured the panther's muzzle on his cock, his bright eyes rolling in his head before the older male pulled back slowly, thudding back against the cool wall of the cave with a gasping pant, his muzzle streaked with the ringtail's sticky seed, "I-I wanted a taste."

Lyiko whimpered softly, his cock feeling almost painfully swollen, tight and tense as he gingerly relaxed down against Simon, panting weakly in his ear, "Uhhh, Gods..."

He could feel the panther's cock still wedged deeply within him, his body damp and sticky, shivering with the wild rutting, his arms aching softly. Simon licked the ringtail's muzzle softly, panting in tandem with him, "Here, let me..."

With a soft squelch of wetness and a pop the silver ring was slowly tugged from Lyiko's cock, making him moan again, slumping down against Simon's lean form as his length relaxed slowly, still half-hard, but no longer diamond hard. The myriad of sensations assaulting his senses dulled once more back to normal, the crashing waves of pleasure slowly fading to a blissful sense of afterglow. A sleepy sluggishness crept over the ringtail as he rested against the leanly sculpted panther, cradled against his chest and belly as Simon slowly stroked his nape and back. Simon's paws slipped down and slowly caressed over the ringtail's smooth ass, squeezing it, "You have a wonderful ass. I can see why your Incubus likes it."

"Mmm, I'm still not sure it's proper for a Student Teacher to fuck a student..."

Lyiko's muffled voice issued from the crook of the panther's throat, making him chuckle, "Well, you have to admit, it was good. You learned a lot, you made good progress and we had a lot of fun."

"Just don't put that ring on me, next time..."

"But that's no fun. And what, this means you want to do this again sometime?"

Lyiko licked the slightly sticky fur around the panther's muzzle, "I think so."

"That sounds good to me."

Simon grinned softly, looking pleased as he settled back, the ringtail's weight settled comfortably on top of himself, his own length still wedged, albeit just barely still within Lyiko's body. After a long while Lyiko stirred, giving a gentle yawn, gazing up at the flickering blue-white flames, "You'll have to teach me that spell."

"It's simple; really, all you do i-..."

Both males jumped as Lyiko's forgotten wand issued a loud pop and a fountain of purple and blue sparks leapt from its tip. Lyiko almost tumbled off of Simon as the panther gazed in alarm at the slender bone rod, sitting up with a jolt "What was that?"

Lyiko scrambled to his feet, groping for his clothes as he snatched up the slightly vibrating wand, "It's Talen. The pendant I gave him has an alarm enchantment cast on it along with a shield charm. It activates if I'm more than 100 feet from him and he comes into close proximity with a curse of scale 4 or greater."

"That's clever."

Despite the urgency of the situation the panther looked impressed, hurriedly tugging his breeches and low slung boots on as Lyiko threw his robe back around himself. He draped his waistcoat and coat around himself, but didn't bother to fasten anything as he touched the ice shell blocking their way and it seemed to melt away into thin air. Lyiko nodded, "Thank-you. Theanon suggested it with Talus' blessing after the affair last summer. We're still not sure if we eradicated that entire cult, so anyone not of age or not proficient with protective arcane magicks living or intimate with anyone who was involved has had protections placed around them."

As Lyiko headed off at a dash toward the cavern entrance Simon caught his paw and tugged him back, "Here, I'll take you. Think happy thoughts."

As he pulled the ringtail close, holding him tight one of his paws closed over Lyiko's ass and he kissed him deeply once more, pulling the ringtail along with him in a swirl of cool mist into nothingness. That jarring, disorienting sense of dislocation swept the ringtail once more as he was swept along with the panther male. Lyiko's vision blanked and his breath caught frozen in his chest before he hit the ground with a thud somewhere much, much warmer than the caverns of ice. He felt the rough-hewn stone floor of the underground dormitories beneath his feet. Simon released him as they swept up the corridor, coming to the ringtail's own door which was standing intact and closed. Lyiko exchanged a glance with the rangy panther before pointing his wand at the door, a flurry of silver sparks erupting from its tip at which the closed portal sprang open and back with a muted crash against the wall.

Talen's shriek echoed off the vaulted stone as he promptly dropped the tea-tray he was carrying, causing the metal tea-pot and cups on it to crash to the floor with a clang and several shatterings. The terrified elf goggled at his rumpled master outlined in the doorway with the disheveled panther male standing next to him looking just as shocked. Inuus was on his feet, his silver eyes wide, pupils contracted to almost nothing as he gazed at his little master and Simon, his nostrils flared. Lyiko swept into the room, followed by the panther at his heels, "Talen! Is everything-... I mean my wa-... What's going on?!"

Lyiko gazed at the shivering elf surrounded by broken china, spilled tea and the splintered remains of the tea-tray; looking paler than his normal white but otherwise unharmed. The bright pendant glittered against his now bare chest as he was wearing only a long, draping kilt of silk that reached down almost to his ankles. Simon snapped his fingers, making the wreckage lying on the floor spring back up, repairing itself and hovering before the stunned looking elf who took it in his shaking hands, "M-m-master Lyiko, you nearly made me die of fright!"

The ringtail looked between Talen and Inuus who were both slowly relaxing, now both staring at the pair of bedraggled, damp, sticky and strongly scented males in their midst, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry Talen. My, you... Ech!"

Lyiko shook his head, making his large bat-like ears flap almost comically, his strawberry hair flying, "You came into close contact with a curse just a few minutes ago, my wand let me know..."

The elf's stormy gray eyes widened as he nodded blankly in response, if not comprehension. Inuus rumbled as if to say something, but Lyiko jumped as a sibilant, slightly lisping and extremely familiar voice reached him from his favorite arm-chair seated away from them before the hearth, "Of course he came into close contact with a curse Lyiko my love. I only just arrived."

Lyiko felt the blood drain from his ears as he nearly tripped over his own feet and staggered, almost falling till Simon grabbed the back of his robe and tugged, steadying him, "Dimas?!"

The slim, black robed figure rose from his chair, showing another ring-tailed male, several inches taller than Lyiko, but skinner, with darker fur, with heavier black markings and a head of nearly knee-length hair as raven black as Simon's fur. Lyiko saw only one half of the other male's smile as half their muzzle was hidden by a black mask that hid the left side of their face from forehead to chin, but the eye that met his own was a bright, melt-water blue akin his own, "Hello brother dear."

Lyiko swallowed, his wand-tip falling as he gazed at his older sibling, "Dimas..."

The slender ringtail looked to Simon who was glancing back and forth between himself and the older, darker, black robed male, "S-Simon, this is my brother Dimas."

The older ringtail smiled brightly and stepped with a flourish across to the rumpled panther male who still looked bewildered, his deep black traveling cloak sweeping along with him as he threw it back over his shoulders. The motion revealing that the left arm of his robe was long enough to completely cover his paw. He thrust his right paw out to the feline as Lyiko coughed delicately, "Simon has been giving me teleportation lessons."

"Is he still hopeless at it?"

The older ringtail giggled in a faintly sinister, but amused titter, making Simon's long, sinuous black tail bristle gently. Dimas grasped the panther's paw gently, blinking his bright blue eye at the stickiness of Simon's paw before the feline gave a look of chagrin and stepped back quickly. Dimas uttered another soft giggle, lifting his paw to his muzzle and sniffing it, "I see... He's been giving you teleportation lessons, has he brother my dear?"

"Well, you arrived so suddenly, we... That is..."

Dimas waved his brother's stammered words away with his paw before he made Simon's jaw gape slightly by raising his fingers to his muzzle and licking them clean. A soft smile played across the older ringtail's muzzle as he drew his tongue across his palm-pad. Simon turned his wide green eyes to Lyiko who was so red-eared it looked as if his ears might catch fire spontaneously. The younger ringtail coughed in a desperate sort of way, "Dimas! Don't do that..!"

"Do what? Lyiko my love?"

The older ringtail smirked at his younger sibling, turning back to Talen who was staring fixedly at both younger and older ring-tailed males. Lyiko shook his head to clear it and turned to Simon, "I'm sorry Simon. Th-thank you for the... lessons."

The scarlet tint of the ringtail's ears was now nearly throwing heat as he licked his suddenly dry lips, trying not to meet anyone's eyes, whispering, "I'll explain later."

As he raised his voice once more he smiled unconvincingly, "Same time, next week?"

"Ye-yeah..." The still slightly dazed looking panther male nodded, smiling as he squeezed Lyiko's paw and kissed his cheek, garnering a rumble from Inuus as he took to the door and swept out, "Same time next week then Lyiko!"

As the door closed Lyiko swallowed, gazing at his older brother, then glancing to Inuus who was still standing, his posture oddly stiff; his shoulders squared, chest thrust out, his broadly muzzled head tipped consideringly. The horned male looked torn between wanting to ask the younger ringtail a dozen questions and wanting to heft Talen over his shoulder and take the young elf back to bed where they had likewise been interrupted by the sudden appearance of the strange looking and even stranger smelling older ringtail. Dimas settled himself back into the chair in front of the fire as Talen looked after the tea-tray, refilling it dutifully. Lyiko ran a paw through his damp hair, "Dimas, why are you here?"

"You haven't been home in almost 2 years Lyiko my love. Father saw you, albeit briefly over the summer. You wrote to us to tell us all about the grand adventure you had. I can scarcely say it was a thrilling tale, Lyiko my love. Mother and father are so proud of what you've accomplished here at school, and your servants are absolutely magnificent. Father's jealous already of your Incubus consort, but you hadn't mentioned you were employing such a beautiful elfin boy. Elves are so rare back home."

Dimas cast his chillingly blue eye wistfully toward Talen's back, who was still bustling with the tea-pot, but whose long, elegantly pointed ears were flared to catch every word he could. The slender elf's back stiffened softly as his alabaster ears flushed faintly pink at the older ringtail's words. Inuus merely rumbled gently, still absorbed in watching Talen's heart-shaped backside shift back and forth beneath the painfully thin, nearly transparent slip of silk bound around his hips. Dimas pursed his lips gently, making the delicate black mask covering his face shift, "But you haven't been home in so long, brother I thought I'd come and visit you. Mother worries about you."

Lyiko winced at the mention of their mother, gripping his wand tightly, "Mother!"

The slender ringtail caught himself with difficulty, his banded tail stiffening as he snapped his muzzle shut, making his jaw ache for an instant before he squared his shoulders and raised his bright eyes to his sibling, "Mother shouldn't worry about anything involving me Dimas. Mother should be much more concerned for herself, as should you and Father!"

He forced his jaws to unclench, attempting to relax with effort. He was still reeling with being surprised by the appearance of his sibling, the interruption of his time with Simon, the fatigue surging through him from his time with the rangy panther and the waves of annoyance and barely masked suspicion radiating from Inuus through his link with the horned male. The younger ringtail sighed in exasperation, forcing his firing temper down with enormous exertion, "And would you take all of that nonsense off please? The dark and secretive nature of the necromancer doesn't mean much to me."

"You'd break mother and grandmother's hearts if they heard you speak like that Lyiko."

"Yes, yes, yes! I know..."

Lyiko waved his paw dismissively, feeling his stomach tingle as it tightened, his patience wearing thin again, "The noble and most ancient houses of Thiar and Thiel. If I thought grandmother had a heart to break, I'd consider the statement valid. But grandmother stays alive out of pure spite; she'd probably just try to curse me like she does everyone else."

Dimas' face put on a slightly pouting expression as he gently removed his cloak, draping it over the back of the chair as Lyiko flicked his wand over himself, shivering as a rush of cool air and mist flooded his robes and covered him from head to foot for an instant before it faded and he was clean once more, absent from the clinging stickiness. He watched his brother slowly remove the mask from his face, keeping his head turned away, "And why do you wear that thing? You were injured, cursed; no one cares if you have a few scars Dimas. At least you survived."

As the older ringtail turned his face back toward him, Lyiko sighed and aimed his wand over his shoulder as the sound of breaking porcelain rang through the chamber once more. The shattered teacup leaping from where it had surrounded Talen's feet as debris back onto the tray, unblemished once more. Lyiko glanced to Inuus, "Remind me to put an unbreakable charm on the tea set later, would you?"

Dimas was now looking at Lyiko with both eyes; one ice blue, the other glowing softly scarlet, "Do you like it? Cousin Algeron did the work for me. The arm too!"

The older ringtail swiftly unclasped his flamboyantly cut, coal black robe, shrugging out of it slowly, but struggling to free his left arm from the overlong sleeve; making Lyiko hiss at Inuus, "Go make sure Talen isn't holding anything breakable!"

As the Incubus swept off to block Talen's view Dimas finally freed his left arm from his robes, leaving himself naked to the waist. Lyiko struggled to keep his face neutral; he and his brother had been almost twins in their youth, save for Lyiko's fair hair and Dimas' dark mane, and his lighter eyes. Now the left side of the older ringtail's face was seamed with heavy scars, dark against his fur, showing through his pelt; one scar tugging up the left-hand side of his muzzle in a permanent slightly twisted smile. The dark scarring stretched down his throat to his chest, deep welts visible through his fur and across his shoulder where his upper arm to just above the elbow matched his right side. But the arm and elbow below were of a completely different fur color and texture; thicker and a deep ruddy chestnut brown. The demarcation of fur was absolute, as if it had been drawn with a ruler. Above and below the deep scar that ran completely around his bicep were ugly, purple stitch scars showing where the two halves of flesh had been crudely, if effectively stitched together at one time.

The brown furred arm was just slightly longer than his right, with shorter fingers and a thicker wrist; making Lyiko's stomach turn slowly in his middle as the limb looked vaguely familiar but he couldn't place where he might have seen it before, "Where... Where did you get that from?"

"Cousin Teufel."

Dimas smiled brightly as he flexed the arm; showing off the flexibility of the thin arm, which looked slightly wasted in comparison with his lean, though healthier looking right one. The older ringtail was slender verging on skinny, with his ribs visible when he breathed deeply or stretched, having little muscle tone, along with the massive scarring on his face and torso. Lyiko rubbed his muzzle slowly, sinking into a seat across from Dimas, "Was he alive at the time?"

"No, no... Great-grandmother did not take kindly to the poison he put in her bed-time brandy last mid-winter's eve."

Lyiko lowered his face into his paws, "Dimas... Brother... Now do you see why father and I spend as little time as possible at home? Do you see why I came away to study here?"

He pointed to the gingery-brown furred arm sewn to his brother's left side, "The matriarchs in our family are insane. Great-grandfather, great-great grandfather, great aunt Isarel, Cousin Ifus, Cousin Teufel, Cousin Algeron, a dozen others, servants, even friends, not to mention Grandmother almost killed you and she killed m-..."

Dimas stood, glowering uncharacteristically at his younger brother with his chillingly blue and glowing crimson eyes, "Mother is fine! Father managed to save my life from that curse by severing my arm so quickly and then he saved-..."

Lyiko shot to his feet, robes billowing, his ears flipping back as he glared right back at his sibling, his wand clenched tight in his paw as he pointed it at his older brother without even realizing it, "Dimas! Mother is not FINE! Mother is DEAD!"

To be continued...