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Shadowdancer

By Dracon

[Notice: The characters and events within are inspired by the "Gargoyles" TV Series and as such credit goes to the creators of said series. If any characters appear in the story from said series, those characters belong to their creators.

Should anyone wish to use the characters or events within in their own works, permission is hereby granted to do so. I just ask that you let me know if you are going to do so and provide credit in your work.

Underage viewers should not read this series, and all readers do so at their own risk.

The characters of Shang Hua, Shu-lin Ming, and Xiang Tzao are copyright of Wren Silverfox (www.fur-affinity.com/user/wrensilverfox). Permission is not granted for use of these characters. Contact their player for permission.]

Previously on Shadowdancer...

de Silva fairly leapt to his feet, surprising us with his agility, and clapped his hands together, crying out, "Excellent! I look forward to hearing what you find out. Remember, they're friends, and they like their privacy. You don't have to go to extremes, just show them a little of the town, and report what you hear. That's all I want. Friends, you won't regret this."

Pulling away from Lin's mouth as the warm contentment that filled Logan's mind darkened with concern and worry, he said in a low, urgent tone, "If ever you were to become laden with young, it would be now. Have... have you given thought to that?"

"It would be an honor to carry your progeny, my Beloved Wolf," she replied without hesitation, her voice soft and filled with love.

Speaking in a very, very soft tone, Lin told Logan, "I... I want you to know something, Logan. There is a good chance that I will die when I give birth to your child. I guess you can call that the curse of the Kitsune..." - _ "Of Fox & Wolf, Part II" _

"Confrontations"

----Chapter I----

_Bring Triana with you, if you would? It would do me good to hold her as I speak, I believe. You know, it occurs to me, I've never seen anyone with fur quite like hers... She'll be quite the head-turner in time, I think. She has your eyes, too, my beloved...

I wonder what she will think, when reads over this eventually. So much mystery and promise, bound up in such a small, fuzzy form. One thing's for certain, though, Lin. We have to make sure she receives a better education than I did, in terms of how to_

be one of the Changing Breeds. And, for that, I believe I will need to yield more to your judgment... you seem to have a far better idea of what you're doing, after all.

Ahh, you see? She doesn't want to sleep... I guess she's too eager to see the world we brought her into. Maybe she'll be more willing to rest if we give her a bedtime story, hmm?

#13, 720 W. Fillmore St., Chicago, Illinois

December 14th, 2027

6:49 A.M.

Glaring at the window, my eyes feeling like balls of raw meat, I waited irritably for dawn to come. I hadn't gotten much rest last night before. My concerns had given rise to nightmares of loss, pain, and fear, but I couldn't bring myself to rise, to possibly disturb your sleep even more. Each time one of my dreams started up, making me tremble in fear, you would wake up and soothe me, and it shamed me to force you to do so.

Your back was pressed against my belly, and your head rested on my arm as you listened to my breathing. "Are you awake, Beloved?" you asked softly, your voice filled with concern.

Sighing, I hung my head as I replied, "Regretfully so, She-With-Eyes-Of-Umbra's-Veil. I was just trying not to awaken you."

"I have not slept well, either," you replied, turning to press your face into my chest, hugging close to my body.

I placed my other arm around your flank, and a tear rolled down from my eye as I embraced you, asking quietly, "Was it my fear or yours that kept you from your well-deserved rest?"

"Neither. It was my regret at informing you thusly," you replied softly, stroking my fur affectionately. "I did not wish to worry you so."

My heart sunk like a stone, and I squeezed you even tighter, not daring, not able to let you go. "I would not have had it any other way. I would gladly take that worry as the price for your trust, in the same way that I would gladly have accepted your family's scorn, if such had been my fate."

"Let's go seek out your friend," you said, hugging me with an intensity that matched my own, throwing your full strength into the embrace.

I nuzzled into your fur, carefully avoiding any of your more sensitive spots, and breathed in your scent for a moment, before responding, "Alas, she resides still in Phoenix. I can ensure that none can overhear our words, with the help of a fetish He-Who-Swims-The-Spark-Rivers made for me. Do not be concerned about revealing our love, or your true form to her. She will understand."

Pressing your check into my broad, burly chest, you said simply, "I understand."

Frowning, I ran through the time zones quickly, gauging the time in Arizona. With my face still buried in your fur, I rumbled out, "I believe that she would be awake already," then added, my voice growing hoarse, "I only pray that she can help us."

You nodded slowly as you rose, then changed to your Homid form. You dressed quickly, efficiently, then headed for the kitchen to prepare breakfast as I prepared to call Karma.

Padding off towards the bedroom, I noted that the clingy, musky scents of our passion had mostly dissipated. With a sorrowful smile, I passed, heading for the closet, then dug around on the custom-mounted shelf, so high I could only reach it in Crinos, for a small piece of grey plastic, with a Network connector on either side.

Returning to the living room with my prize, I donned my sweats with a smile. My nose was twitching, scenting the smell of food, and my stomach rumbled emptily. It seemed that our activities last night had provoked in me a terrible appetite. I pushed it aside to focus, knowing that these next few minutes could be far more important than any mere meal.

I imagine it would be hard for anyone who's not a Were to realize just how close to the surface our instincts lurk. Albeit, by now, they might guess about one instinct, anyway... they would be wrong, as your lust and mine are the products of our Human sides, not our bestial aspects, but still...

I plugged the crypto-fetish into my hardlined Network terminal, then waited until the LED turned on, indicating that the captive Pattern Spider was awake. I gave it a moment, to be certain, then input the address from memory, piping the display into the entertainment center's display.

The call picked up, on audio, after a few moments, and a pleasant voice, tinged with a Slavic accent, responded. "Gaia's Embrace Tobacco & Sundries, Karma speaking. Vhat ken I do for you?"

I whispered quietly in response, forcing myself to use English. My voice was distorted by my unhuman muzzle, but I trusted that she would recognize me. "It... Logan. You... secure?"

A moment passed, then the screen brightened into a phosphor glow, revealing an alluringly curved, dark-furred Garou bitch in Crinos form. Her startlingly deep, cocoa brown eyes twinkled with pleasure, and a colorful bandana was wrapped around her scalp. She switched to the Garou tongue, crying out, "Logan! Good to hear from you again. Any word of Apoc?"

Shaking my head sadly, I said, "Only a few rumors. But, this is not why I howled to you," then called out to you, beckoning you to join us.

You entered, wearing your Homid form, as I had seen you last, but something seemed off to me. This was borne out when you knelt down next to me, sitting on you feet. My heart ached when I saw the way your eyes were cast down upon the floor.

Karma raised an eyebrow, noting your lack of reaction to my war-form, something unusual in what she must have assumed you were - a human. I bent, then cupped a hand beneath your chin, eyes widened with concern as I whispered, "What is the matter?"

A talon of purest fear shot down my spine when I saw the tears in your eyes. "I'm sorry for putting you through all of this, Logan," you said very, very softly.

Before I could answer, Karma interrupted, concern and a hint of suspicion showing in her voice, "Um, is everything okay? Is there something I missed here?" then switched into English, her voice guttural but understandable as she asked, "Who... you, girl?"

"My name is Shu-Lin Ming Star," you replied firmly, defiance burning through the moisture in your eyes as you bristled a little at being called a 'girl'.

Karma reverted to her Homid form, revealing features that would remind most of a Gypsy. Her complexion was dark and rich, with a faint spray of glitter along her high cheekbones as an accent. She spoke in English, in deference to the 'Human'. "I sought zhat'd get your attention. Ming... Starr? Logan, vhen'd you get hitched? You didn't invite me!"

Realizing her ploy, you calmed down, but your gaze returned to the carpet again. Before answering Karma, I spoke to you, revealing the agony I felt in my heart, and patted at the couch cushion. "Please, sit with me, my love. You must not concern yourself over what you feel you have done. Please, show Karma who you truly are, that she might understand."

You nodded and rose to your feet, shifting effortlessly into your Koto form as you sat beside me, arraying you tails behind you like a fan.

Karma, to her credit, merely blinked as I placed my arm around you, whispering soft reassurances into your ear. After I finished, she said, "Ah. I ken see vhy I didn't get an engraved invite. Um, Shu-Lin, could you tell me? Vhat tribe are you? I've never seen anyone like you before."

My hopes shattered like delicate crystal, and I spoke an obscenity that I will not repeat again. You put one hand on my leg, looking up to me as I stewed in my own sorrow, before replying to Karma, "I am Kitsune, from the Beast Courts of the East."

Her face brightened as asked, cheerfully, "Oh! Hev you ever heard of Indra Stalker-of-Shadows? She's vhat you call a Nagah, I sink. She vas in a few days ago, asking after some hashish." She grinned at us, commenting, "And here I vas, alvays figuring zhat Logan vould end up vith a nice AmerInd girl."

You thought upon the name for a time, then shook your head, answering, "I cannot say that I know of one by the name of Indra Stalker-of-Shadows."

Karma waved her hand, gold and copper bracelets jingling as she said, dismissively, "Don't vorry about it. Now, I ken tell, by my remarkable powers of insight, zhat sere's a lil' trouble down in paradise, yes? I don't need my cards for zat one, so it's a freebie. Vhat's zhe problem?"

*dryly* I believe I mentioned that Karma was... unique, yes? A good friend and a valuable ally, to be sure, but a little eccentric, even by Garou standards. Don't you agree, my love? love?

Eccentric? Garou standards? I can safely say that she is a bit more than just eccentric...

You looked up to me, but remained silent for a moment, before Karma spoke again, grinning evilly at us. "Ooh-ho-ho. Let me guess, let me guess. Logan's not quite up to snuff in bed, yes?"

"Uh, no. It's his prowess that has him worried," you replied evenly, not matching her mirthful tone.

My face lit up like a display screen, no doubt quite visible through my fluffy fur, and I gulped deeply before admitting, "We... we love each other very dearly, Karma. We wish to have a child together, but... I fear that my beloved fox-kin will die in the process of giving birth. Is... is there anything we can do?"

Frowning, her face taking on a solemn cast as she considered our problem, Karma replied, "Um, I'd need some more details. Vhat do you believe zhe problem to be?"

You burrowed into me, trying to reassure my troubled mind. I placed an arm around your shoulder, smiling bravely, as you told her, "The only way to bring a new Kitsune into the world is for one to die..."

Karma nodded, but her dark, pretty eyes opened wide in shock as she asked, in a tone as quiet as yours, "You know sis for a fact? And, vould zhe child be... deformed, as our Metis are?"

"It has been that way since the birth of the Kitsune," you informed her, and then a tinge of pride entered your voice as you explained further, "We breed true, so there would be no deformities as with Garou Metis."

Know that I am eternally grateful that my Garou blood did not to be the tipping point for her... For once, I am all too willing to yield to another... It would have broken my heart if she had been... damaged.

That is because of how strong the Garou blood is. One frail body can only contain so much. Thankfully, it was thinned by the fox blood within our dear Triana. *Reaches over and caresses the child's face*

Clasping my arms around your rusty-furred body, I placed my muzzle into your hair and began to sob quietly, unable to control myself any longer. Karma remained silent for a moment before advising, "I vould trust your mate, Logan. Surely, you vould know zhat she vas being trusful. I don't know zhat sere's anysing to be done for it."

"Though, I'm not entirely certain as to what would happen if I were to birth a child to Logan. I have not run across a pairing such as ours in all my years," you admitted, trying to sound a little hopeful.

Karma turned to open a locked cabinet behind her, replying softly, "I hope zhat Gaia vill smile upon you and grant you mercy. And, in zhe mean time," then turned to reveal a hand-labeled box, bringing a bit of levity into her tone, "I'll send up a couple batches of sese pills. Zhey'll vork enough black magic on Logan's fuzzy balls zhat sere'll be no chance he could knock you up. Best I ken do."

Raising my head from your shoulder, my voice a low, supplicant whine, I replied, "Thank you, Karma, for trying. Please, if you should discover anything that would help with the problem Lin and I face, I beg you, tell us. And... I thank you for the medicine. Apocalypse itself would come before I could lose my love to," as my voice rose to a roar, "an accident!"

You rubbed your cheek on my shoulder, hugging into my side. I could feel the warmth, the compassion flowing from your body.

Karma grinned at us, allowing us a moment together, before she began to make shooing motions, telling me, "Get outta here, Logan. Us girls need to talk for a moment."

I stood, allowing my hand to linger along our cheek for a moment, then strode into the bedroom. I wanted to give you two the privacy she requested, and I figured that spending a little time to clean the place up my just help my state of mind.

Of course, that also meant that I wasn't around to hear the rest of the conversation, but you filled me in later... I certainly didn't mind the small deception, not with how everything worked out in the end.

After all, that's how little Triana here came to be.

Karma gave me a moment to clear out, then told you, "Gotta warn you, zhose pills are just stoneseed root, vith a little bit of zinc and selenium inhibitor... and a little gypsy magic. Do you hev a season, or are you as fertile as a human?"

"I have a season," you replied simply, lost in your own thoughts.

Karma nodded, her eyes twinkling as she said, "Gaia smiles on you. Zhat helps tremendously. Make sure Logan's on sese pills during your heat, if you ken think straight enough," then, she grinned mischievously, adding, "or, I'll pack along some plazebos, if you're villing to risk it. If I know him at all, he von't dare to be near you during your heat if he's not on somesing, so I'll leave zhe choice up to you."

You smiled warmly, nodding your head as you replied quietly, "Thank you, Karma."

Her eyes continued to shine brightly, even as her voice took an authoritarian tone, "I'm not doing zhis for free, you know. I'll only help you out if you promise to do two sings for me."

"Chiminage in exchange for your assistance?" you asked, resigning yourself to whatever service she would require.

Laughing pleasantly, Karma shook her head, speaking in a sympathetic tone, "No, not quite. I'm not draggin' you all zhe way done here, anyvay. No, you need to be aware that Logan's borderline bipolar. He's probably in one of his low cycles right now, so he's very self-doubting and moody. I vant you to make sure he doesn't do anysing he'll regret, okay? Ve go back a long way."

You chuckled, having already figured that much out for yourself, then asked, "And, the second thing you wish me to do?"

With a gentle smile, she replied, "If you do decide to bear his children... I vould like to be your midwife. If zhis is as unique of a case as you say, I vould love to be a part of history zhat way," then added quickly, "It vouldn't be my first time, so don't vorry about zhat."

"Hai. I would be honored," you answered, returning her smile.

With an impish grin, Karma nodded, then said, "You can let zhe walking carpet back in now. It's been good to meet you, Lin. You seem to make Logan very happy."

You smiled fondly. "And, it has been a pleasure to met you, Karma," you replied, before letting out a howl to beckon me forward.

I came back at a dead run. My tail had slipped out of the back of my sweats and trailed behind me like a banner. A mesh bag, full of sodden sheets, rested on my shoulder, and I barked out, "Did you figure something out? Did something occur to either of you?"

Karma winked to you, deciding that it would be best to let you handle me, and you returned the gesture as you replied, "Yes, we did, Beloved."

Falling to my knees in front of you, the bag slid from my numbed grasp, but I could have cared less. I placed my hands on either side of your waist, then lifted you high into the air triumphantly. Howling aloud, pleasure filled my voice as I declared, "That is wondrous news, dearest of my heart. Karma, I am in your debt in a way that I can never truly repay. If there is ever anything that you require..."

She grinned at me, waving her hand dismissively as she said, "Yeah, yeah, I'll let you know. Let me go get zhis packed up. I'll send it next-day. Good luck, lovebirds," then closed the connection.

Let's just say that karma, and Karma, has a way of settling debts, eh? Granted, it didn't take too much to convince us to go along with it, as I recall.

*Laughs* How did that comment about Triana's coloring go again?

You purred loudly as I hoisted you effortlessly, then wrapped your arms around my neck, nuzzling into my throat. Honest pleasure in your voice, you told me, "Karma says I don't have to worry about anything when I'm off season. And, what she's sending will only be needed when I am in season."

My voice quieted as I whined to you, my voice contrite, "I am sorry for ever doubting you, my beloved. I just... I felt I could not take the chance. But, if both you and Karma believe this to be true, then I have little choice but to accept it," then my tone picked up as I smiled, adding, "Not that this wondrous news saddens me in the slightest."

Purring softly, you wrapped your legs around my waist, licking at my chin lustily. I smiled as I lowered my head, giving you better access, then said in a slightly hoarse tone, "Do we have time? Or, should we attend to our business with your family, first?"

"Let me call Shang and Tzao, see what they say," you suggested as you stopped tongue-bathing my face long enough to place the call. You used your portable, and was soon connected to them. You spoke for some time in that pidgin language of yours, but I didn't object. You were hanging from my neck, chest pressed to mine, the whole time.

That probably would have broken my back if I had been Homid, but I supported you easily, you weight quite bearable to my strengthened frame. As you chatted, I softly scratched and massaged your shoulder blades through your dress.

You wriggled against me, shifting to bring sensitive or tight spots under my grasp, and occasionally nipped at my chin when I touched a sensitive spot. After awhile, you hung up, then shrugged as you said, "Well, apparently they already have an appointment with one of the septs here."

I yipped a short laugh, commenting, "Well, they certainly did not waste time, did they? We should go meet with them, to give the impression of heeding the Corpulent One's commands, yes?"

Nodding, you replied, chuckling as you did so, "Let's go get presentable, and you can burn those sheets."

With a frown, I whined in protest, hugging you to my body a little more closely, "But, I thought they let a lovely ambiance to our den!"

"Fine, keep them if you want," you replied. Your tails spiraled together into one, then laughed, "Just don't act surprised the next time I jump your bones out of the blue."

Grinning as I set you down, I slung the powerfully scented bag onto my shoulder as I replied, "I would be looking forward to it instead, my beloved."

I tossed the sheets into our cleaner unit, then dumped the bag on top, just to be sure, then padded into the bedroom. I slunk into the closet, squeezing your shoulder as I passed, then slunk into the closet, closing and locking the door behind me.

Leaning into my grasp a little, you watched curiously, tilting your head curiously. I wished that we had a little more time, since the sight of you with one leg off the ground, panties half off, was quite tempting, but we had business to attend to.

I took my time dressing, wanting to look my very best for your family. Several minutes later, I approached the door again, allowing my booted feet to resound out of the closet. To be fair, I was a lot more comfortable in my usual ultralastic-polyester blend, but one does what one must.

Striding from the closet, which was far deeper than it seemed from the outside, I reentered the room. The early dawn light made the black wool of my jacket shimmer, almost like silk. I stood before you in Crinos form, garbed in an immaculately tailored Armani suit. I'd gathered my shaggy head-fur back in a tail, and I tried to radiate confidence, holding myself erect and proud.

You looked on with the expression of a deer caught in a pair of headlights, stunned by my change in appearance.

Chuckling at your reaction, my muzzle split into a wide grin, then I slowly shifted down to my Homid form, and my suit changed with me. I added a slightly resonant timbre to my voice as I told you, "I'd hoped for that kind of impression, as much as this damn thing set me back. But, no true Glass Walker should be without at least one power suit, I guess."

You sat down hard on the edge of the bed, gaping at me as you asked, "Who the hell are you, and what did you do with my mate?"

Throwing my head back, I laughed aloud for a moment, before smiling and reciting, "I'm just the beast under your bed/in your closet/in your head!"

Still grinning, I sat down next to you and placed my arm around your waist, explaining in my usual tone, "It's just me, sugar. I just wanna put on a good show for Eckhart de Tubbs... and besides, in all seriousness, I do wanna look good for yer folks."

"Right," you replied, favoring me with a smile as you finished dressing. You'd chosen an eye-catching dress, in the qipao cut you favored, shimmering in a dark, jade green as you moved.

I wolf-whistled as I eyed your curvy body, sheathed in the green silk. "Well, lf they need a distraction tomorrow, I'm thinkin' we could help out. We step out that door, we're gonna be causin' accidents all over the place, y'know?"

Grinning at the idea, you started putting up your hair, agreeing with me. I walked over and held your shoulders tightly, then placed my check against the side of your neck, whispering into your ear, "Yer still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Ya could make a potato sack look like the latest fashion."

Snuggling into me for a moment, you looked up into my eyes and said, "Flatterer."

"Always, my dear, always," I replied with a laugh, then said, "I'll go get my stuff while ya finish up. Meet ya by the Bitch?"

"Sure," you replied, then held your arms over your head, allowing your raven's-wing hair and the dress's silk to cascade down your body.

I forced myself to look away, returning to the living room to grab the keys that Shang had left on the coffee table. There was something different about them, I thought, but I really didn't pay any attention to it until I reached my parking space.

You hear of people doing double-takes when they see something completely out of place? It's true. I stared at this huge black Chevy that glistened in my space, then glanced a at my keys, then back at the Suburban. My jaw gaped open, and I stepped forward as stiffly as a zombie, laying my hand on the hood to make sure it was real, not some Ragabash illusion.

I heard your quiet footsteps as I mused aloud, "They weren't kiddin' around when they said 'full-service'."

Standing next to me, you did the exact same thing that I had, which made me feel a little bit better. All you could do was choke out the word, "Wow."

Holding my arm out for you, I asked in a shaky, almost trembling, voice, "Uh, they didn't mention anything, did they? Y'know, like they were pickin' up a new fraggin' car on the way down?"

Taking my arm, you gazed at its shining, ebon surface, you replied, "They didn't..."

Tzao has a certain perverse enjoyment of surprising people with the completely and utterly unexpected, I've noticed. It just happens that I'm one of the few that ended up enjoying one of her surprises...

Not that we didn't get her back on her next birthday. That little present of yours was simply evil, but in a good way of course.

It took me awhile to think of it, but it was worth the effort to see the look on her face.

I whistled in awe, then walked us over to the passenger door, supporting myself a little with your strength. "This car... is fraggin' hot. If we weren't su'posed to be meetin' with yer folks, I'd pop this thing open and see what's under the hood. I really owe... I'm guessin' Tzao, somehow." With a giddy grin, I added quietly, "But, it's still not as sexy as you, love."

Smiling at my compliment, you waited patiently for me to open the door for you.

With a grand, sweeping gesture, I fingered the handle, then motioned for you to enter. I couldn't help but to peek inside, and whistled again as I saw the all-leather seats. What really caught my eye, though, was the dash, which looked more like something out of a fighter jet. "Ya think she comes with a trainin' course?" I asked, unable to hide my amazement.

"I hope so," you replied, taking a seat behind the extensive communications suite the occupied the passenger's side of the console.

I closed the door carefully, afraid that the beauty would vanish like a soap bubble if I touched it too hard, then literally danced over to the other side and slid in, feeling the way that the seat molded itself to my body. Grinning at you, I sighed softly, commenting, "Y'know, I think you might just have some competition."

That earned a laugh from you as you buckled up, and you growled with faux irritation at the idea that a mere vehicle could take your place. The seat did feel really nice, though.

I noted with appreciation that she was a manual, an extreme rarity in this day and age, but an anachronism that fit my tastes just fine. Glancing at the dash, I noticed that, while there were many gauges, covering everything from engine and computer temps to tire pressure, there didn't actually seem to be a speedometer.

Raising an eyebrow, I turned the key, and the engine kicked over nearly silently. To our amazement, a series of displays shimmered into being along the edges of the windshield, prompting a smile and a purr of, "Ooohh, nice," from you.

My sight danced across the projections, and I would bet good money that I looked like a kid at Christmas. I laughed aloud, "I'm gonna have so much fun! Just do me a favor, sugar... If I start gettin' too stupid, yell at me, okay? She's not gonna have a scratch if I can help it."

Sounding slightly distracted as you prodded at the comm suite, you replied, "Will do, Beloved."

I popped the titanic SUV into reverse, noting the perspective-corrected display that appeared in front of me, and backed out slowly. Gunning the throttle just a hair, I pulled out onto the street and grinned at the way she responded to my every command.

As I merged into traffic, I said, "Hmm, and she does what I tell her to, too. Def'nitely a change from the Bitch, and one I'm not mindin' at all."

Taking my eyes off the road for a moment, I glanced over at you and said, "Hey, punch up yer folks and tell 'em to meet us at the Starbucks on East Wacker, would ya?"

_We spent most of the rest of the day bumming around town with Shang and Tzao, giving me a chance to play tour guide for the three of you. Of course, every so often, we'd discuss 'the business plans', in case we were being tailed by any of Eckhart's goon squad. We had to try and make it look good for the fat bastard, after all.

I make it sound worse than it was, though. With as wicked as you Kitsune are, we had a ball, messing around with our potential tails. I would never have guessed that Tzao could make such a convincing dumb tourist!

Night came and went, though we were more subdued that we had been the previous evening. I trusted what you and Karma said, of course, but my instincts still told me to be wary._

Tzao was scheduled to appear before the sept after sundown the following day, at the monthly moot. I felt as curious as a newly Changed pup as to what all of these secret talks were all about, and so the day passed both all too fast and all too slow for my tastes, but eventually the sun began to sink beneath the horizon.

----Chapter II----

Along Interstate 94

December 15th

4:02 P.M.

Someone looking at my face as I drove towards the outskirts of the city probably would have thought that I was having a religious experience, an epiphany on par with seeing the face of Mother Gaia herself, and my only regret was that the caern wasn't farther, for once.

The small, forested island in the southern part of Washington Park came into view, with what I knew to be firelight shining out from its center.

I pulled into the parking lot, just outside the park, then shut down my miraculous steed, and hopped out to catch the door for you, feeling just a little bit like James Bond. Taking your arm in mine, we walked to the island, to the caern proper. The firelight grew stronger as we approached, and we could make out dozens of Garou, in all the many forms, talking with each other, eating, drinking, and otherwise celebrating, with a number of Kin among them.

You looked around, taking in the sights. It didn't take long for you to find your family. Tzao, in her Koto form, spoke with a scarred, brown-pelted Crinos. A pair of younger, blonde-furred warriors stood at his flanks. Shang was listening, in his Homid form, with a rather tattered looking Lupus, shallow-chested and almost sickly looking.

You smiled and waved to your aunt, then asked me quietly, "This is your caern?"

Nodding, running my hands along your hair, I replied, "Yeah, this is the Heart of Washington Park. We've got a small 'temple' a little ways to the north for informal gatherin's, but... can't ya feel the energy here? The heartbeat of the Mother?"

"I can," you replied, closing your eyes and soaking in the warmth of the bonfire, the comforting presence of the caern's protector spirit.

Clasping your hand in mine, I, too, closed my eyes and began to listen to Her heartbeat. It took every ounce of my will not to shift right then and there. My heart raced as I felt the energy that suffused the clearing and I whispered, "I love it here. I don't get here nearly often enough, but it just feels so welcomin' here."

Waving to a lean, white-furred Crinos that walked past, I commented, "Heya, Torao!" He nodded back a greeting as he continued to stride towards the bonfire. I turned to you and asked, "Do ya want me to introduce ya to Lightnin'-in-the-Jar? The one Shang's talkin' to?

You nodded, sounding eager, as we walked, I chuckled softly, telling you, "I'm glad that's Tzao over there, by Rasczak, and not me. He terrifies me, I gotta say."

We meandered towards Shang's companion, not setting any speed records. On closer examination, she was revealed as simply being very delicately built, and the thinness of her coat was more from a lack of care than anything else.

Her head swung up as we approached, revealing her pale, powder-blue eyes. She seemed to look through us more than at us. In a whispering tone, carrying an odd undercurrent, she said, "We welcome you, Logan, and bid you to join us. Whom is this female you travel with?"

I hesitated for a moment, but you stayed silently, allowing me to introduce me. I said quietly, "This is Shu-Lin Ming," though I failed to add my name to yours. My heart ached for me to do so, but I felt that I couldn't risk it. "A distant Kinfolk of mine. I'm showin' her around the city, wanted her to see what a Yankee moot was like, y'know? They do things a lil' different where she comes from."

Smiling at the bald-faced lie, you made no move to correct me, merely nodding in affirmation.

Shang nodded slightly to us, indicating that he agreed with our plan. Lightning sniffed at you briefly before saying, "This one has the eyes of the Spirits upon her. They ask me, who is she, why does she walk here?"

Her expression softened, though her pale, unblinking eyes remained locked upon you. "I tell them that she is to be trusted, that she is family. Walk with us, Lin."

"Very well," you answered, giving her a small bow then followed the thin Garou. I joined you, staying a half-step behind you, and remained quiet. I was curious to hear what Lightning would have to say about you, since I knew that her insight was often quite profound.

It didn't take you long to realize that this ethereal wolf-maiden was blind, her eyes locked open, focused straight ahead, not following the terrain. And yet, somehow, she walked the rough grounds without trouble.

She led us away from the main body of the revelers, in a slow, slightly unsteady gait, then spoke quietly, but clearly, in a curious tone. "The Spirits tell me you carry yourself different than your... friend, and they ask me who you truly are. What am I to tell them, sister?"

At first, I thought you were merely repeating yourself, then my breath caught as I heard your words. "I am Shu-Lin Ming Starr, mate of Logan Starr. I am Kitsune from the Beast Courts," you declared, unhesitant.

Lightning padded along softly, her four paws leaving no trace in the soft ground. After a few moments, she answered, "Ahhhh, that answer is pleasing. We thank you for your trust. Know that your secret will rest with us. In exchange for this confidence, we reveal another to you..."

Her breath caught, and the rich undercurrent melted from her tone, fear flooding the high, reedy voice. "Your Elder is in mortal danger! Run to her, run to her if you would seek to saver her!"

Rolling to the ground as she tripped over a root, she shifted quickly into the form of a pale Human girl, her skin so colorless as to show the veins beneath. A ragged cotton blindfold obscured her eyes, and she trembled, filled with terror. I looked to her pityingly for a moment, but I knew that there was nothing to be done for her. This was the curse of her insight, the burden of her Metis blood.

I wonder if she was the first Metis you encountered. I honestly don't recall if you've ever answered that for me. She's one of the lucky ones, too... many Metis have far more prominent and damaging malformations.

She isn't the first I have met, and she wasn't the last. There are many in the Beast Courts, though they aren't reviled to the same extent your Metis are.

You didn't wait so long as I did, instead turning to dash towards the gathering as quickly as you could. I turned and followed you, asking from the corner of my mouth, "Got that Klaive on ya?" When you nodded, I informed you, "Don't draw it, that's a challenge."

We saw a number of the Garou gathered in a circle around two figures: Tzao and Rasczak. His tail bristled, hatred shining in his eyes by the light of the fire, his hand on the hilt of his Grand Klaive. I knew that even in Homid, he was a giant, and in Crinos form, he towered over Tzao, over twice her height.

His voice was an awe-inspiring roar as he bellowed at her, "...and by what right have you to dictate to us what we can and cannot do, fox bitch? Our laws exist for a reason, foolish one, and we will not stoop to break them! Certainly not in such a blatant manner! Reveal ourselves to those in power? I'd sooner bare my throat to the Wyrm!"

Your aunt stood against the full force of his fury, unbending, unbowing, bristling with restrained annoyance. "Your Veil must be lifted if you wish to save this world. That is your charge, is it not?"

Rasczak drew his blade with a faint rasping sound, holding it in front of his chest, looking down its edge at her. "Do your visions tell you this? Perhaps they also tell you why we have not seen it!"

He raised the silver sword over his head as he addressed the crowed, raising his voice even more, "I am no Theurge, and it is still clear to me! It is because this Eastern Urrah made it up, I tell you! Deny it if you dare, "Xiang_-ikthya_."

Inhaling sharply, I slid my hand under my jacket, whispering to you, "This is bad, love. Rasczak is the greatest among us in battle, and it's gonna take a miracle to sway the sept from him."

Tzao growled dangerously, and the air immediately surrounding her darkened ominously as her eight tails lashed. Her voice became a serpent's whisper as she asked, "You call me a liar?"

The gigantic warrior laughed easily, his chest, nearly as broad as Tzao was tall, heaving with the force of his mirth. Passion, the darker side of it, obviously ran hot in his blood. "No, of course not. I would never call such an," he said, his voice becoming filled with scorn as time went on, "honored elder a liar. I call you Wyrm-tainted, were you not too foolish to understand out noble tongue!"

I unclasped my revolver, brushing my fingers against the fast-loader Tzao had doctored as Tzao's dark aura spilled across the ground. A chill breeze swept through the caern, as though Gaia sighed in sorrow at the coming duel. For I truly believed that there could be no other possibility at this point.

Rasczak seemed to notice this for the first time, and his muzzle gaped open widely, in apparent pleasure, of all things. He proclaimed, "You see? She draws 'pon the Devourer's own darkness as her aegis! Turn tail now, Xiang_-ikthya_, and I'll grant you a head start, to give you the barest fighting chance to prove yourself."

Stroking your hand for reassurance, I said quietly, "We gotta get closer to the front, see if we can defuse the crowd. They're gonna rush her when she blows Rasczak away."

You whispered, "Yeah," sadly as you broke from my grasp, working your way through the assembled Garou. I crept in along the other side, whispering a prayer to Luna and Gaia that my skills at oratory would prove great enough. My skin prickled into goosebumps as Tzao's shadow brushed against me.

"I need no head start," she said softly, her voice sounding like silver wrapped inside silk. "Come at me, cub."

I find myself wondering just what was going through Rasczak's head at this point. He had to know that he was dealing with something completely beyond his knowledge, yet he tried to goad her anyway. I'd never known him to make that terribly bad of a miscalculation.

Because that is part of the Kitsune way, Beloved. Tzao is a seasoned warrior, and as you noted she is quite good with her blade.

Kitsune trickery or no, I still wonder... but no matter. What's done is done, and cannot be undone.

The enraged Warder snarled, then lunged at her with the argent blade, his lips curled back in rage. His broad paws covered the distance quickly as he raised his arm to cleave her head from her neck...

...only to find that she wasn't there. There was the sound of metal rasping against wood, then a soft hiss as she parted his flesh, interrupted only by a quiet thunk as she shattered his bone. Blinding pain shot through Rasczak's body as his leg tumbled away, severed in one argent flash. Crimson blood sprayed forth from his exposed femoral artery, but none of the droplets touched Tzao's kimono.

He cried out in pain as he tumbled to the ground, but it was a strangled sound that became replaced by the audible sound of grinding teeth as he curled in a roll. He landed on his back, raising his sword to defend or attack as he could, despite his disadvantageous position on the ground.

Tzao stood proud in front of him, holding a katana that looked as though it were forged from solid silver, but I knew that it must have had a spirit-of-war bound into it to have cut through is flesh and bone so easily. "Show throat and I'll let you live," she said softly, "Or die where you lie."

With a voice amplified by the pain coursing trough his body, Rasczak shouted, "A Garou yields to no one!"

A shout, from an all-too-familiar baritone voice, emerged from the outskirts of the dueling ring. "Stop this nonsense this instant! I'll not lose my general. Get the Theurges together, tend to his leg!"

Rasczak snarled again, more quietly, to Tzao as he held sword between them, "I yield... to no one."

"It would be wise to learn, pup," Tzao snapped, her myriad tails lashing behind her. Turning from him, she strode away, sheathing her sword again.

With a sharp stillness, an eerie contrast to his earlier bravado, he laid his head against the ground in surrender. After a moment, it snapped up again, and his arm moved in a blur. The Grand Klaive flicked out from his hand, and the only sound I could hear was the whoosh of silver through the air as it tumbled end-over-end directly to her back.

She heard, or perhaps felt it coming, spun around on her heel, caught the weapon one-handed and hurle it back towards him with blinding speed.

Rasczak's eyes opened wide in shock, then were obscured as one of his two disciples hurled himself between the blade and his master. He extended his arms out, trying to catch it, willing to give his life to protect his master.

I've got to ask, Lin, my dear... would you feel uncomfortable to have someone so willing to give their life for you? *a pause* Other than myself, of course. I happen to think I have a good excuse, though.

No, I was brought up among the courts, and among some very devoted retainers.

The blade thudded into the earth at the soldier's feet as Tzao growled, "Any more of you Gets need a lesson tonight?"

His pride as maimed as his body, Rasczak propped up his chest and shouted, "At least do me the honor of addressing me properly, Xiang_-rhya_! I am no Get of Fenris, I am of the noble blood of the Shadow Lords!

Shaking my head at his foolishness, I growled to myself, lowering my hand from my back. "Fraggin' idiot. Pass out while ya still got yer life."

Tzao merely nodded her head a single time. "If you had listened, I would not have had to part your leg from your body," she replied as she hefted the limb, moving swiftly to his side. "This will hurt, steel yourself," she warned as she mended his leg with a few words and a glow of gnosis from her hands.

The wounded warlord screamed with pain as intense or more as when the limb had been amputated, but he soon gritted his teeth to still the cry, staring into her eyes with a barely disguised hatred.

Rising after she fingered the cut, making sure there was no scar there, she said to the crowd around her, "We did not wish to make enemies, only allies. I am but a mere, humble emissary of the Dragon Courts, sent forth to garner the aid of our western cousins. The time to reunite is upon us as the Apocalypse draws nigh!"

She offered her hand to Rasczak, telling him, "Stand, Rasczak. You have fought well, though you chose the wrong fight."

He glared at her, then took her hand, pulling himself to his feet, though to his disappointment, Tzao did not fall over from his weight. He bowed his head solemnly, howling mournfully, "I cannot place stock in your visions, Xiang_-rhya_, but I trust in your sword arm. I would have you at my side, rather than at my back."

Whispering softly, so that only she could hear, he added, "But, I still believe you to be a liar and a fool."

"Believe what you wish. It is not my story that I tell, but the one told to me by the Dragons," Tzao intoned, raising her voice for the benefit of the crowd.

de Silva pushed his through crowd, in Homid form, an ingratiating smile on his face as he approached the Kitsune, speaking in a placating tone, "Please, do not hold the actions of one against the many. Rasczak has led many campaigns against the Wyrm, and he sees shadows where there are none. Rasczak, you have dishonored yourself and your sept. Go to the fire, and seek Gaia's forgiveness."

Growling in an irritated tone, Tzao told him, "He has done no dishonor this night. He reacted as many have before, with the good of his sept and his tribe in mind. If there is any dishonor here this night, it is yours."

My jaw hit the floor as I watched her dress down the overstuffed Elder. The crowd began disperse around me. It seemed to me that they were unwilling to face their own nature this bluntly.

de Silva gaped for a moment before regaining his breath, and he wrung his hands as he said, "Wh-what do you mean, Xiang_-yuf_? He attacked a guest of our caern on only the flimsiest of pretense, and as his Elder, I sent him to be punished for it. What dishonor is there in this?"

"Listen here, pup," Tzao said, her tone becoming more menacing with every word, "Do not pretend to claim me as your equal, for you most assuredly are not among mine. Second, he is a mighty general, though he may not have liked what I had to say. You Garou insist on debating with your claws and teeth more often than with your wit and tongue."

The Corpulent One's smile fell, his baby-fat face wrinkling in irritation, and his tone turned icy. "I don't believe I care for your tone. You are a guest in our hall, in case you have forgotten, and I can dismiss you as easily as I bid you to enter. Rasczak is mine to do with as I please, and if I please to make an example of him, I don't see where this is your concern. You will watch your tongue, or you will leave my territory. You may speak of your proposals, but I will not take such disobedience to my person lightly."

In retrospect, I am utterly shocked that he didn't get mauled for his actions, right then and there. The urge among us to follow our leaders is strong, of course... But, such unrestrained arrogance!

He got what was coming.

Indeed he did. My only regret was that he did not suffer more greatly.

"Then, I shall bid you farewell before you make yourself look any more of a fool," Tzao said as she slid her saya back into her obi. Turning on her heel, she strode from the caern. Shang followed a few footsteps behind, shooting de Silva a look that spoke of imminent death.

de Silva shouted, giving his voice an authoritative tone, "You and your kin are not welcome here! Take that message back to your masters!"

You strode past de Silva as well, still wearing your Homid form, and echoed Shang's gaze. If anything, you seemed even more intent on ending his offensive existence, to my eyes.

Looking around quickly, I moved into the shadows at the edge of the clearing as though I had seen all I wanted, moving on a tangent to the direction you had taken. When I broke into the woods, I ran for you, shifting to Lupus to make up the distance as quickly as I could.

By the time I caught up with you again, I could see that Tzao was absolutely furious. If looks could kill, this whole park would have been wiped off the face of the planet, I thought. Growling, her tails twitching as she looked back at caern, she declared, "That Wyrm-tainted bastard."

Shifting into my Crinos form in a smooth transition, I moved from four feet to two in the space of a single stride, still resplendent in my suit. Looking to the Kitsune trio, I allowed my eyes to go wide as I said, "Luna Above, that was incredible, Tzao! I have not seen de Silva so furious in... ever!"

With raised hackles, Tzao growled again as she spoke, "I should have parted his head from his shoulders with a dull spoon, the motherless dekaijiri."

Crouching on my heels, I carefully kept the fabric of my suit off the ground, while still showing my deference to her, and asked quietly, "If I may, Exalted One? You did accomplish something of use, I believe. As he declared, Rasczak is a Shadow Lord. He is no friend to de Silva, a Silver Fang. Believe it or not, you may well have recruited a staunch ally to your cause, this night."

Raising an eyebrow, Tzao nodded in response, "I am not well versed in your tribes as I should be, Logan. Please, explain the differences."

I rose to my full height, raising my head to show my throat to her, then spread my hands as I explained, "It is much like Human politics. The Silver Fangs are the old court. They have held sway for many, many, many moons. The Shadow Lords rose in the East, the Slavic countries, and have tried to take the place of the Silver Fangs. The two are at each others' throats continually, only really uniting to face a common threat."

Slamming a fist into the palm of my other hand, I told her, "You can play one against the other, if you know the right words."

Nodding, Tzao motioned to the SUV, commenting, "You could consider this our present to you," then her lips twisted in a frown as she continued, "I must make sure to do that next time, though I feel it is a disservice to my cause to twist the Garou around like that."

Bowing to her, I replied in a reverent tone, "I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It is..." then grinned as I lapsed into the Human tongue for a moment, "helluva cool."

Returning to the speech of the Garou, I confessed, "I know how you feel. Those tensions are there, however, regardless of whether you use them or not, and it is better that you use them for the greater good , than that the Wyrm uses them for its purposes."

Before Tzao could reply, a figure stepped forward from the shadows, asking, "Yo, Logan?" The figure was revealed to be a scruffy, underfed looking woman wearing street clothes and a ragged jacket. I knew her to be one of the Bone Gnawers in the sept. When she saw that she had my attention, she said, "de Silva is lookin' for ya, and boy, is he pissed. I think yer gonna wanna go talk with him before he busts a gasket."

Turning to her, I gestured at the three of you, replying quietly, "Thank you, Gretchin. I was merely attempting to smooth things over with our... guests, lest they leave with a foul impression of our sept."

She grinned at me, quirking an eyebrow in response, and waggled a finger at me. "I'm not de Silva_-ikthya_'s lapdog," she said proudly, "I've heard the rumors of ya and yer new lover, but I'm gonna keep them to myself, doncha worry."

As I nodded in response, Tzao asked, "Gretchin_-chan_, would you see if Rasczak would come out here to speak with me?"

I began to walk towards the caern's Heart as I heard the Gnawer begin to haggle for her time, the way only a member of her Tribe can. I did not look forward to this meeting in the slightest.

de Silva sat on a bench near the bonfire, and the scent of burnt flesh and fur hung in the air around him. He watched for my approach, his face flushed and blotchy with barely-restrained anger.

I strode directly to the bonfire, but my shoulders were slumped as I approached. "My liege, I was attempting to smooth things over with our visitors before they left. I felt it best to attempt to leave them with a good last impression."

Narrowing his eyes as he looked to the fire, not bothering to meet my gaze, he said, "You were trying to play me, weren't you? You knew that tight lil' piece of ass on your arm was with them, didn't you? I'm not a fool, Logan."

An idiot and a scoundrel he may have been, but I can't help but agree with his tastes, in this case at the least. You did look good on my arm.

Why, thank you.

I began to speak, but he cut me off with a flick of his hand. "I thought I could trust you, Dracon. A sept works off trust, you know that as well as I do. If I can't trust you, then there's no place for you."

He squared his shoulders, then looked me straight in the eye, his voice just slightly warmer than hard vacuum as he said, "Logan, your punishment for this debacle is to be declared Ronin. None of the Garou that I command will admit that you even exist. You wanna play with the vixens, kid? See if you can get them to let you in."

All the blood drained from my face, and my hands clenched into fists. Thin trickles matted the fine fur of my palms as my claws dug into my flesh. Matching his chill tone, I replied, "Very well, de Silva_-ikthya._ You have never treated me with the respect I have forged in fire and blood, and I have long chafed in the steel grasp of your tyranny. My only hope is that you will live just long enough to regret this."

I turned from him, dismissing the fat bastard from my sight, but heard him say conversationally, "Oh, by the by, lone wolf... I really ought to let your mother how much of a disappointment her son has been. Perhaps, under her loving tutelage, you may yet regain your place in polite society. Now go. You're no longer welcome here."

As I walked back to the parking lot, I saw you standing at the very boundary of the bawn, waiting patiently. Tears rolled down my face as I felt the black depression weighing so heavily on my soul. I felt as though a part of my very being had been cruelly torn away, and I nearly threw myself at you, checking myself at the last moment to keep from crushing you under my weight.

Hugging back with all your might, you pressed your face into my chest. You proved that piercing insight of yours by asking, "From your tears, I suspect that de Silva cast you out?"

I couldn't help myself, didn't even care what kind of an impression I might be leaving. My voice was a wailing howl in the cruel darknessdarkenss as I declared, "I am Ronin," then repeated the mournful phrase twice more. I buried the tip of my muzzle in your hair as I asked, "Can you operate that vehicle?"

"Hai, Beloved," you replied as you deftly fished the keys from my pocket.

Tzao came up behind you, declaring, "If your own kind won't welcome you any longer, then you are welcome among us," as she placed a hand on my arm.

"Agreed, Brother," Shang called out from his seat on the hood of the Suburban. If I wasn't mistaken, I could almost make out a hint of emotion in his face, a rare enough sight.

I crept into the back seat of the van, shifting into my Lupus form, then curled into a ball and whispered a soft cry of appreciation for your kindness as I tried to make myself as small and unnoticeable as I could.

Another furry form climbed into the back and began nuzzling at my face. I knew it was you the instant you curled up with me. The SUV backed out of her parking spot, sliding back onto the highway with a soft purr.

You continued to nuzzle me, trying to work me out of my funk. "Where should we go, Beloved? We are strangers here and know not which way to turn," you asked, probably trying to engage my protective nature, but it was all I could do to care enough to listen.

Mumbling, barely making the words clear, I replied, "Go to the great road, the 90... take me far from this dreadful place."

"Which way should we head?" you prodded further, trying to rouse me with those gentle touches of your nose.

All that I could do was reveal the one emotion I still felt. I raised my voice in a piercing cry, venting my frustration loudly, "It matters little! All that I care is that we place as much distance as possible between that... that Blight and us!"

You cooed wordlessly to me, licking at my face and ears. "Be at peace, please, Beloved," you begged, "We are here for you, as we will always be."

Pressing myself against you for comfort, I moaned quietly, "I feel as though the four of us are the only living things in this world, now. None of my people can so much as speak to me, lest they risk the same punishment."

"de Silva_-ikthya_ will get what is coming to him," Shang declared from the front seat, his voice a low growl.

A three-toned beep filled the cabin, and I heard Tzao say, "Yes?" then reply after a moment, "Very well, we will meet you there."

Unheeding of Tzao's conversation, I yipped with fear, then cried out, "No! You must not harm him. Only he has the right to reverse this doom. If he dies," my voice broke in terror, becoming a faint whisper, "I shall be... forever Ronin."

"Not true. Only the leader of your sept can reverse the decision," you reminded me, "And, if you are not welcomed here, you will be welcome among the Beast Courts. You are an honorable Garou, Logan, and he cannot take that away from you. Did de Silva use the Rite of Ostracism on you?"

Swinging my head up, no doubt looking a little dazed, I conceded haltingly, "He... I... I do not know. I cannot recall him saying that 'he had no such brother'... and yet, the heaviness in my heart tells me that he must have."

"If he did not use the Rite, there is hope for your among your brethren here," you told me, then began to dig your muzzle beneath my side, urging me to roll over.

Hoping to save you the effort, I gave you a brave smile as I laid onto my side, saying quietly, "You... may be right. Perhaps the time has come for me to try to make amends where once I strode." Bringing my head up, I asked, "Tzao_-rhya_, might I ask for a boon from you?"

She nodded to me, and I began to plead, using the submissive form of the language, "It is not right that this unworthy one asks you of so much, but this shamed wolf has been left with no other choice. Might you or yours have the resources to retain the den this contemptible dog called home?"

Ignoring the proper protocol, which would call for her to take the dominant form and speak to me in a commanding, bombastic tone, she simply said, "We do, and we will."

Heaving a sigh ofsight o relief, I asked, "Then, could you carry me there? There are a few things that I must have... and then, I feel that it may be time to head southwest... towards the place of my birth. I will introduce you at my old sept, urge them to hear you out. It is the only repayment this contemptible dog can offer."

"First, we are to meet with Rasczak," Tzao replied, "But, once we are done with him, we will head back to your home so you may collect your belongings."

My ears perked up slightly, and I actually felt a dull, hollow echo of happiness, but I forced my voice to show more pleasure than I felt as I said, "Rasczak was willing to treat with you? That is excellent news!"

"It is," Tzao replied as the Chevy rolled to a stop near an abandoned strip mall. "You and Lin may come with us, if you wish."

My head dropped back to the leather of the seat. "If you feel it best, go with them, my beloved. I cannot join you. I cannot ask Rasczak to break our laws."

Far from leaving, you shook your head, then snuggled into my chest, much as you would when I was in my Crinos form as you replied, "I will not leave you at a time like this, Beloved."

Curling around your delicate body, I yipped quietly in thanks and praise for you, watching the other two Kitsune leave for their meeting.

You watched over my neck as they walked away, and as soon as they were out of sight, you wriggled free of my embrace and leapt over the seat, into the Suburban's cargo area.

Slowly, my body feeling as bone-weary as if I had just fought off a Nexus Crawler with my bare paws, I leaned my head on the back of the seat to watch you. It took everything I had to keep from crying out in despair, from asking why you had abandoned me.

I found that you had pulled out some blankets from a bin in the back, and were arranging them into a comfortable-looking nest. You saw me watching you and smiled, saying, "Come and join me, Beloved," as you laid down on the blankets, your tail swishing back and forth behind you.

Glancing around, I pawed the latch that allowed me to fold the seat down, as I was uncertain of whether my lethargic body could clear it, then padded slowly towards the makeshift den, replying slowly, "Anything you desire, dearest of my heart."

As I drew closer, you rolled onto your back, baring your throat submissively to me, putting your slinky, vulpine Kyubi form on display for me.

Even now, this is proving difficult to speak of. I feel I must, to show the true depths of de Silva's depravity, but I would be happier if I could forget the incident altogether. That is, everything except the unyielding love you showed me...

At any other time, I would have jumped for joy and rushed over to you, but I continued to pad docilely towards you, then drove my nose softly against the base of your head, trying to bring myself even lower to the ground than you, whispering, "I am Ronin. I have power over no one. Rise, my beloved."

"Nonsense, Logan_-yuf_," you replied dismissively, "de Silva is an impotent Wyrmspawn," then shifted so that your throat rested against the end of my muzzle.

I heaved a sigh, my breath tickling your fur, then said, "I know that, my beloved... but he did something to me, in the clearing. I am not who I once was."

"He invoked a deep, latent fear for the Garou," you told me, nipping at my ear gently, "But, I will not let that come to pass. No matter where you go, I will be there with you, Beloved. You will never be alone."

My body began to tremble as tears started flowing once more, dripping onto your neck as I whined, "If only I could believe that to be true! You have already said that you believe you will pass before your time... and then, how will you stay with me?"

"If I am not here with you physically, then I will be with you forever, in spirit," you replied, "I have talked with both Tzao and Shang. If I pass giving birth to your child, they will bind my willing soul to my Klaive, so that I may continue to be with you."

Horror welled up in my mind, and I shook my head against you, with more force than I had managed to summon since my casting-out. In a high, piercing wail, I cried out, "You cannot! I could not bear to know that you were kept from your rebirth... I am unworthy of such a sacrifice."

"No," you replied, even more forcefully, then added a growl for emphasis. "In all of my years, Logan, you were the only one to capture me thusly. I will not move on without you."

My trembling ceased for a moment as I gazed upon you in wonder. "Not... in four centuries?" I wondered aloud.

"No one even came close," you replied in a soft tone of voice, locking your eyes to mine, still on your back.

I began to lap at your neck softly, feeling just a little closer to my usual self. Between tongue-flicks, I spoke solemnly, "I shall be most careful in the future. I do not wish for you to have to make that choice."

Purring as you leaned your head back against the deck, you bared yourself entirely to me. I nuzzled against you, feeling that brilliant heat that washed from your body into mine, then murmured, as much to myself as to you, "My love for you will keep me strong."

With a soft murr, you reached up to lick at my ear, and I could smell that your scent was intensifying by the moment. "I need you, Beloved," you said softly, yet urgently.

I pressed my head tightly against you, then cried out. My voice cracked like fine crystal in mid-howl, but I couldn't have cared less. "I cannot!"

----Chapter III----

Ford City Mall

8:26 P.M.

With a plaintive whimper, you asked softly, "Why not?"

Rolling over onto my back as an explanation, I allowed you to see that, though my maleness had slid free of its sheath, it was completely limp and useless. I whined, pitching my voice high to show my shame, "I do not know what, but, as I told you, de Silva did something to me."

Coming to your feet, you growled as you stalked towards me, pressing your nose against my sheath, seeking out the damage that the Corpulent One had wreaked upon my body.

I watched, raising my head a little from the floor, but I simply could not rouse myself. It seemed as though to do so would take far more energy that my exhausted form possessed.

As far as you could tell, there was nothing physically wrong, but you would later describe catching wind of some strange scent, not wholly physical, and definitely wrong for me.

Seeking out this scent, you realized that it grew stronger, though still almost impossible to discern, as your approached my head. Now that you knew what to smell for, though, you realized that it grew strongest towards the northern side of the SUV.

Hanging my head against the deck again, I whimpered out, "It feels as though everything has been hollowed from my heart except shame and sorrow... and my love for you."

Retaking your Koto form, you began to turn your impressive grasp of the mystic arts to the task of dispersing this foul scent, and the curse it portended. Though you were unsure of what the scent was, you knew that it was not Wyrm-taint, though that was all you could tell.

However, you felt that it led back towards de Silva, pointing an accusing finger directly at him. Despite your best efforts, though, the foul bond resisted your attempts to shatter it.

I shook my muzzle and tried to reassure you, softly forming the words, "Do not worry yourself, my love. I am sure that this will pass in time, if it was meant to be."

Whimpering softly, your voice filled with emotion, you told me quietly, "But, I need you," as you shifted back to your Kyubi form, nestling under my head. Then, to my surprise, you began to cry, burying your face into the soft, tan fur of my neck.

Apathy or no, that was something that I could not help but to respond to. It felt as though each of your rough, sorrowful sobs planted an ice pick into my heart, yet the sadness I felt at disappointing you stirred me to action. Rubbing my head between your ears, I vowed, "If your need is that great, then I will try..."

Pressing your head into my chin, you burrowed into my warmth for a moment before looking up to my eyes, revealing the tears that glittered upon their silvery, alluring irises, and licked at my cheek, replying, "That is but all I can ask of you."

I rose slowly, then turned around, brushing your nose with my bushy tail as I placed my cold, slender muzzle against your vulpine sex. Despite the lethargy that I felt, seeming to crush against my chest, I forced myself to pant softly, nosing at you gently.

This seemed to please you, as you yipped out in pleasure, wriggling back against me a little. The scent of your arousal flowed into my nose as I dipped in into the moisture glistening on your skin.

Pausing for a moment, I tried to feel for any change, praying that I would have some reaction to your potent scent, but I remained as tired and empty as before. Thinking to myself, "Perhaps this is the Harano," I slid my muzzle into you, lashing out my tongue into your depths.

You fluffy tail shot straight up into the air as you yiffed loudly, pawing at the blankets with your front paws. More of your aroused scent filled my nose, urging me onwards. I began to rub my muzzle up and down your tight passage, lapping at the slick, muscular walls as I did so, allowing my fur to tickle against your lower lips teasingly. Soon you were panting with lust, your scent increasing manyfold.

Wracking my mind as I nudged my muzzle deeper into you, I tried to think of some way to heighten your pleasure, feeling that you had to be close to your climax. Inspiration came to me, and I began to nip gently at the sensitive flesh within you, praying that I wouldn't accidentally harm you.

Stiffening up around me, you let out a strangled howl as you reached your release. Your hot, sticky juices ran down my muzzle, coating it in an instant in your warmth, clamping down around me.

I gave you some time to ride out your orgasm, licking a little at the thick nectar that flowed down my face, then pulled my muzzle loose slowly, feeling relieved that I could do that much for you, anyway. Rubbing the top of my head against your chest, I growled quietly to express my love.

Necessity is the mother of invention, or so they say... and despite how unpleasant this time was, that was one welcome innovation that came from it, eh?

*Murrs* Oh yes.

Panting as you rolled onto your back, you curled around to lick at my face lovingly, tasting a little of your own essence on my fur. I laid my head against your stomach, inclining it to allow you to continue lapping at me. Feeling gloomier than before, though I strove not to show it, I asked, "Did that help, my love?"

"Some," you replied, sliding downwards to inspect my sheath again. The curse had not changed since you had last examined it, so far as you could tell, but you became even more convinced that de Silva must have had something to do it. I heard you growl in rage, then whimper softly. "He will pay," you promised, leaving me with no doubt that you meant it.

I nuzzled your face, then nibbled at your large, gracefully curved ear as I said, "It feels so strange. I should be in my war-form, running full tilt to tear out his throat and feast on his flesh." Allowing the hollowness I felt inside to enter my voice, I whispered, "Yet, the only emotion that I can feel is sadness that I am disturbing you so."

Nuzzling at my flaccid, insensible length, you suggested fervently, "Hold on to that, and use it as an anchor to reel your Passion back to you."

My ears twitched, and I brought up my head to listen, asking, "Does that sound like Shang and Tzao to you?"

Your head popped up, and you propped yourself against the back of the seat to look out the windows. You saw Shang approaching, looking distinctly pleased, as well as Tzao, who seemed a little disturbed, but triumphant.

Smiling happily, you greeted them with a wag of your tail as they returned, asking, "All went well?" as Shang rolled down the windows with a grimace.

Tzao sounded as though she'd been forced to do something she would rather have not, but replied, "Rasczak has sworn to aid us... as long as he is given the mantle of Washington Park if it comes to coup."

"I see," you replied, then informed them, "de Silva took something from Logan when he was cast away," with a low whine, looking back at me longingly.

Shang laughed as he turned on the AC, commenting wryly, "Doesn't seem to have stopped you two, though."

You padded back to curl up onto my ribs, whimpering softly again with frustration as you told him, "But it did, after a fashion."

Turning back to the two of us, concern etched into her timeless face, Tzao asked, "I assume you tried to assess the damage while we were out?"

"I tried," you replied, ears folding back against your scalp as you confessed, "All I figured out was that de Silva was at the bottom of it."

The elder Kitsune climbed over the console gracefully, then asked, "Logan, will you allow me to examine you? Lin is skilled, yes, but she lacks my experience."

My eyes were closed, and I was curled around your body as though I were trying to sleep, but I yipped softly, replying, "If you feel you should..."

Licking at my cheek reassuringly, you nudged at me to get me to move closer to Tzao, moving aside to allow your aunt to examine my body.

She shifted to her Koto form, closing her eyes as she slowly ran her hands across my sides, then grimaced as she realized the nature of the curse. In a baleful tone, making you tremble slightly, she intoned, "It is just as well that you did not try to unravel this, apprentice."

Leaning forward, Tzao rested her hands on thin air as she threw her weight against some intangible object. Then, with her grip secure, she reached down to draw her katana one-handed. Swinging it through the air with a whistling hiss, it fell like a shooting star before slowing, nearly stopping as it passed by her hand, then sped up again.

Only her skill kept it from burying itself in the floor, the muscles in her forearm and wrist tensing to stop the powerful blow, as her other hand remained clenched on the ethereal bond.

Nuzzling at my face, noting that I didn't seem to look any better, you tried to provoke some response in me.

My eyes slid open a hair, but I could not meet your gaze, instead turning to look upon Tzao. She spoke in a soft, pitying tone, "Steel yourself, lone wolf. This may prove to be... quite unpleasant."

Whining wordlessly, I nodded my head as your pressed yourself into my fur, giving me a wordless display of your support and love. Not that I ever doubted it for a moment, but the reminder made me feel just a little more secure.

Sheathing her blade, Tzao stood, grabbing the invisible object with both hands, then began to pull with all of her might. My eyes snapped closed as I started to claw at the blankets, crying out in terrible agony, but tears still rolled down my muzzle. My pained howl went on for what seemed an eternity of suffering, making Tzao frown, though she didn't stop.

And then, suddenly, the elder Kitsune fell backwards onto the folded down seat heavily as my cries ceased, though I continued to sniffle and whine a little.

After watching the stillness for a moment, you asked softly, "Beloved?" as you nuzzled my face, your face filled with both hope and concern.

I opened my eyes slowly, revealing the blood-shot whites, then licked back at you gently, replying, "It is me. I feel... whole again. Um. Mostly whole," I corrected, wincing as I shifted my leg a little against my tender sheath. "I do not think I shall be able to perform for a time, though. I hurt down there," I confessed, ears going flat with shame.

Purring out your relief, you shifted into Koto for a moment, then laid your hands along my flank. I felt a radiating warmth spread through my body, emanating from your hands as you eased my aches and pains away.

Tzao smiled at us, looking pleased as she crushed the ethereal tendril beneath her palms. "I'm not surprised, son-in-law. Your wolfhood had been terribly constricted. Much more, and it might have come off completely, constricted from the inside. de Silva has much to answer for."

I must confess that I had never even considered that there might have been such a relatively simple explanation... I had honestly never felt such a bone-chilling despair before. Not even that one time...

You and Shang echoed her sentiments with bone-chilling growls, then you cuddled back into me, reverting to your feral form, gently licking the side of my neck, almost trembling with relief.

Climbing back into the front seat, Tzao told Shang that he could leave at any time, then glanced back at us in the rear-view mirror, just in time to see me place my foreleg around you. "That would certainly explain the fatigue I felt. I would be most curious as to how the Corpulent One accomplished that... and I intend to ask him, as I am removing his maleness, one... thread... at a time," I chuckled evilly, adding wryly, "If I can find it."

Barking out an unpleasant laugh, you continued trying to repair my battered body. "Don't worry about that. I think Sifu wants that pleasure for herself," you told me.

Curling myself around you tightly, finding that you fit perfectly into the hollow under my lupine chest, I tried to reassure you that I felt back to my usual, lustful self, at least mostly, while Shang took the vehicle back onto the Interstate. The thought crossed my mind that she really needed a proper name, but none came to my mind just yet.

It didn't take us long to reach our apartment complex, especially with the new navigation system built into the vehicle. "Wow, this thing even has autopilot," Shang said with a grin. "I want one."

Bringing my head up, my eyes glinting with pride, even in Lupus form, I replied, "She is a beauty, is she not? My thanks to you, Exalted One, for this princely gift."

I didn't want to pull away from you, not for a good long time, but I also didn't want anyone else, even my family, to handle my talismans too closely. I nuzzled your for a moment, then, with a sigh, I reverted to my Homid form and pulled open back, brushing off my suit as I hopped out, calling back, "Shang, ya wanna gimme a hand?"

"Sure," he replied simply, getting out as you hopped over the seats, stepping out a moment later, looking all too human.

A few moments later, I slipped the door open, then allowed a faint air of command into my voice as I declared, "Shang, strip the telecomm, Lin, get yer stuff and pack what ya think we're gonna need from the bathroom," then strode off towards the bedroom with an easy grin, commenting, "Smoke me a kipper. I'll be back for breakfast."

Laughing at my good cheer and bad lines, you followed behind me, then started to pack with a practice ease when we reached the bedroom.

I gave you a quick peck on the cheek, not feeling like I had time for me, then dove into the closet. Moving lightning-fast, I stuffed shirts, jeans, and a few other odds and ends into a rolling suitcase, then stripped off my suit and packed it away to keep it from harm.

Filling myself with the Passion that had been denied to me, I grew to my Crinos form, then began to pull down a few keepsakes from the top shelf. Placing them into the suitcase, I sealed it up, then grabbed my backpack and began to load a little more into it.

With a final glance to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything that I would need later, I dropped cross-legged to the floor and began to howl quietly, calling to the Spirit of the room.

I knew that, even all the way out in the living room, Shang would be able to feel the movement of energy through the apartment, probably altering the feng shui a bit. I also knew that you had to be catching it full in the face, but there wasn't anything I could do about that.

A small, ghostly black and white bird shimmered into being in front of me,me, then glanced at me with one yellow eye, curious as to why it had been summoned. I began to chirp at it, forcing high, tweeting sounds to issue from my muzzle as I told the spirit that it was released, that its duty was discharged, and that I thanked it for its months of faithful service.

The magpie eyed me for a moment, then twittered its agreement and took off, flying through the wall, past youryour face, through the window, and out into the open air to vanish in a spray of glittering dust.

The surge of energy faded, leaving me sitting in the middle of an extremely cramped, barely walk-in closet, half-buried under the shabbier clothes I'd intended to leave behind.

Shifting down to my Homid form, I started trying to dig myself out of the pile, grumbling all the way. "Lin, sugar, ya mind givn' me a hand over here?"

You looked a bit dazed from the backlash, but shook your head and came over to offer me a hand, helping to extricate myself from the messy pile of fabric and other assorted odds and ends.

I then reached in and grabbed the shirt and jeans I had set aside, tossing them on quickly, and pulled out the suitcase. "Well, think that's everythin. Ya got whatcha need?"

"I do," you replied with a nod. "Come, Love. Let's go put this in the SUV."

Trailing the suitcase behind me, we stepped out into the living room, and I called out, "Nothin' to worry about, bro. Just had to close down the Umbral closet. Got the system stripped?"

My question fell onto deaf ears, as Shang was nowhere to be found. A small box sat on the coffee table, seeming far too small to hold my 'missing' telecomm gear. Grinning at it, I turned to the bookshelf, packing a number of my favorite books into my pack. pack.

Despite my desire to leave as soon as possible, I pulled out a well-worn hardcover, thumbing through its soft pages with a smile. As I glanced through its pages quickly, my eyes flicked back to you.

With a heaviness of heart, I realized that I didn't know that much about you; but I trusted that your life had been at least a little more pleasant than that of poor Kendra's... and I must confess that I felt a certain kinship to BlackJack.

I tucked it into my pack with the others, taking a final look at the memories I'd been leaving behind, then sealed my pack over its considerable, and far too large burden, sliding it onto my back before hefting the box, tucking it under my arm.

Nothing that I felt I truly required remained in the cramped apartment, and it felt more uncluttered than it had since I'd moved in. Heaving a sigh, I said, "C'mon, Lin. Let's get back the Mystery Machine. This doesn't feel like home anymore."

Smiling at me, you followed me out, humming the Scooby Doo theme.

Feeling both sorrow and pleasure, I tossed my gear into the back, and shouted up to the front, "I'm done in here. Can we swing by the office right quick?"

"Sure," Shang replied, climbing back into the driver's seat.

Gesturing for you to enter, I climbed in behind you. After I sealed the trunk, I wrapped my arms around your waist as I told Tzao, "I've changed my mind, Exalted One. I'm gonna let the apartment go. Frankly, I don't wanna see this town again for awhile."

"If that is what you want," she replied. "And, you don't have to keep calling me 'Exalted One'. Either Tzao, Aunt Tzao... or just mom."

I think that one gesture was really what drove home the point that I was truly of your family now. If she had asked me to bow down in worship to her, after all I'd seen tonight, I would have... not out of fear, but respect. And yet, she did not... I have to admit, Aunt Tzao is far from what I would have expected of a demigoddess.

You want gods? Go look at the Dragons, we Kitsune are as mortal as the next person.

I smiled in relief, exhaling softly, and said quietly, "Thank ya, Aunt Tzao. I was tryin' to show ya the respect ya deserve, but... I won't miss it none, either."

"You are welcome, Logan dear. You are one of the Family, now," she told me, warming her voice.

Shuddering against you, the emphasis bringing back a number of bad memories, I forced myself not to speak up, recognizing meaning that your aunt had intended.

I stopped into the office for only a few minutes, stripping out the archaic system's hard drive, which wasn't even solid state, and cleaned out my safe before hustling back to you.

Wrapping myself back around your welcoming body, I declared, "We should be getting' outta town right quick, I think. Make de Silva think that he got to me, get him offa his guard."

You laid your head onto my shoulder, snuggling into me as Shang replied, "Right. Where should I go?"

Shrugging, recalling my earlier words, I said, "Away. Um, I don't know a lotta caerns in the country, but we head towards the Southwest, we can reach my old turf. I know a couple down in Arizona, if ya'd like to try spreadin' yer word there."

"Maybe, but I need to return to Hong Kong and report in," Tzao told us, to my surprise. I'd figured that she was pretty much the head honcho, and given how she'd just dismantled Rasczak, I was forced to wonder who her superiors would have to be.

Looking forward towards her, I noticed that Shang fiddling with something on the dash, then he leaned back in his seat, folding his hands behind his head. Grinning at him, I closed my eyes for a moment, recalling my mental map of the city. "Take the I-90 West, ya'll get a straight shot to O'Hare International. Close enough, Aunt?"

"Yes, it is," she replied as Shang made a quick adjustment, then went back to his relaxation.

I reached towards my back, carefully, to keep from disturbing you, grabbed my stylus, and began to dial the system for Windy City Travel. I wanted to have the arrangements ready by the time we got there, if it was even remotely possible. To my eternal surprise, it was actually quite easy to arrange the flight, after a suitable exchange of credit info.

After I cut the connection, I spoke up. "Yer in luck, Tzao. There's a flight leavin' in two hours, and it's goin' yer way.

"Thank you," she said, turning in her seat to favor me with a smile. As she looked back and saw that your eyes were closed, your breathing steady, her smile widened.

Grinning back at her as I held your snoozing form, my left arm pinned beneath you, I shrugged gently as if to reply, "What can I say?"

Tzao nodded her approval, then turned towards the front as you began to nuzzle my chest in your sleep.

Slipping my stylus back into its holster, I started to fiddle with the parts of the car I could reach. While we traveled, I found the back-seat monitor, the pop-out dataports, and the individual climate controls. Shaking my head, I commented softly towards the front, "Ya really outdid yerself, findin' this beauty, Aunt. I can't thank ya enough."

"Well, it's been a long time since there was a marriage in my family, so I decided to go all out," she replied as Shang pulled up to the departure terminal. "Would you be so kind as to walk me in, Logan?"

Glancing down at Lin, I chuckled as I said, "If I'm allowed to, I'd love to."

You blinked, then looked up to me with a murmur of, "Wha?" before leaning back against your seat and slipping back into slumber again.

I scruffled your hair softly as I smiled, then opened my door carefully and slipped out without a sound. Just as quietly, I opened the passenger door for Tzao, sweeping out with my arm as soon as she was clear.

Favoring me with a smile, she stepped out, and as soon as the door was shut, Shang pulled away from the curb. "Logan, there is something I wish to tell you," she told me firmly, "I heard how upset you got when Lin told you about the little problem with birthing Kitsune children."

My eyes went wide behind my shades, and I could feel the blood pour from my face. "Um, yeah, ya could say that. I've... grown awful attached to Lin, as ya can prob'bly tell."

"I can," Tzao replied. "And, I wanted to let you know that there have been matings like yours before, long ago. The most recent one was when I was but a young girl in the backwoods of China. Lin's grandmother was Garou."

Glancing around skittishly, desperately, I found a nearby bench, then collapsed bonelessly into it. "Please, Exalted One... tell me more. Is there hope for us? Please... be honest."

"There is. And, Lin won't die giving birth to your children. Don't get me wrong, it's still going to hurt like hell, but she won't die," she told me, her expression open and honest.

I felt tears of happiness begin to well up in my eyes, but tried to control myself. People were ignoring us as it was, assuming I was just a young man sad at seeing his mother off, but they would stare, and ask questions, if I began to weep openly.

My voice trembled as I asked, quietly, "But... what's the catch?"

"Barring any accidents, you will die long before she does," Tzao said quietly, caressing my hair in a loving, motherly gesture. "Lin is already part wolf, and that's part of the reason her Passion, her Rage, is so potent."

I wonder if that was, perhaps, what drew me to you in the first place. Even when I thought you were just Kinfolk, I felt there was something... uniquely alluring about you. I'm sure this comes as a great surprise to you.

Boggled the mind.

Closing my eyes, I bowed my head to her hand, replying solemnly, "That's what my love told me. I'd do anythin' to be with her for all her days... but everythin's got its time, and there's nothin' I can do to change that."

After a moment of silence, I tamped down my emotions again, and asked quietly, "And, what of our kids? Are they gonna be Garou? Kitsune? Or... somethin' else?"

"A breed of the two," Tzao replied cryptically.

"This... I dunno what to say. Thank ya... Ya've lifted a crushin' weight from my shoulders," I told her, feeling gratitude welling up from my heart.

"You're welcome," Tzao replied as she stood. I rose with her, staying at her side as she went to collect her ticket. I didn't have to act to give her a tearful send-off as she passed though the elaborate security checks.

Waiting until I was out of sight of the people who had seen my performance, I began to skip with joy as I returned to the SUV, feeling as though I were walking on air as I entered its passenger seat, wanting to allow you your rest.

It proved to be a moot point, as you were sitting in the back, reading a book, when I returned. "You seem in high spirits, cousin," Shang noted, though I'd made no move to hide it.

I relaxed into the soft, yielding seat with a sigh, then replied, Ya got that right, bro. Tzao give me some incredible news before she headed out. Get on the road, I'll tell ya on the way outta town."

"Okay," Shang replied as he pulled out of parking lot, merging back onto the I-90 to head out of the city.

After he'd nestled us into traffic, I warned, "Ya might wanna kick on auto-drive. Lin, love, ya listenin'?"

"I'm listening," you replied, setting aside your book as Shang put the Suburban into automatic mode.

Taking a deep breath to try to center myself, I explained, "Tzao took me aside and said she'd heard how tore up I was about... about ya, my love. She told me that we don't have a thing to worry about. I'm not the first Garou to have fallen in love with one of ya, it seems. Yer grandma was Garou, love."

"Really?" you asked in surprise, "I... I didn't know..."

Nodding, I leaned back to look at you, grinning from ear to ear. "She said this was when she was a young girl, if that means anythin' to ya. She said our pup ain't gonna be Kitsune or Garou, exactly, somethin' kinda in between, but that ya won't have to give yer life for our kid."

You let out a deep sigh of relief, unclipping your seatbelt so you could lean forward to kiss me.

Popping my own seatbelt, I leaned back over the center console, propping myself up with one arm as I wrapped the other around your neck, completely ignoring Shang for a moment in my desire to be with you.

Reaching forward, you placed your hand behind my head, then murred into my lips. I felt my flood race through my veins as your soft tongue, surprisingly agile even in this form, danced with mine. Squeezing your shoulder, I leaned in even more, trying to draw you even closer to me.

Eventually, you broke the kiss, sitting back with a contented smile. I twisted back into my seat, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. Once I'd recovered enough to move, I buckled up again. "As soon as we get to a rest stop, I'm comin' back there, sugar," I said, then grinned at Shang as I added, "and then ya, bro, are gonna need to turn up the radio and keep yer eyes on the road."

Shang laughed loudly, checking the computer as he rolled his eyes, though his grin indicated that he wasn't too worried.

Reaching my arm back, I asked, "Lin, could ya hand me my pack? Gotta distract myself, or we're gonna have problems."

Smiling in response, you dug around in the back for it, then passed it up to me. Taking the durable bag in hand, I popped it open and began to rummage around.

After a moment of searching within the far-too-large confines, I pulled out a biography of Supreme Court Justice Margot Yale, who I knew to be quite the firebrand. As I cracked it open, I commented in explanation, "I like to know who I'm up against. She's real big on human supremacy. I hear she just despises our winged buddies."

Frowning as a response, you commented, "I bet."

Shang surprised me a little by commenting simply, "Know thy enemy." He knew Sun Tzu?

Grow up in 15th century China and you would too. - Shang

I curled up a little in my seat as I began to read, chuckling, "Damn straight," as we blew down the highway. I reneged on my threat to jump into the back the next time we stopped, though every so often, I'd glance into the mirror to catch a glimpse of your lovely face, reassuring myself that you were still there. Of course you were, and like me, you were always reading something.

As we approached Joliet, I glanced at Shang, watching his face as I told him, "I feel a little bad, bro. Ya gotta watch the road while she does all the work. Ya just gimme a yell when ya wanna take a breather, okay?"

"Will do," he replied with a grin. "You Americans really know how to build luxury."

Slipping into my 'cowboy movie star' persona, the one I'd donned in the Crooked Ferret, I met his grin as I replied, "Damn right we do, sonny! This is God's Country, we deserve the best!"

Despite myself, I began to laugh at the mere idea, and you both joined in, sharing in the sheer absurdity of my declaration.

----Chapter 4----

Along Interstate 55

9:14 P.M.

After I calmed down, I said, "Hey, Shang, I gotta ask. Tzao said she wanted to go all-out on this as a weddin' gift. It didn't have anythin' to do with ya needin' to cuss out the Bitch to keep her rollin', did it?"

"Partly," Shang replied. "That, and Mother didn't want Lin riding around in that death trap."

I grumbled at him, but without too much irritation. He had a point, after all. Miles rolled away beneath our wheels as we passed to the south, through Springfield and into St. Louis before it just got too late to continue.

"Shall we find somewhere to spend the night?" Shang asked.

Looking up into the mirror, I saw you meet my eyes, then nodded, speaking firmly. "Yeah, I think that'd be a good idea."

I checked the local listings, then began to direct Shang to a place that was supposed to be nice, but simple, since I didn't feel the need for the luxury of a 5-star, making arrangements on the way there.

As we pulled in, I asked, "Shang, ya mind getting' the passcards? Lin and I'll get out stuff." He nodded, keeping his eye of the road ahead as he slipped into a parking spot.

Climbing into the back, I grabbed most of luggage, then sealed up the SUV after you'd hopped out, taking the other bags. We walked to the door, finding it just as Shang returned, and I commented, "I coulda gotten a double room, but somehow... This just seemed like it'd be better for yer piece of mind."

"Thank you, cousin," Shang replied with a relieved grin.

Releasing my suitcase's handle, I took our key and slid open the door, then said to Shang, "See ya in the mornin'. Try to ignore the things that go bump-bump-bump in the night, huh?" with a broad smile, nuzzling against your neck as I spoke.

He laughed, then told us, "Good night," as he disappeared into his own room, toting a gym bag over his shoulder.

I set my pack and suitcase in the corner, out of our way, then rolled into the wide bed, sprawling out with a soft sigh as I felt the softness of the mattress. "Mmm, this is nice. C'mon over here, love."

After you put your own baggage away, you stepped onto the bed, laying directly on top of me. "You're right," you replied with a soft murr.

Tossing my shades on the nightstand, I wrapped my arms around you, stroking th ebon darkness of your hair as I looked into your silvery eyes. "Lin, I can't tell ya how happy Tzao's news made me. I don't hafta tell ya how much fear I felt. And, it's only 'cause I love ya so damn much. If ya weren't as special as ya are, I wouldn't care."

Slipping into the Koto form we both preferred so much, you began to purr, replying softly, "I bet you were dancing for joy," then began licking along my throat.

I grinned as I remembered the way I'd boogied back to the van. "Ya got that right, sugar." Holding you in my arms, feeling your muzzle slide along my smooth skin, I closed my eyes, not wanting even to move.

You continued to purr softly as you slowly, longingly undressed me. I moved as you needed, docilely yielding to your need. As I prepared myself to shift to Crinos, I said, "I'm really sorry that I couldn't satisfy ya the way ya wanted earlier, love. I'm just gonna have to make it up to ya, huh?"

"Damn right you are," you replied with a lusty growl. Then, you laid me out on the the bed, pressing against me as I slowly took my hybrid form, then told me, "Now, I want to take this slow, so just let me do all the work."

Grinning up at you, panting softly with arousal and amusement, I replied, "I would appreciate that, my beloved. I am still a little sore," then wailed in mock horror, "I will never yield to you, temptress! Do your worst!"

You chuckled and murred to yourself as you settled between my legs, then started to lick along my sheath. My breath came in hard pants as I felt that hot, tickling caress. I had to focus to keep from moving when you began to pull my balls into your muzzle. It was a struggle, but it was worth it. I wanted to let you take me to whatever heights of passion you desired.

Once I grew hard enough for your tastes, you slipped forward, into my lap, and guided my shaft into yourself with a lusty growl. It took every ounce of my will to keep from thrusting into you immediately. Clenching the sheets in my first, I threw my head back against the fluffy pillow, nearly biting my tongue as I felt the welcoming embrace of your slick, steaming flesh around mine.

Eagerly, you slid along my length, taking me to the hilt in one slow, unhurried motion. Once I was entirely sheathed within you, you started to rock your hips back and forth.

Groaning as I felt the shifting of your body along my shaft, and I just had to do something. Bringing my hands up from the sheets, carefully unclenching to keep from tearing them with my claws, I rested my palms against your breasts. With the gentlest pressure, I squeezed their soft flesh, rubbing against them in time to the motion of your hips. Purring with pleasure, you held my hands to your bosom appreciatively, continuing to rock atop me.

I didn't feel my usual urgency, which was a tribute to your skill, so I tried to focus on the sensations my body gave me, from the feel of your light weight upon my hips, barely noticeable to my Crinos-enhanced strength, to the touch of your nipples as they slid against the soft, short fur of my hands.

As you slowly ground away, I made a bit of an exercise of focusing on anything except the feeling of your soft, engorged folds sliding across the steel-hard girth of my shaft, gripping me with nearly as much agility as if you had encircled my by hand, but far, far more pleasant.

With an almost agonizing slowness, my knot began to fill. The partially erect flesh rubbed along your inner walls with a soft, wet sound, filling you out just that little bit more. Groaning, I forced out sounds I hoped were words, "Are you near?"

"Very," you panted out, rocking your hips just a little more. I moaned, needing to give voice to my lust as your change in tempo caught me off guard.

Rolling myself upwards, still steeling myself to keep from thrusting into you, I began to nip at the sensitive skinskin of your throat, remembering your earlier attempts to rouse me.

With an almost negligent air, though I assure you that it was quite intentional, my hands slid down your breasts, rolling your hot, erect nipples between my thumbs and forefingers, making you pant hard with pure, aching need, the motions of your hips become erratic.

Despite my earlier promise, I began to thrust into you, as I was unable to control myself any further. I howled into the fur that adorned your neck, muffling the cry that spoke of my love for you.

Grabbing my head firmly, you tensed up, locking your womanhood around my shaft as you reached your climax with the force of a bullet train.

Clenching my teething into your fur as I felt the gushing of your warm nectar, running down my maleness, I struggled to keep from loosing my seed into you alongside your own orgasm. I bucked into you with a desperate strength as I tried to prolong our mating, wanting to prove my recovery to you... and to myself, as well.

Singing out your ecstasy, you bucked and writhed atop of me as you rode the knife-edge of your climax.

I felt my knot swell to its fullest girth, but between the slickness of our mingled fluids and the writhing of your trembling inner muscles, I found that I could still shift my shaft within you. It was only a matter of inches, but I took them, even as I felt my maleness swell with the coming release.

Slamming down hard, you locked my shaft within you, pulling me in to nestle my tapered tip against your cervix, pushing that muscled ring inwards just a little.

My first was to draw back, to try and pull loose from you, fear for safety bubbling into my lust-fogged mind, but I stilled it. Remembering the revelations of the day, I grinned around my mouthful of fur and threw myself against you, trying to reach that little it further, as my overfilled sack pulled taut against my groin.

Howling loudly as you felt the first jets of my climax spill into you, you loosened up just a little, opening up to me, allowing my shaft to slide into your waiting womb.

Somehow, I found the presence of mind to mutter a yip of thanks as I began to wash the walls of your innermost self with my seed, the watery impact almost audible above our cries of pleasure.

Arching your back during you howl, you kept stone-still, resting your hands on my shoulders as you rode out the high of your climax.

Unclenching my teeth from your soft fur, I began to rub my head down your chest to bury my muzzle between your firm breasts, presented so perfectly to me as they were. My release still rushed through me as my body sought to release the tension it had built up during the day.

Eventually, your breath started to come back under control as your orgasm tailed off, but you kept milking me for every drop of seed that I could give you.

I found the haze of arousal burning from my mind as my climax finally started to fade, my balls emptying themselves too quickly to sustain. Smiling as I found my face buried into your bosom, I began to lap at as much of your softness as I could reach without moving.

Murring your pleasure, you started to lick my ears as you murmured in Garou, "Oh, Logan, my Beloved... you always fill me up so much. It's wonderful."

Growling out my agreement as I rubbed my head against your chest as I tried to catch my breath enough to speak. The sensations of your clenched, rippling muscles along my shaft were almost too much to take, but I loved every millisecond of it. My hands moved down to your rump, softly stroking the base of your tails as I tried to relax, willing my knot to soften.

Purring loudly, expressing your passion to me, you relaxed around me, easing up on my knot as you snuggled into my chest.

Moving carefully, mindful of your swollen womb, I slipped myself loose, pushing you from my hips to expose my shaft to the air fully, then laid you onto the bed. I loomed over you, my still-rigid maleness pouring a dribbling of seed onto your belly, as I growled softly, suggesting, "That must be how you could tell that I was your true love, I suppose."

You murred and rubbed my cum into your stomach fur before gathering some of our mixed essence from my twitching shaft, licking it off your fingers slowly, lewdly, while you looked up into my eyes.

Lowering myself slowly, I laid my shaft onto the taut swell of your womb, settling a little of my weight onto your shoulders. The musk of your heavily scented fur filled my muzzle as I leaned forward, nibbling on your ears, my expression soft and full of as I looked down into your eyes.

Closing your eyes, you rose enough to wrap your arms under mine, trapping my dripping shaft between us. A trickle of my seed spilled into our fur as you began purring, licking at the tawny fur of my chest. After several long minutes, you whispered, "Let me up, Beloved. I need to use the restroom."

I rolled to the side gracefully, not wanting to block your access. After all, we'd still need to sleep on this bed tonight. Watching your pert rump as you rose, my tongue hung from my mouth in frank appreciation.

Feeling my eyes on your back, you wiggled your ass for me as you strode away, feeling the need to release all the copious volume of seed I'd pumped into you.

Once you had done so and cleaned up the worst of the sticky fluids coating your fur, you returned to my side, crawling up to me in a surprisingly submissive manner. "Take me, Beloved... Take me as you wish."

Pulling you up quickly, I began to lick at your face, wrapping an arm around your waist as I protested, "My beloved, I do not ask to submit yourself to me. You are my equal, at the least, or my greater. To act otherwise is to demean yourself."

Smiling in a way that made my heart ache with unrestrained ardor, you tapped my nose playfully, licking at the side of my muzzle. "Sometimes it's refreshing to act submissive," you replied, "And, you are the only one I would submit to."

I squeezed you a little more tightly, my eyes misting over as I told you, "The wolf in me is very confused right now... but the Human in me understands."

Releasing my grip on you, I dropped to the floor and rose to my feet, almost brushing the top of my head against the ceiling. I changed my whole posture, echoing that of Rasczak's, then spoke in an imperious tone, "On the bed, adren! Get onto your backside, bitch!"

Trembling as you slid lower onto the bed, fear seemed to fill your eyes, but I knew it was merely an act, though you did as I commanded you to.

Pacing back and forth along the foot of the bed for a moment, I examined your cowering form, forming a caricature of a military commander. Roughening my voice in mock anger, I declared, "Sloppy, that is what I see in you. You will be of little use against the Wyrm if you cannot show the backbone Gaia gave you!"

It wasn't hard to tell that you were fighting back peals of laughter as you quivered before my wrath.

Shooting off a cocky grin as I planted one foot firmly on the bed, I growled out, "If you can be of no use on the front lines, bitch, then there is only one thing I can do with you. Our warriors must be able to focus, if they are to fight," then laid a hand on my flaccid maleness, not yet retreated into my sheath, to make it perfectly clear what I hand in mind.

Crawling along on your stomach towards me, you nosed at my foot before rising gracefully, just enough that you could nuzzle my sheath.

With a nod as I looked down at you, pride showing on my face, which was not feigned in the slightest, I murmured more softly, "Initiative. Excellent. Perhaps there is some promise in you after all, adren. You are confronted with an unfamiliar situation, behind enemy lines. What do you do? Show your solution to this dilemma."

Grinning a little despite yourself, you licked along my shaft, then began to clean it, using your semi-rough tongue to carefully rub away our drying fluids.

I closed my eyes for a moment, and a shiver ran down my spine as you cleansed my entire length, which had reached nearly full erection by the time you were finished. Steeling myself, I slipped back into the role.

With an almost effortless shove, I pushed you back onto the bed, climbing over your spawled out body. I tried to make rage dance in my eyes as I barked, "Not good enough! You need to press the advantage, to give it everything you possess. Let me show you," as I knelt over you, my hardened shaft landing right between your breasts.

Whimper softly at my 'rage', you trembled a little as you brought your head up to suck on my tip, pressing your hands to your bosom to engulf my shaft in your warm fur.

Throwing my head back as I felt the feathery tickle, backed by the flowing softness, of your breasts rubbing along my most sensitive flesh, then the touch of your muzzle on my head, I realized that it felt more... right than when you had sucked me off in my Homid form.

I groaned, "That is better... envelop the enemy, surround them, consum... Sweet Luna, I cannot keep this up," as I began to bark out my laughter, interspersed with low groans of pleasure.

Smiling around the length you'd swallowed so easily, you flicked your tongue over the opening of my urethra as you continued slipping your breasts up and down my shaft. I couldn't hold out any longer, and I began to slide my hips along your chest, thrusting softly against your own breast strokes. As I pushed slowly into your muzzle, I watched your eyes for any sign of distress, feeling for any erratic change in the motions of your tongue.

It seemed to me that I surprised you a little, but you adapted quickly, purring away beneath me. The vibrations traveled through your chest, breasts, and mouth, flowing directly into my cock.

My whole body trembled in sympathy with the vibrations playing along my sensitive skin. The hard, blood-red flesh stiffened just a little more under your attentions. I watched the movement of your hands against your bosom as I felt my ardor become tempered with a sublime sense of wonder at your love for me.

You met my eyes, and I could see the passion within them. Not the darker Passion that can drive our kind to war, but the most brilliant, purest form. Pressing together your breasts even more, so that you could hold them together one arm, you reached up towards my face, which was held just out of reach.

Lowering my head to you, I began to lick gently at your fingers as your hand drew near, then started bucking my hips a little more, trying to aid you in drawing me to my climax.

After a moment of gentle lovemaking, your hand resting against my cheek and smoothing the fur there the whole time, you motioned for me to climb off of you. One I had done so, you positioned me on the edge of the bed quickly, settling back down so that you could bob your head rapidly, deep throating me several times.

It amazed me that you could take so much of my throbbing member into your muzzle that way. All I could do was sit back and enjoy, holding my arms out behind me for support, yipping with lust every time you finished a stroke.

With the pace you set, I could not hold out much longer. Throwing my head back into the air, I began to howl loudly, warning you that I had reached the limits of my endurance as my urethra began to fill with seed, my knot seeming to glow with heat as it rested in the open air.

You inhaled a deep breath, then opened up your throat as you gently squeezed my balls. That last, gentle coaxing proved to be all I needed, as the first jets of my release spurted into your throat, luckily after you'd finished your breath, making my cry become hoarse with my passion.

Drinking down every drop I could give you, you teased out a little more than I had expected I had left. Once I was utterly and completely spent, you released my shaft, grooming it with your tongue, then sat back on your haunches and smiled up to me, commenting, "That was fun."

Meeting your smile, my mighty chest heaved with the effort of trying to catch my breath. Between heavy inhalations, I replied, "If ever anyone else tried such bravado and dismissal of you, their throat would be mine. Assuming you did not correct the situation first, of course. But, so long as you enjoyed it," then chuckled, cracking a smile. "I must admit that it was an unusual and intriguing role to take.

Heartened by my words, you hopped up into my lap and hugged into my fur, wrapping your arms around my neck as you purred loudly into my ear.

I moved my hands to stroke at the base of your tails, growling a harmony to your purr, making the basso vibrations rumble your whole chest because of your close proximity to me. "My beloved, you are one of the greatest wonders this world has to offer," I told you honestly.

As you cuddled into me even tighter, I could feel your warm fluids leaking into my fur. "Grrr... keep that up and I'm gonna jump your bones... again," you warned me. "There isn't a more sensitive spot my body save for my clit."

Giving one last, lingering rub, I moved my hands up to the safety of your shoulder blades as I whined ruefully, "I had assumed as much. I wish I could accommodate you, but I am so... tender. Once more, right now, would probably be the death of me, and I would not leave you just yet." My somber expression warmed as I said, "But, of all the ways to meet my end -"

" - that would probably be the best one," you finished for me as you cuddled into my broad chest, stroking my fur gently.

My voice took on a slightly reproving tone, an echo of my earlier 'drill sergeant' role, as I said, "There is no doubt in my mind that it would be." I ran my hand slowly along your back as I spoke, inhaling deeply of our mixed scents.

Continuing to purr, you nuzzled under my chin. I placed the tip of my muzzle onto the top of your head, rubbing my lips against your forehead lightly as I held you, feeling your pleasant heat rise into my body as you murred, clinging to me, with your nose pressed to my throat.

Sighing with irritation, I released my hands from your back, explaining, "If we are to be ready for the morrow, I suppose we should go no further. I should, perhaps, go cleanse myself. Not that I mind wearing you scent, but it might cause questions."

"I'll be here waiting for you," you replied as you nodded, then licked at my chin as I began to rise.

Taking your hand, I kissed it softly before I strode off to the bathroom. You must have heard me hesitate as I frowned at the diminutive size of the complimentary shampoo bottle, compared to my hand.

You padded in with an enormous, family-sized bottle of shampoo. "This should be enough," you explained with a grin.

Smiling as I accepted it, I told you gently, "I had planned to take human form, though. Do you really wish to spend the night lounging in the scent of wet wolf?"

"I have a nifty trick that will dry you off," you replied. "Plus, I like cuddling into your Crinos form. It's not just for war, you know."

My eyes glinted as I stepped into the shower, my broad shoulders nearly filling it, as I said softly, "I know that quite well, my beloved. You have helped teach me that... quite thoroughly." I winced after I turned on the water, shivering for a moment before it could reach its proper heat.

Giving me a warm smile, you ruffled my fur, then returned to the main room to settle onto the bed again, turning on the TV to keep yourself occupied until I was finished.

I lingered in the shower for a reasonably long time, taking special care with my crotch, as I felt that it would require some special attention after our exertions. After I was finished, I called out to you, so that you could show off your 'nifty trick'.

As you drew near to me, you said a few words that I couldn't quite catch, then flicked your wrist. All the water that still clung to my fur sluiced away and splashed into the tub, leaving me clean and dry.

Grinning as I twisted around to examine myself, I noticed that you had even managed to fluff up my fur a little, like I'd been blow-dried. "You are going to show me how to do that, I trust?"

"If you can pull it off, yes," you replied, matching my grin with one of your own.

Kneeling in front of you, I looked into your eyes and vowed to you, solemnly, "I promise to teach you any of my gifts that you ask, if you will attempt to teach me your ways."

"I will try," you told me as you gazed back into my eyes, apparently realizing the magnitude of the gesture I had just made.

Nodding, not breaking eye contact, I replied softly, "That is all I can ask of you, my beloved. You cannot teach what I cannot learn, after all."

You broke the stillness by reaching out to caress my cheek ruff, replying in a similarly subdued tone, "Let's go get some sleep."

With a soft sight, I placed my arms under your knees, then carefully swept you back into my waiting embrace as I rose, walking slowly towards the bed. As I carried you along, you wrapped your arms around my neck, nuzzling into the fur of my neck as you purred softly.

When we reached the bed, I settled onto my side without releasing you, hugging you close as I said softly, "Sleep well, dearest of my heart." You raised your muzzle to give me a good night kiss before cuddling in and starting to sleep...

I think we've lost someone, eh? That's alright, though... I had not intended to speak for much longer... I'm certain that you must be weary of writing by now, and I've said all that... that I can at the moment. Many fond memories... many I would just as soon forget.

Do you think that anyone will really take heed of our words, Lin? I haven't the faintest idea of where to go to disperse our words. There's the open boards of the Network, of course, but who actually pays attention to those?

I would honestly prefer to have this published... but how to do so without getting blocked, then executed by our own kind? That is a question that has been grating at me. If you have any ideas, I would love to hear of them... but we needn't worry about that just yet, I suppose. We have all the time we need... don't we?

Indeed we do, Beloved. All we have to do is wait until the right time to publish. I'll take Triana off to bed and return with you dinner...

----The End----