FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter V: Dusky Days

"Like every ignorant, stupid outsider, I had always seen the Vampiri as bloodsuckers. I knew this was not the case but it was hard not make that association. I mean, they were part human, part bat and they lived underground in massive stalactites. That just screamed 'vampire'. They weren't. That doesn't make them any more dangerous, however.

"The moment I stepped into Mirecragg,I realised just how different their world was. You couldn't define them as 'vampire'. They weren't bloodsucking undead that could turn others with a simple bite. They were just... Vampiri_."_

There was a lot about Mirecragg and the newly formed Vampiri nation that had to be admired. For countless centuries, both had been merely a 'province' of the greater Church-controlled Station. Mirecragg constantly bore the scars of the SunShadow War that had occurred countless millennia ago even before the Purge of Time. The city had been ruined in the battle with the humans and any 'non-Vampiri' lived on the surface-based ruins while the Vampiri lived underground in their glorious stalactites and magic.

But after just five years of independence, so much had changed.

Harm guided his horse through the enormous, wooden gates made completely out of branches and roots from two, enormous oak trees. The words 'Welcome to Mirecragg' were formed above the gate with the same, flowering branches. The gnarled gates swung open, welcoming them in. An enormous tree-top city unfolded before him. Towering trees of unknown species rose high into the air their branches twisting and curling into one another to shape high bridges and highways where civilians eagerly travelled. The emerald canopy above their heads allowed some of the purple-pink twilight to trickle through. Broad doorways and windows made of some sort of natural, hardened sap grew into every tree. Pathways led into the trunk of each tree where homes were made. Nothing was cut or carved into the wood. Everything seemed so natural.

A leaf fell on Harm's nose and he brushed it away with a grumble. It was constantly raining with the emerald foliage. A sense of serene and calm crept into him. Soft music played and he found the source to be a gazebo made out of white tree branches housing a string quartet of humans and nonhumans alike.

There was not a sign of a single Vampiri.

"Mirecragg really is magnificent," Andy exclaimed brightly. He abandoned his horse, forcing Harm to seize the animal's reigns before it went wild. The Leomian bounded over to one of the nearby lampposts which - like everything else - seemed to grow out of the ground. Its gnarled branches gripped a Solamp. Andy ran a paw over the twisting roots, beaming brightly. "Daedromancy at its finest."

Harm cocked his head to the side, ears perked. "What now?"

Aria swept past him, striding into the city to the gawking eyes of many civilians. People bowed to her and offered prayers as she passed. "It is a specialised form of Biomancy that focuses entirely on manipulating trees." Harm hastened to catch up to her primarily because she was the only one who knew where they were going.

"In ages past," she continued, "the Darkened attacked this city. If you see any ruined brick buildings, those are the remnants of the previous city. It was Daedromancers who manipulated the nearby plant life to stem the Darkened flow as much as possible."

"I thought Vampiri were built to be specialised warriors against the Darkened," Harm muttered. "How is it that they had their city overrun so easily?"

Her features were stiff and unmoving. "The Vampiri and Lupus were created late in the war as a desperate measure. While they were born, their numbers were few and they were overrun."

"I didn't hear the Lupus get swept aside."

There was a flicker of agitation on her features. "No. The Lupus held their ground but the Darkened still had enough strength to keep them from joining the rest of the war and bypassed them."

As tempted as he was to continue to push her, he - along with everyone else - had observed Aria's growing agitation and short temper. Just days ago, she had reprimanded Smallfang for forgetting to put out the campfire overnight. Andy had explained it was because of Lord Phalgymr du'Vampiri, king of the Vampiri and ruler of Mirecragg. Apparently they had a history and was one of the select people who knew about the other Harm Chronos.

Aria approached one of the bigger trees that were simply littered with those amber, sap-like windows. From all appearances, it was a hotel of some sort. Harm couldn't make out the gnarled words hanging above the doorway. A Goatex stableboy came rushing up to them and took their horses without question. Aria threw the reigns at him without even taking her bags. Harm had to scramble after the kid and take their essentials. By the way the kid was dressed, he was part of the hotel's staff.

Aria swept right past him and stormed into the hotel, throwing aside the double doors with a loud slam.

Harm winced when the doors swung back shut. He tossed the stableboy a golden cog before hurrying after Aria. Inside, everyone was staring at her though they attempted to make themselves look busy. She was at the receptionist's desk. The poor human girl standing there looked like she was about to burst into flames. Whatever Aria was saying to her, the girl was just nodding feverishly and muttering nonsense.

Aria suddenly slammed her palm against the wooden desk and the girl let out a loud 'eep'.

"I best take care of this," Tanar mumbled, padding silently past him. The Dire Wolf quickly crossed the gap between them and Aria. He spoke with the girl who was still shocked that she was talking to an intelligent Dire Wolf but was no longer trembling. Aria had been reduced to crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently.

"What's got her so wound up...?" Harm wondered aloud.

"She doesn't like this place very much," Andy responded softly in exaggerated hushed tones. He had his muzzle cupped in a paw and hovering over Harm's ears. "Remember, the Vampiri originally worked with Harm Chronos when he rebelled."

Rolling his eyes, Harm turned towards Andy. "Okay, I'm getting really tired of the whole 'Harm Chronos' thing."

"Do you have another name we can call you by?"

He gave it some thought, glancing to the right for a second and distantly towards the sky. "Why don't we just use my callsign in the military? The other guy didn't have a callsign did he?"

Andy's eyebrows shot upwards as he shook his head. "Really? You have another name?"

"Only one I give to those people I trust."

"You trust me?"

"No. You annoy me to no end with the whole 'Harm Chronos' thing so I'm making an exception." He smiled at the Leomian and gave him a light-hearted punch on the shoulder. "The other guys call me 'Hunter'. Said it's something to do with the fact that I won't give up when something is broken; that I 'hunt out' whatever is broken and fix it."

Harm detected the scent of frozen pine before he felt the massive paw rest on his shoulder.

"Hunter Chronos. I like that," rumbled Smallfang. "It is a fierce, heavy name. You bear it well."

The Lupus' blatant attempt to cosy up to him left a bitter taste in his muzzle. Harm rolled his eyes at him and flicked his ears away. "Yeah well, if I could get my birth certificate, I would legally change my name to 'Hunter Hart'."

"'Hart'?"

"My mother's maiden name. I liked her a whole lot better than my obsessive dad. Hell, my mom originally wanted to call me something else but my dad insisted and forced 'Harm' on my for some reason."

"I always figured you to be a 'Hunter'," Elena giggled, springing up from behind Andy. She gave him a coy look and a confident smirk. "What say we bring up our bags to the rooms, Hunter?"

"I'm a Hunter not a bellboy," he retorted. Still, he was in good spirits. Being referred to as 'Hunter' brought memories of happier times; when his mother would quietly sneak in calling him that when his father was away, whenever Jerry would coax him out to a club by telling him that the 'Hunter was on the prowl' and whenever Daniel teased him with the name. It was that spark of rebellion that probably led him on the path that Klaus claimed had broken their parents' hearts.

It was like a tangible barrier separating him and the other Harm Chronos. He doubted the Chronomancer had originally been affectionately named 'Hunter' by his friends and teammates. A lot of other nicknames flooded his mind for that particular Wulfun.

As he set down the bags beside Aria with a loud bang, he caught her steely gaze. For a second he felt like he was caught in the headlights of a speeding transport ship. That same gaze was the one his father constantly bore; appraising him, scrutinising him and constantly criticising him. He saw his father in her; a being infinitely more powerful than him that wanted to make him into something he wasn't. Where his father had hoped to make him his successor despite Klaus' experience, Aria wanted him to become a Paladin. Neither was ever going to happen.

"Got the keys?" he asked rudely.

He knew he was pushing the limits of Aria's temper but he was feeling foolish and angry. Like an emotional teenager, he was eager to lash out at anyone around him. Being the youngest child in a litter of three and being a Wulfun, he wanted to lash out at whoever was the biggest and strongest. That was Aria.

"Tanar is negotiating our rooms as we speak," she answered, unwilling to rise to his bait.

The rational part of him was begging him not to give way to the antagonistic part. Sadly, his agitation took precedence. "Sad to think that a measly Paladin Dire Wolf managed to get a deal out of this place when a high ranking angelic Templar couldn't."

Her eyes widened and he could simply feel the air sizzle around him from her mounting anger. He revelled it in. At the moment, with having cut a clear divide between himself and Harm Chronos, he felt like he could conquer anything.

"I take comfort from the fact that at least one of the wolves is reduced to a measly pack mule."

Tanar's ears flicked backwards but the Dire Wolf didn't stop talking to the clerk. Harm wouldn't have been surprised if he was actually warning the clerk to get the local guardsmen or to evacuate everyone.

"Hear that Tanar?" Harm said. "You're her pack mule."

When Tanar ignored him, Aria scoffed. "A feeble attempt, Hunter."

Harm's tail fluffed out and his ears instantly perked. His lips peeled back and his claws were primed for battle. He was instinctively reaching for Zero Hour.

"You don't get to call me that," he growled.

"Why not?" she retorted with a cocky smirk. "Is that not what your teammates call you?"

His eyes widened. "How did you...?"

She leaned towards him. Though he was taller by half a foot, she seemed infinitely more intimidating. "Do not assume this past week was spent with little more than travel. I have been doing my research on you, Hunter Chronos."

He found himself taking a step back, mentally cursing himself for that one sign of weakness.

"I know all about you," Aria continued, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "So do not presume you can pull any sort of weight or throw any insulting slurs at me. With one command, I can have your beloved nephew drafted into the military or your older brother arrested for the countless recreational drugs he constantly uses."

Harm backed off, realising he had just opened the gates to the demonic realm. What he did within the next few seconds could decide the fate of his family.

"You don't have the right..."

"Is it not within my right to obscure the truth from the Church and the Mother Goddess," she answered. "Your nephew has a Valour and your brother is a danger to himself and others. Is it not for the betterment of all that your nephew is inducted into the Church to develop to his fullest potential and to guard himself against the demons who desire his Valour and innocence? Is it not for the benefit of your brother, Jeremiah, that he be rehabilitated from his drug addiction and fly the path of the straight and just?"

He growled at her. She was right, of course. Klaus hated him mostly because he was associated with the Church in some distant way due to his military leanings. The eldest of the litter was always afraid that his son would be swept away by a stray word or a passing Inquisitor if Harm ever screwed up badly enough to invoke the Inquisition. And Jerry... They all knew he was the party animal and enjoyed the use of other 'stimulants' but he had never done anything drastic...

"Are you going to behave?" Aria asked in a low, grave tone.

Saying it like that made the next few words even harder to muster. "Yes...."

"Yes, what?"

He bristled, his paws forming into fists. He felt terrible over his willingness to defy her at the risk of his nephew and brother. The right path was before him; show a little humility and save the lives of two people he cared about. But the alternate path was just so tempting.

"I am waiting," Aria began. Her lips curled slightly in a dark smile. "Hunter... Hart."

"You dirty bi -!"

Something hard slammed against the side of his head and he caught a glimpse of a key striking the Aria's cheek at the same time. A key fell at his feet as well.

"I got the room keys," Tanar announced, a key in his muzzle. "Aria, you're bunking with Elena. Harm, you're with Smallfang. Naturally, Andy and I will be staying in another room." Before either of them could respond, Tanar said, "Now hurry up and get those bags unpacked. Aria, Lord Phalgymr is expecting us for dinner with some very important guests. Chronos, why don't you get yourself comfortable with the surroundings? This is your first time in Mirecragg, isn't it?"

Harm was momentarily dumbstruck. His anger just suddenly flittered away and he was left utterly confused. In the emptiness that followed, he mentally scrambled for a response.

Unable to catch up quick enough, he said, "Igloo access margarine goo and yellow." He shut his eyes and mentally slapped himself back into a forced reboot of his brain.

"That was almost intelligent," Aria scoffed, sweeping her bags up.

Tanar smirked. "And also spells 'I AM GAY' when you take the first letters of every word."

His tail fluffed out as he took the first letters for every work he had uttered. This time, he slapped his forehead physically. "I told you I am..."

"And yet you act like you aren't. Or at least in severe denial."

He grumbled and picked up his own bags. "Just... shut up."

An odd sense of embarrassment and relief battled deep inside him. The Wulfun followed Aria at a distance up the stairs made like the trees themselves had grown into the shape of the stairwell, keeping his distance while quietly glowering at her back. He wasn't quite sure why Tanar's accusation made his cheeks burn but he was relieved he hadn't come to blows with Aria. As much as he would have liked to punch her, she would have killed him with a flick of her finger before he could even lift his fist.

Tearing his mind from the awful thought, he turned his attention out one of the windows. Glistening, amber light filtered through the sap-like glass that made the windows. As floors went by, he marvelled at the essential beauty of Mirecragg. The treetop city was simply breathtaking. It was utterly peaceful and surreal at the same time. A constant scent of wood and freshly trimmed grass hung in the air.

It was a hard contrast from the mechanical world of Clockwork. Where the machine city had been filled with working gears, the constant ticking of cogs and the hustle and the sweat of people working, Mirecragg was the direct opposite. Everything was so relaxed, natural and peaceful.

It gave him shivers.

They reached what had to be the fifteenth floor of the hotel. Aria's room was thankfully at the end of a hallway while Andy and Tanar's stood between them. Harm entered his room and almost shut the door on Smallfang. After a quick apology, he turned towards the room and frowned.

There was only one bed. It was enormous and rather glamorous but still only one bed. Furthermore, there wasn't a separate en suite... or a toilet for that matter.

"Uh..."

"Do not worry," Smallfang said, stripping off his heavy, fur cloak. "All this armour makes me look bigger than I really am. I am sure we can squeeze in to that bed." There was a playful glint in his eyes his face that Harm ignored.

"Actually," he answered, setting his bags down. "I was more concerned with the distinct lack of indoor plumbing."

The Lupus laughed heartily. "Ah yes, you are from another Station." A heavy paw fell on Harm's shoulder, Smallfang squeezing the muscle there tightly. "Mirecragg is a very social locale. There are communal showers and bathrooms."

Harm's tail fluffed out once more and he spun to face Smallfang in horror. "Wh - What!? I have to get naked and shit in front of other people!?"

"And urinate. One must not forget that."

"Are you nuts!? There has got to be dozens of people in this place!? How are we going to fit one bathroom!?"

He really did not like the cheeky smile Smallfang was offering him. "The baths are not here in the structure, Hunter."

"Where are they...?" he whimpered, his ears folding back down.

"Outdoors. There are public baths at the base of every tree. They draw natural water from rivers around the city and through magic."

"Please tell me it at least has a roof."

"Sorry, no." Seeing Harm's distress, the Lupus laughed softly and wrapped his big paw around Harm's shoulder. "Come now, you are in the military. Certainly you must have bathed with others?"

He pushed away from Smallfang, regarding him incredulously. "What military are you thinking of!? The Lasting Armageddon is big enough to have showers for each officer in their quarters!"

Smallfang inclined his head to the side, flicking one ear down. "You are an officer?"

"Yeah! That's what a Level 4 engineer is!" He realised he was yelling for no apparent reason and calmed himself. Forcing his voice to drop several decibels, he said, "There are five levels of military engineer. Level 1, you're just an intern. Level 2 you're permanent member of the staff. Level 3 means you're experienced. Level 4 gives you have authority over the others while Level 5 is the equivalent to a captain. I'm basically a lieutenant."

The Lupus folded his arms, clearly impressed. "You continue to surprise me this day, Hunter Hart. Or should I say Lieutenant Hunter Hart?"

He winced, rolling his eyes and flopping down onto the bed belly first. His ass began throbbing. He hadn't even realised how sore it was from all the hard, week-long trek by horseback to Mirecragg. Aria could have summoned a small ship for them but apparently, given the independence of the Vampiri nation, such an action could be interpreted as an act of aggression from the Church. The Templars didn't have that much weight now that the Vampiri had seceded from the Church.

"It doesn't translate exactly like that, you know," he mumbled. "I'm a lieutenant amongst engineers. I'm still under the command of a marine sergeant or even a corporal."

The weight of the bed shifted as Smallfang sat down beside him, gently stroking his hair. "So on your ship, you had your own bathroom?"

"Yeah. It was simple. Bathroom, toilet, sink. Strictly military."

"Did you ever invite other men to bathe with you?"

Despite his weariness, his tail still found the strength to stand on edge and fluff out. "What!? No! Why would anyone do that!?"

Smallfang seemed surprised by his reaction. Slowly, the Lupus twisted his head away from him, narrowing an eye at him despite keeping his gaze on him. "Just how many times have you had sex...?"

Harm realised he had been cornered. Escape was impossible and if he leapt up too fast, Smallfang could easily catch him. Distance needed to be put between himself and the Lupus. While still lying on his belly, he began to subtly creep across the bed, shuffling ever so slightly across the soft, silken sheets. "Do the times in my imagination where I make out with hot movie stars count?"

"I have no idea what a 'movie' is but no."

"What about dreams?"

"Absolutely not."

"Then... Five."

"How many of those were with another man?"

His cheeks were starting to burn. "Four..."

"How many of those were with the same man?"

He winced loudly. "Three..."

"Tell me," Smallfang said, the sound of amusement creeping into his voice. "How many places can one have sex?"

"Um... Two...? Over and under the covers?"

He was starting to feel incredibly foolish especially with the amused smirk Smallfang was giving him. Harm had to turn away as his blush was starting to creep into the insides of his ears.

"How many positions can one undertake during sex?"

He let himself think it over. Speaking too hastily would make him sound like an immature pup who only knew that sex was good and was the culmination of romance. Sadly, his knowledge of sex was the brief position of arms wrapped and legs curled around the bigger Canonian that he had spied in a pornographic movie once.

"Four," he said, recalling his first time with another man. "On top, bottom, in and out."

Smallfang's laugh clearly told him he had given the wrong answer.

"Okay, so maybe I'm not the most sexually knowledgeable!" he barked, rolling onto his back. "Geez... I had one session where the guys took turns soaking me in their cum and then I was with Ted the rest of the time. Come on, that's more than most guys can claim!"

"Yes, those who are less than eighteen years of age."

His cheeks were practically red. "Do I at least get credit for losing my virginity at sixteen?"

"I lost mine at the age of fourteen."

"Of course you did!" Harm shouted, sitting up angrily. "Look at you! You're huge! I bet by the time you were fourteen, your balls had dropped so low you had to carry them around in a fuckin' wheelbarrow!"

Smallfang laughed again, having to wipe a tear away from his eyes. "Tell me truly, how much do you truly know about making love?"

"Next to nothing. Having sex... well... I've read various journals on how wolves mate in the wild so I know what a knot is. Hell, I've had one in me several times." Smallfang gave him an accusing stare. "Okay, maybe once..."

The Lupus gave him a curious stare. "I thought you said you've had sex at least four times with another man? Did you dominate?"

He frowned back at Smallfang. "No... Doesn't jacking off count as sex?"

"Of course not..."

That brought his total times of having actual real sex to two and one of them was with a woman...

"Aw fuck!" He clutched the side of his head in misery.

Smallfang patted his shoulder encouragingly despite attempting to curb his hysterical laughter. "Come now. So perhaps your sexual prowess has been somewhat exaggerated."

"Try grossly exaggerated," Harm muttered bitterly. "Jerry bones a guy or a girl every three seconds and you can't turn around without finding some trace of Klaus in every Wulfun child beneath the age of sixteen! Compared to them, having sex twice is like... like comparing a microscopic organism to the vastness of the Void!"

Smallfang laughed heartily. "Why does it even matter how many sexual partners you have? I thought you valued romance and the quality of the deed over all else?"

Fact was, the reason felt even more petty after he had spurned Smallfang's advances a week earlier. "I do... It's just... I don't know... It's the machismo man in me. I was content knowing I had at least had sex five times; it took me a while to get accustomed to that fact. But then... realising that it was actually a lower number... Gah!"

He growled and punched the pillow angrily. "I'm half-tempted to grab the nearest living being and go at it like wild animals until I've at least doubled my previous count. Hell, I'd even grit my teeth and do Aria..."

He snapped at stare at Smallfang, anticipating a lewd remark or a coy, suggestive smile. Oddly enough, the Lupus was regarding him with a serene, wise look.

"May I ask you something, Hunter?"

It was a little worrisome that he was already leaping to the conclusion that his answer to the next question would be 'Yes, please plough me hard until we drive everyone out of the hotel and traumatise every child within a ten mile radius with our lusty howls of unbridled passion.'

"S - s - sure..." he stammered. He could not deny that his brain was starting to lack blood flow. Most of his resources were quickly being pooled into his groin.

"If I were to ask you if you wanted to sleep with me at this very moment, what would you say?"

Lacking sufficient oxygen, his only reply was, "Yes, please ride me as hard as you can like a pack of sled dogs howling in ecstasy as they convulse in a relentless orgy that melts all the snow around them in a twenty mile radius."

Smallfang chuckled and poked his nose. Harm hadn't even realised he had leaned towards the Lupus with his lips puckered.

"Why don't you take a walk?" suggested the Lupus. "Mirecragg has the uncanny ability to clear your thoughts by simply breathing in its air and striding through its verdant lands."

"Buh...?"

"Go on," the Lupus encouraged, pushing him off the bed. "Clear your head. If, after some reflection, you still decide you wish to engage in this carnal act of pleasure, I will be waiting here." Smallfang sniffed the air a moment before raising his armpit and giving the thick tufts of fur there a sniff. Harm caught the scent of musky male and was starting to feel very drowsy. "And perhaps after I take a bath." He beamed at Harm. "Let us meet back here in an hour?"

"Uh..."

"Excellent." Smallfang rose, patting Harm's paws and happily trotting out of the door.

The slamming of the wooden portal forced the blood to rush back towards Harm's brain.

"What just happened...?" he asked aloud.

"I believe you were just spurned by a member of the Custodia Lupus." His gaze switched to the far corner of the room. Leaning against a wooden drawer was Shinniah, her dress now pure white and no longer stained in blood. "One cannot help but take that personally. After all, the Lupus are always willing to mount anyone and everyone to bolster their ranks."

Harm flashed his fangs at her. "Shut up you."

*****

The room was... acceptable and that was being generous.

The opinion of Church officials had severely degraded ever since the Vampiri had declared independence and that was reflected in the rooms given to Aria. Templars were usually seen in such high regard that penthouses and personal quarters were thrown at them. It felt... alien to be treated like a commoner.

Aria set down her own bags, appalled at the idea that no one had offered to take them up for her when not five years ago, people would have been scrambling to grant her every wish. Complacency had softened her, she realised, but it was a lesson she was willing to take in stride and accept. The Mother Goddess worked in mysterious ways and perhaps this was one such example.

Humility was the lesson.

She unsheathed her Valour, Gungnir, and set it on the silken sheets of her single bed. A small gap and a bedside table separated her and Elena's bed. Her amethyst eyes scanned the relatively small room. The barest of amenities were made available of them; a wardrobe, ample sunlight, magical runes to regulate temperature and some indoor plants that could freely make fresh fruit available. As was the custom in Mirecragg, there were no bathrooms. Fresh water was made available from a pitcher plant that magically refilled.

Still, she could remember times when her suites had internal plumbing. Then again, those suites belonged to the underground section of Mirecragg not this bustling treetop metropolis that had sprung up in the past five years.

Five years... Almost the moment Harm had begun his rebellion, Phalgymr had sprouted this city and his independence of the Church, flaunting his success in the face of those who had provided, protected and created him and his race.

Her knuckles turned white as she balled her hands into fists though her features remained steely.

"Lady Valkyrie?"

She started and turned sharply towards Elena Clox. The former mayor of Clockwork froze under her piercing stare. Aria closed her eyes briefly, trying to mentally tell herself that her mood and past was no right to lash out at others. Despite Harm - or was it 'Hunter' now - antagonising her earlier, she still felt rather guilty for snapping at him.

"Yes, Lady Clox?" she answered softly. Opening her eyes, she said. "How can I help you?"

Elena visibly relaxed. "If you do not mind me asking, ma'am, what has got you so... agitated for the past week?"

Aria tossed around the idea of telling Elena what she knew. It was not truly confidential. Perhaps personal but nothing truly incriminating. Besides, most of the information had been erased by the Redaction Spell. She picked select pieces of information and decided it was best to sate the woman's curiosity if only to have someone to confide in. Andy was insightful but a little... spacy at times and Tanar was far too down-to-earth that she found it rather frustrating when confiding in him.

Much to her dismay, she found herself missing Harm - the Lord Harm Chronos she had befriended and perhaps...

Pushing the thoughts out of her head of the traitor, she said, "I have received intelligence that Lord Phalgymr may have been behind the attack on your city."

Elena nodded slowly, giving her a puzzled stare. "Yes. I am aware. That is the reason why I chose to come along, if you recall."

Aria mentally lashed herself for that slip. Solomon had warned her not to let Harm Chronos plague her and here she stood, letting the Chronomancer constantly distract her. It was, however, difficult. The Vampiri attacked Clockwork under a 'Duke Dalzemor' that was apparently some local celebrity. Lord Chronos attacked them in turn. Some part of her reasoned that made Chronos a 'good guy'. He thwarted the Vampiri... did that not earn him some degree of leniency?

Steeling herself and turning the roiling emotions in her chest into ice, she said, "Of course. Forgive my momentary lapse. I am merely worried that his actions could be interpreted as an act of hostility against the Church. We already have a civil war raging on the Lupus lands and having the Vampiri declare open war upon the Church would not be suitable."

Despite herself, she sighed heavily, her breath cooling the icy interior of her heart. "I have spent millennia preserving the peace of this world, Elena. It hurts me to see my work falling apart."

Elena seated herself on her bed, resting on leg on the other knee. "My father once told me that you must not invest yourself in the people you serve. You are there to do a job; to keep them safe and to ensure that the world around them remains stable. Investing emotionally in them will have you to make poor decisions. Sometimes, you must hurt them in order to ensure you save them."

Aria found herself laughing bitterly. "That sounds like something Harm would say."

"Do you mean Hunter or that Harm?"

She found herself rather amused at the distinction and how quickly it spread. She had to admit, her current Wulfun companion was more of a 'Hunter' than 'Harm'. It just rang so smoothly with his personality. However, it spoke volumes that he hadn't changed his name. She theorised it had something to do with fear of his father but she needed Tanar's level head or Andy's insightfulness to delve into it deeper.

"Harm," she replied. "He was a conniving, manipulative demon who had a favourite saying." She cleared her throat theatrically and attempted to mimic Harm's bright, masculine voice. "'War is a juggling act; in one hand a sword, in the other a shield, in a third your people's hearts and in a fourth your enemy's balls.'"

Elena gave her a puzzled look. "But... That's impossible."

"Exactly."

Aria could not help the smile that touched her lips. Elena's reaction was exactly the same one Harm received every time he spoke those words whether it was to travelling companions or his students. Yet despite the impossibility of it all, the Chronomancer always managed to epitomise those words. Somehow, he was always on the front lines fighting, defending the weak at the same time and pulling at people's heartstrings. Seemingly at the same moment, he hand the minds of his enemies in his grip. Even if he didn't direct communications with them, the way he fought, his strategies and trickeries always led his foes into the path he desired.

"I would be very amazed to see how he could put such words into reality," Elena said, mirroring Aria's smile. "But we are getting side tracked. We were speaking of Phalgymr du'Vampiri. What is he truly like?"

Bless Elena's soul. She clearly saw Aria's heartbreak at the mere mention of Harm's name and achievements and she was trying to steer her clear. However, it was impossible not to think of anyone without seeing Harm's paw prints all over it. Some cynical part of her even considered that perhaps the Chronomancer had somehow manipulated the creation of the Vampiri and the Lupus despite that occurring a thousand years after he joined the Chronomancers.

"Manipulative," answered Aria. "He is extremely charming and is a master at court intrigue. There is a long standing theory that he enjoys watching his lords and ladies stab each other in the back because it means they are not stabbing him in the back." She realised she was still standing - and rather stiffly. It felt like every joint was a rusty hinge as she lowered herself onto the feathery bed and crossed her legs. It was far from comfortable especially in her heavy armour.

Elena made no comment on her obvious discomfort. "I heard that he was a master archer."

"Crossbows. He prefers crossbows. He possesses two custom made repeating crossbows collectively known as 'Heartbreaker'. His mastery of Light Magic mixed with Vampiri strength and speed makes him a deadly combatant. However, he rarely steps into the battlefield. Again, he prefers to stand behind the lines and manipulate than fight."

"Sounds like your errant Chronomancer."

"No. Harm fights actively on the field, throwing himself purposefully into danger." Again, Aria found herself slipping back into her memories of Harm. She quickly hardened her heart once more. "But Phalgymr is our current problem. He holds immense political power ever since he declared independence."

Elena kicked off her dirty riding boots and lay on the bed with a content sigh. "Considering the power of the Church, I am surprised that they allowed him. Would it not have been an easy matter to have the Inquisition or the Templars merely consider Phalgymr a blasphemer and remove him from power? I am sure there were plenty of Vampiri loyal to the Church here in Mirecragg."

"There are," Aria responded with a nod. "The Generals gave the Vampiri leave to be whomsoever they wished and to become their own independent state because they believed it was the natural evolution of the people of Incendius. Another reason they believe the Church should not openly interfere with the Lupus civil war. They are advocating independence but maintaining faith amongst the people."

She didn't dare mention that those loyal Vampiri were actively spying on Phalgymr for the Church. Perhaps it was one such spy that discovered Phalgymr's claws dripping with the blood of all those who had died in Clockwork.

"That's very sporting of them," Elena said. She abruptly sat up. "The trip here has left me rather starved. I think I shall explore what Mirecragg has to offer in terms of refreshments." She smiled at Aria. "Would you care to join me, Lady Valkyrie?"

She considered rejecting the offer but realised there was really nothing keeping her bound to the room. Meditation was an option though she feared she would only continue to meditate on Harm's betrayal and Phalgymr's plots. Those two ghosts constantly plagued her. As a Templar, she needed a clear head. As an opponent to two of the most conniving minds in Tower Thirteen, she needed one desperately.

"I think I would like that," she responded with a small smile. "Allow me to change out of my armour, however. Then we shall see what this treetop city has to offer."

*****

Mirecragg's constant twilight was enchanting in some respect but it was also extremely... disorienting. With no reminder of when sunset was or when dawn broke, Harm found himself striding along the streets completely alone as everyone had retired for the day. Apparently, it was 'night' and all the shops were closed. Tourist locales were shut for the evening and there weren't even any nightclubs that he could wander into.

In terms of entertainment, the city was very... vanilla. Some part of him had imagined that a city filled with 'vampires' would be livelier. It was a terrible stereotype but after all the teen angst supernatural novels that he definitely had not read, he expected the city to be filled with acts of debauchery with hedonistic acts littering the streets.

Or is this one of those situations where the vampires are 'resisting the urge to drink our blood' and we fall in love with them for that...?

He shook his head free of the thought. Vampiri were not really 'vampires' in the traditional sense. They were part bat but they ate what most bats ate - bugs and fruit. If his knowledge of the city was correct, the Vampiri normally lived in the underground caverns of the city while those non Vampiri stayed on the surface.

Smallfang's suggestion for a walk was well founded. The farther away he travelled away from the hotel, the more he pushed back the need to validate himself with sex. Just because his brothers had an ungodly amount of sex, that didn't make him any less of a male. He would be the brother that got the lasting, fulfilling relationships instead of the wild one-night stands like Jerry or Klaus' empty marriage that popped out a pup every nine months or so.

Tail lifted and wagging pleasantly behind him, Harm wandered along the roads, just taking in all of Mirecragg's sites. However, after about an hour, the tree structures started to look the same as any other. He wasn't even sure if he was going around in circles.

He did come across what was apparently called 'Sun Sword'. It was an enormous stone blade that towered over every other tree in the entire city. From the plaque, it was apparently part of a statue of the legendary Brave Farmer. During the Sunshadow war, the statue was completely and utterly shattered save for the blade which ended up being embedded into the ground and now served as the entrance of the underground part of the city where the Vampiri lived.

From the Sun Sword, he found the way back to the entrance to the city.

He remembered the path back to the hotel from there.

It surprised him that there were no guards in front of the city. Then again, they had passed several checkpoints and small forts on their way to the Twilit City. In fact, there were no guards patrolling the streets at all. Everything was much more relaxed than Clockwork or even Haven. He remembered swarms of Inquisitors storming the streets after the disaster five years ago when the tower of Chrysalis that had been shattered and demons had invaded in bulk.

Everyone was suspect and no one was safe.

Thinking about those events brought his paw drifting into the pocket of his flight jacket. He pulled out his Telecube and flicked it open. There were hundreds of missed messages. All from Daniel. Just skimming the first few made him laugh.

'Really? Are you out to anyone else yet?'

'You know I don't care right?'

'I've always secretly suspected. You tended to... overcompensate...'

'Hey, what do you think about my cock? You've seen it plenty of times, right?'

He shook his head and decided it was about time he put poor Daniel out of his misery. As he lifted his arm to send his own message, he caught a whiff of his own body odour and gagged.

"Damn, I'm rank..." he muttered. Being on the road for a week with little in terms of bathing and soap had left him grimy, smelly and his fur extremely oily. While he was loathed to take a bath in a public bath, he figured there wouldn't be anyone in them if they were all having dinner.

He returned to the hotel and returned to his room. Disappointment flooded him when he didn't find Smallfang in the room. The hormonal part of him was seriously considering 'getting dirty' before he got clean. However, he was determined to stick to his resolve and make the relationship blossom through romance and not through a basis of simple, physical attraction.

"God I sound like such a pussy," he muttered, rifling through his bags. He retrieved a towel and left. The concierge was kind enough to point him in the direction of the hotel baths. As he headed towards the broad, outdoors location that was simply brimming with steam, he paused.

Smallfang said he was going to bathe as well.

What were the chances of the two of them bumping into one another?

What were the odds that he would be forced to strip down naked and slip into the pool beside the Lupus?

What did they say about hot tubs somehow being the optimum temperature to maintain sperm?

He shook his head angrily.

Being really stupid right now, he thought. Smallfang is a sensible, controlled, logical soldier. He's not going to let hormones get the better of him.

The public baths looked more like an outdoor, heated pool than anything else. Large pools of steamy water were placed at the base of the enormous tree with growths from the tree forming barriers between each. The roots seemed to have grown to form fencing around each pool with warning signs and the rules drawn on plaques of wood that seemed to have grown naturally complete with the engravings. There were stalls for showers erected right up against the tree's trunk for those in a quick need for a bath but, like everything else, it was very open and those bathing there could be seen clearly from the pools.

Harm leaned towards one of the plaques and lifted an eyebrow. The rules were your typical pool safety rules. Don't leave your child unattended. No dive bombing. No holding friend under the water. Curiously, it had an extra rule.

"If you smell cooked chicken or beef, get out immediately and alert the pool guard?" he asked loudly.

"Imagine an Avios or a Bovios soaking in hot water for a long while," Shinniah said. "Their boiling flesh would make for a very interesting broth."

He frowned at her and glanced around the pool. There was no lifeguard on station. Yet there was no sign stating that the pool was closed either. With a shrug, he slipped past the wooden gates and stripped off his jacket, shirt and pants as well as all his various pieces of equipment; his headphones and Telecube. Feeling Shinniah's gaze upon him, he opted to keep his boxer shorts on.

"I would have thought military men would be forced to wear 'military issues' briefs," she said.

"Please go away while I bathe," he muttered. He dipped a toe into the water and instantly recoiled. It was boiling hot. "And for your information, there's no such thing as 'military issue' briefs. That's just some crazy rumour cooked up by underwear fetishists."

He pushed his whole foot into the pool, wincing for a second at the hot touch. Warmth rippled up his leg, making him shudder. Slowly, he lowered himself into the hot, steamy water, letting out a relieved sigh. Tense muscles from having ridden on horseback for a week finally eased. There were soap and shampoo dispensers on the other side of the pool but he decided to soak for a little longer before getting cleaning himself.

"Huh... Don't you think that several people getting all sudsy in the same pool wouldn't be hygienic..."

"The pools are enchanted," Shinniah answered, her back turned away from him. "Do you feel that light tingle?"

"Wow... By the way, I'm still mad at you."

Shinniah ignored the comment. "That is the magic working within the water to cleanse your body. The soap and shampoo is merely the catalyst and gives your fur or hair a smoother, silkier texture afterwards. All the dirt and grime is actually removed by the magic of the water and consumed to provide energy for that very same magic."

"Huh..." Harm let himself sink slightly lower into the pool, letting the calm surface wrap around his shoulders. "We could use some of these in Haven..."

With a sigh, he sank lower, his muzzle hovering just below the surface. He blew a couple of bubbles to appease the child in himself and tasted the slight tang of minerals in the water. A small smile crossed his features. Harm let himself dip further into the water, momentarily dunking his entire head under the surface before coming back up with a sigh.

"Think these things get pretty busy?"

Instead of Shinniah's voice, he heard a manly, throaty voice he did not recognise. "They have something called 'morning peak hour' and yeah, it gets pretty busy there."

Harm lifted his head and sniffed the air. The scent of frozen pine filled his nostrils. Smallfang.

"Hey, I know I agreed to doing it when we're back in the hotel room but I needed a bath too and you weren't there so..." He felt a sly smirk cross his features. "You know they say that hot tubs provide the perfect environment for sperm to survive."

The enormous shape that slipped in beside him had the jet-black fur except for a creamy crest on his chest. He was also not as big as Smallfang though his arms were big, bulgy and simply covered in throbbing veins. One said arm wrapped slipped around Harm's shoulders, the enormous paw wrapping around his bare flesh.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the Lupus said with a grin, his bright blue eyes glimmering with mirth. "But turning this fresh mineral water into salt water was definitely on my bucket list."

Harm's tail fluffed out as much as it could underwater and he practically small to the other side of the pool. "Holy shit! I mean -" He did a double take. "I'm sorry! You weren't the Lupus I was expecting!"

The werewolf raised an eyebrow while a coy smirk crossed his features. "I figured as much." He held out a paw. "My name is Eton. Eton Slater."

"Eton...?" Harm responded, shaking the Lupus' paw. "Don't you Lupus usually throw aside your previous names and adopt a name like... I don't know... Smallfang or Moonclaw?"

Eton laughed as he let go of Harm's paw. The latter hadn't realised just how firm the Lupus' grip was until blood flow returned to his fingertips.

"Well, most Lupus weren't Paladins first."

Harm was instantly on edge again. "Oh!"

"Calm down," Eton laughed, waving him down. "I'm still a Paladin. One of the few Lupus Paladins ever since the Alpha Protocol was enacted."

"The what now?"

Eton's bright, blue eyes shone and sparkled. Harm couldn't help but stare at his reflection in the still waters to avoid getting lost in those eyes. Unfortunately, the reflection's eyes were just as intense as the real one's.

"You're not from around here, are you?"

"Nope. Haven."

"Ah. That explains it." Eton nodded sagely as he closed those ensnaring blue eyes and nodded. "The Alpha Protocol was a spell negotiated by Lupus shamans about five years ago. It allowed Lupus to convert anyone from any species and for Lupus troops to break into 'packs'. The idea behind it was to provide more equality but I think it was just so the Lupus could get more strong, buff Paladins like me."

Eton flexed his impressive biceps. Harm's left eye twitched.

"Please put your arms down."

"Why? Too much man for you, skinny boy?" Eton teased.

Harm was in no means skinny. Like every Wulfun, he was tall and built with enormous muscles. It was written into his genes to be strong and muscular. Years of working with heavy machinery and living on military rations had only refined that. Though nowhere near as big as Eton, he was still impressive in his own right and he took pride in that.

Predominantly because - for some reason - his father utterly despised him the moment he hit puberty, grew a foot and a half and started packing on the muscle. When he had remained athletic of build and only about six feet tall, his father adored him. Afterwards...

Shaking his childhood away from his mind, he said, "No. You stink."

Eton didn't. He had a lovely, frozen pine smell mixed with a bit of hazelnut cream that had Harm thinking of a cup of hot chocolate. It was warm and comforting.

"Oh!" Eton blushed beneath his dark fur and abruptly lowered his arms. "Sorry. I've been on the road for two weeks and had women in our company. They got first bath and none of the other guys wanted to bathe with me for fear that I might jump their bones and turn them into a Lupus."

Harm winced. "Sorry... That must suck."

"You get used to it," answered the Lupus with a shrug. "Besides, this thing gets its uses." He abruptly stood up, showing his impressive, plump sheath hiding a monstrous cock that had Harm shrinking back in a mix of horror and awe.

"Y - You're naked!"

Eton inclined his head and looked down at Harm. "And... you're not...?"

"Why would I be!? It's a public bath!"

"Do you normally bathe in your underwear?"

"Only when it's in public!"

Eton's lips curled into a smirk. "How often have you done that?"

Busted.

"Once for every second of this humiliating conversation," Harm grumbled. Like a petulant child proven wrong, he spun around and crossed his arms gruffly. "I'm not taking my underwear off!"

"You have to. It's the rules."

"Show me where it says I have to!"

Eton's big paws gripped the side of his head and gently turned it towards the big, wooden sign clearly stating, 'all bathers must swim nude'.

"What!?" he cried in a surprisingly girlish tone.

"It's for people's safety," Eton replied, clearly amused. "In places like this, people can have their underwear stolen from them and there have been incidents where immature fetishists have done nasty things with underwear. In other words..." Eton's clawed finger looped around the lip of Harm's boxer shorts. "These come off, mister."

Harm mind spun with a thousand possible excuses to try and wiggle out of surrendering his underwear. Somehow, he managed to keep himself from babbling and say one word.

"Rape."

Eton looked dumbstruck and pulled back though his claw was still hooked on the elastic of Harm's boxers. "What?"

Where was I going with this?

He was having a hard time focusing. Eton's eyes were an amazing clear icy blue that he could see every fibre in his irises, each one mesmerising him and inundating his mind with thoughts of hot Lupus sex.

"I - I - If I scream rape..." he muttered. "People will come..."

He mentally smacked himself at the idea of sounding like a prissy little girl being cornered by a big, dark man in some alleyway. But some part of him incredibly turned on at the idea of being thrown across the edge of the pool while the big, bad Lupus stuffed whatever was kept in that fuzzy package deep inside him, whispering dirty insults into his ear, calling him a weakling and ordering him to want it.

Surprisingly, Eton laughed softly and gently unhooked his claw from Harm's underwear. The big Lupus settled back down a couple of feet away, stretching out his arms on either side of him as he leaned against the edge of the pool. "I know you want it. Or at least some part of it. But you're waiting for that other guy, I guess. I can respect that."

The horrible realisation was that he didn't care who he had sex with at that point. For the past two hours, he had been unintentionally teased by two hot guys. His balls were fit to burst. Somehow, he managed to reign in his hormonal segment and sank back against the pool sides, finding a groove in the wall fit for anyone to sit down on.

"Th - Thanks," he stammered. "And I'm not gay."

For the second time that night, he mentally smacked himself. It was a reflex on his part.

Eton laughed. "Yeah you are."

"Am not!"

Somewhere in the depths of his imagination, a large, comical buzzer went off.

Eton rolled his eyes. "Dude, the moment I walked in here, you talked about doing the nasty with a guy in the pools. You're gay."

"I never said it was a guy," he replied tersely.

"There are the men's baths, you know." The Lupus pointed to the sign. Again, Harm had missed a segment that clearly indicated that this pool was for men only.

"I could -" Harm stopped himself from spouting another excuse.

What is wrong with me? This is a total stranger. What's the point in lying? Hell, he's a Lupus_. What's the worst that could happen?_

He tells everyone who already suspects anyway?

This makes its way to my dead parents?

"I could have missed that part like I missed the whole 'no underwear' deal," he admitted, ducking his head. In the process of physically exposing his embarrassment, he looked down at the clear waters and his dark blue boxers that wrapped tightly around his figure. With a sigh, he wiggled out of them and deposited them on the side away from his dry clothes.

Seeing Eton's curious stare, he said, "They might shrink in these hot waters or colour my fur." That stare turned to one of clear amusement. "Don't laugh! That happened before. My best friend and I jumped into a pool one night when it was closed and I was wearing non-colourfast underwear. Ended up walking around with a nasty pink splotch of fur for a while."

"You went swimming in the middle of the night at a closed pool?" Eton was clearly impressed. The Lupus crossed his arms and, cocking his head to the side. "What kind of bad boy do we have here?"

"A surprisingly mellow one," Harm admitted, averting his gaze. His imagination took him back to that moment when - back in high school - Daniel had blindfolded and driven him away from his home. He remembered the cause had something to do with his father. Daniel had heard the two arguing and decided to cheer him up.

Was it because I told my dad I wanted to join the military?

Nah, that was much later...

Can't remember...

He shook his head free of the depressing thought and went back to the pleasant memory of Daniel removing the blindfold and then that rush of adrenaline that followed after realising where they were, what they were about to do.

"Daniel was always the one that got me into trouble. He brought me out of my shell."

"Oh?" Eton asked. "You and him going on some sort of 'bro-cation' or something?"

Harm shook his head. "Nah. I'm on shore leave. Got roped into something after I visited Clockwork. You're probably not interested."

Eton idly glided across the pool on his belly. His big, dark frame disappeared into the waters for a moment before he sprang back up and spat out a mouthful of water. "Phew that stuff's hot..." The droplets of water simply glistened off his fur. Unlike Smallfang's which was rather big and fluffy, Eton's fur was short and hugged his exceptional muscles incredibly tightly. Harm found his mouth watering and quickly ducked his head underwater before Eton could catch him staring.

The pool was scalding hot for his face but he enduring it for a few seconds just to clear his head. As he rose, he shook his head, throwing droplets of water around him. Eton chuckled mildly, lifting his meaty arm to block the drizzle.

"So you're part of the military?"

"Havenese Navy, yeah. Level 4 starship engineer."

"Combatant?"

"Nope."

"Ah. Well, you certainly keep in shape for a non-combatant." Eton nodded his approval. "So you're from Haven. How's that place these days?"

Harm's wet ears perked. "You've been there before?"

"I'm a Paladin," Eton replied as if that answered the question. "I have to make a pilgrimage there every year. Twice three years ago when they announced the new Propheticus Primoris. What's his name again...?"

"Benevolence XIII," Harm answered.

"Ah yeah, that's the guy." Eton swam back over to where his clothes lay. Harm noted the distinctive black, gold and red pauldron that marked him as a Paladin of Incendius. The jet-black coat similar to Andy's was present as well but where Andy's was trimmed with white, Eton's was trimmed with a ruby red.

The Lupus fished out some soap and a bottle of conditioner.

Another buzzer went off in his head but he had no idea why. He stared at the block of soap in Eton's big paws for a few seconds before he came to the realisation that he had completely forgotten to bring his own bathing supplies.

"Son of a bitch..." he muttered.

Eton's ears angled towards him. "Come again?"

Caught in the headlights of those hypnotic, blue eyes, Harm could only say, "I forgot my own soap and conditioner."

The Lupus broke into a cheery smile and tossed him the bar of floral soap. "Here then. Help yourself."

Harm tried to grasp the block but in his wet paws, it easily slipped free. Panic erupted in his chest as the block soared comically through the air. He began thinking of the combinations of hot water and soap; fearing how quickly the soap would disintegrate in the heated pools and how horrible he would feel if he completely lost Eton's little gift.

Before he could give himself an aneurysm, the water in front of him suddenly shot upwards and froze solid. The icy frame quickly formed a hand that closed around the block of soap with ease. Harm blinked in surprise at the little sculpture and then at Eton who swam over to it. The hand gave Eton back the block.

"Whu...?" Harm muttered.

"My specialty is Cryomancy," Eton explained with a shrug. "Kind of fitting for a Lupus, dontcha think?"

Cryomancy, the power of Ice Magic... Harm found himself momentarily dumbfounded.

"I didn't hear you cast the spell."

Eton's eyebrows rose and he indicated that Harm should turn around. The Wulfun did so, his mind plagued with that hot, muscular Lupus framed pressing itself against his back, sticking the hot piece of lupine meat between his butt cheeks and filling him with hot seed.

"So I'm guessing you don't use magic that often?" asked the Paladin. Harm shivered when he felt Eton's paw on his shoulder and the other pressing the soap against his fur.

"Not really good at using it. I tend to just use my paws to do my work. No crazy voodoo involved."

The Lupus let out a short laugh. "One of those people, huh?"

"One of what?" Harm asked with a little too much hostility than he had intended.

"Hey, no offense meant, man," Eton responded, his paw with the soap travelling across the valleys and mounds across Harm's back. "There's just two kinds of people in the world when it comes to magic. Those that use it and those that don't. Those that don't usually think of magic as a shortcut to doing things you'd normally do. Fact is, it isn't. You don't physically move as much parts of your body but you expend energy nevertheless."

"I know how magic works," he grumbled. "And if you must know, I use it on occasion."

"Yeah but I bet you didn't know the advanced forms of magic, did you?"

A bit of pride swelled up in his chest. "Oh, you mean Sign Combat, Rune Discs and Silent Casting?"

Eton paused. Harm thought he had him until the Lupus' paw sank just beneath his tail. Surprisingly, the balance of pride and surprise kept Harm from screaming like a little girl and bolting out of the baths crying rape.

"I'm surprised," Eton admitted.

Whether he was referring to the fact that Harm didn't run away screaming as he began working the soap into Harm's fluffy tail or that he knew about the advanced forms of magic, Harm wasn't sure.

The Wulfun decided to take the latter into consideration.

"I know magic isn't simply restricted to writing the Weizar, saying it or waving your paws in gestures that represent it. I know you can move your entire body to make shapes that represent the Weizar, allowing you to basically fight someone while summoning magic at the same time. I also know that the famed General Halcyon Solomon created the Rune Discs which are basically discs that allow you to program over a thousand spells into it and fill it with your Force energy so that you can summon them whenever you want. I also know that you can just thiiiiiiii -!"

He tapered off into a squeal as Eton began massaging his ass with the soap.

"Don't be such a baby," Eton scolded. "If you want to do it, here." He held out the block of soap. Harm regarded it, feeling utterly terrible. Looking at the Paladin's features, he could see there were honestly innocent intentions there. It was just one guy giving another guy a helping paw. Just like the many times he had helped Daniel over the years...

Yeah... like that was utterly 'innocent'.

"Sorry," he murmured, blushing. "It's just... I'm not used to open displays of... of..."

"Perfect normalcy that some may interpret as homosexual?" supplied Eton, an amused smirk on his features. "Okay, how about this then? I'm going to keep rubbing this soap into you. Anytime I start pushing the boundaries, you can just say 'gay' and I'll veer away. Every other time, just say 'not gay'."

Harm fixed Eton with an accusing stare. "Is this some cute play on the whole 'gaydar' thing?"

Eton gave him a challenging stare. "Why? You a cock?"

"Huh?"

"Because 'cock' is another word for chicken. A male chicken."

He had to smile at that. Instead of a buzzer going off in his head, Harm found an approving chiming noise.

"Just shut up and but those paws to good use."

"Yessir," Eton chuckled, gently pressing Harm back against the side of the pool. That big paw moved in and began rubbing the flowery soap against Harm's hard pectorals. "So you know then that ever since the Generals came into power, they really revolutionised the Church, right? It's not the same conservative, super-suspicion nuthouse it was five years ago."

"I am in the Holy Navy. I know what the Church is all about."

He thought back to the disaster five years ago that was supposedly caused by his Chronomancer counterpart while Eton massaged his muscles with soap. Lumire the Eternal, Propheticus Primoris for countless millennia, had been killed in the event and the Church had been fragmented, leaderless. Several men and women from all walks of life gathered the Church under a single banner again, these people became the Generals. Each of them were accomplished in their own fields. Some were brilliant tacticians, others Paladins or Templars of some renown. Others still were brilliant scientists or influential businessmen. All worked together to bring the Church back from the brink of destruction and reformed it in more ways than one.

Eton moved down to Harm's abdominals, regarding the Wulfun questioningly.

"Not gay," Harm murmured, his mind still on Generals.

General Solomon was one such man. Harm had never seen the guy. All Generals remained mysterious and unseen for their own safety save one, General Lazarus who was the public face of all the Generals.

If ever there was a man Harm looked up to, it was Solomon. The man was a proponent for the independence of the Stations, insisting on the segregation of government and religion siting the fact that the disaster that had crippled the Church left the Stations pretty much defenceless as the governing bodies were the Church. Solomon introduced the three advanced forms of magic as well and was constantly campaigning for free education and the flow of technology from Haven to others. Under his rule, many of the other Stations had been consistently seeing improvements in their daily living.

Though... considering that Solomon was likely involved in the creation and casting of the Redaction Spell... It left a bitter taste in Harm's mouth.

Eton began sliding down a little lower.

"Not gay..." Harm dared.

"I'll need you to sit up on the side," Eton said. "For your legs."

"You know I can wash my own legs, right?"

"Alright." Eton offered the bar of soap again. "Here."

Those blue eyes just melted him and Harm willingly pulled himself out of the waters, resting the side of the pool. Smiling, Eton began rubbing the soap into the fur over his thighs.

"Not gay," Harm reinforced, letting his mind wander back to the Generals. "So I'm guessing you like the new Church?"

Eton shrugged gently working his way down to Harm's calves, the Wulfun saying that it was definitely 'not gay'. "Honestly, I don't really care. I never really wanted to be a Paladin in the first place."

"Really? I thought it was every kid's dream to obtain a powerful Valour and save the world from demons?" He realised he was being a hypocrite. Zero Hour was a Valour and he had gone to extreme lengths to avoid being drafted into the Church's holy ranks as a Paladin.

"Eh. When I got Comet, I was a little enthusiastic but really, it was all to impress this girl."

Harm instinctively jerked he leg, slashing the Lupus.

"I get that a lot," laughed the Paladin, seizing Harm's foot and slowly working the soap into the pads of his feet. "Big bad, gay Lupus Paladin becoming the Church's sword for a girl. Thing is, it's because of the girl that I became a Lupus."

Eton pulled his paws away and patted Harm's thighs. "Okay, rinse off."

"What about you?"

"Unlike you, I can hold onto this thing without flailing around like a comical cartoon." Eton waved around the bar of soap. "I can wash myself."

Harm felt insulted but made no mention of it as he slipped back into the magical waters of the bath. As Shinniah had predicted, the waters immediately washed away all the suds and consumed them greedily. Some part of him conjured a horrific scenario where the water gained sentience and becan eagerly consuming everything around it with its magic, growing stronger and stronger until all of Incendius was reduced into a watery grave...

"What're you thinking about?" Eton asked. It occurred to him that Eton had turned his back and those enormous muscles were pushing against his dark, short fur as he rubbed his chest with the soap.

His mind instantly went blank and he spouted his last sentient thought.

"The possibility about this matter consuming water that we are currently bathing in gaining sentience and then slowly devouring our flesh and the flesh of everyone who dared enter its waters to fuel its evil plans like the acidic stomach of a colossal, malicious being of unknowable evil."

Eton froze.

His ice-blue eyes slowly drifted towards the pool, watching the bubbles of soap he was depositing into it vanish slowly into the clear waters.

"I have the sudden urge to forgo the fur shampoo and get out of this pool as quickly as I can," the Lupus admitted.

"I wouldn't blame you," Harm responded, eagerly leaping out of the pool.

Eton did the same and they went to work using their towels to dry themselves off, putting as much distance between them and the clear waters as much as possible. Harm realised his underwear was still very much wet and winced as he was forced to go commando. Some part of him remembered he could easily dry it but then he recalled he still had several decades worth of Time stored.

What would a simple clothes drying spell do?

He envisioned all of Mirecragg burning... and decided going without underwear at least until he got back to the hotel wouldn't be so bad.

"Well," Harm said, pulling on his shirt. "It's been fun. Pleasure to meet you, Eton Slater." He held out his paw and Eton regarded him like he had committed the most heinous crime.

For a second, he flashed back to the little pamphlet on Incendian culture that he had skimmed. Was paw shaking considered an offense here? What Station was it where it was considered an insult? He immediately withdrew his paw, tucking it behind his back and unable to fight the sheepish grin crossing his muzzle.

"You had fun?" Eton asked, perplexed.

"Wasn't I meant to?"

"We just got out of the pool made of carnivorous water... and you had fun?" The Lupus laughed softly. "You are a weird wolf... erm..." Eton's ears flicked towards him. "Huh... I never got your name."

It occurred to him that he had never introduced himself. "Ah... Yeah... My name is..." He considered what name he would use. This was a Paladin after all. Would mentioning his name was 'Harm Chronos' having the Lupus encase him in a block of ice before hauling him off to the Inquisition?

"Hunter," he answered. "Hunter Hart."

Eton beamed and held out his paw. "Pleasure to meet you, Hunter Hart. And I'm glad you had fun." Harm shook the big wolf's paw, smiling in return. "Hey, if you're up for a little more fun, how about we hit the buffet at my hotel? Paladins get their first meal free and I can bring a guest."

Harm raised an eyebrow. "Should you bring any of your other squadmates?"

The Lupus shrugged sadly. "Well, me being a Lupus tends to mean people aren't very social around me. Whatdya say? Food's on me?"

Briefly, Harm pondered the concept of Eton's smoking hot body covered in chocolate syrup with whipped cream topped with cherries artfully positioned in seductive locations.

"I'd love to!" he replied, burning the thought in a blazing bonfire.

*****

"Wait... This is..."

Eton gave him a surprised look as they stepped through the broad, gnarled doors of the hotel. "What? Know someone that works here?"

"If you consider by brief encounter with the clerk as 'knowing someone', then yes." Harm turned towards Eton. "I'm staying here too."

The Lupus' features brightened, his eyes lighting up and his smile that invoked heavenly music in Harm's mind. "No kidding. What are the chances, right?"

Yes... What are the chances...?

Harm let Eton lead him to the dining area which was just picking up on dinner service. Upon approach towards the podium where a Tigris female stood, the noise of the entire dining room dropped. He could feel the stares of countless people on them, making his fur prickle. The Tigris' fur bristled and her tail lashed around in agitation behind her.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Paladin Eton Slater," answered Eton, gesturing at his pauldron. "I'm staying here. Room 103. This is my guest, Hunter Hart."

The woman stared at Harm with a mixture of pity and disgust. He stared back at her with a challenging glare. Just a brief glance across the dining room, he wondered how many people were disgusted at the presence of a Lupus and how many were pitying him for dining with a Lupus... or how many were expressing both.

"Are you really a Paladin?" asked the woman, narrowing her gaze at Eton.

"Yes ma'am."

"Where's your Valour?"

Without even hesitating, Eton reached inside his coat and pulled out a black and ice-blue baton. Harm had to admit, the woman's doubt was justified. The weapon looked more like a children's imitation of a Valour. While it had the sheen and metallic structure of one, it just looked... unimposing. In his mind, Valours were like Aria's - weapons that invoked awe, or Andy and Tanar's - intimidating and radiating power.

"I don't believe you," the woman admitted.

Harm stared at her incredulously.

"Alright then," Eton answered. "How about this? Fly across the night sky, Comet."

Magic just sizzled through the air. Harm could feel it coursing through his veins, tickling the back of his neck as the fur there stood on end. The baton in Eton's massive paw suddenly sprang to life. Jagged, curves metal guards sprang up around his paw, protecting it from damage. At the same time, spikes erupted from around the tip of the baton, turning it from a tool used to intimidate and beat someone without causing much damage to a threatening mace that expelling a light mist of ice.

The woman let out a faint 'eep' and backed away. She gathered her composure a short while later after staring at the tool. "Ah yes, of course sir. Apologies. Please, this way."

Eton smiled proudly and with a metallic swishing noise, Comet retracted back to its baton state. "Thanks. Come on, Hun."

Harm started. Did Eton just use an affectionate pronoun when referring to him? His heart fluttered and then burned and crashed. This was going far too fast. They just barely met and now Eton was calling him 'hun', short of 'honey'!

"What did you call me?"

The Lupus stared at him curiously. "Hun... Short of Hunter? Sorry, don't you like that?"

"No. It just sounded like..." He shook his head. "Never mind."

Eton shrugged and followed their host to what had to be the farthest table from the buffet. Admittedly, it had a nice view but they were mostly hidden from the rest of the room by a rather large plant. Eton didn't mind it and sat down, making the wooden chair beneath him creak in protest. Harm sat down gently, fearing his own might break. It came out a pathetic little squeak.

"Just head up to the buffet whenever you're ready," the woman said in a cold tone.

As she turned to leave, Harm caught her attention.

"What about drinks?"

Her lips curled into a frown and she reached for a pen and pad. It looked like she was about to stab him with it.

"What would you like?"

He had no idea but her cold expression made him want to order the most flamboyant, ridiculously gay drink ever. Unfortunately, his knowledge of such drinks was minimal at best. Bottled beer was his preferred alcoholic beverage with no real preference on what brand.

However...

"Get me a martini please."

Eton's eyebrows shot up.

"We have three types," she said, nearing a growl. "We have the classic version, a green apple and a lychee one."

What? Not going to sell it to us? Not going to tell me how 'great' or 'famous' it is?

"I'll go for the lychee," he answered. "Sweet, rounded fruit sound incredibly appealing tonight."

Her claws were out.

"Right away, sir." Her eyes snapped towards Eton who almost leapt out of his fur at their piercing stare. "And for you?"

"Sweet rounded fruit sounds good."

Her lips twitched like she was about to say something but she kept a degree of professionalism and tartly turned around. Once she was well outside of earshot range, Eton turned towards Harm with his eyebrows still very much lifted.

"Do you even like lychee martini? Hell, what's a 'lychee'?"

"Small sweet fruit. Think a cross between a strawberry and an apple except the size of a cherry." He could see the strange mental image that was forming in Eton's brain. Some part of him was fascinated to see exactly what strange hybrid monster fruit he was cooking up. It also occurred to him that they both had the same overactive imagination. Who else would get out of a public bath because they thought it would gain sentience and consume everyone that jumped inside?

Wait... Who indeed...?

He frowned and straightened slightly. "Level with me," he said, breaking Eton out of his musing. "Did you honestly think that the water in there was going to come alive and eat us all or were you just humouring me to get in my pants?"

Eton appeared startled at the accusation. "Hey, I said I wasn't going to jump your bones. You've got someone else there." He shrugged and leaned back. "It's just nice to have someone who doesn't run away screaming every time I pull down my pants."

Harm's frown deepened. "Why would anyone run? From what I saw, your junk doesn't look half bad."

It took him three seconds to realise just how perverted that sounded. This time, he physically slapped his forehead. Eton laughed at his theatrics. Unable to bear the humiliation, he snatched his plate and began heading straight towards the buffet. His new Lupus friend followed closely behind.

"If you're curious," Eton continued as approached the buffet. "I'm a Lupus. The whole 'running away screaming' is pretty much a given."

The aroma of all forms of fruit and vegetables were arrayed in front of them. Sweat cakes and artfully disguised forms of tofu to look like meat were arrayed all before them. There was no meat, poultry or even fish. Harm found himself frowning so deep that he almost unhinged his jaw. Vampiri clearly did not like meat though he guessed that was understandable given their species. He piled a few cheesy rolls onto his plate followed by some tofu that was supposedly called 'chicken'.

"So what? People think that if they so much as look at you the wrong way, you'll go all monster on them and turn them into a Lupus?"

"Only the guys," Eton replied. "Honestly, it's fun watching big burly guys that tower over me clutch their asses and try to backpedal away from me."

Harm regarded a mushroom stuffed with rice and other vegetables before being lightly grilled. It smelled very buttery. Depositing it on his plate, he found he had a rather sizable stack that wouldn't fit anymore. He shrugged and plucked another plate in his free paw. "Don't you ever get bullied? I dunno. People accusing you of being gay or something like that?"

"I am gay," Eton responded shortly. "Fact is, I'm also a Lupus and a Paladin. Assaulting a Paladin is a criminal offense and most of the guys that want to cave me head in have this phobia that if they so much as touch me, they'll start howling at the moon. Funny thing is, Incendius doesn't have a moon. Your Havenese movies are very... strange."

Harm couldn't respond as he stuffed his empty plate into his muzzle and began spooning some eggplant soaked in tomato sauce and drizzled with cheese onto the plate. The steamed spinach soaked in butter and garlic sauce was also very appetising so he helped himself as well. His plate was looking a little soggy so he grabbed some more honey encrusted bread slices. Satisfied, he carried his helping of food past a rather bemused Eton back to their table.

Their martinis were waiting for them when he sat down. Harm rubbed his paws together and licked his lips. His paws were already grasping his knife and fork when he felt Eton's eyes regarding him.

"What?" he asked.

The Lupus shook his head. "Just... Most people pace themselves at a buffet. You know, starting small with an appetiser and all that stuff..."

"This is an appetiser." He noticed Eton's rather small helping of avocado wrapped in boiled rice and then wrapped again in dried seaweed. "What? I've got to eat."

"Three times your body weight?" Eton replied. "How do you stay so fit?"

"Exercise. Heavy lifting. Sex."

"Sex?"

Harm realised he had said something utterly ridiculous. To prevent himself from spurting more nonsense, he stuffed his muzzle full of some lentils and pretended to chew slowly. After some thought, he swallowed.

"Well, okay so mostly masturbating. The guy I was with was sort of a slut."

"Same guy that's on shore leave with you?"

"Oh hell no. The only place Ted goes to when he's on shore leave is straight back to boot camp where he can get the most tail." Harm shook his head. "No, the other guy I was expecting was..."

He quickly stuffed his muzzle full of food again.

How would Eton react if he confessed he was waiting - indeed, hoping - to encounter Smallfang in the public baths? Would he be jealous? Dejected? Maybe he'd think Harm was just using him as a substitute?

"... someone I met back at Clockwork. Had some pretty rough times over there."

"Why? What happened?"

"To us or to Clockwork?"

Eton quickly shovelled some of his own appetiser into his muzzle, making Harm lift his eyebrows. Once the Lupus swallowed, he quickly took a sip of the martini and winced.

"Good Goddess that is strong... I don't think I could stomach this..."

Harm regarded the beverage and took a sip of his own. The sweetness of the lychee and the additional juices it provided was in no way capable of overpowering the strength of the alcohol. He felt his head start to spin just at the light sip he had. "Yeah, I think I'll just order a beer. You?"

There was a spark in Eton's eyes. "Have you ever tried Chilled Fire?"

"No... What's that?"

"Special Lupus brew. I'll get you some." Eton stood and was quickly heading over to the bar. Harm could not help but keep his eyes on the Lupus' tight ass. Despite being partially hidden by that coat, Harm could still see the vague outline of the rounded form.

"Gay," he muttered to himself. "Totally gay."

He sighed and went straight back to eating. It came as a surprise when his fork bounced off the porcelain plate and he found all his food had vanished. For a few seconds, he seriously considered the possibility that someone had come over and stolen his food out of spite. He was even halfway to looking under the table to see if the culprit - or his food - was under there.

Realising how stupid that seemed, he straightened.

"Huh... Guess I was really hungry..."

A bubbling brew of blue liquid was placed in front of him while Eton parked himself opposite to him again.

"Chilled Fire?" Harm asked.

"You bet," Eton responded, taking lough draught of the fluid. The Lupus' eyes widened for a second then got this glazed, peaceful look as he set it down with a content sigh. "Oh yeah, that hits the spot." He nodded towards Harm. "Go on, give it a shot. It's good."

Harm shrugged and picked up mug. He took a long drink. It left a pleasant, tingling sensation down his throat... which quickly escalated into a severe burning down his throat. He gagged and nearly choked, setting down the mug. The room began to spin wildly around him and for a moment, it felt like he was flying in the air. All that food in his stomach began gurgling like they had been superheated and it was about to burn through his flesh. His chest constricted and he suddenly couldn't breathe. Then, he realised he had gone completely and utterly blind.

Oh crap! I'm dying!

Son of a bitch... This is not how I wanted to go...

Who would've thought... dying through alcohol poisoning... Jerry would love it...

Air suddenly rushed through his lungs and a wave of relief flooded him. The cool breeze doused the flames burning in his stomach almost instantly. The burning sensation rippling down his throat eased and he slowly found blurry lights dancing in front of his face. Sensation began returning to his fingers and toes. It occurred to him that he was lying on his back.

A blast of air pushed itself down his throat even though he didn't breathe in. Instincts took over and he immediately coughed. Moving his joints felt like his bones were made of rusty material and his muscles had been turned to mush. His tongue had been replaced with steel wool and a sponge had been stuffed where his brain should be.

All he could think of was how badly he needed some water.

Like some angel above was listening to his prayers, he felt the tip of a glass pressed against his lips and he gingerly gripped it despite his vision still incredibly blurred. He gently lapped at the water. The touch of the cool liquid brought more and more of his senses back.

His vision continued to clear and he began to make out the fluffy sheets hey lay upon, the dark interior of his hotel room and the pine scent of Smallfang. A wave of relief washed over him until that hint of hazelnut flittered in between the crisp, clean smell of pine.

He choked, the water shooting down his throat before vaulting back up his nasal passages and shooting out of his nostrils.

"Aww gross!" laughed Eton.

Harm blinked a couple of times, finally able to see the towering Lupus that almost completely blended into the darkness of the room around him. Only Eton's bright, blue eyes were visible.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Harm shouted, trying to leap away. His body felt like it was made of limp noodles and his desperate attempts to swat Eton away fell on the Lupus' broad chest helplessly. "Drugging my drink just so you can have your way with me..." He glanced down at himself, horrified that he was completely naked. "Oh shit!"

"Relax," Eton said, waving him down. "You just threw up on all your clothes. Honestly, with all the food you scarf down, it's not surprising."

He gave the Lupus a puzzled look. "What...?"

"You really don't remember?"

"No...?"

Eton laughed and sat down on the bed beside him. Harm instinctively shuffled away while the Lupus draped an arm over his shoulders and wave the other paw across the room. "Let me paint you a picture, Hunter. You're young, hormonal and from what you told me under the influence of three mugs of Chilled Fire, you've only had sex twice!"

"Three!?" he exclaimed incredulously. "I only remember drinking one! And not even one! It was like... an eighth of one!" This his heart sank heavily. "Oh Goddess... what did I do?"

"What didn't you do?" laughed Eton. He threw his head back in utterly hilarity. "Man, Mirecragg will never be the same after you were done with it. I loved the part where you tried to prove that the waters in the public baths weren't nearly as powerful as they claimed by urinating in it."

"What!?" he screamed, his fur standing on edge. Just the image of him utterly inebriated pulling down his pants and shouting a drunken challenge at all the women and children sent his body into lockdown.

"Yeah, the mothers and children weren't very happy about that. I had to pull you away before you started pooping."

Harm immediately spun around and bashed his skull against the wall. Stars flashed before his eyes and there was a moment of pain. Sadly, the sponginess of his brain - and the Time he had stored in Zero Hour - kept his memories and imagination intact.

"Whoa! Hey!" Eton laughed, pulling him away from the wall. "I was kidding!"

"You were what!?" he growled.

Grinning sheepishly, the Lupus said, "You had three mugs of Chilled Fire and another four helpings of food. Afterwards, you threw up on yourself. I took you up here, put your clothes out for the washer and set you on the bed. Nothing bad happened."

Harm was relieved... but at the same time also incredibly mortified. "Why would you do that!? The five seconds between telling me I got drunk off my ass and the truth were the longest five seconds in my life! This is totally gay by the way." He threw his paws angrily into the air. "You know I actually imagined myself sitting on the edge of the baths, my tail in the air and a heaping pile of...."

He growled and pulled away from Eton. Unfortunately, he staggered back and fell off the bed. He gave a cry as his head banged against the bedside table. Pain exploded from the impact. Amidst the ringing in his ears, he heard Eton shout his callsign and hoist him back up.

"Oh shit... Hold still. I can heal this."

"Don't..." he muttered weakly. "Just give it a second."

"For crying out loud, Hunter, I can see your brain!"

"Oh good, I still have one."

"What -?" Whatever words Eton was hoping to say died in his throat. Harm could feel the flesh at the base of his neck stitch together, giving an unpleasant itching sensation there. The pain was fleeting, however. He winced softly when he felt the last ounces of the pain die away and he straightened.

"Yeah, I've got supernatural regeneration," he murmured. "Got a Valour too."

Eton's eyes widened. "Wait... What? You have a Valour?"

Harm did a quick glance around the room. Relief washed over him when he spied his headphones, Telecube and golden pocket watch resting on the bedside table. As he plucked the watch from where it rested, he showed it to Eton. "This thing. Zero Hour."

Eton gently tapped the golden face. "No kidding... So why aren't you a Paladin?"

"Not everyone wants to be one," he responded with a shrug. "And there wasn't a girl involved this time."

Well... there is one... a little ghostly girl... Though that would be very strange to admit to a near-complete stranger.

Eton sat across from Harm on the bed, regarding him with a mix of puzzlement and fascination. "I... I don't know what to say... So Zero Hour gives you regeneration?"

How could he tell Eton that his Valour actually sucked the Time out of people?

Fact was... he couldn't.

"Yeah, let's go with that. I don't really understand it. No formal training and what not." The Lupus shook his head, lost for words. "Look, I know this is a lot to take on but can we get back on topic?" He fixed Eton with a piercing stare. "You let me get drunk off my ass, stripped me down and then let me believe I had made complete and utter fool of myself! Hell, I think I'm still drunk! How could you do that!?"

Eton stared at him still lost.

"Well!?" Harm demanded.

The Lupus remained silent, his muzzle opening for a brief moment. He looked on the verge of saying something but nothing came out.

"Answer me!" He seized Eton's shoulders. "Why the fuck did you do that!?"

His answer came... just not in the answer he was expecting. Eton pressed their lips together, his hot tongue pushing deep into Harm's muzzle while his big paws seized the Wulfun's flanks, pulling them close together.

They broke the kiss with a loud smack.

Harm stared into Eton's beautiful eyes, utterly stunned. "Gay..."

"I've... I don't know," Eton murmured. "This is stupid, I know. I'm a Paladin and a Lupus but... You're just like me... You were thrown into something you never wanted..." He winced. "Hunter... This is stupid and we'll probably regret this for the rest of our lives but... for one night... Will you just...?"

Harm pushed their lips together again, throwing Eton against the bed and pinning him down onto the sheets. He wasn't sure what drove him. He knew it was a colossal mistake. Everything he believed about sex, everything he had told Smallfang, was thrown into the wind. Where was the romance? Where was the wooing and the affection?

This was just pointless, meaningless sex.

But it felt so good to have the touch of another man. It made his flesh shiver in anticipation as his paws eagerly unbuttoned Eton's coat. The Lupus panted, eagerly unbuckling his pants and wiggling out of them. His plump sheath pressed up against Harm's, the heady musk of their maleness filling the room. Eton used his superior bulk to grip Harm around the waist and switch their positions.

For a second, Harm felt like he was being swept off his feet. His heart jumped in his chest and his imagination took him away. Floating amidst the clouds, he was gripped by the strong paws of Eton as they made passionate love in the skies. Eton kissed him, bringing him back to reality. The look of need on Eton's face cemented the point of this exercise.

He wanted to pull away, tell Eton that he didn't want more meaningless sex. Ted had given him enough of that. However, his own need throbbed between his legs and the touch of Eton's bare thighs against his own caused a rush of blood that caused his cock to peak out of his grey-furred sheath.

Harm just closed his eyes. He imagined all the romance that could have been. Maybe standing in the middle of a flowery field where they would share a drink of some wine; horseback riding through the fields followed by a canoeing down a river only for them to capsize, laugh about it and hold each other as they dried off.

Then it would begin to rain and they would stare into each other's eyes. The touch of water against his cheek would mask the tears of joy he felt to finally have someone close to him, someone he could confide in and - yes, love.

He wanted that, wanted it all.

The touch of rain felt so real that it made him sick.

I can't do this...

Harm seized Eton's shoulders and pushed him away. The moment he opened his eyes, he heard Eton' sob.

"Huh?"

The Lupus groaned and spun around, throwing his legs over the edge of the bed and clutching his head in his massive paws. His sobbing shook his massive shoulders.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Harm asked, shuffling over to the big werewolf.

"This is messed up," Eton muttered. "Damnit... I'm sorry, I just can't do this..."

Neither could Harm but that didn't feel like a very encouraging thing to say to a big wolf that was breaking down in front of him. However, he had to frame his follow up question in such a way that he didn't want to seem like a slut. In the midst of rifling through his thoughts, he remembered a few words Eton had uttered.

'Big bad, gay Lupus Paladin becoming the Church's sword for a girl. Thing is, it's because of the girl that I became a Lupus'

"It's because of that girl, isn't it?"

Eton straightened, fixing him with a startled stare. Even teary and with his eyebrows angled in misery, those eyes were beautiful. "Serena? No, it's not her. She's a bitch."

A picture was slowly forming in Harm's mind. He sat down beside Eton. "I'm going to take a blind stab here... Tell me how far I am from the mark." Harm gathered what he knew and then began sliding the pieces together. "There was a girl. One with a Valour."

"Score," Eton murmured, his head hanging low.

"You wanted to be with her."

"Two for two."

"When you got your Valour, you saw your ticket."

"Hat-trick."

Now he was treading on dangerous waters. Whatever he said next would determine... Determine what, exactly?

Whether or not he had sex this night? That seemed so shallow. Looking at Eton's dejected face, he realised that this was not about him. Whatever he said would determine what Eton would do about his misery. It felt a little unnerving to have such a heavy weight on his shoulders but he steeled himself and pressed on with a clear mind.

"Thing is, after you wooed her, did everything you could do to become her friend and then slowly make your way up to 'special' friend, when you eventually confessed your love to her, she spurned your affections for... another girl?"

Eton snorted, his brief laughter breaking his miserable features. "You said that on purpose just to make me feel better, didn't you?"

"Did it work?" he asked with a cheeky smile.

Eton leaned over to Harm and pressed his lips against the Wulfun's cheeks. "Yeah... But no, she's straight. She fell in love with a Fallen."

Harm went rigid. "W - Wait... What!?"

"Yeah, bizarre, right?" Eton chuckled softly. "Serena, Boris and I were part of a group training to be Paladins. Initiates. We all had our Valours and our stories. I was a baker's son who got 'chosen' by the Mother Goddess, Serena was half-Vampiri, one of the first of her kind, and Boris... well, he was an orphan whose orphanage was being used as a killing ground for the cult of a Demon Lord.

"Boris wanted to kill the Demon Lord who was using his fellow orphans. He was driven by revenge. When the Church trapped the soul of the Demon Lord to prevent him from reincarnating, we were charged with taking it to Mirecragg where it would be forever sealed away. Thing is, the cult chased us down and caused hell here. Boris took the trapped soul and hoped to defeat the Demon Lord in its weakened state."

Eton's shoulders sagged heavily. "He set the Demon Lord free... but it used Boris' anger against him and took over him. He became a Fallen, complete with a Sin. Serena and I had to put him down. Even after I threw myself in front of Serena to keep her from dying she... she still..." Eton growled and gripped his face in his claws. "I'm such an idiot!"

Harm imagined the moment. A Fallen - a Paladin who gave themselves to their darker instincts and allied themselves to a Demon Lord - threatening the woman Eton loved. Eton threw himself in front of this 'Serena' woman only for her to reject his emotions regardless of his sacrifice. He felt pity for the big Lupus but just as he was about to reach out and touch him, his mind flicked back to Eton's words.

'I was a baker's son who got 'chosen' by the Mother Goddess...'

A realisation hit him, only deepening his pity.

"You felt rejected and heartbroken," he murmured. "And in that moment, you decided to join the Custodia Lupus... the one place in the world where this half-Vampiri woman could never touch you. You ran away... and joined them."

Eton laughed bitterly. "The first Lupus Paladin. I had a swarm of Inquisitors chasing me down and I would have been executed there and then if the man who would have become General Halcyon Solomon hadn't stepped in and stopped it."

Harm straightened suddenly. "You met General Solomon!?"

The Lupus nodded, a distant smile on his muzzle. "Not really... He was one of the judges that oversaw my trial and I never got to see his face. He ordered the Inquisitors to stand down and I was free to become the Lupus I always wanted to be. Said something about equality for the Lupus. I really didn't care. Serena didn't turn up to my trial. So I knew that page of my life was over."

Eton sighed heavily and slumped backwards onto the bed. "I became the best Lupus I could be... I enjoyed the cold, I growled, howled and fucked every guy that looked at me funny. I was still a Paladin but when I was with my Lupus brothers... I never had to remember who I had been. I didn't have to remember Eton Slater the love struck baker's boy. I was Eton Slater, the Paladin Lupus."

Harm smiled sadly. "I think I get it... You're still in love with her, aren't you?"

"What!? No!" Eton bolted upright, a look of shock on his face. "Did you know that nine years ago, when I got out of my Lupus training, the Church had the balls to assign me to a squad with Serena in it!? And do you know what she did the moment we met each other again?"

He couldn't guess and just shook his head.

"She said, 'Oh, it's you.'" Eton scowled angrily and jumped to his feet. "That bitch! We took down a goddamn Demon Lord together and all she could say was 'Oh, it's you'! Can you believe that!? We were the best of friends before... before..."

"You fucked everything up by telling her you want to be more than friends?" Harm offered.

"Not helping, Hunter!" Eton stormed over to a nearby cabinet and slammed his fist into it, breaking the wood slightly. "For the past nine years, I've had to endure her scathing remarks and cold shoulder. She has done nothing but look down on me, even calling me a 'dog' behind my back."

Harm could sense the emotion in Eton's voice and though it left ragged wounds in his heart, he still forced a smile. He couldn't understand why he felt that way. This was meant to be a one night fling. Just a release of stress and a dose of much needed male contact. Still, he knew it wouldn't be happening this night he guessed his heart was responding with disappointment.

"By the way you talk about her, you're still very much taken by her."

"For the last time, I'm not!" Eton snarled.

"Then why were you breaking down just then?"

"Because I was seriously considering turning you!"

Harm was taken aback. He processed those words over and over. "Say what now?" he asked slowly.

Eton began pacing, his face caught between anger and misery. "I don't know... You're just like me... You and I both got Valours that we never really wanted. Okay, so maybe you ran off into the deep recesses of the Void with yours and I used mine to chase a childhood crush but when none of those turned out well, we kept it a secret."

Actually, mine turned out rather well... until I was forced to take shore leave...

"We're both... Lonely," Eton murmured softly, stopping at the foot of the bed. "Even amongst the Lupus, they consider me an outcast because I'm also a Paladin. Amongst the Paladins, they think I'll fuck them and turn them into a Lupus. No one will so much as look at me without some form of condescension or barely concealed hatred!

"And you're the same!"

Harm's first instinct was to reject that accusation but he fell short. Their stories varied but when it came to crux of it all, they were very similar. Neither of them had any true romance, had a failed one in the past - only of sorts for Harm - and both were extremely lonely though they hid it behind a mask of contentment.

Realising this made the gash in Harm's heart even widen.

"And... I don't know," Eton rumbled. "I guess... I guess I thought that if I turned you, made you into a Lupus like me... we'd be able to..." He let out a loud snarl and shook his head. "You know what? Forget it. I'm sorry I got you drunk off your ass and I'm sorry I crossed the line with stripping you down and setting you on my bed." He hiked a thumb at the door, offering Harm a clearly miserable smile. "I'm just going to go out for a walk. Your clothes will be delivered tomorrow morning. Have a good night, okay?"

As he moved, Harm considered what he would say next. A thousand possibilities flittered through his mind. What struck him the most was the idea that Eton had seriously considered making him into a Lupus and thus cementing their similarities... and hoping to use those very same similarities as a basis for something... more.

He watched Eton move towards the door. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as he considered what he would say. Did he want to stop Eton, tell him to turn him anyway? Harm desperately wanted someone. The romantic in him swooned at the idea that the big strong werewolf had actually reigned in his hormones to give Harm the freedom to choose. But at the same time, they had just met.

Eton reached the door, his paw closing around the doorknob.

What could he do? What could he say? What should he do?

What would Jerry or Klaus say if they found out he became a Lupus?

How would it affect his journey to discover the other Harm Chronos?

Hell, what would it be like to be freezing cold, twice his size, have a bigger dick and constantly sticking it into other likewise built, buff werewolves?

What would it be like to be without a tail?

His thoughts were interrupted by the soft click of the door shutting.

Eton was gone.

"Don't go..." Harm whispered... all too late.