FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Mornings in the palace were peaceful. Very few people wandered the halls, especially up in the tower. The early summer ocean wind carried the salt scent of the sea through its rooms. The sunlight cast long beams of warmth through what dust hung in the air. It was so inviting anyone could sleep right through to just shy of noon.

Until the peace was shattered by an obnoxious clattering of a tiny hammer on metal. It struck with such speed and frequency that the tones chained together in an unpleasant cacophony of ear splitting noise. There was no way anyone could sleep through that.

A hand reached over and landed firmly atop the smallish mechanical rooster, silencing it, permitting the peace to return. But the damage had already been done, and that was by design. A yawn escaped the lady who had shut off the alarm, grinning a little at how successful it was. A groan came from a lump under the sheets just next to hir.

"I love you Akina, and you invent some wonderful things, but you have got to find a better way to wake up in the morning. That awful noise gives me a headache!"

The so named lady turned and climbed out of bed, stretching as shi stood. Hir large, round ears fluttered a little as shi did so. The kangaroo rat leaned over and offered one end of the lump a kiss as the voice from under the sheets returned to a groan

"You're such a good sport about it, Sabo. I'll figure something out, I'm sure. Anyway, it's a beautiful morning. No point in staying in bed. Time to get up and face the day!" The young lady giggled a bit and bounced softly on hir feet, all but bounding over to hir workbench to gather hir things. The buffalo shi had left under the covers yawned loudly and slowly sat up, grunting a little as she 'greeted' the day. Sabo wasn't much of a morning person.

"I'm hoping this cheerful riser attitude is just a phase. If you keep this up, I might have to get a different girlfriend." She teased the tall rodent.

Akina chuckled and moved to the edge of the bed, leaning over to give the bovine a kiss. How shi managed to bend over that far and not fall forward with such a bust was something of a minor mystery. With a chest larger than most everyone in the city, shi had to have amazing balance, an incredibly strong back, or both.

"I'll see you this afternoon. Try not to have too much fun with the royal arrivals."

Sabo returned the kiss briefly, still not fully awake just yet, "I can't make any promises. You know how dignitaries are just so eager to let their hair down and relax."

The kangaroo rat was out the door not long after, dressed simply, and scantily, as was the norm. Hir large feet made quick work of the stairs leading down out of the tower and into Siyu's main audience chamber. There, a few of the 'royal arrivals' had already gathered; only a small group compared to how many would be showing up. The Yera and her entourage were present to greet them, as was the high priestess, Calista the Fifth. The other priestesses she had brought were busy tending to Siyu's morning rituals, or at least trying to in spite of what they had to deal with.

The dazed, moaning figures that lived in his pool with him, addicted to the scent, taste, and even feel of his essence, made working with him in any capacity a challenge. It was difficult to pry them off of the elderly fellow. He would have offered his own greeting, but then he was somewhat indisposed, the ladies busy fawning over the necklace hanging against his chest. It glowed as they chanted, making him squirm as his generosity grew further. With him rather roundly distracted, the chief welcomed the arrivals in his stead.

"I'm so glad you could make it for the centennial. We weren't sure how many would attend." Akako stood with three of her sisters and whatever entourage each of them had brought along. The buffalo was well known among the family for not caring for official functions like this, but she soldiered on through it with grace as she had for so very long.

"How could we miss the centennial? One hundred years of father's contribution to our way of life, you would have to be a fool to miss that." It was Portia, a vixen of fiery red and orange, oddly slim about the middle. Clearly life as a crowned princess in another land left her far less 'productive' than her sisters in the homeland.

"The fact that there's going to be a decision on who will be father's heir is no nevermind. You're just here for the party." Akina bit back the desire to sneer. Akako had seen these little skirmishes before, having grown quite weary of them. This time however, she thought perhaps sitting back and letting them have a go at one another might be somewhat amusing. The highly driven young lady had always been able to hold hir own, but in recent years, shi had developed a keen wit that just might shut the spoiled princess up for a change.

Portia turned to gaze at the younger, and substantially taller, lady. She feigned shock and offense, "Why I have no idea what you mean. The thought never once crossed my mind."

"I'm sure." The kangaroo rat smiled brightly, again, hiding hir disdain. When shi had been very young, the two had gotten along famously. Now, with Portia married to the Prince of Argosia and living there full time, away from her people, she had become something of a snob.

"And how are you doing little sister? Still keeping everything in balance downstairs?" Portia smirked a bit, gesturing to the rather noticeable features the younger lady possessed and how shi used to stumble and trip with so much weight pushed forward.

"Oh yes, not a problem to speak of. Well, except when the mood takes me. Have to be careful where I turn. It tends to knock things over sometimes," Akina gave hir plump, sizable manhood a firm pat, "Care to have a closer look since you seem so interested?" Shi danced this little dance with hir older sister, having grown to not think of her that way over the years; subtly insulting or suggesting things the other would rather not do.

"I'm sorry, dear... but I don't have time to play with a daughter of the katesh. I've got so many important, royal things to attend to." Portia's voice dripped with sarcasm.

Calista frowned, stepping forward in defense of the very ladies under attack, "You would do well to mind what you insinuate. Many of the katesh were once priestesses of my order; proud, strong, and honest. Just because they have become lost does not lower their status and just because you have married into another nation's royal family does not raise yours here." Her scolding silenced Portia, if only for a moment, but she had backup.

"She's right. It's not hir fault hir mother was a mindless sex toy. Shi can't help that shi's not of more noble blood." Jocelyn joined the battle, the leopard speaking with a subtle purr behind her lips and a hand atop her gently curved middle. At least one of them was carrying, though a much smaller bundle than the average Gangxian. It seemed her husband was more open to the idea of having a big family than Portia's. Sagura had been trying to bolster its population to mimic Siyu's influence, with limited success.

"True, can't help that," the girl retorted, "But it means I get to go do pretty much whatever I want instead of staying locked up in an ivory tower like a trophy." Akina was starting to lose hir cool, and the conflict wasn't dying down just because the jade-scaled priestess spoke up. A third foreign voice chimed in, softer and more subdued than the other two.

"So you've been studying hard?" It was Yvette, a lovely white wolf who had married the ruler of Engreos, a self-styled emperor who usually kept her locked away from the public's eye just as the kangaroo rat had suggested. Immediately, Akina kicked hirself for letting such a comment slip.

"Yes, I've been studying very hard. I'm close to graduating." Shi quickly moved to embrace the only sister of the three whose company shi enjoyed, and the one shi pitied the most.

"That's wonderful. I would love to hear all about what classes you've been taking. Have you decided what you'll do after?" She spoke quietly, just above a whisper. No doubt her husband didn't like his women being terribly spirited. Or powerful. She had lost a good deal of the muscle mass she had developed during her time in the Gangxian navy.

"I'm torn between architecture and going to the shipyards. I love designing for both. And I'd be happy to catch up with you when we have more time. Maybe tonight after dinner?"

Yvette nodded, "That would be lovely."

"Honestly, dear... I don't know how you managed to convince that husband of yours to let you out of the palace long enough to come here." Portia shifted targets, not necessarily to upset Yvette, but to get under Akina's skin even more, going after someone shi favored more than the vixen.

The wolf lowered her gaze as her ears lay flat against her head, "He's expecting me to be chosen to take over for father as ruler. He wants to merge the kingdoms."

The kangaroo rat frowned, "And what happens if you aren't chosen?"

"I think you mean 'when' she isn't chosen, dearie." Portia smugly corrected hir.

Yvette neglected to answer. Everyone already had an idea of what would happen, and she was grateful the subject passed without anyone dwelling on it. Akina meanwhile changed her tactics, going on the direct offensive.

"What? You think you're going to be picked? No one in their right mind would pick a barren, shriveled up, gold-digger like you. You're just here to see what you can do to sabotage everyone else." It was a daring insult, considering shi had not had any children hirself yet. But it was still somewhat early for hir.

Akako raised an eyebrow, turning to gaze at the vixen. This was just the sort of attack she was expecting, but rarely got to see. Everyone had been thinking it. Akina simply had mustered the courage to say it. Portia wasn't actually barren, she had managed to have five kids, but that was all. She might as well have been barren compared to the rest of her sisters. And the tactic paid off. She was starting to let her rage seep through.

"What does a nobody like you have to offer that gets you a place in the tower? Whose feet do you have to kiss? What makes you so special that you get a room among the royal family?"

Akina simply smiled, and turned to leave, tossing back over hir shoulder a simple answer that shi knew would get the reaction shi wanted, "I'm dad's favorite."

Portia and Jocelyn both glared at the kangaroo rat as shi left, then balked as a howl of laughter rose from the little elderly kangaroo rat wading in his pool. Akako smirked and extended an arm to guide the group over towards their father.

"A word to the wise... the entitled attitudes you two have cultivated away from home won't play well here. You'd do very well to exercise some humility."

"Yera, if I may, I have matters I must attend to," Calista bowed softly to the buffalo, "I trust you will call if you need anything of me."

Akako nodded, offering the dragoness a smile, "Thank you for being here when they arrived. Go tend to your duties."

Calista took her leave, along with only two of the priestesses she had come with. They whispered of private matters to one another, largely Siyu's health. As they descended the steps from his chamber, the green dragon pulled one of the two closer and leaned in to speak just softly enough to be heard by only the three of them.

"There is a concern I have for Akina's well-being. Follow hir movements for the day and tell me if ever shi shows any sign of the heat. We may need to examine hir if shi doesn't."

The rabbit she had given the order to nodded and darted away, keeping just enough distance between her and the tall kangaroo rat to remain unnoticed.

---

The streets bustled with activity, most of it related to the centennial. It was meant to be a week-long affair, and it had been going for three days so far. The academy had considered closing for the entire week, but it was decided that instead, they would hold only half days to start, then close for the day of the actual anniversary, then re-open the start of the next week. The students would have a good five day weekend, starting tomorrow. It gave Akina a good deal more time spend with Sabo, and to spend working on hir own projects. Sure shi thought the city-wide party was fun, but perhaps in smaller doses than all day every day. The crowd made hir progress in getting to school slower than usual, but not impossible.

And it gave hir a chance to pass by some of the inventor booths on the way in. Every time shi visited, shi caught a glimpse of something new and it fueled hir imagination. It was how the 'alarm clock' came to hir. Someone down in the festival had been demonstrating a new means of keeping time, using springs and gears rather than sand passing through a glass or candles that burned at particular intervals. It intrigued hir and shi had to try and replicate it. Maybe that was why Siyu took such a shine to hir, hir flare for creative problem solving.

After wading through the throngs of people, and their heavy, pregnant bellies, the kangaroo rat managed to slip into a side street that gave hir a much easier path to the academy. It wasn't as crowded since there weren't any displays, only small street food shops, their stools sitting at their counters resting only inches from the street proper. Anyone could just walk up, have a seat, and order. It was a style that had become very popular.

The side street gave Akina the clear path shi needed, arriving at the impressive stone structure of higher learning shi had come to rather enjoy spending time in. The thick stone pillars at the front held aloft the angular roof. It was meant to mimic the style of another ancient civilization known for its sciences and philosophies Siyu had shared in his tales. The grand entryway led into a massive, round gallery with a domed roof, possessing a circular opening at the very top to let sunlight in. The smooth marble floor provided an audible clack each time one of Akina's little claws came into contact, just as everyone else made as they walked through. Before shi turned to take one of the hallways out of the gallery, shi passed briefly by the statue of Siyu standing in the center, offering it hir silent respect as if it were actually him. It was customary for students to do this and was thought to bring good luck. Especially during testing.

There were only two classes shi had to attend today. The first was on refined architectural design, which shi deeply enjoyed. The second was an advanced chemistry laboratory where experiments were held using the forces usually only seen in the sky during a storm. Lightning in a bottle they were calling it, and it promised to be the next great leap forward in scientific achievement. It fascinated hir to hear the stories. If they could capture a bolt of lightning, what could it be used for? How could it be put to work? All manner of ideas raced through hir head even after shi walked out of the lab and aimed for the courtyard in the center of the building. It was hir favorite place to sit and sketch.

From hir usual spot, shi could see at least a portion of the bay and watch as the ships passed. And of course, there were always plenty of other students conducting their own experiments or operating newly invented machinery nearby for hir to draw inspiration from. Today was different though. As shi sat and sketched some new machine shi conjured up, Akina remained mindful of all that was around hir. Every few minutes, shi closed hir eyes and stopped what shi was doing. To the outside viewer, it looked as though shi was deep in thought, trying to picture the next portion of hir schematic. What shi was doing was actually listening to everything within the range of hir keen ears. Shi perked one of hir eyebrows as shi finally saw fit to call out one particular source shi had detected.

"You don't have to keep your distance you know. I don't bite." The kangaroo rat didn't lift hir gaze from hir sketchbook. Silence was hir only answer for a time, "I know you're there and you've been following me. I heard you in the gallery. You didn't pay your respects to father's statue. That means you're not a student."

A diminutive voice, likely tiny from the embarrassment of being discovered, responded.

"How... how long have you known I've been following you?" The voice's owner approached, keeping a respectful distance from her target.

Akina finally looked up and gazed upon the rabbit priestess, giving her largely swollen middle a thorough examination before lifting hir eyes back up, "Well, I recognize you from father's main chamber. You were there with High Priestess Calista. You're part of her little entourage. So, that means you've been following me since then. As for when I noticed, it was when I was on the side street. Nowhere near as crowded, easier to spot a person out of the corner of your eye. You stayed with me for a few turns I added to test if you were interested in me or not. If you'd meant to come here, you'd have taken a more direct route. May I ask why you've been tailing me?"

The rabbit blushed furiously, kicking herself for allowing someone to discover her so easily. She couldn't even bring herself to look Akina in the eye.

"Forgive my intrusion, please. I was asked to follow and observe you."

The kangaroo rat narrowed hir eyes softly, "By Priestess Calista?" The rabbit nodded, "Why? I'm no one special."

"Calista expressed a concern for your wellbeing. You are past the age of the rite, and yet you've not bared any children. Unlike your sisters, you show no signs of the heat." The poor, flustered bunny spoke rapidly, blurting it all out so fast that it made Akina blink and shake hir head.

"Slow down... you're saying because I'm not pregnant, or lusting after dad's giant dick... the high priestess... the highest ranking member of what amounts to a religion surrounding the little guy I take after... is concerned about my wellbeing?" Shi spoke with incredulity. Shi wasn't of noble birth, had no real connections to the great houses of the land or the other kingdoms some of them had married into. Shi was just the daughter of a katesh and a student with a passion for designing and inventing. How could hir subdued libido be worth anyone's attention?

"Yes, that's right. The High Priestess said if you showed no signs of the fire then I should bring you to her for an examination."

"So, because I'm different, I'm being singled out? Does this have anything to do with my lack of nobility? Is Calista pissed that I get to live in the tower even though I'm not actually part of any of the major houses?" Akina was starting to get more than just a little annoyed, taking offense at the possibility of discrimination.

"No! No, not at all! She simply expressed a concern that you might not be well! Please, let me take you to her! She can explain better than I can!" The rabbit squeaked and began stepping back a short distance, concerned that she might have to flee from the taller lady's wrath.

"Take me to her? Fine. Let's go. I'm done with class for the day. Let's go see what the high priestess of daddy-dick has to say about me not wanting it as bad as everyone else." Akina practically leapt to hir feet and approached the shorter lady. With obvious annoyance but no real malice, shi gripped the rabbit's shoulders and spun her about, gently forcing her to lead the way.

The poor frightened priestess took the hint and began guiding the much taller, rather aggravated kangaroo rat towards the temple of the High Priestess. Showing good sense, the rabbit used the back streets and alleys while the mains were far too crowded. It kept their trip relatively brief. The temple itself was heavily populated. Lines spanned out through the marble columns, each lady waiting for her turn to make use of the statutes or see one of the many priestesses working furiously to reach everyone in a reasonable length of time. The idols were all occupied. Father's scent was heavy in the air. They must have increased the flow to the temple to keep up with demand.

"I don't think I've ever seen it this busy." Akina stared as they walked by hundreds of patrons waiting their turn, some less patiently than others. The heat was striking hard.

The rabbit leading the way tossed a comment back over her shoulder, "It's the Centennial. Should we expect anything less?"

"I get that... but this seems congested even for the anniversary. Is everything okay?" A mild concern was growing in the back of the tall girl's mind.

"Everything is fine. We just happened to have a larger number of our sisters reach their point of need at around the same time. Don't concern yourself with it." Her nonchalant attitude seemed somewhat forced. Perhaps she was stressed because of just how busy they were. Akina let the notion slip away and shi continued on through the temple, away from the crowd. The rabbit's tall ears made it easy to follow her through the masses.

The crowds thinned as they moved upward through the temple, leading to more specialized facilities; rooms meant for those with more unusual needs, medical or otherwise. Still they climbed higher, reaching the chambers of the High Priestess. There at the far end of the large room, open at one end to the air and sun outside, stood Calista, High Priestess of Gangxia, fifth generation direct descendant of the original tribal priestess. She was the spitting image of her Great, Great Grandmother. Akina had an irreverent streak a mile wide, but shi still knew when shi should show respect. The young lady bowed to the motherly jade figure, not daring to speak a single word while in her presence, let alone within her chambers, unless bidden.

Calista took note of this sign of reverence and chuckled quietly, resting a hand on Akina's shoulder, "I appreciate the gesture but you've no need to be so formal. Come and sit. I'm sure you have questions."

The kangaroo rat nodded and stood erect once more, following the dragoness to a pair of large cushions resting on the floor. Shi eased hirself into one, finding the velvet covering it to be rather luxurious.

"Yes... I do have some questions."

"Such as why I was having you followed?" Calista lightly interrupted.

Akina nodded, "Yes. I'd like to know that."

The dragon nodded and turned to look to the rabbit, waving to dismiss her. The lapine priestess bowed and took her leave, closing the large, heavy doors behind her. Once they were alone, Calista could focus her attention entirely on hir guest.

"I had you followed because, unless I am mistaken, you are in your early twenties and you still have yet to bare any children. Usually only our messengers... or those of the cult of the Childless... refrain from producing young. You are neither. May I ask why you are not yet a mother?"

Akina sighed, having been probed on this point more than a few times, but it was the High Priestess. It wouldn't be very polite to show just how annoyed shi was by such a question.

"I would very much like to be a mother. But... between my schooling, my personal work, and the fact that it's at least an hour's wait to use any of the idols... I just don't have the time. I assumed after I graduate I would be able to make the time to visit one of father's statues."

"After you graduate... I see. Are you certain you can hold out that long?" Usually such a remark carried disdain or sarcasm with it. Calista showed no sign of this. She was in earnest.

"I've lasted this long. What's another month or two? Then I'll have all the free time I'll need to get in line." Akina leaned back slightly in hir cushion, feeling it cup against hir lower back comfortably.

The jade woman, legs crossed to support her tremendous stomach, furrowed her brow softly, puzzled by this, "You don't feel the heat at all?"

The kangaroo rat shrugged softly, "I do, but... not nearly as much as everyone else I guess. I've never felt it completely overpower me like I've seen it take everyone else. Guess I'm just different."

Calista nodded again, standing once more, "If you don't mind, I would like to examine you."

Akina frowned, "Why?"

The priestess smiled in that sense that Akina had grown to learn meant there was more to the point than what was being said, "Just indulge me please. I have a curiosity that I'd like to satisfy." At least she was polite.

The younger lady sighed and stood as shi was requested, presenting hirself to be scrutinized. Immediately Calista began her examination, pressing gently against specific spots along the girl's torso, and even giving hir masculine region a good looking over. Were the situation not what it was, shi might have found it arousing.

"So you say you do not feel the heat nearly as strongly as our sisters. Does Sabo?" The jade woman inquired as she felt around.

"She does," The young lady paused and corrected hirself, "Well, not all the time. Most of the time, she's just a little more amorous. But on rare occasions, it's all I can do to get her off me." Akina jumped softly as the cool fingers located a tender patch here and there.

Calista nodded, "And from what I understand, she has not become a mother yet as well."

Akina frowned a little, taking subtle offense, "No, she hasn't, but she's a few years younger than me. She only just recently came of age. Some girls just... don't start having kids until a little bit later than others, no matter how often they visit the idols. You know that."

"Hmm, yes, that's very true. Does she visit them often?" A hand began to cup against the kangaroo rat's impressive testicles, making hir shudder just softly.

"From what I understand, she doesn't visit them at all. She tells me she gets all she needs from me. I don't know how true that is, if she's just joking to make me feel special... or if she actually does get enough." It was a little awkward to be discussing hir relationship while someone else fondled hir like this.

"And how often do the two of you... join?" The hand moved to the younger lady's folds, making her yelp quietly.

"I don't see how that's anyone's business!" Shi spun around, stepping away just a bit, "And why are you pumping me for information? What are you looking for exactly?"

Calista let the young lady retreat, "I don't see anything physically out of the ordinary, at least for those of your gender. If you don't mind, I'd like to see you again, and bring Sabo with you when next you come. I would like to examine her as well."

Akina narrowed hir eyes, now feeling certain there was more going on than the dragoness had let slip.

"Why? Why do you need to see me again? And why do you need to see Sabo? She's just a late bloomer, that's all," The kangaroo rat paused, something clicking in hir mind, "The curse... you're worried it's jumping from men to women... that's why you're so concerned about me and Sabo aren't you?"

The emerald lady laughed and waved a hand dismissively, horribly amused by the assumption, "No! Certainly not. In fact, we have reason to believe that the curse is getting weaker, not stronger. Just look at how our population has exploded. No, I just have a duty to look after those who live in the tower with father. And now that I've had a better look at you, I'd like to track your progress. Something about your resistance may be useful to the rest of your sisters... help us all control the heat a little better."

That seemed to satisfy the kangaroo rat, at least for the moment, "Okay, fine... when?"

"I'd like to see Sabo later today if that's possible. Here, in my chambers. There's so much to do that I couldn't possibly get away like I did this morning." Calista crossed the distance the younger lady had put between them, giving hir a fond hug and a chaste little peck on the cheek.

"Later today... if I can pull her away from the delegations. There's a lot she has to work on too."

"Yes, with our sisters returning from afar. Nicely handled this morning I must say. Ever since she moved away, I've found Portia to be a little insufferable and you put her in her place." The dragoness smirked.

"Heh, well... she had it coming. Anyway, I've got homework to go finish, and one or two projects I've been asked to help with... so... if there's nothing else..." Akina's voice trailed off, trying to lead to dismissal. Subtly wasn't exactly her strongest suit.

"Yes, you're free to go. I'll not hold you up any longer. Thank you for coming to see me."

They bid each other farewell and Akina disappeared out the door to head home. As soon as she was alone, Calista's jocular expression melted into a more serious one, turning to look out at the city beyond, her hands resting on her heavy, rather active stomach.

"Help all our sisters indeed."

---

"So you only had half a day at school today, and you're out for the rest of the week? Sounds relaxing if you ask me. But knowing you, you're probably worried you'll go stir crazy with nothing to do the rest of the day." Siyu remarked softly, nibbling away at a small platter of sushi. It was his fifth so far. His voice had come to show his age more than he might have liked. And he may have been small in stature, but the symbol of pride and fertility of the empire demanded a much higher caloric intake than he would otherwise need. Every time they enhanced his necklace, increased his size, his appetite would grow to suit.

Akina sat at the edge of his pool, picking quietly at hir rice, still mulling over the events of the day so far, "I'll be fine. I've got a project or two I could work on. Or I could just go enjoy the festivities. It's not every day your country celebrates a hundred years of prosperity."

The smaller of the two kangaroo rats nodded, "True enough. Why miss a once in a lifetime opportunity?" For almost a hundred and twenty, the old boy still seemed rather youthful at heart. If only his body felt the same way.

"I'd feel bad not taking Sabo with me though. She's all wrapped up in the summit, helping things to keep running smoothly while everyone up there picks your replacement." Hir voice morphed into a tone of disdain as shi reached discussion of the delegates. "You really don't care for some of them, do you?" Siyu was mildly surprised by the concentration of venom in hir words.

Akina sighed and averted hir gaze, not out of dishonor but more trying to sort out hir feelings on the point, "They've just turned into such... bullies, some of them at least. You wouldn't think they'd change that much while they're out there but some of them are just so different. The old Portia would never have tried to use being a daughter of a katesh as an insult. They're my sisters and... I do still care about their wellbeing. But... they sure make it hard for me to, ya know?"

The older fellow nodded with a soft chuckle, "Yes, I do know. But soon, they'll all be back in their own kingdoms and everything will be back to normal. After this, you may never have to see them ever again."

"Is it awful of me that I see that as a good thing?" Akina brought hir eyes back to meet with Siyu's.

He shook his head softly, nibbling on another piece of sushi, "No, not awful. Perhaps a little sad, but not awful. You two have grown apart. It happens sometimes. Look at what happened with the outer territories while the core cities grew. It created a rift that could have easily torn our people apart. No one specifically wanted it to happen, it just naturally occurred. Distance does that."

Akina nodded, looking back down at hir bowl of rice, nibbling away at it, "Yeah, and they managed to avoid a civil war back then. Don't know if we can do the same thing now."

"I'm sure you'll find a way," he snickered a little, "Maybe I'll make it my dying wish they would make amends with you and your sisters."

The young lady rolled hir eyes, "Not if you pick any of them to take over for you."

"True, but someone must be picked. If not them, then someone. Do you have any thoughts on who you think would make a fitting heir?" He asked genuinely, wanting Akina's take on the current social climate among the 'royals' and 'nobles'.

Shi frowned a little at the question, "I honestly don't know. It's hard to say. No one can really completely replace you, not that we should try. But... so many of us depend on you, your guidance..."

"And my production!" He cackled, giving his legendary shaft a loud slap.

That seemed to strike Akina in a very peculiar way.

"Right... your production. So many of us depend on your production. And no one can take that over for you once you're gone." Hir words slowed as shi mulled them over, hir gazed fixed on the smaller rodent's mythical manhood. Siyu could sense a degree of uneasiness in hir voice.

"Oh you don't need to worry. The Preservation Society has everything well in hand. After I pass, they'll put their plan in action. It might be a little rough at first, but everyone will adjust."

"Right... we'll adjust." He had said that exact same thing so many times before. Shi was beginning to doubt the truth of it. Shi needed to know for hirself.

With that, Akina turned back to hir bowl of rice and tilted it back into hir mouth, finishing it as swiftly as shi could without choking. The rest of hir meal had come earlier, shi simply liked saving the rice for last. Siyu blinked softly as he watched hir swiftly end hir meal.

"Something on your mind, dear?"

"You could say that. Sorry for not sticking around longer. I just realized I had something I need to work on. I'll see you later. Thanks for lunch, dad." Shi leaned out over the pool and gave the shorter kangaroo-rat a kiss on the cheek, then turned and hurried over towards the attendants waiting to be called upon.

"Is everything alright Miss Akina?"

"It's fine. I just need a few things. The plumbing system that distributes father's essence, are there any blueprints or schematics for it anywhere?" Shi seemed frantic, but only mildly.

"Y-yes..." The attendant quickly became puzzled at the question, "Would you care to see them?"

"I would. I would like to borrow a copy of them if I could. As well as the latest census results, whatever you can find on the Preservation Society's project, and the newest release of "Gangxian Medicine" you can lay your hands on." Shi began looking through the stack of books and scrolls kept in Siyu's chamber, hoping shi could find at least a couple of the items shi asked for.

"Of course... may I ask why?" The other attendants had begun looking through the stacks for what shi had requested, assembling the collection as they found each one.

"Call it being bit by the curiosity bug. I've got a lot of work to do so I will be in my room. Please don't let anyone disturb me until I'm done." Akina took what they had collected, a long parchment scroll, several small rough bindings of paper, and two thick leather-bound tomes.

"As you wish Miss Akina... should we keep Sabo out as well?"

"No! She's welcome to see me!" Shi shouted back over hir shoulder as shi hurried away. Hir pace suggested that hir comment of 'It's fine' was somewhat inaccurate.

Siyu frowned softly, setting his little wooden tray down. His hands moved behind his back as he watched his daughter vanish out of the room so swiftly. The attendants came to his aid believing he might be done eating.

"Poor girl. If I could trouble one of you, I would like to send a message to Calista."

Akina burst into hir room, aiming directly for hir workbench. Immediately shi cleared it off with the swipe of a single arm. The books and scrolls shi had requested were spread out and shi dove into them, pouring over the information they contained. As shi read, shi reached over to hir stack of parchment, yanking a sheet towards hir and began scribbling away furiously on it. Shi had to be wrong. Shi prayed that shi was.

The hours passed. The sun eased its way down towards the horizon as the celebration outside grew more uproarious. The tower grew steadily emptier as many of its inhabitants made their way down to the streets. Siyu himself was moved to his ceremonial pool in front of the palace, relishing the revelry of it all. Akina however was nowhere to be found. Sabo was puzzled by hir absence. Her mood was visible to those around her as she scanned the crowd, looking for those telltale ears standing above everyone else.

"Miss Sabo, can I help you find something?" It was one of her father's attendants.

"I'm trying to find Akina. I haven't seen hir since this morning. I thought surely shi would be down here already." The young buffalo continued to hunt and scan fruitlessly.

"When last I saw hir, shi was heading to your room. Shi said shi had work to do."

"Work!? Today!? I know shi's consumed by hir studies and hir inventing but this is too much, even for hir! You can't seriously tell me shi's still up there at hir workbench!" Sabo's incredulity was easily understood. Akina rarely let hir hobbies or schooling get in the way of the yearly celebration.

"Shi was quite insistent. Shi even asked to not be disturbed. Not even for dinner."

The russet bovine frowned, "Well I'm going to go disturb hir now. If shi doesn't like it, then too bad. I'm going to force hir to come down here and have fun." With that, Sabo turned and marched her way back into the temple. As she ascended up towards the tower, her frustration only grew. How could shi be working? Shi promised they would have the evening together. Shi never broke hir promises to spend time with her. The frustration slowly began to transmogrify into something else, concern. Maybe there was something horribly important shi had forgotten. A twinge of guilt began to seep into Sabo's mind as she drew closer, but she wouldn't let that stop her. Their doorway came and she marched her way in, coming to a halt with a gasp as she drank in the sight before her.

There Akina was, at hir workbench, hunched over, writing furiously, lifting hir head to look over the many sheets of parchment hanging from the wall in front of hir to confirm some piece of information they held. Those pages were strewn about. Across the floor, along the walls, even spread out on the bed. They all contained strange calculations and charts. Some of them even had scribbles crossed through the text as if whatever they contained was wrong. Whatever this was, it had a firm hold of the lady, and it hopefully made for a damn good reason.

"Akina... what in the world..."

The kangaroo rat spun about, hir eyes huge, "Sabo! Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I completely forgot! I've... I've been a little busy! I had to make sure!"

"Make sure of what? That I'd need to clean the room before I could sleep soundly tonight?" The buffalo stepped across the scattered pages, careful not to set hoof on any of them.

"What if I told you that someone very important to us all had been lying to us for a long time?" Akina rose and approached hir beloved, not even caring about the pages on the floor. Shi simply took Sabo's hand and held it tightly as if shi had been taken by some horrific fear.

"Someone important? Lying to us? What are you talking about?" Sabo was terribly worried at this point.

The kangaroo rat pulled her gently over towards the workbench, collecting the latest stack of parchment shi had been working on. Clearly the calculations shi had been making there were more to hir liking. Or at least their accuracy was.

"This... I pulled information from the latest census, from medical books, from as many different relevant sources as I could get. As far as the information I've got tells me... it's accurate." The tone of Akina's voice was deathly earnest.

Sabo took the pages in her hands and began reading over them, flipping through them as she absorbed their contents. As she progressed, she grew more confused until she reached the last few pages. Her confusion then quickly turned to horror. When she read the ultimate conclusion her lover had come to, her heart stopped.

"Okay... that's a pretty damn good reason. Have you shown this to anyone yet?"

Akina shook hir head, "No, I just finished it. You're the first one to see it. We need to go tell dad. Now."

"What!? Now!? But the celebration!" Sabo protested.

"If not now, then when? He needs to know. And it's not like I'm about to spread it throughout the whole of the empire. He'll know what to do better than either of us." Shi made a compelling argument. Sabo nodded and relented.

Akina took the pages and rolled them up carefully, believing it might be wise to take hir evidence with hir. Then shi took Sabo's hand, squeezing it tightly as shi gazed into the buffalo's eyes. Shi would need the bovine by hir side, supporting hir. The russet lady squeezed back, letting hir know they were together on the point. With that, they raced out. The stairs came and went, careful not to stumble and take a nasty spill in their rush.

As they sped down to the rest of the palace, they screeched to a halt as they entered Siyu's chamber. The attendants and katesh were bringing him back. The old fellow was gently lowered back into his pool from his carrying vessel, meant more to help hoist his enormous member and orbs than him. He was just along for the ride, and he looked out of breath and stressed.

"Father, are you alright?" Akina released Sabo's hand and rushed to the smaller rodent's side.

"I'm... fine. Just a little... too much... excitement." He smiled weakly, turning to the ladies who had helped him back inside, "I think the priestesses... will have to... postpone my next session. I don't think... I have the energy... to contend with it... right now."

One of the attendants gently pulled Akina back, "It was just a little too much for him. He needs to rest. You should let him. Go on down to the celebration and enjoy yourself. We'll look after him."

The taller lady politely removed the attendant's hand, "No, I need to speak to him. It's important. Father, I'm sorry for rushing out earlier but I have a very good reason for why. I need to show you something. Right now."

Siyu frowned through his exhaustion, waving a hand dismissively, "Could it please wait for a little while? I'm... I'm still a little overwhelmed from earlier."

Sabo shook her head, "No, father. I don't think it can wait."

"Oh so now you're more important than the rest of us that you want to hog father's attention?" It was Portia. She and the other dignitaries had come from downstairs as well. No doubt they were all trying to spend as much time around him as possible to curry favor.

Akina snarled a little, already in no mood to put up with this, "Shut up you gold-digging whore! I'm sick of your disrespectful attitude! Leave now or I'll give you a black eye and a fat lip!" Shi glared hatefully at the older, yet shorter, woman.

Portia snarled right back, not intimidated by the threat, "Disrespectful... says the spoiled little brat who just threatened to give a black eye to the Crowned Princess of Argosia!"

"I don't give a damn where you're from! If what I have here is right," Shi lifted the rolled parchment in hir hand up for everyone to see, "Then you just might live long enough to see the last of our kind be bred out!"

That seemed to catch everyone's attention, startling Portia, "Wha... What are you talking about!?"

Akina stepped closer, glaring daggers at the vixen, "We're going extinct! Calista has been lying to all of us!"

Whispers began to spread through the group as the attendants moved to restrain Akina, seemingly to keep from attacking hir sister.

"Miss, please calm down, you're upsetting father." They insisted, tugging and pushing to drag hir away from Portia. Akina turned to gaze at the elder fellow. He was still panting heavily, groaning unpleasantly. He was in bad shape. Shi hadn't helped his heart at all with hir outburst.

The taller kangaroo rat whimpered and tried to move back to hir father's side, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to blurt that all out like that! I didn't want to upset you further! But I had to say something!"

The attendants continued to try and drag hir away, others having taken Sabo and pulled her out into the hall as well.

"Please Miss, we need to tend to him."

"No! I need to show this to him! It can't wait! Every minute we delay, the harder it will be to undo all of this!" Shi began to struggle, careful not to harm any of the girls, but shi had to get to Siyu.

A hand reached out and cupped around the kangaroo rat's mouth, pulling hir back with surprising strength. Hir arms were restrained as shi was dragged away. The doors to Siyu's chamber slammed shut behind hir as shi disappeared into the hall.

"That's enough hysterics for now." It was one of Calista's priestesses, one trained as a protector of realm. 'Guardian of Siyu's Essence' they were often called, and there were eight of them, four surrounding Sabo. The buffalo looked to her mate with extraordinary terror.

"Akina... they're serious. I think we crossed a line..."

"What!? Because we know the truth and we were about to tell father!? Let me go! Let me back in there! Right now! You can't keep me away from him! I have a right to see him! He has a right to the truth!" Shi began to struggle again, but these priestesses were far stronger than the attendants, and they were able to keep hir from lashing out at them.

"You don't need this either." The one who seemed to be the ring leader yanked the pages out of hir hand, unfurling them to skim them briefly.

"Give that back! You can't hide the truth forever! It's not right! We all deserve to know!"

"Some interesting work you've done here. Too bad it's wrong." The pale green dragoness began crumpling the parchment in spite of Akina's protests. And then she tossed the ball into a nearby brazier. It crackled and blazed to life as any trace of it was consumed.

"No!! You can't do this!! I need to tell father!! You heartless bitch!!"

The leader of the group of guardians stepped in close, clapping a hand over the kangaroo rat's mouth to silence hir, "You don't need to tell him something he already knows. Now shut your mouth. You speak out again and I'll be the one to give out the black eye."

Akina froze. The dragon's words cut deep, "He... he already knows?"

"Of course he does. And now thanks to your little outburst, we've had to calm things down in there, reassure everyone that you're just out of your mind. Or at least your math is wrong. Whatever it takes to keep this happy little empire from folding in on itself and being ripped apart from the inside out. Do you like making us lie to everyone?" Her tone was deadly serious, and her voice was low, cautious of unseen listeners in the hallway.

"So... what now?" The kangaroo rat responded with perhaps more defiance than shi should have.

"Now, we keep you two quiet. We can't have a couple of troublemakers like you running around shouting at the top of their lungs that the sky is falling." The warrior priestess turned to her sisters, nodding silently only a single time. Two of them nodded back and reached into their robes. They produced a small ceramic vessel each, dipping their fingers inside to collect a bit of its contents. Without ceremony, they smeared the foul smelling ooze just below both Akina's and Sabo's nose.

The odor was quite awful, making them both sputter and try desperately to wipe away the stuff. No matter how hard they tried, it continued to linger. Within only a few moments, it had the desired effect. Their eyelids began to droop and glaze passed over their eyes. It was a strange sort of tiredness, but they didn't feel any sort of physical fatigue.

"Don't worry, the effect is temporary, but it renders the subject rather vulnerable to the power of suggestion, a bit like hypnosis. And don't worry, we're not going to brainwash you, that's not what this stuff does. It just makes you more agreeable to our requests. Once it wears off, you'll be back to your loud-mouthed selves. Now, follow me." The pale jade lady turned and began to walk away from the big, heavy doors leading to Siyu's chambers. Akina and Sabo followed obediently and without protest. It was almost as if they were mindless automatons. The priestess snickered a bit, "Much easier detaining folks when they just don't feel like resisting."

---

Quietly and discretely, the group made their way out of the palace, using one of the side entrances to avoid the public spectacle. They meandered through the back streets, passers-by being assured that the two members of the noble household were just a bit spent from the party and could stand a trip to see the High Priestess. It was a fantastic cover.

Before too long, the two girls found themselves back in the very chamber Akina had visited earlier that day. They were told to sit, which they did, and the guards moved away, taking up a position by the door. Calista sighed seeing the two of them in such a state. Presently, she dabbed some sort of pearly white cream on the ends of her fingers, only on one hand, and began waving it slowly under Sabo's nose. In only a few minutes, her face changed from a look of deadpan, expressionless void to the look of disgust she had worn just before succumbing. The dragoness then moved along to Akina and offered hir a similar whiff of the sweet smelling stuff.

Almost immediately, the kangaroo rat began sputtering and coughing again, wiping just under hir nose as if the nasty goop from earlier was still there. When shi realized it was gone, shi paused and looked around. And then hir temper flared a little.

"Real nice! Drug a couple of your citizens and kidnap them! What the hell was that stuff!? What did you do to us!?" Shi practically jumped to hir feet.

"Settle down, child. You are unharmed. Sometimes, there are those who need a little... encouragement... to keep something quiet. Father sent me a letter earlier today letting me know you might discover our little... secret."

The head of the guards approached, speaking to the older, taller priestess.

"Shi had brought copies of hir calculations down to show father. I destroyed the ones shi had with hir... and had two of my sisters gather all hir other work on the matter from hir room." It was all presented as she spoke.

"Excellent work, daughter. You continue to be a pillar I have come to depend on greatly." Calista began flipping through the pages.

"Thank you, mother." The resemblance was uncanny, right down to the size of their bellies. They were both on the higher end of the fertility scale. It usually ran in the family.

"So you're stealing my work now too?" The young lady felt violated.

"No, protecting your work from prying eyes that shouldn't know such things. I had hoped to quietly make you part of our inner circle after you brought Sabo here for me to examine. But instead, you decided to... accelerate... our plans," Calista finished thumbing through the pages and set them aside, "Interesting work. I'm surprised you were able to assemble it so quickly."

"When you know what to look for, it's not hard to find. And what plans? What are you going to do to us?"

"I'm going to talk to you. Sit back down, please. There's a lot to cover, and not much time to get through it." The High Priestess settled atop her own cushion. Her calm demeanor helped to ease Akina's mind somewhat, but shi was still pretty worked up.

As shi plopped down in hir own cushion, shi started back up on the point shi had tried to make to Siyu earlier.

"So, when are you going to tell everyone that you've been lying about how long we can last after father dies? You keep telling everyone we can last another two hundred years with how much seed you've stored away and concentrated. We'd be lucky to make it fifty. And once we're out, population growth crashes... and then we start getting bred out by other civilizations that can 'get the job done'."

Calista gazed steadily at Akina, showing no sign of disrespect or deception.

"Your calculations are wrong." She said quite flatly.

"No they're not! I've done them five times! We have at best fifty years!" Akina's anger was rising again.

"Give her a chance to speak. She may know something we don't." Sabo reached out, trying to sooth her infuriated lover.

"You should listen to your mate. She's right. We do know something you don't. And yes, your calculations are wrong. We won't run out in fifty years."

"I can't be wrong! I've come at it from every ang-"

"We'll run out in twenty," Calista's tone was deadly serious. It silenced the kangaroo rat, stunning hir like nothing had ever done before, "Your calculations were based on the rationing program we'd been publishing for the last two years. We won't be able to maintain that."

"Wh-what!?" It was Sabo's turn to voice her incredulity.

"It's true," Calista had turned to gaze at the buffalo, looking briefly back at Akina, "Shi's already begun to piece it together. From our conversation earlier. Rationing won't work."

"The heat... it will drive everyone into a frenzy. They'll demand they get a 'full dose'... like addicts." Shi was assembling the picture as shi spoke, moving quicker than hir mouth could.

"Yes, like addicts... like the katesh."

Again, silence ruled the room. The revelation was powerful.

"So, we're all going to turn into..."

"Mindless slaves to our father's essence. Granted it would take another hundred years for it to become wide spread. And we don't have that much time left." Calista's contradiction baffled the kangaroo rat.

"But... that's a good thing, then, right? We won't become addicted."

"We already are, but not to the extent of the katesh. We still have our wits about us, most of us at least. Just because you can't smell father's scent doesn't mean it isn't permeating your every fiber. His influence has embedded itself in our very being. We've reached a tipping point. When we run out, we will start going through withdrawal, just like the katesh. Most of us will not survive."

It was so much worse than Akina had feared. Now shi began to see why they were so desperate to keep hir quiet.

"So that's why you were so interested in me... and in Sabo. We're... different."

Sabo blinked softly and looked to her mate, "What?"

"Calista had me brought to her earlier today and started asking all sorts of questions about why I've not had any children yet, and then started asking about us, our relationship. She wanted me to bring you to see her earlier today... but..."

"But you got so wrapped up in discovering our apocalypse that you forgot. It's quite alright, you're both here now and I can proceed," The dragoness stood and moved to the buffalo, settling in front of her, "With your permission, my child, I would like to examine you as I had your mate earlier today."

Sabo nodded, seeing no reason not to permit the High Priestess her request.

"What are you looking for if you don't mind my asking?"

"Hope," Calista said plainly, "I'm looking for any sign of hope for our people. I feel it may lie with you two, and others like you if there are any. Akina tells me shi does not feel the heat nearly as strongly as our sisters. Do you feel it?"

Sabo shrugged a little, "I suppose so. I never get hit by it nearly as strongly as I've read about. It's more like... an itch I need to scratch sometimes."

"I see," The dragoness continued, feeling gently over the bovine's form. Her hands only told her so much, but the techniques passed down through the sisterhood of priestesses revealed far more, "And how much of our ointment do you use every day to block out father's effect?"

The russet lady blushed a little at some of Calista's efforts, feeling as if it was a little more than just an examination.

"Not very much, just a dab in the morning, maybe a little more if I have to spend a lot of time around him in a given day."

"That's not very much at all. On average, I see our sisters go through entire containers of the ointment within a single day. And Akina, how much do you use?"

The kangaroo rat blinked softly, "I've... never had to use any."

"Never?" Calista seemed quite surprised.

"Never. I can smell him all the time, full strength. It doesn't really do anything to me," Shi paused, "Was this what you meant by something about my resistance being useful? Help use actually adhere to rationing? Avoid withdrawal?"

"You're very sharp, and yes, something like that. If you aren't affected by his scent, then perhaps his absence won't affect you."

"His absence most definitely will affect me!" Akina frowned, the older lady's words seeming a bit heartless.

"Oh, yes, of course, we will mourn his passing, but I mean you won't suffer the horror the rest of us will when we cannot satisfy our need," Calista finished her examination of Sabo and leaned back, sighing softly, "You seem to possess a similar resistance. Forgive me for the intrusion, but Akina never told me earlier and I must know. How often are you two intimate?"

Sabo blushed brightly, looking over to the kangaroo rat. Akina shrugged, feeling there was a little more at stake here than their pride and relented. The buffalo turned back to Calista, her cheeks still deeply rosy.

"M-most nights... I guess. Not every night, but... often."

The dragoness nodded, "A healthy relationship I see. Excellent. You two will be happy together for a long time. Now... again, forgive me but I must pry. What do you two do when you are intimate?"

Akina sighed and rolled hir eyes, "I don't put it in her like dad would if that's what you mean. We usually stick to the 'other route'. She wants her first time like that to be with one of Siyu's idols. He's a touch too big to do the job himself anymore, at least for most folks."

"So the two of you have not tried to have children on your own..."

"No, we haven't," Akina frowned, "Aren't all us hermaphrodites only able to bare, not sire?"

Calista rose to her feet, "Please, come with me. There is much more I need to share with you." Her somewhat evasive response concerned the two girls. They stood as well and began to follow the dragoness. Her guards at the door moved to surround them as an escort before the door opened and the entered the corridor beyond.

"Where are we going? All we do is talk, and go somewhere 'more private'. How can you get more private than the High Priestess' personal chambers?" Akina complained.

"There are things that cannot be discussed even there. As you're aware, the Preservation Society is dedicated to ensuring our way of life after father's passing. Most of our work is done here in the temple, collecting as much of father's essence as we can and storing it, concentrating it, extending its useful life." As they walked, the dragoness led them past many of the priestesses under her direction hard at work doing just what she had described. Eventually, they turned and entered one of the rooms, largely empty save for a few casks of the precious, musky stuff. The far wall was decorated as most of the walls in the temple were with frescos portraying various events in Gangxia's history.

"Is this your super-secret private place where you talk about all the civilization ending events with your inner circle?" The young lady's snark was starting to get the better of hir.

Calista let it hang in the air for a moment before crossing to the far wall and pressing her palm to one of the carvings, the figure of Siyu himself.

"No, this isn't," The figure began to retreat into the wall accompanied by the sound of stone grinding on stone. It locked into place and large section of the wall began to slide up out of the way into a darkened corridor beyond, "This is my... as you put it... 'super-secret private place'."

The kangaroo rat was shamed into silence. Sabo squeezing in against hir side as they disappeared into the secret passage. The stone wall closed behind them and locked back into place, leaving no trace they had been there.

The hallway was very dimly lit by low burning torches. Stairs guided them down deeper into the vast structure until, at last, a brighter light could be seen. When they emerged, they arrived in a grand cavern, natural rather than hand-made, and populated by a number of the dragon's closest expert healers, likely mostly her daughters. In the center of the cavern stood a tall, wide vessel made of glass. Inside was a veritable ocean of Siyu's essence. It had to be tens of thousands of gallons.

"This represents only a fraction of what we have managed to store of father's production. We've been using this sample to perform experiments in preservation, concentration, and even attempting to find an answer to the addiction problem. Soon, we will have to bring our experimentation to a halt and use it as part of the larger reserve, then replace it with a fresh batch. Until there is no more to replace it with." Calista stood, gazing at the vast glass container. All their hard work had led them only this far, and there was still so much further to go.

"It's impressive to say the least... but... why did you bring us here? You might as well go ahead and tell us everything." Akina's ability to cut to the point was sometimes a curse, but not on this occasion.

"I brought you here because this is where our most talented, most knowledgeable priestesses work, trying tirelessly to stave off the coming apocalypse. We tried rationing, but it brought on the effects of withdrawal. We tried concentrating the doses to see if that would work, so we could fit more of father's essence into each cask. That showed some promise, but not much. We even tried reversing the effects he has on our fertility. We've had limited success with that as you can see." Calista pointed to the various girls going about their work. They were all pregnant, but not quite so heavy as was the norm.

"I don't know how well that would go over with the rest of the population. More is kind of 'in' right now." Akina remarked.

"Right you are," Calista responded, "And with what limited success we've had here, it would require a much more all-encompassing process. We would have to diminish father's fertility."

"Oh you'll have a riot on your hands if you do that," Sabo chimed in, "Have you seen the lines waiting for the idols?"

Calista nodded, "I have. It can get ugly sometimes, the heat taking our sisters so strongly. But he is the source of our fertility. The first mothers didn't have much influence imposed on them in this regard. But their children began the steady slope towards where we are today. Each time he is made more fertile, larger, more voluminous, it is to keep up with the demand of our population. And each time we increase his strength, it seeps into the next generation. Those children are born with their own fertility heightened. When they come of age, they have more children than the previous generation, and feel the heat even more strongly. Demand increases, and we increase Siyu to contend with it."

"It's a feedback loop." Akina blinked.

"Yes, we have been the architects of our own destruction, and we cannot back off now. Any attempt to break this circle must be done gradually, just outside the threshold of withdrawal. It was then that we came to a startlingly simple conclusion. If we can't store enough to last us until we are no longer dependent, then we must find a way to produce more," The jade woman turned around, looking to the kangaroo rat, "That's where you come in."

"Me? But... there's no way I can produce near what we'd need, and then there's also the point that girls like me can't impregnate others. Why can't you just find another male, maybe from the outlying towns? There were those two boys a while back... what were their names, Collin and Clyde? One of them was like me, but his older brother wasn't. Can't you just get someone like that?"

Akina kept hir gaze fixed on Calista as she strolled along the side of the vessel before them. The dragoness gave brief commands to those ladies who worked there.

"We tried that. We brought both Clyde and Collin here shortly after they arrived. We studied them and their children. We attempted to use the same incantations and rituals on them as we had on father. We achieved similar effects as Siyu, but nowhere near the level needed to maintain us. It would take hundreds like them, if not thousands. And still, we could never overcome Collin's sterility."

Sabo frowned, "But... I thought you had... didn't I hear something about that a few years back?"

Calista shook her head, "You heard rumor. What actually happened was the brothers wanted to return home and so we made it sound as though we had accomplished our goals with them. Of course... we never actually said what those goals were. Keeping an empire on the brink from collapsing is a careful game of words sometimes."

Akina again jumped back to the heart of the matter, "So... you think I might somehow be able to take over for Siyu..."

"We had considered the possibility. You would need to produce far more than you can currently. Even if it was only a fraction of what he can provide, it would suffice. But it must be as effective," The dragoness crossed back over to the two girls, focusing on Akina. A hand reached forward, cupping her fingers around the younger lady's ample scrotum, "What you hold here may very well be our salvation. We have been searching for others like you, those who are of both genders and resist the call of father's shaft. There are candidates, but they have not arrived. Right now, you are our best hope."

Akina shuddered a little at the hand around hir somewhat sensitive orbs, spreading hir legs and rising up on hir toes just slightly, "Ahhh... okay... so... what am I supposed to do!?"

Calista released hir, "We must find out if you are fertile. We must know if you can father children."

The kangaroo rat blushed furiously, suddenly imagining being in Siyu's place; enormously endowed, larger than the rest of hir, producing a constant, endless supply of seed for the empire to partake, to become addicted to, 'father' to hundreds of thousands of daughters.

"Aaaand... h-how do you... intend we... f-f-find out?" The hand on hir scrotum didn't help matters. Shi was a bit sensitive. It's why shi never wore anything over it. The open air was less stimulating than any garment, even a skirt.

Calista released hir, stepping back, "You and Sabo must attempt to have children together. Tonight. Here if possible."

Both girls blushed again, looking to one another. It was a rather sudden jump to consider.

"Are we ready to have kids?" Akina asked, concerned of Sabo's reaction.

"I've always wanted to be a mother... and you've said the same. The empire is kind of at stake. I know I said I wanted my first time to be with one of father's idols, but... considering the circumstances..."

The kangaroo rat frowned, squeezing the buffalo's hand in hirs, "If you still want that, I'll understand. Maybe we can find another way."

Sabo shook her head, "No, I want it to be you. It only makes sense. If you're supposed to take over for father, then I want it to be you who takes me first."

Akina nodded, wrapping hir arms around the buffalo, embracing her tightly, "Alright, as soon as we get back home..."

"No, you must try now." Calista insisted.

Both girls blinked and looked at her.

"Here!? Now!? With all these people around!?" They both protested.

"Yes, here, now. Why should we be a problem? Every Gangxian has engaged in intimacy in public, regardless of prying eyes dating back to the first of our kind." She had a point.

"Well, yeah but... that's different." Akina attempted to explain.

"Different how?" The dragoness asked in earnest.

The kangaroo rat struggled to find the words, "Well... I... it's different because... out there... um," A light went on, "Out there the empire isn't usually at stake."

"Our nation has been at stake for decades. Knowing about it should make no difference to you. Please... sooner is better rather than later. We must know." The High Priestess was not going to let it go.

"Fine... anything for the empire, I guess," Akina grumbled, looking to Sabo, "Are you okay with this?"

The dark bovine nodded, still glancing about at all the ladies who had stopped their work, staring intently at them, "I kind of have to be. We don't really have much of a choice, do we?"

A hand bumped gently against the taller girl's shoulder, catching their attention, "Here, drink this, both of you. It should help." Calista handed them a small glass of some strange colored liquid. It smelled sweet and sour.

"If it's something to help our chances, I think we'd be better off without." Akina declined.

"It won't affect your fertility. That would defeat the purpose of this. This will help you two ignore rest of us." The dragoness pushed it forward again.

Akina furrowed hir brow a bit and relented. The glass was handed over and shi took a strong sip of the odd quaff. Shi coughed a little as it stung the back of hir throat and everything else on the way down. Sabo took her own drink from it and reacted the same way.

"Really!? Get us drunk enough!? That's your idea!?" The taller girl shouted in dismay.

"Yes, it is alcoholic... a little liquid courage seemed prudent... and it will probably be the last time either of you ever imbibe the real thing if this works. But this particular drink has another effect. Just give it a moment." Calista took the glass back and handed it to one of the other priestesses who had provided it originally.

"A moment for wh-aaa..." Akina was caught off guard by the suddenness of the effect in question. Shi squeezed hir eyes shut and shivered, swaying a little unsteadily in place. Shi squeezed hir thighs together and panted softly, "What the hell is that!?"

Sabo gasped, almost falling to her knees. Thankfully her kangaroo rat caught her, "Oh god... it's the heat! How did you do that!?"

Calista smirked a little, "We've been exploring all sorts of options... such as finding ways to induce the heat in non-Gangxians. Now... no more about us. You two do what you need to."

The girls looked back at one another, their minds clouded by an intense lust. Suddenly, all their protests seemed to fade completely. All that remained was the overwhelming need to mate. The kangaroo rat's length, usually hanging only semi-stiff between hir legs grew rigid, and surprisingly swiftly. The ache it provided only further drove hir desire. Shi could smell hir beloved's need in the air, filling hir nostrils. A thin trail of clear, musky drool seeped from the tall rodent's spire. It had to happen. Now.

Without even waiting to reach a bed, a cushion, chair, or even a table to provide leverage, Akina hoisted hir buffalo off her hooves, kissing her deeply. A moan passed from Sabo as her lips were mashed against the kangaroo rat's. The dark girl's legs were lifted, moved to wrap around Akina's hips. Ankles locked behind the taller lady's back, keeping them both pressed close as the impressive spire ground against the cleft of Sabo's rump. They had long used the 'back door' instead of the usual method. Not tonight. Carefully they aligned, and with a firm shove, Akina plunged hir aching member into the waiting folds of hir mate.

A cry filled the room as Sabo was taken for the first time. She was left breathless, feeling a subtle lump in her abdomen. She knew all too well how large Akina was, but with it going in a different way, somehow it felt more intense. She wriggled and squirmed, not to get away but to push down further on the impressive rod, and her lover obliged. In a matter of seconds, the taller girl was fully hilted in the buffalo, stretching her unused tunnel quite well. Oh how shi could have just held the bovine like this forever. But there was an itch that needed scratching. Shi grunted and pulled hir hips back. Sabo whimpered softly as she was left feeling empty. It didn't last long. Another powerful buck sank the throbbing member back home and she cried out again.

The sensation the buffalo's walls provided; heated and moist, massaging away from all around, it was so much to take in. Akina could scarcely withstand the strength with which it hit hir. It made hir question why they had waited so long to do this. Hir hips and thighs flexed away, hir arms lifting Sabo off of hir, only to cram her back down over the delicious invader. Their writhings began to mesh, finding one another's rhythm. They were well practiced, just not at this particular style. Akina's muscular legs spread softly, giving hir a bit more stability as shi pumped away, making love properly to hir girlfriend.

Sabo's cries came punctuated by her pants for breath. She needed to feel Akina finish inside her. Almost as badly as their sisters desired Siyu's contribution. The pair was a sight to behold, all eyes fixed upon them as they ground away. Moisture trickled down the kangaroo rat's thighs as shi bucked away harder with every passing moment, gritting hir teeth. Hir own breath was becoming ragged, hir legs burning, hir shaft screaming for release. It couldn't last too much longer.

And just when it felt like shi was about to collapse, the tell-tale tickle that passed up hir length gave hir renewed strength. Shi squeezed tightly against hir beloved Sabo, kissing the buffalo with unrestrained passion. The sizable spire below pulsed and twitched with incredibly strength, unleashing a mighty burst. The heat of Akina's essence pouring into the bovine's womb made her tremble. A muted moan of elation caught in her throat, unable to properly slip free while they kissed. Her walls quivered and squeezed as a powerful climax took her. Her arms and legs contracted tight around her mate, not daring to let go for fear this might all be an illusion or a dream.

Blessedly, it wasn't.

Finally, after several moments, they both came down off the high of orgasm. They fought to catch their breath as they looked into one another's eyes. They needed no one else. It was only the two of them. They needed to share no words. Each knew what the other would say. They should have done this so much sooner.

"Excellent work. You two may very well have saved our empire. Now," Calista clapped her hands as if they were at her command, "Again!"

---

Akina groaned as shi stirred awake the next morning. It had been a rough night. The stress of all shi and Sabo had learned, as well as the exhaustion they had put one another through, it was all a bit much. For hours they had been made to mate. Whatever sense of discomfort the kangaroo rat was feeling, shi could only begin to imagine how much greater it was amplified for the buffalo. And she was still asleep. The taller girl scooted closer to hir lover, wrapping hir arms around the sleeping bovine. A hand moved down to caress the sizable swell in her abdomen. The priestesses, even Calista herself, were unable to determine if they had been successful last night. They chalked it up to Siyu's natural virility that led to such quick turnaround, so to speak. Shi wasn't Siyu, and that meant it was probably going to go a bit slower. Still, it didn't keep hir from making Sabo at least look the part.

Not with how many times shi came.

The kangaroo rat gave the sleeping girl a kiss and one last rub over her swollen middle before pulling away. Shi had another concern to deal with. Shi was starving. Akina rolled over slowly and sat up, climbing out of bed. At least the Preservation Society had courtesy enough to bring them home once Calista was satisfied they had made a 'first good effort'. As quietly as shi could manage, shi tip toed out of the room and turned down the hall. Breakfast sounded marvelous, even if shi had to prepare it hirself. Which shi enjoyed doing fairly often.

It was quiet in the tower, probably due to how early it was. The festivities had gotten pretty wild last night from what Akina saw of the aftermath. Lots of late morning risers today, shi was sure. The kitchen would likely be mostly empty and that was just fine with hir. It meant shi would have access to everything shi might need to use. Shi hated going in there when it was busy. It was hard to get any space at all to make something.

After only half an hour, the kangaroo rat had managed to assemble a basic but filling meal and carried it back upstairs. Shi thought shi might surprise Sabo with breakfast in bed. As shi climbed, shi decided to swing by Siyu's chamber, pay him a good morning, and apologize for hir outburst last night. It only seemed reasonable.

The closer shi got, the louder a strange noise became until shi managed to identify it. Immediately shi frowned and quickened hir pace.

"I've been nothing but cooperative with all of you! I've spent every possible waking moment with father! I don't think an explanation is too extravagant! Now I demand you tell me why I'm being sent back before the decision is rendered!" It was Portia, and she was making a scene.

"You've been difficult, demanding, manipulative, and you've made it clear that all you care about is if you get picked. Good enough?" Akako crossed her arms, glaring at the vixen.

"Difficult!?" Portia was aghast, "Demanding!? Manipulative!? In what sense!?"

"In the sense that Akina had the right idea telling you off when you got here. You've spent so much time away from home you've forgotten what it means to be part of our family. And you're a total bitch," She paused, looking back at a rather unhappy looking Siyu, "I... I AM using that phrase correctly, right?"

The old kangaroo rat nodded, remaining silent as he gazed softly at the indignant woman, letting the taller, more intimidating buffalo take care of matters.

"How dare you call me such a thing! I am the princess of Argosia! My husband will hear of this!"

"Oh shut up you spoiled windbag!" Akina interjected, setting hir tray down sharply on a nearby bench. It was far too early in the morning and shi was far too hungry to contend with such awful behavior, "You heard them! You aren't going to be chosen! And they don't want you around! And that's really sad! We used to be close, but then you went and changed. Argosia poisoned you... I used to enjoy being your little sister. Now... I'm just embarrassed by you."

The words cut the vixen deep, deeper than she had expected them to. Trying to maintain some degree of composure, her temper roaring to be set loose, she gazed heartlessly at Akina.

"I demand to know why I've been taken out of the running." She lifted her chin, an act she had learned gave her a more 'regal' appearance. All it served was to support Akako's 'bitch' theory.

Akina stepped forward, hir eyes narrowing. It was time shi finally ended this, "Because you literally don't have the balls to get the job done!"

Portia growled, bearing her clenched teeth at the kangaroo rat in front of her. She had put up with just about enough of the younger girl's lip.

"You insolent, hateful, loud-mouthed, impertinent, disrespectful little wretch! Who do you think you are to speak to me as though you're better than me!? I am a noble! You are just a cum-stained daughter of a katesh!" Her second use of that insult finally revealed just how she felt about them, "You are not fit to be in our presence without being down in father's pool, covered in his seed, lusting after him like a mindless whore!"

"I'm more fit to be here than you... because I may be a 'cum-stained daughter of a katesh', but at least I'm not an entitled, power-hungry, heartless piece of royal trash! And I'll tell you another thing! I'm closer to replacing father than you'll ever be!" Hir rage was really beginning to flare. Shi could see Portia wanted to hit hir, and shi quietly welcomed it. It would give hir the right to hit back, and put her on the floor.

Instead of having the desired effect, the vixen simply laughed as if she had been told the funniest joke in the world, "You!? You think you could replace father!? In what realm would that be possible!? Just what can you do or say that might possibly make you think that!?"

"I'm pregnant!" It was Sabo. All eyes turned to her as she stood at the door to the stairwell leading up. She held her still bloated stomach, looking nowhere else but at her mate. She had heard just enough of the fight to interject at the opportune moment. Calista was with her, nodding only once, slowly, to Akina once they made eye contact. She must have stayed in the tower all night, waiting for them to wake so she could examine the girl again.

The kangaroo rat blinked in disbelief. It had worked! Shi had managed to give hir mate the children she wanted! Suddenly, a new desire welled up inside hir. It had begun to show itself only moments ago when shi heard Portia's rude cries of dismay. Now, shi knew what it was. Shi wanted to take over for Siyu. If nothing else, then to keep Portia, and others like her, from having a chance. Slowly, shi turned back around and gazed calmly at the fox.

"I knocked up my girlfriend."

Portia was taken aback, utterly silenced. There was nothing she could say at this point that would counter that. Even without the knowledge of how close to the brink their civilization was, she understood the impact of such a discovery.

"You... you what!?"

"Sabo and I are going to have children. She's the mother... I'm the father. That makes me far more qualified to take over than you."

Siyu was surprised just as everyone was by the news, smiling brightly at the buffalo. He beckoned her over to give her a congratulatory hug and began feeling over her stomach, curious about the whole ordeal they must have been through.

Portia meanwhile realized she had lost, averting her gaze like a spoiled child, "If you're his heir then Gangxia is doomed."

"Then head on back to your own little country and start your own empire." Akina turned and made hir way back to Siyu's pool. Receiving a hug from him as well.

"If you will forgive me, I must interrupt the celebration. Akina, there are two more things that we must do before it is too late." Calista had such marvelous timing.

The kangaroo rat sighed and looked to the High Priestess, "What now?"

"We have to make certain you cannot succumb to father's influence. You must bathe in his pool." Her tone was quite serious. And the air was sucked out of the room almost instantly. Everyone knew what that meant more often than not. Even Portia felt her heart leap into her throat a bit.

"Are you sure? I mean... shouldn't we wait until we know more about the other candidates?" Akina asked with an audible tone of uncertainty.

"If only we had time to wait. We must act quickly."

Siyu nodded, "She is right. I've not been in the best of health these last few years. You saw how I was last night. The sooner we know, the better."

The very real possibility that shi could lose hir father sooner than shi anticipated terrified Akina, and shi reluctantly agreed. Shi gave Sabo one more kiss before looking into the pool, preparing to enter, "So... what will happen?"

Calista rest a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Either you will emerge as you are now, though perhaps a good bit stickier... or... you will turn into one of the katesh like your mother. We won't know for sure until it's done."

Akina nodded, taking a shaky breath before stepping forward with great trepidation. The warmth of hir father's essence surrounded hir foot. It felt a bit like a warm bath, and that seemed pleasant enough. But that alone would not suffice. Shi continued in further until it rose up around hir knees. A couple of the katesh moved to offer hir the same attention they provided Siyu on a constant basis. It was somewhat awkward. Shi knew hir mother wasn't among them, having passed some time ago, but it still felt odd. Still it wasn't enough, and again shi needed to be in deeper. And so shi sat down, slowly.

The 'lost girls' as some had called them began to press against hir, aching for some form of stimulation. Their hands found Akina's own ample assets and began teasing and tickling it, curious to see if it could satisfy the way Siyu's did. Seeing what shi could become kept the fear of losing hirself ever present. Shi felt Siyu's seed wash up over hir legs, then hir stomach. Once shi was seated, shi turned and looked to Calista.

"You must submerge yourself completely. It's the only way to be sure." The dragoness urged her.

Portia had made her way over, curious about the outcome as well. Something about being slapped down so hard had triggered something deep inside her.

"Akina," She paused, waiting for the kangaroo rat to look to her, "If you don't come out," Whatever she was trying to say, clearly it was difficult for her to do so, "...if you turn into a katesh... I'm... I'm sorry."

Maybe it was another attempt at manipulation. Maybe the real Portia was still in there somewhere. Akina hoped for the latter. Shi nodded softly to hir older sister and leaned back, sinking down under the 'water'. Having vanished under the surface, everyone watching held their breath, waiting for whatever might come.

The kangaroo rat lay there on the bottom of the pool, letting the heat of the vast reserve of father's seed seep into hir being. It felt good. Comforting in a sense. Shi kept lying there, expecting something more to happen. And yet, shi felt no change, just... sticky. After hir lungs began to complain for air, shi sat back up, taking a deep breath. Creamy white streaked down hir form as shi wiped hir eyes clean. The crowd waited silently for hir to do or say something and shi simply stared up at them, unsure what they were doing.

"So... am I still here?"

A collective sigh escaped all who were present. Even Portia seemed relieved to a certain extent.

"Excellent. You are truly immune." Calista beckoned hir to stand, "There is only one thing left to do."

Siyu nodded, wading his way over to his 'favorite daughter' as he fondly remembered hir announcing hirself as.

"We're going to need more like you. A lot more. Best way to make sure that happens..." His voice trailed off.

Akina chuckled a little with a quiet sigh, "And that's for me to take my turn. How long has it been since you've done this?"

Siyu offered a weak snicker, "Oh... ten... fifteen years I think? All the healers tell me it probably wouldn't be a good idea for me to try, even if someone could fit. But... all things considered, I don't see why I shouldn't give it one last attempt."

The young lady suddenly became apprehensive, "Look, if it's not a good idea for you to do it, then maybe I should just go wait in line at one of the idols."

"Nonsense," Siyu said dismissively, "That will take hours. And it's always better 'fresh from the tap' so to speak, at its most potent."

Akina turned to look to Calista, still wiping the older kangaroo rat's essence off of hir, "Are you sure this is such a good idea? I've got no problem waiting in line... well... you know, after a bath."

The dragoness shook her head, "It doesn't matter what I think. It must be done and he is correct, it does lose potency as it sits and stands once released. To have the strongest effect, he must provide it directly. And we need the strongest possible effect."

Akako frowned and clacked her hoof on the stone floor loudly, "Get on with it! It's rude to keep an old man waiting!"

With so much pressure being put on hir mating, it started to feel a bit like the previous night, only this time shi would be receiving. Akina blushed and turned back to Siyu who was already preparing himself. He breathed slowly and deeply, as if he were about to begin practicing some sort of martial art. For him, it probably held about as much exertion, having to move that giant thing around. For others, it probably held about as much reverence and importance.

"Alright... how does this work? I just bend over or something?" The lady blushed again. Almost never was shi the one getting filled.

"That would probably be easiest. Also, allow me to apologize in advance. It will likely be rather... intense." Siyu grinned sheepishly.

"How could it not?" Akina remarked as shi turned about, leaning forward against the edge of the pool. Shi spread hir legs and lifted hir tail, trembling just softly. This wasn't exactly part of the plan shi had been trying to adhere to. And if shi was taking over for Siyu, then shi probably wouldn't have near the amount of time necessary to finish school, or begin a career. Shi probably wouldn't get to spend near the amount of time shi would like with Sabo. It all was happening far too quickly and it frightened hir.

All those thoughts were pushed from hir mind the instant shi felt contact. Siyu eased his way forward, the momentum of his mass helping to sink him in. It was only a fraction of the whole length, but it was quite massive, stretching the younger kangaroo rat heavily. Shi gasped and arched hir back. Hir toes splayed along the smooth floor of the pool, trying to find something to gain traction against. Hir arms locked up in front of hir, pushing back against the legendary beast wiggling its way into hir. A swell formed in hir abdomen, not from Siyu's presence, that was a given, but from what it was leaking into hir. Slowly, shi ballooned outward as foot after foot of hir father's rod slid in.

Siyu shuddered feeling the long-forgotten sensation of flesh wrapped around him. His heartbeat quickened and his form began to quake softly. It was a lot to take in, the experience for him and his girth for hir. Still, he couldn't stop now. His legs pushed onward in spite of the resistance, forcing Akina's abdomen to stretch outward away from hir even further. In only a few moments, faster than he anticipated, he was able to rest his hands against the girl's rump. The katesh, no longer able to pleasure him as they were so used to, did whatever they could, both to him, and to Akina.

The younger lady cried out, feeling as if shi were about to be lifted off hir feet. The whole of the mythical spire was trapped inside hir now, almost as if he was trying to pass the torch. Hir own length pulsed and throbbed, drooling fairly heavily on its own. The katesh took note of it and began offering hir the same attention they gave Siyu. It surprised the girl as shi began hir descent into madness. It was all just too much to contend with. Shi couldn't handle it all. Not all at once.

Akina's belly continued to swell, bloating to contain gallons of seed that simply poured freely from the source. If that was how much he produced while 'idle', how much would he unleash when he reached his climax? It was a brief thought, fleeting against the maelstrom shi was trapped in. Foreign hands caressed and teased over hir thighs, reaching higher to grip at hir aching member. They stroked firmly and groped at the two orbs hanging just below. Hir tunnel was stretched beyond what shi thought hir capacity was. It was blazing with the very heat shi had not felt but had only heard of in others at least before last night. Shi needed him to finish.

Siyu pumped away, his pace slower than it had once been in years past. He sank home, took a breath, and retreated. Hir grasp was so tight it took a great deal of effort to pull free, and even then, only so far. Already he was fighting for breath, but it felt so marvelous to be doing this again. He groaned happily through his work, gripping the girl's hips to pull forward and push away against. A mighty pulsing claimed his manhood, twitching strongly inside the lady's folds and belly.

Akina felt the twitching, and shi could even see it, his spire wrapped in hir flesh, easily seen by all nearby. Shi gasped each time it throbbed, pulsing so strongly it lifted hir onto hir toes again and again. Each surge brought with it a firm blast of seed, adding to the small ocean filling hir. Hir stomach had sagged down to the surface of pool below by now, pushing onward. In seconds, it reached the bottom and began spreading out. So much had been pumped into hir, it was already beginning to leak back out around Siyu's member, making his work a bit easier.

The crowd watched on with concern; concern for Akina's first time being with Siyu at the largest he had ever been, and for Siyu that his heart might give out. He bucked away, slowly picking up speed, but never moving truly past his somewhat glacial pace. There was just too much mass to steer with any agility. With the girl's middle swollen so large, it became increasingly difficult for the katesh to fawn over hir groin. Instead, they turned to hir growing stomach; licking, nuzzling, squeezing, massaging, anything they could do. And Akina found hirself enjoying it quite a bit. Being so heavily filled left hir abdomen quite sensitive.

Lightning raced up the kangaroo rat's spine, taking hir breath away. The walls of hir passage clamped down hard, refusing to permit Siyu to retreat. He took this as a sign that shi was nearly finished and crammed himself in as deeply as his aching legs could muster. He grit his teeth and groped at Akina's rump and hips to try and hold fast. This was it. He could feel it.

The older rodent threw his head back as he cried out. A mighty spasm spread through his genitals and he unleashed a torrent of seed unlike anything the Gangxians had ever seen before. Akina's stomach grew tremendously, pushing hir feet off the ground and forcing hir to lay atop hir gurgling, sloshing gut. Shi screamed at the top of hir lungs, unable to think, unable to move other than an uncontrollable convulsion, and unable to even see straight. Shi was definitely going to be a mother. The real question was how many would shi have?

Siyu's form relaxed as he panted, slowly losing his grip on the girl. He slid back, held where he was by Akina's grasp. The world began to grow dark as his vision dimmed. His trembling began to fade as his extremities relaxed. His entire form fell limp and his eyes drifted shut. A grin spread across his lips as he breathed out a sigh of satisfaction.

And he did not breathe back in.

As he leaned backward motionless, it became clear what had happened. Calista hastily clamored into the pool and wrapped her arms around the smaller of the two rodents, fearing the worst. The risk she posed of becoming one of the katesh did not seem to be a part of her calculations at the moment. She felt along his neck, held a hand just over his mouth, and even pressed an ear to his chest. She could find nothing. With a more subdued and somber energy to her motions, she carefully began to remove him from Akina's grasp.

Akako frowned, realizing what had happened, but not wanting to believe it, "Is he...?"

Calista nodded, "It was too much for his heart. He's gone."

Whispers of dismay passed through those who were present. The katesh returned their focus to Siyu's length, confused by the lack of production. They didn't feel the pulsing they were so used to. When they came to understand the truth of the matter, they cried out woefully, gathering together to mourn the loss of their father and master.

Akina panted furiously, feeling a good deal of the last climax Siyu ever had flow from hir. As hir stomach shrank, shi grunted and groaned, trying to flex hir thighs and force hirself closed. Shi had to hold in as much as possible. Shortly before hir feet could reach the floor of the pool again, shi felt the rush come to a stop. All that remained was a bare trickle.

"Gods above! ...you weren't kidding, were you, dad!?" Shi paused hearing no response. It had taken hir a moment to break through the fog of orgasm and regain hir senses, hearing the cries and sobs of the others, "Dad?" Shi looked around to those standing nearby. Their faces told the tale shi did not want to hear.

"I'm sorry Akina. He's gone." Calista waded over carefully, pulling his lifeless form with her.

"He's... he can't... no, he can't be gone!" Tears began to stream down the young lady's cheeks.

"He was mortal just like all of us. He just lasted longer than most. And look," She lifted a hand to brush softly against one of his cheeks, "He was smiling. I think it's safe to say he enjoyed himself in the end."

Akina shook hir head, still not wanting to believe he was gone. Shi rolled to one side, trying to claw hir way over to him. Once shi was within reach, shi snatched him from Calista's arms and embraced him, sobbing uncontrollably. Shi didn't want him to be dead. Shi didn't want to be the one that had killed him. It just could not be.

As shi mourned, Calista turned back to Akako, "Should we inform the public, or wait for the time being?"

The tall buffalo sighed, feeling a crushing sensation around her heart as shi watched Akina practically scream out of loss, "Let's not be too hasty. We should inform them soon, but not right away. Begin working on his final arrangements and then we'll make the announcement that he's gone," She paused, "...and that his heir has emerged." She looked to the younger kangaroo rat, aching for some way to help hir through this. Sabo stood on the edge of the pool, on the verge of a breakdown herself. She couldn't even reach out to comfort her mate, not while shi was sitting in the pool of seed.

Eventually, Calista managed to delicately take Siyu's body from Akina and help hir over to the younger bovine waiting for hir. They threw their arms around one another and shared their pain.

It was an unparalleled tragedy, one the public was sure not to take well if no good had come from it.

---

A couple of hours passed and the attendants managed to help hoist Akina out of the pool so shi could rest on dry ground. Shi was still horribly upset, but shi had calmed down, thanks to Sabo's comfort.

"So... what now? Dad's dead and I'm supposed to take over. What exactly does that mean?" Shi spoke with a quake in hir voice, sniffling here and there.

Akako draped an arm around the girl's shoulders, leaning in to rest her forehead against the younger lady's in an act of compassion and affection.

"You're our leader. I'm kind of your second in command. It'll probably take you some time to get the hang of everything, but I'll help you out however I can. Calista and her girls are already hard at work on something for you that will help you fulfill father's role as progenitor. Soon, we'll all head downstairs and make the announcement. You will need to be strong for everyone. You are our guiding beacon now and everyone will look to you as an example. Do you have any questions?'

The still-in-shock lady looked off into space, hir face wet from hir tears, "Is there any chance I might be able to finish school at the very least?"

Akako chuckled, "I'm sure something can be arranged. You're the head of the empire after all."

"Well don't start calling me 'Empress' or anything like that." Shi grumbled, not ready to take Siyu's place so quickly. Shi thought there would be a bit of a wait.

"You can take whatever title you want. It's your station." The buffalo nudged hir gently.

"I don't think I want a specific title." Shi glowered, almost spitting the word out.

Sabo leaned in against hir, squeezing her arms around the kangaroo rat tightly, "Then don't take one. To me, you'll always be just 'Akina'."

Akako nodded, "You can do whatever you like. You're in charge."

Calista finally returned, still trying to keep her emotions in check. She would have time to let herself mourn privately later. There was still much to do.

"We've completed the final arrangements, and we've made preparations for Akina. If you are all ready, we can head down to the square now."

The new 'progenitor' looked to the green dragon, genuinely curious about one other thing, "Since I was the last one he ever had... can you tell me how many kids I'm going to have?"

Calista smiled softly and nodded, moving close. She pressed her hands against the enormous swell of the girl's belly, feeling through hir.

"Quite a few it seems. The most any one mother has ever given birth to is eight. If what I am sensing is correct, there are at least twelve in there. Don't worry, you'll shrink a bit over time, but then you'll start growing right back out. We'll help you through this."

Akina looked to hir stomach. Twelve. No one had ever had that many. Was that a sign that shi was in fact the right one for the job? Was it just a fluke? Was it because no one had mated with Siyu directly for fifteen years?

"We're going to need a bigger bedroom." Shi muttered.

Sabo laughed through her tears, hugging the kangaroo rat again, "Yes... I'm sure we will! Especially since that makes eighteen!"

The taller girl blinked and looked down at hir beloved buffalo's own enormous middle. In a single day, they had gone from a happy couple without a care in the world to parents who would have the biggest initial family ever recorded in Gangxian history. Akina started to look a little faint.

"Easy there. Don't go passing out on us just yet. Save it for after the announcement." Akako helped sit hir back up.

"And to that point," Calista spoke up again, "There will be a short ceremony to intone the passing of the right to rule as it were. If all goes well, the public will see you begin to produce like father did, at least in years past, and we will avoid a panic."

"I don't want to be stuck in this pool for the rest of my life." Akina complained, sounding deeply concerned, almost frightened.

Calista chuckled, patting the girl's stomach, "If all goes as it should, you won't have to. Remember I said there were other candidates?"

"What, they'll just take turns? Like they're supposed to work in shifts?" It was hard to tell if Sabo was simply confused, or if she was speaking out of disbelief.

"Something like that. Come. We should head downstairs." The green dragoness began helping lift Akina to hir feet.

That in and of itself was something of a Herculean task. The kangaroo rat grunted and huffed, not used to being attached to such a load. Still, shi had to get downstairs, and with the help of the attendants now at hir disposal rather than Siyu's, shi found hirself making good progress. As shi was ushered out of what was likely now hir personal chamber, Portia followed, calling out to hir.

"Akina... wait." The tone of her voice suggested regret, possibly jealousy. It made the entire room skeptical of how genuine she might be.

The kangaroo rat asked shi be stopped and turned around, which was obeyed, hir gaze meeting the fox's.

"As I'm sure you can see, I'm a little preoccupied. What do you need?" Shi tried hir best to keep the words from sounding too biting. It was difficult considering all that had happened in the last couple of hours.

The vixen lowered her eyes, not able to bring herself to look her sister in the eye.

"I just... with dad gone... Look, I'm sorry. You were right. You're the better choice to take over than I am." It was a strange turn no one fully believed. She had tried similar tactics in the past, but given recent events, perhaps she was serious.

"We'll discuss it later. Right now... I'm kind of being dragged away downstairs. Do me a favor and try not to cause a scene. We all have enough to deal with." Akina yelped as shi started moving again, being practically carried down the stairs.

Portia nodded and continued to follow, remaining quiet. The other returning sisters, including Jocelyn and Yvette, were part of the group ahead of the vixen. She was decidedly taking up the rear. It seemed the ways of Gangxian social status were beginning to come back to her.

Downstairs, the festivities from the previous night continued, though to a much more subdued measure. It was still morning after all. As the group took their place where Siyu usually did, all eyes turned to look to the end of the palace steps. Akako and Calista stood well ahead of the rest, trying to keep their grim expressions from showing too strongly. When the crowd had settled down enough for them to speak, the buffalo stepped forward.

"Citizens of Gangxia. I fear I must dampen the celebration with unhappy tidings. Our father, he for whom our civilization is named, Siyu, has passed away just this morning."

Gasps of horror passed through the crowd. The beginnings of an uproar began to swell but Akako raised her hands to gather their focus once again.

"My sisters, please... I know this tragedy wounds us all deeply. Some more so than others. But know that he left this world content. From what I see, he could not ask for a greater legacy than what stands here today; this city, this race, this empire. All of it is a testament to his profound impact. We all are his children, his progeny, and I know we will continue to make him proud."

Cries began to rise up from the masses, "But without him, we won't be able to have children!", and "We're doomed without his seed!"

Calista stepped forward to field this one.

"My sisters, be at ease. We have a considerable surplus of father's essence. We will be able to carry on for many years without feeling any decline." She prepared to continue, but was cut off again by their shouts of dismay, concerned about when the supply finally ran out, "Please! Please! Calm yourselves! We have taken steps to prevent such a thing from happening! We have selected a successor, an heir, to Siyu's throne. Someone who will, in time, be able to provide for us as father once did."

The crowd began to chatter amongst themselves, not having expected such a turn of events, but skeptical of anyone's ability to replace someone so potent, so productive. It was a difficult thing to imagine. They had all been raised throughout the generations to believe that Siyu and Siyu alone was capable of such fertility.

Calista waited for them to settle again, her hands raised just as Akako had done earlier, "Shi is here with us now. Allow me to introduce Gangxia Akina... next ruler of the empire!" The jade lady stepped aside, taking several steps in fact to ensure that her own heavily swollen middle did not obscure the public's view of the now trembling kangaroo rat.

Shi waddled hir way forward a bit, looking out over the crowd as they met hir with mixed reactions. Some were overjoyed. Some were unwilling to believe that shi could properly fulfill Siyu's role. With heavy uncertainty in hir heart, Akina turned to gaze back at the dragoness, almost as if shi was begging for some sort of justification for hir selection.

The High Priestess did not disappoint.

"We have taken father to be enshrined, his form immortalized in gold at the height of his stature. As many of you are aware, in the last few decades, our typical methods to... enhance Siyu's production were beginning to wane. We required an alternate method, one that could be modified and grown as our needs grew, but remain effective. That is how his necklace came to be. It provided him with the strength and virility to keep our way of life from crumbling. And now, it is my duty, and my privilege, to pass that honor on to Akina." The dragoness turned towards the kangaroo rat, holding out the very necklace Siyu had worn for so many years.

Akina blushed powerfully, suddenly feeling horribly unworthy of such a thing, but shi couldn't back out now. Hir ears folded back as shi squirmed on hir feet, unsure what exactly would come of wearing it. The clasp was unfastened, turning the necklace into a long string of jade stones emblazoned with mystic runes and carvings. There was even a soft glow just barely visible as it sought out its next owner. The smooth baubles dangled down against Akina's collar as shi felt the necklace wrap loosely around hir. The clasp was refastened and released to let hang down as it should.

The audience didn't seem to respond much to the act. But then a soft tingle began to spread through Akina's skin, directly under the necklace. It made hir shudder as it began to take effect, sending a similar tingle down to hir groin. Shi squeezed hir eyes shut tightly as shi was taken by a powerful ache, a need to release. As it built and grew, so too did hir member. It pushed forward under hir enormous, sloshing stomach, finally peeking its head out from the bloated swell. And it did not stop there. It pushed forward further, growing steadily as shi moaned, grasping at hir middle, since that was all shi could reach. A tightness formed in hir scrotum, a heavy gurgle rising up from the already fairly potent orbs. They were gaining mass as well, filling out to approach father's impressive size.

Gasps of awe began to spread through the crowd as they watched. Akina could only imagine what shi looked like at this point. That was, until shi could finally see hir own shaft stretching out past hir belly. It ached and throbbed, softly drooling a clear ooze that smelled heavy of musk. It wasn't nearly as strong as Siyu's scent, but it was certainly powerful. Shi wriggled and moaned, panting as shi tried to find relief from the need building in hir, until at last, like a balloon popping, shi felt as though a valve had been opened.

The kangaroo rat cried out softly as a gush of milky white burst from hir throbbing spire. A roar rose up from the crowd, cheers and praise filling the entire square, spreading quickly through the entire city. And the flow did not stop. It simply poured freely as if Akina had been turned into a waterfall. When the growth finally stopped, shi was still a good deal shy of Siyu's final size, but shi was well within the realm of his prime. And that was sufficient.

Shi panted and moaned, shivering as what felt like a constant orgasm flowed through hir.

"Is... is this... how it's going... to feel... all the time?" Shi whimpered softly.

Calista shook her head, "No. You will get used to it with time, and eventually, you will have others to help so you won't need to produce constantly like father did."

"Okay... so... ooo what now?" Shi shuddered again as the attendants lowered hir into the pool, taking over properly as heir. The katesh had been brought down as well, and they flocked instantly to the new source, tending to is as though nothing had happened.

"Well, it's your party, your... coronation, so to speak. You can do pretty much whatever you want, so long as you keep it flowing." Calista chuckled quietly.

"And when are we supposed to have a proper memorial for father?" Sabo chimed in, wishing she could step into the pool and be as close as possible to her beloved.

Akako grunted a little as she took a seat, resting a hand on her well-filled middle. She was awful close to term.

"Once the priestesshood has finished enshrining him, we'll have a ceremony. Don't worry, we're not going to forget about him just because we have a new well to tap." She pointed over to Akina, "In the meantime, you two don't have anything to do but relax. It's been an interesting day or two for you both from what I hear. If you need anything let us know."

The atmosphere was a strange mix of sorrow and joy at the loss of their father, but the announcement of his successor. Many didn't quite know what to feel, including Akina and Sabo. The nearly immobile kangaroo rat grunted as shi tried to drag hirself over to the edge of the 'reflecting' pool and rest there with hir mate. With everything going on below, just moving about expended a great deal of energy. Shi was taller than Siyu, so the pool didn't provide near the support for hir as it did for him. Exhaustion was rapidly beginning to claim hir. Rest sounded wonderful.

"It all happened so fast. I thought there would be more time before it came to this." Akina whimpered quietly.

Sabo nodded, finally able to lean in to embrace hir, "I know... it's a little surreal."

The kangaroo rat returned the embrace affectionately, if somewhat tiredly, "I never got a chance to ask you... how do you feel about all of this? Are you okay with it? Is it not what you wanted your life to be?"

The buffalo shook her head, not to answer in the negative but to dismiss those concerns, "Don't worry about me. I can adapt. Sure it's not where I expected we'd end up... but... it could be worse. What about you? Do you think you'll be happy being the head of an entire empire? The source from which all daughters flow?" Sabo changed the tone of her voice to sound just ever so inappropriately proper. Their powers of sarcasm were well matched.

Akina chuckled, "I have no idea. If they're right and I'll be able to get out of this damn pool and live a more normal life at least some of the time, I think I can live with it," Shi paused, hir tone shifting, a thought certainly lowering hir mood, "Even if you'd prefer to not be a part of it."

Sabo frowned, understanding what shi meant. Instead of answering, she simply pressed her lips to Akina's and held there for what felt like an eternity. The kangaroo rat was surprised softly by the response. It was all shi needed to know.

Once they pulled away, the new progenitor grinned softly as a thought occurred to hir.

"Maybe you could do the ruling since you were already in line to take over for your mom. I could just be... well... this." Akina pointed down to hir engorged self.

Sabo rolled her eyes with a smirk, "Anything to give yourself time to tinker, huh?"

---

"That can't be the end of the story, mom." Nora complained. It had been several nights since the tale began. The little kangaroo rat was deeply enthralled by it, desperate for there to be more.

Akina chuckled, giving hir little girl a squeeze against hir plump, rounded middle.

"Well, there is a little bit more, but not much, and not terribly entertaining to children."

"Please!? Tell me! I want to know! What's it about!?" Nora bounced away atop one of her mother's legs, clearly not tired enough to sleep.

"It's about your Aunt Yvette and the story about how she finally was able to return home for good. If you really are interested, I'll have to save that for another night. For now, we need to get you to bed." Akina stood, setting the little girl down on the floor on her own feet, spitting image of her mother that she was.

"Awww, but I'm not tired!"

"Yes you are. You just don't know it yet. Now let's go." The heavily endowed woman waddled hir way after the little girl, but was forced to stop suddenly as Nora screeched to a halt and turned about.

She ran back to the gold statue of Siyu and climbed up, giving the inanimate fellow's cheek a kiss, "Good night daddy!" And she scampered back off.

Akina chuckled at the little one's amusing behavior, "Go get your little brother. He's probably in my workshop playing with his building kit. I heard him sneak out when we left to come down here."

"Okay mommy." Nora darted off in that direction, her mother remaining on course. In only a few minutes time, she returned, carrying a sleepy little boy in her arms, the same species as herself. He was much shorter than Nora, the runt of the litter. It turned out Calista had been wrong about how many Akina was to have in that first batch. It wasn't twelve, it was thirteen. Twelve beautiful little girls, and one tiny little boy. Still, in spite of his size, he had a strong heart and a sense of daring about him. His size never stopped him from trying to play just as rough as his sisters.

Akina collected him from Nora and hoisted him up against hir chest, the little boy snoozing away quietly.

"All worn out from earlier today, just like your sisters. Why is it you're the only one who's still awake?" Shi snickered.

"I dunno," Nora paused for a moment, something finally clicking in her head, "Oooh... you named him after daddy, didn't you?"

The tall kangaroo rat nodded, leaning down to give hir son a delicate kiss on the top of his head, "That's right. Siyu the Second. I've no doubt there will be more like him. The first boy a female Gangxian has ever had. Well... mostly female. You be sure to look out for him, take care of him. He's bound to get into all sorts of mischief."

Nora nodded as they entered the children's room. All of her sisters, kangaroo rat and buffalo alike, were already fast asleep in a big pile atop the bed, as was the custom for litters that were kept together. Akina handed little Siyu over to hir daughter and she scurried up over to the rest, nestling down against them with her little brother in tow.

Her mother had been right. She was more tired than she realized. With her little brother making his usual adorable little snores, she drifted off in no time. Akina sighed softly with a smile before slipping out. Sabo stood at the doorway, leaning up to kiss hir on the cheek, the dark bovine's middle similarly swollen.

"So, when do I get to see you tonight?" She smirked, running her hands down her mate's motherly form.

"I have a turn tonight so, probably late. You could come down and stay with me if you want." Hir own hands explored the buffalo's distended figure.

"I've got important 'matters of state' to deal with. Since you're not terribly interested, someone's got to do it." She chuckled.

"And there couldn't be anyone better suited to the task, Yera," Akina leaned forward, kissing hir lover deeply and slowly, pulling away after several minutes, "I'll see you soon."

"You better, or I'll come down and drag you out of that pool myself, chief's promise." Sabo teased, forcing herself to pull away and disappear down the hall. Akina sighed as shi watched the buffalo leave before turning to head elsewhere. Shi waddled hir way down the stairs to what was once Siyu's personal chamber and carefully eased hir way into the pool. The katesh immediately flocked to hir, massaging hir length and the enormous swell of hir scrotum. It all wasn't as large as it had been the day of hir coronation, but it was larger than it had been naturally. Shi moaned quietly in delight as they began. It was one thing about this particular job shi especially enjoyed.

Quietly, Akina reached up and pressed hir fingers against the largest stone on hir necklace, gritting hir teeth and spreading hir legs as shi fought the urge to simply shove hir member into one of the katesh and not pull it out until shi was satisfied. The necklace's enchantment took effect and hir shaft swelled to tremendous proportions, far larger than it had been hir first day 'on the job'. Hir testicles ballooned outward as well, giving hir a comfortable cushion to sit on as shi began to leak away heavily.

The six other ladies present all rest against the edges of the pool, shivering and wriggling as their own 'slaves' tended to them in a similar fashion, their own engorged shafts and sacs tended to by other 'lost girls', "Welcome back, boss. What are we gonna do tonight?"

Shi smirked as shi turned to look towards the line of citizens waiting for their turn to ride.

"The same thing we do every night girls, try to impregnate the world."