FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The others got onto the lift, and Billy, as the person who could do it the easiest, got underneath the tank and pressed the button. As long as weight was on the pressing mechanism, the lift would descend.We descended rapidly for fifteen seconds, the tank was so much weight it was forcing the lift down, and then heard chanting.

"Eka!Eka!" it was the sound of many hundreds of voices shouting the same thing. After five seconds, Billy released the button, and we came to a very sudden halt, somewhat bruised. The stone door opened silently, and everyone saw everything else.

This was a cavern. Wait, no this was a cavern with a word usually displayed by the symbols on the top of the keyboard to describe a very bad word. O.K. hang it all, it was a fucking big cavern. Easily forty metres in height, and almost a kilometre long and wide. It was absolutely swarming with these wolven creatures.They were all facing away, towards a huge clear patch in the centre.

This was taken up by a huge post to one side, against a stone boulder, and strapped to the post was Ryan Lewis. He looked whipped, he was, as I have mentioned, almost naked, and he was tied hand and foot to the post. He was also facing death defiantly, and stared coldly towards a large hole at the other end of a cavern. Now I noticed, a clear path had been set between the hole and the post.

"Sacrifice." Silverine muttered, and then we saw what Ryan was being sacrificed to.

Why, why, why did it have to be another god damn serpent? This was the same sort of scale as the one that ate me, although it was silvery, perfect for the conditions on the surface.

It slithered out, and surveyed the scene, noticing the surrounding hordes chanting, and then Ryan Lewis. He looked scared, but was determined not to show it.

"O.K., start panicking." Winslo shouted, running forwards. Everyone charged, and the tank rumbled forwards. Wolven creatures began to turn, looking confused, and as the noise dipped, I shouted.

"I hate snakes!"

Using a tank shell at this range could hurt Ryan, he was not protected from high explosive. So I did the honours, and began firing five shots a second at the huge serpent. The tank rumbled forwards, and Abigail was firing her own machine gun at it. Draco was running full tilt through the wolves towards Ryan, who was staring at us as if we were a dream.

Felicia was shrieking the most hideous spells she could, they had wounded her, and was out for a little payback. Winslo was firing ice bolts through the heaving crowd, which was beginning to realise this was very bad. Some of them were fighting back, but they were unable to use their projectile weapons in the enclosed, pushing throng.Not to mention all the wolves in front of tank realised nothing would stop it from going forwards, so they were trying to push away from us.

Their odd weapons were being swung, but Silverine was waving his massive sword, Blake, Viper and Billy were firing automatic rifles, although they were firing over the crowd to make them turn and run, and it was working.Valmeero was throwing them into confusion by his jets of fire.Draco was also using his fire as he charged through the wolves, determined to get to the human before anything happened to him. Landon and Thomas were using their dual pistols, and Takori was running after Draco. Simba chose this moment to appear behind the tank, now how the hell did he know about this?

The snake, like the serpent that ate me, was refusing to die nicely. One hundred .50 cal rounds had smacked into it's body, and it still lived. It couldn't advance, not with me firing at it, but it wasn't taking a serious wound. The scales must have taking all the blow out of the bullets.

The tank continued forwards towards the snake, and all the wolves scattered out of the way. As we drove into the centre of the throng I could see the wolves fleeing from Silverine and those with guns, those that Draco and Takori were pushing through were realising that all was not well, and were trying to get to the lift, and those around me were watching both, and many were lying on the ground, pretending to be unconscious.

Draco got to Ryan, and I interlinked, while still firing at the snake.

"Ryan, are you alright?" the dragon asked hurriedly.

"Draco! Yes, yes, I'm fine, so far. Nothing fatal, but...."

Draco began knifing the bonds that held Ryan in place, while Takori turned and scowled at the snake. It was slowly bearing towards them, and his pulse cannon appeared in place of his bionic arm. He took careful aim, and fired.

The first blast was at maximum power, and missed, burning a hole in the solid rock above it. The second scraped a huge wound in it's side, and the third practically decapitated it. The third blast went straight through the snake's neck and blood went everywhere. The snake writhed and howled, and fell forwards, landing in front of the inverse tiger, unmistakably dead. I stopped firing, and as the tank rolled to a halt, and everyone, wolves included, looked at Takori, my jaw dropped.

"Bloody hell, Takori!" I shouted in the sudden silence.

Takori was looking at his own pulse cannon arm. Something didn't seem quite right, and as I jumped off the tank and ran towards him, I realised a couple of the components were smoking slightly.The components on one side looked a tad melted, the power converter had liquefied.

"What the hell did you just do?" I asked.

Takori winced in pain, his bionic arm shared pain even when it was a gun."I removed the power limiter, and fired at maximum power."

I looked at the slightly melted pulse cannon." It hurts, doesn't it?"

Takori clenched his teeth, and sat down heavily beside Draco." Yes." he held himself, and rocked back and forth.

"We need a medic here.Simba!"

All the wolves were turning and going away towards a far cavern, being organised by Silverine. Takori held his arm tightly.

"It wasn't as powerful as the glower blast, Takori,"Draco commented drily,"but by god it was effective."

Simba ran up, and assessed the situation.

"Well, I'm just glad my medical studies with Arachno covered bio-robotic engineering. Just lie against that rock, Takori, and I'll see to your arm. Could you make it your arm, please?" He took out a couple of thin needles while Takori changed his cannon back to his arm. I heard Simba's glasses zoom, and as Takori held, Simba gently began to probe into the robotic arm. Takori drew out a palmtop computer, with schematics for all his bionic additions, and after finding the appropriate map, held it where Simba could see.

Simba quickly recorded this knowledge, downloading it onto his glasses and throwing up the shot in one eye, so he could see both what he was doing and what he was after. I looked curiously from a side, watching the intricate wires and components that made up the arm. The entire arm was as complicated as the gun arm of EVE, and as Simba carefully probed deeper, Takori whined in pain, as though someone was slowly pushing a needle into bare flesh. His face looked very put upon, and he looked away.

I scooted around the other side, to look the tiger in the eye.

"There, there, Takori, how can I help distract it?"

He whimpered, and there was a spark from his arm. Simba reared back slightly.

"Hmmm, I thought so. One of the power circuits is destroyed, for a start, and several more are badly damaged. I can fix it so everything is functioning normally, but to get more permanent repairs you'll have to go back to your technician and ask for a couple of replacement component pieces."

"How long will it take to patch it up?" Takori asked.

"An hour or so." Simba admitted."The Kiru'Shirati will have to be shown that video, doubtless they'll be able to analyse it better than me."

Takori whined again, the larger feline equivalent of a kitten that has got a thorn in it's foot. Ryan Lewis squatted down next to me, wearing a cloak that Silverine had given him that covered him warmly.

"Thanks Takori." he smiled, and Takori managed a weak smile.

"Anytime, Ryan."

That reminded me."Ryan Lewis, I've got your gear in my bag!" I said cheerfully, and the human turned to get my bag off. He began rummaging through my gear, taking great care not to disturb the solinium nuke and the eleven rocket launcher shells, to get his stuff. I turned back to Takori, who flinched in pain as Simba gently jabbed a component.

"Distraction, Takori."

The tiger looked at me."How?"

I thought briefly." I think I know something."I smiled, and began fiddling with his pants.

"You're thinking of having sex with me?" Takori looked slightly amused, and then winced again.

"Devlin did it while Arachno was healing my broken fingers.Tried and tested." I began stroking his unerect cock, and Takori smiled.

"Unorthodox, but I like it." he said, while Simba began surgically fixing broken connections with the twenty ninth century version of solder.

Silverine, Val, Blake, Landon and Thomas were at the other far side of the cavern near to the huge doors to the next cavern, arguing with several wolf creatures in the door.None of them knew about the drama taking place over here, and as Takori's cock hardened and his vestigial barbs came out, I think it's just as well. I gently began sucking the tip of his cock, while my hand began stroking the length of the tiger, being careful to catch every single barb back and forth. Takori sighed in enjoyment.

Ryan Lewis had retrieved all his gear, and was now dressed, and he was currently giving his full devotion to Draco, the two kissing so passionately it would take an ion bonder to separate them. It was only a matter of time before Draco started fucking him, and I was not going to get involved. Draco had done the big charge towards him, he deserved to reap the rewards. I figured Takori should be getting a bit of that enjoyment as well, none of this distraction business, because he had killed the damn thing and melted a couple of components to do so.

I continued suckling on the inverse tiger's cock, and I heard him sigh in pleasure again. Don't talk about the arm, don't make any reference to the pain, just keep him occupied. I gently licked the first of the tiger's barbs with the tip of my tongue, and he purred gently.

Silverine linked in."How's the situa...what are you guys doing?"

"Hush Silverine." Simba said,"I am performing delicate surgery on Takori's arm, we don't need distraction."

"Well, Takori does." the tiger replied, and gave a little chuckle. I giggled a bit through the tiger's cock.

"O.K. we'll just discuss things with these creatures over here for a bit longer." the Lupogriff, rebuked, closed the link.Takori twitched, and I continued my oral. I worked a little deeper, still pulling on all of the tiger's barbs, and Draco spoke.

"I'm taking Ryan back. I've used my Hellbrews on him, but I'll make sure with Arachno, and see how Doran and Orion are."

"That won't be necessary." Orion said, arriving from behind the tank.

Everyone turned, except Simba who had set his glasses to switch off his hearing. Orion was standing there, sword staff in one hand and an incredibly defiant look. Ryan Godsey, Draco and Ryan Lewis came towards him. Abigail was still running through all the footage from the battle, and the albino fox was approached gently. He was still sore, and a bit weak on his feet, but he was there. I went back to working on Takori. Orion walked over to us.

"Nice work Takori, I just got a replay of that."

"Yeah, now I have to go in for repairs." the tiger replied, nodding at his arm.

Orion bent down and kissed the bionic tiger." I would let you fuck me, but you're a little busy."

Ryan Godsey was standing a little back, and Orion stood back up.

"As for you Godsey, you're coming with me."

"er, very well." the tiger shrugged, and the fox took his hand and teleported.

Draco took Ryan Lewis' hand, and vanished. Felicia walked over to the tank, and Abigail came out with a laptop, and began showing the elf footage of the battle. Practically everyone had been recording from their own glasses, and Abigail was retrieving it all.Takori purred as I pulled at several of his barbs with both hand and tongue, and Simba was immersed in his work. Valmeero had come over to us, and was sitting with his back next to where we were working. His slightly outspread wings screened our little enjoyment, and I saw his smile.

"Good work, Takori. That bionic arm really is good."

"Thanks Valmeero." the inverted tiger replied.

After I had sucked him off once, I went over to Abigail, who was brushing some rubble off her tank. I jumped onto the flat front and dived into the canopy.

"I want to pilot this thing, even just for a hundred yards."

Abigail got up onto the thing, and voice-activated the canopy, shutting me in. The canopy was a mix of steel bars going across, and lines of perspex.

"Right, Alduin," Abigail began,"to drive this, it has two control bars, either side of you." I took hold of them." The one on your left controls the left tracks, the one on the right, the right tracks. It has four gears, so as you get up to one, pull them slightly inwards, and you can change up a gear. Pull them back and out to change down. Only one reverse gear, so just pull them back past the starting position."

"O.K." I held both firmly, and pushed them both forwards. It didn't take much strength, and the tank began to slowly rumbled towards the dead serpent.I pushed the right stick further, and the tank began to idle around in a circle to the left.

"That's the way, Alduin." Abby said cheerfully."O.K., drive over to Silverine, and I'll show you the next bit."

I finished the circle, and pushed both as far forwards in first gear. I found that if you put it in second, it would stay in second at low revs, so you could take your hands off them if all you needed to do was go in a straight line. I went back into first, the tank rumbling loudly at high revs, before I gently brought it to a halt directly behind the Lupogriff, who was talking with several wolves.

As I stopped, all the wolves turned, and began backing away.

"O.K."Abigail said, with a smile,"Now, repeat after me, initiate targeting."

I did so, and my glasses suddenly turned dark, with one large circle in front of me, showing the entire scope in front of me, from just above the main cannon.

"O.K., I drove that battle with the targeter on, hence my woeful direction of steering. You can see everything from just above the turret. Now move your head slowly in any direction."

I looked down a couple of degrees, and the main cannon, accompanied by the appropriate hydraulic sound, lowered itself, aiming at the cluster of wolves. Silverine hadn't turned around, but he could probably guess by the reaction on the wolven faces. I looked to the left slowly, and the thing turned. To do a ninety degree turn was about three and a bit seconds. I aimed at the wall separating the huge cavern we were in, and the huge cavern the wolves had gone in.

"To fire, there are two red buttons on the tops of both control rods.Push them both, hard, and it will fire it's main weapon.But don't fire he...."

Her words were lost to a mighty explosion of sound. I had found both with my thumbs, and forced them down. There was a surge of power behind me, and then a loud thump as the shell of energy was shot from the barrel. The barrel itself actually shot backwards in accordance with the action-reaction rule, and the tank jerked slightly.

The effect on the wall was phenomenal. It was blasted into gravel, and I was looking at a fifteen metre wide hole in the wall, looking at a lot of terrified wolves on the other side.

"To finish targeting," Abigail sighed," Targeting complete.The barrel will reset itself directly in front."I repeated this, and the tank eerily moved it's barrel into first position.

Negotiations between our party and theirs went on for another half an hour, and Abigail went back to base with the armoured vehicle.

We arrived back on Central, and a rather grave looking fox. Alecto wasn't crying, which was good, but he spoke.

"Doran's health is still critical. Arachno's still working on him."

We walked quickly towards the food store. Then I saw a flash of gold on a side corridor, and turned, sprinting after the glower. Silverine turned, saw me running, and followed.

I came to a halt next to the glower. He was wafting past a doorway, and I skidded to a halt.

"er, Glower, could I ask something of you?"

"Certainly, Alduin, what is it?"

I took a breath."I know that you don't usually lend a hand in heal...."

I got no further.The glower pulsed once in irritation."Alduin, while our powers are multi purposed, and certainly capable of that kind of thing, it is immoral to even consider using them to heal others, no matter how bad a condition they are in."

I found this exceptionally worrying. The change of the glower's mood was frightening, and his tone was harsh, but I felt myself becoming angry. To heal someone on the brink wasn't immoral, and there was no way that anyone could tell me otherwise.

Actually, there was someone. As I opened my mouth to argue the point, a furry hand clamped over my mouth, another reached for the nearby door, and I was bodily flung into someone's common room. I landed hard beside the table, and turned my head angrily. Silverine slammed the door behind him, and locked it. I winced on my sore ankle, and sat rubbing it.

"And what was the meaning of that, Silverine?" I growled.

Silverine looked at me shrewdly, and then walked over.

"I didn't push you too hard, did I?" he looked concerned.

"No," I said sarcastically,"just another couple of bruises." but the Lupogriff completely ignored the reply, and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Good, because what you were about to do was make the biggest mistake of your life."

"I was...." I began.

"You were about to tell a glower what they could and couldn't do with their powers." the Lupogriff interrupted.

"For heaven's sake, Silverine, Doran's almost dead! I want him happily living, asking them seemed...."

"Sensible?" Silverine said softly, and the way he said it made my blood run cold.

"What happened?" I asked,and Silverine sat down next to me.

"When I was first promoted to Chief Scout, after a monumental battle with the leader before, I was extremely certain of myself and thought I knew it all. I was much like you in that respect."

I opened my mouth to say something indignant.

"...Although you at least show a modicum of sense, unlike me at the time. Then one day, one of the scouts was extremely wounded on a planet fall. I was there when they brought the scout in, and I turned, knowing the only way to save that scout was by divine intervention."

"You went to see one of the glowers, didn't you?" I asked, and Silverine nodded. He was sitting on my left side, and looking straight ahead. He had his arms down by his side, and was looking emotionless, or at least trying to.

"I found one of them, and earnestly pleaded with him, asking him to help our fallen comrade. The glower disagreed with me, refused to grant my request. He, or it, said that their powers should not be used in that sort of way, for several good reasons. Partly it was because of the glower power, it is not always stable,and partly because they hated to be relied on in that way, they couldn't stand the idea of being waited on like they were gods. To heal every nasty ailment would mean that they would only make that gap between the scouts and the glowers wider.

"But surely only the very worst injuries, not your every day scratches...." I began, but again the glower spoke.

"And where exactly does one draw those boundaries, Silverine? A broken arm is a nasty injury, to have an appendage removed is a nasty injury. If we were to heal everyone who got themselves badly hurt, they would be put into the frame of mind that they could suffer any pain,and the glower would heal them. That shall not happen.If he or she cannot be healed by Central's doctors, than he or she will die.They are the best of the best, and if they cannot, who could?" and he turned and hovered away.

"He had a point. I knew it, but in my mind I felt betrayed. I went back, even more miserable than before, and watched as the scout died. Arachno wasn't there then, and none of the doctor's had Arachno's incredible skill."

I was silent, and Silverine continued.

"I flew into a rage, when they said that the scout was dead. I raged, and angered, and cursed down the corridors. I went to my office and trashed the entire place. I broke everything that could be broken, and still my anger would not go. A team of foxes could have spent an hour in there cleaning up the mess. Finally I sat down on a broken spar, and sobbed. I was so infuriated, I could not deal with so much emotion."

I looked down at my feet, thinking how I was so angry about all those I had seen hurt or wounded, and knew exactly how Silverine felt. The Lupogriff still spoke steadily.

"Then one of them came in, another glower. He was surprised, I guess, at the state of my room, and he hovered at a distance. I looked up, and scowled, growling at that which had destroyed my hope.The glower hovered closer, and I stood up.

"So stupid of me. I lost it right then and there, howling at him, accusing him with every shred of my being, baring down at him with wings unfolded. He hovered backwards, he must have been scared of me in that moment, or maybe he didn't want to confront me."

I turned and looked at Silverine, kneeling and wanting the tale to come.

"He was firm as all of them are, trying to tell me that they could not interfere, but I wouldn't listen. Not even the glower would tell me right and wrong, not after what had happened. I advanced, howling dementedly, and swung back to strike him."

"Now that's not possible!" I interrupted,"you can't hurt...."

"You can." Silverine replied firmly,"You found out they can take illness, I found out they can be hurt. A strong blow hurts them like any other creature, if it is done in anger."

"The glower pulsed uncertainly, and I struck. I felt my fist connect with something, what I don't know, but my hand turned to fire, it was so painful. Then the glower pulsed a dark red, and there was the bright flare of light."

Silverine was still speaking firmly, but I could see a tear in his eye.

"In that moment, I felt the most unbearable pain across my eye. I could feel radioactive power touching my naked skin. I felt as though death itself was claiming me. I screamed, and threw myself away from where the glower had been, falling to the floor. I passed out, and when I woke, I saw one of the doctors next to me."

"You've been out for a day and a half, Silverine, what in gods name happened to you?"

"There was no way I was going to tell him.There was no way I was going to tell anyone. I just made up an excuse and left, brooding in my completely refurbished office. It was then that I saw myself in the mirror."

He turned, and looked at me, and the livid scar I had always wondered about, black on his silver fur, was displayed. I was stunned. Silverine had bore this secret of his rashness openly, lest he fall back into his old ways.

Silverine smiled weakly."It grows, but it's dead, black.He had used his blast in self defence, but was understanding enough to only hurt. From then on, I had learnt my lesson. Never again will I question the use of their power. Even when I was given full control during the merge, I only used it sparingly. We aren't meant to have a toy like theirs, that's why they have it, because they know, Alduin.They know how to keep the balance."

"And the wiser from the lesson." I said, looking down."And I was about to make the same mistake."

"That's why I had to stop you. You are good looking, charming, intelligent, but you are young, and the young often make mistakes. Trust me, you do not want to make this one."

I was silent, and looked down.

"I am too rash, too often."

"Only occasionally are you too rash, Alduin." Silverine said comfortably,"Sometimes it pays off, other times not so.This time, all you would get is pain, at the very least. And I love you too much to see that handsome face of yours be marred like mine is."

"I wouldn't call it marred, Silverine. If anything you look cooler. I take it it can't be cured."

"I wouldn't try."Silverine shook his head," If that was removed, so would be the one thing that reminds me not to lose myself.And not to tell a glower what to do."

I stood."I'm going to go see Doran."

"How, the door's locked?And the key's run off." Silverine was referring to the nurse who was the only other who had a key, Alecto.

"Silverine,"I smiled," I spent my Hunt IN the air vents.I'm not going in, but I want to see Doran."

The Lupogriff nodded, and we walked quietly. I wasn't saying anything, because Silverine's lesson had stunned me. The Lupogriff wasn't saying anything because his lesson had stunned him.

"You're a brave bastard to tell me about that thing."

"I was braver pulling you away, trust me." Silverine smiled."Not with a pole would I approach you when you were fuming."

I stopped."Funny, that's what I think every time I look at one of you seven footers. Why the hell do you think I'm terrifying?" I looked disbelieving.

"The wizards, the enslavers, Grant, Drason...." Silverine began listing off.

"But that was against an enemy, I wouldn't try something on one of you."

"No, but your strength isn't in your arms, Alduin, and I can bet you could make a person's life a misery in more ways than one if you got mad at one of us."

"Me, I just look at your hulking arm muscles and back away." I replied, looking up at a grate.

"Doesn't everyone? Now do you want me to use them to get you up there?" Silverine asked.

He boosted me up, and I removed bolt and grate, getting into the air vents. Silverine spoke.

"You're going to have to make your own way back down, but you're good at that." the Lupogriff smiled. I had one more question.

"Who was the one who died?"

Silverine's face sighed. His smile died.

"My sister.Don't ask me anything more." I didn't dare. I headed along the grate, my ears ringing with those words.

Good god I would not liked to have been within range of either Silverine or those glowers that week. And I came that close to making the same almost fatal error. My blood ran cold, my mind playing home made horrors across the inside of my eyes as to what would have happened had I continued. They were right, my argument was crumbling around me in tatters. Their help kept this place running, feeding us, making us comfortable and able to survive, to ask them to cure our ills was too far.

I came to the grate over Arachno's workplace. Doran was lying on the operating table, his wounds stitched and his breathing shallow. Arachno was working busily with all six armed, injecting, using several of the tools I couldn't recognise, in a flurry of ambi dextrous movement. Doran opened his eyes after two minutes.

"Alduin..." he breathed.

Arachno clicked, and stopped working."Do you want him, Doran?"

"Arachno?" the wolf was confused,"I..."

"Don't worry, Doran, you're going to be perfectly alright." the spider soothed, placing a hand on the wolf's forehead.

"I feel so weak, and tired."

"Go to sleep, you'll be better in the morning." the spider continued softly, and the wolf fell asleep. I breathed, and then headed back to the grate quietly. I climbed out, swung sideways, let go, placed a lot of my weight on the wall, kicked out, and rolled onto the ground, stopping on all fours.

"Astonishing landing, Alduin." the voice of a glower came from behind me. I turned hurriedly.

A glower was hovering there, and I stepped to one side for him to pass.

"Silverine told you, didn't he?"

My silence was quiet enough, and he sighed, pulsing gently.

"I know it may seem unfair to you..." he began.

"No, I understand now." I looked downwards at my own boots," You run the place, you can't run us as well."

"We never want to be hailed as gods, Alduin. We don't have the aloofness they need, and we couldn't face ourselves as having slaves to do our bidding."

"And Silverine?"

"I have never seen a creature get so angry.He had no sense of control left, the only way he could have been restrained was by my death or his. You can tell everyone what you want, I was scared. Anger as potent as his wouldn't have been stopped by the pain of merely touching us. I would consider telling him that the fear he commanded in me has made us all look to him. No spirit, no dragon, no breathing creature has ever scared a glower like he had."

"He shouldn't know."I shook my head,"He bears that scar as a reminder that he shouldn't."

"The choice is yours, of course."

"What was she like?"

"Silverine's sister? Everything he is now. He was always much more rash, but by god there was a woman we all admired for everything she did. I often regret not helping to save her, and I regret even more hurting him, but what he was asking was against everything I was ever taught or knew what was right."

"I think I'm glad not having met her.If she was anything as fierce in the bed as he was."

"She was." the glower chuckled," But I have never met a creature as all round as she was. I will only tell you one thing more. She knew the risks, like everyone else, and like a select few, she took every single one of them up. She laughed in the face of Death, and I bet she still does."

The glower pulsed, and hovered away. I took off in my aircraft form, and flew directly towards the food store. I landed, and slid to a halt next to the door. I changed and walked in.

"Doran's still alive, he was talking a minute or so ago."

"How the hell did you find that out?" Draco asked, looking in awe."There's no way in."

"You forget, Draco."I smiled."I can always find a way in if I put my mind to it."

"That is true." he shrugged."So how is he?"

"Tired and weak, but he said so out loud, so he's going to live.I know it."

"Then let's have a toast!" Draco roared, standing up and picking up his glass." To Doran's speedy recovery!" There was a roar of a hundred voices in reply, and everyone drunk from their glass.

I smiled, but the day's events had been far too much to join in. It was nigh on six, and in that day I had been through several personal hells, and a couple of other people's. I pulled Ryan out of the crowd, and asked him if he wanted to go home. He too was tired of the day, and took my hand. Draco took Ryan's, and the three of us teleported back to our house. Draco knew both of us were weary, though he didn't know why with me, and the dragon helped us to bed.