FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Sully was staring intently at the dried, shriveled-up form that was occupying the space inside a classically antiquated specimen jar. Since the jar was capable of holding a gallon or more of fluid, the object within was obviously sizable. With its brownish color and the general appearance of desiccated leather, it was less than appealing to the eye.

"Something new to add to your collection of oddities?"

"Sort of. This was recently discovered on a back shelf at one of those old roadside attractions that used to dot the highway along Route Sixty Six."

"Greeeeat. Someone's severed penis."

"That was the initial consensus of the building's new owners."

"Then I take it that's not what it is?"

"No, not precisely."

"Someone made a real-looking fake one just for display?"

"A good guess, but again incorrect. DNA analysis indicates that it's a form of worm."

She looked into the jar again, peering a bit more intently.

"A worm? I know that some earthworms can be oversized, but none of them look anything like this."

"True enough. It isn't that sort of worm at all. It's of a variety known as Acorn Worms. They're normally oceanic, bottom dwelling creatures, though they apparently can be found under the sand on beaches. From what I've read, they've been around for millions of years."

"Then it sounds like there's no mystery here."

"Almost. You see there are a few known examples of the fossil species Spartobranchus tenuis_from the Burgess shale, and even fewer of a lesser known variety called _Spartobranchus magnus."

"Magnus? As in large?"

"Yep. The two differ in size by a large degree, but they do share something in common."

"Which is?"

"They are both only known from the fossil record."

She paused and looked once more at the coiled object within the centuries-old jar.

"So you're saying that this thing is a living fossil?"

"Not that one in particular Sully. It's pretty much dead and dried up. But yes, it seems that this thing was once alive and obviously, not all the long ago, geologically speaking."

"So where did it come from?"

"Originally? That remains to be seen. The label that was once affixed to the glass had fallen off, but it has since been recovered. The problem was in identifying the language it's written in."

Dana tapped her nails on his desk.

"I've asked this type of question before and I'll ask it again. Why did the Bureau end up taking this on as a case?"

"Because like you, the ones who first rediscovered this brilliant specimen thought it to be from an intelligent, upright-walking biped, most likely of the equine variety. Once the lab identified it as not coming from anything remotely intelligent, it came to me."

"Why you and not some crypto-zoological society?"

Smolder pulled out a file folder and flipped it open. He pulled out a microfiche copy of a quaint and quondam manuscript. The writing was undecipherable to her eyes and written in a crabbed, nearly unreadable style.

"This copy is from a very obscure book, the original of which had been off of its shelf only a handful of times since it was written and bound. It is considered heresy to write down the information contained within it."

"Then how is it you have a copy?"

"They never said anything about not using modern reproduction techniques. Besides, they don't know I did it, so that makes it all ok in my book."

Dana rolled her pretty eyes. "And who are they?"

Fox grinned. "Let's just say that they're a group of dedicated religious devotees who maintain some rather rare, obscure and often controversial manuscripts."

"So what's the connection between a dried up old worm and a dried up old book?"

Fox flipped through his copied pages until he arrived at the one he wanted. It was obviously an illustration, made in the old style common in medieval times and later.

"The colors in this book are extraordinary and amazingly preserved. It's a shame I wasn't able to capture the true essence of this work. Anyway, here is the only known illustration of Spartobranchus magnus, or as they called it The Phallus Wurm."

Sully took the stapled pages from him and gazed at the reproduction of the old colored woodcut. He was correct. It would have been amazing to look at in its old, original colors. But even more astounding, and something that wasn't lost on her in the plain grayscale pages, was what the image depicted. It was both unsettling and rather captivating, like driving by an accident and not wishing to look and yet yielding to the compulsion to view it.

"Are you saying that thing in the jar looked like these things when it was alive?"

"So it would seem. That's not quite this shriveled husk portrayed on that page, now is it?"

"Not really. This illustration is rather...sexual in nature."

"Isn't it though? I wish I had a color copy of it to frame and hang on my wall. The head of that worm is shown here as being dark red, and the rest of it pale brown streaked with black. It's very striking."

Dana squirmed unconsciously. Fox noticed.

"You feeling alright?"

"Yeah. It's just getting to be that time of the month again. I'll be fine. So why do you have a, uhm...professional interest in this thing? I still say you should hand it over to some college or university."

Fox smiled mischievously. He pulled another sheaf of papers from his folder.

"In 1561, a case of female hysteria generated attention amidst claims by husbands accusing their wives of infidelity in a small European town called Assenbeck. While the reported chaos eventually subsided and the cause of it apparently known at the time, somehow the whole matter was suppressed to the point that these pages are the only recollection of it in existence."

"So? What happened?"

"A ship carrying cargo from China and the Middle East, purported in the manifest as containing only tea, spices and porcelain, apparently had additional cargo not properly listed on the records. There was a heavy waxed crate that had been picked up along the way home. The intended receiver of this crate had died before the ship made harbor, leaving the captain and crew at a loss as to what to do with it."

"Don't tell me. It had one of these creatures in it."

"Not one. Multiples. The story says that once the lid was removed, all that could be seen was very damp soil. That partially accounted for the weight and the wax coating over the wood. After a moment the dirt began to move. Then, en masse, the worms stuck their heads up to the sunshine and fresh air. Needless to say, the sudden and unexpected appearance of a bunch of animated penises created quite the stir."

Dana pictured the scene in her head and suppressed an undignified guffaw.

"And from there they managed to get loose?"

"Something along those lines, but a little more purposeful. Despite the presence of males, and more particularly a few priests of the local religious order, the woman began behaving strangely. All of a sudden many of them darted forward, grabbed a worm or two and took off running as fast as their respective gaits would allow them."

"I would have figured these things wouldn't have survived out of water. Didn't you say they were mostly marine?"

"Most living species today are, but they are smaller and more prone to drying out. These things are bigger, tougher, and obviously, according to the tale, more than capable of holding their own."

"And?"

"What needs to be said? Apparently the ladies took a shine to the worms and in return, the worms took a shine to them. Let's just say that there was an unspoken amiable accord that tied the ladies to their new pets."

"Amiable?"

"According to the words of Brother Dantheus, the "wurms sought out thine laydies darkest, most secreth places."

"So these things ended up like living dildos?"

"I doubt their evolutionary course was directed to such an end, but yes, essentially that was the case in Assenbeck."

"So what became of the worms?"

"The usual. There was a purge of everything that had arrived aboard the ship, and anything living that wasn't bipedal and fairly intelligent was burned at the stake. Each and every specimen was rounded up and destroyed, amidst much weeping and cries of distress from the ladies of the town."

"Sounds a little unbelievable."

"Yes it does. But then, we have evidence to the contrary.

She tapped the jar.

"And this is it?"

"So it would seem."

"And your plan?"

"To determine where this one came from and then to see if any still exist."

"To what end?"

Fox's mischievous grin grew wide. "What end? I suppose that would be up to the user, now wouldn't it?"

He barely dodged a left hook.

"I mean; why do you want to find out so badly? What's the point?"

"Knowledge Dana. The filling of a void in the information we have on this creature, which is almost non-existent. And to see if this old story has any truth to it."

She knew he was being a little too evasive. "But mostly to see if the story is true?"

"Of course!"

Linguistics identified the scrip on the jar label as being Thai. Since Thailand, formerly known as Siam, was on the return trip from China, this seemed all too plausible a location to find these living fossils. But Thailand wasn't all that small, and Fox needed to narrow down the search. Over the course of a few days, he dug a little harder into strange legends from that region and made a startling discovery. Even more amazing was the place mentioned was real and still existed today. He tried to find a means of contacting this place, only to find it shunned most modern ways. So he sent them a letter explaining his intentions and he hoped that someone there could read English. If not, then his arrival was going to be a complete surprise.

The trip to Thailand was long and wearisome, and Dana spent a lot of time napping. Fox remained awake for most of it, reading through copies of his copies, looking for clues he might somehow have missed before. It dawned on Sully when they reached Thailand to inquire where they were heading. She hadn't earlier because quite honestly she would have gotten the runaround from her partner as to the precise location. He tended to like keeping some things secret. She pulled off her headphones and tapped him on the shoulder.

"So are we landing at Bangcock?"

He snickered. "No. But ask that again."

She ignored him.

"So where are we landing?"

He sighed. "Fuck it."

"What did you say?"

"Fuck it."

His tone was one of quiet humor, not anger. Dana thought over what he was saying. Still, nothing came to mind.

"I give up. What the hell are you trying to say?"

"We're going to fuck it."

"I'm not fucking anything."

He broke down and started laughing. "We're going to the island of Phuket; spelled P - H - U - K - E - T." His utterance of the name was proper this time, pronouncing it as Poo-ket.

"You're kind of childish sometimes, you know that don't you?"

"Sure I am. What's the point in growing up?"

She stopped the inevitable argument that was prone to happen at time like this.

"You've got serious Peter Pan syndrome, you really do."

"Hey! I'm on a plane. I can fly, I can fly..."

She put her headphones back on and left them there until the jet landed and taxied to the gate.

Their entry into the country went largely unnoticed. Fox was dressed in more casual attire, while Dana favored her more officious looking outfit. She felt that if they were on an investigation, they should look the part. After all, they were representatives of the government. They passed through customs, which allowed them to keep their guns but not without a bit of red tape. There were numerous questions regarding their purpose in the country, which Fox answered slyly but evasively.

Phuket was quite the resort island, though calling it an island was a bit of a misnomer. It was connected to the mainland by a highway, and it was a bustling as any place in Asia. Still, there were places where time had not advanced, and where the folks lived life much like it had been done centuries before. It was one of these places that they were headed for.

Dana found the modern mixed with old style a bewildering feast for the eyes, and considered as they traveled away from the airport and out into the more tranquil countryside, that an isolated patch of previously unknown creatures could very well live out here without anyone knowing about them. New species were found all the time, so why not something as simple as worms? She found that believing in those old tales was something she was having difficulty in and that if they were true, how had those things survived during that long ocean voyage. And seriously; why would anyone go crazy over something like that? It just didn't add up. Outside of their odd appearance there couldn't be anything all that special about them.

They found a rental agency, paid for a small Asian-built model and drove off into the hilly region. They drove down narrow roads, passed through numerous small villages, and eventually came to one where Fox pulled over. It took him a while to find someone who understood English well enough to act as translator, and one that was willing to do so for a modest price. When he found out where they were headed however, the price went up.

"Me no take you there. Forbidden!"

"Forbidden? How so?"

"No one goes there. No one!"

"Well, I'm going there. If you don't intend to help out, then you can kiss your money goodbye."

That got the slim lemur thinking.

"I will take you. You will pay me. But I not go inside the gate. Not allowed. She especially not allowed."

"Fine. All I need is for you to translate for me when we get there. After that you're free to go."

The man had a motorbike, a common enough sight in countries like this. They followed him as he sped off down one narrow road after another. He was far more nimble than was Fox in their little sedan, but they kept him in sight. It hardly mattered for in the end, the road they were on came to an abrupt end at a wedge between two hills. At its juncture sat a thick and tall stone wall, pierced in the middle by an immense two-piece bronze-clad gate.

The jungle climbed up the slopes on both sides, and vines, tough and think, scaled the walls and covered the old gray rock with a green, scaly covering of leaves. Dana looked up at the incredible rampart and whistled.

"I guess they want to keep someone out."

Fox patted her on the shoulder.

"Sadly, that would be you. Our little friend there said that the monks here don't accept visitors, but that goes especially so for those of the female persuasion."

"So what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"I guess you can wait in the car until I get back, assuming they even let me in. Knowing you I'm sure you'll find some manner of amusing yourself."

"Not funny Fox."

The local got off of his bike, walked timorously to a bell that was set into the wall, and pulled the rope. The harsh clang seemed to take forever to die away. The silence in its wake was eerie, for even the local wildlife remained hushed. The local turned and said something in broken English. Fox asked him to repeat it.

"They call this Prat? th?? m?? khey peid; The Gate That Never Opens.

A moment or two passed before there was the rough sound of metal on metal, as if gears were working that hadn't been used in ages. There was a clang and one of the two doors making up the gate eased open about two feet. Fox waited for someone to come out. There was no sign of anyone. He heard the motorbike rev up and it and its rider vanished into the jungle. The lemur had done his job and was off, back to the safety and security of his home village.

Fox waited a moment more and then proceeded to slip through the narrow fissure. As soon as he did, the gate began to close behind him. Apparently no one came out of this place, only in. That was a foreboding idea if ever there was one.

The doors slammed shut with an echoing clang. To one side stood a robed figure, whose whitish furred arms stretched out past his sleeves. He gestured to Fox to come closer.

He came forward, his paw outstretched.

"Hello there. My name is..."

"Fox Smolder. Yes I know."

The FBI agent stopped dead in his tracks.

"I don't know which surprises me more. The fact that you know my name or the fact that you speak fluent English."

"As for your name, you did send a letter. Just because I declined to answer it doesn't mean I didn't investigate you a little bit Mr. Smolder. When an agent of the FBI comes calling about something best lest alone, then it is my job to take notice."

"And your fluency Mister..."

"You may call me Pah. I attended Oxford. Never assume anything about anyone Mr. Smolder. These robes are part of who I am, just as is my education. We are not here, doing what we do idly. There is a method to our way, and a purpose to our devotion."

Fox studied the solemn primate, noting the plain white robes that were far brighter than his naturally ivory colored fur. His eyes were bright, and it didn't take an expert to understand that the mind behind them was shrewd and intelligent.

"Then you know why I'm here."

"Yes. I must say that I am distressed by your persistence. There can be little good coming from your visit."

"The sooner I get my answers, the sooner I'll be on my way. So do you have what I asked about?"

"We are protectors Mr. Smolder. We protect the intelligent from the primal, and we protect the primal from the intelligent."

Fox grew exasperated.

"Do the worms still exist of not?!"

"Such impatience. Yes, they still exist. Does that satisfy your craving for information?"

Smolder relaxed a little, but just a little.

"Might I see one?"

"In due time. I wish to know more about you before I make that decision. Shall we partake of tea and get to know one another?"

Back at the car, Dana was fuming at her exclusion from this investigation. She didn't mind the trip, but sitting in the car while Fox gallivanted around inside this impressive looking structure was the very epitome of humiliation to her. She hated being treated differently just because she was a female. Monks or no monks, rules or no rules, she was getting inside.

But how?

She looked out the car window at the wall, and to the vines climbing right over the top.

She smiled.

Where there was a will there was a way.

Inside the compound, the two males were seated at a small, low, ancient looking table. There was a teapot and two cups,, but nothing else on the heavily aged tabletop. The gibbon was asking very detailed questions of his American visitor, inquiring about his interests, his past and his official duties at the Bureau.

Fox answered them patiently, but inside he was roiling with excitement. A new species of worm thought to be long extinct! Dana was correct in that this was something for the biologists, but there was enough mystery surrounding that he just had to be the first person to bring them back into the limelight.

"And this specimen you have in a jar. It is very old I presume?"

"Very, very old."

"I thought as much. And you know the story of what happened in your Europe?"

"My Europe? I don't claim it by any means, but yes, I do have copies of the story concerning what happened there a long time ago."

"Yes, there were a large number of eggs stolen at that time, though their loss was not immediately noticed until it was too late to attempt a recovery of them. Back in those days, care was less restrictive than we have it today. Back then, only women were excluded from the monastery. Foreigners would occasionally visit, admire the strange creatures and then leave. The tales they took home with them were discounted as gross exaggerations and so little or nothing came of their visits. But then, one specimen was obviously taken, for scientific study I assume. It became lost through the ages until you somehow managed to obtain it. That was the one that set off the other; the thievery of eggs that ended up in; what did you say the town was called again?"

"Assenbeck."

"Strange name."

"No worse than Phuket."

"True. Too each their own. Now where was I?"

"The worms..."

"Yes, of course the worms! Oh yes. The eggs were shipped in a crate filled with wet dirt. These worms are primarily just worms. They burrow in the soil and thus are beneficial and harm no one. But it was discovered a very long time ago, long before there was written language that females tended to cause erratic behavior in the creatures. And on the flip side, the ladies reacted strangely in the present of the worms. It was soon discovered that the worms brought pleasure, much to the disgruntlement of the males."

"I take it a worm can perform all day and not get tired?"

"There is less humor in this than you think young vulpine. No one knows where the worms originated, but it was obvious that they were increasing in their range. They began spreading through Asia, from ocean shorelines to rice paddies. And everywhere they went, they caused chaos.

There was no major difficulty at first. When the worms were discovered they were simply destroyed. But here and there problems arose. A certain princess found out about them and demanded that some be brought to the palace. This was done."

"I would have thought the royal house would have found favor with these things, if they're all their cracked up to be."

"No. The princess was found dead three days later, covered in the worms. Her death was blamed upon them."

"And did they actually kill her?"

"No, not in a direct way. Mr. Smolder, you can die from many things in this life. Overdosing on pleasure is among them."

"She orgasmed to death?"

"No one can say for certain. But the ruler made an edict calling for the destruction of any worm found, even offering up a bounty in silver coin. Needless to say, there was a mad rush to dig up and capture every one there was."

"It's happened before. My country offered a bounty on certain pests until they were nearly wiped out."

"Yes, such wanton destruction is to be regretted, for even if not harmful, it is rarely beneficial. The loss of life cannot be remedied. Thus, it was of no surprise when we learned of the madness that struck the city of Assenbeck. The loss of life there was inexcusable."

"Are you talking about the worms? They're just worms after all."

"And you are just a fox, Fox. I am but a lowly primate. Yet we all live. Since the worms only cause disruptions around the female gender, long ago it was decided to preserve them away from the world be separating them from their enemy. Females."

"Hence the No Ladies rule here?"

"Yes. Without a female around, I think you will find the worms are rather boring, though they are distinctive in appearance. They are normally quite sedentary, remaining out of sight. For the most part, they bother no one and there are none outside of here for anyone to bother. They do what they do and harm no one. They are what they are."

'Might I see them now?"

"Yes, I suppose that will be allowable."

They stood and the monk led him through the corridors to an open atrium. In the center was a cupola supported on all four corners by massive pillars. The roof was covered in old red tiles, and the entire courtyard, save the center under the roof, was solid stone. But under the shade of the cupola there was a square area, punctuated by an apparent short walkway to the middle that was filled to the brim with dirt.

The monk walked to the end of the walkway and kneeled on the stones. He worked his hand into the soil, going deep enough that his sleeve was getting soiled. Finally, with a cry of triumph, he pulled up and came out with a wiggling, corrugated length of worm. Fox was momentarily stunned when the end of it was hardly penile in appearance. That was until the monk maneuvered the thing so that the other end was showing.

Now it looked like the good monk was giving a horse cock a hand job. The tip was dark reddish purple, and it did indeed look like a penis belonging to some larger intelligent species. The main difference was the fact that this worm was very long; amounting to several feet. It was a damn impressive sight that much was for sure. Its corrugated appearance was a bit odd, but then again who didn't like a ribbed dildo?

Fox found he was sweating so he took off his jacket and tossed it on the ground. He reached out with a paw and touched the thing, marveling at how firm and tough it was...for a worm. It wasn't stiff like an erection, but instead was much more animated and thus capable of slipping through the monk's grasp. As he watched it squirm, he suddenly was taken in by a vision of that thing making its way up his..."

"So young fox, what do you think?"

Smolder turned beet red under his already red fur. He stammered out an answer before he had a chance to think what he was saying.

"Very interesting! So this thing only reacts around females? Why?"

"Pheromones and hormones mostly."

"Biochemistry from a monk?"

"Remember, I went to Oxford. You really need to keep an open mind Mr. Smolder. If we are to understand the world in which we are part, we must study it, know it, and then act accordingly. The worms are attracted to high levels of estrogen and in turn, they produce a pheromone that is difficult for women to ignore. There were a few experiments done decades ago, and while hardly scientific in nature, they proved beyond a doubt that the mere smell of the worms will send a female into fits."

"So the mania back in Assenbeck wasn't an exaggeration?"

"No, I doubt it was. If anything, the reports were subdued to keep the locals' integrity intact. I have never witnessed anything close to that, and I don't think I ever will."

Fox chuckled. "It's a good thing that Dana isn't here."

"Who is this Dana?"

"She's my partner."

"A female?"

"The last time I checked she was."

"It was good of you to not bring her here. Not only would I have to have been rude in excluding her, even getting near the gates would be too close in my opinion."

"Aren't you exaggerating just a little?"

"I wish I were. Much history surrounds these creatures, even if we have gone to great lengths to remove it from the mainstream. Trust me when I say that we take these precautions with good reason."

Fox pointed to the ceiling of the structure they were standing under.

"What's the metal ring and rope for?"

"Ahh those. You can see where the rope is tied off there to the side. It is used rarely and not something I will discuss with you. Let the matter rest that it serves an important service when that service is needed."

"As you wish. I not a believer in hiding the truth, and yet, I am beginning to see your point of view here."

"Good. Since you have a specimen that can do no one any harm, I will assume that your visit here is done. Consider it an oddity, and think nothing more of it. Keep it hidden away, for we will tolerate no other foreigners within these walls. We do not like to think of ourselves as being antisocial, but we have vowed to protect the world from the worms, and the worms from the world. So far our diligence has paid off. I am sure you can imagine the trouble the world would see if these creatures fell into the paws of unscrupulous types."

The monk lowered the worm back to the pit where it writhed and wiggled its way back underground. He motioned for the agent to follow him back to the interior. The two walked and talked, making their way from the dimming daylight to the great dark halls of the monastery.

A form broke from the shadows and made its way to the pit.

Dana had watched the interaction between the two males and from her vantage point saw the worm in the gibbon's clutches. It was rather disturbing to watch, and yet she felt an overwhelming urge to get a closer look. She was still under the impression that the whole investigation was pointless, but upon seeing that they were indeed real, she was having second thoughts. Maybe there was some truth in the old tales. If nothing else, she could have her own report to back up Fox's should their superiors bring this trip into question.

Her footsteps were stealthy, more so than was likely needed, seeing as the courtyard was devoid of life. Not a single monk was to be seen.

As she approached the cupola, she saw the dirt and marveled that there was nothing growing in it. But then, from the size of that worm, the ground was probably too well churned to allow anything to root. As she stood there the ground began to shift and move in an obvious manner. That was enough to confirm her opinions on the subject.

What was much less obvious was the penile form emerging from the ground behind her and to her left. Unlike the other worm, the one the monk had handled, this one was different. It looked the same, except for its size. It was huge.

This one was the granddaddy of them all or the grandmother perhaps. It was difficult to tell genders on worms. This one had lain low for its entire life, only now finding a reason to emerge. It was very likely that the monks didn't even know of its existence.

That was about to change.

Inch after inch of it rose from the soil, silently ascending above the surface. The inches became feet as the monster lifted itself from the ground. It soon looked like a misshapen anaconda slithering across the stones.

And there was still more hidden beneath the surface.

Dana failed to notice it until the thing began wrapping itself around her legs. The head of it then attempted to split the difference between her lower limbs and force its way up the middle. Between surprise and her confined legs, she nearly lost her footing. Luckily, she recovered her balance and drew her gun.

She belatedly realized that the gun was not the best tool for the job, but found that she was stuck for it. With her other paw she grappled with the worm, hauling it in for a better look, despite her present state of alarm. She had come here after all to see the damn thing and see it she was going to do. What was unexpected was for it to show an equal interest in her. There must be more truth to Smolder's old story than she had been willing to accept.

The worm continued to wind its way around her, making the extrication of her personage from its grasp more and more difficult. Added to this, there was a feeling coming across her senses that fighting this thing was pointless. It wasn't a bad creature, and it did seem to have some favorable features to it, not the least of which was its amazing appearance to that of a penis. True, it was a very large penis, and one that would in no way fit inside her, but a penis nonetheless.

She liked a good cock. Even one that was too large for her to properly use.

What was she thinking? This thing was just a worm. A BIG worm, but a worm.

Yet...

It did look like a cock. And the feel of it in her paw was amazing. It was almost as if it were real. But of course it was real! It was here and she was holding it!

She had no idea what was happening to her. The pheromone the monk had spoken of was especially potent right here, seeing as the accumulated remnants of their species dwelled beneath her feet. To a male, the smell was barely noticeable, but to the female olfactory senses, the aroma was as potent as opium was to an addict, and just as powerful a draw.

Her brain was turning to mush as the chemical entered her lungs and into her bloodstream. Nerve gas couldn't work that fast. But this stuff held her in thrall before she could clear her head and make a clean getaway.

Other worms began surfacing. If Fox had thought that there were only a few in this detrius filled pit, he was very much mistaken. The monk had gone fishing to find one. This time they had a good reason to make themselves known.

They began springing up all over the pit, and in short order they were joining with the gargantuan one in trying to get to the source of the estrogen that was so attractive to them. One made its way up her leg and under her skirt, bashing at her panties in an effort to get past them. Another came up the other leg, this one managing to come in from the side, slipping past the material and into her very wet hole. The other got the idea and passed through the leg hole and fought to get into the same spot as the other. Finding this impossible, it made the next best decision and went for the rear one.

Dana collapsed on the ground in a near-coma triggered by undo ecstasy.

If she had been in her right mind, she would have been fighting them to her last breath. As it stood, the chemical in her system was acting as the most potent aphrodisiac on earth. Her blood was boiling as her glands were triggered into releasing ever increasing amounts of hormones. The skin beneath her fur was flushed, and her mucosal membranes were dripping with natural lubrication. These things were the ultimate in pulsing, probing, questing and unbelievably flexible dildos!

Her mind was growing unhinged, but she was still capable of some coherent thought. She suddenly understood the ladies' fascination with these creatures those few hundred years ago. If there ever was something that would make a lady a wonderful pet, it was one of these things. They had to be better even than that little octopus that Fox seemed to think was going to grow large and provide him with some late night entertainment.

She admired the monks for their diligence, but there was a fortune to be made off of these things! Every lady on the planet would kill for one. Her cloudy brain did realize however that big pharma might very well try to corner a market on this chemical aphrodisiac, and who knows what consequences that would have on the world. Those were thought for another day. Her brain could check back in in a week's time. Maybe she'd be willing to listen to it then.

Right now, she was getting pretty deep in worms. And the worms were enjoying her company. The wrapped around her and enveloped her until there was barely anything of her body showing, just the tip of her nose from time to time as they wove their way around her in a living vermiform ball.

Dana was in heaven. Given enough time, she just might make it there too.

Fox was saying his last goodbyes to the Monk, satisfied that his trip had been worthwhile. The worms were real and quite the unusual looking things just as he had hoped. He was mildly disappointed that they didn't act all crazy like in the story, but seeing as they needed the feminine touch, so to speak, that aspect of them would never be witnessed in his lifetime.

They were worthy of preservation, and he could think of no one better to handle than this group of devotees. It was an odd choice for a lifestyle, but he knew of worse.

"Pah, I wish to thank you for showing me all of this. I wish you the best in the future. If you ever wish to call me, I can give you my card..."

He patted his chest. "Damn! I left my jacket back there."

"Then let us return and retrieve it so that you may be on your way."

Fox really did wish he could obtain one of the worms, but he would never have gotten it out of the country alive and intact. Science was going to have to carry on without proof that this unusual creature still remained among the living. And if their behavior was as unusual as it was claimed, then civilized society wasn't prepared for the likes of them. The chaos they could cause would be phenomenal. Still, going back to get his jacket was going to give him a second chance to snatch one.

Meanwhile, Dana was nearly stripped of her clothing, though whether this was from the incessant undulations of her inadvertent captors or from something she herself did was unknown. The two that had beaten out the others to gain entrance into her inner sanctums were going crazy trying to make headway. The one in the front was pressing firmly against her cervix, questing to reach the mother lode of the estrogen hormone. In doing so, it had compacted its length until it had expanded to the point of filling up the hole and every conceivable crevice within. It still left an amazing amount of its body outside, but for all Dana knew, the whole thing had worked itself inside.

The same went for the other one, which had more room to insert itself. Her rectum was stretched to the breaking point and she didn't mind in the least. She could feel every movement the creature made, and every inch of headway it gained gave her wave after wave of pleasurable sensation. Like the other worm, this one was trying to locate the scent that was overloading its receptors. And like its compatriot, a large section of it remained in the open air.

The rest of the group, the large specimen included, had formed a writhing mass around her in their fruitless quest for satisfaction. Throughout it all, Sully had the sensibility to keep her mouth shut, for a worm in her throat would probably have suffocated her. She was enjoying the experience far more than she thought she should have, but she instinctively knew that it wasn't worth dying for.

It was still going to be a close thing. The mass of worms was forming a continuously moving barrier around her, at times blocking her ability to breathe. When she approached near-hypoxia, her mind cleared in the presence of such immediate danger, and despite this, she was foolishly allowing herself to languish under the press of all those erotically enticing forms. She tried once to muster the strength to fight her languor but her reserves were getting tapped out. Logic had no place in a situation such as this.

Sully led a reasonably active sex life. Being double penetrated had never been a scenario in her repertoire until she had started working with Fox. It hadn't been something she thought she'd like, but this experience was showing that it did have possibilities under the right circumstances. Assuming this experience wasn't a fluke (she mentally choked at that word) then it opened up the possibility of having a real go with a cock in each hole.

As it was, the throbbing that was oscillating her to the bone was also driving her absolutely crazy. These things were truly nature's living, vibrating dildos! They were hitting nerves she didn't know she had, and making her feel things she didn't know she could feel. Impulsively, she grabbed a worm in each hand as it wound around her, reveling in the feel of their flexing, sinuous forms. It she ever found a male with such enhancements, she was going to nail him until she couldn't walk straight!

She felt the big one slide across her upper arm and had an evil thought. That uptight mare in records would definitely loosen up after a night in this pit. And Dana wasn't thinking merely along the lines of her emotional state. She would pay good money to see that worm drive itself deep into her equine backside! But then again, nah. Why share in the fun?

Her thoughts fled before the onslaught of a climax of massive proportions. It threatened to constrict her openings and crush the culprits that were inducing it. Her ass tightened up, her cunt followed suit and all the parties involved in this tripped a seemingly endless loop of perpetually repeating sexual excitation.

Given enough time, Dana's heart would give out, assuming her breathing remained unrestricted. She was young and in good health, but even a body such as that could run at full speed for only so long before something was bound to give out. She didn't really care. She was beyond caring about anything but the sensuous overloading plaguing her body. It was getting to the point that it was numbing her mind, for such things will drive a sane person crazy. The psyche has to buffer it somehow.

In the dim recesses of her mind, she thought she heard a sound, like that of a muffled shout, but then all external stimuli that wasn't caused by the worms faded into darkness.

There was a shout. A mighty shout.

The gibbon has a voice that can carry for a mile or more. He rarely used that ability here. There was no need for such extremes. In his surprise and agitation, he forgot his training. But then, a huge knot of worms above ground and in plain sight was alarming to the highest degree.

He broke into a long-limbed gait, breaking away from Smolder in mere seconds. Smolder wasn't even aware there was a problem until his host sped off in the direction they had already been heading. Then he too saw the mass of roiling worms and kicked his legs into overdrive. A knot of these things was out of character for them, and as such, meant that something extraordinary was going on.

In light of this recent development, the location of his coat became a moot point. He wanted to know what had set off the worms. The monk was far more agile than he looked, and he stopped so suddenly that Fox nearly bowled him over. They were left standing on the brink of the pit, looking on as hundreds of feet of worms rolled in a solid mass.

Fox asked a question with no obvious answer.

"What's wrong with them?"

The monk had a severe question of his own.

"Where is this partner of yours?!"

Fox was going to reply with where he had last left her, but before the words could come out of his mouth he noticed her torn and strewn articles of clothing on the stones.

"Honestly! I left her in the car outside the walls. She must have found a way inside."

"What! This is terrible! We must free the worms from her clutches!"

"Free - the - worms! I can't even see her under all of these wiggling, writhing bodies. How is it they need to be saved?"

"Because my job is to protect them, not your partner. She is your problem, not mine. However, they are presently both of our problems. Now assist me in separating them!"

The monk darted into the center of the cupola and grabbed the end of the rope and pulled it free. He swung it towards Smolder and yelled, "Get in there and tie her off. I don't care which part you attach it to, just get it on her

With the rope in hand, Fox stood next to the ball of worms and tried to figure out where in that mess Sully was. Suddenly, he saw a paw and grabbed for it, yanking the worm stuck in its clutches and tossing it to the ground. With a deft display of dexterity, he slipped a knot over her wrist and yanked it tight.

"OK! Now what?"

The gibbon grabbed the other end, where it was fastened to another metal ring inset in the pillar, and began to haul her up. Fox joined him, adding his strength to the mix. The entire ball began to rise, here and there worms slipping off and falling to the ground. Slowly, a tail appeared, and then another arm, and finally her head. And yet she was still covered with worms. And slipping through the knot of them was the big one, defiantly daring the men to remove it.

The monk paused in his pulling. Fox looked to him for an explanation.

"I do not know. I have never heard of them reaching this size before. I can only guess that it has been living in the pit for a very long time, somehow going completely unnoticed this whole time.

"But how do we remove it?"

"Very carefully. And pray that none have managed to get inside her. Any worms that have entered an orifice will be very difficult to remove without killing them first.

Fox declined to comment. He concentrated instead on pulled off the various specimens, unwrapping them and tossing them into the pit where they crawled around, looking for their recently discovered source of estrogen. They were for the time being harmless, seeing as Dana was too high for them to reach.

In the end, the big worm wasn't any more difficult to remove than the others, though it was longer and thicker and therefore heavier. Still, once it was on the ground, it lacked the rigidity to raise itself up high enough to reach the vixen, but only just by inches. That left just two.

And of course, they were snuggled inside with their tails in the breeze.

Dana appeared to be either unconscious or in a full stupor. The rope was obviously cutting into her wrist as she hung there limply but there wasn't a single expression of pain on her face. The look might have been defined better as rapturous.

Fox grabbed the end of one of the remaining worms and yanked. It was stuck fast. He was about to pull on it harder when nimble hands stopped him.

"You must do no harm to the worms. They are innocent in all of this. You must also do no harm to your friend. Apply a constant pressure until they have come free.

It took nearly twenty minutes before the first one came out. The second one came a few minutes later. Fox went to free his partner from the rope, but was stopped by the gibbon.

"If she drops down now, the worms will swarm her again. I shall be back in a moment."

He returned with a large silk bag.

"Lower her into this and cinch the top. Then we shall carry her away."

It took him a couple of tried before he got the bag over her feet. He worked it up over her as the monk lowered her down. A quick undoing of the knot holding her up and she dropped into the interior of the bag, where she was present safe from the worms. The two males picked her up and carried her to the monastery.

"Now we must leave here. I will notify the other brothers to watch over our wards until they settle back into the soil."

They carried the limp form out of the courtyard and into the monastery corridors, and from there to an unoccupied room. Fox undid the rope holding the bag closed and worked it off of her unconscious form. The gibbon held up a light and stopped dead, his eyes wide open.

Fox had the presence of mind to tease him some.

"What's the matter? Never seen a nude female before?"

"Yes, but never as close as this. We have one here on rare occasions for the ceremony, but at those times we simply avert our eyes."

"Celibacy has to be a bitch. You're a far better person than I am."

"You very well may be right Mr. Smolder."

Dana was moving erratically, her eyes fluttering as if she were in REM sleep. Her limbs were twitching involuntarily. Then all at once, her eyes came wide open.

"What? Where am I?"

"Hello Dana. I see you wormed your way here onto the premises."

"Worms?" She shuddered violently before lapsing back against the floor, a smile creasing her face. "And where is here?"

"Cloud Nine apparently."

"Cloud...Nine?" she repeated slowly. "Wait! Where are those worms?"

She reached down to her crotch and fingered herself violently, heedless of those present with her. The monk nearly died of embarrassment. The fact was, she didn't even comprehend he was nearby. All she had eyes for was the worms, and they were nowhere in sight.

Her eyes flashed red and she sat bolt upright, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Where are they?! They need to be here!" She yelled, pointing to the empty holes in her crotch.

The gibbon made a hand motion to invoke divine protection as Sully tried to get to her feet. The monk mumbled;

"She is going into withdrawals already. I have heard it might normally take a day of more before its onset. She is very sensitive to the pheromone. It's a good thing we got her away when we did.

Dana's face hardened. "Fuck you, you stinking little primate! Out of my way!"

She jumped to her feet and made for the doorway, forcing her way past the monk and her partner. One step, two steps and then her eyes rolled up into the back or her head and she hit the floor with a thud.

Fox stood over her and frowned.

"She never passed out like that after we've had sex."

The next day Dana awoke in a well lit hotel room, far away from the great stone monastery deep in the jungle. She had been dreaming all night, and it was a peculiar mix of imagery. It ranged from having sex with Smolder to engaging in bizarre activities with these strange, penis-like worms. She didn't remember drinking last night, nor for that matter what she was doing in a hotel room. She felt like shit, and in all the wrong places. Or right places. It was difficult to say which it was.

Then she spotted Smolder sleeping in a chair to one side. '

"Fox!"

He started, sat up, yawned and stretched.

"Good morning Dana. How are you feeling?"

"Like a huge pile of dung. What happened?"

"Do you remember where you're at?"

She thought it over.

"We were heading to Thailand. We are in Thailand. Some island or another."

"So far so good."

"The monastery! The worms! We came to find those worms!"

"Uh huh. And someone snuck into the monastery who shouldn't have. Any idea who that might have been?"

She was going to say something but stopped and stared at him.

"I remember having a dream about these huge, horrible worms. Yet they were irresistible. Are you saying it wasn't a dream?"

"I'm afraid so. You put on quite the show."

She groaned and pulled the sheets over her head.

"Sorry about that. I have no idea what came over me."

Fox snorted. "A bunch of worms came all over you. Those things put you into olfactory overload. Actually, I guess it's a two way street; they drive you crazy and you drive them crazy. The end result was a bit messy. I think I picked the worst time of the month to come here, if you know what I mean."

She missed his insinuation. "The worms... I never thought I'd have warm feelings for an invertebrate."

"They do seem to have their uses, don't they?"

She pulled back the sheets, noting her nudity. It didn't bother her. She fingered herself, a little more coldly than before.

"At least I'm back to normal down here. I seem to recall things being a bit stretched out."

"You are and you were. I think you'll be back to completely normal in no time."

She settled back down on the mattress, feeling totally worn out and exhausted. She closed her eyes and was prepared to fall back asleep when she opened them again. There was an edge to her voice.

"How the hell do you know I was stretched out? And how the hell would you know I was returning to normal? How the hell would you know that?"

Fox shrugged and grinned sheepishly.

Several days later and back at the office, Fox was eagerly tearing open an International Mail envelope addressed from Phuket.

The handwriting was exceptional.

Dear Mr. Fox Smolder,

I hope all is well with your partner and that she is suffering no long term ill effects. The worms are back to acting normal again or something akin to normal. There is the sole exception that they have been stimulated to lay their clutches of eggs, something we did not expect for many more months, when that action is induced during a special rite. It is the only time a female is allowed into the monastery. I do not see this as a severe problem, merely a lingering side effect of your partner's intrusion onto our domain.

Please remember to keep all that you have learned to yourself. You would be doing the world a disfavor by leaking anything that you saw out to the press or any science institutions. The world simply cannot coexist knowing these creatures exist. Some things are better left in the shadows, don't you think?

Sincerely,

Pah Bunyasarn.

Several miles away sat Sully, her wrist wrapped and her gait less than steady. She was just finishing up her period, and while not normally a good excuse to call off of work, with it coinciding with her recent encounter she felt the best idea was to stay home and drink tea with honey and lemon.

And whiskey.

It was still a blur in her head, that trip to Thailand. She remembered bits and pieces of it, snatches of images best left unseen. And yet, every time she thought too hard on it, she got a warm feeling inside her and that in itself made her shiver. Who would ever have thought a worm, even a weird one like this one, could ever have had an effect like that?

She went to the bathroom, finding that her monthly flow was a little more enhanced than usual. She could hardly wonder about that considering what all her body parts had gone through. She sat on the toilet contemplating her recent brushes with the unusual and the extraordinary. Her life working with Smolder was never dull. Sometimes she wished it was.

She finished and stood, wiping to clean herself. Something fell away and plunked into the toilet bowl with a muffled plop. It sounded like a raindrop falling into a puddle.

She turned and stared.

She stared harder.

Whatever it was, it was nearly the size of a large gumball. It was white and it was round. And it had no business being where it was.